From My Home to Yours: 2/13/26

 From My Home to Yours

2/13/26

~ getting back to our normal ~

Things have returned to what's normal for us and now I'm playing catch-up.  As you would image, I got a bit behind on projects I'm working on, but I'll work at a pace to get caught up that is right for me.  Not stressing, just continual chipping away.

Our daily high temps have ranged from 50's - 70's this week and I keep looking at my raised beds and gardening containers and planning in my mind what I'm going to plant where.  Since, we're going with a smaller garden space this year, I aim to see how much I can grow in the designated space.  Actually, I'm seeing this as a challenge!  Next week I need to focus on getting the raised bed amended that our green peas will go into along with spring greens ... if our weather cooperates.  We can't forget the potatoes either, time to get them chitted and a planting date selected!

Hubby has asked me what I want for Valentine's Day and I've decided that I'd like to have a really fragrant rose bush that produces hops and can be used for herbal purposes.  The color doesn't really matter.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know.  

I worked some more on my winter long project of deep cleaning my pantry and home.  All the little chunks of time I've snatched here and there are beginning to show ... and just as good as the progress made is, the fact that I'm not exhausted from pushing myself to get it done in a shorter period of time feels just as good.

I didn't get much sewing done this week, but I did manage to do some prep work setting myself up for being ready to sit down at my machine when the opportunity presents itself. 

Take a peak at the fabric in the picture!  All 3 pieces are slated to become aprons ... two for me. (I wear aprons quite a lot and as a result they wear out and or get so stained that I can't get them clean.  This is the time of year that I like to inventory my aprons and replace any that need replacing.)  The third piece of fabric (the puppy one) is for an apron for a grand.  Grandma is making aprons for all the grands this year for Christmas.  This puppy fabric is perfect for one of them!

 You can see what prep work I did along with the small amount of sewing and crocheting I did this week HERE.

I did absolutely nothing for the pantry this week except eat from it.  I added nothing, just used from it ... but isn't that what our pantries are for ... using!

I continued reading Dark Chaos, by Ginny Dye, book 4 in the Bregdan Chronicles.   If you haven't noticed, this series has me hooked!  Like I always say, if you're interested in any of the books I read, first, check your local library, check on Libby, try to find them used or if possible borrow them from someone you know who has them.  As a last resort, if you really want to read a book and can afford it, by all means buy it new!   However, I highly recommend you start with the cheapest method and go from there.

Ladies, the first lesson in our Bible study on Naomi has been posted.  You can find it HERE!

And finally, I want to go back to the recent weather event that swept across a good part of the country. In some parts it dumped large amounts of ice leaving many without power for several days and large amounts of snow in areas that don't usually get snow.  For the next several weeks, I want to do 'case studies' where I present an imaginary family that is not prepared for power outages.  I want all of us to take the 'imaginary family' and offer suggestions for ways they can prepare for being without power for up to 10 days.

Here's the first one ...

(this power outage occurs in the winter)

a family of 3 (father, mother and a new born)

no disabilities and in good health

they do have a well-stocked pantry

they are renting their home

they have a budget of $300 to spend

they do not have an alternate source of heat

they do not have an alternate lighting source other than flashlights and candles

they do not have an alternate way of cooking

How would you suggest this family prepare for a power outage of up to 10 days.  (I'll compile your suggestions along with mine in next week's post and then present another family scenario.)

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 2/6/26

 From My Home to Yours

2/6/26

~ We had a BLIZZARD in the land of 'no snow!' ~

we got 12 inches of snow ...

It was beautiful, it stayed around for about 3 days until and when our day and night time temps rose above freezing.  The 'above freezing temps' along with rain cleared it all out.  It really was the best kind of snow, it came, stayed 3 days and left!  The worst part of it was the bitter cold that accompanied it.  We were not unhappy to see the cold go!  

Consequently, this has been a week of recovery... recovery that looked like doing the necessities and letting the rest go.

I did have some onions that needed using or preserving, I chose to chop and freeze them in one cup increments.  I put these onion filled snack bags in a larger freezer bag.  When I want to use some, I can pull out one baggie at a time or as much as I need.

I also had some horseradish root that I needed to preserve, so I chopped and dehydrated it.

I finished reading Spring Will Come, by Ginny Dye, book 3 in the Bregdan Chronicles.  I enjoyed it just as much as the first two in the series, but this one held an extra treasure for me ... it shared how the main character used herbs to help other characters in the story line recover from illnesses.  Yes, I know it's fiction, but I will take what the author included about the herbs and do my own research.  I already know that some of the ways the main character used the herbs are accurate from my previous research and current use and am looking forward to researching the other herbs mentioned.  There are so many ways to learn if we're really interested in a subject!  

I also finished listening to an audio book I've been working on for several weeks, A Choice Considered by Tracie Peterson.  I don't know why it's taken me so long to finish the book, I really enjoyed it, I guess my 'listening' time has been limited.  I borrowed the audio book through Libby the library app.  I also look for the least expensive way to acquire books I read, and free is about as cheap as you can go!!

I'm gearing up to do another ladies Bible class over on From This Heart of Mine.  You can find the intro HERE.

As you can see, I didn't really get a lot done this week, but then again surviving a 12 inch blizzard and frigid cold temperatures is not our norm and required much more energy and effort.  Now that I think of it, maybe I did get a lot done this week!

And finally, I want to give a shout-out to a new blog, Steph's Simple Living.  If you like what I do here, then you'll enjoy what she does there!

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 1/30/26

  From My Home to Yours

1/30/26

~  prepping for another winter storm  ~

Yes, you read that right, we prepped for a winter storm event last weekend and another one is forecast for this weekend.  Forecast are all over the place as to the amount of snow we are predicted to get and for an area that I laughingly call 'the land of no snow,' a forecast of any amount of snow is a pretty big deal.  So, once again we are in full storm prep mode.

Because of this, I just haven't had time to work on a post for this week.  We are checking our storm prep list and then checking it twice.

We've listened to forecasts for our area until I am 'forecast weary,' yet because of the potential seriousness of this winter storm, I continue to check.

This is what we're being told at this time ...

we could get up to 16 inches of snow in our area ...

we could have a small amount of freezing rain ...

wind gusts are forecast to be up to 60 miles per hour at times ...

forecasters are using the word 'blizzard' for our area ...

an arctic blast is accompanying the snow ...

the storm itself is supposed to last for about 24 hours, in some areas more ...

it's supposed to start tonight and go through Sunday varying in degrees of intentness ...

but then ... we could be in a 'dry slot' and get a dusting ...

however, the arctic blast would still be in place.

We have prepared for the worst and are praying for the best!

Our area never gets snow, so if this pans out to be some 16 inches along with blizzard conditions, I may be offline due to a power outage and or without internet for a few days.

In other news, we're getting things ready to begin our first ladies Bible study of 2026 over on From This Heart of Mine, but before we do that we've done a Recap of 2025.

Like I said, I just haven't had time to do a proper post this week, I hope you'll understand.

Update:  2/1/26 ... In the land of 'no snow,' we woke up to ...

about 12 inches of snow ...

a temperature of 18 degrees with the feels like at 6 degrees ...

this is indeed a rare occurrence for our area ...

so thankful for our preps and preparedness ...

we are warm and safe and as of this update, still have power!

We are thanking God for His care and for His 'going before us and preparing the way!'

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 1/23/26

 From My Home to Yours

1/23/26

~ Prepping for a snow/ice storm weather event ~

I'm a day early this week, but I thought it might help someone in their preparation for the winter storm that is affecting so many to see what we do to prepare for a major weather event ...

If you listen to the weather reports, we are in for a doozy of a weather event!  The coverage reminds me of Hurricane Florence a few years back ... Hurricane Florence devastated our area completely!  Enough said!  So, with that memory in mind and memory of another ice storm that hit several years ago that again devastated our area completely, we are in full prep mode!

As a general rule, prepping for an ice storm (we rarely have snow) is very similar to prepping for a hurricane.  We prepare for the strong possibility of losing power, sometimes long term.

That's where our focus is right now and here are some of the ways we're preparing ...

pictured on the left:  peppers taken from the freezer

pictured on the left:  peppers after having been cooked

cooking up food ahead (as in now) that can be heated and eaten ...  The peppers above are one example.  From freezer, to oven and once completely cooled, to the refrigerator where we can heat and eat.  I also have a whole chicken that I cooked earlier today.  Once it is cool enough to handle, I will debone it, let it cool completely and refrigerate it.  I'll use it to make wraps and other quick grab foods that only require heating.  I plan to pull an apple pie out of the freezer and cook it up as well.  

In addition, we're ...

charging electronic devices and batteries to their maximum ...

securing a heat source ...

securing a way to cook ...

checking our alternative lighting ...

making a run to the grocery store for fresh foods and perishables ...

securing kitty litter or something similar for slick spots on walkways and or steps ...

making sure all laundry is done and put away ...

making sure all bills are paid that would come due for at least a week after weather event ...

making sure animals are taken care of ...

making sure all outside sources of water are taken care of so they don't freeze ...

making sure all the basic cleaning is done ...

making sure vehicle is full of gasoline ...

Yes, we have been and are busy ... we are doing all we can to prepare as we wait ... we may get nothing, we may get some or we may get the whole shabang!  Time will tell, the important thing is that we have done what we could and now we will rely upon our Lord to do the rest.

There really wasn't time to do much in and around all this storm prepping, but I did manage to get a little creating done ...

pictured:  sewing labels that I finally got the courage to try my hand at

This was a productive week at my sewing machine, I didn't really have time, but I so wanted to get some things done and participate in others so I found myself working in blocks of time here and there.  By staying consistent at working on my projects, I had a pretty good week!  Besides creating the labels, you can see what else I did HERE.

Praying that all in the path of winter storm Fern, stays safe and warm.

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Winter Storm Update:  1/25/26 ... we got the cold temperatures and predicted ice, but no snow  We are safe and warm in our cozy little home and are enjoying the preps we put into place.  Thank you for your prayers and concern.  We have not lost power at this time nor do we think we will.  Praying for all who've lost power ... it's a good time for neighbor to check on neighbor!

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 1/16/26

  From My Home to Yours

1/16/26

~ the pantry is the root of the kitchen ~

I watched a video from Ali's Organic Garden and one of the things she said really made me stop and ponder.  She said, 'we all know the kitchen is the heart of the home, but the pantry is the root of the kitchen.'

Let that sink in ... 'the pantry is the root of the kitchen,' what does that imply?

our pantries are foundational ...

our pantries keep our kitchens operational ...

and our pantries are the heart of our kitchens!

With a well-stocked pantry that's customized to our family's wants and needs, there is no limit to what we can prepare in the kitchen.  Maybe it's a ...

yummy meal ...

healthy snack ...

delicious beverage ...

food gift ...

or herbal remedy ...

The kitchen is definitely the heart of the home, but that pantry ... oh yes, that well-stocked pantry ... it makes that heart of the home hum and bulge with possibilities! 

With the above in mind, let's take a peak at my week, did I do anything pantry related?

How about we start with planning our 2026 garden, a bountiful garden helps keep our pantry well-stocked ...

January is the month that I start planning what we will grow in our garden.  This year, since our gardening will consist of raised beds and containers, I'm going to attempt to develop a better system for management.  The first thing I did was sketch out our raised beds and containers on paper.

The squares are raised beds and the circles are 25 gallon containers.  The bottom pictured plan is of our raised beds in our orchard.  Those 'trees' are a variety of semi-dwarf fruit trees. 

 Notice that each 'raised bed' and 'container' has a number.  On a separate sheet of paper I'll list the numbers, what I planted in each, when I planted it and the expected harvest date.  Since our gardening space is more than cut in half this year, I'll be concentrating on succession planting as a way to get as much from our garden as possible.  I'm looking forward to having a garden that fits our needs but doesn't exhaust me.

I continue to inventory, organize and clean my pantry ...

This part of my pantry is a 3 ft by 4 ft closet ... yes, it is!  My hubby put shelves in it for me and it can hold approximately 300 jars.

For my 2026 reading goal of reading the entire Bregdan Chronicles series, I'm 3/4 of the way through the 2nd book, On To Richmond.  The Civil War has just begun and I'm so attuned to the characters that I can almost feel their feelings.  Ginny Dye is doing an excellent job of drawing me back chapter after chapter!

I've been able to do a little sewing this week, you can pop over here to see my 2025 sewing roundup and here to see what I've stitched up this year thus far.

And finally, we've had some cold weather for our area this week and it has been a daily chore to keep our 'wood tub' filled and ready for use!  In our opinion, you just can't beat wood heat for warmth when the temperature drops outside!  It doesn't hurt that it helps keep our power bill manageable as well!

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!