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~

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Still around....

I'm still around.  Just a LOT of stuff to do garden-wise and everything else.  Bike week just ended, and we went.  In fact, we took our youngest to Bike week - first ride with her Momma and first bike week.  She rode with a good friend of ours and we had a blast dancing together. She was so happy and we lived through the heat we had.  Yesterday we didn't do a thing around here besides recover from heat and fatigue. We hit our highest record for heat yesterday too.  I think it was 96°F.  We deserved to go to bike week, although much garden work needs done yet, and mow, weed etc.  

I hope to be back with another post.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Stinging Nettle Smoothie and other Tidbits

Yesterday I enjoyed a nettle smoothie.  I used blueberries and bananas for the fruit, some homemade yogurt, ice, and organic pomegranate juice.  Nettles are loaded with vitamin A and C, calcium, potassium, iron and a bit of protein.  Very low in calories too.

I'm trying to get as many weeds put up before the farmers start spraying too.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Made it. . .

Is anyone out there in cyber land?  Hello?  Seems like less folks have less time to read blogs this time of year.  I'm one of them.  I'm so busy it's crazy busy, but functioning like a turtle due to sleep deprivation.

I made it through Monday.  The truck is still not fixed, so I still without wheels.  It's either raining, or some other reason we don't get it done. It rained again yesterday afternoon and through the night, but no bad storms as the weather man said.  Today?  More rain, so I'm on the indoor to-do list today.

I was happy to get much of the laundry out on the line and dried before more rain arrived.   I missed a flower head on the rhubarb, so that was cut off too. 

Monday, May 21, 2018

Coffee Cubes

It's a very short post today folks.  So much to do, so little time.  I am so far behind on our vegetable/fruit garden it's not even funny.

Although nothing homesteady (is that even a word?) in this post, here goes. . .


The sunrise was just beautiful this morning.  Although both Hubby and are sleep deprived, we sipped hot coffee on the porch.  We've see deer, and today (oh joy) a fox.  We've also had a visit more than once from our hummingbird and a few woodpeckers.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Dry Days ~ More Rain

We finally had a few dry days, which for me meant weeding.  Lots of weeding and a garden hoe.  Although not completely weeded out, I dropped my zinnia seeds into the flower beds, as rain is coming back today.  I also planted my rosemary, lavender, and dropped some miner's lettuce seeds.  I also got my lavender and rosemary planted.




Asparagus is still coming up too.




I brought in the smallest egg ever the other night.  I was surprised it had a yolk, ha ha!

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Dandelion Poultice ~ Cleaver Poultices

Spring weeds are here now.  I wonderful time to gather, eat,  and store. I put some weed pesto in the freezer already.  I weeded about 95% of my herb garden, and all of the weeds, aside from the little bit of grass, were edible (or useful for natural remedies).




I've had quite a few experiences with dandelion since I first made dandelion jelly.  Over the years, I have made dandelion bread (which we absolutely love), dried dandelion for tea purposes, blanched and froze dandelion for meals (we love dandelion pesto), dried the root for a coffee substitute and medicinal purposes, and now I am making poultices.

Dandelion poultices, can be used to treat eczema, skin rashes, boils, and to reduce itchy skin (helps with itchy poison ivy). 

I am putting these poultices together in the freezer, like I do with comfrey and plantain.  There is nothing more comforting than a cold poultice in the summer, for an itchy rash too.

I am also putting cleaver poultices in to the freezer (as well as dehydrating some for medicinal purposes).  Cleaver weed poultices can be used to treat burns and even sunburn.  Spring is the only time I am able to pick this weed.  It's often found growing directly in my garden and will stick you like glue.  



Dandelion Poultice ~ Cleaver Poultices ©  May 2018 by Kristina at https://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

If you were wondering. . .


I canned more wild violet jelly first thing after my work out, and checked the weather.  Were you wondering if our rain stopped yet?  Well I was.

We got more rain, but I had a break in the day to get outside.  Oye. It's wet out there, but after checking the asparagus and garden (for damage), I high tailed it to the flower beds.  I could spend a week out there, plus the herb garden.

I have a plan for the wettest part of my vegetable garden.  Updates to follow if it works out.

I felt like the "If you give a Mom a Muffin" but with the weeds yesterday.  One thing just led to another.

I started weeding flower beds, and found several ornamental apple trees growing in it.  I dug up two and transplanted them.  I went back to weeding, but after pulling all the cleavers, it was almost a day with the cleavers.  I filled my dehydrator with them, and had a bit leftover.



Knowing our family motto, that has been on this blog for years now, you know I try to use everything I can, and what I have (and try to waste nothing).  So....two cleaver poultices were made and put into the freezer.  They can be used to heal cuts, bites, and even sunburn (cools the inflamed skin).

...and

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Random Tidbits

We've been a swamp in our parts of the "woods" this week, and there is another onslaught of rain to come.  I am hoping for a dry day today, but it'll be very limited outdoor work for sure.

We had planned a big May birthday bash - cookout and overnight camp out for this weekend.  Campers, tents and all.  Sadly, the rain forced us to cancel.  We hope to reschedule soon.

I've been doing small gardening jobs in the rain - pick asparagus, and cut the flower heads off the rhubarb.  

Yesterday morning we had a short, but shift storm.  It knocked a huge limb off of a tree, which landed on my clothes line.  Thankfully, it missed our swing, and didn't damage the clothesline. The limb goes all the way behind the swing and is pretty large.  You can also see the grass has been cut to the upper right but not behind the patio.  It's hit or miss with mowing right now.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weekend weather was wacky.  Friday I got very little done outside.  I started weeding the herb garden, got a corner done, and it started to rain.  It rained until noon, and it was cold, dark and windy.

Saturday it was raining again, and pretty cold.

Sunday morning we had more rain and thunderstorms.  I had to build a tent in the kitchen for old man Jesse.  I put an afghan over the backs of kitchen chairs to keep him calm.  We can't find his thunder jacket.

I'm joining Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.



On the breakfast plate . . .

Friday, May 11, 2018

Birthday ~ Sparta ~ This and That

Woke up to a chilly 48°F this morning.  Hubby and I have been getting up earlier and having coffee on the porch.  The sun rises just about the time he rolls out of the driveway for work.  It was beautiful this morning, but right after I took this photo it was cloud cover.

Yesterday was my birthday.  I was home all day waiting for Hubby to get off work.  He had a dentist appt. after work too, so for me, it seemed like a looooooooong day.  I literally did not do any garden work.  It was too wet to weed too.  I did some crocheting on the porch, sat and talked with a few of the kids when they were home, and really just chilled all day.  When Hubby pulled in, he called me to the car, and surprised me with this Harley Davidson gift basket.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Treating Scars ~ Venomous Spider Bite Update

The post you've all been waiting for (maybe). . . 

I have had a nasty scar on my leg, left from a venomous spider, and have been putting homemade calendula cream on it for over a year now.

Did you know that calendula has the properties to help new skin growth?  I just learned this even though I was already using the cream/lotion.  It has helped too.

Warning:  Graphic photos.  If you do not want to see the bite before and after (some of the before) do NOT click to continue reading.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Wild Violet Jelly ~ Garden Tidbits





My homestead has a somewhat good amount of wild violets.  



I was itching to pick some wild purple violets, for my "new" jelly to try this year.  I've never made it and we had a very busy weekend.  So...I picked the violets....

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

In Motion

I went to the barn early yesterday to fetch the hoe before the bumble bees woke up (terrible again this year). 


(steps I got on my fitbit yesterday)

The hoe and I had a date.  I got the beets in finally, and started weeding some of the flower beds.  I had a ton of laundry, and ran out of clothespins.  The day went way too fast, but work was done.  It was a nice 60-some degree day, so it wasn't sweltering either.

I found one of my rain barrels completely drained. Hubby and I will have to put a clamp on the hose.  It's a different set up than my barrel looking ones.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Weekend Updates

Did we survive the weekend?

Friday was clean up, grocery shop, everything day.  Saturday was get up early and tidy up the last of the last, join up with some bikers (sounds so funny after all these years of just wearing muck boots), and take a ride to the lake.  We attended a fundraiser for a co-worker of Hubby's (stage 3 cancer, in his 30's and has kids).

Sunday we hosted a breakfast for Hubby's family and friends.  He made his famous breakfast burritos, I whipped up a sausage and egg souffle (overnight dish), and I could not let the young ones down, so I made chocolate chip waffles too.  However, I was greatly disappointed with the turn out.  All that cleaning and cooking and only 4 people showed up (when 12 or more were expected).  No young ones showed up either.  There were many more to be here as well, but over the weekend two babies were born into the family - one on the 4th and one on the 5th.

Friday, May 4, 2018

Tidbits ~ Herbed Omelets or Scrambled Eggs

Hubby and I were up at 5am this morning.  Had coffee on the porch before he left for work and I made him a sweet potato (more like an egg hash) burrito.  Both of us were up since about 3am.

I had to laugh this morning.  He asked me to open the door so he could carry his lunch, mug of coffee and half eaten burrito out to the car (truck is still down).  I looked down and he had socks and slippers on, ha ha ha ha!  I had to tell him, "um, hun? You don't have your shoes on."  We laughed and laughed.

It's operation homestead clean up again today.  I was abandoned by all kiddos, so I didn't have any help, but today I will.  More spider traps are going in place again too.

I don't see that it even rained last night, so we'll dig out more porch furniture.  I put a few pieces out yesterday, but golly, there is more to tidy up than I thought.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Getting Outside and Random Tidbits

Last Saturday, I planned a birthday bash for my husband.  I found out the band he hired for my birthday was playing at a local bar.  I got word out to family and friends, and wa-la, party at the bar and grill.  We brought the girls along, ordered food, played pool, and danced until 12:30am.  It was so much fun (Hubby too a long nap prior to the outing).  Not everyone showed up, but enough did.  He was so happy and even danced with me most of the night.   We were whipped on Sunday, but visited a new church, then took a motorcycle ride.

Monday was a "get back to it" day, since I lost out all of Sunday.  Hubby took Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as vacation days, so we could take advantage of the weather and take a motorcycle ride as a reward for actually getting something done around here.

Shell and snow peas have been planted!  I forgot to buy sugar snap peas.