Meet the Pioneer Princess Wood Fired Stove

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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10 Days of Scribbles 10/100

 

Hello and Happy February 2026!!! We zoomed through January. I am super proud that I have posted every day through January even with the hurdles I had to overcome. I found this little saying yesterday on Pinterest. It was perfect for me. My only one word for the year is VOICE. I am trying to find my voice this year. I went to an acupuncturist two years ago it was out of my budget but my husband and I said I would stick with it and see how it goes. Well I went once a week for six weeks. Then at the end of the six weeks the acupuncturist said that I am just looking to be heard. It is nice and in a perfect world everyone wants to have acupuncture every week. She suggested I make a once a month visit. Well I had to cancel that one as my grandchildren were here at my house and when I tried to get more appointments I couldn’t. However I listened to her and she was right I want to be heard. At the end of 2024 I started painting again not long after the acupuncture appointments. It was like I had opened a door that had been closed for years. My heart and soul were broken and need to go through this closed door and open it again to make what was broken be repaired. That is was. I have spent most of life painting in one way or another. Wether it was years of pottery or mold ceramics. I would even paint on plastic bead boxes or on tshirts to jeans to you get the idea.  I had this four year hiatus due to the back surgeries and the pain. Then the move which was no easy task. It took my whole family to make that happen. We moved from coastal North Carolina to Northern Michigan. That will be another story.  However I still continue to find my voice. Sharing my thoughts and feelings and art with you is an expression of my voice. Thanks for being a part of this journey. 

Day 10 graphite crayon and alcohol inks. This moves energy and just makes you feel good. 

This soft pastels and liquid watercolors. The quote from some mysterious source. I loved it. These scribbles are intuitive and you never know what you will get. 

I must tell you this a sketchbook from around 2010 that my dog chewed up one day when we were moving. She was a puppy then. She chewed up several books that day. Also it had fallen in the car to the floor and I spilt my water all over it. So it was definitely in need of some scribbles. My dogs energy is involved as well. 

I wrote a little poem for this one and used some stickers that were just sitting in a box. 

This was fun it is the liquid watercolors and the Tim Holtz butterflies that I used Posca pens to color the backs of. To add more bright colors. 

Just enjoy the process. 

Paint and gold pen 

I saw a flip flop and planchette and a heart in this one. 

Watercolor crayons and water 💦 

Inks and the word VOICE! 

Today is Sunday and I have my bookclub in one hour it just dawned on me. On Sundays it’s like time is another dimension. We made blueberry pancakes and small steaks for breakfast. Yesterday Bruce cooked a large pork roast that we turned into pork bbq and the Carolina style hot sauce. Colby walked in and said his dreams were fulfilled then he asked did I make homemade buns. I said no! He said only half his dreams were answered. Haha!! Today we shall have the bbq leftovers. Which now all the flavors have married together and it shall be delicious. Well I am going to get ready for the bookclub as I am a bit wild looking this morning. Wishes and hope to you!! 

Good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 

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