Happy Homemaker Monday

I'm joining up with Sandra, at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, for Happy Homemaker Monday today.  My back is getting a super work out (and a painful one).  I'm on my 6th load of laundry, and have 2 more to go, and it's already noon.  Yikes.

Random Tidbits

We've been having some beautiful sunrises and sunsets here lately.


Good news!  Vet-Tech Daughter-in-Training, has an interview at a Vet clinic!  She has been working at a dog kennel, caring for animals and doing a lot of grooming too.  We are excited for her.  She is working so hard with her schooling, and getting wonderful grades.  She's also working hard at her job.  Even if it isn't the right job, it's a positive start.

Kitchen Fixin's ~ New Recipes ~ My Hour Off

I used the last of the sweet potatoes for dinner.  I'm thrilled they lasted this long.  Do you see that recipe?  Ha!  It's in my pile on the counter, but half of the recipe is missing.  It's for a beef barley soup, which is really not new to me.  However, I decided to use all the ingredients, but use my crock pot, and leave out the beef.

Funny story about this.  I was on my knees, digging through the freezer looking for beef, when I found one last bag of frozen garden tomatoes.  I was so excited the girls laughed at me.

Random Tidbits ~ New Recipe

My extreme clean continues.  .  . but slower.

Every crafting container is being opened, but I know in reality, some drawers and containers will have to wait for a rainy day or next winter.  My kids are all growing up, and we just don't use some items like acrylic paints.  I think 90% of the bottles I had in a container, were dried up and tossed.  Top news, right?
 

My days are continuously emptying, sorting, tossing, donating, and getting organized.  I spent a few days putting recipes back in the "homesteading" binder, and canning recipes back into their binder (have been laying around the kitchen since last November (yikes!).  I am emptying the "try it" recipes from plastic page protectors, and filling the trash.  I (gulp) saved a few to try when the garden is producing once again.  We love sugar snap peas, and I'm always looking for a new way to cook them.

It's a good thing I took the time to hand write two recipes.  When I went to put them in the recipe box, I found all the recipes the kids used at Christmas, all in one slot (not even close to the correct tab).  I would have gone bonkers this next Christmas looking for them.

Hubby joked that I'm on "round 3" of cleaning out the utility room and our closet.  He's probably right.  But....the reality of daily chores has increased as well. 

What's Cookin'? ~ Tips ~ New Recipe

Tip 1:  I found another way to use leftover (when there is any) whiskey butterscotch sauce.  Bake a cinnamon/brown sugar coffee cake, and drizzle some on 10 minutes before it comes out of the oven.

I baked the coffee cake, but no sauce to be found (sad face). 

Tip 2:  I opened a jar of home canned hot sauce to make jalapeno poppers, but need to use the rest up before I forget I opened it.  I found that adding home canned hot sauce to greens is a wonderful way to flavor them up.  I used them on spinach recently.

We are short on eggs.  The colder weather has slowed production down, but no need to panic (I told myself).  I had a good supply of ingredients to make a crock pot of steel cut oats (with apples, walnuts and raisins).

Got Wine Corks?

My name is....and I am a wine cork hoarder.

It's true.  I have had this tote of corks in my crafting supplies for years.  Many years.  Since before we moved here.

I have made many Christmas tree ornaments over the years, gifted many, and maybe even sold some.  I can't remember.

..... so I'm him-hawing at letting go of these corks.  Or keeping a handful.  Or not.  

Today, I decided to take you down "wine cork memory lane" (and myself) to decide if I shall pass these corks on.  They were not saved for storage over the years.   I have been a bit creative.

New Recipes ~ New Rug

I told a few folks that I was "taking Sunday off."  Ha!  Well, it sort of happened.  I tried several new recipes in my "try it" pile. 

First, our super bowl food yesterday:

Spicy Thai Chicken Wings.  Made using my home canned habanero-apricot jelly, freshly grated ginger, and fresh cilantro.  Delicious.  Different, and not real spicy as we thought.