playing with yarn and sticks

I have been really humming right along with all of my fiber related projects. Really, I have. I think I went through a spurt, just after Christmas, of not really wanting to do any of it. I was pretty burnt out. I have my mojo back and I'm super happy about it!!

I'm testing the most awesome soaker/longie pattern right now. I LOVE it so far! It's truly ingenious. The designer made an excel workbook with formulas so the pattern is written just for YOU and YOUR baby. I just so love it. I'd say that I'm about halfway done with the body.

We walked around the property today to marvel at our work. We have potatoes coming up! The gladiolas are about six inches long already! The strawberry plants look sad, but I'm holding out hope and we are hoping that the corn makes an appearance soon. It's good that we are getting rain, but bad that we are getting SO much rain. I worry that things are not going to take out there. Oh, I'll just keep praying and waiting. The rain is also making it hard to get more planted. I do, however, have LOTS of starts on my kitchen counter. I'm getting ready to transplant a few of them. I'll have to post pics of those soon. I still feel behind and some days I feel like we are falling more behind by the minute. I guess this year is our learning curve. I hope.

sewing kids clothes

It's really the whole reason I got a sewing machine. I mean, have you seen what Walmart wants me to dress my little girls in? No thanks. No Bratz dolls in this house!! So I'm going to participate in the Sewing Kids Clothes week which is May 9-15. I need to get in gear on this or it will become just something else that I wanted to do. Here's the link to the blog where it all comes together. I'll share with you what I get done, and you can share with me, if you like.

On other news; there isn't much going on on the homefront these days. Just tired and rainy. I've been knitting and crocheting up a storm. Making goodies for friends with babies and squares for swaps and charity blankets. I'm also testing a pattern for longies. It's going good so far and I'll let you see it when it's done. That's all for now. Maybe I'll come back later with some pics. Maybe. lol

Rainy days

There hasn't been much going on around here as far as the outdoors go. Lots of rain. However, I will be out there tomorrow putting in spinach and doing a little weeding. I've been doing some knitting and crocheting for a swap or two and for a package going to a pregnant friend.

I started more seeds inside today. I washed wool soakers. I did schoolwork with the kiddos. Dishes, baking, cooking, preparing. The piano guy comes in the morning. I've got one more bookshelf to put together, an outlet to replace and some furniture to rearrange. I have to paint the bathroom wall and put new flooring in there. So much to do!!

It's been cold these last few days and as I am a wimp and have small kiddos, we turned the heat back on. It's almost enough to make you want to scream! lol But we don't. We are moving ahead.

Well, I'm tired and it's late. There are a lot of projects in the works tomorrow and I should have a few pics to share. Until then, here's us enjoying the chilly weather.

corn and babies

Today we busted our rears trying to beat the storms and get the corn in.....it still hasn't hit yet. lol It wasn't all for not. We got our first planting of corn put in. It was crazy and I am tired. I also put together a new bookshelf and had piano practice. (On top of regular stuff like, ya know, school and housework.) So, since it's late and I'm tired, just a few pics to capture our day.

First, the finished strawberry patch, as promised. I had to put little sticks next to each plant because they looked so weird out of the package and really blended with the dirt. There are 21.

Hubby hard at work in what is now our corn field. The dirt area where he is standing was identical to the surrounding overgrowth just a few days ago. Lots of hard work.

Here I am making a go at the rototiller. I got it done, but boy do those things have a mind of their own. It was not nearly as easy as you would have thought a self propelled yard machine might be. Between the two of us, we tilled this area a total of 3 times with more than 4 go arounds each time.

And my favorite picture of the day. Miss Miranda wanted to be held while we were doing the actual planting of the corn and since I didn't want to abandon hubby during this process, we found a solution. This is her Boba. It's a backpack carrier. She loves to hug me when she's in it. It really makes her happy and that makes me happy. So here we are. I am pulling dirt over the seeds and baby Miranda is giving me a hug. What a wonderful life.

new babies

Today our new chicks arrived!! This totally made every one's day. This was our first time buying from a hatchery. We got the call from the Post Office this morning and I rushed down to get them. We ordered 15 pullets (females) and 1 cockerel (male). One of the little girls didn't make it. It was very sad, but considering that they are two days old and just came to us via USPS it's really not too bad.

I got the strawberry patch finished today!! Unfortunately no pics since it was just too dark by the time I was ready. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. Tomorrow we will hopefully till for the corn. Hubby is resisting since it is supposed to rain/snow on Friday. I'm working on him though. Lots and lots to do.

the watering can

It was beautiful outside yesterday and I got a lot accomplished, although not all outside. I took four of the kids to the dentist and only ONE of them had cavities. I guess it's inevitable at every visit. *sigh* We went to the craft store for some pattern paper for the jammies of which little miss Miranda is in dire need. I came home and had the craziest misunderstanding with the piano guy who I maintain was lost and never made it to my house. We had to reschedule. I went to the church and practiced for about 45minutes on the piano. And Miranda and Daddy found the moon. I came home and started my strawberry patch! This is the site before I started.

What this meant was to drag out the tiller and till. and till. and till. and till. I think I went over it some five or six times. Seriously. I pulled up pens, hand shovels, pliers, broken plates, small plastic toys and the fiber fill that apparently someone buried over every square inch of the yard. It was definitely a lot of work. I then made some steaks to help me with the trim I am putting around it. I didn't get it all done, but I did as much as I could. Don't laugh. This is two and a half hours of work!

Then, it didn't rain the day before as it was supposed. No rain= mom has to water the goodies. We have no outdoor spicket. Yes, you read that right. Ugh. So, I have a run of the mill watering can from Walmart. It's not huge, but it's not one of the small indoor ones. Here is what I determined yesterday. It takes 1.5 cans to water the onions. (The onions are the middle box.)

It takes 3.5 cans to water the gladiolas.

It takes 6 cans to water the potatoes!!

I'm going to get hubby and FIL to go to the farm and home store today to pick up the necessities for putting a split faucet into the basement so we can run a hose (or more like three strung together) to make my life 100% easier!!

That's it for now. Work is a callin'!

Getting Started

So, it's spring and in full swing around here!! It's been in the 80s and this prompts us to get our rears in gear as I already feel we are falling behind. We are embarking on yet another new area of life. We have decided to give our hand at small scale farming. We are feeling like now is the time to try it and if not now, when? We have roughly an acre to work with. It sounds like a lot, and it is, and it's overgrown and in a horrible state. And there are hills. Lots and lots of hills. We are working on it. We keep reminding ourselves that next year won't be nearly as hard since everything will be cleared and ready, mostly.

Hubby and FIL have been doing a lot of tree and shrub clearing. It seems that over the last decade or so that wherever the trees have decided to drop seeds, they have grown uninhibited and completely untamed or cared for. If they fall through the garage (which is apparently what happened to the garage a few years ago) then so be it and it stays where it lays. We have found trash and all other types of nonsense in the yard since we started. It's very disheartening but we are forging ahead. There is a lot of weeding and planning happening right now.

We did get the first round of potatoes in the ground, and that was an amazing feat in itself. lol It was my first go at our huge rototiller. It worked out and I felt it for a few days. I also weeded one of the garden boxes that was already here and planted a whole bag of gladiolas. They will be in bloom just below an adorable birdhouse. I can't wait! I also got the onions in and some of them appear to be going pretty well and we are thinking of replacing the ones that aren't. I have another garden box cleared that is awaiting planting. It will either be filled with garlic or spinach seeds. I also have plans of a strawberry patch, but that will have to wait for another day. We have seeds to start indoors and lots more work to do. It's a hard life filled with work and long days, but it's the best life I could ask for.