Pioneer Woman at Heart

Over the past few years I have managed to post reflections of the entire year.  I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  I had no idea how many steps we have taken this year in successfully living a more sustainable, morally earned lifestyle, removing nasty chemicals from our lives, learning more about natural remedies, herbal teas, and so much more.  This lifestyle is not for everyone.  Although splitting wood is both physically and mentally challenging (our source of heat), I would not trade it for a switch on the wall any day.  And I could not have gotten this far without the partnership and support of my husband.

We used the last "can" of homemade mushroom soup in our freezer, so I'll be spending the day mixing up more and re-stocking the supply.   This time I will make a few cream of chicken soups as well. Yesterday, I spent the morning in the kitchen making breakfast.  I started by cooking a shallot, red pepper, and chopped kale. Later I added one small minced garlic.

Sunday we finally sat around and simply enjoyed ourselves.  We tossed around the idea of going bowling, but the more we relaxed and took time for ourselves, the more we wanted to simply hang out (in pajamas no less). It's hard for me to sit around and do nothing, which was what we told Mom to do (she had another ER visit) for the next few days.  I was reading through a library book, on handmade gifts and decided to not let the year end without a "bang."  I went to the kitchen and made Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce.

Hubby and I went to one last Christmas family gathering.  We ended up going by ourselves, but brought home leftovers.  The kids gobbled them up last night. Although I was tempted to crochet, and had another unfinished project in my hands (I found several as I was cleaning a few days ago), I put it away.

It sure feels good to get some order restored.  The tree is still up, and the lights are still up outside, but my bedroom (aka Gift wrap central) is cleaned up.   The girls went shopping with their Christmas gift cards, so I cleaned and dusted and re-organized.  I even found a few items to give to the thrift.  And before they went shopping, they cleaned up the dishes for me.

I made myself one last handmade Christmas ornament. . .

Here is what I gifted extended families this year (hint: not the baking dish):