Summer dreaming

I've been couped up the last couple of days with a sickness. It leaves me overwhelmingly tired. Washing dishes is a bit more than I care to do at the moment. With that said, I've put the spinning and knitting aside and began dreaming of something simple. Something simple, useful and for a member of my family. A crocheted blanket is just what this Momma had in mind. We hope to have our '76 Serro Scotty in working order by next summer. We have such high hopes that a space at the ocean has been reserved. Wouldn't a blanket for each member of the family be in order? A blanket specifically for camping? I thought so anyways. Problem. We're trying to be wise and frugal with the $$. Solution. I started a blanket earlier in the year and while I adore the pattern, there was too much white and it was super wide. All I needed to do was frog the blanket. The picture above is of the new blanket that has been started. The little Miss is very excited for it to be finished. I don't think she's understanding that this blanket will rest in the "trailer box" until the day we take our maiden voyage. Next up? A blanket for my little guy (who I'd like to think of as little although I'm constantly reminded that he is almost 6 which enlists him into the big boy category) but first the need to finish spinning wool so it canned be turned into a warm sweater for the little/big guy for Christmas.

Tonight I sit in my chair feeling convicted and fighting the tears. I look around me and see so much...stuff. I see a corner of the living room that is dedicated to the kids. The entire corner is made up of almost all new items (purchased within the last few months). Some "essential" and other bits "extra". I see a beautiful tree covered in lights and while we lack ornaments, we still have a tree. The kids are watching a movie. A quick scan shows nutcrackers adorning the mantle, 2 buildings with a couple trees taking space on the buffet (the start of a village), snowmen covering the piano. Yesterday afternoon we filled our bellies with burritos courtesy of a local joint. Despite feeling warm and tucked in I have a sense of sadness. We have SO much. We have so much and yet friends of ours are struggling. They have been full of grace and hopeful during the ordeal of looking for a job. Tonight they were served another blow. A position he was interviewing for is no longer open. He didn't interview until next week.

Christmas is coming and I keep thinking about what I want to make for the kids. If a moment is taken to be truthful, making things can often times be just as grandiose as buying things. The mister and I have always wanted to have simple Christmases and we've managed to so far. The plans this year would still be considered simple by some but by others, like our friends who are struggling, our Christmas would be flamboyant. No, they'd never say it but for the price of what we'll pay for lumber and hardware, they could feed themselves for a couple weeks. Where does it leave me? Rethinking Christmas and our spending. E's hand spun, hand knit sweater is just about done and then I can begin working on J's. What more do they really need? Maybe a trip to the book area of Goodwill is in order?

Essentials

January 2011 will be the start of essential living. It'll be time to dive in hard, pay off debt and spend money on essentials. Problem...often I make purchases that at the moment seem "essential" to me but in reality they are so far from it. Guess it's time to write down guidelines for the "essential" category.

Finding Balance

I feel like I'm in a constant state of trying to find "balance". Balance in everything. I'm also always in a state (in my mind at least) of trying to simplify. Most of the time I fail. Occasionally there is a moment of success. How does one who give up consumerism? How do you save money to go towards paying down debt and saving for a dream? How does one find balance between fixing up a house not knowing if it will eventually be a rental or one that will be sold? How does one find balance in teaching her children at home when not wanting to be real "schoolish" and yet wanting a little structure? Where is the balance between wanting to make things for others and becoming selfish about the time used to make those things?

Blackberry Ink? Who knew?

Homestead Blessing's is giving away a copy of their new DVD: The Art of Crafting. Check it out! I am completely fascinated with the idea of blackberry ink. What a fun albeit messy activity to do with the kids.

For Grandma

Along the fence line there are thorn less blackberries

Sugar snap peas, lettuce sprouts, pablano peppers, green peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, mustard greens and green beans fill this bed.

Butternut squash, sugar snap peas, lettuce, leeks, broccoli riab, spinach, radishes

We are feeling incredibly blessed right now. While so many others have put there garden to rest for the season, mine is still producing. No, it's not warm here in the NW but for whatever reason, the weather is still favorable for our garden. Yesterday Em and I harvested green beans, yellow summer squash, radishes, jalapenos, a green pepper and snacked on some yellow pear tomatoes. There is plenty more to harvest but we're only taking a bit at a time to enjoy the freshness. My Grandma has asked for pictures of the garden and the blog is the easiest way for her to see them. Grandma, you were thought about yesterday. xoxoxoxo

Silk

Our little guy has begun to build it's cocoon! Nature is a wonder.

Fiber Fest

This past weekend our family was apart. Daddy took the kiddos camping and I headed to OFFF Saturday morning. Giddy Up! Last year I went with rabbits to sell but this year I was a consumer. A gauker. A budget was set and stuck to. I determined that I wasn't going to buy pretty braids of painted roving this year but instead went with a list of potential future sheep. We've had Romney in the past and while they were gentle sheep, I've been studying other sheep. The guy who's picture is above is a CVM / Romeldale. After spending TONS of time talking with breeders/ranchers of these mellow sheep I think I'm pretty well set that they will be the sheep in our future.

Hopefully a couple alpacas will be in our future too. I don't want to breed Alpaca...just have a couple for my own personal spinning use.

This is the "loot" I came home with. Really it's not much. The black fiber at the top of the picture is Gotland. It's a rather new breed in America and I was curious. It has an open crimp so is more like curly locks. Dark brown stuff on the right hand side is Romeldale / CVM, the stuff at the bottom is my splurge. 50/50 yak/merino. Oh.my.softness! It will be saved for a later date. The fiber on the left hand side is romeldale/CVM from a different farm. Told you, I'm in love. :-) All in all it was a nice weekend but the silence gave me a lot of time to think. I realized just how much I need my family and caused me to appreciate so much more the blessings God has given me. At times I feel like throwing my hands in the air. Child rearing is so frustrating...and ever so worth it. Because of my children, I am learning how to love unconditionally just as they do. I miss them and the Mister terribly when they are not near me.

Last but not least we have a new "pet" erm...science study living on the coffee table. You can't see it in the picture but there is a caterpillar hidden in the leaves. My little Em was beside herself with excitement over a "live surprise" she had for me. Through a little research on my part I've become certain that it will (hopefully) emerge as a moth in the spring. It has given me a perfect opportunity to add more "school" to our day. The best part of the whole thing? The excitement and interest the kids have. I love that the kids have a zeal towards nature. This has also provided me with the opportunity for us to put together our first lapbook. Yippee!! Oh...dirt has been added since this picture was taken since several moths go into chrysalis in the ground.

Trust and Obey

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the sky,

not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear,

not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

not a grief nor a loss, not a frown nor a cross

can abide while we trust and obey.

We never can prove the delights of His love

until ALL on the altar we lay.

For the favor He shows, and the joy He bestows

are for those who will trust and obey.

Cedar lined closets

She's here!!! Oh my loveliness! Mr. Postman handed me the box just a little while ago. My poor kids thought it was something better than a spindle. My heart raced while opening the package. Within it was a treasure that I had custom ordered. A Victorian Lace Spindle done in Cedar. I am aware of the toxicity of cedar and some people's sensitivities to it but to the Mister and I, nothing smells as wonderful as cedar. Oh, she is gorgeous. Mike did a wonderful job and boy oh boy was he fast. :-) Right now the spindle is set beside me and I keep sliding her back and forth near my nose. I'm going to sit down and begin playing with her all the while I dream of cedar lined closets and chest filled with hand knit sweater and quilts.

Rainy days

The weather has definitely turned fall-ish here in the Pacific Northwest. While the summer was not all together warm, the nights are now in the low 50's with an occasional upper 40. On Labor Day the rain set in. At the moment I love it. The smell of new rain and the turn of colors is the best in my opinion. Fall has long been a favorite season of mine. Truthfully I tend to adore each season as it approaches but fall has a special place. It's a time to finish up canning, enjoy fresh greens from the garden again and a season in which I don't feel guilty sitting down to the sewing machine, spinning wheel or knitting needles.

In the kitchen I've been working on putting up more peaches, pears and apples. Produce seems to be a bit late this year, most likely due to the cooler summer, and I didn't have much of a choice when it came to apples. In a few more weeks I'll head back to obtain more apples. While I have plenty of applesauce and preserves I still need to put pie filling in the freezer and plan on canning apples like you would peaches or pears.

On the handiwork front I need to finish the Mister's quilt. I've decided to hand quilt it and while it's all sandwiched up, I still haven't begun. I also need to finish sewing together his sweater, work on socks (there are always plenty of socks to work on), a quilt for a special someone and other goodies. In the fall my mind runs rampant like it does in the spring about the upcoming garden.

I have picked up a new passion. Hand spindles. I've used my spinning wheel off and on over the last 6 years. It has always been a pleasure to spin up fluffy wool, turn it into yarn and knit something with it. After being intrigued for a while with the idea of a hand spindle I picked one up last September. I didn't take to it. Who knows why. It wasn't difficult. It just took time, something I'm not very useful with yet. During the course of the last year the beautiful purpleheart spindle sat with braids of roving. A couple weeks ago the Mister was in Chicago on business and for whatever reason I picked up the spindle. The kids and I headed north for the weekend with the spindle in tow. The portability is alluring. Oh my. Love. Complete love. Perhaps more love than what I have for the spinning wheel. It's portable. Compact. My wheel is the Ashford Traveller which, to me, does not travel very well at all. With the wheel there are steps to getting set up. With the spindle all I need is fiber, spindle and 2 hands. The most exciting aspect to the spindle is that my little ones can spin. Little Miss has asked repeatedly to be able to do so and once I can get to the craft store to purchase a dowel and wood car wheel I will be happy to oblige. I love that my little ones will learn the crafts of old. It's a romantic idea to me. It seems to put us in touch with the past, in touch with the natural world around us. This pay period saw money left over from the grocery allotment. With some of the extra I put in a request with Mike at the Spanish Peacock for a custom cedar Victorian spindle. I received a note from him today that it is ready to be on it's way to me. Oh the joy!

So, if needed, I can be found working around the house, in the kitchen canning or sitting in a favorite chair with handiwork in hand.

On my mind, in my heart

God is so good

God is so good

God is so good, he's so good to me.

He answers prayer

He answers prayer

He answers prayer, he's so good to me.

I love him so

I love him so

I love him so, he's so good to me.

Pantry Makeover

When considering our budget and our health the immediate thought most of us have goes to food. What is being spent, what is being eaten. For a very long time we (I) spent loads of money on food. Grant it, organic and free range is expensive but I always seemed to have so much excess in the fridge and cupboards. I shutter to think about the amount of produce that has gone to the (gasp) garbage, compost, chickens or rabbits. Plan of attack? Purchase enough for only a week. I'm still working on that end of it but doing much better. Next plan of attack. Increase whole grains and legumes while decreasing meat consumption. This is a difficult idea for me. Most of my life I have been over weight. Eating "carbs" tends to help me keep the weight on. I've spent so much time being frustrated over the problem that then I give in, buy meat (regular factory farmed) and then feel guilty about the animals and the way they lived their lives and the way in which their life ended. Please don't misunderstand me. We are a meat eating family but we gave up factory farmed meats a while back and then in order to loose weight I went back to factory farmed food for roughly a month. I can't do it. I feel guilty. How can I loose weight while eating grains and legumes? Easy. Portion size! As an American and a lover of vintage and antique goodies, I've become aware through the purchase of kitchen goodies that our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. Ouch! I have a cooking set for my Westinghouse roaster that is supposed to feed a family of 4. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe it. It seemed so teeny tiny.
My 3rd decision for making over the pantry was to no longer buy processed stuff. I can make bread. Why don't I? Laziness or a lack of being prepared. Oh my. I love convenience. The kids have been on a bagel kick lately. Do I really need to buy bagels? Nope. Besides, the store bought goodies have so many more ingredients than what is needed.
Lastly, we've pretty much given up on eating out. Sure, we have our "weak" moments but overall they are becoming fewer.
I'm hoping that with the changes that we have made and will continue to make that not only will our waistlines continue to shrink, but that our contentment in simple foods continue to grow and debt will be paid down and eventually off. Once we've been completely transformed and no longer have our weak moments, I believe our family could have upwards of $300 a month to use towards debt. That's upwards of $3600 a year towards debt! Imagine the interest that will be saved. Just the idea excites me.

Growing through change

First off, I am SO glad that I can import my old blog over here. The wonders of technology. :-) Over the years I have changed blog names and addresses several times. Occasionally I'd end up deleting blogs all together only later to regret it. I still miss my first blog Mamma's Quiet Time but life goes on. When I started The Porcelain Desk I disliked the name but the nothing else came to me. Whispering Oak Acres is the name the Mister and I gave to our dream over the last couple of years. Currently the name resides only in our hearts, on a red folder full of ideas and now here.
Whispering Oak Acres is located somewhere in the foothills of the Great Smokies. A land that beckons us back to her. A place where autumn is a canvas of color, a lush blanket of bright colors turning to a rich green in the spring and a summer filled with the scent of wild honeysuckle, plentiful gardens and lightening bugs dancing to the concert of katydids and crickets at dusk. It's a place where our children can run and explore, we'll grow most of the foods we eat whether it be plant or animal and a place to learn. A place to love.
Right now Whispering Oak Acres is only a dream. A place, a vision, we're working towards. At times it feels as though we're not moving any closer. Never backwards, just never closer. At other times it feels as though we much be progressing.
I've become passionate about blooming where we are planted; doing what I can do to make changes in our lives to help us reach goals and dreams. Truth be told, Whispering Oak Acres is changing from a dream to a goal. Sometimes I fall while trying to work towards the goal and other times I succeed. The times I fail I am reminded that I still have a lot of personal change that is needed but I cling to the awareness that through the change, there will be growth.

Content

Squash flowers seem to hold a special beauty. I love the way this one looks with droplets of water still holding on after this mornings watering.

I was up before the rest of the house this morning which seems to be happening more frequently. Honestly I seem to prefer my days to start out that way. Nothing seems more peaceful to me than to start the pot of coffee and then snuggle into the rocking chair with a blanket over my lap and the Bible in my hands. Right now I'm going through Ecclesiastes and seeing it in a way that I never have. It seems to hold more conviction and questions than it has in the past. This morning Eccl. 6:9 stood out and I've spent the morning pondering it. "It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one's heart to always crave more. This continual longing is futile-like chasing the wind." I've wondered if this is what I do. Those who are close to the Mister and I know that we long to be back in TN. Those same people also know that we would like to have more land. We're simplistic in what we would like. We're not longing after 10 acres or a big house. I've grown quite content and thankful for the small (under 1250sq ft for the last 2) homes that we have had. I believe that when we first moved back to WA and for the following 2 years I did continually crave more. Yes, I still long for more but the attitude is different. I've always wanted more for the same reasons. To grow more of our own. To be able to raise our own meat. To be more "self" sustainable. Problem. "Self". I'm reliant on or supposed to be reliant on God. I'm God sustained. He alone has chosen to bless us with this larger city lot whether it's right where we'd truly like to be or not. While the heart would like to get out of the city, I am content with what we have. Out of contentment comes labor. I want to use what God has blessed us with. Not let it just sit. This year has seen thorn-less blackberries planted along the fence line, cleaning up of the area between the back fence and back deck which now contains beautiful flowers and herbs (a pleasant view from the kitchen window for sure), several chickens for fresh eggs (some have made their way into the freezer) and we have the addition of 4 new veggie bed's in a wasted space of the front yard. This weekend will hopefully see the area (between the last bed and the red car) for 6 raspberry plants turned over, amended and the berries planted. I truly believe that because I've become content with what my eye sees, the house and land that we do have, I have been able to see possibilities. Through our acceptance and thankfulness we have been blessed more. Come along with me as I take my usual morning path around our yard.

It may not look like much but the Mister and I are tickled (okay, maybe only females get tickled) with how it looks after only being 2 weeks old. I am amazed at the amount of people who stop and talk with me or stop during their walk/bike rides and take the garden in.

Chili rellenos anyone?

Our favorite future canned good!
I have NEVER been able to grow enough of these to last us the whole year through.

Can you spot her? I always try hard to garden organically (I gave up corn...couldn't seem to make it work without pesticides). Ne em oil has been a favorite. Earlier this week I received a rebate from Freddy's and decided to buy some lady bugs with the unexpected rebate. I am giddy beyond belief that these little girls/guys have virtually eliminated the aphids from my garden! Did you know that 1 ladybug can eat up to 80 aphids in a day? They are most welcome around our yard.

What little bugger is eating the sweet pea leaves as soon as they emerge?

Every day this sight brings the children as well as myself a bit of joy and thankfulness.

She who remains to be named

Henrietta is so called because she looks like a he to me. She and Clara are the most mild tempered, quiet birds out of the lot of them.

#7

Happy # 7 Mr. B. Daily I thank God for the blessing of you!

xoxoxo

I did not hold myself back from getting whatever I wanted,

I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.

So all my accomplishments gave me joy, this was my reward for all my effort.

Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished

and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,

I concluded: "All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless -

like chasing the wind!

There is nothing gained from them on earth.

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Cold, busy summer

I'll get back to posting properly (as if I ever have) soon. We've been keeping ourselves quite occupied. Summer is a time when not much crafting is done. I always find myself longing for the warmth of summer, the season of gardening and yet by August fall can't come quickly enough. I need the rainy days to use as an excuse to get some knitting, spinning, sewing or quilting in.
This summer has seen the beach on a few occasions, camping in the mountains on more than a few occasions, creating new strawberry beds since the chickens decided to decimate my once happy, healthy, lush strawberry bed, the creation of a new garden between our deck and fence line (20ish ft.), and last but certainly not least work on the front yard. The front is taking on a complete transformation. We now have 4 raised garden beds (12' x 4' each), thorn less blackberries planted along the fence and raspberries that I'm still nurturing in their pots. They were on clearance so I grabbed them. Now we're waiting to locate 4x4's in order to create support for them.
We (insert I at will) spent some time in limbo. The mister applied for and interviewed for 2 different positions in TN. In the end, we're staying here in WA and talking about (please, please, please) creating a plan of attack to wipe away the debt and have our home ready to put on the market in 3 years. At this point, trying to sell the house is not reasonable. While we bought our house under market value and while the housing in our city did not inflate drastically, our market has still suffered. We are one of the unfortunate Americans who now owe more for their home than what the home is worth. We were able to hold our heads about the market value line the first year after the crash but after that we were toast. :-(
Time to snuggle with a little Miss who seems to have a summer cold. Poor girl.

Post Road Vintage

You absolutely must go here to see a little something that is absolutely lovely. It is just what I've been telling my husband I need for months and months. If only I'd get off the computer and get to being creative. :-)

Less is more

Kerri at Living Large in Our Little House posed a question. Paraphrased, she asks if society (with it's consumerism) robs people of the euphoria of contentment.

Here's my response:

I absolutely believe that societal pressures have robbed people of
contentment. The ball seems to have really started rolling after
WWII. Recently I was touring Cade's Cove (Smokey Mountains) with my little
ones. I was immediately humbled by the size of homes that families lived
in. We've been living in a 1200sq ft house for 2 1/2 yrs and then 2 yrs
prior to that. It's always been more than enough for us and yet I've
caught myself in the "well, when they get bigger I'll have to separate them (boy
and girl) and then what do I do? Just one more small area would be
nice." I had convinced myself that I was not like "them".
Consumers. I'd compare myself and our home to the mass size of
others. In the world of today 1200 sq ft is small. In days gone by
it would be quite comfortable. I've changed my thinking. It's all a
matter of being completely content and thankful for that which I do have.
For realizing the happiness, euphoria, contentment doesn't come in the amount of
stuff I have, the size of the stuff I have or the price of the stuff I
have. It comes in the thankfulness for the blessings of what I have.
Thankful that I'm blessed to have a roof over my children's head. Thankful
that I have an abundance of food. Thankful for the beauty of nature that
is shared with me. With all of this, I find contentment. I let out a
big, cozy sigh.

Contentment

1 Timothy 6:7,8

For we have brought nothing into this world and so we can not take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.

At this moment in time, and I hope forever more, this is where I am. Content. Big changes in our lives may or may not shortly take place but I have complete peace. Thankful for the blessings of food and shelter whatever may come.

Simplicity

Simplicity? What exactly is it? I believe for so many it means something different. I've always carried a particular definition within my heart and longed for it but have not worked progressively towards it. I long for it. I long for a simple life. Not a lazy one. That's the irony of the it all. Simple does not mean easy. It takes work, dedication, drive, a goal. I feel so many changes within me. I've had a taste of this or that and you know what? While it may be enjoyable, it leaves only a temporary satisfaction. I long for a home-made life. A thrift-ed life. A purposed life. I life made not just lived.

Eggs!

The self proclaimed queen of the hen house

We love eggs in this house. Well...all but one of us and since we don't buy meat from the grocer we eat a lot of eggs. I mentioned in the last post that I had chicks. The first 4 quickly turned into 10. Who knows how that happened. By Saturday morning I had 10 chicks and 2 laying hens. By this last Wednesday I had 10 chicks and 4 laying hens. Yowzer. The hens are pleasant thus far. No, all 14 will not be kept. I will most likely go down to ??? At first I said 8 then I said 5 then I think 6 then...well... We live in the city and on our lot can have up to 8. Do we need 8 for our own use? No. I think 5 will sustain us well. I have a secret though. They're kind of addicted. Now I need to figure out how to quit spending $$ so I can save and have my little chunk of land again.

This girl is stunning when the sun hits her feathers

This girl was a bit tattered but after a week she is looking so good the little black one behind is so very shy

Always Something

Ha! The city recently changed the zoning regs and we can now raise chicken! The bummer is that rabbits have been thrown into the same mix. On our lot size we can raise a total of 8 chicken, rabbit or combination thereof. I have wanted my own chicken for the last...well...probably around 24 years. Okay, most of my life. :-) Today, I bought 4 chicks. They are all supposed to be female but I wouldn't be surprised if one ended up being a rooster.
All 4 are different breeds and all 4 have names. Now we're gearing up to look for a couple laying hens and I'll probably purchase a few more chicks "just in case".
Isn't this such a sweet face. So feminine.

She's a keeper

On Wednesday evening, late evening...oh say 9pmish Emma engages me in a little conversation. I was sitting at the sewing machine fixing up a dress. It's one of those that is mostly done at the fabric store where all I have to do is sew it closed, hem it and add straps or sleeves. She's decided it's her Strawberry Shortcake dress. At any rate, our conversation goes something like this:

Em: "Mommy? Are you a good Mommy?"
Me: "I don't know Emma. What do you think?"
Em: "Yeah, you're a good Mommy. You make me happy and excited."

At that moment I stopped sewing, gave her a peck realizing that my heart had just melted yet again and decided that she was most definitely a keeper.

Where's my Whimsy?

Last Saturday, in the midst of food born illness, I treated myself to a jelly roll of Whimsy. Believe me when I say treat. In general I buy most of my fabric from Joann's as 9.50+ a yard for fabric is above my budget. At any rate, yesterday evening I opened up my jelly roll and began piecing together a new quilt. Just something kind of unplanned. I LOVE the whimsy line. I had all of my strips divided into light and darks and had them sitting across a chair. This evening when I came back into my sewing/computer/classroom to begin working on my blocks, to my dismay ALL of the dark strips are missing. All.of.them! My husband and I have gone through the entire 1200 sq ft of this house trying to find them. The neighbors probably think I was extremely weird when I was outside with a flashlight going through the garbage can.
I asked the kids about the missing fabric and was informed that Jonathan couldn't have done it because he was working on the truck with his Dad. Emma didn't do it either because she was watching a movie. That left the dog who said "grrrr" and ate them.
Seriously, I'm fighting tears. I've been in an emotional way and this is the icing on the cake. My whimsy is missing.

ETA: It's now morning and all is not lost. Whimsy? Hiding in the darkest corner of my room under my pajamas which I tend to keep in a basket. Go figure.

Honey

Meet Honey. This little Scotty is on her way to TN as a birthday gift. She'll guard, snuggle and care for a little girl that I'm too far away to do in person. Happy 1st little miss Ella. xoxoxo

Pattern courtesy of Allsorts

Happy Camper

Happy Camper. Yep. That's what I am. My "On the Road to Spring" (button on the sidebar) is finished. My left thumb has been pricked way too many times but it doesn't matter. Anything for love right...or an obsession right? I'm so happy with the simplicity of this quilt and finally figuring out how to have a nice smooth binding. Can't wait to spend an evening in our Serro Scotty, reading a book and snuggled up in the blanket. Too bad she won't be road worthy until next year. Until then, I'll sit under the blanket working on a sock or some other bit of stitchery all the while dreaming of being out in the woods.

Binding

I've always been disgusted with the binding job I do on the quilts. I may be perfectly
happy with the quilt itself but somehow the binding has been...less than satisfactory. I am SO glad that I decided to join the Road to Spring quilt along (button on my sidebar) because I finally got it! I saw what binding was supposed to look like and how to go about doing it. Sure it takes time but there is nothing like recovering on the couch from food sickness with a husband waiting hand and foot on you all the while staying warm from the quilt your are binding. In the end you have a special bond with the quilt. A little more love was stitched into it. I do believe binding is now my favorite step rather than dreaded. I'll be sad to leave this quilt behind but will have a fondness for it knowing that it was my "first". It is the one that finally has it all (I'm ignoring the bad stitching length on the quilting bit and telling myself it will look much better once washed and crinkled a bit).

Lost

Somehow I managed to lose a month. I've been keeping busy although not busy enough. Over the last month I finished Jonathan's birthday quilt (pictured above) and completed a quilt top for the "Road to Spring" quilt-a-long. My husband thinks the quilt is a bit busy and while it may be, I love all the little bits of "camping" from the fabric line. It reminds me all the time that summer is on it's way. :-) Speaking of summer and camping, we have a super fun new-to-us project. More about that later. Let's just say my mind has been all over the place decorating this thing with fun vintage finds (so they haven't been found yet) and color schemes. It's my "someday farm".

Nothing but worms

We skipped schooling today for more important things. Come on, you know hunting for worms on a spring day during the dead of winter is much more important than sitting at a table. :-)

Simple Woman's Day Book 2/1/2010

For Today...

Outside My Window...The day is looking to be a bit dreary. Cloudy, a low line of fog on the hills and a mist in the air.

I Am Thinking...about my husband who is headed over the mountains for the night

I am Thankful for...A husband who works diligently to provide for us

I Am Wearing...A flannel top and grey bottoms

I am Remembering...That God is Faithful

I Am currently Reading...The Ministry of Motherhood

I Am Hoping...To finish the mittens I bartered this week

On My Mind...Yesterday's lesson at Church. "Calming the Storm"

Noticing That...My little boy is over half my height

From The Kitchen...Burritos made from the rice and beans I made the other night

Around The House...Need to focus on each room individually and give a good deep clean

One Of My Favorite Things...Sitting at the table in the evening playing a game with my husband

From My Picture Journal...

Little Boys, their toys (ahem...tools)

For more Daybooks please visit Peggy