Happy Homemaker Monday

 

We were able to get some work done on the new chicken coop over the weekend.   We actually had help on Sunday.  We were so thankful for the help.  The door is built now, but the roof still needs put on it.  

We have had some rather warmer fall days, which were great for outdoor work, other than the mutant ladybugs were out in full force (and they bite). 

I finally got my kitchen sink leak fixed!  The gasket had broken off and fallen down into the drain pipe.  I'm drying out the cupboard (again) and will be using this situation to purge, clean and sort what goes back in the cupboard.  I just have to get it it good and dry, put the mat in, and get everything back into the cupboard.  Until then, I'm sort of tripping over stuff in the kitchen.

Although I am thankful for the work on the coop, it always puts my indoor work behind.  I have a long week ahead of me.  I also realized I don't have a planner nor calendar for 2024, and appointments are already filling in for next year.  

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The Weather . . .

High of 67°F today, and in the higher 50's the rest of the week.

Right Now I am . . .

Getting ready to post this.

Thinking and Pondering . . .

The time change has us all off schedule.

How I am feeling . . .

Exhausted.  Long weekend.

On the breakfast plate . . .

My husband made us his famous omelets over the weekend.  Home canned peach jam on toast.  I have no idea yet what I will be making yet today.  

On the menu . . .

-perch, homemade fries
-egg roll in a bowl

-?

What I am wearing . . .

Still in jammies.

On the reading pile . . .

Crochet and cookbooks from the library

On my TV . . .

Christmas movies.

Looking around the house . . .

Well, I managed to clear the kitchen table.  I have also started to clean out the last of the boxes that were in the master bath (when the carpet was removed out of the bedroom).  We had tossed stuff into the tub for the duration, and I'm just now working on that mess.   Ha!  

We also had a stack of stuff still sitting on the kitchen floor, when I started to purge the utility room, while unpacking stuff from the living room.  It's been sorted, and containers emptied and put away. The paint cans remain however.  We are not done painting.

To-do list . . .

-dishes (I have a ton of them)

-bathrooms
-make a breakfast

-boil eggs
-laundry, good day to use the clothesline

-sweep and mop floors

-dust

-pay some bills

-library returns/pick ups (any time this week)

-start cleaning off front porch

From the camera . . .

The meal I cooked for the help we had Sunday.  While the men built the coop door, I prepared the flourless brownies for sundaes, and made the homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce.  They men came in and help prepare the chicken fajitas for dinner.  Lots and lots of dishes.  We were all too tired to wash them.  The link no longer works for the brownie recipe, so I will try and fix that soon.

Something to share . . .

Nothing today.  

Devotional, Prayers . . .

No requests at this time.  One daughter has been told she has a cyst.  Prayers for quick healing.

Happy Homemaker Monday © Nov 2023 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Just the Bits

We had a very nice day yesterday.  The temperature went up to 70°F.  We were swamped with a wet ground, but we cleaned up the front porch. My husband even got some mowing done too, and we grilled out for dinner (although our propane is now out for the grill).

I baked flourless brownies and made whiskey butterscotch sauce for a rare treat.

I also froze a bit more zucchini.

I dehydrated a small amount of mushrooms too.

Laundry went out on the line.

I am finishing up on cross bookmarks.  I am putting the tassles on next.

A Bit of Deep Cleaning ~ Flourless Brownies and Homemade Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce

Unexpectedly, I deep cleaned under my kitchen sink.  We have had issues with the faucet since the last freeze, and I had to empty the cupboard for Hubby to get under there.  Oh man, did I find some odd items.  Most of my house was deep cleaned over the holidays, but not this cupboard.  That's done now.  I'm just praying we fix the sink issue prior to Tuesday.  We are going to be having the worst freeze this winter from Tuesday to Friday.

Although not the best photo, I whipped up a dozen flourless brownies (from Family Circle - Flourless Brownie Sundaes online).  I don't make these to avoid flour, they just taste wonderful with....

A glob of ice cream and drizzled with homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce.

Random Tidbits

It cooled down quickly (woke up to the 40's) here, so home grown sweet potatoes, green bell peppers and garlic went into good use - sweet potato chili.  

After running into the basket in the kitchen too many times, my extent of "fall" decor was placing those hard-as-a-rock pie pumpkins on the porch ledge.  

The dead bolt on one of the doors broke.  I had to gently lay that news on Hubby.  It was stuck locked, and the latch to turn it broke.  Good thing I have another door to use. 

Avoiding the garden for the most part of the day, I baked some flourless brownies...

Whipped up some more whiskey butterscotch sauce....

Made a jar of homemade pumpkin pie spice.

Homemade pumpkin pie spice

3 Tbsp. organic ground cinnamon

2 tsp. organic ground ginger

2 tsp. organic ground nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. organic ground all-spice

1 1/2 tsp. organic ground cloves

Mix and store in an airtight container.  I used a recycled baby food jar that was given to me.

I baked my first pumpkin poke cake, making the cake mix from scratch and using homegrown pumpkin puree.  Oh, and used homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce for the filler.  I'll have another post with the recipe.

I lied about the tomatoes.  I went out to pull stakes and plants and ended up picking another 6#.  

I made more homemade "lysol" wipes.  I have a big cleaning day in my bedroom and just about anywhere else after that.

I planted parsley and basil seeds in my kitchen window pots.

Emptied the dehydrator of lemon balm and filled it up with parsley.  I love the smell of fresh parsley.  The stems went into the freezer for future broth/stock recipes.  Tip:  Tie the stems together and simply toss them into the pot or roaster pan you making your broth/stock in.

I whipped up some organic buttermilk corn bread.  I make my own buttermilk by measuring 1 cup of organic milk and adding 1 Tbsp. of organic lemon juice.  

Today's plan?  It all depends on the weather.  We woke up to a chilly 42°F.

Birthday Bang!

Not to let this awesome birthday week end without another "bang" of goodness, I made....

Flourless brownies and whiskey butterscotch sauce for sundaes.  Yes, yes and yes.  I ate them both with organic ice cream (too lazy to make homemade ice cream).

Re-Stocking Supply ~ Flourless Brownies (Oh My!)

We used the last "can" of homemade mushroom soup in our freezer, so I'll be spending the day mixing up more and re-stocking the supply.  

This time I will make a few cream of chicken soups as well.

Yesterday, I spent the morning in the kitchen making breakfast.  I started by cooking a shallot, red pepper, and chopped kale. Later I added one small minced garlic.