Monday, November 14, 2011

Staying in on a cold wet day

It's chilly this morning so I built the fire again.
I started my morning doing some cleaning and cooking. I put a chicken on the stove to make some stock. Love the smell of chicken cooking. Maybe it's the herbs I put in with it. It just makes me feel comfy! I ironed the quilt top again. I have to say I'm really excited about it. I added the red border and it really sets it off. I am inspired to make more. I even spent the evening cutting strips of fabric to make a dresdane plate quilt.
I took a few of the pumpkins, dropped off for the goats, and baked them off. I just couldn't see feeding the goats perfectly good pie pumpkins. They will get all the others!
As I was writing out the menu plan for the next two weeks, and the grocery list, I thought I'd make some snacks. I have all this pumpkin now so I made pumpkin bread.
Then I made another pumpkin bar cake that is still in the oven. I have to make the caramel frosting for that when it cools. So the house is warm and toasty. It smells of chicken and pumpkin/cinnamon, and the children will have homemade snacks for after school. Tonight's dinner is not chicken but pasta, because we have to go to a Pack meeting for my little Tiger Scout. Tomorrow we will be eating Chicken BBQ with Ranch potato wedges. I got that recipe from Heavenly Homemakers---love her blog! Now it's off to toss the laundry, and prepare for the whirlwind of children coming home from school!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

pinwheel baby quilt project

I set aside my sampler quilt to make a baby quilt. I didn't use the traditional pinks mostly because I didn't like any of the pinks I had and I really love these reds. I hope the mama likes this. I've never made a baby quilt or any quilt for that matter. I'm not sure if I should make a border or not. I have enough of the dark red fabric to do a border but not the light.
Notice the red ironing board cover? I made that too. I even have a draw string through it to keep it tight around the board.(Very proud of that)
This went together rather quickly. I used the sandwich method to make the half square triangle blocks. My Hubby laughed last night because I was a bit frustrated that I could whip out a baby blanket but it seems like my sampler is just taking way too long. I can see me making alot of baby blankets because it's instant gratification! So this week I have to go to the Quilt shop and get batting and a backing fabric. I'm thinking a flannel? I want it to be soft. And I'm going to attempt to hand quilt it because I have plenty of time and it isn't that big. I just need to find out how to hand quilt! lol .... So if anyone has any ideas about a border or hand quilting please let me know!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Lessons from the farm

Stay on your own side of the fence...or you'll get all caught up.
Poor Potter. He doesn't belong in the chicken pen, but he sneaked in when one of the kiddos wasn't paying attention. Trying to get out the small chicken door didn't work well for him. I don't know how he got his head in there but it wasn't going back through. So I had to humiliate him by taking his picture before rescuing him. See how annoyed he is. Robert grabbed the screw gun out of the barn and I took the top board off and pushed his head back through the door. He was quite happy to get to his own side of the fence! I guess I saw in farm world what we sometimes do in the real world. Get a little too curious, maybe covet what someone else has and we cross a line, get past a gate, climb a fence. Once there we realize it's not we we want, where we need to be, or very good for us. And then we discover we are stuck, trapped, alone. And to get out of the situation we have to deal with some uncomfortable attention.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Freezer is Full

Not one freezer... all of them. In fact I don't think I can buy ice cream or anything else because I have no room! Two upright freezers and two refridgerator freezers filled with chicken, beef, turkey, flour, oat meal, and whatever fruits and veggies I managed to freeze this summer. It feels good to have that food stored away. Like a weight lifted. Hubby is sleeping now, he's working night shift this week. I am going to go out and move the goats out to the field so they can eat up the grass while it is still green. Then off to do errands. I'm stocking up on tissues and dishwashing detergent. I'm going to make more laundry soap. I was reading Rhonda's post on Down to Earth, about using homeade liquid laundry soap for a household cleaner. I'm going to try that out. I really think I'm addicted to Lestoil. I thought it was the pine oil that I enjoy smelling, but I think it's the petroleum products in it! Well, the goats are calling me!!!!