Two Weeks.....

Well, we have been in our new place for two weeks already. I am still in the middle of sorting things out, putting things away, making room for storage out in the garage and putting our son's stuff to one side. Little by little, box by box we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I set up the kitchen first...Since that is the main hub around here...I also managed to do a few projects that needed to be finished and do some canning as well. My sister gave me her old table and chairs set. I sanded the table down to paint, but realized I kinda liked the farm house look...The chairs will have to wait for now since they will need new covers made and sanded down as well...Not sure yet if I will paint them. For now I have a few mixed matched chairs, so we have a place to sit and eat as a family. Today I took the last box out of the dining room....Yay.

Life still has to go on even during and after a move...We have been longing for our normal routines from the last five months of limbo. We found the stores, stocked up on necessities, found the library, went to a baby shower function for a gal from our new church, Freckles has done some baking and helping out where she can. She loves our new place and being back to us...Though we are missing our boy...But, we are very happy for him and his new job in Washington. We are hoping to get him out here at least for a few days this Summer. And of course the in between regular cleaning and laundry is getting done. 

Okay we are still sorta trying to find our living room. The boxes are finally cleared...Just a few more things to hang and waiting on our new couch and a slip cover for our chair. Till then, this is all I am showing you. Pretty nice ha? j/k

I finally painted my hutch that sat in our garage for the last 7 years in between our moves and all. I thought...Heck, I finally have a place to use it, I might as well snazzy her up. I even papered the inside. And even my Pyrex and winky cups have a place of their own.

Not to forget the whole big reason we came out here to begin with... My dear Mr. Darling finally got a job. He was chosen to be a year long Pastor intern with the means to plant a church in the surrounding area where there is a need. They gave him an office and some duties and will support our work as a home missions family. We are thrilled beyond mention and so excited he will be doing what he loves after working so hard to get there. We are truly blessed and grateful for the opportunity and most of all thankful to God, for this indescribable gift . Our new church is very nice, the people have been welcoming and warm, not to mention very helpful and loving. Freckles will be going to a Summer camp next month, hoping she will make friends...And we will be catching up on home school stuff while Mr. Darling works. I have to show you, the above picture is not a lunch  made for my sweet daughter, but for my hubby. You think the guy's will be jealous? Well, he took it to the church and wasn't the least embarrassed. I love that man.

 

Alright, moving on...Among all the clothes we have been washing and drying, we have been putting away. I just hope this linen closet stays this nice. I love vintage sheets...
Did I ever mention that to you? 

Lastly, I finally got my little sewing corner set up. The rest of the room is still in shambles...Will have to share that later. We will be using it as a sewing/home school room/ guest bedroom. I do miss our boy living with us...But, the third bedroom is awfully nice to finally have a place to call my own. Can't wait to start using it.
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Hope you enjoyed at least a little peek of what is going on.
I promise to share more soon.
P.S. Sorry for the bad pictures, they were taken off my phone.
Have a great week.

Fathers Day 2013

Sunday was a very busy morning, it was Fathers Day, yet, everyone was scurrying to get ready for church.Now that Mr. Darling is working for the church, he had to leave ahead of us for the first service, then come back to pick us girls up. There just wasn't time to have a special breakfast or anything. So, off to church we went. After the service we did manage to take our dear special man to lunch. Just the three of us this year since our son is not here.

We had a quiet afternoon...Freckles gave her daddy a handmade card and we even fit in a little picture time. I love it. Mr. Darling and his sweet Freckled girl. Then off again to church for an evening gathering...Got home late and just conked out for the night. Since Mr. Darling didn't get his special breakfast, we made him a brunch the next day. We cut stars out of bread and grilled it in a pan with an egg in the center with some bacon on the side and a nice big glass of orange juice.

 It was good and he was happy.

Dear Daddy,

A hero is someone that is admired deeply 

Whether it be through the eyes of one or through the eyes of many.

He stands apart from most men and has far more character.

The magnitude of his importance is measured greatly by his actions.

Yet, the hero is humble and feels unworthy of his rightful title.

It means nothing until he sees the love and adoration in the eyes of his child.

Then and only then does it gain significance.

He means the world to our kids and me...

 We are blessed to have such a loving, special person in our lives.

 Our children's Daddy, My dear sweet Mr. Darling the Father of our children...

Our hero...

Blessed. 

Summertime Vintage Style Series- Preserving and Canning

Welcome back to Frolicking Freckles Summertime Vintage Style Series where we are studying the 1940's as a Summer School project. Over the weekend we went shopping and saw that the peaches were on sale....Unfortunately we don't have a peach tree...So the next best thing is buy them. One thing though, I will not pay full price for them. As a frugal Mama, I will wait for sales then pounce on it. So at 50. cents a pound I bought about 20 pounds. I saved a ton, since regular price is almost $2.00 a pound. And yes I am going back for more. Okay so....As our Summer project is on the 1940's...I decided since I had all this fruit, that we would can them. I have been canning for years. Freckles has helped me in the past, but this time I was going to teach her how to do it step by step, so she could do it on her own. 

During World War II, Victory gardens made an important contribution to the home-front effort by producing a significant amount of food (approximately 40 percent of the vegetables consumed in 1943) and by providing a way to contribute to the war effort for those who could not fight on the battlefield.  The book "Eating for Victory: Food Rationing and the Politics of Domesticity" by Amy Bentley contains a chapter examining victory gardening and canning during the war, gender politics, and how the nation responded to the call to do their part in the war by gardening and canning.

Canning was an important part of the victory garden program, as it allowed the bounty of the harvest to be preserved for the winter. Canning was a common activity during the war: in 1942, 64% of women canned food for household use; in 1943, the percentage was 75%.  On average, families that canned put up 165 cans or jars per year during the war.

Although most of the canning was done at home, about 5,000 community canning centers were established across the country.  These centers were places where specialized equipment like pressure canners (devices that allow the food to be heated beyond the boiling point of water, thus killing pathogens that can survive in boiling water) or very large hot water baths could be used for a fee — sometimes the user paid per can or jar, sometimes they donated a portion of their canned goods to the needy. Although 5,000 is vastly more than we have today, the centers were used by only about 1% of those who canned in 1943.  Most people didn't know they existed, already had basic equipment, didn't need a pressure canner, or knew someone who had what they needed.

(Excerpt by:Eat Local Challenge)

The whole process took several hours and some tears, but we got through it. 

Freckles cut, cooked, and canned them all on her own. 

Now, this Mama is very proud.

The "Of Course I Can" poster was created by the U.S. War Food Administration in

 1944 as part of the nationwide victory garden program

She canned 6 quarts and one pint of golden peaches, which we will enjoy...And after we buy more peaches and do the process all over again, we will have some for the Winter to enjoy. I find canning not only rewarding but a healthy option...Since most all food is over processed, over sugared and not to mention expensive. We have enjoyed fruit of all kinds plus jam preserves over the years, and I know where it came from, because we canned it ourselves. We have been blessed in this new home with a nectarine, apricot and cherry tree...Which we are already gleaning from...And that is free food for my family with just a little sweat... We produce some delish yummies for the coming months. Next on my list is getting 

a pressure cooker to do veggies. Can't wait for that. And well, I know we are not in the same circumstances as in the 40's during the war...But I do declare, I am saving money and feeding my family wholesome goods. I take pride in that. And, of course my family appreciates every bite.

I would really love to encourage you, if you haven't....to start canning, teach your children this lost art...It's easy really, just takes some dedicated time in doing it every year. You can easily find jars on Craig's list, thrift shops, garage sales, or new in stores for pretty cheap, a canner for about $25, the rest of the supplies are pretty inexpensive as well. Then seek the sales, or use your fruit and tamaters, you can also make pickles and relishes. You can learn about canning by searching the web; "canning with kids", buying a book and reading up on it. It will be a rewarding project for you and your child and helps build great relationships between the two.

Some Resources:

The Beginners Guide To Preserving Food At Home

Canning Peaches By: Make It Do

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1940's House

This is quite interesting to watch. We got ours from the Library. 

You can also stream it from the computer or from Netflix...

Or you can buy it from Amazon ( kinda expensive).

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Have a Canning Party

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Add pretty fabrics to your jars and give away as a gift

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Hope this helps...Hope you enjoyed this post. More coming soon.

Frolicking Freckles Summertime Vintage Style Series~ 1940's~

Well, we are finally getting settled into our new home and our normal routines after the long five months we were without our own home. Due to staying with others, we never quite felt we could continue on our normal routine path since there was so much going on and things I will not discuss here. Anyways due to stress and other things beyond our control, Freckles missed quite a bit of school.   She was reading and writing regularly, but the normal stuff wasn't getting done. Thankfully she is home schooled and we have the opportunity to catch up this Summer. That is just what we are going to do. So, back to school..."Summer School" that is.... to catch up. And, yes she will still have some fun this Summer, I wouldn't deprive her of that. We will be going on some field trips as we need to venture out a bit and learn about our new area...The Bay area. And, she will be going on her first Summer Camp trip. I decided since I am a visual,  hands on, unit study kind of Mama who loves history too...And I have a visual, hands on, unit study kind of daughter who also loves history...That I would pull together a unit type study on a couple of our favorite eras. The 1930's~1940's. 

Freckles came out the other day in a blue shirt and red banana on her head making this gesture with her arms, declaring "We Can Do It". I just about died laughing and grabbed the camera. This is just what inspired this Summertime Vintage Style Series. So...Follow along if you would like. We will start off a little backwards with the 1940's, since Freckles inspired this whole thing...And well, Independence Day is just around the corner, so I'm feeling a bit patriotic. Later we will move into the 1930's.This series of the 1940's will include crafting, cooking, baking, sewing 

and a resource list to help you dive into the era a bit more.

Here's a little crafty photo booth idea for you:

Make a Rosie Riveter poster~

I took a picture of Freckles just like the pose of the Rosie Riveter poster. Then I took it into Pic Monkey and colored around it and added the text. If your daring and know how to do this in Pic Monkey or Photoshop, then by all means have fun and be creative. Okay some of us may not be savvy with the computer....so here's what you can do instead: Dress up in a blue or white button up shirt, roll up the sleeves, add a bandanna, make a photo booth back drop on a wall or use a big sheet...( yellow would be nice, but not necessary.) Now make a big speech bubble from blue construction paper and painting "We Can Do It" with white acrylic paint. Attach this to the wall or a big sheet. Take a picture, crop it and have it printed...You can then use it for a scrapbook about the 1940's or a memory album. Or... You could always have your child draw

 a poster with colored crayons, markers or colored pencils.

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Note* This is not a project that I intend to encourage feminism. I believe in the 1940's there were women who had to work because their husbands had to go to war and women who wanted to support the war effort. They didn't have much of a choice back then. Keeping food on the table and caring for families was hard. I am also not against the woman who chooses or has to work in this day and age. 

This is not about my personal political beliefs. 

Rosie The Riveter was an American Icon and surely

 could be used as a lesson in our history. 

Eat Watermelon

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A favorite Summertime pastime is eating watermelon. We bought this lovely yellow watermelon from Sprouts and thought we would cut it up, while Freckles enjoyed some reading time at the kitchen table. Freckles is almost 13 years old...And still enjoys the American Girl series. We highly recommend the Molly American Girl book series, which will give you glimpses into the time of 1944. 

Visit Molly's World 1944 here.

Freckles also enjoys the book called Welcome to Molly's World, which is filled with pictures and information that will benefit any 1940's study as well as World War II. You can also find Molly's cookbook for cooking projects on Ebay or Amazon.

She also likes watching The American Girl Molly movie. 

We love the visuals of how it would have been back then.

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Some extra resources:

World War II For Kids

Great World War II Projects

World War II An Interactive History Adventure

Songs that got us through World War II

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Hope this will help kick start some Summertime fun.

 Keep your eye out for the next installment to this series.

 See you later.

I Like Old Stuff...

Nope, this isn't a post about our move or our new place yet. We burned out pretty hard this last week from the moving and excitement. Freckles ended up getting sick this last week....So following suit is of course me and Mr. Darling. We are slowly getting somewhere with our stuff...Good thing is the kitchen is all unpacked. Other rooms will follow. So....I decided to share some goodies we found thrifting, before the move here. You know how much I like old stuff...Before our big move my family was having a garage sale, there lying on a table was my Grandpa's little Kodak Instamatic and his Polaroid, of course we had to save them from someone buying it for a buck. Freckles wants to get some film for it...She is now even displaying her Great Grandpa's cameras in her room on a shelf. Awwww, so sweet. You can still buy film for them too...So I was thinking when she goes on her Summer Camp trip, I'll get some film for her to take pictures with it.

Okay, so off we go to the thrift shops...I found this darling pull doggy, which reminded me of my childhood. Fisher Price toys are timeless. And, yes I was singing down the isles as I clutched him close, "How much is that doggy in the window" Soon I will show you our craft/guest bedroom/school room where this doggy resides with his other pals.

Sorry for the blurry pictures...I took some of these with my phone. Next up...Another little doggy made it in my bag along with some sweet yellow dessert dishes and a colorful tea tin.

One of the best bargains was finding another vintage typewriter for Freckles. This darling blue electric typewriter was 75% off the day we went in...So for $8.00.....I couldn't pass it up and it works wonderfully. Ever since she got her yellow typewriter for her birthday last year, she has been writing almost non stop every day with it...She is in the middle of writing a series of books. Shes so cool. Will share more on that another time.

I found this sweet Grannie square Ghanny...All pretty and pastel..this perhaps may be

 one I will part with in  my shop in the near future.

MMMMMM. I also found vintage sheets. Some will be used as our bedding and some will be for projects. I got more, which isn't pictured here. Can't wait to start sewing again.

I couldn't pass up these beautiful Pyrex and Fire King dishes. Yes, I am one of those suckers who love Pyrex...Especially the ones I can afford. They finally have a nice home in a hutch I refinished the other day. Will share pictures soon. Some of you may have seen it on my Instagram account: Check my Instagram/ user name is Junquemama if you want to follow along.

Lastly I found this sweetie for just a few dollars in a Thrift Shop here in San Jose...The weekend we came up to visit, before we moved...i had to scope out some of the Thrift shops I would be frequenting. I love this vintage German Irmi Child/Nursery lamp, it's brilliant colors are perfect for my sewing table. I just have to get it a lampshade.

I love the characters on it....Especially this cow. 

Well, that's it for now. I hope to show you our new digs soon.

 So come on back I will be doing some canning even this week...

We were blessed with some fruit trees. Yay.