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Typical Monday

As I read old homemaking routines from the 1950's and earlier, I can't help but wonder what my grandmothers' days were like.  And what their mothers' days were like.  All the way back.

Thinking that perhaps one day my granddaughters or great-granddaughters will wonder what I did all day, I thought I'd jot down some notes as I go about my day and then keep them here.

Monday 2/15/16
President's Day
No School today
Kids are sleeping late because they were at a friend's Valentine's Day party late last night while my husband and I had a Date Night!

6:00 am - Wake.  Husband is working from home.  He works at the computer desk in the dining room.  I sip my coffee and eat a muffin.

7:00 am - Head to the gym,  Today is a Chest & Triceps workout.  I've had a cold for about a week, and before that had a sore arm from donating blood, so it's been almost four weeks since I've had a good workout.  I do about a 45 minute weights workout, then 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.

8:30 am - Home from the gym,  I shower, wash my hair, get dressed and begin my day.  I start with laundry.  Strip the bed and wash the sheets.  Realize that I would like a second pair of sheets and order a set from amazon.com.

9:00 am - KB is awake.  I cook some pancakes for her.  Realize that the buttermilk is getting low and start a new batch.  I clean the kitchen while the pancakes cook.

Homemade Buttermilk Recipe
I began with a starter culture from Cultures for Health.  But once you get it going, it's as easy as putting 1/2 cup of buttermilk in a quart mason jar, filling with milk, leaving on the counter for 16-24 hours.  Then, bam! it's Buttermilk!

9:30 am - Strip KB's bed and move laundry.  Make myself breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and toast.

10:00 am - Clean the bathrooms, move laundry, make the bed.  While cleaning the bathrooms I realize that the wood around the mirror in our guest bathroom is getting dry and dusty.  Last week I mixed up a batch of beeswax wood polish and this seems like the perfect opportunity to try it out!  Polish all wood trim in guest bathroom.

Beeswax Wood Polish Recipe
4 oz. beeswax pastilles
1 oz. olive oil
Eucalyptus, lavender, and lemon essential oils

Melt Beeswax in a bain marie.  Add olive oil.  Stir together.  Remove from heat and add a few drops of each essential oil.  Store in a half-pint wide-mouth mason jar.


11:00 am - Organize nightstand and bedroom bookshelf.  Cook pancakes for PB.  Vacuum master bedroom, hallway, living room, and dining room.  Set up coffee pot for tomorrow.

12:00 pm - Unload dishwasher.  Warm up leftover pot roast for lunch.  Make a turkey-cheese quesadilla sandwich for K.  Eat lunch.  Read and rest for a bit.  I'm currently reading Four to Score by Janet Evanovich.

1:00 pm - Grocery shop.  Come home and put away groceries.

2:00 pm - Wash sofa slipcovers.  Help KB with math homework.  Make a cup of Rooibos Chai tea for myself.  Make KB's bed.  Help PB with math homework.  Vacuum KB's room.  Move laundry. Rest and knit.  Begin prepping supper.

4:00 pm - Put two chickens into the over for roasting. Make PB's bed. Rest, knit, and watch Brady Bunch with the kids.

Roast Chicken Recipe
2 whole chickens, rinsed and patted dry.
2 large onions, peeled and cut into thick slices
2-4 carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
2 whole head of garlic, sliced in half across the cloves
4 tablespoons butter, melted
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Scatter vegetables in the bottom of a large roasting pan.  Place chicken back-side-up over vegetables.  Brush the chickens with butter and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for one hour.  After an hour, turn the chickens over (breast-side-up), brush with more butter, season with more salt & pepper.  Tie the legs together with cotton kitchen twine (optional).  Return to the oven and roast for one more hour.  Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.

5:00 pm - Turn the chickens.  Start potatoes boiling for mashed potatoes.  Cut up some broccoli for steaming.  Make a batch of salt dough fro PB's class tomorrow.  Mash the potatoes and steam the broccoli.

6:00 pm - Supper

6:30 pm - Remove meat from the bones of the extra chicken.  Start chicken stock.  Wash and dry dishes.  Put away leftovers.

Simple Roast Chicken Stock
Bones from 2 whole roasted chickens
Onions
Carrots
2-3 bay leaves
4-6 black peppercorns
4 quarts of cold water

Place everything in a stock pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.  Simmer 8 hours or overnight.

7:30 pm - Family TV time.  We watched Modern Family.

8:00 pm - Reading time

8:30 pm - Lights out for kids.  Tuck them in,  Finish watching Scandal episode that my husband and I started two night ago.

9:30 pm - Sleep

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