Pioneer Woman at Heart

Not much going on in the way of Christmas countdown, other than trying new recipes lately.  I am borrowing books from the library to do this fun research too (other than one recipe). I picked up one more advent gift, and it was a very good price.  A hand towel and hot pad set.  Yes, it's store made and not handmade, but it was perfect for an advent gift (useful and inexpensive ).  I'm working on the next gift, and it will be handmade. I am still trying to locate stores that offer paper bags.  I have plans to use them to wrap the advent gifts, but it's hard to find paper bags anymore.  I even visited one Wal-mart to find that brown craft paper on a roll.  Nope. Nothing.  I'll keep looking when I am out and about.   New Recipes Tried and my very first fruit cake! Butterscotch Shortbread.  I was very much intrigued to try this recipe, simply for the "butterscotch" in the title.  I made the recipe.  It sliced very nicely too. ...

Nothing is tastier and more satisfying, than picking freshly grown cucumbers from the garden.  In anticipation of summer garden goodies (trying to pump myself up, because I'm lacking garden mojo this year), I'm trying a new recipe.  More so, I wanted to taste this combination, because it would be great for a hot summer day when eating a full meal seems too much work.   The credit goes to the cook book "Come Hungry" by Melissa Ben-Ishay. I borrowed the book from the library.  It has a lot of good recipes, and some repeat instructions I already know, but one caught my eye for a high protein snack.  It's nice to have a hearty snack available when we come in tired and worn out from garden work. If you have dill growing in your herb garden, that is a plus to make this.  Along with a few pieces of homemade sourdough bread. In the making of this, cottage cheese was one cheese I never got around to making when we had dairy goats here at the homestead.  Do you ...

I am trying a new facial toner to use at bedtime.  It's made with real lemon juice.  In the past, I have made one with rose petals.  I do have yet one more new recipe to try, but it uses a flower I would have to buy.  I'm on the fence with trying it yet. Question for tea drinkers?  Has anyone tried butterfly pea flower tea?  Any benefits of drinking it?  Good sources to purchase the dried flowers for tea making?   Question for those who crochet - what's the best beginner crochet kit for someone who wants to learn?  I have all the supplies, but I thought a kit would be a great way to teach the basics and actually make something too.  I see Knit Picks has kits, but wondered if any of you had suggestions.  I have another person asking me to teach them. Or....if you have a book suggestion, and then I can put together the yarn and hook for the person, that would be great too.  I learned from my Mom, so have no "how to crochet" ...

I'm getting some odd jobs crossed off the to-do list lately.  One was to wash the bed cover and bottom sheet from the spare mattress upstairs, and to wash a quilt we took out of storage for a few overnight guests.  They were all dried on the clothesline and put back into storage until we get cracking on the upstairs repairs and updates. I'm sort of rotating from room to room, trying to get things cleaned up, organized, and back to normal, but some rooms like the utility room and the upstairs will take a lot of work yet. I'm working on a few lighting options for two other rooms.  We've already began the search, but it's not on the important list, so it's whenever we are out, sort of fun searching. I'm ordering items I need for the vegetable garden, but I do need a trip to the garden store soon.  I'm ready to tackle the flower beds as soon as the rain leaves this week. I started a small batch of rosehip oil, but I had to re-order my organic jojoba oil.  Sh...

Is anyone else having trouble with the photo icon button uploading photos from your computer?  It's different now, and when I click on it, browse button shows up and will go to my photos on the computer, but will not upload.  Any suggestions on this?  I will try emptying cookies etc.   I've been using the library more often lately.  However, I catch myself loaning handiwork books or cookbooks, and that gets me into trouble with new projects.  The crochet project book has 3 different crochet patterns for baby washcloths.  I may have found a way to use up some discontinued yarn I have.  I'll update you on that later.  I will use them for gifting.  There are a lot of babies being born around us lately. The cook book underneath has a great recipes to try.  I found their breakfast baked oatmeal recipes very good.  I have two more to try.  One with pears and another  I think with mixed berries. Had to laugh the other d...