Plowed Out ~ . . .from the handiwork journal

We have been plowed out, pipes thawed, and now freezing rain is rolling in.  I have definitely given myself "me" time during this after storm time.

....started a set of red hot pads and XL hot pad

....finished these bookmarks

....started a rug with scraps of cotton yarn and that cone of yarn I bought that is not all cotton.

....finished this set of cup coasters

....my new crochet hook arrived, so I'm about to start a new project.

My routine is back with a mountain of dishes to wash.  The weather is more than crazy.  We just plowed and now it's strange to see so much rain.  School is delayed.   The driveway is a sheet of ice right now.  How is your weather?

Frigid Temps ~ Cooking up a "Storm" in the Storm ~ Doggie Maze

I told Hubby it's gonna take a back hoe or bulldozer to clean my coop when the weather clears up.  I just keep tossing in new straw for now. 

I'm pretty sore from cutting wood Saturday.  We cut large barn beams in pieces, loaded them up and cut them.  Then loaded them to them to the house.  Heavy stuff, but burns and heats great.  My knee is just feeling it though.

Here are some snow pictures from yesterday:

The snow drifted from 2-4 feet all across our driveway.
I sent ham, rolls and cheese for Hubby Saturday, and the guys working with him too.  I'm sure they needed it working in the brisk wind and cold.  By 8am, we got up to 4°F. 

I literally had several drifts to trudge through to get to the barn and take the dog out.

Just to get Jesse to a flat spot, we had to go through many drifts and way out of the way.  We only lost one bootie that trip out.  His Mom didn't send his scarf, so I may crochet one.

Since I baked that ham, I whipped up a pan of scalloped potatoes and ham and carrots.

I also baked cheesy potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts and corn casserole.  Hubby had to work such a long shift I wanted to be sure he had an awesome lunch today.  He was so tired this morning.  Combine a full 6a-12a shift with working outside in this cold - you get full blown exhausted.

I also brought in a bunch of wood when it was 10°F, so I would get it inside during the warmest time of day in the next two days.

It's a frigid -9°F (wind chill -22°F) this morning, and our pole light is not on (a signal is too cold to step outside).  We are still not plowed out yet as of today.  I am hoping we find someone so Jesse will do his business and Hubby can pull the car all the way into the drive.  Jesse is so confused.  It's like a maze out there to get him to an area large enough for him to do his business, and at these temps he's gotta do it fast or deal with his booties.  He hates me putting them on, but will walk with them.

Tiger is getting along with barn cat Aurora though.  I couldn't believe how long she spent at the water bowl.  At these temps the animals can't find water.  We keep water and food outside, but she has been one thirsty cat.  I'm just glad I found her to bring her inside.  Speaking of inside, a mouse joined us.

Tiger has been on mouse alert, and hanging out where I saw it last.  I wouldn't be surprised if he caught it.  

I'm tempted to stay in PJ's all day, but I need more layers to take care of the chicks and Stud Muffin Sparta.  I'm taking a pry bar just in case my barn door is froze shut.  I hope this nasty winter means a full blown, awesome garden year.

Oh and yeah, our pipes are froze.  I had them dripping, cupboards open, but the wind was just too much for this farm house.  Since I can't clean etc.  I guess I'll be crocheting, binge watching netflix and relaxing all day long.  Don't be jealous now.

Sick Cat ~ Wood Cuttin' Day ~ Snow Rolling In

Tiger is sick again, so that was on the list of to-do's.  We got him to the vet in the morning Saturday.  Thankfully, the family get together was cancelled.  That freed up our morning to cut more, much needed wood.

I'll admit we laughed our way through it.  Layered in 5 layers of clothes, wind blowing and almost getting the truck stuck....we laughed and laughed.  What idiots we were for not cutting more wood over summer (again, he does this year after year).  Then again, he was a pretty depressed man after losing two nephews.  I gave him a pass.  Next summer we'll hit it hard.  By the way, I much rather prefer dry sawdust than sogging sawdust that sticks to everything.  It was everywhere.

After we cut wood we pretty much hunkered in.  We parked the car at the front of the drive, and thankfully we did.  Hubby has to work this morning and the drifts behind the car are 3-5 feet high.  The snow plow has buried the end of the drive and most likely the mailbox.

I was up at 3:42am precisely.  I had to check water pipes and the fire.  I got both going and opened cupboard doors.  I also heard our barn cat Aurora crying on the front porch and brought her inside.  It's gonna be way below 0° and there is no way she'll find a warm place.  I just hope the chickens do well with their heat lamp.  So far, the power is on and the hot water flows.  We are just waiting for family to plow us out.  Behind the car anyway.  The truck is buried.

Storm Updates and other tidbits

We will still have heat if the power goes out this weekend.  So glad I invested in the eco-fan.  Temps will be plummeting.

We are praying the power stays on.  We also stocked up on lamp oil.  Both are low.  Just in case.  We also have a few places we can rent generators from if needed.

The wind is going strong this morning.  No snow yet, but today is the day we get it.

While everyone is raiding the grocery store for bread,  milk and eggs, we are planning which day and when we'll cut more wood, checking our battery supply, filling more water jugs, double checking chicken feed, pet food and what not.  And baking bread.

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom mentioned sharing our morning routine.  It varies with me from season to season.

Right now I rise about 5:30am, let the dog out, stoke the fire and start the coffee.   I make sure Daughter is up, get Hubby's coffee poured into his thermos, pack his lunch and watch for the bus.  Some mornings I make them both breakfast burritos, and Hubby's wrapped up for the road.

When the bus arrives I feed the dog and let him out one more time before showering (or working out then showering), and start the day.  I also make the bed and tidy up.

It typically starts with laundry (winter routine), while I wash dishes from the night before.  I do not own a dish drying rack.  I have no space, and towels work great.  I just dry them by the wood stove.  I typically do them in the morning because we get little time together with it being dark early.  Then it's out to the chickens and taking care of them.

It all depends on if there is a crock pot meal on the menu for the day as well.  Those typically get started early in the morning too.

I get my handy notebook out and look over my list of to-do's of things I want to make or do (outside of chores), and my notebook for my own recipes.  I am writing down one I made recently that Hubby raved over.  Speaking of journals (not to get off the subject), I am a journal junkie - one for just about anything including wine tasting, a garden journal, and lots more.  Journaling has been in my blood since childhood and I LOVE writing.  Daughter has that bug too.  She loves to write and journal as well.

I also have a magnetic notebook (pad of paper with a magnet on the back) that lists other things to make.  Some days is homemade mushroom soups to freeze, some things to dehydrate, items to can in winter and salves/tinctures/lotions that need made.

After that, it just depends.  Yesterday I made more dirty dishes early, by making cookies.  German chocolate.  I also baked a 10# ham to prepare for meals while snowed in too.  I'm thinking scalloped potatoes and ham, ham sliders on homemade rolls, ham and bean soup with cornbread, ham/pea pasta, ham for breakfast (possibly a scramble), ham and greens quiche....they all sound good.

How did these cookies taste?   Fantastic!   They however do not look anything like the photo that is on the recipe site.  I didn't care they were light and delicious.  Everyone needs a good dose of healthy coconut too.  And pecans.   I wanted to try this recipe for Christmas, but didn't get the chance.  Quite honestly, I forgot about it.  It's online and NY Times recipe.  I toasted the coconut at 325° for about 5 minutes prior to mixing all the ingredients.  Of course I used organic and homemade vanilla.  Speaking of vanilla, that is on my list - get out jar and refill the jars.  Along with making a jar of "Full Throttle" herb/spice mix.

This was me at 3pm yesterday - PJ's, crochet, a glass of wine, a dog at my feet, and Judge Judy.  Hubby worked over so I relaxed.

Friday was a "calm before the storm" sort of day - warmer, no wind, no rain or snow, and cloudy.  We have a big day Saturday, so here's praying we get it done before the wind and snow gets too bad.  

Weather Updates ~ Crock Pot Dinner ~ From the Handiwork Journal

We all got up 15 minutes late on Thursday morning.  Yikes.  Daughter forgot her school book too.  I guess sleeping in a bit isn't a bad thing, but she can't miss the bus either.  Weather-wise it was just cold.  Nothing major... snow started about 11am (way before predicted). It's a warm 33°F this morning.

Snow is not always bad thing, unless we have wind.  That's the kicker in what we'll be doing.  You can't very much shovel until the storm is over either in that case.

They are now saying Sat-Mon will be the worst storm in 2 years.  

(dehydrated organic mushrooms)

The crock pot wins again - Chicken Lombardy.  I didn't have Marsala cooking wine, so I substituted the best I could with dry white wine and a splash of brandy.  So glad I dehydrated mushrooms.  It made making dinner so easy.  I just had to whip up some pasta to serve it on.


I also pulled some of those holiday dinner rolls out of the freezer.  It was a test run on how well they would taste after freezing the.

The results?  They tasted pretty good.  They were very soft.

. . . from the handiwork journal

Embellished paper clips

Heart Dishcloths

Heart cup/mug coasters

Heart Doilies

Heart key fobs (these were made last year).  I posted these, to remind myself to make more, as some have sold.

. . . almost ready for a spring craft show.  More to get restocked.

So, if you made it through my long post today, I have a confession.  I bought a cone of what I thought was 100% cotton yarn.  Sigh.  It's not.  Premier yarn is part polyester.  What projects would this be good for?  I had plans to make pot holder sets with it, and it's not 100% cotton.  I do not like Premier yarn either.  Oye.  I wonder if I could just use it for rugs.  That may be the case, unless you all have a better idea.  I can't send it back, because I already crocheted a piece to start, what I thought would be a set of pot holders.  I could tell by the feel that it was not 100% cotton yarn.  I need to read labels better.

Hunkered In ~ from the handiwork journal

School closed yesterday, so I hunkered down and enjoyed the time.  I put the last touches on the "f" bombs, "swiped" the bathroom sinks, swept, and a few last bits of laundry.

Started new projects too - 

Heart cup coasters - two more to make in blueberry.

Heart bookmarks. My goal is to get several made in different colors.

Sunflower dishcloths.  I think these would be nice using various colors in the center rounds.

I've got a lot more going, so I'll  be back to share.  The weather forecast is being watched a few times a day here lately.  Apparently, now we are to get a blast of bone-chilling temperatures after the snow hits, and it could be as low as -20°F.  We are preparing for it the best we can.

Weather Predictions ~ Lets Talk Generators

The forecast here is predicting 5-8 inches of snow and high winds (blizzard conditions), that will start on Thursday and continue into Monday. First, they said 3 inches or so, and to watch the weather forecast daily.  School has a 2 hour delay this morning - freezing rain.

To be honest, it's not bothering me other than I needed to make a run for stocking up for basics, and once again I have no wheels.  The ignition in "Big Red" went bad and there is no time to fix it (right now anyway).  Add that to Youngest needing to borrow my car to get to musical practice in the evenings....limited availability.

I'm starting to feel like a damn hermit.  If this weather hits us as predicted, I'll be a hermit all weekend and into next week.  But hey, I might get a book read this winter, ha ha!

I'm sure I'll be finishing many unfinished projects too, maybe even get my utility room cleaned up.  Who knows.  I may be doing a netflix binge in my PJ's and crafting.  That actually sounds good too.

Out in the boonies, we have to prepare for power outages in the winter when the winds kick up too.  Or if car accidents put out a power pole.  Large containers of water are filled and in both bathrooms.  Just as a precaution.  Water jugs filled in magnitude.  Just preparing in case.  If power goes out, we have no water (well pump is run on electricity).  Chickens need water, dogs and cats need water, and we need water.  No way am I going without coffee in the morning either.  Here is the reason I'd like a cook stove that runs on wood, but I just don't have room.  However, we can wrap potatoes in foil and cook them in our wood stove.  There is always PB  and J too.  We have lots of jams and jellies stocked up.

We also have a portable phone charger.  It's great for traveling, but great to have on hand in a storm too.

I love crock pot days - steel cut oats with apples, raisins and walnuts.  Mmm!  Breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Spanish rice cooking away - all organic ingredients and my home canned tomato sauce.  We will have carnitas with the leftover Spanish rice tonight.

I focused on all jobs requiring electricity like vacuuming the carpet, running the dishwasher, washing clothes, etc.  Just in case.

I want to get "generator" crossed off my "wish list" this year.  Any suggestions?  I would greatly appreciate them.  Hubby wants to invest in one that kicks on automatically if the power goes off ($4,000 or so).