Discover~

We moved Sweetheart's desk and computer upstairs to our closet.  It's temporary until we get the attic finished.  This allowed me to attack the Reading Room, the room off of the Living Room.  I ripped out the carpeting and cleaned the wood floors so Sweetheart could haul off that mess on his planned dump run.  We moved around some of the furniture and have it set up now as our school area. 
I love it!  We had been using one end of the giant dining room table, but this is nicer.  Plus, we can watch the chickens in the backyard as we work.

the view from the table we work at

I made these letters out of cuttings from the yard and various leaves and feathers we had.  This is over one of the windows in the room.  I am hoping it will inspire us as we learn.  That's one of the great things about teaching the kids at home~I am learning so much as well!

A Welcome Adventure

I am excited about a new adventure. No, no livestock is involved. Yes, Buttercup is still here. Here's to hoping this will be her last week in residence. The good part of her still being here is that I will have plenty of cream for Tuesday night!

I should back up a bit.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to join a book making class. I instantly said yes. It was my first night out with just ladies in over a year. After being used to my Bunco group each month and dinners out with my dear friend, this has been hard. There is a bit of a dilemna here in town as to what can be done in the evenings as simply nothing is open to just meet up with friends. Except the bar. Not a good option. And there is that problem of a total lack of friends here for me.

So, the last two Tuesdays a sweet gal whose company I really enjoy rented out a room in the library and taught us all how to a handmade book. It was so much fun that we decided we need it to continue. This Tuesday night the ladies will be coming here for tea and to talk about what we want to do next! Doesn't that sound wonderful?

She is willing to teach more book making classes, but we also want to see what others enjoy doing and teaching. She and I are the same age and we both have younger kids. Everyone else seems to have grown kids. :) Learning new things and teaching things are good, but we are also looking forward to just hanging out with people over the age of six for a few hours.

I have no idea what I know that anyone else might be interested in, but we'll just see. Any suggestions?

Lots of Love

I didn't do much to decorate for Valentines Day this week, but I was inspired by Shannon to make some heart garlands.  The magazine I had on hand was full of lots of ivory and neutrals.  I know more reds and pinks would look more Valentinish, but these colors suit our home better after all. 

They are still hanging up and will remain up for awhile as we all like them.  The boys have already claimed one of the garlands for their room.  We'll hang a few in Cupcake's room as well.  We'll have plenty as I have them all over the dining room, kitchen and reading room.

Easy E-Reader Sleeve

I am on a roll. After making the Easy Fingerless Gloves I have been wanting to see what else I can make with the felted sweaters.  I have a electronic reader thing that doesn't have a case and I have been concerned that it would get scratched up just tossing it in my baskets and bags.  I have felted three thrift store sweaters now and made this sleeve from the top sleeve of one of them.  (The bottom part became another pair of fingerless gloves.)  I was inspired to try and make my own after seeing this darling sleeve.

I cut off the sleeve and since it was just a bit too short I had to cut up above the shoulder seam.  That is the diagonal seam you see near the top.  I sewed that cut seam so that I had a rectangular tube.  Then I just sewed the bottom of the sleeve for the base. I was concerned the top part might fray as it the sweater didn't felt up as much as I had hoped so I folded it under and sewed it with a zig-zag stitch.

I then raided my stash of trims and sewed on the crochet lace piece I had and two pieces of velcro to fasten it closed at the top.  I added the button just because I like it.  I would have probably just used the button for closing, but I don't know how to sew a button hole.

The entire project from start to finish was done in less than thirty minutes while I waited for Dumpling to finish his lunch.  This picture is with the reader tucked safely inside the sleeve.  Sweetheart asked if it was cold.  No, but I was.  ;)

from Pinterest

I am linking up to a bunch of Blog Hops today as I can sneak in a few moments here and there:

 Thrifty Things Friday

 Home Sweet Home/The Charm of Home

 

 Farmgirl Friday!

BaRn HoP

Easy Fingerless Gloves

It's cold in our house. I may have mentioned that a time, or twelve. I have admired pictures on Pinterest of ladies who knit these darling things. As I am still working on knitting my first washcloth, ten months after beginning it, I was so excited when I saw this post with no-sew fingerless gloves shown that I pinned it right away.

I bought a wool sweater from the thrift store and felted it by running it through the washer and dryer on high heat twice.  Felting the wool means so sewing the edges of the fabric! I cut off the arms and using the bottom part made the first pair.  I tried to use the upper part of the arms for leg warmers for Cupcake, but she promptly crawled out of them.  So, I cut the curved top off a bit more and quickly did a few stitches between the thumb and forefinger for this pair.

I can be seen wearing these all of the time.  I have even worn them to sleep.  I just pull off the thumb part and push them up when I am doing messier things like kneading dough or washing my hands.  It's great because then I know right where they are when I want them on again. 

I then used the lower back and front for boot warmers by tracing my foot onto the felted wool and cutting it out.  I just slipped the foot shaped pieces into my work boots and it has made such a difference!  I am still working on the boot liners as I want the fabric stiffer so it will stay put and not bunch up in the bottom.  It isn't perfect, but I can feel a wonderful improvement.

I hit the thrift store last week and bought two more sweaters on the sale day.  I am hoping to improve the liners, make potholders and probably try leg warmers for Cupcake again now that she is officially walking!

I even made little fingerless gloves for the boys out of one of the sweaters.  We'll see how much wear they'll get.  I am envisioning all sorts of warmness now:  trivets, tea cozies, potholders, mug wraps, and more. What an easy thing!

Added:  I noticed them stretch a bit with so much wearing.  Tossing them back in the washer and dryer tightened them right back up!
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Joining up with the Barn Hop #49!  Go check out what everyone is up to!

Off on a Tangent

Ok, it is the day before Thanksgiving. I should be baking. And I guess technically, I baked something.

I decided I wanted to do a Jesse Tree with the boys this year, but did not have any of the ornaments. I've seen some done from paper and some from felt. this morning I decided to make the ornaments out of clay. I've got 10 done, 15 to go!!!!

Basically, there is a Scripture reading for each day of December leading to Christmas. Each ornament is a symbol of an Old Testament story. I found a link with a chart of readings and ornaments/symbols. (I'll post the link later as I am not in a regular internet browser right now.) I am excited about this.
***********ADDED: Here's the link: JESSE TREE INFO.

Now, I need to make the relish and do whatever is on my list for today. The sweet potatoes and pumpkin for pie are baking away at least. Hope you are all having a great day and remembering what really matters about Thanksgiving. I keep reminding myself. :)

Another Autumn Luncheon

It is such an absolutely gorgeous day here today so the boys and I enjoyed our lunch on the front porch.
It was a lovely meal though a bit more informal than my last luncheon.
They sure do love fresh peas. ("Green balls, Mama!")
***
I actually started making gifts in January and continued until April when we really devoted all our extra time to the yard and gardens. Summer was spent still working in the garden and fall on preserving the harvest. Now it is November and I need to get back in the swing of creating!
Though I find I am low on ideas.
Most of my family has already been given my homemade body products. And I wonder if jars of preserves are really considered a gift? I love handmade gifts the best, but have a hard time not just sharing those things year round. We are also planning to do most of the giving to charity this year, I believe. Still, decisions, decisions! I'd better get to work.
PLEASE feel free to leave suggestions!!!!
What are you planning for holiday gifts?

Quiet Days

Blogging has reached a lull. When the boys are awake, I am attending to them. When they are asleep I am busily working away on Christmas gifts. I'd love to post pictures of some of the things I'm working on, but too many of the recipients read this. So, we're doing fine here, just can't post much without giving away suprises!

Thank You, Ladies!

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with suggestions for what might be wrong with my sewing machine (besides the sewer!) Since the manual said that one need not adjust the tension unless sewing fabric like denim, or canvas, I decided to try a few things with the bobbin. I found a new red bobbin and threaded in some new red thread on top.

I sewed this up with out any problems at all! I even remembered to turn it right side out before I stuffed it with the lavender blossoms. (Read between the lines on that one. Did I mention before about my total lack of sewing skill?) Note to self: next time sew the buttons on first before sewing the hearts together. See previous sentences for help with that one. *sigh* Looking on the bright side, I'm learning something new with each project.

I love gingham, especially red. It's so cheerful. I sewed a bag a few days ago for the laundry room in this gingham. It's like a clothespin bag, but for those net bags I put all the bibs and baby socks into the washer all tucked inside.

I had a ugly, cheap looky bag before that I had the pins in, but I've always hated it. I tucked the pins into a little metal wall pocket so they're easy to grab with I need them. Then I just started cutting a sewing until I made my little bag. I used a baby hanger to hang it up on the rod. It's a bit dizzying with the gingham ribbon, but I'm leaving it on until I figure out something better. It has really brightened up the laundry area. I may make another lavendar-filled gingham pillow to use in the dryer.

I stopped using those dryer sheet things about a month ago. I'm now just adding a half cup of vinegar to the final rinse cycle of the washer to soften the fabrics. It works really well. No, the laundry does not smell like vinegar at all. I was just thinking it might be nice to add a bit of a lavendar scent.

I'm planning to begin making our laundry detergent soon as soon as I finish up the regular store-bought stuff. I'll post the detergent recipe once I've tried it a few times to see how it goes. We're not having the best luck with alternative/natural dishwasher detergents yet, but we're experimenting. Once I have something that I feel like I can recommend, I post the instructions. Until then, we'll keep on trying.

I was also thinking that it might be nice to add some lavender to the next tea cozy as the heat from the tea would help release the fragrance. I wonder if the scent might be overpowering, though. What do you think? I may try first just sewing a lavender pillow to use as a trivet under the pot. Can you tell I'm having fun? It's neat to think of all the stuff I can make even without using a pattern.

Well, tomorrow afternoon I'm planning to do a simple Sweetheart Tea with my Sweetheart during naptime. I'll brew Earl Grey for him, and a pot of the Valentine Blend for me. I'll make some chicken salad sandwiches, scones, and something yummy for dessert. I'll include a few slices of the banana bread, unless he eats it all first! I have a million different heart-shaped cookie cutters, so everything will probably be served in little heart shapes. I love that.

Have a lovely weekend!