Make It Monday 6th January 2025

​Happy New Year! 

This is the first MIM check-in for a brand new year, and I'm so excited at the thought of a new year of sharing all the wonderful things we make, bake, grow and sew to benefit our families and homes each week.

Because it was the end of the old year and the start of the new, I spent a lot of time cleaning, polishing, dusting, decluttering, tidying things up, sorting things out, straightening shelves and drawers. It sounds silly but I like to start the new year with a clean and tidy home; I feel like it sets the tone of our home for the coming year.

I washed and refilled empty canisters and spice jars. 
I made a quadruple batch of taco seasoning.
I made stock with a chicken carcass from Christmas Day and froze it.
Both freezers were sorted and cleaned and the inventory updated.
The pantry was emptied, all the shelves cleaned, everything wiped over before being put back.
I did the end of year shopping. 
The kettle was cleaned with citric acid, now it is sparkling again with not a hint of scale.
The dishwasher and washing machine were cleaned for the first of the month.

​The power head on my vacuum cleaner stopped working, and of course the repair place is closed until the end of the month. And it could cost a lot to repair or replace, and in the meantime I still need a vacuum cleaner. 

Hannah saw an ad for an upright vacuum at Harris Scarfe reduced from $299 to $89.99, so we went to have a look. They only had the display model, so with another 5% off, I came home with a new vacuum cleaner and it is brilliant! The floors are clean and I am one happy homemaker.

​In the craft room, I worked on two prayer keepers and some cards for happy mail.

​Getting ready for Christmas, I started two bottles of vanilla. They will be well brewed by the end of the year.

I crocheted a dish cloth, and then adapted a dishcloth pattern to make face scrubbies.

​In the garden, we cut up the dead fruit trees and put them in the green waste bin. I turned the pots into an empty garden bed, added a layer of compost and dug it into the existing soil over a couple of days. I'll let this sit for a couple of weeks then it can be planted out.

We started picking little lettuce leaves from the seedlings we replanted. 
I picked rhubarb.
I picked raspberries every morning, just a handful, and put them in the freezer for later.

What did you make, bake, grow and sew last week?