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, June 2, 2013

A Little Time

I took a little time to sit on the porch and rest a bit today.  The summer beauty is slowly appearing around the homestead.








Sometimes I have to look at all the "good" to get through all the "bad."

2 Timothy 2:23-25 ESV 

"Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth"

 



Friday, May 31, 2013

From the Handiwork Journal . . .


. . . played around with a new "flower" dish scrubbie pattern.  I am making some to sell at the next Farmer's Market.


. . . finished my 11 year-old's tablet cover.  Finally.



. . . started another pot holder set, and dishcloth.  These are my "to go" projects.  When I need to go somewhere, and I am not driving, these go with me.



. . . got around to embellishing the crocheted cat bookmark.


. . . spray painted chalkboard paint on a clip board to make a sign for Farmer's Market.  



. . . crocheted 1 rag rug for the master bath (sheets and pillow cases).


. . . crocheted another bookmark for the store/market.



The weather is hot and humid here.  I collected 70 pints of water in my dehumidifier.  We have been running it in our master bath, to help the the tile project dry completely.  Rain is in the forecast today, but you never know anymore.







 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Speeee-iiiiiiiii-deerrrrrrr!!!

There is nothing worse than waking up to screaming kids, or worse, reaching into the kitchen sink to be greeted by a big hairy wolf spider.  Do you like my spider trap?  I'm not sure if I saved my 11 year-old or saved myself from this hairy beast.

Last night it was my 13 year-old who was screaming about a big scary garden spider, crawling up to the top of a door jam.  And yesterday, while weeding my herb garden, I was greeted by a baby, black and yellow orb weaver.  The rain has woken up the spiders here.  

My son, aka the "Spider Man" pulled a joke on me.  He enjoys catching these hairy and scary beasts and releasing them outside (just so they can come back in again, ha ha ha!).  He does this with his bare hands.  Ewwww!  So, back to the story.  He walked towards me with his hand curled up and smiling.  He continued to approach me while I screamed bloody murder, and none of the kids came to my rescue.  Hmpf!  After torturing me, for what seemed like hours, he opened his hand in front of my face - empty.  Another "not cool" moment.



Things were not going smoothly in regards to the tile project in the shower.  The saw we had was not cutting straight cuts, so the guys had to go rent a saw (thankful for renting vs. buying).  They ran out of grout, etc. etc.  

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, kids bickered about who was going to clean what, and the tension levels were high.  Screaming, yelling, you name it.  

And in it all, I was trying to crochet a new doily pattern, to see if it would sell at the market.  You noticed I said "try" to crochet?  

I not only fastened off too early (which is fixable), but skipped one row completely.  I was not able to concentrate with all the hoopla here that day.  

However, as it turns out, it made a nice cup coaster.



So now I am reading this book.  When I finish it, I should be able to crochet anything in any "storm."  

The beginning chapter (Escape the Lunacy) starts out with, "Somewhere along this frenzied journey called modern-day life, we've lost our sanity."



Any suggestions on how to clean this ball of yarn?  I received it in a farmgirl barter, but when I took the wrapper off, I discovered it was pretty dirty.  I may just have to make something for using here vs. selling, and then wash it after it's finished.  Otherwise, I can't use it.  I may try tucking it in a sock to wash, but I'm afraid it'd end up in a knotted mess.  I'm thinking, knit or crochet, then wash.

The tile project continues.  The grout has not dried, and today will be 48 hours.  It is still soft.  I have put a fan in there to speed up the process.  The grout to fill in, has not yet been applied.

Today, is the last day of school for the younger two.  They are excited and have jabbered all morning after the spider incident.  Weather is humid and blah, and thunderstorms are expected possibly.  I was secretly hoping for rain, so I could work inside again.  Yesterday, I managed to weed my largest herb garden, with the help of my son.  The tarragon and basil seeds have sprouted, and now I just need to plant curly parsley.  I thinned out my lemon balm, and brought some in to make freshly brewed tea with my spearmint and lemon.  Yum!

Yesterday, I was complaining that I had not done "a thing" all day for the next Farmer's Market.  My 16 year-old responded with, "Mom you are always doing something."  

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Thrift Store and Flea Market Finds ~ Oh My!

Over the weekend, a thrift store was having a customer appreciation sale - 50% off store wide.  I got all of this (two bed sheets, 3 vintage tablecloths) for about $8.00 total.  The bedding will be saved for camping, and possibly a few of the tablecloths. 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Rooster's Gone Wild and Other Farm Frenzies


I found this cute garden rooster, and it has a flower pot in it.  I admit, I didn't get very creative with the pot of flowers, but at least the grass in it looks like feathers.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Honey Roasted Pecans ~ Chilly Day


We are very much enjoying roasted pecans on our salads lately, so I started making my own (vs. buying them already roasted).  Here, a 3.5 oz. bag of honey roasted pecans costs $3.99. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

All In A Day's Work




Yesterday, while planting, watering and weeding, this little guy came to visit me.  There is a small hole in my garden hose, and he came to get a drink.  I do have a bird bath filled with water, but he chose the hose.  I'll have to do some research to find out if this is a he or a she.  I'm still not getting a pristine photo, but working on it.


Some things, like this bird visiting me, make all the all the hard work of self-sufficiency and good living hard labor worth it. 
 
Speaking of birds, a vulture came to visit us.  This time, he/she was right behind the goat barn munching away.  I was just zoaming my lens, and then "SLAM" went the side door on the house.  Off went the vulture.  Hmpf.  Anyway, when the pasture was mowed, he ran over a large black water snake, and that was the vulture's meal.  He never did fly back for the rest.

Yesterday, I managed to get 40 roma tomato plants in the ground, along with 8 more peppers.  Rain never did arrive, but we had strong winds.  Cucumbers and squash are up now.  Even though it seems like a lot of tomatoes, we had enough home canned taco sauce all winter, that we didn't have to buy any, and I still have 2 more jars.  And we have 2 more jars of home canned ketchup too.


I planted flower seeds in this new planter, but went ahead and added a few flowers yesterday.  My comfrey is doing better now that the cats are not using it for a bed too.

Days are long still, but I continue to stop garden work by noon to exerciseMy 16 year-old continues to add up her driving hours.  I had her drive me to town for some needed yarn, and goat feed, and back again - logging in just short of an hour of driving.  She needs a total of 50.  

Somewhere in those hours, I made another large salad.  We've gone through 7 bags of organic romaine in a week.  I top it with organic carrots, celery, red bell pepper and green onion from my herb garden.   Then the kids and I either put tuna or organic chicken in it, topped with pecans or/and dried cranberries.  I can't wait for my lettuce to be ready for harvest.

I never did get time to work on my short story.  Today, I plan to take paper and pen to the porch.  Some times writing by hand is more productive than using the computer.

It's dark and dreary out this morning, and they are still forecasting very strong storms later today.  I am heading back out to plant more tomatoes.  Hubby couldn't help me again last night, as he was asked to stay over at work again.  This time getting home about midnight, and back up at 6:30am.  We are both very tired.