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~

Monday, March 26, 2018

Happy Homemaker Monday

Today I am joining Sandra at blogspot, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I apologize in advance, if this is too long to read today.

I took a bit of a blog break, and re-grouped.  I felt like I was losing touch with my inner "pioneer."   I had a lot going on and a lot of other stuff not going on.  I am starting a new routine, climbing out of my "rut" and getting back on track with a positive mojo.  

Since I was here last, I finished:


-cracking all of the 2nd bag of walnuts (only one more to go), it looks small, but it's a pretty good sized bag.



-swept off part of the front porch and got my two porch rockers out (and cushions washed and dried on the clothesline
sent out one writing submission
-worked on cleaning up more barn debris (removing small boards and nails from the boards)



-cut and split wood (just another day at the "gym")
-got a some things out of the garage and into a box to deliver to the thrift store soon (making another dent in that area)





- finished removing all the homegrown popcorn, saving the ears for campfire starters of course.  Our yield was 2 1/2 qts.  Not the best year, but not the worst year either.
-finished a crocheted scarf.




Homemaking Tip. . .
Spider Traps - if you buy the cheaper brand, they are very difficult to peel the paper off the sticky side.  Place them in the freezer for a few minutes, and they will peel right off.  Sounds weird, but it works.


On the breakfast plate. . .


Well, I haven't had my breakfast yet as of the preparing of this post, but I can tell you what I ate the other day - two eggs over easy with some seasoned, diced sweet potatoes and some (very expensive) organic ham.


The weather outside is . . .
Much warmer than yesterday.  Yesterday it was wicked wind (again), in the low 30's but felt like 23°F.  Today, it is to be a high of 54°F and sunny.  I guess we'll find out.  It's dark out as I type this, but it was much warmer when I took one of the dogs out.


What I am reading . . .

Thunder Roads motorcycle magazine, Good Housekeeping magazine, a few books from the library.  Actually, a lot of books from the library.  I actually took my weekend mornings much slower, and looked through many books from the library.



On the TV. . . 
McLeod's Daughters.  It's our second time watching it.  We also watched season one of Wildfire, and have ordered seasons two and three from the library.


My to-do list . . .
Self Care -
Yoga
Exercise
Afternoon healthy herbal tea break
Journal or work on articles 

Regular Chores -
Bills
Sweep floors

Laundry
A few lingering dishes
master shower 
Empty Ash pan
Clean off hearth
Fetch fire wood if needed
Wipe down treadmill
Dust.  Oh by dust everything.
Water plants
crack walnuts
rake pine cones (we have a ton of them this year and they are everywhere! If you have a tip on what to do with them besides putting them back in the tree line, I'd love to hear it.  They are loaded with sap.)

Weekly Deep Cleaning - 
Wash front room curtains, dry on the line, scrub all woodwork

Weekly Homemade Stuff - 
-made another container of homemade "lysol" wipes
-make calendula lotion
-make facial lotion
-make lip balms
-make a jar of Italian seasoning
-make a jar of "taco" seasoning
-make a few "cans" of condensed mushroom soup for the freezer
-make an inventory sheet for keeping track of what and how much I have stocked up on herbs/weeds/tinctures, extracts etc.



My "ta-da" moment is past week . . . 
I lost another 1.2#!!!  I'm so happy!  I am doing a combination of changes, so I hope to have an update in a month.  Here's hoping for another good weigh in.  Keep in mind, this is winter weight, so I am not losing more than my lowest, it's simply getting the gained weight back off.


The menu this week . . .
Sloppy Joes, sweet potato fries
Sheet pan chicken, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes
Salmon, peas 
Chicken with home canned mustard sauce, wild rice and roasted rosemary asparagus
Pesto pasta and steamed broccoli
Chicken teriyaki with homemade sauce

Leftovers


New Recipe I tried or want to try this week. . .



Cauliflower Chowder.  It's from "Damn Delicious" online, and they actually have two versions - crock pot and stove top.  I used the ingredients for the stove top version, but used my crock pot (cooking 3-4 hours).  I cooked my onion in the bacon grease before adding it to the crock pot . We love this recipe, and thanks to my mother sending me the recipe via snail mail, I now have another way soup recipe.  Easy and delicious.  Another way to get my cauliflower in the meal plan too.  Oh, and I added one cup of bone broth,  and extra thyme in it.  I didn't puree it either


What I am crocheting, knitting, sewing or creating . . .
Well, a lot of things, but yesterday I worked on the hot pad/pot holder set while watching TV.  It's still in the making.


From the camera. . .
Despite horrible winds on Sunday, we've had a good steady about of sunshine.


Bible verse, Devotional or quote. . .

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." Marcus Aurelius


12 comments:

Rebecca Knox said...

Enjoyed reading your post today and am glad to hear that you're climbing out of your rut and getting back on track with things. I am progressing in doing the same. Sounds like you've kept busy with various projects and I'd say you've been quite productive. Good job! Your breakfast plate looks delicious! Have a blessed week ahead and Happy Passion Week! <3

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thank you Rebecca.

Luludou said...

I'm tired just reading all you do! wow, you keep busy. Have a great week

Jean said...

Wow, you've been busy over there. Those rockers look so inviting. Congrats on the weight loss. Sunshine always helps, I think. Hope you have another wonderful and productive week!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Luludou, I typically don't get it all done. The girls usually have a reason to leave and not be here to help lately too. Have a great week.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thank you Jean. The sun definitely helps.

Sandra said...

Glad to see you back, you know sometimes we have to step back and take a break, I've had to do that more often than I would like, but it helps a lot :)

Wow you've been busy, lots done :)

Hope you have a wonderful week.

Tracey said...

I thought I did a lot.....I'm a lazy slouch compared to you. Best wishes.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Tracey, that was over several days of not blogging, and staying off the internet. I do however, do a lot on Mondays, so I have a day off later in the week. Thanks.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Sandra, it was sort of a refreshing break to regroup my brain too.

threesidesofcrazy said...

You've been busy! I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. Happy Easter.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thank you Tamy!