Beautiful Weekend

What a beautiful morning we had yesterday!

I woke up early or what I thought was early, it was 7 am but still dark out!  Can’t wait for that time change to roll around!

Stumbling out for coffee I found Mr. Fix-It at the kitchen table sharpening my kitchen knives.  They’ve gotten dull these past few months chopping while dehydrating and canning.  It was really odd to have dull knives, when the girls were living at home they were sharpened quite often..especially on date nights.

After coffee we went out and shot a few rounds.  Mr.Fix-it has had a problem with the muscles in his left arm seriously limiting the use of it. We think he over extended or pulled a muscle/tendon when we were placing the steps out back. He’s been to our Chiro for physical therapy which has helped tremendously.  Pulling the bow has been pretty painful this past month & with hunting season starting tomorrow….well, “Lucy we got’s a problem”  This mornings shooting was a test of his progress in healing.  I’m happy to say he had little to no difficulty with the draw & is back on his way to great shape….Which in turn makes me happy as it means we will have freezers full of venison this winter!  WOOOOT!

It was beautiful outside!  Low to mid 70’s perfect weather for all those little ”I’ll get a round to it projects”  Things that were not pressing in full summer but small projects that need done now,  He fixed the 4 wheeler and the tire on the small trailer it pulls, so I cleaned up a bunch of garden debris, hauled it down & loaded the compost bin.  I need to add some dirt  and will call that bin done till spring.  This week I’ll pick up a few pallets to get the next bin built and ready to use.

His poor garage is in a mess.  Both tractors are in pieces, we still have all the construction debris left over (but to good to toss) from the addition and other projects.  Used cabinets we picked up to repurpose in the new laundry room but decided against…get the idea?  He’s a neat and orderly person.  A place for everything and everything in its place kinda guy & the garage disorder is driving him crazy.   A truck load of trash later and some rearranging, bits of shelving and it’s better..  a least its clear enough to start sorting things out & creating pathways.

I can’t say there were major accomplishments, we worked but took things at an easy pace placing no pressure on each other to “get r done”.  

I think after the busy summer it was just the weekend we needed restful yet productive.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,Random stuff

 

Weathers Changing, are you ready?

Looking out the window this morning I see the leaves are finally starting to turn.  Really turn not just the dry brown, drought dead leaves.  Oranges and gold’s are popping through the green foliage.  Time to change the garden flag in the flowerbed

I love these fun little seasonal flags.  A touch of whimsy and cheerful a punch of color in the flowerbeds. I wait till they go on sale and pick them up for pennies. 

Over the weekend our weather had defiantly turned cooler with temps dropping down to the 30’s & 40’s at night… which meant there was a extra comforter added to the bed.   The past 3 days we’ve had a wonderful gentle cold soaking rain.  You can almost watch the soil soaking the moisture up like a sponge which is great because this morning we have heavy sheets of rain. 

If this heavy rain had come first we would have lost a lot of top soil. 

This week I need to go through all the jackets, coats, scarves, mittens & gloves, tossing everything in the wash to freshen them up.  I like to check for holes, loose buttons and zipper stitching before they become a problem.  Is there any thing more frustrating than being cold or wet, needing that jacket & have the zipper stitching come undone?

I’d like to say this type of mending is done as needed or at least before coats and winter gear is put away but, the reality is we/I get excited about spring, gardening, being outside coatless and winter gear ends up stuffed in the coat closet. 

Have you checked the Farmers almanac for your winter forecast?  This year we’re going to want those coats mittens!

Technorati Tags: Katidids,random,weather

Puttering Over The Weekend

This weekend went by so fast!

Saturday morning we had another estimate for replacing the windows in the main part of the original house. And, here’s a “Mark it on the Calendar Day” …..Way below what we had estimated/budgeted…installed!

Not only a winner for the funds but for Mr.Fix-It’s time to put them in!! We were also planning on redoing the exterior window trim (30 yrs old I think it’s time) so there were additional discounts for the time and labor which we will do. Hey, I can swing a mean paint brush and hammer by now!

Hubster was able to go to the races Sunday morning so to save time he drove up Saturday night & stayed with friends for an early start of the day. He so rarely gets time off for things he enjoys it was great he was able to go. I missed him like crazy but he had some guy time and what sounds like a lot of fun.

I had a lazy Sunday morning and had the coffee pot to myself! I was able to try my hand at making watermelon jelly with one of my mutant watermelons .

Gosh, It was so quick and easy I kept checking the directions thinking I’d missed a step. Looks so pretty in the jars. I keep thinking I’d like shelves upstairs for all the home canned food in the kitchen. Wouldn’t all those colorful jars look wonderful? Eh, we live less than a mile from a rock quarry and the constant dusting would drive me batty (er).  I think it’s one of those things that is better in theory than reality for me.

Mr. Fix-It got home early afternoon and we puttered around doing yard work.  We’d drained the pool a week or so ago but it needed to lay and dry…then it rained so, yesterday we were able to fold and roll it up nice and tidy for its new owners.  We’re passing it on to my “sister-in-law” and her family.  They have 2 young guys Isaiah’s age that will love it & we’ve gotten more than our moneys worth out of it.  Well maintained she’ll have a couple of more years of fun in her.

We (he) got the yard mowed & weed eating, I worked in the garden and got the flower beds tidied  so, the place it looking pretty good if do say so myself.  Not a lot but a few things off the fall “Gotta Do” list.

Glad we got that finished as we’ve rain coming tomorrow.  Sounds like a nice day to knit and sew to me!

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,preserving,jam,in the Kitchen,gardening on the cheap

 

Bits of Randomness

  I popped into the local grocery the other day for eggs, they had gone up .50, and are now $2.49 –$3.49 a dozen.  Flour in the smaller bags has gone up over a dollar since early spring. Peanut butter (the store brand mind you is up) .75 cents.  It’s going to get pretty scary for some..especially those who either can’t or won’t cook from scratch. 

  I was able to move the blue berry bushes to the new bed built just for them.  They were super easy to dig up & transplant.  I’m sure that is not a very good sign.  I would have expected the roots to have spread out more but, they are moved.  I watered them well and then the past 24 hours we’ve had a steady drizzle of rain which has been wonderful.  We’ll see what happens. I think 2 are dead but, it’s sure worth a try.

The 3 new raised beds are looking good.  Empty… but good. I’ve only had 1-2 weeds pop up so far.  We are waiting out the pumpkin to put in a few more.  The last of the watermelon are nearly ready & think I’ll try out some watermelon jelly with the larger of them. 

It’s been a weird week, I haven’t accomplished much on the home front.  Knitting yes, but outside not much.   Mr. Fix-It and I are both a bit…. lethargic I think is the appropriate word.  Maybe tired?  A bit of mental transition from summer to fall tasks?  I’m not complaining at all, but I have felt a tad guilty when I look outside and see little things that need taken care of like the pool toys still sitting at the table & chairs that need moved back up to the house…but they’re not going anywhere LOL! I can do it in the next few days. 

My sister in law has blessed me with another box of canning jars!  She’s actually my husbands, brothers, wife’s, brothers wife.  (It’s so much easier to just say sister in law!) Anyway, her mother is a bit of a  “collector” of things.  Canning jars happens to be one of those collections. So, as they are gently helping her clear out her “collections” she brings me jars!  Another offer was a dozen or so of the old glass Mr. Peanut jars which seal.  I think she definitely needs to check the value of them first.

  Last summer she brought me a box full of old Country Living, Country Journal and Early American Life magazines..old as in early 70’s& 80’s.

I’m loving flipping through reading recipes, gardening tips ,finding quilting patterns and comments of “modern life style choices”.  There are no slick ad’s, actually there are only 1-2 slick paper ad’s in each. Most are heavy yellowing bond paper but in excellent condition. Some things have changed a lot but, the main points of living simply, taking care of what you have and living within your means are the focus… with out being actually stated.  It’s the calm, common since, matter of fact tone & train of thought through out each that has me reaching for the next issue. .  again and again.

Have a wonderful Wednesday

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,random

Fun Finds & a Great Weekend

Fridays mail brought a few new books I ordered. I love old-time cookbooks.  The recipes are usually simple tasty, nourishing fare.  They each have a few quirks but my favorite are those recipes from one home…for example one books recipes were all written with measurements like… a handful of flour…which might be a full fist or, just enough to cover the palm.  I have large hands so it makes a difference!  Generally after using a few recipes I get the rhythm of the writer’s ways if they are heavy handed with the seasonings, if the baked goods they made were light and fluffy.

Harder to find are those with recipes for venison, squirrel & rabbit because those little cute fluffy critters find their way to my freezer.

Amid the recipes this one is full of household tips and newspaper article’s which give a glimpse into the lives of home makers of the time. It talks about the introduction of electricity to the homes and the changes it brought about.

Since I’m pretty confident with canning and dehydrating (it goes without saying you can always lean more) I’d like to lean more about fermenting as a way of preserving the garden goodies.  Since Mr.Fix-It literally gags and chokes at the smell of sauerkraut cooking, I’m not sure how successful this will be.I’ve no idea if all fermented foods have the same smell

Soooooo, the book may be up as a give away if that’s the case!

We had a great weekend, nice weather,Larry got the tractor fixed and the mower deck working so he got the field mowed and it looks great.  Hmm, not much better scent than that wonderful smell of fresh cut grass.  We had the kids (big and little) over for a family BBQ to celebrate Erika’s birthday.  I love the fact we are so blessed to have 4 generations gathered around to share in these celebrations.  

The beautiful weekend weather carried over to this morning.  I got a few hours of weeding & tidying in the garden before the humidity shot up.  This afternoon my plans are to catch up with some laundry, a bit of knitting and sewing.

What are your plans for the day?

Have a wonderful Monday

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids,random stuff

When was the last time

you ran and played like a child

As adults we often are to cautious and wait to see what happens in life

as if joy and happiness are limited and we’re afraid to use it up

I think joy begets joy

So take a few minutes every day

Don’t think about who may be watching or what others may think

Play like the children did yesterday &

Laughed with carefree abandon

Where did you find joy today?

Katie

Technorati Tags: katidids,family,finding joy

 

Friday Finds Me..

thankful for my garden & the time I can spend in it with the little’s in my life

From tiller to table, teaching them that the work we do pays off

sometimes it’s to the benefit of others & no matter what you do, once in a while thing just don’t work out

But that’s ok…you don’t give up, you try again.

Giving me the reminder that a garden is like children, it’s not just planting seeds,

but the seen and unseen they are exposed to

which form the strong vines of character they will develop & carry with them on the twisting paths life offers

& to live with purpose

Teaching them like the bloom, the heart is tender and life is fragile, and must be handled gently

What did you find in the garden today?

 

Technorati Tags: Gardening,life,random,Katidids

Recently Overheard in a conversation

A Man referring to his wife’s inner strength made the comment

“I’m so proud of her, she’s stronger than a woodpeckers lips” 

Now that, in a twisted way is high praise!

Technorati Tags: humor,randomness

Morning Coffee, PLEASE!

Um, I have to admit, this is pretty close to me in the morning. When I was up at “O God” thirty this morning I made a immediate beeline for the coffee pot. My Bunn, my sweetie…(well that’s another story)..anyway, I filled the water pourer thingie & turned to pour the water in the pot…and forgot to hold on. To the water pourer thingie. Full of water. Yes, in slow sleepy eyed motion I watched as the water thingie slipped out of my hand and continue on to the counter and then to the floor.

Because my priorities are perfect first thing in the morning, I did the potty dance while I made coffee….

Drinking my first cup while listening to the weather report tell me it was cold…could be what those snow flurries were about…I finally looked at the now dripping counter. And decided I needed another cup before I approached it. Now I’m not sure about your house but here we have a large counter about 5 steps inside the door. Need to remember something you need to take on the way out the door? Set it on the counter. Mail? Set it on the counter. Bertha…on the counter. It’s been my main clutter catcher in the house. I was going to tackle it today… if I had time.

I decided I needed a 3rd cup before I waded in. By the way, baking soda removes ink from wet mail that stains counters.

Aside from Bertha the counter is cleaned off & dry. Clutter busting achieved!

I’m happy to report no chocolate was lost in the incident.

I checked some just to be sure.

Technorati Tags: katidids,random,clutter

How NOT To…

After all the “How To’ Posts we’ve all had, I though I’d throw out a couple of “How NOT To’s”

How NOT to ripen tomato’s!

I forgot the tomato’s ripening and we had a dusting of snow last night…Live & learn!

This one my Father~in ~Law just sent me, to funny!

How NOT to decorate your home!

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down.
First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

Can you imagine driving down the street and finding this!

And, Dont forget to enter the drawing to win FREE LANOLIN!

Technorati Tags: Random

Thought for the Day

Do you realize in about 40 years we will have

Thousands of Little Old Ladies

running around with tattoos

And

Rap music will be the

Golden Oldies?

While the Cats Away

Ever wonder what really happens at your house

while your gone on vacation?

"Remember that saying,

"while the cats away, the mice will play?"

Those young ladies left behind at Evy's house are running wild!

Having a good time doing all sorts of things.

They have been playing, sunning & even went to the park!

Tried pizza & other snacks for the first time.

I sure hope the elves and 7 dwarf's don't hear that

they have been out partyin it up! And you know the rules,

no other kids at the house if Mom & dad are not home!

I sure hope they have the house and yard cleaned up

by the time Evy gets home from her Happy place!

Make up Monday!

Morning!

As usual I'm starting the week behind,

we've had lots going on

& I'll update later this afternoon

I got some "Bling" to share

But, they both require 7 things about me

so I have to think about that

I've been knitting my fanny off..

not really, knitting yes but

the Fanny is still there

behind me

hello fanny....

will you go play some where else?

Weeding in the garden of half dead tomato plants

updating my blog reader

taking on Mt Laundry

planning out custom wooly capri's

test knitting

shop knitting

dyeing yarn

supervising work on the patio/courtyard...

which for some reason was not appreciated

Customer photos to show off

planning a blankie for Miss Evie,

little Miss Priss who will only sleep

with polar fleece or minky

Nooooooooo shes not spoiled!

Guess I better get busy & finish some of these!

Lord, where are my vitamins...

double dose today!

Have a blessed Monday!

LIFE!

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.

Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month..

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12.. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

But don't worry; God....never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

Don't save it for a special occasion.

Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words

'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is,

not because of anything you did..... or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,

we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time.

You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

LIVE your Life!

Favorite Shoes

Following in April's footsteps....

Sorry,

I just had to say it!

These are my favorite shoes

I'm sure you noticed,

The nail polish is almost as old.

So, What is your favorite pair?

Passin on 2 Posts

2 posts I loved today

one has nothing to do with the other

I just thought the were both great

Sewing Chick

has a great post on Egg Cartons

(yes I said Egg Cartons)

& random ways God touches our lives

(great uses for them also)

April from

Coal Creek Farm

has another fun one.

I would show mine but have to

re-do the toenails first...

I'll show mine tomorrow

& hope you have fun with it and do the same

& link back so we can all see!

p.s.

can some one tell me how to add the linky thingie?

Memory Lane Laugh

Any Mama's need a good laugh?

How about a "Stroll down Memory Lane?"

Candi has had a memorable afternoon...

I think most of us have been there!

Mama Memories start here!

Manic Monday!!

Help!

I've fallen in the garden

& I can't get up!

Just joking,

I've had a lot going on & will catch up tonight

Possibly...

but there has been knitting..

The Kidlet longies

are turning out sooooo cute!

Just have to take photos......

where are the batteries for my camera...

they were just here

well, they didn't grow legs and walk away!

I have to get organized.....

So This Is Morning!

This morning I woke up at 5:45 AM!

No earthquake, just earthshattering!

I just....... "woke-up"

I made coffee without dropping, spilling or, even stumbling!

I was functioning.....

(Can I hear a hallelujah chorus?)

For me that's a minor miracle....

Am I becoming a (((shudder))) morning person????

I text Larry a good morning message...that he understood!

I even saw that fictional thing called....

Sunrise!

It was nice being the only one up,

the house was quiet....

Erika & Chris did not have to work until 10-11am,

And Miss Diva Evie let them sleep in.

I also found Isaiah smiles and sings in his sleep

Hmmm, I might try this tomorrow!

Maybe