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~
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Kitchen ~ Pattern Binder Purge
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Sunshine ~ This and That
Sheesh. There were lots of dishes, more laundry, cleaning, cooking and so on. I also started on the stairway clean up project. It may take a month to finish, as I am fitting it in my cleaning schedule, as I have time for it.
I finished dusting and cleaning all of the kitchen blinds and windows, and the valances were washed and put out on the line.
It was so nice to open windows and let the fresh air flow for a day. So intoxicating for the soul. Winter can seem so long sometimes, and this day was welcomed by all.
To focus on what's in the freezer and pantry. . .
I made a batch of Einkorn pumpkin pancakes for us for breakfast, and more egg cups, as I had one more cup of cooked sage sausage to use. I used thawed frozen pumpkin puree from last year's garden, for the pancakes. Einkorn flour pancakes are the best. These pumpkin ones are more of a scoop and spread type batter. It is much thicker, but so good.
Today the rain moves in, but the temperature is still nice. For now anyway.
Sunshine ~ This and That © Feb 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
Monday, February 5, 2024
Happy Homemaker Monday
The lack of sunshine was dragging us down, but we finally got a full day of it Sunday. We didn't have time to go get the hallway flooring over the weekend, but that is okay. If you have done repairs and renovations, you know it's best to start at the top and work down, and get all of the painting done before the flooring goes in. We are not done painting.
Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
The weather . . .
Monday, January 8, 2024
Happy Homemaker Monday
On the home winter project list, we have decided to completely remove the hallway paneling. When the carpet was removed a large wooden storage box was moved to the hallway (to get it out of the way of work). I am now going through it, and hopefully passing it on to other family members. The box itself will be donated if no one can find a use for it. I have contacted our historical society in the past, and they were not taking any donations. There are some old family items in this storage box, and I can no longer store them.
After cleaning my Dad's place and Mom's after they passed, I have a different look on what I keep and do not keep.
Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
I will link up when she posts. I'm running behind today.
The weather . . .
High 30's, low 40's, some weather moving in around towards the weekend, with rain/snow.
Right now I am . . .
Brewing a late pot of coffee, and posting this.
Thinking and pondering . . .
Looking through my seeds and working on a seed order if necessary.
How I am feeling . . .
I'm not liking the lack of sunshine right now. I do believe it plays a part in how a person feels. Did I mention the tea recipe I will be trying? I posted a link for it. It is said to help with seasonal stress.
On the breakfast plate . . .
Egg/sausage scramble, Coffee.
On the lunch plate . . .
Have no idea yet.
On the dinner plate . . .
Perch, and a vegetable
On the menu. . .
No idea yet. However, I do look in the freezer/fridge and pantry before writing it up. I will work on that later.
On my reading pile . . .
On the TV this week . . .
Fool me Once (series on netflix)
Looking around the house . . .
If you haven't read my recent post on our winter project list, I am working on painting interior doors and door trim.
The to-do list . . .
-catch up on any laundry
-dust
-make some calls, the truck just got new rotors, but now it needs new tires
-water plants
-sweep/mop floors
From the camera . . .
We were lucky to have a few beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but with the rain and snow moving in, the skies have been cloudy the last few days.
Devotional, quote, prayers . . .
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Getting more organized!
One of the recent boxes to go through contained our DVD's. We don't have a lot, but enough that it needed organized somewhere. I was previously on a bookshelf in the closet.
Now they are in a zipper, dust free, viewable carry case that is stored up on a shelf in the closet. They are out of sight, organized in one place, I don't have to dust anything but the carry case, and we can see the movie titles easily. I had to order this online. I could not find it in stores.
I have metal shelving in my kitchen for jugs of water, vinegar etc. I had been using S hooks, but they kept falling off. These magnets hold my strainers wonderfully. I am guessing you could find them in the summer grilling supply section in most stores. These magnets are stronger than the hook magnets intended for refrigerators.
We are also moving the ironing board and iron, along with the holder we have mounted on the wall, to the bedroom closet. It makes more sense. There is an outlet easy to get to, we can store it on the wall, and easily take it down to iron any clothing, right in the closet. Sometimes, just moving something makes the job go much smoother.
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Transition Days ~ Chickens ~ Seedlings
The first few days of start up hours, for my husband's work can be crazy. It's a time of feeling whack-a-doodle, as far as routine goes. He's either working 2nd or 3rd or who knows what shift, and it throws me off completely.
It takes us a good few days to try and get flow to our daily routine, mornings, evenings, all of it. I took the day off from purging and organizing and moving stuff, but it has been overwhelming for me. I love to create crafty items, but it's sort of at the point, where I don't need to create so many items anymore. I have to come to a point of deciding what to get rid of what to keep, in that area.
I used to make homemade gifts, that required bottles, or jars or whatnot. Not anymore. The kids are all grown, and do not put up Christmas trees, so I'm not making ornaments like I used to. By the way, the "starbucks" ornaments in the making, made their way to the trash. I took off what could be useable, and tossed the rest. The kids did not want one for their homes/apt.
I used an old bookshelf to store craft items in my closet, so that is the focus, but now I'm trying to decide if I want to paint the bookshelf and put it in the upstairs bedroom. It is a solid wood bookshelf, so I will think a bit longer on that decision.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Weather
The morning sky was so beautiful the other morning. Today it's raining. The cooler weather returns.
The battle of the leaves ha ha! As soon as I blow them off, they are right back on the porches.
My rainy day projects are back on track today. The pantry is still under construction, but I will be so happy when I am done. It just got out of hand with a kids grocery shopping as well.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Monday's are Tough
Mondays I typically try and do the entire house, so I can enjoy it the rest of the week. Didn't happen. I started out making egg/sausage/cheese and chickpea tortilla quesadillas for breakfast (next time will add jalapenos), cooked up ground beef for sloppy joes and had a mountain of dishes after that. Dinner was crock pot sloppy joes on Ezekiel bread and sweet potato fries (baked).
Laundry got started, but our mower guy arrived, so I couldn't put it on the clothesline. I started on floors, but had to do other stuff too. Just hard to keep up with. I haven't even checked the garden yet.
I got another corner area of the upstairs carpet shampooed, but when Daughter E moved out she left trash and belongings. Good luck getting her to come and clean it up, so guess who is doing it? Yep. Me and my husband. I am gonna have one big party when the last one moves out. These kids, and I didn't raise them that way, are so selfish and lazy right now.
Anyway, it was stinkin' hot yesterday. I'm glad I don't have a lot in the garden to deal with right now, but I may be canning this week.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Tuesday Tidbits
School ended up closing yesterday. Roads were pretty slick. Today they are delayed, but may cancel again. We have freezing rain (again).
I spent most of the day in the kitchen. I decided on a ham/swiss chard egg scramble for the next few days. That left me with two eggs to spare. I also baked the birthday cake, and cooked millet for another recipe. Then dinner prep started. I was tired by 1pm, after being up at 4:30am.
I taught Youngest Daughter how to decorate a cake, and she looked like she really enjoyed it. She did her own design too.
We may be starting the garage clean up a bit early. All vehicles now need repairs and we'll need the garage to do it. Lovely.
Hubby's workplace promised bonuses this spring, but last week reneged on the promise. Hubby is pretty upset, as we had plans to put it to use. Pretty low of them to do this, considering he was out fixing things at -40 some degrees a week ago.
Next time I cook meatballs for dinner, we are going to try topping them with homemade condensed mushroom soup. I was out of it yesterday, so it's on the to-do list now.
Shipping prices have gone up. My cost to shift crafted items will also go up a bit. Just FYI.
Tip: I purchased these plastic shallow baskets 2 for $1.00. I put them under the sinks to hold items, so next time I clean, it will be much easier taking it out and putting it back.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Rosemary Gladstar's Famous Face Cream ~ Tidbits
Winter has been harsh this year, and dry skin is an issue. I even resorted to putting my calendula lotion on my face, it's been that harsh of a winter.
Step one - let the first ingredients cool and turn into a creamy mixture.
Step 2: Add next ingredients with a blender. I have a hand blender I use specifically for lotions/creams. Recipe states it lasts up to a year, but I know it will be gone quickly. It can be used for face or body.
I will continue to make my calendula cream too. It's great for super dry winter skin like hands and feet.
I had a rather less hectic day in the kitchen, with only needing to make banana bread, and dinner prep. Hubby requested I put chocolate chips in the banana bread this time. Hemp seeds went in, in place of flax seeds this time.
It was time to drain my Four Thieves Vinegar too. Only two more months of "flu" season, but I now make this to have on hand year round.
During the stage of cooling in step 1 of the lotion, I decided to pull out a drawer and organize it (again). We are moving from plastic to glass, but I haven't cleaned this out since our last daughter moved out. As I went through the drawer, I went through the cupboard next to it to find containers to match with lids.
I found no containers. Hmpf. The nice part of all of this cleaning? I can find what I need and can now buy more glass containers with BPA free lids. I have one more drawer to organize.
The cabbage dinner didn't last long enough for a night of leftovers. Hubby and Daughter loved it so much, they took the rest to work and school for lunch. That meant I had to make dinner.
Breakfast for dinner it was. Fish is on the menu next. I really miss eating a nice fresh radish or tomato or.....
I asked Hubby if he could build me a "she" shed. I have determined I need one to crochet and knit away from eyes in the house. Youngest caught me crocheting another sunflower keyfob and asked for one. Every time she sees something new or cute, sigh....
Monday, March 19, 2018
Happy Homemaker Monday
Monday became my "attack it with gusto" day so my week would start out fresh and clean. So far I've managed most of the my list on Monday.
Also, here is a cleaning tip: if I'm taking off for a weekend getaway (which doesn't happen often enough), I clean the bathroom the day before we leave, and finish up laundry. I I also make sure the kitchen is cleaned up, dishes washed sink empty etc. When I return, I don't feel like I have jumped back into reality too fast, or add more stress from a chaotic home.
On the breakfast plate . . .
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Snow Storm/Drifting ~ It's a "Grab a Cup of Java" kind of post
There are two rooms that drive me nuts (and I mean NUTS!), and for 3 years I have attempted to clean them out, purge, organize etc. Hubby jokes to me all the time, saying "what is it this time, going on 3 years?"
A stay-at-home Mom should have the house superbly spic and span, right? I mean that's what we are home for, to keep things in order, run the kids from here to there (which we are still doing)....the CEO of the house and family. Ha, yeah. It's a battle for me, considering I do all things self sufficient. Those things take time, and I am a busy, busy gal, but the rooms cause me mental chaos when I have to enter them.
Friday, November 10, 2017
Put up a Tree and Cleaning Starts
I woke up to a chilly 21°F this morning.
Yesterday, after a few chores, I went to drag out Christmas tree #4. The day ended up with an all day date with this:
First, I noticed the study chair was needing a good cleaning (on my way to open cubbie to get the tree), so I thought I'd get two things done - the chair, then my dresser top, to where the ceramic tree would go.
I flipped the chair upside down and saw spider webs (Yikes!) so off I went to find the vacuum cleaner. I ended up cleaning the entire desk, cubbie door, chair and my dresser top. I then proceeded to pull drawers out and wipe them down and the inside of the dresser, which led me to more cleaning, and on and on it went.
However, Christmas tree #4 was put in place. Whew! I had to text Hubby that I needed another pair of rubber gloves. I need them for today's continued wood work cleaning.
While all that was going on, I almost forgot I had bread rising.
Yikes. Not the best load, but a loaf. The photo makes it look good, but it's lopsided, ha ha! I really need to find a good whole wheat bread recipe.
Another yikes - almost forgot to take the dogs out. "Grad" daughter is home most mornings and she had an 8 hour work day.
Dusting was done, carpets swept, my dresser cleaned off. Another spider trap is in place.
Do you ever have to spend a day putting away the "didn't put it aways?" You know, those items you just put down and tell yourself you'll put it away another time? I have been diligent in keeping those areas clean, so it only took a few minutes to clean that up.
If I had a plan for yesterday, it would have failed for sure, but I got much of my deep cleaning done. I have more to clean. Much more. I'm making a list for the girls now.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Friday Finish and One Liners
I was thinking "from stash to cash" for this project, but I'm not so sure about it now. Maybe just the coasters.
I finished this coaster and cozy set for myself. I was feeling the fall weather, with the dreary cold and wet weather we were getting early in the week.
My "Grad" Daughter eye-spied it, and exclaimed, "I want one of those!"
She may get one. In her stocking or for Christmas. Maybe. The only problem with the matching cozy, is that the granny square fits larger mugs only. I didn't follow the pattern either. Instead of two squares, I used one and then made the strap and added buttons. I wanted an area to drink my coffee without getting yarn in my mouth. I also used scrap, 100% cotton I had in my stash.
I used buttons from my craft stash too. Hard to believe I only paid $.25 for them. Glad I have a stash of them too.
I started to pull more scraps of my cotton yarn to make more coasters to sell at the market and possibly online as well. I just wish I could make the cozy to match each one. Sets sell pretty well, but the cozy needs custom made to the mug a person owns.
Not to worry, I make other items using the granny square, so other sets can still be created by buyers.
Current library loot.
Started a jar of pickled garlic cloves.
I finally washed the gloves, hats and a few scarves.
More rain is on the way.