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~

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Random Tidbits

If you are wondering how my "to-do" list is going....slow.  I can't seem to get a job completely done.  I need more patience when it comes to painting.  The taping part is so much work.  I need to talk myself through it, and not roll my eyes so much.  Even the kids are avoiding it like a plague. 

If you are wondering if I've been able to take a tea break at 2pm, I have.  If you are wondering if I have been stealing away at 4pm for an hour to myself?  Ha, yeah.  That's not happening.  I think the change of weather, and longer, brighter nights are keeping me from curling up with crochet.  The 4 o'clock hidey hole, was mainly to stock up for the Farmer's market, but that's been difficult to do.

We just went from warm/rainy weather back to snow and coldIt's nothing but a few flurries.



I whipped up a bowl of slaw.  Organic cabbages went on sale.  This tasted so good since we haven't had cabbage for a while.




We are about to downsize at the homestead.  We may have another kiddo leave the nest this year.  Our Vet-Tech in training is really working on her independence.  She has a few things to work out yet, like set up her own car insurance, cell service, and whatnot, but she's working hard at it.  It will be strange to cook meals in smaller amounts.  Will this change the way we garden this year?  Not really.  It will still be the same size.


And yet, while one is moving out, another graduates from high school this May.  We are scrambling to get things done so the "party" can take place at the homestead.  The date is set, and the party food planning has begun.  The slaw is on the list.
  

I recently tried a different DIY shampoo recipe.  I posted it here.  I advise caution.  The soap in the recipe, for some reason (could just be my body from all those hospital/pharmaceutical toxins), caused my hair to become brittle.  My bangs became very brittle and ends broke off.  Hubby is alternating his with organic store brand and doing okay.  I'm babying my hair growth back, applying aloe to the roots of my bangs, and drinking a tea infusion (you can rinse your hair with some of these herbs too, or so I read):  sage, rosemary, nettle, and chamomile.

I wish I took a photo of dinner last night.  I put a pork tenderloin in my cast iron pan to roast in the oven.  I mixed up a glaze for it using my home canned apricot jam.  It was very good.  I'll try to get photos when I make it again.  Oh, and I froze beets last harvest, for the first time ever.  I have always eaten my home canned beets, but we boiled some up and Hubby was shocked I had never stocked them up like that before.  The two vegetarians didn't eat them of course.  That's okay, the more for me.  I love beets.

10 comments:

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

Cold here again too this morning. The slaw looks good and I've been eating pickled beets this week...love! When they move out there go your helpers too but they will be back for your produce for sure! lol! A pork tenderloin sounds good.

Rain said...

Hi Kristina, sorry to hear about your shampoo breaking up your bangs! I still haven't graduated to homemade shampoo yet, I'm getting there slowly though. When we moved to this cottage rental back in 2015, it was a yucky mustard yellow (cigarette stained to boot)...we painted the entire place white. I remember months of taping and cutting in the corners and convincing myself I wouldn't go cuckoo. It's not the most pleasant of tasks for me either, sending you positive paint vibes!! Your slaw looks SO GOOD and so fresh!!! I have a pork tenderloin with apricot glaze planned for the next month! Those two flavours go so well together! I think mine has a bit of brandy in the glaze too.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I Am, Hubby is used to a coleslaw with lots of juice. This one does not have that, and he still liked it.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Oh, Rain, please share you recipe for the glaze. I just used dijon, garlic, apricot jam and a bit of apple cider vinegar. Brandy in it sounds fantastic.

Rain said...

I will share my recipe! It's in one of the books under my huge pile at the moment, but I will post it tomorrow with my daily blog post!! :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Your cole slaw looks and sounds yummy- I haven't had any fresh in a goodh while, although I make cabbage fry for my diabetic husband about twice a month.
Have a Have a great start to the weekend tomorrow!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rain, thank you!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Terri, my husband loves if fried (had it growing up). I haven't done that for him just yet. I would love to know how you make yours.

RB said...

I think everyone I've talked to lately has had a case of the "whatevers," i.e. "a whatever mood," and I think that may be because the weather has been changing back and forth - cold to warm, warm to cold. We don't know whether to get started on Spring things, or to put Winter things away, or just wait. And that not only has us all in a "holding pattern," it's often left some of us with an illness too.
We've had below 32 degrees last night and again tonight. It's a normal February/March for us, but with last week being in the 60s/70s, the plants don't know it's February/March and think it's April/May. They've been blooming like crazy which is causing the farmers a lot of worry and risk. I mean we may lose some flowering plants, but it's not like we're going to lose and entire harvest of sellable food like they are.
Prayers for them all for sure.
God bless.
RB
<><

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rb, I worry about the food supply too. I just got peaches on the tree last year. I try to freeze a good amount of blueberries, apricots, strawberries, peaches and plums.