Craft Bazaar Prep ~ Sweet Potatoes ~ Pears

I had 5 mugs to start with, and finished them all.  The top left has a black mug, and the Christmas cozy has a red mug.  I love the blue and purple one.  They all have two buttons on the straps.

In hopes to find another mug, I started a fall colored cozy/coaster set to add to the inventory.  I had enough of the yarn to make the same one I made myself.

I spent an entire afternoon, about a week ago, emptying my boxes and totes and taking count of my inventory.  I now have a list and inventory sheet produced from my hard work, and found a few items that need ends sewn in.  There are many more items I could make, so I hope to get some done in the next few weeks.  I have one daughter eye-spying another slouchy hat in my pile, so I'm off to see if I have more yarn of that color. 

Oh, and now my youngest daughter wants a double wrap infinity scarf for Christmas.  Of course I won't wait until then, so she can use it now.  I just won't start on it until the craft show has started.   She wants Harry Potter colors.

I chopped up some of our garden sweet potatoes and made a crock pot of sweet potato/cauliflower and garden kale soup.  I used a recipe I found online and added my greens to it.  Gotta have those greens!

Tried a new recipe, Gingersnap Pear Pie , and we topped it with homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce.  Hubby said it's now is favorite of all pies.  It bubbled over like crazy, but oh my it was good.  Hubby said it was so good, he wants me to make two for him to take to work.  I told him he was crazy.  He'd be lucky to get another from me this week, ha ha!  Recipe is from a Country Woman magazine, but also online with Taste of Home:  here  (hence wanting a homemade crunchy gingersnap recipe).

A jar of homemade vanilla extract was strained.  I use this in many recipes.

The weather is turning on us again.  More rain.  Can you believe it?  It's in the 30's at night and 40's days, but yesterday we had a full day of sunshine.  Hubby suggested a motorcycle ride, but stayed in, ha ha!  Just a bit too cold for me.  I made a crock pot of salsa chicken (boneless organic chicken, garden tomatoes, garlic, cayenne, broth etc) and we topped mashed pinto beans with it - delicious!  We can use it on breakfast/lunch/dinner burritos too.  I had some cream leftover from making the whiskey sauce, so I thawed some corn and made pan of creamed corn (Mmmmm!). 

My free loader hens gave me one dinky egg yesterday.  They were out and about, but geeze.  The kids are the only reason I haven't put three of them in the stew pot.  I'll have that talk with them again (to the hens) and see if I start getting those eggs again.  They have gotten some treats too, but to no avail, they free load the organic feed.  They love the pear peelings.

Rain is to start at 1pm and continue the entire day until 11pm tonight.  I will be in my kitchen for more of the time, and hope to gravitate to some crochet work.  I had a sore throat yesterday, so I don't want to over do anything this week.  I'll be posting the tea I made soon.  I took a long soak in the tub with Epson salts, and tea tree/eucalyptus oils.  I'm feeling pretty good today.

Oh, and it's a bit disconcerting when one of your children has to go to work where it was recently robbed.  No gun, but this past few weeks there have been several gun point robberies.  

Good news (maybe).  Our "Vet Tech" daughter bought a new car.  Our "Grad" Daughter is getting her old one.  The only problem is finding affordable insurance for her now.  Crossing my fingers (and saying a prayer) it all works out for all of us.

Happy Homemaker Monday

I'm joining in on the fun with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom (I will link it as soon as she posts today).  Boy, as my kids get older, I realize I have been home with them for about 20 years now.  Time has flown by way too fast.  I need to learn to slow down more, and enjoy life before the last ones leave the nest.  


On the breakfast plate. . .
 Smoked sausage and egg burrito topped with cowboy candy (gotta get my hot peppers in), coffee 


Right now I am  . . .

Writing out my pattern I made up for Daughter's special request.  She asked me to crochet her a double wrap infinity scarf.  I finished it, and gave it to her.  She is very happy with it.

I used a new stitch and it whipped up pretty fast, considering all the chores I had over the weekend.  I'm considering selling patterns I create on Etsy or Ravelry.  I need to read up on what's involved first.

I am also moving "pressure canner" to the top of my wish list.  It's definitely needed.



The weather outside. . .
  Wet and cold.  It rained yesterday.  In fact, it started raining as we walked out to cut wood, so no wood was cut.  It is however even warmer than yesterday.  It's a nice 37°degrees this morning. So, not too cold.



Looking around the house . . .
I need to clean off a kitchen table, but otherwise it stayed pretty clean.  We need to finish decorating the main Christmas tree.


On today's to-do list . . .for the week
-exercise 
-wash down more wood work (girls helped with some)
-clean master bathroom
-clean up the kitchen 
-put soup in the crock pot
-bake pear pie
-make homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce
-make homemade yogurt
-work on barn wood as weather allows
-figure out the meals for the week
-clean two ceiling fans
-laundry washed and on the clothesline
-write
-water houseplants
-take trash out
-drain a jar of homemade vanilla extract


Currently reading . . .
  I haven't been reading anything, but I have books in at the library.  I hope Hubby doesn't forget to pick them up for me.  


On the TV today. . .
 Christmas DVD's from the library after Hubby and I retire for the night.


On the menu this week. . .
-bean burritos, topped with veggies
-sweet potato and cauliflower soup
-tomato sauce with pasta and meatballs, veggie
-fish (have to check my stash), beets
-homemade pizzas


If I have a few minutes to myself I will. . .
 Read through a magazine or two, maybe even open the novel I have been reading.  Work on bazaar items. One thing for sure - take a long soak in the tub, with salts and tea tree oil.  Looking forward to starting the week off with pampering myself a bit.


New recipe I want to try or tried . . .
  A new pear pie recipe.  I have ripe pears now.



Favorite photo from the camera. . .

The last warmer sunrise on the porch.  The furniture has since been put away for winter. This photo brings back a recent (good) memory.


Devotionals, Scripture, Key Verses, Quotes. . .

Dose of Vitamin D

Hubby and I took the morning start slower.  First we started to warm up with coffee, and I went through some of my library loot.  It was a very relaxing start to a work day.  The book above has some interesting recipes.  The book mainly contains information on herbs typically cooked/baked with - thyme, basil, etc.  Not the medicinal weeds like comfrey, chickweed, plantain, etc.  Each herb is highlighted with one to three recipes, a tea, oil, salve or cream.  I wrote down a cayenne tea recipe for our youngest.  The next time she has a migraine, I'm going to see if it eases the pain for her.  


Hubby cooked breakfast - eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes.  And while he cooked, I got on the computer and ordered about 50 more Hallmark videos.  Today I'm requesting Thanksgiving movies.  He's cooking breakfast again today.

 
Then we got to work.  I got the very last of the tomato stakes, plants and twine out of the garden.  Although wet, I got them out and back in storage for winter.  It was pretty cold day, but the sun was out and so beautiful.  I didn't mind being out there one bit.

The hens got a nice clean coop, and extra straw for the cold nights.  The free loaders gave me one egg yesterday.  I do, however, have one egg bound hen.  We've plunked her in a warm tub of water, and she started to push, but stopped.  After a long time, we removed her and dried her off.  Sadly, we lost her during the night.  A barred rock that we've had for several years now.  The unpleasant part of homesteading, but part of it.
 

While Hubby mowed several acres of grass, I picked the kale and swiss chard.  I promptly brought it inside and took care of it.  You can just barely see the insulated flannel I had on.  Brr.

One daughter helped me load the back of truck with the remaining front porch furniture.  I also toted a few folding tables and chairs from the back porch.  The remaining will be loaded up or covered with a tarp today.  

Guess what we are getting today?

More rain.   Later in the day.

Not like we need it, but I'll have my greens growing a bit longer.   The collards are still producing, but too small to harvest.

There is absolutely no sunshine today.  Dreary, dull skies.  It is about 10 degrees warmer and my kitchen is nice and toasty.  We can at least start work earlier today. 

Rambling

Chilly winter has arrived, and anyone who follows my blog knows that weekends mean work (if the weather is right).  It's the only time Hubby has now.  The time change has brought us much less time to work with daylight now (to work on weekdays after he returns from his full-time job).

Hubby and I have been borrowing DVD's from the library to enjoy.  Hallmark channel is on DVD's and we do not get that channel any longer.  It's been a nice way to enjoy the evenings.   Yay for the library.


Today I am thankful for:

~ having the ingredients to make another trial dinner roll recipe.  Better, but not the best using a 9 x 13 pan.  I still haven't replaced my 27 year old (or older) 9 inch round Wilton cake pans (the kids ruined).  Sigh.  I am thankful I have the 9 x 13.  I may try one other recipe before Christmas.
Unless any of you have a really good tried and true dinner roll recipe I can try.

~ my garden goodies stocked up for winter meals.

~ my health!  Oh so thankful for this!!

~ Swiss chard still producing, regardless of the temperature outside.

~ for our Veterans.

~ thankful for farmer's who sell straw.

~ for taking a much, much slower day yesterday.  I feel so rested.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to muck the coop, work on fire wood, mow the grass (yes!  It's tall and much needed after all that rain we had), maybe pull tomato stakes (who knows), re-tarp the camper, and whatever else our outside adventures lead us to.  I freeze dried all the kitchen towels yesterday, so there is no laundry this weekend.  I know I have chard and kale to pick.  No cooking today either - lots of leftovers (another thing I am thankful for).

Put up a Tree and Cleaning Starts

The garden is too wet, and now frozen.  I think if I even get the last tomato stakes out, I'll be happy. 

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. 

Random Tidbits

Today I am thankful for:

 

 ~ my short crocheted cowl.  It's been keeping me warm, and does not get in the way of my work outside.  I wear it inside on days I just don't want to mess with firing up the wood stove.

~ our libraries, with them I can learn so much, and obtain free entertainment, if anything in my last "loot" is worthy to share I will. I have lots of "loot."



I have been cleaning a lot lately.  Computer/office area has been wiped down, spider webs gone, dust gone . . . have lots to file yet though, and a few recipes to take care of.

The orange Asian beetles are trying to all move in lately. Not happening.  We've had two large wolf spiders come in, and one dropped down almost directly on me.  Ugh.  They are no longer alive. 
 

Some of the rugs were washed.  I just ran out of time. 

The dishwasher got cleaned.  I had to purchase a special cleaner for it, but that deep clean job is done.

Tree #2 in the office area was put up.  Tree #3 was started.  To make that story short, Hubby bought 2 boxes of 25 string blue lights for my bathroom tree last year.  I didn't use them due to the cords being green (and the tree never went up).  As we opened the tree boxes, we found all of our tree lights broken, some smashed (not sure what happened), and we had zero to put up.  So, we took the measly small cords of bright blue and used them.  I fell in love with them.  We may only have 50 lights on the tree, but they very pretty.

While out running an errand, I picked up this little ditty - $1.00 pot holder.  I love it. 

I'm still working on the old barn boards.  My wrist is a bit sore, so I may just take the day off from it and work the garden.  It all depends on weather and how wet it may be. Hubby came home tired, but fixed a cupboard door and put the very last knob on (finally after finding it). 

I've now gotten one kiddo all super excited about decorating for Christmas. She went to town and bought an 18 inch Christmas tree for her bedroom, and put handmade ornaments on it (that I gifted each of them).

Slowing Down

Things were much slower yesterday.  I was thankful for that.

Jasper has found a new toy to play with, ha ha!  He loves boxes.  I caught him trying to dig into the Christmas tree box too.  Silly cat.

It's been too wet to work in the garden.  We had a lot of rain dumped on us, and with it cold, it's not drying up.  The wind has died down too.


I have however, removed nails from some of the barn wood.  We are at least reducing our piles out there (ever so slowly).

The homemade hot chocolate jar was restocked and ready for winter.  The girls are happy.  They enjoy a cup after school, and after work.