Batten Down the Hatches!

So it seems 2014 is coming in with a bang--we're expecting a major snowstorm here, starting today and going into tomorrow, with temps below zero.  Fun, fun.  Today I will spend a lot of time getting cracks and crevices blocked up so everyone is comfortable and safe.  No small task, but very necessary.

I haven't had a chance to really think about what I'd like to accomplish this year as of yet.  Actually, I've spent this past week finishing projects, and putting away the Christmas decorations.  Is it just me, or is putting away the Christmas tree just unbelievably sad?  That little tree gets to be like a member of the family in a way, and when it's lit up, the whole room is warm.  But as the month goes on, and the holiday ends, it's time to part, and we eventually de-decorated it and take ours out to feed to the goats, who appreciate it quite a bit.  But the room looks lonelier to me. 

Blah.

Anyway, before I get to working on getting everyone settled and insulated, I would like to share some pics of the projects I've finished.  Here goes!

Project number 8:

Two little snowmen candlestick holders.  These were also sitting in the closet from 15 years ago, waiting to be painted.  Done!

 

Project 9:

This is a pattern from Mary Corbet's Needle and Thread, which I've loved forever, but never got to.  She designed them as a hanging, but I have nowhere to hang them, so I improvised.

 

 

Project 10:

This was not on my list.  I saw a pretty Dresden Plate Christmas quilt, and wanted to do one like it.  But I didn't have enough of any fabric to do it, just bits and pieces, so I settled for a small table thing, and used the little bits and pieces.  It looks nothing like the project that inspired it, but I like it quite a lot.

Project 11:

I designed this quilt years ago, based on an Amish design, of which I am a big fan.  I then set out to find all the fabrics, which I eventually did.  It's been a pile of fabric with a picture of the quilt on it for years and years.  I finally took the dang thing out of the drawer it was in, cut it, pieced it, and then quilted it.  It came out well.  I think the stuff's been hanging out since 2006 or 2007, so it was about time!

Project 12:

I dunno....can you tell it was windy yesterday?   Maybe?

This one was pieced and sitting and sitting and sitting.  It's huge, like a twin size, so that's why.  I was feeling brave after finishing the blue quilt, so I figured I'd take the initiative and get it done.  What a pain in the rear!  If you've ever quilted a large quilt on a home sewing machine, you know what I mean.  I stuffed this thing under my machine mercilessly until it was done.  My shoulders still ache.  And the scalloped border was a pain in the butt.  But it's done!  And it's no longer laughing at me, taunting me to finish, which it's done since maybe 2008 or so.  So there, quilt!  Take that!

There is one more quilt to show you, but I didn't take a picture.  I will get there!

So...done and done.  Someone asked me, or commented a while ago, about what to do with projects I don't like anymore.  Do I finish them anyway? 

Nope.  In fact, I just found a small quilt top that I must have done at some point, and I hate it.  I threw it away.  I will do that with the small tops (sometimes I'll use them for the animals or as scrap as well), but if it's a larger top, I will find someone to give it to, who may finish it.  Quite a few tops over the years have gone to charity for that reason.  If I like the top but I don't love it and don't feel it's worth quilting, I might turn it into something else.  I did that with a Halloween quilt once--I liked it, but not enough to quilt, so I turned the edges under and made it a tablecloth.  And once I finished a quilt, realized I hated it, so I then used it as the "batting" to another quilt.  Yeah, the damn thing's heavy as heck.  But at least the ugly quilt was useful. 

So no, I don't feel beholden to finish every project I start, especially if I no longer like it.  It gets tricky when it's a cross stitch project, because there are SO MANY HOURS involved in those, throwing them out is not so simple.  I have a couple now that I really need to think about, as I don't like them, may not finish them, and don't really want them anymore.  It may just come down to passing them along to someone who will like them.  But with the quilts, I'll just donate them or toss them.  I have SO many quilts, some stupid number of them that's completely ridiculous.  Sewing is my creative outlet, so if I get an idea, I make it.  That leads to a lot of quilts.  Everyone's bed has a quilt, my kids have quilts I made for them additionally, there are quilts all over the dang place.  So parting with a few along the way that I don't like is no big deal.

And as I've told my husband, when I die, he can have one hell of a yard sale.

....or one hell of a bonfire.

His choice.

Stay warm, my friends!

Slowing Down--Sorta

I was scheduled to work all this week, but with the weather being whatever it is, the schools have been closed.  This causes me not to have to work, but also to have two VERY bored children in the house.  They have hit the ages of "We don't want to play together", and so now come to me individually to complain that there's nothing to do.  When I suggest that they play together, the suggestion is met with derision.  Forget mentioning things like cleaning out their closets or toyboxes no one plays with anymore.  HA!  So....I give up.  Instead, yesterday I did what any good mom would do--hid in the kitchen and made chicken stock.  Oh, and a cake.  Don't forget the cake.

This, my friends, is the ULTIMATE gingerbread cake.  Dark and chewy and spicy goodness.  Not for the faint of heart.  The house smelled amazing while it was baking.

Yep, it seems my little cherubs have hit the "difficult" stage.  Joy and happiness.  On Sunday we went to cut down our Christmas tree, like we do every year, only to have both children cry about it at one point or another as they could not agree on a tree.  My husband and I finally had to declare that this year my son would choose, as my daughter chose last year, and that we would alternate year to year.  This made my son happy, but not my daughter, who cried and cried and cried.  It made for a difficult day, and I declared more than once I was just going to go down to the Agway next year and pull one off the lot, instead of having everyone upset.

Yep, I handled THAT masterfully.

Oh well.  We brought the tree home, and put it in the stand, and then I proceeded to upset the whole turnip cart, because this year I put on clear lights.

Dum dum daDUM!!

We were a colored lights family, my friends--for years.  And I always liked them.  But a few years ago, I looked at the tree and thought "I betcha I would really like that tree with clear lights".  And then every year thereafter I thought the same thing, but did nothing about it.  This year I finally went for it. 

And the kids complained like it was going out of style.

.....At first.

I asked them to wait and see.  I was thinking if they really hated it, I could just unlight the dang thing and start all over again with the colored lights if necessary.  But then the ornaments started to be put on.  And all of a sudden, it was "Oh! The tree is glowing!" and "I can see all the ornaments!"  and "It's so pretty!" and "I'm glad you changed them, I like the clear lights better".  And mommy-o here did an inner smirk and passed out the glass balls.

And it is, indeed, pretty.

The tree was the last piece to be put on.  The rest of the decorating was done last week, and I have to say this for a small house: it may be very difficult to find places to put things, but it is much easier to decorate.

In our last house, which was considerably larger, decorating was a three day affair.  Here?  Ha!  One day, if that. 

 

A couple of surfaces....

 

Put some things in the open bookshelves....

Done!!

And it looks pretty.  The other nice thing about coming from a larger house is that I have SO many decorations, I can pick and choose what I want to use (heh, that rhymed).  It can be overwhelming, but it means I don't have to add anything, and it looks full nonetheless.  Yeay!!

Other than the decorating and work, things have been pretty slow.  The animals are all on "maintenance" right now, as it's too cold or crappy to do much, so it's been the routine of feeding, watering, milking, putting in, taking out, that sort of thing.  Most of my time is spent indoors, thinking of what to do.  I'll be honest--I'm not good at "slow".  Though I can sit with a cuppa and relax to some music (John Denver and the Muppets, anyone?  We are HUGE fans here), eventually I just want to do SOMETHING.  I'd rather be insanely busy than sitting around, that's the truth of it.  But it's the time of the year when we're meant to slow down--look at any cat, and you'll see this is the time of year to just do nothing.

 

Exhibit A--Phynn.
The incidence of cat "deaths" this time of year is particularly high.  Very sad.  :(

 

Exhibit B--Icky

I wish I could take a leaf from a cat's book and just do what they do, as I need to slow down, if only to recuperate for next year.  But UGH!  I'm not going quietly, that's for dang sure.  This year I am having a tough time.  I am trying to find things to keep myself busy, even if it's only a little busy, but it's not really working.  Last year I got so bored, I painted the kitchen cabinets.  This year there are no cabinets to paint.  This will not be an easy winter, I think.

But enough complaining.  While I've been trying to keep occupied, I have whittled away at my project list.  Coming in at number 5, I have that snowman pillow that you saw the beginning of here.  I admit, this one was a softball, compared to that cross stitch.  I simply sat one day for about an hour and did it.  Here he is, sitting with a friend:

 

This is a pattern from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine that comes out yearly, Holiday Crafts.  This one (I think) was from 2010.  I had seemingly cut out the snowman's head, nose, earmuffs, and part of the scarf, and then put it away, thinking I'd remember what the pieces were for.  Ha!  I gave myself too much credit.  I found the bits last month and had no idea what they were--that'll show me.  Only after digging through the magazines I have did I figure it out.  Since I am not leaving any projects hanging around this year, I put him together and here he is!  I've done a lot of those pillows from that magazine.  They are all designed by Bird Brain Designs, which I really like.  This is the first that she's done that's not on a light blue background, and I just love that.  It really pops the snowman, I think. 

Coming in at project number 6, another cross stitch piece:

And before you think that I'm a really fast cross-stitcher, let me just say that I had half finished this piece before I put it away, which is why it took me so little time to finish it.  I had stopped at the blue Santa line, so I had very little left to do.  When I found this buried in my closet, I wondered why I did not finish it.  But let's just say I remembered very quickly why when I started on it again.  What a pain in the rear this project was!  Not only is the linen very difficult to work on because of the color changes and thread blending in it, but the pattern itself was full of fiddly little bits of colors that were like putting three squares of color here, three squares of color there, and so on.  Super fiddly.  I did get through it, but I also cheated because the last line under the wreaths was supposed to be pine cones, and I just wasn't going to do it.  I put some stars in there instead and called it good.  Enough is enough is enough and I just wasn't enjoying myself. 

How old is that project?  Well.....I looked at the chart and the date on it is 2002.  I don't think that I got it then, I think it was a couple of years later.  Either way, this one has been sitting a while.  Oh...and if you love fiddly cross stitch and would like the chart to this, you can have it.  Just shoot me an email and I'll mail it to you.  It's in very good shape and there's no reason to not pass it along.

And last, but not least, project number 7, which was unplanned, but worked out ok anyway.

This one was not unfinished, so it probably should be 6A or something instead of project 7, but oh well.  The little choir ladies were a pattern from this year's Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts magazine.  I liked their little gnome outfits, but didn't want to make just little random people without a setting.  If the cats ever wake up, they'd steal them for sure.  So I dug through my stash and pulled out all these little wood pieces-the base, the house, the birdhouse, the lights, and put it all together.  I think it's cute, and happily it used up many wood pieces that I have been hanging onto for YEARS.  How many years?  Back before I got my first "adult" job in a bank, I worked retail, and one of those jobs was at a craft store called Creativity (now defunct).  They had the best wood department, hands down--I've never seen any other store have anything even remotely like it.  Just amazing little wooden shapes.  That's where this all came from, I just finally took it out of the box I had it stored in, painted it up, and put it together.  So...I want to say 15+ years or so, that's how long I've had those bits.  Not too bad, right?  HA!

Onto the next!  I hope you are all staying safe and warm and will talk to you all again soon!

D-O-N-E

And just under the wire, too.

On to the next.

A Challenge For Myself

Every year I say the same thing: "This winter, I'm going to get some projects done." 

And every year it never happens. 

The projects I'm talking about are the kind of things like quilts and sewing projects that have been waiting for a long, long, long time.  I need to go back a little to tell the story, so if you'd indulge me for a moment, here it is.

Back when I was a suburban stay at home mom with two small children, I lived in my sewing room.  Every day I turned on my sewing machine, and I completed one quilt after another after another.  I spent the whole day in that room many times, because, other than taking care of my children (who were in school and preschool), gardening outside a bit on a small patch, and cleaning the house, I had nothing else to do.  It kept me busy, so it was good.  It was like my job, and I really enjoyed it.  I bought a lot of fabric, I tried a lot of new things, I was very creative. 

Fast forward a whole bunch of years and a lot of upheaval, and here I am, on a large patch of land with a lot of animals and a gigantic garden, and I spend no time in my sewing room.  There's no time to spend!  Between working, taking care of the animals and working the land, ha!  Sewing doesn't get done.

 

But there are many projects that I started long ago that moved with me and now hang out in the corner of this room, taunting me.  They have for years.  In fact, I figured it out last week, and the newest project of my unfinished project pile is 4 years old.  Others I don't even want to know how old they are--many, many moons.  It bothers me that they are there, incomplete.  And every year I decide I'm going to whittle down that pile, and every year I don't.  So this year, I am issuing a challenge to myself:  I WILL get that pile down!

So from time to time, expect a picture or two of a project that has been finished.  And yes, I will admit how long it's been sitting.  I'm going to start myself off here, and show you a couple I finished this past month, when things started to "slow down" for me.  Ready?

This one I started last year, so it's a young'un!

Nice, crooked picture.  :) 

Embroidery patterns were freebies from Red Brolly.  The rest I made up.

This one is 3 years old, and was waiting for embroidery and quilting.  I'm happy I got it done when it's still Autumn!!!

 

And now for a work in progress.  I should tell you that I can't just sit.  I have to have something to do with my hands, so usually I crochet or stitch.  I have been cross stitching since I was 11 or 12, so that's usually my fallback.  I don't do it too much anymore because there is never enough time when the days are long for me to sit and get into a large project--or there are just too many other things to do.  When I do do a cross stitch project, it's usually a small one.  However, this one I have wanted to do for maybe 6 or 7 years.  Finally I started it, and I am going to finish it by December 2nd, because I have a framing coupon I want to use on it.  If I miss that deadline, then this project is going to go with the many others that have been finished and will never be framed.  That's a sad place to be, so I'm trying to get it done.  Anyway, I started 2 weeks ago, and this is where it is now:

 

I will get it done!  Or die trying.  :)

And that's it.  Definitely not my normal post, but if you see a picture of a finished something on here from time to time this winter (and you will!), you'll know why!

Playing Catch Up

Hello, my friends, hello!

Long time, no talk.  I certainly hope you had lovely holidays and are enjoying whatever winter weather you may be getting.  Today, we are getting snow, snow, snow.  It's quite lovely and fluffy.  This snow is going on top of the last snow, which was heavy and wet.  Of course that makes for some interesting walking and driving issues, but it sure is pretty.

We have had such a busy week, I'd love to catch you all up.  I hope you don't mind.

• I will say, without a doubt, that the time before Christmas is my favorite.  It's better than Christmas.  I love the anticipation and the excitement my kids feel.  Christmas Eve is the best. In my family, we have a big meal over at our house, and we sit and talk and laugh a lot. 

 

This year, my dad brought his banjo mandolin (hee hee, pop), and played for us.

 

 

I videoed it, but in the interest of family peace, I will not show it.  Instead I will hold it as blackmail.  Leverage is always good.

 

The concert was very nice, and the tree looked very pretty.

 

We also had a cannoli contest, which I could not enter as my cannoli cream was like soup.  Good soup, but soup nonetheless.  My brother won and made a speech that was full of humility and modesty.

 

 

Or not. 

 

 He got to take home a trophy with a "chef" that looked like Tutankhamen.  Lucky, lucky boy.  As for me, I don't ever want to see another cannoli again.

 

Luckily, dinner was much better than my cannolis.

• Christmas Day started at 4 in the morning, with my daughter bouncing up and down on the bed asking if we could open presents in an hour.  The answer was no. 

When we finally did open presents, after the animals were all squared away and so on, they had a great time. 

 

Christmas at our house is small.  We don't buy a lot of toys for the kids, but instead buy them books and things like that.  It's all in my sad efforts to "round out" my kids and broaden them.  And yes, I know that all they really want is Legos.  I still try.

 

All bets are off when we go to "Mema and Papa's" house (my parents).  There the "Wall O' Presents" awaits.

 

Yep, the kids nearly explode.  But they have to wait until we've all eaten brunch and then the opening begins.  This year, Santa brought everyone a present--headlamps.

They are completely awesome.  Santa rocks.

 

After gift giving, we basically sit around and eat all day, and the kids play with their toys.  It's a good day.  A very good day.

• I'd love to follow that up with something great, but after that, it's kind of a letdown.  The following day I was sick and slept the entire day away on the couch in an awkward position, which threw my back out again, and I'm currently trying to get it to heal because well, I need my back.  Go figure. 

I made this scarf for my mother for Christmas.  It's my favorite out of the three I made her.

 

I seem to get sick every year, right on the day after Christmas.  It's probably because of all the prep and running around and stuff.  Hopefully, now that I've gotten my yearly Christmas cold out of the way, I can move on. 

• My kids have been watching Despicable Me pretty much every day this vacation.  I'm not sure why they decided to watch it, but now they can't seem to stop.  I will admit, the movie starts slow, but it gets pretty funny.  I have sat down a time or two with them to watch bits and pieces.  Funny, funny.

Me and my hubby.

• When I was sick, and when my back was really out, my husband and kids took care of the animals for me.  What a nice break, though I could live without the sick/pain thing, I truly could. 

• 

  This is Percy, who really fits into this box, don't you know?  It may look too small, but it's really not.

• Today I went down to a friend's farm to meet our soon-to-be new goat, Winter.  Winter is a year old Boer goat, and is a beauty.  She's not showable because her ears folded wrong when she was cooking in her mama, but she's not for showing here, so it doesn't matter. 

Thor is depressed.

She comes from a 4 quart a day milker line, and since we have an issue with two of our girls and CAE, she'll be needed to pick up the slack.  Yep, I have a whole plan, but I won't bore you with the details right now.  Let's just say that the short of it is that I need to refocus on productivity, since feed has become so costly.  That means another girl bred (which Winter will be) and ready to be milked come Spring.  They need to earn their keep more than just being my goaty girls (though that does give them a pass forever and ever).

This is why Thor is depressed.  Her name is Sara, and she's new.  She's also (we believe) pregnant.  Long story, but needless to say, she's not interested in Thor.  And he really, really thinks she should be.  I would tell you that story, but I think Thor will say it better.  I'll ask him to sit down one day and write it.

I had a great time today with my friend.  It's nice to be able to talk "shop" with someone who knows all about it.  I spent WAY too much time in her goat pen, just surrounded by the goats.  Heaven, I tell you.  Yes, I really am a goat person.

• The little bunny-lings have reached 6 weeks and have been sexed three times now.   I feel by this point, they've developed enough that I can be sure, and I pronounce them girl, boy, boy.

Can you find three bunnies in this picture??

The girl, who's name is Violet, is slated to go live with my brother and his girlfriend in Albany.  The two boys, Timothy and Alexander, will remain here.  They are getting beautiful dark grey wool.  I'm very excited and I'm hoping it won't lighten too much, but that will depend on whether or not they take after mommy or daddy.  And they are friendly as all get-out.  I guess all that hard, horrible work socializing them is paying off.  I'm glad it was worth the sacrifice :).

Speaking of their daddy, Philip Johnny Bob is desperately in love with Daphne, and it's time they were acquainted.  Unfortunately, Daphne's built a nest and seems to think she's pregnant.  As it's been three weeks since it was built (and haired and all), I doubt it, but she doesn't really want PJB too close.  I think she's got her signals crossed.  The next clear day I have, I'm going to get those two a love connection and see what shakes out.

We are very, very mean to cats here.  None of us likes them at all.  Not. At. All.

• And finally, I've been spending a bit of time in my sewing room/office.  Not only thinking and planning for next year (lots of that), but also, shockingly, sewing.  It's been nice, since I have nothing else I can do with the cold and snow and all.  It has been a very long time since I've sewn anything that wasn't needing to be fixed or for something utilitarian.  Hopefully, I will have some pics to show when the dust settles.

I hope you all enjoyed your holidays.  I can't wait to catch up with all of you, too!

Testing, Testing....

WhiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiNNNNNNNnnnnnne!

I'm T-minus 3 weeks to the big school hatch (in case you missed it, I'm guest-running an "animal lifecycle" unit in my daughter's 4th grade class.  We're hatching chicks), so I needed to test the incubator and egg turner, not to mention to learn how to use it.  It seems to work beautifully, and it was not difficult to figure out.  I put 4 eggs in it; 3 of which are from my Welsummer, Hoppy, and 1 from one of the Black Copper Maran girls.  Or it could be the other way around.  Or is it two and two? They're all kind of super-spotty at this point, since the Marans have been laying for a while and the color's not as dark as it could be.  I don't know who the daddy is for any of them, so if there are potential chicks in them, they'll probably be a mix of Welsummer/Copper Maran.  The Silkie boys can't reach (if you know what I mean), and Beethoven, the Ameraucana roo, isn't allowed to mate too often.  The older boys see to that.  I believe there will be a couple of mutts in our future, if there's anyone home.

Anyway, the incubator has been whining away for a few days on the kitchen floor.  It is a truly annoying noise, which is the only drawback.  Well, that and thermometer doesn't stay put, but that's the fault of the turner, because as the eggs shift, the thermometer shifts too.  It's no big deal, it'll just be another thing for the kids to watch for.  It seems to be holding the temperature well, and it's definitely rocking the eggs, so I am a happy farmer.

On the flip side, it's been super chilly and wet as of late, so I've had nothing much I can do out of doors, and I've been working inside.  In fact, it's holding up that project I showed you, so it's going to have to wait for another nice day for me to finish.  Bummer.  In the meantime, I've been making headway on cleaning out my sewing room, and I dusted off my sewing machine yesterday to make these:

Oh hey, that's sideways.  Let's try that again, shall we?

Oh hell, I give up.  Sideways it is.  Blogger, you can be SO stubborn.

Guess what these sideways things are?

Placemats! 

Shaped like chickens!

Oh laugh, laugh laugh!

Yes, the little things amuse me.  And these are my new favorite table accessory.

Stay tuned, as I'll either have chick news to talk about or a project to reveal, depending on the weather.  Have a great night!