Happy Homemaker Monday

The weekend was a mix of good and bad weather.  Friday, if you didn't read about it already, we canceled our camping trip over the weekend.  The weather was fantastic Friday, but indeed the storms and rain moved in.  We had both agreed that being stuck in our small camper was a no-go, especially with my medical boot on my foot (already tired of lugging it around).  

These posts tend to be long, so grab your cup of java or tea, and hopefully it won't be too long for you today.  Sorry if my posts regarding old drafts are boring. I had over 80 drafts written up, and I'm down to under 30 now.  I have to admit, that some are making scratch my head.  Some have titles, and no content.  Did I have recipes to try?  I have no idea.

I had one draft (now deleted) on dehydrating red bell peppers to made homemade paprika.  One, it takes a lot of peppers for a small jar to be made, and two, you need other peppers, not red bell (from my research, and still researching).  Does anyone here grow a specific pepper in their garden to make homemade paprika?  I'm getting mixed information.

The cost of anything these days, has me looking into making more homemade spices/herbs for cooking and baking.

Cooking/Baking Tip:  Instead of frying potatoes or cooking them in a skillet on the stove top for a breakfast ingredient (or side), roast them in the oven to speed up total prep time.  It am loving this due to not wanting to stand on my foot too long at the stove.

Another tip:  instead of mixing dry ingredients in a small bowl, use your measuring cup with a spout on it. It pours out so much easier (many of you many already know this).  I use my 2 cup measuring up and a funnel to pour it into the storage container for the pantry/cupboard.

We took a weekend drive to a different greenhouse, and picked up some vegetable plants that I did not start from seed this spring.  We really like this place, and will be back for flowers and maybe other plants if we have room in the garden.  The only issue I had, was forgetting that I had a medical boot on one foot, and a shoe leveler on the other, and the place was all stone.  It was very easy to trip if I was not being careful.   Then, there were hoses all over the floors inside one greenhouse.  I survived anyway, and like I said, we love this place - more variety, lower prices.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I missed last this last week.  I'll link up when she posts.

The weather . . .

70's and nice, but more rain moves in later today.

Right now I am . . .

Packing up my husband's breakfast, lunch and coffee for work. Sipping my own coffee and posting this.

Thinking and pondering . . .

Looking for more resources for future crochet/knit donations.  I emailed our nearest Ronald McDonald House about baby blankets, but got no response.  I have found a second place to locally donate lap afghans.  My crochet time will dwindle down as the garden gets planted too.

How I am feeling . . .

Better than last week, in regards to my fractured foot.  I have had some down days, as to be expected sitting around so much.   It can really drag you down to the pits or make you stir crazy.  Anyway, everything is falling on my husband now, and I can tell it's getting to him.  Especially after he gets home from a full work day.

I am getting around a bit better, so more laundry is getting done, dishes washed/dried put away, some housecleaning getting done here and there, and making some meals again.

In the meantime, my gardening pants hang on a hook awaiting their day of glory.

On the breakfast plate . . .

Not sure just yet.   Possibly Chili Egg and cheese casserole.  I forget the exact name, but it has cottage cheese and chilies, and it is very good.

On the menu . . .

-Meatballs with homemade spinach alferdo sauce, oven baked swiss chard with feta

-Turkey sausage sheet pan dinner with carrots and potatoes

-leftovers

-Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells (if not made, will move this to next week), a side meat (maybe grilled)

Snack:  Easy layered tomato dip

On the reading pile. . .

Finished this book, that was on my bookshelf for a few years.  However, I went to pick a new book, and found two more to the series, and realized I read #2 in a crochet mystery series.

I own #1 - #3, so I'll be reading #1 next to get back to reading them in order.  

Crochet Mystery
1 Hooked On Murder (2008)
2 Dead Men Don't Crochet (2008)
3 By Hook Or By Crook (2009)
4 A Stitch in Crime (2009)
5 You Better Knot Die (2010)
6 Behind the Seams (2011)
7 If Hooks Could Kill (2012)
8 For Better or Worsted (2013)
9 Knot Guilty (2014)
10 Seams Like Murder (2016)
11 Hooking for Trouble (2016)
12 On the Hook (2018)
13 Hooks Can Be Deceiving (2018)
14 One for the Hooks (2021)
15 Killer Hooks (2023)

Here is the order of book titles, in case anyone is interested.  Our library only has a few ebooks and audio books, and very few at that.

The motto for books this year is "borrow, not buy" so I'm not looking into buying the rest of the series for this.  They are good so far, but once you read one, the next one gets monotonous.

On the TV . . .

Kitchen Nightmares (not my husband's favorite)

Dateline (always interesting, but after time, it can be boring)

Whatever movies we find interesting

(the first two are just "noise" makers for when I put my foot up)

Looking around the house . . .

The kitchen is a hot mess.  Literally.  I love that my husband is meal planning and cooking, but he is lacking in the cleaning department.  I am slowly back to the kitchen washing dishes, taking trash out (yep!), cleaning off the counter tops (cannot stand looking at clutter) and whatnot.

On the to-do list . . .

I still have my to-do list from over 2 weeks ago.  I check off what I can physically do, and the rest remains for other days.

-check laundry
-sweep a room or two
-dishes

-make homemade hair detangler

-make a breakfast

-dinner prep

-paperwork

From the camera . . .

My husband bought us a small bag of chili pistachios to try, and he took them all to work.  I was not a happy gal, as he ate them all.  Of course that put me in "let's try a new recipe" mode.

These are fantastic!  I adapted the recipe from The Almond Eater online.  My husband said they taste better than the ones we bought too, but these only last about 3 days in an air tight container, so I'm glad it's a small batch recipe (I doubled the recipe, so we could both share ha ha!).  Yum!

What I am crocheting. . . 

I finally crossed off every single older, unfinished project!!!  Yahoo!!!  I have items that I recently started such as a baby blanket and scrap yarn lap afghan (which I have not worked on this past week), but my old list is DONE!

I have a few items that I have now listed to make, to have on hand for gifting or for home use, but other than that I am not dragging around those unfinished projects!

I used my last cotton yarn scraps to make these:

Scrap cotton yarn cleaning cloths.  They could ideally be used as washcloths if needed too, but I put those scraps to use. Easy peasy and done!

However.....

Source:  Yarnspirations Free Patterns

Now, truth be told, I bought specific yarn for a new Christmas ornament to gift (this was over 2 years ago), but since my family is overwhelmed with my hundreds and hundreds of ornaments, that I have made over the years, I will be using the yarn for another use.

If you got this far in today's post, and you crochet, what is the best row counter to buy these days?  I've never purchased one, so I'm asking here first.

Devotional, Prayers, Bible Verses . . .

Prayers for quick healing of my foot fracture. 

Prayers for a hair dresser/stylist we know.  Her name is Taylor, and after finally getting their first "real house" as she put it, there was a fire (they lost everything, but they are okay) a few days ago.  Prayers for a new home, and all her and her young daughter's needs.  I was told her son, his girlfriend and their own child also lived in the same house, so all of them will be starting over.

Happy Homemaker Monday  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

 We broke out the mower for the first time this spring.  It needed it, but we didn't quite finish it.  

After traveling to two post offices, I finally got a box shipped off to my sister.  The first Post Office, had their internet down, the second one is only open 2 hours a day.  Life is a bit challenging living in a small country town.

The herb garden needs some weeding done, but it's springing back to life, and the green onions are looking great. I will be snipping some for this weeks meals.  The sage is looking like it's coming back to life as well.

Today I will join Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

I will link up when she posts.

The weather . . .

High today is to be about 73°F, but it's cloudy and it rained (ugh) again last night.  Today is the eclipse.  There is hardly any traffic either.  I'm guessing that many places closed.  I am told that in our hometown, many businesses closed for the day, and schools closed as well.

Right now I am . . .

Sipping coffee, posting this a bit later than usual

Thinking and pondering . . .

It's very wet out yet, so my day may be a bit off the to-do list.

How I am feeling . . .

Honestly, a bit tired.  We ran around and got errands done, and we had to buy a new coffee pot (it broke down over the weekend).

On the breakfast plate . . .

Not sure yet.

On the lunch plate . . .

I have discovered that organic snack bell peppers make a wonderful bread replacement for chicken salad.  We love it on cucumber slices, but this is good too.

I also made granola bars for our weekly snack.  I used date syrup in place of honey and they turned out delicious.  According to what I read so far, it does not spike sugar levels, and has a lower glycemic index.  I used a combination of walnuts, unsweetened coconut and pumpkin seeds this time around.

I also made us some homemade hummus.  It's good on veggies, so I made myself one when I was slicing up bell peppers.

On the menu . . .

-grilled sirloin burgers, broccoli salad (minus the bacon this time around).

-crock pot pork loins, roasted mixed vegetables

-leftovers

On the reading pile . . .

Still reading this book.

On the TV . . .

Whatever looks good.  The most recent was Dateline and NCIS.

Looking around the house . . .

We picked up the last bit of materials to finish the steps in the hallway.  

On the to-do list . . .

-not sure quite yet, which is very odd for me

From the camera . . .

October of 2014 - homemade Lamancha goat's millk cream cheese.  The very best cream cheese too. A "blast" from the past photo.

What I am crocheting . . .

Progress on the current baby blanket.  I worked a bit on the baby washcloths as well.

Devotional, Bible Verse, Prayers . . .

A friend's niece is in an induced coma, with possible brain injuries from a car accident.  I do not have a name just yet.  When I do I will let you know.

Happy Homemaker Monday © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ First Day of April

 I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend.  We had some excitement going on here so to speak.  First the power went out for several hours, along with an internet outage.  They could not locate the cause, or at the point of powering back on, did not disclose why they both went out of service.  It was a good spectrum of an area to lose both services.

Secondly, we had to cancel our weekend plans. My husband was on the forced overtime list at work.  He worked the entire Easter weekend.  Hence the unfinished home repairs.  

Thirdly, two very suspicious looking people landed on our front porch.  No vehicle, no cell phone (according to them), and their story was that they were "left by the side of the road"  and wanted to use my cell phone or call for a ride etc.  They also said they were from another state, and not from around here.  I was not about to do that, so I shut and locked the door, and called the Sheriff.   Mind you, we live in the country, so we have prepared for such situations.  

I in the meantime, had prepared a new breakfast, and it involved green beans.  

My husband told me that it's because I prepared a "weird" breakfast, that "weird" stuff happened.  I have promised not to put green beans in our breakfast, ha ha!

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

The weather . . .

It's pouring down rain, we are to have rain for a few more days.  Mostly 40-50 degree days.   Possible snow mid-week.  Possibly a sunny 70 degree Sunday.  Weather is all over the map again.

Right now I am . . .

Filling a diffuser with water and lemon essential oil.  The air in the house is super dry this winter.  I also got out our smaller humidifier.

Thinking and pondering . . .

To garden at all this year, or not to garden.  We are still on the fence with giving the soil a rest this year.

To blog or not to blog.  I love to write it, but lately I feel it's monotonous and time consuming. Most of my posts, after so many years of writing, have almost zero comments, so hence monotonous (and boring?).

Blogger continues to have issues, and the photo loader is once again not working.  

The flower beds definitely need some upkeep work done.

I have lost my mojo to do interior house painting.  I'm a bit burned out from that job.  It's getting a rest for now.

I wrote down 3 things to do in the gardens on good weather days.  One has been crossed off the list now.

How I am feeling . . .

Tired, but ready to tackle the week ahead.  Due to an extra trip to town, I got a head start on my "to-do" list for the week.

On the breakfast plate . . .

Well, it's not green beans (ha ha!).  I have no idea just yet.

Breakfast enchiladas went into the oven.  I used a spinach tortilla.  Kroger has the ones we like with lots of veggies and non-gmo, when I don't want to make them myself.

On the menu . . .

-leftovers
-soup beans, homemade cornbread, maybe a salad too
-not sure on the rest of the week just yet.

On the reading pile . . .

I am not sure when I purchased this book, but it's off the shelf and I am very much enjoying it.

The back of the book. . .

It starts by saying "Molly Pink has become a yarnaholic."  The book includes a free crochet pattern and a recipe.  

On the TV . . .

It's been difficult to find anything worth watching.

Looking around the house . . .

Windows look great!   I am a firm believer of a homemade window cleaner recipe I found online (link).  It did a fantastic job.  It's rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, arrowroot powder, and distilled water.

On the to-do list . . .

-take items to the local blessing box
-start sorting more yarn, scraps from donations
-sort more craft inventory for donation locations
-bake us a breakfast casserole

-catch up on laundry

-brew tea infusions with nettle/oat straw

-sweep floors

-write out a re-stock shopping list

I need to put together our newest (second) mole-chasing windmill.  It's the perfect time to get the grounding rod in the ground (while the rain has softened the soil).

For the week:

(still on the list)

-wash upstairs windows

From the camera . . .

What I am crocheting . . .

Finished!!!   I got this done on the last day of March.  It measures about 9 inches wide.  It's the second doily I started over a year ago, and it landed in a basket (while we tore up floors and painted walls and ceilings).  So happy it's finally done.  One more unfinished project off my list.  Technically, only one unfinished project remains on that list.  The rest are just items to use up yarn, and keep on hand for gifting.

Progress on the baby blanket.

I used the last bit of leftover gray yarn to start a scrap lap afghan.  By "scrap" I mean those small hand size and golf ball sized balls of leftover project yarn.

I'm still crocheting baby washcloths, but only when I have long drives here or there, or sometimes when we have nice porch sitting weather.  I am blocking the washcloths when I finish each one.  I'll package them up in sets for gifting.

Devotionals, Bible Verses, Prayers . . .

I do not have any prayer requests this week.

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ First Day of April  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

We are greatly anticipating outdoor spring activities and garden prep.  Not to mention the finishing of the new coop.  I already have a plan in place for moving the chickens.

We have friends that just sold their house, bought an RV and are living/traveling in the RV now.  I'll admit, it sounds interesting, and could imagine a life with a lot less taxes.

I'm on the hunt for Arnica cream/lotion.  Sigh.  Just trying to avoid buying all the ingredients to make it.  If you know of a resource, be sure to comment.  By the way, I have tried to grow arnica here a few times, and with no success for some reason.

We had unexpected guests all weekend, so I feel like we did not get much done around here.  We did manage to pick up a few bales of straw (at a high price), from a farm store for now.  We are having trouble locating a larger amount from a local farmer, for the chickens.  We've sent a few messages, so we are waiting for responses.  

We also managed to pick up the light we needed for the hallway ceiling.  The online inventory stated they had 5 in stock, but when we arrived that was not the case.  We will still need one more light fixture.  

 

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  Somehow I missed last week, but nothing much was news-worthy.  I apologize for the length of this post today.  I hope you have a hot cup of java or tea to get you to the end.

The weather . . .

The weekend was very cold, with Sunday morning being a windchill of 18°F.  Today we are to hit the lower 60's, and then we lower again to the 50's with nights in the 30's.  All of our daffodils that bloomed so far, and now laying flat.  I am hoping the remainder of them still bloom.

Right now I am . . .

Sipping coffee, and writing out a to-do list, and getting early morning laundry started.

Thinking and pondering . . .

I'm considering other herbs to infuse  for healthy ice teas.  Does anyone else make tea infusions for health?

I'm working on high protein, healthy snack options.  I borrowed some "clean" snack cookbooks from the library, but more than half the recipes call for protein powder.  I want real food ideas.  I do  have some eggs waiting in the fridge to boil in a few weeks.  

How I am feeling . . .

Pretty good.  We've been welcoming spring with some nettle/oat straw tea infusions (served iced), and ending the evenings with hot tea and squeezed lemons.  

On the breakfast plate . . .

Our most recent breakfast, and our favorite.  I could literally eat this every morning!  My husband said, that when he was reheating his at work, everyone asked what he was eating (it smelled that good!).  I'll make a post to share how I made this.  It a bit of work, but it lasts for a few days too.  Not sure what we'll have this week yet.

On the lunch plate . . .

Slice of organic sourdough bread, with fresh made peanut butter, and banana slices.  The organic bananas that we've purchased the last few times, have tasted weird.

On the dinner plate . . .

Not sure yet.  It may be a new recipe, or it could be something easy like grilled cheese and home canned tomato soup.

On the menu . . .

-Stuffed pepper pizzas, sliced apples

-Sheet pan chicken dinner, veggies

-Crockpot meatballs, oven roasted mushrooms/asparagus

I have several new recipes to try.  I am working on our freezer stash, so hence new recipes to indulge in. 

On the reading pile . . .

Another book passed on to me from my Mom, that was on a bookshelf.  I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but I am giving it a try.  So far, it's slow going.  Mom wrote the sticky note that is still on the front of it.  I have tucked it inside, so I can pass the book on when I am done.  Hopefully I will finish it.  I used to buy up all of the Love Inspired books at our library book sale and deliver them to her.  I guess I should have known that one would make its way back to me.  

New to the bookshelf.  Gulp.  Yes, I said "new" to the shelf, but I have a large box filling up with finished books to donate soon.

On the TV this week . . .

Western movies.

Looking around the house . . .

The kitchen is looking fantastic for once.  Other than our tote of painting supplies still hanging around.  I'll be moving it later this week.

On the to-do list . . .

-laundry

-sweep/mop

-dust

-water plants

-paint interior side of door to garage 

For the week . . .

-wash down kitchen island

-wash down kitchen cupboards

-wash two more windows downstairs

-wash and clean upstairs windows

From the camera . . .

Despite snow and colder weather, the green onion is springing back to life in the herb garden.  Note:  I took this photo before the weekend snow buried them lol!

What I am crocheting . . .

I'm not quite done with this throw, but it's coming along.  There are many hours of hard work involved with this project.  I use an "H" hook, so there is a lot of stitching and a lot of yarn used.  Cold days are coming to an end, so my goal is to finish it before it gets too hot to work on it.

My current project for when I need a break on the large throw pictured first on this project list.  The only one that got a baby carriage robe from me was our grandson who passed away suddenly at the age of 4 months.  I think I used purple and blue in his blanket.  

There are so many babies being born on my husband's side of the family, that I cannot keep up with crocheted gifts.  Anyway, I am making this carriage blanket with yarn in my stash, to work on using up the stash yarn.  I may be adding baby booties, but for now, I am using up some baby blue and light brown yarn to make this blanket.

My current go-to project for on-the-road traveling - baby washcloths in white.  I have yellow-ish yarn, multi-colored yarn and white.  I have zero in any blue for this project.  I do not want to buy yarn right now either, so white is being used (all 100% cotton, light weight, discontinued yarn).

I completely forgot about this square doily.  I am back at working a row a day (when I can or remember).  It takes more concentration, no interruptions, and some reading eyeglasses to get those fine stitches to look good.

The two unfinished projects that were taken apart - thin dishcloth (these never sold at the craft shows anyway), and a flip flip key fob.  The keyfobs were to be sold at a store on the island, where my camper ornaments were sold, but that store closed last year.

Devotional, Bible Verse, Prayers . . .

Prayers for the tornado victims, from the tornados that came through our state and caused much destruction.

Happy Homemaker Monday 3-25-2024  © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

(Snow!)

Our weekend went way too fast.  We actually went out for breakfast with family, had a kiddo and her boyfriend over for a late lunch, and did not do a lick of work.  It rained Saturday, and snowed Sunday.  Sunday was more of one of those days you just wanted to curl up with a good book or movie and stay home.

I also shared some of our bell pepper breakfast ideas with the kids, and by golly, I need to make these again soon.  I miss the stuffed ones for breakfast too.  Here I was telling my husband, we should take a year off from the garden and let it (and us) rest, but I miss those fresh bell peppers.  We could always hunt down a produce stand, but even people we know who have a stand, spray their garden.

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

I'll link up when she posts.

The weather . . .

It's still cold today, but we are to warm up this week for a bit, then cool back down again.

Right now I am . . .

Sipping coffee and posting this.

Thinking and pondering . . . 

We've been discussing foods we only eat when the garden is producing fresh goodies.  I sure do miss roasted beets with onion, and rosemary and thyme from the herb garden.  I will be checking prices on organic beets in the store.  We are also missing my spiced pickled beets.  We are out of them.  

How I am feeling . . .

Tired.  We do not like the time change, and we had to "spring" forward Sunday.  It's an adjustment for sure.  On a good note, we are back to longer days and later sunsets, and in time for our spring gardening work soon.

Since I met two fitness goals earlier in the year, I have come up with two more.  

I am back to making weekly nettle tea infusions.  I have not been making them in the winter, but with the warmer days, my allergies act up, and it's great for allergies.  As a bonus, it's great for my hair and nails.

On the breakfast plate . . .

. . .to be decided on yet.

On the menu . . .

-cod, roasted asparagus and roasted rutabaga
-grill burgers with home canned condiments, sweet potato "fries"
-homemade pizza with chickpea crusts

-leftovers

On the reading pile . . .

I'm still reading this book.  I spent more time on the crocheted blanket over the weekend, as it was very cold here again.

On the TV this week . . .

Not much.  We mostly listened to music.

Looking around the house . . .

It's pretty tidy, other than a box of books to donate, and some of my leftover yarn to deal with.   I'm actually making up a plan to distribute my books in a few free little libraries.  The one free little library that I went to recently, is very full right now.  

I also started to purge the office.  It's a slower process, as I am still working on the hallway painting, and of course have regular chores, and cooking from scratch (that is time consuming). Not to mention, we all need to make sure we take time for ourselves in each day.

On the to-do list . . .

-prepare a new breakfast for the next few days

Organic hannah sweet potatoes roasted in garlic powder, roasted black beans and corn, onion, bell pepper and a bunch of spinach, topped with two eggs, and homemade cilantro sauce and green onions.  So good!

-dinner prep

-brew another nettle tea infusion

-brew a gallon of iced green tea with garden spearmint

-cut up a whole watermelon and a whole pineapple
-catch up on any laundry
-dishes
-sweep/mop any floors
-finish cleaning one bathroom

From the camera . . .

If you missed my post, READ HERE to see what I took pictures of, that is growing around here.  In the above photo, are my chives growing up in the herb garden.

What I am crocheting . . .

I'm still crocheting this large blanket (photo from last week).  My goal is to finish it before the end of March. 

Colors are, from bottom up: 

-Heather Grey

-Real Teal

-Soft White

-Claret Bordeaux (all Red Heart yarns)

I am still slowly working on an XL pot holder for us.  It is in my on-the-go bag for when we go to town or longer drives.  Once these are done, I have a few more unfinished projects.  I also have some crochet Christmas tree ornaments in a project bag.  I totally forgot about them.

Devotional, Prayers, Bible Verse . . .

No current prayer requests.

Happy Homemaker Monday  © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart