Pioneer Woman at Heart

  It's been a helluva week.  Dreary, rain, plans going ba-zonkers, now expecting more car repairs (when the car comes back it needs new brakes - guy is just putting in a new engine)......sigh. However, one daughter was off work, so I was able to get to town for some last minute stock up items.  I also wanted to get to the dollar store for some waxed paper, tissues etc.  I couldn't resist picking up a few more towels to rotate (in the bathroom) and some small ornaments to decorate the shower curtain and the small tree in the bathroom.  All at the Dollar Tree. A breakfast I made a few days ago - tossed it together with sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, fire powder, eggs and dandelion greens. Snow is predicted for us this weekend.  We are going to just go with the flow.  What gets done, gets done.  I'm working on a new crocheted Christmas ornament.  More news on that later. Update on the home good store.  I went in to inquire on rental co...

My new Christmas bed quilt.  I have never done this for the holidays, so when my husband sees it, he's going to shake his head, ha ha!  Not a great day for drying outside, but better than hiking up the electric bill.  It's not handmade sadly.  Quilting is not something I have yet to teach myself.   Things have just gone a bit wonky this week.  One day I put my shirt on backwards, one daughter went to work and forgot her purse, every time we try to make plans to cut wood Mother Nature stops us, one daughter's package is delayed in the mail, ....can't wait until next week.  I think we are all a bit stressed with the virus, lockdown, car repair expenses, election etc. going on this year. We had another entire day of rain.  Like boat loads.  I need to wash several rugs, but the weather is just crazy for October.  I'm thrilled it's filling up the well though. I emailed the home goods store (sells handmade items).  No answer back....

  . . .crocheted 4 dishcloths and they all sold. . . .crocheted some soup bowl cozies.  I had a special request. . . .have gotten this far with one daughter's cardigan for Christmas. The SM are marking the spots for the pockets. . . .got 2 more jar openers made. (sorry no photo for some odd reason) . . .got a few more dish scrubbies made . . .started back on the "f" bombs . . .got infusible web onto scrap fabric and traced.  Just have to cut them out and put them on the cards.  I used old greeting cards to make my templates. My Aunt always wrote to me.  One thing she always reminded me, was "always take 5 minutes for yourself."  I did that yesterday.  The day still went too fast, but I got some handiwork done (not all of this was done in one day, ha ha!  I've been wanting to post for a while, but had zero free time).

I have a possible place to set up and sell my handicrafts before the year ends.  Although I didn't think it would happen, I'm considering it.  However, I have to go in and speak with them directly about a one day special event cost.  I have a feeling that it will be more than I can really spend to do this.  I'm gathering photos to email them prior to visiting their store, so I guess we'll see how it goes.  The store is a filled with handmade vendors, and I'm told the building is large, so if they charge what the flea markets charge it's still a possibility.  It's a new permanent business, open daily with workshops almost every month (like learning to make a blanket with large blanket yarn etc). I have also realized in taking photos, that I have only 2 dish scrubbies made.  Yikes.  Where does the time go? I had to switch up dinner last night.  Sweet potato chili.  I needed a one pot complete meal.  Wood splitting was planned....

  Not a teabag, but works like a teabag.  Another new tea infuser I bought.  It fits into any regular size canning jar.  However, when I went to infuse a quart jar, I realized that the tool is not large enough to hold the amount of herbs I use for a quart.  It's great for a pint though.  Easier to do that straining with a fine mesh strainer and coffee filter.   So that's the "bits" for today.  Short and sweet.  Yesterday went way too fast and dinner time snuck up on me like a fish flying out of the water and slapping me.  There are many things on the to-do list that didn't get done, so I'm up early to hopefully earn a day off this week.

Woke up to 40 degrees Sunday morning.  Just a hair warmer than Saturday.   Whelp, one hen flew out of the fence yesterday.  Guess it's time to re-clip wings.  I have never had this problem, so when we get it moved, a permanent fencing with a top fenced cover will be built. Last nights dinner.  Perfect for a pretty cold day.  We never got up to the 50's.  Soup beans, fried cabbage with bacon and cornbread.  I had a ham bone in the freezer from my numerous attempts at a grad party this year, and put it to use. Red onions left the dehydrator and shallots made their way in. Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. The weather . . . Rain.  I woke up to rain.  Again.  No work outside, and as we planned to split wood tonight.  Making plans has been exhausting.  48/37 degrees (now I cannot use symbols on this blog for some reason, tried to use the degree symbol the last few days and it goes directly to g...

  Here are the scrap fabric cards I am making.  I made heart ones to gift my Mom.  I'm considering making other ones for a few other people, but gifts won't be exchanged with either side of the family this year.  I may work on them for next Christmas though.  A great way to use up scrap fabric, and I am so blessed for the people who send me their scraps too.  I don't sew a lot, so what I get is a blessing for crafting/gifting.  I have a how-to on my   S.C.R.A.P. blogspot   too.  Gosh, I just realized I haven't posted anything on there for a good long time.  I just may get something posted soon. Pinto beans were soaked for soup beans and fried cabbage today.  It was suitable for our current weather.  Brr. Red onions made their way to the dehydrator.  I sometimes get into a situation during winter when I need red onions and have no vehicle or the weather is too bad to travel to the store.  Who wants to go out for o...

Has anyone else had problems with the font on their blog changing to a different size after you post it?  I sometimes catch it prior to posting, but I noticed it is happening again. I don't think they have all the "bugs" worked out of this new format. I bought these new ornaments for our kitchen Christmas tree!  Aren't they adorable?  I love them!  And no, I have not put up anything else for Christmas.  I've been too busy ha ha! Youngest had a day off work, so we carpooled to the "Big City" and I picked up some more items I needed.  I stocked up on dried fruits too, just in case our state gets shut down again.  I needed them for winter prep anyway. Cold weather is here to stay I think.  Yesterday high of 77 degrees and today woke up to 42 with a high of 47 and now we dip to the 30's at night his coming week. Time to put porch furniture in storage and get back to splitting wood.

  Little story about Tiger the cat.... He sleeps all day, alone, in the utility room.  He's not been happy with the 2 dogs, rabbit and cat that moved back in last March.  He always looks sad and lonely.  Lately, I've been taking him into our bedroom and he soaks up the love, massages my arm to thank me, and is in pure joy.  Of course I have to let him out before I retire for the night, but he has really been getting some one on one touchy lovey time. Yesterday, I opened it to head to the kitchen and start working in there.  That little stinker flew in the bedroom like he owned the place.  He went right under the bed of all places.  Later one daughter, and myself, tried to find him.  No cat to be seen and not anywhere in the house.  I was stumped. Then later.... I noticed a lump under the bed quilt.  Ha ha ha!  He crawled under there and got his little cozy spot, so I left him there, and just kept checking the bedroom.  Poo...

  The new chicken tetrazzini recipe (from Stay at home chef) was a non - keeper.  Bland, dry and not worth the work.  Healthier, but had zero flavor, and dry.   The Kamut (flake) granola bars were delicious.  A keeper recipe for us.  I still like my other recipes, but it changes up the grain and we will make these again.  Recipe is online at their own site. It poured down rain yesterday morning.  I think my friend recorded a whopping 3 inches.  Where was all this rain when we needed it over summer?  I am glad it's filling the well and watering my fall planted garlic.   Our temperature is to rise back up to the 70's today.  However, more rain as well. I've been successful at cleaning one shelf a day in the fridge.  Tackling it one day at a time has been much easier than doing the entire thing in one day.   All of my totes of yarn have been moved back to my bedroom closet.  It's not what I wante...

I had so much mundane tasks to do Monday, the onions never made their way to the dehydrator.   Tuesday they finally got into the dehydrator.   My yarn totes are made their way back to my bedroom closet sadly.  They were headed upstairs until one daughter moved back in last March.  I can't live with my office full of totes, so I'm making room (again) back in the closet. Then I can use my office once again. I made 3 new recipes.  We loved the rosemary walnuts and the Southern sausage enchiladas with sausage gravy.  We will be cutting the Kamut granola bars and tasting them today.  All recipes are online.  I am thinking of trying a new recipe for dinner tonight.  The breakfast dish I made a few changes - left the seeds in the jalapeno, and I used butter (vs the grease left from the sausage) to make the gravy.  The original photo of the breakfast dish makes it look like you have lots of ooey gravy, but you don't.  It tasted great t...

Monday was a rainy, cloudy cold day, so no coop cleaning was done.  The ladies got little time outside due to an Eagle (top of fencing is not covered due to it being a temporary location). Now don't go throwing tomatoes on this, but this year has been just awful and now that the kids are older, there are no Halloween teen parties (wouldn't do them this year anyway).  Two totes of Halloween decor and costumes are going to our grand kids.  They will have a blast going through all the homemade costumes my Mom made and the homemade wig I made (and tons of old jewelry, belts, wig etc). Master bath Christmas tree is up.  Although I do miss my traditional 6 ft white one I used to have.  I plan on buying a new one next year.  The 4 foot one came with lights, so putting it up and down is super easy.  The new tree skirt has silver glitter and matches the silver tree.  I love the new Christmas shower curtain too. My daughter (older one living here) brought m...

Over the weekend we got in a motorcycle ride.  We had to put all of our leather on, as it was chilly, but may be the last ride we get this year. I put together this patriotic set and it sold the same day.  The person who purchased it paid well more than asking, including shipping.  I was overwhelmed with her generosity.  I sent a separate thank you card (homemade), with a personal receipt and note and a granny square patriotic keyfob and chain.  I'm now working on another set as well as other stuff to restock.  I now have a list of restocking to do.  That was my last homemade card of that kind and granny keyfob's which are great to tuck in as an extra. We went to town to stock up other supplies, like chicken food.  We don't know what is going to happen, and if no shutdowns happen, at least we have more than enough for winter.  Don't forget to stock up on your oil for your oil lamps.  We now have large containers/totes to stock up ca...

I went out and dug up the remaining sweet potatoes.  The results?  We got a total of 21.7# this year.  Carrots, beets and turnips are a complete loss however.