Big Things!

So much is happening-no time to sit an write about it. Will make time later! Lets just say that it's big...huge!

A Weekend Full of Projects

I love three day weekends - I get so much done around the house and I get to play!  This weekend has been full of projects. Thanks once again to Pinterest for two more great ideas.

From this pin, I created this:

Its just a tomato cage with a little bit of wire wrapped with a set of 100 bulb Christmas lights.

From this pin, this idea sprouted in my head:

I used a 1x6x8 and a 1x1x6, ring shank finish nails and walnut stain.  My plan is to layer Christmas greens and red berries in them, add a mason jar of Epsom salts with a votive and put cookies and goodies with it as gifts for family and friends. 

 I only made two, but I'm thinking I may make more.  I think they cost me a total of $5 each to make, since I already had the stain and the nails.  

I also made terrariums a few weeks ago as gifts for family and friends. This weekend, I made one for myself!  I had bought the little glass house about 14 years ago, when I lived in Canada. It'll be like a little bit of summer in the forest, but in my living room and in the dead of winter.

And I started forcing my hyacinth and tulip bulbs:

I couldn't find my bulb vases - they're somewhere hidden in the basement in a box - so I improvised with old mason jars.  I just took out the lids and tightened the bands down over tulle.  I sliced an X cut in the center of the tulle for the roots to grow through.  They're under the corner hutch in the kitchen now, where it's cool and dark.  They should be ready  just in time for Christmas!

I think I may get more hyacinth bulbs, since I only have four, the rest are tulips. I'd like to add these to the Christmas gift trays.  My plan is to cover the mason jars with Christmas fabric tied with ribbon, to pretty them up.

Besides the projects, I got the coop cleaned, the dishes and laundry done, the house vacuumed, and the bathroom washed.  Tomorrow, all I need to do is put away laundry and iron three days worth of clothes, as its going to be a very short week (I took Friday off for my birthday - yay!!).  Next weekend will likely be for making the soft Christmas gifts.  I promised my mother and aunt each one of these:

Punch Needle Sewing Case

Only one problem...I made it without a pattern (other than the one in my head) back in August, so now I have to sit down and figure out how I made it! 

Hello Snow...

Winter, you're like a lost lover. Out of the blue you show up, begging for forgiveness of past sins, promising it'll be different this time. And for the first three months it is. You shower me with beautiful days through Christmas and New Years; snow shoeing and long walks in the silent forest.

By February, the cold winds of change start to blow and you start pulling away again. Our relationship turns stormy, icy. By March, we both know its over, but you refuse to let go. It takes that good friend I have in Spring to help me through and remind me that the better days of Summer are yet to come.

But here you are, back again, and I just can't say no to you!

Are You Sure It's Already November?

It just dawned on me, as I sit before a crackling stove, thinking about how peaceful and quiet my walk with the dog was in the crisp cold this morning...it's November! And Election Day to boot! Smartly, I already voted (whoo hoo absentee ballots!!). But what really dawned on me was that its almost Christmas and I haven't started a single homemade gift. I have all these ideas in my head for gifts and decorations, plus I promised needle punch cases to my mother and aunt...only I haven't even pulled out fabric for them! And I slapped mine together without bothering to write down how I did it, so now I have to remember the process.

I guess my taking my birthday (next Friday) off was a really good idea. It will give me two three day weekends in a row to get the creative juices flowing...and give me time to go buy more wool felt!

(p.s. I've named the Minorcas Frida & Diego...he just looks like a Diego.)

New Members to the Flock

A friend of mine gave me a registered pair of  bantam Black Minorcas, a hen and a rooster. They're very pretty, and fairly sweet. After my ordeal with Cogburn, the thought of having another rooster has been the farthest thing from my thoughts, but this guy is pleasant!

Unfortunately the former owners (who had them before my friend) clipped their wings, so unlike my little bantam Brahma mixes, they can't fly up to the hopper bins and get to the roost near the ceiling. And knowing that my big hens wouldn't want anything to do with them, nor would they allow them to roost with them at night, I had to create a roost for them, up off the floor but low enough for them to jump to. Since I just took my old bookcase out of the living room and threw it on the burn pile, I realized that I could repurpose it into bantam nesting boxes, roosts and storage space.

I took the bottom shelf out, leaving long legs (which are mostly cover by pellet bedding now), boxed out the next shelf for nesting and created ledges, big enough to fit 2 bantams, under each shelf on alternating sides like stairs. The first one, just under one of the nesting boxes, is about 8" or 10" off the floor. Then next is on the other side and about 19" or 20" up. This gives them the ability to hop from ledge to ledge. I was worried that they wouldn't get it, that they'd sit on the floor like my sister's silkie frizzles and be cold all winter. Tonight, when I went out to close up and make sure everyone was accounted for, the Minorcas were on the 3rd ledge up, about 3 feet or so off the floor!

I was worried about trying to add new birds to the flock, but I think these two are going to work out well. And with a rooster in the house, I'm hoping to see some baby bantam Minorcas and maybe some Minorca/Brahma mixes!

I still haven't thought of names for them, but I'm leaning toward Gomez and Morticia or Frida and Diego.

Latest Project

Deer and tree, a photo by faerytreecreations on Flickr.

Last Sunday before the hurricane, when the potential projectiles were put away and the house was clean, I sat down for a little movie watching and a little crafting.

I had seen this little deer in a magazine and fell in love with him! And without reading the directions (we don't need no stinking directions), I set to work on him and I have to say that I'm very impressed with my final product, especially since I didn't read the directions!

He seemed a little lonely though, so I free handed a tree on plastic template stock, cut out three of them (actually I took the felt and folded into thirds, then cut it so all the pieces are pretty much identical). Then I stitched the tree up without any stuffing. Because it's a three sided tree, it stands on its own like a little tripod.

I have my next deer and tree already cut out, but I haven't started stitching them.  I made the tree bigger, this time around. I had thought about giving them as gifts, but I don't know if my hands can handle all that stitching...and I think it would be a pain in the ass to machine stitch, since he's small.

My goal this Christmas is to decorate more naturally inside with boughs and berries and garlands, soft decorations, birch branch candle holders and my village, of course. I just really love seeing nature inspired decorations and that's what I see here for this year. Not the wild colors, no plasticy garlands, just lots of little lights, some snowy sparkle and a full sized tree with popcorn, cranberries and dried orange slices wrapped around it.

I love Christmas!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Happy Hallowe'en from my kitchen table!

Workiness, Busy-ness and Hurricaniness

Last week was crazy busy with the planning and staffing of the annual summit for two of the associations that my firm manages. But I lucked out - I got to stay at the Samoset Resort for free! Had a beautiful room with a small private deck and a view of the ocean. I got to watch the sun rise while eating breakfast and enjoy a vast array of top quality foods made with all Maine ingredients (these are food related associations). I came home with a big box of veggies from Lakeside Family Farms (carrots as big around as your wrist!!), granola from Lucy's Granola (one of my fav's) and bread from Lepage Bakeries!

It was an amazing time, but I was wiped! I took off early the next day to rest and relax...and ended up stacking wood at my parents. But it was the quintessential Autumn day, sunny but slightly windy, just perfect. I had dinner with my folks and headed for home around 8:00, forgetting that it was only Thursday and I still had to work the next day.

This past weekend, I battened down the hatches and either put away or secured everything that had the potential to be a projectile. And I'm glad I did! The wind howled all night, often sounding like a freight train.

Promptly at 9 PM, I heard a *pop* and that was it for power until nearly 10:00 this morning. The prepper in me was ready, though! The generator was full, with another 8 or so gallons of gas in reserve and a 100 ft extension cord had been purchased on Friday. The tub held 3 five gallon buckets of water for washing and flushing; 3 gallons of potable water sat in jugs in the basement for cooking and drinking; the cell phone, laptop and iPod were charged and ready; and flashlights, candles and matches were at hand. I went to bed after the power went out knowing that everything was going to be fine! And it was. Bucket bathing in cold water isn't my most favorite. Aside from the obvious that its cold water, I have hair down to mid-back and rinsing all that isn't easy, but I managed.

This was the first test of the generator and it worked slick! Fired up on the second pull, powered the microwave to make tea and oatmeal, powered the hair dryer to dry my hair and powered the fridge to cool everything down after 9 hours of being off.

Currently, its 65 degrees and we have thunder storms rolling through with torrential rain off and on, enough to cause street flooding! Crazy, crazy weather! I'll be happy when this day is done and I can head home for a hot shower.

Inspiration and End Results

So this picture on Pinterest intrigued  me. It kept me coming back with the thought, "I could do this." Mentally I was running through a laundry list of what I would need and what it would cost. The photo was inspiring! This was just what I needed in the living room to replace the piece of crap bookshelf that was starting to fall apart. Seriously, I had to place it in a corner where it could lean without breaking apart - I'm a little hard on my bookshelves...I pack them out with books and then keep adding. I think I need a library, but that will have to wait for another house, with more rooms!

I kept thinking that I could make this and it would be fairly easy. So finally, I just made it!

I picked up eight wooden crates at A.C. Moore, a can of Minwax "Early American" stain, along with short screws and metal braces.

I realized, after staining the crates that I needed two more. I took two old, painted ones that I've had forever (like since high school, forever ago) and grabbed a couple cans of black spray paint that I just happened to have in the basement (when did I buy those?) and sprayed them. It wasn't the best spray job, but they form the base of the shelves, so you don't notice the terrible job I did. Then all I did was stack and brace until they formed a fairly nifty looking shelving unit that I could anchor into the wall.

I really am pleased with the end result. I paid less than a traditional bookcase and got a more interesting look in the process, while experiencing the satisfaction of knowing that I made it myself!

Ugh...

I've been lapse in my posting lately due to pain. About a month or so ago, my right shoulder and arm started to hurt. It was a dull ache at first, but it got more intense, as it travelled to my elbow and down to my fingers.

My doctor checked for carpal tunnel, since my day job is fraught with repetitive computer work. But it wasn't that. She also worried about my hands going to sleep on me at night. So she suggested a change in pillow and carpal tunnel gloves at night to stop the hand numbness. It started to work, but my right arm and hand continued to ache.

You don't realize just how much you use your right hand until it hurts so bad that you can't use it for prolonged periods of time!

My mother believes part of it is arthritis (in the hand) and my brother thinks the rest is tennis elbow. This kinda makes sense to me, as I've had tennis elbow before, but never with the hand aching. So rather than shell out more money for the doctor (who wants to prescribe pills), I'm trying the tennis elbow arm band (which I had from years ago) and will be trying a homeopathic arthritis pain reliever that a friend uses.

We'll see how it goes, but I can say that just using the band has started to help! That jaw-clenching ache has started to leave my arm. The hand is a different beast altogether though!

Warmth

Can't think of a better way to spend the evening than before the warmth of firelight.

I'm so thankful for this fire, burning the cold from this night...warming me, warming my home, warming my soul.

Yummy

Nothing like a chilly, windy day to make me put the onions, potatoes and carrots that I harvested the other day to good use.

Chicken soup made with homemade stock and home grown veggies, coupled with homemade wheat bread make for a great autumn lunch...and dinner!

Paying My Dues To The Dirt

This song has been my "go to" song for motivation lately.  It never ceases to get me singing and moving! Its been the first song on when I take a shower and then again when I leave work for home.

Today, it was going through my head as I was literally paying my dues to the dirt and weeding my garden with the help of my 9 piece McNuggets (the chickens), who thought ripping out weeds was awesome! The fact that they were actually allowed in the garden again was the best gift I could have given them today. Not only did they get a buffet of bugs and worms, they also got to munch the last of the tomatoes that were going by.  

Speaking of which, I have to go shut their door for the night!  Oops - a bit late on my part.

And off I go!

And Winner of Best Aunt Goes To...

Me! In my role as "Seamstress" in the epic horror "Broken Zippered Homecoming Dress...From HELL!"

My alternate title for this post was "How A $5 Goodwill Dress Saved Homecoming."

My niece bought a dress for homecoming online from a company in California, only to receive it with a broken zipper. Not having enough time to send it back and get a new one (as homecoming is this Saturday and SOMEBODY didn't plan ahead), guess who was given the task of ripping out the old zipper and finding a new one to stitch in?

White, 18" zippers are not as easy to find around here as one might think...so I turned to Goodwill. For $5, I found a cute little dress with the right zipper, that worked and the rest of the dress can easily be turned into an apron for me! Yay, win-win!

Taking the zipper out was easy. Stitching one side in, equally easy. Stitching in that other side turned out to be a different kettle of fish altogether! I stitched it once, ripped it out, stitched it again, only to see that the zipper - which I tested repeatedly - was starting to split! It took a little creative sewing, but I think it'll survive the night. She has been forewarned to go easy on it...just in case. I also told her that the alternative was to hand stitch her INTO it! She wasn't too keen on that.

This will be her last homecoming dance, so I doubt I will have to do this ever again. Unless I ever have a daughter of my own. Only time will tell with that one.

For now, though, homecoming has been saved, thanks to that cute little $5 Goodwill dress.

Welcome October

Every October 1st, as the sun rises across a quiet, mist-strewn stream in Central Maine and the variegated leaves silently fall, a yearly ritual is about to begin.

Waking late, I forget what day it is and think little of the time as I prep the dog for our morning walk...that is until the first rifle blast. And this, my friends, is the beginning of waterfowl season in Maine.

The next two months, from October 1st until deer season ends, is the time of year my poor dog HATES with a passion! She's terrified of gunshots, fireworks and dumptrucks. The minute that first shot rang out, she didn't care that she hadn't been out to pee since 9:00 last night...she'd hold it!

Thankfully there was a pause in the blasts, long enough for her to feel comfortable enough to do her business and then flat out run to the door, dragging me behind.

Now begins the predawn and post-dusk walking season for Sadie; when she begins hiding in the bedroom where she feels safe and secure from the noise. And with the predawn walks comes the earlier rising for me (ugh!) and skunk patrol (double ugh!), because skunks by flashlight beam look an awful lot like kitties and Sadie likes nothing better than chasing kitties!

So welcome October, in all your Autumn glory.

Starting to feel prepared

This morning, in the light rain, I hauled fifty 40lb bags of pellets from my backyard into my basement. And not a moment too soon! Within an hour, it was downpouring. 

Just knowing that they're down there, stacked in a big pile, makes me feel better about winter coming.

I also cleaned and started my stove this morning, since the house dropped to a very damp 60 degrees last night. I added an extra blanket, but I was wishing I had cleaned it sooner. It was so nice to have that heat cranking through the house this morning!

Now I just need to start setting aside money for oil. Ugh!

Note To Self...

Check the weather forecast before ordering pellets to be delivered...you know, in case we're due for three days of rain.

Finally...

After 9 months of being a total slacker and not getting my act together to just sit down and take care of my finances, I finally did it! I came down with the flu this past weekend and took advantage of not having the energy to get up and do things around the house, so I made myself start balancing my checkbook. This was no small feat since its been backburnered by the procrastination bug since January! But it's done. And while I don't want to know what I've wasted my hard earned pay on over the past near year (there were a lot...A LOT...of iTune and Amazon purchases), I can run a report to tally it all up individually (I think I'll pass).

I even got the budget set up so I know what I've got for bills, when they are due, what comes out automatically and how much is left over at the end of the paycheck.

I wish I'd kept up with this back when my last job ended and this one began. But hindsight being what it is, we live and we learn! I'm just happy that its done, I'm back on track and I'm ahead on some of my bills!

New Favorite Tea Mug

I really love this mug that I got at the Common Ground Fair from Cabin Pottery (she's out of Pemaquid)!

I may have to get a couple more, lest I wear this one out from repeated use (been washing it every time I think I want tea!).

Strange how such a small thing can brighten the day.

The Common Ground Fair

The weather forecast called for sunny and 72 on Saturday. It was neither, but that didn't stop my friend and I from enjoying ourselves! 

We (and about 3,000 others) decided to be there when the gates opened. It was the largest CGF I've ever been to. The resurging interest in farming and homesteading brought out the masses. It was a sea of young hippies, old hippies, farmers, food producers, artists, craftspeople and urbanites from away!

We pet sheep and goats and angora bunnies; ate wood fired pizza and chocolate cheesecake pie cones; stood in awe of the talented artists and oohed over the crafts. I bought a pottery mug with a crow from
Cabin Pottery (new favorite tea mug!).
I also picked up Sweet Annie to hang in my house and a bundle of French Lavender.

I garnered so many ideas from the fair: things to make, things to give as gifts, things to decorate my house with. I wish I had paid more attention to the schedule and sat in on some classes.

Despite the thousands and thousands of people, I really enjoyed myself and can't wait to go next year. Maybe I'll even volunteer!

Heading to Common Ground

<p>The <a href="http://www.mofga.org/theFair">Common Ground Fair</a> in Unity, Maine started yesterday. And while I thought I was going to have to miss it, again, my weekend plans changed and I will be Unity bound in two hours! </p>
<p>This will be my first time going for a couple of years. I've missed it! Though with the resurgence in farming and homesteading, its going to be packed! Hence getting&nbsp; there early, as the gates open.</p>
<p>I joined MOFGA this year, but haven't had a chance to take advantage of my membership, just because I've been doing things around the house and the cost of classes hasn't been in the budget. </p>
<p>But today will be about amazing day. The trees have just started changing, the scent of Autumn is in the air and its supposed to be in the low 70's! I can't wait!</p>

With cold mornings comes the thought of homemade bread

I really like this bread recipe that my mother recently gave me. It's versatile, doesn't require much work and its forgiving (for those of us who tend toward slapdash bread making!).

Starter mix:
1 cup flour (I used all wheat for this) 1/4 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water

In a big mixing bowl add flour, yeast and then water. Stir it up w/ a fork until all the flour is mixed well (nothing left on the sides of the bowl). Cover with plastic and leave on the counter for 8-10 hrs (or overnight). This becomes the preferment.

After you've let your preferment set, you will need:
Approx 5 cups flour (I used half organic wheat and half bread flour)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast (using organic, I added a little extra because it's not rapid rise)
10-12 oz warm water

To the preferment, add the flour (save a handful or 2), salt and yeast, then the water as you hand knead (make sure your hands are clean). Once it's formed a sticky ball, add that handful of flour as you keep kneading, to make the dough soft and not sticky.

Cover the bowl back up with your plastic, then wrap the whole bowl in a blanket and set it in the sun or a warm room to rise for 90 mins (or until the dough has doubled).

Once the dough has risen, punch it down, knead it a little and separate into 2 loaves, then set into 2 greased loaf pans. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place your loaf pans on the stove, covered with a clean dishtowel. Let rise until doubled  (should be ready by the time your oven has preheated.

Once they've doubled, this is when you would add other ingredients, like olives, nuts, cheese or herbs. I layered asiago cheese slices atop one loaf and left the other plain. Spritz the top lightly with water (unless you have cheese on top) and bake on 450 degrees for 25 mins. Check them. If the top is a crisp, golden brown, they're done! If not, give them 5 mins and check again. Do this until they are done (and not too dark on top).

I think this will be my go-to bread recipe from now on. While the asiago was awesome, the plain old wheat rocked, too!

Enjoy!!

Sometimes I think I took the wrong road

When I was a freshman in high school, there were two paths that I excelled at: art and writing. My high school put a strong emphasis on sports, of which I did not partake. I was a theater geek, in a school with very little arts funding.

Because of required classes and my boneheaded guidance councilor who said that he couldn't support me taking art electives over classes that would get me into college, I followed the writing path, only to once again allow myself to be mislead by a "well meaning" professor who said that creative writing courses would hinder my ability  to properly write term papers for my other classes.

Looking back, I feel like I missed out on what really made me happy, career-wise, because I allowed someone else to make my decisions for me. I've followed a path that, while introducing me to some great friends and teaching me so very much, has led me to work where I'm bored, living paycheck to paycheck and having no way to fund going back to school to make a change.

In a meeting today, that I covered for one of my bosses, I heard about a fabulous educational center that puts such an emphasis on arts, that I was both excited for those kids and jealous! Why didn't my school put more of an emphasis on arts education? Oh right, because it was a public school in a sports town. But the teachers in this educational center just loved their jobs, you could see it!  Educating pre-K and kindergarten students, with the plan to expand into higher grades, brought great joy to their faces. It got me thinking how incredibly rewarding it must be to be an educator like that, in  early learning for a private school that has a Montessori background.

I'm still not sure where my personal road is leading, but just seeing in these teachers that finding happiness in your chosen career field is possible gives me great hope that I can find that, too.

Getting There

While not everything on the list was accomplished this weekend, I feel as though I did quite a bit; much of which  has been just sitting there waiting to be done.

The two biggest, or rather most important, on the list were not done; balancing the checkbook and revamping the budget. While I cleaned the basement and rearranged the living room, I chastised myself for not sitting down and doing those two very important things. But I knew that in their overwhelming nature, they would consume an entire day (did I mention that I'm really slacking on the balancing of the checkbook?). I had to decide that these would be saved for a day when I would not be distracted by all the "other" things that needed to be done.

Despite this, my three day weekend was full. I managed a night at the Windsor Fair, in the rain, and still enjoyed myself. I cleaned the house with more energy than I realized I had and I spent a day at the Lake with my family, where I was able to start the binding on a quilt that has been near completion for three years or more. I have 1 1/2 sides to go and it will be finished!

I also managed to get zucchini, squash and celery from Mum's garden blanched (well not the celery) vacu-sealed and frozen; I made pulled pork and cornbread from cornmeal grown and milled in Maine. Tonight I will be putting together a chicken soup with ingredients from my garden (and my mother's), so I can freeze it for this winter.

I wish I had another day or two, for yardwork and to take a day to paint, because I've been itching to paint and I just haven't taken the time.

It'll come. I just need to manage my time better and realize that, no matter what, the dishes will still be there and the floor doesn't have to be vacuumed right away.

Clearing the Clutter, Inside and Out

You know, for the first time in a REALLY long time, I felt as though I actually spent a summer disconnecting…or better yet, connecting.  I kayaked, I swam, I spent time with friends, family, on my own.  I ate fresh foods, I read books (not just one but a few!).  I took an actual vacation-not just a few days here or there to make a couple of long weekends, but a real nine day vacation!  And I really just enjoyed myself, which is all that matters. 

Even though the daytime temperatures are still sweeping the 80’s here in Maine, its time to start thinking about the coming new season and the changes that autumn brings with it.  I’ve had my summer of play and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I’ve been slacking in many areas of my life, mostly in the organization of it.  Because I feel physically disorganized in my home, in my finances, in my filing of important paperwork, I feel mentally disorganized.  Does this make sense? Is it just me?  Its weird, but I always feel better after I vacuum.  I don’t enjoy vacuuming, but for me there is a definite link between a clear and focused mind and a clean floor.  I strangely feel better when I’ve finished, like I can move on to the next project without distraction.

Well, it’s time to literally and figuratively clean up my act. This long, Labor Day weekend will be dedicated to purging the unnecessary from my home, organizing the basement clutter, rearranging spaces for maximum potential, balancing the checkbook, updating the budget and finishing projects that have lingered for no apparent reason other than my own inability to get off my ass and finish them! The act of outward organizing will go a long way toward inward organization.  It is the inward organization that I need to get a few artsy craftsy ideas off the ground and on track.

While I work on this, please feel free to enjoy these seemingly random photos I have taken at various times over the summer: