which whey?

 There is something about homophones that stir interest and delight.

To this extent, my delight  was in the making of some whey.

The trickiest part of this experiment was the acquiring of some raw milk product. My source was raw goat's milk, generously shared by Charlotte's violin teacher who keeps a flock of milking goats.

Another one of those Nourishing Tradition ventures that materialized from my "want to try" list. I did not keep the cream cheese left in the dishtowel, however. It took longer to curdle than I expected, and...well, no takers, including myself.

But the whey is refrigerated and will be used in the making of fermented things. Way to go!

Okay, I wrote this post back in the winter, so here I am jumping ahead to just several weeks ago when Claire and I made a Saturday morning visit to the Farmers Market with the intent to purchase raw cow's milk. I promptly came home and began to make whey. It is really quite simple; incase you have never tried making it, you simply put the fresh raw milk into a clean cotton towel and hang it over a large bowl. I suspended mine with a rubber band from my counter's knobs. It will drip for several hours, upon which the finished product will yield liquid whey in your bowl, and solid curds in your cloth. The curds are pure cream cheese, really quite tasty. We ate ours with pesto on a cracker.
Tomorrow Claire arrives at 2:30 with her bag and lemons  and we will try our hand at making fermented lemonade with our whey.

But as another side note, what I want to share even more is a great breakfast dish you can prepare in either the winter or summer.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal  

2 cups of water,

 2 cups of oats,  

 2 tablespoons of whey

 Put into a saucepan, cover and let set soak until morning. 

The next morning:

add 2 cups of water 

1 teaspoon of salt 

 Cook until oatmeal is done. Place the cooked oatmeal into an oven proof dish, add a few dabs of butter and maple syrup, make this completely your own personal taste. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. 

This will weigh heavily in getting your morning off to a great start!

a July daybook

Joining up with the special ladies here at Simple Woman's Daybook.

outside my window...spots of color everywhere with flowers, hanging in pots, in containers, or in the  designated garden areas

i am thinking...how hard it is for a young person to grow up

i am thankful...for the abundance of fresh vegetables available in this season

in the kitchen...salmon grilled with mango relish, grilled squash, and green salad

i am wearing...blue skirt with green shirt, and barefeet, unless I leave the home

i am creating...a dress  sewn especially for me with Simplicity pattern 2174

i am going ...to an outside drama tonight

i was wondering...how to convince my husband to take me to a peach festival tomorrow

i am reading...Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

i am looking forward to...the weekend, and skyping Alan

around the house...unsettled because we are getting woods floors laid upstairs and everything is rather topsy-turvy at the present

i am praying...to guard my tongue....this is a constant prayer ongoing prayer of mine

i am looking forward...to learning Greek

quote of the day..."Help me to live circumspectly with skill to convert every care into prayer".                             Valley of Vision

                                                             

beautiful things in the sea

looking back

Update and comments on the plan that was laid, especially since Leslie asked.
                                   
                                             I really liked how my plan kept me on track.

 In regard to Wednesday's list, I was able to accomplish everything because I basically focused on the list. While I might have been tempted in times past to just put off, or even possibly become sidetracked with something else, instead of pushing through with the completion of my list, on this day I faithfully kept to my plan. Also, the acute realization that there were many tasks and duties not on my composed list that I was able to get done too. 

Extra things not on the list that were accomplished:

* both cats brushed, and nails trimmed

*a blog post was done

*math lesson with Charlotte

*sitting through a violin lesson
*mint gathered to make a tea infusion

I had to share this photo that was snapped on my iphone. This young woman came into our life for a brief time while I was driving Charlotte to ballet class, and she caused a huge smile on both our faces.  I was reminded of Barbie, all pink and girly.

to lay a plan

I have noticed that some of us women like to lay a plan for our days. A carefully laid out plan, a list, that may help create harmony and rhythm to the quotidian engagements of our life, and possibly assuage the ups and downs of any particular day. Summer to a large extent is lived in randomness at my house, but at the end of a day I might sense an unsettleness in my soul that makes me want to have some sort of plan to, at the minimum, work toward something....know what I mean?

So this morning I will begin to lay a plan... knowing tweaking is always a needed option.

Wednesday
*up early, Bible, prayer time
*walk several miles
* water inside and outside plants, even if the rains came last night and provided some relief, I must at least check them for dryness(especially those under shelter)
*clean refrigerator
*launder towels, dry, fold, and put away
*run vacuum in kitchen area


Extras
*sew on summer dress for myself
*sew straps on Charlotte's new ballet shoes, (and show her how in the process...she will be needing this skill in the future)
*make salsa with the abundance of tomatoes
*make a meal for a neighbor that has been seriously ill
*drop Charlotte at ballet camp
*run into grocery store and purchase some needed items

*make a few phone calls

I will see how this pans out. It is at least a start...

My windows are opened to the birds calls and the gurgling of my fountain this morning as I type this post! Glorious summer morning...time to sew! 

basking in completion

Both of these embroidery creations were begun this past winter. Both were picked up from time to time to stitch. Both were carried along to work on while in wait (which still involves quite a bit of my time), during car trips, while listening to music lessons, or during long evenings of unwinding. Summer is presently in full swing, and I have just completed both projects.

A pink piece of toile fabric, embroidered and made into a pillow for Charlotte's bedroom chair.

Feeling whimsical stirred the inspiration for embroidering this tea cozy. Today the outside temperatures are registering around 95 degrees; without a doubt, this tea cozy will be hidden away for another time when keeping a pot of tea warm will be the most ideal!