Wendi's Ark

We have our trailer!

2011-11-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Ah yes.....twenty feet of steel on wheels, sitting in our back yard, just in time for winter to start. Perfect.I walk out in the back yard, and stare at the frame. Looking at it. Mentally trying to figure out HOW our house is going to fit on that?! It is not much space. Not much space at all. On paper, the plans look "roomier" and more open. But looking at actual space, I wonder how a fireplace is going to fit on there with two chairs, a galley kitchen, a sink and shower. *shrug* And our families both think we have lost our minds. Which is a complete bonus.Still, our goal is to move in 6 years with zero debt. No house loan, no car loan. And building a tiny house is the only way we will get out from under either debts before we are 60. Six years to build a dream house and purge within an inch of our lives. Sell, give away or donate what will not fit into the tiny house.Priorities. Its a scary thought.

Preparing to live tiny

2011-10-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

As I have been purging, and pouring over plans, looking at furnishing and materials, and thinking of how much "stuff" will fit into 130 square feet, it occurred to me---what do I need to keep that won't make me feel poor? Which items make me feel rich?

I have been the unwilling poor, the person living paycheck to paycheck, deciding who gets paid "this month" and who doesn't. When I went shopping, I had only the cash in my pocket. I had to purchase "John Wayne" toilet paper because that was all I could afford. I hated my toilet paper. I would use work toilet paper to blow my nose and reuse that at home rather than use the "John Wayne" stuff. Final straw was going to the Grange Hall, using their bathroom, and having toilet paper envy. Seriously?? My toilet paper made me feel poor. More than my budget issues, having cheap toilet paper was a daily reminder of not having enough money.

In this purging process, I am also trying to keep that same principle in mind. I will need to winnow things down over the next several years. The amount of dishes I have, the number of pots and pans, how many books I have, the number of shoes (which isn't very many to be honest!). Still, with that, I will have to balance it with which items I have that make me rich. What gives me pleasure? And if I purge TOO much, will I feel deprived and have the unconscious need to replace those things?

It is all a balance. Trying to move stuff out, and get used to the more open spaces without feeling the need to FILL that empty space. Keeping in mind that there will not be that empty space in our new home.

Working on the process, and trying to make peace with it.

Purging

2011-09-30T07:59:00.001-07:00

The trailer home process is continuing. The trailer has been ordered and is being made. We have gone to a few recycled home stores, picked up a tiny door (craftsman style and is LOVELY), victorian ceiling tin to use as the backsplash in the kitchen, a tiny bathroom sink, and various other items.

Inside our normal house, I am starting serious purging. Read a book "Fifty Things" that has inspired me. Sadly, I did not manage to throw away fifty things. I have been too busy with school starting, band rehearsals, etc, to work on the purging she is talking about (she counts 5 pair of shoes as ONE thing). I dropped off a very large pile of things to Goodwill this weekend, and am tossing item after item into the trash.

I am also reevaluating my art on the walls. We repainted our living room this summer, and I purged quite a bit at that time. But, now I am purging even more. Giving things the critical eye---will it fit into a tiny space? Does it bring me joy? What will I give up in order to keep this item?

I know I have a few years before we transition to a smaller home, but I am already shifting my thinking to that direction. Looking at my closet, my shoes, my coats, my kitchen supplies. Knowing I will have to cut all of those items by less than half to a third of what it is currently.

It would be nice to not have that junk drawer any more!

Downsizing and the 6 year plan

2011-09-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

If you don't have a plan, you won't get anywhere, right?

We, my husband and I, have a long-term plan. To build a travel trailer home to live in once the children are grown (6 years from now), sell the house then, and move to where my parents live (Montana). Live in the trailer house for a few years while building a small house up there.

It is a plan! I was super against moving BACK into a trailer for a few years. Hubby had been talking about trailer living for a while now (just while the house is being built), but I have lived in a trailer. As a child (twice while a house was built), and an adult (twice, once with three other adults, once with another adult and toddler). It isn't as if I was being snobby or "too good" to live in a trailer. I know the logistics of it. Sweaty windows. Mildew everywhere. Cramped space. Tripping over people. And, WHY, for the sake of all that is holy, do they CARPET the blasted things?!! The area is too small for a vacuum, but gets dirty so fast with that kind of foot traffic. GAH!

*breathing* As I said, I have lived in one before. But, I finally recognized, that in order to get what my final outcome is---home ownership by my parents without having a mortgage--- means that I am going to live in a trailer for a year, or two or three, I want it to be on my terms this time. MINE.

We are going to embark on building a tiny house, on a trailer frame, from scratch. Based on the Tumbleweed House idea, and other tiny trailer house ideas gleaned from the internet. We intend on using these next 6 years to build a house (a HOME) in such a way that it will be cozy, airy, and well thought out. A place for everything.

Our current house is just under 900 square feet. Of those feet, I don't touch my son's room. Still, our new home on wheels will be about 130 feet. And I am already looking around my house thinking to myself "what will I be getting rid of?" I am NOT a clothes horse. I have a nice size dresser, and about 5 feet of closet space. But I will need to cut my clothing in half before we move. OUCH. I am an artist. I have tools that I have owned since I was 16. My workspace overflows with the stuffness of creativity that I NEED to function. (yes, a workspace is on my MUST list on our living space in the trailer, much to my husbands consternation) But I recognize that much of this will need to be stored, not out and visible the way it is now.

The art on our walls. Handmade blankets. Heirloom crystal candy dishes. Things I love but that won't have a place in a tiny home. Will need to be stored or let go of.

And here, at 900 feet, I always thought we lived small already. Thank goodness I have years to sort out the truly important things from what I am willing to part with.

Wish us luck, and I will be posting about our big adventure!

Repurposing a cabinet

2011-07-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

This started out as a dingy, old, grey cabinet from my grandfathers garage. It housed screws and bolts, and other misc man bits.

After my grandfather passed on, my husband took this and brought it home. It mostly got shuffled around, and not really used. I am in desperate need of organizational help with my artist job (the small bits will kill ya), so this is perfect.

Husband cleaned out the dust and cobwebs, painted it blue to match our living room. After it dried, I added gold diamonds on it (oh, no! geometry is not my friend!), and then free-handed the bird and scroll-work.

A few hours later, a work of art. For free. Gotta love that. And, importantly, I have a cabinet from my grandfather.

Life at my speed

2011-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Life is different here, inside my head. The random, and odd way I choose to live. It isn't for everyone, and I know that.

I get up in the morning, drink my first cup of coffee, let the dogs out. I let the ducks out, and talk to them---generally to tell the girls that they need to lay me some eggs. I go inside, drink some more coffee, and get my kids up.

If it is a school day, one or the other of the boys will head off to school, or I will drive them off. Making lunches, making sure proper morning rituals are taken care of (teeth brushed? homework done? etc etc). On a summer morning, they get to sleep in.

Later in the morning, I head outside and take the ducks some grain. Watch them run up to me and eat from my hands. Then I hunt up some eggs, it's like an Easter Egg hunt every morning. Where did they hide them today? I know the "normal" hiding places, but they always find new ones.

More coffee. Start some laundry, do some dishes. Head to the library. Perhaps do some crafts (I make jewelery to sell). After school and in the afternoon, the boys have appointments, therapy, doctors, sports. Seems like I am gone from the house most nights.

It is the MOMENTS in the days that I cherish. The ducks running up to me to eat grain from my hands. Seeing a dragonfly on a leaf near the pond. Feeling the warmth of the sun on the deck. Moments of peace. Moments in the now.

My children are getting older. Their minds are busy and they don't want to talk to mom anymore. It is rarer and rarer that they open up and talk to me. Which is normal, they are becoming independent and growing into their own person. I am needed by them, but mostly as a meal provider, laundry do-er, and driver. It doesn't feel very "mom" like.

So I look to other things to find moments of peace and fulfillment. Transitioning slowly to a new time and phase in life. It is coming. It may still be a few years off, but they are growing away from me, and soon enough, this "mom" phase will be done.

It's nearly spring......

2011-03-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

But you wouldn't know it from our weather lately.

I got a single egg from the ducks at the tail end of Feb. On the same day, it snowed. WHA?! We have been having a wonderful, warm weather winter, and suddenly we have snow. I finally get an egg from the duckers, begin to think that the egg-laying season is about to begin, and it SNOWS?!

I almost cried.

On the plus side, because of the increase in daylight, my girls have continued to lay eggs. (You go, girls!) I am getting three to four eggs a day, far more than we can eat. We are already starting to give some away. Which is a nice thing to be able to do.

Big goings on at my place!

2011-01-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Super exciting stuff!

Two birthdays this past week (happy changing of the years, guys! love ya!), and the normal mom stuff going on.

But the big news is that I now have an on-line web store to sell my artwork. All of those projects that have been piling up around the house can hopefully find a home out there in the world.

Not to mention, giving me further inspiration to create more pieces (which I love to do!).

Feel free to visit my shop. The site is a work in progress, but my art is posted. And I invite feedback (can't improve if I don't get feedback!).

Another exciting project, possible studio space! I have taken over the living room, kitchen, practically any spare cabinet...it has my art supplies in it (including the bedroom). Our neighbor has an unused shed (HUGE) that we can take if we can move it, and it would make a perfect studio outside for me. Add some windows, some insulation, and it would make fantastic workspace (that I don't have to tidy up DAILY when the kids are around!). I can't wait to have my own space where I can spread out and visually see where all my supplies are instead of hiding all my stuff in boxes all over the house. SQWEE!!! Fingers crossed this comes through fast for me!

Busy being crafty

2011-01-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

New year, time to get motivated!

I have decided that I need to put my skills to use. I love making things, being artistic, using my hands and playing with various mediums. Along that vein, a friend (my rocking friend of MB, LLC) is helping me set up a web shop to sell my art. All the beads, jewelery, canvases, the things that I make for fun, and sell it.

I am over the moon excited about this concept! To be able to make money doing something that I love, that I lose myself in doing (creating and expressing myself in art), the chance at possibly helping my husband financially in doing this? I am stoked!

I will keep all of you updated on how it is going.

In the meantime, here is a little something I whipped up yesterday.

Made completely out of Fimo clay. Rolled, stamped, inked, dusted, antiqued and sealed. WHEW! The left-over scraps got made into a pendant and multiple beads (waste not, want not!). It matches my wall wonderfully well.

Fail of the week: storing the potato's that I grew all summer in the outdoor shed. It froze in December, causing all the potato's to rot. ARGH!! Total waste. Found them this week when I was looking for twine. All that work for potato's, wasted. I "should have" baked and frozen them. So irritated at myself.

Woolies, and fabric, and clay...oh my!

2010-12-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

I have been one busy crafter, lately.

I spotted a blog on how to wet-felt wool over soap to make "coal" for Christmas, and then took that idea and made an abundance of "coal" for my team who have been naughty this year. Pruney fingers abounded in my house (no, just on me!), but I think the "coal" turned out cute.

I also saw a blog on how to make no-sew flowers out of organza, simply using scissors and a candle to singe the edges, then hot-glue the petals together. Once finished, glue together into a flower then onto a clip or headband. Again, I was able to use what I had on hand (self: WHY do I have four colors of organza when I have no little girls in the house and I don't wear this stuff?!). It was fun to make while watching television and I only burned myself a few times. Heh.

I scrounged up some clear plastic tubing from an air pump hubby got for an aquarium, I photocopied some old Sears ads, inked the edges, rolled them up and put them inside, then placed beads at the ends and used wires to finish it off. Makes for interesting and colorful beads!

I have also used my Christmas money to buy Fimo clay. *drool* My first attempts at bead making isn't perfect, but what do you expect? I tried a Skinner blend of ocher and chocolate, surrounded by black. It needs more work. Still, not horrible for a first try! I also made impressions of gears and nuts, baked it off, and then used antiquing to show off the details.

Here's the completed necklace I made with my beads I've been creating.

The tubing beads (four of them), the clay beads, and then two purchased beads (the key and number 7, both of which I used alcohol ink to color to match the other beads) and a purchased watch from Ebay (that is my inspiration piece).

I am having WAY too much fun with crafting.

Flops--it happens to the best of us

2010-12-17T06:12:00.000-08:00

I've been fiddling with permanent alcohol inks lately. Much fun! Layering colors, able to color glass, metal, plastic, and then spray with sealer. Sweet!

Led me to think, shrinky plastic! I have some, and thought I would make some earrings with it. When I color them prior to shrinking with permanent markers, the color is too saturated when it shrinks, so I thought I would try to blot on some color AFTER shrinking with the alcohol ink instead.

BIG MISTAKE. Note to self and others: alcohol ink removes Sharpie and permanent ink.

There goes about an hour of my life drawing the picture that I will never get back. *sigh* So, if you work with permanent ink pens and alcohol ink, try to keep them separated from each other or it could "erase" the design. (I worked off of the back side of the plastic dink for my second one).

Decorated Glass Bottles---and a Christmas gift recipe

2010-12-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

Aren't they pretty? An improvement over various shampoo bottles, if you ask me. There are two types of shampoo, a conditioner, and bath salts. If it were up to me, I would try to transfer all my bathroom goodies into bottles (but I think my husband would object).

Three of the bottles got frosted, just normal glass etching cream. I used templates from clip art books and a paper cutting book, which made it time intensive. I then used permanent ink on the etched parts to highlight the etching. Any excess ink can be removed with special ink remover.

The bath salts bottle was the easiest. The metal label holder was from the scrapbooking section, the writing was printed off my computer. A little stamping ink to match the bath salts, some glue to hold the paper onto the metal holder, then some hot glue to adhere it to the bottle. Easy-peasy.

Bath salts would make an EASY and INEXPENSIVE Christmas gift. Save some glass bottles and lids from your kitchen. Such as the artichoke jars, glass spaghetti jars, etc. Wash and dry well. At the grocery store, buy rock salt from the spice aisle (used for making ice cream). At the craft store, purchase fragrance and coloring in the soapmaking aisle (this is where you will spend a few bucks, but you will have a LOT left over). Also, to make the metal labels, snag some metal label holders from the scrapbooking area.

Pour about 1/3 of the box of salt into a metal or glass dish, use a spoon to stir the salt and mix in 4 to 6 drops of fragrance (to your liking). Remember, it will get diluted in water, so you can go on the strong side if you like, or go light. Either way. Once stirred in well, add 4 to 6 drops of color, well spread out. Stir in. Then, add to jars, and top with lids. Make labels as directed above with "Bath Salts" and the name of the fragrance.

If you want to "fancy" it up even more, add ribbons, or paint the lid in a matching color, or ......

Brick Doorstop

2010-12-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

Mom was in town, and bought me some toys (aka: art supplies). They are wrapped for Christmas, so I cannot use them yet. But, got me in the mood to do crafty things...like I need incentive...so I purchased some permanent inks.

Last night, as we were shuffling around cat food containers and tubs to keep our door cracked enough so the cat can get in and out, but the dog cannot get out, the thought occurred to me, "we need a door stop". Question is: what to use for a door stop?

My thought is that a brick would work perfectly well. And looks somewhat hideous. Meaning? I need to decorate it!

First step was to find a brick. If you have seen my back yard, you would know that this is not a difficult thing. About 2 minutes of looking, I find a good one. I washed the dirt off and did a quick towel dry. Next step is to dry it. This took incredibly long. Over an hour on the fireplace top did nothing. An hour in the toaster oven at 200 degrees got closer, good enough to work with, but still isn't totally dry. Note to self: those brick hold A LOT of water. Who knew?!

I stamped the brick with permanent ink. This is different than normal stamping ink, and is specifically labelled as permanent ink. I used a background stamp (something small--text). After that, I used acrylic paint in cream, and stamped on the top stamps. Note to self: go lightly with the paint! If you paint the stamp too heavy (I was worried that the paint would dry before I stamped it), then it "gooshes" out the sides and is sloppy. Looses a lot of detail because of this.

I let the paint dry for a few minutes, then went back with alcohol inks to mellow out the cream paint color. I have "latte" that I used over all the cream to make it less harsh, and then used some "gingerbread" on the gooshy parts of the cream stamp to tidy it up. Last thing I did was spray it all down with sealer to fix it.

I am happy with how it turned out. Practical, but pretty.

Flops of the week!

2010-11-17T15:25:00.001-08:00

And this week has been a dozy for flops for me.

I've been wanting a chain maille necklace for years now. I really wanted to make one (whatever possessed me?!), and this was the week for it! I had some wire in my jewelery kit, I wound it around a dowel, hubs cut it into jump rings for me, and I started following the instructions.

Somewhere along the way, it all went horribly wrong. I have about one inch done. After an hour (methinks this is not a good use of my time, and we aren't counting the time to make the rings in that time either). And the one inch I DO have is ugly. I am not sure if the wire is the wrong size, the diameter is the wrong size, or if I made an error in the pattern. What I have learned is, this is a case where I should support my fellow artisans on Esty. Yup. Some things I am simply not meant to do, and I should let this one go.

My other flop of the week isn't truly a "flop", it just didn't have the desired outcome I was hoping for. I saw glass etched shampoo bottles on Craftgawker a few months back (perhaps I should just block that site? nahhh, I get WAY too many wonderful ideas!), and thought I would love to do that for myself. My husband does not understand why I would need to move the shampoo from a perfectly serviceable plastic bottle to a glass one (because the prettiness of the glass bottle makes my heart sing when I see it isn't an adequate answer?).

I got the glass etching cream, contact paper, and a glass bottle. Spent two hours with a scalpel cutting out the pattern (why go half-way?). Since you likely cannot make it out from the picture, the top is a female face with wavy hair and a frosted area to write on, the bottom area is a large lily pad and flower.

Once I finished up, I thought that the red shampoo I had would really make the etching pop. Nope, not so much. Not at all.

I am wondering now if I could use stamping ink on the frosted area's to stain it to make it stand out more. I have some older votive's (Glade votive's, heh...I reuse them in other holders that I don't want the holder to get wax all over) that I can "experiment" on before I try it on that. But it bums me out a bit.

Plus, my fingers are red from filling the bottle with the shampoo. Wonder how long that is gonna last? Good times....good times.

Food Waste

2010-11-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

Watching the Early Show. The average American Family has $1,300 in thrown away food every year. I am shocked and appalled. Stunned, actually. The family that they were spotlighting had half of a grass-fed cow that they were throwing away. That is appalling to me.

Food waste. *breathe, must breathe* On the one hand, I do get it. We buy things and we get busy. We eat out. Food goes bad. Truly, I mentally do get it. But emotionally, I do not get it. I simply don't.

If I get food, I deal with it. This means packaging it to freeze, or to store. This means checking dates, looking at what is in the refrigerator from time to time, adjusting meal plans to get rid of what is close to spoiling. If something is "heading over", I cook with it, encourage members of my family to eat it, bake with it, or feed it to the dogs, ducks or other animals (in my mind, if it is consumed, it is not wasted).

Case in point, I was given a partial case of tomato's on Sunday. On Monday, I was busy to my gills with things and couldn't deal with it. On Tuesday, I spent a bulk of the day, skinning the tomato's, stewing them for hours, and then preparing them in three containers to freeze, letting them cool on the counter, and then freezing them. I also used the skins of the tomato's to shine my pennies for my table (double use, no waste). This wasn't "convenient" for me, nor part of my planned week, but it was a windfall, a blessing, so I dealt with it.

I don't comprehend the American mindset of throwing out food. I don't grasp it. If there is leftover food, save it for another meal. Feed the scraps to the dog and then feed them less dogfood at night (and for the record, no, our dogs are NOT fat, I watch their weight closely). If there is A LOT of leftovers, freeze some and make a second meal out of it later in the month.

Pities sake, if for nothing else, you will save yourself money.

Getting off my soap box now.

Cut Books

2010-11-13T16:57:00.000-08:00

OH THE HORRORS!!!

I am a book lover. Truly, I am. Huge reader, supporter of the library (I am there on a bi-weekly basis, they know my face), and here I am cutting up books?

Yes, but this is ART!

This is my third book that I have cut up. It is AA Milne's, "When we were Children". I chose it because it had so many wonderful illustrations. There weren't many Winnie the Pooh pictures (which is what most of us associate with AA Milne), but the other illustrations are fantastic.

After doing the cutting, I went a step farther, and hand colored many of them.
I also used foam glue dots to give support to the cuttings and give the book more depth (something more visible in person than in the photo). Next, glued down each page (this is the 'not fun, very tedious' part of the process). Lastly, covering the open front cover with plastic covering so the cuttings don't get destroyed. The cuttings are so easily torn, and when the books are handled, people try to touch everything, so the plastic is important to protect the cuttings.

It is an enjoyable process. Fun to do while watching television and chilling at home. Picking and choosing which picture is important and which one's are not.
A great use for nursery books that children have outgrown, or a topic book with pictures for a gift for Christmas. Good places to look for inexpensive books are Goodwill and second hand stores (I got mine at a library resale shop, so even in cutting up the books, I was supporting my local library!).

Making wool acorns

2010-11-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

On craftgawker again (man, I REALLY need to avoid that site....it gives me idea after idea after idea....). The cutest little wool acorns. Awwhh.

First thing I needed to do was find acorns. Not as easy as it sounds, turns out. Took my son to fencing one night, and *angels singing* oak trees in the parking lot. There I am, in the dark with a flashlight, picking up acorn caps. Oh the lengths we crafters go to.

Next step was finding wool roving. Off to the quilt store (my favorite place!). Try...to...control...myself. Must refuse to look at fabric. Do I need a needle punch? Not really. Do I need a needle mat? No. Stick with just the wool roving.

After that, must complete other unfinished craft projects. heh. This is the harder part. Finish up the jackets (DONE!). Finish up cutting the books (DONE!). No, I still haven't glued those or put the covers on it, so they haven't made it to the blog, but the cutting is done.

Now I can start on new projects! Hooray! I spent the evening making the wool balls, meaning about an hour rolling wool in water and soap. Pruney fingers. Then they had to dry overnight. This morning, I did the fun part of matching wool balls to acorn caps, each cap being a different size and depth and each ball being different. I used hot glue to attach them.

Aren't they the cutest thing ever?

Tabletop water garden

2010-11-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

I have several ponds in my yard. This is the first year I am trying to overwinter some of the plants (oh please make it thru winter!). They are hiding in the garage, and don't seem all that happy.

I was on Craftgawker the other day, and found the blog "in words and pictures" with a lovely picture of a tabletop water garden. Made me start thinking of my own plants just lingering in the garage.

My first thought was, running down to the craft store for a large, clear, glass bowl for the garden. My next was, why not use my hurricane lamp for candles for it?

I put it together this morning (nothing like gathering plants and dirt and gravel while in my jammies at 8 in the morning! heh Crafting triumphs practicality on some days!). I like how it turned out. I still want a larger bowl, something large enough to put a few fish into, but it can wait for a few weeks.

A little nature indoors! Ignore the dust in the picture. Obviously, crafting is more important to me that dusting as well!

My last remade jacket

2010-11-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

I like how this one turned out. The black trim adds a lot to the look, placed along the zipper and the cuff. I also added a "mini overall" clips to the sleeves to gather them in a little. The sides are gathered in with vest buckles.

This jacket was purchased for me a few years back, size 14. I've lost some weight and it swims on me now. But with these few changes, and the soft fabric, the buckles really work to make it more fitted.

Later, when I can get some help from my mother, I would like to take out those side buckles and replace them with a triple row of buckles, as well as adding some decorative buttons on the sleeve or shoulders. Not sure...

And here is the before so you can see the changes.

My second jacket

2010-11-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful jacket. Fully lined, multiple princess seams in the front and back. The workmanship on it is excellent. Just a bit....boring.

I added velvet ribbon to the collar, cuffs and pockets. I changed out all the buttons (whoo-whee, that single center button was EXPENSIVE, but worth it). Stitching on all that ribbon was tedious, but adds a lot to the jacket.

It isn't flashy or overly "romantic", but now has a dash of old-world charm to it. Toss a frothy blouse underneath it, and you have a lovely outfit.

Here is the before of the jacket. Perfectly serviceable, if a bit dull.

Remaking Jacket--Steampunk it up!

2010-11-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

I found a jacket I love in a catalog. For $89.99. Oh no, I don't think so!! I looked on the internet for other jackets on eBay and Esty...not happening. What to do, what to do?

Then it hit me, used shops, find a coat and remake it myself! I am handy (well, I like to think so!) and I have ideas.

I found two blazers at the Digg (a local second hand store), for five dollars each. I am super excited to get started on my second blazer, maybe later tonight.

I went to JoAnns and bought some trim braiding, some different buttons, and organza. Added some ruffles to the front and back, added the trim, added the buttons. I LOVE how it has turned out.

A plain, jane jacket is now turned into a romantic, creative jacket. So lovely.

The BEFORE is below.

Saving my pennies to make a penny table

2010-10-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been inspired! (Again? you say..well, yes. It never ends for me.)

This is my inspiration. A desk covered in pennies.

Found it on the blog, Epbot. I have seen a FLOOR covered in pennies, which was also cool, but how do you move that?! But a table, well, I can just take that with me when I move.

I have been saving up my pennies now for about a month. In my household, we don't typically rush into things. I scrounged up all the pennies in the household (sadly, barely covered the bottom of the jar). Purchased a few rolls of pennies from the bank. Do you know that purchasing rolls of pennies is like gambling? Except, no matter what, YOU WIN!!

In 2009, they minted commemorative pennies for Abe Lincoln, four different coins. I have been looking to get multiples of all four coins (anything to break up the monotony of the Lincoln Memorial). Additionally, in 2010, they minted a Shield penny! I am also hunting for multiples of those. Meaning that each time I unroll a bunch of pennies, it is exciting to see which coins I may have gotten this time.

Regardless of whether I get a special coin, each penny has a life of it's own. Some are shiny and new and bright. Others are very world worn, barely recognizable as a penny. I have one that is practically black, with a faint impression of the Memorial on it. Others have a green patina from the copper, and most of them are simply a deep brown. Some were minted in the 50's and are still crisp and clear, others were printed in the 90's and look beaten to death.

The life of these coins. It may just be a penny, but they have more value than their monetary worth. When I see them spread out on the table, the variations in colors and differences in wear....they become something more than simply pocket change.

And that is why I can't wait until I get my penny table. Need to save up more pennies!

Finished wood boxes

2010-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

From humble beginnings...

to this! I am happy with how they turned out. Something I was already using, now made a bit prettier.

Decorating a wood box

2010-10-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

LOVE the site Craftgawker!! Saw a beautiful small wood box (chest) decorated with paper. Ahh....

I have a small set of boxes I got from Ikea a few years back (gah! that long?!) that I have been using in my bathroom. My mom bought me some breathtaking paper in Montana (say what?!) this summer that has been sitting in my closet rolled up. I have just been wondering what to do with it. Inspiration has struck!

I am out of Modge-Podge, so I used plain old Elmers Glue. I cut parchment cardstock to fit the front and sides and tops of the boxes, then glued them on with the Elmers, using a foam brush to get even coats. Then I cut out my ladies with an scalpel, measuring to fit. Again used Elmers and a foam brush to apply them. Let dry for a few hours.

Next, I distressed the edges with sandpaper. Then, I applied a few different colors of ink with a brush. Pink, cranberry, key lime green, and blue. Start with the lightest, and work to the darkest. I even applied it to the edges. Let dry.

After an hour or so, apply a light coat of Elmers glue over the paper and edges with ink. Make sure to cover well the edges of paper. Let dry completely or overnight, then apply a second coat.

Once this coat is dry, I will apply a coat of sealant, then take another pic of the project all done. I love how it is turning out!

Luminaries...taking it to the next level!

2010-10-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just can't leave well enough alone.

This is round two. I LOVE art nouveau. Sadly, it's expensive and I can't afford it. I own a book of clip art, so I photocopied some flowers I loved, and cut them out with an scalpel.

Same basic instructions as the former post, use a 12 by 12 piece of scrap booking card stock, cut on a 45 degree angle. Measure it to be 3 1/2 inches wide. Once cut on the longest part, cut a small portion off one end leave a a thin fold-over for gluing. Measure and fold for each panel, for this one I measured each for 3 and 1/8inch. Do the same four times to make a cube and dry fit.

Then comes the fun part. Find your image! Make sure it fits. Pick out four different ones or repeat the same one, or draw them on. The image you select is important, make sure you aren't cutting out huge portions, but leaving paper connections to reveal the image.

I did not glue or tape them on, I held them on with my free hand because I was working from the front this time. I worked from the center to the outside, periodically flipping it over, to carefully repeat the cuts from the back to get the cut sections out. It's all about patience and being careful.

Once done, cut off the excess on side four, use a glue stick to glue the flap onto the back of side four. I used tiny binder clips to hold it together. It slides over the top of the Febrez shade (pictured is "White Linen").

Very pretty, and super personal!

Would make a lovely gift!

Making Halloween Luminaries

2010-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have the flickering Febrez luminaries, and I enjoy them a lot. But, I am not such a fan of the style choices I get. I decided to work up something myself that is a bit different!

Making luminaries for it instead. Safer than using a candle, and it turned out very cute! (Sorry, no pic in the dark. I tried, but I am too shaky without the flash)

I started with basic scrap booking card stock, 12 by 12. Cut it on a 45 degree angle, down the middle of the paper to get the longest strip possible. If you want an exact fit so you use no scented liner, trim a small bit off one side (leave a little flap, about 1/8 or less, for gluing at the end), fold over for a crease, measure 3 inches, crease again, another 3 inches, etc..until you have 4 sides.

Pick your display side (I forgot to do this and ended up using the duller side. tsk!), and then draw your simple picture on the opposite side. Do the same for all four sides. Be sure to leave about 1/4 inch at the bottom for the lip of luminary if it is to fit snug.

On the picture side, take a thumbtack or pin, and poke holes evenly. Do not place them too close together or they will tear. It's best to work from the center to the outside to decrease the chances of tearing. Once that is done on one side, turn it over, take a slightly larger pin (I just used a display pin my son had for baseball) and do a secondary poke on all the holes, working again from the center outwards. This pushes the paper toward the back which DOES make a difference (in the pic, I messed this up at the top of the pumpkin, and I can tell!), plus the larger holes lets more light out.

Repeat four times.

Last step, do a dry fit on the luminary, trim the excess off the far side, then use a glue stick to glue that tiny extra piece to the inside of the far side.

Tah-dah!!! If you want scent, add some essential oils to the paper (but beware, the oil, being oil, will stain the paper....and you don't want it to be too close to the bottom or it will get into the light. Use your own judgement!).

I am thinking of doing a monogram for hubby and I for our bedroom just a smidgen larger so I can use the liner inside of it (thinking 3 1/8 inch per side). Love making things personal!

Living Small

2010-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have embarked on a 7 to 10 year plan. Soon, our children will be grown and we will be able to move on from here. I want to move closer to my parents who are getting older, so that I can help them as they age. But I do not want to live in the same household as them (been there, done that, not gonna do it again).

Hubs and I have been looking at various house plans and houses in the area (Montana) to get ideas. I am in LOVE with the Tumbleweed house plans by Jay Shafer (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/). I see the plans as very well thought out, and practical arrangement for two people, possibly three. I have also been reading a lot of books on living in small spaces, by writers like Sarah Susanka and others. It is fascinating to me to see how small space can be made more efficient and open just by being more creative and thoughtful. We don't necessarily need MORE space, we need to be more mindful in how space is used.

Talked with my father about our ideas. This is a man who has drawn up plans from scratch on at least three houses that I know of, remodeled two others. He has an associates degree in drafting. So, he knows how to make house plans. Also, we are CURRENTLY living in a house of less than 900 square feet with four people, four dogs, two cats, and a chinchilla. I only feel "cramped" when we have guests. Otherwise, I feel like I have adequate room in my house.

My father told me that we need to have 1,200 square feet minimum for our next house and the plans were were looking at (less than 800 square feet) were too small. Are you KIDDING ME?! There will only be two of us, possibly three (depending on boomerang adult kids). Why would we need more square footage in the future than we have currently?

In my mind, if we start from scratch building, my husband and I get the golden opportunity to build in all the wonderful ideas we glean from Sarah Susanka and others on how to capitalize on the space! To utilize every last inch of what we have with built in bookcases, built in eating areas and things such as that. Why waste space?

I have always envisioned myself as I age living in a smaller space. Either in a studio area, a small cabin with a loft, something along those lines. My "mental picture" had always been around 400 square feet. So, to me, 700 to 800 square feet is HUGE. Spacious! Practically as big as what I currently have, just with less people in it. What in the world will I do with all that space?

Sorry for my rant of the day. I just don't understand the bigger is better concept.

Making our own cat post

2010-09-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Picked up a new kitten this weekend (hey...what is another animal? Am I right??).

She is so pretty!! Hiding right now (shucks, doesn't it figure!).

But, another cat means another cat litter box. We have dogs, and our dogs like to treat the dog like a snack tray ("ohh....almond rocha! Sure, I'll have some!"), and then come give me kisses. No thank you!

With our other cat, Furby, we have her cat box up on a shelf. Since we need a scratching post anyways, how about incorporating a large scratching post to hold the cat box?

Scratching posts are crazy expensive! Fifty to over a hundred bucks for one. Are you kidding me?! It's a couple of two by fours, some plywood, and carpet. It's nuts to me.

I sweet talked hubby.... I purchased carpet scraps today ($10), and hubby fab'ed something up in about an hour. BOOM! Here it is. Total cost to me out of pocket today was $10. Everything else was scraps around the house.

I love me a good deal!!

The more things change....

2010-09-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

the more they stay the same.

Odd how that happens!

My oldest son plays hockey. And this year, he has been invited to skate practices with a high level team (he is 15, most the kids on the team are 18 to 20). This is a break for him, a chance to be on the ice, learn some skills and be seen by the coaches. Mostly, to gain better skills and hopefully get a foothold in the coaches mind for next season.

The bad part? He would miss two classes four days a week. And his school doesn't allow for early release for sophomores. What is a mom to do?

I could home school him, but that isn't my first choice. I tried calling the school counselor, met with the principal, neither met with any success. I applied for two different charter schools. He had attended a charter school for his 7th grade and half of his 8th grade years, doing his classes on the Internet, and meeting with his teacher twice a month.

This program was successful for him in the past, and allows for a lot of flexibility; he can do lessons at night or early morning, even on the weekends, he can do work ahead of time if he has games out of town, etc. He simply missed fellow students and wanted the social element that I can't give him at home.

But we have come back around to the web academy again. Funny, when the public school told me "no, he cannot have early release. I guess you can work out a program with the college or attend a private school" my thought was "NO! Those aren't my only options! I can home school my son (I am college educated, he is smart, we can figure something out) or we can charter school (the best choice, as it is still part of the public school system and is accredited, earning him normal high school credits that transfer back)"

Full circle. Back to a form of "homeschooling".

My teen son, the one who earlier this spring told me I needed to get a "real job" is now telling me he is glad I don't have a "real job" so that we have flexibility to do all this. Darn toot'n son!! And THIS is why I don't have a "real job".

Rebuild it, make it better

2010-08-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Our living room ottoman was getting torn up. Having a cat and "pleather" with do that. Plus dogs, kids...a well used living room. Basically, this piece of furniture gets USED.

The small pin holes became small tears, became rips. It was annoying to me (if no one else). I would drape blankets over the top of it, which the dogs or husband would knock onto the floor. Ah well.

A friend gifted me with a gift card, and the fabric store had a stellar sale this weekend. I used this opportunity to buy some upholstery fabric, batting for underneath, and refinish the top of the ottoman.

Hubby unscrewed the top for me and marked where the holes go back in Sharpie. I had washed, dried and ironed the fabric. I laid the batting down on the floor (I prefer two layers because the corners and edges become compressed quickly) in two layers, put the ottoman top in the middle and pulled the batting over the edges to make sure it fit. After ensuring it would fit on all sides, I made a primary cut to all sides (keeping it oversized because you can always cut off more later, but it is impossible to glue it back on). I started on one long side, cutting the under side layer shorter than the top layer and then stapling the top layer to the ottoman. No need to go crazy with the staples at this point (I only did about 3 on each side for the batting to hold it in place). I then did the other long side the same way (cut the under layer a bit shorter, then three staples evenly along the side to hold the batting in place). Then the two short sides. Under cut the batting, then staple the center. Carefully staple the two sides. Now you need to deal with the corners. On the inside batting, you need to cut away a lot of the excess, but not ALL of it. Cut away all but about 3/4 of an inch or so, and then tuck that 3/4 of an inch INSIDE the batting to surround the corner. For the outside batting, you will cut away a lot of that batting as well, tuck around the corner and staple well. Do the same on all four corners.

For the fabric, lay it down on the floor. Place the ottoman on the middle. Pull the fabric over the edges, making sure there is enough to cover all the batting plus a fold-over for a "seam" to staple. Cut away any excess. NOTE: if your fabric is directional, make sure it is straight and even at this time. Also, it is better to leave excess now and cut it off during the process than remove too much.

When stapling, you want to start on one long side in the middle, do a few staples, then alternate to the other side, do a few staples, and switch back and forth until done. Also, keep the fabric SNUG but not tight. To staple, pull the fabric over the top of the batting, fold over the raw edge of the fabric so it is hidden when you are done (and you are stapling thru two layers of fabric). Staple there. Move an inch or less and repeat. After a few inches, do the same on the opposite side of the ottoman, careful to keep the fabric straight and snug but not tight. Complete until finished on four sides.

Corners: I made "bed sheet" corners. I cut away the inside of the corner, used my fingers to tuck the fabric as far into the fold as I could to make the fold straight, brought the fabric straight up, and stapled the heck out of it.

Lastly: ScotchGuard. With dogs and kids, ScotchGuard is my friend. Hoping to make it wear a little better.

Plus, in a few years, I can always refinish it again (like I have done the kitchen chairs multiple times now!). It's not scary, just patience and some staples!

We use it all--goodies for the ducks

2010-07-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

I got blessed the other day. A 25 lb box of tomatoes. Too much to use all at once, plus some of it was under ripe, some was overripe.

I ended up peeling them and stewing it up, then freezing it for later use. Leaving me with a large amount of cut out cores, peels and rotten pieces. But in my house, no food gets wasted!

My duckies LOVE tomatoes. Craziest thing.

I also shelled peas on Friday. The dogs enjoyed chewing the pods, and the ducks also ate some. Let them have at it! Go for it, guys.

Cooking your own dog food

2010-06-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the good old days. When dogs were fed table scraps. Meat scraps. Leftovers of whatever there was, supplemented by some meat.

Then, in the 60's and 70's, there was the rise of the dog food industry. And today, a burgeoning pet food industry. As if pet owners are too stupid to feed their pets on their own. As if dogs are so fragile that they have to have specific diets that are difficult.

Y'all....I don't know about your dog's, but mine will eat cat crap. Just keeping it real. My dogs will eat garbage. Dead baby birds if they find them in the yard. I mean, it isn't like I "allow" them to eat these things (serve them up on a silver platter for them, here....have some cat crap), no, they go looking for these things all on their own.

Then we had the whole melamine in the dog food, dog food recall there, in 2007. Can we trust the companies making the "right and wholesome foods" for our dogs? I don't know anymore.

We hear them tell us "no table scraps" and "no people food". Excuse me? What do you think domesticated dogs have been fed for the past few centuries? Dog food companies have only been around since the early 1900's, prior to that, all they GOT were table scraps and meat from the butcher.

Leading me to my point. I have a new pug puppy. My Pesto. The industry dog food he was on was causing an allergic reaction in him. Because of this, I started cooking his food for him. But, sadly, I didn't do my research and didn't do it smart. NEED to READ before doing!! Dogs do need vitamins and minerals (easily replaced by a crushed tablet sprinkled over their food). I am now working directly with my vet, creating a meal plan for my pug, with the proper vitamins and minerals.

And, frankly, it will be healthier in the long run, making for a better life for him. Plus, it really isn't any more expensive than the bagged dog food for such a small dog. My puppy....my Pesto....he's worth it.

My garden is outta control

2010-06-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am having a fallow season. I admit it. It has been one of those springs, moving in to one of those summers.

Hard to feel motivated to do much of anything. Seems like I complete the minimums of what I need to to keep my family running. Nothing horrible, I cook dinner, grocery shop, do my work, clean, etc. But my garden is suffering.

A few times a week, I look at my garden and think "I really need to weed". I have even weeded about 4 times. Still, the weeds are completely taking over right now.

On a higher note, my potato plants are HUGE. The difference between the potato boxes, where they are waist high, and in the garden, where they are only a few inches high...I think going with the potato boxes it is worth the extra work. I have kept up with them this spring, adding shredded paper and grass clippings to them a few times a week. Fingers crossed that we get ton's of potato's for yummy eating in the next month or so!

Chipp'n it

2010-06-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Using it all up!

I am so tired of trimming our trees, and putting them in the brown barrel (our city's yard debris), and then paying for mulch or barkdust. Feels like I am throwing away money.

However, buying a chipper....oy! They are expensive. You can get a cheapie one that will only chip tiny branches. The better ones, they cost more.

We have put off getting a chipper for exactly that reason. For several years now. Recently, hubby found an old one on Craigslist (you never do know what you will find on there). It wasn't running, but the seller was adding two motors with it. Mechanic-man thought he could make it work, and picked it up.

It took more work than he expected, but take a look! Whoop! This is a heap of tree branches that we trimmed off this morning, turned into mulch for the potato boxes by this evening. Isn't it beautiful? I love using things up.

Shopping it hard core

2010-06-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's shopping day at my house. Wednesday is the first day of the sales for most stores around here, making it most likely that the stores haven't yet run out of what is on the ad.

I have always been a good shopper. Not a novice by any means! But lately, my friends have been helping me to "kick it up a notch". Opening my eyes to the wonders that are out there.

There are a bunch of extraordinary websites for the dedicated shopper. Coupon Mom is a well-known one. But in MY neck of the woods, we have Frugal Living NW, which clues us in to the exact stores, ads, and coupons that I can use in MY town. It makes my shopping SO MUCH easier! I scan through the ad's on my own to see what works for my pantry, what I am low on that is a good deal, and then I jump onto Frugal Living to see what the hot deals are for the week. I am talking about deals that, with a coupon, are free or nearly free. Then, I pull out my coupon binder and check to see if I still have that coupon. Love it!

Another great one for me is Fabulessly Frugal. And, if you are on Facebook, you can join all kinds of groups for couponers, and they will also direct you to links for free samples (who doesn't like a free sample mailed to them?). It is like getting presents sent to your mailbox!

Today, I went shopping. Used a rebate from my son's contacts ($14) and all my coupons. Spent $26.74 out of pocket, and saved $72.17. This past weekend, Albertson's had coupon doublers, and I walked out with completely free items after using my coupons (Weber grill seasoning, Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce). It is exhilirating to leave a store with goods without paying a penny (with a receipt!).

Gifts from heaven

2010-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

My husband rocks.

I've been working on this quilt (that is HUGE!). On a teeny-tiny glass cafe table. Mind you, this cafe table isn't attached to the base, so if I put my machine to the far right to give me more space for fabric, the top will flip off. Means that I end up sewing, while bunching up fabric on my leg (propped up on a chair). Fun times, fun times. Still, this is what you do when you don't have a lot of money to BUY things and you want to get something done.

We had looked online for small sewing tables, and have been waiting to get one. Just cost prohibitive. And nothing screamed "I love it and it's worth it." to me. Why spend hundreds of dollars on something that you don't love?

I came home from my son's therapy last night to see a white desk in my living room. With my husband asking me "Well, what do you think?" It took me a few minutes to comprehend that this is a sewing table and it is for me.

My husband works as a mechanic and happened to be in a warehouse that is moving. They are clearing out a bunch of old goods, and this item was in a old box. About 10 years old, but all the parts are there. He got it for $75. I looked it up online, and found the same model for $1,500. WOW!! Shocking. The owner just didn't want to move it to the next warehouse.

What a blessing! And what a WONDERFUL husband to remember that I needed a sewing table. And thank you, God, for providing more than I could have dreamed or afforded.

Working on those potato boxes

2010-05-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the nicest day of the year yet. I am enjoying our sunny weather. Got out in the garden, added some more straw to the potato's. They are finally taking off. A few bloggers wrote about having good success using straw and newspaper shred instead of soil around their potato's, so I am trying that in the boxes. It lightens it up, and is less expensive than dirt, plus, I am the one hauling it around, so it is easier on my back! I will tell you how it turns out in a few months.

My other chore of the day is trying to keep ahead of the dandelions. We have renters right next door, and they finally mowed their grass for the first time of the season last week. Weeding is not high on their list of priorities. The renters prior to them also didn't think that yard maintenance was part of their duties. Needless to say, the yard is covered in weeds. Which means that MY yard gets covered in weeds.

I try to do something about it. A few times a year, I go out and weed. Plus, I am courteous to my other neighbors, we mow often enough to keep the dandelions from going to seed (you are welcome! I don't want to pass on the "joy".). But it is a never ending battle. Not helped by the fact that A) I refuse to entrench myself and wage war on a weekly or daily basis. Sorry, my ego isn't tied to my lawn! and B) I refuse to use chemicals on my lawn. I don't want to harm my family or my animals, nor have the run-off go into the ground water. Between the two issues right there, it's a losing battle.

Most years, I do basic hand-to-hand combat. Or the hot-water method (not always successful). This spring, I heard about using straight lemon juice on weeds to kill them. Huh. Well, shoot. I don't have an issue with straight lemon juice. I did add a drop of dish detergent in hopes of getting the whole capillary action going on (don't remember where I heard that, but adding dish detergent means the plant will soak it up better? or is that only with oily concoctions and I didn't need it? Either way, it can't hurt anything!). Sprayed the heck out of the front yard and a bunch of the back yard.

It made the dog sneeze (duh, avoid that, sweetie!). Was a bit depressing, doing all the spraying in the back. Step, spritz, spritz, spritz, spritz. Step, spritz, spritz, spritz, spritz. Felt like there were 10 weeds to every one step I took. Pities sake! If I kill all the weeds in the back yard, there won't be any green there.

And as I finish, I look over at my neighbor's, see his fenced in gravel area, ripe with snowy dandelions.....and know that my efforts are, for the most part, completely pointless.

Costco, looking for suggestions

2010-05-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, folks. I must be one of the rare hold-outs in America. I don't belong to a warehouse club. I know, I know. It's a shocker.

We don't have a Sam's Club where I live (so it's not an option). As far as I know, all we have around here for a big-box store, is Costco.

All of you Costco lovers out there, who love a good deal, please let me know. Is it worth the fee for the privilege of shopping there? More importantly, what do you shop for? What are the biggest savings??

I have read a few articles on the subject (Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping), and they say Advil, prescriptions, paper goods, etc are good buys. But they took ONE item and price matched it across a few stores. They showed direct comparisons for only 6 items (which isn't how I shop, what if I don't need Vanity Napkins? Sure, it's a good deal, but I don't use that!). Frustrating.

I am appealing to you, the regular consumer. What things do you find to be the best deals at Costco?

Save money-check that unit price

2010-05-02T13:47:00.001-07:00

Out shopping today. Had a hankering for a spring salad. You know the kind, lettuce, blue cheese, crisp apple, some green onion and some chicken. Nice! And healthy to boot! I could just pick one up at the store or fast food, but if I buy all the ingredients, I can make several of them myself at home.

I am a lover of the blue....cheese, that is. I stopped by the cheese aisle, and picked up an "inexpensive" package of crumbles. Five bucks for five ounces. Made a mental note to check over in the dairy aisle to see if it was less expensive over there. Snagged a few other items (mandarin oranges on sale, that would also be good on a different salad!).

Stopped by the dairy aisle. Sure enough, same size package of crumbles is a dollar less per ounce. Four bucks. Yes, it isn't imported, but I am not trying to impress anyone with my salad. I just want to eat healthy. Okay---I'll take the less expensive blue cheese crumbles. Then I notice, they have a four ounce solid cheese pack, in a wax wrapper, for two dollars. Oh really?

Let's see. Save myself a buck and a half (its one ounce less) if I crumble it myself and store it in my own container? Which will take me all of, oh, a minute or two to do. YES. I will do that!

Think about it. Time taken to make the crumbles myself VS money saved. This is so worth it! Knowing myself, I picked up two packages of the wax packed crumbles so I could enjoy them in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully, this will encourage me to make more salads. And I still spent less than my original package of blue cheese that I picked up.

I have chicken baking in the oven to top my salad with as we speak. I just season with seasoning salt, bake, cool then cut into bite-sized strips. Toss it in the fridge and add it to salads over the next few days. Makes for healthy, "lazy", eating!

My quilt grew, and grew, and grew

2010-05-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is the project that has been eating up all my time.

All those crazy, teeny-tiny pieces. Sewing strips together, then ripping them apart, just to sew them back together in slightly different order. Oh, a completely crazy project.

Then, once I finished the middle, I decided it was too small, so I added a border onto it. Oh, yeah.

Funny thing? This is supposed to be a lap quilt. A throw or something to toss on the end of the bed. Err.....not anymore. I think it's bigger than that now! Opps.

But that borders TOTALLY makes this quilt work. I love it.

Now I need to measure for the backing, sew that up, then send it off to the quilter. I'm super excited!

More cozies---what fun!

2010-04-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Aren't they fun?

I needed some protection for my mapping system. My Garmin. Little Aussie Jack, who helps me find my way. I carry him around in my purse and want to make sure it stays in one piece. Needed a bag to put it in.

I also recently got a new camera (on clearance!). It is significantly smaller than my older one. Fits neatly in my purse. But I don't want to buy a whole new camera bag and all that. Whoo-boy.

One day of sewing. A few small pieces of fabric in pretty colors that I have been saving aside. I really like the way the ruffle turned out on the camera case. It's cute. Too bad I couldn't take a picture of the camera IN the case so you could see it better....

Fun and pretty. And will make me smile every time I use them.

More signs of spring

2010-04-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I am loving the warmer weather here.

I have the windows open in the house to freshening the air up. Ahhh, clear out that stale smell, please!

I've started pulling off my socks midway through the night, and waking up too hot. Signs that it is time to take off that extra comforter off the bed and stash it until next fall. So nice to remove it.

I also folded and put away several of our blankets in the living room, knowing that it's about the end of the season for those as well. I always keep one or two around for cooler nights, but there isn't a need for four or more of them! Time to tuck them away until fall.

Doing laundry and folding the clothes. Looking at my sweaters and long-sleeved shirts, knowing it's nearly the end of the season for those too. Not quite, but getting closer.

I still need to put away the scarves and gloves. I forget about them, because the coats get piled on top of them and hide them. But it is well past the time when we are using any of those!

The apple trees are blooming. Lilacs are starting to bloom. A few of my potato plants are peeking up, fingers crossed that more come up in the next few days. I am itching to plant tomato's, just waiting for payday (you know how that goes!). I've been working in the garden, turning the soil and getting it ready for the new plants.

Yes, I am ready for spring. Bring it on!

PUGSTER

2010-04-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

SQUEE!!!!

I know. He is the cutest, pugliest thing ever.

I am all hopped up on pug-ness.

As I posted before, my old girl, Bonnie, we put down back in January. My sweetie. Loved her to the end.

Hubs and I visited a few pet stores (hiss, boo!) over the past few months and even played with a few puppies at the store. Walked away (just walk away...). There were a few Craigslist ads for older pugs that we responded to that didn't work out, and then we forgot about it for a while.

This past weekend, my parents visited from Montana with their pug, and it made me remember how much I missed my puggie. Pugs are a breed different from any other. They simply ARE. And it was time to look into a new friend.

We visited the pet store AGAIN, saw the price and almost died. Six hundred and fifty for a pug?! That was born in December and been in a cage for lordy knows how long. Nope.

Back to the ad's. Found an ad in the paper for puppies that were ready to go. Parents on site. We went out and visited. Super clean house. Sweet adult dogs, litter of three puppies that were healthy and so dear. Real nice family. Perfect! The puppies had been started on paper training and had first shots. Excellent.

We spent far less than we would have at the pet store, significantly less. But EVEN BETTER is the fact that we saw the parents of our Pugster, and they are super friendly. His litter mates are healthy and sweet. The home he was born in is clean and nice. I don't have to worry that he was born in a hovel outside. Hooray!

I am back to my armful of pugness. The snorting in my ear. I've had a pug in my life since I was 18, and pugs are "the dog" for me. My life feels more complete now. *sqweee!!*

Re-decorating for free

2010-04-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

My living room is looking stale. BORING. Very blah.

You know how it gets at the end of winter, beginning of spring. We all want a new look. Something to "freshen up the space". That itch for something new and different.

I have the itch! Above my entertainment center, I have had the same photo's displayed for several years. OY! Time for a change. But, being me, I don't want to spend any money on this little venture.

I have bunches of things that I love and are pretty in other rooms. All it took was a few minutes roaming my bedroom, gathering a glass globe from here, a blown candle holder from there, a carved eggs, a twisted tourquoise blue glass, some driftwood---and wah-lah! I have a new, fresh, spring blue display for my living room. A mix of blues and driftwood above the television.

All things that have meaning to me as well, a trip to the beach with hubby, a vacation to visit my parents. Ah....wonderful reminders of good times.

A fresh new look. And it didn't cost me a dime.

Yard work (or lack thereof)

2010-04-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our grass in the back yard is short. Curious, that. I had to mow the front yard a few weeks back, and I mowed the front yard again today. Wonder what is up.

Also, I seem to be missing all the dandelion flowers in the back yard. I have an abundance in the front. Thanks, neighbors, for letting your yard go to seed and making it pointless for me to even try! But my back yard is weirdly lacking in blooms. What is up?

Oh yeah! The duckies are eating it all.

Thanks, guys. You sure do know how to make a lazy gardener look good. Keep up the good work covering my behind. And I'll keep slipping you the grain when I visit on the back deck. Luv ya!

-Mom

Having items work double duty

2010-04-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

I cooked a turkey yesterday. Searched high and low for my roasting pan and couldn't find it anywhere. Herm. What else can I use?

I don't have any of those plastic cooking bags. Wondering what else I can use? Ah-ha! My canner! It's enamel, just like my roasting pan, and has a lid on it.

I checked the oven, if I take out the second rack and drop the one rack all the way to the bottom, I can make it fit. Sweet! I baked that turkey in that canner, and it worked just fine for it. Surprise me.

Got me to thinking, what other things do I have around that I use for double duty? Well, I bought some casserole dishes with lids at the Goodwill a year or so back. Oddly enough, I don't use the casserole dish very often, but I use the lids on a near daily basis! We use the lids to cover dishes for reheating items in the microwave (it prevents splatters so I clean it far less often--saves me time and energy!), I use them to cover my pans on the stove (they weren't purchased to match those pans, but they fit), and I also use them on my crockpot (I was given a small crockpot second-hand from a friend, and the lid was chipped which let steam escape). It's weird how many other things I use those lids for other than the "casserole lids" that they were originally bought for.

In my laundry detergent, I made it way too strong this last batch, and I have an 1/8th cup measure (which is so rarely used in recipes) that is perfect for measuring the laundry soap into my wash.

I'm using an old plastic coffee can as a feeding scoop for the ducks. I use old ice cream buckets for holding food scraps for compost. (But that is simply REUSING, not really double duty)

The nicest thing about having items that work double duty is that you purchase fewer things. You don't need to store so many items.

Anyone have any other good tips for things that work double duty?

The ducks are hiding all the eggs

2010-04-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

and driving me completely batty!

The girls were doing so well. Laying two to three eggs a day (so good!). I had a bunch of eggs in the fridge. And then, BOOM, all of the sudden, no eggs at all. What the heck?!

I look all over the yard. Couldn't find any nests with eggs in them. *scratching my head* Hmmm..... What in the world is going on? They sure LOOK like they have eggs in them. So they must have the eggs somewhere in the yard.

Two more days, no eggs. I hunt the yard again. Finally find ONE nest in the bamboo, there are four eggs in it. I steal the cleanest one (it's still morning, I figure that's the one she laid that day). Leave the rest. I don't want any rotten ones. Ewww..

I've started leaving them in the pen later and later in the morning. Instead of letting them out at 7am, I leave them in until 8....and now, until 9. I got ONE egg in the pen today. What is going on??

Took out grain for them this morning, and the dog runs out in the middle of the yard with a "ball" in his mouth. Wha?? He found an egg! Not sure where he found it. I took it from him. A few minutes later, he comes out with ANOTHER one. I take it away from him. A bit later, another one.

He finds a total of FIVE EGGS this morning (he broke two of them). I found one under the deck. Of course, it would be in the middle of the deck, and while trying to get it out---picture it, I am lying on my stomach, on a blanket in the mud, with a long rake--- I broke the shell. Why did I bother??

Sad to say, the dog does a better job of finding eggs in the yard than I do.

If anyone has a better tip on how to discourage the hens from hiding their eggs (other than keeping them locked up all day, I want them to forage!), I would LOVE to hear it! There are simply too many hiding spots for them in my yard.....

Potato boxes

2010-03-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Trying something new this year. I enjoy red potato's, but NEVER buy them in the stores (the price is crazy expensive in my budget). Last year, I grew red potato's for the first time, and they did pretty well. I learned a few things (cut up the potato's before planting, plant in potato boxes instead of hilling them) that I want to try out to see if I get more yield this year.

Because I cut the potato's into smaller pieces (go me!), there are so many of them, it won't all fit into the garden. Opps! So, we are planting them right outside the garden. I got my youngest son to help move dirt for me (thank you, sweetie!).

Worst part about this? As soon as fresh dirt is put down, the ducks come running over to dig in it looking for bugs and worms. Great. Two days after I took these pics, hubby made the potato boxes to surround the dirt (and to hold the dirt in that will be coming once the potatoes start growing). Thank you, dear!

I am using the old bedding from the duck pen over the potato's as well. Hoping that the manure helps the 'taters grow bigger. Fingers crossed that my potato's grow big and prolific this season!

The peas are poking up. I love to see them starting. And the romaine is off and running. I need to thin them out in the next few weeks. Hoping to let them get just a wee bit bigger so that the ducks can have a snack on the ones I thin. All a part of the plan (so I say....)

Blessings, you won't know if you don't ask

2010-03-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Medical bills, that's what I am talking about.

Hubby had surgery last Novemeber. We got the bills in December. Thousands of dollars, AFTER the insurance paid. Why do we pay for insurance month after month? I forget.....

I call the business office to set up payment arrangements, am told my only options are for a third company. They sell our debt to the company, the company then charges a percentage of interest for 2 years, but allows us to pay X dollars a month. This is the ONLY option that I am told about. So this is what I set up.

Fast forward two months, we have paid one month to the other company, but have set aside a large amount of cash. I go to the business office in person and ask if we can make a settlement for the remainder of the medical debt. I'm told that they will not do that, but that I can apply for hardship where they will reduce or erase the debt completely. WHAT?! Why didn't they tell me that in December? Oh, but I've already signed the papers to the other company. NOO!!! Hold it, the final papers haven't been signed (thank you, Jesus!), so they can halt selling my debt until I can fill out the hardship paperwork. WHEW.

Thank you, Lord, for having me go on that day to check on our debt. If we had made a second payment, it would have been irrevocable. The debt would have belonged to the third company and we couldn't have worked with the hospital. Thank you, Lord!

I fill out the paperwork. It felt very invasive. Three months worth of paystubs, three months worth of bank statements, our tax returns, etc, etc. Hubby HATED that we had to give so much information.

I took it back in two days later, turned it in. The lady in the business office looked it over quickly and told me that she thought 100% of our debt would be written off. Worst case would be 80% of the debt. Oh-kay. That would be lovely. But I am scared and anxious, so I will just wait and see. Hopeful, don't get me wrong, but I will wait.

I got the letter this week. The hospital wrote off 100% off the debt. This is over 2,500 worth of medical bills that we would have been paying off over the next two years. That we would have been paying INTEREST on.

I suppose the thing that frustrates me so badly is that I didn't know that they had a program to write off debt. To apply for hardship.

My advice to others? Please ask. Hospitals in particular. Ask the business office which programs they offer. It can't hurt to ask!

Stupid dog, and stupid library

2010-03-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hey teacher, the dog ate my homework. Okay, he ate my books.

Not once, but twice.

The first time, it was my fault. When we leave the house, we put the dogs in the bathroom so they don't get into mischief (as seen by what he did to the book!). I accidentally left a book next to the bathtub, and while I was gone, he used it as a chew toy. Irritate me! He will be TWO in a month, and it's been a while since he has chewed up something. Grrrr.... It was the FIRST time he had chewed up a book. Granted, he's eaten other things in the bathroom (toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, etc), but a book?!

I took myself down to the library, showed them the book and paid to have it replaced. Since it is part of the county system, and I request a lot of books, it was from another library, so I write a check to the library that it originated from. No big deal, but I hate paying full price for a book when I know I can get a better deal on books that full retail.

Two weeks later, the dog does it again. Double GRRRR.... This time, I had the book up on a shelf, on top of a stack of towels. He had to WORK to get to this book. The dog was determined to eat this book. What in the world?! Is it the fiber? Does he hate me? WHY DO YOU EAT THEM?

Breathing, must keep breathing. It wasn't just the cover or the spine of the book this time. No, he shredded 25 pages from the middle of the book (which I hadn't even gotten to yet). Sadly, this means that I missed a major part of the plot. That right there is enough to make me want to.....no, we don't harm our animals, as much as we would like to.

Okay, I have to do something about this book. I don't want to pay full retail for it, because that is just crazy talk. I have a Barnes and Nobles membership (my youngest son loves a particular series that the library does not carry, so we buy the series, he reads it for several months, then we donate the books to the library. Win-win!). I buy the book there, get my discount, and take it to the library.

Now, I have gone this replacement book route in the past. Part of living in the same town for *cough, cough* nearly three decades means that you learn some things. But today, I learned that where this book originated, the Lake Oswego Public Library, they do not allow you to replace the book yourself. PLUS, they charge you a five dollar handling fee. EXCUSE ME?! This book is now going to cost me thirteen dollars to replace??!! I bought it myself for $7.19! Pities sake.

I am half tempted to cut off the library bar-code and put it on the replacement book, put some clear contact paper over the whole she-bang and drop it into the drop box and see if they even notice (except that is lying). It sooo feel like extortion to me.

Mmmph. I will wait until next Monday when I am a wee bit calmer, and then I will call the library and see if maybe we can find a middle ground on this issue. Because at the moment, I have a tic. And I am annoyed.

At the dog. And the Lake Oswego Library.

Electronics, part two

2010-03-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Perseverance and keeping your eyes open. It ain't over until it's OVER!!

Hubby brought home a USB cord for the printer to hook it from my laptop to the printer. Oh-kay. We already had one. Well, he got a longer one so I could use it from my chair rather than while next to the printer (visions of the dog racing past the cat, ripping the cord out and tearing the laptop off my lap. No thanks, I'll just sit on the floor to print stuff). That's okay, hunny, I don't print things an excessive length of time, and I can sit on the floor to do it.

This necessitates returning the cord to the store, I don't want to waste $30 in my closet because of laziness.

Then, while cruising the ad's last night, hub's just happens to look at Office Max and finds the EXACT same model printer on sale this week, for $50 less. Fifty bucks!! Hmmm, does the store we bought from price match? (Yes, for the record, I checked their price earlier and it was higher...ah, the frustration!) A call to the store, three transfers, and a transfer to a fax machine line. What in the world?! Meaning, we don't know if they price match or not. Good thing I already need to take a trip in for the USB cord.

Today, I trot myself down to the store, go to Customer Service and have my handy receipt and ad. Yes, they do price match. After returning the USB cord (which, at other times in my life, could very well have just ended up languishing in the closet "just in case we need it") and getting the price match, I ended up with a total of eighty dollars in my pocket. Not bad for a days work!

Lesson learned? Even after the purchase is made, it doesn't hurt to see if the item has gone on sale somewhere else, and if they price match where you bought it. Fifty bucks saved is fifty bucks. That is grocery money in my budget!

This boot is made for walk'n

2010-03-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Isn't she stylish?!

That's my girl! Ms Chatty, sporting the latest in designer, veterinary duds. The turquoise boot. Whoo-hoo, work it, girlfriend!

Chatty has been hiding for a few days. Tucking herself under bushes, making herself scarce. I thought she was just getting broody. It IS spring, after all. And then I saw her walking around yesterday afternoon, limping. Oh, no! What did she get into? I caught her (when my ducks don't run away from me, I know there is a problem) and checked her out. She had a huge lump on one foot. Huge being a relative term, more like the size of a pea. Obviously bothering her.

I call the vet we use. They don't see ducks, but give me the number of another vet. They don't see ducks either, but they give me the number of a vet. You see where this is going? I end up calling MULTIPLE vets before finding one. (There are all these ad's of vets in the phone book with pictures in their ads of birds, and yet they don't see birds. Isn't that false advertising?!) I make an appointment for today.

Poor girl hasn't been handled this much EVER. Hasn't been in a car since the day I brought her home as a duckling. I think she is traumatized. From the sounds of it, it's like a calluses that is infected, since there is so much pressure there, it can't heal and got infected. The vet lanced it, and made her a "boot" to relieve the pressure for a few days to give it a chance to heal. That and antibiotics for seven days, twice a day (yea me! I get to catch a duck and force pills down her throat. Does it get any better?).

This also was an opportunity for me to pick the vet's brain about food (well, since I was THERE I should ask!) and bedding for the pen (replacing it with sand this weekend to spare their little tootsies from further trauma).

All this for eggs?! No....I'll admit it. They have officially moved to the realm of pets. OUTDOOR pets, but pets, nonetheless. Pets that I get eggs from, but pets.

Word from the vet: gravel is too hard on their webbed feet to use in their pen. I didn't want dirt or concrete (in our wet climate, it makes for mud and stink in the summer. Disgusting!). Her recommendation was several inches of sand, and then to use a leaf rake once a week to remove the droppings, and hose it down every few months. Replenish the sand as needed when it gets low. Plus, if the ducks do eat it, it should pass safely through their system. So, that's the word from the vet. Passing it on to other duck lovers out there!

Electronics

2010-03-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Ah, the 21st century. Needing a home printer. But what to get?

We had a printer/scanner/photo-thingie. Number one: the HP model that we bought (several years ago) didn't produce nice photos. They were grainy and streaky. Not to mention, photos eat up A LOT of color ink. I learned that I was much happier going to a drug store for my photos. Since I have a digital camera, I can pick and choose only the photos I want, the quality turns out better, and I don't waste money on all that color ink on photos that are sub-par. Number two: those little ink cartridges don't hold much ink. We don't make a lot of copies/prints at home, but it seemed like we were ALWAYS running out of ink! And to refill the cartridge costs $12 to $15 dollars, to buy new is more than that. Do that a few times a year. OUCH.

I read on the Internet recently that it is more cost effective to get a laser printer. I was skeptical. But thought I would check it out.

Most new ink jet printers cost under $100 dollars. An inexpensive laser printer costs $170 dollars. Ink jet refills cost around $20 or more. And print off 100 pages (in my experience, it's less than that). The laser printer toner is $40 and runs 3,500 pagers. That means that the upfront cost will save you very quickly in saved toner costs!!

We went with the laser printer. Granted, it's only black and white, but we don't care about color. The model we got has a USB to plug into the computer, and is rated for small offices. It is Energy Star rated and goes into sleep mode after a minute when not in use (very nice!), so I don't have to think about turning it off and on all the time. Plus, it prints out FAST compared to the ink jet (the model we got is for offices---and yes, it was the best deal---so it prints fast).

I am doing a happy, happy, happy dance. Energy star rated, saving money over time on the toner. And I now have a printer at home that works. I can once again start printing coupons off the Internet at home. YES!!! Internet coupons, how I have missed you.....

And I did the leg work. Calls to stores, cruising stores on the 'net. Good times! Still, I love knowing I got a good deal. Love that!! Especially when hubby asks "Are you sure such-and-so store didn't have a better price on that model?" and I can pull up the store and model and show him, yes....we got a better deal! LOVE THAT!!!

Garden is started

2010-03-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

I know it seems early, but we have had unseasonably warm weather! We are in a La Nina pattern, and are running two to four weeks early this year in our weather pattern. Meaning, we are closer to the end of March weather-wise than the beginning of it.

We did have some frost early last week, but other than those two days of frost, it has been a few weeks of frost free days.

I asked at the feed store in Feb if they had potato starts. Nope, not until March. Today I went in, and they had some. So, I got my potato starts (red potato's, a treat). Hoping I can convince hubby to build some potato boxes to see if those produce more potato's. It's a process to convince him.....

In the garden today I got the peas planted, and romaine lettuce. It will be my first year for romaine lettuce. Typically, I go for normal old leaf lettuce, but decided to try romaine for a change of pace. Why not? My peas did poorly last year, not certain if it was the weather conditions or the type of pea that I chose, so I have my fingers crossed that this year will be better!

It is so odd to hear the frogs croaking and to see the trees coming into bloom this early. Sadly, I still feel cold all the time (I have no cause to whine, everyone in the Midwest and east can throw snow at me!), and crave sunshine.

Come on, sunshine!!

Meet our newest addition, Kiwi

2010-02-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine who convinced me to have runner ducks lost her male late last week. That left her with only one female at her house. Changes in life, with the busyness that happens to all of us, means that she needed to find a new home for her precious Kiwi.

Would I be willing to take in her baby? WOULD I?! You bet I would! This is a beautiful chocolate runner that has been hand-raised from a day-old duckling. Sweet as can be.

She joined our little flock this past Saturday, and wasted no time in trying to find where she fit into the group. The two blue's I have have never been high on the group list, Kiwi ignores them. Kiwi wants to be part of the main group, buttering up to the dominant female (the white and fawn hen, Spicy) and dominant male (the Mallard, Mario).

It is interesting to watch animal politics play out in the back yard, let me tell you! After a few hours of some pecking and feather pulling, things have settled down. Now it is mostly chattering and bluffing each other (just between Kiwi and one other hen, Chatty, who are battling it out for position).

She is learning the ways of our flock, following them into the pen at night, running up to the deck with them whenever I come outside (I come bearing treats of lettuce and oats...so they know momma has goodies!).

My youngest son has declared that we need another duck, because we now have an odd number. Ah, no. Nope, I don't think so. Good try, though. My husband thinks we need to put a sign out that we are fostering ducks. Again, no. I don't think so. I think we need a duck crossing sign in front of our house. YES!!

It must be spring

2010-02-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Considering I hung my first batch of laundry on the clothesline.

Can't wait to have sunwarmed clothes. They just smell better!

Laptop case

2010-02-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Tah-dah!

It's done. Worked my fingers to the nubs with hand-stitching the binding on, but doesn't it look spiffy. I like the zesty colors. And I love me coffee. Mmmmm, boy.

I have a messenger bag that I carry my laptop in when I travel out of the house. But it has no padding at all. So, it was time to make a case to put the laptop into, and then use the messenger bag.

I doubled-up on the batting to make it softer, and used leftovers from an earlier quilt for the interior of the bag. I also had some binding leftover from another project that matched these fabrics just right (I KNEW I was hanging onto that for a reason. Saved me time making some new up. Go me!!).

I'm happy with it. The colors certainly make me smile.

Repurposing--making pillowcases out of curtains

2010-02-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

My mother made us a quilt for our bed a few years back, and there were some leftover blocks. Seemed a shame to waste them, so we sewed them into a valance for the bedroom. That worked for several years.

Until the city finally fixed the streetlight outside our bedroom, and the light was keeping us awake. Silly us, we blamed the neighbor's Christmas lights for a few weeks (then we realized they were off. Opps!) I made a new light-blocking cafe curtain to block the light while we are in bed, but it doesn't match the valance. Hmm...I don't want to just throw away good quilt-block fabric, so what to do with it??

For the past two days, I have been re purposing them into a pillowcase. Sadly, the valance wasn't wide enough or long enough to make two of them (I did try to figure a way to make to work, but it just wouldn't have looked right). The center blocks are from the valance, I added the side borders to increase the size. I needed to try out how to do some quilting (I wanted to try free-hand quilting), so I did that over the top. Then I added some ribbon on the edge to make it spiffy.

I think it turned out well overall. Took me a crazy amount of time, but it looks very pretty.

My next project? A fabric case for my laptop. I will post pics of that once it is done!

Valentine's sweetheart

2010-02-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

I may have been gone for the weekend, but before I left, my sweetheart gave me a card (awhhh!) and a quilting foot for my sewing machine that I have been eyeballing for a while now. He even remembered to use the 15% off discount (I love him even more for remembering that). He rocks my world!

And then, while I was out of town, he made hooks for my measuring cups, hung a phone on the wall that has been in my way in the kitchen, and cleaned the coffee pot (he doesn't even DRINK coffee!). How cool is he? Plus, he cleaned out the filter in the dishwasher.

All those gifts of service to show he loves me.

Means the world to me. Truly, truly does.

I don't have iron in mah butt

2010-02-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Or is it supposed to be lead??? What I mean is, I get lost at the drop of a hat. The family calls it "going on a Wendi Adventure". When we go someplace new that the kids aren't used to, the kids start asking "are you lost, mom?" Not a good sign.

I used to live in Indianapolis. Never got used to living there. Never COULD learn the landmarks. I drove an entire circle around the city because I missed my exit. I existed in a state of anxiety because I was constantly lost. Was a factor for why I moved back home.

This is a HUGE reason why I continue to live in the same town I grew up in. I am used to this town. At least in the metro area, I can look for Mt Hood as a landmark, or note the rivers and bridges. I have lived here long enough for things to look familiar. I still get lost around here, or friends tell me short cuts of how to get places that I never found on my own....but it's better for me.

This weekend was a hockey trip out of town to Seattle. Bane of my existance. It was horric. The teen boy wanted to ride with other kids, leaving me with my youngest (who is autistic and cannot read a map!!!) to help me navigate. Oh not so successful. I have anxiety issues. Whopping ones. Particularlly around driving (as you can guess by the "Wendi Adventure" comments and the fact that I haven't moved from my home town.....). An hour long drive on an unknown road to the hotel took me an hour and a half. I got lost THREE TIMES. I was shaking. One really should not try to read a map while driving at 65 miles per hour. I don't recommend it. Really. I had to beg the fast food workers for help. Yeah....that bad. Only to get to the hotel, calm down for an hour, and do the whole drive in reverse, back to the ice rink. NOOOO......

Two days of this. Two different rinks. Many, many different highways. The 167, the 405, the I-5. Construction, moved exits. My nerves being shot.

And it hit me. I did so much better when I had my lovely Mr. TomTom. I got Mr. TomTom as a gift for Christmas. I only had him for a year before he went to data heaven, but he was sexy. His ducet tones "turn left ahead" was such a God-send to an inept map-reader like me.

Is buying a replacement for sexy Mr. TomTom a waste of money? Or a much needed balm to my soul? At this point, considering my nerves (the scrawled notes written at 65 miles per hour on a crumpled printed Google Map so that I might be able to duplicate this feat of finding the hotel a second time), my blood pressure (through the roof!) and my relationships with my kids ("YOU NEED TO HELP ME FIND CENTRAL AVENUE RIGHT NOW!!!!")....I think it is time to re-think the importance of a satellite mapping system.

A few weeks ago, if you asked me, "Do you want to spend $100 on a satellite mapping system with your tax refund?" I would have told you no. No, I can think of a hundred other things to do with that money. But after a weekend of misery, driving full of stress and anxiety, well, I think it is time to buy a replacement for that old Mr. TomTom.

mmmmm......hoping for a new, sexy voice to serenade me on my drives in the near future and guide me on my way.

and now we are back to rain

2010-02-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

But before it started raining again, I did manage to rototill part of the garden. Like, a quarter of it. No need to get too ambitious.

This past week, I have been reading the book "The Cake Mix Doctor Returns" by Anne Byrn. I had read her first book and used some of the recipes, so I thought I would give this book a whirl.

Oh to the YUM. I have been baking way too much. Three cakes in just over a week. I have made the Cinnamon Struedel Cake, a Lemon Cake, and yesterday was the Apple Spice cake with Caramel "frosting". These cakes don't survive long at my house. Just a few short days. Oh the horror!

My youngest thinks that a small slice of cake is perfect to take in his lunch. My oldest thinks that a honking big slice makes a perfect after-school snack. Me, well, it's nice to have a piece in the mid-evening, once dinner has settled.

I love these books. If you aren't a cake baker, these cakes are fairly fool-proof. And oh so very, very good. Plus, it makes your family feel special.

Enjoying the unseasonably warm weather

2010-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

It is gorgeous out! Sorry to gloat, but here in the Pacific NorthWet, it is beautiful today. We have had a run of warmer than normal weather for over a month now, but it's been rainy for a lot of that. Today, however, it is pure sunny goodness.

My kids just went to their father's for the weekend, I got my oldest to help clean out the duck pen before he left. And now, I am sunning my face on the front porch. Ahhh.....it feels almost sinful.

The warmer weather also has my mind turning toward gardening and planting. When we cleaned the duck pen, I always put the used bedding into the garden to amend the soil. It's nearing time to til it into the ground and think about planting the early veggies. I told hubby I needed to buy seeds soon. Word is there is a seed shortage around for certain things. Of course, seems like particular kinds of seeds always sell out faster than others. I need to hurry and get what I need soon.

Hard to believe it is February and I am thinking of planting! But we haven't had a hard frost in a while. The weatherman said that we are one to two weeks ahead of schedule for our weather temperatures. If that is the case, it won't be long before I need to get the sugar peas and lettuce's into the ground. I typically plant those in March. And March isn't that far off!

Life comes at you fast! I am hoping my peas do better this year than last.

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy this one lovely warm weather day, and soak up some sunshine.

Wintertime Illnesses

2010-02-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry to have been away for the week.

Isaiah came home from his dad's last weekend with a cold. Lovely. Coughing all over the place. He stayed home from school on Tuesday, and wanted to cuddle with mom (ah, the love!).

Consequence of the love? By Thursday, I was running a lovely fever of my own. Thanks baby. The worst of it was Friday night, but I ran a low-grade fever on Saturday as well. Sunday had me feeling better, but still shaky (you know how it is, stand up to do anything, and after about 10 minutes, get that feeling like you have to sit down NOW!).

Hubby's way of dealing? LEAVE THE HOUSE. He's treating this like it's a Middle Ages Plague. "I have to work, I can't get sick, so I am leaving." Uh, that leaves me at home with two kids, sick, by myself. Please, no!! Needless to say, there was a lot of mindless television going on this weekend. Bad mom (sorry, I was delirious.....it was the best I could do at the time!).

So today, I am trying to clean up the mess. Masses of laundry from four days, piles of dishes. The horrors of my house. Seeing what happens when I don't stay on top of things for four days. Sad thing? I DID some laundry yesterday!! I did some dishes. It was WORSE.... WOW....

And people think that stay at home mom's do nothing. pfft. Really? I cooked a few meals WHILE SICK, did some laundry WHILE SICK, and the house is still a wreck. Oh the horror.

When you give good, good things come back to you

2010-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

This week, hubby brought home all that olive oil, and today I passed it out to the families. Lucky me, two of my friends brought me goodies in return! I got multiple bags of salad, loads of broccoli (I spent the day blanching broccoli and freezing it for later, the unusable bits are fed to the ducks), some apple cider (YUM!!), and snackies. Mmmmmm.....

Goes to show, you send out good, and the good comes back to you.

Also a reminder to me to check out Gleaners. In Oregon, we do not have Angel Food Ministries (a food provider to purchase limited food items for a very low price. I only WISH it were available here! Check on the web to see if it's anywhere where you are.). But we do have Gleaners. You pay a one time fee (quarterly or yearly, I can't remember which), it is limited by income, only so many people may join (there is a cap in each group). There are some other rules (for each family, you have to agree to give part of your portion to an elderly family, you have to take 100% of your portion, you can't "pick and choose" what you want). With Gleaners, you never know what you are going to get. I was on it years ago, as a single mom, and once we got loads of yogurt, another time, lots of soy milk, or bunches of rutabaga's. I have no clue what to do with that! You get to be really creative with what you get from gleaners....or, you share with others.

Worth checking out in these times.

Community Classes

2010-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

My littlest one has been DYING to take fencing classes. Fencing, y'all. (First off, I am an artistic person, bookish by nature. How in the world did I end up with two boys who like sports is totally beyond me. Someone up there has a terrific sense of humor!)

Uh-huh. Well, fencing sounds a wee bit "high-class" for this mom. My oldest is already in hockey, and let me tell you, that sport will kill you.

Local community centers have classes. All kinds of classes. FENCING classes. Shock the ever-lovinness off of me. Fencing. Knock me over with a feather. This particular class is held one county over, meaning we drive a little and pay a slightly higher fee, but still significantly less than a fencing league would be. And there are beginning classes and intermediate classes. Very cool. The gear is provided by the instructors as well (thank you, Lord!).

I am also impressed that they limit the class size. My son's class has only 8 people in it, and there is the instructor and an assistant. Not too shabby! All in all, for a community class, I think it's worthwhile to look into.

So, for those of you out there interested in checking out a new hobby or sport, its worth looking into the local community center and seeing if they offer a class. You may as well dabble there and see how you like it!

And isn't he cute in the fencing outfit?

When trying to save a bucks bites you in the

2010-01-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

well, you know the rest.

"Thank you for your order!" Oh really??

Ordering replacement checks from Current. I've ordered from them before. I checked the prices from several different places in December. I like to get duplicate checks, I always order two boxes, and that typically lasts me a year or more before I have to go through this drama again. Current still has reasonable prices, plus, since that is who I most recently ordered from, they should still have all my current (no pun intended) information.

So I call up. Wait on hold FOREVER. (Yes....I refuse to order on-line. I may do a lot of things on-line, but I hate ordering things on-line. I also refuse to pay my household bills on-line. Just accept that about me.) Finally get a hold of a human (sweet!). Nice lady. I am in the middle of trying to keep my two boys from killing one another, but I place my order. Two boxes of checks, plus some labels. No big deal, right?

The labels arrive yesterday. Mailed to my home, but with the wrong address printed on them. Very confusing to me. I call Current up. Wait on the phone FOREVER. Finally get a hold of a human being. Oh, yes, on the day that the order was placed, a note was made that the address looked wrong, but the labels were still put out, with the note that when I called to complain that they were wrong, new ones were to be issued. Ummm, are my CHECKS going to be wrong? Oh, no. Those should be correct. Well, okay. As long as the checks are okay. I can live without labels, but I really need the checks. I am down to the last two checks, I really need them.

Checks came today. I open them up and look them over VERY CAREFULLY since the labels were wrong yesterday. Lo and behold. They got the phone number wrong. Another call to Current. By now, hubby is mad. He thinks I am being too nice, so he takes over the phoning duties for this. From what I can gather, they told him that I gave them that telephone number (why in the heck would I have done that? I guess when I gave them the bogus address I decided to toss in an incorrect phone number as well?). My husband is mad as a hatter about the whole situation. Just flaming about it.

Current is going to re-issue checks, but refuses to admit that they did anything wrong. Uh-huh.

My lesson? I won't be using them again. Their prices might be fine, but Checks in the Mail are comparable (I looked, and they are!) so I will be trying them the next time. Hubby insists that next time we will use the bank.

I hate buying checks.

Passing on the love

2010-01-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

A bit of a rant.

How is it that we live in a country that is so wealthy that it can throw away perfectly good food? I don't get it. I just don't get it. Toss it out.

My husband works as a repair tech. He is in and out of warehouses all the time fixing equipment. So he comes across items that are bound for the dumpster. And from time to time, he rescues some for me (liberation!) and brings it home.

Yesterday, it was olive oil. OLIVE OIL. Quart upon quart of it. I don't know about you, but olive oil is a dear commodity in my household. I dole it out carefully because those teeny bottles are seven bucks a piece! And here, he brought home QUARTS of it. That they were throwing out.

Still sealed. There is nothing wrong with these bottles. Maybe the box that they were in was smashed, or maybe one bottle in the box got broken, but these bottles are fine. So why throw them away? I don't get it!!

Anyway. Entirely too much oil for me to use by myself. And I am not that greedy. I am passing on the love to the rest of my couponing group at church (love you girls!).

We are all in this together.

Deals at the grocery store

2010-01-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

I love getting a good deal. Absolutely love it. But today was an exceptionally good day.

I got $61.96 worth of groceries, plus a prescription, and all I paid was the $10 dollar co-pay.

The store has a coupon for a gift certificate of $30 if you transfer a prescription. I just so happen to have a prescription that I take monthly. I transferred that prescription over, and got my $30 gift card.

This store also had some specials that were only good for two days, like the cereal for $1.50 a box, combined with a coupon, buy one, get one free. That and a few other good store coupons, and manufacture coupons. It all adds up to some terrific savings.

Think about it....except for the prescription, all the stuff in the picture was basically free to me. And that, well, that makes me so very happy!

Asking for help (pets)

2010-01-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is a tough subject for me.

I had to put down my sweet-heart this weekend. She has been my companion, my friend, for years now. I got her as a rescue many years ago, to keep me company while my kids were over at their dad's house. I was never sure how old she was, I was told she was 2 when I got her, but she may have been older. As of this weekend, she was 11.

She fell off the second-story deck at my parents house two summers ago. Just rolled under the rail while trying to get a treat. Ever since, she has had health problems. This September, she developed cataracts. By the end of October, she was totally blind. In December, she just had lost all zest for life. She spent all her day sitting beside me in the chair, not even moving for thrown dog treats. Running into the fireplace, falling into the pond, hitting the walls.

She had begun biting hubby and I when we tried to feed her. And last week, she started attacking the other dogs in the house. For no reason, other than they walked past her. Poor, miserable, girl.

I checked with a few vets for prices. Then, I went and asked at the local farm store to see if they had any suggestions. A kind, older man helped us there. He suggested a veterinarian who is farther out of town whom he had used several times, who was fairly priced. He told us that she did good work with animals and he recommended her.

A week later, I called up. I set up the appointment. On Saturday, I went in and did the best and kindest thing I could for my sweetheart. The Beavercreek Animal Hospital were kind and supportive. Everyone treated us with respect. I had as good of an experience as I could get (considering the situation).

My point? When it comes to our pets, we do want good care for them. But for me, I still have to fit that care into my budget! Which means calling around and trying to find the best price for their care. Visiting my local farm store, asking people who they recommend for vet services, this helps me out.

But won't change the fact that I miss her and love her. Give your pet a hug!

Happy birthday, baby boy

2010-01-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

My youngest turned eleven today. ELEVEN. (I am way too young to have an eleven year old, let alone a teenager. Just say'n.)

My question is: does his birthday have to fall so close so Christmas every single, blasted year?! I have a hard time finding Christmas presents for him each year, and come his birthday...I am typically out of ideas.

Some years, I find lots of ideas. Or I can discover what he didn't get for Christmas, buy it on clearance, and give it on his birthday. This year...mom is fresh out of ideas.

Books? Nope. No new ones that he wants. If I buy what he doesn't want, he won't read it anyways. Toys? If he doesn't like it, he won't use it! Video games? He got a bunch at Christmas time, and doesn't need any new ones right now. What is a mom to do?

My solution? Cash. I know this particular kid. He can hold onto cash for quite a while! I've seen this kid hold onto money for a few months. So for this kiddo, giving him cash is a great option. I know he will save it for something that he really wants a few months down the line. Plus, we won't end up with less appreciated items that take up space. Win-win!

Happy birthday, wee one. Hope this year is a good one for you. (But don't grow up too fast.)

Resolution time

2010-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year. When resolutions are made. Maybe they are kept, maybe not. But it is a good time to reexamine our lives, if nothing else.

Most of us think about our weight, or our health. I get that. I have a few pounds to lose. I'd love to disappear a size or two.

But the truth of the matter is, why do you want to lose weight? Some people lose weight to please others, or for a reunion. Others lose weight to fit into a dress or outfit for a particular occasion. For me, I feel more comfortable in my body when there is just a little less of it than there currently is right now.

Next thing...I need a goal. We all need a goal! Otherwise, where is the end point? It needs to be realistic. Attainable. For me, I know what my goal is.

Okay, so I have a goal. Set myself up for success. None of this weird stuff, eating fake food, starving myself, going on fasts, skipping meals things. Sure, that would help me lose weight in the short-term, but I would also lose muscle mass, possibly bone, give myself headaches, make myself cranky, and likely be unable to sustain that kind of weight loss. A better choice is eating healthy.

Fresh fruits, pinto beans I cooked myself with salsa to taste (I am skipping the "refried" step), green salads, smaller portion sizes. Watching those sneaky things, like beverages. Fruit juices can sound good, but drink a lot of it and they can have a lot of calories. I love coffee, but adding creamer? I'm sticking with black coffee for now.

I'm also gearing up to walk again. It's been a bad month for me and walking. With the kids out of school, and the rainy, wet weather, well....I got out of the habit. Today, I was forced into walking to work when I locked myself out of the house (and my car). Opps! Good thing I live close to work. So I walked there and back. Good exercise. I really should do that every week.

Anyway. That's my resolution for the moment. Trying to eat healthier. Nothing too crazy, just cutting back my portion size, adding in more fruits and veggies, drinking more tea, less juice. That, and walking more. Let's see if I can be back into my skinny pants come late spring. A girl can dream, right?

Welcoming in the New Year

2010-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's officially 2010, and we can all say good-bye to 2009.

Here is hoping that 2010 is better economically than 2009 was!

Regardless of the national or world-wide economy, my hope is that every reader and follower finds a wealth of blessings in the upcoming year. An abundance of friends. The security of a job and steady income. Having a home, not just a house to live in, but a home to reside and make a family in.

I hope that everyone enjoys good health. My family, personally, has gone through the wringer with the health stuff in 2009. Skinny-boy broke his arm, my husband had surgery. It's just been a year for it. So....good health with NO SURPRISES in the year 2010 is what I am praying for all.

I wish for you the blessings of having full cupboards. That they are overflowing with goodies for you and your family. For wisdom to know how to cook and use the items in the cupboards to make yummy things for your family to eat. And to have enough that you can give some away.

For the gardeners: the wish for an abundant, overflowing harvest. So much that you don't know what to do with it all! Adequate rain when it's needed, sun at the right times. For no bugs, no fungus, no rot. May your garden be filled with the humming of bees and the movement of worms, and the growing and blooming of produce.

Those are my wishes for everyone in 2010. Blessings to all! Be well.

Thrift store shopping

2009-12-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

My friend and I got together today for a girls time together, and she wanted to hit a few places to look for jeans. She specifically wanted to go to two thrift stores in town.

Me personally? I go to thrift stores to look for all kinds of things. Household goods, books on occasions, sometimes clothes for the kids, but I rarely look for clothes for myself there. The reason why? I shop clearance sales hard-core. Shopping at thrift stores requires a more careful mindset than in regular stores. And you have to be willing to shop out of season.

But, I figured, I want to hang out with my friend, and it's been a LONG time since I've gone clothes shopping in a thrift store, so I may as well see what deals they have.

I was happy with the deals I found for myself. Three pair of pants for just over $10. One pair of fleece-lined pants, perfect for the cold weather that we are having right now, and a pair of light-weight canvas Capri pants for late spring and summer, plus a pair of loose canvas pants for just casual living in.

All three are household names that are easily known. Two of them have great detailing, those little things that make you happy.

Shopping at a thrift store DOES require a different mind-set. For one, you need to look at the size. Don't trust the tag that the price label says that it is. Always try it on if you can.

Next, be looking for wear. Are there any obvious stains? How do the seams look? Is there pulling or loose threads? Check the cuffs of the pants or the cuffs of sleeves/bottoms of the shirts. Look for worn places, ground in stains, etc. Is there pilling in the fabric? Some pilling is acceptable, but how much are you willing to accept? If you are buying for a small child, it may not matter, but if it is for a teen, picky girl or for yourself, this could be a deal-breaker.

Lastly, would you buy it if it wasn't such a "good deal"? Kinda like the concept of "I bought it on clearance" but only wore it twice so it isn't such a good deal. You want to be buying things that you will love, that aren't just taking up space in your closet.

For me, it is about knowing my prices and what I am willing to pay. I am one of those shoppers with a "price point" in my head for nearly everything. And today, I was happily surprised with what I found. Yeah, I will go back in the future and look for more good deals.

One other reminder, you may need to adjust (tailor) clothes from the thrift store so it fits you better. The fleece-lined pants that I purchased were a "tall" and needed hemming. But at $3.68 a pair, I can handle hemming! Sadly, the fabric was too thick for my sewing machine to handle, so I ended up doing it by hand (isn't that what movies on TV are for?), but it's a good project for the evening. And now I have nice, warm pants to put on tomorrow morning. I am excited!

This wasn't in the forecast

2009-12-29T16:22:00.000-08:00

The forecast was for rain. Temps to be in the mid-forties.

Looks like it, doesn't it?

The ducks are not amused. They don't like the crinkly noise that the snow makes when it falls on the bamboo. They have been hiding in their pen most of the afternoon. Not that I blame them.

Poor guys. Hope they get used to it soon.

Mending

2009-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

A stitch in time saves nine.

Pithy saying or actual deal? Ever wondered?

My experience, it's better to catch those holes while they are small. Otherwise they grow on you!

That washing machine, it can be hard on clothes. The dryer isn't doing them any favors with the high heat, and flying zippers. A tip--remember to zip those zippers up or they can catch on other garments and make holes in things (learned this one the hard way with a brand new pair of pants....maybe you don't have moths, maybe it's the dryer and zippers). They can also catch loose threads and pull on them, making those holes larger.

Not to mention wearing clothes with small holes (yes, we probably have all done it from time to time, thinking it's not too noticeable). Our movements pull on those holes and loosen those threads, making them larger and larger.

For me, when doing the folding, when I run across a shirt or pants with a hole, I set it aside to work on later. It's a good project to do while watching television (rather than being on the Internet, just kidding!).

You don't need to be Suzy Homemaker, or a stellar seamstress to fix most holes in seams. You don't even need a huge sewing kit to do it with. You DO need a card of needles (a dollar or two at your fabric store), a few colors of thread (white, black, brown, navy and grey are good starter colors) and then scissors. If you catch holes small, you probably won't need pins, but having some doesn't hurt.

Pick the color that best matches the fabric you are working with. You are working from the inside of the garment. Start a little bit back from where the loose threads start (so that you are going over the good part of the seam), and begin with a knot to hold your thread. From there, start stitching. I usually whip stitch over the top. Try to keep your stitches close together and as tidy as you can. Keep working until you are a little ways into the good stitches on the far side of the seam. Then, tie it off.

It's not too difficult once you get going. And if you catch it early, it's pretty small and goes fast. It is when you ignore it that it gets to be several inches long.

This is also why it is better to fix any holes PRIOR to washing so that the washing doesn't make it worse (which is how my son's shirt ended up with three holes to fix instead of just one....stupid loose threads!). Sadly, I generally don't notice these things until I am FOLDING the clothes to put them away.

Catch those holes early! Same with loose buttons and hooks. It only takes a minute or two to fix and then it won't annoy you all day.

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

The gifts are unwrapped, we have McClintock going on the television, the fire is roaring. It's a good time to be a mom.

With the hustle and bustle of the season, it's easy to lose sight of the important things in life. To get caught up in the busyness of life.

So, right now, I am thinking of my blessings.

I am thankful that I have heat in my house. Many families in the world, and in America, don't have heat. But I do. And I am thankful for that.

I am thankful that I have full cupboards. I may not have every little thing in them that my heart desires, but I can make many, many meals before I need to run to the grocery. And that is a huge blessing.

I am thankful for a handy husband. A man who is willing to fix things. Who is capable of fixing things.

I am thankful for two boys who call me mom. They are wonderful and challenging, as any good children are, but I love them dearly, and am so very glad to call them mine.

Even though my life isn't perfect, my life is pretty darn good. The economy is tough, but this too shall pass. Family is what is important. Sticking together. Loving each other. And appreciating what we DO have.

Can it be fixed?

2009-12-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

This one is for the homeowners out there.

Nothing worse than settling in, and having a major appliance take a hooey on you. For us, it's been the dishwasher this past month, and then the oven element last night.

Now, for the dishwasher. My father has been a dishwasher repairman for commercial dishwashers for decades (literally). He has fixed this particular dishwasher for me three times before. When he was visiting in September, he and my husband gave it a going-over at that time because it wasn't working right. So, when it stopped cleaning dishes, YET AGAIN, less than two months later, it was unlikely to be a quick and easy fix. Also, factor in the age of the dishwasher (10 years), and it was due to be replaced. We shopped around, dickered with the salesman, and got a good deal. Hubby installed it himself.

For the oven element. To begin with, I touched the element twice (I was wiping out the ash at the bottom of the oven after having run the self-cleaning cycle, and the element had broken into two places when I lifted it up to wipe underneath it). Found out later, this is a big NO-NO. 240 currents (or is it watts?) runs through it at all times, even if the oven is "off". Since the element was broken, that current was "live". I could have shocked myself badly. It's a blessing I wasn't hurt.

Anyway, hubby checked on-line and found that a new element is relatively inexpensive. He then called around town, found a local repair shop that had it in stock today (so we save on shipping fees, and get it today....considering the shipping cost, we only paid a dollar or two more to get it today rather than have it shipped). Bonus, hubby was able to speak to a repairman at the shop face-to-face who works on those ovens who could walk him through how to install it. (Bare in mind, hubby is a mechanic, please only work with the skill level that you are comfortable with!)

The upside to this is that we were able to fix the oven for under $40. What a huge blessing that is. But, when the element broke, we didn't know how much the part would cost. If it would be terrifically expensive, or relatively cheap.

Word to the wise. When an appliance breaks around the house, check out your options. Can it be fixed? Can you simply get parts and fix it yourself, or do you need to pay someone to fix it for you? If you need to pay someone to fix it for you, what is the worst case scenario? Would getting a new appliance be more cost effective at that point (thinking about wear and tear, how long will it last until it breaks again and needs further repair)?

Something to think about.

Christmas gifts are done!

2009-12-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ahh....the relief of gathering things in early. I didn't say getting DONE early, but gathering early.

The cute boxes were clearance from last Christmas. 50 to 75 percent off (sweet!), so came out to less than $1.50 a piece. The ceramic tags with each box were also 50 percent off, so those were 2.50 a piece (and it does add something festive to the boxes). The baggies were from the Dollar Store (today, I made a run to the Dollar Store. WOW. But in a pinch, I can totally heart the Dollar Store!). Plus all the goodies I made up last night.

The black basket is for my sister-in-law. Her basket came from the Dollar Store. The quilted items were finished this morning (I worked on them while watching the news--multi-tasking). Three kinds of jam from this summer, vanilla extract, plus the cute ceramic tag from last winter.

All in all....I think it turned out very well.

A reminder to me that all the dithering that I did last December in the store thinking "should I be spending this money? Is this really worth it?"....well, it really was worth it. I used every item that I bought on clearance with these gifts. Each item elevated those homemade gifts into something that looks a bit fancier and special, without going outside my budget. And because I bought them on clearance, I stayed true to my own financial goals. Stocking up for later (and remembering where you put it!) is a good thing.

Working on the caramels

2009-12-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Sticky goo everywhere.

Thank you, Skinny-boy, for the help! Mom really does appreciate it. (I was doing the wrapping part)

Christmas goodies

2009-12-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

Oh to the YUM......

Today, I made toffee, covered in semi-sweet chocolate with pecans and peppermint. And then there is the Nanaimo bars (ohhh, you peanutty, chocolaty goodness!). We also have the good old Scottish shortbread (total fav of mine, I added some lemon glaze on the top, 'cause I loves me some lemonness). And then homemade caramels to round it out.

It's my gifts to all the men-folk in our lives, the uncles, nephew, and fathers.

Wouldn't you know it, though? Last night, to prep for the great cookie bake-off that was today, I ran my oven through it's cleaning cycle. Went to wipe out the ashes this morning....broke the bottom heating element. NOOOO!!!!

Of all these recipes, only ONE needed baking in an oven, and I used the toaster oven to do it in. Where there is a will, there is a way. You aren't stopping this determined woman from baking when I have my mind set to it.

I am glad to be nearly done with my preparations for Christmas. Now, I just need to get them packaged up....who wants to help?

Recipes found from: allrecipes.com for the Scottish shortbread http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scottish-Shortbread-II/Detail.aspx

FoodDay for the Toffee (we made it twice already--big HIT!!)
http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=7115

Givers Blog for the Caramels
http://giverslog.com/?p=3168

FoodNetwork for the Nanaimo Bars (second time I've made this)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/peanut-butter-nanaimo-bar-canada-recipe/index.html

Shopping your freezer

2009-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

I love shopping my freezer. Love, love it.

I get to be lazy. I get the best deals. I save gas. And when money is running tight, I know I have the freezer to fall back on.

Hubby had surgery at the end of November. Missed out on two weeks of work (part of that was with partial pay, but not complete pay), and since then, he has missed some work due to other reasons (having to leave early due to pain, etc). Needless to say, the paychecks have been thin. And we have the lovely holiday seasons upon us. Money seems to fly away at this time of the year. I've been making gifts, but shipping still costs money. Buying a tree. Extras for here and there. Gas to drive to Grandma's. Yup.

Which gets me back to why I love having that extra freezer out there. LOVE IT!!! During the summer, I blanch and freeze veggies like green beans and peas. I also froze up some apples, peeled those babies and cut them up for pies later. Yes, I plan on making a pie later this week. YUM.

This summer, milk was on sale for a dollar a half gallon. I stocked up and froze a whole bunch of that stuff. Today, I pulled out a few of those. Doesn't hurt to have extra insurance in the freezer for when money is tight!

But the best deals are to be had with meat. Hamburger goes on sale in summer. Around a dollar a pound, sometimes a bit more. I stock WAY UP on that when its on sale, and then package it into meal portions. Then, basically we eat off that for the entire winter. I will have weeks where I will spend $50 in one week on just hamburger, but that will take care of our family for quite a while.

Today, I snagged ice cream (with a teen in the house, he loves eating ice cream), a few frozen pizzas, the apples, chicken, and milk. I love shopping out there. All I need to go to the store for now is some bread and fruit for the week. SWEET!

Car airfreshener

2009-12-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

I needed a break from hand sewing. What do I chose to do? Hand sew an air freshener, of course.

At least this project was quick, and a gift for myself. My oldest boy is a hockey player, and his gear is stinky. It makes my vehicle smell rank. Something needed doing about this.

I had some felt left over, so I cut two heart shapes out and whip-stitched them together really quickly. I had trimmings left over from my quilt (cotton batting) which I used as the filling. I had a few essential oils on hand (I used orange and cinnamon) which I daubed on the batting before adding to the shape.

Before I added the batting in, I stitched on two decorative buttons that I have been saving for a special occasion. I knew I was saving these buttons for a purpose, and this one works just fine.

Added the batting in to the heart, and finished stitching the heart closed. Last, I sewed on a ribbon long enough that I can loop the heart through onto something.

Tah-dah! Pretty to look at and will make my car smell nice as well.

Inflicting my new skills on others

2009-12-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Here it is! My gift to my mother in law. Hope she likes it (cause it took me forever).

Making vanilla extract

2009-12-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

One of the gifts I am making this Christmas season is vanilla extract.

I tell ya, the hardest part about this job was to find the bottles!

Now, I found cheap vanilla beans on eBay. I've also heard you can find cheap beans from other sellers on the Internet. I don't recommend using your local grocery. My local grocery is charging twelve dollars for TWO vanilla beans. OUCH. So, look ahead and order some up!

Then hit the liquor store for some vodka. Yeah, I know, you will look like a lush. Me, I didn't get a large enough amount the first time, and had to make a second run. Boy, was I embarrassed! One of my friends suggested using a little 151 proof rum to top it off, but I went with straight vodka for mine.

I washed all the bottles out completely, then cut the beans lengthwise in half, then into smaller pieces. Put at least one whole bean per bottle (depending on the size of the bottle). Then top the bottle up with vodka.

Let sit for 8 weeks before using.

I didn't get mine made until December (of course!). I labeled them to not be used until February. As one person told me, considering all the baking we do during Christmas, no one wants to do any baking after Christmas anyways!

Hope you enjoy.

Oh baby, it's cold outside

2009-12-10T16:09:00.000-08:00

December has come on with a vengeance in our neck of the woods. We live here in the Pacific Northwest, normally a temperate area. Frankly, I'm a bit spoiled. It's kinda a "banana belt" area, getting around the low 30's, maybe a few days of freezing, we are lucky if we see some snow. If we see any bad weather at all, it's usually going to be in January.

December has roared in like a lion, driving wind down from the north. The "Arctic Blast of 2009" is what they are calling it. We haven't gotten above freezing since Monday, and it's now Thursday. For our area, this is UNHEARD of! Especially this early in the season.

I know, I know, everyone wants a white Christmas, but it isn't white outside, it is just COLD.

I have FOUR QUILTS on the bed. The dogs are sleeping in the bathroom every night, and the ducks have a heat lamp. We had to buy pond heaters because going out every hour to break their water for them was just....too hard to keep up with. Sorry, but when we adults go to work for a few hours (or need to run errands, or go to therapy or sports practices for hours), no one is around to do it. We are all wearing extra clothes, and using the throw blankets in the living room.

When we bought the pellet stove this summer, I swore up and down that I would "splurge" and heat the house up to 70 degrees in the winter if I wanted to. Here it is, a few months later, and I can barely stand to allow the heat above 65. The frugal me keeps thinking of the cost of the bags of pellets. We have a ton and a half of pellets in the garage still, but I keep thinking "that has to last all winter!!!" Old habits die hard. And with this cold snap, we are whipping through those bags of pellets.

Hubby fixed the insulation on the doors a bit better than I had it a few days ago. We keep the insulated curtains closed on the windows all day (sorry, even though the sun is shining, the wind and cold weather just sucks the heat right out. Better to keep them closed.).

All we can do now is hope that the cold weather breaks soon. They are saying warmer weather by Saturday. Fingers crossed that they are right. Because 14 degrees at night is pretty darn cold. BRRRRR......

When we say Concentrated, we mean it

2009-12-07T11:39:00.001-08:00

Chemistry in action! This is what happens when something doesn't turn out quite the way you planned it.

I've made my own laundry soap multiple times. The first two times, it came out very watery. I was using goats milk soap, and probably not enough bar soap, but it washed the clothes well enough. The third time, I did a mix of goats milk soap (used up the last of it) and bar soap (generic white soap). Worked great, gelled nicely. Turned out just like it was supposed to.

A friend of mine gave me a bunch of Zote laundry bars, including a container of already grated soap. SWEET! I need two cups of grated bar soap for the recipe, and here is exactly two cups, grating the bar soap is the hardest part of the job, I am home free. Oh so nice.

Until a few hours later when I realize that my laundry soap isn't exactly a liquid and is closer to a solid. Herm. My chemical reaction didn't turn out quite like I planned it.

As you can see, it's stiff enough that I can literally stand a spoon up in it. I am doing laundry with a scoop of jello per load. (It jiggles!)

Makes life interesting, that's for sure. At least I don't have to worry about spilling it down the front of the machine.

Make your own cleaning wipes

2009-12-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Ah, the dreaded bathroom chore. You know it.

Made somewhat easier by those handy little pop-up wipes. You know the ones I'm talking about! Comes in a round container. Oh so convenient. Swipe, swipe, and the nasty smell is gone.

I love those wipes. Having boys in the house, those wipes are really handy. I don't use them in the kitchen, just the bathroom.

But the cost on those things. DANG! I bought two containers on sale with a great coupon. Love 'em. But what to do when they run out??

Well....today, one of them ran out. My solution? Make my own, of course.

I got my handy paper-towels out. (For the record, this is another rare purchase. I was a few bucks short on my Safeway "Spend $50 get $10 off", and a case of paper towels was what the cashier brought back to get me up to my $50 limit. I ended up getting a case of paper towels for free, and it's the first time I had paper towels in over a year. Shoo...I almost don't know what to do with 'em and I keep forgetting I have them. I accidentally packed them with the extra cat litter and forgot. Opps!) Rolled out about 25 of them carefully keeping them straight. Make sure to keep the center more open, you don't want it tight because this is your beginning. Cut off any excess so it fits into the container. Tuck it on into the container.

Add any cleaning product that you wish to use. Reminder: bleach and ammonia don't mix. And urine turns into ammonia. So you may want to pass on bleach products around the toilet. If you do use them, be cautious. Whichever cleaning product that you are using, dilute it with water. Remember, it's just paper towels soaking it up. If you use a hefty cleaning product, you may end up with sludge. (So, you might also want to go with a stiffer weight paper towel to start with as well!)

Put the cap back on it, and pull up the first wipe. Wah-lah! Home-made wipes. Now I can keep using them without feeling guilty. Ha-ha!

Projects for a Frugal Christmas

2009-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here is my work in progress.

I know, it looks like a hot mess right now, but I have a few weeks. Give me time!

The random yarn is an almost completed scarf for my niece. It's only taken me several hours to knit, and I am so close to being done. (SO CLOSE!) Here's hoping that the colors are "cool" enough for a 15 year old. I've been working on it at the hockey games and practices.

The small quilt squares are the start to two different projects. I will be getting a tea kettle for my MIL this week, and making a cozy for her. The small squares will be cut and re sewn into a pinwheel pattern, then stuffed and lined.

The other quilt squares will be trimmed out a bit more and made into potholders for my SIL and my mother.

The other men in my life will be getting baked goods (who turns down baked goods?). Cookies, caramels, and toffee. I purchased small boxes on clearance last year after Christmas for really cheap, and will use those to pack all the yummy goodness into. (Also a great idea for teachers and other helpers you know.)

Lastly, I purchased vanilla beans off of eBay (for less than $5.00 with shipping- whoo-hoo!!!). I will be making vanilla extract to also send along with the potholders. I am super excited about trying to make vanilla extract....I hate the fake stuff, but buying real vanilla extract is EXPENSIVE! If I can make it myself for less than a dollar a four ounce bottle, that will make me super-dooper happy. I will make a separate post about that little project once the beans arrive.

So, this is one frantic homemaker trying to get all these sewing projects done. I'm making progress on it!

Prioritize for Christmas

2009-11-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

Tis the season!

And it can make you completely crazy. And broke. The to-ing, and the fro-ing. The crowds. The spending of the money. The expectations. The parties. The decorations. The lights, the tree.

For me, I try to break it on down to the basics. If I only could get presents for a small number of people, who would they be? For me, that is Hubby, Skinny-boy, and Bubble-butt. They are my first priority to buy for, who I hunt the gifts down for and plan for back in August thru October. After that, I see if I have budget left for extended family (grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins). Typically, I try to make those gifts, knitting something, sewing something, hunting up a stellar good deal, filling it out with items from the Dollar Store to "foof" it out. I also may make cookies for my kids teachers (never hurts to say "thank you" for all the hard work that they put in with my kiddo's!).

I have never been one to do cards. Just...nope. So, I take a pass on that one all together.

As for parties, I'm an anti-party person on a good day, and would rather stay home. Unless it is important to my husband, we usually skip all the holiday parties.

Decorating. Hubby takes it on himself to do something outside. I'm always surprised by what he choses to do, and I never have much of anything invested in it, so it's fine by me. As for the inside, I have a very small number of items I put out each year. Takes up one small shelf worth of space. Simple.

This year, with the new pellet stove, we have less room in our living room than last year. We've decided to place our tree outside on the front deck, in front of our picture window, and we will decorate it with our LED lights. No dropped needles, no need to decorate with bulbs, and no worry about knocked off ornaments from the dogs. Unorthodox, but it works for me! (As I said, Hubby always comes up with something different for the outside.)

I try not to go crazy with baking. When the whim takes me to bake, I will. But this is how I act all year long, not just at Christmas! I will do some baking for gift giving to friends, but nothing too outlandish.

My point is, trying to keep everything realistic. Figure out for yourself what is most important to you. For some, it is important to attend a lot of parties to feel the holiday spirit. Then go with that, and let go of baking or decorating. For others, baking and decorating are a way to "bond" and symbolize Christmas to them. Well, that may mean relaxing other areas. Know that we can't have it all, at least, not all at once.

Choose what you want most, and savor that. What means Christmas and family to you? Ice skating on a pond and drinking hot cocoa? Walking in a snowy wood and cutting down your own tree? Those are great things, and make better memories than hunting for a thingy-bob in a mall that breaks the next day. Just a thought.

Black Friday, a rant

2009-11-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the mad house. I have a whole lotta grrr going on.

Now, I love a good deal. And I am willing to do a bunch of work to get a good deal. I will glean someones fruit trees, I will weed a yard in trade for other things, I will do all kinds of things. But I hate wasting time. Truly hate wasting time.

This morning, I woke up early (way too early) to go to Old Navy to get a ski jacket for Bubble-butt. He's in Special Olympics, and they start skiing here pretty soon, so he needs a ski coat to wear up on the mountain. I can't afford expensive coats, so when I saw that ON had them on sale for $15, I was ready to jump all over that sale. Combined with fleece coats on sale for $5, which I could pick up for Skinny-boy (who tends to lose coats left and right), well, it was worth the trip and time.

The store opened at 3am. I'm nuts, but not that nuts. I got there at 3:45, picked up my four items, and got into line. So, here's my time-line, I am in the check out line before 4am. How long do you think it took me to get to the register?

Three hours!! It took three hours to get to the registers.

The question is: Why in the world would it take three hours to get to the registers? There are ten registers in the store. Of the ten registers, four of them were dedicated specifically for Old Navy credit card holders or for anyone who signed up for a credit card today. Six were for the rest of us who chose not to sign up for a credit card.

Seems ridiculous that on the BUSIEST shopping day of the year they would designate 40% of their check-out capacity for Old Navy credit card holders only.

Trying to "encourage" us to sign up for a credit card. And yes, it worked for several people.

I'm just annoyed at how manipulative it was. Because that's how I see it. Manipulative.

I don't mind the busy stores. It goes along with Black Friday. Suck it up, it goes with getting the deals. But the stores need to play fair too and not manipulate people who are in a hurry to get to the next deal.

Breaking in a new dishwasher or Teen vs Mom

2009-11-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Oh the trauma.... Oh the heartache....

I've had this dishwasher for a wee bit now. I enjoy having a dishwasher. It certainly is a convenience. Makes life a lot easier. But my dishwasher doesn't work as well as it used to. The dishes come out dirty even after being run. I end up re-running it, or hand-washing some of them.

Hubby has fixed the dishwasher several times, taking it apart and cleaning it. That helps for a while, but never for long. Within a few weeks to a month, the dishes start getting dirty again. *sigh*

No burst pipes. No burnt out motor. No huge fan-fair. Just simply....the realization that the frustration of unclean dishes even after having run the dishwasher means that the whole concept of "dishwasher" isn't working for us!

So....tonight, Skinny-boy and I went thru the task of doing the dishes by hand together. It started with Skinny-boy doing them himself. Then I realized that the water was running continuously. WHY was the water still running?! Oh, because to a teenager, putting soap on the dishcloth, picking up a single item, washing and rinsing it, putting it aside, then moving on to the next item...this is the way to wash dishes. OH MY GOODNESS. At this rate, we will use up a small pool of water before the kid is done.

I go over, try to explain the appropriate way of doing dishes (fill up a large bowl with soapy water, wash the dishes, then rinse in the sink, then dry on a towel). LET THE DRAMA ENSUE.

Eyeball-rolling. Dishcloth throwing. Soap-suds flying. "That's not how I do it!" "There are soap bubbles in the rinse water" "We will all get sick!" (Excuse me...this coming from the child who doesn't shower and who ....goodness, do I really need to go into how disgusting he can be?!)

Anyhow....as you can see, between the two of us, we managed to get the dishes done for tonight. Don't you just love how he stacked the dishes? Reminds me of Jenga. Wonder how Bubble-butt is gonna put the dishes away later tonight. mmmmm...how many things will break?

I know, it's a BONDING moment between us. Yup. We will bond.

Fix the DOOR

2009-11-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

I see this door, and just envision dollars floating right out the crack of it....bye bye money... there you go.

Hubby complains that the house is cold all the time. He says that the windows are cold, that it needs more insulation. That we need to replace the siding. That we need to do this, need to do that. Okay, hun, I hear you.

But how 'bout we do the EASY stuff, like FIX THE DOOR?!

I mentioned back in September, before it got cold, that we needed to replace the weatherstripping on the door. Now, y'all, this isn't a tough job, since we already have a package of foam weatherstripping in the garage. He told me that the dogs would just rip it off, and he would do it "later".

I mentioned back in October that it was getting colder, we were starting to use the pellet stove and maybe fixing the door would be a good idea. He told me he would "get to it".

Yee-ah. Our bedroom, where this particular door is located, is an icebox at night. My side of the bed, is RIGHT BY that door. It gets a bit chilly by that door. Mind you, our house is small, under 900 square feet, and we have a pellet stove in the front room. When we keep the door to the bedroom shut, there can be a good 10 to 15 degree difference between the front room and our bedroom. Thank goodness for quilts and socks in bed!

I will admit it. I have been a bit passive-aggressive myself. Dad-burned-it, it is HIS job to fix things around the house, he SAID he would fix the doors, so he can fix them! But, today.....I got tired of it. I am tired of being cold. Of feeling the draft on my side of the bed. I am tired of wondering how much warmer the house would be if the door was sealed a little tighter.

So, I got my gumption on, and fixed it myself.

This woman can take care of herself, thank you very much. (I just don't want to HAVE to.) But hubby better make it up some how. Maybe I will leave him the dishes tonight.....

Dreaded bathroom

2009-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hate this job.

Now....remind me why it's MY job to take care of the bathroom? I understand why it was the woman's job to take care of the bathroom when it was the man's job to kill the animals, but my husband has never had to do that. Shoo....I come closer to raw meat than he ever has, and yet, I get stuck with the nasty bathroom job still.

This morning, I scrubbed the bathtub. This picture? This is the picture AFTER I had scrubbed the tub for 10 minutes. So, this would be the tub after it has been cleaned. So frustrating.

In my defense, I do clean it! I scrub the tub about once a week. My husband is a mechanic who works around grease and grime all day long, so he creates quite the nasty ring around the tub. Combine that with a porcelain bathtub that is 60 years old and is so porous that it holds on to all oil. Which the previous renter decided that PAINTING to cover was a good idea (what WERE they thinking?!). I spent the first few years in the house with a bathtub that peeled paint every time I took a bath. That was so nasty.

I have tried various products to help the bathtub situation. Tried Soft scrub (didn't really help). Bleach (almost killed me with the fumes). Plain old dish soap (nope). Baking soda (not all that great either). Seems like the only thing that really works is old fashioned elbow grease---a green scrubby and just whaling on it for a while. This counts as exercise, right?

I heard that if I waxed the tub it would resist oil and dirt and be easier to clean. OH REALLY? So I cleaned it as best I could, and then waxed the heck out of it. Ummm...it didn't work. Not at all for me.

So, other than replacing it, if anyone has any suggestions for a green option that is frugal for cleaning this ancient tub, I could really use the help! PLEASE! That, and a way to get rid of that rust stain. 'Cause, I DO clean that tub. It just doesn't show it.

Tea Kettle Cozy

2009-11-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

Don't you DARE roll your eyes at me!

This thing really does work. And it's cute as a bug's ear to boot.

I made it with cotton on the outside, quilt-square on one side, poly-felt bird hand-stitched on the opposite side. There are two layers of bamboo/cotton batting inside, and then a lining. It is HEFTY.

When the kettle is hot, I can put the cozy over the top of it, and it will keep the water very hot for a good one to two hours (considering that my house is kept a cool 60 to 65 degrees, when I pour a second cup of hot water for tea or cider an hour later, and the water is still steaming hot---that is SIGNIFICANT). I was very surprised at how well it works.

Plus, I really do love the way it looks. It makes me smile to see it, which means that I am far more likely to use it on a regular basis.

Hubby was asking me tonight if I would make them up to sell. Hun, probably not the best question to be asking after I sat there for over two hours hand stitching the felt on the back of it.... How do you put a fair price on that? Not even getting into the cost of materials! (I was using left-overs from my quilt, so it wasn't much there this go round. But if I was making them to sell....well, it would add up!) Nah, they are fun to make for myself or for gifts, but not to sell. NOPE....

Walking compost bins

2009-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Aren't they cute? The blue duck in the middle is Schnitzel, and he is enjoying the last of the garden's tomato's.

One of the great things about having runner ducks is that they are great foragers. Unlike chickens, they won't tear up your yard looking for worms and bugs, but they will hunt for them, and eat leaves, grass, etc. I take out all my kitchen scraps, all the stuff that I toss in the garden for compost anyways, and then let them into the garden, and they typically will eat the scraps and then leave their "presents" (ah-em....poo) to freshen the garden for next spring. I am perfectly fine with this, saves me from paying for fertilizer next spring.

Found out late this summer, that they LOVE tomato's! I would toss out the split cherry tomato's, and they would fight over who got to them first. And chase the dogs off of them. Today, I was pulling the very last of the pink tomato's off the vines. We had a hard frost last night, and lets face it, the tomato plants are over. So, I picked the last of the half-ripe tomato's and threw them out into the yard. Since the skins are too hard for the ducks to break into, I stepped on them with my foot. After that, it was goodie time for the duckies!

So fun to watch them play "Keep Away" from the other ducks, as they pick up a big hunk of it and try to hide it from the others. That, and the dogs wanting to get their piece of the tomato's, with the drakes chasing them off as the hens are going to town while the males are busy! It's back-yard entertainment.

The toothpaste story

2009-11-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

Gather 'round, chillen's. This is the story of saving money with toothpaste -or- how weird I can get!

My lovely hubby, impulsive soul that he is, squeezes the tube from the middle of the tube. Now, y'all, I am a bottom of the tube squeezer. And never the twain shall meet. Nearly every morning would see me smoothing out the tube, and then carefully squeezing the tube from the bottom, only to see it the next morning, mangled in the middle again. Ah-HEM!!! Really?!

Now, at this point, I have a few choices. Yell at hubby (and really, what would this solve? Not much of anything.), get a divorce (which saves no one money! REALLY!), or get one of those fun rolling things that squeezes the tube of toothpaste up. Hmmm....thinking of going with option number three. (Decided to skip option four---killing him, altogether, because I have minor children, and it's hard to parent from jail. Just saying! Plus, it's a bit extreme for something so minor as squeezing the tube of toothpaste from the middle.)

I go to the store and look up and down the aisles for this fabulous invention. I KNOW they sell the blasted things, I've bought them in the past. (Since I have bought them in the past, where did they go? Just wondering.....) Any-hoo. Can't find them anywhere. I ask an employee where they are now hiding them. She looks with me and we can't find them. Then she says "why don't you just use a binder clip? That's what I use." Ah-ha! I have a bunch of those, and it doesn't cost me anything at all. Way to save money number two.

Come on home, snag a binder clip and smooth that tube out, roll up the tube end, and clip on the clip. Then what happens? Well.....the pressure squirts the toothpaste out the top! Of course it does. I wipe it off really quick and snap the lid down. Now I have a fingerful of toothpaste. Don't want to waste the toothpaste...so what do I do with it?

Solution? Time to clean up my silver bracelets. I wear three silver bracelets all the time, and they get dirty. I take the bracelets off, rub the toothpaste on them, work it around, rinse them off really well, and dry them off. Wah-lah! Pretty, shiny bracelets. Way to save money number three.

And it proves that I am completely weird. But in a good way.

Apples from the tree

2009-11-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Late last fall we planted two apple trees. This summer, we babied them, but since it was their first year in the ground, I didn't have much hope for produce off of 'em. (That, and one of my children seemed to think that pulling the tiny apples off and using them as golf balls was fun.....)

So, a few weeks ago, after cleaning up the duck pen, I was walking back and I noticed there were two lone apples on the tree. They are both smallish apples, not at all polished and prettified like the ones in the store. But I was hungry and figured "what the heck, I may as well try one."

Took it on into the house and took a bite out of it. Oh....my.....goodness. That is a yummy apple. Tart and tangy. Nice and crisp. What a lovely surprise from the backyard!

Just goes to show you. Sometimes good tasting things don't come in beautiful packages. No worms, either. (Awh, mom! I could have used the extra protein!)

Cute little cozies!

2009-11-09T14:49:00.001-08:00

Insane quilting going on at my house. Yes, I don't really have a life.

I read the book "Pretty little Cozies" (ed. Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader) and it got me to thinking (bad move!). My mixer from my Grandma came with this old cover that didn't match my kitchen at all. Time to make a new one.

I am never one to go small. Why make things the easy way?

I used some fussy cut small squares that my mom had sent to me, got some matching fabric, made some quilt squares up. Then made some piping, used some left over batting, used some left over lining from the other quilt for the inside, and sewed it all together.

I am pretty happy with the way it turned out! Super cute!

My next project? A tea kettle cozy! Wish I had thought of that sooner. I enjoy using up fabrics and not letting things go to waste. (Including heat from the kettle!)

Quilting: almost done!

2009-11-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

I am still plugging away at it! As you can see, it is shaping up nicely. This week, it's been tied off, got the backing on it, today the binding was sewing on to it. All that is left is to hand-sew the binding around the edges and that baby will be DONE.

Not to shabby for a first project.

Don't know when I will feel like jumping into another project!

(Frankly, between this quilt and the zipper of the coat, if I don't see thread and my sewing machine for a month or so, it will be okay with me!)

Battle of the zipper

2009-11-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

It was an ugly battle. There was blood spilled, curses spoken. Sweat and tears. Oh...why did there need to be so many seams in this coat?!

Skinny-Boy has this coat for his hockey team. We get his coat oversized so he can wear it for several years. The team players are "encouraged" to wear matching jackets to each game so that they all look alike, so it is a fairly necessary thing for him to have. A few days ago, he was putting it on to wear to school, and the zipper broke. As in, completely broke, not fixable.

Buying a new jacket is....well, out of our price range at this moment. The jackets are a bit dear. About $65 per coat. Shocking, I know. But, I have a sewing machine and I was thinking "oh, how hard can it be to replace a zipper?" Now I know---a lot harder than it looks!

Quick once over of the zipper, there are two top stitches on the zipper. Okay, I rip those out, figure that the zipper will then come right off. Umm....not exactly. I can't just tear at the fabric, because I need to put a new zipper in! So I am being careful as I hunt for other seams. There are TWO MORE seams hidden around there holding the zipper in. Good golly!! It took me over two hours to rip out one side of the zipper and pin the new one in. I could not believe it.

And then, tonight, I got to do the same thing with the other side. The whole while, reminding myself that if I were to BUY a new coat, it would equal at least one days worth of labor or more (if you count for taxes withheld, etc).

I got it done. Got to use the zipper foot on my machine (a first!). And my first zipper without anyone looking over my shoulder.

There is satisfaction in fixing things. And the coat looks pretty spiffy.