Pioneer Woman at Heart

May is an exciting month.  The calendar is filling up.  At least for me anyway.   Our redbud trees are blooming.  I planted 24 gladiolus bulbs, 2 rosemary plants, and dug up and moved a few hostas to a new area that has a ton of shade. I used my homemade jalapeno salt to flavor some scrambled eggs this time around.  So good!  I believe it will be a daily staple in our pantry now. The garden plans are up in the air to be honest, but some things are slowly progressing.  My husband had one day off work  (had an appt), and of course it rained.  It was the only day we had together to till the garden(s). Go figure.   May is the month we start planting the vegetables and fruits. We always wait until after Mother's Day (as a weather rule around here).  However, one year, we planted the entire garden, and went on a weekend trip, only for a late frost to swoop in and kill most of our plants.   (new shoots coming up, planted two...

  I inquired about rental space in a store that sells locally make crafts (about a 35 minute drive or more).  There is a wait list, the rental space charge is a whopping $6 per square foot, and a 20% payment to the owners on any of your sales.  Sigh.  I have given up on that route.  Unless I be-friend an owner and strike a deal, it is impossible to continue to make and sell in rented store spaces anymore.  At least in our area anyway. Does anyone else get tired of businesses having only online bookings?  We have been trying to get new tires on one of our vehicles, and one place won't take appointments, another is online only (very frustrating system according to my husband). Not to mention, that once you book anything online, they message you a ton of reminder messages (very annoying). We had a very busy weekend, so it's back to home updates, and regular work around here.  Oh, and we visited the other nearest JoAnn Fabrics store.  They had mu...

  Success this past week. I installed shelf liners on 3 shelves in one of the bathroom cabinets.  I also completely cleaned out two large corner kitchen cupboards, purged any expired seasonings, vinegars, oils etc. Cleaned them, washed every lazy susan/turntable, lined the shelves, and re-organized. I made a trip to town to buy liner to finish the remaining shelves.  I also invested in two more turntables to make life more organized. However, between putting the roll of shelf liner on the check out, and then paying for it, apparently it never made it home.  The drive back is not short.  The remaining shelves will be waiting until we retrieve the roll.  We are stumped at how we never got that long roll back into the cart.   Anyway, I have also done inventory to see what I need for this year's canning season.  I, apparently, have enough celery seed to can items for the next two years (ha ha! Whoops!).  The kids moved in and out, but left b...

My first post for 2025. January 2025 started with a clean washing machine, clean oven mitts, and a clean dishwasher.   I got all three cleaned by the afternoon of the last day of 2024.  It rained the entire day, and the temperature was in the 30's.  Awful weather, but the right kind to make it much easier to sit and crochet for a bit. January 1st it snowed.  We got more snow last night, and there is a possibly snow storm later this weekend, but our temperature may be too cold for snow here. Winter time is a time to rest and re-set.   I do try to embrace the slow down, because those busy garden days will arrive soon enough.  Winter time pick me ups - smelling the orange or clementine as I peel it (really boosts the mood).  Also, painting my fingernails.  I buy the chemical free brand, and winter is the only time I get to pamper my fingernails.  The rest of the year, I'm busy playing with dirt. On the home repair front . . . Hubby rep...