Log Home Tour part 2: Kitchen

Welcome to the Providence Lodge home tour!

  We began our tour with the porch and entry,

 and now we are headed to the kitchen, 

the hub of activity here in our neck of the woods.

The kitchen is 12 x 24, with the main work area being 12x12.  

The whole kitchen is a conglomeration of salvage materials.

  The cabinets came from a remodel  

the commercial wolf stove from Craig's List,

 the sink and faucet from Habitat for Humanity,

 the light from Goodwill,

 the frig from a scratch and dent warehouse 

 and the island is a fabrication of mix and match that a wise friend assembled for us.

  The crowing glory,

 I think, is the Home Comfort wood cook stove given to us by some friends.

  I just had it fired up yesterday, 

with the coooooold morning temperature to warm the house and make our breakfast porridge. 

Walking from the entry and going left, 

you come into the kitchen this way. 

The wood cook stove is on the far side of the island, facing the dining area.

Here is a closer look.

The island itself is nearly 4 feet wide and over 5 feet long.

  The primary purpose of this , with its stainless steel top, is for the processing of meat, mostly deer, 

which makes up the majority of our meat diet.

On the sink side of the island is the baking area. 

 Cookbooks are at hand right on island top, 

and I keep a wire basket with the tools I most often;

 rolling pins, glass measure, grater, and measuring spoons.

  I find this most handy.

Hand crochet dish clothes are stored at eye level next to the sink. 

 The sight of a pile of them makes me smile simply because I adore most anything hand made. 

The other side of the island next to the stove stores serving dishes and mixing bowls.  

With this large of a kitchen, I do find myself walking about it a fair bit, 

instead of the usual efficient work triangle,

 but I don't mind, I like the big work space that allows several of us to be hands on simultaneously.

The dinner bell hangs on a column near the entry and close to the door.

  I am always using it out on the porch to call the children in for supper.

At the end of the kitchen nearest the door

 is the breakfast nook that now houses the desk and small table.  

This area is great for overflow  when we have company for dinner,

 games, school work or other projects as to not crowd the dinner table,

 such as sewing, crafts, and big research projects.
This too is the area that has had the most alterations over the three years,
 but I think we've got it figured out now.

The decor in the lodge, if you can call it that,
 is mostly a collection of natural materials;
 antlers, plants, birds nests, pine cones, animals skins,
and one of my favorite pieces  here in this kitchen area,
a large wasp nest.  
Very romantic.
  If you have seen the BBC movie Wives and Daughters, you know just what I mean.
(smile)

The only non wood heat in the house,
this little gas stove from Lowes is a life saver when we are gone from home or
when the weather gets nasty cold and we need the extra heat.

I also found these curved iron plant hangers at Lowes for only a few dollars.

I am steadily increasing my indoor plants, so needed some of these.

Here a few last pics of work in the kitchen.

Love the 6 burners for canning season!

The large island provides plenty of room for two projects at once.

Although the oven is not full, you can still see that several loaves are baking at once.
  I believe we have had 13 pies in the oven at one time.
 I also like the gas heat.  The oven has a pilot light, which is just ideal for drying herbs and fine vegetables, such as chopped green peppers or onions, overnight.
 We have learned to leave a note on the stove top that we are drying inside,
 lest someone come along and preheat the oven for cooking without looking inside.  (chuckle)
 This has happened more than once.

Lastly, some cute little eager helpers. 

 I keep several tiny aprons and  old stools around 

so that the littles can easily participate in all the fun 

and activity that is constantly going on in the kitchen.

Between our little growing homestead here in the woods
and the fact that I dearly love feeding people,
you can see why I said that the kitchen is the hub of activity.

Join me next time as we continue the tour
and see just how many people we can squeeze in around the table in
the Dining room. 

Log Home Tour, Part 1: Entry

We just passed the 3rd anniversary of living in the
log home
 our family hand built over a period of 6 years.

I think it takes me at least two years to really settle into a home, 

so after three years,
I can confidently say that all things are as they should be- where they need to be. 

 It has been and whole lot of fun decorating the lodge,

 and there are so many things to show ya all, that we will take it in turns.

 For starters, the porch and entry way.

Winter porch

The front porch is our outdoor living room in the summer,
a work area and wood storage in the winter.

 We built it in scale to the lodge, which is 36x36,
so the porch is 12x36, which seems real big!

  I had defended the idea of a 12' porch by saying that nearly all porches are too small,

 and I desired this porch to accommodate all the seasons with all our family, so 12' it is.

  When we first began designing the house plans, we wanted to take into account the pattern of the sun in each season and arrange the position of the lodge accordingly. 

 The porch gets morning sun, and by noon is in shade for the rest of the day,

 staying cool in the heat of summer.  

It is also on the opposite side of the house as the weather hits,

 so in winter, ice and snow do not blow into it.

  I love our porch.
This is where we park first thing in the morning come a fine summer day.
The summer porch is a great place to take in the sunrise with Bible and coffee.

Summer porch

This too, is where we find ourselves for breakfast, lunch, and dinner a good portion of the warm season.

The rocking chairs are the perfect place to wait out a terrific summer thunderstorm,

 read to the children, or visit with a friend.

The entry is 12x12.  

The coat closet on the right side and the bathroom door on the left side,

 there is enough room for us all to enter the house and take off our boots and coats 

(which are generally worn 7 or 8 months a year).  

One coat closet is never enough in a big family,

 and this is one area I would do differently in hindsight, and may actually be having some changes in the near future to accommodate a more farm like lifestyle.  

The oak dresser (left) was my grandma's 

and is the general dump off place when we come in the door for keys, sunglasses and such. 

 The bathroom adjacent houses a three drawer dresser that holds all the hats, mittens, boot socks,

 and littles shoes and slippers.

Many of the doors, lights, cabinets, and bathroom fixtures throughout the lodge came from salvage stores.  We were able to save a great deal of money when building by purchasing such things when we saw them, not necessarily when we were ready to install them.
 Our kitchen cabinets, and some of the lights, for example.
 sat in storage for a few years (after purchase) before installation.
The front door, bathroom door, and closet doors are all salvaged.

r
So here we are at the end of this tour.

Welcome to Providence Lodge!

Next time I will take you through the kitchen.
See you there!

Triplets!

We went out to check the goats yesterday and low and behold.....

All three babies were dry and up on their teeny tiny feet. 

 Mama goat is doing great,

 as are the kids 

and had to have no help from their people.

  

They are so cute and snugly!

This little girl tried to suckle on Rose's chin. 

(chuckle)

   

With all this cuteness out in the barn, I do believe it will be hours before I see the children again..

 they are quite taken with the babies.

Who can blame them?

We still have two does yet to kid, 

so the fun has just begun!

Adding Quinoa to Granola and other healthy habits

I might be categorized by saying that I am a 

Christian,

  Romantic, 

Hippie,

  Redneck. 

 What I think that looks like is:

 living beautifully and for God's glory is important to me, 

living "green" for the sake of health is also important to me, 

and whatever I can do with my bare hands ( homemade) is my means of success.

  For example,

This morning, I can be found in my usual uniform - a long skirt, 3/4 sleeve shirt, 

sipping an herbal tea (we mix ourselves) from a chinz tea cup while reading my Bible.  

Next on my schedule is making a new batch of granola,

 and since I am on a spurt of healthier food, 

I am going to add a super food to my already healthy homemade granola. 

 So, washing my hands first with a handmade soap (no toxins) 

I head for the kitchen and grab up my apron and turn on some classical piano music. 

 I have changed my granola recipe to using honey and brown sugar 

instead of the maple syrup it had called for. 

 I just leave that out, so the overall effect is less sweet.

  I also am staying away from wheat, which has been a long time food allergy for me,

 so I am using rolled oats and oat bran. 

 To this, I am introducing quinoa for added protein, 

as some of us need protein first thing in the morning. 

 Therefore, I reduced the amount of rolled oats,

 so that my dry mixture and liquid mixture ratio will still hold well.

The results are fantastic. 

The recipe is simple. 

The ingredients also simple. 

 Every once in a while I add dried fruit and nuts after the granola is baked,

 but mostly we eat it plain and love it.

Quinoa Oat Granola

In a large bowl, mix together
6 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups oat bran
 2 cups quinoa
1 1/2 tsp salt- I use sea salt

(if you have never used sea salt, I highly recommend you try it.  Take a taste of your iodized salt.  Then take a taste of sea salt.  You will find a big difference).

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup olive oil,
1 cup honey,
1/2 cup brown sugar to near a boil.
 Remove from heat and add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract.

Pour this mixture over the oat mixture and stir well, until all dry ingredients are coated.
Spread evenly in a large cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
Let cool. Add fruit and nuts now.  Store in airtight container.

I always make two double batches of this at once, which you can do if you have a commercial oven.

 I use an enamel roasting pan or a cheap dish pan to mix these big batches in.

At the moment, we are using Almond milk until our goats are freshened. 

 That way we can avoid the processed dairy that so many of us cannot tolerate,

 as well as the hormones associated with soy products. 

Now that breakfast is complete,

 I send the children off to do their chores while I wash the breakfast dishes with my littlest helper. 

She is very enthusiastic about dish washing. 

 I find that plunging my hands into the hot water very soothing. 

To add to the experience, 

Jim and I both like to add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the water,

 creating a lovely fragrance, known for its soothing capabilities.

I also like using crochet dish clothes.

  They are very inexpensive to make with cotton yarn, 

and are so much safer than kitchen sponges, which harbor salmonella. 

 Keeping the kitchen clean goes a long way toward keeping my family healthy. 

 The common household kitchen can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. 

  A book I just read said that the average kitchen sponge or dish cloth has more bacteria than your toilet!   Rinse your dish cloth out with soap and hot water every time you use it,

 and change the cloth daily.

The sun is shining now, motivating the children to race to get their work done in record time.

They are already out and about in the woods.  

Olivia and I are pulling on our boots and headed out to our little barn to watch the goats for a bit,

 looking for signs of labor.  

This we do twice a day now.

Then I will be on down the road for a good long walk -

about two miles through the beautiful woods.
 The solace and time to talk to God makes this my favorite part of the day.
  I also know that I have so much more vitality

when I am faithful to exercise and eat healthfully...
and with all these exuberant children to raise, I 'll need every bit  of it.