A REAL Prairie Princess

As if there was ever any doubt that I am a true Prairie Princess, here are a list of things I've done in the past week  that pretty much put me in the category of former prairie greats such as Laura Ingalls Wilder and Ma Walton.  I mean, we knew this already but I amazed even myself this week with my pioneer like ways.

*Went for FIVE days without a dishwasher!  That means I washed dishes dirtied by five people BY HAND.  Gasp!  At about day 3, I realized paper plates were made for just such occasions (I'm quick like that) and that lightened the load but still...dislike.  Alright, I gotta be honest I didn't actually wash all the dishes by myself for 5 days, I LET the kids help.  It was a fun novelty to them so I let them indulge their life long dreams of washing dishes.  I'm a good mom like that.  The needed part came on Friday and by Friday night I was back in dishwasher business.  Thank goodness that dark time in our life is over.


*Started a fire BY MYSELF.... THREE TIMES.  The fireplace in our house is old school.  No switch here, you actually have to use logs and stuff.  We've had some really cold evenings and nothing makes me happier than Christmas music on the stereo, candles lit, something yummy in the oven and a warm fire roaring in the fireplace.  GI Joe has  been once again working marathon hours so if I've wanted something done I've had to do it myself.  So I did.  I started a fire.  And I'm happy to report that it stayed solely in the fireplace, there were no injuries AND it stayed burning as a fire should.  Also, I didn't even cheat and use lighter fluid.  I did it the old fashioned way with logs, twigs, newspaper and a lighter.  Because I'm quite certain that Caroline Ingalls had newspapers and a lighter and then blogged about it using her laptop.  So between this life accomplishment and washing dishes by hand for 5 days, basically we ARE the little house on the prairie. 


*I drove a really big boy truck to the feed store to get straw and feed for the animals.  You should've seen the look on the guy's face when I stepped out of the truck in my pink coat, fuzzy scarf, and high heeled boots and asked him to load up some straw bales.  Priceless.  I'm quite certain he thought I was using them for Christmas play props.  But then I started talking farm stuff with him so he'd know I'm legit and his mouth dropped to the floor.  He couldn't thank me enough for stopping, I think he's just not used to seeing anyone not wearing overalls and a feed cap.  What wasn't priceless was when I had to take that all home and then spend hours outside in the elements in my NON PINK Carhartts (I'm working on ANOTHER letter) insulating all of the buildings that the animals use for shelter..by myself with a fever and nausea.  Good times, IF your idea of a good time is manure, continuous sneezing and watery eyes from the straw, frostbite and too much time to repeatedly ask yourself "Why do we have all these animals again?"   I still firmly believe if my Carhartts had been a nice shade of raspberry the task would've been all rainbows and kittens. 

While my pink Carhartts are in production I'll stick with my norm.....

Good night John Boy.