What I’m Doing in July

I get a lot of questions about my opinions on different issues, what I’m reading and how I spend my time so I’m going to post monthly about what is on my literal and figurative plate.

Around the House

I posted recently about the new library card catalog and the dining room make-over. We’ve decided to line the open-bottomed drawers with cardboard. Quick, easy and free solution to the problem.

We will paint the rest of the dining room trim, paint and re-attach the air vents, and do some other minor, cosmetic work before moving on to painting the kitchen walls.  Once that is accomplished, we will resurface the countertops and cabinets. I’m thinking hard about doing a tile backsplash, too.

Some of you asked about materials: we are using a no-VOC paint and it really did work well for not giving me a headache or other nasty effects. I’ll blog the progress of the kitchen renovation, but I have a feeling it won’t be done by the end of July. It’s going to be an on-going project due to both time and expense.  Gotta pinch those pennies to afford the materials we need to make the kitchen awesome!

We’ll also soon show you a project we did in my son’s room to repurpose and bring new life to an old piece of furniture.  It’s amazing how you can find pieces at Goodwill that are outdated in style but are sturdy-built, solid wood.  Cosmetic problems with a sturdy piece of furniture can easily be fixed with some time, a small budget, a few hand tools and a little know-how.  We’ll show you how we took a 1980’s hotel flowery TV armoire and transitioned it into a classic, non-flowery dresser and closet combo that will carry him into adulthood.

In The Kitchen

I’m beginning to stock the freezer with lunch foods for the kids as they will begin attending school in the Fall.  Look for a series on the blog about lunchbox foods when school starts.

I’m also working with a lot of beef and dairy for the Real Food Cooking School membership videos.  I’ve fallen back in love with kefir smoothies. My Nutritional Therapist, Lydia from Divine Health, has me eating more beef to help balance my fatty acids.  I love red meat, so I’m enjoying it. In July, we’ll be covering more about fermenting dairy and even doing some kombucha.

Speaking of kombucha… I’m also working with a new kombucha continuous brewing vessel that is an amazing, unique, hand-thrown, American-made piece that I absolutely love. The picture just doesn’t do it justice, there is a depth to the glaze and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is new to the market and I am uber-excited to get to tell you about it! Look for a review along with info on how to purchase one for yourself in July.

I’ve also decided that I really do need to learn how to grill. Jeff is great at it, but it would be nice to be able to quickly grill on a weeknight, too. So the first thing we need is a non-charcoal grill.  We’re saving up for that.

At My Desk

I fully entered the digital age in June, at my husband’s insistence.  I got a cell phone.  I had resisted for so long; I work a digital job, I didn’t want a digital leash attached to me when I do finish work. When I get up from this desk, I don’t want to deal with something electronic.  However, with some coming changes in our lifestyle, it really was necessary.  So instead of reading books right now, I’m trying to figure out how to work this cell phone. It stays on my desk and doesn’t follow me around unless I leave the house.

We’ve got some great podcasts coming up including an episode on using coconut flour, another installment of real food for beginners and more.  If you have suggestions for people you would like to see interviewed on the podcast or questions you want answered about real food, food storage, food intolerances or natural living, please let us know.

We’re still taking applications for contributing authors, if you’d like to write for Intentionally Domestic.  We’ll announce the list of new authors the middle of July.

Did you see that Alton Brown has begun podcasting?  Squeee!  I can’t wait until he releases his online cooking show!

The ‘Dump the Toxins’ series continues in July with more spice mixes and some homemade personal care.  If you have items you’d like to see included in the series, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below.

And Beyond

We’re on the hunt for camping gear.  I recently enjoyed my first camping trip, despite an incident with a (nonpoisonous) snake.  It had crawled up into our camping chairs for a nap, went for a ride in our van with us, and I was the unlucky one who was unwrapping and opening up the chairs. I yelped and jumped back about ten feet, then informed Jeff that the chairs and the snake were now his problem. I knew immediately from the coloring that the snake wasn’t poisonous, but… yeah.  It was a surprise so it made me jump. Luckily, he didn’t find any more snakes in the remaining chairs.  He saw that the snake was ushered back into the woods, unharmed, after the kids in our big group got a science lesson.

Both of the kids and my husband are now part of groups that go camping regularly, so it was finally time for me to get involved. It was so fun we’re now looking at purchasing our own tent and some other supplies.  Looks for posts about cooking while camping soon. If you have advice or recommendations on equipment, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

I will also continue using the It Works! Ultimate Body Applicator Wrap. I’m now using it on my tummy and my chin and seeing great results.  I’ll post another update on the progress I’m seeing in July. I am very excited about this product and the difference it is making in my skin!

The cats, Tommy and Chloe, are growing too fast.  Here’s a recent pic one of the kids took of them while we were filming in the kitchen for the  Real Food Cooking School. As you can see, they were unimpressed by the hubbub.  Tommy is now fully grown and Chloe will be one in September.

Past that, we’re trying to have a calm month before the craziness of August and school shopping hits!