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I've always knitted with pure wool and continue to do so. After discovering how many clothes and fabrics have plastic in their manufacture I now buy cotton and linen but only what is absolutely necessary

. I've kept the cost down by buying reduced to clear quilting fabrics, have just made nighties out of calico which was a hard wearing fabric back in the day and still is , linen-- I just want 2 A-Line skirts so will save for the fabric.  I recently brought pure wool pleated skirts at a thrift shop that were a bit too small but am going to see if I can also make A-Line skirts from them for Winter.

We've had a weird  Summer and most nights it's been very cold. We always shut half our house up in the Winter but now because of decluttering and cold temps we still have 2 rooms in that end of the house not in use.

I truly hope the polar blast that may come your way is not too severe Donna. You and Charles have prepared the best you can.

Karen NZ

So good to read your blog tonight! I wondered if y’all got snow or not. Friends in Newnan had and I thought perhaps you might as well. It makes sense to be frugal and comfy, so it is good to see that you and Charles are! Has he retired?  

Grandma Donna wrote, Karen S, that was very wise to buy a pleated skirt even though it was smaller because that should give you enough fabric to make that skirt.  I want to learn how to knit socks from wool yarn.  Thank you for commenting.

Hi Matty H, Charles plans to retire sometime this year. :) Good to see you here. 

I think i may have deleted my account somehow. But I'm back. ????

I really hope the polar vortex doesnt hit the South hard. For us we had -32 C at the lowest, but generally -20 to -25 most days. It was wool blanket weather!

I have ordered a wool blend skirt. I lost my previous thick cotton skirt, so hopwfully this will be a worthy replacement

I also have a wool sweater in the works. Hopefully this will all keep me warm through February!

GDonna.... Me too. I think I may have a pattern for making 8 ply socks on 2 needles instead of 4. If not Google will be where I find one ???? Thank you for the sewing encouragement.

Hannah A_2.... I am currently knitting myself a plain cardigan. Back is done , now doing a sleeve. I hope your sweater keeps you nice and snugly.

Have crocheted a pure wool blanket... Just have to join all the squares together.

Grandma Donna Wrote, Hannah A_2, I am happy that you found your way back. :) Take a picture when you finish your wool blanket and share it here, we would all like to see it.  I have not thought about crocheting the wool squares, I might try this. 

I'm recovering from the flu, but am happy to be settling into January and February with the slow time that comes with late winter.  I too need to sort through my things and make decisions about which to keep and which to offer to others.  I've signed up for a sewing class so I can learn to sew things that require more than a simple straight seem -- I'm going to learn to install zippers and also how to follow a pattern!  I have everything I need to do more sewing for the home and myself except the actual knowledge.

I have very little wool clothing since I live someplace where it is usually warm, but I do have wool sweaters on my thrifting list.  I sleep under a wool filled comforter this time of year.  I realized just Monday that I've knit wool hats for several family members but haven't knit a new hat for myself since I switched to wool yarn instead of synthetic, so that is on my list.  I found a pattern for felted wool slippers (you knit them first and then felt them) and want to make those.  I also wear layers in the house this time of year -- dressing for the weather is far less expensive that heating or cooling the house to 72°F year round.  In winter we set the thermostat to 64°F in the day time and 58°F at night, and need the furnace for about 2 hours per day at most.

Two our young adults moved out and we are now using 30-35% less electricity each month.  I think most of this was to heat and cool their bedroom, which was detached from the main house, but they also used a gaming computer which is power intensive.  DIY solar is part of our plan for this year, and we are working hard to reduce usage.  I bought a toaster oven so as to not use the electricity for the big oven, and also so in summer I can use it outside and not heat the house.

One of our big investments for being prepared for emergencies was to buy a solar generator with an expansion battery and portable solar panels.  We waited for a significant sale offer and bought the system for almost 50% off.  Because we have it now we'll be using it for some of our power needs, to bring down the cost of electricity from the grid.  With the wildfires more than half of our city was without power for 4 days and nights last week.  We had power, so we loaned our solar generator to one family.  Now several coworkers are asking my husband about the solar generator, and he explained to them that it is much more expensive now.  I remember when we sat down in November and made the decision to purchase based on the price going the lowest we had seen.  Last week people throughout southern California were scrambling to buy generators of all kinds, which of course either raises the prices or reduces the sales offers.

We have had a cold start to the year in The Midlands, England. We had a bit of snow, ice and temperatures down to -9°C.  The house is small and well insulated, and especially with all of the books. We are warm enough, wearing several thin, extra layers indoors, mainly cotton, under a thick jumper and jogging trousers, and I put on a gilet and woolly hat, and have a blanket if I am sitting for any length of time. My daughter gave me Fairisle knitted fingerless gloves for Christmas, and I wear a small scarf, and oversocks to keep the warmth from escaping from the edges of my clothes. 

My parents took up spinning and weaving in their retirement, Mum was an expert knitter, and we all appreciate wool. I have jumpers knitted by Mum, and by my aunt, who knitted traditional fishermen’s Ganseys. I bought several vintage, Trefriw Welsh tapestry waistcoats cheaply on eBay last year, they are thick and very warm. We have wool rugs on the sofa, and sheepskins to snuggle into on the back of the armchairs, and warm sheepskin mittens and slippers. I have my thick wool duffle coat which I bought over 30 years ago, and happily it fits once more. I bought merino wool long thermals in the sales last year, but it has not been that cold. I fill a vacuum flask whenever we have a pot of tea or filter coffee, and we have both rubber and vintage stoneware, hot water bottles. 

https://www.t-w-m.co.uk/

https://www.stitchedandstitched.com/gansey-guernsey-fishermans-jumpers-guide/

My home is open concept except for bedrooms. I keep it warm with a woodburner and only use the furnace if the stove goes out.  But I watch my electric usage very carefully. I burn candles for the cozy feeling  and do a lot of cooking on the woodstove.   

I keep lap blankets on every chair and sofa and I dress in layers. I have been known to wear my snow pants for the mornings . I figure why not as I am in and out with my dog and bringing in firewood.

I worry about the unhoused in my area, they have opened some warming centers but I still worry.

We are right in the line of the polar vortex....ugh.   -7 this morning at 7 AM and next week will be single digits for the high.

Stay warm and well!

My favorite trick for keeping warm is to heat bricks on top of the wood stove, then move them to wherever I want more heat.  Wrapping one in a towel and bringing it to bed with me, or using it to keep my feet warm while I'm standing at the kitchen sink, et cetera.  

We had a cold snap in the UK last week with temperatures barely above zero during the day and down to -7 at night, where we are in the eastern side of the country we thankfully avoided most of the snow that other parts of the country experienced but we did have several hoar frosts which were pretty but bbbrr. I love my wool socks and have lots of darning wool to keep them hole free, other than that it’s lots of layers to keep out the cold and warm blankets on the beds at night.

It’s currently marmalade making time here as we have the oh so short Seville orange season, I made ten jars earlier in the week and they are now tucked away in the larder. It’s time consuming work to get them all shredded, especially as my husband likes them to be cut thin, but worth it to have the enjoyment of it on hot buttered toast in the morning.

Oh and I had to open a new account to post which was strange.

Best wishes from cold Germany!
Sibylle

I have crocheted a blanket! I'm so proud of myself. Great for use in the sofa in the winter evenings. I've made the pattern myself, it is like a huge rectangular granny square. And I made it of all my leftover yarn (another win), mostly wool, but also acrylic and mohair, no cotton or silk. I had no rules (which is hard for me, since I love to organize everything), only rule was that the colours should alternate and contrast. It is very colourful and makes me happy. So woolen cardigans and blankets are great winter things in Denmark. We hardly ever get snow, but it is cold most of the time. There is a lot of "hygge" sitting with a blanket around you and read.

Sanne, that blanket is gorgeous!

I really enjoy reading your posts and all of the comments. Although I do not live the way so many of you do, I am learning and have a lot to think about when managing my home and lifestyle. Grandma D, reading your posts reminds me so much of the way my dad and his family lived, and I reminisce on all of the stories I would hear from them. It’s so important to keep these stories alive and pass on knowledge from past generations. Thank you

Yesterday I noticed that the apple tree that stands outside my cabin had swollen buds.  Today the buds are larger and more numerous, there are even some tiny baby leaves.  According to the tree, Spring is on its way in the UK!  Whilst I will be glad to see the Spring really arrive I am trying to enjoy these winter 'hibernation and hygge' months.  It won't be too long before we're (hopefully in the UK), complaining about the heat again!

So lovely to have another post from you G'donna.  I am really enjoying reading about yours and others' practices to reduce energy use.  I'm now living on a private pension and literally every penny is spoken for!  And I find you can always learn something new or take encouragement from reading about how other people are living their lives.  I planted garlic back in the Autumn and have plans for growing some fruit and lots of vegetables during the next growing season. That should save me some money as well as providing fresh, organically grown food; some to eat and some to share.

I too am returning to natural fabrics, wool, cotton, linen and silk (I have a large stash!).  A friend gifted me some woollen fairisle  socks for the Winter Solstice - she knows me well.  I live on the South coast so the temperatures haven't dropped that much, but we did have a few frosty nights just recently. I have cotton sheets and woollen blankets; I couldn't survive without my hot water bottles!!

I am not making any marmalade this year as I still have so many jars left over from last year's batch cooking.  I've also got numerous jars of jam and some wonderful chutney which I made with generous seasonings of Chinese 5 Spice- it tastes amazing.  I don't think that making your own jams etc saves an awful lot of money but, as the advert says, 'every little helps', and hm quality over- shines anything shop brought..

Wow! Very nice!
Greetings from cold Germany.
Sibylle

Our house doesn't have a fireplace or woodstove, and no place to put either, so my option is to reduce my heat pump usage as much as possible.  I keep the thermostat turned down and dress warmly indoors.  I also have two of the three bedrooms closed off.   

I live in Florida, but I own wool socks, a wool coat, lined cargo slacks, thick cotton pullover sweaters and a down-filled vest.  We've had 26 and 27F at night already this winter, and quite a few nights in the thirties and low thirties, with days in the low 40's. However, some winters I may wear a coat only once because it stays rather warm most of the winter and I can get by with jackets. 

I learned to take Navy showers, as they are sometimes called:  these are the ones where we get wet, turn off the water, soap up, turn on the water and rinse quickly.  It uses a surprisingly small amount of water. I catch the warm up water to use elsewhere, for flushing or watering plants, for example.  I'm on a well, but my well pump uses electricity. 

I use the oven for batch cooking almost every single time, with really rare exceptions, in the winter.  In the hot weather, I use the crock pot, toaster oven, the stove top or my pressure cooker rather than the oven.  I set the toaster oven and the crock pot outside many times.  I pile the bed with blankets and turn down the thermostat, and in spring and fall, I open windows and run fans.  I like coming here for more ideas on using some of the old ways to live.

Another post full of ideas! We've been going through all our drawers and closets too. We have a little one-burner wood stove but would have to figure out how to vent it. We also have wood to burn from our prunings, so if we needed to, we could use it in a pinch. We have covers on some things in the garden but other things are under hay, which keeps them warm. We almost lost our grapevine in one of the polar vortexes, so I should probably cover it more before the cold hits here Saturday. 

I got all of my mending done and then my son brought me 14 holey socks he'd found in the deep clean of his drawers and closet. Now I have all those darn socks to darn! But I don't mind, really. I enjoy listening to old radio shows while I darn, and I think people were on to something back in the past with more variety in radio shows to listen to. Now it's just talk radio which isn't the same at all. And podcasts aren't a replacement either. It was a different way of life back then, and I'm glad I can recreate it in my own life. 

It's lovely to see another post from you. We have been having very unusual weather here in Australia too. We have been seeing a lot of microburst storms that are very small but very damaging. 3 weeks ago we experienced one at home where I was watching out of the window and we had several gusts of wind that were so strong that they brought down our 80 year old macadamia tree. Over the last two days we have had severe storms in our region with multiple areas having hail 13cm across (approximately 5 inches) which is very frightening. Hail that large can punch all the way through your roof into your home. My son even experienced hail in far North Queensland yesterday which is unheard of as it is in the tropics.

I hope your garden can withstand the cold temperatures coming your way. It is concerning. We are switching our garden over to a tropical garden because the weather is changing so fast. 20 years ago we could grow apples, it was still cold enough then and now we are planting out papaya, bananas and lychees. It feels strange to experience such a dramatic change within one lifetime.

Our night time temperatures in winter go down to between 5C and -2C at times. We do not use a heater in our timber home. We rug up and wear multiple layers and enjoy sitting under blankets and sleeping under the heavy weight of multiple woollen blankets. I have several pairs of alpaca wool socks for these times as they are much warmer even than wool.

I retired at Christmas which was really lovely, I am enjoying being home. Even though we live in a suburban/urban area I am trying to arrange my home and garden in a way that we are quite sufficient unto ourselves. I think to myself, if we lived deep in the wilderness and were only able to arrange supplies every three months, what would I like to keep on hand? I am also trying to simplify what we use so I do not need to keep many different things. It is a slow process but very satisfying.

I really enjoyed reading your post Grandma Donna, and reading everyones comments. Take care.

Michelle.

Grandma Donna wrote, Sanne, that is a beautiful crochet afghan/blanket.  You have a right to be very proud of yourself. :)  I am enjoying reading all of the comments coming in and very good information.  Michelle, that is so sad to lose a Macadamia tree :(  Our weather is very unpredictable now.  

Kimberly, I hope you recover completely and soon from the flu. 

Thank you all for the comments!

Grandma Donna, I have my mother's wooden darning egg, and it is just like yours!  I live near Richmond, VA and the temperature in the morning will be 9 degrees several days this week and we are supposed to get more snow this Sunday and then another snowstorm in the middle of the week next week.  I'm glad I'm retired and don't have to go to work anymore but I worry about my husband having to go to work in it.  Blessings to you and Charles!

I so enjoy reading all the comments. They are very encouraging even if some suggestions don't quite fit my life and they start me thinking about what I can do. My husband doesn't think this way (I can't even get him to turn off lights when he leaves a room) which means I must be more creative and clever in my efforts to save.

I just want to say that cashmere sweaters are so light and extremely warm. Not to mention soft! I thrifted both of mine and I wear them for layering in the winter. Keep your eyes out for 100% cashmere at the thrift stores. I actually just went through an elbow in one of my favorite ones and am trying to decide how to patch it. Should I knit a patch? Or weave one? I am thinking knitting would be more flexible since it is on the elbow

I was watching documentaries for a while about life in the 1800s and the rooms were not open plan. There were a lot of rugs on floors that were slate or wooden.. not just one rug and often rag rugs. Hand made blankets and sheepskins were on most chairs. I noticed footstools so people wouldn't have necessarily had their feet on the floor. Hand knitted stockings or thick socks. Women with shawls and aprons and their head covered. I often saw fingerless gloves that they wore while working.

We can glean so much from how others lived in centuries gone by. 

Anna, you can easily crochet a round one in a constrasting colour, you can even make it look like a flower. :)

I really enjoyed this article. It is also a reminder for me to take care of some things like to buy a gas cooker so that we are able to cook without electricity. Last week we had a power outage in the city (luckily not in our part of the city), for around 40 minutes. It was absolutely traffic chaos, no buses, shops closed. Only 40 minutes! I feel that our home should be better prepared in case that we might face a longer outage.

I remember that my great grandmother and grandmother had „Bettjäckchen“ (bed jackets), to keep them warm in winter, and knitted bed „shoes“. I don‘t like wool on my skin but it is ok with a cotton shirt under the sweater. I have virgin wool jackets bought for little money on a fleamarket, very old fashioned ;) but wonderful warm! I noticed that I feel better when my wrists are warm, now I often wear pulse warmer like a very old lady :). Only a small thing but it really helps that I feel warm all over the body. 

Anna G.,

I've had good results with darning the elbows of sweaters using the "Scotch" or "blanket stitch" darning method, which is really simple and doesn't leave a bulky patch.  This video shows it well if you aren't already familiar:   https://youtu.be/ma4St7aDE_g?feature=shared

Outside of Denver here, it is currently 11 degrees F at 11am. We are to drop even more in temperatures the next several days. Grateful for all the good articles and tidbit sharing! Yesterday, I picked up faucet covers to attach, covered the exposed pipes with heat tape, will adhere window covers later and inserted a sheet into the door as the trim is going bad. With water dripping in a few sinks, I’m collecting it to use for cooking and watering plants. It’s been a great teaching opportunity for my kids in how to prepare for this weather.

Even while reading this post, I’m exercising on our indoor bike to stay warm realized I left the light on that I certainly do not need and quickly shut it off. Gah!

EVERYONE, keep sharing! Your insights matter to all of us!! Heart

@Kimberly F, hope you continue to be on the mend from the flu. D you mind sharing the brand and model for the solar generator/panels/expansion battery? We’ve considered this also for our home. Thanks!

For anyone interested in warmth with a bit less bulk, there are some fibres that are actually warmer than wool to wear. 

Cashmere has already been noted and is a great one. There's also angora rabbit yarn, mohair, and alpaca (3-5 times warmer than wool). All of which are pretty mainstream and fairly easy to find/thrift. 

In the more exotic zone is quiviut (an undercoat of muskox) and dog hair yarn. Yes, you read that right; dog hair. Primarily the undercoat of cold area dogs like Samoyed, Husky, Malamute and the like. Not easy to find especially not thrifting but fun to watch out for! 

We had a "high" of 2 degrees Fahrenheit here today, but that was a 4:00 AM high, with temperatures falling from there.  It's supposed to get down to -9 Fahrenheit by tonight.  The wind is really howling too - like pulling at the roof shaking the house kind of howling.  Not pleasant to be out in.  

I could really use a musk ox sweater for weather like this!  

My friend in Louisiana mentioned it was snowing there, so I looked up your town and was surprised to see it's snowing there too!  Possibly 3-5 inches!  Crazy!  I hope that it warms up soon so that you don't have lingering snow.  I know snow is not a typical thing in your area, but I don't doubt that you are better prepared for it than most people.

Here in PA we had about 6" altogether, I think it started Sunday afternoon.  We got the driveway cleared, but the temperature has been so low that nothing has melted from the sun, not even the ice on the paved driveway.  The chihuahuas do not like it at all!  Right now it is a balmy 18F, but I think it was 4F when I woke up this morning.  Supposed to be warmer next week.

Donna,

             I checked your weather because I've heard of the cold weather down south. I hope you and Charles have everything you need to be warm tonight. It looks like it is going to be bitterly cold where you are tonight. Our weather has been bitterly cold for the last two weeks. We are finally going to be above-freezing tomorrow and I am grateful for that. When the weather gets bad in the winter I read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They almost starved and almost froze to death in the blizzards in the 1800s. I remind myself that my situation is far better than what they suffered through. I really feel concerned for all those down south being affected by weather that they aren't used to. I hope everyone in this group is safe and prepared.

Becky

We just finished reading that book as a family right in the middle of one of our snowstorms I kept thinking at least we have food and the power is still on.

Kimberly I hope you feel better soon. This is a recipe of fermented garlic honey that we keep on hand because it's very much an immune boost. Grandma Donna's ginger tea is also a great one for when your feeling unwell. If I don't have time for tea I use 1 pint water, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar, pinch salt, and some honey in a drink.

Fermented Honey Garlic

Raw honey and garlic are well known for their immune-boosting properties and the best part is that you likely already have both on hand making this super easy to make.

• Peel enough to fill your desired jar ⅔ of the way up.
• Pour in raw honey to cover all of the cloves, give it a stir and cover with a lid.
• Tuck the jar away in a dark location (like your cupboard), but not too far out of sight that you forget about it. I like to keep it in my coffee or spice cupboard since I go in there daily.
• Give the mixture a stir (or flip the jar) every day or two to make sure that the cloves stay covered. If you decide to just flip the jar, make sure to briefly open (or "burp") the lid to let the gasses from fermentation release.
• Keep an eye on your fermented honey garlic and after a week or so, you should notice some little bubbles forming. After 1 month, it should be complete.
• Fermented honey garlic is one of the few ferments out there that shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator. Store in your cabinet or cupboard instead. Coolish temps are great (55-65 degrees). This should last 6 months

Sanne that quilt is beautiful! I would love to do that one day.

It looks like the cats are sure enjoying their new home and their beds. We can live without the air conditioning except for 3 weeks out of the summer, but the winter is where we struggle with our heat in our home. We do the best we can to keep the bills down, but with the minimums on them sometimes it's almost too much to try, but we keep trying and that's what counts. I feel that homes had smaller rooms and not as tall ceilings in the past. Maybe I'm wrong??? I'm not a fan of the open concepts, but that's just me. It seems the open concepts allow for a lot of wasted utility usage. Some of my friends have huge houses around 3000 square feet to 6000 square feet. I would be very overwhelmed with the cleaning, cost to maintain and such. 

We have had very cold temperatures here lately in rural Virginia. The other morning it was -1 and then a high of only 21F. This entire month we have had snow on the ground so far and last month we had some just after Christmas. I don't mind the snow, but it's been the bitter cold with the wind that has made it much worse. 

My great grandmother lived in a 1 bedroom apartment because she didn't want anyone to worry about selling her house when that time came. Her apartment was incredibly cozy and I have fond memories of walking around it and admiring the crocheted blankets, doilies and then eating a chocolate mint or having artichokes with butter hot out of the oven. 

We have gotten great exercise shoveling snow in our driveway and taking walks in it. The sunsets and sunrises have been breathtaking and our family has enjoyed them very much each day.

@Heather D, we chose Anker because we are familiar with the brand and because they offer special Costco pricing.  We bought a F2600 solar generator with a BP2600 expansion battery and a folding 400 watt portable solar panel.  I looked at my receipt and the non Costco pricing and we actually saved more than 50% from retail.  Anker no longer has the same bundle that we purchased for Costco members.  The solar generator we bought is considered a portable system and isn't able to power the whole house.  But it is what we could afford now and will help us with power outages, which have come more frequently in the past several years as the electric company repairs and updates old power poles and lines.  I don't want to lose food in a power outage.  I also don't want to rely on having gasoline or propane for a generator.

Our plan is to install solar panels DIY and also to purchase storage batteries for the solar energy so we can have our own stored power for after the sun sets, which is important with how hot it gets in the summer.  My husband is planning a system that we can add panels and batteries to over time and for the batteries to be smaller in a modular system so we can replace a battery as needed without it being super expensive.  My husband doesn't want to grid tie the solar, he says it will be considered a solar generator and will be independent for us that way, not relying on any agreements or approval with/from the electric company.  His plan will be much less experience that hiring a company to install a full system for us, even though we will have to hire someone to help him put up the panels and also an electrician to install a new panel.

@Andrea B, thank you so much for thinking of me and for sharing your recipe for fermented honey garlic, and @Grandma Donna I appreciate your good wishes!  I am on the mend now, but am also taking things slowly and resting often.  Andrea, do you think the benefits of the garlic would be present in just the honey?  I am in an active flare of inflammatory bowel disease and can't eat the garlic.  I'm also receiving IV biological medication for the disease, which suppresses my immune system, so I need all the help I can get.  Through the worse of the illness I was drinking lots of ginger tea (made with ginger root minced and steeped, then strained, fresh lemon juice, and raw honey).  Also Traditional Medicinals Herbal Cold Care tea, which comforts me as it reminds me of being a young adult, which is when I first tried the tea.  I was very glad to have a freezer full of homemade meals my husband could heat for himself.

@Sanne G, your blanket is beautiful, and it is a very good use of leftover yarn.  I have one I started nearly 20 years ago with leftover cotton yarns, but it is just simple single crochet stripes.  I may follow your example and start a granny square style blanket with my leftover wools.

Many people have mentioned purchasing natural fibers at thrift stores/charity shops/op shops.  I spent an hour and half going through every long sleeved shirt and sweater at my local Goodwill, and came home with a sweater that is a 50/50 blend of merino wool and cotton, a 100% cashmere sweater (very lightweight though), and a sweater that is mostly alpaca, with some cotton and a very small amount of acrylic.  I was wanting to stay away from synthetics but had a hard time finding natural fiber sweaters, and I figure the alpaca will be warm.  I didn't find a single 100% wool sweater in the hundreds of sweaters I looked through.  The cashmere sweater I bought was the only one I found in the entire store, and I was willing to buy any size.  I think I might have more luck in spring once the weather warms up and people start decluttering their winter clothing.

for the garlic honey ferments the answer is yes. We only eat the honey because eventually overtime the garlic dissolves entirely. It's just an amazing ferment. You can take it 3 or 4 times a day. Some people say to take 1 teaspoon at a time if it's that often. We take 1 tsp twice a day if we feel like we are getting sick or are sick. Since we started on ferments we have noticed a massive difference in everything from our skin to how we sleep even. We do sauerkraut, preserved lemons (gdonnas recipe), carrots, curtido, etc. The garlic honey is the absolute strongest. It's truly phenomenal in the way it works. We take it straight and chase with water. You can use it within 1 week, but it's really best if you can wait till week 3. 

@Andrea B, my house is 99 years old and we have taller ceilings than any other house I've lived in.  Not the super high vaulted ceilings like is common now, but 9 feet in the hall and bedrooms, 10 feet in the coved ceiling dining room, and a barrel "vaulted" ceiling in the living room that is taller than that.  But as an old house it isn't open concept in the least, and even with an addition by the previous owner, it is only 1600 square feet.  The bedrooms are about 12x12, which again is larger than a lot of houses built later.  I'm with you, I don't want to clean or maintain a large home.  Our friends with large homes like you mention often have two separate central heat/air systems just to keep them heated or cooled.  Some of them wish they hadn't bought such big houses now.

Yes that is several good points on the ceiling heights combined with not open concept. Our house is 1800 square feet and the biggest weve ever owned by far. Our master bedroom has a small vault to it and the living, kitche and dining have one as well. I think its 14 feet. We have a converted living room that used to be a garage thats 9 foot ceilings. All the rooms do fairly well except the converted living room for heat, but its cool in the summer. That reminds me we helped a friend who broke down while working in a construction site of a new large home. It was probably 3500 sqaure feet, but it had 4 heat/cooling units and he said it was around $60,000 just in that system alone. I couldnt imagine the cost.

Here in MD, we just got over the worst of a very cold cold spell. We had to shut off half our house too because we heat with wood and only have one space heater. We moved the space heater up into my sons room (instead of the livingroom) then shut the livingroom down. Usually the wood stove and the space heater would reach my sons room adequately as it was but this was some unusual times. The wood stove couldn't even keep up with it all! The front half of the house got down to 32 degrees! We heated only our kitchen, two bedrooms, a hallway, and a bathroom.  

We lost water briefly because the pipe that comes from our well and into the house froze right as it left the ground and entered the wall. My husband got a propane heater from his parents house, fired it up, pointed it at the pipe, and we had water in a couple minutes. We also avoided a burst pipe! Until he got home to do all that though, I was melting snow on the woodstove to give to the animals and to do dishes with (we didn't know how long we'd be without water). We are going through truck loads of wood right now and wearing multiple layers as well. Even our ten month old daughter has sweaters and thick waist socks. We are so grateful for our woodstove. If we had lost power in temperatures like that and relied on central heat , we would not have been alright. 

The worst of the freeze is over and we are now opening up more parts of the house again but we really had to buckle down for a bit there. My daughter spent a good bit of time sitting in her cradle, on our bed with us, in her high chair by the woodstove, or crib surrounded by blankets and her toys. It is nice being able to get the livingroom heated again and give her floor space (our room is small) to stretch out on and practice trying to crawl. This has been the worst cold spell we've been through since moving here. Never have we had a pipe freeze. I am glad it's over. 

I was just wondering what book I should read next. After this freeze, I think that would be the perfect book! Thank you for the suggestion. Our farmhouse is from the 1890s. It's very drafty so this freeze was a tough one on us (as mentioned above). It is concerning to think there are some not prepared for this weather.  

Kieva

Someone gave my daughter a cashmere sweater for Christmas. She's been wearing it quite frequently as of late. I've had to hand wash it and hang it by the woodstove when it got too dirty to wear then put it back on her. It is so soft and light weight! It dries quickly. I hope to get her another one for next winter. 

Kieva

ooh! Good idea!

We use the vermont soapstone. Those saved us during a massive power outage from an ice storm where our house was in the lows 40s inside for days. We even wrapped it in foil and placed it on some coals from an outside fire and then put in in our bed while we layered with sleeping bags. 

Than you! I'm going to have to look into that. Our heavy cold spell is over but I dont expect it will be our last. I spent last night and this morning "binge" reading The Long Winter lol In one place it talks about Ma taking a braided rug and folding it under the door to keep the cold out. I did that to the door coming from our basement! We could feel the cold blowing in. So when I read that I had a good chuckle. It's been years since I read that book last. This comment section is full of good advice.