Pioneer Woman at Heart

We had weather in the lower 50's and the laundry went out on the line.  Felt so good to do that too. Our youngest child turns 18 today.  Sigh....it's gonna be so strange when she moves out, so I'm not even thinking about that right now. My goals are being set and I am so ready to complete them this winter.  #1 is get all my crafts restocked by the end of Feb. this year (for next year's show). #2 is clean out and reorganize the garage #3 is clean out the utility room and organize #4 clean and re organize the bedroom closet, which involves organizing my patterns into binders, more purging and organizing yarn and craft supplies. #5 is to be determined. Hubby's goals are to buy wood and repair wall where we cut it out last winter to fix cracked pipes, to install an electrical outlet in the kitchen (or not, depending on if it can easily be done). I'm super excited!  The ladies are laying again, after several long months and a coop burglar to deal w...

Normally I get up about 5am.  Not today.  Woke up at 7:30am.  Could be the warm, new cozy pj's I opened last night.  We have a tradition of new jammies Christmas Eve, but we opened them last night and do not regret it. We had our first big Christmas yesterday.  I think we had 30-40 people there.  However, they forgot about beverages other than coffee.  Good thing we brought water bottles to refill. I lack photos today, we were so busy yesterday.  The grands opened their gifts and were very happy.  Our daughter (with the grands) is married to a guy with two of  his own, so we gifted 4 grands.   Today baking officially starts.  However, it starts with a trip to the grocery store.  We had planned on going last night, but we were zonked.  Literally so tired.  I'm glad we slept in.  Last year we still had Jesse with us.  I miss him so much.  I know there is nothing we can do about a visit...

Even though Hubby didn't want to exchange gifts, I took advantage of a 50% off sale and got him some joggers for the gym, a new pair of slippers with rubber soles (he wanted some to take the dog out), and half price snow boots.   He hasn't had a pair for a few years.  I got them half off and another $10 off that.  A very good deal.  I already gave him the snow boots.  All things he's needed, but never took the time to get himself. Hubby asked me to write up a list of things to get me. I told him "I have no idea."   Finished the double wrap infinity scarf.  It's ready for delivery.  She previously ordered the headband, and wanted a scarf to match. Finished Hubby's hat.  Got it wrapped too.  He has no idea.  I've been working on it while he's at work.  Very warm too.

Thursday the "feels like" index was 0°F.  It was frigid for sure.  I did the water exchange for the chickens, but the door was froze to the ground on the barn.  After a few minutes I got it free. I've been dreaming of a better garden year more so then ever.  I sure miss my bounty. I've also be dreaming of the days when I can dry my laundry outside again.   It's been so cold, and not very windy, nor sunny lately. We are planning our daughter's 18th birthday party now.  Hard to believe it's arriving already. I'm just about done with my scarf order.   Hopefully I will have time today for that. Today is the last day of school for Christmas break.  Daughter is taking her teacher gifts in.   I ended up putting together 3 nail polish crochet ornaments and they each got some strawberry margarita jam.  I hope they like their gifts.

I had plans to make a trip to the "big city" yesterday, but snow squalls moved in, making roads slippery.  I decided to stay home and work on orders and cleaning the house.   I cleaned up the kitchen, did the dishes, some laundry, put together Mom's Christmas gift, and started on the bedroom closet (again, and a daunting task as it holds my yarn and crafting items). Pantry Score!  Last jar of home canned BBQ sauce.  It went into the crock pot with organic chicken breasts. I'm going to try my hardest to stay on track this coming year.  Is it bad I have a 3 ring binder for next Christmas (gift ideas, recipes, ornaments to make)?  I want to get stuff done during winter so the garden(s) will have my full attention next year.  It also means I need to organize and purge the rest of the bedroom closet, re-organize my patterns (the two I have are a mess and out of order).   Even if it's getting rid of one item or putting...

Most schools ended up closing yesterday.   Our school eventually closed too. Vehicles were traveling slow past our house, and I never saw one snow plow.  Although I wanted to go out for one last Christmas present, I enjoyed the thought of staying home and crocheting. I whipped up a batch of homemade hot cocoa for gifting two people.  The gift-it list went down considerably this year.  My side of the family set a gathering date mid-January - no gifts, no Christmas traditional food, etc.  I guess you would call it a winter gathering (same thing happened last year).  They want a taco bar, so with Hubby not allowed to eat carbs we'll just take some low carb spinach or tomato wraps (or stuff for taco salad minus tortilla chips).  I love Christmas, and making homemade gifts, so this sort of depressed me.  I feel like my side of the family lets life keep us from celebrating Christmas anymore. I indulged with a hot cup of hot cocoa myself....

It was 11am before I was done putting chili in the crocky yesterday, and making breakfast egg muffins (bacon/bell pepper/jalapeno/spinach).  Everything takes time - chopping, baking the bacon, cooking the ground beef, peeling the garlic....blah.  It was a long day in the kitchen.  By the way, when I have to make homemade buttermilk, my cornbread is a tad dry.  I added a small bit of sour cream, and the bread was deliciously moist. Woke up to more snow.  No surprise there.  School is delayed though.   Chicken coop is fine, but still no eggs.  Darn it.  I know they'll start laying again though. Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a cast iron tea kettle made in the USA?  I checked Lodge cast iron and didn't see one, and everything on Amazon is from China.

I should have paid more attention to the weather.  It's much warmer, but 90% chance of rain, and it's raining.  No wood cutting today.  Ugh. My sets didn't sell at the craft show.  Not one, so this one went into my youngest daughter's hope chest. I found these reindeer antlers in the Christmas totes.  Romeo didn't like them, but let us put them on for a short while.  I finished the granny square scarf with matching slouchy hat for our 20 year-old daughter. The stray cats are trusting me a bit more lately.  I found both looking inside the door at me this morning.  They will run off if I open the door though.  Just ignore those doggie nose marks on the glass, ha ha! I went out to the "Big City" for a few errands and one was to find paint brushes for water painting books.  Believe or not, I found the books at the dollar store, but no brushes. I found those at Wal-Mart.

Woke up to 18°F (felt like 9°F) yesterday morning.  We both forgot to stoke the fire before bedtime, so I was up at 5am getting it rolling to heat up the house.  We also had a thin layer of snow.  The chicken's water was frozen (I do not want a heat-able unit out in the barn), so I rotating watering units daily. Woke up to this on the computer this morning.  Just love this kiddo. I got my zip and zap back.  Maybe because of the cold weather, ha ha!  I was zipping around putting up more Christmas lights, and decorations.  Of course in between it all I folded towels, did more laundry, and put my craft totes away until next season.  I did the dishes, wrote out a shopping list, worked on the Christmas menu (cutting it down, but healthy and yummy), put some bows up outside, wrapped all the gifts, set rat traps in the barn, and brought in more wood. ...on the Christmas morning breakfast menu.  I know Hubby has to watch his...

I've been getting up about 5-5:30am to stoke the fire.   We woke up to 19°F.   We will need to cut more wood this weekend.  The repairs on the coop have been delayed due to the dark days, and how dark it is when Hubby gets off work.  Repairs resume on the weekend as well. I finally got around to canning some applesauce.  It pretty much took most of my morning and afternoon.  I bought 20# this year (I haven't canned applesauce in a few years now).  Remaining apples will be in the cooler garage.  I may can another half-batch of applesauce too. ...and since I had apples, I put steel cut oats in the crocky for our next breakfast (cutting the brown sugar down this time).  The apples and raisins add enough sweetness. Guess what's on the menu this weekend?  Crockpot "fried" apples with breakfast. Hubby and I watched a good movie on Netflix the other night.  It was pretty good too.  It's call Falling INN love...

Does anyone else feel like Christmas will be here way too quick and over with way too quick?  I feel like the clock is zipping by this year.  I love Christmas time too.   Hubby's family arranged crafting weekends all month long, but all the crafts are items that go to the cemetery.  I'm just getting depressed from them all, so I'll be staying home and focusing on positive, mood boosting, happy stuff.  Not that I don't want to forget anyone, but it's been one long year and I'd rather move on and be happy as they'd want us to be. Bad news has flowed into our lives again.  My mother has to see a doctor at Cleveland clinic regarding heart issues.  She's already had two surgeries, and one that is the most difficult and most serious to do.  Not what we all wanted to hear, but thankful that she asked the doctor to do a check, otherwise would have gone undetected. What do you think?  Daughter wanted something cosmetology related ...

Yesterday's sunrise has some beautiful colors in it. My rooster was still alive Friday (whew!).  I named him Cluck Norris, since he fought the predator and survived.   The craft show is now over, and I'm up to start out Sunday work day.   We didn't do that great this year.  First, I was in a different building (they use two).  Second, the way the had us set up the tables was so congested.  Third, we were way in the back and customers walked in and not all they way to our tables and left. I didn't sell one set, just a few things.  I'm starting to put the sets up on my other blog . Today's to-do's:  repair the chicken coop, muck the coop, cut wood.  We are completely out, and the temps are to really dip low the early part of the week.  Then, if we get all that done, the Christmas tree goes up. I posted the new Christmas tree ornament on my S.C.R.A.P blogspot.   I'll admit, it's not a very exciting ornament, b...

...and just like that (snap), I was inspired by my friend's mother who recently passed, and who loved playing the organ.  I have started to create a new Christmas tree ornament to sell next year.  I'll have a post soon next week I hope.  The first one will go in my friend's Christmas gift bag in memory of her mother. Sunday I had plans to start decorating and put up the tree, but if weather is good, I'll be mucking the coop and replacing wire on the coop.  One of these years we'll finally get the new coop built (amongst many other jobs on the list).  I went out to the coop yesterday and found 4 feet of wire ripped from the frame, one hen dead with a broken neck, and my rooster with a broken leg.  I'm not sure he'll make it yet.  We can't wrap our heads around what would do this.  A very sad day for sure.

I love making Christmas tree ornaments.  I'm so ready to make something new for next year.  I made many policemen ornaments back in 2011 for a police station tree and for one of my brother's trees. I made these one year too. I have so many that I made, golly. This year, our tree will be ornament-less (puppy proofed).  It'll be lights only, but pretty as well. I had so much creativity and motivation back then.  I even made these.  I think I will check more books out of the library to get more ideas for next year. I made these with all sorts of decorated "cookies" for an entire elementary class.  I used to make a homemade ornament for each student in my kids class for the Christmas school party.  I sure miss those days.  Hopefully, when my grand kids are older I can help with their class party (if they still have them by then). I made these from toilet paper rolls, and gifted them to my family for Christmas. I made th...