Pioneer Woman at Heart

  It has been nice weather to get the laundry and bedding out on the line.  I had it out early and painted for 3 hours.  Painting trim is a pain, but I am getting more done if I stay home ha ha!  I'm almost done with the upper cabinets.  I have about 3 to go, and paint the doors as well.  Four doors went back up last night. Progress is being made. I know we are ripping out the carpet, but I wanted to spot clean in case we sell the other 2 pieces of furniture.  Put the plants out to harden, and totally forgot to put my mail in the mailbox.  Oops. I got to enjoy a few minutes of porch time and could smell my lilacs all the way out there.  I went and cut some before they were gone for the season.  I picked a bit more asparagus.  Hopefully it will be a side dish in a few days if I get enough. I worked in the master bath, purging another cabinet.  I think I have a few drawers to go, but more progress there as well.

The white mums I planted a few years back, are blooming now.  These were table decorations at my younger brother's wedding, and I have two that stayed alive and continue to bloom.  They add a color in the flower beds that I did not have before. This past cold spell kind of took a toll on my zinnias.  They don't look like they'll be blooming for much longer, but boy have we enjoyed them.  We are already talking about where to put in new flower beds to add more color here.

I managed to get all the dirty laundry on the line, however, I did have to chase a few pieces that flew off in the high winds.  Life would be boring if I did not attempt such tasks.

I wasn't kidding when I said the porch was calling.  It just wasn't the front porch this time.  I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and had lunch on the back porch - best 15 minutes of my day!  I had one small patch of patio that was not snow covered.  Even so, I would have put that chair and table right on the snow, if I had to.  It was 40°F and the sun felt so good.  It was peacefully quiet, and the birds were singing. Warning:  It's a grab-a-cup-of-coffee kind of post. 

I've been busy here at the homestead.  Laundry was put out again yesterday and today.  The weather is still very nice. Yesterday I took a quick road trip to buy sweet corn (we only planted black popcorn this year).  When I arrived, the nice gentleman tells me, "if you buy two burlap bag fulls, you get one free." Well, of course I was okay with that.   A burlap bag is not quite, but close enough, to a bushel.

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.

In the midst of a mad-woman cleaning day, I ran across a box of printed cardstock that was storing an unfinished project.

Although I am still coughing a bit, I donned my winter coat and boots, and finally shoveled out the clothesline.  As most folks driving by will turn their head, I had a nice time getting fresh air, listening to the birds sing, and enjoying the sunshine.  However, I probably should have stayed inside.

Even Tiger was giving me the "eye to turn the lights out early, and I did.  Hubby was surprised.  "It's like six o'clock?" he exclaimed.  Really it wasn't.  It was about 7:30pm.  Still a shocker for everyone.  Me in bed early?  Ha. Although Hubby and I made it to the gym yesterday morning, we both had upset stomachs, and I with a headache.  I did get my "all-out house cleaning" finished, and even brought in a jug of rain barrel water (to water house plants).  However, after getting Leftover Turkey soup in the crocky (which I spiked with some ground super chili pepper for health reasons), I was starting to run out of fuel.  

The pro's of not having a working clothes dryer?  Getting to watch the sunrise every time I do laundry. The con's?

Here is a photo of the clothes dryer (drying rack, whatever you want to call it), that my Mom and cousin picked up for me.  They happened to be in the right place and the right time.   The price tag reads $58.95. They paid $30.00.  You can tell it's handmade (most likely by Amish), and is about 6 feet tall when put up to it's highest setting. I love the fact they put these rods at the very bottom for support.  All of my smaller ones (metal and wood) start to wobble side to side after months of use.

   . . . picked broccoli, radishes, and strawberries.  Sugar snap peas will soon be ready.  Picked some lettuce too. I made a pint jar of Refrigerator Radish Pickles, using a jalapeno pepper.  I've never made these before, and I see there are many variations.  I found my recipe in a library book. . . . potatoes are doing great! . . . spent hours weeding, and found that half the carrots and beets did not come up, so we replanted.  Some of the heirloom green beans didn't come up, and replanted those too. . . . got down to weeding the cauliflower and broccoli, and stopped due to a predicted storm. . . . still need to till between the peas and then weed the lettuce.  Half of the lettuce didn't come up either.  That second frost really did affect the garden this year. . . . all the peppers are weeded, but look at my cucumber mounds! Yikes!  That's next. . . .zucchini is doing pretty well, and the onions n...

Now this is how you get your laundry dried!  W ow zers!  Check out that clothesline!  Hubby and I laugh ed !  I need one that big !  H ubby and I took a nother road trip, but this one was for heirloom see ds, seed potatoes, and onion sets.    We d ecided to do some re la xing , s c enic driving be fore we returned home. Speaking of home .  This is w hat we wok e to this Monday mo rning.   The re is about a three foot dri ft in the center of our ho rseshoe drive.  I am so glad we got the goats moved o ut of the big bar n .  I never expec ted more snow.  Snow is expected all day today, and s chool is closed.   

We went from this on Jan uary 2 6 th , to .... ...this a few days ago - warm and muddy mess .  I had to wea r mucking boots out to put my l aundry on the line.   Today it's snowing again.  All in a days work. We now have t hree of us down with the crud.  I may have to make homemade cough syrup yet.  Looks like on e of the kids will be cooking dinner again.   My oldest daughter , alt hough started getting sick la ter last night, stepped up to mak e dinner.  She was creative and scrambled eggs with my home canned salsa, and made egg sandwiches on English muffins .  For the side she cut up potatoes and fried them with cumin.  I reg ret not getting a photo.

My day was an ordinary day - feed /water animals, can jelly,  housewo rk, laundry etc.  Until the mai l arrive d. Carolyn at Krazo Acres surpri sed me with a jar of home canned Cider Jelly.  Thank you Carolyn!  Th at was a sweet su r prise!

My clothespins seem to disappear often around here.  We take some camping too.  The kids use them for wall tents (and me too).

I am loving the warmer weather.  It sure dries my laundry faster. I love the smell of bed sheets after they have been out on the clothesline.  I actually think it helps me sleep better too. Speaking of sheets, I had to wash my bedding this morning.  Not because I am trying to de-germ the house, but because the two younger girls got Milo (our rabbit) out of his cage and let him play on my bed this morning.  They gave him a newspaper to rip up and play with, but while they were laughing at his excitement, he left me a little present.  The girls are now cleaning my mattress - ha ha ha!  No resting in there for me today. I've gotten many "do's" this week from my 10 year-old daughter.  She wants to be a hair stylist when she grows up and she has been learning and practicing how to french braid my hair.  She's told me that I can't get more than 2 inches cut off, so she can continue to use me for practice.  I kind of enjoy it anyway....