"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

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.

Monday, January 13, 2025

Happy Homemaker Monday {Jan 13, 2025}

There a many possibilities for January yet. It keeps me focused, and joyful.  I'm a bit behind on home repairs/projects, but moving forward.

Winter gives me more time to browse our local library, and read up on new teas, recipes, tinctures, garden plants and more. Has anyone had experience with bay leaf tea?  I'm just now learning about it, but have not made the tea.  I'm wondering if all bay leaves are the same or different?  I buy mine bulk, so I'll have to check the package label.

Another question.  Ha.  Sigh.  When we emptied our moveable cupboard that holds extra canned garden goods, we discovered cowboy candy from 2020.  Toss?  I mean it's now 2025.  My husband is insisting anything canned is good (not the same for tomato based goods), but I'm against him on this one.  Garden season is around the corner, so I can toss and be safe.  What would my fellow canning blog friends do?

Gardening folks - do you plan on planting anything new this coming garden season?


Photo courtesy of my cousin in the LA area.  This was their sunset a few nights ago.  Prayers continued.



Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, although I am currently now a "stay at home housewife."

I know these posts can be a bit long, so I'll try and keep things short and to the point.

The weather in my neck of the woods . . .

We had another snow storm that blew in last Friday.  We got another 2-3 inches of snow or so.  It's about 12°F windchill this morning.  Today will be 11 degrees colder than yesterday.


Things that make me happy . . .

-waking up to a clean and tidy kitchen

-battery operated thin twinkle lights in a few areas of the house during winter.  They add a bit of sparkle during dark, cold winter days.


-our few mantle photos, that I turn on in winter.  They have little lights that come on with a built in timer.  I plan to add a few more.  We keep these until winter is over with.


Book I am reading . . .

-See last Happy Homemaker for the three daily readings (Here)

I unburied this book, which I started back in May of 2024.  Totally forgot about, as it was underneath something else.  It is somewhat boring, so it's dragging along.

I started this one too, but it's my downstairs book. Yes, I am reading two books at once, ha ha!  The top book is light weight, so I can read it on the treadmill (or will continue on the treadmill if doctor clears me).

What's on my TV . . .

Recent movies:  Crazy, Stupid, Love,  Morning Glory, recent football game, 80 for Brady


On my breakfast plate . . .

Apple/Cinnamon/Walnut Steel Cut oats, Canadian Bacon or Chicken breakfast "sausage" patties

Fun fact:  I learned the steel cut oats at as a prebiotic in our body.  Interesting for sure.


On my lunch plate . . .

Egg Salad on avocado bread, fresh fruit


On my dinner plate . . .

Leftovers.


On the menu . . .

-Sheet Pan Parmesan Chicken and Vegetables

-crockpot herbed flounder, roasted veggies or green beans

-Mexican chicken or tacos

-Leftovers


On the to-do list . . .

In recent lists, I have overloaded my list with dedicated ambition, but to no avail, left almost all to-do's half done.  In light of that...the list will be me picking 3 off my notebook.  I went around the house and wrote what needs done.

Not sure what I'll pick yet, but the goal is only 3 now. In addition....

-make cream of celery soup


New recipe I tried or want to try . . .

Crockpot herbed flounder.  It's on the menu.
Recipe we tried - Homemade Avocado bread.  Delicious.  I baked it the exact time the recipe called for, but the photos looked crispier on the edges (or more done) than ours turned out.  It is very good however.  We can just cook it a bit more in the air fryer before using.  We plan to make more of this "bread" and put it in the freezer to use as needed.

To try:  Crockpot herbed flounder.

What I am creating . . . 
Crochet lap afghan, baby blanket, and jar openers.  Updates on it all soon in another blog post. It will take up too much space to post it all here.  Working on our Christmas binder (recipes, gift ideas, games etc). Oh, and a crochet combined new project I hope to be sharing soon (pretty fun so far).


No words needed (favorite photo or picture) . . .

Sunday Joy - met up with a couple for breakfast at a local restaurant that has a "country" store inside.  All of the Christmas items were on sale 50% off and ended the same day.  Love this store, and the food.  The food is the closest to homemade you can find.  Good company made the morning wonderful.


Devotional, Prayers or Bible Verses . . .

Good thoughts, good vibes, good life!  Not a Bible verse, but a good reminder.

16 comments:

Katie C. said...

According to the canning group that I belong to on Facebook, if you followed a tested recipe (Ball, USDA, National Center for Home canning, etc), you canned goods will last a loooong time.

Betsy said...

We've joined a second library which gives us access to a lot more Nebraska libraries. They have some sort of partnership which definitely works well for the patrons. I enjoyed reading all of the things you've been doing and reading. The little store looks very fun. Kind of like Cracker Barrel. I really enjoy browsing around their little stores.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Katie C, thanks for the info. I can't believe it got shoved to the back. I do plan to can more of it this year.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Betsy, our little local library is very very small, and limited room for many events, but I may suggest to them to start a puzzle trade. There are folks in our town asking for puzzle trades now. I am so glad you are enjoying my blog. I am enjoying yours too, and often find so much inspiration for my day/week. Thanks.

🌻 Debby 🌻 said...

I use bay leaves from the Bay Laurels that are prominent around here but never had the tea. Once dried it lasts a long time.

Oh I’m sick of what is happening to the southern half of my state. We’re having some substantial winds here today ( not Santa Ana’s) but when the winds come, so do the arsonists so we’re on edge. Plus we’re in the 60’s with beautiful sunshine - no rain in the forecast. We’re ahead in the amount of rain so far but I do worry about Southern California as they have not received a sizable amount of rain so far in our rainy season and of course now when they do, it will bring on mudslides and more calamity. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Anne in the kitchen said...

I would open the cowboy candy and see how it looks and smells. If it passed the sniff test I would keep it and use it.

Luludou said...

Looks like a wonderful place to eat and browse. I love twinkle lights during the winter months. I've bought quite a few more sets so are evenings are cozy... now we are missing the snow that everyone else seems to be having! Have a great week

Rebecca Knox said...

A lovely post! The egg salad on avocado bread sound delicious! You always amaze me with how many things you get done in a week's time. You're inspiring! I haven't even though about gardens yet. Not sure if I'll plant anything this year or not. I'd toss the stuff from 2020 if it were me. Twinkle lights throughout the house make me happy, too. In fact, I even leave a strand or two of Christmas lights up in a couple of rooms year-round. Have a great week ahead, Kristina! Blessings! <3

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Debby, praying for rain, and I never thought about the possible mudslides. Continued prayers.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Anne in the kitchen, thanks. I will. I would like some on our next breakfast burritos if they are still good.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Luludou, we still have snow on the ground, but currently it's all freezing here. The restaurant and store is very nice. Good food, good people and I love browsing the store.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rebecca, thank you. The twinkle lights I have around the house are run on batteries, so I tend to only run them during dark winter days. I haven't decided on our garden season yet, but my husband is actually excited this year. I keep reminding him we have to fence the garden, and run mesh wire along the bottom to keep the field mice out. Although, we may now have a stray barn cat to help with the rodents.

Jean said...

Looks like a fun store/restaurant to browse. Very cozy. I've never heard of bayleaf tea, interesting. Hope you have a great week!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Jean it is a very nice place indeed. Thank you. Same to you.

Lisa B said...

I always use older canned goods as long as they are sealed

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Thanks Lisa B