28 Weeks Until Christmas

 

Restocked.  Our grocery stores used to carry this, but with vanilla in it.  All area stores stopped selling it.  I have now prepared for the Christmas season, by re-stocking the organic/non-gmo corn syrup for any holiday treats.

If I don't make holiday treats, it will not be a wasted purchase.  I use it to make homemade Teriyaki sauce and also for a sweet treat (maybe once a year, and I typically share) of Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce (that is a true delicious sweet treat worth gifting, but will need refrigerated).

Tried a new recipe for baked and flavored pretzels.  I had about a half of a bag that was leftover from another occasion, and I decided to bake garlic-ranch pretzels.

First, the recipe stated to put it all in a ziploc bag and shake it.  I found that most of the seasoning stuck to the inside of the bag.  I will coat the pretzels in the bag with oil first next time, then sprinkling the season on the tray and mix right on the tray to retain the seasoning.

I used homemade garlic powder, and homemade ranch dry dressing mix for ours.  Very good too.  I only had the stick pretzels, but obviously, you could use any pretzel.  Most non-gmo pretzels we can find are in the "stick" form.

Recipe is very simple, and pretzels bake in 20 minutes.  It is a very quick recipe to add to your snack tray, or take to a gathering. Or simply to enjoy yourself.  Eating on a Dime (Recipe online).

Read this Christmas themed book, and crocheted a matching granny square for my book blanket.  The book also contains a recipe.

The recipe seems pretty bland or basic, but I may give it a try (to amuse myself), before handing the book off to another person.  Then again, I may not try it.  

I have not made any purchases for the advent gifts.  I, honestly, have not had the time to even think about them. 

I have finally found a store that still offers brown paper bags.  I have plans to use them to wrap the advent gifts with.  I have also ordered a roll of brown paper (pretty inexpensive), because I don't shop that often with a garden.  

I do need to get the wrapping of the gifts started, so I'm not wrapping them all at once.

28 Weeks Until Christmas  ©  June 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

This and That

 

Thankful for the rain that arrived right after I finished planting the garden last week.  I have new garden goodies to try this year, and I have ordered a new item to start in pots (more on that later).

Our AC units are not installed yet.  We have not had anyone to help do that, and one person we reached out to, has not responded.

It's been nice to get back on track again.  It's been nice to "catch my breath" so to speak.

  The house needed a tidy up, I returned my library books, ran errands, and most of all cleaned up clutter.  The refrigerator got a good cleaning (needs a bit more cleaned).   The chicken coop mucked.

I updated the garden journal, made notes, and have made notes for next year as well.  We bought some of our garden plants this year, so I'm saving all the containers and trays.  I plan to use them for seed starting for next year (unless plans change by then).

Harvested:

-chickweed 

-fresh chive blossoms  

-green onions 

-garlic scapes  (have more to cut in a few days)

-wild growing wood sorrel 

Planted:

-onions

-shallots

-more rosemary

-borage

-more dill

-marjoram

-bunching onions

Apparently, we will be putting up some game cameras to see who, or what dog has been coming onto our property.  It's not a coyote and not a fox.  The deer are coming around more often too, so I will need to take measures to deter that as well.  There may be dogs, and maybe even a donkey added to the homestead yet.

Finished these crocheted water balloons in May.

They were gifted.

(another book blanket granny square)

Finished this book in May, and I was certain, I had read it before, but I don't have it listed in my book journal.  I am still sure I borrowed it from the library years ago.  The back of the book contains recipes and craft instructions.  

It was the most difficult (boring) book to finish, because we have already experienced raising chickens, and raising dairy goats.  We experienced hand milking LaMancha goats, making soap and cheeses etc.  We have never had sheep or a milk cow, but it was one of those books you read before you do all these things.  I had picked it up somewhere, and is a used library book, but it's read, and off the shelf (woot!).  It's being passed on, and out of the house.

. . . and another book finished (this month) and another granny square for the book blanket.  Very interesting book, the end was quite a surprise.

. . .finished this ebook from the library.  It was a random pick.  I liked it. It's hard to see the yarn colors, due to having to make a collage photo with the ebook photo and my granny square, but I think it matches very well.  There were recipes at the end of this book, and no, I will not be trying any of them.

. . . another baby blanket in the making. I have a person in line for this one too.

Food for thought. . .

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

This and That  ©  June 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart