Mornings with Me: 11/23/24

 After morning chores, I did the 'weights' part of my exercise routine and then set to work on getting November's mail ready to go in the mail for our grands ...

Be still my heart, I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting them together for them!

You can get all the details along with what's in them HERE!

After they were all in the mail, I set down with a nice big glass of iced tea to rest a bit.  I am much better, but I want to continue taking it easy for another day just to make sure I'm completely over whatever my body was fighting.

What did your morning look like?

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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.  Thank you for your support!

Mornings with Me: 11/22/24

 Our low overnight was 31 degrees, so we lit our first fire of the season this morning ...

We were under a 'beat the peak' alert from 6:30 - 9:30 this morning, meaning that any power used during this time period would cost more ... that was our cue to bring the wood stove out of its long summer rest!  The wood heat is so warming and we're going to appreciate it even more when we get our next power bill!

We've had quite a busy week, and it was starting to take its toll on me in the form of minor respiratory issues, so I started doing some preventative things ...

cider fire, water,

resting and watching for symptoms that would mean I would need to go to the next level of my treatment plan.  I always try to start at the lowest level and move upward if/when needed.  Many times, if I listen to my body and catch it early, this lowest level of treatment is enough.

After we got the wood stove going, I fed my sourdough starter and settled in for some quiet and meditative Bible study time.  (I can't think of a better way to rest than enjoying some quiet Bible study time!)

That pretty much was my morning, nothing really exciting, but oh so fulfilling!

A couple more things and then the rest of the day will be yours ...

I finished writing and posting the last lesson on our ladies Bible class study on Martha on Thursday.  You can find it HERE.

I also posted a post on Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine of a quick no-sew project yesterday that'll get you in the Christmas spirit.  You can find it HERE.

What did your morning look like?

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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.  Thank you for your support!

Mornings with Me: 11/9/24

After morning chores, I was still in a mood to sew, so when hubby said he was going to town to run an errand, I opted to stay home and sew some more!

Remember that Santa fabric I shared about in yesterday's post, I used that and a thrift store cotton sheet to make two totally different items!

You can pop over to my sewing blog, Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine and see what I'm talking about; I am so pleased with my efforts!

Look at the bargain's hubby found while out!!!  

That's a lot of quick and easy meals at a fraction of the full price for each!

We make it a practice when we have errands to run, that we always stop in at a couple of the grocery stores where we typically find bargains ... if they have any!  Bargains are getting harder and harder to find!

Hubby hit the jackpot this morning and all but one package of the baloney went in the freezer for future use.

That's it, that was my morning, how was yours?

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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. 

Mornings with Me! 11/8/24

After morning chores and my exercise routine were completed, I looked at my to-do list for the day, chose one item on it to do and then promptly ignored the rest!

Yes, I did!

Sometimes, you just gotta take a day off from the to-do list and that's what I did!  Instead, I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my morning sewing so, I did ... or should I say I did a lot of cutting out projects to be sewn!

At any rate, I popped on something to listen to and set to work ...

I cut out and prepped for sewing the following ...

new 'fall/winter' curtains for the kitchen

a fall skirt for myself

a skirt for a bathroom cabinet

and cut this fabric into panels for future projects

This piece of fabric was given to me, can you believe it ... look at how cute those vintage Santa's are!  It had been in someone's stash for several years and they were looking to rehome it offering it to a friend of mine.  The friend of mine thought of me and asked if I wanted it.  As you can see, I did!  God is so good to me!

I cut each project out, pressed it and did the first pinning for the first sewing (I like to pin all the first steps of my projects and get them ready for me to sit down at the machine and start batch sewing.)

I'll be sharing the finished projects over on my sewing blog, Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine, as they are completed.

Oh, in case you're wondering what that one item I chose to do on my to-do list for today was, it was to make sole water (pronounced so-lay).  You can read about it at the link.

I am thrilled at the response to our Circling the Wagons class.  You all have far exceeded my expectations, and I can't thank you enough.  It's not too late to join in, we're on week two, so feel free to join in either here on A Working Pantry blog or in a more private setting over on The Tuesday Afternoon Club Facebook group owned by Annabel of The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm.

That's it, that was my morning, how was yours?

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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. 

Mornings with Me: 10/28/24

As you will have noticed there was no 'Hunkering Down' post on Friday, nor is there going to be 'A Journal of my Days' post today.

I'm working hard to get our Circling the Wagons class started and off the ground.  Both above named features will return at their next scheduled time on Friday of this week and Monday of next week.  In the meantime, I'm going to try to do some 'Mornings with me' type posts until I get in the rhythm of working the class into my schedule.

Without further ado, here's today's 'Mornings with me' post ...

After morning chores, I popped online to read class comments and respond to those.  You all are amazing and I'm taking lots of notes!

Yesterday, we were offered the opportunity to get more peas, so this morning I went and picked two 5-gallon buckets full. (The couple who owned the peas also helped me pick.)  I am so thankful for God's provisions and for those who allow themselves to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Back home, I rechecked the class comments, I try hard not to overlook anyone so please be patient with me.  Every comment and response are important to me.

By this time, I'm feeling the need for a little lunch, so I made myself two chicken patty sandwiches using:

cooked chicken patties that I did in one of my batch cooking sessions earlier

1 low carb flour tortilla (half for each patty)

refrigerator pickles I made earlier this month

They made delicious low carb, high protein sandwiches with just a touch of sweetness from the pickles.  (Yes, I'm still very much trying to keep the weight off I lost and get in the best physical shape I can be in. I'm in my 4th year of my better health journey.) I made two chicken patty sandwiches with a total of 355 calories for both combined.  I was full and satisfied, both of which are important to me.

That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings with Me!: 10/24/24

 After morning chores ....

you do know that those morning chores have to be done first ...

some mornings I don't mind and others I just want to get on with my day!

I started on my 'cleaning out our closet' and reorganizing it all project!  Whew!  I made a good dent in it, but it will definitely have to carry over into tomorrow!

After a while I needed a break from putting my hands on every piece of clothing in it to sort into keep, rehome, refashion or recycle categories so I headed to the kitchen and made some more sourdough flour tortillas.  This time I used a different recipe ...

Before I started with the dough though, I had some beef top round marinating in the refrigerator for jerky and took it out, patted it dry and loaded the dehydrator.

I know it doesn't look all that appetizing, but this stuff is delicious!  This will definitely be a keeper and go in our recipes collection.

After I finished loading the dehydrator and making the tortillas, it was back to my bigger task ... the closet.  Even in its 'not so pretty' state things are already easier to find!

This is going to be one project that when it's completed will make our lives easier when it comes to getting dressed!

That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings with Me!: 10/22/24

 After morning chores were done, I got things ready for my Tuesday morning one-on-one Bible study with a friend that we do online.  If you don't have a local source for in person one on one Bible study, I urge you to find someone you trust to study with online.  Bible study is just the best ... but make sure it's the Bible you're studying and not what someone says the Bible says! There could be a vast difference!

After that I worked on a mystery writing project ...

this is the only hint I'm going to give at this time about the project!

(Wagon clipart link … https://clipart-library.com/clipart/713877.htm)

That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings with Me: 10/17/24

 This morning was a 'cooking ahead' kind of morning for a purpose!

I'm planning a big reorganizing project over the next few days, and I wanted to have enough cooked ahead so all I would have to do was heat and eat or grab and go ... plus I had some more batch cooking that I needed to do.

I made granola bars from part of the granola I talked about in This Post.

Here's the method I used ...

2 cups granola

1/2 cup sourdough starter discard

1/2 cup peanut butter chips 

(I used peanut butter chips because it was what I had; chocolate chip would work too)

6 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

a sprinkle of salt

Mix all together

Press into a 9 x 9 baking dish (I lined mine with parchment paper)

Bake 20 minutes

Let cool completely and cut into bars

I had two of them for my lunch and they were delicious!

I packaged up the rest and added them to the refrigerator.

I used more sourdough discard to make pizza crust.

I turned the eye on to between low and medium and put coconut oil in a 6-inch cast iron skillet to melt.

Once the coconut oil was melted, I poured in 1/2 cup of sourdough discard and let it cook until edges were bubbly, and the center was firm but not cooked through.  

Once it was at that stage, I flipped it and let it cook until done.  (I did 6 of these.)

  I let them cool completely, packaged them and placed them in the refrigerator .... all but one!  I made myself a small personal size pizza for my last meal of the day.

One personal pan pizza from scratch in order of putting together ...

1 sourdough discard pizza crust

home-canned pizza sauce went on next

shredded mozzarella cheese

crumbled cooked sausage (because that's what I had already cooked)

a few more sprinkles of shredded mozzarella cheese

crumbled up a few dehydrated herbed tomatoes (that I made earlier in the week)

a sprinkle of cayenne pepper flakes

I broiled it on low for 10 minutes, let it cool enough to handle, cut it into manageable pieces and enjoyed it immensely.

I just have to say that I really did like the 'pizza crust' and it was a way to use up the sourdough discard without discarding it!

I finished batch cooking the sausage hubby found on mark down earlier in the week and added them to the freezer part of our pantry.

In between all this cooking, I reloaded the dehydrator with more apples and pumpkin spice fruit leather.

And if you're wondering what my big reorganizing project is ...

I'm pulling everything out of our clothes closet, giving it a good fall cleaning and then plan to go through every piece of clothing, etc in it and make a determination of whether to keep it, rehome it, recycle into cleaning rags, or upcycle it into something different to wear.

Once I get started on this project, I want to be able to stay at it until it's finished ... hence, today's cooking ahead session!

That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

(Rude and or unkind comments will not be published, this is a place of warmth and encouragement ... enough said!)

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings with Me: 10/15/24

After my morning chores were completed, I had a mountain of laundry to get done!  Yes, it was a mountain, more so than I normally have but we had some extenuating circumstances this past week that prevented me from getting it done!

Today was the day to slay the laundry dragon so I got to work as soon as hubby left for work.

One load ...

two loads ...

three loads ...

four loads ... 

five loads ...

six loads ...

seven loads ... yes, seven loads of laundry.  We are normally a three-load family per week!

I'm glad it's done!!!

In between loading the washer and unloading the washer ...

and loading the dryer and unloading the dryer ...

and the hanging to dry the items that needed to hang dry ...

I spent some time in Bible study in preparation for an upcoming Bible study class!

I also filled the dehydrator up again, this time with fruit leather (5 trays) and herbed tomatoes (3 trays)!!!  

Fruit leather is not just for kids you know, especially good ole home-made, filled with nutrition, easy to grab for a snack, fruit leather!  This is a great way to use fruit in the freezer that you need to get out of the freezer, but you're just not sure what to do with it!

Here's the method I used.

I had a few more tomatoes that needed to be used, so I filled three more trays with herbed tomatoes.

As of the time of this writing (which is evening), the fruit rollups are done, wrapped and in a jar and I'm waiting on the tomatoes to finish up.

 That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

I sure am glad to be caught up on laundry!!!

Don't forget to leave a comment!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings With Me: 10/9/24

As you can see, I'm late getting today's 'Morning's with Me' entry posted ...  some days are just so full that it's hard to find time to write until late in the evening.  Such was the case today!

Here you go ....

After morning chores, I set to work to make a batch of granola ....

Mixed and ready to go in the oven ...

Here's the recipe I used.  I got it from Our Log Homestead over on Instagram ...

Simple granola recipe

 2 1/2 cups oats

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup maple syrup

 Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stir until combined, spread onto parchment paper. Bake for 30 mins (toss with a spatula at the 15 min mark). Let it cool completely before storing in a mason jar!

Fresh from the oven and smelling delicious ...

Here we are, jarred up and ready for use!  Of course, as soon as it was ready, I sprinkled some over yogurt and had myself a delicious snack.  I plan to use the most of it to make granola bars.  I may or may not get around to that tomorrow ... although if I wait too long, I might have to make another batch ... this stuff is delicious!

 That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings With Me: 10/8/24

It's Tuesday afternoon, and I'm back with a 'Mornings with Me! post.  'Mornings with Me' post are simply posts where I share what the morning of said day looked like ... homemaking my way, if you will.

So, what did my morning look like?

It started off with my morning routine and chores.  You know those chores have to be done, whether we want to or not.  

This morning was my weekly Bible study class with a local friend that we meet online and do.  But before it was time to begin, I did get this little item on my 'to-do' list started ...

For those of you who have been long time followers, do you remember Prudence?

Prudence is my 'years' old sourdough starter that I wake up and use for a while, then put back to sleep until I want to use her again.  I've literally been doing sourdough this way for years.

With the holidays approaching and gift giving season shortly to be upon us, I need to get Prudence working again to make holiday goodies.

That's what I did this morning, I got all my supplies out and set them on the counter, enjoyed my Bible study class, and then picked back up with Prudence once it was over.

Later this afternoon I'll give Prudence her first feeding, put her in a warm place with a breathable cap on (a.k.a. a coffee filter held down by a rubber band) for 24 hours and then feed her again.  I'll continue feeding and getting her ready to go to work for a few days.  I should be able to start baking with Prudence towards the end of the week.

That's it, that was my morning!  What did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.

Mornings with Me: 10/3/24

 After my morning chores, I looked at my 'to-do' list for the day and got busy ...

I had a couple of used zip lock bags that I needed to wash up for reuse, so I set them to soak in soapy water with a drop or two of bleach added ...

Next up was to get a pot of bone broth going.  In this crockpot are:

chicken feet/paws

onions

celery

red pepper

garlic cloves

carrots

salt and pepper

and I'm going to make a run outside to harvest some rosemary and parsley to add as well.

I'll let this simmer for about 24 hours at least.

Bone broth is so good for you and I'm trying to get in the rhythm of making a pot once a week to have on hand for drinking purposes.  The goal is at least 1 cup per day.

After I finished getting the bone broth going, I made up a jar of what will be fermented garlic honey.  After about 3 days of it sitting on the counter, I'll change out the lid and move it to the refrigerator to let it continue doing its fermenting.  Yes, the fermenting will slow down, but I'll feel better about the safety of the product.

I'll use this as a tonic drink ... 1 tablespoon in a cup of warm water.

With all the 'port' talk going around, I've been looking at some of the things we use on a regular basis that might be affected.  Bananas are one of them, so I stopped in at the local big box store last night to pick up some for preserving.  I was shocked at what I saw!  I'm not kidding you, that huge store was half empty in the grocery section.  I mentioned it to my hubby when I got back in the vehicle, and he reminded me that people were probably panic buying.

Anyway, I got my bananas and this morning set about prepping them for dehydrating.

I peeled them ...

cut them into 1/4-inch slices into a citric acid solution so they wouldn't turn brown ...

drained them and laid them out on dehydrator trays ...

set the temp to 135 and turned it on.

These should be dehydrated in about 10 hours, but of course I will check them and give them more time if needed.

I'll use these in smoothies when I can't get fresh bananas.  They'll be shelf stable and won't take up precious freezer space.

I did one tray sprinkled with cinnamon.  I read about someone doing this and thought that I would give it a try.  They said they made a tasty snack ... I'll let you know what I think when they are finished dehydrating.

That's it for today, what did your morning look like?

Don't forget to leave a comment!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

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, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

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.