This lifestyle involves learning a lot of new and wonderful things. It also includes a fair amount of failures. Yet, thankfully, a lot of successes as well. One can’t have one without the other.
Success story: When I started this blog almost two years ago I had posted a stock photo of shelves of canned goods. A lot of folks asked if it were my shelves of canned goods. I honestly said that there is no way that was mine, so beautiful and prolific. I can honestly say now that my current pantry shelves are every bit as beautiful and will feed us well for the winter. Work well done.
(stock photo)
(our new pantry complete with 400+ jars of delicious food)
Failure: (temporary, I do hope)
We attempted to take the chill out of the old house as we were working in there the other day. We started a roaring fire which quickly dissipated and left the house a balmy 56 degrees. We need to learn how to use a wood cookstove and how to keep a fire stoked in the relatively small firebox. It needs to be able to heat the house and not need attention every five minutes. The house smells like wood smoke, rather nice, but not what it is supposed to smell like, I am sure. Time for research!
Farmgirl School 
Congratulations on your awesome pantry. We know the energy required to get it looking like that! Re: the cookstove, it takes time to get to know your stove; they all have their own personalities, likes, dislikes and foibles and we wish you luck for a speedy “acquaintanceship”. 🙂
Amen! I hope me and the stove become close buddies quick. I ordered a “how to cook on a woodstove” book and a case of wine. One way or another I will learn that stove!
No mistakes….just lessons learned! We all do that. Donna from The Small House Homestead.
True, and the mistakes make for humorous writing material!
I love the stove! Great canning job too!
Thank you! I am excited to start using the stove.
I’m very interested in your stove and how it works for you. Is it a Monarch? Surely you are not planning on that being your sole means of heat, right?
If it would be of any service to you, I operate a blog devoted to cooking on a woodburning cookstove, but your situation is a little different since yours is a combination range. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help, but I would also appreciate it if you would feel free to comment on my blog from the perspective of a combination range owner.
When you get a chance, please take a gander at http://www.woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com
I’ll be glad to help in any way that I can,
Jim
I am not sure what brand it is. And yes, we are planning on heating the house with it. Propane is far too expensive. We have been told that we can though it would be nice to have a little woodstove in the living room. Not in the budget yet, but I do hope to sufficiently heat and cook with our wood cookstove. I’ll keep you posted as to how it works! Thanks for the comment.
Your pantry looks awesome and I’m very jealous.
I know you’ll get the wood stove figured out in no time and will love it!!!!
I’ll be a pro by the time you arrive!
Your pantry shelves, filled with so much goodness, are beautiful!
Congrats on the pantry! I have tons of jars…but no good place to put them. Mine live under the bed and tucked away under the sink. One day!
Creative storage!