Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Soap Making Day

Yesterday was another soap making day. 

I could not find pink zote soap in the stores this time, and used white zote soap.  It's becoming more difficult to find zote soap in stores.


It was another good day for the garden, although the cauliflower now has green worms - yuck.  I picked about 2 dozen green peppers, about 5 red peppers, some cayenne peppers, banana peppers, and more tomatoes.

We didn't get that many spaghetti squash this year, but it was a very wet planting season, and now harvesting season.

We are still getting a few more watermelons.

This morning I had to go to plan B for making breakfast.   Since the cauliflower was worm infested, I added different veggies to our egg/cottage cheese dish.  I added diced green peppers, banana peppers, and canned jalapeno flavored banana peppers for flavor.  I also chopped up a few garden grown shallots.  The kids said it smelled like a restaurant in the kitchen.  

Sadly, we are now down to only 3 eggs.  I had hoped to make homemade bread or pancakes, but will have to wait to see what the chickens lay today.

I am roasting two more of our raised chickens, to use in homemade chicken noodle soup.  I know it's not really cold out yet, but its house payment week.  That's the week where we have to use what we have vs. head to the store.  I will go out and dig up a few last carrots and use swiss chard in place of store bought celery.  I may have to use shallots in place of onion too, but it all works out well.

And thanks to a farmgirl, in a friendly barter, I now have spearmint growing.  I had enough leaves to make brewed green tea with spearmint.  Man it was soooooo good.  I just closed my eyes and remembered, with one swallow, my grandmother.  She made spearmint tea all the time.  Gosh those were good times.

This week will be one of the most frugal spending weeks we've had in a very long time.  After the house payment, we have about $98.00 for food/gas/animal feed.  We are out of dog and rabbit food (sigh).  Good thing my son can buy the dog and rabbit food this week.  It's going to be a very tight week until the next paycheck (long sigh).  We are out of bread, lunch packing items, and cooking oil.  This makes it tough when I bake most of the kids lunch items.  I think I will zip on over to my on-line store and add another dishcloth for sale, then check my on-line articles.  Where there's a will, there is a way......

3 comments:

Candy C. said...

I'm sure you guys will find a way to make it until payday, you are some of the most resourceful people! We only get paid once a month and that last week does get pretty hairy sometimes.

Kim said...

Don't forget you can supplement the rabbit food if you need to with some of that swiss chard and those carrot tops. And you can give them some uncooked oatmeal for protien.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Kim, I totally forgot about carrot tops. I treated the billy goat to them yesterday. I'll have to remember that.