Monday on the Home Front

( As always feel free to share what's going on in your neck of the woods in the comments, or on your own blog. Just let me know so I can come read it!)

Outside:

Snow, snow, and more snow with another 10" expected today. The high today is 28°F and the low is 12°.

In the Kitchen:

I'm slow cooking a roast for Italian Beef Sandwiches tonight.  ( I use one jar of Pepperoncinis OR Italian Giardiniera, not both.)

I'm loving this Rice Krispie Treat Recipe that a blog friend pinned on Pinterest. It truly has the PERFECT ratio of butter/marshmallow to cereal.  If there's one thing I hate, it's dry Rice Krispie Treats. These are YUMMY!!!

In the Bathroom:

 My hair really takes a beating with my life-long curling iron obsession, and the fact that I heat style it every. single. day. It's been feeling a little dry this winter so I bought this Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil and so far, I'm enjoying its conditioning properties. I know that there are far more expensive versions of this online, but this was only $6 at Walmart, and it got good reviews.  I only apply a scant dime sized amount to the ends of my hair (where the curling abuse occurs) when I get out of the shower, being careful not to get it up near my roots where my head produces its own oils. When I blow dry my hair and style it, my hair feels soft, and curls up nicely without even a hint of oiliness. It just renewed that bounce that my hair has after a fresh cut from the salon.

(Not a Paid advertisement) ;)

In the School Room:

OK, who am I kidding, I don't have a school room. At my kitchen table, the kids are working diligently on their assignments, and the days seem to be a bit long.  We try to get as much done as possible these winter months while the snow flies, because spring and summer months are where the real learning takes place outside of the classroom with calving season, travel, and outdoor adventures. 

In the Pasture:

This will be a busy week with the vet. Heifer Bangs Vaccinations, Horse teeth floating, Annual equine vaccines, and a follow-up visit for Jake's leg injury. The cows are due at the end of March, and are looking more plump these days.

In the Feed Shed:

We waged an all out assault on the mice, and have trapped 18 in a week. There is a lull in the activity so we may have temporarily eradicated them, no thanks to the lazy cat. The mice paid a high price for the bag of peppermint flavored horse treats that they devoured. Take that, Vermin!!!

Over the Air Waves:

We're listening to an audio book from the library. It's a Newberry Award Winner called, "A Year Down Yonder" by Richard Peck.  It's about a 15 year old girl from Chicago who goes down south to live with her grandmother for a year.  With its setting around the time of The Great Depression, there are a lot of great lessons about resourcefulness, frugality, and counting every small blessing.  We're only half way through the book, but it has already sparked many conversations with the kids about history, character traits, and finding real joy in the midst of hard times. I hope the second half is as good as the first!

On the bookshelf:

We just received a copy of "A New Home For Lily" by Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher. It's the second book in "The Adventures of Lily Lapp" Series, and we were so excited to find it in our mailbox! We've thoroughly enjoyed reading a few chapters before bedtime each night.  More on this book to come when we've finished it......

On the Calendar:

This is going to be a full week with Valentine's Day, sorting cows, riding lessons, vet visits, and a date night!

Happy Monday, Readers!

Nell