I managed to get that air mattress into the bag it came with. It's not shutting all the way, but it's in the bag ha ha!
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.
"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~
Everything is at a stand still today. I cannot do anything, other than paint the door trim, and I'm even limited to that due to space and the amount of saw horses. I'm okay with that, as my back is very sore.
Rain is in the forecast today, and we'll see much more of it this week sadly. It's warmer, but the rain is keeping us out of the garden to prep it for a new garden season. The ground is soaked.
The new closet door was cut and framed. We do need to install the door yet.
I'll link up when she posts.
The weather. . .
46°F/29°F for today, and rain. Rain about every other day this week.
As I look outside my window. . .
Dreary and cloudy.
Right now I am . . .
Brewing coffee, because I forgot to pre-set it last night.
Thinking and pondering . . .
Going to town for one errand or adding it to a list. Hm.
On my bedside table . . .
Nothing! It's still in the master bathroom, while we continue to paint and renovate the master bedroom. It has been a whirlwind of work, because we continue to run into issues with the terrible work the past builders did.
On my TV . . .
Whatever grabs our attention. We are too tired by evening to even really care.
Listening to . . .
Rock
On the lunch plate . . .
Probably a ham and cheese sandwich.
On the dinner plate . . .
Have no idea.
On the menu . . .
It's on the to-do list.
On the reading pile . . .
Not sure yet, as the bookshelf has been boxed up for the bedroom re-do. However, I finished this book on our last road trip.
On my to-do list . . .
Plans for the week . . .
Honestly, I have no plan. The master bedroom has been so nerve wrecking due to the disorganized decisions. My husband is all over the board, so I never know what we are doing in there until the next weekend arrives. Although is sounds like I am complaining, we have gotten some things done, but yesterday I had to empty a lot from the walk-in closet in order to cut and hang a new closet door (current center of the longest wall made no sense and difficult for furniture placement). Also, we need someone to come help us move an electrical line in the attic, in order to move the closet light switch (access is smaller than normal to get up there).
I'm thankful for. . .
What I am creating . . .
My simple pleasure . . .
Amish cheese curds.
Looking around the house . . .
It's a hot mess!!! Utility room stuff is in living room (explain that later), 1/2 my bedroom closet is in living room, air mattress is in living room, kitchen is full of stuff we need to donate and is where our suit case is, floor is covered with paint cans, hall has part of the bed, more tools, bookshelf, paint cans,....bedroom now has half the closet.....HOT MESS! I cannot wait until it's done, but like I said, this room/closet has got to be the most head banging work we've dealt with right now.
From the camera. . .
Bible Verse, Prayers . . .
Prayers for Tiger. His blood work reports are due to come in today (Daughter E's cat).
Saturday was a challenge. We had to drive one hour to get some supplies that were sold out in stores near us. The weather was an issue. It was cold and the wind was recorded up to 74 mph in the area. Power went out in many cities nearby, but thankfully not ours.
Hauling supplies in the back of a truck was not fun. When we got home, the trim had been blown downward and was almost out of the bed of the truck. We got it home and in the garage thankfully. Yes, it was tightly strapped in, but like I said, high wind warning.
It's sort of difficult to show the wall paint color, but it is a gray. One ceiling fan is completely down, so the light is not great in there for now. Whoever installed the ceiling fans installed them incorrectly. You should be able to remove the screws to pull the ceiling portion down to paint, and they installed them, so when you unscrew the very top, the entire fan comes down.
One wall in the bedroom contains the walk-in closet. The builders installed the door to it, dead center of the long wall. It prevents us from putting the bed anywhere but one wall, because the bathroom in there is built in one corner of the room. Yeah, it's been fun.
Guess who wants to cut a new door to the very side, so we can move furniture in a better layout? Yep. My husband. The closet is FULL of the dismantled bed and other stuff from the bedroom, so that has to come out in order to do that. Talk about stressed and overwhelmed right now. In order to set the bed back up, we have to finish moving the closet door, and install trim. Updates on that later.
I'm thankful for the "little" things right now. I'm thankful for the homemade lip balm I keep in my purse, because I cannot access mine, that I keep in my bedroom night stand.
I'll admit, I have been terrible at cleaning the ceiling fans in the bedroom. After dusting with the swiffer duster, I had to wash them with soap/water. You can see the dust left on them after dusting them. I'm also going thru to many duster refills, so I invested in this...The blue cover slides off, and is washable. The unit can be attached to your extender handle you use for painting ceilings with (if you have one). Works great for weekly dusting on these types of ceiling fans.
My hands are cracked, dry and sore. My back is sore by most evenings. My fingernails are worn, torn and look terrible. I'm climbing ladders unsupervised most days, but progress on the bedroom is starting to happen.
In order to paint, I had to climb into our walk-in closet like a monkey holding a flashlight. I had to get our "paint" clothes. Mission accomplished. Oh, the reason for the flashlight? Well, the switch in there is a motion sensor switch, installed behind the door (builders did some dumb stuff), and it is not working. It's on the to-do list with everything else.
When our bed was dismantled, it ended up in three places - the master bath, the hallway and the walk-in closet. Hence the monkey climbing.
The ceiling fans had to be cleaned, as they were covered in order to paint the ceiling. Today, it's wall painting day. It's also the day Tiger is to get out of the emergency vet. We have not heard any update on his condition, so I am stressed and worried it will not be good news.
Daughter E has been keeping herself very busy at her salon, but also with her boyfriend. She however, became even more stressed yesterday when she found out her boyfriend's Grandpa passed away. Instead of her focusing on her cat, whom she loves dearly, she focused on her boyfriend. She made him a basket.
Tiger when he was a baby. He is under emergency vet care until possibly Saturday, depending on his prognosis. He had an emergency ultra sound, which found crystals in his bladder, causing a blockage. He was in miserable pain. He is not being treated, but there is the possibility for kidney damage. We are in touch with daughter E for updates.
The painting progress on the bedroom is slow going for now. It takes two people to just do the ceiling edging. Our ceiling is 8 foot, 9 inches tall, so a tall ladder is required, as well as someone to hold the paint tray, and yes we will be needing to cover the entire bedroom floor with plastic. There are two ceiling fans in the bedroom that need spring cleaned before we cover them with plastic to paint the ceiling as well. I feel like this room is the one that will make me lose my marbles.
I just want my bed back, so I'm hoping for at least the paint work done this weekend, in order to put the bed back together. The air mattress is messing with us getting a good night's sleep.
There is so much going on right now, it's nuts! I have now moved drying racks to my living room, and I feel like the entire house is chaotic. I don't do "chaotic" very well.
On top of everything going on, I am stressing about getting the new coop started. It's rained here for days, and the ground is mushy mess.
Renovations gone wrong.....so many variables to deal with this time around.
My husband thought it would be grand to just take a short vacation while the bedroom carpet was removed and new flooring installed. We went, we returned, and we are so frustrated right now.
First, we hired the same person who did our living room and kitchen bathroom. Second, we hire him for chicken duty, and watering seedlings, so we do know him.
Came home to find the flooring installed in the wrong direction, and he knocked a large hole in one wall (we are still waiting for him to explain, but he will be fixing it on his dollar not ours, which also delays painting, which should have been done before new flooring....see what I mean about stress?).
He also did not water my seedlings. It appears that he watered one time while we were done. He literally was here every single day and asked me and I explained how to water them (he's watered them before). 98% of my seedlings most likely won't make it. I'm beyond livid.
This morning I get a call that my youngest daughter's cat is in distress and sick. I am jumping in the shower and there will be an emergency vet visit. Could this week go any worse?
.....tomorrow morning.
Grab a cup of coffee and let's have a short chat.
Not many "homesteading" things going on right now. I'm mostly doing the purge/pack/donate motions. There may be more take out dinners than home cooked for a few weeks. We have however picked up seed potatoes for the garden.
Chicken's watering units got a good scrubbing. The sun has been shining again, and a bit warmer, so they are laying pretty well right now. Rain returns this weekend.
We are a bit frustrated with the company buy out. We are in limbo with health insurance and he just had a check up. I got a nice big bill of $210.00. Hopefully the new cards will show up ASAP and I can get this mess taken care of.
I got one camper ornament completely finished. I forgot how much work goes into just one. I have the pieces already made, but have a dozen or so to actually assemble. I'd like to have them done for the craft show next month. I've been so busy with the bedroom, that my crochet time is about minuscule right now.
I finally got some garden tomatoes out of the freezer, and tried enchilada (chicken) soup for the first time. We have also enjoyed some home canned lemony-tomato basil soup (keto bread for hubby, and we put home canned cowboy candy in the grilled cheese). That's a bit of butter in the soup. Mmmm!
Tonight is the last night to clear out the remaining furniture in the master bedroom. The work begins tomorrow. I'll be so glad to get that stinky carpet removed, but it has been a whirlwind so far.
I went to our small town post office last weekend to mail a package to a friend. There was a hand written note on the door that they were closed "due to staffing issues." How is this happening? Anyway, we didn't get mail delivered either.
Finished! A 17th set of pot holders ha ha! I had to finish them, so that is done, but I won't be starting a new set any time soon. Hopefully I will sell them next month, and I do have to deliver a set soon.
We are approaching the count down on starting the carpet removal. It's been a process for this room. It's funny how fast (or slow) a job can go, when it involves where you sleep at night.
Anyway, expect blurps in my blog posts. We plan to start this Friday. It will become crazy busy, as I try and figure out how to survive with things a hot mess again.
The weather . . .
Cold, in the 30's but will warm up to the 50's this weekend.
As I look outside my window . . .
There is more snow.
Right now I am . . .
Brewing coffee. The time change has me all messed up.
Thinking and pondering . . .
We thought about it, and and pondered, and decided to sell our record player and vinyl. We used it twice since we've had it over the last 14 years.
On my TV . . .
Anything that looks interesting.
Listening to . . .
Country.
On my lunch plate. . .
Have no idea.
On my dinner plate . . .
Have no idea.
On the menu. . .
-grilled cheese, home canned tomato-basil soup
-enchilada soup
-leftovers
On my reading pile. . .
No reading as I am clearing the bedroom.
On the to-do list . . .
Plans for the week . . .
Take all the wall decor down in the master bedroom, box it up, remove any furniture other than the bed (still making a plan). I finally convinced my husband to work on the bedroom first, then the closet (not all at once as he wanted). I still have a lot of work to purge the closet (craft related supplies, purge shoes/boots, more clothing etc etc).
What I am creating . . .
I'm down to the last two color sections on our blanket, but need to check my yarn stash for gray. I was incorrect on how much I needed, and may need to get more.
My simple pleasure . . .
Journaling.
Looking around the house . . .
Well, it looks as it would if you emptied an entire room into another room. Again.
From the camera . . .
Bible Verse, Devotional . . .
Prayers for Hope, as she struggles daily with the loss of her husband.
By "few" in this post, I really do mean a few. There isn't much going on, as it is winter. We got more snow last night too. I managed to box up a bookshelf, dust it off and move it all out of the bedroom.
I found books to a series I donated, and books to a series I am reading. I really should just start using the library again ha ha!
I got after my husband for his willy nilly decisions/plans for the bedroom. First, the best time to paint is when the carpet is out, and before flooring goes down. He is really driving me nuts, so I just try to stick to the fact everything has to be moved out to get that stinky 14 plus year old carpet out. The one thing we have to figure out is where to sleep for a few days if we can't just slide the bed back and forth as the work is done. We'll figure it out.
Although we dropped off donations, I now have more, and it just gets easier as we do this extreme clean.
I'll admit, if I was my husband, I would not want to do a thing in the mornings with his schedule. By the way, that crazy schedule has now ended as of today.
However, baking him peanut butter cookies got him motivated.We cleaned in the bedroom for almost 2 hours, purged, tossed stuff, vacuumed, dusted.....still not done. The one fall back with a large bedroom, is more "stuff." The bedroom has a tall ceiling, and is approximately 21 x 15 feet. Yeah, that large, and originally built for a person in a wheel chair.
It has really made me realize how much crafting stuff I still own. I'm on the fence with getting rid of things like macramé, as I may feel like making some hanging plant holders. Anyway, just lots of "stuff." I found an entire container filled with all sorts of sequins. I thought I gave that away, but one of the daughter's must have snuck that back into our closet. Hmpf. It's being donated.
My husband stood up and said, "there we are all ready" and I had to laugh. There are totes under the bed, a bookshelf I have to pack up and move out, and make decisions on keeping some other stuff still in there. Oh, and pack up our night stands, move them out.
The worst thing for me to do on a whack-a-doodle schedule, is to sit at the procrastination station (computer) too long. I tend to browse crochet patterns, and have already printed one to crochet another item for the living room (a summer project that is much smaller). My husband gets up late in the morning, due to his later work hours, so I'm totally thrown off with my own early morning routine. Plus!!! I'm not sleeping well with this schedule.
I also have about 98 draft posts I am going thru. Most are getting deleted, but I try and read a few every day to work those out of my blog.
I got a visit with one daughter, and I totally forgot to pull meat from the freezer to go with yesterday's leftover veggies.
I roasted a lot to save us time over the next few days, in hope to clear more out of the master bedroom.
I have stored ginger root in my freezer for years. I simply wash and dry it on a vegetable drying mat.
I wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and tuck into a freezer bag. I simply take it out when I need it, and re-wrap it and put it back in the freezer.
Recently, I have learned of a second way to store it. Thanks to the cooking channel and learning new tips and tricks in the kitchen.
I've dubbed my home "loony lane" for this month. My husband is putting down the hammer, added with a time limit, to get the bedroom packed up and off the carpet. The problem is, he doesn't understand I can't do it all by myself with that amount of time.
I swear, he is going to make me lose my mind. I had to drag him into the walk-in closet and explain that everything on two shelving units has to be packed up and those shelves, that sit on the carpet have to move too. This next renovation is gonna get the best of me.
Despite trying to get him to do anything before he goes to work, I am trying to get stuff done. He felt guilty the other day and got off the sofa and installed two electrical boxes. His wacky schedule causes him to want to sit around and do nothing before work.
I had almost forgot, that I thawed peaches from the freezer, but thankfully got the peach crumble baked. You can see someone couldn't help himself before it cooled enough.Oh, and every day I spray the pet pee areas on the upstairs wood floor, let it sit, then wipe it. I will have to do a few more applications, and then I think we'll be ready to put the gym foam flooring down. So far, it's working on removing the odor from the flooring. I have the spare bedroom to do yet though.
It's a wee bit cold here but all the hens are laying daily thankfully. The weather forecast is for snow tomorrow. Snow. yes I said snow. Looking outside the window, you would never now.
I started a tray of beets indoors this year for the first time ever.
After they sprouted they started to get leggy. I wasn't sure if they were under watered or over watered or what.
I did what most people do. I asked Google. It said to put more light on them. I did that, and nothing changed.
...they look like this. Too much water or not enough? Not enough light? I've tried it all, but that tray doesn't hold much soil either.The first few days of start up hours, for my husband's work can be crazy. It's a time of feeling whack-a-doodle, as far as routine goes. He's either working 2nd or 3rd or who knows what shift, and it throws me off completely.
It takes us a good few days to try and get flow to our daily routine, mornings, evenings, all of it. I took the day off from purging and organizing and moving stuff, but it has been overwhelming for me. I love to create crafty items, but it's sort of at the point, where I don't need to create so many items anymore. I have to come to a point of deciding what to get rid of what to keep, in that area.
I used to make homemade gifts, that required bottles, or jars or whatnot. Not anymore. The kids are all grown, and do not put up Christmas trees, so I'm not making ornaments like I used to. By the way, the "starbucks" ornaments in the making, made their way to the trash. I took off what could be useable, and tossed the rest. The kids did not want one for their homes/apt.
I used an old bookshelf to store craft items in my closet, so that is the focus, but now I'm trying to decide if I want to paint the bookshelf and put it in the upstairs bedroom. It is a solid wood bookshelf, so I will think a bit longer on that decision.
Today high is 54 degrees, but all week we'll mostly be in the 40's and more rain possibly today.
As I look outside my window . . .
Somewhat cloudy.
Right now I am. . .
Making coffee.
Thinking and pondering . . .
Trying to make plans on when and what we need from the hardware store - flooring, trim, supplies for the chicken coop, hallway flooring etc.
On my TV today . . .
Nothing.
Listening to . . .
Possibly country later today.
On my lunch plate . . .
Have no idea yet.
On my dinner plate . . .
Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Home canned tomato basil soup.
On the menu . . .
I will be working on this early today. The only down fall on going away for the weekend, but I did wash the bedding and had the bed made before we left, so that is off the to-do list this week.
What I have so far:
Breakfast: Fritatta, Sweet potato egg cups
Dinners:
On my reading pile . . .
Honestly, nothing this week.
On the to-do list . . .
Plans for this week . . .
Purge walk-in closet/master bedroom and move items off the carpet.
What I am creating . . .
Still crocheting our blanket, and worked on a set of unfinished pot holders over the weekend.
My simple pleasure . . .
Taking a spontaneous road trip, which we did.
Looking around the house . . .
The living room is filling up with more yarn I need to store upstairs.
From the camera . . .
Bible Verse, Devotional . . .