Pioneer Woman at Heart

Here are two copies of our local paper.  The one in the back is from 1995 and the smaller version is from this week.  Over the years, the pages have gotten smaller, and the newer paper even has less pages.  The price?  Today, this paper will cost $.75 an issue.  Back then?  I'm not sure yet.  The first half of the 1995 issues are missing.  I know it would be less than $.50/issue.  

The opposite side of this barn (same end) has roofing missing from the tornado winds that came through about 2 years ago.  

I am sharing a link for a homemade recipe that is a great substitute for the boxed Jiffy Corn Bread Mix.  

I had some sweet potatoes that needed cooked, so I made

Have a blessed weekend! We have lots of work to complete this weekend.  Today is a bit cooler than yesterday. (Still haven't found my flash drive case)

Imagine that you are a writer.  You just wrote two novels back to back.  You don't have an extra flash drive, so you are saving it to one you have hundreds, possibly thousands, of short published articles on. You have it in a case with your only other flash drive, because you are in a hurry to get it to your editor.  It's thunder storming and you are running across the street to the door to deliver it.

Barn cats Sapphire and Aurora.  They join me at the porch every day.  If fact, if anyone is on the porch, they arrive in a few minutes to join. Gus.  His favorite place is the rug on the front porch.  Here he's been drooling.  We were grilling out and having dinner on the porch.  

There is nothing more peaceful, at least for a mother of a large family, to be able to sit and relax knowing that her work is done.  Or the the most part, know that there are no other "projects" to be finished, and no piles of clutter that need attending. My goal is to declutter the clutter, no matter what or where it's at, one day at a time. Current (and ongoing) project:  Recipe Organization Each "work" day, I take the time to copy, or cut and paste, at least 5 recipes.  I have a bad habit of printing of or making a copy of a recipe, then clipping it to my fridge magnet.  It got so heavy, it fell off (sigh).   Step two to this project, is to take the recipe titles and record them on a word document, so that I can simply access it for dinner/meal ideas when planning my meals.  It's hard to remember every good recipe we use or try. Current Bible Verse: Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplicatio...

I've started making more jellies earlier this season.  I'll be ready for when the wild black raspberries and Queen Anne's Lace are in season now. The organic section at my store had organic juice on sale for buy one-get one free.  I got a few and got busy canning. Apricot Nectar and Tart Cherry Jelly   More Dandelion Jelly     Grape Jelly    Orange-Mango Jelly   ....and this is only the beginning.

A metal sign on my front porch.

Before After This is the entrance to the kitchen from the hallway I just cleaned up.  Everyone trips over empty water jugs and sends them flying across the kitchen. Now, the jugs are nicely stacked on a wooden (eco-friendly) stand.  We have a well, and the water doesn't taste good.  We stock up on water jugs, and have it on hand for coffee, tea etc.  It's also nice to have extra on hand for power outages when our water pump isn't working.  We can then water the animals too. It's nice not to hear water jugs getting kicked around.  Or people huffing and puffing from almost falling down from tripping on them too.  . . . . on to the next organizing project.

Two years ago, I planted our first lilac bush.  This year it is finally blooming.   ....bringing new life to the farm.

Before After This is the door we use the most.  It's on the side of the house and in a portion of the house that the last owner added on.  The original farm house is very small.  There are no closets in the house, nor a window or fan in the original bathroom. From where I took the photo, was the original back door. It is now the entrance to the kitchen.  There is very little space for a "mud" room, so I desperately searched for a solution to our pile up of mucking boots etc . The homesteading wish list contains the adding on of a porch just outside the door in the photo.  We'd screen it in for boots and coats and rags to wipe down the dogs. I found a nice shoe rack to stack boots on top, and garden shoes underneath.  Now...if the kids can only keep it this nice. The snow boots are all put away for the season and the gardening gear has been brought out.  Bed covers are also getting a good washing this spring.

Yesterday I pulled a tick off of one of my daughter's necks.  I first used the dawn soap and cotton ball method, but it didn't release the tick.  Later in the day we found another tick on the couch.  The dogs will be getting a good shampoo scrub, then will be rubbed with this oil we make.  Ticks are very bad this year already. I found this recipe in a copy of The Herb Quarterly several years ago. I lost it, then ordered a back issue of the magazine. Tick-Repelling Oil (for adults, dogs, and children older than 5 - otherwise they recommend using a gentle rose geranium hydrosol) 2 oz. jojoba oil 20 drops geranium essential oil 10 drops lavender essential oil Combine all ingredients, place in small bottle and label. To use: Before going outdoors, apply this oil to any exposed skin. For dogs, place a few drops on your hands and then gently smooth the oil over the coat. If you prefer spray, substitute 2 oz. of distilled water for the jojoba oil, and place a...

  (an antique store "find") Whether these are real or not, I bought them.  They were only $.50 each, including the earrings.  Although I bought them for wearing, the girls are already fighting over who gets to wear them first, for play jewelry.  A girl has to have her pearls.

I told hubby, we could skip buying the cow and just make regular trips to the bakery that sells this butter.  It's a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive, but we all need to get away right?   I haven't convinced him yet, so we may just have to buy the cow some day soon.   I am already searching for a butter churn. I am really enjoying the taste of this growth hormone free butter.  It's tastier than organic butter I find in stores here.

Before :  $.50 purchased at a local thrift store (1 inch hoops). After : A beautiful "new" pair of earrings to match my baby blue prairie skirt this summer. Thank you Beansie Babbles Blogspot !  You were my inspiration.  If you haven't visited her site, you should.  Lots of inspiration there.

I canned this season's first dandelion jelly.  Last year it did not set, and I had to re-boil it.  This year, I used a different recipe, and it set.  Now....we just have to taste it.

It's so strange to see my spring flowers bloom so early this year.  Pretty soon I will have enough dandelions for dandelion coffee and dandelion jelly.

Our heirloom lettuce from last year re-seeded itself, and is up in several places in the garden.  I picked enough for a salad. The asparagus is up too.  It's hard to believe it's up this early.

A few of nearby thrift stores offer a frequent shopper card.  Imagine that.  This is only trouble for those of us with no self-control in shopping at such stores, ha ha ha!  I recently earned $15.00 free at one particular store.

Hubby and I have been looking on ebay to find a wooden storage unit with drawers.  We finally found one at an antique store, and the drawers are perfect for storing all the tea we drink here.  This was another great find on our recent getaway.

I have been working like a mad woman (just an exaggerated figure of speech representing my speed of work- ha ha!) finishing up half started projects and other unfinished projects. Crocheted dishcloth Oversized pot holder and two small pot holders Although I am still knitting blocks for my blanket, I finished up this kitchen set for a nephew on hubby's side of the family.  I like the colors, so I hope to make a set for my "store" also. My crafting journal is slowly filling up with new ideas too. With gardening season starting early, I am working even harder at getting Christmas presents finished early.  

My husband and I brought home a bag of Hippie Coffee from our recent weekend getaway.  We love coffee in this house, and it hasn't lasted long.  I really like the flavor.  Ever since Mom brought home organic coffee from Costa Rica, I fell in love with the flavor.  Here is some interesting information on this coffee: The Coffee Company. There are different blends of it also.  I'm sitting here sipping some of the mild blend right now.  Mmmmm!

It's not an April Fool's joke either.  Around 3:00am Peanut gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Peanut delivered without any problems.  She's such a good mother too.  My sleepy-eyed 10 year-old and I went out to greet her.   She's black and white and her face has a tiny white dot on each cheek.  My 15 year-old is taking suggestions for a name.  Visit her blog to give her any names for this cutie:  Life as a Teen Farmgirl .