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~

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Weather Predictions ~ Lets Talk Generators

The forecast here is predicting 5-8 inches of snow and high winds (blizzard conditions), that will start on Thursday and continue into Monday. First, they said 3 inches or so, and to watch the weather forecast daily.  School has a 2 hour delay this morning - freezing rain.

To be honest, it's not bothering me other than I needed to make a run for stocking up for basics, and once again I have no wheels.  The ignition in "Big Red" went bad and there is no time to fix it (right now anyway).  Add that to Youngest needing to borrow my car to get to musical practice in the evenings....limited availability.

I'm starting to feel like a damn hermit.  If this weather hits us as predicted, I'll be a hermit all weekend and into next week.  But hey, I might get a book read this winter, ha ha!

I'm sure I'll be finishing many unfinished projects too, maybe even get my utility room cleaned up.  Who knows.  I may be doing a netflix binge in my PJ's and crafting.  That actually sounds good too.

Out in the boonies, we have to prepare for power outages in the winter when the winds kick up too.  Or if car accidents put out a power pole.  Large containers of water are filled and in both bathrooms.  Just as a precaution.  Water jugs filled in magnitude.  Just preparing in case.  If power goes out, we have no water (well pump is run on electricity).  Chickens need water, dogs and cats need water, and we need water.  No way am I going without coffee in the morning either.  Here is the reason I'd like a cook stove that runs on wood, but I just don't have room.  However, we can wrap potatoes in foil and cook them in our wood stove.  There is always PB  and J too.  We have lots of jams and jellies stocked up.

We also have a portable phone charger.  It's great for traveling, but great to have on hand in a storm too.



I love crock pot days - steel cut oats with apples, raisins and walnuts.  Mmm!  Breakfast, lunch or dinner.


Spanish rice cooking away - all organic ingredients and my home canned tomato sauce.  We will have carnitas with the leftover Spanish rice tonight.

I focused on all jobs requiring electricity like vacuuming the carpet, running the dishwasher, washing clothes, etc.  Just in case.

I want to get "generator" crossed off my "wish list" this year.  Any suggestions?  I would greatly appreciate them.  Hubby wants to invest in one that kicks on automatically if the power goes off ($4,000 or so).

9 comments:

WILLIE...! =(^..^)= said...

Oh! I do love these posts..Really!!! :).
HeHe! Spanish rice? Spanish rice? The Mexicans would'nt
be to happy about that..
But still..
Making homemade Spanish rice...

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Mix rice into skillet, stirring often.
When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has
been absorbed...

And so there's no argument..
How do you make traditional Mexican rice..
Rinse and drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil.
Add the rice and stir to combine. ...
Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. ...
Cook, stirring, until bullion cubes are completely dissolved. ...
Serve this with one of your favorite authentic Mexican meals...

Job Done..
On! Love the final bit..so easy to write is'nt it...
Good luck with the generator..'or so'..! :).

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Willie. I have never made carnitas, so tonight's the night. You recipe sounds pretty good.

Rain said...

Hi Kristina :) We're having snow storms all week here. And like you, we have lots of extra water on hand for drinking, cleaning and the toilet! We don't have a generator, but that's a biggie on my wish list too. I did a few searches on You Tube, a lot of folks like the Honda generators because apparently they are the quietest. They're SO expensive though.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rain, you right about the cost of one. It's been on our wish list for a while now.

mamasmercantile said...

We have looked into getting one as the winds here cause a lot of power cuts but the cost puts us off. Maybe once we have all the other jobs done we may reconsider when we can establish what is left in the pot.

Pink Rose said...

Hi Kristina oh it sounds very cold there we are having very hot weather here at the moment. Oh your food looks so yummy it's making me hungry,lol,a generator sounds like a great idea to have when the power goes out xx

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

mamasmercantile, they are expensive but we could have used one here many times over the years. Lost lots of food from no power.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Sheryl, we surely need a generator.

Bits of Stitching! said...

Hoping it is not too bad! Always a plus to be prepared in advanced, better safe than sorry. Your crockpot meals look delicious!