Pioneer Woman at Heart

  I still have a stand up shredder, that you shred by hand, but we love this hand crank one.  It has a suction on the bottom to stay in place, the cheese goes in the top (pushed down with that red piece and wa-la grated cheese.  Easy to clean too.  We don't buy shredded cheese.  We buy blocks/bulk blocks, freeze and then grate.  My Oklahoma Pastry Cloth.  I gifted the kids one at Christmas, along with tools for making rolls, and some of my recipes.  Love this cloth!  You can buy them online!  I think I shared this before, but sharing again. Coop tool!   Don't worry, I took this photo the day I bought it.  I wanted to do that in case it became a favorite tool for the coop.  I have used plastic cat litter scoop to clean roosts for years.  I finally bought a metal one .  I love it!  Works so much easier.

  I haven't knitted in a long, long time.  I have only knitted a scarf, and most of the time dishcloths.  Socks are still on the bucket list, but I realized how sore my finger tip can get.  I found these at the Dollar Tree for $1.25! I've been focusing meal planning on what needs rotated out of the freezer and pantry.  Other than fresh fruit on the menu.  You know like the canned ketchup, frozen blueberries, frozen bell peppers, frozen green onions - just anything put up last garden season.  I use home canned ketchup, and frozen bell peppers in Four Beans and Sausage. A one meal in a crockpot recipe. A random breakfast dish I layered with cooked sage sausage, cooked (from the freezer) garden bell peppers, and added green onions I froze last summer.  Oh, I chopped to jalapenos I froze last summer, and boy it was delicious.  I also freeze the cheese blocks that go into dishes like this (grated), so I checked that supply as well as butter. ...

  The hot pepper seeds have arrived, and are now started in seed trays.  I am still waiting on my carrot seeds (back ordered for some reason).  I have limited space to start seeds, hence why I have asked for a greenhouse in the future, but these two are new to the garden.  The Datil are similar to a habanero, but more of a "sweet" taste, according to my research.  Seeds for Datil were sent free too. Replacement part has been ordered for our stove. I will update on that once we see if that was the issue.  My husband almost burned down the stove Sunday at breakfast.  He forgot and used the burner.  I have removed the knob, so neither of us use that burner until the part arrives. I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today. I will link up when she posts. The weather . . . Warmer that usual, and possibly in the lower 60's mid-week (crazy). As I look outside my window . . . It's still pitch dark. Right now I am . . . Sipping coffee, d...

Shopping frustrations - errand days.  We finally got some wood returned to Menards, picked up trim to finish the final bit in the living room, bought a new light bulb socket for the stairway (kids ripped the pull chain completely off years ago), restocked some things we were out of, picked up new outlet covers and what not.   We also made another donation drop. Woohoo to that. I went looking for 1/4inch ribbon at Wal-mart for $.47/roll vs. $1.99/roll at our local Meijer.  I have looked at two stores now for this. However, they were completely out of white, baby blue, pink, and almost all other colors I need.  I will have to check other locations.  I guess I have all year to look for it.  My total focus this year is the house/outdoor projects.   I ruined my slippers in the washing machine, and had trouble finding a new pair (affordable) in my size.  I'm sure Kohl's had some nice ones, but I'm not paying $30 and up for slippers.  Our ...

Many years ago, I bought a bottle from either Pampered Chef or Tupperware, that allowed me to spray oil into pans etc.  However, it clogged up, and never worked even after cleaning.  It was many years ago.  I also believe with that container, you added only oil (vs. a mix of oil and water). I decided to look into making spray oil myself.  I have been buying organic spray, as it's just the two of us.  I have noticed though, the spray cans hold very little, run out quickly and are costly.  They also create trash. I purchased amber glass spray bottle online, and made my own. 1 part a good quality olive oil (or oil of your choice) to 5 parts water.  So simple, saves us money.  Also, no added ingredients.  Just shake it up and spray.  Oh, the bottles I bought have a sprayer with a "mist" option (bought on Amazon). Do you have a tip to save money in the kitchen?  I will be giving an update on using this homemade spray oil, after using it ...

I put this job off all summer long.  I make home canned reduced sugar grape jelly, using organic non-sweetened concord grape juice. I don't need a lot, and it's nice to have on hand.  Another winter job checked off the list. I started to clean the wood flooring upstairs.  It will take some time.  I have to clean then move stuff and clean, and move it back etc.  I won't be up there every day either.  I also have to scrub the floor first, then clean with a odor remover spray due to pet urine (sigh). There is a plan in place.   Question for those with chickens.  We are going to be building a new coop, but prefer not to hook electric up to it.  Can anyone suggest solar operated heat lamps?  Are there ones better than others? I'm also seeking suggestions for a battery operated coffee brewer (single or pot).  I think we could use one.  We've had way too many power outages here. Here is a look at the battery operated crochet hook...

  In the midst of moving everything from room to room, in order to get floors repaired, my cut barn siding boards were unburied. I cleaned them up with vinegar water, and let them dry for a few days.  I had the brainy idea to paint words on them for a craft show addition.  These boards have been floating around the house for several years (like about 5 years now), so it was on the "get'r done' list.   The power went out around 8am yesterday, and it never came back on until after noon.  I was lucky I had just brewed some coffee.   There was an accident with poles down, wires hanging, and then a substation shut down for a while. Luckily, my portable charger was charged, and I could not only charge my phone, but my neck lamp too. Quite fitting of a saying for a time with the power outage, ha ha!  I had stencils for these. All done, so the only thing to do was to read or crochet.  When power goes out, our water pump goes out.  I could n...