I wish I was a bear....

then during this awful gray time of winter I could just sleep the days away. Once I get the fam up and out I have to will myself to do anything but go back to bed. I can do laundry, cook and a few other no brainer activities, but my creative side went into hibernation.
I have to go get the kids today then go to the music store for a minor violin repair, if not for that my hair wouldn't get brushed and my uniform of jammie pants and giant flannel shirt would still be on. I need spring, caffeine IV drip, SOMETHING!
Tell me I'm not alone.

Grandparents weekend

We had a nice 3 day weekend. My mom and Step dad, who by the way is an amazing woodcarver and has blessed us with quite a few art pieces over the years, came over Friday afternoon. They had given our son a carving kit at Christmas with tools, books and wood. Wonderful gift.

Two of grandpas walking sticks in our entryway.

Grandpa showed our boy some techniques and look at his masterpiece.

For dinner I made Minestrone and garlic toast , mom made ravioli

and my girl made muffins. We then played ponytail canasta till the wee hours.

Saturday Hubbie manned the log splitter, and the kids and I hauled the wood on sleds through the snow and stacked it on the front porch. This was the tree with the ant invasion so when we found a piece with a cavern filled with ants, we took it to the chicken pen and the girls went crazy. I guess you'd have to be a chicken to appreciate the taste of hibernating ants. I love having wood to keep our heating bill down and the smell of the fresh cut wood greets you every time you open the door.

The kids and I then went to my Dad and Step mom's for dinner (Hubbie plays hockey).

My step mom cleaned her closets and let me and the girl take home "new" clothes and made a pistachio encrusted salmon for dinner which was deeeliiiishhh! We are a spoiled bunch. Then played a rousing game of clue that grandpa after we explained the rules to, proceeded to win the game.

Sunday morn, girl and hubbie cleaned her room, it needed it bad, they even sorted clothes and vacuumed the closet! I do have quite a man.

I felted my first bag. It should be perfect for my daughters water bottle and Chapstick carrier for soccer. It's great how you can take a poorly knitted object and it turns into something you wouldn't actually mind carrying in public. I had stitched the flower with some leftover yarn but it didn't show up as well as I'd hoped. I'm going to try to stitch over it again to have it show up better. Speaking of felting, do any of you ladies smarter than me know if you can felt other materials than wool, cashmere, etc... I am wanting to felt some sweaters that have weird combinations of yarns in them and hoped if the water was hot enough maybe they would work.

Also do any of you know if you start some water for tea in your beloved teapot you received as a wedding shower gift over fifteen years ago that you use on a daily basis, go down to the basement to do some sewing, forgetting about said teapot, boil the bajeebus out of your one and only enamel teapot for who knows how long till its bone dry and then some, is it safe to use ever again? I don't see any chips, but the bottom is kind of gray, I just don't want to be ingesting some weird metal every time I use it.

Oh it is in the 40's today and I'm searching the closet for some shorts!

Take care and squeezes from me.

Still Siberia

It's sunny but still cold. I like winter, I feel it makes people from the north just a bit tougher. I do get to the point where enough is enough, I want spring.

Some of the things I've been up to.

Today I......

visited the girls.I peeked in on Lola while in the nesting box.

She has the most hideous voice but the prettiest green eggs.

Blackbeak and Chip are both brown egg layers.

This one is Freckles. She lays green eggs.

I've been playing Pollys.


My girl insisted on showing you the photos.

I made barbie a sweater.

Fended off an attack of the Giant Rat Face.....

with a carrot we picked last week from under straw in the garden.

Since there was a half day and she likes to sew, my girl made hats for 4 cousins, a neighbor boy and one for herself with minimal help from me.

I did the rotary cutting and changed thread colors on the machine. She did all the rest herself. Now she's making dinner. What did I ever do to deserve a kid like that?

Day Dreaming

My kids have a screwy school week, 2 days off and 2 half days. So my blogging is going to be sporadic if at all. They tend to take over our computer.

So I'll leave you with one of my favorite daydreams.

My garden last summer when I had it all purdy for our 4th of July party,

before the weeds got the best of me,

and we had perfect weather.

Happy MLK Day!

We have the day off so the children and I are just hanging out, we bought groceries and now trying to keep warm. It feels like Siberia around here. The chickens are somewhat warm with their new red heat lamp. Where is this global warming they keep promising?

I kid, well half kid.

Lucky for me I have a manly man who keeps our firewood supply up.

It was a beautiful cherry tree we were hoping would survive a carpenter ant invasion but didn't.

I finished the rug. It's 4 feet across.

I did make a green chick bag for me. I filled it right away and got major

notice at 2 parties we went to over the weekend.

I made a tissue pack from the apple and pear fabric I got a JoAnn's.

I already made one lunch bag out of this fabric and have enough left for a few more.

I have dinner in the crock pot so I should go stoke the fire then sew something. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Latest Bag

I made this chick bag last evening.

I used some of the black fabric I bought the other day. There's a pink button for the eye.
I love the vibrant colors with the black chick.

When I get a minute or 40 I'll load it on etsy. I figured for about every 5 bags I make for my shows, I'll put one in my shop. Also I'm not sure how a bag with a chicken on it will sell at a teacher conference.

I put 4 pockets inside. This is the cell phone pocket.

The chick is even a pocket.

I think I need to make one for me, maybe in green.

Tag you're it!

I've been tagged, my first one ever. By KB at apatchworkworld.blogspot.com/
Kind of exciting to be picked, like kickball selection. I have plenty of weird/random things about me to share.

1. My favorite thing ever is Fishing. I love to fish, I don't mind ripping the worm, using pliers to get a swallowed hook out or the sunburn that always gets you no matter how much sunblock you apply. I even keep a small rod and tackle box in my truck at all times because you never know when a good fishing spot may pop up. (lesson learned) I single handily stocked most of the fish in our pond (bass, and bluegill) from a deserted pond near my dads home.

2. In spite of being pretty athletic in my youth, I played soccer, softball, volleyball, and even lettered in track, I never got the presidential fitness award. I just could never pass the standing broad jump. I exceeded all other events, but could never pass that one. I tried so hard, year after year and thought it was unfair that one event could exclude you from the prize.

3.I have never had a manicure, or pedicure. I just figured why pay for what I could do myself. Also the thought of a stranger touching me that way gives me the creeps. A massage would send me over the edge.

4. My favorite book of all time is the Tightwad Gazette. I have read that book so many times it's practically memorized. I give Amy Dacyczyn sole credit for me being able to say home and raise my babies on one modest income. Frugality gives you so much power on how you choose to spend your money and live your life.

5. I don't kill spiders. I get a cup and paper, trap them and set them free.

6. I have strange bathroom dreams. They always have the same theme where I need to use the bathroom, but it's too dirty, people are watching or you have to go in some bizarre location like a hole in the floor. These dreams are common on my dads side of the family, my aunts take immense pleasure to know that our family heritage is carrying on. I have never talked to another person out of the fam who has these (please oh please leave a comment if you do). My hubbie thinks we are all weird.

7. I think I'm hysterical. I crack myself up all the time. It doesn't matter if anyone else laughs or not, I'm just out to entertain myself.


Now I need to tag others which is difficult since most of the blogs I read have already done this. There are a few bloggers I would like to know more about them, so here goes.

thelittleredhen.typepad.com/

chicago sarah from

chicagocrafts.blogspot.com/

farmgirl_dk from

critterfarmgirl.blogspot.com/

farmer julie

farmerjulie.blogspot.com/

Just list 7 weird/random things about yourself on your blog then pass it on.