Pioneer Woman at Heart

We were so busy making trips to the hardware store, that I plain forgot we were out of coffee Thursday morning.  We also had to make a 45 minute drive so that Hubby could vote again (by the way the contract passed, although Hubby still voted no).  Could be worse on both situations, but not bad either - I had instant organic coffee and the contract wasn't as bad. I had a lot on my plate.  First, Mia is coming today for the weekend, and my chicks were still in the living room.  She'd eat them for sure.  Yet my kitchen was a mess too, and laundry?  Don't get me started.  I have to act quickly, and organize a portion of the utility room to move the chicks back in (that room has a half door to shut to keep the chicks safe.   By the way, the chicks have been giving me a chuckle lately.  One time I checked in on them, one was standing way on top of the feeder trying to escape.  Another time one had a wood chip in it's mouth.  Oh b...

Hubby immediately went to work, skipping dinner the day I had to shut off the entire water supply.  Most of the bathroom ended up in the kitchen, and some of the utility room ended up in the hallway.  It was squeeze and step over stuff for a few days. Not to mention, dirty dished and laundry piled up. Chicks were moved to the living room, to make room to start moving the washer and dryer, but that didn't happen. The bathroom floor (kitchen bathroom) was ripped up, boards removed to be able to see where the leak was.   Found it.  The toilet was removed, the boards cut to access under the house (we do not have a crawl space).  The wall to the right in that picture is connected to my utility room. However, the first cut of drywall in the utility room wasn't quite spot on.  Second cut?  Spot on.  Four trips to the hardware store .... off and on verbal extremities coming from the utility room, there seem to be problems to deal with as ...

During the polar vortex I collected many new recipes to try.  I made Peach Chicken (Ellie Krieger's recipe online), adapted with organic ingredients and my own homemade croutons. I ground up the croutons in place of making fresh bread crumbs.  The only fail?  I should have sliced my chicken breasts thinner.  They required much longer to cook, but very good.  So, if you freeze your own peaches, this is a winner dinner. Not the best photo, but I dug out one of the few bags of snap peas I froze from the garden and made sauteed asparagus and snap peas.  An old time favorite when asparagus and peas are in season.  I toss in some red pepper flakes. Speaking of pulling items out of the freezer, it was a cold day, so I pulled out a turkey carcass, frozen carrots, the last bag of green beans, dehydrated mushrooms, celery cubes, other veggies, and some frozen rolls. Barley-Turkey broth soup was perfect for a cold evening. I also pulled zucch...

When it snows....all he wants to do is eat it, and he forgets why he's out there.  Sigh.  He leaves his personal tracks in the now - paw prints with a tongue mark in between them. I finished the baby blanket. I also finished a pair of baby booties. We are preparing for a spring vendor/craft show this month. Family funny - Hubby caught me sweet talking to the chicks and heard me call them all "ladies."  He busted out laughing.  Oh boy, this will be interesting. I haven't heard from the kids lately.  One needs help replacing rotors on a car, one daughter's car is still out here and broke down, and don't get me started on the truck.  It now has a fluid leak.  We really need a time period to get repairs done and get ahead of all this.  Hubby told me to order what I need on "Amazon."  I told him the groceries I need are on on "Amazon."  Sigh.  I know he's busy and that it was too cold Sunday, but something has...

Question:  are flat top stove ranges suitable for canning?  I'm searching for a double oven, and the only ones made with electric range have flat tops.  I may have to install natural gas and go with a gas range.  It's on the wish list, but it'll be a while to purchase.  Would love to hear your experiences with a flat electric range. Something I over bought this winter - sugar.  That's okay, I'll be ready for canning. Something I under bought this winter - bird seed.  The birds are stealing the barn cat food, ha ha!  Tiger is over joyed with his Kitty TV for entertainment.  He is often sitting by the door watching and intrigued. Sunday we were pretty much doing nothing, after unloading a truck of wood, and feeding the boys (nephews and one of their sons) who came out early to help.  We fed them good and retreated to finishing the series "When Calls the Heart." I also finished a few crochet projects - photos coming soon. The bitt...

Friday night we took Youngest to our favorite, locally owned steak house.  Sadly, we will not ever go back.  First our appetizer was served burned (first time to send back food), secondly, when served our steak I noticed the roasted half of garlic not on the plate.  I asked about it, and the waitress said something like "cutting corners."  I tasted my steak - over cooked and not the same steaks as they previously served us (over the years).  It tasted like liver.  We all didn't like it. The steak is now much thinner than any steak we've eaten there. Oh, and the butter isn't real anymore either.  They used to serve it topped with herbed garlic butter - real butter.   I noticed the "butter" not even melting on my steak.  I did not eat much of it, and we all decided to spread the word of mouth about it, and not return.  Sort of sad too, as this place is biker friendly with biker parking.  I told Hubby my kitchen is my favorite r...

I have lost 4 chickens so far this year.  First the Auracana who broke her leg, then Sparta (rooster), then about two weeks later I lost 2 barred rocks for no reason other than natural causes (old age?).  I starting looking up the dates to see how old they were, getting worried I'd lose more.  My heart was breaking of course, but it's part of homesteading. Apparently I bought them back on 3-3-2011 , and in today's world a chicken's life expectancy is about 8-10 years (not like 20 in the old days).  They are 8 years old.  By the way that yellow chick turned out to be a white rooster, and he didn't live very long.  The barred rocks lived the longest of any breed we've had.  They are the best producer for us as well. I brought home 7 barred rock chicks(thanks to a ride from a daughter), and that's her ESA dog Mia checking them out. By the way, I was complimented on how I raise my layers.  I mentioned the fact my barred rocks were ...