Signs of Spring

 Summer is my favorite time of year but spring comes in a close second.  Our hens are earning their keep and hopefully, Henley, our rooster, will earn his, too.  He is a handsome guy, isn't he?  I love to hear him crow.

 We have a lot of in-house projects going on.  This weekend my husband is focusing on the master bath.  He gutted it last weekend and this weekend he put in a new floor and shower stall.  In this picture, the toilet is sitting on the back deck.  It doesn't look too pretty there and I hope it gets back to its' original home real soon.  I see, too, that the sandbox is on the deck; not so sure I want sand put in it yet.  I don't know that the deck is a good place for it... we'll see...

A new clothes line to help with the overabundance of laundry.  I have another very large clothes-line out back that will be utilized as soon as I finish this post!  ;)
 
A pretty blossom in the front garden.

Some sweet daffodils in the front garden!  Spring's on its way...hurray!!!

Happy May Day!

 May first, already?  Goodness, I've been gone from this little place for a long time.  Surely wasn't intentional but life has been busy and full!  Each May, my children have enjoyed delivering homemade goodies to our neighbors, no matter where we lived.  Some years it would be cookies, others handpicked flowers or weedy flowers in homemade paper baskets.  This year they made these adorable seed pot baskets filled with either Dove chocolates or a bird sitting on little eggs.  Our neighbors thought they were cute and enjoyed their homemade goodies.  Here's a link to the directions: Peat Pot Baskets

 Remember, I've been working on UFO's?  Well, here's a huge one that I finally finished!  This piece is called The Marriage of Minds by The Drawn Thread.  I started this project over ten years ago and hoped to complete it by our 20th wedding anniversary.  Well, we celebrated our 30th anniversary this past August.  It was a little overdue!  But I did finish it, so that's a plus, right?

 It's now on my living room wall and I couldn't be happier with it!  There are a lot of specialty stitches in it and it was a fun project.

 The wording is from Shakespeare.

 I picked up in the winter right where you see, "It is an ever..." and finished it up last month.  We were all sick for a good part of the winter this year so I spent a lot of time on the couch stitching.

On the original pattern, the wording at the end reads, Twenty tempestuous years.  I don't think our thirty years have really been tempestuous, even though we have had our share of ups and downs.  More fitting for us, I thought, was Thirty fruitful years!  With seven kiddoes I thought that fit us better!     

Overwhelming UFO's

 UFO's upset me.  Do they bother you?  I have several; some are knitting, some cross stitch, others embroidery and some are quilted.  I like to keep life interesting so I change it up a bit.  This year, the cross-stitch group I belong to thought it would be a good idea to get some of us to move on some projects that have been put aside for one reason or another.  They all needed to be cross-stitch (it is a cross-stitch group afterall) except for one and there could only be five.  Easy enough!  So I chose this embroidery/quilting project that is so near done I can taste it.  That's my one non-cross-stitch project for this game.  I think I can get this one checked off my list at some point.

 Now this project is a different story.  It is a learning hardanger project.  I'm not much of a hardanger girl but I do love the look of hardanger, just never ventured into those waters.  As you can see from the picture below I'm nearly done except to fill in the spaces.  I have one HUGE mistake that is holding me up.  I cut threads that shouldn't have been cut.  With all the work that's
been put into this piece, I hope one of the more experienced stitchers in my group can save it and me!  I could just cry... this one I've chosen to set aside for now until I can get help for it.

 It is a pretty one though, isn't it?

 This project will be a Christmas exhange ornament for my group.  I have to keep it secret though, because I don't want anyone peekin' til it's exchange time.

 This one all packaged up and ready to stitch is a free hardanger ornament.  I think I can handle it; it's not too big or complicated.  Glad I got my feet wet on the  other disaster listed above...  My friend, Rose, stitched this one already and it's a pretty one, and free, too!  It's called Holly Quilt Block by The Victoria Sampler.

I have a fair start on this one.  It's called Fall Snapperland by Bent Creek.  Embarrassingly enough I started it last year and didn't get too far.  I hoped to finish it up this fall but I'm not so sure about that.  I feel pressure to get some Christmas projects out of the way before I do stitching for myself.  I still have five more washcloths to knit for someone and a Christmas stocking to make for my grandson.
I do have some lovely Christmas stockings that I just completed yesterday, though.  I'll be back with a post and some pictures on those next time!    

I'm Back!

After a long blogging break, I'm back!  It wasn't intentional, mind you, it just sort of happened.  Life got very busy and it seemed one day moved into another and I always felt like I was running.  It's been a full year.  My mom passed away in August and caring for her the past year had been bitter sweet.  It took a lot out of me and my family, but she knows she was cared for and greatly loved. I sure have no regrets there.  I'm sure she's happy in heaven with my dad and she had a wonderful life. 

 

Now on to happy things!  I'm a grandma!  Well, actually a Gi-gi!  I always thought when I became a grandmother I wanted to be called Gi-gi, 'cause my mom was grandma and my mother-in-law was Nana.  His name is Kayden (as if we didn't have enough C and K's already!) and he's as cute as a button!  I feel extra blessed because he lives right downstairs with his mama and dada!  I get to see him every day!  He gets lots of smooches, too!        

My hands have been pretty busy over the past year.  I finished this one up last year.  The finishing idea was not mine.  Vonna over at The Twisted Stitcher came up with this finishing idea and I copied hers, as I liked it so much.  The pattern is a freebie but darned if I can find where I got it from.  I'll bet Vonna has it on her blog, though.  I know that's where I got it from to begin with.   

I finished did this piece quite a few years ago, but it's still one of my favorite Christmas pieces.  My mom and dad had it on their mantle for several years as I made it for a little gift for them one Christmas.  My mom didn't decorate last year so I "borrowed" it back.  I can't remember the designer of this one but I know it was a freebie, too.   

I'm pretty sure this one is a Little House Needleworks freebie.  I think.  I'm not quite as confident as I was two seconds ago.  Anyway, Vonna is the one that came up with this finish, too.  Hey, why mess with finishing talent like hers.  She has imagination and fun finishes up her sleeve!  I gave this one away for our ornament exchange with my cross-stitch group.  I like it so much I think I will stitch one up for myself this year.  I still have all the finshing materials and I sure would like to display it for myself!  

Oh, goodness gracious, don't you just love this one?  I was gifted with this baby from my very good friend, Rose.  During our exchange, someone picked hers and I kept oooing and ahhing over it.  Just my taste, but of course, the package is all wrapped so you can't pick what you would like.  She knew I loved it and sure enough, the next time I saw her she gave it to me!  Yup, stitched it twice just so I couldl have one!  As you might guess, she's very sweet and a very good friend!  The pattern can be found in the Just Cross Stitch 2012 Christmas Ornament issue.  It's designed by Mosey 'n Me.

Well, I guess that's about it for now.  I have lots more to say and need to take some pictures of  more projects.  I won't stay away so long, promise!       

Jingle Bells Christmas Stockings

I gifted these two stockings to my son and daughter-in-law yesterday.  They really liked them, and seeing it's their first Christmas together as a married couple, I thought I'd give them well before Christmas so they could hang them when they want and enjoy them.  I used "cheap" yarn as I thought it would hold up to years of service.  I used Red Heart in the deep burgandy red, off white or Aran and the deep green.  I'm not sure the name of the colors, but it wouldn't be too hard to figure  out.  I used gold jingle bells and wired gold ribbon.  I loved the way they turned out!  The directions were excellent, and seeing that I've never knitted "backwards" before, or inside out, I just trusted how she wrote the directions and followed them to a T.  They magically turned out perfectly!  You can certainly get a couple done by Christmas.  If you'd like the pattern you can find it at I Live on a Farm.  Her patterns are adorable and well-written! 



Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!  I had a wonderful day eating, laughing and enjoying my family today; truly a gift! 
I have been away from blogging for awhile as my mom was in the hospital, came here for a week to help her recuperate, moved her to an apartment closer to me and is still in need of quite a bit of care.  I feel I've been stretched very thin these past couple of months.  If I may ask, please pray that my mom gets better.  It's been a tough time.
I finally got my camera back (Corey and Lisa borrowed it when they went on vacation a few weeks ago) but now that I'm ready to post some pictures of what has been keeping my hands and mind busy during this trial, I can't find the camera cord!  I have two lovely knitted stockings to share, knitted mitts and a cross-stitch ornament.  Sales for the patterns are on now so I'll quickly buy a new cord on Friday so I can post pictures just in case you would like to buy the patterns over the weekend.  I'll post pictures on Friday evening... I hope!
And last but not least, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is one of my favorite children's books.  I just read it the other night as I do each year to my younger kiddoes, and they loved it as they always do!  Last night we watched the movie (the one with Jacqueline Bissett) again, like we do every year, and enjoyed that, too.  If you haven't read the book (which is very different than the movie) or watched the movie, try to do so.  We borrow the book from the library and the movie from Netflix.  I should probably just buy them both so I have them but haven't done it yet.  If you do indulge, I hope you like them as much as we do! 
      

A Time To Reap is Complete!

Goodness, this was a fun stitch!  I love how it finished up, too!  

I'll surely keep this one out through Thanksgiving!  My little cupboard top is getting a little crowded so I'll need to find it a new home.  Keeping it away from the cats and dogs is the problem.  What are you working on? 

Piccalilli (Green Tomatoe Relish)

Oh, goodness, I took a picture last week of the pints of Piccalilli we made and it's nowhere to be found on the camera.  Well, nothing I can do about that. 
My neighbor told me to go pick all of her and her son's green tomatoes out of their gardens.  She was tired of canning and was done with the garden this year.  I happily spent an entire afternoon picking green tomatoes!  As the sun shone on my back I couldn't help but think how truly blessed I am to have such giving, friendly neighbors.  I savored my surroundings that day, as where I live is truly beautiful.  It's a humble, blue-collar, small town; quiet except for the birds chirping and an occasional car passing by in the distance.  It was a gift not only of tomatoes, but also of an enjoyable afternoon.
I had to leave the two laundry baskets of tomatoes right where I picked them as I couldn't pick them up.  Each weighed about 50 lbs, my husband told me.  I asked him to pick them up on the way home as he passed their garden.  He didn't realize how much there was!  Yes, he weighed them!
So what to do with all those green tomatoes.  Green tomatoe relish, of course!  We made 3 times the recipe and still had some tomatoes left over, but it made a dent just the same.  I got this recipe from another woman that lives in town; a farmer's wife.  She told me the recipe was delicious and she didn't let me down.  Here it is:

Green Tomatoe Relish
22 green tomatoes, quartered
2 small onions or 1 large, quartered
6 green peppers, quartered
6 sweet red peppers, quartered
1-1/2 qts vinegar
3-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup salt
1-1/2 tsp allspice
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp clery seeds
1/2 cup mustard seeds

Wash veggies put through food chopper, usng medium blade. Drain. Place veggies in pot, add 1 quart vinegar.  Boil 30 min, stirring now and then.  Drain and discard liquid. Return veggies to kettle and add remaining vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Simmer 3 minutes.  Keep mixture simmering while packing jars. 
Pack into one hot, sterilized jar at a time.  Fill to within 1/8" of jar top.  Seal each jar at once.  Process in boiling water bath (212) for 5 minutes. Makes 6-7 pints.


          

Stitching and Knitting Plus a Baby Washcloth Pattern

My little Mixie-cat took a nap on my ironing board with her paw around one of the kids stuffed animals. That kitty will love anything!

The evenings are getting cooler and autumn is in the air here in the Berkshires. Although we haven't fired up the woodstoves yet, we've been enjoying some cozy family time watching movies and keeping our hands busy (the girls, that is). I've been stitching A Time To Reap by Plum Pudding Needleart. I love the way it's coming out and wait 'til you see how it finishes up! I'll post a pic once I'm done. I've had the pattern and materials in my stash for a couple years and since I've decided to use what I have first, I'm in love with all my previous purchases all over again!

I've also been busy knitting a Christmas stocking for my son and daughter-in-law for Christmas. This is the first one and I'll cast on the next as soon as this one is done. The pattern is called Jingle Bells by I Live On A Farm. I've knitted several of her patterns before and they are well-written and always come out beautifully. I'm knitting them both in Red Heart Aran and Claret Bordeaux. The colors together are very rich and deep and because the yarn is a synthetic I think it will hold up for many years.

While my children do their schoolwork, I either teach or as they continue on clean the kitchen and cook. Most of the time, though, after teaching the lesson, I sit beside them in case they have a question or need help. Many times I'm sitting doing nothing and have a hard time doing that. This week was a little different; I made baby washcloths for an upcoming shower gift! It is the same pattern as the dishcloths I've made previously , with only a couple differences. Here is the pattern: Cast on 28 stitches Knit first three rows Row 1 Knit 4, place marker, knit 20, place marker, knit 4 Row 2 Knit 4, slide marker, purl 20, slide marker, knit 4 Row 3 Knit 4, slide marker, knit 1, purl 1, slide marker, knit 4 Row 4 Knit 4, slide marker, purl, slide marker, knit 4 Repeat pattern rows a total of 8 times. Knit 4 rows and bind off. Weave in ends. I'll be back soon with a delicious green tomatoe relish recipe!

Jane Austen on the Weather is Finished!

Oh, how I love this quote! My sister-in-law keeps a good sense of humor when talking about her hot flashes. She also has a lovely home at the beach in Rhode Island. I thought this piece to be very fitting for her and it makes me giggle every time I read it. She'll get it in her gift basket at Christmas! You can find the pattern for this piece by visiting The Sampler Girl!

Linda's Ort Bag is Done!

The Victoria Sampler Linda's Ort Bag is finally done! I had the stitching done last week but just couldn't quite get in the 15 minutes I needed to do the cording. I did get it done last night, though, and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

It was a lot of work but it sits very prettily on my side cupboard in the living room. I'll take it down and use it when I stitch; otherwise it'll sit there.

Curtains and Day to Day Stuff

I haven't gone 'private' just yet, but once I have a free afternoon to do that and put out my invites, I will. You have all been very kind in the comments, and I thank you! I finally finished up the girls curtains. The room is small and a bit crowded so this was the best shot I could get of them. Curtains are one of the easiest, cost-effective additions to any room. If you haven't tried making them and want to, just google it in and get your instructions and go for it! You don't even have to be able to sew a straight line; they're that forgiving!

I've been really trying to cut back and save money as the car repairs from last month are still haunting us. I've been using what we have food-wise and have been staying out of the grocery store except for produce and dairy; and even then, I send in one of the kids so I'm not tempted by any specials or sale items. We've been eating healthy, yet peasant-type food. The other morning it was oatmeal and tea. Filling and quite good; better since I decided to call it 'porridge' instead of oatmeal! ;)

My little girlies are having all kinds of fun in the backyard! They made a fort the other day and have been playing in it every afternoon once their schoolwork is done. We ate lunch there the other day. I love it when their imaginations lead them into all different places and time periods!

Going Private

I'm very disturbed to learn that there are two sites, Filmhill and Meeno, which are porn sites. Apparently they can take your pictures (or your children's) and copy them onto someone else's body. If you check your stats page you can see if they have visited your site. They have been onto mine six times. I am deeply upset about this and will not allow the possibility of my children being used. If you would like to continue reading my blog please leave me a comment or e-mail me and I will send you an invitation. I'm sorry to have to do this.

My Favorite Stitching Spot

Oh, I know, I know, it's a mess right now. But Mary Kathryn had a lovely post today about where she likes to stitch. Well, sometimes in the afternoon or at night around 10(ish), I sneak away and put in a few stitches. I did just that this afternoon. Oliver is laying just where I normally sit, stretch out my legs and relax with whatever project I'm working on. Today I'm doing the finishing work on my Ort Bag. I'll show a picture soon! Where do you like to stitch?

Where Did July Go?

This summer is flying right by! It's been chock full of fun though, so I'm not complaining. My pool garden has been just lovely this year. I don't know the name of this flower, but they come up every year and it's one of my favorites. We've spent quite a lot of time swimming and lounging by the pool.

We also went on vacation! We didn't have Corey and Lisa with us this day, which was kind of sad, but we had everyone else. Here, we were on our way to the beach! When there's a lot of big people, I'm really thankful to still have the 'big van'!

We go to Rhode Island every year for a week! Kierra is playing here, but all the kids really enjoyed swimming, too!

Back at the trailer we played Michigan Rummy nearly every night. We love that card game and I'm sure everyone around us heard our laughter! Such family fun!

Of course, all good things must come to an end to make room for other good things. Our garden is in full swing and has been producing really well this year. So far we've canned 8 quarts of beets, 10 quarts of carrots and all those bags of corn. Tonight we'll can salsa and pesto.

I've been pretty busy cleaning, too. Corey and Lisa had no room for this hutch in their new apartment so guess who got it? Yup, me! I've never had a place to put my beautiful china, crystal, or other pretties. I was so excited to get it and fill it up. It looks really nice and now I can pull out my china for special occasions.

We painted bedrooms, too, and the little girlies wanted a pink bedroom with new curtains. I'm nearly done making them and will post a pic very soon. Hope your summer has been full with all kinds of good things!

Easy Dishcloth Knitting Pattern

I knitted a few dishcloths/washcloths over vacation and thought I'd tuck them away for a couple of my friends for Christmas. It's never too early to start knitting for Christmas, right? I used Lily Sugar and Cream cotton yarn; my favorite go-to yarn for dish/wash cloths. They are very soft and hold up nicely, even when not treated kindly! This pattern is great for beginners: Easy Knitted Dishcloth/Washcloth Pattern Materials 1 2.5 oz skein Lily Sugar N Cream cotton yarn size 6 knitting needles 2 stitch markers Cast on 38 stitches knit across first 4 rows. Repeat Pattern Rows Row 1: Knit 4, place marker, knit 30, place marker, knit 4 Row 2: Knit 4, slide marker, purl 30, slide marker, knit 4 Row 3: Knit 4, slide marker, knit 1, purl 1 across row, slide marker, knit 4 Row 4: Knit 4, slide marker, purl 30, slide marker, knit 4 Repeat rows 1-4, 11 times more for a total of 12 repeats. (you will see the ridges) Knit next four rows. Bind off.

We were unexpectedly blessed last evening with 15 dozen ears of Sugar and Cream corn! Fresh off the farm from our neighbor who didn't sell as much as he thought at the Farmer's Market. We shucked, par-cooked, cut and bagged 14 dozen. They are safely tucked away in the freezer! Our meat chickens went to the slaughterhouse this morning and are now in the freezer, too.

Fourth of July was fairly quiet but enjoyable just the same. The girls enojoyed swimming in the pool...

and also entertained us with their yearly Fourth of July play. It was fun and fun-ny! Hope yours was special, too!

Leftover Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Well, I haven't inspected my freezer or pantry yet but I am using what I have on hand for meals. Today consisted of leftover blueberry muffins for breakfast, salad with hard-boiled eggs for lunch and leftover spaghetti made into a delicious pie and salad for dinner. Can I just say, this pie is delicious. I threw things together I had in the 'fridge. You may have the same things hiding in yours too, after a spaghetti dinner. Here's what I came up with: Left-over Spaghetti Pie Crust butter Leftover, cooked spaghetti egg white salt pepper mozzerrella cheese dried basil Melt a blob of butter (enough to coat bottom of a pie plate)in the microwave in a pie dish. With your hands, mix in an eggwhite into the cooked spaghetti. Add salt and pepper and mix. Place in the bottom of the pie plate, pressing up the sides. Filling leftover spaghetti sauce cottage cheese or ricotta cheese salt and pepper dried basil parm cheese mozzerella cheese cooked veggies - whatever you have. I used halved cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions and peppers that were left over from the other night's grilled veggies. Put leftover meat or meatless leftover sauce on top of spaghetti and spread. Mix cottage or ricotta cheese with salt and pepper, basil, parm cheese and small handful of mozz cheese. Place over sauce and spread. Add on cooked veggies. If you don't have cooked veggies in the fridge, you can use some frozen thawed spinach with the water squeezed out. Top with more mozz cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with salad. It's really, really good!

Pantry Challenge

I've been complaining on and off about the price of groceries for a few months now, and have been trying to remedy the problem using little tricks I've learned along my nearly 29 years as a homemaker. Making things from scratch is one way to help. Aside from reducing the cost, your family is getting a healthier meal or snack.Here are a few breakfast items I use to fill our tummies healthily (is that a word?) and cheaply: Homemade almond milk is a great addition to morning smoothies and is less expensive than buying almond milk at the store. Try making your own; it's easy. I add in fresh Kale from the garden - easy to grow Homemade plain yogurt - again, easy to make with or without a yogurt maker 1/3 banana - I buy off the reduced rack, bring them home and peel, break into thirds, then pop in the freezer Frozen berries or peaches - now is the time to pick and freeze. Oatmeal with yogurt and berries or shredded apples. Eggs (from our own chickens). Homemade yogurt with berries and homemade granola. Homemade waffles or muffins - I like to use Sue Gregg's cookbooks or muffin recipes from Happy in Dole Valley.

This month I am going to try The Pantry Challenge hosted by Cheap Eats. Today I will make an inventory of the food in our freezer and pantry and come up with some meals for the month. We are going on vacation soon so I will incorporate that into my meal planning. I will come back in a day or two with what I've come up with. One thing I know for sure is that I must make sure my younger children not waste food! The picture above is what they were throwing away one morning when they were done with their breakfast. I know it seems to be a no-brainer to not waste food, but I've watched how much goes into the "chicken bowl" or down the drain in my house and it's terrible. We're literally throwing money away! So that's one more area I will pay attention to as I try to reduce the cost of our grocery bill.