"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Showing posts with label Winter Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter Exercise. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

This and That

 

Homemade eye make up remover.  Two ingredients.  I have already tried it a few times, but will use when needed, and return with results.  The recipe is free online with a source I have used for years for my facial toner, homemade hair detangler, and a few other recipes  - DIY Makeup Remover 

I don't always wear makeup, but on an occasion I do, and so far I am really liking the two ingredient recipe.


Our weather has gone from cold to frigid.  It's only been weather suitable for penguins and polar bears.  This morning? We are experiencing a -17°F windchill.

I'm on the hunt for a heater that sits underneath the water unit in the chicken coop.  We have a few we are looking at, but we have not needed such heating system options for years now.  We don't need it often, and in fact, have not needed one in years now.

Unfortunately, the frigid temperatures are said to continue for about another week and a half (or so).  

We have been getting our walking in, by browsing larger antique stores.  We not only get out of the house, but we are looking for more ways to get walking in.





Winter activities can mean finding things to do like large camper/RV shows.  It gave me exercise time, and we actually enjoying checking out all the options out there right now. 
It got us out of the house and the doctor said walking can be increased now.


I bought a newer "on-the-go" crochet project bag, due to the weather and needing one that was waterproof.  I didn't realize that above the zipper there was velcro.  My yarn was sticking every time, so I bought some sew-on type velcro (no adhesive), and attached a piece to cover the sticky portion.  I did not want to cut it off the bag, so this quick fix works for toting yarn projects around.





Update on the blanket to be gifted.  I ran out of Heather Grey (Red Heart) yarn.  A very common color sold by most Wal-mart stores.  However, I could not find it at any of the stores near us, nor two other stores.  I ended up paying extra and ordered online.  Sigh.  It's getting harder and harder to locate the most common brands of yarn in stores anymore (at least in our area).  A friend mentioned that Ollie stores in nearby areas, carry some yarn, so I will be looking there soon as well.

I got another set of baby booties crocheted for a gift.  Funny story about this set.  My husband suggested, while I had the blue yarn in hand, to make a set for his doctor who was expecting a baby boy soon.  The funny part, is the day of his appointment, the office was giving the doctor a baby shower that very same day.  Perfect timing.  Oh, and I made these with an "G" crochet hook and it looks to be the correct hook, size.

I received the pattern from my Mom's co-worker many, many years ago, but the hook size was never mentioned, and I since then have forgotten what I had used in the past.  I will be making much better notes in that regard.


A few years ago, someone posted about a "beet salad" but never posted a recipe.  We had the opportunity to try a version of a beet salad recently, and boy was it good.  I'll be working on making one for ourselves in the future.

Winter is a rest time in a sense, but we still like to tackle indoor jobs/repairs/updates as we are able to.  I've been doing a lot of list making and note taking lately.  I am running low on mullein and had no idea we were so low on mullein tincture as well.

I'm on the fence with doing the Christmas countdown posts this year.  I won't be preparing the advent gifts this year, and with the lack of holiday gathering invitations, there are zero plans to prepare gifts or new trial recipes.  Two kiddos received homemade seasoned salt, the recipe handwritten on a recipe card, and a bottle of the "Christmas Spice" extract I made a few months back.  We have yet to even try it, so I may be looking to bake or create something to give it a taste.  

I can say that there are several boxes of Christmas items on my kitchen floor, that will eventually be sent to a thrift store, or the trash can.

I don't want to write a super long post today, although I have lacked getting one written, but may possibly be back to share my current book.