life's little adventures

January UFO: #5 ~ completed!

2012-01-25T20:56:00.005-05:00

YAY me! i started this Friendship Quilter's Calendar quilt last January. every month, our group has made another block, representative of that month. i completed my blocks using the 9 patch sashing, with hourglass borders, and another wide, plain border.

i plan to have it hand quilted, and would like to enter this one in our local county fair in July.

today was our monthly meeting of our group, Friendship quilters. 3 more calendar quilts were completed, and brought in. how exciting to see all the different possiblities from the same 12 blocks! (sorry for the terrible pictures! i'll try to get better ones somtime...)

Janet's quilt

Pat's quilt

Peg's quilt

2012 UFO list ~ NOT for the faint of heart!

2011-12-21T18:35:00.014-05:00

it's time for the list of UFO's for 2012! Last year Judy had the great idea for us all to pick out 12 random UFO's. Assign each project a number, and on the first of the month, she would pick a number. The goal was to finish that project that month.

apparently (obviously!) i need that extra pressure and accountability, since i got 10 of my projects done, plus numerous others as well.

here's a very loose list for 2012, to be updated with pictures and such as time allows (and as i dig out) each project!

project #1- this was #9 from last year, and started as a well intentioned pile of fabric. now it's progressed all the way to a well intentioned wanna-be *almost* quilt top. Late last summer, (before our LQS flooded out) i bought some brown and cheddar yellow to complete the borders for this quilt. maybe i can get it a bit further along this year!

project #2: another block win (i showed these before). not sure on the plans for this quilt, but the book that A is holding (if you were a penguin) has inspired some colors/ideas that I'd like to try. the white/black/blue/yellow/orange color combo really intrigued me one day as i was reading this book to the little girls.

project #3- Civil War Schoolhouse Blocks. a few years ago i bought this kit for a ridiculously reasonable price. the school houses are paper pieced, and should not be too hard!

I'm reserving the right to swap this one out for something else, or even not complete it at all *GASP!* since it's technically not an UFO...

project #4- a tiny table topper from this pile of leftover scraps from a previous project.

project #5- a friendship calendar quilt/blocks that our local quilting group worked on this year. each block represents a month of the year. (although the EQ drawing is a bit messed up, so don't go from that...)

project #6-friendship 3" block exchange. fix the rows that got mixed up!

project #7- technically not a UFO, but something that i should work on, since the bin is overflowing! i have a bin of strips that i stash all the strips and what not from cutting all my quilts and other projects, and every once in a while i sew the strips into 6" X 12" blocks. eventually I'll make them into an applique quilt of some sort...

project #8- 1930's blocks. first i have to find them! after deciding on a layout, i plan to piece the blocks into a top- hopefully something interesting!

project #9 homespun 9 patch/snowballs. i really like the simplicity of these blocks, and i love the muted colors of the homespun. these are leftover blocks that our sewing circle had after piecing a quilt for our new pastor couple.

this year I'm only going to commit to 9 projects. in the spring, summer and fall months we garden extensively, and have a CSA with *15* members, so realistically i won't have time to do much sewing. I'll re-arrange numbers as needed when there is a month that i can not sew.

meanwhile, you can hop on over to Judy's and see who all is participating!

just a little sneak peak for all my faithful readers. ahem

2011-12-09T14:41:00.002-05:00

Modern Christmas Christmas

Create personalized Christmas photo cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

as if anybody is keeping track anymore... ('cause I know I'm not!)

2011-11-30T15:33:00.011-05:00

i know, i know... it's been a busy month, and the quilt below is slightly cheating, but it's the thought that counts, right?

this quilt is further along than it was a mere 30 days ago, and I'll quickly complete it, as I'd like to have it as a Christmas gift.

some of the other things that I've been working on are this I Spy quilt. we had a free exchange at our local Ben Franklin (where i teach quilting classes) and this is the quilt that i made. it turned out MUCH BIGGER than i had in mind (but then again, most, if not all of my quilts do...) but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. the plan is to get it quilted for the little girls for their Christmas present.

I'm thinking that the I Spy quilt will make a great sick on the sofa, or traveling quilt, but some certain other people don't seem to share the same sentiment... those unnamed people shall be allowed to remain nameless... right, Dave?

finally, I've pieced all the blocks for our Friendship Quilters Calendar Quilt. i had a few stops and starts, and ended up making 5 of the blocks over, but now it's "done". below is the EQ5 drawing that is the final plan. (I'm not as good at tweaking the EQ5 as some others are, obviously.)

and the final drawing for this year: project #12! homespun 9 patch/snowballs. i really like the simplicity of these blocks, and i love the muted colors of the homespun. these are leftover blocks that our sewing circle had after piecing a quilt for our new pastor couple.

I'm not holding out much hope that i get this quilt top done this month, but maybe if i do it as a leaders/enders project, my chances will dramatically increase!

not much to harvest, but the harvest quilt is done!

2011-10-31T21:25:00.003-04:00

due to the all the flooding that we had in September, our gardens were abruptly done. that's left me with more time for quilting. (after cleaning, laundry and cooking, of course. of course!)

finally finished this cute little table runner, and with a few modifications, I'd make it again. thimbleberries can be so frustrating and twiddly sometimes.

project #3: another quick quilt. this one is for sale, if you want it when it's done!

here's the project drawn for this month- and a great one to do before Christmas comes!

this is a "quilt" that i recently finished. the husband stopped, and wanted me to make a quilt for his wife. while the final result was a surprise, she did stop by one afternoon, and designed this quilt from pictures that she saw in one of my books. i say "quilt" because it's really a duvet cover, although sometime it could be bound like a traditional quilt. although i would say this is the first and last quilt I'll do with so much applique, I'm happy with how it turned out!

we had snow last Saturday (crazy weather around here!) and i had previously promised A that we would sew together during the first snowstorm. although she was initially disappointed that we were sewing the simple 4 patches, and not a doll dress, she was very pleased with the final results.

A is 5, and she was so proud of the 7 blocks that she pieced. she's got them sewn into a table runner, and would like to finish it to give to her Sunday school teacher.

it's a most fortunate day!

2011-10-01T08:24:00.010-04:00

i managed to finish BOTH #11 AND #7 in Judy's 2011 UFO challenge!

this quilt is #7 in the challenge, and the official one for September. you can see a peek of both the quilting and backing in this picture. I'll do the binding today- a perfect project for a cool, rainy day when I'm not feeling well....

this quilt is #11, which was pulled for august. despite having gotten a head start on this, i was unable to completely finish it last month. now it's done, and ready to go to the quilters. i really love the fresh, bright colors in this- it's different from most of the quilts that i would usually pick to do.

i had fallen behind in last month's project (#7) because of the gardens, but was determined to finish this month's project (#11). i was feverishly quilting last night, and even though I'm going to do the binding today, I'm calling it finished!

here is the UFO project pulled for October: #5 ~

project #5: this thimbleberries pumpkin table runner is nearly done. it just needs quilted and bound. the long edges get binding, while the shorter have prairie points on them. ( i had the prairie points all cut and pressed but somebody seems to have thrown them out! i can only find 2 out of the original 16!)

since this is "all but" done, I'm pretty certain (and pleased) that i should be able to get this one done! and what perfect timing, Judy- this fall table runner will look perfect on the pie safe in my hallway this harvest season! (and i don't think I'll be waiting until midnight the night before the deadline to be finishing this one!)

they say that the third time's the charm.....

2011-09-01T21:35:00.005-04:00

i didn't get the august quilt done, but i did work on it a bit. i did the 4 applique blocks, and even purchased wash-away stabilizer, but never got any further than that.

i tried, i really did... but the garden in august is truly relentless! recently i told a friend that if we can make it through august, we can make it through almost anything!

so now August is officially over, and the garden is definitely winding down. fall is in the air, and the mornings are crisp and refreshing. soon i can start sewing again!

this is project #11, and since it's almost done, needing only quilting in the ditch, and binding, i think that i can manage to get this one done!

project #11: here is a quilt that i made in a workshop with the Friendship Quilters. it only needs quilting and binding. the tutorial for this one can be found here.

i'm not making excuses, i've just been busy...

2011-08-03T08:18:00.006-04:00

really busy.

EDITED TO ADD: i didn't get this quilt done, but i did make some progress! i cut and ironed the 4 applique blocks, and just need to stitch them down. i even bought the thread! that counts for something, right? i pulled out the setting kit, and pondered putting it together, and would have loved to have the time to do it... but winter's coming!

i can't believe that July has just flown by, and it's august already! that means that it's time for Judy to draw August's UFO number- #7

unfortunately, i never got July's project done....

with 14 members in our CSA, and the gardens really producing- buckets and buckets full- we've been busy keeping up as best we can....

if you want to see what i HAVE been doing, you should be able to take a peek here.

and here's my #7. thankfully, i started this one way back this winter, figuring that the number would prpbably be drawn at the height of the gardening season. turns out i was right, but i'll give it a shot anyway!

project #7: i recently picked this up at Joann's fabrics, for 75% off the original price. it's 8 kits, plus the setting fabric to piece this top. i was intrigued by the colors, and it was a good price. what more needs to be said?

would the real July please stand up?

2011-07-01T15:41:00.010-04:00

does anybody even read this poor, neglected blog anymore? sometimes i wonder if I'm the only one that thinks blogs are a bit like a pyramid scheme. there are so many people who have blogs, how are there any persons on the earth left to read all the blogs?

does my mother-in-law even read my blog anymore?

but i digress....

Judy picked #2 for this month, and my project is above. (I'm so glad that i got a head start on June's quilt, and started it back in February. )

the garden is in full swing, but is it even possible to say that we have a good handle on all the weeds? i think that maybe i can squeeze in a little bit of sewing time this month....

June's UFO- and a perfect #8 it is!

2011-06-01T08:09:00.012-04:00

project #8: this is an ancient UFO- maybe started 17 years ago? it's been so long that i can't even remember! a friend and i started this as a quilt to donate to some charity (can't even remember that!) so I'll finish this and take it into our scraps to wraps to be knotted and donated to the MCC.

this month Judy drew #8. and it's perfect! i worked on this quilt this winter at scraps to wraps, so it's already pieced. (a friend took it home to hand quilt it)

since I'm so busy in the garden, ( i really should do a post about our CSA/market garden one of these days...) and i have a few other quilts that I've been hired to piece, I'll use the "extra" time this month to do them!

i can't really believe i managed to get even this far!

2011-05-30T22:14:00.009-04:00

this is (was) my #9 project from the UFO list that i made last December. civil war flying geese.

it's been a very busy month with the garden. and the rain. oh my. the rain.

but i was still able to get the blocks pieced. considering that we have a week of dry weather coming up, and we're struggling to get the sweet corn in, I'll call this UFO finished for this month.

here's what it looks like with the blocks properly aligned. I'll just store the strips on a hanger until I'm ready to finish the rest of the quilt. (UFO challenge 2012, Judy?)

i have enough geese left over that I'll also make matching pillowcases.

maybe- in between the raindrops!

2011-05-01T12:57:00.007-04:00

project #9: civil war flying geese. this was a project that was keeping me awake at night last winter, but got put aside and forgotten in the rush of other projects.

this month, Judy has drawn #9 from the list. this will be something new for me, as I've never made a flying geese quilt, and I'll be trying the method that Elenour Burns developed.

we're busy (trying) to plant the garden, but maybe between the raindrops i can get some sewing in!

finallly done- procrastination and all!

2011-04-21T19:31:00.019-04:00

Judy drew #4 from the list for April, and just a few weeks ago, here is what my project looked like:

a big (but promising) pile of red, white and black strips. (6 friends from my quilting group participated in this strip exchange.) some of the reason that i was dwaddling on this project is that I wasn't quite sure what i wanted to do. i had several ideas floating around in my head, but just couldn't seem to agree with myself as to which one i should do.

finally, i settled on this one, from modabakeshop.com, and I'm happy with how it turned out. it was easy, and with just a few modifications, it worked really well with the strips that i already had. i used all the extra wider strips to piece the back, and managed to use up nearly all the red, white and black strips.

yay for me!

yesterday was our regular quilt meeting, and my friend Cathy was kind enough to take pictures of the other quilts, and send them to me. it's very interesting how we all started with the same fabrics, and look how different the quilts are!

i love how Janice's quilt looks like houses- a happy quilting neighborhood! she also made a matching pillow.

this is the quilt done by Janet. i wonder why it reminds me of an hourglass?

the color value and depth in Ginny's quilt is superb!

Cathy went for a radiating star. she's a prolific quilter who is also lucky enough to have a basement all set up for her quilting friends to come over and sew. i think i might need to be jealous for a moment....

my friend Betty did bazillions of stars, and she's the only one that didn't have to trim strips, since she followed the instructions. this is the quilt that's featured in the book where i got the idea for this exchange.

also, she used genuine wool batting. from a sheep that she grew herself! how amazing (and cool!) is that?

FQ Calendar Quilt: April

2011-04-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

April is here, and hopefully dragging spring reluctantly along behind it...

this month's block is birdhouses. the pattern can be found on http://www.quilterscache.com/, or right here.

if you don't know how to paper piece, follow the links included on the page, and you can print out some pages to practice with right here.

but, please, whatever you do, puleeese actually FINISH your block before showing it off to the internets.

*ahem*

April is here, but what about spring?

2011-04-01T08:20:00.004-04:00

project #4: this was a red/white/black strip exchange i organized through the Friendship Quilters. several members have already completed (quilted AND bound!) their quilts, so as the "organizer" i really should get going on this one!

i was "gently" reminded at our last meeting that these RWB quilts were to be done by our April meeting. some of my delay had been in not really knowing what pattern i wanted to use for this. finally, i decided to use the pattern i found here, with a few modifications.

click here for the progress on March's project #1.

if you're feeling extra generous today...

2011-03-27T18:06:00.009-04:00

this is just one of those quilts that hit me upside the head, and said "make me, make me! please, make me!"

(you may remember, i blogged about it before, here) there is a monthly contest being sponsered over at the Moda Bake Shop, and lucky me, i finished this quilt just in time to enter!

i love to haunt the moda bake shop for cool, interesting and neat-o patterns. ( but not necessarily in that order!)

the pattern is "Charming Stars" if you'd like to make one for yourself. it was easy, fun and i like the way it's turned out. i'm even thinking of makieng another one with brown stars and the bistro line of fabrics from moda.

yes. it's THAT fun!

UFO challenge: March 2011

2011-03-27T17:31:00.002-04:00

this quilt top is now what I'd consider "done"! i finished piecing it, and put the borders on. the plan is to take it to Scraps to Wraps and have it tied, bound and donated to the MCC. if it weren't for the surprise snowstorm we had last Wednesday, it would be totally "finished".

I'll post pictures of the tied and bound quilt after our next meeting!

the project number that was drawn for March is #1. i won these bear paw blocks at my quilt guild probably 9+ years ago. i started this quilt about 5(?) years ago. it's so close to being done: just needs the triangle corners and 2 borders. (both of which are cut!)

spring is coming, and things are really starting to hop around here, so I'm glad that this is an easy project to finish.

that train of thought of course leads to the inevitable question: if it's so easy, why didn't i finish this quilt before?

I'll have to get back to you on that one.

FQ calendar quilt: March

2011-03-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

March: in like a lion, out like a lamb.

or is it in like a lamb and out like a lion?

either way, the month of March makes us think of spring. and wind. (but not necessarily in that order!)

this month's block for the calender quilt will be reminiscent of wind- windmills!

here is the paper pieced version from my EQ5. click on the image above, and print out 4. they should measure 6". add a 1/4" SA around the outside. if you have trouble printing this out properly, contact me and I'll snail mail you the pattern.

or,

you can find an on-line version of a double windmill here. it's a paper pieced version, and there are directions on how to paper piece right here. even if you've never paper pieced before, i encourage you to give it a try. when your block is complete, you'll be pleased with how crisp your lines are. and the points- oh, the points. they are so pointy! paper piecing makes it so much easier to get a clean, crisp looking block.

UFO challenge 2011: February

2011-02-09T19:23:00.007-05:00

even though February is not yet half over, I'm finished with my UFO project (#10) for this month. it was a quickie quilt, done in flannels. (remember, you can find the pattern here...)

(sorry the picture is upside down, by the way...) i can speak from experience that this is a very warm quilt. i made B one for her birthday, using the blue chicken fabric from this particular fabric line, and it's a very toasty warm quilt.

if, perchance, you know a little girl who would be perfect for this quilt, it just so happens to be for sale... the quilt (100% cotton) measures 40" X 55" and is backed with the green flannel.

it's been pretty cold and snowy around these parts, so i took the time to get started on project #7- meadow in bloom.

this is a quilt kit that i bought on clearance at Joanne's fabrics last year. there are 12 blocks in the quilt, and i just pieced the first 8. the other 4 are applique *she says with a shudder* and I'll work on them when the number is drawn.

UFO 2011 challenge: a head start on #8

2011-02-09T17:38:00.010-05:00

does it seem as if I've nothing to do with myself? although there could be nothing further from the truth, it does begin to seem that way...

UFO challenge #8 is a quilt that i started with a friend 20+ years ago. literally. really! we intended to donate it to our local Pregnancy Care Center. however, life has a way of putting aside our plans sometimes, no matter how well intentioned we may be. Marcia and i just got busy raising our families, and i had forgotten all about this quilt until i stumbled upon it again last month.

now i have a new quilty friend, Lorraine, and we love to sew (and bicker) at Scraps to Wraps a couple Wednesdays a month. yesterday i ironed all the pieces (you'd be amazed at how wrinkly fabric can get after being in a bag for 20 years. or maybe, the more amazing part is that the triangles were not more wrinkly after being in a bag for 20 years...)

and today i brought along the pitiful little pile of triangles that was intended to be a potential quilt. together Lorraine and i pieced a few more pinwheels, added some solid blocks to tame it down a bit, and now the quilt is ready to be sewn together the next time we meet.

I'll keep you posted on our progress...

'cause it's winter, and 'cause it just keeps snowing around here....

2011-02-08T14:03:00.003-05:00

I've been busy working on my UFO projects that Judy is hosting over here, and I'll have some progress to show you on that front soon.

but for now, I'm really enjoying the slower pace of wintertime here.

you may remember that i mentioned that the Kona cottons in their fabulous array of colors is my new favorite fabric... (that's the fabric that I've chosen to do my FQ Calendar Quilt) well, Cherri is hosting a quilt along over at Cherry House Quilts, and there are 4 colorways to choose from, and they all use the Kona cotton.

it's a simple, small and interesting quilt. pop on over and take a look!

*edited to add:*

now that I've "caught up" so to speak with my quilting, I'm committing to take the rest of the month off and do some scrap booking before the spring garden work hits.

A and B really enjoy looking at the scrapbooks that i have done, and since we've moved here (almost 3 years ago) I've barely developed any pictures, never mind done any scrap booking for the girls.

so in the few weeks of February that we have left, I'll be wading through those *thousands* of pictures, and getting some of them into scrapbooks so the little girls can see themselves as they celebrate milestones in their lives- Christmas 2008, 2009, 2010, birthdays, Florida...

wish me luck. and send tape- lots of it!

a warm flannel (piggy) quilt- perfect for the snowstorm!

2011-02-01T16:48:00.003-05:00

Judy drew the next number for the 2011 UFO challenge- and here's my corresponding (unfinished) project: one of those quickie quilts. i love these quilts, since they are so easy. and the flannel is SO warm!

FQ calendar quilt: February

2011-01-31T20:27:00.000-05:00

January has sped by, and it's February already!

the block for the month of February will be the Dresden plate. you can find the pattern here, if you don't have a copy of this pattern already. to remind us of Valentine's day, instead of the circle in the middle of the Dresden plate, replace that with a heart
.

happy quilting!

UFO challenge 2011: January

2011-01-29T21:44:00.007-05:00

this box of fabric with its partially finished quilt has been sitting around for at least 10 months now. it was a demo left over from a class that i taught at the BF. i certainly had every intention to finish this cute little wall hanging.

someday!

I've known for quite some time that i work better under pressure. what is it about a deadline that makes me work better? (that was only a rhetorical question!) the end of the month is only 2 days away. and look: it's someday. the pink and brown Dresden plate is done!

and remember to look for next block in our FQ calendar quilt! it will be up February 1, so don't forget to stop by again.

you need look no further than our driveway...

2011-01-04T22:18:00.021-05:00

our Christmas morning was spent in happy oblivion, sharing gifts and opening stockings, reading Luke 2 and drinking coffee. (Starbucks and otherwise)

little did we know the priceless and precious gift that we were about to be given.

while traveling south to visit family, G, M and N were involved in a serious truck accident.

there were two water tankers traveling north. after failing to negotiate an "S" curve, G's truck slammed into the second water tanker.

it was the quick thinking of those two drivers who quite literally saved the lives of my children: Miriam Elizabeth, Nathaniel Joseph and Gabriel Donald.

G would have hit that tanker head on, except for the fact that the first driver radioed back to the second that the purple pickup was loosing control. the second driver took his foot off the gas, and got all the way over to the right, against the guardrail.

even still, the front axle of the (full) water tanker was broken, although the water tanker was rated for 28,000 pounds. the tanker driver sustained a broken wrist in his frantic effort to avoid hitting the pickup truck.

G was the most seriously injured of the 3, with a shattered pelvis and broken hip. he also had severe lung contusions, and was in the hospital for 5+ days, 1 of those in ICU.

the kids left the house around 1PM. the accident was reported at 1:26. i received a call from the hospital at 2:37.

in those brief moments, while Dave and i were settling in for a quiet Christmas afternoon, God was watching over my children.

yet again, God has shown his abundant, unfathomable and unending mercies for my family.

i cannot even begin to imagine the horror and sorrow that we were spared from on Christmas day.

G has a second chance at life- the chance to seek and discern what it is that God has spared him for. surely God has plans for G- something that only my youngest son can do.

but most importantly- we have our 3 children- healthy and safe. and a visible reminder:

God is a God of inches.

and He loves us all.

you need look no further than our driveway to see that.

a year of quilting: January

2011-01-01T16:31:00.010-05:00

what better excuse to start a new quilt than just the simple fact that it's a new year? now that it's January 1, I'm posting the link to our FQ Calendar Quilt.

the block for January 2011 is the Centennial Tree, which can be found here.

I'll warn you- it's a bit twiddly, but hang in there! you can see from the photo that i did the trunk a bit differently, but i like the way this looks better anyway. ( i just omitted the last, lower triangle)

it's not too late to hop on board for this quilt- you can search FQ calendar quilt in my search engine (on the right) or just look here. you'll find any info that you might have missed.

it's still not too late to join Judy's UFO 2011 project, either. details can be found here, or click on the logo on my sidebar. (on the right)

happy quilting!

here we go: the UFO challenge for January 2011

2011-01-01T16:22:00.006-05:00

it's a new year, and Judy has drawn the number for January: #6

there is alot of stuff going on right now (almost all of which i didn't get a chance to blog about) but I'll give it my best shot to get this P & B Dresden plate done!

December: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-12-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

it's almost here- the day we remember that Jesus was born to die for our sins. what a profound thing to contemplate.

as you finish those last minute preparations, and wrap those last few gifts, enjoy your time with your family and friends!

a little bit of inspiration, a big kick in the pants!

2010-12-21T16:31:00.026-05:00

recently i was wondering around bloggy land late one night when i couldn't sleep and i came across a really neat thing: a UFO challenge for 2011. (for the more disciplined and focused folks among my readers, a UFO is an Un-Finished Object)

basically, to participate all you need to do is pull out 12 UFO's and number them one through twelve. every month, Judy will pull a number (1-12) and then we all work to complete that project, that month.

sounds easy, right? at first i was not sure that i had 12 unfinished projects. *snort* (who was i kidding anyway?) i found 12 projects, and here they are:

(I've added the 2011 UFO challenge button to my sidebar; you can click on that to find out more info, or you can go see for yourself right here.) you'll also be able to see all the others participating. (and be sure to take a quick peek at all the lovely projects that we'll all be working on!)

project #1: bear paw. i won these blocks at my quilt guild years ago (9+?). as you can see, i have a good start, but still need to finish the corners and border.

project #3: another quick quilt. this one is for sale, if you want it when it's done!

project #6: this is a pink/brown dresden plate wall hanging/table runner that i started for one of my classes at the BF. some applique work, and then piecing/quilting is all that is left to do here.

project #9: civil war flying geese. this was a project that was keeping me awake at night last winter, but got put aside and forgotten in the rush of other projects.

project #10: a "quickie" quilt- easy and fun. the pattern can be found here. i made B one of these for her birthday (using chicken flannel fabric) and i can honestly say that it's one of the warmest quilts I've ever made!
project #11: here is a quilt that i made in a workshop with the Friendship Quilters. it only needs quilting and binding. the tutorial for this one can be found here.

project #12: homespun 9 patch/snowballs. i really like the simplicity of these blocks, and i love the muted colors of the homespun. these are leftover blocks that our sewing circle had after piecing a quilt for our new pastor couple.

just a little more info on the Calendar Quilt...

2010-12-13T21:13:00.010-05:00

I've had some requests to post the picture of the original quilt here, for easy reference. i know it's sideways, but you still get the idea... (and remember, you can click on any of these pictures to make them bigger)

if you're just visiting, or stopping by for the first time, you can find the original post about our 2011 Friendship Quilter's Calendar Quilt here.

starting in the lower left hand corner, progressing to the upper right, is a block to represent each month of the year.

here are the fabrics that I've chosen for my quilt this time around- all solids. all kona cotton.

brick. amber. yarrow. celadon. candy blue. berry. black.

I'm mostly happy with the colors that I've chosen- although i would have liked to go a bit more nontraditional. however, the store where i got them has a limited amount of the kona cotton solids, so i guess i have to be happy with what i can get. (besides, all these fabrics were 40% off! how great is that?)

additionally, it was requested to have a blank copy of the FQ Calendar quilt for you to print off and color.

and remember:

you can jump in at any time
it's free to participate!
please feel free to ask questions if I've left anything out
it's going to be so much fun!
just do a search for FQ calendar quilt, and you'll get a listing of all the posts for the quilt

fresh turkey for thanksgiving!

2010-12-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

way back last spring i decided that besides raising our meat birds, we would also get into the turkey business. i bought a few turkey eggs from our neighbor, and after hatching out a disappointing 4 poults, also bought baby turkeys from him, bringing our total turkey population to an even dozen.

they were raised in the chicken tractors, too. (or were they now turkey tractors?) time and the seasons marched steadily on, and soon it was November 23, their appointed day. above is A "givin' a little lovin' " to Mr. Tom Turkey.

each time we use our chicken plucker, we marvel to ourselves how we ever got along without it! it just strips the feathers right off those birds, until they are as naked as a jay bird. (or turkey)

this was our first time butchering in the summer kitchen, as well. just the night before, Dave had completed some final necessary tasks, and we were ready to go bright and early on Tuesday. it was so nice to have the cement floor, and everything under one roof! a big improvement over rickety card tables in the muddy yard!

the turkey next goes to G, who removes any pinfeathers and unsightliness from the bird. he also takes off the head, feet and crop.

next Mr. Tom Turkey comes to me, and i gut him, saving the giblets (neck, gizzard, heart and liver) after doing hundreds of chickens, it felt like i was touring the Grand Canyon to reach in the cavity and pull out all the insides!

a final rinse, tuck in his legs, and Mr. Tom Turkey is ready to grace the table of friends and family. we sold 10 of our birds, and had one 17.5lb turkey for our Thanksgiving table. (one turkey had mysteriously died in September)

it was the general an unanimous family consensus that Mr. Tom Turkey was the best we had ever eaten. we'll definitely raise turkeys again next year- and definitely keep better track of our expenses. we sold the turkeys for $2lb (with the butchering done for free), with the toms weighing in around 16lb and the hens around 10lb.

since our record keeping was less than stellar, we're not sure on the final cost. we raised these birds for 6 months, so we're pretty sure that WE paid our customers to come take their bird!

so you say you'd like to have some children?

2010-12-03T15:25:00.001-05:00

Okay, but try this first!

*Go to bed, get all comfy and warm….have the fire alarm go off unpredictably all night. Repeat this every night for at least 17 years.

*Take a bucket full of vomit and dump it in the back seat of your car, on your couch, all over your carpets, splash it down the front of your clothes and then put a few drops in the toilette.

*Take another bucket of vomit and soak all the bedding, towels, your clothes, your neighbor’s clothes and the cat in it until you have enough laundry to fill the entire house and keep you washing until the the next round of vomit…which will occur right after you make up all the beds with clean sheets.

*Okay, now you’re going to need some urine….put it in a spray bottle and have fun.

*Grab a couple of puppies, set them loose in your living room…leave the house for a few days.They will simulate what a couple of kids can do to a room in a few minutes.

*Take a few of your precious collectibles and smash them to bits.

*Stain all your shirts with blood, paint, boogers…whatever is in the fridge.

*Cut a tiny hole in your curtains.

*Get a permanent marker…get to coloring! Walls, floors, furniture, the entire world is your canvas.

*Buy all the Lego’s you can find in the world along with Matchbox cars, Barbie shoes, hair bows, tiny socks, candy wrappers, McDonald’s french fries, Goldfish crackers, Crayons and crushed granola bars: mix up in a tub and freely sprinkle the contents in your vehicle, garage, yard, under your bed, in your bed, under the cushions of your couch and every corner in your house….make sure you stand over floor vents and drop handfuls.

*Have a friend hide your shoes, all of them. Wait until you’re ready to go to an important event to try to find them.

*Go on a long trip with a very loud and emotional person who will talk and cry and scream for the entire trip except for the quick nap they took right before you had to pull over to get gas…which caused them to wake up and be extremely irritable.

*When you stop to eat at a nice restaurant your travel companion tells you they forgot their shoes.

*Find a store to buy them some shoes.

*They will lose those shoes at some point during the trip and you will buy them three more pairs of shoes that are so ugly and cheap that you’re embarrassed to be with the person.

*They never lose the ugly shoes, they wear them everyday much to your dismay.

*Have someone call you to tell you they forgot their lunch at least three or four times a week.

*Put a sparkly unicorn sticker on the rear of your jeans and wear them in public all day.

*Take something sharp and scratch the crap out of your vehicle.

*Throw away three billion 5 dollar bills because that is what your children will need for this thing and that event and blah, blah, blah.

*Say the following every single day, “Put your shoes away. Pick up your jacket. Eat your dinner. Pick up your toys. Flush the toilette. Be nice to your brother. Stop talking. Listen to me. Be quiet. STOP! NO! We’ll see. Maybe. Go get your shoes. Find your shoes. Where are your shoes. Why? Go ask your father. STOP IT! I said NO! What did Mommy say?” add a please and thank you occasionally until you realize it’s just a waste of your breath.

*Load and unload the dishwasher at least three times a day.

*Buy enough groceries to last a month, take them home. Invite a teenager to come over and help himself to any food in the house.

*Go back to the grocery store…invite teenager….go back to the grocery store…invite teenager….

*Yell at a wall that it needs to get its room cleaned, wait for a response. Yell some more. Walk away defeated that the wall will never clean its room.

*Hope that the wall will move out of your house someday and have twenty of their own walls that never do anything you ask them to do.

If you can smile at the end of all of this…go start a family.

i don't claim to have written this funny (but too true) list. it was written by April, one of my favorite bloggers.

but if you think this was funny, wait till you read about her recipe to make sour cherry crumb pie!

Join me for a year of quilting!

2010-12-01T16:23:00.013-05:00

I've written about my quilting friends, the Friendship Quilters before. we get together monthly for some gabbing, some eating, some show-n-tell, some encouragement and some inspiration from one another.

usually we do a monthly block raffle, but for 2011 we're going to do something a bit different. i thought some of my readers might like to join in. (but if you're reading this sometime after the new year, feel free to jump right in. I'll be happy to help you catch up!)

this year we're going to make a calendar quilt. (pictured above) i made one of these almost 13 years ago with the Piecmakers Quilt Guild of the Susquehanna Valley. (the guild i attended before we moved to Bradford county) i designed this quilt using my EQ5.

every month, we will each make one block, for ourselves, representative of that month. then, at the end of the year, we'll all have a twin-ish size friendship/calendar quilt ready for the borders.

here's the rough schedule:

January: pine tree
February: Dresden plate w/ heart center
March: jack in the pulpit
April: ???
May: basket w/ flowers
June: steps to the altar or bride's bouquet
July: rail fence flag
August: corn and beans
September: schoolhouse
October: leaves and diamonds
November: flying geese
December: bow tie wreath

the size of the quilt as I've designed it is 72" X 86". here are the fabric requirements, as listed by EQ5. (which can sometimes be a bit off, so don't take them as gospel!)

red: 1 yard
orange: 1½ yards
yellow: ½ yard
green: 1 yard
blue: 3 yards (cut your 6" outside border first)
purple: ½ yard
brown: 3 yards (cut your borders first)
cream (background): 2½ yards

of course the colors are just suggestions- i tend to use those colors as a base, and then go from there. ie: pink, lemon, lime, aqua, lilac and grey, with black for the background:

see what a difference that makes?

I'll provide the patterns around the first of each month, starting with January 1, so be sure and stop by! you can e-mail me at: djcap at frontiernet dot net, and I'll make sure that you get the patterns, either by e-mail or snail mail. if you'd like, I'll also mail you an outline of the quilt, so you can color it in to get an idea of what your own color choices will look like.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, (I've never done this before!) but we'll work out the bugs as we go along. i hope to have some of you join me- let's quilt together!

hey ma, lookee what i made!

2010-11-29T16:22:00.010-05:00

i recently pieced this quilt using the fabric line city weekend from a free pattern that i found on-line here. I'm happy with the springy, fresh look these fabrics gave to this easy quilt. i used ice frappe in kona cotton for the stars and sashing. (if you've not had the chance to use this fabric, run right out and get you some. really. it's that great!) I've been inspired lately by quilts here and here, and solids seem to be the way to go...

it was fun and easy, and i might try it again using some of the moda's bistro charm packs., with chocolate colored stars.

if stefanie sent you here from little lady patchwork, thanks for visiting! if you're interested in another free quilt pattern, (block-o-the-month style) you can go see it here. it's a calendar quilt that i designed, with only one block to piece a month. be sure to zip on over and check it out for all the details!

November: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-11-24T07:28:00.001-05:00

the stove that started it all...

2010-11-23T19:33:00.009-05:00

well, here it is! the stove that catapulted the summer kitchen to the top of our to-do list. it's a 6 burner propane stove, with 2 ovens, a griddle and a broiler. that should be enough cooking power to keep me out of trouble! (when it's hooked up, that is!)

last Wednesday we had a small crew come and help Dave and G pour the cement for the floor. actually, it was only Kyle and our pastor, Darryn. but it sounds so much more official to call them a crew, doesn't it?

Dave had much of the prep work done: rebar and wire on the bottom, and the ramps for the wheelbarrows to go over. (check out kyle showing off with his 2 wheeled barrow!)

darryn was a huge help, and he jumped right in there helping Dave smooth (skreet?) out the cement.

the whole thing went really fast and soon they were up to the little "front porch".

kyle ingeniously made a bull float from some lumber that was lying about, and before you knew it, the crew was ready to come in for some coffee and donuts-

... but not without taking a picture first!

of course, we had to let the girls immortalize their hand prints in the cement. another reminder how fast these two little girls of ours are growing up!

later that afternoon, just as the cement was starting to set up, Dave went out and brushed it with the push broom. we wanted to have a floor that was easily cleaned, but not so smooth as to be slick when it's wet. the "broom finish" on the floor is perfect for what we wanted.

B was so happy to help her daddy put on the cement sealer.

so for now, although it's far from done, the summer kitchen is quite functional. we just butchered our 11 turkeys this morning, and the job was so much easier and more efficient. (not to mention more professional looking for our customers!)

because now that summer is over, clearly, it's time to build the summer kitchen

2010-11-16T15:09:00.000-05:00

the summer kitchen was on the to-do list, but it was very close to the bottom. however, after we were blessed with the gift of an industrial propane stove, we decided that we should build the summer kitchen sooner, rather than later, in order to be good stewards of God's provision.

Dave paced out the walls of the summer kitchen, making it a nice size. then we made it just a bit bigger, (14' x 14') since that's how things seem to go around here! (just last week, B told Dave he needed to make the tractor shed a little bit bigger! even though he built it 33% bigger than he originally intended, it's still too small!)

besides the wonderful blessing of our stove, i also wanted to get the kitchen done in time for turkey butchering November 23. it looks so much more professional to be butchering on stainless steel counters with a sink and running water, as opposed to working on a wobbly card table in the side yard...

Dave and G quickly got the posts set, and the framing done.

next was the rafters and green tin roof.

already we can see so many advantages to having this building- butchering pigs, chickens, deer and turkeys, canning/freezing, church picnics, and as a staging area for the produce both for the CSA and farmer's market.

here Dave and G are digging out the extra dirt, preparing for a layer of river bottom stone.

now, most people when they look at this window, would think that it's a wonderful idea to have a little window up high, for ventilation.

however, if you're like most people, you would be wrong. this little window is for shooting groundhogs. the view of this window is that of the lower garden, affording Dave a perfect spot to hide out and shoot those pesty little varmints!

A and B call this little attic/storage area their tree house. already they've had snack and play time up there.

of course the girls are happy to ride along with daddy in the tractor or wagon. the bucket on the tractor sure makes it handy to load those nice gravely stones. Dave and G spread the stones over the floor of the kitchen, making it a good base to pour the concrete onto.

lastly, Dave rented a tamper, and tamped the living daylights out of the stones on the floor. this way (in theory) the cement slab will not settle and crack.

tomorrow we have 4 yards of cement coming, along with 2 friends and their wheelbarrows to help pour the cement. along with fresh home made donuts and coffee, it should be a pretty interesting day!

renegade pumpkins...

2010-11-15T16:20:00.000-05:00

most of the pumpkin seeds that i planted this year did not grow.

but we still had a good year, pumkinly speaking.

a feature of our pumpkins, both at farmer's market and in our CSA boxes, were the "pre-carved" variety.

early in the season, while the pumpkins are still green and tender, take a thick nail or ball point pen, and write in the skin of the pumpkin. i carved several phrases, mostly "welcome", "welcome to our home" and "welcome to the (name of the family participating on our CSA)'s.

these pumpkins were popular sellers, and appreciated gifts, too. another benefit is that you can still use them for pies, as they don't rot like the traditionally carved ones do. next year i plan on doing lots more like these, as it's "value added" for them. some of the pumpkins went for $10.

and besides, they're fun and they look great on the porch steps!

Baby B thinks Beets are the Best!

2010-11-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

one of our more successful and popular crops this year was beets. as in Detroit dark red beets.

they were popular with the customers- both as beet greens and baby beets.

but most of all the beets were adored by B. she loves beets. LOVES. BEETS.

the first time i took her out to the garden to help me harvest beets, she had a great time. the look of wonder on her face when she pulled her first beet out of the ground is a look I'll never forget.

more amazingly, she had that same look of amazement every time she pulled out another beet. every. single. time.

we made a few quarts and pints of pickled beets for the winter, but B couldn't wait. she wanted a bowlful of buttered beets right away.

most people in our family don't like pickled beets, but rather the pickled eggs that traditionally go with them.

however, i think i should have done some more pickling of our produce this year. just yesterday B ate a whole pint of kosher dill spears- nearly single handedly!

next year i guess i should plan on planting more beets and cukes!

an abundant harvest!

2010-10-31T21:40:00.017-04:00

last week we ~~dusted off~~ fixed the potato plow, and put it to good use! way back in May, we planted a total of 300 pounds of potatoes. (yes, you read that right!) and at the end of our season, still had about 75 pounds left to dig.

this year i got to drive the tractor. there were 3 rows to dig: almost a whole row of Superior, a white potato. there were also 2 complete rows of kennebec, a white keeper potato.

the ground was a tiny bit wet to be digging potatoes, but we dug in the opportune window between rain showers. (another variation of "make hay while the sun shines")

Dave and A rode on the back of the plow to keep an eye on things.

the rows in the lower garden are slightly longer than 100 feet. all the other rows ( we planted 8 other rows of potatos: the ill-fated blue, yukon gold, red Pontiac and another row of Superior) were dug by hand and sold; either in the CSA boxes, at the produce stand or the farmer's market.

the potato plow makes quick work of those 100 feet! the plow digs up the row, and scoops up the potatoes onto the first conveyor. the potatoes rattle along and plop down onto the second conveyor, and then gently tumble off the back: all in a nice, neat row.

we all helped pick up the potatoes, sorting as we went. all these crates are about 3/4 full of kennebec potatoes. we also got 4 crates of the superior, which we'll eat first. last year we had our own fresh potatoes until the middle of April, (we store them in the crates in the cellar) meaning that we were only on a "potato fast" from mid-April until early July, when we dug our first potatoes.

I'd say we're on track for that again this year.

and then some!

Grief has a Face; Faith has a Name

2010-10-25T20:50:00.014-04:00

this past week, a woman in our church was suddenly and shockingly catapulted into the world of widowhood. after 50+ years of marriage her husband passed away quite unexpectedly at home Monday night, after a massive heart attack.

my friend has been surrounded and supported by her loving family and friends, especially during the viewing and funeral on Saturday morning.

on Sunday morning, my friend came to Sunday school as usual. and of course she stayed for church afterwards.

i can not even begin to fathom her deep feeling of loss and grief. just last Sunday, she and her husband were sitting side by side for Sunday school, and then church. just as they have nearly every week that we've been attending.

from where i was sitting near the back of the church on Sunday morning, i could see the head and shoulders of my friend. i would have understood if her head sagged in sorrow, and her shoulders shook with grief.

but that was not what i saw. what i observed was nothing less than profound. it is a lesson in real faith and trust in God.

my friend was singing. my friend was praising God. my friend was continuing to trust God in the midst of her deep sorrow and great loss.

and as i spoke to her after church, she mentioned Psalm 46, and what a comfort it is to her now.

God is our refuge and strength. An ever present help in times of trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains shall fall into the heart of the sea,

Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

my friend told me how thankful she was for the times that she had spent with her husband, and the comfort and joy those memories were bringing to her: an anniversary party celebrated with friends and family; a first birthday party celebration at the age of 70; a very recent trip out West.

but most amazingly, my friend told me of the peace and comfort that Psalm 46 has brought her, and continues to bring her as she begins to live without her husband by her side.

she spoke of how God has been her refuge this week. she told me of how God has been her strength, and how He has helped her in this troubling week.

i am moved at the depth of faith and trust that my friend showed in the midst of such a painful time.

these words that she said were told to me with peace in her eyes and conviction in her voice. they were not just mumbled words and phrases, said because she knows this is what is expected of her.

these were words coming from the depth of her soul and the trust in her heart:

"God is my refuge and strength. An ever present help in my time of trouble. "

i am humbled and blessed to see such faith in my friend Gladys.

October: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-10-24T07:26:00.002-04:00

i can't believe that the month has flown by so quickly, and it's time for another nativity! before you know it, the time will be upon me to brave the attic to bring down all the nativities in person!

this month's spotlight is a very simple white nativity from the dollar store. the thing that makes it very special to me is that the Holy Family were a gift from my 4 older children when they were much smaller. M, D, N and G each gave me a figurine: the Babe, Mary, Joseph and the shepherd. i later bought the 3 wise men to complete the set.

every Christmas season for many, many years, i have set up this nativity on top of our secretariat, and fondly remembered the thoughtful gifts that my young children gave me years ago.

that reminds me to remember the profound gift that God gave us in sending his only son at Christmas, so that He could die for us at Easter.

the amazing chicken factory!

2010-10-17T19:04:00.001-04:00

one of our recent acquisitions was a chicken plucker. we were looking for a drum plucker, but when we found this one on Craig's list for $100, Dave decided that it would work just fine.

we did quite alot of work on it: new "fingers", new paint, motor, plug and switch. so, the final cost was somewhere around $don'tevenaskbecauseyoudon'treallywanttoknow.

however, it works like a charm! Dave is the only one who has run it so far, since it spins really fast, and you really have to hold onto that chicken! (or else he'll go flying and be spit out the back and bottom of the drum!)

first, the chicken needs to be scalded (it goes without saying that the chicken is already dead...) in water that is no more than 145 degrees. then Dave flops him (i keep saying "him" because if you'll remember, all the meat birds we raise are the Cornish cross cockerels) onto the plucker, and holds on for dear life! pretty soon, 97% of the feathers are removed.

next in our little assembly line is G, and he tidies up the bird, removes the feet, crop, tail and head. he also removes the neck, and then passes the bird onto me.

i gut him, do any final cleaning and then rinse him off for the final time. i tuck the chicken into a neat looking package, and then I'll weigh and bag him. (it makes it much easier to have the chickens weighed before the customers come to pick them up- it goes so much smoother and faster that way.)

the chicken plucker has saved us untold hours, and even earned us money. with the addition of the skins and neck (tucked into the cavity) our birds have consistently weighed slightly over 5 pounds, with a few even over 6 pounds!

our goal is to continue to improve our product and cut down our cost to raise them. the chicken plucker has at least helped with the first part of that objective!

if you're interested in being inundated with photographs...

2010-10-10T19:46:00.002-04:00

head on over to facebook, and you can see the general celebrating and jocularity that we had today for baby BJ's birthday!

i've run out of excuses, reasons and justifications...

2010-10-10T19:13:00.003-04:00

if it weren't for my unexpected fore site in pre-uploading all the nativity posts last December, my blog would be sparse, indeed!

with the arrival of a frost this morning (and right on time, according to our preacher) the garden can almost be declared officially done.

however, the work cannot quite be declared done.

but we're getting there.

there are still plants, row covers and bulbs to pull and store or compost.

we still need to plant garlic.

and the high tunnel needs to be cleaned out, tilled and re-planted. as do the cold frames.

we still need to dig potatoes- white and sweet.

there are still peppers to process.

and a few scraggly chickens to butcher. (the old laying hens are not earning their keep- by any stretch of the imagination. and the new flock is still some weeks away from beginning to lay.)

and turkeys to butcher on the 23 of November. (fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, anyone? )

and don't forget the 2 pigs. they will be ready to butcher in December.

but the pace is definitely slowing down.

there is time to snuggle with the girls in the morning, time to linger over coffee, time to read books and wander to the playground. even time to clean and do laundry!

i, for one, am glad for the slower pace. it was a full and busy summer- and we sure learned alot! at our peak, we had 7 families for our CSA. i also was a grower/seller for the weekly farmer's market, and did tolerably well there, also. we sold over 120 chickens, with 7 turkeys pre-ordered for Thanksgiving.

it was about late July/early August that the garden reached its peak, and it truly took all 8 families to keep up with the relentless produce! there were days and weeks in a row where i was overwhelmed with all the produce to freeze or can for our family.

but our pantry and freezers are full, and despite the hard work that never seemed to end, we plan to continue and expand for next year.

this winter will be spend reading, researching and planning. we have lots of resources lined up, and even though i was just as weary as every one else, I'm looking forward with anticipation and growing excitement to next year's growing season.

i guess you can say I've officially got the disease.

farming !

September: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-09-24T07:25:00.003-04:00

this sparkly, sand mold nativity is ANOTHER one of my favorites. (are you seeing a re-occurring theme here?)

i like the simplicity of the figurines with the hint of mystery that the sparkles give.

Joseph had a small staff, and every December i promise myself that i will replace it.

maybe this will be the year!

August: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-08-24T07:24:00.003-04:00

this simple clay nativity is one of my very favorites. it was made by a dear quilting friend, and i was fortunate enough to be the blessed recipient. (Jane even made me the little quilt to go with it!)

mary is a little worse for the wear, with a chipped veil and there is ketchup on the babe.

but that just goes to show that this is a treasured part of our holiday remembering.

preserving the summer's goodness ~ one jar at a time!

2010-08-19T09:51:00.000-04:00

a few weeks ago i was blessed to have all 3 of my daughters help make pickles.

the little girls were happy to stuff the jars with the pickle slices that M and i cut for them.

while the jars were not stuffed as tightly as i could have done myself, the girls are learning what it is to can and preserve our summer's bounty for the winter.

and that's certainly more important than having prizewinning pickles!

2010-08-18T15:37:00.002-04:00

I'm picking and picking, and canning and canning, and freezing and freezing, and still we can't keep up!

you'd think with 7 CSA boxes weekly, 4 pigs and numerous canning/freezing days a week we'd be able to keep up better.

but no.

so off to the hot kitchen i go again!

it's a wild and crazy ride, so hang on tight! (and don't forget to buckle your seatbelt!)

2010-08-09T12:43:00.007-04:00

...just popping in for a moment to say "I'm still here! and hanging on for dear life!"

despite the total lack of rain for the third week straight, our garden is producing. i think that i can safely say that we've reached the point of relentlessness !

this morning alone, i picked a 5 gallon bucket of cucumbers. i thought that the cukes were pretty much petered out and done, but i guess after the thorough soaking that we gave them Saturday night and last night, they've made a miraculous comeback.

since today's agenda was already full with 3+ bushels of peaches, and 150 ears of corn, I'm not sure where we'll squeeze in the cucumbers. (and that's not counting the yellow beans that are ready to pick today!)

but squeeze we must, and squeeze we will. old man winter will be here far sooner than we think, if the speed with which this summer is galloping by is any indication.

wasn't it just last week that we were marveling that it was May first already?

we've been steadily harvesting, selling, canning, sharing and freezing our bounteous produce. what a satisfying feeling to see all the colorful jars lined up like soldiers on the cellar shelves!

I've updated the puttin' stuff up list on the sidebar.

I'll try to stop in again soon- i have some posts ready to go, including our latest chicken butchering escapade.

a {partial} snapshot of the bounty from our garden....

2010-07-26T14:14:00.017-04:00

this picture is several weeks old, but this is one of the very first harvest of a variety of veggies: basil, beets, cherry bomb peppers, a yellow tomato, green cabbage, cilantro and yellow summer squash.

beets. who knew that they'd be so popular? aside from corn and tomatoes, they are our most requested vegetable. thankfully, i planted ALOT early in the season.

i will mention here, though, that beets do not like raised beds. they do their top beety thing quite nicely, but the main beety thing on the bottom? very disappointing.

the carrots have also made a respectable showing, although they are not nearly so popular. I'll take carrots to the farmer's market only one or two more times, and then pull them all to free up the raised beds for some fall plantings of lettuce, strawberries, spinach and broccoli.

here is part of our July 4th feast: red, white and blue potatoes.

we're glad that we grew the blue potatoes this year, but the yields are very disappointing. this will be the first AND last year that blue potatoes are grown on our little farm by the bridge. even though we started them quite early, (by most standards) it's obvious that the blues needed another month or more in the ground to size up nicely.

the red, white and blue potatoes did sell marginally well at the Farmer's market, and in our CSA boxes, so i guess it wasn't a total waste...

most of the onions are harvested, or on the list for this week. many sized up quite nicely, and i was not disappointed. after trimming the tops and roots, they are spread on newspapers in the mudroom to dry out.

again, the red and white onions are a staple at farmer's market, and for our boxes. surprisingly, the white seems to be just as popular as the red onions, which is not what i expected. i like to cook with the red onions, just for the added color they give.

and just in case you think that we don't take the time to stop and smell the roses ( or purple cone flowers, as the case may be...) i took this picture last week, right outside the back door in the perennial flower garden.

and this little surprise greeted G and me on our way to dunkin' donuts at 6AM last week. this curios and greedy little skunk got in *almost* over his head. he took a little dip and dive into the pig bucket and got stuck!

Dave dispatched him without incident.

although i will say, that it would have been MUCH better if Dave had removed the skunk AND bucket from OFF the BACK porch, as a DEAD skunk, EVEN though MOSTLY buried in a pig bucket, can STILL smell up a back porch.

AND mud room.

July: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-07-24T09:22:00.002-04:00

years ago, when the older children were small, i made this wooden nativity. i had seen one similar in a friends' house, and she was gracious enough to let me trace and copy the figurines.

this sturdy, chunky, child-friendly set is one of my favorites. it's the one that i reach for each Christmas as we re-tell the smallest children the wonderful story of Jesus.

thursdays are almost my favorite day!

2010-07-22T11:07:00.006-04:00

my routine for Thursday mornings has been to get up early and begin harvesting for our CSA boxes. i make the garden rounds and see what abundance we have to share with our families. much of the produce goes in the boxes, always making sure to have a good variety, and then some gets saved for farmer's market on Friday mornings.

this weeks abundance:

* sweet peppers (green and lilac)

* hot peppers

* white potatoes

* sunflowers

* catnip

* cucumbers

* red and white onions

* summer squash

* jalapeno jelly

* eggs

* green beans

* tomatoes

and the best part? all that fresh produce (no pesticides or herbicides) for $23!

and on another note: the jalapeno jelly seems to be a favorite with the family. if we continue at our current rate of consumption, I'll need to make well over 22 gallons of the spicy greenness!

mathematically speaking, that is!

score: Dave ~ 10. groundhogs ~ big fat zero!

2010-07-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

these two little girls are sure country girls all the way to the core, and make their daddy's heart proud!

Dave has been quite determined to dispatch all the groundhogs that have been attempting to nibble at our garden.

i don't think either of us could have taken another disappointing year like last years, when our only claim to fame was being potato farmers.

the girls are happy to help daddy with the groundhogs, giving encouragement and squeals when he gets another.

A even asked if we were going to eat one for dinner.

seems to me, i remember some rumblings about that before....

gasp! she lives... and writes!

2010-07-19T19:42:00.005-04:00

so much has happened, i don't even know where to start!

our garden is definitely doing much better this year, and that leaves me with just about zero time to write.

I'll jot off a rambley list, and hopefully get back later to post some pictures. (even though I've not been blogging, i have been taking pictures. sort of.)

* we butchered 75 chickens last week, and although it nearly killed me, our freezers are full with the best chicken meat you've ever eaten.

* we just sent the last 2 winter pigs to the butcher. despite not having them sold when i dropped them off, at the last minute many buyers came out of the woodwork, prompting Dave to consider building another pig tractor. with the restaurant food that we give them, and the pasturing, the pigs are a much needed cash inflow in our little operation.

* the garden is producing, and is gearing up to producing relentlessly! potatoes, some tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, egg plant, onions, green beans, yellow beans, carrots, beets, rosemary, basil, cilantro, red cabbage, green cabbage, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, cherry bomb hot peppers, Anaheim peppers, cucumbers, sweet green peppers...

* beets are a popular item; both for my CSA boxes and farmers' market

* red cabbage is not.

* this year's tally for garden pests that dave has "dispatched" is: 10 woodchucks, 2 skunks and 1 rabbit. (the skunk G found right out the back door last week, sitting placidly (and stuck) in the pig bucket.)

* i started a running tally of the things we're freezing and canning for the winter. although it's a bit late in getting posted, it's up-to-date as of right now.

* even though I'm not a morning person, i much prefer to get up at the crack-'o-dawn and do my garden work then. I'm often back in the house before 11am, and will go out again after dinner.

* we're very thankful for the water pump that i bought, as well as the creek nearby. we've been using the creek to irrigate the garden, without which we'd have no garden.

* i have 5 (!) families for my CSA. it's encouraging. and only a little stressful. we're learning so much this year, and hope to expand to even more families next year.

* I'm a produce vendor at the local farmer's market. last Friday was the first time, and it went well. things we learned from last week: people like beets, red potatoes, red peppers and small potatoes.

* quilting classes are still in full swing at the local Ben Franklin, and I'm able to squeeze in some time for quilting. i could almost call myself the quilting gardener.

or maybe the gardening quilter?

quite possibly more than you ever wanted to know about potatoes...

2010-06-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

usually it's a toss-up around here whether we'll call ourselves potato farmers or chicken ranchers...

today we'll wear the hat of potato farmers, and just call it even...

we're still on the bite-your-nails-will-they-be-ready-countdown of patriotic spuds for 4th of July. it's looking good down there in the lower garden, but you just never can tell...

these are the "blue" potatoes. if you take close notice, the stalks of the plants are blue, and the flowers have a definite blueish tinge to them.

the superior (early white) potatoes are flowering as well. (the late season kennebecs are still not flowering!) the stalks of this variety are the normal shade of green, and while the flowers are a little bit purple, they more subtle in their coloring.

finally, these are the red Pontiac potatoes. still green stalks, but a more solid, albeit pale, purple coloring.

while i could maybe be considered a potato farmer (if you're feeling mighty generous and kind) I'm no potato expert.

however, it is interesting to see for the very first time a little bit of evidence of what is happening under the soil in the lower garden!

June: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-06-24T07:21:00.003-04:00

can i just say *for the 6th month in a row* that this handmade glass nativity is one of my favorites?

i acquired it through a determined bidding war on e-bay 7 or 8 years ago, and although it was not made for me, i treasure it just the same.

each piece was made by the same person, starting with the babe, Mary and Joseph. every several years, another component of the nativity was made, and then given, until the whole set was done.

i can't imagine what circumstances would precipitate giving up such a thoughtful gift, but I'm glad to have the chance to be the grateful owner of this very unique nativity.

L & G Report: 2 ~ week 10 & 11

2010-06-14T15:55:00.023-04:00

I've had uploading issues with the camera, so this is the post that i intended (and tried) to get up last week is just now co-operating!

this mulberry tree is right outside our kitchen window, and we've been enjoying watching the birds all fight for their fair share of mulberries. we've had quite a few goldfinches, and for the first time this week we've seen Baltimore orioles!

this mulberry tree is actually quite old, and has been growing here for over 100 years. or maybe i should say, (more accurately) the grandfather stump that this tree is growing out of has been a staple in our home's landscape for quite a long time now!

here is the upper garden- you can see the onions, beets and tomatoes. in the rows of black plastic are the cucumbers, zucchini, yellow summer squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, butternut and acorn squash. on the very right is ½ of the row of sunflowers.

there is also a row of beans thrown in, just for good measure! behind me, to the right, is the other half of the upper garden, containing popcorn, eggplant, some cabbages, yellow and green beans, sunflowers and gladioli.

on Tuesday i went to the greenhouse and bought a few flats of larger plants on clearance: cukes, watermelon, butternut and acorn squash. also green and purple cabbage. most of that stuff is in, and growing happily.

this is the first harvest of cauliflower. wow! we are so pleased with how the broccoli and cauliflower did that we're wishing we'd bought several more flats of each. i harvested more cauliflower tonight, with 2 dozen or more plants still maturing. the broccoli has had 2 harvests already, and tomorrow morning i plan on having M harvest, and pull, the rest of the plants. that will give us the needed room to plant the remaining green and purple cabbages.

our potatoes are doing very well, and have been hilled several times. Dave made a special attachment for the roto tiller, so no more back breaking hoeing needs to be done. just one pass down the row, and it's done!

most of the potatoes are flowering, and I'm very optimistic that we'll have fresh potatoes for July 4th! I'm also thankful that we planted (at the last minute) superior potatoes (white), in addition to the kennebec (also white). in one of my evening perusing of our multitude of seed catalogs, i noticed that superior potatoes were an early variety, while the kennebec are later. (of course, this makes sense, since the kennebec are intended to be a keeper potato...)

since the kennebec are still not flowering, we would not be able to have our red, white and blue potatoes for July 4th...

the sweet potatoes are also doing well, in spite of our disgust with Gurneys. one of these days, when i have a bit of free time, I'll call them and ask to be taken off their mailing list. that way i won't be tempted to buy something from them next year, no matter how cheap!

we still have the sweets under the row tunnel, and the plan is for them to remain that way. G made 2 end covers for me out of chicken wire, but even so, Dave often uncovers part of the row during the day so the sweets don't get too hot. B, my self-acclaimed "garden helper" will go down at dusk and help cover them up again.

the first batch of meat birds are 9 weeks old, and cannot reach butchering weight soon enough for me! I've bought 18 bags of feed, and after purchasing 10 more at the feed mill today I'm more than ready for the cash flow to be reversed!

Dave's horseradish is doing fine, too, and we're looking forward to trying some fresh horseradish. we'll have to wait at least until September, though, since the old-timer told me horseradish can only be harvested in a month that has an "R" in it.

i may have forgotten to mention that we (I) decided to also raise 12 turkeys! 4 i hatched out in our incubator, and the other 8 i bought. it only cost me $50 for all 12, so even with that dismally disappointing hatch percentage (18 eggs) they were still far cheaper than if i had ordered day olds.

the turkeys are outside in the brooder hoop house, and moved daily just like the chickens. so far they don't eat much, but i expect that to change soon.

at least several are toms, and it's comical to watch these small birds strut around all puffy and proud despite their diminutive size.

the first 2 pigs went to the butcher last week, with the remaining 2 to follow July 8. (anybody local need fresh, pastured pork?)

the girls and i went to farmer Allen's to get our next batch- 4 feeder pigs. 2 of these are ours, to be butchered in December and January, with the remaining 2 for sale.

Wednesday our remaining 100 Cornish cross cockerels came, joining the 15 buffs i hatched out, and the additional 15 buff pullets we bought. with all these new birds, the poultry population here is nearing 250!

the baby buffs are our new laying flock, as the old buff orpingtons are 1½ years old, and showing it in their egg production. just today M gathered a small egg- about the size of a malted egg! that's ok for a pullet, but not acceptable for a mature hen... so as soon as these new hens start laying, it's off to the chopping block for the slackers!

that's about it for the happenings here "by the bridge". we're harvesting beets, carrots, peas and the occasional ripe tomato (when we can wrestle it away from A and B!) the eggplants and beans are blossoming, and there are tons more yellow blossoms on the tomatoes.

we're managing to *mostly* stay on top of the weeds. we primarily use the hand cultivator, but still use the roto tiller on occasion, and sometimes even resort to the old-fashioned method of hand weeding.

we're thankful for the consistent rain, and still have not installed our new irrigation system, but that should be done soon; hopefully next week.

thanks for stopping by; we appreciate your interest and your encouragement!

Livestock and Garden Report 2: weeks 8 and 9

2010-05-29T16:17:00.019-04:00

look: words and pictures! and all on the same day!

we're so busy with the gardens, that it's really hard to find the time to sit at the computer. usually, if i have "free time" I'll spend it quilting, getting ready for classes at the local Ben Franklin.

however, we decided today that i should really try to blog more, as this is a good place to write down notes and things we've learned so we can be better at this next year.

this is the portion of the garden that we call the chicken triangle. for the last 2 summers, we've run the chicken tractors on this space. just this year Dave "reclaimed" it for gardening. on the far right you can see the row of onions. moving along to the left, is the row of broccoli and cauliflower, then cauliflower, red and green cabbages. lastly, there are 3 types of sweet corn.

here you can see some of the raised beds, the high tunnel and the upper garden. these raised beds have beets, 3 plantings of carrots (danvers half long and Nantes core less), as well as sugar snap peas and shelling peas. also on the very bottom are the cold frames with garlic, basil and cilantro.

just today we were working all day in the upper garden, getting that planted. we were a little later than we would have liked, due to tiller problems, and running the chicken tractors over the winter rye.

in the upper garden:

*15 hills butternut squash
*15 hills acorn squash
*15 hills cantaloupe
*15 hills watermelon
*30 hills combined of cucumber, yellow and zucchini squash, all in staggered plantings
*beets
*red and white onions
* Kentucky wonder pole beans
*yellow beans
*sunflowers, in staggered plantings
*gladioli
*green beans (to be planted in the next few days)
*bush cucumber (tomorrow)

these are more of the raised beds, with head lettuce, beets and sugar snap peas. the peas have not blossomed yet, so it will still be a bit before we're eating those... the lettuce will be pulled and sold in the next couple days, and then that box will be planted with more bush cukes.

here is our first, (and largest) harvest of broccoli! we were both really happy, and almost immediately wishing that we had planted more than one flat of the broccoli and cauliflower. we'll have enough to sell, and some to freeze.

Dave has been fanatically stalking the ground hogs this week, and has been rewarded with a tally of 7 groundhogs and 1 rabbit! the girls are so excited when they hear the shotgun blast, and run outside to see if daddy has gotten another groundhog.

thankfully, inquiries as to whether we will be eating it for dinner have been kept to a minimum!

with every one's work schedule, it is mostly G who helps me in the garden. however, despite the fact that A is not yet quite 4, there are still some jobs that she can do, and is expected to help. this week she trimmed off all the flower buds from the onions. (actually, she rather enjoyed this job, since it involved scissors...)

the high tunnel is going fine, and though we're still getting the hang of managing it well, it's churning out its share of early crops.

there to my left (your right) is the lettuce. we were totally inundated with lettuce, but now that the weather has turned hotter, i pulled it all and fed it to the chickens before it could get bitter.

we have a few tomatoes planted in the center row, but right now the bulk of my tomatoes are in improvised topsy turvy planters. i used 3 gallon buckets, and drilled 7/8" holes in the bottom. others i planted the tomatoes on top, and have just let them cascade over the sides. both types seem to be doing equally as well. additionally, we are using root beer bottles for vacuum waterers. (a friend's idea) again, that seems to be working fine, with the water seeping out slowly but steadily, keeping the plants from wilting. (previously, i was watering them 3 times daily!)

also, just today, the girls picked and ate 4 cherry tomatoes! woohoo! I'm sure looking forward to fresh tomatoes again.

the wide row of peas that i planted in the HT produced well, giving us several quarts of peas. the girls enjoyed sitting on the lawn and shelling their own peas to eat fresh. ( i liked it too, as it gave me quite a bit of peace and quiet since it kept them busy for awhile!)

last week we worked mainly in the lower garden, getting all the rows planted. all hands on deck that day!

we have 2 rows of roma tomatoes (150 plants), as well as 1 ½ rows other varieties:

*early girl

*big boy

*new girl

*super steak

the potatoes are very happy, and we've already hilled them twice.

we also planted several varieties of peppers:

*green (red) peppers- one flat

*green (yellow) peppers -one flat

*lilac peppers (just 6)

*cherry bomb

*jalapeno

*Hungarian wax

*Anaheim chili

since we've not had much rain lately, it's been a backbreaking family chore at times to keep everything watered. A loves to help - anything involving water and or dirt is fine by her!

we also got the sweet potatoes planted- all 100. although we were very disappointed at how droopy some of the slips were when they arrived, we planted them anyway. (gurney's is replacing over half of our order- we expect the plants tomorrow.)

the sweet potatoes will spend their summer under the mini hoop row. this will serve 2 purposes: keeping them a little warmer, as they are a southern crop, and protecting them from marauding varmints.

finally, here is our watering system for the lower garden. it's undergone a few tweaks since i took this picture, but basically, we gather the run off water from the hillside, and then use the pump to water, both with hoses and the sprinkler.

more on the water next week, as it's even better now!

thanks for stopping by- my posts have become so few and far between that it's a wonder anyone even reads anymore...

have cat, will travel...

2010-05-24T22:02:00.002-04:00

it's still a toss up whether our cat, spooky, is truly long-suffering or just deeply needy.

she is very tolerant of the girls, and the way they carry her around.

but the look on her face in these pictures? i wish i could know what she's thinking!

Livestock & Garden Report 2: Week 5 and 7

2010-05-24T15:30:00.002-04:00

finally ~ the explanations to go with these pictures! i had finally taken the time on Saturday to sit down and write, and just as i hit publish, everything disappeared!

so now, i guess I'll try again. I'll give you both the explanation and the update, all in one fell swoop...

Dave turned our old "chicken triangle" into more garden space. last fall we laid mulch, and early spring Dave was out tilling the hay under. the soil is still fluffy (and rocky) but we're glad for the extra dirt.

A helped us plant sweet corn ~ 3 different kinds: yellow, white and bi-color. all will mature at different times ~ 63, 72 and 85 days.

although it's not enough corn to sell, we will have plenty for ourselves to eat.

the corn is now up about 2" and just this morning i was able to cultivate it for the first time. when it's early, and the dew is still on the stalks, it's easy to see the rows. as the day goes on, the rows just fade into the dirt.

the potatoes in the lower garden are all up ~ all 300 lbs of them! we definitely expanded our potato farming from last year, but it was such a successful crop.

both the kennebec and red Pontiac i was able to plant from our own potatoes, thus saving us the cost of buying more seed potatoes. with the exception of the 200 lb. of seed potatoes i bought ( 50lb. red pontiac, 25 lb. blue, 50 lb. superior and 50 lb. yukon gold), we have not needed to buy any potatoes for our family to eat for almost a year!

now that the potatoes are gone, however, we're on a potato fast until the new ones are dug, hopefully around the beginning of July.

the little high tunnel worked very well, and really gave a boost to the cauliflower and broccoli. the tunnel is off now, (we're using it for the sweet potatoes down in the lower garden) and the plants should be large enough to fend off a marauding bunny.

there are a few slugs, though, but early in the morning Dave takes the girls out to squash the slugs and snails. B is so cute as she earnestly hunts for slugs, and then shakes salt onto them with the saltshaker!

the chickens are coming along very well, and are nearly half-way to butchering day.

every once in a while one (or two, or three...) will get out, and the girls are happy to help put them back in the hoop house. since chickens absolutely do not herd well at all, they need to be caught. both girls know how to catch the chickens by the body so the wings don't flap all over. they gently put them back.

all three girls A, B and M help feed the chickens. (G feeds them in the morning) here B is hauling the feed sack down in her little wheelbarrow.

100 birds eat 100 lbs. of food in less then three days, so we're kept busy either running to the feed mill or mixing the soybean meal into the food.

the meat bird grower that we buy is 22% protein, but these high octane birds need 26% protein. so, for every 100 lbs. of grower, we mix in 6 lbs of soybean meal. since the soybean meal is 47.5% protein, that gives the food (and chickens) the extra boost that they need.

this is the first year that we've supplemented the meat birds food this way, so I'll be interested to see if it makes a difference in the butchering weight.

right now all 4 hoop houses are running on the garden, so the chickens can help eat up the winter rye that is still growing. however, now that the danger of frost is past, we will be tiling the upper garden this week, so the chickens will need to be moved somewhere else.

the peas in the high tunnel are finally producing! just yesterday we had 2 quarts!

i sold one quart, and the girls sat in the yard eating the peas fresh yesterday after their nap. i was pleased that the peas did produce, since originally i was worried that they would not be pollinated, but that obviously was not a problem.

A and B still go get the eggs together, and besides being sisters, they are best friends.

this is the parting shot of the Indian runner ducks. we had been keeping them cooped up, since they would most likely eventually get into the lettuce, peas or spinach.

we were feeling bad that they could no longer roam about freely, so we sent them to the auction. hopefully they have a good home, and weren't some one's Sunday dinner!

we had a hail storm, quite fierce, and the girls we fascinated by the little ice balls. no damage was done to the crops, thankfully!

the peas are much larger than this now (that's what happens when it takes so long to post!) G and i staked them with sumac branches. i like the way that looks, but next year we will probably just use wire and stakes.

this salad box (radishes, lettuce and spinach) is producing profusely, and it's nearly impossible to keep up with it!

A found a toad while planting corn with daddy, and after she and B were done looking at him, they set it free in the high tunnel.

hopefully he'll gorge himself on the slugs in there!

this little spring hole is handy for watering the animals. it was just a wet spot in the yard that Dave dug out, and the girls like to sit on the edge and play in the water.

these are the two 300 gallon water storage tanks that we bought at the farmer's auction.

Dave plans on hooking them up to the drainage system in the lower garden, and then we'll have an easier way to water the plants down there.

he's in the process of working on that now, and i should be able to show it to you by the end of the week.

Dave has the row of horseradish planted, and they seem to be establishing themselves well.

a neighbor showed up with a plastic bag of root cuttings, assuring me that Dave wanted to plant horseradish. somehow, though, Dave has no recollection of that conversation!

the pigs are getting bigger and fatter, which is a good thing, since the butchering dates in June and July are rapidly approaching. it's hard to tell in this picture, but the red pig is significantly bigger than the white striped one.

and the parting shot: B and i lovin' on the cat. see, we do take the time to ~~smell the roses~~ pet the kitty!

May: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-05-23T19:20:00.000-04:00

the kitchen is often a place that we can't decorate very much for the Christmas season. however, I'm happy to have this nativity plate, and put it on my counter to remind me of the miracle that we celabrate on Christmas morning.

why i rarely have time to write in my blog anymore...

2010-05-13T10:19:00.005-04:00

the college kids came home last weekend (what a wonderful mother's day present!) and even though we have some extra hands to help, it's still very busy around here!

here's the list that i wrote on the mudroom blackboard. it's almost done, and we're working very steadily to keep ahead of things.

I'm finding that i have several choices concerning blogging:

#1: i can write about what i should be doing
#2: i can write about what i am doing
#3: i can be out there doing what i should be doing

lately, it's been #3, so the posts are few and far between!

watching a miracle ~ up close!

2010-05-13T10:07:00.002-04:00

even though I'm all grown up now, i sometimes want to dig up the seeds I've planted to see how they are coming along. (what are they doing down there, anyway?)

I'm sure that A and B are equally as curious.

this morning we did a quick little project so that they can see the miracle that happens every time we plant seeds.

first, i used a wide mouth pint jar, and some leftover cotton batting that i had from a quilt I'm working on. i rolled up the batting neatly, and put it into the jar.

after i soaking the batting with water, i helped the girls push bean seeds down inside the jar- abut 1 ½" down.

we put the lid on (just until they sprout) and set it on the kitchen windowsill.

B was proud to tell M what they had done. now, we'll all have to wait patiently!

what the heck is a CSA anyway?

2010-05-06T15:18:00.003-04:00

I've probably mentioned before that my goal is to eventually become a CSA, and support 10-12 local families with fresh produce, meat, flowers and eggs weekly.

usually i stumble around when asked to explain what a CSA is, and never really feel that I've managed to explain it well. last month (in the local electricity publication, no less!) there was an article that explained this concept very well:

"Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, as it's commonly called, is a way for people who like to garden and don't mind hard work to build a family business on a small acreage. it's also an excellent way for consumers to have access to fresh, locally grown produce.

each spring, more CSAs sprout up across Pennsylvania as word spreads about the unique method of farming that involves a farmer offering "shares" of her crop to the public. they buyer-usually known as a member or subscriber- receives a share of seasonal produce from the farm each week during the growing season. risk is also shared- in an exceptional growing season, members will receive more produce, while boxes will not be as full when Mother Nature intervenes in a negative fashion.

CSA owners benefit from the system because they know what their seasonal income will be and how much to plant because they pre-sold the shares during the slow winter. CSA members benefit because they are assured of getting fresh produce from someone they know."

L & G2 Report~ week 4

2010-04-30T13:06:00.003-04:00

busy week, of course. even though it's only May 1 (!), I'm taking advantage of the warmer weather and our close proximity to the creek and planting more and more things out.

yesterday we planted the cherry and grape tomatoes in the little "kitchen garden" right outside the back door. it's very handy to have those tomatoes so close- with everyone coming in and out that door, it really helps keep the tomatoes picked. also, it's close and easy to cover them when the frost comes. some of the tomato plants even have blossoms on them!

the spinach and lettuce in the high tunnel are doing super! we pick and pick and pick, and still there is more...

the 2nd, 3rd and 4th plantings of lettuce, spinach and radishes are coming along very well. we'll have an abundance of lettuce for many weeks to come.

the peas in the high tunnel have blossoms! how amazing is that? i guess soon we'll have fresh peas as well.

the raised beds are really coming along nicely, and with the rain we just had this week, so are the weeds! the peas, beets and carrots are all up and strong.

today we'll try to get the remaining 100lbs of potatoes planted: 50 Yukon gold and 50 red Pontiac.

both the tractor shed and wood shed have a robin's nest. the girls like it when daddy lifts them up to peek inside at the eggs. (I'm glad the nests are in the sheds this year. last year a robin built a nest on the front porch, and that was a nuisance.)

Thursday G and i traveled down home, and i took the opportunity to stop at our favorite greenhouse. i came home with 2 flats peppers, 2 flats of tomatoes, 2 flats begonias, 1 flat gazania daises and 30 grape, cherry, pink and yellow tomatoes.

i guess it's pretty obvious what we'll be doing next week!

Livestock and Garden Report 2: Week 3~ chicken overload!

2010-04-26T16:28:00.015-04:00

chickens, chickens, chickens. seemingly everywhere!

the meat birds are growing quickly, and their wing and tail feathers are coming in. the girls and i took a walk down to the creek and gathered some gravel. we spread the gravel on newspaper for the little chickens to fill their gizzards with.

they went crazy! i left the gravel in the brooder box for about an hour,and then put their high protein food back in.

just today we moved them outside into the special brooder house. even though the weather today is not ideal to move the chickens outside, they were stinking up the mud room royally, and i couldn't stand it anymore. (12 days is my official limit for chickens in the house.)

there are no pictures of the chickens as they look today; they are not nearly as cute now! the 102 birds are all warm and cozy in the brooder house: lights, hay and fresh food and water. we're on the countdown now to 8-10 weeks. they'll be ready for the table (or freezer) around the middle of June.

YUM!

however- these little guys are cute. sort of. we put 25 eggs in the incubator beginning April 1.

they started hatching out right on schedule. i can honestly say that I've never seen a chicken hatch, and they sure look different than the ones that we get in the happy meal box from the post office!

although they look very frail and scraggly, most did just fine, and we are now the proud parents of 14 buff orpington peeps.

this was just a trial run, to gain experience with the new incubator. these chicks are for sale, and if i don't sell them on craig's list, we'll send them to the auction on Monday.

when i hatch out my new flock of laying hens, I'll fill the incubator. (42 eggs) that will give me around 20 hens. (optimistically speaking, of course!)

right now we have 18 turkey eggs in the incubator, and they're due to hatch around May 22. so if you want pastured, fresh turkey for thanksgiving or Christmas, just let me know...

do you think i could call myself a chicken farmer without stretching the truth too much? or sounding too presumtious?

so i really should have known better than to take these chickens that someone gave us.

the buff Cochin is really a nice and friendly bird, and the zebra hens are so pretty.

however, chickens are not known for playing nicely with others, so now we have these 4 hens that we need to house separately from the rest of the flock.

so far their only saving grace is that they are hens. we can use the extra eggs. right now, that's about the only thing that's keeping them from the stew pot.

that, and guilt.

they're so pretty.

and friendly.

i must be getting soft in my old age.

we finally found local blue potatoes. although i must say that they are really more of a purple.

but as long as we can convince the fresh produce consumers of northeastern PA to celebrate a red, white and purple 4th of July, we'll be just fine.

the highlight of the week had to be the farm equipment auction. besides an odd sunburn, i got several useful things for the garden. two 300 gallon tanks, which we'll use to store water. (we plan on using the water for the garden in a dry spell if we need to)

and this handy-dandy Honda water pump.

i got a very good deal on it- and the pump came with the intake hose and another hose (like a fireman's hose) too.

both girls helped me plant some cucumbers and squash in peat pots.

we mixed a starting medium of bottom land soil, a few rabbit pellets, peat moss and vermiculite. after picking out the rocks and sticks, it was very nice to work with.

I'd like to get these plants out as early in May as possible, to get a head start, and also to *maybe* have the first cukes and squash to sell. (I'm learning that it's all about being first with the market garden. everyone has cukes and squash in July and august. perhaps i can push the season a bit...)

the flat of peat pots went right into the high tunnel until the seeds sprout, and develop the first set of real leaves. then I'll put them in a raised bed, as well as the "flat" garden.

one nice thing about having so many seeds to start is that there are lots of opportunities for the little girls to help. even if a few seeds get planted too deeply or spilled, it doesn't matter. there are so many seeds (and even successive plantings) that I'm sure it will all work out just fine.

if you look over in the right hand side bar, you'll see this really cool little orange cultivating tractor. I've been hoping that Dave will get me one- birthday? Christmas? anniversary?

it's not to be, i suppose...

this is what came for me in the mail last week. a push cultivator- much like an antique Planet Jr.

i can see that it will come in handy for cultivating between the garden rows, in an effort to keep the weeds down. it's also a space saver, since it's much narrower than the roto-tiller (obviously) so i don't need to allow as much room for weeding between vegetable rows.

here I'm cultivating the onions in the lower garden. the picture is so blurry because I'm going faster than a speeding roto-tiller.

here is the "completed" row cover/hoop system over the broccoli and cauliflower.

i must say that this week I'm not thinking such warm and fuzzy thoughts of our friend Herrick Kimball. the clothespin thingys don't work the way we thought they would. they were a ton of work (just ask G) and they pop off at the slightest breeze- if you can even get them to shut!

however, in the row right next to the hooped row, the floating row cover is just... floating. imagine that! it seems to be working just fine, and as we were laboring with aching backs to finish the first row of brassicas before dark, Dave and i looked at each other and wondered aloud just why we were going to all this trouble?

anyway... lesson learned.

come back next week for the Livestock and Garden Report: 2 to see how things are going around the little homestead.

April: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-04-24T07:18:00.002-04:00

besides being one of my favorite nativities, this tiny Holy Family made of pewter reminds me of a dear friend who cared about me at a very difficult time in my life.

besides this thoughtful Christmas gift, she gave me the greater gift of her time, her friendship and constant encouragement, woven with understanding.

but most of all, she gave me the gift of listening.

and sometimes, that can be the greatest gift one friend can give another.

Livestock and Garden Report~ Round 2: week 2.5

2010-04-18T16:48:00.013-04:00

first thing this week the girls and i headed down to the lower garden to plant potatoes. i feel as if I'm in a potato race, since i want to have potatoes to sell before the 4th of July. hence the rush.

Dave put the middle buster on the tiller for me, and i made several furrows. (48" apart)

it was still early for local seed potatoes, so i used some of my red Pontiac and kennebec from last year. the girls helped me put the potatoes in the furrow.

this week I'll be planting more potatoes: yukon gold, more red Pontiac, Superior and the blue ones. (still elusive, but getting closer to actually tracking them down!)

on Monday, Dave came home with a late Easter present for the girls:

a tiny wheelbarrow!

they both had fun helping to put it together, and even managed to NOT loose any of the nuts or screws!

they both promptly got to work hauling around stones and other random things.

bright and early on Wednesday morning we got a call from the US Government. (actually, it was really the Towanda postmaster)

our 100 Cornish cross cockerels were in, and i needed to come pick them up. i went to the back door of the post office and rang the bell. after giving him the secret password, he handed over my ~~happy meal~~ box of chickens. the brooder box was already prepared, and after a quick stop at the feed mill, i brought the chicks home and got them all settled in their new brooder box.

so far all is well; and I'm loving the new brooder box. although it takes up most of the mud room, I like how easy it is to take care of the chicks.

both girls often stop in and visit with the peeps. B asked me "when they get bigger, are we going to eat them?"

why yes, yes we are!

she's a true country girl at heart, and makes her daddy proud!

in many (and random) places, we have catnip growing. spooky sure is enjoying it! i plan on potting some of it up to sell in the produce stand this week. (the catnip, not the cat!)

several of the raised beds are planted, and the peas are making a timid showing. i had to water daily this week, as we didn't get rain until Friday night. the girls, of course, are glad to help.

Dave bought 50 black raspberry bushes, and had diligently (and fervently) worked to prepare their bed. we got them planted on Friday morning.

and wouldn'tchaknow, the hose is almost long enough to reach the raspberry bushes. all but the last 4, that is!

the peach trees in the orchard are blooming, and the plum will not be far behind. unfortunately, neither the cherries nor apples made it through the winter, so I'll be making a call about that this week.

Dave also ordered grapes, so it looks like we'll be having some fruit to add to our veggie sales some day!

the next priority was planting the 2 flats of broccoli and cauliflower. after laying the black plastic, Dave and i planted the 144 brassicas in an evening.

using the idea we found here, we modified it a bit and made row covers for both rows. (finishing this project is a priority for the beginning of this week) G helped cut the re-bar and the PVC. he also helped haul off the 3 wheelbarrow loads of rocks we collected.

interestingly enough, i had never even heard of the word agrarian until we discovered Herrick's blog!

and lastly, as Dave pointed out, even the migrant workers get a break! A and B are always happy (and ready) to help daddy eat his tasty cakes!

Livestock and Garden Report: Round 2~ let's just call this week 1

2010-04-09T17:35:00.014-04:00

it's been a flurry of spring activity around here. the wonderfully warm weather this week has allowed us to be outside getting lots of our time-sensitive projects done. (as a matter of fact, the Things To Be Done As Soon As Possible List is nearly done! the only things remaining on that daunting list are find some turkey and duck eggs to hatch and start the strawberry beds. Dave is building the brooder box tomorrow.)

Dave plowed and disced the lower garden yesterday, so hopefully by Monday we'll be planting potatoes and maybe onions as well. I've been having trouble tracking down blue potatoes, but i haven't given up yet!

already in the upper garden i have red and white onions planted, as well as 1 row of beets. in a few weeks I'll plant more beets. I'm going to try to be more organized about succession planting this year. it's so easy to start off like gangbusters after the winter's hibernation, but harder still to manage everything efficiently for the long haul. we did hang up a black board in the mud room, and i have all my garden notes and reminders on that. i plan on also having a large calendar to write dates of plantings and projected harvests.

this week Dave and G finished the 2nd pig tractor, and none too soon! 4 pigs slamming around in one small space is very crowded. not to mention messy. and muddy. we've been getting plenty of slops from the local restaurant that is the favorite hangout of the gas workers, so that's why we decided to get 2 more pigs.

i didn't take any pictures of the pigs. i guess we've been raising pigs so long now that i figure if you've seen one pig, you've pretty much seen them all! red. hairy. smelly. curly tail. big. sound familiar yet?

the big push this week was hauling the dirt from our farmer friend, Jay. G and Dave built 12 raised beds, and we filled them all with a combination of our bottom land soil, the dirt from the cow pasture and vermiculite. if you've seen or read the book Square Foot Gardening, you'll have an idea of the general direction we're headed.

the best part of hauling the dirt was borrowing the farm truck from our other farmer friend, Doug. G got a kick out of the truck, too, and could be observed on more than one occasion with a big grin on his face as he drove it around to unload dirt.

oi vey! the stories i could tell! suffice it to say that it was a driving experience that will give me some colorful stories to tell my grandchildren someday~ the highlights of which would include wearing a garbage bag skirt to keep me dry while driving the truck in the rain. and the absolutely best part: using a fire hose to fill a gas tank that would prefer an eyedropper. the gas guys standing in line for their lunch time hoagie won't soon forget that.

the high tunnel is doing well, and has some lettuce and spinach ready to harvest. the cold frames are full, too, and hopefully we'll have continuous harvests of lettuce, spinach and radishes until the hot weather.

G and i finished raking the vermiculite into all the raised beds, and i have 4 beds planted with peas and carrots. i can honestly say that even after only one day of gardening in raised beds, I'm a huge fan! the dirt is wonderful, it's easy to pick out stones and plant the seeds, and since the beds are so small it does not feel overwhelming. (like the long rows in the lower garden often do)

we're doing a buffet of gardening techniques this year: raised beds, square foot gardening, traditional garden, small scale farming and wide rows. we're still experimenting to find the best combination of what works well for us, and what will help us to be both productive on a large scale and efficient.

we have 25 buff orpington eggs in the incubator, and they are all due to start hatching out the evening of April 21. this clutch is just a trial run, since we've never used this incubator before. (i can vouch for the convenience of the automatic turner, however, and can't imagine remembering to turn the eggs 2-3 times a day!) i plan on filling all 42 slots in the incubator to hatch out my new laying flock later this spring.

on Wednesday our first batch of 100 Cornish cross roosters are due to arrive, via the United States Postal Service.

so if we think we're busy now, just wait until then!

p.s. ~ i finally finished the post about the drywalling in the girls' room. so if you've been anxiously awaiting news about that project, be sure to read the previous post!

the girls' room is coming right along, too. sort-of...

2010-03-24T19:12:00.003-04:00

I've been so busy doing other stuff, that i never got around to putting the words to go with the pictures of drywalling the girls' room. and to top it off, i forgot my bloggy password again!

really, now that i look at these pictures again, I'm thinking there probably aren't any profound or clever words and phrases to go with them.

so lets just go with the obvious, shall we?

getting started.

lots of super helpful guys... helping.

many sheets of drywall hung.

much progress. dust in the air.

corner chimneys are a pain to drywall around, and of course take forever...

finally got it!

hanging drywall on the ceiling. a drywall lifter has got to be one of the world's best inventions. with the exception of the printing press and penicillin, of course.

all done except for the curves in the ceiling. that (and the mudding and painting) will probably wait until the garden is in, and before the weeds go crazy and/or stuff is ready to be harvested.

of course, it's a HUGE improvement (*she says in an understated monotone*) and I'm so thankful for the guys that freely gave their time to help us out.

March: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-03-24T07:17:00.003-04:00

this monochromatic clay nativity hails all the way from Mexico! my great uncle Eddie brought it back with him who knows when, and eventually my great aunts Mary and Olive passed it along to me.

this is my only nativity scene that has a chicken represented at the birth, and i can honestly say that this is one of my favorite nativities.

of course, with Easter just around the corner, most people are thinking of the completion of the Christmas story- Jesus dying for our sins, and rising from the dead.

however, A and B are still (almost daily) acting out the Christmas story. complete with head covering, baby Jesus and swaddling cloths, their little hearts are tender towards the baby Jesus who had no place to stay.

next week is holy week, and using the Resurrection Eggs, I'll begin the familiarize them with the rest of the story.

now that the potential isn't quite so deeply buried...

2010-03-23T10:02:00.008-04:00

we've started our rush of spring work, so it seems as if i haven't' had time to post these pictures. today is rainy and cool, and although I'm trying to get some sample quilts ready for the BF, i thought that I'd post these few pictures of the boy's room for you...

you can see the economy firring strips that we used to even out the walls, and make uniform nailers to hang the drywall on. we just used OSB, and cut that into 4" strips. although it's certainly more work at the beginning to prep the walls, in the end it saves tons of time.

with an old house, nothing is even, straight or level. and forget about 16" centers!

with the drywall lift, the ceiling practically drywalled itself!

and with a crew of 6 experienced drywallers, the bedroom went nearly as fast!

G really enjoyed working with the guys. and the days off from (academic) school.

you can see in the top of this picture,and the next couple pictures as well, that there is a spot on the wall/ceiling that is not drywalled.

originally, the 3 upstairs room were all one room, and it was used as a ball room. (oh, if only the walls could talk...)

that portion of the ceiling, all across the 3 rooms (boy's room, sitting room and girl's room) is curved. although Dave has been pondering the technique of drywalling the curve for several months now, the first couple ideas did not work. he'll work on plan C when he has time.

here is N and G's room as it looked when the drywallers were done. and as a matter of fact, it still looks like that today, several weeks later.

G assures me that he is planning on spackling this room for us.

I'm counting on his help, and looking forward to having just one more room in our house *done*!

be sure and stop back tomorrow and see the progress on the girls room!

because i want playing in the dirt to be as much fun as possible...

2010-03-16T15:13:00.007-04:00

it's hard to believe, but this long, cold winter finally seems to be drawing to an end. and with the arrival of DST, we can enjoy the longer days in all our sleep deprived glory!

as usual, we feel as if we're running just a tad bit behind here, but now that we're "almost" over the hump of "finishing" the schoolroom and putting the house back to "normal", I've been concentrating my efforts outside.

*working in the high tunnel

*planting the cold frames with lettuce, spinach and radishes

*supervising the building of our raised beds

*hauling manure hither and yon

of course, the girls are eager and very willing to help. A is 3½ this year, and B is 2. both girls, but especially B, are too young to understand the concept of walking between the garden rows.

as opposed to smashing every delicate plant and seed in sight.

*ahem*

we were working in the high tunnel this afternoon, planting more lettuce, spinach and radishes, as well as beans and peas, and i had an idea. what if i clearly marked the rows where the girls could walk?

i took a roll of orange surveyor's tape and laid it down between the rows in the high tunnel, lining the rows where the girls could safely walk.

this simple idea greatly reduced the frustration level, and enables the girls to be in there working with me- whether planting, picking rocks, weeding, harvesting or watering.

happy little gardeners works for me!

just like mama!

2010-03-15T11:30:00.002-04:00

can it be? is it really true? could spring be almost here?

2010-03-11T17:38:00.003-05:00

A and i discovered these crocus's (crocusii?) in the flower bed yesterday.

we also noticed that the daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are waking up from their long (and cold!) winter's sleep.

better yet- the weather today was warm enough that both girls got on their boots and played with their boats in the duck puddle.

the ducks didn't seem to mind too much, and of course, both girls had lots of fun.

what are the early signs of spring where you live?

filled up, pressed down and running over...

2010-03-03T14:26:00.005-05:00

the crew of drywallers is getting ready to leave, and they hung far more drywall than we even dared to imagine in our wildest dreams!

this is the upstairs landing/hallway area.

it's nearly done.

we never even considered that this area was going to be worked on this week, so to have it nearly done is a wonderful bonus!

still more pictures to come later, and i want to tell you about the group of guys that donated their time to help us.

in which the blogger fervently talks herself out of hyperventilating...

2010-03-03T11:38:00.002-05:00

remember when i told you that it's going to get worse before it gets better?

it's worse.

much worse.

the mess, dust, tools, hungry men, bits of drywall (and sick people) is seemingly endless.

i'm not complaining. just stating the facts.

today's menu: chili, cornbread and upside down pineapple cake for dessert.

pictures later.

in which the blogger takes a deep breath, and can be heard muttering quietly to herself...

2010-03-01T18:09:00.004-05:00

it's going to get worse before it gets better...

we've had a crew of drywallers here this week, and of course along with the tremendous progress we're making on covering the naked studs in our house, there is also a huge mess to contend with. it's a loosing battle, of course (the mess) but at this point I'm still delusional enough to think that i can contain it!

the school room

some of the guys were here before 8AM!

they got right to work on the schoolroom ceiling, and were done by 10:30!

there are not many seams in this room, with the majority of them being the factory edges, as opposed to butt seams. hopefully that will make the taping and spackling of this job go faster. all the rooms downstairs are holding the contents of this room: living room, master bedroom, hallway, and laundry room.

the sooner this room is done, the sooner we can have a clean house again! but here, B is doing her part. both girls did quite a bit of vacuuming today~ we like to start them young in their delusion!

the sitting room

the sitting room is actually the middle room upstairs. to the left of this room is G and N's room; to the right will be the girls' (A & B's) room

with all the guys helping, and the drywall lift to boot, this ceiling went up very quickly. they hope to work on the curves tomorrow.

there was also another crew in the girls' room, and they made quite a bit of progress, too. i hope to show that to you tomorrow.

this is how the room looked at the end of the day. it's mostly done. with all the spring work that we have to do, the sitting room is likely to stay this way until the fall. but no complaints from me- it's a far sight better than it was just this morning.

in traditional country fashion, we fed our work crew. today we had BBQ meatballs, mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce and chocolate cake (PB icing) for dessert. tomorrow will be ham, potato and corn soup, cherry jello, home made buns and apple pie for dessert.

at least they won't go away hungry

apparently, March is National Craft Month. who knew?

2010-02-27T21:43:00.002-05:00

the following is an article that BF asked me to write for the local Sunday paper. I'm disappointed that it didn't appear in today's paper, but I'm sharing it with you anyway.

Quilting is the expensive and time consuming hobby of taking large pieces of fabric, cutting them into hundreds (if not thousands) of tiny pieces of fabric, and then sewing them all back together into a large pieced quilt top.

While the above sentence may evoke a wry chuckle from seasoned quilters, the art of quilting is so much more. While our grandmothers and mother may have quilted out of necessity and thrift, most modern quilters have the luxury of quilting for the pure creativity and enjoyment of manipulating the fabrics, colors and design into a work of art.

I began quilting over 25 years ago, and have been steadily pursuing this hobby ever since. My first quilt was a Bachelor’s Puzzle, made using the cardboard from a cereal box as my template. Tracing with pencil around the squares and triangles, I tediously cut out all the pieces that I would need. Today, with a rotary cutter and rotary rulers, such time consuming and inaccurate preparation is unheard of.

For me, quilting is an outlet for creativity, while having the added advantage of benefiting my family. All my children have several quilts that I have made. Whether for their birth, a milestone birthday or graduation from high school, there is a quilt to mark that special day. Our home is peppered with quilts; wall hangings, table runners, doll quilts, or simply a quilt thrown over the sofa to wrap around yourself while reading a good book. Quilts help make our house a home.

Quilting is also relaxing. As busy wives and mothers, most women can probably relate when I say that much of what I’ve done today will need to be done again tomorrow: washing dishes, laundry, cleaning, caring for small (or not so small) children, cooking dinner… It’s a treat, then, to sit down during naptime, or after dinner, and piece a block or two of a quilt that I’m working on. I’m encouraged to know that tomorrow, I can probably squeeze in some more sewing time, and before too long, I will have a completed quilt! I’m making a future heirloom, one stitch at a time.

Perhaps most importantly, quilting gives me community connections, and builds new friendships, with other women. Whether it’s joining a local quilting group, teaching classes at the local craft store or sewing with the women from my church, the opportunities for encouragement, inspiration and friendship are far more valuable than might first be evident.

I’ve had the privilege and blessing of quilting with all 3 of my daughters. Making a quilt for someone who has suffered from a fire, homelessness or even the earthquake in Haiti, is a good opportunity to teach them how truly blessed we are, and how much we have to be thankful for, while at the same time showing love to those in need.

If you’re interested in learning to quilt, getting started is much easier than you might think. First, you’ll need a reliable sewing machine. An excellent place to get one would be at a yard sale. Most of the older machines are very sturdy and well made, with many years of sewing left in them. If it doesn’t already come with an instruction manual, you can easily purchase one relatively inexpensively on-line.

Next, you’ll need a teacher. Whether you purchase a comprehensive beginners quilting book, ask a friend or relative to teach you, or sign up for a quilting class, you’ll have taken your first step towards becoming a quilter.

Deciding on your first project might be overwhelming, so start small. A crib quilt, table runner or wall hanging are all a good choice. Now comes the best part: buying the fabric! There are so many gorgeous fabrics available that it’s hard to choose just a few!

However, quilting does not need to be an expensive habit. With books borrowed from the library or fellow quilters, and fabrics you already have in your stash, you can make a quilt just as beautiful and just as frugally as our pioneer ancestors.

Whether you make a quilt for yourself or a loved one, a quilt to keep or give away, you’ll discover for yourself that the fabrics, the friendships and the fun are only a small part of the joy of quilting!

February: Jesus in our heart and home

2010-02-23T07:16:00.001-05:00

i can't remember if I've ever mentioned this before, but i really like to quilt.

this nativity is one of my favorites. M gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago, and i usually display it somewhere so that all the detail of the quilts on the Holy Family can be truly appreciated.

we have so much to do, that i think i'll take my nap first, just so i can cross that off my list....

2010-02-21T22:13:00.003-05:00

* build another pig tractor. (did i mention that we got 2 more pigs?)

* build a 5X5 brooder pen for the 100 cornish X cockerels that are coming April 14.

* build at least 12 10'X4' raised garden beds

* maintenance and *fix* tiller

* buy seeds: beans, cukes, sunflower, corn, summer and winter squash....

* buy 250 lb potatoes: 100 lb. kennebec, 50lb. red Pontiac, 50lb. Yukon gold and 50lb. purple variety.

* buy 15lb. onion sets: 10lb. purple onions, 5+lb. white onions, and 5+lb. yellow keeper onions.

* drywall upstairs.

* finish wiring upstairs

* plan several quilt classes for BF.

* finish girls' room, so they can move upstairs in the spring after M comes home.

* clean out high tunnel

* build a few more chicken hoop houses.

* hatch out 42 buff orpingtons in Dave's incubator (Christmas gift) so we'll have a new flock of laying hens.

* find, and hatch out some turkey eggs. also some ducks.

* till, and plant cold weather crops in the high tunnel.

* plow and disc lower garden.

* buy, and butcher another (full grown) pig. our sausage is almost all gone, and we need (would like to have) enough pork to last us until we butcher again next December.

* get manure for raised beds. fortunately, I've lined up a (dump?) truck that we can borrow. this task will take several days, and many trips.

* start 2 raised beds of strawberries.

* Dave would like to plant raspberries this year.

admittedly, one small step...

2010-02-20T18:14:00.000-05:00

we have begun the daunting task of drywalling the upstairs.

of course, before that could be done we needed to clean out the attic. but even before that, G needed to build me some shelving, so i had somewhere to go with all the ~~junk~~ treasures that lovingly ~~overflow~~ fill the attic.

we also needed to clean all the ~~junk~~ salvaged colonial woodwork treasures out of the girls' room, which had over the last several years turned into the "holding room". (basically an overflowing and embarrassing mess of more "stuff".)

Dave built the attic access, and reinforced the flooring up there, so now much of the salvaged trim is destined for up there.

we (Dave) also needed to completely wire the upstairs. the kids were sharing one outlet between them- 2 bedrooms, 3 kids, and an alarming spaghettiness of plugs, extension cords and power strips. *blogger shudders in relief that the house did not burn down*

then furring strips, (frugally made from OSB, at a fraction of the cost of the traditional pine boards) some foam board in the sewing room, and finally a few pieces of drywall were actually hung!

here the girls are singing. the foam board is their hymnal, and they are singing "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing". either that, or "Joy To The World"

this is the sewing room as seen from the doorway. only one northwest facing window, so it can be a bit dreary in there. to the left of Dave you can see the chimney cupboard. also, the fireplace is hidden behind the baseboard heaters leaning up against. *almost* done in this room.

finally hanging the drywall at the top of the stairway. that is a relief! with that being the wall that shares the storage attic, it is good to finally have this closed up. G is standing in the doorway to M's room, and the sewing room door is to the left of Dave. immediately to the left of the little window is the doorway into the attic, which used to be the servant's quarters. when we bought the house, there were several little rooms in there, but we ripped out all the dividers and plaster and lath, making that one big (usable) storage area. there are steps in the attic that go down into the kitchen. however, that access is closed off, and i use the steps as my kitchen pantry.

B helps cut the drywall.

A helps snap the chalk line.

we have moved on to the remainder of the upstairs: the 3 rooms across the front of the house. they are coming along nicely, and I'll try to post pictures of them, as well, soon.

the most exciting news is that we are going to have some help with the drywalling. the first week of march, and possibly another week, too, we are having 2 crews come in to hang drywall. how exciting is that? and I'm so glad to have the help for both Dave and G. they both work so hard, and before you know it, it'll be time to head outside for all the spring work!

this is what memories are made of...

2010-02-12T21:52:00.007-05:00

Florida.

February.

beach.

cold and rainy.

mittens and umbrellas.

seagulls.

oyster crackers.

more seagulls!

cold noses.

mobbing seagulls.

sand castles and happy smiles.

seashells for daddy.

heaps, loads and bucketfuls of love!

2010-02-11T23:12:00.002-05:00

the weather isn't quite as warm as we were hoping, but the company is quite cozy!

papa loves his little girls, and they spend lots of time together.

nanny loves cardinals, and we brought their Christmas presents with us.

the girls have really been enjoying riding the trikes up and down the driveway. with our thermometer in PA lurking around 20 degrees, the 50 degrees here feels quite temperate!

the swing set is seeing quite a bit of use, as well. and on tonight's agenda: a picnic in the gazebo!

from Florida, with love (and no snow!)

2010-02-11T16:29:00.007-05:00

in the bleak mid-winter of northeastern PA, we planned a trip to sunny Florida with the little girls, so they could see their beloved Nanny and Papa. i booked the flight on the first of February, and the departure date was the 9th.

9 days is a long time to wait! every day, numerous times, each of the girls would stop what they were doing and say: "I'm ready to go to nanny and papa's now!"

to help the girls understand when we would be leaving, i showed them the number nine on the calendar hanging on the pantry door. then we made numbers on index cards, 1-9, and displayed them in the kitchen. every night after they went to bed, i took one number down.

very slowly, the days passed. finally, it was #9! the girls were so excited, and Dave took us to the airport.

here we are in the Elmira, NY airport. maybe you can see our plane in the background. we went through security just fine, but A was very insistent that i tell her why she had to take off her shoes!

A had the window seat, and enjoyed looking out the window as we were flying. this is A's third time flying to Florida, so she can be considered a seasoned flyer, i suppose.

sometimes B was by the window, and she enjoyed looking out as well. although B has flown before, this would be the first flight that she remembers.

both girls behaved quite nicely, and i was very proud of them! even with our 2.5 hour layover in philly, they were content and patient all afternoon. B looked out the window of the airplane, and told me about the helicopter that was flying right by us. (it was really the wing of our plane!)

the girls spent quite a bit of time contenting themselves with the reading material in the pocket of the seats in front of us.

apparently, some of that reading material is meant for an older audience, and I'll have to keep that in mind for our return flight. A and B spent some time reviewing the emergency procedures pamphlet. even though they can't read, they located and pointed out the letters A, B and C.

it went downhill from there. next, they wanted to know why is the airplane in the water? then~ why is that lady swimming, mama? finally~ why are the mama and her boy wearing those masks?

other than those disconcerting questions, we had an uneventful flight. we managed to scoot out of the northeastern seaboard just ahead of the second blizzard in a week.

now we're in *sunny* Florida, enjoying the time with nanny and papa. more posts to come!

every little bit counts...

2010-02-08T16:07:00.004-05:00

A was so proud to help me lay out this quilt. i laid out the 4 patch blocks, and she filled them in with the larger, solid squares.

B helped a little, but mostly watched. (and bossed) A enjoyed this so much that we laid out another top as well.

here is the completed top, ready to go into church and be tied. hopefully we can catch the deadline for the MCC to get it to Haiti.

we also did the relief buckets. the girls helped me as we shopped at Dollar General, and we purchased enough stuff for 3 buckets.

the girls are too little to understand the magnitude of what happened in Haiti, but they are certainly old enough to understand when a family needs help.

they are eager to help, and we want to encourage compassion as much as we can; we want them to be little girls with a tender heart for serving others.