Pioneer Woman at Heart

We all got up 15 minutes late on Thursday morning.  Yikes.  Daughter forgot her school book too.  I guess sleeping in a bit isn't a bad thing, but she can't miss the bus either.  Weather-wise it was just cold.  Nothing major... snow started about 11am (way before predicted). It's a warm 33°F this morning. Snow is not always bad thing, unless we have wind.  That's the kicker in what we'll be doing.  You can't very much shovel until the storm is over either in that case. They are now saying Sat-Mon will be the worst storm in 2 years.   (dehydrated organic mushrooms) The crock pot wins again - Chicken Lombardy.  I didn't have Marsala cooking wine, so I substituted the best I could with dry white wine and a splash of brandy.  So glad I dehydrated mushrooms.  It made making dinner so easy.  I just had to whip up some pasta to serve it on. I also pulled some of those holiday dinner rolls out of the freezer.  I...

School closed yesterday, so I hunkered down and enjoyed the time.  I put the last touches on the "f" bombs, "swiped" the bathroom sinks, swept, and a few last bits of laundry. Started new projects too -  Heart cup coasters - two more to make in blueberry. Heart bookmarks. My goal is to get several made in different colors. Sunflower dishcloths.  I think these would be nice using various colors in the center rounds. I've got a lot more going, so I'll  be back to share.  The weather forecast is being watched a few times a day here lately.  Apparently, now we are to get a blast of bone-chilling temperatures after the snow hits, and it could be as low as -20°F.  We are preparing for it the best we can.

The forecast here is predicting 5-8 inches of snow and high winds (blizzard conditions), that will start on Thursday and continue into Monday. First, they said 3 inches or so, and to watch the weather forecast daily.  School has a 2 hour delay this morning - freezing rain. To be honest, it's not bothering me other than I needed to make a run for stocking up for basics, and once again I have no wheels.  The ignition in "Big Red" went bad and there is no time to fix it (right now anyway).  Add that to Youngest needing to borrow my car to get to musical practice in the evenings....limited availability. I'm starting to feel like a damn hermit.  If this weather hits us as predicted, I'll be a hermit all weekend and into next week.  But hey, I might get a book read this winter, ha ha! I'm sure I'll be finishing many unfinished projects too, maybe even get my utility room cleaned up.  Who knows.  I may be doing a netflix binge in my PJ's and crafting....

...on the to-do list  Got the scrub made.   Recipe is on Mountain Rose Herbs blog.  I'm going to make another batch with sugar, for my youngest now.  It smells so good and feels great on my skin. I finished a few more color options for the headbands.  They are posted on my farm store blogspot now.

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I can't believe I got through the holiday season without baking one pie.  I picked this photo today to inspire me to bake one this week or over the weekend. We got 2 inches of snow Saturday night.  Sunday it was frigid. The wind was wicked and cold.  We ran out of cut/split wood Sunday morning, and it's not the first.  We got that job done ASAP and of course, Hubby was mumbling under his breath about not being better prepared (happens more often than not, ha ha!).  Another snow storm is heading our way this coming Saturday too. On the b reakfast plate . . . Leftover blueberry pancakes The weather outside . . . 23°F, and the wind has died down today. Right now I am . . . Getting the fire going again.  Some ding dong left the top damper open and it burned completely out last night. Thinking . . . I better get Youngest up in a bit.  They had a two hour delay due to the drifting y...

There's nothing exciting going on at our homestead right now.  I've been puttering around with the basics - laundry, house cleaning, organizing, putting away forgotten Christmas stuff, paying bills, etc. etc. Oh, I have a list of things that need made, but my mojo is at a bottom low.  I blame it on the cold, cold temps we have.  It sort of sucks the energy out of you like a very humid hot day would.   Friday I spent more time on the slow side of chores. However, our 19 year-old had a complete melt down and Mom and Dad had to go to the "rescue."  First, she's already seeing how hard it is to live on her own as an adult, and they are now approaching possible new living arrangements (living with her brother), which is throwing a lot of stress at her.  On her way out, her fuel line broke, and she had the dogs with her (her two).  She called crying and wanting her Mom and Dad. She has just put her last $25 into a tank of gas and that was the kicker...

We've hit the 20's here lately, and dipping into the teens at night.  The cold can really get to you, but I'm taking advantage of it with indoor jobs etc. Now that the house is getting back to normal, I can get back to the kitchen. Garlic powder and granulated garlic was made.  Just one more way to preserve my garlic without a root cellar (basement or proper storage area).  I then use these to make homemade spice/herb mixes, including homemade seasoned salt. Strained another tincture.   Found a quick fix for the coop door that leads out to the outside ramp.  It'll go on the inside, so both sides are secured.  I'm without "wheels" again (Big Red just needs replaced in my opinion), so it was work with what I had.  There has been no animal sightings whatsoever.  Hubby feels that the idiots in the woods (most likely illegal hunters) were the cause, but we still don't know. I still had one daughter's dog (Mia)...