Fresh New Starts

 This us what I've been longing for. Digging in the soil, planting, digging in barn fertilizer 🤣🤣 (good for the immune system), fresh air, new growth, saving seeds, and  vitamin d. 😀 💩🐎🐄💐🌸🪷🏵🌹🥀🌺🌻🌼🌷🪻⚘️

Getting Back To Normal

 Well, the snow and ice all melted and things are getting back to normal around here. 

Baker Caroline wanted to make Poppie a treat so we got one of Nannys recipes. She made these all by herself with little to no assistance. She also worked on her measurements and letters while they were baking. Needless to say we will double the recipe next time because Poppie has about ate them all. 🤣🤣💜💜

All this turned into this. Baked porkchops from a hog we had processed. Home grown roasted zucchini with catija  cheese, home grown fried corn with home canned roasted peppers, and duck poppers from duck hunting trip. 👌

Turned home canned pineapple 🍍 into pineapple 🍍 upside down cake. If you want to know how to can pineapple and see how many other uses I got out of a pineapple, check out my video on YouTube, So Many Uses From A $2 Pineapple. Buy them when they go on sale and stock up. The link to the video is in the comments. #canning #preserving #pineapple #baking #cooking

Last night's and tonight's dinner is smashed potatoes dipped in ranch, BBQ chicken, and home canned pork and beans turned into baked beans with some duck poppers from a duck hunting trip. 😋 

#cooking #dinner #homemaking #fromscratch

I can grow a garden with no problem and great success, but when it comes to house plants, let's just say I have a problem. But look Jordie, I didn't kill them. 🤣 They have done so well that I am having to transplant to bigger pots.

It was time to transplant some herbs today and I love my self watering Planters. You fill the pots with water, plant your seeds or plants, put the inner pot inside the outer pot full of water. The string draws the water to the roots. The longer planter, you just add water until the gage pops the red tube to max level. It goes down as the water level drops letting you know it's time to add more water. Easy.

Turned somemore home canned and freezer goods to chicken tortilla soup. #soup

I use to think I was born in the wrong generation. Nope, some of us just know how to keep it going. Follow along and I can teach you how too. #generation #homesteading #homemaking #canning #preserving

The Farmers Almanac has been known to be wrong on occasion, but so has the Ground Hog. But one person that is never wrong and that is God. He can go from 0 to 60 in no time. With that being said, we know ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME. The past 10 yrs should be good examples of that. With that being said, lessons should have been learned and God gives us the good sense to prepare. So no matter WHAT is coming or comes, don't wait til the last minute. Prepare now. That is all. Carry on.

We got to surprise our girls one night and took them to the rodeo. We had the best seats in the house. 

When I was little our Sundays after church consisted of westerns and in the evening, it was Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and a Disney movie. Anyone else remember?

I guess 2024 is going to be about fixing me. I have had nothing but Dr appt after Dr appt since December. 🙄 I've been sick and my ear closed since January. This crap needs to go find someone else to aggravate. 

 I've got issues that I have been putting off for years because I've tried to fix everyone else and keep everybody else healthy. 💯 I am at the point to where I am at the Dr's feet begging to FIX ME OR ELSE. Next will come my back and figure out what to do about it. I'm going to check into making some changes for myself. We will see. Welcome to 2024.

Tried getting some vitamin d and fresh air so maybe this crud will leave me and go pick on someone else. 

One loves to help plant flowers with Gmaw and the other wanted to dig worms with Poppie. Then they love to help him prune trees.

If it's one thing I can that dear hubby loves, it's my caramelized onions in gravy. We use this on alot of things. 

One dish, microwave breakfast casserole. Good way to finish up leftover  breakfast items.  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk eggs, milk, seasonings, and anything you want to throw in like spinach,  peppers, onions, cheese...etc. Crumble up left over biscuits, toast, stale bread, dinner rolls, bagels, english muffins etc. Make sure it is soaked in the egg mixture. 

Next, crumble left over meats like sausage, bacon, ham, bologna, spam, etc. Stir to make sure all is combined and soaked. Cover with shredded cheese. 

Cover and place in microwave and cook til eggs are set. Wholah. Breakfast is served.

Sorry for such a long post. I surely hope you got inspired to make some great meals with some things that you preserve. If you don't know how to grow and preserve, we have alot of videos on our channel that can show you how. I truly hope you give it a try. 

You can check out our channel here

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Last Day of Snow Days

 We had the best day today and school will be back in tomorrow. 

Well, yall remember the little project I said I wanted to do with the girls? I took them to let them pick out their own fabric. And we made pajamas. Notice the fabric that Atleigh picked out? Yep, you see that right. It's TN Vols. Did I tell her no that she couldn't get that fabric? Nope. Did I encourage her to find some with AL? Nope. This was her decision and that's what she chose. Just goes to show I'm not a team hater so bad that I would do that to her. Caroline picked out leopard and Superwoman. Atleighs other choice was the doggie bones. They are so proud that Atleigh declared it pajama day.

Even though it's pj day, we still have to clean our rooms. Work first, then play.

On to our next project. They made their first pillows. Atliegh had enough material left over from her pj's that we were able to make two pillows. Dakota has a TN quilt inhad made for him when he was a teenager and Atleigh wants it for their bed at home. So now they have matching pillows they did.

We got to make our pizzas in our easy bake Ovens.

Identifying, cutting and drying herbs.

How dare she!!!!!!! But I'm going to let her own this one. A TN homemade quilt of her Daddys and the pillow she made, reclining in Poppies chair like she owns the place. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

These girls love watching Woody Woodpecker. They love calling Granny and asking her to do her Woody Woodpecker laugh. Then they try it. 😁😁 Now I'm listening to them in Dakotas truck on the way home singing, OOOH EEE OOOH AH AH, TING TANG, WALLA WALLA BING BANG, OOOH EEE, OOOH AH AH, TING TANG. WALLA WALLA, BING BANG.....if you know you know.

Daddy came to pick them up and they got to take their pillows and quilt home. She was so excited. They are going to put them on their bed tonight. 

Then it was time to make mine and dear hubby's suooer. 

Home canned chilli, shredded cheese from the freezer and French fries from the freezer we put up. Chilli cheese fries. 🧀

Be Prepared

I know everyone is sick of the snow and cold weather but just look at it in a positive way. 

Embrace the beauty of this winter wonderland God created for us. It is beautiful and it usually only happens one time a year for us. 

Enjoy the down time. When everything goes away next week and the chaos of life is back, you will be wishing you had this time back. 

Read all those books to the kids, play the games, play outside, cook those meals you don't normally get to during the week because of being rushed and sit down as a family to eat, watch the movies etc. 

Maybe take this time to work as a team and deep clean the house and catch up on laundry (if you have water). Work on some projects that have been neglected. Learn some new skills. 

Maybe take this time also to work on a strategy for how to deal with this the next time if it comes around again. Like checking those pipes to see if they need insulating or worked on. Come up with an emergency food plan like getting non perishable items that you can cook and staples to cook and bake with. Have some back up water on hand. Kind of emergency prepare. Check the central heat and air and get the firewood cut. Have a plan. Be prepared for next time. We know this comes at least once a year. I know some things can't be helped but being prepared in some areas will help relieve the stress.

I am by no means bragging, but this is the reason why we like to stock our freezer and pantries. I don't care if you grow it or you buy it, no one should go hungry during a time like this. Start coming up with a plan in what you are going to do if this happens again. Start stocking your pantries a little at a time here and there until you can build up a little stockpile. Next time some things go on sale, buy maybe two or three and put some back. Start with non perishables first. Learn how to bake some things and put them into the freezer. This stuff is no joke. God can bring suprises every once in a while but he did give us sense enough to know how to prepare. Remover the story of Joseph in Egypt when they were preparing for the 7 yr famine?

This was one of our local stores. Trucks have not been able to make deliveries to grocery stores. 😒 

We're beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I mean road under all the ice, but a heads up. Farmers Almanac is predicting a few more rounds of this stuff. Maybe not as bad but at least you've got time to prepare. This is for our region. Please look on their website and check your region.