Pioneer Woman at Heart

Yesterday's challenge?  Walk to where we dump the ash pail without having to walk miles around more drifts left from the storm. (Old Photo) I know Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, but the football game will be on for sure.  I think this is the first year I have not been motivated to create nor start a Valentine's Day crochet project.  Mom's favorite items are heart shaped and made with mostly pink yarns.  I'm just emotionally spent this season. Are you creating anything for the holiday? Our friends continue to ask us to join them again for a trip to Daytona Bike Week.  We have told them no.  One, Mom's health is not good, and two I personally didn't want to go (two times was enough for me).  I guess a few people have backed out on the trip, leaving rooms available to fill, so hopefully they will find someone else to go.  They are all flying this year, and one person is trailering the bikes.  Speaking of Mom, she was given an antibiotic...

My Valentine's day gift to Hubby.  He can't have sweets, our trip was canceled, and I came up with this.  I purchased a small photo album, and have printed photos of him with me or just me, and I'm using scrap paper and stickers to decorate every other page.  I'll be writing personal notes on them as well.  I hope he likes it.

I woke up with a hot cup of coffee, and sat down to read my email and discovered I was "notered" by Youngest Daughter. (The history of the "noters":  for years we exchanged uplifting notes.  I'd put them in their lunches, and Youngest loved to write me back often). Here is what I found in my email today:    " Soo I don't really have anything to write about but I love you mommy. You're amazing and you care for me and I love you. Also check facebook :) I couldn't help but brag about how amazing my mom is.. I love you. You do a lot for me and there should be more than one day of the year that I show my gratitude to you and how much I appreciate you, and of course the work you do for me. You are AMAZING. I love you. I love you times 10000000 Sent from my iPod= That just made my day start even better.  I did hack into Hubby's facebook to see what she posted too (Sigh....in a good way).   Lookie, lookie! (just trying to be funny...

Happy Valentine's Day! I wanted to make something useful for the kids this month - a little something to say "I love you."  I don't like to simply wait for February to tell them, so my challenge to myself is to tell them more often. I used scrap fabric to make these homemade cards (right), and old book pages (left) to create the envelope.  I used a fine-line black marker to make dashes around the scrap fabric heart (adhered with fusible web).  What's inside?

The younger kids have been pestering me to buy Valentine's candy from the store.  I just shake my head, because of what's in that stuff.  Not to mention all those dyes they use to make them so appetizing.  So....you know me.

The only reason I am up this morning, is to locate the school's transportation number and cancel the bus today.  Both kids that ride it are sick with fevers and whatnot.   As luck would have it, the school was calling me as I was calling them, and they closed today due to snow and bad roads.  Traffic outside, is moving extremely slow. As for me?  I woke up at 4am freezing cold.  I knew at that point I was the next to get the sickness (that our 15 year-old brought home from a sleepover).  My temperature was 101.4 and I am not feeling so well.   

... t hree things I love in a good book.  However, since I haven't been feeling well, I have spent the weekend readin g this book.  My weekend in cluded hot tea, ibuprofen, k leenex, vapo-rub, and lots and lots of s ea water nas al spray . Joanne Fluke 's books mus t s end out a subliminal message - B ake!  Bake!  Bake!

(The upper two on the right were made with a half cherry and the others a whole cherry) Another future goal of ours, i s to raise pigs for m eat, and of course have lard .   I spend a lot of time rese arching ways to utilize something before we r aise it for food.    (Photo source: Amazon) I have foun d this wonder ful book at the library (again, a great place to read books for free).   However, I may have to add this book to my personal homesteading library .   I did not have enough dough to cover 24 whole maraschino cherries.  I started to cut them in half, however, in the end, pref er red the whole cherry in the cookie.  Next time, I need to use less dough per cookie. These would be great for Valentine 's Day or Chris tm as . I am sur e the debate over shortening and lard will contin ue for years, and doctors will have their opi nion.  But when it comes down to it, it's abou t what's real and what's not real....

My 13 year-old daughter was actually bored yesterday. She cut up a watermelon, cut hearts, dinosaurs and other shapes using cookie cutters,