Sunset in Winter Unexpected Moments

Today was a regular day my class started at 11 am so I was preparing for that. The class which I will share more about that soon. The class has been amazing for me and others. I look forward to the classes and seeing everyone. It’s all on zoom. 

The picture above and below was an unexpected moment. You can see beauty in everything. It’s like the book I’m reading now Conversations with a Brush by Chris Zydel. She says how we can see beauty in things we were taught that’s not beautiful. I don’t want say her exact words but it’s true something/someone is beautiful and we were taught that it’s not. Changing your perspective on things you will find the beauty in something. Even if it’s a moment that you took for granted. Life is beautiful and every moment is a blessing and a gift. Even the struggles can be beautiful as sometimes the hardest times we can overcome and something spectacular happens. 

Here I was in the bathroom I always look out the window as I have seen animals and birds, I must confess I am looking for Bigfoot. Today as I was looking out of the window and I saw the icicle and the sun. I went outside to get the picture. Just look at the tree and the sunlight shining through. 

The greenhouse a subtle orange glow. Beautiful!! Take a moment today and find the beauty in just the simplicity of it. 

I had went to the dermatologist for a check up. It’s always a good idea to have it checked out. I spent many years in the sunshine and not protected. My mother would take me to the beach as a child and I was so pale I would be burnt in no time and we would be there all day. I would cover myself with towels coats and even jeans. My family would make fun of me but I was protecting myself from a sunburn that would be so painful. I only wish my parents had gave me sunscreen. I made it and now I wear hats and long sleeves. Always wearing sunglasses. I do have cataracts but the ophthalmologist said it would be years before I would a surgery. 

Today I thought I would bring back some more pictures of 2025. We still didn’t even get through all of them from 2025. Just a few.,,, 

I love this one. Alexis looks like she did as a young lady. I’m so proud of them. Love them so much. My Garebear. 

Hey beautiful people, the beautiful people the beautiful people I’m singing 

You know you’re a cheesehead…… love the hats!! Bruce wanted to buy one of those. 

Baker with Papa 

Eating those tomatoes don’t worry boys we will have more again this year. 

Both of the boys in the wagon headed to the Little Free Library 

This is one of my favorites them playing with the water this past summer  

It may be cold now but before you know it summer will be here 

Sunset on the pond 

I love the sunsets I see on the days that the sun shines I call it a slice of heaven 

I painted this type of sky in my paintings I went from memory not looking my pictures. I will be sharing that painting in five more days. Tomorrow is day 15 of the 100 day project.

Just a little reminder for your day….. be on the lookout for those simple things of  beauty today. It may even come in a smile or a snowflake. The sun shining in your eyes. Trust your instincts and open your mind to see the beauty in things that we were taught had no beauty. Change your perspective and see that it is beautiful. Thanks to Cody for coming by to help your daddy today. As a bonus I got to see Cody. Always makes a momma smile. Thank you!!! I love you ❤️ 

See you tomorrow. 

Much love and good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 
 

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Meet the Pioneer Princess Wood Fired Stove Great for OFF-GRID

The Day it was put in the house 

Hello and a great big welcome. So some days I have so many ideas as to what to share. Then other days no idea at all. Well today was one of those days. I have had a journal block. Perhaps I could use ideas and suggestions from others. Like what to write about in February. I am still reading The Poisonwood Bible. The author Barbara Kingsolver is amazing. To even think to have a tiny ounce of her writing skills would be incredible. I have read several of her books. This one has taken a bit of time. 

Any who back to the Pioneer Princess this is the video of the day it arrived. Long story short we were to pay for it when it was ready paying monies as we went like a layaway. It was very costly. This was a different time in our lives. Well my daughter Alexis had to pay for it and then I paid her back once I could. I tell you we have incredible children. Grown adults but always my daughter and sons. The day we brought it in the house was something. It took everyone. It weighs approximately 650 pounds however if you have one with a water reservoir it weighs approximately 700 lbs. 

see the very first video at the top of the day it was brought into the house. 

I always love using it. It cooks amazingly and so well worth everything. It allows us to heat our house and cook our foods. Here in this picture we had moved it over after the first year of being where it went we arrived at our new home. 

Cooking a Sunday meal in it 
If you want a great off-grid stove this is it!!! 

I sometimes cook right on top of the stove top this was homemade tortillas. Colby always loves when I make them. I haven’t done it in a long time now. 

Another video for you view on the Pioneer  Princess 

This is just last week. Bruce has been doing most of the cooking lately which is a true blessing for me. I am always so grateful for him. We had made potatoes. Colby loves putting malt vinegar on his potatoes. 

The firebox the bottom is the ash box 

These were really delicious first time we had them. They are tiny pork ribs. 

Cooking right on the top of the cooktop. 

She’s just so lovely for a stove if it can be that. 

Biscuits going in …….?

This was its first place we had it. Which Bruce moved over like a year later. 

First time I ever cooked in it 

This was the day we first saw it in the store Lehmans in Ohio. We actually ordered it from https://www.discountstoves.net/Pioneer-Princess-UL-C-Wood-Burning-Cookstove-p/ppul.htm

It took about 8 months to ship from the time we ordered it. We payed a lot less than that price of today. It was back in 2020 weeks had ordered ours. Things were in shortages then so they added more cost as it went along as steel had increased in prices. The enamel coating was in shortages too. Perhaps not today???  

Bruce has been having headaches here lately. I tell him to drink more water. Just a reminder for all of us. Much love and hugs. 

Good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 

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Making Suet Cakes for the Birds

Well hello and welcome I am going to share what I like to make for the birds. I first buy suet (it’s a hard raw fat) usually sold in the grocery stores in the freezer sections or ask the butcher. When we order our cow we tell them we want to get the suet. We also will render this down to use in our soaps and foods. It’s then tallow. 

Once I have the suet I thaw it out and slice it up to fit in the food processor which grinds it up into smaller pieces to add to the cast iron Dutch oven. You can use whatever pan that you have that’s large. Once melted sometimes it doesn’t all melt so no worries it still works. Once it’s turned to a liquid place peanut butter in turning off the heat on the cooktop. Then add peanuts, raisins, and bird seeds. I usually get a fruit and nut mix for this just a small bag. It is quite expensive. Once it is beach sand consistency, start adding to your molds. These can be little jello molds or even a Bundt pan works. Even soap Molds. I have saved the plastic ones from when I bought the store bought ones. I have used them for over three years now so they work great. Pie pans work too. You can even make these for your chickens. 

Once the molds are full I take them outside to the porch where it is cold. I can only make these in the winter times as we have a bear problem and they love suet cakes. So once it starts to warm up and spring in waking up. I put the suet cakes away. The bears will rip them down break the baskets and the feeders. Even the beehives. 

I just fill them up to the top. That can also depend on your basket size. The dollar tree ones are much smaller in size. 

Here they are on the porch once solid they can go to the baskets. 

The extra ones that I have left over the birds and other critters come to enjoy as well. It’s thru my screened door that I captured this one. As I can scare them away if they see me. 

This little squirrel didn’t care one bit that I was standing there. 

Here are some I made before 

This is an older photo 

These suet cakes are enjoyed by all birds. The fat is good for them in the winter. 

The other night we drove to help Cody out.  Well I tagged along to see the grandchildren. Brooks was wearing Papas boots. 

Brooks made us all laugh. Papa said those look mighty big on you. 

Today when Bruce was helping me this little picture of Cody came about when he was two. Brooks reminds me so much of Cody. Everyone used to say with the boys. Jr was born first then the our three girls, then Cody then the rest of the boys. One of my friends Renee’ said it’s like the endless Cody. Because all the boys except Colby and Cooper had brown hair. Colten and him really looked alike.  

Colten is in Maryland for work right now. My aunt Sissy had her battery to die in that extreme cold weather. Luckily the neighbor was kind and so helpful. I always say it takes a village. 

When the kids were all growing up we would have five soccer games at one time to go to. If I hadn’t had the community helping me we could have never done it. These games would be in different counties and different times. It truly took a village to raise my nine children. I am so grateful to have had such wonderful parents/friends/coaches. A huge blessing!! Even when I was in high school I played on the tennis team my parents never came to games. We would have games all over Newport News and I had no rides. I wasn’t driving in the ninth and tenth grades. So my coach would bring me home in her little blue Volkswagen Beetle. Thanks Coach!!! You made a difference in my life and I appreciate what you did. She believed in me. 

Bruce cooked lamb chops (we had in the freezer from a red tag), root vegetables mix and a Cesar salad. He makes mine with the gluten free croutons. Yum yum!! Today I was really tired and felt like I couldn’t stand as my foot was frozen all day. 
 It comes from back but it’s so uncomfortable. 🥴 Better day today when you are reading this. Yes!!!! Sending out good vibes to the universe. Much love. Oh yeah today I started cumin and caraway seeds. We shall see how they do. I had got those seeds from Bentley seeds. 🌱

Vibes coming your way……✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Dawn Gallop 

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The North Carolina Snow Storm of 2026 The Bomb Cyclone 🌀

This was the storm that rolled through Northeast North Carolina among many others in the state. The Chesapeake area wasn’t but a dusting. My aunt lives in The Chesapeake area of Virginia.  The storm came with winds up to 50 mph gusts. The temperatures were in the teens. The windchills made the temps feel like -5. It was right brutal for that area. We were telling them that they were in little Michigan. As that weather we are quite familiar with. The hard thing here is the snow is deep and it freezes to blocks of ice where it’s impossible to walk in. 

With the temperatures in NC they should be on the melt real soon. 

Groundhog Day and Phil sees his shadow so six more weeks of winter. Yay!!! Happy Groundhog Day. 

 The grandchildren Kim gets them the best snow suits they had brought them here when they came and they were able to use their winter coats but they didn’t get snow until after they were heading home. It was Thanksgiving weekend. Then right after we had a dumping of snow. 

Jr loves his fire pit. Him and Kim bought us one for Christmas this year. It is so nice. 

Jr is always working 

P

We used to do this when all our kids were little. We used hoods of old cars. Bruce would pull all the kids around with a three wheeler that we had at the time. Bruce also would repair others dirt bikes and four wheelers so he always had many to test out. It’s always nice to see your own children sharing things we did as a family many many years ago. It would have been in the early 90’s. 

Clarissa 

Samantha 

Dakota 

Levi 

Snow angels for the win! 

The fun will just make you smile. 

Kim and Jr. I’m so proud of them. Great parents and hard working parents. 

It’s nice to see Jr all grown up just makes a mom so proud and happy for him. I am thankful that Kim sends me pictures and I can share them with you. 

Today I have had a struggling day with my stomach all day. I did paint this morning for my 100 day project. I really am enjoying the process. I feel like I have learned so much just by doing it only the 12 days so far each day I get a little more creative and really apply what the mushroom is telling me to its surroundings. I know sounds bizarre but the paintings will tell you what it wants along with your intuition and imagination. I am thankful. 

I finished another book yesterday. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad it was absolutely amazing and all the contributors were amazing. I have started another one of course. 

Sending out love and positive vibes to you. 

Good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 

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