A Home Grown Journal

Crocheted Rag Rug Tutorial: Part Four

2012-02-13T16:38:00.018-06:00

I finished my scrap rag rug this morning so I'll show you just two more small things you need to know (not that you couldn't have figured them out yourself) as the last steps to making your own crocheted rug.

Decide where you want to end your rug. I chose to put an all-blue border as the last round of my rug.

So I single crocheted right up to the starting blue single crochet.

Then I cut my fabric strip leaving about a 6" tail.

Next I'll put my hook through the starting blue loop, the one my left index finger is on in the picture above.

Hook is through that loop.

Hook your fabric tail and bring it through that first blue loop.

And then continue pulling the fabric right on through the top loop of the last single crochet you made. (The one that was on your hook.)

Continue pulling that 6" tail all the way through the loop.

This forms kind of a slip knot. Pull it tight.

Now we're going to flip the rug over and weave in that tail over and under any stitch loops you choose on the wrong side of the rug. (We're looking at the wrong side of the rug in the above picture.)

Weave it in and around through loops until you have only a small length of the tail left. Snip it off with scissors.

Now is the time to deal with the tail you've had on the back of the rug since first making the chain stitches we started with.

Weave this tail in on the back of the rug in the same way you just did the ending tail. Hidden and gone!

Then I took my rug to the ironing board and gave it a good steam pressing to coax it into a nice oval shape and to flatten any lumpy and bumpy sections.

Here's the finished rug. Final measurement is 23-12/" x 34-1/2".

I'm very happy with the way this "no rhyme or reason", scrappy colored rug turned out. I hope you'll be pleased with yours, too.

View on the Roof

2012-02-12T18:40:00.004-06:00

The situation on our roof was a smidge more "extreme" than I was led to believe (ahem) . . .

. . . but not disasterous.

Now, I'll give you one guess what happened when we got ourselves and all of the tools we thought we'd need up on the garage roof this afternoon. Yupper, the dang wind started blowing like heck again.

Papa Pea made the executive decision that we were not going to work that high off the ground in the frigid weather fighting gusts of nasty wind, so we did some temporary (please, please, please hold!) repairs until tomorrow when it's forecast to be much warmer and more condusive to remaining upright and working on a slanted roof. (How do people with metal roofs do it?)

Mother Nature, We Need To Talk

2012-02-12T14:12:00.005-06:00

No, I'm not going to go on a rant this morning about our lack of snow this winter. (Although if I let myself, I could get stirred up about that.)

What I want to comment on is the increasing frequency of horrendous winds our area has been experiencing in the last couple of years.

The howling started again last night after dark and went until . . . ? I don't know as we both finally passed out in bed around midnight (although I have a fuzzy remembrance of Papa Pea getting up once after that and saying he was going to sit up a while to make sure everything was okay), and there was no wind this morning when we got up.

Why were we up until midnight? The chimney of the wood stove in the garage/workshop area blew down. Well, fortunately not all of it toppled because we had a good fire going in the stove at the time. Enough section of pipe was left on the roof that we were in no fire danger but we did lose the top two sections.

We knew the tall chimney was vulnerable to winds so earlier this winter we bought and Papa Pea installed a special chimney brace/support kit. It didn't hold as Mother Nature unleashed her high winds last night.

More to come later today when we go out to take pictures and put things back together.

So much for our Sunday day off . . .

* * * * *

I was about to post the above early this morning when we got a call from our friend B saying she had a large cedar tree blow down on the back of her house last night. It managed to hit all three of the roof lines. Her main concern was getting it off the roof without it twisting and hitting her L.P. tank. Her partner is currently out of town (feeling very frustrated he isn't home to help) and she asked if we could come lend a little assistance. So we threw what tools we thought might come in handy in the truck and took off.

After trimming off all the branches, it looked more manageable. That's Papa Pea with chainsaw and B leaning against the stump that was left. The tree was leaning toward an open space and shouldn't (famous last words) have hit the house but it must have twisted in the wind as it came down.

We're just now back home and happy to say the mission was accomplished. Now a little lunch and we'll go tackle our fly-a-way chimney.

Anybody Wanna Frog?

2012-02-11T08:47:00.005-06:00

Years ago I was in a fabric shop with my list of needed supplies. Although I am not an impulse buyer, the second I saw the little stuffed frog up on a display shelf, I knew I had to have him.

Or rather I had to have the pattern to make him.

This finished fella is about 12" high and takes 16 oz. of fiberfill for stuffing.

All the pattern pieces and instructions are on this yard of material.

The pattern has lived for too long in my To Do box so I'd like to give it away to one of you.

Enter your name in the drawing by leaving me a comment on this post. Of course, I have to make the process interesting so in your comment, tell us all if your mother sewed. Can be as simple as a "yes" or "no" or you can elaborate if you wish.

My mom was a whiz at the sewing machine but not in the traditional give-me-a-pattern-and-some-fabric-and-I'll-sew-something way.

She worked outside the home in a professional setting and needed to dress nicely every day. However, she couldn't buy clothing "off the rack" because it would never fit her figure. She had a large bust and hips . . . but a very small waist. Although her figure was ample, it had the advantage of being very, very hourglass in shape. Because of this, she would purchase two or three outfits, bring them home and go directly to the sewing machine where she would proceed to tear the clothing apart and make the alterations necessary for them to fit her properly. And she was very good at it, too. She also had the talent for making slipcovers (with no pattern, of course) and reupholstering furniture.

So, wanna have this little project come to your house? Froggie would make a great friend for your toddler, an adorable gift for a newborn or a fun present for someone who has a thing for frogs!

If you'd like a chance to win this giveaway, leave a comment. I'll close comments Monday night, the 13th, when I shut off my computer . . . usually around 8 or 9 o'clock . . . and draw the winner on Tuesday.

Ribbit-ribbit-ribbit.

Where's My Long Underwear?

2012-02-09T20:24:00.005-06:00

We're battening down the hatches and putting an extra log on the fire tonight. The forecast is for a temp of -13 degrees tonight with a bit of a wind (of course) giving us a wind chill of 25-40 below tomorrow morning. (I always think of the kids waiting for the school buses in that kind of weather. Brrrr!)

A similar night is expected for Friday into Saturday morning also. Saturday is expected to warm up to 11 degrees above during the day.

I don't think we have to go anywhere off the property during the next couple of days so we'll wear triple layers and our ear-flap hats when outside doing chores.

(I think it's probably a good thing we don't have to go off the property looking like this, don't you?)

Is it winter now?

Supplies Running Low . . .

2012-02-09T14:29:00.007-06:00

I went searching into the bottom of my freezer this morning looking for another container of fresh-frozen chives.

Oh, no! This is the. last. container! This ain't gonna last until the chives are up this spring, folks. I thought for sure I had more left than this one lonely little cup-size container.

They still look about as good as when I harvested them last May. Dried chives are super-expensive to purchase and with the two abundant chive plants I have in the garden, it's silly of me not to preserve them each year for winter's use.

I tried drying (dehydrating) them once, but what a chore that was. (Maybe that's why they're so expensive?) So I gave a go at freezing them and it's worked out so well that I put up lots of containers of them each spring. However, . . . and oops. I did not do enough this year. Note to self: This spring do about twice as many chives for the freezer.

One other little item I found while freezer diving today . . .

Near OCD labeler and dater of freezer packages that I am, I've always wondered how people could talk of coming up with packages of "mystery meat" from the depths of their freezers. But . . . um, well, uh, . . . seems I've had it happen to me. I frequently package up small amounts of meat like this because we don't eat much meat. I use it more for flavoring rather than a main entree. This package had no label, no date, no indication of what it might be. I let it defrost and upon examination . . . well, I'm still not sure what it is.

I think it looks most like chopped liver but if so, it was no where near the correct "filing" place for raw meat. Guess our granddogs will be getting a little treat of "mystery meat" soon.

A "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" Tale

2012-02-08T15:21:00.003-06:00

With the very minimal cover of snow we have in our area this year, it would be my guess that the deer are not being bothered greatly by their natural predator, the timber wolf. When the snow is deep it hinders the deer in running away and escaping a pack of hungry wolves.

It may not be something we enjoy thinking about but it's one of those laws of nature that one specie feeds another. Deer and wolves have both been surviving in our area for many more years than man has been present. Their own method of checks and balances is one with which we perhaps should not interfere.

Neither Papa Pea nor I have seen a timber wolf this winter but we have seen tracks in fresh snow in various spots around the property.

We have many deer and we frequently encounter them as we go in or out of our driveway through the woods. They also have well-trodden paths through the woods and we see them crossing our small hay field often going from one wooded area to another.

There is a particularly big deer that seems to get great pleasure from standing at the curve of the driveway at the bottom of the hay field and taunting the granddogs. The deer stands like a statue glaring as the dogs bound out to the perimeter of their fenced in area barking up a storm. Smart deer knows the dogs can't get close enough to give him a run for his money.

Watching this scenario being played out again a few minutes ago reminded me of a very unusual wolf/deer encounter Papa Pea and I saw and heard years ago.

It was early summer time and we were living on our first piece of property in this area. Papa Pea was out in the west field cutting hay when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a deer burst out of the woods to the south followed in hot pursuit by a wolf. The pair streaked across the open field and disappeared into the woods partially separating our house area from the west field. Papa Pea shut off the tractor and because the windows of the house were all open, I looked out to see if he had a problem. I had not seen the deer and wolf chase as he had so all I saw was him sitting on the tractor staring into the thick woods.

We knew that a doe had birthed twin fawns that spring and was raising them in the big patch of woods. It was into this very area that the deer closely followed by the wolf disappeared. As Papa Pea watched this drama play out, we heard the screaming of what I assumed was most likely the little fawns. Not having seen the deer or the wolf going into the woods, I had no idea what was going on but knew immediately something had happened to the fawns and they were in trouble.

It seemed no more than seconds had passed before both Papa Pea and I heard the sounds of animals crashing about wildly in the woods. Before either of us had a chance to do anything, out of the woods going back in the direction they had come were the deer and wolf. But this time, and we could hardly believe what we were seeing, the wolf was running flat out as fast as he possibly could with the deer chasing him! It was apparently the mama deer and she. was. mad. Both wolf and deer went down the steep hill to the creek and up the opposite bank and disappeared into the woods.

Papa Pea was about to venture into the woods to see if he could locate the fawns, not knowing what carnage he would find.

Before he even got across the field to enter the woods, mama deer came running back again and straight into where her fawns were.

We decided going into the woods with this already extremely upset deer was not the best idea and made the decision to let nature take its course.

The ending to this bizarre happening was a happy one. The fawns survived the incident unscathed. We never knew what actually happened when the fawns, the doe and the wolf were in the woods for those couple of minutes.

All we knew for sure was that the fawns had had a very scary encounter and now knew what The Big Bad Wolf looked like.

Crocheted Rag Rug Tutorial: Part Three

2012-02-07T15:33:00.017-06:00

Okay, grab your giant crochet hook and let's work on down the side of your rug where we left off last time. Got that done? Now let's go around a curve.

Here we come to what I'll call the first curve today. I see no center stitch right at the top of the curve so I'm choosing to make 2 single crochets in each of the two center most stitches.

Looks okay to me.

Around we go and down the other side of the rug.

Here's our second curve to work around. I see a stitch at the very top of the curve so I'm going to try to put 2 single crochets in the three stitches at the top of the curve. First increase in the stitch on the right, then in the topmost stitch, then in the one on the left.

That gives a nice round, even curve.

You can see the rug still wants to curl up, but this is not unusual until the rug gets a little bigger. If the curling bothers you, you can lay the rug on an ironing board and using steam, give it a good pressing and it should surrender, relax and lie flat. Just don't panic and put too many increased stitches in your curves at this point.

The third curve increases are going to be done slightly differently because the curve itself is bigger and wider.

I have a pencil stuck through what I'm calling the topmost stitch of this curve. I'm going to do 2 single crochets in the second stitch BEFORE that top stitch, then I'll do one regular single crochet in the stitch right before the topmost stitch, 2 single crochets in the top stitch, one regular single crochet in the stitch immediately following, and then 2 single crochets in the next. So for this curve we have an increase in a stitch, skip making an increase on the next stitch, an increase in the topmost stitch, skip making an increase on the next stitch and then an increase in the next stitch.

That puts you around the curve and on to another long side.

I went on to do the fourth curve the same as the third.

All right, this rug is getting through to me now. I can't coax it to lie flat, it's still curling, so to the steam iron we go.

Voila! Flat as a pancake!

As the rug (and the curves) grows in size, I look at the curve before starting my increases.

Just eyeball it and mark with pins (evenly spaced around the curve is best) where you want to do your increases. (Above is our fifth curve to be worked, if anyone is still counting.)

Every time I finish a curve with the increases, I stop and pull and pat the curve to see if it will lie relatively flat without cupping or waving. If I like the way it looks, I go on. If not, I simply pull out the stitches around the curve and place the increases in different spots or make more or less of them. (Remember that you never make increases along the long sides of the rug . . . only around the curves.)

The next curve, the sixth today, looks a little pointy to me so I'm going to make an increase 2 in the stitch to the right of the point, do a single crochet in the next two stitches and increase 2 in the next stitch. (I'm trying to "fill in" a little on each side of the very end stitches.

That gave me a nice, round curve with no more point.

The bigger your rug gets, the larger your curve will be and (usually) the more spaced apart your increases will be. I've never made more than four increases evenly spaced around a curve, but if you think you need more, try it.

I'd always rather have a rug that cupped slightly ("slightly" perhaps being the operative word) than one with a wavy edge because when laid on the floor, the cupped one will flatten out from being walked on. The wavy one will probably never flatten out.

My rug at this point measures approximately 7-1/4" x 18-1/4".

It feels like I'm getting a little too much cupping so I just did four increases on the right hand side . . .

. . . and will do the same on the left hand one coming up.

Bottom line, don't be afraid of your increasing on the curves. It's a small matter to pull out a curve and try again if you don't like the looks of it. The bigger your rug gets, the more easily it will lie flat. If you take the time to look at a curve and mark your increases with pins or some other markers evenly spaced before doing them, I think it's easier to get a nicely rounded curve.

So how about some pictures from those of you who have had time to start your rug? I'd love to see them.

Next time I'll show you how to end the rug and how to weave in that 6" tail that is still flapping around where you first started the rug.

A Personal Question?

2012-02-05T14:34:00.003-06:00

I think it can be generally said that females are born nurturers and caregivers. We are hard-wired to think of other family members (and often lots of people outside of our own families) before thinking of and caring for ourselves.

Creating with my hands has always been a relaxing and fulfilling way for me to re-energize, center myself, turn off my monkey mind and return to some semblance of feeling good about myself and my emotional and physical environment. Reading also is something I enjoy doing immensely.

I can remember a period when our daughter was young and we were spending what seemed like every waking moment trying to carve our homestead from a wild 80-acre piece of land and establish ourselves in what was then a new community. There were years (yes, literally) when I didn't do any hand work . . . or in any way take care of myself. I would allow myself to read when I got in bed at night, but I was usually so tired I would fall asleep within the first ten minutes of cracking the book.

In hindsight, I realize not taking care of myself was a very stupid thing to let happen (well, duh) and I now know it would have been so wise, so much better for my sanity and well-being to have somehow, by hook or by crook, made time to take care of myself. No doubt, it would have been beneficial in more ways than I can count for those around me, too.

I'm going to be big and brave here and admit that although my circumstances have changed and I now have a lot more flexibility of how I manage my time and the direction in which my life goes and flows, I still have a hard time know how to "take care of myself."

So what I would like to ask you, dear readers, if it is not too personal a question, is what specifically do you do to make sure your mind, body and spirit stay in good shape? What works for you? What do you do to take care of yourself?

Crocheted Rag Rug Tutorial: Part Two

2012-02-02T14:09:00.026-06:00

Okay, everybody got their glass of wine? I just downed half a bottle trying to get this all written in a halfway understandable manner. I promise you making the foundation row of the rug and getting started on the first couple of rounds will be the hardest part of the whole process. So if you can hang in with me through this, the rest will seem easy.

To start your rug, you'll need to make a chain that will be the basic foundation of the rug. To know how long a chain to make, you need to decide what size you want your finished rug to be. (My demonstration rug is going to be another one about 2' x 3' so we'll work with those measurements.) Simply subtract the width (in this case 24") from the length (36") which leaves 12". Twelve inches will be the length of the chain I will make to start my rug.

Start the chain by making a slip knot about 6" from the end of your fabric.

Here's a close-up of the slip knot on the hook. Make sure your hook is pointing away from the tail and toward the bulk of your strip you're going to be crocheting with.

Then make a chain about 12" long. It took me 26 chains to reach the 12" mark.

This close-up of the chain shows that it looks almost like a flat braid with loops on both sides. For the first time up and down this chain, you will be putting your hook through those loops one at a time and picking up the strip of fabric to make your single crochets. Stay with me, you'll see what I mean.

You have your chain made to the correct length so now we're going to turn and single crochet into each of the loops going all the way down one side of the chain. To do this, with the chain on the left, turn and make a single crochet in the second chain stitch from the hook.

Right in there.

Put your hook through that loop and make your first single crochet.

Continue making a single crochet in each foundation chain on this first side of the foundation row . . .

. . . until you get to the next to the last chain stitch which is the one the pencil is sticking through above.

Starting with this next to the last chain stitch, make 2 single crochet stitches in that stitch and then 2 single crochet stitches in the next stitch which should be at the very end of your foundation row. You will be working close to your slip knot stitch, but don't worry about it, just make sure the slip knot and tail stays to the BACK of your work.

This increase you just made will make your first curve around an end.

Above is a closer look at the curve.

Taking a peek at the back of this curve, you will see your slip knot and tail which probably won't look very smooth or neat. Don't worry about that now. If the lump-bump doesn't straighten itself out, we'll beat it into submission later.

With your foundation row again on your left, continue down the other side making a single crochet stitch in each foundation chain stitch.

When you get to the other end, find three stitches that will be used to make another curve. The center one should be as much at the very middle end of your foundation row as you can find. Above the pencil lead is on the first or right hand stitch. My thumb nail is on the third or left hand stitch. The middle stitch is the closest one to the very end of the foundation row in between the right and left stitch and will count as the second stitch.

Make 2 single crochet stitches in the first (right hand) loop, then 2 in the loop on the very end (middle stitch), then 2 in the loop on the left.

You'll now be ready to start down another long side.

This time around, the only difference will now be that you are inserting your hook into the top loop of a single crochet stitch rather than a chain stitch (of your chain foundation row). This will now continue throughout the rug.

As you go down this row, your rug may start to curl up but don't worry, as we keep building on each side it will get it straightened out and I promise it will lie flat.

You now have a nice curve at each end of the rug and will be making a certain amount of increases around these curves so your rug will lie flat. I know this sounds scary (and I will illustrate more increases in the next tutorial) but you will be making a judgment call as to how many increases and where they should be made on the curve as you go along. When I made my first rug, I obsessed endlessly that I was either making too many increases and my rug would have a wavy edge or not enough and it would end up being a large, cupped bowl. If you just occasionally lay your rug down on a flat surface and give it a little patting, tugging and smoothing out, it's pretty easy to tell where to put the increases and how many.

Since I want this rug of mine to be scrappy and colorful, my fabric strips aren't long enough to go very far. Already I've run out of the yellow fabric I started with so I need to stop and add another strip in order to continue.

Open up the end of the strip you're currently using and do the same with the strip you're going to be adding. Put the right sides of the fabrics together.

Join them with a 1/4" seam.

Having done that you're ready to continue on crocheting.

Here you can see (sorry for the blurry picture) a few inches I've already crocheted with the newly added strip.

I think we've all had enough instruction (and wine) for this go-round (and this post is certainly long enough) so I'll end this installment of our tutorial.

Until next time!

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Mama Pea

2012-02-02T06:28:00.003-06:00

Apologies to all of you who are eager to get crocheting on your rag rugs. I had very good intentions of getting the next installment of our tutorial up yesterday, but life has conspired against me and I'm not going to be able to get it posted for perhaps a day or so. (But I'll do my best to get it up asap.)

What's the saying that goes something to the effect that "life" is what happens when you're making plans? No, nuthin' bad going on here, just lots of little things that need to be taken care of . . . and that are seeming to take more time and eat up the days faster than you think they ever should.

But have no fear, I promise we'll get back on the rug making wagon just as soon as possible.

In the meantime, go plan your garden. Despite the snow, sleet, and ice that fell on us here overnight, that time will be here before we know it!

For You, Jane

2012-01-31T16:26:00.005-06:00

Because she thought she spotted a deer antler on my kitchen counter in one of the pictures in this morning's post, Jane at Hard Work Homestead wondered if the picture of the deer I took first thing this morning was quickly followed by me trading camera for gun and viola, deer antler on the counter and venison in the freezer.

What you saw, Jane, was a unique bottle opener Papa Pea got for Christmas from our very creative and talented carpenter and good friend, B!

I don't know how B did it, but the antler fits your hand very comfortably enabling one to open bottle after bottle of beer with very little fatigue.

I hadn't even realized the antler opener was in the picture this morning. Guess it just goes to prove you can't put anything past Ms. Jane!

I Appreciate . . .

2012-01-31T09:15:00.006-06:00

Caring, sharing neighbors who would (quite literally) give you the shirt off their back.

My new kitchen cabinets that are so ample and convenient.

Good health. Amen.

Living in an area where there is still an abundance of nature's beauty.

A full pantry at the end of January.

The luxury of having the time to experiment with a new cookie recipe.

The fact that no matter what happened yesterday, today is a new beginning.

Indoor plumbing. (This may not resonate with those who have not lived without indoor plumbing. I have, and I am VERY appreciative of having it.)

Hooray, Hook Information!

2012-01-30T13:05:00.005-06:00

I was going to wait to include this information in the next installment of the crocheted rag rug tutorial, but thought some of you might be able to benefit from it before then.

A few minutes ago I got the nicest e-mail from one of my readers who had information on the size and availability of the honkin', big gray hook I've used for my rugs.

Tina (thank you, thank you, thank you, Tina) said the hook is a Size "P" and in her area of the country it is sold in Wal-Mart stores in a dual package with an even larger blue hook, labeled Size "Q".

So for all of you eager rug makers that might be a place to check first if that source is available to you.

That's all for now. This Monday morning is bringing us some much needed snowfall, but only about 2" so far. Now at 11 o'clock it seems to have stopped but the air still feels very heavy and looks gray so if we keep our fingers crossed we might get some more yet today.

Crocheted Rag Rug Tutorial: Part One

2012-01-29T18:55:00.009-06:00

In the construction of the two rag rugs I've crocheted, I've used 100% cotton fabric. You can use any fabric of your choice. I'm guessing denim or wool or a wool blend would be more difficult to work with. Jersey or some such softer fabric, like that from t-shirts, would be easier to work with than the 100% cotton. Old sheets would be a good choice as they'd be soft and pliable plus you'd get a lot of mileage (strips) out of them.

The crochet hook I use (in the center of above picture) is a big one. It measures 3/8" in diameter, but has no marking on it as to what regulation size it might be. In the picture, you can see how big it is in comparison to the size of a standard pencil and also as compared to a Size K hook which is the largest one in my set of crochet hooks. I haven't checked it out myself but I'm wondering if a giant hook of this size would be readily available at one of the large fabric or craft stores.

The strips of fabric I use are cut 1-1/2" wide. You can make these strips by marking your fabric with a pencil or pen and then cutting with scissors but using an acrylic ruler, rotary cutter and mat make the job much, much easier and quicker. And you are going to be cutting a LOT of strips.

You can cut your strips from the width of your fabric (usually 42" to 44" wide) or you can cut the strips parallel to the selvage of the fabric. That way if you have a piece of fabric 2 yards long, your strip will be 72" long compared to 40-some inches long. Since you will need to join your strips together, the longer strips mean less piecing.

I join my strips with a 1/4" seam on the sewing machine. This could easily be done by hand using thread and needle but is much faster using a machine.

I've found the strips of fabric are easier to crochet with if I take the time to iron them in half before using.

The above picture possibly shows how the strips are folded and ironed better than the previous one.

You can "fold as you go" when you're crocheting, but I prefer to iron them first.

If you're making a scrappy looking rug (as my demonstration rug will be) it doesn't matter how long the strips of each fabric and color are. If you have a definite color scheme in mind, you'll need enough of one fabric to complete the number of rounds (which will make the width or band of color) desired. It's amazing how fast a strip of fabric will be used up with this crocheting method (big "yarn" and big hook) so don't hesitate to make long chains of fabric.

If you have crocheted before, making one of these rugs will be easy. Only two stitches are required: a chain stitch to start your foundation row and a single crochet for the body of the rug. At the very beginning, a slip knot will be used and your last finishing stitch will be a slip stitch, both very simple.

For those of you who have never crocheted, I think the best way to learn the two stitches would be to watch a YouTube demonstration or check out a book on learning to crochet at your local library showing these simple stitches.

The actual crocheting of the rugs goes very fast. Preparing all the strips . . . not so fast. For this rug, I decided to spend some time today getting a whole bunch of strips ready.

In the next installment of this tutorial, I'll show you how to begin by making the foundation row and then we'll do a few rounds on the start of our oval rag rug.

I Double Dog Dare Ya!

2012-01-28T16:23:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday, Susan at e-i-e-i-omg infected us (her words) with a wild and crazy scheme. She gave us the opportunity to participate in the Hand Made Pay It Forward 2012 challenge.

She had already joined and wanted us to get in on the fun. So just what is the fun? Well, she pledged to send something she makes with her own two little hands to each of the first 5 commenters on her post. (This must be done by the end of this year, 2012.)

The little bitty teeny tiny slight catch (but definitely part of the fun) is that each of the five commenters (and lucky recipients of Susan's talent) has to offer the same deal on her/his blog.

Sounded good to me! I willingly (well, let's face it, I just could not resist) jumped in with both feet 'cause it would give me an excuse to do more handwork . . . something I enjoy immensely but something that too often gets pushed aside in favor of toilet cleaning or some such unavoidable task.

So here I am in turn offering you, my dear readers, a chance to join the merriment. I promise to send a hand made something to each of the first five commenters to this post. And then you promise to continue by offering the Hand Made Pay It Forward 2012 challenge on your blog.

The item you make can be anything of your choice, simple or complicated, big or small, just so it's hand made. And since this is only the end of January, you have eleven more months to fulfill your promise. Knit a pair of mittens? Send a jar of home made jam from your garden? A photograph you took? A poem you wrote? A little jar of powdered garlic from your crop? A quilted pot holder? A crocheted head band? A batch of star shaped cookies for 4th of July? Your options are endless.

So come on, go for it. I dare ya . . . be one of my first five commenters and I'll start thinking about what I can make for you!

Crocheted Rag Rug #2 - Finished

2012-01-27T19:02:00.004-06:00

I woke early this morning and couldn't fall back asleep so I got up and used the time to finish the rug I've been working on.

I was shooting for a finished size of 2' x 3'. Final measurement: 23" x 35". Close enough, I say.

I made it to go at the bottom of the stairs going up to Papa Pea's office. (Wanna guess how many trips he made up and down before he noticed it?) I'm happy with the way it looks there. It may look even better when the permanent flooring gets laid over the plywood the rug is on now.

Okay. Now on to Crocheted Rag Rug #3, The Tutorial, coming up!

Have Ya Ever Noticed . . .

2012-01-26T12:44:00.004-06:00

There's a word or term for it, but I don't know what it is.

For instance, have you ever noticed:

- when you finally get around to doing some serious sorting out, whether it be of old clothing or kitchen utensils or books, and give away an item that you haven't used in y-e-a-r-s, within the next few days you have a desperate need of that particular item and wish to high heaven you hadn't given it away?

Have you ever noticed:

- when you have a particularly witty or intelligent or useful comment to leave on someone's blog post, it's a blog that Blogger won't let you comment on?

Have you ever noticed:

- when you loan out a piece of equipment or tool that you use only perhaps twice a year, the next day there is an immediate need for that very same tool . . . but, of course, it's at a friend's house 20 miles away?

Have you ever noticed:

- when you have a cut or crack or scrape or burn on one of your fingers, it's inevitable you bang, hit or otherwise re-injure that same spot on your finger six or seven times a day?

Anyone have some of your own to add to the list?

Planning the Garden for 2012

2012-01-25T15:49:00.012-06:00

There are no doubt lots of other things I could/should be putting my time on these last days of January rather than garden planning. I mean it's still more than two months until I can even think of starting seeds inside. But because I didn't garden last year (ask me if I'm eager to get my hands back in the dirt this year), and because of all those luscious seed catalogs piled on my desk, I just can't stop myself. The official Garden Planning Book (ratty, old 3-ring binder) has come out and I'm plotting out the raised beds, field garden and pumpkin patch.

We've got twenty-six 4 x 8' raised beds, a field garden (part of it shown above) approximately 35 x 45' and a plot I plant to pumpkins and/or squash that is 14 x 23'.

Certain crops lend themselves more to the raised beds, others to the open plots of ground.

In my raised beds, the soil is very good which enables me to plant intensively. This also makes the beds easy to maintain because very few weeds grow in between the veggies.

I have cold frames that fit on top of the raised beds which enable me to start some things much earlier than I would be able to without the added frost protection of the cold frames. Our summers are (usually) cooler than needed for tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers so I leave the cold frames (with tops open during the day) on these veggies through the summer and into fall to extend our short, short growing season.

So, the crops that will go in the raised beds this year are:

- cherry tomatoes
- beets

- storage onions
- scallions
- salad greens

- Swiss chard
- radishes

-sweet peppers
- carrots
- spinach
- lettuce
- slicing cucumbers
- lemon cucumbers
- broccoli

In the field garden I'll plant:

- shell peas

- bush beans

- potatoes
- pickling cucumbers
- dill
- cabbage
- full sized tomatoes
- sweet corn

- red kuri squash

That leaves the pumpkin patch for:

- small pie pumpkins
- large jack-o-lantern pumpkins

I haven't planted full sized tomatoes or sweet corn in a couple/few years but last summer was so warm I decided to give them a try again. I just hope I don't jinx all hopes of us having a nice, hot summer this year by my planting of corn and tomatoes! I'll still have to give them some protection, probably hot caps over the corn early on and some kind of plastic cages for the tomatoes.

That's the start of planning for my 2012 garden. Now to go through my stash of seeds and see if I need to order more of anything.

I hope this post wasn't boring as all-get-out for you, dear readers. It sure did help me start thinking about this year's gardening. The colorful pictures gave me a boost in this kinda drab time of year, too.

Rug Is A'growin'

2012-01-24T20:46:00.005-06:00

My crocheted rag rug is about 20" x 32" now and I think I'm going to add only two more color bands to it.

I'm already eager to start another rug which I think is really going to be very multicolored without much rhyme or reason to the color scheme. Most of the reason I want to start another one right away is to use it for a tutorial to post for those of you who asked for some instruction on how to make your own.

This present rug seems to be going a lot faster than the first one I made. Hmmm. Must mean I'm actively working on it more, huh? (What a masterfully deductive mind.)

Got a lot of little putzy things done today that have been on my list for a long time. That always feels good. Still many things remaining on the list, but I'm working very hard on appreciating those tasks I do get done. Because I'm coming to realize I will never reach the end of my list, I'm trying to enjoy the every day journey more than I have (had the sense to do) in the past.

Some wise person once said, "You can never have a happy ending to an unhappy journey." Plus, if you're emitting bad vibrations all the time, I suspect they will bounce right back attcha and keep you from ever getting just where you want to be.

Tour Of Tiny Room (It Won't Take Long)

2012-01-23T15:24:00.008-06:00

Here's the tour of our living room to-be I promised you last night.

The door to the kitchen is on the far left of this picture. The south facing side of the living room has two big windows. This is mainly of the left one.

Going around the room clockwise, this is the right hand south window and end of the couch on the west stairway wall.

The couch and Papa Pea's current chair so positioned so he can be close to the open fire at night and toast his tootsies. (Note box of old files he's slogging his way through at night.)

Papa Pea's chair again and the north wall of the living room. The wall paneling is photographing strangely. It looks pale and freckled.

Next you can see the wood stove and the storage unit taken out of the old kitchen/living room area. This will go up into hubby's office and we'll build a similar unit with sides that will go from floor to ceiling. It will have a wood box on the left bottom with drawers for storage on the right. The floor to ceiling side on the left will be covered with fire-proof material as will the walls behind the wood stove, probably Z-Brick. The top of the cabinet part of the unit will hold a new, moderately sized flat screen TV for DVD watching and Mama Pea will celebrate when the very old, very large, clunky cabinet, small screen TV leaves the bedroom. Shelves for books will go above the TV. The door to the right leads into the kitchen.

That's the 25¢ tour. Hope you can get some idea of what the room looks like. There's too much furniture squished in there and not of the style I want but it's a place for us to park our buttinskis of a winter evening for right now.

Playing With Furniture

2012-01-22T18:42:00.004-06:00

Made a list this morning that I thought was very reasonable and do-able. This was it:

- trim fingernails
- clean kitchen counters
- go through catalogs on desk
- hem Papa Pea's pants
- mend Chicken Mama's pants
- mend my sweats
- switch shower curtain
- make kombucha

It's 6:19 p.m. right now and wanna know what I've checked off that list?

Nuthin'. Not one thing. What happened??

I called a guy who was advertising for a small couch or love seat. Well, we've got two because that was all we could ever fit into our teeny tiny living room area before the remodel. One was in storage and one was in our to-be living room. He said the one we wanted to get rid of didn't sound like what he was looking for but would call us later if he decided to come look at it.

Well, I kinda figured him taking the couch was a no-go but got a bee in my bonnet that we really should get rid of that couch so wanted to get the couch in storage into the to-be living room and the one in the to-be living room (that I decided to get rid of) out to storage where it would be easier to load into someone's truck when we found a taker. (Still with me?)

To make this exchange, we had to take off two doors (one inside door and one outside door) and muscle one couch out and the other couch in.

This is the couch we are keeping . . . for now.

Once we got the couch I wanted to keep in, I wanted to see if I could find a better furniture arrangement in our small to-be living room. I coerced hubby into helping me and tried out four (4!) different arrangements before finally going back to the original one because that was the only one that worked . . . even marginally. Don't get me wrong, it's not a good arrangement, but better than the others. Ugh.

When we get the living room finished this spring, I'm going shopping for new furniture. It will have to be just the right pieces because of the small size of the room and I'm determined to have a place for at least six people to sit in there comfortably. (I realize this may be Mission Impossible.)

This post (as most of mine are) is getting too long tonight but tomorrow I'll post pictures of what the living room looks like now (after all my unprofitable shuffling around today).

Hope you all had a good weekend. Our temperature has gone back up into a moderate range, a high in the upper 20s today. Good thing, too, since we spent a while with one outside door completely off!

Building Strong Fingers And Wrists

2012-01-21T12:47:00.007-06:00

I'm making another crocheted rag rug like the one I made a year ago.

This is the first one I made and it has held up to lots of wear and tear and washings with no problem at all. Here it's pictured on the (still) plywood floor of our to-be living room. It's heavy enough to lay nice and flat and yet washes well.

So here's the progress so far on the new one. I'm using more of an assortment of colors to create a rug that will be a little brighter and cheerier in color. I don't have one whole round of the red color on yet and I'm now wondering if I should have added it sooner. Don't worry, I am NOT going to tear any of the work out to add the red in sooner. (What, you think I'm crazy? It's a rag rug, for heaven's sake.) I'm just pushing along hoping it will look better when I get another band of a red added later on.

I'm using strips of fabric that are cut 1-1/2" wide.

I've taken the time to press the strips in half which makes the crocheting go better for me.

A rug like this takes a tremendous amount of fabric and I sure wouldn't go out and buy new fabric for this project . . . because I couldn't afford to! But I have a lot of fabric that was born around the 1980s that I'm glad to use up, so this is turning out to be a good place for the 30 year old fabric. I'm shooting for a size of approximately 2' x 3'. We'll see how close to that I actually come before my right hand fingers and wrist fall off.

As an aside, dear readers, I still can't comment on several of your blogs. I actually think I'm having trouble on more of them than ever. It's so frustrating. I've implemented all the tips and suggestions but the problem is still definitely there. I feel like I'm banging on your comment doors and no one will let me in. So don't think I'm not reading your wonderful posts. I am, but just can't comment. So come on, Blogger, this problem seems to be widespread and has been going on for a while now. Let's get fixed what's broken!

I'll Show You Mine If You'll Show Me Yours

2012-01-20T19:17:00.006-06:00

Okay, Sue, you asked to see my junk drawer so here it is.

I think I've done a pretty good job of slimming down what used to be a whole drawer in the kitchen. These days it's just a smallish box in the corner of a big drawer that holds . . .
. . . this.

The bulk of the stuff that would normally be in a real junk drawer is in the picture below.

This floor to ceiling unit holding pull-out baskets is in our entry room, on the left of our outdoor clothes closet.

This basket holds all my important junk including my own set of tools. And, boy-oh-boy, is there heck to pay if "somebody" borrows one of my tools and doesn't return it to this drawer within about ten minutes!

There. Now wasn't that just about the most interesting thing you've seen in ages?

Anybody else wanna get wild and crazy and reveal YOUR junk drawer?

Remembering To Appreciate . . .

2012-01-20T16:10:00.005-06:00

. . . sunshine

. . . goals and plans to look forward to

. . . a husband who will eat anything I put in front of him

. . . a source for raw milk products

. . . excellent garden soil

. . . not having to work a job off the homestead

. . . chickens that are laying in this Arctic cold weather

. . . Minnesota-raised granddogs who like being outside on cold, sunny days

. . . enough $$ to purchase garden seeds and plants (within reason!)

. . . our fantastic local library and staff

. . . new glass frames that are so light (Flexon) I forget I have them on

. . . enough kitchen cabinets that I still have one EMPTY drawer!

Are We Still Here?

2012-01-19T13:17:00.003-06:00

We had such horrendous winds (again!) last night I feared we might be doing a remake of "The Wizard of Oz."

It was 12 below zero when we got up this morning . . . which was not early, because we were up about three hours in the middle of the night fighting downdraft smoke in the house and 50 mph winds that threatened to batter us to a pulp. I had visions of all trees within sight being blown down. Fortunately, that was not the case once we were up and surveyed the scene.

We had gotten about 1-1/2" of snow when we went to bed but all of that was blown who-knows-where during the night and any open spaces are again scoured clean of snow.

But the day has dawned calm, and very cold with a high of -1 expected, and full of glorious sunshine. The birds at the feeders are zipping around like little maniacs on speed. They must have burned lots of calories trying to keep warm in that wind last night. (Where do they go for the night time hours? Do they just cling to a branch somewhere? And why don't the 50 mph winds tear them right off their perches?)

I guess winter has truly arrived in the North Woods.

The sunshine energizes me one moment, the next I feel like I'm going to fall asleep in my tracks which is no doubt from my abbreviated night's sleep. Maybe I need to follow the birds' example and go ingest more calories in order to make it through the day.

What? You think that's a pretty lame excuse for having a piece of the Raspberry Winter Crumble Pie sitting on the kitchen counter? Okay, you're right. I'll go have a big drink of water instead. (Whoopdeedo.)

Fresh Air Is Good For You

2012-01-17T19:11:00.006-06:00

We bundled up and walked out to get the mail today. (Maybe not the brightest idea.) You see, the temp read 10 above but the wicked wind blowing must have made the wind chill around 90 below. Or near that. At least. But fresh air is good for you, right? Must say I had a few moments when I was wondering if the old, stale, WARM air inside the house wouldn't have been better.

Although it may not look like it, I could see. But I will admit I was having trouble breathing with that scarf wrapped around my face in mummy fashion.

Papa Pea had to take his mitts off to take the picture and was not happy about how instantly his hands became fro-ZEN!

I guess we need to get hardened off . . . fast. This is our first real cold snap of the winter. We've been lulled into complacency by our unusually mild temps up until now.

Please, Mr. Old Man Winter, if you would just bring us a good covering of snow, it wouldn't seem so bad. And if you want to lose that wind for the rest of the cold months that wouldn't be bad either.

It's Hard To Believe . . .

2012-01-17T10:39:00.006-06:00

Looking out on our barren landscape this morning when it's 4 degrees above zero and the wind is sending what little snow we have scudding across the frozen ground . . .

. . . it's hard to believe that we're living in the same spot that will look like this in a short few months from now.

But, hey, that's what living in a place where you have a definite change of seasons is all about, right? Right! We chose this area to make our permanent home many years ago, and we've never regretted the decision. I'm not in any way complaining, I'm just saying . . .

Wow, what a contrast!!

The Long, Slow Winter . . . Where?

2012-01-16T15:59:00.004-06:00

Jane at Hard Work Homestead beat me to the punch this morning when she stated in her post that she has yet to notice a slowing down of time in the winter . . . you know, when we're all supposed to have more time and get to read a lot, stay in our jammies all day, watch as many movies as we want, sleep late . . . that sort of thing. Well, padiddlepoo! It seems to me that just the job of living in the winter takes more time than in the summer. At least for those of us who choose to live in the northern part of the country where we get to deal with the harsher side of Mother Nature.

Even though we've had a scarcity of snow this year, Papa Pea has to scamper up to our roof top frequently to clear this one section of snow.

Our garage roof comes into the house roof at a wonky angle and if we don't keep it snow-free, the sun melts the snow and we end up with a nasty ice dam that causes a leak around the skylight in our back entry porch roof.

Then there's the general snow removal to deal with: the driveway, paths to the wood sheds, animal pens, bird feeders, and keeping the deck clear for the dogs' private lounging area on sunny days.

Since we heat with wood, we need to bring the wood from the wood sheds to the wood box on the back porch, and finally into the house and storage by two stoves in the house and one in Papa Pea's workshop area of the garage.

Don't forget the frequent cleaning out of the ashes from same wood stoves.

Unfortunately, we don't yet have space to get all our vehicles under cover so after each snowfall, they all have to be cleaned of snow and sometimes ice.

Care of the critters takes more time and effort in the winter. They're confined most of the time so they make more of a mess in their living quarters. Water freezes and needs to be replaced a couple of times each day. Eggs tend to freeze, too, so more frequent gathering is needed.

Just getting ourselves dressed each and every time to go outside sure takes more time than in the summer when you maybe have to only change footwear before dashing outside.

Then, of course, we use the winter months to try to catch up indoors on all the odd little (okay, some big) jobs that go by the wayside when we spend so many of our waking hours outside in the nice weather.

When you think about it, it's no wonder there doesn't seem to be a lot of extra time to be had on the homestead in the winter. It's amazing we don't wise up and stop thinking there will be.

If you hear of anyone complaining of the long, slow winter who is bored and having difficulty filling their daylight hours, feel free to send them our way.

Italian Bread

2012-01-14T19:16:00.010-06:00

A dear reader, Karen L., has been patiently waiting longer than she should have had to for me to post this recipe for Italian Bread. After planning on making the bread for more days than I can tell you, I finally did it today.

This is one of those strange bread recipes that rises in the refrigerator. Why that doesn't give the yeast chilblains and cause it to shrivel up and die, I've never been able to figure out. But I do make a few different breads by this method and I always have good luck in turning out nice looking loaves. ("Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die." Who said that?)

So for you, kind and patient Karen, here is my Italian Bread recipe.

ITALIAN BREAD

4-1/2 to 5-1/2 cups unsifted white flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 rounded tablespoons dry yeast
1-3/4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1 tablespoon butter
Cornmeal
Oil
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 1-1/2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and the undissolved yeast.

Using a candy thermometer, warm 1-3/4 cups water and the butter until temp on thermometer reaches about 125 degrees.

Gradually add this water mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of a mixer. Add about 3/4 cups more flour and beat at high speed 2 minutes more.

By hand stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Add small amounts of additional flour if needed in order to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Or the floured surface.)

Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel. Let rest 20 minutes. (The dough, not you.)

Next I divide the dough into four equal pieces and form each piece into a small loaf and place on a cookie sheet that has been greased and lightly sprinkled with corn meal. Brush loaves with oil or soft lard.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator.

Uncover dough and let stand at room temp for about 10 minutes. Make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf with sharp knife.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 18 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with egg white mixed with cold water. Return to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer until golden brown.

NOTES: One of these loaves made into Garlic Cheese Bread . . .

. . . serves 2 people alongside an entree of spaghetti or lasagna. It's also great combined with a large tossed salad for two fresh from the garden in the summer time. OR it can serve only you if you're home alone, really ravenous and want to sit down and eat a whole loaf washed down with a couple glasses of good red wine. (Big cheesy grin!)

I make my Garlic Cheese Bread by combining minced garlic with butter, spreading the butter on both sides of slices of this bread, grating a combination of mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheese which I push in between each bread slice, and over the top of the loaf. Put in a 425 degree oven until cheese melts and starts to get little golden brown spots on it. See if you can wait to eat it until it cools enough so you don't burn your lips, tongue and roof of your mouth.

(You may notice an absence of cornmeal on my cookie sheet in the pictures. I discovered I was plumb out and was too lazy to get out my grinder and corn to make more. Please forgive me.)

I don't put a pan of water in the oven to get a super-crisp crust on my Italian Bread because I almost always make Garlic Cheese Bread with it and don't need the lovely hard crust I might want if serving it plain. But you certainly could add the pan of water during baking as I'm sure it would help in creating a crustier loaf.

When a recipe says to let rise in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours, I've read that the optimum time to bake your bread is after it's risen for 8 hours. Today I baked the loaves after they had risen for 6 hours and I think they turned out great.

So there you have it, Karen, and anyone else who may be interested. I hope the recipe works for you. (Sincere thanks for your patience, Karen!)

Pocket Door Installed

2012-01-14T07:43:00.008-06:00

We fell off our Rest-From-Remodeling wagon long enough yesterday to install the pocket door in the living room. It. Was. A. Bugger!

Starting at the end, this is what the pocket door looks like after installation from across the room.

Up close and personal.

The main reason for this door is to close off the bottom of the stairway leading up to Papa Pea's office area. If I wanted to watch a movie in the living room (where a TV screen will eventually be) while hubby was working in his office, we needed to cut off the sound from traveling up the stairway. That's also the reason we will be putting sound-proofing material on the living room ceiling before the finished beadboard paneling.

Across the little landing at the foot of the stairs is the door to my quilt studio.

Picture above is the same view but with the door to my hideout open.

A simple job (ha!) that we would have guessed would take an hour, or two AT THE MAX. Four hours from start to finish, extended periods of fussing and fuming over the interpretation of the directions for the hanging devices, much grunting and groaning, a pinched finger (or three) and the job was done. Nuthin' to it!

I Am Such A Lucky Ducky

2012-01-12T18:55:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm going to post this before I over-analyze my feelings and become afraid I'll be judged as an overly sentimental, smarmy, mushy-mouthed old foob. Here goes.

There aren't a lot of people in my sparsely populated area who are interested in the same kinds of things that I am. That's why I totally treasure all of you friends I've made through blogging.

I learn so much from all of you on a daily basis. Each and every one of you is so much more interesting while sharing your knowledge than a book could ever be. You unselfishly take the time to send help and support. You make me smile and laugh (and cause my morning latte to come out my nose) on a daily basis. I regain confidence in humanity when I read of your faith, beliefs, and moral convictions.

You are a bunch of the most caring people I've ever come into contact with. Hand-written notes (who takes the time to do that anymore?), little handmade gifts, recipes and patterns shared and sent with love. I feel I could ask anything of any of you, and if at all possible, you would deliver.

I'm really not a proponent of the runaway pace of technological advances our society is currently experiencing. But I sure am glad blogging on the Internet came about because of this same technology.

I am truly blessed, because blogging has brought all of you into my life.

Who Duct Taped My Mouth??

2012-01-12T08:29:00.003-06:00

Well, I've been hit by the curse I've heard so many of you complain of in the past.

Blogger won't let me comment on your posts! It started yesterday and I had hope with a good night's rest, the problem would be solved this morning. Not so.

So I feel as if someone has slapped a big, ol' strip of duct tape over my mouth and I can't talk with you any more. Don't know how to rectify this problem. Hoping my computer guru daughter will be able to help. Until the situation changes, I'm still here. Just silent. :o(

If I'm Not Mistaken, That's Snow!

2012-01-11T20:00:00.007-06:00

Just wanted to share with you tonight that we've been getting snow all day. The temp was above freezing until late afternoon so all of it was melting as it hit the ground.

But as the temps started to drop, we have been getting a little build-up.

The huge propane gas truck just stopped about a half hour ago to drop off a part . . . we had expected him this afternoon . . . and he reported the roads are super-slick. He just had to get a tow truck to pull him out of a ditch to the side of a driveway he slid off of. Not the best conditions for anyone to have to be out and about in.

Our temp now is 23 degrees at 8 p.m. and expected to fall to the low teens before morning. Seventy percent chance of more snow tonight and 40% tomorrow. Then a cold front moves in.

Hope we get enough snow for some insulation on the ground. We'll take whatever we can get and be happy about it!

In The Bleak Midwinter

2012-01-10T15:02:00.006-06:00

The above title is blatantly stolen from a book by one of my favorite authors, Julia Spencer-Fleming. Or I could have titled this post, "What's Wrong with This Picture?"

This is a shot of my raised garden beds taken a few minutes ago. January 10th . . . we should have two feet of snow covering the ground at this time of year.

Then here's my pumpkin patch. The left end of it is standing water and mud.

Poor field garden! Lying there close to bare nekkid in the elements. Good thing I covered my strawberry patch within the field garden to protect the plants from the freezing and thawing this winter.

Our temperature is 37.5 degrees now at nearly 3 p.m. Lots of melting and drip, drip, dripping going on out there today. We had sunshine most of the day yesterday which made for even more melting but also lent a feeling of spring to the air.

Today? Well, with winter activities such as ski and dog sled races, ice sculpturing, snowmobiling, outdoor hockey games and snowshoeing being cancelled left and right, it feels much as if we are in the bleak midwinter of drab landscape and dampness. On the other hand, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with these pictures if it were late March or April in the north woods . . . instead of January.

But whoa there, Nellie! It doesn't have to be snow-covered or sunny to be a good day! The paved roads are clear and safe for driving, there's no snow removal to tend to today and I can certainly find P-L-E-N-T-Y to occupy my time indoors with a small fire crackling in the wood stove. I could even go into my quilt studio for a couple of hours before dinner.

Hunh. Maybe this bleak midwinter isn't such a bad time after all.

A Fanciful Question

2012-01-09T18:06:00.003-06:00

Perhaps thinking about this is a lame excuse for wanting to escape all of the things my life requires me to do within the next couple of days . . . or it may just be a way of some playful daydreaming to get me through some serious house cleaning jobs. But here's a question.

Do you ever wonder or imagine or dream of what kind of a life/profession you would be suited for (and think you'd be happy living) if you didn't have the life you have now? Would it be something totally different than your current reality? Would it involve a skill you presently have but haven't pursued to its fullest extent? Or perhaps you'd have a profession or lifestyle you've only dreamed of. If your upbringing had been different, if you had had a mentor to take you under his/her wing, if you had received encouragement or financial aide at a certain point in your life would that have set you on your way along a totally different path in life? If you had your growing up years and education to do over, what would you do?

I was married at an early age; I was only twenty. (Ach, what a baby!) Being happily married, raising children (or a child) and being a homemaker was a life I'd always wanted. I've been very blessed in that I have that. But what if I'd never met the man of my dreams, never married, what if I had had to make my way in the world on my own? What kind of life would I have pursued?

One (only one of a few!) of the scenarios I imagine I might have found myself in is being the cook for a wealthy family. I suppose that's not too much of a stretch to imagine since I like to plan menus, try new recipes, cook good food and present it in an attractive manner. I'm especially fond of down-home cooking, such as preparing real food from the garden, meals that would appeal to a family on an every day basis with the occasional fancier culinary creations for special parties or holidays. Yup, that wouldn't be a bad way to earn a living. (Of course, I'd have my own lovely small suite of rooms on the third floor of the mansion owned by the family who employed me!)

So how about you? Where do your daydreams of another life or profession take you? Are they totally bizarre? Do they involve fame? Or earning a huge amount of money? Be wild, be crazy! Come on, share your fanciful dreams!

I Appreciate . . .

2012-01-08T13:27:00.005-06:00

- no morning alarm

- nights of good sleep

- freezers full of food in mid-winter

- days with much less pressure

- my cheap digital camera that just keeps working

- my spare refrigerator

- a very sunny day

Today we have oodles of sunshine as you can see in the picture above of it streaming in the windows of our bedroom. And, yes, those are boxes of books still stored in the bedroom since last summer. They were shelved on the living room side of the half wall that divided the kitchen from the living room area. They'll go on shelves in the new living room. After the ceiling is covered with sound insulating board and then beadboard paneling. And the floor is laid. And the bookshelves are built. Then I won't ricochet off these boxes when I get in or out of my side of the bed. And I will appreciate that.

Blogs In A Book - UPDATE

2012-01-07T18:15:00.003-06:00

Okay, all you dear readers who were interested in just how Chicken Mama got my blog posts printed out and put in book form, she has been nice enough to do a blog post on her own blog, explaining what she knows about the matter.

Pop on over to her blog and take a look-see.

Hope you're all having a good weekend. Ours is mild in temperature (in the 20s) but very gray and dam-dam-dam-damp! The kind of dampness that goes right through to the bone when you're outside not dressed quite right for the biting moisture in the air.

At one point this afternoon just before hubby and I came in from some chores outside, I stopped and stood with my face tilted up toward the sky, threw my arms wide and said, "Ahhh, just feel those warm rays on your face!"

Papa Pea looked up at the heavy, gray/black clouds, back at me, shook his head and went inside.

(Sometimes it helps to avoid reality . . . and just pretend.)

Blogs In A Book

2012-01-06T10:15:00.007-06:00

After reading my post about root cellaring in our early days up here in Minnesota, my friend and reader Jenyfer commented that it would be wise to "save" such blog posts somewhere besides within my blog on the Internet. This is a wise suggestion coming from a gal who is currently having terrible-awful-horrible-bad problems with her own blog and is very uneasy about the possibility of losing the information she's written there over the years.

A couple of years ago, because I am so NOT versed in the mysterious workings of computers and, therefore, a little nervous about the whole concept, I asked my computer-savvy daughter how I could obtain a hard copy of my blog posts.

This is what she gave me for Christmas that year. It's a lovely, hard-bound book of my blog posts, including all pictures, that she had printed up.

To sit of an evening with this book in hand, and look back over what I wrote in 2008 is so much more satisfying than scrolling back through my blog entries on the computer.

Not that my blog posts are anything that will live on into the future as great works of literature, but someday these books will be handed down to my daughter as a record of these particular years in my life.

Dear daughter got me started on the collection of these books of my posts and I plan on keeping them up. I seem to be behind on that little project right now, but within the next couple of months I hope I can get caught up on it.

Winter Sunset

2012-01-05T11:13:00.004-06:00

Our house sits on our property so that we don't have a direct view of sunsets.

This was taken last night from our deck looking south of where the sun was setting. (Picture is straight out of the camera with no coloration.)

The sun goes down behind a large copse of trees in the back part of the chicken pasture. We could clear cut the area so we could see the sunsets but don't want to do that because this area of trees and brush gives our poultry a safe place to scurry to whenever they are threatened by a hawk or owl overhead. Many times we hear a cacophony that would wake the dead coming from the poultry yard but can't see a single bird anywhere. You can be sure at those times they're deep in this "safe area" where birds of prey likely can't even see them let alone swoop down and carry one off for dinner.

Thinking Back . . .

2012-01-04T14:22:00.004-06:00

It's often in winter that I think back to our root cellar on the first piece of property we settled on when we made the move from Illinois up here to Minnesota.

The land was a piece that had been originally homesteaded in the early 1900s (when it was REALLY challenging to be a homesteader) but abandoned shortly thereafter. The man and woman who worked so hard to carve a small farm out of the wilderness had seven children so you know they grew and preserved all the food that was possible.

We were so lucky that one of the children raised on the land (by then elderly) was living nearby. She told us many stories of their short years on the homestead. The mother and father died within two years of each other so the children were sent to live with relatives and friends until they grew old enough to be on their own. Tough times those were.

When we first moved onto the property, we had noticed a depression in the side of a hill and guessed it must have been the old root cellar. Yes, it was confirmed by E that we were right. That was where their root cellar had been.

It was a natural location, overlooking a small stream and facing south. So when we could afford it, we had the hole re-excavated so the construction for our new root cellar could begin. We used timbers and lumber from a friend's sawmill a mile down the road from us, and had the same man who had dug the hole bring in his heavy machinery to cover it up with dirt once our construction was complete.

A mighty fine root cellar it was. You entered the outside door, walked down a narrow "hallway," then turned right and went through another door to the main room of the cellar. We once kept crisp and juicy Red Delicious apples in it until the next July after they had been harvested the previous fall. We can remember only one winter when we were afraid the temperature was going to fall too low inside the main room. We had had a couple weeks' stretch of 30 to 35 degrees below zero weather so we kept a lantern burning in there for a few days until the frigid spell broke.

The one glitch was that the location of the root cellar was quite a hike from where we had our house, being down on the hillside by the creek. The trek to load up on stored veggies was so much easier when Papa Pea and I did it together. It was a steep slope down to the door which often times was nearly covered with snow which had to be shoveled away. I can remember sliding down to the door on my butt and hoping I didn't keep going all the way to the creek. Coming back up with boxes or bags full of goodies was much harder. We tried to keep "steps" shoveled in the hillside, but the frequent snows made that a hard task. We had to crawl up the hill, load whatever we had managed to carry into a sled and go back down for another load before pulling the full sled back to the house.

I did try to avoid trips to the root cellar alone but every now and then I'd be unwilling to wait for Papa Pea to return home, so I'd gear up and make the trip myself.

In the winter, wolves used the frozen creek as a main thoroughfare. Having a healthy respect for majestic canis lupis, I always wondered if I would encounter a touring family of wolves. I also envisioned entering the root cellar only to have the door blow shut behind me and the outside latch fall into place. (Don't snicker, it happened to me once in the biffy.) I didn't relish the thought of being locked behind that very stout door and passing the time making conversation with potatoes and cabbages until someone came home and finally thought of looking for me in the root cellar.

That lovely cellar came to a sad end. When the heavy equipment operator was covering our newly constructed root cellar with dirt, on one pass he got too close to the back wall and, dang and drat, a huge crack shortly showed up in a main support beam. We did all we could to reinforce the weakened beam but a few years later after days of torrential rain, the whole structure collapsed. It was in the summer time so we didn't have much stored in there. And by that time we had our own alternative electrical system in place and had added more storage room on to the house so I didn't have as much need of the root cellar for preserving food as in the earlier years.

Still and all, I know we think back on that old root collar with much fondness.

My Steam Is Building

2012-01-03T10:39:00.008-06:00

Not in a bad way as in "I'm going to blow my cork soon," but rather in getting some vim and vigor back after my two-week awful period of draggin' my wagon.

To that I say, "WA-HOO!"

What is it with emotional (or physical) breakdowns? Sometimes you can pinpoint the cause and other times it feels a little scary in that you don't know why you're feeling the way you do and can't seem to change it. Ugh.

I'm wanting to think I've been helped by my strong resolve to put more emphasis on the good things in my life. I mean the appreciation is always there, deep down somewhere, but proactively bringing it to the forefront, writing things down, seems to be strong medicine.

I got so involved yesterday I never got a chance to post the list of the day, so thought I'd slap it up here this morning.

I REALLY, REALLY AM APPRECIATIVE OF:

- the ability to do laundry at home

- having ample eggs at this time of year

- the gift of juicy, sweet grapefruit from a good friend

- a husband who doesn't have to go to work (off the homestead anyway!) every day

- ample freezer space

- sunshine to fill our solar batteries

- two GALLONS of homemade laundry detergent as a gift from my daughter

- apples from our own trees
(Yes, there is a slice of Dutch Apple Pie under all that ice cream . . . why do you ask?)

To Answer A Question . . .

2012-01-02T18:30:00.008-06:00

In my blog post on December 30th, I included a picture of a couple of our eggs in a frying pan. I received a comment from one of my readers asking how we got that "nice dark gold yolk" color to our eggs this time of year when our ground is covered with snow and the hens don't have access to green grass and juicy bugs and worms. She also wondered if we fed our birds something special.

We do a few things that might contribute to the appearance and, we feel, nutritional content of our eggs.

In addition to a free choice organic egg layer mash . . .

. . . they are fed whole organically grown grains (scratch feed) twice a day.

The corn is organic open-pollinated corn which is in itself a deep yellow/gold in color in contrast to the pale, light-colored corn available commercially.

We get raw milk from a dairy in our county and we take any "old" milk we may have, mix it with kefir culture and mix that in with some of the laying mash which sits at room temperature until it ferments a bit. The chickens dive into this mixture as if it were candy. They get this year round about every other day. (The pan of fermented laying mash is in the hen house right now, the outside temperature is -1 tonight as I type, and I'm not going out there to get a picture of it!)

I'm sure the kelp meal we mix into the laying mash contributes to the rich color of the yolks.

So does the harvested and dried grass we start feeding right about this time of year. In the summer, we cut our small hay field with a sickle mower and let it dry on the ground for a day or so. Then Papa Pea goes over it with our lawn mower shredding it and collecting the vacuumed up grass in the mower bag. Then we store the grass (which you can see is still green in color) in burlap bags and feed it out to the chickens (and geese) during the dead of winter.

During the spring, summer and fall the poultry has access to a very large fenced in pasture area where they graze on thick green foliage and search for insects and worms all day long. I think the nutrients stored in their bodies during this time may help during the winter months to produce the deep yellow/orange yolked eggs.

I have a stainless steel bucket on the counter in the kitchen where I dump table scraps for the birds. Lots of good stuff (vegetable peelings, wrinkly veggies, apple peelings and cores, old bread, the scrapings of a casserole dish, etc.) goes in there and is taken out to the chickens every day.

The chicken bucket is always on the left, waste for the compost pile goes into the bucket on the right.

We have what we call "the chicken solarium" on the front of the chicken house. It's a square 8' x 8' structure made of wooden framing and covered with strong greenhouse plastic. It has a sloping roof which is 4' high up against the chicken house and tapers down to 2' high at the opposite end. The chickens have access to this area every day during the winter. It really acts like a small greenhouse and if any sun is present it becomes quite pleasantly warm in there. The "floor" of the solarium is dirt with a layer of composted material containing good bacteria. On top of that is a deep, loose layer of straw. The scratch feed is tossed in there morning and afternoon which encourages the chickens to scratch in the bedding and keep it turned so it doesn't become packed and/or wet. Papa Pea periodically spreads fresh hay over this bedding and the chickens scratch around in it eating the hay leaves and any seeds that might be available. You can frequently see chickens "digging" all the way down to the dirt where they probably obtain some good minerals and perhaps even an insect now and then.

I guess it's hard to say exactly what keeps our egg yolks such a vibrant color in the winter time. A combination of what we provide for them in the way of feed and their environment (sunshine Vitamin D?) may do it.

Hope this answers your question, gld!

More Appreciation

2012-01-01T18:31:00.005-06:00

I'm not calling it a New Year's resolution, but one thing I am going to put a lot of effort into this coming year is being more actively appreciative of the many, many good things in my life. I may keep an index card on the counter of the kitchen each day and jot down everything I want to show more appreciation of having.

Here's what ended up on my note card today. Some of it might not make much sense to you . . . but a little mystery is good for a woman, right? (Hee-hee.)

- ice cubes
- my new kitchen
- good, dry, seasoned wood for warmth

- a beautiful, economical, homemade centerpiece
- running water!
- my own "latte" machine
- audio books on tape
- the local library
- warm, winter boots that are comfortable on my defective feet
- we can still pay our bills
- a husband who continues to try to understand the differences between men and women

Wonder how different my list will be from day to day? We shall see.

New Year's Wishes From A Foggy Brain

2011-12-31T14:29:00.003-06:00

No, I didn't start imbibing on New Year's Eve liquid cheer early. But I have recently been functioning with a muddled mind. I think it has something to do with taking time off from our taxing (on mind and body) days in this past year of remodeling while at the same time still struggling to maintain some semblance of order in our otherwise full lives.

In the past couple of weeks of self-imposed, much needed down time, my body and mind have both sorta collapsed. (Although some may say my mind didn't have far to go.)

It's a different feeling to wake up in the morning and not have a list 12" long of things to be done or to even wake up and not want to make such a list. I find myself floating through the days but not really doing anything. Or caring. What did I accomplish today? Nuthin'. Yeah? So what?

My body wants to do nothing more than sleep. Now that I have the time to do things I've been putting off for months and months . . . like quilting or fun sorting/arranging in the pantry . . . I can't muster up the oompf to do so. (I haven't even baked a pie in ever so long, fer Pete's sake!)

But worry thee not, it's not that I'm depressed. It's more that I'm in some state of limbo that needs to be lived through before proceeding. And I'm not in the mood to exert any energy to work at pushing through this state. I'm suspecting it's nothing more than needing a decompression period with a little re-energizing and re-charging thrown in.

I've had short spurts lately where I've managed some contemplation concerning all kinds of things, but I can't seem to hold the brain cells on task long enough for the successful follow-through needed. As a result I have no New Year's resolutions or even a summary of happenings in 2011 to share. I greatly admire you other bloggers who have gone back over the year and gained a concrete sense of accomplishment by doing so.

But enough of this self-absorbed babbling. As they say, this too shall pass. I think the wisest thing for me to do is not fight it and just try to be. (Something that 99% of the time eludes me completely. Always thinking ahead to what needs to be done next, ya know. Arrrgh.)

The original point of this post, although I think I may have lost it before I even started, was to sincerely wish all of you a very Happy New Year. I hope your new year is filled with the joy of living and the love of giving.

See ya next year!

She Knows Not Of What She Speaks

2011-12-30T10:12:00.003-06:00

So I took two of those huge eggs that I thought might well be more double yolkers to use for our breakfast this morning.

(Nah, I said to myself. These big eggs can't all be double yolkers. But they feel so heavy, there's got to be more than a single yolk in there.)

Ooops. Do you see four yolks? Do you see three yolks? Nope, me neither. But both yolks were a good two inches across . . . not your average, run-of-the-mill egg.

Wonder if I'm wrong on all the rest of them, too? (Ah, the things that keep my mind occupied . . . )

It Must Be Something In The Water

2011-12-29T18:23:00.006-06:00

Back in the first part of last week, I showed you a picture of what turned out to be a double yolked egg.

Well, since that time we've gotten these six more eggs (plus one we got today that didn't get included in the below picture I took yesterday) that look like they may well be double yolkers also. The egg at the very top of the picture is a normal sized egg for comparison.

They aren't all from the same hen either! So what's going on here? Is there some kind of competition going on in the hen house that we don't know about? Are the chickens playing mind games with us?

As I use these latest bigger-than-usual eggs, I'll let you know if they are double yolkers . . . or just super-sized regular eggs. If they do turn out to be all double yolkers, that will be just too, too crazy!

We've Got Snow!

2011-12-29T09:37:00.007-06:00

We woke this morning to the first real snow of the season. Looks like about at least 6" of very light, fluffy stuff so far. It's still coming down lightly.

A shot of our back yard. I don't think you can see the tracks, but right at the base of the woods line a deer plowed through the snow recently. The back yard isn't fenced so the critters roam freely in that area.

This is a picture of the back yard, too. Garage on the far right, the flat bed trailer parked next to it, Suburban covered with snow a little farther on back, and the wood sheds in the distance.

Other side of the house, you can see the depth of the snow on the deck railing. The bird feeder out in the yard is in front of some of the fruit trees. Raised garden beds and the field garden are out of the picture over to the right.

This is taken off the corner of the front deck looking to the woods line beyond. You can see the snow delineating the two horizontal support lines on the "invisible" 7' high deer fencing we have around the front yard and gardens. It also gives a very large space for the dogs to be in without danger of running off into the woods. There is a heavy mesh grid between the horizontal lines, but it does a good job of blending in with the woods beyond so you don't really see the fencing much at all unless the light hits it in just the right way.

The snow is beautiful and provides a good insulating layer. Too bad the forecast is for above freezing temps in two days with a rain/snow mix. Yuck. But we'll enjoy the beauty of this lovely snow as long as it lasts!

The Bestest Gift

2011-12-28T13:12:00.008-06:00

Chicken Mama arranged things on her homestead so she could spend the nights of Christmas Eve and Christmas with us here on the Pea Homestead. I think she enjoyed the little vacation she got and I know Papa Pea and I liked having her here for more than a quick visit.

Because she had no money for Christmas gifts this year, she thought of some ingenious ideas and used her natural creativeness to come up with gifts for us. We received all kinds of yummy homemade confections and, of course, our traditional individual batches of Pfeffernuse . . . I like candied fruit in mine while Papa Pea prefers more "natural" fruit. She also made some bee-yew-tiful candles and I received six of them . . . fat pillars that I love, both short and tall in assorted colors.

But the best gifts we received from her were three gift certificates.

Papa Pea was the happy recipient of this one. (Click on image to biggify if you can't read the printing.)

Then another one was addressed to both of us. The picture of the three snowpeople at the top resemble us greatly, don't you think?

However, the gift certificate that made me really happy, and was for me the bestest of the bunch, was this one.

(The very small print at the bottom says, "Requests may or may not be honored.")

For someone like me who regularly cooks three meals a day, has a husband who has many, many fine qualities but does not cook at all and dislikes going out to eat, this Christmas gift was a real winner!

Talk about giving of oneself . . . all the gifts from our daughter were pretty special. Her dad even went so far as to suggest she never again spend money on our gifts . . . just keep these much appreciated gift certificates coming!

Between Holidays

2011-12-27T13:42:00.003-06:00

"Run, Mama Pea, Run! Stop being such an old sluggard or The Lazies are gonna getcha!"

We here in the Pea household are really taking it easy this week between Christmas and New Year's.

There are a couple of social obligations I wouldn't mind getting taken care of this week. I mean what sounds better than having folks over for a quiet, casual evening of soup and homemade bread after all the rich food and sugar-laden goodies surrounding Christmas? On the other hand, just existing with no pressure of any kind feels really good right now, and I don't care if the phone doesn't ring or no one comes through the door for a good long while. Don't mean to sound anti-social, but I'll be happy putzing in my quilt studio, watching a couple of DVDs, and reading a new book I got for Christmas.

I even did the unthinkable this morning. I crawled back into bed! Well, first off I woke at 3:30 a.m. (you can take your whammy off me anytime, dear Sue), laid there until 4:45 trying to talk myself back into slumberland. Finally got up and played in my quilt studio until 7. Then slithered back into that cozy, comfy, warm bed for two more hours of sleep. Why did I do that? BECAUSE I COULD!

Now I'm on my second latte of the morning (how decadent will I become?) and am contemplating another stint of quilting. Leftover soup for lunch so I don't even have to think about that.

Still, every now and then, I find I have to get out my big stick and beat off the monkey voices that I hear yelling, "Run, Mama Pea, Run! The Lazies are gonna getcha!"

Sorry (lalalalala), I'm not LIS-tening. I AM lazy and I'm just not available for any work this week.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2011-12-24T16:31:00.002-06:00

Charles Dickens wrote, "Oh, would that Christmas lasted the whole year through, as it ought. Would that the spirit of Christmas could live within our hearts every day of the year."

I couldn't hope to say it better than Mr. Dickens.

Sending all of you warm and heartfelt wishes for some good, old-fashioned Christmas cheer. Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Santa Can Use His Sleigh

2011-12-23T18:40:00.010-06:00

We finally got some snow! Only about 2" of it but it does a lot to make things look more like the holiday season.

Two days ago it was so warm here that Papa Pea washed all the vehicles in the back yard. Today he had to spend time clearing snow off of them.

I even got to shovel the deck off for the first time this winter. I always keep it shoveled because the dogs like to stretch out on it and take a sun bath on sunny days. This winter it'll just be granddogs Maisy and Tucker when they're visiting.

Will everyone please notice that under my down jacket I'm wearing MY APRON!? Yes, I've actually gotten into the habit of putting it on when I know I'm going to be doing a couple hours of cooking. Today I baked Italian Bread . . .

. . . to make into garlic cheese bread to go with the Cheddar-Cauliflower Soup I also made for our Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night. Then I stirred up some Amaretto Freeze for dessert and set it in the freezer to firm up. Got some sugar cookie dough half done which I'll finish tomorrow.

Kinda nice to have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall on a weekend, don't you think? Seems to make it a little more special.

Just In The (St.) Nick Of Time

2011-12-23T11:10:00.003-06:00

I didn't think it was going to happen this year, but we did finally put up our little Christmas tree late yesterday.

We've never put up a tree so late . . . it's usually the weekend following Thanksgiving that our tree gets decorated. That way we can enjoy the lights in the dark morning hours and then again shortly after 4:30 in the afternoon for a little more than a month.

When we cut this tree down in our woods, we didn't realize it had a forked trunk up by the top. It was a tall, spindly tree but the top looked nice and full. It wasn't until the tree was on the ground and we examined it closely that we discovered the trunk split into two forks about two-thirds up the tree. This meant that the top which looked so plump and round was actually two trees (two forks) smooshed together. When we cut them apart, we saw both little trees had one completely bare, flat side! Well, no matter as we had to place it up against a window anyway.

Our Charlie Brown tree doesn't look too bad in the above straight-on shot, but glancing at it from the side kinda makes you wonder why someone took a chainsaw to the whole back side.

A friend stopped in this morning who had seen the tree in its bucket of water in the garage and couldn't believe it was the same tree all decorated up and looking as good as it does. Now that it's done, I'm glad we did go to the effort of getting this little yule tree up this year. Ho-ho-ho!

What Really Matters

2011-12-22T07:10:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Stephanie over at Caffeinated Homestead Dream wrote a post entitled "Little Things Matter." It was very well-written and a great reminder of what is important especially at this busy, sometimes hectic, time of year.

Her post reminded me that when we spread kindness with a compliment or by what may seem like a small gesture, by sharing a word of encouragement, by giving a smile here or a hug there, we can affect someone else in a way we might not even realize.

Many years ago, I attended a family funeral and introduced myself to an elderly woman I had seen only very infrequently in my life. She said, "Yes, I remember you. You're Maggie's [my grandmother] granddaughter with the beautiful smile!"

I must admit her lovely compliment took me back a bit. No one had ever commented on my smile before. I had never had even an inkling that I had a "beautiful smile." On a good day when I'm all cleaned up, I might be called attractive but I'm not a person who's ever had the label "beautiful" thrown at her. Yet I didn't doubt the sincerity of what that dear lady said. That night at home I stood in front of the bathroom mirror . . . and smiled. Hunh. Maybe she saw something in my smile not visible to me. Maybe I did have a nice smile . . .

All these years later when I'm feeling down or upset or sad or tired, I think back to her kind words and decide that perhaps using my "beautiful smile" will make things better. And it usually does.

Needless to say, I have never forgotten that simply spoken compliment. You just never know how much your simple gesture will mean to the person on the receiving end of a small, heartfelt kindness. Little things do matter.

Hanging Up The Hammer

2011-12-20T17:52:00.003-06:00

We're pulling the plug. Giving up the ghost. Throwing in the towel. We're tired and need a rest period. Time to make some changes.

As much as I desperately want to get the living room finished, there's still too much to do. One hundred and twenty-five mile trips (one way) to the big city for supplies on icy roads and working outside just isn't fun or safe this time of year. Time to make some changes.

We've been doing the power saw cutting in the garage because it's either been too cold or wet to set up and do it safely outside. This has made a terrible mess with sawdust in every nook and cranny of the garage and everything stored in there. It will take a major clean up job to get it back to less than the despicable state it is now. Plus with all the tools set up in the garage, there's no way to get a vehicle in there for inclement weather protection. Time to make some changes.

Papa Pea and I have been losing brain cells from too much pushing. We're both getting a little flaky and unable to make intelligent decisions or even remember where we stashed important materials and hardware or that special bottle of liquid libation purchased for the holidays. (Now THAT'S serious!) Time to make some changes.

I now has this fantastic, beautiful kitchen but because of our continued push to finish the rest of the house, I haven't even had the time to cook or bake the way I want in it yet. (Well, phfffft! That's downright silly, isn't it?) Time to make some changes.

So . . . we've made the decision to shut down on the remodeling for about three months. Until milder weather arrives. We're taking the pressure we've put on ourselves off and are going to spend the rest of the winter months recharging our leaky batteries. (As our daughter would say, "Sounds like a personal problem to me.")

It will also give us a chance to coax the old checkbook balance back into a healthier state. Along with our bodies and brain cells, finances have been taking a pummeling in the last year we've been seriously working on the house. They say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy building supplies!

The kitchen is completely done except for the new exhaust fan over the cooking stove. That's going to involve punching a hole either through the roof or out a wall so we'll tackle that in the spring.

The living room has all the paneling up on the walls and the trim work is done around all the windows and doors except for the pocket door that will close off the stairway up to Papa Pea's office. The permanent stairs are installed and the stairway is enclosed. The ceiling is still the joists upon which the office rests. The floor is plywood. But we've temporarily installed the wood stove in there with fireproof Duroc on the floor and walls behind it and will use the old furniture we have in a (halfway) comfortable arrangement. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a soft chair to plop into after having nowhere to sit other than at the kitchen table for months.

At any rate, this decision we've made to stop the remodeling push for a couple of months seems like a really good one to both of us.

No early alarms in the morning.

No waking with the feeling there are things we MUST get done that day.

No staying up late at night to catch up on the "everyday" things after a full day of remodeling work.

Days with no lists.

Good food without sawdust in it.

Lying under a quilt snoozing in the afternoon.

Time in front of the open fire reading.

Time in my quilt studio.

Evenings watching a DVD with a big bowl of popcorn.

A snowshoe hike. Assuming we eventually get snow, that is.

Doing all of the above until we're re-energized and ready, really ready, to pick up hammer and saw and brush again. Sounds good to me, so bring it on!

Something I've Always Wondered About . . .

2011-12-19T14:04:00.004-06:00

What do you think? Is the egg on the left a double yolker?

It sure is a honkin' big one compared to the normal sized egg on the right.

Yup, it really is a double yolker!

So here's a question for all you fellow keepers of the coop out there. I've always wondered if a double yolker were incubated, would twin chicks hatch? Or would there not be adequate room within the shell to allow two chicks to develop properly?

It's Soup Weather

2011-12-17T21:32:00.003-06:00

We've eaten a bowl of this soup I'm writing about today every day for four days straight. Fortunately, it's good. (Wonder when I'm going to get the urge again to cook some meals that are a little more creative?)

This is another recipe that I must have brought from the Old Country a hundred or so years ago and then carried west with me in a covered wagon, because it's been in my recipe box about that long.

I used to make it in the restaurant because it's such a different, tasty soup, but it had a rocky start there. The name is Alsatian Sauerkraut Soup. At first, we didn't sell much of it. A wise waitress told me one day it was the name that was the problem. Huh? She said the "sauerkraut" in the name was what turned people off. Why didn't we rename it Alsatian Noodle Soup?

Ya know what? That did it. We sold much more from then on. Of course, the soup still had the sauerkraut in it, but people really liked it once we got them to try it. They just had to get over the hurdle of thinking they were going to be served a bowl of warm sauerkraut in broth. Aren't we humans funny?

So here we go. I'm going to label it as it is on my original recipe card. I know you can handle it.

ALSATIAN SAUERKRAUT SOUP

1 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
2 cups tomato juice
6 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 cup uncooked rotelle
Salt (depending on the saltiness of your beef broth)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Saute the onion and celery in the oil until tender. ( I confess I never measure the celery and probably toss in more than 1/4 cup.)

Add the sauerkraut and saute for about 5 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients except the rotelle. (Not having any tomato juice, I put two cups of stewed tomatoes in the blender, gave it a whizz and that worked fine.)

Bring ingredients to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Add the rotelle and cook, uncovered, until the rotelle is tender, about 20-30 minutes. (I didn't have any rotelle other than the veggie rotelle which is colored . . . you know, beets, carrots, etc. . . . but that didn't really matter.)

Remove the bay leaf and serve. Serves 8-10. Enjoy!

P.S. and Arrrgh! Let me tell ya, yesterday was not a day I should have attempted doing ANYTHING that required the least little bit of brain power. (Hey! I coulda napped all day. What an opportunity missed!) The comment on this post I received this morning from judy reminded me of what I should have added about this soup.

It is, indeed, a vegetarian recipe I used when we as a family were following a vegetarian diet (just use a beef broth substitute). However, it is very good with pork or beef added when you add the rotelle which, I also failed to mention, can be any pasta of your choice such as macaroni, tortellini, egg noodles, etc. (See? Told ya I was operating at a very low intelligence level yesterday.) Papa Pea happens to be on a kick where he is CRAVING protein so I added some chunks of cooked pot roast I had in the freezer. Leftovers from a pork roast are always yummy combined with the sauerkraut. Or brown some ground beef and add that. So although it's a delicious vegetarian soup, it doesn't have to be if your family balks at not having meat included in a meal.

That's all. Over and out.

Never Take Life For Granted

2011-12-16T18:10:00.005-06:00

We had a horrific incident here in our little community yesterday afternoon. Thankfully no deaths resulted, but lives were changed forever.

A man entered the courthouse with the intention of inflicting bodily harm. The victim who was the shooter's target and who was most seriously injured is a county employee and friend of the family. He was shot three times in the torso. The shooter also put three bullets into another man (who was not a county employee) and shot a bailiff of the court once. Another county employee sustained non-gunshot related injuries. Because our community is small, most everyone knows all of these people.

Two of the victims were treated here in our local hospital and released. Our family friend, T, and the other man wounded three times were rushed to the big city 125 miles away in ambulances over treacherous, icy highways. We were experiencing snow and rain with winds clocked at 53 mph so the life-flight helicopter was unable to take to the air.

T underwent extensive surgery and, miraculously and thankfully, is expected to come through it all, but has a long road of recovery ahead of him both physically and mentally. The other man shot three times was not injured as severely for which everyone is thankful.

Obviously, whatever problems the shooter had experienced previously are now magnified greatly.

It's true what they say. Your life can change in the blink of an eye. This incident was a wake-up call to me to find a way of better handling the piddling little trials and tribulations in my own life. I'm going to think about the important people in my life and hug 'em and kiss 'em and tell 'em I love 'em. I'm going to make a concerted effort to appreciate all the good and wonderful and awesome things in my life. I don't want to ever take them for granted. I'm going to try to ignore all the things I wish were different in my life except if I can move in a proactive, positive manner to change them.

Each day is a fresh beginning and, if you don't find yourself unexpectedly starting it in an ICU hospital bed after surgery for three gunshot wounds, there's not a lot to complain about.

There truly is a difference as to whether the problems in life are mountains or molehills. Yesterday's incident was a mountain for the people involved and has definitely changed their lives. Some of them just for the length of time until this crisis is over, some of them forever.

Not Much, But A Little

2011-12-15T15:57:00.003-06:00

We had rain all day yesterday, but the temp dropped enough today that we are getting a little snow.

It's sure not any great amount, but at least it's something. I don't think you can even see the snowflakes in the above picture, but it's been coming down steadily.

Even a little covering of white helps brighten up the bleak landscape we've been looking at since the fall color season left us. Maybe we will have a white Christmas after all!

The Start of My Holiday Baking

2011-12-14T16:21:00.004-06:00

Or it might be the sum total of my holiday baking. I haven't really decided yet if I'm going to go for it with zip and zing or be a (more rested and relaxed) Scrooge and skip it this year.

However, I found myself in a spot this afternoon between tasks and wavered as to what to do to best fill the small amount of time I had so decided to mix up the batter for Cranberry-Walnut Loaf. I never make this sweet bread except at holiday time although there's no good reason not to do so.

Having these little loaves baked and ready (they freeze beautifully and don't take long to defrost) makes me feel more comfortable as far as not being caught with absolutely no holiday-ish treat on hand.

The recipe says to bake the batter in two regular sized loaf pans but I almost always bake it in four small pans because then the slices are just right for eating with your hand. (Give 'em a napkin and no plate or silverware is required.) There are only three small loaves in the above picture because one loaf has already left the premises.

I think the flavor is greatly improved by wrapping the loaves in foil after they have cooled on racks and storing in the refrigerator over night before serving. Doing this also makes slicing much easier with very little crumbling to worry about.

I'd gladly give credit where it's due for the origin of this recipe but I've had it for so many years, I truly don't remember how it came to be in my recipe box.

CRANBERRY-WALNUT LOAF

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup whole cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and cut in the butter until mixture looks like corn meal.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk and grated orange rind. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until dampened.

Fold in cranberries and nuts and spread into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (I bake the small loaves for 50 minutes.)

Cool pans on rack for 10 minutes before removing loaves from the pans. Then cool the loaves thoroughly on racks.

For easier slicing (and I think better flavor) wrap in foil and store in refrigerator over night.

I'm not too sure I gained as much as I anticipated in my effort to bake and stash away this yummy sweet bread to have on hand. As I said, one of the four little loaves went home with someone already and I know Papa Pea is going to want to sample another one (just to make sure it's good, he always says). Oh well, that still leaves two loaves for the freezer. I think I'd better hide them well.

Winner of Holiday Cook Books

2011-12-13T07:19:00.005-06:00

Okay, everybody ready for some holiday cooking and baking?

I used my Mama Pea's Fine Baking tin to hold the names for the drawing of the cook books.

Only four names entered for the drawing so each of you had a good chance.

Without further suspense . . .

The winner is Akannie. Congratulations to you! If you will send me your mailing address ("Contact" button over on my right hand side bar), I'll get these two books off to you pronto.

Now it's time for all of us to put on our aprons, get into the kitchen and do some holiday baking. Mmmm-mm, I can smell those delicious aromas already!

Books, Books, Holiday Books!

2011-12-11T19:00:00.004-06:00

I have two more cook books to give away. Anybody interested?

The one book has recipes and menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The other one has special recipes and menus for holidays throughout the year: New Year's Eve Buffet, Chinese New Year Dinner, Valentine's Day Dinner, Easter Brunch, Mother's Day Breakfast, Memorial Day Family Gathering, Father's Day Dinner, Fourth of July Celebration, Labor Day Dinner for the Family, Halloween Party for the Kids, Thanksgiving Brunch, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Open House and Christmas Dinner. (Whew!)

Both books are soft covers, about 8-1/2" x 11" with luscious color photographs. They were both published way back in the 1980s . . . when most of you were just wee tots.

At any rate, you might find them interesting to look through for new ideas or recipes. If you'd like to be entered in the drawing for these two books (they go as a two-deal package), just leave a comment stating so. Also, within your comment, how about sharing what main entree your family traditionally has for Christmas Dinner. I think it will be interesting to see if that special dinner is pretty much standardized across the board or if each of our families has their own specialized menu.

Since time is running out before Christmas and New Year's gets here, you only have one full day to let me know if you'd like these books. I'll close entries when I shut off my computer Monday night (that's tomorrow probably around 9 p.m.) and draw the winner early Tuesday morning.

I admit I got a little hungry just paging through these books tonight for the last time. I think you'd enjoy having both of them.

I'm Behind My Behind

2011-12-10T15:25:00.003-06:00

At least that's how I feel right now. But I'm sure many of the rest of you have exactly the same feeling these pre-holiday days.

This behind-the-eight-ball feeling is always more pronounced after spending a day making a trip to the big city as we did yesterday. We've racked up so many more of these trips than usual during this remodeling stint that the feeling that the 5-hour round trip ride plus the day of intense running from place to place, stuffing the truck to the gills (and tying thing on top) to make the trip worthwhile . . . well, the feeling it generates is just this side of me wailing, "Please, please, PUL-EEZE! I don't wanna go! I'll be a good girl. Just let me stay home."

Nonetheless, we made the trip safely (no highway crossing deer were hurt in the making of the trip) even though an hour or so of driving in the dark both morning and night were necessary. We did the critical unpacking of the truck last night, but still have some to do this morning and then need to find a protected place to store everything.

Oh! Before I forget, I wanted to give you an explanation of my new blog header photo . . . compliments of my talented daughter's photographic and computer skills. As a Christmas present a couple of years ago, she gave me a tin with this picture and lettering on top. It's a nice sized rectangular container and could be used for a batch of cookies or caramel corn or whatever, but I use it as a holiday decoration. This year I had it on top of one of my kitchen cabinets and the other night when Chicken Mama was here (probably at the end of the third day we worked her tuchus off helping us with our wood working), she suggested taking it home with her to photograph and put up as my new blog header photo. Which she did, and didn't it turn out great? I love it.

Okay, deep breath. This morning finds me with a headache I can't seem to shake (totally stress induced, I know) and wanting to do about 17 different things today. I'd like to start some Christmas baking, work on finishing some small handmade gifts, do the general house stuff that always needs doing (said tasks would fill two pages of typewritten lists, I know), financial accounting from yesterday's trip, catch up on blog reading and commenting, answer some e-mails, go to our co-op for stocking up on some food supplies, finally get in and tour our wonderful local library that has just reopened after a total remodel, take hubby 20 miles down the road to pick up our trusty Toyota that has had some repair work done on it and try not to feel guilty about not sending out Christmas cards (again) this year. As they say though, hope springs eternal and I truly do want to add that little task (the Christmas card and letter) back into my holiday preparations . . . one of these years.

Hope this all didn't sound too much like whining. Just trying (at your expense) to collect my thoughts and make some sensible plan as to what I need to do today to get out (well, at least partially) from behind my behind.

I'm Curious . . .

2011-12-08T18:24:00.003-06:00

My parents always kidded that my brother and I weren't their real children. They said we must have been switched at the hospital because as we grew into adulthood neither of us developed a taste for coffee. Mom and Dad were staunch strong, black coffee drinkers. My husband (who loves fresh, strong coffee -- with the emphasis definitely on the fresh) would often nearly pass out when handed a mug of the not-at-all-fresh, reheated, sludge from the pot that my folks drank with abandon. (Hmmm, maybe that's why my brother and I never became coffee aficionados.)

Anyway, a morning cuppa java never appealed to me . . . until I discovered lattes. Now there was something I could drink and enjoy. So much so that several years ago I purchased a cheap, espresso machine that faithfully turns out my morning drink nearly every day of the year.

So as I was whipping up my latte this morning, I was wondering what each of you have for your morning beverage of choice. Black coffee, coffee with cream and/or sugar? A double shot of espresso? Are you a tea drinker? Black or herbal . . . or green? How many cups of what start your day? Do you continue to drink coffee or tea all day long?

Come on, nobody's gonna lecture you on too much caffeine intake if you admit to mainlining the stuff. And do your preferences differ from season to season? Iced drinks in the summer, but only the hot stuff in the winter? Or doesn't it matter? (I drink iced black tea all year round.)

How about the industrial strength coffee versus decaffeinated? Do caffeinated drinks perk you up or stimulate your system or are you like me and feel absolutely no effect from them?

I'm just curious. And let's face it. It's always interesting to hear what someone elses preferences are that they consider absolutely normal but may seem quite exotic to you.

Pushing Along

2011-12-06T19:46:00.008-06:00

Still no snow in these here parts. The temperature on this partly sunny day rose to the low 20s but we've had a wicked wind blowing for the last two-thirds of the day that about knocked you flat out and made you feel like it was 20 below zero.

We're working on getting the paneling up in the living room.

This is the left side of the wall of windows looking out to the south.

The other half of the south wall. The stud wall you see to the right in the picture is the wall of the enclosed stairway. It will get paneling on it, too.

This is the wall shared with the kitchen. You get a glimpse of a storage cabinet in the kitchen through the doorway.

The paneling sure is a marked improvement over the studs and foil-backed insulation. (Just about anything would be.)

We're hoping the wind (which I can hear still howling as we speak) dies down over night because we're going to try to get in another day to finish up the wood pile in back tomorrow. Can hardly believe we're getting by so long without getting snow on it.

Arrrgh!

2011-12-05T20:36:00.006-06:00

I suppose it's especially pronounced at this time of year. Or maybe I'm just trying to do too much on a regular basis.

It's driving me crazy the way time each and every day zooms by leaving me at the end of the day wondering why another day is over and, hey, no fair! There are still heaps of things I wanted to do today and I'm. Out. Of. Time.

Draggin' my wagon is what I did all day today. Last night I woke at 1:30 from a bad dream, laid in bed trying to fall back asleep until 2:30, gave up, got up, went into my quilting studio and sewed until 4 a.m. Got back into bed and tossed and turned until . . . ? All I know is that I sure wasn't ready to bounce out of bed and whip my weight in wildcats when the alarm went off at 6.

What was my bad dream? I was repeatedly startled awake by being positive (I was positive, I tell you) I heard Zoey the Wonder Dog's single bark at the door that always meant, "Let me in!"

Now our Zoey died at fourteen years of age this past spring, but I have this totally irrational feeling she's not really dead (I'm not crazy if I know the feeling is totally irrational, right?), but is going to appear at the door as she did in my dream. Or at least I have flashes of that happening before my mind snaps back to reality and know she's gone. (She collapsed and died one night while walking between her bed at the bottom of the stairs to Papa Pea's office and her bed in our bedroom.)

She was a hunting dog, and the little devil would stick by you (as she knew darn well she was supposed to) if she was outside loose. Yeah, she'd stick by you until you turned your back for more than 30 seconds at which time she'd streak straight off into the woods to do what she was bred to do: hunt. ("You're not going to take me hunting? Fine, I'll go by myself.") I think the reason I had the dream is because I always feared we would lose her that way. That she'd run off into the woods populated with wolves and bears and the occasional trapper's trap, not come back and we'd never know what happened to her. That we'd not be able to find her and always be waiting for her to come back.

Well, anyway that was the reason I didn't get my needed amount of beauty sleep last night. Because I was operating on only two cylinders, lots of other dumb, stoopid, weird things happened today, too, but you'd really send me an application for the funny farm if I related them all to you.

I'll just end this nonsensical rambling, do what I should do and go to bed right now hoping to make tomorrow a more profitable day that maybe will have a few more hours in it than today did.

Yesterday's Wood Working Effort

2011-12-04T17:14:00.008-06:00

The three of us put in another long day wood working yesterday. Got a lot accomplished but couldn't completely finish the task.

See that big empty spot? That's where the first pile of wood to be split was. Friday we got most of it done and then finished it yesterday morning before moving on to the other (bigger!) pile.

Why didn't I take before and after pictures? Too much sawdust on the brain, I guess. Anyway, I took this picture this morning of what is left of the second and last pile. There was just too much to work through even though we gave it a good try.

(Yep, we had a very light dusting of snow last night, but nothing to write home about.)

You can't see much in this picture except the last tier of stacked wood (and the wood splitter and some other equipment) in this, our smaller wood shed, but Chicken Mama stacked and stacked and stacked wood on Friday and Saturday and now this shed is nearly half full.

None of the wood we've been working on will be used this heating season. The wood that we'll burn this winter is in the bigger wood shed shown here and has been drying there since early this summer. When this heating season started, we still had some year old wood in the smaller wood shed so that's what we've been using and haven't even touched this stash yet.

I've posted this picture before but for those of you who may not have seen it, this will prove Chicken Mama is used to doing wood work as we broke her in early on. For several years we had a contract with a local state park to provide bundled wood to them for their campers. Although she used to complain (mightily) about it, she was a big help.

Drawing for Apron Pattern

2011-12-04T09:12:00.006-06:00

Oh, the excitement around here this morning!

It was time to draw a name out of a hat to see who would be the recipient of the 1941 Apron pattern.

I put all the names in a hat . . .

See? There they are!

Coerced Papa Pea into closing his eyes, sticking his paw into the hat and bringing out a name. (If I'm going to keep this up, I must have Chicken Mama show me how to use that Random Number Generator thingie so I look a little more professional.) And the winner turned out to be . . .

CAROLYN "RUFFLES" RENEE!

Carolyn, if you'll go over to the "Contact" button on my right hand side bar and send me your mailing address, I'll get the pattern sent off to you first of the week.

Thanks to all of you who entered. Wish I had had an extra pattern to send to each and every one of you.

A Wood Workin' Day

2011-12-02T19:02:00.007-06:00

On one of his last jobs of the season our neighbor, who owns and operates an excavating business, cleared some forested land for a house and septic system for a client of his. D and his wife don't burn wood so he asked if we would like the birch and maple trees he cut down. (The home owners asked him to remove the downed trees from the property.) Sure! We can always use wood so we gladly accepted.

With the time we've been spending on our remodeling, Papa Pea has had very little spare time to get out back into our wood working area to get this wood cut up. However, within the last week he did spend two really long days in close communion with his chainsaw and got the huge trees cut into lengths to be split. That in itself was a humongous job.

His work left two huge piles of cut wood in a bad spot. They are right in the path of where we push plowed snow all winter long. This means that we need to move the wood. This means we need to get it split and stacked under cover in one of our wood sheds. Before it starts snowing.

So far this early winter season, we've had only one snowfall of a couple of inches but that melted and our ground is still bare at this point in time. If we get snow on the ground before getting this wood moved, it will make splitting it and moving it twice as hard. Hubby and I spent yesterday working at the task but quickly realized we needed to call in reinforcements. So we coerced Chicken Mama into spending a couple of days of quality time with her Mom and Pop . . . working on the wood with us.

Do you see the size of these logs? Papa Pea said it was some of the hardest chainsawing he's ever done. What a shame these huge, beautiful trees had to come down. Many of the pieces are so heavy we can't lift them onto the splitter. We have to roll them up a plank . . . making darn sure they don't tip off and smash a foot or two.

Today it took the two of us moving as fast as we could on the splitter (while still working safely, of course) to keep up with our daughter who was in charge of taking the full wheelbarrows into the shed and stacking the split wood.

Here's a shot of Wonder Woman (aka Chicken Mama) stacking wood in the shed while the two of us were making like Energizer Bunnies trying to get another wheelbarrow filled before she came looking for it.

A picture of our daughter and granddogs. Notice the tennis ball in Maisy's mouth? She carries it around just on the off chance somebody (Anybody? Puleeze?!) will throw it for her.

So guess what the three of us are going to do tomorrow? Put in another day of fun and recreation on the wood pile.

What is it they say about a full wood shed being like money in the bank? We be RICH!

Apron Pattern Giveaway

2011-12-01T19:25:00.004-06:00

Giveaways seem to be running rampant in Blogland these days, but who's complaining? 'Tis the season for giving gifts and spreading cheer so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

This is a pattern for an apron I want to make, but I sure don't need two of the patterns . . . which is exactly what I found when looking through my stash of patterns a couple of weeks ago.

Would any of you like to receive this pattern? If you don't wish to keep it for yourself, it would make a nice little Christmas gift.

The pattern contains three Adult sizes, Large, X-Large and XX-Large. Three Child sizes Small, Medium, and Large plus a pattern for an 18" doll's apron. The apron looks like a slip-over-the-head, loose fitting style that would be comfy to wear while providing pretty good coverage of your clothing.

If you'd like to be put in the running for the apron, just leave a comment saying so and for the fun of it, also include a little blurb on the one gift you would like most to receive for Christmas this year. It can be fanciful, funny, frivolous or practical. (Me, I would ask for one thing: To have our remodeling done! In lieu of that, I need a new pair of black leather gloves.) Let your imagination run wild . . . or take this opportunity to provide a written suggestion for Santa that might actually appear under the tree.

Get your comments in by this Saturday night, December 3rd., and I'll draw a name first thing Sunday morning.

I Have No Original Thoughts

2011-11-30T09:47:00.005-06:00

Here I go again doing a blog post because of something one of you fantastic, creative, intelligent (shall I go on?) bloggers suggested.

A couple of days ago, Erin over at Garden Now - Think Later, suggested we all do a post showing and talking about our sewing/craft/quilting/knitting/crocheting areas whether that be a dedicated room in the house or a set-up on the kitchen table. Click on the above link and be sure to go see Erin's use of a small space with fantastic results.

Being basically lazy (and not having any time lately to even go into my quilting studio let alone take new pictures), I'm posting this link of my own which will take you to a blog post I did just about two years ago giving a tour of my special room.

I am indeed a lucky, lucky ducky to have a specific room of my own for my quilting and sewing. But just so all of you know (and for those of you who may be frustrated and still only dreaming of having your own space), I worked on our small (30" x 48") kitchen table for many (MANY) years while storing my supplies in the bottom of a kitchen cabinet. Don't lose hope; you might have to wait for that larger house or until a bedroom is vacated by a child leaving home, but you will get that little haven of your own someday.

The room that is now my quilt studio was originally a 12' x 16' detached storage shed when we bought the property. We used it as a workshop while we tore the existing house structure down to the studs and started reconstruction from there. Eventually, we added a 16' x 16' addition on to the end of our house and moved the 12' x 16' shed to attach to that new addition. In that position, it was used for a few more years for storage while we worked on other projects.

Then I designed the interior of my (to be) quilt studio. We managed to clear out all the "stuff" stored in there, and Papa Pea and I dove in to redo the ceiling, floor and walls. We built the storage units, cutting table, and design walls to my specifications. It didn't happen overnight, I'll tell ya, but once it was finished it turned out to be just about perfect.

I love it (it is my sanctuary) and cannot wait until we're done with this current remodeling of our house (is there no end?!) so I can get back in there. And maybe not emerge again for a month!

Copy Catting

2011-11-27T19:50:00.004-06:00

I feel like I'm doing a cross between Patty's Counting Blessings and Mama Tea's Sunday Scribbles with my post tonight. Just some unrelated things I've been thinking about today and thought I'd share.

* * * * * *

I'm thankful for my iron. (Go head, you funny people who don't even own an iron, scoff as much as you like.) Yes, I iron a basket of our clothes every week after the laundry is done, and I just don't see how any of you manage to have clothes that look decent without ironing. I must have missed that class somewhere along the line that taught one how to take clothes off the line or out of the dryer at just the right time so they don't look so wrinkled. Also, I couldn't quilt or sew without an iron by my side.

Having said that, I have the WORST luck with irons of anybody else in the world. I have had really good irons including the most expensive Rowenta irons and all of them either leak water or have temper tantrums shooting their temperature gauges into the stratosphere or refuse to heat up at all on alternating days of the week. If I had saved all the irons I've had to give up on, our house would sink into the soil it's built on from the weight of the irons.

This past spring hubby and I were in a store in the big city and I mentioned that (once again) I needed a new iron. He picked out one for me that cost $9.99 reasoning that no matter how much I spent on an iron, it never lasted for more than a couple of months anyway so I might as well get a cheap one. Guess what iron has worked perfectly for me for the last several months? Right. I really should pick up another one just like it the next time we're in that store. That way when this one finally conks out in 20-25 years, I'll have a replacement.

* * * * * *

I love my quilt studio. I feel so fortunate to have a whole room that is mine, mine, mine. No one else goes in there to do anything. I can shut the door and have complete privacy to . . . well, do all those secret things like make quilts and wall hangings and sew the suspender buttons on my husband's pants. (Those same buttons that he manages to lose one of at least every other week.)

The only problem is I have spent so little time in my sanctuary in the last year that I sometimes feel like throwing a genuine conniption fit. (Either that or renting out the efficiently designed space and getting some income off it.) Any empty floor or table space in there is currently used for storage of household goods and/or furniture that is in the way of our remodeling. Also miscellaneous supplies for same remodeling seem to find their way in there regularly.

I can't even bring myself to read my quilting magazines as new issues come. It makes me down and depressed thinking about my wonderful (neglected) quilting studio and knowing I just don't have the time to spend in it right now. I know the room is lonely without my presence. I can feel it.

* * * * * *

We have tons (literally) of dry wood under cover for this heating season. And a couple more tons stacked in 8' lengths in the back yard that we hope to work on this winter so we'll be ahead in refilling the wood sheds come next spring. Also, we're so fortunate to live on our own land that provides us with acres of wood that we could use to heat our home. It's a good feeling to know that no matter how high in price heating fuel rises, we don't have to buy it.

* * * * * *

Being able to go for a hike in our own woods and harvest our Christmas tree is a nifty option. That's what we did this afternoon. I wrote a day or so ago about not being very enthused about putting up a tree this year because in the midst of our remodeling, the only place we can fit one is on the end of a storage cabinet in the kitchen. And it would have to be a very small tree. Very small.

Well, between hubby really wanting a tree and you dear readers encouraging me to (stop my whining and) put one up, I gave in. Wait until you see this Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It will give you a laugh if nothing else. I promise to post pictures when we find some time in the next couple of days to get it set up.

* * * * * *

That's it for tonight, folks. I drank a beer with our pizza for dinner and it tasted so good I just finished another one. And now I'm finished. In more ways than one. *Hick.*

Slog Along Day

2011-11-25T20:23:00.004-06:00

Both of the human inhabitants of this homestead slept poorly last night. Papa Pea developed a stiff neck late yesterday and it kept him from any kind of comfortable sleep during the night.

After having a WON-derful night's sleep night before last, I woke at 1:50 last night for a potty stop and when I shuffled back to bed found that even though I was tired, I couldn't fall back asleep for love nor money. (Insert frustrated scream.) WHY does that happen?

So the outcome was that we both looked and felt like something the cat dragged in for most of the day.

My main aim today was to get all the fall/Thanksgiving decorations taken down and put away and the Christmas decorations up. Needless to say, there will be no decorating in the living room area this year, but I will do what I can to make things look festive in the kitchen. I also do a little decorating in the bathroom and bedroom.

Did I complete my task? Nope, but I'm about 80% done. I should be able to finish up tomorrow and still have time for other things.

I'm thinking I'm not going to put up a tree this year. (Papa Pea is not happy with this idea and when Chicken Mama hears of it, she will throw one big, royal hissy-fit.) No way can one go in the construction zone of the living room. There is only one safe (far enough away from the wood stove) place where I could put a very small tree in the kitchen.

It would be on the closest end of the above cabinet in the southwest corner of the kitchen. The phone and answering service are on the opposite end of the unit and need to stay there. (You can see the unfinished door into the living room area on the right of the picture.) Strings of lights, usually put on the tree, are resting on the top of the cabinet. If I don't put up a tree, I'm thinking about figuring out some way to string the lights around the windows so we can have them on in the evening and early morning. Although I must admit, at this moment in time that, too, seems like a lot of work.

We've lost virtually all the snow cover we got a little over a week ago. Outside it looks, and smells, like spring. However (dum-da-dum-dum), the forecast is for a mixture of snow and freezing rain (oh, joy) starting at midnight tonight and continuing until 6 p.m. on Saturday. The snow we would welcome, but ice is not nice.

I meant to take a picture today to show how much the gardens look just as they do in the spring, but the daylight slipped away from me a little too, too fast. Don't know what the situation is in all of your various locations but come 5 p.m. in our neck of the woods these days, it's durn close to pitch dark. And in a couple more weeks, it will be 4:30. So, so different than in the summertime!

Miscellaneous Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:34:00.004-06:00

Hubby and I will be alone for most of the day today. And that feels just fine. We're actually looking forward to it. A day of not doing anything we don't truly want to do. Sleeping in and feeling okay about having a lazy day.

I'm going to start the day sitting with my morning latte at the kitchen table making a list of all I have to be thankful for. My list will be long. I may have to have a second latte.

Often on Thanksgiving when we are sharing the meal with others, we go around the table and each person says why he or she is especially grateful on that day. Sometimes what a person says is surprising.

My husband always thanks me for each meal I prepare and set on the table for us. Every day, no matter what the occasion. That's a big something for me to be thankful for right there.

My father-in-law could not have been described as a romantic or sentimental man. He and my mother-in-law were married on Thanksgiving Day. He never could understand why they couldn't celebrate their anniversary on Thanksgiving each year. He thought that would have just been so much easier than remembering the exact date.

Helen and Scott Nearing, early back-to-the-landers striving to live a self-reliant life style, always marked Thanksgiving Day by going on an apple fast; all they ate all day was apples in protest of what they called the gluttony by so many people who over-eat on the holiday.

When I was growing up, my folks frequently hosted Thanksgiving at our house for our big extended family. We ate around the dining room table on mom's best dishes and white tablecloth. As many card tables as necessary were set up in the corners to accommodate the younger generation. Our meal was always at noon and everyone stayed the rest of the day. One thing I remember that seems odd to me now is that when mom and the other female relatives cleared the table after the main meal, all the leftovers were spread on the table in the kitchen and we snacked on this food the rest of the day and then pretty much polished it off for our evening meal which was eaten before everyone left to go home. Nothing was refrigerated for those five or six hours. 'Tis a wonder we all didn't wake up dead the next morning because of food poisoning.

I wonder what would happen if we all made this Thanksgiving the start of a more peaceful, content-with-what-we-have holiday season? Rather than participating in the Black Friday frantic frenzy of shopping for shopping's sake, what if we all stayed home and savored the day? We could take a leisurely walk or hike, work on a craft we love, read a book, simmer a huge pot of turkey vegetable soup, make a holiday wreath or two while spending the day with holiday music playing in the background.

The holidays are what we make of them. I personally want to make a real effort to handle them in a way that is more enjoyable, less stressful and brings me more joy and fulfillment. Sounds selfish? Well, I can't change anyone else, but I can change myself. In theory that should make it better for everyone around me. Certainly something to work toward.

One last Thanksgiving thought: I'm very, very thankful for all of you I've gotten to know to one degree or another through the magic of blogging. Years ago I used to participate in our community playhouse productions. I think the thing I enjoyed most about my involvement was that I got to know people that I never would have in my primarily homebody-type life. That's much the same way I feel about blogging. It brings all of you into my life.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Is This The End Of The Week?

2011-11-23T16:30:00.006-06:00

Even though it's only Wednesday, it feels like we've put in a whole week on the remodeling during the past three days. Tomorrow we're giving ourselves the whole day off which is much needed and will be greatly appreciated by these two (feelin' kinda weary tonight) home owners.

We got the wall covering of the living room stairway finished today.

This is the wall from the living room side. The horizontal slats on the right are the "pocket" for the pocket door. Doorway (without door) is farther on down the line. I have to set up in the garage (now that we have a break in using the saw to cut in there) and get the finish put on the door so it can be hung.

We have stairs! Kind of. We got the three stringers up but had to reinstall the old treads temporarily because I need to put a finish on the new treads (cut and ready) and the risers (which aren't cut yet) before installation. But at least the crude ladder access is no more.

From the living room we will take a step up onto the landing at the foot of the stairs. The door you see straight ahead leads into my quilt studio. Turning immediately left on the landing takes you up the stairs.

Big glitch encountered today . . . we found out we're not going to be able to use the ceiling material we had decided upon. Long story, but not interesting enough to take the time to relate. It simply means we have to go back to the drawing board to find another material we will use.

Here I thought we had the ceiling, wall and floor materials all figured out so time and effort could be put elsewhere.

During this remodeling, I've found that I don't enjoy the process of picking out materials. I know what I like and I know what I don't like but spending the time researching, shopping and deciding isn't my cuppa tea. I'm so much of a concrete person (my husband has intimated on occasion that the "concrete" is in my head) that I want to get on with the DOING and being able to SEE the efforts of a day's work.

So, we're back to coming up with material for the ceiling that we both can live with (let alone actually be excited about) and that fits into our budget. We'll find something. In the meantime, there are paaa-lenty of things we can do to keep the forward momentum going. AFTER tomorrow's day off, that is.

From Bad Stairway, To No Stairway

2011-11-22T21:20:00.007-06:00

It was hard, but we finally settled on the specifications of the new stairway going up to Papa Pea's office.

The basic problem we faced is we don't have enough space to fit in a "made to scale" stairway. Literally the only place in the living room we could possibly put the stairway just doesn't allow a long enough run for the standard measurements. The room we're working with is a smidge over 15 x 15' but in that space there are four doors and one whole wall of windows. Put in the stairway (somewhere, somehow) and we have a room 15 x 11-1/2'. Not large, but lots bigger than we had before!

Papa Pea and I tried but couldn't figure out a satisfactory way of building the stairs. Okay, call in the big guns. B measured and figured and erased and measured again and finally told us we had two choices.

We could build the stairway with treads this size and risers this size or treads that size and risers that size. Those two options were the very best we had. We made the decision and the work started.

Above are Papa Pea and B taking down the old (temporary) stairway.

This is a view of a stairway you don't usually see. I'm taking the picture from the bottom where the stairs will start going up to the second floor.

The inside of the stairway will be finished with bead board. When I took this shot I was standing in the living room looking through the outer stud wall of the stairway with the wall of bead board we got up today on the opposite wall.

Here's the way we're getting upstairs tonight. After this, any stairway will be an improvement.

We did also get the three stringers for the stairs cut today so with luck, by tomorrow night we'll have easier access!

Wall Up, Kindling Done

2011-11-21T18:54:00.008-06:00

Lady Carpenter Extraordinaire, B, was here today lending her professional expertise in getting the wall up in the living room that will close off the stairway going up to Papa Pea's office. It was a little tricky because 1) getting anything squared up and level in this place is challenging to say the least, and 2) the new wall will have a pocket door in it.

This is the temporary stairway we've been living with before work started.

Here's as far as we got today.

After lunch I was told my services were no longer needed (waaah!) and to go find something else productive to do.

Well. I knew where to go. To the kindling bin! Prior to today, I'd put in one long session and one short session in an effort to get it filled up for the heating season.

Here's the picture I posted last week . . .

. . . and here's what it looked like when I staggered back into the house late this afternoon.

I did misjudge how many bundles of cut-to-length slabs I'd need to completely fill the bin. I could have used two, maybe three, more to legitimately call it filled to the brim.

But I split all I had and even though it is a scant bit short, I'm pretty sure it will last us through this heating season with no problem. I think.

More work in the living room scheduled for tomorrow. It sure does help keep the enthusiasm going when one can actually see progress rather than the seemingly endless work on all the necessary stuff that doesn't show. Maybe we'll get to the new stairway tomorrow?

Project Apron: Done!

2011-11-19T09:48:00.006-06:00

Okay, Susan, you tough task master. You made us all sign on the dotted line and commit to getting our aprons done by Thanksgiving . . . and I'm glad you did.

I choose a very simple design, loose and easy to wear but one that should do the job of saving the front of all my classy (ya, right) homestead outfits from stains and splatters. (I really should make a set of sleeve protectors to match because the cuffs of my shirts seem to suffer also.)

The fabric I used is a winter-ish pine bough and holly accented with red berries. I bought it a few years back to make winter pillowcases . . . but that never happened.

The back called for a single button closure at the top but I took the lazy way out and used two snaps instead. (This picture looks like I was told to go stand in the corner for some transgression.)

Wanna know the best thing about this apron and why I may wear it all day, every day until it self-destructs? When my hubby was taking the pictures, he said, "Are you losing weight?" Heck, no . . . and if I were, how could he tell under the shapelessness of the apron? But if it gives that illusion, I'll wear it to cover up my belly, bumps and bulges from now 'til the cows come home.

Thanks again, Susan, for organizing this fun project. Can't wait to see everyone elses creations!

A Few Cutting Remarks

2011-11-18T15:03:00.006-06:00

Ever heard the expression "not the sharpest knife in the drawer" when describing someone who's a little dim? That's what I feel like when I'm in the kitchen cooking and can't figure out why I can't cut an even slice of bread. Or when my knife slips off the onion (and narrowly misses my finger) rather than dicing the veggie. Or when cutting an apple requires me to put all my weight on the knife while bearing down. "Oh, right! I haven't sharpened my knives in a while," I say to myself as the dawning light causes me to remember.

There is really nothing like a sharp knife to make work in the kitchen easier. They say you are more apt to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one and I totally agree. Why make your work harder (or more dangerous) than it needs to be? Stop and take time to put a clean, sharp edge on those knives.

When hubby and I were first married, he insisted that the only way to have really sharp, well-maintained knives was to sharpen them with a whetstone. Because I could never get the knack of using said whetstone, he happily volunteered to become the Official Knife Sharpener of the family.

Well, drat and dang, it quickly became a big pain in the patoot to be knee-deep into meal preparation only to decide I needed a knife sharpened. I'd have to drop everything, go seek him out and ask if he had time to grab his trusty whetstone and sharpen a knife for me. Besides all that (and you don't need to tell him I shared this), he never really got the knives that sharp.

So taking the bull by the horns, about 30-some years ago I purchased an electric knife sharpener. I got a Presto Eversharp Electric Knife Sharpener and it's one of the best purchases I ever made and I still use it to this day to sharpen my knives.

I've had the same basic five knives in my kitchen for way too many years to count.

Although I have a serrated bread knife (which, sad to say, cannot be sharpened with my electric knife sharpener), it's my large chef's knife I always use to slice bread.

It seems I have more control of it and can consistently make uniform slices of bread with no trouble. However, if anyone else is in my kitchen and needs to slice bread, they inevitably grab the serrated "bread" knife.

Above are the other three knives I use constantly. The top one is a 6" small chef's knife I grab more than any other one. I've had people ask me why I have such a small chef's knife. It fits my hand and I can control it better than the traditional longer chef's knife. When we owned the restaurant, I bought an identical one for the kitchen there but don't think anyone ever used it but me.

The middle knife is kind of all-purpose with a 5" blade, and the small one is a good paring knife. I use these five knives over and over and don't feel a need or desire for anything more. As seldom as I use the serrated bread knife, I could probably get along without it although I'm sure I'd get grief from anyone else trying to slice bread in my kitchen and not finding a "real" bread knife.

I suspect a cook's knives are a very personal thing and we all probably have our favorites because of our own needs, habits and quirks. But bottom line, a sharp knife makes kitchen work easier and it's worth regularly taking the time to make sure yours stay that way regardless of what method you use to that end.

Surprise!

2011-11-17T16:37:00.005-06:00

Maybe it's just my warped sense of humor, but this is something I see almost every year and find hysterically funny.

Our pond froze solid overnight last night and we had a slight dusting of snow. The first two incoming Mallards of the day got a surprise when they landed, and slid several yards on the ice before coming to a stop by crashing into the bank at the side of the pond.

If you look closely at the picture, you can see where they dragged their tail feathers in the middle of their sliding feet in an effort to put on the brakes.

Once they came to a stop in the weeds, they gathered their dignity and waddled back out toward the center of the pond.

Another Potpourri

2011-11-16T16:49:00.008-06:00

This morning, Jane over at Hard Work Homestead did a post about a luscious sounding potpourri she made with the leftover peels from a bounty of oranges someone had given her.

Her potpourri reminded me that it's the season to start using a potpourri that I make every year.

Here's the recipe I follow in making mine.

HOLIDAY POTPOURRI
2 cups dried apples, cut in pieces
2 cups fresh cranberries, halved
10 - 6" cinnamon sticks, broken
4 whole nutmegs, smashed with a hammer
1/2 cup whole cloves
1/2 cup whole allspice

Allow apples and cranberries to air dry for several days. (I do this by spreading them in a 9 x 13" open pan and stirring a couple of times each day. You could also do it in a food dehydrator.)

When cranberries are dried, mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight jar.

To simmer the potpourri, place 1/4 cup mixture and one cup water in a small saucepan.

Place the pan over a low heat and simmer for several hours, enjoying the delightful aroma. Add more water as needed.

This recipe makes about one quart of potpourri. Eight-ounce jars of it along with instructions make a nice little gift.

I simmer ours on the wood stove. (It would be nice if I could come up with a more attractive container, wouldn't it?) It works just as well over a very low heat on any cooking range.

This concoction gives off a wonderful aroma. Often when people walk in they think it's something yummy baking in the oven. Ooops. Maybe not so nice to whet their appetites then not have something to serve them!

The Kindling Bin

2011-11-15T19:51:00.005-06:00

We took the day off from remodeling today to get some other things caught up.

This is our kindling bin. For some reason, I didn't get it filled up this summer. Sigh.

I gathered the few sticks of kindling left in the bottom today and then Papa Pea cleaned out all the miscellaneous debris. Looks nice and clean, doesn't it? And E.M.P.T.Y.

Now I need to get busy and get it filled to the tippy-top. I have lots of dry slabwood cut into kindling length pieces that just need to be split by me and my trusty little hand ax.

Well, it's a start anyway.

I quit earlier than I would have liked when hubby needed help unloading building supplies that were still in the truck from our last Friday trip to the big city. Can't remember what happened after that, but I never did make it back to my kindling project. I'll try to squeeze in some time there again tomorrow.

I really don't mind making kindling at all. I can either listen to an audio book while I'm splitting or use the time to think. Good thing I'm currently listening to a good book. Thinking AND using an ax is sometimes more than I can muckle.

So This Is Progress, Huh?

2011-11-15T09:48:00.005-06:00

I keep telling myself that work on the living room will go faster than work on the kitchen did. (Work on the living room will go faster than work on the kitchen did. Repeat over and over and over.)

Our small, old kitchen table is proving useful to hold stuff. But it's also in the way.

Things always have to look worse before they look better, right?

We have got to get this furniture out of the room. Any ideas where we might put it?

Please tell me this is progress.

Quick Peek

2011-11-14T09:05:00.003-06:00

Got the bookcase at the end of the kitchen island put in place this morning.

Here it is . . . empty.

Here it is . . . full!

Wanna See My Freezers?

2011-11-10T12:02:00.006-06:00

How's that for the most exciting invitation you've had all day? I was so pooped last night I didn't even have the energy to take pictures of the freezers newly installed in the pantry, but I got them this morning.

The above is looking directly through the open pantry door to the opposite side of the room. Look, it's a huge freezer! It's a super-deep bath tub? It's a casket for a troupe of midgets standing up? (I've got to get some kind of window treatment on that window.)

Looking to the right side of the pantry you can see the small freezer next to the big one. (Hang in there, Erin. I know someday you and your bountiful garden produce are going to have the luxury of all this, too!)

View to the left shows some very messy shelves with stuff just thrown on them helter-skelter. (Look, Sue, scallopy shelves!) You wouldn't believe all I have crammed in the cabinets. At least we got all the remodeling materials that were stored in there out yesterday. New I just need to find the time to get in there and start making sense of the disorganization. Now THAT will be fun!

We've got three or four really hectic days coming up so I will probably be MIA for a few days. Be back soon. Have a great weekend, Everybody!

Apologies, Apologies . . . And A Winner!

2011-11-09T19:31:00.005-06:00

I promised to announce first thing this morning the winner of the two Linda McCartney cook books I recently offered as a giveaway. Well, this was one of those days that started before I was ready and totally got away from me.

An 8 o'clock appointment this morning came before I had my full wits about me, and I never did catch up. A few errands on my way home from the appointment then I spent a little time with my very sick daughter.

Then on to work on the homestead that needed tending to. We've never moved the two freezers into my new pantry because it's been full of remodeling materials. My pantry! I finally have a pantry, I've had a pantry for a couple of months now but I've not yet been able to use it! (Can you tell I'm frustrated about this? Sorry about the outburst. Back to the facts now.)

Well, we knew the freezers needed to be moved from the garage into the pantry before we got snow on the ground. The only way to get them in was out the attached garage, all the way around the house, up onto the front deck, into and through the house to the pantry. (Pant, pant.) So snow and ice on the ground would only have complicated the move.

Getting both the large freezer and small freezer moved meant I had to unload them, defrost each of them while they were empty, get them into the pantry and, of course, put everything back into the freezers.

That done (oof and ugh) we spent several hours going over the basic plans with our carpenter friend, B, on the finishing of what will be our living room. This includes building a new stairway up into Papa Pea's office and one down into our basement. Hubby and I had the electrical plan in good shape but wanted to run it by B who came up with several good suggestions and changes. Then we moved on to everything else including wall, ceiling and floor materials, sound-proofing for the ceiling, construction of a pocket door at the bottom of the stairway up to the office area, installation of the wood burning stove in the living room, fireproof materials for in back of and under the stove, etc., etc. How can talking, planning and making decisions be so exhausting?

Anyway, it was a very full day with a simple dinner of eggs and toast, and I haven't had a chance to do the drawing for the cook books until just now. So without any further ado or folderolling around . . .

I will put the nine names of you readers who are interested in the books in this little red pot, and draw out one who will be the winner.

And that slip of paper says . . . Peggy! In her comment, Peggy said that if she should win, she would give the books to her eldest daughter who is a vegetarian. What a nice mommy! Peggy, if you would go over to my "Contact" button on my right hand side bar and send me your mailing address, I'll get the books off to you as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you who have shown an interest in the various cook books I've been cleaning off my shelves. More to come!

Kitchen Trim and Finish

2011-11-08T20:31:00.011-06:00

We got the last "biggie" done in the kitchen today when we put the back extension on the island.

Here's the front of the island before backing was installed.

And the back view.

I had to empty the drawers and pull-out shelves for the installation of the back piece.

The empty drawers and shelves ended up stacked on our bed (again) and the contents of the drawers were piled in boxes and stashed in the to-be living room for the day.

Fast forward a few hours, a little bit of blood, sweat and tears (no tears actually) and here's the new front view.

Island seen from the back.

I wanted a 6" shelf extension on the back of the counter so I could push counter top items out of the way to give me the full width for work space. We also installed two electrical outlets in the top unit which I hadn't had (and really missed) since I've been using the island as my main work area in the kitchen.

All in all, I'm pickled tink with the way this back addition worked out. It does make the kitchen look a little smaller, but less like an open warehouse. Wa-hoo, scratch another item off the list!