HOME TOUR DO IT YOURSELF BEFORE & AFTERS LINK PARTY BLOG SHOP

Grandma's House DIY

Welcome to the To Grandma's House We Go link party. This blogger party is all about you sharing your posts about homemade, homemaking, DIY, recycling, upcycling, before and afters (of rooms, furniture, whatever), build projects, vintage, any kind of creative, frugal, time saving, money saving or green advice, canning and old fashioned recipes. This link party is all about going back to simpler times, simpler days where we used all that we had and never bought new until there was absolutely no choice.

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #225)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #225. Well Lodi and I managed to make it midnight lol how about you guys? What a weird, quiet new year! Did you guys happen to tune in to the ball drop in times square? I don’t know about you but I found it kind of depressing and even a little horrifying. I wish they had just skipped it and had celebrities do zoom performances or something – just the entire thing online. Seeing times square almost totally empty on new years eve like that was a bit too apocalyptic for me! Regardless, 2020 is finally behind us, cheers to a far better year for everyone! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #224)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #224. I have to admit, though I missed seeing our extended family, being forced to stick close to home and have a quiet Xmas this year was not a bad thing. In fact, this is probably my favorite Xmas I have ever had. We really just took it easy and actually FELT like we got a vacation! None of the crazy anxiety and endless traveling of past holidays! Not such a bad thing! I hope you all had a good holiday as well, happy new year! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #223)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #223. Well we are going to officially have a white Xmas! We got a couple of inches of snow Monday night and an ALL OUT COMPLETE AND SCARY BAD BLIZZARD GOING ON RIGHT NOW – so fitting as yesterday was the first day of winter. I would not have minded not having a white Xmas but it really was just a matter of time – this is northern MN after all! Tomorrow (Xmas eve) we have a high of -2 and I am so glad I don’t have to leave the house that day. I hope you all have a lovely and safe holiday! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #222)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #222. We’ve been hit by a little bit of a cold snap that is actually more like “normal” temps this week. The last few weeks we’ve really seen some strangely dry and warm weather for this time of the year. They’re saying southern MN might not even have a white Xmas! One thing I’ve noticed above all else is that our horses and all of the little critters that visit our bird feeders are drinking more water than they have all year. I’m so glad we purchased a heated water dish for our birds and squirrels – they seem to appreciate it even more than the food we put out! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #221)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #221. How is your December going so far? As for us its been pretty quiet which has been pretty darned awesome. My day job slowed down a little and has left all of its employees a little bit of breathing room. Currently we went back to a more stringent lock down here in Minnesota due to Covid-19. Bars and restaurants had to close back down to just take out only. Lodi joked he could pick me up for a “date night” and drive around the block so we can tell people we “went out” lol. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #220)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #220. We still have practically NO snow which is just crazy for this time of the year but that 40 degrees we saw last Saturday felt just wonderful. Not to brag but I officially have all of my Xmas shopping done. Have I mentioned I don’t like deadlines? lol I just can’t stand the anxiety of an important gift not showing up until the last minute! We had a quiet holiday weekend. Lodi spent a whole day hauling wood for our bon fires next summer and two days hunting with his best friend. I, of course, got a bunch done on house projects. All in, even with how crazy this year has been, we had a good Thanksgiving. I hope you did too! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #218)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #218. Well we finally got a dusting of snow on Monday but, amazingly enough, its on its way to being melted and gone! Strange for us this time of year but no one is complaining. (We were missed by a huge snow storm that hit most of the state last week.) We got a heated water bowl for our birds and little critters and I can’t believe how much they appreciate it! We’re filling it up almost daily and totally regret not getting one sooner! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #217)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #217. Well the weather reprieve was absolutely glorious. I can’t remember if I’ve EVER seen 70 degrees in November lol. I couldn’t sleep at all Sunday night and finally realized it was because of the sound of the rain pounding on our roof. It sounded amazing and sad in a way. I knew by Monday night the rain would turn to snow and it would likely be the last time we had rain in a very LONG time. It was nice though, it filled up the stock tank so that’s a worry I won’t have to think about in a long while! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #216)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #216. OMG You guys I am SO excited – its going to hit 60 degrees today. We have one last truly beautiful week and weekend before it looks like winter will fully arrive. What a gift! I had my first weekend alone here in over a year and I took the opportunity to tackle some projects and just be incredibly boring. A little bit of gaming, a little bit of wine, I never left the house except to feed the animals. I ate pizza and didn’t even bother putting on a bra lol it was pretty great though incredibly quiet! I missed Lodi terribly but I will say a some time alone I think is good for all of us. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #215)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #215. Well, fortunately for us, after record lows and a record snow fall, we have highs in the 40s on the way! Woop Woop! Winter is not quite here permanently YET lol But with it being only in the single digits yesterday morning I finally broke down and got out my winter jacket, boots and a pair of gloves. All this cold and snow made me crave comfort food and you guys shared so many wonderful recipes last week that all my features ended being food! Now, on to the party. Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #214)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #214. Well it happened hard and fast: winter is here. Snow is on the ground and we’re staring down maybe getting up to a foot this weekend! WTH! Hopefully *crosses fingers* this is not the end of our fall weather and may still see some highs in the upper 30s and 40s once this cold front and winter storm moves through. We tackled some pretty hard core projects this weekend right in the nick of time and actually managed to get a new door in! How are you guys fairing? Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #213)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #213. We got the majority of our “before winter” work done though it does seem like an endless list… Probably because we keep adding to it! I want to replace the door on the south side of our house and move it into my workshop. This will accomplish a couple of things. Firstly: It’ll be awesome to have an exterior door in the workshop and secondly the current door is total crap and was letting out a lot of heat last winter. The workshop can be the coldest room in the house, so this will work out perfect. Now we just need to get it done lol On to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #212)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #212. So far October has been chilly but quite lovely for us with few rainy days and many shiny sunny fall days that are just glorious. I’m going to try to take some time off from my day job this week to get a couple of photo projects done. I want so bad to get some decent fall photos of the farm but also, coming out in November, I want to share all the updates we did to our deck before it snows! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #211)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #211. I fear I may have already missed our last “nice” fall day to get some decent fall pictures for my blog post next month. *Loud Sigh* To be fair, I think I only had all of two days when the tree color was good and it was actually nice outside before all the leaves hit the ground. Nice (and warm) weather is surely coming so whether or not our trees have leaves I’m just gonna have to make due! Strangely most of our leaf trees are in full color and dropping their leaves right now but not ALL of them. None of our maples are showing much (if any color) maybe they’re just a bit tougher then the rest? Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #210)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #210. WOW is the weather crazy this year or what!? Below freezing temps totally annihilated my garden and then yesterday it was 80 degrees – WTH!? I’m not complaining, the heat is always welcome this time of year because, lets be honest, it could totally be snowing. A long hot fall I think we all deserve especially this year! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #209)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #209. Its that time of the year again and I just HAD to make chili. Fortunately Lodi loved my Minnesota chili 🙂 I call it that because I’ve spent enough time in southern states to know that its basically unrecognizable to their own form of chili! Here’s the recipe: 1lb ground beef, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 can hot chili beans, 1 can navy beans (rinsed), 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can chopped tomatoes. I always brown and caramelize the first three ingredients first together before adding the tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes. Then I simmer that for a good half hour before adding the beans so they don’t get mushy. Its perfect with grilled cheese and for a cold fall day! I add garlic salt, black pepper, chili powder, paprika, cumin and red pepper to give it more of a kick too! What are your staple fall recipes? Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #208)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #208. Well… It happened… Summer went from 90 to 50 like it saw a state trooper lol. So bummed, we got hit by freezing temps two nights in a row. Wow how that happened fast! Of course, this is not the end – projected highs will be returning to normal but wow how NOBODY was happy to have to turn their heat on! My garden is absolutely done and oh how I am going to miss the fresh produce! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #207)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #207. I got my Mom home from Rochester on Monday afternoon, I am so totally beat but we’re all OK. She has a long road of recovery ahead of her but she’s getting a little bit better very day. I’m taking care of her in any way that I can. Lodi held down our fort while I was gone – only five baseball bat sized cucumbers to be fed to the horses from the garden lol Otherwise we got to try our first watermelon! Not very big but wonderfully tasty. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #206)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #206. Many of you know my Mom has been going through cancer treatments since January. Four months of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiation and now, the last step: surgery. I brought her down to the Mayo clinic in Rochester yesterday morning and tomorrow she will be having surgery. Its just the two of us and its a long procedure and, of course, I’m worried sick. All surgery is a risk though this is, fortunately, not considered a very high risk surgery. If you guys could keep us in your thoughts tomorrow I would so appreciate it! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #205)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #205. Well August is dwindling down – I saw the funniest post on Facebook the other day, “I can’t believe its already August! March feels like only 17 years ago!” What a year 2020 has been, wowser. It also feels like March was yesterday. This is absolutely the longest shortest year I’ve ever lived. Funny fact: I never get carded now that I’m wearing a mask all the time – I guess my eyes look old and tired lol Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #204)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #204. Oh how I love August. I am such a summer person and seeing August is both my fav and the worst all at once. August is really our last dependable month when it comes to summer. In northern MN September is a crap shoot – could be gorgeous summer weather or it might snow! Or, more likely, it may do both off and on lol We’re finally making some real progress on our summer to do list and good thing because we are totally running out of time! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #203)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #203. I love this moment with the garden (I would totally garden anyway regardless of this moment) but the fact that by August of every year its already paid for itself is pretty darned cool! Just a few cucumbers so far but we’ve had several meals of green beans, peas and beats! Kohlrabi is on the way and so are the melons. The herbs just make me silly happy though and our oregano, basil, thyme and dill just did amazing this year. I love stuffing chicken breasts with Parmesan and that whole combo of herbs – MAJOR YUM. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #202)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #202. Our garden has begun to produce in earnest and its just so wonderful to have the organic fresh produce. We’ve had several meals of fresh peas, green beans and beats now. Cucumbers are coming soon and the melons and kohlrabi are on their way. Our fresh basil, dill and sage are doing incredible and I’m basically throwing them in every meal I can! Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, peppers just don’t do well in our garden and I can’t figure that out at all. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #201)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #201. Hey all, well I am officially freaking out because it feels like summer is almost over and I haven’t even put a DENT in our “must get done before winter” to do list! This feels incredibly familiar because, of course, I do this every year. There’s something about hitting July that just makes me panic lol We finally did get some real rain though and the garden is beginning to really produce – love the fresh veggies every day! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #200)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #200. OMG you guys I’ve been doing this link party for 200 weeks in a row! WOW! Thank all of you for joining us every week, sharing the party and getting on board! Well, Lodi and I put the air conditioner in one of our windows…. with absolutely no hope for rain and after being missed by storm after storm and suffocating trying to sleep in a 90 degree bedroom for WEEKS. I broke. First time in all the years I lived here that my stubborn butt was beat by the heat! Of course this is 2020 after all and not six hours later we finally got hit by a thunderstorm that appeared out of nowhere and broke our drought and heat streak… *facepalm* Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #199)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #199. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! With all that’s going on in this crazy world anymore we tried hard to have a chill weekend and some serious R&R. Of course I still did some work on the house but that’s nothing new lol. Around here we need rain DESPERATELY and have seen some serious heat. Our whole yard has become crunchy – getting everything watered is starting to feel like a full time job! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #198)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #198. Wow, as weird as this year has been I didn’t think I’d say this but where did June go? I can’t believe this weekend is the fourth of July already OMG we haven’t got near enough done on the yard lol time to crack the whip on MYSELF. I love this time of the year and I also hate it because we just stored the hay for the horses for this winter and Lodi and I just talked about ordering pellets for the pellet stove also for this winter… Can’t we pretend summer isn’t going to end for even ONE minute!? Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #197)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #197. Wow did we swelter for a couple of days here! Whew! Back to regular temps now after a couple of INSANE thunderstorms. Not sure what I expect… This is 2020 after all and asking for anything normal (even the weather) does seem like asking a lot… Somehow, even with covid, we inadvertently entertained family and friends for the last FIVE weekends in a row. I’ve been counting the days to next weekend that we finally get to ourselves! Even my very-extroverted-people-loving Lodi said last night, “I love them all so much… Let’s never do that again.” Isn’t family great?! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #196)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #196. Well I don’t know what’s going on with the crazy amount of wind that we have anymore but we have at least been able to enjoy some hot summery weather! I’m very excited that our vegetable garden is filling in great and everything we planted came up and is doing well. I am so ready for some fresh veggies. My Mom only has a week left of radiation – so excited for her to get a break and be home for good! I hope everyone’s spring has been going smoothly so far. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #195)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #195. MMMMMMMM I really need to not check out this link party when I’m hungry lol I was absolutely starving by the time I finished choosing my features last week! You guys are some amazing chefs! We’ve had some glorious weather lately and its just about killed me to have to go inside every night. My body is like: “But its light out and beautiful outside… it can’t possibly be time for bed!” We really all should be able to put our jobs on hold the first month of summer every year… Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #194)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #194. Lodi and I accomplished quite a bit this last weekend. We got our little bathroom finally painted out and complete. Our garden is sprouting – so exciting! My Grandma’s peonies, tiger lilies and lily of the valley are all up and looking so darned pretty. Isn’t spring wonderful!? We knocked one planting bucket list item off of my list too by planting an asparagus bed as well. I hope you all had a great weekend! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #193)

Link party #193. To Grandma’s House We Go! Its been an odd, hazy, gloomy, not-sunny-at-all, we-need-rain-so-bad, couple of weeks. Not complaining, its still been over 70 every day, but it is a bit odd. Its starting to feel like I’m just going to have a permanent fire danger warning on my phone forever… Lodi and I are getting a lot done now that spring is here. It feels sensational to be outside again and to enjoy our big deck and to plant something and get dirty! Hope you’ve all had some warm weather to enjoy as well! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #192)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #192. We finally reached the point of no return when it comes to the weather… hopefully lol it is MN after all! We planted flowers this last weekend and yesterday we planted out the garden! I’m kicking myself for not getting the garden planted a week sooner but life is just like that sometimes. We do the best we can! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #191)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #191. Well, in true Minnesota fashion, it snowed! A week ago I was really thinking we were going to get to plant this last weekend lol not so much. I got all of my peonies and other perennials covered that were popping up so everyone was safe and sound. This looks like its really finally it though and we won’t be seeing freezing again until… *crosses fingers* … maybe this fall!? This next weekend we’ll hopefully get all of our gardens planted – I totally miss the smell of dirt! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #190)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #190. All of our green houses opened up unseasonably early and everyone was SO excited even though its still not safe to plant quite yet. We’re all still hunkered down in quarantine here in MN so just getting to go look at plants and go somewhere different was a treat! Lodi and I are getting adjusted now that we’ve moved in together here at Grandma’s house. Under such awful circumstances in the world I’m really relieved to have him here with me. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #189)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #189. Thank goodness for an early spring! Our weather has simply been gorgeous. Considering the current quarantine situation I know everyone is so relieved to be able to get outside to walk, run, bike, or just sit in the sun etc. Lodi and I are planning our gardens and working on our summer to do list. Still haven’t really got my feet back under me motivation-wise with everything that’s going on, but I’m working on it! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #188)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #188. WOW these are some very weird times we’re living in. Poor Lodi isn’t “essential” so he’s stuck at home losing his mind meanwhile I really think us essential employees should get some time off when all of this over lol. He’s the extrovert, I’m the introvert, so the fact that our places aren’t swapped is both horrifying and hilarious. I’ll be the first to admit though his OCD is giving us the cleanest house EVER and that’s not a terrible thing! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #187)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #187. I hope you guys had a good weekend! With the quarantine going on the only reason I remembered it was Easter was because I had several family members send out texts to everyone wishing them a Happy Easter lol. Lodi and I spent it on the couch watching Sherlock and eating way too much pizza… What a strange reality/world we’re living in. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #186)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #186. My poor Lodi I fear is going to go absolutely stir crazy. He and Annie (the doggo) both went from a big city and going out daily to stores, gyms, malls etc. to BOOM: a very small town ten miles away and the four walls of my grandma’s house. Lodi the extrovert, laid off and sheltering in place while meanwhile I’m the introvert that never goes out and would love to be trapped at home for a couple of weeks and I’m the essential one *facepalm* Daily life is so surreal anymore! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #185)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #185. Wow we sure are living in some strange times these days. Anyone else watch the tiger documentary yet? Apparently it is a must see lol. I’m “essential” and I have never before scrambled so hard and been so stressed beyond recognition at my day job. I saw a Meme on Facebook the other day: “When all of this is over can us essential employees take a month off and you guys run things for awhile?” SO tired and I noticed today that EVERYONE I see working now looks exactly how I feel. We’re all in this together. I hope you are all safe and sound. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #184)

SORRY GUYS! I accidentally linked to this older party in my April 19th newsletter. Click here to go to the correct link party!
Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #184. Well, one bit of good news is that we seem to be seeing an unprecedented early spring! It’s lovely. Forty degrees and fifties in the forecast is just amazing. This time last year we were getting dumped on – getting over three feet of snow in just a couple of weeks. With what’s going on right now at least being able to get out of the house and take a walk etc. sure helps a little bit! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #183)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #183. Well as of right now all public schools here in MN have been closed along with just about everything else yesterday by 5pm. How are you guys all doing? As most of you know my Mom is currently going through chemotherapy treatments which puts her in the most vulnerable group. To say I’m a bit concerned for her is a major understatement. She is practicing hard social distancing… which, to be fair, isn’t that different than regular life here in northern MN. For people like my mom though I am doing what I can to follow the CDC guidelines and literally not going anywhere I don’t have to. I hope you all are safe and getting through this ok. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #182)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #182. Well, its official, we’re seeing a VERY early spring. We hit nearly fifty degrees this weekend, it was crazy and it felt SO GOOD! Suddenly I’m trying to switch gears from my winter to do list to my summer to do list… Which means I need to MAKE my summer to do list lol no complaints though, we certainly deserve a long summer and early spring after the last two years! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #181)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #181. It seems to be officially spring time basically here in northern MN… pretty much unprecedented! But if there was ever a people that deserved an early spring I think all of us midwesterners can agree that after the last two VERY short summers, we deserve this! Hope you’re all seeing some sunshine and melting like we are! Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #180)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go link party #180. Well, I’m not sure what we did to deserve it but we seem to be seeing an early spring here in Minnesota *crosses fingers* let’s hope I didn’t just jinx the midwest! This last weekend it hit 42 on Saturday! I don’t remember an end of February with weather this nice ever in my life. It feels amazing! Hope your winter/spring is going well. Now, on to the Party! Read the rest of the post »