Monthly Archives: August 2017

Whirlwind August

What a whirlwind this month of August has been.   I feel as if I have been chasing my tail.  Today is the end of the month and I did finish 4 sewing/knitting goals, but two were left undone.  A third,

is now put together with backing and batting, but when I have time, I’d like to add more quilting.

In addition to these projects, I have spent an incredible amount of time in the kitchen.  Today again, there was more pear butter canned as well as more produce brought in.   I have another dehydrator full of cucumbers for chips, the last batch of pear butter is condensing in the crock pot, the refrigerator is full of cucumbers waiting their turn.   I gave up and gave some raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes to the neighbor.   The grapes are starting to get ripe and the weather is so incredible, this scenario may continue for another month.   We have started new beets and greens for the winter and they have popped their little heads above ground now.    And we water, water, water, water.  Usually it rains a day or two when school starts, but not this year.

Today a neighbor came over and we wormed 1/3 of the sheep for the winter.   We will be dividing them and giving each group a suitor soon.   Then we count out 5 months to start the baby business.

In between all this, we have made time for doctors visits and a very few staples to eat.  (Today, I visited with the Geek squad so I could bring you this report – I love those fellows) And we have daily fed, watered, and cared for the bees, sheep, ducks, geese, and dogs – oh, yes, and for each other.   I am loving this crazy, out of control summer.

2017
08/29

Category:
machine embroidery

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Scrappy Hedgehog flimsy

 

The scrappy hedgehog flimsy is done.   I put in two babies to make enough blocks.   The fabric on the right will be the backing.   But now I’ll wait until a baby is due that is just right for this quilt as it is easier to store flimsies than to store finish quilts with the batting.   These little hedgehogs from Hatched in Africa are just so cute and easy to stitch.

2017
08/28

Category:
Life

COMMENTS:
3 Comments »

Wedding question

My son and finance` are planning their wedding.  They are considering 100 guests and live in San Jose, CA area.     I need some advice on what they should  expect financially.   Her family is from Armenia and their customs differ from ours.  He seems to think a wedding for this many people would typically costs somewhere around $50,000 which neither family can afford.  Now, I’m asking you, my friends, your opinion on whether this is reasonable (seems like a lot of money for 3 hours entertainment).   How would you go about coming up with a cost that is more reasonable?

It was hot here today – meaning 90 degrees in the Seattle area and Mary came for a visit.   She is still wearing a brace since she fractured some bones in a CamAm accident a month ago.  But she is healing well.   So we relaxed and shared photos and did some watering.   It should go down in history that no sewing or knitting was done.

I

2017
08/27

Category:
Bees
food
Life
Sewing

COMMENTS:
3 Comments »

Male & Female cardinal, bee suit and naan

This is the female cardinal paper pieced.  It comes with two patterns and not thinking, I made the one facing the same as the male, so at some point, I will make the other so they can face each other.  I am linking up with ELM STREET Quilts “One Monthly Goal”

I finished this male earlier this month

This is my bee suit.   The bees like to crawl in right at the top of the zipper and sting me on the neck.   NOT a  lot of fun.   So I took a piece of fabric sewed it to the neck of the head piece and it will Velcro to the body part.  This is my effort to keep those bees out of there.

And then because I had time on my hands (and a bridge to sell) I made naan bread

to go with the apple butter that I also made.    If you have not made naan bread before, you might want to try.  It is super simple.   Much easier than making bread.  And the apple butter.   Fill your crockpot with applesauce and add cinnamon or what pleases you and let it simmer until it is half the volume you started with.   Yum.

2017
08/25

Category:
farming
food
Life

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Prevent Heart disease

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by [Esselstyn Jr. M.D., Caldwell B.]

This is the book that arrived today – the book we will be using for our eating program for the next year.  You can look inside on the Amazon site and I highly recommend that you do.   .

Meanwhile the work on the tanks will be halted for most of a week while the person in charge is on vacation.

I did get 7 pints of pasta sauce cooked and canned.    Today was a cupboard and refrigerator/freezer inventory and removal of items that we can’t use.

So much is happening in our lives, these posts may become irregular for awhile.  I do hope to get back to the studio on Sunday, but at this point it seems that my plans get changed faster than I make them.

Enjoy your weekend – the last one in August if that’s believable!

2017
08/24

Category:
farming
food
Garden
Life

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Septic tank and heart diet

This 500 gallon septic tank will allow us to put a toilet at the barn which will be a real convenience.

This first time down the hole wasn’t quite wide enough at the bottom, so they had to bring it back up and dig it wider.op

Now it fits beautifully and is covered.    Next week we will tackle putting the propane and water tank into the ground.Here the supervising crew is as close as they can get and still stay out of the sun and out of the way.

 

The heart disease diet is going to be a real challenge, but we’re going to take it on.  We are looking to reverse this disease.  I get more information tomorrow, but at this point, it is NO oils, no nuts or avocado, no sugars, low salt, and include 6 cups of cooked greens a day.  Thankfully the cooked greens includes such things as Brussels sprouts and broccoli along with spinach type greens.   And of course, potatoes, rice, lots of fruits and vegetables as well as legumes.   So today we planted more greens in the hoop house, as we try to keep up with these requirements.

2017
08/22

Category:
farming

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Expensive summer

This is turning into one expensive summer.   Today the excavator was here most of the day digging.   We need a ditch to go from the house to the barn for water and cable which is about 400 feet.  We don’t “need” the cable, but with the ditch open, one might as well put any lines that could be needed in the future.

Here is the propane tank which will be put underground and there will be a large water storage tank going in up there as well.  The hole for this tank has been dug, but the excavator wasn’t large enough to lift the weight, so the fellow that dropped it there, will have to come back and put it in the hole that is now there.    We will be working on this again tomorrow and then next week sometime.

2017
08/21

Category:
Life
machine embroidery

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

3 more hedgehogs end eclipse

3 more cute little hedgehogs were my sewing for today.   First though we went to the cardiac doctor.  He gave DH approval to go to the gym as well as tell us things look good.

Did you all enjoy the eclipse?   The doctor came into the room just at the minute they were showing it in real time on our iPhones, so we watched the rerun.

2017
08/20

Category:
food
Life
Sewing

COMMENTS:
Comments Closed

Tested bag pattern

This is the bag pattern I tested today from the inside.   I can’t show you the outside until it is published, but I did SEW today.   This is a very roomy bag and I would use it to carry quilts to a show n tell or supplies to a class.   I will give you more details when I can.  Meanwhile, it felt great to be back in the sewing room.

We also had some company for a short while today.  We have so many cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and beets to share today.   It’s nice when someone appreciates them.

If you are in the US and planning to watch the eclipse tomorrow, please take caution and don’t get hurt.

2017
08/18

Category:
farming
food
Life
Shopping

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Boredom?

Boredom?   Doesn’t happen here!

This knocked me off my chair late last night.   I really thought he would never find the right woman.   He’s nearly 40 now, so he’s met a few and no one appealed to him enough to make him pop the question.  Now he has done it!   And we are happy for them.   No date has been set yet.

I took Beau (dog) to the vet this morning to get the stitches out and he gets so excited with all the new smells, it is difficult to hang onto him.  We came home from that and Bill and I went to the grocery store.  I had a short list, but, even so, they didn’t have half the items on my list.

The UPS man dropped these 40# boxes off at the gate to the barn instead of at the front door.  When DH went to get them, one of the dogs slipped by and did a neighborhood walk about.   So I put the boxes in the back of the car and then went dog chasing.   And this is why I go to the gym 3 days a week.

I made stuffed Rigatoni for a company lunch tomorrow.  I simmered the tomatoes to half the amount and added vegetables to that.   The filling for these is a vegan ricotta/spinach filling.   Then I did get some basic house cleaning done and 5 pints of green beans canned.

When I went to feed the sheep, I found one with his head stuck in the fence and he didn’t want to pull back, so I called a neighbor to have him help me push the head back through.   How is it these sheep can twist their heads to get to grass on the other side of a fence, but can’t twist it to get back out?   Boredom on a farm?   It doesn’t happen.   Sometimes I wonder what I did for entertainment when we lived in the city, and then I remember.   We had little children and music lessons!

Every day this week, I had allocated the afternoon to sewing, but every time an afternoon came, there was something else more pressing.    I only have a week and a half of this month left and still have not completed any of my August sewing/quilting challenges, though some are started.   The knitting challenge is finished.   I just looked at next weeks and find that Monday, we go to the heart doctor and my helper that usually comes for 5 hours on Monday is taking the day off for eclipse reasons. Tuesday, the people are coming with the excavator to dig the hole to put a large water tank and a propane tank.   Lines will be dug to connect the water to the house as well.  Maybe Sunday, after I water the gardens, and Wednesday I can work on some of these projects.  I don’t do well missing sleep, so that is not an option.

Boredom?   I don’t even know what that is.

Right now, I’m ready for the Sabbath rest.   You are welcome to join us.