Finished!

 I finally finished the XL pot holder for us.  In all of the years of crocheting for craft shows, I never once made us one of these.  We now have one.  It's a pattern I created myself, using cotton yarn.  I added a loop on ours.  It's double thick, and fits under a 9 x 13 baking dish, or can be used for a baking pan, pizza pan or any baking ware that is larger.  I also made these for Christmas gifts one year.

A pretty boring post for you today. Oh, I found two more UFO's (more unfinished crochet projects) in a basket, but those were taking apart, and will not be finished.  They were for craft shows, and I'm not doing those anymore.  

Did my crafting bloggers know that JoAnn Fabrics filed chapter 11 bankruptcy?  Not sure if this means they will close any stores, but we are seeing more and more nearby (other) businesses closing this year.

Update on my nettle tea infusions.  I had been making these for me, and specifically for hair/nail health, but there are so many more health benefits for it.  Now, my husband is honing in on my tea and asking for it daily.  It's great for my spring allergies as well.  I am now making two jars of it daily.  It's nice to have an iced tea in the evenings, that does not contain caffeine.

The cold weather is still hanging around.  The chicken's water froze yesterday.  It's that cold.  The wind has been pretty wicked as well.  

We are ready to get the garden tilled, but we are awaiting some warmer weather days.  We woke up to a wind chill of 21 degrees this morning.  Spring?  Not yet.

Finished! © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Smoked Bacon? Oh my! ~ Shopping and Hiking

 We have discovered bulk, smoked bacon.  It is a drive for us, but the packages are packed with 150 slices of smoked bacon.  We do not own a smoker, so this was a nice discovery.  Did you know that smoked bacon loses it's fat when smoked?  It greatly reduces the amount of time to cook it as well.  On a side note, it is even more cost saving to cure, smoke and slice your own bacon with pork, if you have a smoker (so many instructions online for this).

It costs a lot less to buy the bacon this way (bulk), and saves us so much money.  We will be stocking up on this, from now on.  We don't use bacon in every meal, but the savings are wonderful.  

We are finding more and more ways to locate supplies at lower prices, organic herbs and other items when we do take the drive for supplies. 

We are now incorporating the shopping trips with an outdoor hike/walk.  It's something new for us, but we are loving this new idea.  We are expanding our outdoor adventures, getting physical exercise, and enjoying nature.

I'm tickled to also find glass bottles for homemade tinctures, lotions, sprays and whatnot.  No more Mountain Rose Herbs, with their high prices, lack of supplies, and outrageous shipping costs.

Oh by the way, I had a conversation with a lady about Mountain Rose Herbs, and my frustrations.  She said they were recently purchased by someone else.  I don't have the information on that, but it all makes sense.

Having spent my entire life devoted to raising our kids, it is finally nice to get out of the house and enjoy ourselves again.  Are you discovering nature this year?  I'm actually writing a shopping list for long distance supplies, and logging what areas to hike/walk in those areas.  It's truly an inspiration, and something to look forward to, besides just shopping.  Finding cost saving, and/or needed supplies, are just a bonus on these wellness travel trips.

Smoked Bacon?  Oh my! ~ Shopping and Hiking © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart