Birthday Weekend

This year my birthday fell on a weekday.  I seem to have had a whole birthday WEEK, however, and I have really enjoyed it.  The evening before, we had a birthday dinner at the In-Laws'.  The day of, I had a cake.  It wasn't a great cake, but I didn't have to make it and everyone agreed that it was an awful cake.  Yesterday we delivered the munchkins to Grandma so she could keep them overnight and gave us money to see a movie/have dinner.  It turned out that outside work would take precedence, but we did eat out all day long and went browsing through used car lots for my next vehicle.  Got a lot of the outside work done and we're both pleased with the progress.  Played some WoW.  Today was spent doing more used car shopping, I got clothes, spent my Michael's gift card, and used up a Ruby Tuesday gift card.  Had a great lunch!  I ordered the lobster tail and petite sirloin with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette and grilled green beans.  YUM!  I was having a difficult day due to pain issues, so we called it a day after lunch and picked up the kids.  Finished binding off mom's socks in the truck on the way home.

Came home and played WoW.  I ran to get some minor groceries.    Used my brand new yardage counter to figure out how much of the Alligator Eats Black Pumpkin I really had (724 yards, not the 600 I had originally calculated).  It took me over two hours to get that number and wind the whole skein into a ball.

I'm off now to begin the cast on for Lazy Katy!

Hexipuffery

I had every intention of blogging yesterday, but never followed through.  It was boring around here anyway.  I ran a package out to the PO and that was the extent of my adventures out of the house.  It was a yarn swap that played in for a Rav group.  The hexipuff madness invaded and I was quick to succumb.  I have put the puffing on a back burner so that I can finish those socks but after that all bets are OFF.  I have a gallon-sized ziploc bag filled to almost bursting with mini skeins of sock yarns sitting right next to my chair.

There are Wollmeise minis and KP stroll tonal minis and Koigu KPPPM minis plus hand dyed, handspun, unknown sock yarns, etc.  I know there are people with MANY more minis than I but I don't care.  I really intend to USE rather more than I intend to STASH.  

Terrible lighting on the first but that's my first grouping of puffs.  I have more :D  The second pic is of my hand dyed that a Rav friend (PirateRed) spun.  She sent me a miniskein so that I could experience the awesome.

I have a full day planned for today, mostly relaxing and some shopping.  I have a gift card to spend, after all!

Happy 41st!

I ran errands.  Specifically, dropped a prescription by my pharmacy (please, let the insurance pay for it this time!), mailed a package, got lunch for Little Girl, and deposited a surprise! check from our county tax office.  I took a "Happy Birthday" phone call from my mom and received a pattern for the Lazy Katy shawl from my Rav friend, JuleeQue.  I looked through my handspun and I think I'm going to make it out of my Alligator Eats Black Pumpkin yarn.

Dinner last night at the In-Law's was ham, potatoes, corn, rolls, applesauce, and SIL brought a veggie pasta.  I graciously accepted (read; GIMME GIMME! hands) a gift card to the brand new Michael's store in Lakewood.  Scott promised me a half day for entertainment and shopping in Lakewood on Saturday after we get some more outside work done in the morning.  I'm excited!

I'm still working on mom's socks.  I'm still looking for Little Boy's glasses.  I'm still recovering from this darned cold thing I suffered through last week.  Thank all the good things that the week is almost over!

...and this is what Little Boy was doing while I was busy writing this post.

And So, My Fortieth Year Ends

Halloween 2011.  Munchkins went ToTing as cowpokes.  We went to the smaller town next to us and went down two streets.  They had a great time, she yelled "Trick or Treat!" at everyone and "Happy Halloween!" and "Look, Mom!  A Pirate!" or whatever the costume flavor was when one passed.  I had to prompt him to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" to everyone.  He just wanted to see what people had in their candy bowls for him to take.

The last two weekends, we've torn out one of the plaster walls in the living room and repaired lathe and put up 1/2" shiplap foam for insulation purposes.  I put plastic on three of the dining room windows.  Doing that prompted me to move the mountain of computer parts off of the desk that was in front of one of the windows.  It all went up to the third floor and I swapped the elliptical machine and the desk that was in front of the window, so the whole room has opened up a bit.

I turned the heels on mom's socks yesterday.  Now to work up the leg!  I may actually get these out to her in time to mail by her birthday.  I can hope (and knit like a fiend!).  I'm also working on a wisp, an improvised cardi, and hexipuffs.  I broke down and bought the pattern from Tiny Owl Knits so that I could center out puffs AND the original puffs.

I also "got back into" BPAL.  I'm wearing Dancing with Death at the moment.  Love it.  I also LOVE Carnival Diabolique, The Robotic Scarab, Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand, and Blood Kiss.  I still have about ten that I need to try ON, but I'm almost through all of my purchased imps.  Sigh.


Frack died yesterday morning.  I don't think she was egg-bound as we got an egg from her (at least, I'm pretty sure one of the three eggs we got was from her) just the day before...but she died, regardless.  I was moping about it all day.  Realistically, we are going to be EATING these birds before all is said and done, but it just felt weird to lose her so early and for an unknown reason.

Scott brought home my birthday gift early though-check it out!

So, I've been busy loading it up and figuring it out.  I love gadgets SO HARD.  Tonight we're going to his dad's for my birthday dinner.  Rose is going to keep the kids this weekend so that Scott can take me out.  They're both so good to us, I love having these wonderful people for my In-Laws!

Mom made me a quilt for my birthday/Christmas gift.  

I've been very blessed.  I have a great life and I appreciate everything that has brought me here and all the things that keep me here.

Crafty Nonsense

I'm currently knitting this improvised drape front cardi.  I've done the first front panel and am working to the back section (think rectangular, knit side-side).  Going well enough.  Then I have the blue jean shawl otn.  I also have a 198 Yards of Heaven shawlette otn using my hand dyed cormo yarn (the yarn was from MelissaSpata from MOHS group on Rav-she got it from her co-op and sent me this skein and one other that I have dyed).  Plus the pair of socks otn for mom (this is a different one-I finished ONE pair, now I'm doing this one).  So.  FOUR projects on needles.

I have been browsing patterns in my search for a good armhole setup for this cardi and saw the pattern, "Ecuador" and "Pole" by the same designer.  $6.00 for each pattern.  Throw in the overwhelming urge to purchase the "Beekeeper's Quilt" pattern for $5.50.  That leaves my PP empty.  Haven't bought anything yet, but that's where the brain is at the moment.

I HAVE patterns here for stuff that I want to make ("Silk Ribbed Corset", I'm looking at you here) but don't have the yarn requirements, and then there are the two Christmas things for Nikki (the hat she asked for and a Mario Mushroom I think she'd love).  I keep looking at my spinning wheel and the fiber I COULD be spinning, but right now I want to KNIT.

I should be making soap, too.  I could be expanding my Etsy store with pretty smelly stuff and instead I'm perusing Rav instead.  It doesn't take long, it's not HARD.  I would rather wind off mini skeins from my full ones for the silly hexapuffs.

I did buy a share of KP tonal sock yarns!!  They won't be ordered until after the 13th, so I MIGHT have new minis around the end of the month to play with.  If I can just remember that I need to be PATIENT.

Not complaining...just getting this out of my head so I can get a new perspective.

Oh, and someone has shown my munchkins the purpose of the Heimlich maneuver....

My shop

So we scheduled today as a "work outside" day.  Dropped the munchkins off at grandma's so they wouldn't be underfoot.  Got gas for the mowers and trimmers.  Came home and plowed into the gardens for the last harvest (cherry toms and carrots) minus the last row of onions that we'll pull for winter storage.  I got the last cauliflower out of the ground and was carrying it to the chicken run for a chickie treat when I hear "GAWK!!"

Scott, already headed into the house, turned and looked and both of us said essentially the same thing-"Is one laying an egg?!"  I stopped where I was in the driveway until all five birds were visible in the run, then we ran over to open the door to the nest box and found

THESE!!

One was cold, must have been from yesterday.  The other (clean one in this pic) was warm, fresh out of a chicken!!

Back in the Saddle Again!

The two littles and I got back from a week-long visit with mom on Monday.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely!   Aunt Pat and Uncle Charlie came up from Kentucky Wednesday night to spend the night and go to the Newport Aquarium with us (Mom, Don, me, Raina, Ryan, Jordan, Allen, Chris) on Thursday.  That was worth every bit of the 2+ hour drive one way from mom's house and almost worth the 9 hour drive to Indiana!  I think my favorite single exhibit was the snake-neck turtle.  The favorite grouping of exhibits would have to be the jellyfish room.

We were surprised by a visit from my cousin, Nick, who Ryan so resembles when he's wearing his glasses :D  I didn't get the camera out to snap a pic of Nick, though, so no comparison shots.  I visited with Jimma and Lisa as much as sleep and work would let us.  I discovered that Jim and Jordan play Rift exclusively now.  I just cancelled my subscription for the summer.  Figures.  Aunt Pat taught us how to play Train with cards, Mexican Train and Chicken Foot in Dominoes, and then the boys and Mom taught me how to play Cornhole.  I still need help with scoring that one.  I sucked.

Mom let me borrow her juicer long enough to know that I must have one.  We juiced up all of the tomatoes and peppers that I brought (along with one small onion and carrot) with her store-bought carrots and celery.  LOVE the flavor.  Brought the juice home to make soup with.  So Tuesday I made beef stock with soup bones and about a pound of stew meat.  Used part of the stock and half of the stew meat to make beef vegetable soup with the tomato juice, a quart of last year's tomatoes, a pint of corn from a bit further back than that, this year's green beans and onions.  I didn't get pictures of that but it looks like a red vegetable soup.  Trust me :D  Tasted AWESOME out of the pot.  I got about 4 quarts out of that, and another quart and pint of beef stock.

I made egg rolls out of my cabbage and the remainder of the stew meat, threw in a small onion and one cooked egg.  For the record, I HATE the smell of hot frying oil in my house.  The cabbage and grease don't really agree with my digestive tract, either.  But these egg rolls taste SO GOOD!.

I made banana bread today using my Amish Friendship Bread starter and 5 medium-sized overly ripe bananas.  Waiting for after dinner to determine whether these are a win or a miss.

I still need to make pesto to freeze for the winter.  I've got to do something with this mess of basil!  Not to mention all the *other* work that needs doing around the house.  Have pine nuts, parm/romano cheese, olive oil, and basil!  Need a bit of time in the kitchen.  Tomorrow.

I'm knitting again, though.  Spinning took a back seat while I plow through some knitting.  This is going to be a draping wrap.  Hopefully.  I'm not following a pattern, just an idea.  Knit a front panel, armhole slit, knit the back panel, armhole slit, knit the other front panel.  The two front panels have random cables (random size and placement) to give it some visual interest and to keep "drape" from becoming "sag".  Love the colors in this yarn, the yarn is nice-has a terrific sheen but is not next to skin soft, and I am not loving the pooling and flashing.  This is the Tintagel yarn in "Olives" that Kay sent me for the Summer Swap.

Thanks to the LSG thread, I must now own boots.  I'm heartily lusting after some Fluevogs.  Damn it.  We just got the news that our cow AND pig went to the butcher, so those two usually-spaced-out bills are now dumped on us at the same time along with the CC payoff and the property/school taxes.  Sigh.  No money for boots :(  Or to replace the Kindle that Raina broke yesterday (GRRRR!)

School started for Ri on Tuesday, Little Boy had his first preschool session this morning and Little Girl goes in for her first session of preschool this afternoon.  Yay, she graduated out of the Intermediate Unit!  Here she is with a bug bite and the cutest yard-sale-found jellies!

Yippy, Skippy!!

I woke up this morning to a sale in my Etsy store!  Traffic has been slow and sales were...well..."dead" pretty much sums it up.  I sold the solo skein of self striping "Broken Honeyed Peacock".  I hope that the buyer read the whole description thoroughly and understands that this is really a yarn that should be used for toys-it's not OMGDON'TTOUCHIT rough, but it isn't skin-soft.  I also had some dye breakage resulting in some pink spots in the brown stripes.  It's a pretty cool skein of blue, yellow, and greeny-brown (with pink spots).   I'm thrilled at the sale and wish that I could sell out of the whole store.  I'd love the money, sure-but ultimately it's that sense of "...you like me!  You really, really LIKE me!"

I made fried rice for brunch.  Surprisingly, the kids liked it and asked for more.  There are rice grains on the floor now, though :(  I'm waiting for them to dry up and then I will vacuum.  It wasn't my mom's fried rice, or a restaurant's, but it was certainly edible!

Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen preparatory to my leaving for mom's next week.  It got a more thorough cleaning than it has had since we moved in.  I got rid of all of the clutter and JUNK that has accumulated on the countertops (pennies, nails, screws, bits of metal, mouse poop, crumbs, coffee grounds, bits of paper, bits of unopened mail (credit card offers), recipes, instruction manuals, stuff like that).   There's still not enough counter space or storage for all of the things that a kitchen needs to hold, but it's much more tidy.  The room looks so much brighter and it's a pleasure to go COOK in there again :D  Crazy, I know!

I should make soap again.  I really want to order supplies online though.  More scent and butters.  I have a small bit of jojoba oil, some coconut oil, about a gallon of olive oil...really want some shea butter.  Colors I have.  Some scents.  I just want more variety.

I think that should be all for now.  I need to bug out to the PO so I can mail this yarn! In order to do that, I have to get the munchkins ready for public.  Yay.

Catching UP

My, my, my-how time flies.  The chickens have a coop and run and are a very good size.  They're healthy and happy.  We've seen the odd cat and fox prowling around the run and, once, a groundhog got into the run with the girls.  No one was really thrilled about that situation.  I thought it was very funny but only because nothing bad happened. 

Last month was the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry and I got a few things spun up.  My craft room is still overflowing with fibery goodness, though, and I'm not moving through it quickly at all.  I spun a whopping 743 yards of 2-ply, 22-24 WPI yarn out of 4.2 ounces of merino/silk that I obtained from a fellow Raveler.  I listed it in my Etsy but don't really expect that it will ever sell.  I am working through 4 ounces of Finn roving that a different Raveller sent me for test spinning.  I find it slightly coarse but still LOVELY to spin.  I am not sure what my next project will be.  I have over a pound of BFL to spin for a sweater.  A Cormo fleece to finish flicking and then spinning-also a Merino.  Then there are the expired braids from my Etsy.  Maybe they'll sell better as yarn??  Probably not.

Last month began the joys of potty training two preschoolers.  It progresses.  I'm over that shit in a big way.

I finished one of my mom's sock pairs and I may have rediscovered my knitting mojo.  I very quickly started the other pair (well, it is in it's fourth incarnation) and I think this one may be the final one.  Toes are done and I'm into the foot (toe up, taat magic loop).  I finished the Crest of the Wave tank that was begun last (2010!) April.  I have a shawl started from the mohair/glitz blend that Jen sent me months ago and I spun in a denim gradient.  Then plans for at least one more top before Winter sets in.  

I started using Curly Girl method for my hair last month, too!  I'm using Suave Naturals Conditioner plus intensive scalp massage for the wash, then Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition for the condition and a leave-in.  Plopping in a t-shirt and air drying.  Just today I added in Aussie Tizz no Frizz gel to hold the curl.  We'll see what happens there.  Three weeks ago now I went to Shear Madness II here in Warren and got an allover color (matching my natural brown) with blue streaks along the frame of my face.  The blue STILL bleeds in the shower and right at the front has gone purple, but I LOVE it.  As to the CG-three weeks later and my hair feels so healthy!  

I had one gas station attendant laugh openly at me (The fucking NERVE!  Jerk.).  


I got new glasses (yay) with the help of the nine year-old SS.  Optometrist told me that bifocals were in my future but not necessary at this time.  Shit.


Going to visit my mother next week.  Yay!  Yes, I know it's all about her wanting to see the grands but I still get to see her and that part of my family :D

The girls on 12 May, 2011. Frick and Frack are 4 and a half weeks old. Nan, Pippa, and Rosie are 2 and a half weeks old.

Chicken Fun

Three years ago the subject of keeping chickens came up.  Right about then more and more people were looking for more self-sustainability, what with job losses and skyrocketing fuel prices driving up the cost of everything.  We have bought our pork and beef shares so we wouldn't have to pay grocery store prices and because we liked the idea of raising our munchkins on food that we KNEW had no growth hormones and unhealthy lifestyles.  I bought a bread machine.  I was making cookies.  I needed eggs.  We all love chicken.  So we started looking.  For reasons I won't go into here, we ended up shelving the idea.

Fast forward to March, 2011 and the idea has come back in full force.  We found two breeds that fit our needs (cold hardy, bears confinement well, heavy, docile, dual-purpose, but above all-FRIENDLY birds) perfectly.  We built a chicken tractor.  We decided (for the sake of space) to go with Speckled Sussex.  Had a bit of trouble finding any "readily", however and ended up pre-ordering 3 pullets from Meyer Hatchery in Polk Ohio.  There was a month wait and I developed chicken lust.  Ended up buying two Buff Orpington pullets from our local feed store.  BO also is a good breed for what we want.  

So we've had the two BO girls for over a week and put them in the brooder we made out of Zoe's dog kennel.  They adapted well and are friendly.  It's endlessly amusing to watch the two of them and they're quite happy jumping on our hands and climbing up our arms when we stick them into the brooder.  They seem to be happier having Scott pick them up than me, but he's got larger, warmer hands.  I'm sure they feel more secure with him holding them.

The 3 SS girls spent the first night in the travel box but the next morning we put up a divider in the brooder box.  They didn't have their feet under them yet and we were afraid the bigger girls would trample them or pick on them or smother them in their sleep.  One of the times that I went down to check on them, I was fussing around with the cage trying to create some shade from the heat lamp when I realized that the tiny baby (I'm calling her Nan) had squeezed out of the divider and was roaming with the big girls.  No one was panicked but I got the impression the big girls were sort of huddled into the corner with a "get it away, get it away!" sort of vibe.  I picked Nan up and deposited her into the "nursery" and secured the divider to the side of the kennel so no one could squeeze in or out again.  That was yesterday, Tuesday.  This morning I went downstairs and found one of the big girls roosted quite comfortably on TOP of the divider and the other one down INSIDE.  Everyone was calm and no one was being pecked to death.  After putting the big girls back into their area I watched for a bit until everyone settled down to sleep.  A couple of hours later I went back down and found both big girls down inside the nursery.  No one was stressed.  They all ate together and the three little ones were busily scratching and leaning up against the big girls.  

I took the divider down.  Why fight it?

I'm enjoying the chicks immensely.