"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

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.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

This and That


Most of our days here have been snow covered, and no sunshine.  We are tickled pink, when we do get some sunshine.

Raise your hand if you put on 14 layers of outerwear, then trudged thru mountains and hill-slides of snow and ice to tend your hens, came back inside and removed the layers to realize you forgot to get the mail from the mailbox?  Yep.  My hand is up, ha ha!  I'll chalk it in as exercise.

I know you are probably reading this and thinking, "this blog can't get any more entertaining" ha ha!  Well, it can.

The hubster strikes again.  He wanted to know if we still had some mini tubes of krazy glue to fix something.  I dug around his "catch all" drawer in the kitchen to take a look-see.  

First, the drawer is "his" because he puts anything in there after completing a home repair/job when he is too lazy tired to put it away where it belongs.

Second, my hands came back out of a corner of the drawer, all purple and goopy.  He put a small canister of purple primer in the said drawer, and the lid was not tight.  Hmpf!  It spilled all over, and is not meant for bare hands.  Nor for a kitchen drawer.   What a mess.  I am pretty sure, after a good scolding, he won't do that again (but most likely will).


I've also have more days than I'd like, where it's been super busy "kitchen" days, followed by a mountain of dirty dishes.  Anyone who cooks/bakes from scratch is going to have dirty dishes in a mass form.



The feed store peas are sprouting nicely for the ladies (chickens).

New recipes tried. . .
Lima Bean and Ham Soup.

I used dried beans as the recipe stated.  I went by the recipe online, shared by Just a Pinch Recipes.  Don't skip the bacon in this soup.  We loved it!  Seasoning of course is thyme and oregano from the herb garden.  

The lima beans have left the cupboard I am "baking/cooking" my way out of now.  I do believe this is the very first time to even use dried lima beans.  It's not a regular go-to bean, so it was fun to try this soup.

I adjusted the soup to a crockpot soup.  Tip:  Plan this soup the day after you make bacon for breakfast, and save 4 strips for the soup.  Save your ham bones from the holidays for winter soups like this.

Jalapeno cornbread.  I think this is the second new version to try.  My husband said, "this is the best cornbread ever!" when he devoured it.  It contains honey, and a small bit of brown sugar, but it is all real ingredients.  I'll have an update on this, as we compare it to one more new recipe in the near future.


I used our home canned pickled jalapenos for this recipe.  I love a recipe that not only utilizes something I canned, but also the brine in which it's canned in.





Current larger crochet afghan.  It's about 36 inches by 36 inches right now.   I am going to research a new lap afghan pattern for the next donation blanket, but I may have enough scrap yarns (again) to whip up a scrap yarn lapghan first.

I called about my back ordered yarn, that was due to ship back in December, then gain in late January.  They are saying it's due to ship in March now.  It's cotton yarn, so I hope this is not how it will be locating yarn for a project.

This and That  ©  February 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart









 

Monday, February 2, 2026

Happy Homemaker Monday

 We had some delightful, and much needed, beautiful sunshine over the weekend.  We however, had a sick raccoon climb the old chicken coop fence one afternoon.  There was another coyote (daytime) sighting not too far away.






I am joining Sandra at Diary of  Stay at Home Mom.


The Weather . . .

Not out of the negatives just yet.  A brisk -8°F, and snow on the way.


Right now I am . . .

Writing a list, writing this blog post, and sipping hot coffee.


Thinking and pondering . . .

Well, letter writing back-fired on me.  I wrote to an extended family member on my husband's side, thinking it would be a fun snail mail exchange (I really miss the letter writing I did with an Aunt who has passed).  Instead of writing me back, she texted ( a  long text ) back to my husband.  Sigh.  I even bought special writing paper. 

Pondering a list of where, and when, to donate lap afghans, baby blankets etc. to this year.  I have a list with new locations, in addition to the current donation locations.

Pondering - Starting a cooking club at our house once a month.  Hosting a book exchange/swap sometime this year.


How I am feeling . . .

Tired.  Extremely cold weather can zap one's energy.


On the breakfast plate . . .

Breakfast burritos with meat/eggs and veggies.  Coffee. 


On the menu . . .

Chickens are getting sprouted peas for winter nourishment.

. . .for us?

-Lima Bean/Ham soup, and a new type of homemade cornbread

-Stuffed Acorn Squash

-a new sheet pan dinner to utilize the freezer

-leftovers

-possibly a healthy snack, homemade hummus (with veggies)


On the TV this week. . .

-Movies:  Walk the Line, and a few others, Hallmark movies a few times.


Looking around the house . . .

The magazine shuffle has ended!  They are gone, and I found a thinner cookbook underneath the stack of all things.  Not even sure how I obtained the cookbook, but it's what's left to take a look-see at.  

Painting may resume when the temperatures improve, but we are on the fence with when (and who) will do the wall repairs (yes lots of wall repairs thanks to the kids etc) upstairs.  New light fixtures are badly needed, along with new window coverings.


To-do list today . . .

(all week vs. just today)

-pay bills, run errands etc.

-housework (laundry, dust, dishes, floors)

-library returns and pick ups as needed

-try a few new recipes

-make a call, send messages/inquiries


What I am creating . . .


Catching up on granny squares for my crochet book blanket.  Matching them the best I can with scrap yarn on hand. 

Crocheting a current larger afghan, and still waiting on back ordered yarn for another project.


From the camera. . . 



Devotional, prayers, Bible verses . . .

Prayers for two families who lost their long time 17 year old dogs (both different people we know, and both with dachshund dogs).

No personal prayer requests today.

Prayers for the southern states dealing with the weather hardships right now.

Happy Homemaker Monday  ©  February 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart