Pioneer Woman at Heart

Got out my journaling Bible. Youngest sent us all a porch message using sidewalk chalk. Breakfast prep the other day - burritos. After more than 3 weeks, my MRH order finally came.  However, it came minus my stinging nettle, so I'll be checking the barns for it. We made a trip to town, due to the mower blade needing replaced (which we forgot to bring with us).  We, at a safe distance, paid Mom a yard visit and dropped her off some groceries and necessities.  By necessities I mean wine.  She told us if she ran out she was "leaving her house."  We were not having any of that happening.  Nope.  We even scored toilet paper for her and us.  We looked like a gang with our masks on.  Mom was so happy to see real faces and talk to real people. I had gotten text messages prior to doing this and she sounded so depressed and crying.  I'm glad we made her day much better.  It was a drive for us, so we didn't get anythi...

The weather yesterday was fantastic as fantastic can go in winter.  Not only myself, but the laundry was out getting fresh air.  Low 50's, a bit breezy, but cloudy.  I still took advantage of it and put the laundry outside to dry.  I even got a load of towels dried outside.  Felt great, since it's been awhile to be out. What went up, must come down.  I am starting early due to our schedule right now.  I feel like it's coming down as fast as it went up though. I pulled out my recipe book for my 4 Thieves vinegar and was short of one ingredient.  Thankfully, I got an order placed and will restock my ACV as well.  My gallon jug is almost empty.  I have one more jar of 4 Theives already made. Other than laundry, bills got paid and one daughter came for a visit.  She took her Jeep to a dealership to have the heat looked at (not working properly) and when she took her Jeep home (heat not fixed) it was making a horrible sound....

It's been a week of "random" everything here.  I made it to the library.  I have never read this book, and sort of excited to read through all the recipes.   I have found the first "new" thing I'll be doing this year.  Once I have supplies, I'll be posting about it.  This "new" thing is not the "biggest" of all things, but a new experience for me. I keep asking Hubby to let it be the year we butcher our own hen, and learn how to do it, but that darn lingering tree is keeping him from any other decision.

I finally got my hot bath, using tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and bath salts.  Boy it felt great, especially on my belly.  It's slow going for sure, just to get my walking balance back.  The slow intro of food is the most frustrating.   I'm starving, but I know I have to introduce slowly, and meats are far down on the list sadly.  I could devour a homemade bacon/potato omelet this morning, ha ha!  Coffee is back in action, followed by afternoons of tea and water and rest.   Jesse and I took a short nap together.  He pretty much was on top of me, making sure I didn't over due it, ha ha! First goal, wash a load of laundry, and put it on drying racks.  In a day or two anyway.  Second goal?  Mix up a frittata for Hubby to take to work (easier than standing to mix up a scramble).  That may take a few more days longer.  Bills are an entirely different big job.  I had it all under control, but with being gone so...

Shell peas are slowly coming on, so I decided to take the first picked bit, and toss it into a breakfast frittata.  I did not have enough for a meal for all of us, nor enough to freeze. This time I used cauliflower, potatoes (s liced) , and peas.  I had one gree n bell pepper ready to pick, and one hot banana pepper.  I tossed all of that into my cast iron ski llet (cooking a ll the veg etables first), and did not add any other spice/herb .  I just added salt and pepper and it was delicious.

I was heading out to the barn to close it up for the night, and Leo ran out from under my car and meowed at me.  First time ever for him to come to me like that.  He won't eat with the other cats, so I gave him a water and food bowl.  He wouldn't let me pet him standing up, so I got down to his level, and he rolled over, thanking me for the food.  I guess he's warming up to us.

This young guy has been seen off and on since last winter.  We thought he was housing up in what's left of our largest barn, but wasn't sure.   Well, my Vet Tech-in-training, has been able to get the cat to come to her, let her hold him (a bit reluctant), and will come to the house to eat the cat food.

Breakfast - potatoes, red bell pepper, dandelion greens and eggs. N o cheese.  It's delicious flavor ed with onions and /or s hallot pow der. Sorry this post is so long.  I didn't mean to keep writing, but I think I'm trying to procrastinate my exer cise today, ha ha!

We have three barn cats.  One is been getting on my nerves lately.  I keep finding her sitting in my thyme, flattening it, and preventing new spring growth.  Grr. I have since "skewered" the thyme, and after this rain I can finally weed it.  It looks terrible.

Some days, okay almost every day, I forget to do something that should already be ingrained in my brain.  You know, the routine stuff? I forgot to collect eggs one day, and the next day I got this full basket of bounty.  You can see the four araucana hens are now laying as well again.  I got two eggs from them.  However, the full basket indicates that our black araucana is not eating eggs anymore.  She very well could be eating her own, but I'll have to keep watching her.  Maybe all of her isolation, and feeding her mustard filled eggs worked.

It's raining here this morning, and the step is a sheet of ice.  Every dog did the "bambi splits" this morning.  Needless to day, the didn't go far to do their business.     I can't really say I am writing out my new year resolutions, but I am randomly writing down a "wish" list of needs and other possibilities for this year.  Of course that is after a good strategic financial plan is in order. Honestly, I told Hubby that if we only had one thing to reflect on at the end of 2015, I would be elated to write down

Happy New Year! I was out getting wood for the wood stove, and snapped this quick sunrise photo.  It's not the best photo, but winter sunrises here are difficult to catch.   At our Christmas family gathering, my one sister asked me, "so now what are you doing?  You're done with the garden right?" To answer her question,

Sunday mornings are my favorite here on the homestead.    There is hardly any traffic whatsoever, and the pure sounds of nature are beautifully making music.    The stars could be seen well this morning too.

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

Everyone needs a "watch cat" right?  Ha ha!  I guess Sapphire thought the top of Hubby's truck was the perfect spot for watching. Good kitty.

Hubby bought a new sign for the front porch.  I thought you could use a short post to read today, since a wrote such a long one yesterday.  Ha ha!   After weeding the herb garden (or rather part of it), I tossed some lemon balm  I thinned out, into the chicken's nesting boxes.  I read that some herbs are great pest controls in the coop (Backyard Poultry Magazine, 2011, June/July issue ).   By the way, the author of that article, Susan Burek (Herbalist), also has an article you can read online. It's for making a natural  citrus disinfectant .  And it's for the chicken coop of course.  I found her article very interesting, because we do have a natural branch ladder in the coop, and I never thought once about the cracks and the possibility for mites to live and breed.  We don't have an infestation, but this is a nice preventative.  And it's natural.   I have also found that my chickens don't eat my herbs....

Only a person living off the land would understand me right now.  See what's in my hand?  It's a torn off new growth, that I took dedicated time and care of, and belonged to my one elderberry bushes - damage from the party guests.

....it's 10:00am, and I know I'm forgetting to do something  - watered the goats and chickens, cleaned the coop, planted the apple tree, watered the newly planted stuff, put laundry on the line.....there has to be something.... Anyway,

Although I have just begun, you can see that this herb garden is cleaning up nicely already.  I have much more to do, but it's starting to look much better since the goat somewhat destroyed it.  I am taking advantage of any good weeding weather day here. Want to see what Hubby bought me?

Yesterday I had a very nice laundry day.  Every line was completely full.  I did not get all the rugs washed as planned, but got all the barn cat bedding washed and put back.  It was nice to see Timmy in one of the boxes this morning, sleeping peacefully. The baby goats had outside playtime.  They love to run and play.  By the time I got out there to film them, they were pretty tired.