Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Our $2.00 Vacuum Cleaner

While I'm sitting here, waiting for the drill battery to charge, and my hubby to get back, I'll share another "funny" with you.

My husband bought us a sweeper at a garage sale for $2.00.  The problem with it, was that the power button would not work.

We took that thing apart, and had a horrible time figuring it out.  I told him how Mary Jane Butters once took a sweeper apart (I think I read it in a magazine maybe), and when she put it back together it worked.

It was when the weather was badly hot, and you know how grouchy two people get at the end of a work day when it's that hot.

Well, every time he could not get the problem solved, he'd hand me the sweeper and say, "okay Mary Jane Butters, you fix it!"  Ha ha ha ha!

We did get it fixed and it works great!  And it's bagless, so no more sweeper bags.  Yay!

The kids heard him and they started laughing.

Farmgirl Funny

My oldest daughter walked out to the barn and watched me cut wood with the table saw.  When I shut off the saw, and took my safety glasses off, she stood staring at me. 

"Yeah, what do you need?" I asked her.

"Uh, Mom?  So you can shoot a shot gun and use the saw? Should we be worried?" she asked with her eye brows going up.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

New Discovery!

For years, my husband has had to take over the counter medication for stomach problems (heart burn etc.).  Guess what?!

After finally getting to the point where processed foods have been weeded out of our diet (we need to do a bit more weeding), we made a discovery.

We had continued to buy canned tomato sauce from the store for many recipes.  However, now that I have been using my homemade sauce, with chemical free tomatoes, hubby doesn't get heart burn after a meal.  

Imagine these medication businesses going out of business if more people made their complete diet without processed foods.

The medication he used to take was not cheap either.  I had no idea that canning my own food would bring us more benefits than it already has.


I just had to share. 


Got More Tomatoes? Make Tomato Jelly

Yesterday was a very long day.

The pantry was blessed with yet another 5 1/2 quarts of tomato sauce.  I used one quart to make my spicy crock pot pork chops this morning.  Along with garden green peppers and onions.


I am having to push my pear butter making to another day.  I took pork chops and 2 chickens out of the freezer, making more room for tomatoes.

My day was shortened today, on account of going to the bank to get my oldest daughter her very first checking account and debit card.  

When I arrived home, I used about 9-10 of my larger tomatoes, and made my very first tomato jelly.

I'm not sure how this will taste.  It will be used on grilled meats, for pasta dishes, dips, and a lot more, if it passes the family inspection test.

I saved the leftover tomato juice, from making the jelly, and will use that to make a pot of chili in a few days.  The leftover tomatoes were also saved and some treated to our billy goat.

After making 4-1/2 pints of that, I was left with about 5 dozen large tomatoes. I kept 2 for lunches and the rest is going in the freezer.  I wanted to can tomato soup, but I don't have a pressure canner yet.

Even after that, I have yet 1 1/2 dozen roma tomatoes, green peppers (more), and a handful of cayenne peppers.

I still need to bake my angel food cake, and start on homemade noodles. 

Friday, September 2, 2011

Tomato and Other Garden Updates

I had to turn my to-do list into two lists - one for today and one for tomorrow.


My today list, just became today and tomorrow lists:

Friday:

Today's list:
-can tomato sauce - Reducing on the stove

 
-wash and dry dishes and put them away - Done
-pick, blanch and freeze Swiss chard - Done
-cut fresh basil to dry - Done
-cut fresh oregano to dry - Done
-freeze green peppers- Done
-make fridge salsa - Done
-wash, dry and put away more dishes - Done
-pick tomatoes - Done
-put laundry on the line - Done
-write
-write farmgirl penpal
-create template for sales receipts - Done
-some where in there, make dinner

Saturday:

-ship craft store order (my first order - YAY!)
-library returns and pickups
-can pear jam 
-can zucchini relish - if there is time

Without a list today, I would have forgotten to put the last load of towels on the clothesline.  Phew!  Normally, I don't use a list.  I just go with the garden flow - what's ripe gets processed, canned, picked, frozen.

It's about 86 degrees in the kitchen right now.  I had hoped to get as much of the canning done early, but it's the reducing of the sauce that takes more time.

I better get back to work.  I have a lot more to get done today, and it's almost time for school to be out.

It's hard work, but worth it.  The way I see it, why grow a garden and not utilize it?  I don't want to waste anything. Not after going through all the work to grow it.  Four trips to the compost and to the goats today also - Orion loves those leftovers (green pepper tops, tomatoes, Swiss chard stems etc.)

Got Tomatoes?

The day starts early when you grow a garden, harvest it, and process it into canning jars (or the freezer).  I was cutting up roma tomatoes before the last kiddo got on her bus this morning.  I think I chopped up over 200 this time.

I have two tables of beef sized tomatoes, a strainer of cherry tomatoes and more romas, a generous amount of pears that were gifted to us (maybe I'll make jam), 2 spaghetti squash, and a bunch more green peppers.  Oh, and some cayenne peppers too.

I'll be back with an update.  Today's heat index is to reach 105° here, and it's too hot to even wear an apron in the kitchen. 


Oh....I forgot, we have 2 watermelons and a cantaloupe to cut up too.  I want to dry the cantaloupe, but not in this heat.


Yesterday, the temperature soared above the 90's, and even the barn cats were looking like road kill.


Here is Aurora (Rorie) hanging out on the grass just next to our horseshoe shaped driveway.  It's not uncommon to see her stretched out like that in the middle of the drive, in the early evening.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dentists

Well, it's another day to the dentist today (long sigh).  My daughter, who was in a car accident a few years ago, still needed broken teeth fixed.  As many people know, insurance only covers so many crowns in a year.

Last week we went, hoping to get her current cavities filled (and crowning the last broken tooth), and once the dentist drilled the last one, she called me back.

The cavity was too close to the nerve (sigh), and why they didn't know that in the x-ray is beyond me.  Anyway, they put something over it, and we are heading back to not only have a root canal done, but top it with yet another crown.

What was expected to be a one visit cost of $187.00 out of pocket, is now close to an $800.00 out of pocket visit.  Aiyee!

My tomatoes are piling up and I don't have time to do anything with them today yet.  My son worked third shift last night, and there is no way I waking him up to chop tomatoes for me.  I guess they can wait one more day.

I was successful at getting some random writing done yesterday - about 200 words.  It's a start.