Pioneer Woman at Heart

The crazy weekend has ended.   The weather warmed up again on Sunday, and we needed some R and R.  You bet, we took off on a motorcycle ride.  We needed coffee, so our ride was to the grocery store, ha ha!  We just took the long way home. Hubby and I are back to cleaning up the barn rubble.   I am back to removing nails to prepare some siding for delivery (and put another dent in the clean up). I told Hubby life would resume to normal after the craft show.  Well, it will be another week or two for me, ha ha! Here are just a few photos from the Christmas craft show.  I totally forgot to take many, as I was crocheting the entire show.  I had some hand stitched cards, photo cards, facial scrubbies and cup cozies leftover from the Farmer's market, so the girls helped make price tags. I also had pin cushions leftover, and one sold.  We had much more on our tables  - necklaces, keychains, all sorts of handicrafts....

The rain stopped late afternoon yesterday, and we had beautiful sunshine the remainder of the day.  Too bad it gets dark so quickly.  My hens were happy anyway. Time for me to prepare for the craft show is coming to and end.  I was pretty successful at finishing a scarf, one last boot cuff, both of which need ends sewed in today.   I sewed in ends to several bracelets, and sewed on buttons. I only have two 8 inch bracelets, so if time allows, I will crochet just one more. I also (gulp) crocheted up 6 angel ornaments.  Five will be given away for free to the first 5 customers who make a minimum $15.00 purchase with me. I haven't decided if I want to spend extra time and add hangers either.  Most likely will give them as they are, or take thread with me tomorrow.  Two will be added to the ornaments and hopefully sold.   I had hopes to get a few more granny square key fobs made too.  People like to pick up small...

Someone, I'm not saying who, forgot to stoke the fire last night.  I got the chance to clean the ashes and restart it early this morning.  It's not too bad out - high of 50°F today with some rain in the late morning.  Lows are down to 20's.  Forecasts have predicted possible snow, but so far zero.  Towels dried great outside yesterday.  I wanted to get a dose of sunshine, and those stinkin' hunters were out back all day long.  Grr.  Either they have really bad aim, or they are shooting several herds of deer.  I'm guessing bad aim. We are warned by the news about deer disease again.  It was a problem last year too.  I'm not sure I'd want to be eating one around here. My jar of calendula oil and four thieves vinegar were ready to be strained.  Now I can use both.   Actually, I'm the first to try the vinegar.  I have a slight sore throat, and slightly swollen lymph nodes.  Two Tbsp. already went down...

I borrowed this book from the library.  I found a few good recipes to try.  I'll have to wait for spring and summer for a few of them though.  Just sharing in case you haven't seen this book. It's a beginner book, but I have not made a balm with chickweed and plantain yet.  That is first on the list.  I have chickweed salve that I purchased, and I LOVE it.  I hope it doesn't turn out to be a rock hard "balm."  (Russian Giant - what a mess!) Tuesday, I took some time in our 65°F (and sunshine all day) warm up, and weeded the garlic.  About 90% of it anyway.  We've had lots of rain, and with the lack of snow cover, it's full of thistle already.  I found five of the giant bulbs rotten.  I replanted, but it may be too late.  The ground is very very wet, so I'm hoping the sun and heat dried it up a bit.  I also replanted the Creole variety - about 9-10 didn't come up.  Not sure yet on the last variety.  I'l...

The last pear wine update was posted here ( November 9, 2016 ).  We had some wonderful taste tests, and eventually bottled it.  However, the bottles with corks popped some tops, and turned pink.   We didn't have enough bottles with screw caps, so much went bad.  However, to our delight, we kept one screw cap bottle.   We popped it open last night.  It was very good, but too much carbonation in it.  More like a high alcohol champagne, ha ha! We are so excited that we've learned so much already, and next time we will have another carboy and we'll let it sit longer with the bubble airlock on it.   We were so happy to enjoy that one single bottle, and now we are prepared to do any fruit wine.  Peach, cherry, any berry, grape, plum, apple....I may need more fruit trees, ha ha! We now have a supply of empty screw cap wine bottles too (thanks to my wine drinking friends and family).  Many wine companies and changing o...

It was time to cut more wood.   We cut up rafter boards, a few beams and about half of the pile of short boards I pulled nails from.   We put another dent into cleaning up the barn mess, and the wood turned into a blessing for us.   I was a few days late for this step, but the garlic was drained, half the liquid saved for salads, and the remainder heated with honey and poured back over the garlic. It will sit another 3-4 weeks. The weather was heating up to the low 50's, and sunny.  Beautiful sunshine.   In fact, it was so beautiful, that we later took off on a motorcycle ride.  We passed about 5-6 other die hard riders Friday too.   Saturday, it was the OSU-Michigan game, so we didn't get anything done.  It was also a day for a get together with my side of the family.    I froze fresh organic ginger for winter for the first time.  I have dehydrated some in the past, but from what I have rea...

Here is where I (re)started - the pile of wood left from tearing apart the roofing of the barn.  The long boards were put to good use - a co-worker of Hubby's that makes furniture with it.  The shorter boards remain in this somewhat of a huge pile.  I've worked on it a few days, but didn't bring much up to the house.  While Hubby is at work, and on good weather days. . .  Nails got pulled.   And they are not easy to get out either.  Some are so mangled it takes great effort. Added to the existing pile until we can cut them to fit the stove.  My wrist was sore, so I took a break.   ....putting a dent in it.