Life Lately
As February draws to a close some of the things on my TO DO List have been checked off...
The big one was our freezer. We have had an upright freezer for many years...first one was a small freezer that a friend's neighbor was getting ride of for a great price. I love to cook and bake and having a freezer was a real help. That first one was kept in the basement of our home...then we downsized and the new home had an entryway/coat closet area off of the kitchen that was a perfect place for a freezer. A few years later, a neighbor was giving away a larger freezer...it was kind of beat up but I was so used to having a freezer I jumped at the chance, used stainless steel color paint to make it look better, and was thrilled. I have no photos of that "transformation" - near that time my hard drive crashed and I lost some photos. But, we used that freezer for quite awhile, until we felt it was a big energy drain. So...we purchased a new (!) freezer and after years of defrosting the freezer every so often I thought I would want a frost free freezer. The people at the appliance store recommended a non frost free type because that was better for long term storage.
Then, 2017 we retired - and within a few months moved to our retirement apartment. One of the reasons we chose this apartment floor plan was because of the great laundry room. Spacious enough to hold the freezer...but I thought perhaps we should sell it, I would not be cooking that much, etc. - but we decided to bring it along and decide later. WOW - am I glad we did. I can't see a time that we will be without our freezer. However, defrosting is a chore.
Many people are not happy about this cold winter...but it has been a help to me!
Here is the frost buildup when I took everything out of the freezer...
I defrost about once a year, but I think I went a bit longer this time.
Really built up a good amount of frost.
First, I removed everything from the freezer - and for a few weeks before we made sure to eat as much from the items stored and I did not do a lot of baking so there would be less items to remove.
This is where the cold weather was my friend...it was about 4 degrees one morning, so I put everything I could in laundry baskets and placed them on the table on our screen porch. Some bins that I have labeled for chicken, fish, etc. were just moved right out to the porch.
To speed up the process, I boiled pots of water and placed them in the freezer and closed the door for about an hour. I placed towels around the freezer and eventually all the frost/ice dropped off or was able to be scraped off.
When all the frost was gone I used my homemade vinegar cleaner to give the inside a good wipe down...
placed a new freezer thermometer from Amazon inside...
and restocked everything. It felt SO good to have it all frost free and ready to be restocked. I love to make a lot of soup, and a lot of baked goods...and I have been slowly filling the freezer back up. So, it's good to go...until next year!
Been ordering some things to keep us clean and organized from Amazon...
I love these laundry sock clips -
makes it so easy to get the socks out of the dryer and into the drawer.
Been seeing these sponge dusters all over so I am going to see how they work.
This next item is wild...anybody else not like to have BIG LIGHTS on at night when they get up to use the bathroom? I found this item and I love it -
And, here are the thermometers I ordered - one for our refrigerator and on for the upright freezer.
I like that they are easy to read and don't require batteries!
That is it for now...hard to believe this is the last week of February and we are heading into March. The weather is starting to warm up a bit...happy because that means we take outside walks - though I love the treadmill and listening to audiobooks.
Hope everyone had a great February and is ready for March. Thanks so much for stopping by Our New Vista - I love hearing from you!
Leave a comment below and I will get back to you!
Have a great week !
Love your hints, Ann! I have just recently come across your blog and have SO enjoyed reading it. Our lives have a number of similarities. My mother and father were both born and raised in St. Clair PA so we made many trips to that region as I was growing up. My Baba and aunts made the same food you show, my father was Ukrainian so the traditions you mention are familiar, Yuenling beer was ALWAYS in our refrigerator, I have the save green covered Slovak cookbook. . . . So many thing! Very nice to meet you! Lee
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for commenting...it's fun to keep the traditions and remember our roots! My husband is from Schuylkill County, and I am from Luzerne County - Nice to meet you, too!
DeleteThe freezer looks great! I've been working on emptying out our basement freezer to defrost it soon.
ReplyDeleteAnn, that is great that you have the room for the extra freezer. Those sock clips look great and helpful - I might order them. I hope you have a happy March.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome about having room for an extra freezer. I could sure use one sometimes. Since we downsized we have a small fridge and that has our extra freezer space. It really makes us think about what we buy and make. I remember my mom defrosting our freezer when we were kids and she did it the same way you do! It must feel so good to have it done and cleaned! You found some good Amazon things. I want to hear how the toilet light is working for you!
ReplyDelete