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~

Friday, November 14, 2014

Freeze Drying ~ Barn Cat Shelter Update ~ Tidbits


This is a rug (one of two not yet replaced with a homemade rag rug), that Hubby left out to dry overnight.  Ha!  That's what you call "freeze dried" on the clothesline.  It was pretty chilly yesterday, and the snow continued all day, but nothing that was a concern.


Last night it was confirmed that one barn cat loves our tote shelter.  We'll be making another one soon.  I would have had a photo to share, but I had three dogs and a flashlight, and it was pitch dark out.  Sadie (one of the dogs) went straight to the tote wagging her tail.  Out came Timmy.  Then Timmy went back in.  He loves it!



Good news.  Mom is out of the hospital.  I cooked up some elderberry elixir and delivered it when I took her home.   I also delivered her cat's bed.  I got a text that Gracie likes it.  Yay!  



In my quest to find gmo free mini-marshmallows, I have found one brand, but it contains soy.  Not sure that it is safe if it's not organic.  The other brand is not organic or gmo free, simply made with corn products as well.  It may be time to make marshmallows on my own, so I can add some to my apple/yogurt/walnut salads.  Alton Brown has a recipe that looks good, however, time consuming. For now, I'll eat it with out the marshmallows.

Yesterday's (secret) simple pleasure - cheese curds.  I love these things!  If I'm lucky, the Amish stores nearby sell these.  Shh!  Don't tell the kids I stashed them in the fridge.  If they find them, they'll be gone in no time.   

I can't say I took "5 for me" yesterday, but I hope to schedule that into my day today.  In the meantime, the spiders have been busy, despite my spider spray.  However, the ones I need to clean down today, are not in areas a sprayed either.   I hate to tell them....their cozy homes are about to get sucked down by my sweeper.  Bwahahaha!

14 comments:

Willow said...

Glad to hear your moms feeling better .
We got more snow last night , the day before it was warm and cozy but thats New England weather.
Too funny while you were talking about cheese curds and spiders I started thinking about the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet " lol

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Willow, you made me laugh, ha ha!

Mama Pea said...

Mmmm, I love cheese curds, too, but don't get them very often.

We aren't bothered by spiders, but all of a sudden I seem to be seeing more earwigs (gak, I hate those things) than I care to. I only see one every week or so but a couple of nights ago when I tritzed into the bathroom for a quick stop at 2:30 a.m., there was one right on top of the toilet lid. Eeeuuuw!

Yay for your mom being home. Hope the diagnosis was not serious.

Those winter cat houses are the cat's meow. (So sorry, I just could not resist that. :o] )

Susan said...

Good news all around! How nice that your barn cats have snug, warm digs for the winter. I made my own marshmallows a couple of years ago and they are vastly better than store-bought. I have to tell you - if I knew where your fridge was located, I'D be in those cheese curds!

Susan said...

Good news all around! How nice that your barn cats have snug, warm digs for the winter. I made my own marshmallows a couple of years ago and they are vastly better than store-bought. I have to tell you - if I knew where your fridge was located, I'D be in those cheese curds!

Susan said...

Good news all around! How nice that your barn cats have snug, warm digs for the winter. I made my own marshmallows a couple of years ago and they are vastly better than store-bought. I have to tell you - if I knew where your fridge was located, I'D be in those cheese curds!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, I had to laugh. I've had huge wolf spiders in the bathroom and one time in the shower.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, we really were not sure if they'd like the houses, but last night confirmed it. The fact he went back in while I was outside, must mean it's pretty warm inside it.

Sam I Am...... said...

I've not made homemade marshmallows but it's been on my list for awhile. We are REALLY cold here and snow expected Sunday night. Crazy! Alaska is warmer that we are right now.
SO great that the cats like the totes.

Michelle said...

Glad to hear your mother is better. I am happy to hear the cat tot works. I will be making one for mine. Thanks so much for sharing.

RB said...

Glad your mother is feeling better. Sending a healing prayer her way.

Ya know, I remember a bunch of diapers drying stiff on the line like that when we were children. We didn't have a dryer until a while after we moved out to the country, and the basement was dirt floor, not suitable for hanging clothes to dry, though they'd have dried down there in a jiffy with the old coal furnace going.

What a blessing the cats like the tote houses.

I thought we'd get some spiders when we brought in all the large house plants that we scatter about the yard during the summer, but we haven't seen any. Guess they folded up their tents and went to hibernate (or whatever) before we brought the plants inside.

God bless.

RB
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Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB, I'm one of the few people who used cloth diapers and put them on the line before I went to work.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I am and Michelle, Timmy loves his winter shelter. I do need to make another one soon.

RB said...

Once our Mom was ill and the diapers needed washed. We didn't have a washer for a long while after we moved out to the country cause we had a lousy well, so we'd take the laundry to a laundromat.
Our Dad took the baby's diapers to wash along with the rest of the laundry, and instead of keeping them separate, he tossed them in the washer with a set of purple throw rugs from my bedroom.
It wasn't bad enough the baby's diapers came out lavender, when Dad went to put them in the dryer at the laundromat, a red ball point pen fell out of his shirt pocket unnoticed into the dryer with them, and they ended up going home to Mom lavender with red blotches. She was NOT pleased, but loved showing our paternal Grandmother what her son had done to his son's diapers. LOL
Next time she washed them, she tossed bleach in with them, and they came out better.
God bless.
RB
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