A good, productive week, I think. The compost bin has been ceremoniously started with its first offerings of strawberries caps. We're finally making "real" wedding plans (I think) and we've finally decided where we want to go for our HM. I've reintroduced my retirement plans (because I like planning ahead, lol) and begun dreaming of ways to make it happen, but I don't think I'll be happy with dying until I've succeeded in making this one dream true.
Oh, and I'm listing it now so when someone else beats me to the punch, I will have had proof I thought of it first, but I think someone should collect all the Super Friends slang to publish in a dictionary form.
Back to the knitting..
27 May 2007
21 May 2007
Strawberries!
I think this is the third year in a row that I've been begging to go strawberry picking, and we finally did! J said it was my three-year anniversay present (a week from today), but really, it was perfect. It's a beautiful day, the fields smelled of strawberries, and J and I just worked our way down a couple rows of wonderfully ripe strawberries. In maybe 45 minutes, we cleared around 20 lbs of strawberries--this picture representing only a fraction, really, of our total loot.
I've been working for the last two hours on cleaning & hulling the berries to prepare them for freezing. I've got four gallons of plain, frozen strawberries and one with sugared berries (these I also managed to sneak as small treats).
All of this cleaning/hulling/drying/freezing has made me very curious about canning. I love the idea that the labor I did this morning will keep me full of delicious berries for awhile, and I also like knowing that I am within a stone's throw of the fields. I am going to do some research on buying larger quantities of squash, tomatoes, and beans to can for the rest of the year. I may enlist the help of some maternal experts and lure assistance with the promise of a share in the bounty.
I can't tell you how extremely happy I am out here. It's so nice to spend my driving time driving through open fields, wooded, empty areas, and horse pastures, rather than stop lights, crowded neighborhoods, or businesses smashed together. I have a lot of plans for all of our extra space. I am going to try to start a compost bin out back (J will have to help with its creation) and to begin preparing an area for a proper veggie garden for the next year.
But aside from my nag-champa-burning-hippie-side, all is well.. I have been working on making soaps and I've conquered some new things in the knitting world..
Yesterday was also a pretty nice day. We tried to take Q out to the lake, but it didn't work so well. Of course, freak dog freaked out and we eventually just made one big country block loop back home.
It's been nice having a full weekend off. I hope I get more.
I've been working for the last two hours on cleaning & hulling the berries to prepare them for freezing. I've got four gallons of plain, frozen strawberries and one with sugared berries (these I also managed to sneak as small treats).
All of this cleaning/hulling/drying/freezing has made me very curious about canning. I love the idea that the labor I did this morning will keep me full of delicious berries for awhile, and I also like knowing that I am within a stone's throw of the fields. I am going to do some research on buying larger quantities of squash, tomatoes, and beans to can for the rest of the year. I may enlist the help of some maternal experts and lure assistance with the promise of a share in the bounty.
I can't tell you how extremely happy I am out here. It's so nice to spend my driving time driving through open fields, wooded, empty areas, and horse pastures, rather than stop lights, crowded neighborhoods, or businesses smashed together. I have a lot of plans for all of our extra space. I am going to try to start a compost bin out back (J will have to help with its creation) and to begin preparing an area for a proper veggie garden for the next year.
But aside from my nag-champa-burning-hippie-side, all is well.. I have been working on making soaps and I've conquered some new things in the knitting world..
Yesterday was also a pretty nice day. We tried to take Q out to the lake, but it didn't work so well. Of course, freak dog freaked out and we eventually just made one big country block loop back home.
It's been nice having a full weekend off. I hope I get more.
05 May 2007
Country Living
Well, the "move" is complete. And when I say complete, I mean that the physical act of picking up everything from house A and moving it to house B is complete. There are still unpacked boxes, things without homes, and general state of chaos and disorganization surrounding the new house B. This work week's been a bit stretched, too, and I'm physically feeling the effects of everything weighing down on me.
There are several things about country living that hit me by surprise.
#1. The first night we spent at the country retreat, Q woke us up in the middle of the night with these baby barks. I hear walking around outside. Of course, I assume it's a person, but no.. four deer walking around our backyard.
#2. Walking Q after 8pm requires a flashlight because there are no street lights. Well, that's a bit of a stretch, there is one out on the street, but not close enough to do any good to see the yetti running around.
#3. No internet! I cannot tell you how this has effected my internet addiction, but I'm feeling the effects of withdrawal. It's been quite a royal pain to find a company that will let me connect with the rest of my digital friends.
Despite all this, it's so wonderful and peaceful where we're at. I couldn't be happier. Q loves to run around outside. There's less noise. You can hear crickets. More room in the house (can you say CRAFT ROOM!?).
I took a couple of pictures the day after we "moved." Things are still dirty and in the process of happening in these pictures, but here are some shots.
My favorite part of the new kitchen-a sink ledge!
Our huge deck! Trees are far as the eye can see! Where's my neighbor? That's right--I don't know either!
The side of the house:
Craft Brunch is tomorrow. I'm excited to see what everyone's been working on!
There are several things about country living that hit me by surprise.
#1. The first night we spent at the country retreat, Q woke us up in the middle of the night with these baby barks. I hear walking around outside. Of course, I assume it's a person, but no.. four deer walking around our backyard.
#2. Walking Q after 8pm requires a flashlight because there are no street lights. Well, that's a bit of a stretch, there is one out on the street, but not close enough to do any good to see the yetti running around.
#3. No internet! I cannot tell you how this has effected my internet addiction, but I'm feeling the effects of withdrawal. It's been quite a royal pain to find a company that will let me connect with the rest of my digital friends.
Despite all this, it's so wonderful and peaceful where we're at. I couldn't be happier. Q loves to run around outside. There's less noise. You can hear crickets. More room in the house (can you say CRAFT ROOM!?).
I took a couple of pictures the day after we "moved." Things are still dirty and in the process of happening in these pictures, but here are some shots.
My favorite part of the new kitchen-a sink ledge!
Our huge deck! Trees are far as the eye can see! Where's my neighbor? That's right--I don't know either!
The side of the house:
Craft Brunch is tomorrow. I'm excited to see what everyone's been working on!
23 April 2007
Yesterday was an attempt to ruin everything I touched. I shouldn't trying to shove sewing/knitting/creative time into time that should be designated for categorically shoving my belongings into neatly labeled boxes.
Less than a week until we move! While I'm excited, it's a ton of work. I can't believe that for a long time, I moved every year--it has been nice to be in the same space for long enough to find things I had forgotten I had! I will miss the evening walks to Weaver Street, or walking Q through the bike paths, but I really want a place with more space and more land. I've been feeling very overcrowded here. Every store there's a line, every light, there's a wait. When you walk, you have to constantly navigate around other groups of people. I do like Carrboro, but the parts that I like best about the town haven't really seemed the same in the last couple of months.
More importantly, I have a new favorite movie: disco pigs
LOVED it. I've watched it twice and will soon add it to our collection. Of course, Cillian Murphy doesn't hurt, but I recommend it to everyone, regardless of how they feel about CM's perfect lips. Great soundtrack, too.
So, no new pictures. I found the camera, and the charger, but not the cable that connects everything, so I'm just going to pretend it's packed up somewhere in a box and not say another word. Camera = constant stream of bad luck.
Less than a week until we move! While I'm excited, it's a ton of work. I can't believe that for a long time, I moved every year--it has been nice to be in the same space for long enough to find things I had forgotten I had! I will miss the evening walks to Weaver Street, or walking Q through the bike paths, but I really want a place with more space and more land. I've been feeling very overcrowded here. Every store there's a line, every light, there's a wait. When you walk, you have to constantly navigate around other groups of people. I do like Carrboro, but the parts that I like best about the town haven't really seemed the same in the last couple of months.
More importantly, I have a new favorite movie: disco pigs
LOVED it. I've watched it twice and will soon add it to our collection. Of course, Cillian Murphy doesn't hurt, but I recommend it to everyone, regardless of how they feel about CM's perfect lips. Great soundtrack, too.
So, no new pictures. I found the camera, and the charger, but not the cable that connects everything, so I'm just going to pretend it's packed up somewhere in a box and not say another word. Camera = constant stream of bad luck.
10 April 2007
Matchbox Swap
I think all my partners have received, so here are the pictures of the matchboxes I made for this swap! I tried to make them all 3-D since we were limited with design space.
The owl ended up being slightly different--I found out that my partner's favorite colors were blue and orange, so I colored in the wings to make them orange.
The original swap was to create three matchboxes and fill them with all sorts of fun craft-related supplies. I ended up doing four to help out our organizer--the mouse was drawn entirely freehand, and it's probably the one I was unsure of the most and the box I was most nervous to send.
Here's a good shot of the type of things I crammed into the boxes. It's amazing how much you can fit into these little ones! I was very, very, surprised!
I finally received my recycled sari silk yarn. It's glorious! The colors are so amazing and rich--trying to take an accurate picture would be an impossibility for me. I've started an elongated stitch scarf with one of the skeins. The combination of the deep colors and the nubby texture just screamed for something fun and airy.
Mom: Use those @#!@$ washcloths! I can send you more, I promise!!
The owl ended up being slightly different--I found out that my partner's favorite colors were blue and orange, so I colored in the wings to make them orange.
The original swap was to create three matchboxes and fill them with all sorts of fun craft-related supplies. I ended up doing four to help out our organizer--the mouse was drawn entirely freehand, and it's probably the one I was unsure of the most and the box I was most nervous to send.
Here's a good shot of the type of things I crammed into the boxes. It's amazing how much you can fit into these little ones! I was very, very, surprised!
I finally received my recycled sari silk yarn. It's glorious! The colors are so amazing and rich--trying to take an accurate picture would be an impossibility for me. I've started an elongated stitch scarf with one of the skeins. The combination of the deep colors and the nubby texture just screamed for something fun and airy.
Mom: Use those @#!@$ washcloths! I can send you more, I promise!!
08 April 2007
needle book
I finished one knitting project this weekend. Of course, can't show it until later!!! (This time, probably not for another month.)
I should be able to post my matchboxes by the end of this week. I mailed them on Thursday so hopefully my partners will get them Monday or Tuesday.
In the meantime, I created my own needle book case. I'm tired of looking around for lost needles, risking the occasional stab in my hand! Hopefully, this will end all that drama.
Truth be told, I'm feeling a little under the weather today. I'm sure it's the ridiculously chilly temperatures and my sneaky allergies. I thought this year I'd be free to run in the woods and to keep the windows open with the aid of my fancy nasal steroids. Today, my sinuses are feeling heavy and just plain nasty. Blah.
Tomorrow we are looking at a house at 12pm. Fingers crossed.
I should be able to post my matchboxes by the end of this week. I mailed them on Thursday so hopefully my partners will get them Monday or Tuesday.
In the meantime, I created my own needle book case. I'm tired of looking around for lost needles, risking the occasional stab in my hand! Hopefully, this will end all that drama.
Truth be told, I'm feeling a little under the weather today. I'm sure it's the ridiculously chilly temperatures and my sneaky allergies. I thought this year I'd be free to run in the woods and to keep the windows open with the aid of my fancy nasal steroids. Today, my sinuses are feeling heavy and just plain nasty. Blah.
Tomorrow we are looking at a house at 12pm. Fingers crossed.
03 April 2007
Progress!
This past weekend was great, as my finished projects actually outnumbered the unfinished, long-forgotten projects for once!
I finally started (and finished!) the garterlac dishcloth I've been thinking about for the last two months.
And a close-up:
I learned that the garterlac was a lot of fun, but also a bit time consuming and frankly, a couple of times my mind wandered and I got lost in the knitting with all the turns, slipped stitches and passes. At first, I was a bit afraid to frog parts of it, but I realized that the joy of picking up stitches means you can frog without being afraid of unravelling everything!
I've got three swaps on the burner for craftster right now. I've almost finished one of them--just have to put on the final touches and run them off to the post office. I have taken pictures but I won't post until my partners receive.
Mom: your presents will be in the mail this week! Maybe tomorrow?
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