Pioneer Woman at Heart

  The pretty sunrises are dwindling as we move into the winter season.  It has been cold enough to cause frost on the vehicles and lots of scraping.  I enjoy the crisp air, as it wakes me up, and makes me feel energized.  The chickens?  Probably not, ha ha!  They (as well as us), are truly enjoying the sunshine. There have been more and more coyote sightings, and in the country now.  We ourselves, have not seen or heard any. I have survived the worst of the dental work, and for the first time in many, many years, I had to take Tylenol for pain.  It's the worst timing, as far as the holiday goes, but had to be done.  It also took me out of commission for about two to three days.  Imagine something in your eye and you can't get relief.  That is what is feels like with a sore jaw/mouth.  It's still sore today, but feeling better. Although, I have been advised to eat on one side of mouth for over a week.   I finished my h...

  Beautiful sunrises are dwindling here these days.  The winter weather is slowly moving in.  It is very cold here now, but maintaining.  Woke up to 25°F with a windchill of 18°F. There has been a sighting of 6 coyote (in my home town).  Crazy.  I have not seen any coyote this year here.  I wonder why they are gravitating to the city?  Stray cats perhaps? Do any of you have a good/tried and true recipe for homemade oven cleaner?  I found this one, but wanted to ask before I tried it. Homemade OVEN CLEANER ¼ cup of dish soap ½ cup of lemon juice 1 cup of vinegar 1 ¼ cup of water .Mix, spray, let sit, and wipe. I also need something to scrub the oven racks with. I read somewhere to sprinkle baking soda, then use this spray and let sit over night (for the racks, lay on large rags). Does anyone have tips/tricks for this? I'm so over due on this home cleaning job. Day 2 of soaking this tomato sauce stained freezer container. I have tried bakin...

  I tried a new recipe, and we love it - Southwest Chicken Quinoa Casserole (The Real Food Dietitians online).  It was similar to a "bowl" recipe we like that is layered, but this recipe is much easier and quicker to prepare.  I used frozen bell pepper from the garden, and frozen jalapenos from the garden, so that created more liquid as it cooked (note to self: use less chicken broth).  I used homemade tomato sauce for this too.  The chicken coop roof is finally done.  We may be moving the coop's location.  Not sure just yet.   We also got the fallen pine trees moved, but it took part of the lilac bush with it.  It is about half the height, so hopefully, it will recover.  I think we removed about 6 fallen pine trees.  One more job checked off the to-do list.  Actually two, if you count the chicken coop roof being completely done. I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom The weather . . . Over the weekend we hit ...

  I've been freezing our spaghetti squash.  I do not have a root cellar, or basement, and the garage is not ideal for storage.  I had one more on the counter too.  I always tell myself not to plant so many, but here they are again.  I had one more on another counter. Day 1:  I roasted 4 spaghetti squash in my largest pan.  I cut them across and not length-wise, so I could fit more in my pan. Day 2:  I used the jar lifter hack to fill my freezer bags. I have never frozen baked spaghetti squash, so I had to do some reading on this.  Everything I read, said to let the baked squash sit in a strainer (in a bowl), in the refrigerator over night. I did that, and then bagged it for the freezer.  1 pound spaghetti squash = 1 1/4 cup cooked strands.  I'm using this method to mark the bags going into the freezer.  It's a first time doing this, so I am hoping for good results when thawed. TIP:  I had no idea this worked, but there is ...

  I was recently gifted a new mug.  I love it!  It's a camper, and inside the mug, says "home is where you park it." Sometimes, what mug you drink your morning coffee/tea in, can create your mood for the day. It was not from my husband, and not a Christmas present.  It was just a gesture of love.   Speaking of new mug, there is a Christmas game that involves gifting a new mug. You each buy a mug of some sort, and fill it with small gifts.  You all sit around the room and either pass left or right when told, and then when the game ends, you keep the one you are holding. I thought I would share, as we are trying to think of adult games that are fun, but don't break the bank.

  It's very convenient to buy the packets of dry fajita mix at the grocery store, but you can make it yourself.  I've been making our dry taco mix for several years now.   You most likely will have all of the ingredients to make this at home.  I buy some of my ingredients in organic/non-gmo bulk, which saves us money and allows me to have extra on hand to make many other dry mixes homemade.  Let me know if you make your dry Fajita mix without the sugar, and if it changes the flavor.   Homemade Fajita Dry Mix (makes about a 1/4 cup of dry mix) I use all organic/non-gmo ingredients, and bulk buy some of them, as I make a lot from scratch 4 tsp. Chili Powder ( I buy bulk) 2 tsp. Ground Cumin (I buy bulk) 2 tsp. Paprika (I buy bulk) 1 tsp. Garlic Powder (we use homemade from homegrown) 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (use more for more heat) 1/2 tsp or more of onion powder (we make this homemade) 1 1/2 tsp. salt Optional: 1-2 Tbsp. sugar or brown sugar if you...

Off the subject of homesteading, but on the subject of life. . . However, homesteading is work, so it pertains to it in a way too.  It can be stressful.  Physically and mentally.  Or you could be the one person who zips right through the day without a thought. We all have an emotional toolkit.  Whether we realize it or not.  We reach for a mood booster or a stress reliever when our chips are down or when we are feeling at our lowest.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are so close together here in America, it can be very stressful and many are struggling for various reasons. It could be a loss of a loved one, an estranged adult child, someone close who is sick/ill, or anything really.  Just cleaning the house for a large gathering can be stressful.  The cost of buying all the food, and the time making all the dishes can be overwhelming. It could be an unexpected medical bill(s) for some.  It could be an tragic accident, or even unexpected home repai...