Pioneer Woman at Heart

The list is getting knocked off by just a teeny, tiny bit.  Hubby can only rest so many hours sitting or napping, so I put him in a chair......  ..gave him a brush and paint....goodbye black, hello red.  His stent was installed through his right wrist, and is healing nicely.  We finall y got his first doctor 's appointment made for ne xt week. While he painted the door, we had a good conversation, while I prepared tomatoes for the freezer.  Today we started the pear wine .  I'll have more on tha t tomorrow.

Saturday we got a good amount of work done - one trip to recycling (huge load because for some reason we had a ton of cardboard), one trip to Goodwill, several bags to the garbage, swept up the back area by garage, washed curtains and windows.  I found a cute tin for my tea, and for only $.50.  I just need to wash it up. We finished up more work on Sunday. 

I froze more zucchini and squash for winter soups, sauces and casseroles.  Yesterday was a race against the clock.  Trying to put up the garden, and clean house both were a challenge.   See that straw?  That is my food saver bag method.  It's a bit hillbilly, but it works for now.  I simply seal the bag all the way to one corner, slip the end of the straw in, suck out the air, quickly seal as I pull the straw out.  Boom-ba-da-bing - sealed and most of the air removed.  

The start of this morning's sunrise was beautiful.  After taking this photo it clouded over and was completely gray outside.  I was thankful to capture the moment to share.

Have you ever felt discombobulated when your routine is abruptly changed?  I do.  It throws off my thinking, activities or chores, for the entire day.  It forces me to be a different "me" for the day.  It forces me to be more creative.

I stitched up a few more cards and have them up for sale now.  I hope to get more stitched before the holidays arrive. So it was bound to happen.  Stove pipe repairs (or not).  The chimney sweep was finished, and handed me a paper with a quote for new piping.  Wanna know how much?

Hubby had the entire weekend off.  Yay!  However, the rain kept us from going camping.  Our 11 year-old was very energetic, and in between bouts of rain, had fun with backyard archery. She worked her dad hard with a game of basketball too.  Sunday we took the family bowling.  We were geared up for some old fashioned family fun.

(all the old roofing loaded up by my son and Hubby's brother-in-law) . . . it took two days, but the leftover roofing was removed, and half of the new roofing was put on. Hubby miscalculated on his measurements and we need to do an exchange for longer roofing.  . . .we were blessed with enough cucumbers for me to can 7 more pints of bread and butter pickles. I purchased another bushel of corn and stocked that up in the freezer.  I also purchased 5 lbs. of beets, and added 1 pound from our own garden, and canned one batch of spiced beets.  And I purchased local peaches and canned 15 - 1/2 pints of peach jam. And that's not all.  I purchased 36 hot banana peppers and canned 4 quarts of Hot Pepper Mustard Sauce. I also canned 5 - 1/2 pints of Ruby-Red Grapefruit Jelly (another new recipe I wanted to try).

(Sapphire chillin' one evening) While I had the internet off, I worked on my recovery.  It's not so fun, when you cannot taste your food.  I used hot and cold compresses, took hot, steamy baths, and sipped hot herbal teas.  I am still suffering from the sinus pressure, but thankfully, all my work paid off to help my sinuses drain.  I'm still congested, but much better.  And if you have never had Thyme tea to break of mucus, it really does work (remember I am not a doctor, only sharing my experience). I couldn't really work on too many "crafty" projects, as my pounding head made anything (even reading) almost impossible.  I did do a lot of sleeping. I managed to write another postcard, and was able to sew up a few fabric yo-yo's . The meat chickens are slaughtered now, the bedroom closet catastrophe is repaired (which caused us to clean out our clothes and donate 2 bags of clothes to the thrift store), and more goat fencing supplies were purchased ...

Remember all those winters I got very sick?  Pneumonia and so forth?  Guess what Hubby found last night?

Over the weekend, a thrift store was having a customer appreciation sale - 50% off store wide.  I got all of this (two bed sheets, 3 vintage tablecloths) for about $8.00 total.  The bedding will be saved for camping, and possibly a few of the tablecloths. 

I found this cute garden rooster, and it has a flower pot in it.  I admit, I didn't get very creative with the pot of flowers, but at least the grass in it looks like feathers.

I made homemade deodo rant for the first time. I learned to be more resourceful.  Finished a crocheted bla n ket to take camping.  Had "wig" night with the kids (and pets too).  I baked more foods from scratch. (pho to take n by my daughter) Buried a very much loved barn cat named Joey.  D id many farm/barn repairs.  Tried new foods and recipes.  (photo taken by my daughter) Experienced the birth of two different baby goats. Took an "accidental" road trip with hubby. I added a few more useable anti ques to our home. I nvested in Araucanas .  (our daughter who tends the goats and makes the soap) Ha d successful soap making.   Partici pated in the Farmer's Market fo r the first time ever.   Got through m any trials and tribulations.  Took more time out for my self.  Made homemade ricotta cheese with our go at's milk for the first t...

Be careful what you say and do in public.  You may be creating good writing mate rial for someone's upcoming , best selling novel. The dentis t office is a great place to collect writing material.  Most day s anyway. During my vis it to the dentist, where my youngest ha d a n appointm ent, writing material was in overflow. One woman was sitting in t he back corn er, wi th her head leaned back, sleeping and snoring.  Could you imagine yourself snoring at the dentist? One woman, a young mother, sat q ui e tly, with her h ead lowered.  I wonder wh at she was thinking? On e woman, who sat two seats from me, gave me enough material to last a chapter or two.  She sat with a laptop open, papers in one hand, and a cell phone in the other.  However, halfway through her very long phone conver sation (and loud I might add), she en ded up putting th e laptop away.  This woman talked the entire time she sat there, until the office sta ff called her ba...