Thursday, June 30, 2011

The great firework wars that once ruled over our property... days gone by.

We have lived on our property for 28 years this year.  We moved here in the first part of June 1983, Poppie and I bought one acre, or had an agreement to buy one acre.  My parents bought the adjoining property, same agreement from the owner, a couple months after we made our agreement. Their property was a little less than 3 acres. Eventually they bought the acreage on the other side of them, which they sold to Drama Queen, and we bought the acre next to us.  The acre we bought had been lost to an ex-wife in a divorce so we actually owned it free and clear before the Owner of the original properties got all the subdivision problems figured out and sold the property to Us, my parents, Drama Queen and in the end Sister bought part of mom and dad's original acreage. All four families lived on a combined total of 10 ish acres. We put our new house on the new acre we bought and Mokie lives on our original acre now.  We all hat to learn a nicely orchestrated dance on how to live that close, and yet give the others space of their own, it was not always easy and over the years there have been many ups and down.  My mom and dad left, I won't go into why, but in the end it was Drama Queen at the heart of the trouble, lives change and needs have evolved.  My parents felt a need to make a new life with them and their three new baby daughters.  Drama Queen coined the phrase that this was the "hill", I for one find that totally offensive, the place I live is my beloved home, not a  "hill" of discontent.  My mother and Drama Queen still call it the "hill", some of my siblings who don't live here, like and use the term but to me this is where I chose to raise my children and love where I live. Those who don't like the "hill" need not come to our place of contentment or can move away any time they want and we will still love our home. Sorry, I digressed....

I don't know which year the actually bottle rocket wars began but I am thinking about 25 years ago.  It became an annual war, each of the brother in laws would purchase their ammunition, some made guns, much like potato guns, to assist in their delivery or as their weaponry. The basic gist of the wars was that they would take sides and fire their bottle rockets across the field at one another.  I know not allowed most places, probably not allowed here but they had fun and no one ever got hurt, some shirts got heavily damaged, and occasionally there were close calls. But fun was had by all.  Over the years, the wars evolved into sides, so there were only combatants from two sides, everybody shooting Willy Nelly at any one another somehow one year had just not worked. One year my mom's cousin had come to visit and he totally enjoyed his participation in the wars. I don't ever really remember my dad participating, but my mom's cousin, his age, truly enjoy his foray into the mix. A number of years the battle was played out in the horse pen, it was funny to see our horse with her head over my son and nephews shoulders as they lite there rocket to launch at some one, she definitely was not gun shy or firework shy.  Over the years it finally came to an end, I think maybe what was fun at 20 was considerably different at 40, the last war I think was about 8ish years ago. We have continued the tradition of the families getting together and have a big 4th potluck. Years ago it had been at my mom's, then it had been at Drama Queens, but then Poppie and I began having the event due to complications. 

All but the first year we have had it Poppie smokes up a beef packers brisket, we do a pulled pork and this year we will add a big sirloin, I think.  Poppie loves the smoking and so enjoys the process.  I like to make homemade ice cream, have water melon, and the guest all bring side dishes.  We have a pool for the kids to play in and lots of tables so different groups can mingle. Two years ago we made it a surprise 50 wedding anniversary party for my parents, they had no idea, so it was a great success. Since we have been hosting we have invited the neighbors and this year, for the first time, it will be mainly a block party and other friends, I think Sister will be the only one of my family here. Silver is in Alaska, Mom and dad are having their own with others of my siblings, Little Sister will be camping etc.... We usually have around 45 people, I think about the same this year. We eat, visit with friends and at dusk we have fireworks, we try to provide a nice show, with pre fireworks for the kids, some of the guest contribute and usually my brother in law and one of the older kids light them  Actually our rule is anyone is welcome, so come by if you are in the area dinner is around 6ish....  tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

My first liquid soap, liquid shampoo to come, Bar shampoo use.

I was very excited to get to start my first batch of liquid soap yesterday.  I had actually gotten the potassium hydroxide a couple months ago but I was working on my upcycled toddle clothing and couldn't take the time to develop the recipe I wanted to use to make the first batch.  I was making up batches of laundry soap yesterday when I decided it was the day.  I was also trying to take it a little slow and rest up from the last two days of over load.  I made up a batch of laundry soap, not detergent, as detergent is a petroleum product and I don't make petroleum products, for our use and a second for a friend.  I made a third batch and found that the fragrance I used in the third batch made the batch thinner, I had recently deleted one of the ingredients in my laundry soap as it thinned the soap as well.  The ingredient is in the original laundry bar that to make the liquid laundry soap so deleting it had not been a problem.  I will have to test fragrances to determine which make the soap thinner than I would like, the thicker is more efficient in the HE machines.  I made the batches and then went to the computer and used the Soap Calc to make sure my liquid soap recipe would saponify. 

Liquid soap, not made from grating and rebatch bar soap, had come to my kitchen.  The beginning process is very similar so it takes a very similar path in the beginning as cold process soap, liquid soap is actually a hot process soap or cooked soap.  I measured out oils, heated them, mixed the lye (potassium hydroxide in this case and not sodium hydroxide) water and goats milk.   I then combined them and used my stick blender to make a good trace out of the oils and lye mixture.  Once I reached thick trace I poured the newly made soap mixture into my trustee crockpot.  My mother had given me a triple hot pot a year ago when I had gone to visit her after her stroke.  I loved it, to begin with, but found that the little crocks were a little too small for making meals with out having to use more than one at a time.  Poppie bought me a wonderful large one for Christmas last year so I have drafted the three crockpot unit and it is now officially my "rebatcher", I digress.  I had to split the soap into two of the crocks, set it on low and began the 4 hour process of cooking the soap, every 20 minutes I stirred it.  I was very surprised that at the first 20 minute interval, it was very thick, I had to stir it with the potato masher.  I had to cook it until it looked like Vaseline, not just the thick part but to the clear look.  Once I had cooked it to Vaseline stage, the 4 hours, I put it into 80 ounces of water and tried to stir it together,  If you have every tried to, or thought to try, stirring Vaseline into water you know that it is an almost impossible task so, as a tip had told me, I put it in the water, left it on the burner on low and went to bed.  I got up about 4 this morning and it was melted together and lovely clear soap, if it had been cloudy I would have not cooked it long enough to the true Vaseline stage. I have lovely clear soap this morning so cooked long enough. I now have to neutralize it and add fragrance.  My next batch will be a true liquid shampoo.

I do love my bar shampoos, but some of the friends, that I have gotten try it, found it left a residue, made their hair oily or tangled their hair.  I have since found that that, per the Internet sites, is a response to the commerical shampoos on our hair it is used to.  Our hair has had to combat the chemicals in the commerical shampoos with oil and is used to doing it.  So once you try a shampoo bar your hair has a learning curve before it responds to the natural cleansing of the bar shampoo by not over oiling itself. The commerical shampoo strips that hair and the body has to oil it to keep it from being damaged and healthy.  I know that the change was so nice to my hair I would encourage anyone to take the time to wean themselves off of the commerical shampoos and use shampoo bar.  I will see how the liquid ones work, once I finish my first batch, I am thinking that, as they are similar, there would be a weaning curve on the natural liquid shampoo as well. 

I have floors to clean, soap to finish and a party to get ready for.  Poppie is putting in a new dishwasher we got from Bug, nicer than my old one.  I have a studio to repurpose, I am going to split the studio, there is a nature division anyway as there is a half wall in the middle.  I am moving the the carving part so I can shut it off so the dust won't effect my sewing, roving and spinning area. I will be able to get the sewing machine out of my front room and the knitting machine out of my bedroom, yay.   I am also going to let the girls paint their mural and set them up their own drawing and sewing area in a corner of the studio. Too much fun, so can't wait to begin the process, maybe soap making is my new hibernating, who knew..... tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Alpacas, llamas, sheep, goats and great large dogs, oh my!

Yesterday was busy from morning to night, I slept very soundly last night as I was tireder than had I work hard all day. Mokie, Booboo, Cubbie and I made it out to Herbalists about 9:30 and started our adventure. We found the location about three miles up Petty Creek.  The property was about 86 acres of ground. We opened the gate, went up the drive and were meant by Susan in what seemed like a yard full of almost any ruminant you can imagine.  There were alpacas, goats, sheep and dogs as far as you could see.  She had had her alpaca's sheared on Thursday and 37 were sheared, but we saw several that weren't sheared and none of the babies had been sheared so I have no idea how many, of just them, there were. The was a small herd of sheep, of several breeds near where we parked the truck; in a separate pasture there was a herd of angora, cashmere, and cashgora goats.  There were massive Great Pierannese dogs that approached us in the driveway.   She had advised us one of her dogs, another Italian breed of guardian dog, was not people friendly but for some reason was barking up on the mountain behind her house and wouldn't come down.  So she asked us to be aware and she would put her up once she made her appearance.  Our adventure had begun!

We got to go to the goat pen first, as we walked to it we were meant by three bum goats, two white ones and a black one, that were about two months old.  They were crying for their bottle, Susan said, "you are welcome to them except they are withers."  She knew I had come to buy a doeling.  We looked around the pen for a couple of minutes as she showed me various animals, not all for sale, looking for the ones she wanted me to choose from.  She couldn't find them right off and thought maybe they were up the mountain and that that was the reason the dog was barking.  We decided to go see the alpaca's as Herbalist was so excited she just couldn't wait to see her options. 

We were taken around the barn to a back pasture and were meant with about 9 animals, varying in ages from 14 to 4, two were cut males and the rest intact males.  While we were looking at the beautiful creatures one of the larger males became aggressive to another animal, we thought at that moment he should not be Herbalists choice.  We did pick out a liver colored one and albino that we thought were very nice specimens.  Susan advised us there were more to choose from and took us to yet another pasture.  We saw beautiful animals there too.  She was reluctant to sell her females,  she is trying to sell her property and move closer to her daughter but was still attached, and it was obvious she had a long way to go to actually sell her females at a reduced cost, like the males.  She had way to many of them and was selling them at sale prices.  Susan spotted the goats she wanted to sell me, as the bum goats trotted along side us crying for their bottles.  The does she showed me were nice, and their was a large cashmere that reminded me or my Cleo and Rosie.  She was one of the only ones remotely large enough to be able to pasture with my girls at home. 

The bums would come up and ask for pets, the giant dogs scratched my bare legs to get attention, my poor legs looked like I had run threw a barbed wire fence, blood trickled down the back of one.  I got to thinking that most of the goats wouldn't fit well with my does but the bums, would give me fiber for at least 10 to 15 years, they were very friendly and my girls would love them.  Cubbie and Booboo couldn't get enough of them as they petted and played with them. I ask Susan what she wanted for them, she said she wasn't ready to part with the black one but I could have the two white ones for less than the price of a doe.  I told her I would take them.  Booboo and Cubbie got to give them their bottles.  I knew Poppie was not in favor of more bottle babies, but they are actually old enough to wean.  He also prefers females but they are both withers and that would mean they would not be having babies so I knew he would like that.  Herbalist decided she wanted to go home and get the Professors to help her make her choices as she wanted to purchase several alpacas and sheep.  We were walking to the truck, to go get him, and load my bums when a large brown animal came racing down the mountain.  Mokie pointed it out and at first, I am sure she thought it was a bear, but it turned out to be Llama, the aggressive dog was barking at four llamas and herding them home.  Susan hadn't realized they were the animals missing when she had discovered the goats were there. She put the dog up in the barn, for our protection.  We loaded the goats near a pen with a goat, with the oddest horns, I have ever seen.  She appeared to be laying down, but she was not, she had been frost bitten as a newborn and had no ears, and her back to legs were gone from the knees down, she appear to be nice fat goat.  Susan said she is a love, she had also had a set of twins and a single baby in that last couple years.  She was very odd.

We took the bums home to Poppie and Yogie, they loved them, they are small, they stay right near the house and eat the lawn, where they are supposed to.  I was so relieved.  We put them in a kennel on the porch when it was time to go to bed.  The rest of the afternoon was as busy as the morning had been, we picked up the Professor and a trailer.  We returned to Susan's and they purchased two alpacas, made a deal for a female one in the near future and are going to return for her and several head of sheep.  We dropped the alpacas, Herbalist, Professor and the trailer off and made it home around 6, long day.  We had a wonderful adventure but Mokie and I had to get home.  Poppie had had the kids, 8, all day and needed a break. 

The kids had those bums all in line and named, Lovey and Nemo, when we got home.  The bums were the perfect choice for all..  I slept straight through last night, something I rarely do, I suppose the sleep of a good life.... tomorrow.

Monday, June 27, 2011

MADE Fair is come and gone, Alpacas and fiber goats is see, Monday a delight!

We ended up with a nice looking booth at the MADE Fair. Carolynn, the chairman of the MADE Fair and Twin's boss lent me another clothes wrack. That was very nice, and helped my clothes have more room and a nicer look. We had alot of traffic especially right after church. I sold several items, and some soaps, got good feedback on my upcycled items and the soaps.  I gave out several business cards what may bring in a few more sales. I do know that sales at craft shows, like sales on the Internet are a great deal based on the networks you establish with you clientele in the longer term.  I do well in the area I live in, at this point, the  clients know and trust me. I have had a love hate relationship with the Zootown area for years. I am at this point glad I did the MADE Fair and may try to get into the December one and hope the Christmas sales will be better. I do know that I have to list and further cultivate my Internet sales on Etsy, Ebay and further develop my blog pages. The feedback was terrific even if the sales were slow. I spoke to other vendors and some had great sales and some didn't make their booth rent so hit and miss with them as well, I did make the booth rent so that was a relief. Mokie and I bought both families burgers at Burger King on the way home. My lovely, Poppie, had made dinner and feed the girls so that was nice, and now we have cold bugers to heat up.

This morning, Mokie, Cubbie, Booboo, Yogie and I are going to a fiber goat and alpaca farm about 35 miles away.  We are taking Herbalist with us, she is the one looking at the Alpacas, we are just hoping to get a fiber goat. We are debating on a cashmere, an angora or a Cashgora.  The owner of the fiber goats stopped by at the MADE Fair to meet us yesterday.  She seemed like a nice lady, she again was another crazy goat lady, knew and had purchased goats from my friend, Barbara the crazy goat lady from Florence.  Goat world is sort of small in our area after all.  She told me that Angora were the most fragile of the three when it came to birthing baby goats. The Cashmere's have the softest fiber but shortest fiber of the three, the angoras have the longest a little more course, the Cashgoras are nice combo of the two and births baby more like the Cashmere, which is more hardy than the angoras.  She advise she has manly white ones left, I actually like white goats the best, the Boers are mainly white.  I told her my friend Barbara has AI ( which is the ability to artificially inseminate) for angoras so breeding the goat would not be a problem.  I could also breed with the Boers and still have a nice coat in the babies as Boers have nice thick coats. I think in the end I will get the biggest of the three breeds as the goat will have to mix with my herd, and the fiber is going to be nice either way, but the goat will need to be big enough to adapt to the other goats and not be hurt.

We are leaving at 9ish, I think we will take the girls, they need an out as much as I do, and they would love to see the baby alpacas. The lady has dogs that are a little mean but she promised to confine the worst of the lot. I think the joy the girls would have will out way the possibility of the dogs behavior.  I also think they will want to help pick the goat.

I am going to take it easy the rest of the afternoon, I do have to clean up my studio and move things around to get ready for the spinning and roving equipment from Herbalist  but that should be fun for me and the ladies.  I am going to let them paint on one of the walls in the studio, I am going to move a book shelf up on to their studio table so there will be room for a mural. Booboo is very artist as is Yogie to a lesser degree. I think the studio is ready for some tender loving care after all the bum animals and baby birds this spring.  I also have a carving order to finish up. 

Coffee to drink, truck to unpack and a road trip, so a nice day to come..... tomorrow.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

MADE Fair day, long day, lots of people, hope lots of sales and fun.

Well Mokie and I are off to the MADE Fair in the next little while, we hope to have lots of sales, if not we will have lots of fun. We will meet new people, old friends, there will be lots of questions, lots of them the same one over and over. There is to be music and the best of all fun. It will be a tiring day but things to learn and see.

Poppie and the girls I hope have fun, they are to invite the grandparents to the 4th of July party next week. I hope all that want to come come and the ones that don't that's ok too, there will be lots of people one way or the other. It will be a long week, not much hibernating will go on, tomorrow to the alpaca and goat lady in Petty Creek, baking on Thursday and Friday, the girls Farmer's Market on Saturday, and food prep on Sunday and the 4th is Monday. Brisket and pulled Pork to make, Poppie will have fun and be in his element. Food shopping sometime in there, probably trip to Zootown... busy week, how sad I did want a bit of hibernating.

So off I go to challenge the day, oh, I gotta have my coffee first, get dressed, check to see that I didn't leave anything behind........ tomorrow.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Farmers Market Day for the Ladies. Last Prep day for the MADE Fair. 4th to plan.

The Ladies and I finished up the baking yesterday. They both had fun, we only had Cubbie, Boy and Cartoons to babysit so it wasn't as busy so the girls got to do a lot more baking. Bug and the kids stopped by a couple of times and Poppie had to go to Zootown, by himself to his doctor checkup.  The girls really enjoyed that they both got to spend one on one time with me doing different parts of the baking. Booboo made the sponge in the morning, Yogie had made it the day before, as well as kneading the big dough ball, she isn't strong enough to finish the stirring but the kneading she is pretty good at.  She also got to form rustic loaves.  They both took turns cutting pretty air vents in the tops of the pies and crimping the edges of the pies together. Booboo made the wet part of the Pineapple Pumpkin bread, and Yogie made the dry measurements.  Booboo stirred, her arm is a bit better at it plus she enjoys the folding in process. I am so proud of them, I am not sure most girls their ages can explain and accomplish sponge, kneading and folding with any degrees of expertize, but I assure you they can.  Yogie is also good at making coffee, and can make pasta all by herself.  Oh, how they have and are growing, sometimes it makes me sad to see them grow but usually I am just proud of them.

I have MADE Fair product to pack up today, I have to finish the display concepts and structuring.  I have to decide which soaps to take, which to leave at home, and figure out the best way to showcase them.  I have to weight the corners of the canopy with 20lbs apiece, I think we have that down.  I am really going to try and make the booth a clean stream line display and will not be taking any of my antler art or actual art.  I am just going to take the soaps and eco friendly items. I hope that turns out to be a good approach.  My lungs have finally cleared up for the year, usually happens when the damp and cold go away so I should be able to get my antler orders done and focus on them as an Internet, mainly art.  I sell them better there anyway.

Poppie finally got all of the garden finished, we may have to do some replacement planting we well see how that goes, probably to late for really any replanting to any big degree, though we could get some plants from Grandpa. I am getting ready to have my annual 4th of July party next week, this year I think I am going to have the focus be more as a block party, and less of a family event. I am going to invite Sister, any of her family that wants to come, Silver and his family and will let the Girls call both set of grandparents.  I will see if Belle and her family want to come, maybe Little Sister and hers, and maybe Red and his,  in the end whoever shows up is always welcome. We will smoke a brisket, make pulled pork, provide dessert and salads, all else are ask to bring their favorite side dish, we always have way to much food.  As we really no longer drink and don't use soda products, will have ice tea and lemonades.  The guests are allowed to bring pop or limited alcohol, but usually don't.  We provide fireworks at the end of the evening and people can bring extras if they want to contribute. We have always had great 4th celebrations, it has kind of evolved over the years where and what we have done, for years the boys, the sons in laws, had bottle rocket wars, not my kids, my siblings and brothers in laws.  But that is a tale for another day this week...... tomorrow.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Making Pies, a memory in the making, filling for dreams to come and lives lived.

One of the first things that my two little girls ever truly got to make in the kitchen was pie dough.  They had both helped me by sitting, one on each stove counter, from the time they could truly sit.  The neighbor girl was totally aghast by them being there when she saw them for the first time. But at the time she saw them they were both old hats at it.  They both were shown how and could stir sauces.  I let them help cut, with their own little real knifes from about two on.  They each had their own little cutting board and tiny paring knives as Christmas presents and we allowed to use them.  I think that is how you teach a child to succeed, by allowing them to accomplish what others think is beyond their years. They both also got to start rolling doughs around two to three, they are after all a year apart in age.  They have actually never really seemed like it to me. Booboo is about 95% percentile in height and Yogie is 50% so by the time Booboo was 2 they were the same size.  They have actually always been about the same mental age since then, Yogie had to overcome many stresses in life and Booboo just seemed to complete her, so they are very close.  They complete each others sentences and balance each other. 

They each got their little ball of dough and their own rolling pin.  They would roll their doughs and even though they started with very clean hands, rolling and rerolling dough soon leads to discoloration and toughness in the dough but they didn't care, they were experimenting and learning the feel of dough in their hands.  You have to learn the feel it isn't something some one can tell you you have to feel it and learn it for yourself. I think their favorite part was learning how to hold their fingers just right to get the dough to make a nice edge around the pie.  Booboo had a little more trouble leaning than Yogie, she was the younger one after all.  They loved to sign the pie with their own interpretation of the letter that went on the pie, we always put the first letter of the filling on the top of the pie.  A is for Apple, P is for peach, they did enjoy the ditty that we sang to remember it. We have a life time of memories from the pie making and the pies we will make in years to come.  They now make 8 pies a week, in the summer, for the farmers market. I don't know that they remember their first pies, I am actually sure they don't, but the feeling of the dough in their hands has to bring the comfort of the learning of their craft to their minds on some level. 

I don't remember making pies, at such a young age, with my mom, she actually probably didn't have the luxury of time that I had with my younger girls.  She was a busy mom, like I was with my older kids, and the learning or teaching would have been less idyllic and more of a necessity in the teaching.  Young mothers also need the task completed faster than this old mom did, so alot of times it is just easier to do it yourself.  I learned a lot the second time around, that taking the time to make the pie together created a bond that long out lived the pie or its memory. 

Mom did teach me to make pies, as she is very good at it, and I ain't bad myself. But there again the pie wasn't the important part of the process, maybe at the time but not in the scope of my existence.  It really was about the time she had to spend with just me and in a big family one on one time is rare and the older you are in the family the less time you actually need, physically, and as little ones needed her more there was never much time for the one on one. I do take away from my childhood that warmth of spirit from making those pies with my mom if not the actual memory.

I do want for all of my children memories of one on one time with them, I have always taken the time and made the effort to make sure each of my children had that, as I longed for it so in my childhood.  I still believe we change the things we disliked in our parents child rearing, it is not always about great philosophical changes, sometimes the changes are little and sutler, they are some times as simple as letting a little hand stir a pot, with supervision, that others think they are not old enough to stir.... tomorrow.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

I wonder how children survived to adulthood in the past, with todays standards and warnings.

I see reports, what seems like daily, about some new warning to keep children safe or how to raise them.  I wonder, by today's standards, how we survived to adulthood. I then reconsider and wonder how our present crop of children will survive their adulthood with the stripped down, sterilized, no consequences or failure allowed, modern way of raising children.  I for one haven't read a book on how to raise your child, I understand some people need them but where is their instincts or common sense with their child gone, if they do?  I watched a morning show this last week that was talking about how the young adults in our society, that have never failed in their childhood, struggling in the work place.  This new thought that every child gets a trophy, you should let your child always win at games and reward them because they breathed in and then breathed out again, is a failure to our children.  I was raised with the good old spanking and gave mine a few a time or two.  NO, I never once beat my child or was beaten. People that don't believe in spanking always relate the two as the same thing, believe me they are not, I have seen both and they are a more different than time outs and spanking, which in many ways are two sides of the same child raising philosophy.  They are degrees in a disciplinarian bag of tools.  Beatings are not spankings, are not tools for parenting and are criminal.

I am saddened by some of the developments of our society, lack of discipline in our children, to the point of why children are obese.  I have literally heard young mothers say "I don't understand why my child is over weight, I can't get them to eat veggies all they will eat is pizza for breakfast".  I would say that is part and parcel to the whole problem.  More of the never allowing you child to fail and thinking that your three year old should or can plan their own meals, day or parties. Only someone who parented out of a book would think a child that small would have a brain developed enough to make those decisions and would believe their wonder child could make those decisions on anything at that age.  Be a parent, children love to be parented and helped to their decisions.  I find that the naughtiest children are only naughty because they want you to discipline them or just spend time with them.  They are crying out for your attention and want you to love them enough to give them rules and consequences.

I remember as a child being the bane of my mothers existence, on many levels, my siblings and I were naughty alot, there were alot of us and one on one time was not something my mother had time to give us.  Shortly after are grandparents were killed, in a car wreck, we had moved into their house to live. We were playing out in the yard, we being, Red,2, Silver, 3, and me, 4.  We were playing in the car, it was one of the old one from the early 60's that if you pushed a button in the cubbie drawer the trunk opened.  We opened the trunk and were playing in it, it was mid summer and hot out.  We had all crawled into the trunk and Red pulled the trunk lid closed, we couldn't get out.  We were in the trunk about 45 minutes, we had screamed until we were hoarse and couldn't scream anymore.  My mom had figured out around that time we were missing. She called and called us, she said later she could hear us and thought we were at the fairground, behind the house, so she looked there, but when she got there it sounded like we were in the front of the house.  It took her awhile to find us.  When she did we were, I am sure, suffering from some kind of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.  To this day I can't be in a small dark warm area with out being totally claustrophobic. A short time later, Red, Silver and I decided we would lay on the railroad tracks, under the train, we wanted to see what it would be like when the train passed over us.  Luckily we got bored and crawled out from under the train before it pulled out. A year later we moved to a fifty acre farm, the freezer had somehow gotten shut off or quit working ruining the contents. Mom had put all the meat in the wagon to get rid of it, Red, Silver and I pulled the wagon out into the middle of the field, out of sight of the house.  We played cooking, he made hamburgers and mud pies for lunch.  We dutifully ate up our creations. We were so sick that to this day I can eat a steak that could literally moo but if my hamburger isn't cooked, totally done, I couldn't eat it on a bet. A couple years later when friends of moms were visiting, like ladies do, all of us kids, probably 10 or 12 of us were playing in the barn. We had been using a rope to swing in the rafters, each taking turns. The moms had told us to stopped tattling or we would get it. That many kids together, bicker and tattling, is just one of the natural results, but we were told not to tattle any more on dire threat. We had been swinging on the rope for awhile when Red had gotten his ankle caught in it and was hanging from the roof of the barn, none of us could get him down. I, as one of the oldest, had to got tell the mom's.  My mom later said I was white and ashen, when I went into the house, they knew something was wrong, but as I was not to tell, they almost couldn't get it out of me what had happened.  They saved Red, he was almost purple when they did though. A couple years later, when I was in the fifth grade, my brothers and I were walking to town, don't remember why, it was about 5 miles to town, when we took a short cut across a field and across and irrigation ditch.  We had learned to swim about a year or so earlier and were all pretty proficient at it.  We swam across the ditch and meant up with Dad.  He asked us how we got wet, we told him and he was livid. He explained to us that ditches weren't like creeks and rivers, they had much more current by design and were much more dangerous and that we could have drowned.  I know that there were many more harrowing events that we survived, and tortured our parents with, but not once did we get told how wonderful and creative we were that we had accomplished these feats. I do know each time we got a talking to and a punishment for our behaviors. 

Maybe part of the reason we baby boomers are so adventurous, as a group, is that we took and take great risks because we didn't live in a sterile, over planned, over thought, world.  We got to be kids with all the ups and down that that entailed, we took the good with the bad and became the people we were meant to be.  We know that failing like winning is part life.  We know that reading, watching tv, playing in the field, swimming and exploration of our world are all part of a well rounded life.  We had less structure and our brains got to grow and develop in a natural way.  I for one think the best way to let a child develop their brain is let them be a child......... tomorrow

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sister has always been a little frail, but in the end one of my best friends.

Sister has always been the person that if one in a thousand, or million has it she does.  She was allergic to milk as a baby, back then it was much rarer than it is now.  We didn't have formula then just goats milk, cows milk, they didn't promote breast milk at that time, they had to find that it was the best and convince us to do it again in the 70's and 80's. We had canned milk, maybe the industry had just started getting formula's, but we canned and powdered milk and she threw all her bottles up, the doctor said she is getting some of it so just keep giving it to her, how times have changed. She was a tiny little thing, my mom really likes tiny little things. As children she was a bit of a tattle tale, but that is sort of how my mom watched so many of us.  It is like having another set of eyes, so tattling was promoted and she was pretty good at it. We have three brothers between us by birth, one was a twin to my brother Silver, he lived 9 hours but due to complications from a fall my mom had about 3 weeks before the twins were born he wasn't getting feed right and though he fought he died.  My mom has remarkable photos of the twins holding hands in the incubator at birth. Eleven months after the twins my brother Red was born, then 16 months later Sister was born.  She was a tiny little angel, and my Sister. We would have probably been closer growing up but the 3 and 1/2 years and the boys between us made us pretty adversarial growing up. 

Sister had a baby she carried as a really little child, she would roll fuss balls from the lent on it's little belly.  When she was 2ish, we were out in the garden, she liked to pick the tomatoes off the plants and take bites out of them, she didn't actually like to eat the tomatoes just to take a bite out, done and on to the next one.  She was playing at this when she came upon the pitch fork, she pulled it out of the ground and stuck it back in right threw her two feet. My brother Silver, to this days, will tell you he was in a tree and threw the pitch fork and it went into her feet. He was only 4, there was no tree by the garden and he was not Robin Hood with his aim.  She stabbed the pitch fork threw her feet all by herself. When I was 9 and 3/4 my mom was pregnant with what turned out to be my sister, Little sister, and I was to make dinner.  I was trying my best, I had potatoes in my grandma Thelma's pressure cooker pan, I was cooking deer meat and I was trying to make jello, for the first time.  Sister, who was just 7 always got to make jello, I am sure now it was the only thing she probably could make really at 7 put I was always jealous.  I got to make it and she was not to interfere. She didn't she sat on the counter next to me as I cooked.  I had the water boiling, in our house we boiled our jello, we didn't like the crust it can have if you just put boiling water in it.  I put the jello in the water, and went to the drawer to get a spoon.  Sister said, "it is boiling up" I was trying to get the spoon,  She said "it is boiling over" I opened the drawer grabbed the spoon and turned around. She said, "it is boiling down the stove'' I ran back and said, "why didn't you take it off" She said, "You wanted to do it by yourself, so I couldn't help".  My grandmothers pan started to smell and the potatoes were so burned that the pan had burnt threw and was stuck to the burner.  I couldn't multi task, I could not make dinner and fight with my sister all at once at nine and 3/4 but I had tried.  Mom was not happy with me, and recounted the burnt potato episode for years to come, I just remembered that the jello had boiled over and Sister hadn't helped me.

When I was eighteen, I had gone to the fair and hadn't come home until 3 in the morning.  My mom and dad were so mad I got the last spanking I ever got. I had a bruise that started at my hip and went down past my knee. It was big and black.  The next night Sister didn't come home until after 3 in the morning. She didn't even get in trouble, I don't really recall where were either one of us were either night, it was fair time and we were teenagers.  Sister did feel bad at the difference in our circumstances and the results of our punishments, every night for the next week she would see the bruise, when we went to bed, and she would be very loving and nice to me. You can bet I made sure she saw it, it was nice to have her being nice to me.  As adults, my mom tried to fix her adult children problems alot.  She wanted to control our lives long after she should have just let us be adults.  When I was 29 sister and I had the last fight we ever had, I don't know what started it, but as we both lived next door to each other and mom, it was great orchestrated by my mom.  My mom, in the end tried to force us to make up, after she had gotten us fighting in the first place.  Sister and I had the longest, and first real talk in our lives. Each of us spoke of our side of our relationship and explained our plight in life as we saw it.  We bonded for the first time, and forever, we have not fought with one another for 32 years now.  If their is a family dispute we are always on each others side, we came up together in the family, we are each others sisters, yes we both have 6 others sisters but we grew up together in a way the others don't and never will understand.

Sister has had many surgeries in her life, she had gallbladder surgery and has the worst scar I have ever seen, but never had a gallbladder.  She now has so much scar tissue that surgery is an only if she would die without it possibility.  She has ulcerated colitis, she has always had low blood pressure, dangerously so, she in allergic to many foods, she had been passing out for no apparent reason for years.  About a year ago she had a heart panel, and they found she had been born with a hole in her heart.  The doctor told her at the time that 96% of the people he fixed the hole in their heart never had another bit of trouble, well that is to say Sister would have problems.  She was so much better after her heart was fixed. She breathed normally for the first time in her life, no more COPD, no more low blood pressure and was no longer whitish tinged, she had nice pink coloring.  The changes were immediate, she had a whole new lease on life.  Well yesterday she came to tell us that she is passing out again. She has gone to the doctor and has an appointment on the 7th with the specialist, they think that like 4% of people who have the hole fixed it is reopened.  The doctor had told her at the time hers had been the biggest one he had ever fixed.  She is back to being frail, I do hope and pray he can fix it.  I need my sister and I liked her best when she was at her healthiest, as she was at happiest. ............. tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Boaz arrived, Sunshine today on the longest day of the year, pool swimming.

My heart awoke this morning with a song in it. "Sing  hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the king of kings, everybody sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the king." My head will sing to the Lord all day.  We awoke to the most glorious sunshine, it is to stay most all of the week, a little rain on Thursday but still a lovely day and week, this first day of summer. We didn't get a spring so I intend to totally revel in the sunshine of the season.  The weather man had said last fall we would have a long wet winter, no spring and hot summer to begin in June, he hit it about right I am thinking, sad my favorite season is spring, I am not good at damp long winters or exceedingly hot summers, lets hope we get a little bit of transition before the nasty truly hot weather sets in.  My little ladies, unlike me, adore the hot summer so I hope they get a nice long one.  They did swim in the pool yesterday but as Sunday was so cold it was a cold swim but the little troopers did swim a little before they soaked up the warmth of my garden tub.

Herbalist brought Boaz last night and picked up Lacey and Mokie's "no name", I think she and the girls named him pokaspot before she left, as their pokaspot will be called Tinkerbell when she goes to live at the DC's house. Boaz managed to get out of his pen and had to be put in with Mokie's frosty.  He will cry all night and maybe being with Frosty will keep Frosty from crying for the new Pokaspot.  I did advise Herbalist about the alpacas and fiber goat I found craigslist, we are working on a deal to buy some.  They are actually only about thirty miles from here so we are planning a road trip to check them out on Monday, my week is filled up with MADE Fair stuff so can't get away before then. It will be fun, we have never done anything together so that will be a nice change and chance to get to know each other better.

Poppie hauled topsoil most of the afternoon, so the bed in the greenhouse is getting full, I will try and haul some manure up to mix in from the birthing barn.  There shouldn't be much hay in the mix mostly straw and goat manure so will be ok to put right into the bed. We are composting the hay dropping and manure from the feeding area.  The topsoil and manure should make a good mix for the beds.

Herbalist and I got to talking about the fiber from the Alpacas and fiber goats, she has all the supplies, brushes, drum carder, and spinning wheel for spinning the wool.  She advised me she is going to lend it all to me, as she knows I will learn to use it then I can teach her to use her own equipment. I am so excited, I am going to move the studio around to accommodate the equipment. I will beg Twin to teach me to card, drum and make roving.  I have another couple of friends that spin that I will try to talk into teaching me to spinning. If not I will do it my regular way of reading how and then good old fashioned trial and error. It will fit in so well with my redesigning, the knitting machine and my hand knitting. I will also give me a new depth to my goats and their ability to be self supporting in the end.

We will have a new goat to milk today, Lilly, her last baby was Fancy.  Herbalist is to bring me some of her extra milk so will have cheese to make, and more soap. Life is so good, sunshine streaming through the windows, coffee in my cup and new horizons to further explore. God always leads me where I am to go, what a wonderful life..... tomorrow.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Bad tooth day, rain today, but high 70's tomorrow!!, Summer is teasing us.

Poppie barbecued steak, and I roasted asparagus for Father's day dinner. We went on a ride to the woods to check on one of our firewood places.  The little spring along the road was actually pouring water down the road, we had never seen it do that before. We did pick up some abandoned wood along the road, so in the two trips we have taken wood hunting we have picked up several wheelbarrow loads, no work and free so to speak. We do have to get our annual wood permit today. The girls played Kinnects all afternoon, played many games they hadn't played before, the little mites really got a work out, a good thing since the weather hasn't been all that cooperative for getting out of the house, especially yesterday, cold.

My tooth is really bad this morning, my mouth, unbeknownst or to my families disbelief, is very small structurally, just like Yogies, that why she has the braces. I have been getting my wisdom teeth in since I was pregnant with Bug, he will be 29 this year.  I had the dentist look at them in the mid 90's and he told me they were in where they should be, he was an idiot or just lazy and didn't want to pull them.  So I have suffered periodically with them over the years, for the last 4 years they have really bugged them semi-steadily.  I don't have the money to have them pulled so I deal with them, but today is a whine day. The one has actually broken against the jaw bone and it is really starting to loosen to the point I may be able to work it loss in the next few months but today it hurt. Enough whining.

It is to rain again today, no big change but tomorrow is to be in the upper 70's to 80's and Sunday is to be 75, the day of the MADE Fair. I hope the lady weather caster is correct. Thursday and Friday, more rain.  Twin is back from Alaska today, she took marvelous pictures of her adventures.  Her sister told her to make a book out of them, I quite a agree.  They are very high quality shots of a slice of her life, that she shared with others, at one of natures raging fires. She was at the Hastings Fire in Alaska.

I am making up some gift sets for the MADE Fair, I think three or four, to see if they are sellers. Everything I don't sell I will be listing on my ETSY site or I will actually have time to make up the buy it now pages I want to connect to this blog.  Which ever it will be nice to get time to work out the details and list items, I am not all that good at it but it will be a welcome break from the sewing. I won't be pulled away long as I am in the middle of a new obsession.  I do have to carve a couple special order bear heads out of bison horn today or tomorrow. My eBay store had a large selling day Saturday so shipping to do today. I have been neglecting it, as it has been slow with the recession, I know we are out of the recession, well no one told my buyers or me so, here we are still in the recession. 

Herbalist and Professor are bring the buck today to trade for the doeling and wither to finish up our trading deal with goats. I have found her alpaca babies that I have to tell her about, the alpaca sellers also sell fiber goats, and I have been wanting one, so Poppie said I can see about a little doeling.  Will see how that goes.  One last grey day to get threw so here I go..... tomorrow.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Fathers in my life, my heavenly father, my dad, my son and my Poppie.

My first father was there long before my existence was even a thought on this earth, but he knew of me long before the reality of me was in my parents minds or hearts. God sent Jesus to earth for me, and yes for all who believe in him and carry him in their hearts, he also sent him for anyone who comes to him and carries him in their heart. Jesus came to earth for me, that is the reality of all who believe. God, the father, was our father before we existed, on earth, he was already our father then and he knew us always as our father.  A father loves you always, he loves you when you are doing your best and even then you are not, he doesn't always like what you do but he always loves you. That is what a father is and what a father does.

I think that the most special fathers in this world, unlike our heavenly father, are called daddys. I have known alot of men who have fathered children, as most men can, but as the old adage says, "it takes someone special to be a daddy". I was blessed to have a daddy. He wasn't always there in the house, as he was a hard working man that in 40 years of working for a living only missed 11 days of work, the 11 days that he spent in the hospital and recovered from a heart attack.  He was always there when I needed his support and love.  I remember him spinning me around and rough housing with me when I could barely walk, he held my hand and helped me along the way.  He held me in his arms long after my moms were full of new babies.  He taught me to tie my shoes. He took me to the store to buy me tights even when that last place he wanted to be was the lingerie store. He taught me to love history, he helped me rebuild that chainsaw in high school.  He spanked me when I needed it and loved me for who I was, not what he wanted me to be.  I watched him help Poppie become a wonderful daddy.

 Poppie learned to be something he never had from my father, so in a funny way, Poppie and I have the same daddy, not the same father.  Poppie, worked hard when our older kids were little and now thinks that he wasn't a good daddy, but you ask any of our older kids and they have a special daddy.  He wasn't always the disciplinarian, but he was always their daddy.  They remember eating mac and cheese, that he made them, when I was gone, in bed watching tv.   He let them sleep in bed with him when they need him.  He taught them to ride bikes, 3 wheelers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, he was and is a good daddy.  He taught them the gentleness of being a man.  Today he is the daddy, to our little girls, that reads, teaches bike riding, gardening, the love of our little farm.  He is more of a disciplinarian now, but he is somehow more soft and loving, and more of a guide to their lives. He is a good daddy. 

Our son, is his fathers son, he didn't always like that his dad wasn't a macho logger type, but he is the gentle man, that his father was to him, to his kids.  He is in many ways more harsh with his kids than Poppie was. Poppie had been abused, as a kid, and was so afraid of abusing his kids he went the other way and didn't spank, not beat, when they needed it.  Bug has the luxury of being his fathers son, can love and discipline without fear of beating his children, it's not in him, as it wasn't in his father.  I love all the fathers I have and have had the pleasure of knowing and watching becoming fathers in my life.  Today we celebrate them and the love they give to the children in their lives.  I love you daddy, Happy Fathers Day......... tomorrow.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Farmers Market Day! Garden to Plant in the finished Greenhouse, all is good.

Well we had a marathon day of baking yesterday, the girls help as much as they could but they spent most of the day helping entertain the grandkids, Bugs three were here, Mokie's two were here, Shinnys and New Mamma's grandson, Cartoons, was here as well. Eight children under 8 were way to much help for one kitchen, the kids played in the yard and with the goats. Cartoons watched cartoons, he is two, played a little but mostly watched bugs bunny and friends. His dad picked him up around noon. Poppie dropped Bugs off around 6:30ish and Mokies were here until 8ish so a long day of cooking and kid watching. Today I need a break.  We did end up with 3 peach pies, 3 rhubarb pies, 2 apple pies, 10 loaves of rustic sourdough bread, 6 foccacia's and one deep dish pizza that Poppie had wanted for dinner.

I did find time to rebatch the soap for the deodorizers, and make up a couple toddler items, bread doughs have to raise after all.  I will unmold the really smelly soaps today and see if they will fit in the deodorizers as I planned, if not back to the drawing board. The girls will be packed up and to the farmers market by 8:30ish, the market starts at 9.  They are excited to spend the morning with Grandpa, and they like the interaction with the people that come to the market.  They do get lots of questions about how the breads are made, what is in the pies, and what is on the foccacia's.  They have their little accounting list for all their sales and each have a money chest. They really enjoy the morning they spend there.

Poppie escaped from the kids yesterday and got all of the pvc roofing on the greenhouse. This afternoon we will get dirt and manure mixture in the beds and the greenhouse plants planted. I plan to veg some, do some sewing and dirt digging.  Dirt digging is very good for the soul and the body so I plan a good cleansing this afternoon, after the market is over. Maybe a Picnic in the woods...... tomorrow.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Poppie picked up grandkids at 5 this morning, pies, foccacia's and bread to make.

Grandpa called late last night to say that he was going to do the local farmers market, we had thought he was going to go to the Zootown one but the fuel he has been paying to go has cost him so much he is opting to do the local one. So today the ladies and I will be trying to do two days of baking in one day. I is possible but with only one oven it is a trick of what to bake while something else is raising, good coordination will be the key.  Bug called right after grandpa to have Poppie pick up the kids this morning, so Poppie was up and got them about 5 this morning. So we have a house full of kids and lots to bake.

I managed to make the cutest little dresses for the hangers yesterday for car deodorizers, they are really cute and now I just have to figure out how to scent them, with lasting scent that is renewable.  I thought of saturating the felted wool, which might work, but I don't think the oil would actually dry so dust and dirt would eventually ruin them. Belle thought of saturating like poster board but not sure that would work as far as good saturation but will try some today to see. I am thinking I will rebatch a batch of soap and really put extra scent it and then sew a tiny little bar of soap in the bottom of the shirts, may work will see if I can get the scent heavy enough to last and still get the soap to set.

Well off to pick rhubarb, thaw out peach and apple filling and start sponge, oh and then make breakfast for 5 to 8 children. I will make up pancakes and what will start the room warming enough for the breads to raise. I will have to send Poppie to the store for garlic and olive oil, I have feta for the foccacias.  Coffee is getting cold so have to drink up and get going.... tomorrow.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Belle stopped by, my wrack finally came, we went to the woods very fun.

Belle got to stopped by yesterday, in the middle of her busy schedule.  She now works four days a week and has to go to Zootown every Wednesday so her life is as busy as mine or more so I might say.  She stopped by to give me feedback on my redesigned items.  She gave me good ideas to develop and think on, always good to get constructive feedback, it develops your ideas to new places.  She picked up 30 baby size hangers in Zootown and dropped them off on the way back home for me. I was totally surprised and privileged to get 5 or 6 new wool sweaters that she gifted me with.  I am so excited one is a pastel cheetah cashmere, I must admit I cut it up right after she left, I couldn't resist, it will be such an adorable little girls dress, maybe a matching purse. Too much fun. Belle also gave me a great idea on what to do with the miniature clothes hangers, I accidentally bought on line, I am now working on sachets for drawers or hanging them from your mirror as deodorizers. Love new developing ideas in the realm of my current crafting project. I think the redesigning will stay and not go the way of jewelry, a one year wonder.

We took the kids into the woods, we had a great time exploring a new road we had never driven all the way threw.  We had once gone down the road, a short time before Poppies accident, but had not returned to the area since.  We decided that was the area we wanted to go as we had been firewooding near there and wanted to continue this year in that area.  We drove for what seemed like a long time and spotted lots of potential trees to cut. We had suspected where we would end up and yes indeed that is where it came out.  We decided that we would come back down one of our regular routes as it did connect to another area we regularly travel.  We had been going about 5 miles down the new road when we came to a giant tree in the road, the root ball was laying on the mountain road and the tree lay over the bank and continued down the raven about 80 feet, it was a good 3 foot across, it was a true giant that the wind had blown over.  The branches were all still green and it hadn't been there a long time, but we couldn't go around it so had to back up and turn around.  I was about 23 miles back to the house from there. It took about an hour to get home, the trip home is always faster than the trip up, we don't hunt for trees on the way home we just talk and the girls are usually ready to be home and would drive Poppie nuts if he slowly looked for trees on the way home.  They are a little like a barn sour horse, in a hurry to get home.  We had a great day and have planned a truck and trailer load, as we found enough wood to do an all day trip and it is about 23 miles to the stash so the trailer will be a must, going that far on a little mountain road.

When we got home all the little dogs, that we left in the house, were out of the house.  Cubbie had visited when we were gone.  Yogies new little dog, Tilly, thank goodness was at Mokie's house.  The UPS man had dropped off my new double clothes wrack, Poppie put it together and I used the clothes hangers I had and the new ones Belle had brought to hang clothes,  I am almost out of hangers, a good thing, as I have good inventory, most made since the Flea Market, now I just have to tag and price items to be ready for the MADE Fair.  Sister had given me good feedback on the items the day she was there.  I like that all the three, four counting Mokie,  that gave me feedback are so different it gives me prospectives from different people. Always a good thing to have different views, positive and negative. Coffee is here and getting cold so have a good day............. tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Cubbie takes a swim, to the woods Booboo wants to go.

Sister came to visit yesterday, the girls had invited her down when they had delivered her eggs on Monday.  She came by in the afternoon, Poppie decided that the girls could go in the pool to show it off. Poppie, Mokie and Sister were there with the kids so they were all allowed into the pool.  I was in the house with Curious as she was taking a nap. Cubbie came down the ladder backwards, like anyone would, she just didn't stop going and kind of back paddled into the pool.  She bobbled across the pool splashing her little arms.  She doesn't know how to swim but managed to stay afloat quite nicely.  Sister advised Mokie she was flailing in the water.  Mokie grabbed her out and brought the totally chilled child into Nannie.  She had only been in the pool a minute or so but was cold and drenched.  She was pouring water from head to toe.  I dried her off and Mokie went back to the pool to watch Boy, as Poppie was with the kids with Sister.  I got her dried and changed her into a little dress and panniers.  Amazingly enough they leave so many clothes here I have a regular supply in my laundry room.  She was happy as a clam and later when Poppie asked her if she was ready for another swim she smiled big and was ready to go, much to Poppies chagrin.  He was so hoping she had gotten a little scared but no such thing,  I think I will take time in the next few weeks to teach her to swim, Yogie and Booboo took about a week to teach to swim, in the last pool, she is very ready to learn.  Boy on the other hand is totally scared of the water and may never learn to swim. Son can't swim a lick, and Poppie only swims enough to save himself, and is scared of water deeper than he is tall, luckily he is very tall and not asked to be deeper.

Booboo has been trying to get Poppie to take us on a ride in the woods to hunt for firewood, for a future wood getting trip.  She has asked again and again so hopefully today, as we don't have any grand kids, pseudo grandkids or anyone maybe, just maybe we can get him out in to the woods.  The problems is that there is so much snow still in our woods we may have to turn around and come home before we get anywhere near the firewood trees. We will have gone out in the woods and gotten away from the house either way so a trip we will take. 

I got all the sample bars of soap finished, made up some guest sizes and will cut the bars today. I still have laundry bars to make today and will be all set for the MADE Fair.  I have a little more sewing to do but will be done in the next couple day, then am going to force myself to take a break, I have been working 8 hours a day plus to get an inventory for the show.  I have to make bread and may have to help make bread, pies and foccacia's for the farmers market for this weekend. Not for sure yet if they are going this  weekend.   It will be their first event of the year.  I think, if they go,  we will make peach, apple and rhubarb pies.  Feta foccacia's, sourdough and regular loaves of bread.  So busy week but it will be weekly all summer for the markets they attend.  I guess a Nannie's work, like anyone elses, is never done.  Poppie brought me coffee so will snuggle and watch the news with my hubbie before the day gets going......... tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

One guinea chick got a home, and we are to get more peacocks, Sunshine predicted today!

The weather lady says it is to be nice and sunny today, I do hope, so it would be nice for a change. We do have seeds coming up so we may have missed the bullet on that which is good, didn't want to replant. Will get the rest in soon.  The roof is coming along but not quite finished hopefully will be done today. Booboo ended up with only one little chick, we check the other eggs, three were not fertile and the others were but had died at different stages of development.  We think that maybe we had power outages and they may have gotten cold so we will be aware of that in the future. We thought that getting one little chick for a first try wasn't to bad.  We gave the little chick to New Mamma and Shinny as they really like them, they have on old one and several chicks that they bought about a month ago. New Mamma was happy to get it, she moved her older chicks to the bigger coop and made a new home for the little chick. Booboo was excited that her little chick had found a home. Yogie helped her take it over.  Shinny advised them that he was picking up some peacocks, that a friend was giving him today, so the girls get to have them in their coop to acclimate them to our area before we let them go.  We will put them in the peacock coop for several weeks then let out the males, if their are males, one at a time about a week apart then let out the females, again if there are any.  The two peacock we already have will probably help them want to stay and not fly away.  They can and do fly away when you get them as adults if you don't confine them.  We, as a neighborhood, like to have them as a free ranging flock, it is nice of him to get them and share them. Our males will be glad to have ladies again, hopefully there will be ladies.

The sun is to shine today, that will be a nice treat, looks like there will be nice weather part of the week.  The pool will get use for sure part of the week, maybe even today.  The reading program at the park is to have a guest speaker today, hope to get the girls there.  I forgot about vacation bible school yesterday, it is still going on today but will only have time to take them to one of the two events and as they overlap anyway, will try for the reading program at the Park.  Will have grandkids so that makes it harder, on days I have all of the grandkids at once I can't drive them all anyway, not enough room in the truck. We will see how many I have and that the day brings.  Coffee is done, Yay....... tomorrow.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Twin is in Alaska EMT for the fires, Pool is up and the "I want to get in" have begun.

Twin made it to the fires in Alaska, she is an EMT for the fire crews.  She is sending us lots of photos of her adventures.  She has a super camera with, that even has a time lapse lens, thanks to her son, that I don't actually think she will be using but one never knows.  She sent us a nice photo of her little tent in the woods, lovely green background, a cosy little nest it looked to be.  I hope and pray she and all the others working on the fires will be safe. We actually haven't heard about the Alaska fires due to the giant fires that are currently destroying so much land and homes in Arizona.  There are 4000 firefighters there and the press is covering it as people, animals and homes are endanger daily and being evacuated. The fires in Arizona can even be seen in outer space, amazing. Godspeed to all the fire fighters from Alaska to Arizona.

Poppie put up the pool yesterday, it was a different style than we had had in the past, but we think we will truly enjoy it.  It seems to be easier to put up, should be easier to drain, has a more secure setup and it is deeper so I am told more swimming.  The girls are ecstatic and want to get into it. I may let them but I am sure they will not stay in long, 2100 gallons of water from 233 below the ground takes awhile to warm in the sunshine, and with out sunshine even longer. Cubbie has already gotten in trouble with her Poppie for coming over, by passing the house and going straight to the pool.  The ladder is not attached when we are not out there but that she went out there with out any one got her in a world of trouble. Poppie rarely swats or spanks but Cubbie did get a swat and a good talking to from Poppie about not going out there.  It is not like it is between our house and hers she has to actually go past our house to the back yard to get to the pool.  Thank goodness she can't actually get in it. She is highly intelligent and her mind is probably trying to figure out how anyway, so Poppie is scared and vigilant to her sneakiness. Gives him a real mental work out.

Poppie worked on the roof yesterday and should be all done today, and should be all done today, and the last of the garden to plant. It is still raining so it probably hasn't been a problem that it isn't done. Some of our friends gardens have lost seeds to rot from the rain. Grandpa has extra plants for the girls so will put them in as well. We are hoping to have lots of cucumbers to sell in the late summer at the farmers market.

I am getting lots of items for the MADE Fair done, I am really having fun making them, so hope they sell well. Yogie and I made soap and Booboo and I rebatched some soap.  We made up sample sizes, guest sizes, small bars and large bars, so will be selling the four sizes instead of by the ounce there. Twin may not be back from the fires to attend with her Funhog 100% wool items, if it rains on the fires she may be but if not she will be on the fire line fighting fire, having fun and making money she needs for the rest of the year as it is she best income. So off I go to have my coffee, and get the day started...... tomorrow.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

God has always given me the joy of abundance in all that I have ever been or done.

This morning my thoughts wonder to the abundances I have had in my life. I was born the oldest of what turned out to be 12 children and, no, I never lived with all 11 of my siblings but at one point in my childhood I did indeed live with all 8 of my siblings and 2 parents so from my 8th grade year in life to my married year in life I did live in a house of abundance. We always had dogs in our house as well, I would guess that it reach a crescendo when we only had 6 kids and 2 parents, but we did have 22 dogs and one pampered Pekingese, my mom's beloved baby. We never had many cats in our home but that is not to say that there wasn't one, two or three sneaking around.

Off and on there were other animals in our lives, once 50 head of sheep.  My dad had bought a 50 acre farm, with or with out the sheep I don't remember, but we did indeed, in the end, have 50 head of sheep.  My mother also, soon after, went to the auction and bought 9 more for a dollar, I can remember all the men in the gallery laughing with shear hysteria when one of the ewes had to be helped out of the auction ring.  My mother did have the last laugh, in the end, though my dad too had also sniggered at her band of ladies when she took them home, all but one of those ewes drop a twin or a triplet on the ground a few weeks later.  The one large ewe that didn't died and my dad cut her open to make sure there wasn't a baby but found a stone baby.  My mother bought my dad a lovely registered yearling ram a short time later, she took him home and they put him in the sheep pen. The large ram, that guarded his herd, ran over at full tilt and rammed him in the head killed him dead, my dad ran over and slit the young rams throat, hoping to save his meat, but couldn't get him to bleed out, he was just plain dead. A short while later we were playing in the sheep pen and the big ram started to chase my brother, Red, my mother called him to come to her, having remembered the death of her little ram, the sheep did knock Red over but didn't hurt him.  Needless to say my mom was not happy with the ram, but had to not allow us in with the sheep, it's not like she could discipline the ram, as she would have liked. We moved shortly thereafter and the Shetland sheep dog we had went with the sheep, he would have been lost with us, as we moved into the town of Grangeville, he would never have survived with out his beloved sheep.

My mother, in my older years after junior high, had all 8 of us to entertain when we went to Zootown, and as they didn't usually have any money extra for movies, malls or dinning out we spent alot of time at the humane society dog shelter or the pound in Zootown.  Unfortunately my mother loves puppies so alot of the times we brought one home with us, they didn't usually stay long we child proofed them and gave them to someone to love.  To this day I love dogs, can't take when one is abused, I can child proof a dog like no one. When I say child proof I mean raise one or teach one not to bite or hurt children.  I now have 8 dogs, 5 of which some one gave me for various reasons because they knew I would take care of them and they no longer could. Poppie has his lovely little Minnie, she is a 3 pound chichuaua that hides in his shirt.  Most people who come across him down town, that don't know him, are surprised to see her peeking our of his shirt.  They are almost always hesitant to reach out to her, as notoriously chichuaua of her ilk bite, but she doesn't she has all the snottiness and attitude of any high strung chichuaua but she would never bite, especially not a child, it is just not allowed at our home, queen of Poppies shirt or not. We got Lewie about a year ago, she was six months old, a bitbull boxer cross, she has learned to be a lady, doesn't bite, even then she would like to be mean she does not bite at children, ever.  She however, when on her chain, doesn't like strange adults to come over and want to pet her, I am not sure why an adult who has never seen or been around a dog would walk over to a chained bitbull/boxer and want to pet her, but when they do she does growl at them.  I think she finds it funny that they immediately retreat from her. When she is off the chain and no longer in her area, they will feel a dog on their leg and without thinking pet it, shocked, to find that they are not petting the docile lab but the bitbull/boxer.  Odd how when you let them come to you instead of invading their spot they are more welcoming.

Needless to say my life has always been a life on abundance, no wonder I do things like cook, craft or anything I put my mind to with no restraint, I am not sure I was ever taught restraint, it is something I am working on, I guess my mom felt the need to teach abundance but let me work on moderation and restraint.  It will be a life long endeavor I am sure... tomorrow.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

One chick hatched so far, Booboo was so excited, roofing goes up today, yay!

We had our first egg hatch out last night, we are hoping that we get more that hatch out but to one little girl the fact that she got one successful chick made it all worth while, today will tell us if we get more. I do hope so. The excitement on her little face said it all. She is hooked and ready for more.

We will get the roofing up today and try to get the dirt we need moved in.  We are going to mix a bunch of manure and composted manure in as a good mix for the veggie to have food to grow on. No grand kids today, they will be spending the day with dad. They had a great time the last two days and not once did they ask for or seem to miss their electronics, the big hill that they got to ride their bikes down seemed to occupy most of their day; in my mind a great success every child needs a summer filled with outside play. 

The girls and I will be making soap samples to sell for a dollar at the Made Fair.  I am told I can't give them away like I normally do at shows.  If I do the other vendors will not be happy with me, I am really trying to figure out how to fit in with this style of show, it is alot different from ones I have attended in the past different style of buyer and seller, younger for one.  I do hope I get it right and will get to attend again.  I have the ability to adapt and change, I just have to know the rules.

One of the things that we had to do when we became new parents again, in our forties, was to live a different life style than we had been.  Our friends like us were ready to enjoy their lives with adult children.  We were there and totally beginning to enjoy the new life style.  God gave us a new path and we gladly embraced where the path lead us but it became a different path than our friends.  We now have young children who need the time with us and a lifestyle that goes with that.  It made it hard for us to pursue the lifestyle that we had had with our friends.  I do now have some friends with small children but it has been hard, usually there is an age difference that makes it hard for us to have close friendships, but we try.  Belle has small children so that is a relationship that is growing.  She also has older children between my older children and my younger children, which she has to raise, which leads to her balancing time for them so we again hit and miss on our time constraints. I am getting back into a groove on some levels with my older friends as they are now getting grand children and we have the love of our grand children in common again.  That is nice and a bases for renewing relationships.  I in someways I am a real loner or so though I have a need for people I just don't seem to know how to propagate friendships well, it's just not like growing garden which I do get, maybe I water my friendships wrong, hmmm.

Poppie helped my roll yarn balls this morning, I have little shorties to crochet waist and leg bands on. I have lots of things planned for the day, hope I manage to complete any of them, if not they will be there for me to accomplish tomorrow. Isn't it nice that God gives us a new day each day to start anew...... tomorrow.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Rain makes me want to hibernate, Creating is addictive and kids are freeing.

I have battled depression on different occasions in my life, in my 30's I was stricken for a long time with out true knowledge of what ailed me.  My parents don't believe in depression, though I know now that my mother suffers from it periodically, so I had no real knowledge of understanding of it then. I truly went into my room one day in 1991 and didn't come out of it for a year, except to make dinner and do minimal house chores.  My husband, loved me so much that in the end he enabled me to deeper depression.  My sister when knew no more about it than me and didn't know how to help me, the rest of my family didn't try or called me lazy. My children suffered from my illness, I have always looked back and called it my brown out, I know now it was depression and it took me about 6 years to over come it on my own. I read incessantly, and it became my addiction or the symptom of my affliction.  I no longer read novels and haven't since 1997, I finally went to the doctor in 1997 and she put my on a trial dose of Paxil, it made me commotose.  My children couldn't take me being the "same" I no longer was angry, down or sad, but I no longer was happy or "there".  I was on the lowest dose so it scared me, I had gotten enough balance from the 6 weeks I was on it I could make myself emulate the balancing effect but still have emotions, my kids liked that mom has both angry and had laughter to share so I began my road to recovery.  It took awhile but I finally got there, some would say I have a long way to go but I am happy most of the time in my own skin now.

I do still have real bouts of SAD in the winter or when the rain won't go away so this spring has been tough for me.  I think about "hibernating" alot, and that is what scares me, I don't want to go back into the depression.  Creating has been my saving grace when I get those thought. Ever spring I try a new craft, one year it was jewelry, then fleece art and dolls, the next altered books and this year it is upcycling, reclaim, recreating or redesigning, anyway you say it I am having fun and it keeps the depression away.  I don't really count some of the crafts I do as they are essential parts of having a farm of goats, you can only drink so much milk, so soap making and cheese are a must not really a true creative release, although they are just as fun and do fill that need. Some of the crafts I explore I continue as I love them and some I never do again as they full filled the need I had at the time.

My older children were part of the reason I was able to eventually pull myself out of depression and get back into life, but I lost so much time with them being there without truly being there, that I watch for it now. I don't want to ever lose so much of me again and them. I work hard at not being in that place ever again.  I know I have friends who don't understand me, or my problems, and that is ok they don't live in my shoes or my life and I have made the choices that have worked for me and mine. We have come along way in this family; my depression, Poppies injuries and disability, my kid's ups and downs, I guess you would call it life, and God gladly gives us each a different one to live, what a wonderful thing that is. 

My little ones help my to keep on keeping on to the goals we set and I thank God ever day for the magic of their lives, they free our lives in ways that no one can imagine.  I believe that anyone that doesn't believe in God has never looked at the hand of a new born baby, if they had they would see God.  I just can't wrap my mind around the thought that that just happened because a fish crawled out of the ocean.  A child's hand is so much more than that, it can lead you down so many paths and journeys.... God's gift...... tomorrow.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Kelly'e ex was extradited, Grandkids today, Twin off to a fire in Alaska.

This week Kelly's ex-husband was charge with Deliberate Homicide and extradited from Nevada to here. She was strangled to death.  They are saying she did get out a 911 call, that her phone drop, so they had no real idea where to go to help her. Cell phone service is hit and miss in our little valley. Her memorial service will be held this Saturday for her family and friends to say their good byes.  They at least have the assurance that he is in jail and their daughter is in the arms of God and safe there with the Lord. She was a vibrant and loving member of our community and will be greatly missed. She was a loved assistant school teacher for the local English teacher, she helped with the games at the school. She spent many a year at the local thrift store, the Woman In Timber, her dedication to it helped many people in this community. She had two children she loved dearly. She had just purchased new property and was building up her own place to share her love with her friends and family. She was one of God's lovely spirits and will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her. Good Bye Kelly godspeed.

Poppie went down to pick up the kids at Bug's house, we will have them during the days the rest of the week, unless it rains, and then Bug won't work, can't dig in the rain. The kids should all have a great day it looks like it may not rain, which would be nice. They can play outside and from the bickering that the two Ladies did yesterday they really need some time to run and burn off their energy. The pool can't go up until it stops raining either.

Twin left for Alaska on a plane a few minutes ago.  She will be fighting wild fires, she does so enjoy the process, she has become a bit of a traveler in the last few years. She goes on wild fires, where ever they send her. She goes, usually to Baja in the winters to camp on the sea of Cortez from decemberish to February.  Her husband has turned her into, her term, a fun hog.  She is an EMT and EMT instructor in her town, she does fine work and is a very giving part of her community.  I am proud to say she is my friend. Our lives used to be so similar and now so different, she is enjoying her adulthood with grown kids and I am back to being, her terms, a soccer mom.  Both are happy as clams in our choices in life, and try to spend time together, but more than any other time in our lives we are on different time lines and different needs for our lives.  We currently connect in our upcycling and watching our grand kids grow.  Sharing the details of what our grandkids do takes us back to when our children were little and we were just friends raising our babies.

Off to make pancakes or waffles and eggs, I have 5 little ones that will be hungry soon, and I am sure 2 more little people will be over to have some as well................ tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Long day in Zootown, Rain again, making shorties and outfits today, and soap.

We had a long day in Zootown, Yogie was in the dentist chair about an hour and a half, her progress is coming along well, they have made phenomenal change in her mouth. They put in a small appliance that is supposed to turn one of her front teeth, it should cause her pain as it is an aggressive modification to her mouth.  She was a little cranky last night. She has to work a little harder on her brushing she seems to go through cycles of great brushing then shear rebellion on her routine.  She is not allowed to eat popcorn either. She got a gift certificate to an earring store for her work on her teeth, so far, so that was fun. We will have to have a girlie day trip so she can spend it.

We picked up the pool and the roofing. Now if it would stop raining we could both of them up.  No point in putting up a pool in the rain, and too rainy to put the roofing up. We picked the hay up at 9 and by the time we were back to the hay store at 1 all 15 tons that they had gotten in were gone. The rain seems to be causing a shortage in hay this spring. The prices have also gone up.  The neighbor bough 4 bales from us for the little goat, Dessert, now Yoda, that they bought from us. He got lonely by himself this week, as we told them he would, they borrowed one of Mokie's withers to visit with him and they made a deal with us to buy Pokaspot when she is 2 months old the end of the month.  This spring the goat crop is actually starting to help pay for their feed. I sold 2 bucks, 1 wither and one doeling, so that is a good start. I hope to sell a bunch of does in the spring, if I can actually breed more doelings next spring.  I am sure I will have buckling and withers as well. We have decided to train both Rootbeer and Clover to lead, the first step toward making pack goats.

I woke up and started making shorties at 4 this morning, I couldn't sleep. I got an actually message from the Made Fair that I will get in, I just have to fill out the app and send in the fees.  I now have to work hard on getting enough items to sell, Twin advised me that I should have 4 times what I think I can sell.  She said when your inventory looks low the buyers don't really look at your items.  This is going to be so different from any of the shows I have ever done, I am usually in a different set of buyers.  I am usually selling antlers and art, I know in this economy that luxury items don't sell so I started actively trying to sell more necessity items, IE the soap, and hopefully my upcycled and redesigned items.  The selling concept is a little different than any I have ever done before, so have to figure out how to be accepted as a seller by the other sellers.  I have to figure out how to price the items which is the scariest part of the whole thing. I will just have to wrap my brain around a new game plan, I guess, I have always been a fast learner so I hope I can get this down soon.

I have never seen the "Simple Life" with Paris Hilton, but I have read some of the gossip from it. I don't know how she could have done anything that was truly a simple life by the media I seen and read about her, I think that Me and Mine live the simple life and the two concept could not possibly be more polar opposite if we tried, just saying..... tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Roofing and Hay to buy, Ortho to visit, and Cubbie gets to come along, long day!

Well we are to Zootown to get hay and roofing, to take Yogie to the orthodontist and because Mokie works today, Cubbie and Boy will be accompanying us. I hope all goes smoothly.  There is hope that it will; on Sunday a heartbroken Cubbie ran across her yard and into the garden where Poppie and I wear working. She was very upset with tears on her little face. She was carrying her little green hair pretty and her little fuzzy hair was standing on end.  She said "Booboo, took it out. Nannie can you put it back"  I was joyfully surprised here was the little tomboy, that you have to threaten with staying home to wash her face or comb her hair, asking to have her hair pretty put back in.  I noticed that she had it in all day yesterday as well, our little Cubbie is growing up, yay and so sad.  She will be getting a new little baby at her house just after her third birthday so we will see how that goes, my guess is magnificently or a train wreck.  She does love to pack dollies and puppies around, even when the puppy doesn't want to be and bites her. I think she may just surprise her mom and take to a new baby like a duck to water. So today, we hope she will be on her best behavior and surprise us with her angelic little presence.

We will stop at the hay store, actually the New Holland and feed, but the hay store to us. They usually let us load and leave the trailer so we don't have to haul it through town. Then we have to go to the ortho and let Yogie have her  visit, she may get a prize today for having 5 clean visits with not cavities and clean teeth, an incentive plan that the dentist has to help them take care of their teeth. If she does we may have to stop at the mall, then maybe at Walmart to pick up a pool.  The one they had last summer, Mokie's dog ruined and it was a hand me down from Sister so it is time we got one, the rivers are so dangerous this year it is really a necessity. We then have to stop at the roofing store for the greenhouse roofing, then back to the hay store for the trailer and hay, then home.  Busy day, and I hope we are back early in the afternoon. Rainy today but the rest of the week is to have sun and showers so lets hope the weather man is right.

We got all of the garden finished but the cucumbers, spinaches and the greenhouse items. It is coming along alright at this point I think. I know other people that are just at behind this year as I am, I think it is the rain and we will probably all be better off that we didn't get them in early and have to replant. Off to get little ones up and on our way, I will pray for and encourage Cubbies good behavior so it will be a good day.... tomorrow.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Recreating or Redesigning, I love new crafting, the planting should be done today, RAIN to come.

Poppie has got to call to see if the hay comes in today, we have to go to Zootown for Yogie's ortho appointment tomorrow so we will probably combine the two trips, to expensive not to. We will sure be glad to get the barn full, for awhile, that is for sure. I hate to have an empty cupboard, any one that knows me knows it is one of my fears, from my childhood, and having an empty barn is almost as bad. The rain will be back all week, the Lord must know we need it or he wouldn't keep blessing us with it. We have a little more planting to get done so hope we can get that done this morning.

Poppie worked on the turkey coop yesterday, he has it almost ready to go. The turkeys in my studio are getting to big for my studio, they also are starting to smell and I can't take it any more they have to go. Then
Booboo will hatch more and the process will begin again, well they will smell better I suppose. Poppie is make two areas for the turkeys. A small area for the ones that will be food so they don't get alot of exercise, and a bigger area for the ones that will be breeders. We will pick up the roofing for the greenhouse when we pick up the hay, so that will be a savings on a third trip combined.

I got to work on my redesigning and my recreating crafts yesterday, I was sunburned from the day before and had to take it easy on the sunshine. I did get some good news Twin told me she had been advised from her friend, with the Made Fair, that I got one of the alternate spots, as someone had cancelled. Her friend had emailed me but I didn't get the email, so I friended her and should get the info soon. She has advice for me on what to sell that would fit with their show. I hope it includes an idea on what to price the items. I live in a valley what is very small and economically repressed so what I would sell for is too cheap and I would be undercutting the other vendors which would be a no no, so I hope to get a good idea of what I need to raise my prices to to be acceptable with the other vendors. I have to make up some soaps for it. I ordered a rolling clothes wrack, Twin had told me that it would be a good idea and really a necessity to have at the show. I have little outfit hangers coming. I really am looking forward to going to the show. I have always been a redesigner of clothes, when my older kids were little I made them for them to wear, probably why Mokie hates them. I am just glad that they are something this current generation of reuse, reclaim and upcycle has embraced. Times have caught up to my plain old need to use it to survive.  I hope I am accepted and promise not to take anything, controversial, I haven't been carving anyway this spring as I am developing adult asthma and struggle to breath if I carve much. I have been using a nebulizer and that does help me. This is the second year I have had it really bad, last year it lasted well into June, but had only started a couples months before, this year I have had it since February. 

Busy day to get working on so here I go to make breakfast to get things set into high gear..... tomorrow.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Poppie tills, we plant, God is good and the sun is shinning!!

Woke up to God's glorious gift of sunshine. It was a wonderful day yesterday, we actually had to sit in the shade under the trees near the garden and green house to avoid the heat. I transplanted about 80 raspberries into a new bed, the old bed is so choked with quack grass that I had to and the rain is still coming the rest of the week so they should be fine. I planted strawberry plants that Twin gave me. I ended up with two long rows the same length as my raspberry so about 80 plants. I hope to have nice new bed, we left room to till between the rows, that will be nice, there is still room for the runners as well.

God is blessing us with another wonderful day so we will finish up the planting and the dirt hauling. I am hoping to put a little fence at the end of the yard so Poppie will let the goats out on to the lawn, he has been mad at them since they sneaked up and ate his apple tree. I truly don't want them into the garden, but we could put a 25 foot fence from the back of the house to the yard fence and they couldn't come behind the house, which would make them easier to watch and they could eat in the yard, win win.

I came across a new "PC" word for my toddler clothes other than just upcycled toddler clothes, they are calling them, Redesigned Fashions, I like that and it does fit what I am doing. I take an old adult outfit that no one ever wore or no longer wear and redesign into a totally cute toddler item. I am sticking with the toddler items at this point but sure I will edge into so preschool or a little older, as my girls are school age and I will end up making them some item too. Mokie doesn't like them so it will not do me any good to make Cubbie or Boy any she won't let them wear them. Sad. I went through my own closet yesterday and low I had some stuff with new tags, odd for me, that went in to the redesign pile. I can't wait to work on the stuff, each old piece makes my mind spin with the possibilities. I love the excitement of a new craft that is why I do a new one each year, some I continue to do, others one creating cycle was enough.

My children need to get up our Church show, that we like, is coming on or I read to them out of the bible or bible books, their choice, so have a great and glorious Sunday, after all it is a day that God made and gave us to enjoy....... tomorrow.