"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.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

This and That


My experimental Einkorn flour biscuits did not go to waste.  We enjoyed (or I should say my husband) them with some freshly canned, reduced sugar strawberry jam.  Very good!  I will keep working on this recipe, and make them larger for breakfast sandwiches (although we do prefer a homemade muffin).  Einkorn didn't work out for English muffins. They would deflate so easily when I would move them from the tray to skillet.

During my internet searching, I've been looking at buying a new apron.  I do have a sewing machine, but the drive to sew one on my own is just not there.
(source:  Amazon)

I really like this style of the criss-cross back vs. ties.  Also, called Tessuti style.  I do like the two pockets too.  I see that some Etsy sellers have some online as well.  Just not sure on fabric/color.  Do any of you use aprons of this style?  Do you like them better than the ones that tie?  Does anyone here make and sell them?

I have totally ruined one apron, so it's dubbed solely for tomato patch work.  I have ruined so many shirts, with the green tomato stain, that you get while working around a tomato plant.  It's pathetic.  We have reduced the tomato plants, but the apron will come in handy for that work, and save my shirts from stains.


I did some more internet surfing, watched some Youtube tutorials, hand wrote a pattern, and started a smaller project for my on-the-go project.  I used to keep supplies for hot pads for this project bag, but I have too many of those in storage.  Anyway, I'll be back to show you that soon.  Oh, and it uses yarn I already have too.  Big bonus for me, ha ha!

I had to hand write the pattern, due to our  Microsoft Word on the computer expiring.  Apparently, the license is no good, and we installed it way back in the day when the kids were in high school.  I guess that is on the shopping list, as I use it very often.  Darn it all.  I use it to print labels, tags for crochet/knit packaging, print recipes, write letters, store patterns on the computer, write lists, and whatnot.  I'm cringing at how much it will cost us.  I mean, everything is so high priced right now.

The sun is shining today.  Thankfully, the rain is rotating with some sun as well, but we are definitely having a cooler June.  Actually, I am thankful for that.  We do not have AC in all of the house yet.  

I'll be honest, I am feeling a bit better, but not completely back to normal.   I'm going to take the rest of the week off of blogging.  I know, shocker, right?   I'm lacking interesting/homesteading content right now anyway.  If the weather is good outside today, I may soak in some porch time, but then again pollen is high right now.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Rest and Tea


 Feeling bad I am schlepping myself around with a stuffy nose, and cough, my husband ordered me to "rest."  Ha!  Well I am trying.  It's definitely not hard to do today.  We are getting more rain, which we greatly need, and it looks very stormy outside.  The kind of weather you want to curl up with a book, and light a candle.

I'm living on ginger/lemon tea, doses of mullein tincture and what not.  I normally drink a nettle tea concoction for allergies, but did not get started on that early enough apparently.  The recent smoke haze in the air did not help either.  The air is much better now.

I have been doing a ridiculous amount of internet surfing, working on a color scheme for the next blanket (to use up yarn in my stash).  I guess you can call it a stash.  It is really yarn that was leftover from other projects, which I over bought I believe.  Anyway, the one color scheme I really like, involves (gulp) buying yarn of a color I am out of.  

So...I've been doing more searching for a color scheme of which I already have. So far, nothing is coming to mind.  A large blanket project won't be started on until cooler weather, so I have all summer to work on that.  I still have the other blanket to finish as well.

Anywho, it is hard for me to "not" be busy, but I can write lists, meal plan, read a book, sit and shred paperwork, and do low-energy jobs around here.  It definitely is something I have to teach myself - rest.  Like I said, the rain is helping me with that today.  

The herb garden is springing back to life, other than my green onion.  I am hoping with today's rain it will.  Yesterday I noticed all the seeds I planted are starting to come up thankfully - basil, cilantro, parsley and dill.

Now, to go find an unfinished eye pillow project I started several years ago....it's around here somewhere.