Pioneer Woman at Heart

Another yet cold day here.  A bit warmer but still in the negatives.  -6°F, but we may now be in the clear and rise above zero this next week. I'm still crocheting a current blanket for ourselves (odd occurrence, as it's usually for donation).  I do need to check in my back ordered yarn.  It's the very last day of January today, and it was said to be shipped a week ago.  Then again, roads are not in good condition, and the temperatures are cold.  I think a new soup should be tried with more snow on the way (oh joy!). I am getting caught up with crochet book blanket granny squares.  I'll try and remember take a photo of them.   Funny story to share.  One year I was so pumped for a new "thing" to do (a new venture with gusto), I decided to read all of Ernest Hemingway's books in one year.  I had them on my shelf of course (why wouldn't I? Ha ha ha!). You can see the original post HERE and  HERE if you need some winter time entertainme...

Winter weather continues, but slightly better I guess.  However, we continue to have below zero temperatures.  The cold spell has been the longest , below zero, cold spell I ever remember.  On the downside, more people are getting sick.  My poor husband has to ride in a truck with a co-worker (part of the job), and his co-worker for the day was coughing.  The worker wore a mask, and then took it off and left in on the console of the truck.  My husband had to sanitize the inside of the truck after that.  Praying he does not catch any of those nasty germs. I've been dealing with sinus issues, and thankful for goldenrod tincture, mullein tea, ginger and peppermint teas and so forth.  I never got any Four Thieves Vinegar (Rosemary Gladstar's recipe) made this past fall, and I do plan on making some next fall.  I think "life" just took over my brain cells for a while.  I am very thankful I had made homemade vapo-rub. Deep cleaning?  Well...

I said we were getting a "slight" warm up, but it's a smidgen of warmth.  The temperature today is 0°F with a windchill of -11°F.  The wind has settled, but they are saying we may get a teensy bit more snow. Oh boy!  Why I cannot have magazine subscriptions.  I used to LOVE getting magazines from my Mom, after she read hers.  I haven't had magazines around since Mom passed.  I picked these up at the library book sale for free, but that was a year ago.  The magazines are all Cook's Illustrated magazines.  I have moved them from kitchen table, to end table, to coffee table and back to kitchen table.  Sigh.  The magazine shuffle madness must end!  I am forcing myself to get thru them, and pass them on.  Good grief.  However, it is part of my "take back the organized house" mode I am currently in. Is there something you "shuffle" around for one reason or another? On to the cleaners part of the post. . .   I have been usin...

  The temperature here plummeted again to -15°F and below.  The wind is so bad, you can hear it inside the house.  The wind is causing drifting across the already plowed roadways now.  It looks like we'll be sub zero for another week, before it very slightly warms up.  Meanwhile I still get that ice cold fresh air every day one way or another.  The chickens are not laying eggs every day, but we are still getting them thankfully. You'd think I'd have enough "snowed in" time to read a dozen books, but that's not the case ha ha!  It seems I can find all sorts of things that need done around here, leaving me very little reading time.  Phooey!  Positive Petunia here, has gotten quite a bit organized and back in order, but the deep cleaning continues.  I am thankful for the time to get it done however.  No one wants to do "inside" work in the spring/summer and fall.  Unless it's a rainy day of course. I have made tedious notes to get...

  Do you ever buy a used cookbook from a thrift store, because of something "shiny" you see inside?  Then do you go home, put the book down, and completely and utterly forget what you wanted to try? Well, I did just that with a thrift store cookbook purchase.  I bought it early a year ago (or longer, ha ha!).  I have had it out on the table, then counter, then table, then counter, then the kitchen island, and then back and forth.  I finally.....finally (screaming from the rooftop), made a recipe I decided on. First, let me tell you, the cookbook is all about high carbs (the good kind).  I do plan on reading the forward in the cookbook another day.  Much of the recipes are not for our liking, but I did try a biscuit recipe (that I had been wanting to try for months!!).  On a side note, this cookbook, has a lot of reading sections in it, as well as recipes.  I'll be taking a closer look at it soon. The recipe called for lowfat cottage cheese an...

  The snow storm has passed, and most places here got about 9-10 inches of snow.  The worst part for us, is that the frigid temperatures now return with a deep freeze.  They are still talking about temps dipping to -25°F after all this snow dumped.  The cold temperatures are said to be with us for the next week. First issue was to find someone to plow us out.  Second was to shovel a path to the coop, and finally order more pre-paid propane (bad timing) for delivery.   More snow is on the way.   Plowing was accomplished, and very thankful for that.  The trash bin will need shoveled out before trash day, but all is well in our neck of the woods. Deep cleaning is being done, but I ran out of one cleaner I make (does well on any grease on the stove vents etc).  I will need to restock my distilled water (we have well water). Exciting winter news right? Ha! You know those small vents on the oven door that are inconveniently behind the sto...

I don't watch the news often, but we do try and listen to the weather report if we can.   We are dipping into another very cold, cold spell here.  The news is warning us that the temperatures could dip as low as -25°F with the windchill (the forecast changes hourly).  Not only that, but they are predicting snowfall in abundance.  The snow expected could be 10 inches and up in areas here.  The weather predicted, is said to last another week.  They are calling the weather "Mother Nature's Fury." The snow does not concern us, as much as the sub-zero temperatures do.   We have been to town to re-stock a few items, but typically we avoid town when people are panic shopping (thank you news people).  We were low on chicken feed and a few other necessary items. Now...about  books.  First, I have had very little reading time if you can believe it.  When your house is 6 weeks behind in cleaning and what not, there is no problem with...