Can't make this stuff up!

Saturday my husband and I went into the big city to get specific items.  Well, we left and completely forgot to take 4 boxes ready to go the thrift store.  We forgot the propane tank to switch for a full one.  I myself forgot to buy ink for the printer and shipping tape.  Those two items were needed, but it'll have to happen another day, and here is why.

 

I have to return this.  It's supposed to be a very pretty lace valance.  I am not making this stuff up.  It's literally a rag. Package said "curtain" and this is what I got.  I got it on Amazon.  I'm putting up a review for the product and will not be buying from Amazon again.  I'll wait and buy one in Amish country or another smaller store.  The one in the photo was made in China.  Go ahead chuckle.  We all did.

My husband is working midnights and day and a weird weekend schedule.  It's another weekend of not working on the hallway project.

I'm deep into purging more crafting do-dads, and working on  my second new project:

Woke up to a brisk 7°F, with a "feels like" -6°.  I'm glad it's not a -25°F like they predicted. I'm up before my husband is home from work.  Feels weird.  Fire is stoked and coffee is brewing.  I'm sure I'll be in the utility room today purging more crafting supplies.  He'll be sleeping all day.

Weather and other Tidbits

I did not get to town yesterday.  Youngest had to take my truck to work.  Her car doors were frozen shut.  Sigh.  Speaking of Youngest, she and a friend are looking for an apartment.  I don't blame her.  Her drive to work is difficult during inclement weather (from our homestead).  She is planning to take her cat.  I'm gonna miss them both.  I guess if it does happen, I'll be adopting a house cat soon.

I'll admit, knowing I wasn't leaving the house yesterday caused me to catch the lazy bug.  Boy oh boy.  Lazy.

Thankfully the "freeze" that was predicted won't be as bad, but next weekend looks like it may be.  

I had intended to start the day yesterday purging more crafting do-dads.  Oh my.  I filled one box half way and started two more craft projects. Ha ha ha!  I'll have some nice Christmas tuck in gifts and other gifts ready early for this next holiday time.

Thanks to a post over at Mamas Mercantile, I found a way to use up some scrap wall paper, and re-purpose some buttons. Thanks for the inspiration, and helping me use up and create!

You can see the project over on my S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot.

Ideas for revitalizing and energizing yourself (cont.):

31. Get proper rest

32. Get regular vigorous exercise

33. Eat a nutritionally balanced diet

34. Lose weight

35. Control all your input

Homesteader Chit Chat

 

The weather has been questionable.  I don't watch any news, so I rely on weather reports by searching it online or on my phone.  Woke up to "feels like" 2°F and very windy.  We got more snow last night too.  Just fed our barn cat and I think there may be a stray out there this morning.  The wind is wicked.

Apparently you can get sick-sick.  My girls are the only two getting upper respiratory/bronchial illnesses.  Illnesses that the doctors don't prescribe medications, and send them home, kind of illnesses.  

The girls wear a mask daily, all day long and one does heavy lifting.  I feel awful for them.  Both have had to visit the Urgent care, had to test for covid (always negative, and never test them for flu either), and have been sent home with over the counter suggestions.  Even though daughter K was diagnosed with a sinus infection, she was sent home with over the counter medications.  I have never heard of that - always a prescription of some sort.  Thank goodness for natural remedies that do help quicken recovery and relieve symptoms.  Which reminds me, I need to restock ginger root.

The purge continues here, and thankful I'm doing it.  However, the craft supplies are getting me into trouble.  More on that later.  My first attempt to purge, was anything wooden for crafts. Ha ha, oh boy. 

I filled a box of writing paper, graph paper, and markers to give to my younger brother.  My niece and nephew go thru a lot of paper.  Thankful it could be used.  They are getting oodles of doodle paper.

I have a tote of goat supplies and I'm hesitant to purge those.  I just don't know if we'll raise dairy goats again or not, and I hate to re-purchase.  I'm hanging on to them for now.

My dish scrubbies and soap saver bags were delivered to the gift shop.  I am thrilled they are selling them, as we didn't have one craft show last year.  I received an additional order for 6, but I have to get to the store to see if they sell netting in the color she wants.  It's an odd color request.

King got his first winter booties.  I took a video, but can't get it to load here.  I will try again later.  It was hilarious.  We could all use a good laugh.

My favorite firewood fetcher machine.  Works great until I hit a patch of clean concrete or grass.  It's more trips to restock the porch, but so much less heavy work.  Good exercise I guess.

Today, is the first day I have not been prepared for a dinner, but I'm sure I can come up with something this morning.  I love crock pot dinners.  I can relax with crochet or crafting or reading and not be at the stove in the evenings.  I guess I'll see when I check the freezer and pantry.

Ideas for revitalizing and energizing yourself (cont.):

26. Practice self-expression

27. Work off your anger

28. Face your fears

29. Experiment with acting your way to a new feeling

30. Learn to relax

This and That

Woke up to 15°F, with a high of 36 today.  Wow.  Warmer than yesterday, but snow will move back in later after dinner time.

Snickerdoodles were baked.  We haven't had something sweet in a long time. We didn't get to eat them however.  This ding bat, probably stressed with too much multi-tasking, forgot to add the baking soda.  I washed the dishes and left the kitchen.  Sigh.

Yesterday was a day where I made lots of mistakes, forgot stuff or things went haywire.  I didn't get much handiwork, because in the evening our utility room sink had a leak and flooded it.  We spent the night cleaning it up, and fixing the sink drain.

Daughter K found me two more baskets that I needed.  I'm still on the hunt for one more.

The valances I ordered online for the hallway were canceled.  I received an email that they are no longer in stock and I'd be refunded.  Sigh....the hunt continues.  Window film was ordered though (it's requires no adhesive and is removable).

The bread I made is called Skillet Bread, and the recipe is online at i heart eating.com.  I got so many compliments, I thought I would share the recipe source.  I bake mine for exactly 20 minutes. 

Boring Post but a Post No less

The predicted "freeze" is coming soon.  I, although my husband said not to until he was home, went out to shovel some of the deep snow in the drive.  Thankfully, the nephews showed up and plowed the entire drive.

Hubby made fun of my BPA free, food grade water jugs.  They hold 7 gallons each.  They will be filled and ready if our pipes freeze.  Our wind chill is said to feel like -25°F so I will write a list and make sure all the laundry is done, water is available for animals/us, all the dishes done, etc.  I am already with oil lamps, oil, and extra wicking.  Wood is split and on the porch, but we'll split more before this coming Friday.

I threw together a crock pot soup with items that needed used up and some leftover ham.  It was nice to have a hot soup after shoveling.  I made skillet bread to go with it.

Ideas for revitalizing and energizing yourself (cont.):

21. Don't be afraid of failure

22. Practice living in the present

23. Get friendly with leisure

24. Reward yourself

25. Admit to yourself how you feel

 

Tuesday Tidbits

A trip to the other "Big City" was canceled due to the bad weather.  I just jotted a short list for the daughter who has to work there today.  Hopefully can pick up a few things.

We decided not to go after my youngest called and said she spun off the road after spinning in a circle.  I was thankful we have a family group text and someone was available to get her back on the road.

Thankfully, before she walked out the door I made her put on her snow boots.   In hind sight, I should have told her to pack an overnight bag and stay the night in town with my Mom or brother. The roads are just terrible.

The extreme clean resumes with my husband back to work.  What left the house so far (or is boxed ready to leave)?

-several refillable zoo cups.  I'm sure with covid, they will never be doing the refill offer they used to do.

-several glass dessert cups.  They came from Goodwill, and will be going back.  I don't use them anymore.

-notebooks and notebook paper, school binders (8 so far) that the kids don't need anymore

First time loading a video, so I hope it plays.  It shows how the cordless blinds work.  Sorry for the bad light.  It was snowing again.  I'll get better photos of them soon.  They do come with a wand to control the light when they are all the way down too.

Youngest, my husband and myself spent time shoveling out parts of the driveway.  I had no idea it was so bad until we went to fetch firewood.

My fancy technical instrument to move the firewood to the house was the sled.  Always works like a charm.

Back to the shoveling....it's about a foot or more deep in the areas behind the vehicles.  I have to go back out this morning and work more on it.  The wheel horse is not working (on the spring list so we are prepared for next winter, sigh).  Anyway, we have to get it shoveled, because it's going to freeze in the next few days.  

We did manage to shovel out the very heavy stuff at the end of the drive where the snowplow blows it in.  Had to shovel out the mailbox too.  Mail wasn't delivered because it wasn't shoveled out.  Our driveway is a huge U-shaped drive.  We quit putting up a snow fence.  It didn't matter where we put it, it was always in the wrong spot for the wind we got.

We had ham, asparagus and baked beans for dinner last night, so I have leftover ham to work with.  It may be a nice hot soup of some sort.  I'm going to need it after shoveling snow.

Ideas for revitalizing and energizing yourself (cont.)

16. Clear your mind

17. Develop the attitude of gratitude

18. Think positively

19. Learn to accept what you cannot change

20. Learn to love yourself

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

The hallway flooring project continues, and yes we had some hiccups to delay the final edging of the steps.  Heck we didn't get any trim done either.

My brain wasn't working when I bought the new blinds.  I scrubbed both hallway windows, and we installed one.  Only to find out I bought the wrong ones (too short).  We got a good laugh, loaded them into the truck and luckily they had two left of the right length. 

We love the new blinds.  They had 3 brackets and the blinds snapped right in.  No messing around with metal slide in brackets.  Oh, the best part?  They are cordless and I love, love, love that.  I'll have photos to share as we get closer finishing (which could take 2-3 more weekends at this rate).

Over the weekend, I managed to clean the very top shelf in a kitchen cupboard.  Guess what I found? 

Ha ha ha!  The girls seem to think we tried using them for bottle feeding the kids (baby goats).  They may be right.  I found three that are going to be donated.  I know we used pop bottles and special bottle nipples for the goats.  I haven't found them yet, but there are more cupboards to purge yet.

I'm also tickled pink I found storage baskets that fit the very top cupboard, and they have a low handle, so us tall people can easily reach, and pull down the basket (makes better use of the space and we don't have to stand on anything to get to that shelf).  I need about 3 more, but thrilled they were only $1 each.  Best inexpensive storage idea yet.

 I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

I'll link up when she posts.

 The weather outside is. . .

14°F, snowing and blowing and a brisk cold wind out of the northeast.  Nasty weather.  There is really bad drifting over the roads. Daughter K got home last night and said the roads in the county she works were all clear.  Once she hit our county the roads were terrible.  I saw one snow plow yesterday.  They are really bad at keeping our roads clear.  There are many delays, some closings and our county and others are under level 1 emergency.

How I am feeling this morning . . .

Cold.  The northeast wind makes this house so cold.

On my mind . . . 

I need to get more netting cut.  I have to push 10 yards over the kitchen table, cut 3 inch strips and roll into balls for scrubbies to be crocheted.  It can take me about a half of an hour just to cut enough for 2-3 scrubbies.  I like to devote one day for cutting netting and another for the crocheting.

On the breakfast plate . . .

Coffee so far.  It may be a round of blueberry pancakes.  I guess I decide that later.  Maybe some sausage too.

On my reading pile . . .

A 1933 copy of The Earth Turns, by  Gladys Hasty Carroll.  Fun fact.  The book was the 2nd best selling book in 1933.  I obtained it from a library book sale years ago and found it on one of the bookshelves.

On my TV . . .

Comedies on Netflix.  We just need some uplifting movies.

On the menu this week . . .

Ham, roasted brussel sprouts

Tuna and noodle, mashed potatoes, corn

Soup of some kind?  Not sure yet on the rest of the menu

From the camera . . . 

Pretty much sums up my weekend.  The dollar store had scrub brushes that worked perfect to clean up the windows.  

Looking around the house . . .

I have one last box of books ready to donate.  I laughed when I opened a cupboard in the garage the other day.  My husband saved all his college books.  I told him he's next to purge, ha ha!

Oh, and Daughter K still hasn't taken down her Christmas tree she put up in my living room (sigh).  She's working a lot, and strange hours, so it'll come down on her next day off hopefully. 

New recipe I tried or want to try . . .

Muffin recipe I have not had time to try yet.

To relax this week I will . . .

Read, crochet or journal.

Something I want to share . . .

Ideas for revitalizing and energizing yourself

11. Learn about stress

12. Be sensitive to all dimensions of life 

13. Take a course

14. Go to the public library

15. Think about great ideas

(sharing 5 a post, as there are 83)

On my prayer list . . .

Mom.  She wants to get the new vaccine, but has reservations about getting it.  She's had bad allergic reactions to medications in the past that landed her in the hospital.