"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.

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Bittersweet ~ Year of Changes (good ones)

 



The arrival of fall, and end of garden season (for the most part), is bittersweet.  I am thrilled to get a break from the work, but will really miss the fresh vegetables.  Next year I am planting cantaloupe and watermelons.  The price of fresh fruit this year was outrageous, and you can't really "clean" a cantaloupe from the store.  At least here, I know what is put on it or not put on it.  I may add honey dew to that list too.


The last of the last yellow squash was taken care of.  I know I said I wasn't going to freeze any diced, but I was at the point of just being "done" with it.


The last of the picked jalapenos were sliced and flash frozen for the up coming months.  I think we will have enough, although the hot peppers produced a lot less this year.

Order is resuming in parts of the house, and it feels pretty darn good.  It's funny how just having all the sinks in the house clean at the same time can make a person feel more at peace.  I absolutely love my coffee pot mat.  It soaks up the spills, and is washable.

A little at a time.  I have much to do yet, but I now carve out a "porch" time with some handiwork.

People often wonder what I will be doing all fall and winter, because I stay home.  Well, I won't run out of things to do.  We will be resuming other projects we abandoned this year.  We are still working on the chicken coop, and still plan to clean out the garage and re-organize it completely.  We still have interior doors to paint, the complete overhaul of the office (still has carpet), the upstairs in still in progress, part of the kitchen ceiling still needs a new coat of paint and so forth.

The chicken run door has finally arrived, and is solar charging for installing soon.


Friday, September 22, 2023

All Work and No Play? ~ Sittin' n Knittin'

 






I've been trying to enjoy the sunrise with my morning coffee, as these days are soon approaching colder weather.  It delays my start to my day, but worth it.



Lately, I feel like all I do is cook and clean.  Time goes too fast too. It seems like yesterday, that I was excited to bring in a bowl full of freshly picked green beans.

I tend the hens, collect the eggs.  Check the garden(s) and bring in whatever is ready.  I brought in another spaghetti squash.


Bulk spices were refilled.


Homemade taco seasoning made and refilled.


Someone in your household thinks there is a toilet paper fairy that magically restocks the toilet paper in the bathroom(s).


Bathrooms are cleaned weekly.




There are always dishes to wash, a dishwasher to load or unload, and then more dishes.  Cooking and baking from scratch, or preserving food will cause that.  I sometimes wash the larger dishes 3-4 times a day.


Maybe I just feel this way, due to the suffrage the house goes through during canning season?  There are always clean linens to fold and put away.



Sittin' n knittin' is much deserved time around here.  Handiwork is slowly coming back into action around here.

Chicken Castle is delayed temporarily.  The brakes on the truck need replaced.