Pioneer Woman at Heart

We are getting just a wee bit of snow this weekend.  We literally did not get a lick of work done Saturday (if you read our winter project list I posted recently).  We did a lot of "window" shopping to check prices on supplies for the winter project list.  Only one hardware store had an attachable ladder shelf, which required a half hour drive.  I can now paint with lot more ease.  The ladder we are using to paint and do work, does not have a shelf, nor the smaller ladder.  We also needed the odor killing primer, which only one store had in stock, and only on can left on the shelf. The prices for anything right now are so over the top, it is mind boggling.  How can anyone afford to even buy groceries right now?  Due to the cost of paint, we will do a re-check on what paint is leftover from other rooms, re-calculate, and see if we can use any for the hallway.  We priced light fixtures, mirrors, and other items, and could not believe the price ...

  We are contemplating membership with Costco.  Sam's Club is just too far of a drive, and Costco is as well, but a shorter drive. Prices are just so high, it is ridiculous.  I have to literally go online, and price compare, and then write out 2-3 different store lists.  It's time consuming, but I have started to price compare online before going to the stores.  Big Lots is great for some items, but not for others.  The same goes for Aldi, Wal-mart, Meijer etc.   The bottle takes two hands to pour, but still the least expensive we've found. I can tell you, that I found white vinegar by the gallon to be the least expensive at Menard's.  We were heading that way anyway, and had rebates to use.  $2.66/gallon with rebate.  I also found their cotton balls, toilet paper, and paper towels to be less than the grocery or Wal-mart.  My research paid off, as I also found the next least expensive place for white vinegar - Big Lots.  I...

Warning.  Grab a Java.  I did not mean for this to be long and winded, ha ha!  I also didn't realize it has no photos, so you may find that boring today. We are having another 87°F degree day today, and tomorrow.  We have been watching the weather closely, and so far, our area will not dip below 40°F this coming weekend.  It looks like possible rain for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so if the two of us are feeling better, there will still be a delay on the chicken coop (my frustrated face here). Update on us:  my husband called our doctor yesterday, and there was no answer.  The answering machine said our doctor would be out today as well.  He was out last Friday.  So, my husband drove into town and went to one of the Urgent Care Clinics.   First, he asked once again for someone to look in his ear that has been bothering him for weeks. Low and behold (after me pestering him to go get it checked), they found a tiny ear bud that fell...

  I haven't lost my mind with this living room project just yet.  Getting to town is hit or miss.  The truck is needed to haul wood and blocks etc.   Also, I get so excited to add a new recipe to my "Christmas" binder and then realize it is buried in the office.   I got excited about a free ornament pattern to make for a daughter, then realize the yarn I need is upstairs.   Patience....patience..... Another thing about shopping is, for some reason, prices at our Kroger are much higher for some items that are sold online with their sister store - vita-cost. Literally.  I just ordered items, free shipping, and right to my door.  I needed almond flour and other items, and I also noticed that Monkfruit sweetener is much cheaper at our nearest Big Lots.  I have to do hurdles, but will be really watching where to buy things we need. My husband had to stop at Home Depot for more flooring supplies and brought me home these.  I won...

  I finally got to the grocery store.  I noticed that they now only sell one type of tahini now.  They used to carry about 6 different brands.  I also noticed the peanut butter selection is much smaller.   In the midst of trying to find the tahini, we had a conversation with a woman who was shocked at the price of eggs right now.  Then we were talking about hummus and found out she could not eat chickpeas, so I told her she could make hummus with pumpkin, black beans, beets etc.  She was so happy to find that out and said she grew pumpkins this year.  Anyway, nice lady and I was glad I could share with her. We had our first snowfall.  It's officially winter.  It snowed all day, but melted away.  Nice big snowflakes too.  They kind that make you want to hunker in and crochet.  I did that too, only due to the fact I can't really do anything, other than tidy up the boot area in the hallway (I may do that today). I was th...

  The display finally arrived.  It's perfect for the small area our daughter has at the salon.  I'm donating one for a raffle the salon is doing as well. It rained last night, and we had pretty bad wind.  There were a few fires in the area, and one being a field fire.  Crazy weather for sure. I managed to box up for donations.  Just things we've had for years and never use.  Drop off days have changed though.  I guess it will give me more days to find more to donate, ha ha! The weekend will involve us trying to get my husband into the eye doctor.  He thinks he got soap in one of his eyes, and the drops we have are not working.  It really looks bad, and he's in a lot of pain today. I re-stocked our fresh fruits and vegetables, and will be making a meal plan based on what else we have on hand.  Prices are crazy high.  I had a short conversation with a person at the grocery store.  He was picking up pie filling and the can wa...

  There are a few zinnias that I missed and survived the cold nights.  I'll have to make sure I have those too.  Today may be the last best weather day we'll have.  They say it'll get up to around 77°F today. I am still moving furniture from here to there, cleaning up and getting ideas for hiring help for the living room project.  In order to move some furniture, I have to clear out space in another room.  I decided to let go of my 37 book collection of Janette Oke books.  I put them up for sale, but like I told my husband, everyone is selling and no one has the money to buy. I just found out that Daughter E's booth rent is not just a whopping $500.00/month, but she has to pay another $100.00/month for the booth to do nails as well.  Horrible rent, so I hope it all works out for her.

I got 5 more pints of tomato soup canned.  It takes most of my day, but that is 5 more meals for two, and so good.                                             In between watching and stirring the pot, I have been catching up with laundry, restocking camper ornaments (making the pieces, just have to put them together later), and creating more hair clips.  I'm also creating more embellished paper clips.  I have not booked a fall craft show just yet.  I keep seeing them for October, but I cannot commit with the canning still going on.  I do better in Nov. and Dec. Rosemary made it out of the dehydrator.  I need to check my pantry to see what else I need dried. I'm now writing out a winter prep to-do list, but I have to get cracking on the living room.  I have boxes now, so I am ready as soon as the tomatoes are all put up. What's on the list?...

  It was finally time to start freezing tomatoes.  I cleared off the kitchen table. I also put rosemary in the dehydrator and snipped green onion for freezing. Our green onions have superb flavor this year. It's  a race against the clock this time of the season.  I'm trying to get the tomatoes in before it's too late.  I baked a breakfast for us, for the next few days too. I heard some restaurants are not offering green onions on their menu due to shortage of supplies. We woke up to a very foggy morning.  The air is very cool, but they say we'll heat up again.  

  I decided to try another recipe from Ball.  Hopefully it will taste as good as it sounds.  I'll be doing a taste testing before making it again (if I do make it again).  Has anyone canned this?  (that is pizza sauce in the back) The recipe is in this book: You can also get it online here . Bell peppers are also getting flash froze, but golly I have to keep my brain in order to remember to get them bagged before I forget they are in there.  I doubt I will be getting enough to freeze stuffed peppers this year.  Due to the weather they are small and we are not getting as many as a typical year. Not sure if you all heard, but the BP oil company was sold to a Canadian company.  I believe the actual switch will be this coming December, and our two younger girls will lose their health insurance with us.  Not sure this is going to be good for us or not, but it's happening.  The girls have been told, so they are working on getting health insura...

  It's been crazy busy around here.  I cooked a meal and delivered it to a family friend who had foot surgery, and we had to drive 3 hours to go pick up our truck keys.  Just strange all around, but we have the keys.  I just don't have the truck ha ha! It is still in the body shop getting fixed from the deer hitting it.  I however, have not run out things to do. Our hot peppers are doing exceptionally well this year.  The bell peppers however are still small and a small harvest. I canned some sweet chili sauce - new recipe.  I cannot wait to taste it. Canned hot pepper jelly.  Taco sauce got canned. I purchased Meyer lemon seeds from someone on Etsy.  I tried to sprout one all summer.  Every single seed was a dud.  Guess I'm spending a fortune next year on a plant. It's getting difficult to not only budget other food we need, but to even find what we need.  Daughter E cannot find her cat's cat food anywhere.  I could ...

  I decided to add some fried green tomatoes to our breakfast burritos this week.  You know me - waste nothing.  I trimmed some of the tomato plant, but have more to trim.  Hopefully, the tomatoes will start to get bigger. We got a lot of rain last night, and they predict rain for the next 4 days.   We needed it.  We could use more.  It will make weeding much easier.  I've been keeping up with the vegetable garden, but one tomato patch will need it again after this rain. I will be back to painting bathroom trim.  I had to halt on the painting yesterday, due to the handyman needing one of my saw horses, but that was okay.  I got a hot minute to crochet, but it's a new project for a fall craft show, and I barely got it started before needing to make dinner. I didn't get a photo, but I made us potatoes, garden green beans and bacon for dinner.  Oh so good, and one recipe that I grew up on, and Mom used to make. If the rain stops b...

  Update on the 8# of dehydrated onions - I refilled our homemade onion powder (I store this in the freezer in an air tight container and it has worked great for years), and I learned something new this year.  I learned how to vacuum pack for longer shelf life. I do not have a food saver, however, I used parts from food saver for part of it, and used a hand pump and it worked perfectly.  Thanks to watching numerous Youtube videos, I have now added more knowledge to my preparedness skills.  I showed my husband what I used, and he just shook his head and laughed.  Well, I got the job done, ha ha! I think I shared this stuff before, but now I am be-bopping from painting the last door/trim in the kitchen.  Our handyman takes weekends off so I am tackling the trim to the bathroom door this weekend.  I'm also cleaning upstairs, and back to the tile floor in the master bathroom.  It works great, and I only have a small area left to do, and it's stayed cl...

  I was out of the garden by 8am.  It's mostly tilled, but today I need to weed and till.  Grass is up around some plants, but other than that, I'm keeping up with it.  I had to run to "the big" city" again.  I needed a new rack for my canner pot.  I searched for hours online, and only found them on ebay for $20.00.  I ended up going to Wal-mart and getting the pot and rack for $24.00.    I moseyed over to the meat to pick up something to grill, and wasn't shocked to see there was nearly nothing in the way of chicken.  Two packages literally (should have taken a photo), and thankfully all organic was available.  Same with the ground beef as well. I went to the hardware store and picked up paint for the living room and bathroom door and bathroom cabinet. Not the greatest photo, but I finally painted the beam in the kitchen ceiling.  It was truly a balancing act on the ladder, to avoid using a ton of paint tape.  My hus...

  This was my fitbit at 7pm  last night.  It was errand day, and not by choice.  I had to go to the "big city" for an estimate on the truck.  We may be getting a second estimate, because the first will not fix paint chips on the hood from the deer encounter.   Anyway, I took all my lists with me and landed at 5 stores!  I loaded online digital coupons before leaving the house.  Meijer had 20% off all ball canning supplies (you can check, but not sure how many days it's good for).  I picked up more canning lids for a great price, as things are not going well in this country, and wanted to be prepared.  Also, our Wal-mart had higher prices on canning lids than Meijer.  The 20% off was a great deal considering the times we are dealing with. At Home Depot (my last stop), I had to wait forever at the paint counter due to lack of employees.  It was a very long day. Meanwhile, our handy-man was gutting the entire smaller bathroom...

In conversation with a professional in the financial business, I was told we are already in a recession regardless of what the news is saying or not saying.  I'll be honest, I am wondering if people will even have money to spend on craft shows this coming Christmas time.   Last night I made this sheet pan dinner, and it was very good.  The only thing I would add is a dressing for the chicken once it comes out of the oven. I'm thinking cherry-bourbon BBQ sauce or something.  Other than that the bacon grease made this dish very tasty.  A good recipe for bad times as well.  You can raise your meat birds, grow your own sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, and raise the pig to render the lard for the cooking process.  I do have cast iron pans in case of a black out, and can cook over a campfire. I'm ready to start gutting the smaller bathroom, but our handyman told us, "I don't do weekends."  I guess if it works out, I'll get doing that on my own....

Woke up to 77°F at 6am.  It will be another hot one, but not in the 100's thankfully.  It will be in the 90's though. I didn't check the heat index yesterday.  I was too busy weeding the last of the tomatoes.  Our mower/handy man was mowing, and the mower broke down.  He spent the hottest part of the day fixing it.  I took him about 3 bottles of ice water and two popsicles to keep him cool.  Not a good time for the mower to stop working. I actually cooked dinner in the heat.  I had a brain moment, and normally cook chicken fajitas over the grill or stove top.  This time I baked it in the oven as a sheet pan dinner.  So much easier and tasted great!  We treated our handyman to some too. I feel like I have read the Self-reliance book before, but I double and triple checked my shelf.  I did not have it.  I have not had time to read either yet (other than flipping thru it to take a look-see).  I ordered the one on chicke...

T he smaller tiller (runs on a battery) broke down after the 4th use.  It's going back.  We spent the entire Father's Day searching for a better one.  We finally found one, and it runs on "gulp" gas.  It was the last one they had and it was 1 hour from home. We finally bought a new tire for my wheelbarrow ($32.00!!!).  It's in the back of the truck, and guess who took the truck to work this morning.  Yeah...not sure yet why he didn't take his car, but the wheelbarrow will have to wait.  Again. We took Mom, Dad and my Uncle flowers.  Mom's cemetery is very close to Dad's, and surprisingly, the last flowers I took were still there (we had a bad storm recently). We stopped to buy more flowers for Grandma and Grandpa, but we could not find any in the stores.   Bluebell flew the coop yesterday.  I guess I'll be clipping her wing.  I cannot wait to build a better coop, but we have so much on our plate right now. Today I am ...

My flowers still look beautiful! The heat returns, and I am prepared this time.   I was out and back in by 8:30am, with a heat index of 89°F.  The tomatoes look better than the day before, but still way to wet to get in there to tie up plants. I will monitor my gardening time out in the sun, but have what's called "Nature's Gatorade." The recipe is from the Farmer's Almanac, but also online with Mother Earth News.   I cut the recipe down for a 1/2 gallon, and used molasses, and did not add extra brown sugar. On the handmade home front, I am so frustrated with this inflation.  Walmart raised their cotton cone yarn from $7.99 to $12.95, and never have the colors I need.  JoAnn's raised their price to $15.99.  I went online to check Michael's and they have them on clearance, and all are out of stock.  I ended up finding one color on Amazon for $10.95, but the only option for the other colors in stock were $14.99 and that was "on sale" as th...