# FAC - September. 2012



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

This is the Fiber Arts Chat (FAC). -This is where we come to touch base with each other. -We talk about all things not necessarily fiber related here. If you are super busy come here and just pop in and say, hi! We do tend to miss our people if they don't post for a while. -At the very least just soon and say a quick "Hi!"-

If you are new or someone who usually reads but doesn't contribute, here is the perfect place to introduce yourselves. -We love all our new people. -If you have any questions and need help or want to offer advice please don't be shy. -You can always start a new thread but if your aren't ready for the big time slip in here and tell us a bit about yourself. -We are NOT an exclusive club.

Hi All! I feel like I haven't really stopped long enough to do much since my son left. I'm hoping this will change soon. The only spinning I've been doing has been at events where I have been demonstrating. At this rate I won't be getting my IL's sweater done this year. I did buy more dyes so I can dye the yarn. I think I have decided that I didn't like the way the yarn from the Shetland I dyed was turning out. I liked the yarn just not for a sweater going to Arizona. maybe I'll make me something . Ha not sure when that will happen. I have so many projects lined up and none of them are for me. Having a sister who owns a yarn shop is nice but she wants me to make stuff and I think she wants it done now. not really but that's how I feel, like I have to put those to the forefront.

Love life is still good. I'm still dating John, things are going very slowly but it feels good and comfortable for me.

We have some new people here :nanner: so I'd love for them to take the time to post about themselves if they haven't already.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Jo-Ann's just opened a store here ... it's the only fabric/yarn shop in 60 miles around. Prices are high! I put my name in as an instructor.

Cut up 3 roasts into strips for jerky. They're seasoned and curing in the fridge now.

Friends dropped by with a boat load of tomatoes and a few eggs plants. The tomatoes are in the freezer and I'll be peeling, blanching, slicing & freezing the eggplants this afternoon.

Not much fibering going on. I finished two shawls when I was at Daddy's but haven't started any big projects since then. Just too much preserving the harvest going on!


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Happy September!


I gave myself a timeout from HT this last week but I am back now. :teehee:

We have been getting steady light rain from Isaac here and that has really helped to shift my attitude.
However, they are predicting 99* high on tuesday, and after all this rain I am thinking that is a cruel trick.


Looks like there are some new posters this week too. Welcome!
Feel free to jump right in.

I spun the TDF fiber batts from WIHH recently. 3 batts=3 bobbins=3 ply.
It came out about a dk weight, 550 yds from 6 oz.











I am doing toes up, knee high stockings with this yarn now.
Miz Mary's cool boot socks were an inspiration. 
Also I did the Sweet Tomato heel, in stocking stitch, for the first time.
I will show you when I get them done. They are getting very long...

Marchwind, glad to hear the boyfriend update. You deserve a good man. 

My canning for this winter has been minimal. 
I need to get through a bunch of jars from the last few years.
With only one last teen at home we dont go through near the groceries any more.
I am adjusting to that, plus with our weather this year...yeah.
More time for fiber! :dance:


----------



## Caren (Aug 4, 2005)

GAM what is stocking stitch? I do the sweet tomato heel on my socks and the outside of the heel is smooth and the inside is the purl side?

I am sure I am over thinking this. But I have had a rough day...


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Caren, it is just the slip stitch pattern that is on traditional heelflaps.
k1,s1 across, then purl back.

Honestly though, I am not a huge fan of this style of heels. :shrug:
The slip stitch does make the wedges shallower than the stockinette version.
I like the actual HEEL on this construction, but the way it is worked 
over 2/3rds of the stitches makes the flow from the top of the sock to the heel kind of awkward (at least on my feet). :teehee:

I promise I will show you what I mean in a couple days. So close to finishing!


[YOUTUBE]lXPCmhWb2Yk[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

GAM, oh queen of fiber youtubes! So glad you're getting rain. We had a rainy day yesterday ... heavy misting more than a real rain but I'll have to mow the front yard for the 4th time this year. I hear you about not going through the groceries with the children gone. I've already issued a "Time to go grocery shopping at Mom's" alert to my kids. Our beef will be going to the processor in a couple weeks, so I need to get busy canning or jerking the remainder of the roasts in the freezer (Have 6 lb of jerky curing right now).

WIHH, Thank you. With my fibro, I've learned not only to listen to my body, but to obey it. Tuesday morning, I canned up 14 quarts of potatoes. I had a fiber guild meeting that afternoon. I haven't seen these wonderful, supportive ladies almost all summer and was looking forward to going. I had finished cleaning up and was ready to go about half hour before it was time to leave (12:30), so I sat down. I didn't wake up until after 4. I made supper for (and sometimes Paul), then went to bed and slept until morning.

Marchie, good to hear that your relationship is going well. Take time and make yourself a new pair of socks. Every knitter needs at least one new pair of socks a year.

I cast on socks last night ... pattern from the latest Spin-Off issue. I think there might be a problem with the chart ... or at least there is when I converted it to written instructions. Most likely it is me!

New pic of my canning burn. I still put antibiotics at night, but during the day I've been putting vitamin E and my comfrey salve on it.

Pink new skin!


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Love the wolf pic, WIHH! could you go see if there is some hair from him on branches or trees and spin it? 
GAM, your spinning looks perfect! 
Hope you get that instructor position, Cyndi. Sounds fun-
Fibery things here are mostly on the hoof- got two beautiful Romney ewes yesterday- the stock was from Pines farm, so very lovely. They are Mittens and Beth- the longer, taller Romney is Mittens.  Had to sell my Icelandics to swing this... but my sheep friend who bought them will trade fleece with me- so it's a win win. 
The homeschooling friend who brought them to me has two teenaged daughters who want to learn all about fiber arts, so a two day event is in the planning! Sheep to shawl sort of event- love to enable the younger women. I am thinking of putting it in the church bulletin, doing a lesson on all the wise spinning women of the Bible.....
I love the Scripture where they were making the temple curtains with scarlet, blue, gold goats hair- beautiful, I'm sure.

Our county fair was yesterday, and our 4-H girls took home the Grand Champion ribbons! Shawls, aprons, goats, embroidery- I am so proud of them! 
Fall is on the way here, too.
Cyndi, you are blessed with the tomatoes and eggplant- lots of work, but what a treat.
Hope your daddy is comfortable-


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Yay September!! We are ready for fall.. 
last year the drought killed almost all our trees, so We have been cutting down trees. Got 11 down before Isaac arrived, We were worried about the standing dead trees and hurricane type winds. Still have about 10 more to cut down. The problem is, most of them are huge. We have had three just fall. Two in the goat pen, one just missed My cabin. Our yard looks like a war zone. It will take all winter to get it cut up amd moved / burned. Taking My mom a ton of firewood this year for sure!
On the fiber front, I am getting better at spinning! Been working on the white Shetland, it is spinning thinner and thinner! 
I made about three dishtowel/cloth/potholder sets, hoping to sell them with no takers. So I guess I have gifts made. Got some yarn in the mail (thnx WIHH ) and the colors spoke sock to me. I have a pair of fair isle type socks almost done. Will post pics soon. I am needing to cast on a shawl, but iit may need to wait. 
DH. And I rearranged our bedroom, And it has become evident that I need to destash something. So I am starting with four bins of fabric. (Wish me luck, this won't be easy!) DH. Pointed out that I have an addictive personality. Wonder why He thinks that? Lol. Five bins of material, four of yarn and bag upon bag of fiber shouldn't be a problem, right? 

Well, Saturday My alpaca will be here! I am so so excited! Two will go live with My local fiber friend, and three will stay with me. They hinted that I might be able to buy their electric sheers, so III am counting the days and My money. He He!

Welcome to all the new folks, I enjoy reading the posts from new folks. The excitement is contagious. 

Cyndi, sounds like you got some needed rest. And the burn looks much better.
WIHH, love the wolf pic, cant wait to see your new needles!
GAM, once again your yarn is amazing. Some day i will spin like you. And glad you are out of your time out! 

Still no luck on the job front for me or DH. We just need to figure out a way to make money from the home front.


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Good to see pink skin, Cyndi. 

mamajohnson, prayed for provision for you--either a job or two, or work-from-home income. Sorry to hear about all those trees 

WIHH, hope you enjoy NCFF. Gates at the freeway ramps, eh? Makes sense to me. Do they ever lock anyone ON the freeway?


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

What a beautiful Blue moon we just had !! I was playing outdoors at a Pirate Festival and was able to watch it rise over the horizon ....









Canning up some plum Jam today ...we have a bumper crop this year ! 

HEY guys , my water bath canner has some rust on the inside where a dent is..... will this affect the sterilization of the jars or anything ?!?! 

In a few weeks I will be going to my first Fiber Festival !! Been showing hubby picture of combs ..wheels .. that Ill be looking for a deal on ..... showed him the Fantasia wheel Im really liking for $365 .... he says " thats a really really decent price -- no different than a guitar ..." HE GETS IT !!!! :sing: 

Have some fiber I want to start spinning, but have some polypay in the works .... cant decide weather to finish it first or put it on hold ....

Have a quilt in progress as well .... laundry on the line .... dinner in the crockpot .... LOVE this time of year !!! 

GAM that yarn is beautiful !!! Glad my socks inspired ya .... I LOVE them , it was WELL worth the effort !!! 

WIHH, that picture is amazing ! Cant WAIT to see pics of your new needles !!! 

In HIs Name, Id love to see pictures of your new family members , Mittens and beth !!!


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Oh, finish the Polypay, MizMary. Definitely finish the polypay.


----------



## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

Wow, everyone's busy, as usual. I'm always glad to see this time of year when the air cools down at least a little at night.

I haven't been able to spin due to a hip problem but hope to start again soon as it has resolved with a couple of months of yoga. I want to get back to wool soon as it's been too hot to handle it.

Cyndi, a quick note about JoAnn's classes -- there's a Ravelry group for instructors that can give you a heads up on some of the issues teachers have had. My sister teaches and likes it but there can be some challenges.


----------



## Caren (Aug 4, 2005)

Cyndi thank you for the new picture of your burn. I have been wondering about it for a couple of days. Thank goodness it is healing so well!


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

weever said:


> Oh, finish the Polypay, MizMary.


Agree (+1) If you don't, you'll go on to the new stuff, and the other new stuff and the other new stuff and you'll need that bobbin!! Go ahead and finish the bobbin, label it (!!!) then start something new.



PollySC said:


> I haven't been able to spin due to a hip problem but hope to start again soon as it has resolved with a couple of months of yoga. I want to get back to wool soon as it's been too hot to handle it.


Polly, I so hope the yoga helps out with your hip



> Cyndi, a quick note about JoAnn's classes -- there's a Ravelry group for instructors that can give you a heads up on some of the issues teachers have had.


Oh my goodness! There IS a Ravelry group for everything under the earth!! Thanks for the heads up. I'll look it up later. I'm bushed right now.

Put up some 'Cowboy Candy', put 6 lb of white cabbage in the crock for kraut and 7 pints of Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage.

Caren, I posted the new pic just for you! I'm healing better than I even thought I would.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

As usual, you ladies put me to shame. I do knit some each week. I'm getting much better. I've spun and carded. I seem to like that so much better than the actual knitting. I really need to take some time to reaquaint myself with my sewing machine. I am in a bad way for clothing. 

School starts here tomorrow. I am so not ready. I want the summer schedule to continue on for us forever! 

It's almost time to jacket the sheep. I am trying to decide if I want to shear them first this year. I have so many bags and bags of fiber around...I can't keep up! I'm not sure that I want to.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Oops, my grandson pushed 'post'. 

WIHH- that's an amazing picture of the wolf. When I looked at CF's post with the picture, I was totally amazed. I wondered if you didn't look into it's eyes! He's certainly looking into yours.

GAM- just how to you stop cooking for a crowd? The Bulk of our family has been gone for years and I still cook like they are all coming for dinner. Change is hard!

MizMary-=if I ever move on before a project is done-it's death to that project. 

I have a new grandson - Troy Jacob. He was born on the 28th. He has one older brother. Ronin - 2. When he first saw his little brother, Ronin said, "There you are baby! I found you!" Unfortunately, I won't get to see this little guy until Christmas.


----------



## Bambitski (Mar 16, 2012)

Good Labor Day Morning Ladies!!!!!!!!!
My name is Bambi and I am from Southern Illinois. I live on a small 60 acre farm with my husband, 13 year old daughter, and 5 year old son. We temporarily have our 22 year old daughter living with us. But she will be moving soon, she is due with our first grandbaby in January.
I raise chickens, dairy goats, 2 bulls and 3 heifers, 3 meat rabbits, 4 jersey woolys, 2 dogs, and soon to be 1 angora rabbit. LOL I also garden every year, and every other year I raise hogs for the freezer/canning. I am trying to be as self sufficient as possible. I sew, quilt, crochet, knit, macrame, paint, draw, etc. My new adventure is going to be spinning my own wool off my rabbits. Sheep will be next, but to figure out where and what I need to get started. I don't want GIAGANTIC sheep, prefer smaller breeds, but with decent wool to shear.
I have a busy day planned since I don't have to work today. I have to can up some apples that I got last week. Run to town to get a few items they put on list that we need, fix something to eat during a lot of my chores, weed the tomatoe garden, and maybe weed some of the front yard since we got a ton of rain this week to soften the ground. 
I am still waiting on my carders and spindle in the mail before I can play with my fibers that I have. I probably won't even get to play till next week the way the mail is going. I am wondering if it is necessary to card rabbit wool and if so, is there a video available that can help me on that?
Have a wonderful day ladies, I am off to get something done.


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Hi Bambi, nice to meet you. 
You should fit right in with that list of kids and critters.
What kind of cows do you keep? Why do you have TWO bulls? 


Cyndi, just reading your list of food preservation is exhausting.
Last year I butchered a whole deer by myself for the first time (start to finish) and my hands were so tired.
Every bit of the jerky I made was consumed before the holidays. 
I could live on jerky alone, almost.
This year I am hoping to do that again.

Callie, food wasting is one of my biggest pet peeves. My DH will only rarely eat leftovers. He is super finicky.
This summer I got 80# of ground jersey heifer but it is all in 2# tubes. I make the DS17 cut them in half with the meat saw. :teehee:
We are trying to watch our portion sizes lately and I try to cook so there wont be anything left over.
It is too easy to eat an extra piece of fried chicken, but if it isnt there then I dont. 
No one has starved to death yet. 

WIHH, I love hearing stories about your granny. She sounds badazz. :cowboy:

Polly, your talk of Yoga reminds me that I have been slacking in that regard.
Thanks for the reminder.


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

OK ..... Glad Im not the ONLY Yoga junkie !! I do dvd's , Bob Harper .... I cant go a few days without my yoga ... what do y'all do for Yoga ? Do you have a series of moves, or dvd's , or go to classes ??


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

For me everything is Yoga. The mental aspects of it are more valuable than the physical forms. 
I guess you would call it Raja Yoga.
But I am a weirdo and I know that. 

I do need to get back into the exercises to keep my pelvic floor strong.
Otherwise my whole pelvis rotates forward and I suffer lower back pain and my legs fall asleep all the time.
When that happens I can hardly breathe.
Just remembering to drink water and BREATHE air can be a challenge some days. LOL
Let alone getting down on the floor and stretching out.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> Proverbs 31:13


She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.



Callieslamb said:


> I have a new grandson - Troy Jacob.


What a Handsome baby! Congrates!!



Bambitski said:


> My name is Bambi and I am from Southern Illinois. Sheep will be next, but to figure out where and what I need to get started.


Hey Bambi, we're in northern Ill-Annoy, about 2.5 hours west of Chicago.

Look into Shetland. They're a smaller sheep and have nice wool. Besides having many colors, they also come in single coat & dual coat.




gone-a-milkin said:


> Cyndi, just reading your list of food preservation is exhausting.


Harvest Preservation to date:

Potatoes: 68 quarts
Sweet & Spicy Jerky: 6 lb
Strawberry Jam: 3 pints, 1 half pint
Plum Jam: 10 half pint
Plum Jelly: 3 half pint
Cherry Jam: 1 pint, 1 half pint
Cherry Jelly: 2 pints, 3 half pints
Grape Jelly: 12 pints, 3 half pints
Stewed Tomatoes: 9 pints
Tomato Sauce: 2 pints
Pasta Sauce: 6 quarts
Carrots: 13 pints
Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage: 13 pints, 1 half pint
Cowboy Candy (candied hot peppers): 4 pints, 2 half pints
Cowboy Candy Syrup: 3 pints
Dill Relish: 3 pints
Mushrooms: 31 half pints, 2 quarter pints

Onions, garlic & mushrooms dehydrated: too many to count



> food wasting is one of my biggest pet peeves. My DH will only rarely eat leftovers. He is super finicky.


Mine too! When I make extra, I'll usually pop it in a canning jar and pressure can it. It becomes 'brand new' then!!



gone-a-milkin said:


> But I am a weirdo and I know that.


Yup, we do too!


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Well, Peeps, 

No spinning for me, just a little crochet.

I spent the last 2 weekends innertubing down the Turkey and Wisconsin Rivers with my kids and grand daughters. Boy was it fun! :happy: We took about 5 hours, each time, over 1.5 and 3 miles of river, respectively.

I originally thought "I am too old to do this stuff", but gave in to my kids urging me to go with them. The cloth covered tubes with bottoms are really great on the longer trips, you can get tired from holding yourself up in the regular uncovered ones. They are best for kids, too. A little one can even take a nap in one (amazingly).

The rivers were low, so we did some butt scraping on sand and rocks in the many shallow areas. Sometimes we had to walk and tow our tubes. :hrm: We had the 8 tubes tied together in a raft with the coolers in the center ones.

My son's gf and my 4yo granddaughter were pushing our raft of tubes across a shallow area together (WI River), when I suddenly saw very deep water ahead and began yelling to get her into the tubes NOW! NOW! Quickly before the drop off 5 feet ahead! :help: She got _to_ her tube next to mine, but not_ into it_, so I had to grab her legs and push her up over the side, me all twisted around in my tube to reach her, then I hauled her up with her life jacket's tie strap between her legs, grabbed a foot by me and shoved up on that, while desperately urging her to PULL with her hands into the tube. She was scared, as she should have been. I barely got her in, she sort of poured herself into the tube's bottom, and the gf was swimming by then, so was okay. Luckily, I was at the back of the tube-raft and saw the dark water in time. At least I didn't _totally _ panic.

The little ones DID have floatation jackets on them, but still, that would have been a very scary experience for her (and was for all of us) to have the bottom fall away and be floating. She can't even dog paddle yet. I think my heart was up in my throat or mouth that time.

Of course, the whole point of innertubing is to get obliterated, and there were hundreds of partying people on the river, it was really busy! Many canoes, too. I am still exhausted from so many hours in the sun and fresh air, activity and the beer.

We are already planning more trips next Summer! My home is a good jumping-off place for rivers. I was actually glad the waters were lower than normal, because I'm afraid of deep water that I can't see the bottom in!


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

IowaLez I love the river floating story! Glad your DGD had you to look out for her. We need to take our family. I wonder what 23 tubes going down the river would look like?

School started today. I would have put it off six more months if I could have. Home alone again. Rainy day. Messy house. I had 2 grandkids over the long weekend ages 4 and 2. The 4 yr old is autistic and quite a challenge. His parting surprise for me this time was to empty all the hangers in my closet then color coordinate the empty hangers on the rack. It's a good thing he's cute.......and not here all the time.....

We took them to the zoo in South Bend yesterday. DS, 12, is the older kid in the picture.


----------



## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Happy September everyone!:nanner:
Don't know what I'm excited about, it's still hot as the blazes here, and will be until sometime around the end of October. I can't wait until we move.:happy2:
Y'all have been so busy, makes me embarassed to post. I've gotten not alot of anything done, except cleaning this house for showings, and those haven't been all that frequent the last week. We thought we had a buyer on the line, but we are still waiting for the offer. Maybe they changed their minds?:shrug:
I've also realized recently, that I'm a bit depressed. As in I just have little to no interst in doing anything. I get my chores done, do what I have to do, but I just want to sit and do nothing. So not like me to have to fight through my days to accomplish simple things. I have ADD, trust me, I'm a hyper person, I don't like feeling like this at all. I'm thinking it has to do with everything from the past two years, losing Mom especially. I need to kick it and stop wallowing.:nono:
Well, since everyone is posting pics of babies, I can't recall if I showed off my new Grandson!! First one dontcha know!:happy2:

This is Colton James! He's waiting for me in Nebraska, I so can't wait!!:nanner:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Beautiful grand babies Callie and Debi!

Debi I know that feeling well. You have to give yourself time to get past the last 2 years and your mom's death. I don't think it is fair to expect yourself to suddenly start functioning "normally". You have been dealing with a lot of emotional stuff with your mom, carried a heavy load. Now that it is over you need to give yourself time to adjust and to process all that has happened. I think it is very normal for you to be feeling a bit depresses/blue/low. Be kind to yourself. It will happen with time.


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Hugs, Debi... Listen to Marchwind and be kind to yourself.

Such cute children and grandchildren!

Not much fibery stuff here, either. Yesterday we started harvesting the first of the dry beans, so my life will not be my own for the next few weeks. And today is the first day of school--I have a high school senior who goes to tech school half days and then I homeschool him in 3 subjects. (Sigh) Where did the time go? How can my children be all grown like this?


----------



## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

OHHHH, babies! I want one to play with!!!


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I cleaned out my bedroom today. That means all the fibery stuff is now in the spare room. Where I moved it FROM when cleaning that room last. My bedroom looks great now. This is all the fiber stuff I'm getting done today.

Hercsmama- what a cute little guy. So hard when we can be with them. Listen to Marchie. It's hard having a house on the market. That's a lot of downs to get to one up in itself. Let alone all that other stuff that happens.


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

So much going on! Congrats on all those adorable babies. I find myself just a *tad* jealous. DS#1 told me recently that they don't seem to be 'able' to have babies. Evidently they have been trying for the last year, or should I say, going without protection, for the last year. I told him, just don't worry, live life and let things work out. They both work all the time, and she was on the pill forever, so I think time will heal all. (I hope!)

I so cannot figure out the cooking for 4 thing. I am trying! with DS#3 gone now, and he was my big eater, I keep having tons of food in left overs. My family is good about eating them, but by day 3 or 4 I am done with it! lol.... I should start canning the stuff up, instead of freezing it. We are mostly eating from the freezer right now anyway.

Thnx for the encouragement WIHH. I told DH today that we should look into starting garden plants for spring. Ya know, tomatoes, peppers etc and sell them to the feed stores and such. We could even sit on the side of the road to sell them. I fear DH will get depressed and then it will all be an uphill battle. Got a call to come 'fill out an app' on a job I sent a resume on. It was a colossal waste of time/gas. 40 miles there, fill it out, pat on the back and pushed out the door. I sent a resume, don't know why I had to do that craziness. I may not do that again. 

Anyway, I finished one of my fair isle type socks, and it fits perfect! I am on the heel of sock #2. And, I found 3 bags of Angora when I was cleaning this evening! yeeehaw!!!! I am destashing most of my material, I couldn't sew it all up if I made a king size quilt a day. So... time for it to go. I am just keeping a few pieces of fabric. Cleaned out and listed about 50 pieces on the barter board today. I only have......drum roll....... 6 more totes to go! :hair
I gotta stop being such a pack rat! 
ok, I think it is off to knit time !!!

Ya'll stop working so hard, you make me feel lazy. lol!


----------



## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Wow - today is only September 5th, and there's already 2 pages here! I didn't check in for a few days, and poof - lots going on!

School started for me ~sigh~ so MY time is at a minimum. I am not complaining, I'm really not - I love teaching, and am blessed to have the job that I do (I get to work from home for a cyberschool), but it was such a busy summer getting ready for the wedding, and company, and yada yada... I'm grateful for the Tour De Fleece - I took time for fiber every day! 

The good thing is that I'm tired of sitting in front of a computer all day, so I've been knitting, sewing, canning, weeding, harvesting, playing with the goaties and sheepies, after work's done, so that's good. No spinning lately though - have to get some fiber prepped, and get my fleeces out to skirt and wash. It's been extremely humid here, so hopefully it'll cool down soon. I have done NOTHING with the Master Spinner course, so that HAS to come out of hibernation!

Glad to see the grandbaby pictures, critter pictures, and healing arm Cyndi! (What is cowboy candy????????)


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> and don't forget Farmer's Markets and Flea Markets - thats where I buy some of my tomato plants and other bedding plants and flowers.
> 
> Not so fast on destashing the material- go to etsy.com and check out Grace's Cases - she (and others) make wonderful knitting/crochet needles cases and project bags that sell for $$$. Grace has cut off orders until after Christmas - at one time her wait was 32 weeks!  Maybe there's a market for all that material!


Wow WIHH! you have great ideas. 
I actually have tons of ideas on making things. I have tried it in the past, but selling them never happened. Maybe I need an etsy store? 
Anybody have any input on that??


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

PKBoo said:


> (What is cowboy candy????????)


A wonderful, sweet way to pickle hot peppers.

Cowboy Candy Recipe

It calls for jalpenos, but I used a variety of hot peppers. I also made a batch using sweet banana peppers.

Finished canning 13 quarts & 1 pint of pasta sauce, 8 pints of pickled hot peppers, 2 pints of sweet pickled hot peppers and 8 pints of plain old hot peppers in water.


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> all I can attest to is that my daughter and I do a LOT of purchasing on etsy. :grit:



yup....just made an order from there yesterday .... its the first place I now go for artsy stuff !!


----------



## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

Here's what I did today. We participate in a re-enactment weekend celebrating A. Lincolns' time in history. This is old curtains and about $2.00 worth of lace turned into a baby gown for my new grand daughter to wear. After all, every girl needs a new outfit for special occasions.  I already had a bonnet that will match it.



























We kick the weekend off with a Civil War Ball on Friday night (the 14th). Saturday (the 15th) & Sunday (the 16th) will have old fashioned contests and the amateur Railsplitting contest on Saturday. We have working crafts and demonstrations around the cabin. There is a play at 5:00 and a Barn Dance at 7:00 on Saturday evening.
The professional National Railsplitting contest is at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon. The log is 8 or 10 (I forget right off hand) feet long and is split into 8 rails. The winner wins $1000.00. The best times are often under 5 minutes. 
You can go to Lincolndailynews.com go down the right hand column to the Railsplitting info square and you can find more information. If you're interested & might be in Lincoln, IL, everything except the Civil War Ball, will be held at the Logan County fairgrounds. I'll be stirring apple butter on Saturday, & weaving cattail mats on Sunday.

I'll be helping set up for the festival at the fairgrounds all this coming week, so I probably won't be online too much.
Have a great week and God bless,
jd


----------



## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

Yay for September! We're too far south here to be enjoying cooler temps just yet, but there is a sense in the air of change. I did enjoy the blue moon last month and took several photos of it rising over the mountains... in the car... on the way to visit my mother at the beach. LOL

It's been so busy the last couple weeks, I've barely had time to breathe properly, much less touch the computer! Canning time, of course, the start of festivals here, and school! I now have 3 out of 4 in school, and 1 in each school locally (elem, MS, HS). My whole sleep schedule is having to be re-arranged so I can wait with my kindergartner for the bus in the morning. Then everything I'm doing has to stop at 2:30 so I can go back out to wait for her. It's very disruptive to getting anything really done. And I need at least a certain amount of sleep to function each night at work. Hopefully we'll all settle into a routine soon.

I haven't been able to touch my wheel recently, I'm trying to focus on getting ready for the holiday season, which tends to creep up on me if I'm not careful! Canning has been interesting, with reduced time I've had to try and push things to week-ends. Last w/e it was harvesting my neighbors grapes for grape jelly, although those grapes would be better suited for wine, but I have my limitations. This week-end it will be tomatoes (spaghetti sauce mostly) and I'll harvest my other neighbors crab apples for more jelly.

On Tuesday, while waiting for my daughters bus in the afternoon, I looked over to an empty house and saw a baby kitten under a bush. Since I strongly suspected who the mother was (a feral white cat), I walked over and managed to grab 1 of the kittens. I ran it (and my son) over to another neighbor and convinced him to come back with me to try and gather up the rest of the kittens. They were ensconced beneath the porch, in old leaves. In all there are 5 in the litter, 2 black/white, a blue/white, a calico, and a pure white. I figure they were about 4 weeks old. So by the time we have them litter trained and old enough for homes, it won't matter a bit that their mother is feral. They will make some great indoor cats for someone. My 5YO daughter will make sure of it.


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Falls Acre, reading your post remindss me so much of how my life was before we moved to MO.
I had 3 kids in 3 schools, a pile of livestock chores, a parttime day job,2 farmers markets a week, and was irrigating 3 different properties with scheduled acequia hours for each one.
Harvesting and crafting for market, canning for home, and teaching a first time milker and first freshening goat. 
Thankfully there werent any kittens in that mix.
It was madness. You have my sympathy. 

I am ready for today to be over with. 
Came home from the barn lastnight and the DH tells me he brought me home some pork shoulder to put up.
Somehow I didnt get to the fridge until this morning and I see it is actually a 40# BOX of pork. 
4 whole shoulders shrinkwrapped in groups of 2. 
Oh, and he had managed to spill a gallon jar of pickles in the fridge while wrestling the box in there. 
Of course he "didn't notice" it either. :nono:

So I spent all day processing meat and trying to clean the pickle brine off my wheels of cheese that live in the bottom crisper drawer.


I should add that I performed great magical feats in order to get a lot of that meat into the freezer. 
Including restacking the crates I keep in there that this same DH had removed "because they were taking up too much room".
Imagine that you have a system of containers which all fit and everything in them labelled and rotated so the oldest is on top.
Then someone comes and lifts them all out and dumps them in the freezer and sort of stirs them around. :hair:
Just to be helpful he says. Seriously.

The DS17 saw that freezer first and he came and very gently told me, while I was still on my first cup of coffee.
Right after I had discovered the pickles. 
It was the type of thing ANYONE would know was not going to make the mama happy.
Then the boy went in the kitchen and made waffles, bacon and eggs for breakfast. :kissy:

I admit that my kitchen is still about half a mess, but I am so DONE!!! for the day.
I have fumed around all day cleaning up messes. Grr. 

Time for a beer. :buds:
Early bedtime for me.
Tomorrow is bound to be better.Right? Please?


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Yes, indeed. Tomorrow is bound to be better, as it canNOT be worse. Hugs to you...


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

I spent 3ish hours in the car today, as we took dd back to her institution of higher learning. During that 3 hour ride, I crocheted and frogged the same darn cowl 3 times, and I've got nothing but wrinkled yarn and achy hands to show for it. Not quite as frustrating as GAM's day, but I did so hope to have a cowl finished today.


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Wow GAM and weever! Y'all need an awesome day tomorrow. Crossing My fingers and saying a prayer! 
I won't mention that I had a pretty great day...even finished some socks. (Will post pics when I get on the puter )


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

May sympathies to all of you ladies. 

I think the freezer issue was figured out by my mother. As I recall from my childhood, she has always had upright freezers. They had shelves and weren't as deep but she always could see everything and usually know were everything was.


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Marchwind, you are absolutely correct!
In my last house I had a huge upright freezer and I still miss it everyday.
However, when my DH and I moved here my inlaws "surprised' us with this chest freezer for a housewarming gift.
The Lowe's truck delivered it right to the door and the guys carried it in the house.
I had no idea they were having it sent to us.

It was very thoughtful of them. :angel:


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

WIHH's hubby is right. Chest freezers are technically more efficient, unless you count the time wasted digging for stuff, and the old food you have to pitch because it was buried for 3 years...

(I have a chest freezer, so I oughta know.)


----------



## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

DH and I have the freezer convo about every other week. We had a chest freezer, it died, and we got an upright. I LOVE IT! 

I am short, and I was always afraid I'd fall in the chest freezer and not be able to get out haha! :gaptooth:

But I can find things now. DH is actually trying to find a used chest freezer so we have both - the chest freezer for mass storage, then transfer things to upright for usage... not sure if he'll go through with it or not, though it's a good idea.

DH is still not back to work  They are taking their time with the paperwork, which has him worried, and the boss was on vacation. Hopefully everything will be done this week, and he'll be able to start next week... 
He keeps sucking me into his projects...:hammer:


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Well, I'm officially moved up nort' to Minnesnowta. Things I have learned about the nort'lands, and things that have been going on:
I supposedly have a southern drawl. (I'm from NEBRASKA.)
It's already well into fall up here, and darn chilly at nights. It's summer still in Nebraska.
No one else thinks it's chilly at all. As evidence of this, they won't be turning on the boiler for heat in this apartment til at least mid-October. Meanwhile, the apartment gets cold at night. Thank heaven for wool blankets!
Everyone I've met here is a crazy Norwegian. 
I've been inducted into the Sons of Norway and a Norwegian folk dancing group as well, on that note.
All my fiber stuff and store stuff is still in boxes boxes boxes. But I knit a cotton swiffer cover! :teehee:

Now I just need to go finish sewing my dress and bake four dozen cupcakes for the wedding on Saturday. Whee-heeee!


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

SvenskaFlicka,

Good to hear from you. I had woindered how you were getting along up there in the northlands. 

The wedding is in 2 days! Best of wishes to you in your new life. 
I hope you will share pictures of your dress. I know it is going to be stunning. 

Try to keep warm too.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Hi All! I figured I'd join in, even though we're 2/3 of the way through September! I'm SOOOO glad cooler temps are finally here. I can't tell you the joy I get from the cool weather. Summers are miserable for me. It'd depressing to not feel like you can breathe, to watch your garden die, and to just feel cooped up inside! Now it's finally cooler, we're finally getting rain, and I love it!

I'm working on my first sweater...the Foxtail sweater from the Rowan Tapestry collection. I'm pretty sure I'm using colorway 176, but I can't remember exactly at the moment.  It's slow going. Now I know why I like knitting smaller things...because I'm so impatient and I get quicker results. I'm excited to finish it though. Now it seems I knit a few rows at night before I get too sleepy. 

It's breeding season here on the "farm", so I've got my 2 does in with a big stinky buck, and my 3 ewes in with a handsome ram lamb. In 5 months I could have 4 kids and 6 lambs! 

And I'm trying to get my soap business kick started a little bit. I got a pretty big wholesale order (well, big for me at least), and I'm hoping that will expand. Mamajohnson, etsy is great and pretty user friendly. If you have questions I'd be happy to answer them if I can!


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

MY honey is a crazy Norwegian too! They're the best! 

Back to the carrot cake... must not get distracted!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Keeping you in my thoughts for s successful day on Saturday. Where are you living? Where will the wedding be.

As to the weather, honey that's what we make wool sweaters for. Or, there is not such thing as cold weather, just insufficiently dressed people 

Count me as a happy person who is glad to see the backside of summer. Widows open and loving the cooler weather, 40's at night, 60-70's in the day


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I am now living in St. Paul, the wedding will be on the northern edge of the cities, at my grandpa's cousin's acreage. 

I have lots of wool sweaters, and I don't even think it's been cold enough for them up here yet. I'm just in that stage where I have some summery clothing that I brought with me when I moved, and the sweaters I brought in the first load two weeks prior, and where all my normal fall clothing is coming with my parents tomorrow. So I have tank tops and shorts and short sleeved shirts and jeans, and HEAVY wool sweaters. Not much in between, lol.

Thanks for all your well wishes!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Will St. Paul be your residence? Always love St. Paul, it is very different than Mpls. I used to live in Linden HIlls in Mpls, close to Lake Harriet


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Yep, we have a very nice apartment in St. Paul not too far from Grand Avenue.  I think we'll eventually have room for my loom up here too!


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I found the Yarnery when looking for Chipotle the week we moved into the apartment! It's AWESOME!!! And they gave me an application to be a teacher!!!

I may have to convince my honey to bike down to Bread and Chocolate with me one of these days... Looks like a fun place to go!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Join the MN Knitters Guild. They used to meet at St. Catherine's not sure if that is still the case. Great group of people and they have the Yarn Over, which is their knitting/fiber retreat with vendors and classes....guild members get first dibs on classes.


----------



## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

Best wishes for your big day on Saturday and your new life. Do post pictures of your dress.


----------



## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Hey all.
My mom is from Minnie-so-ta. She grew up in St.Paul. I can't recall what street, but I do recall her talking about being in Parades down Grand Ave. Mind you this was back in the 1940's. She was in high school, in what she jokingly referred to as the Drunkin Bugle Corp. I believe she meant drum and bugle! Lol!

Well, house is still for sale, we are going to be heading up north next month. Talk about being teased over an accent! WIHH how'd it work for you coming from here and going to MN?
My Granny was Swedish, Grandaddy was Norwegian and they always laughed at how we talked, ya sure you betcha!! Hahaha!:rock:


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

One of my best friends and her hubs moved to St. Paul 2 weeks ago. She's finishing her last year of vet school!! I am trying to plan a trip out to see her in the next year or so!


----------



## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

When I was 7 or so, my parents moved us from Arkansas to Minnesota. I was miserable because we got teased so much for the way that we talked. :gaptooth: 

By way of revenge, I will tell you the secret to learning to blend in flawlessly. :soap:

Rent the movie 'Fargo' and watch it over and over until you can sound like those people in the movie. All of my relatives in Minnesota get indignant and swear that they do NOT sound like that. But they do! They live on the Iron Range, and they ALL sound like they were extras on the set of 'Fargo'. We even got our four year old daughter saying "Is that your partner in the wood-chipper?" over and over during our visit this summer, just to get them going. :angel:


----------



## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

ound:ound:ound:
Ok. A spew alert would have been nice there!
That's too funny, but your right!


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

MDKatie, Thnx! I am serious about it. But I keep hearing that you 'can't' make any money on there. Oh well, I don't want to be rich, just comfy.

Svenska - congrats! and you know pictures are required! 

Today we worked towards my fiber room getting done. Got most of the stuff cleaned out. The little cabin sure needs some work done. But, DH and I are anxious to get out there and get busy. Discovered my forgotten stash of wheat and popcorn.  And TONS of clothes. Why did I keep all the kids' clothes for later? geeze! So, I am sorting and washing all that, to redistribute.
Should be moving my sewing machine and a major part of the fiber stash out there this weekend! And DH will be putting in his oil paints, so he can start painting and possibly teaching oils. He is an awesome artist, I am excited he is wanting to do this! DD will be miffed, she was hoping to have a wii out there to exercise with. Guess with the sewing machine and fiber/fabric stash out of the house we can use the wii in there....
The little cabin won't be fancy, but it will be ours to piddle in. I can't wait! 

Oh, I also found a huge stash of school stuff...I will be taking a trip to the Homeschool co-op and selling stuff super cheap.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

mamajohnson said:


> MDKatie, Thnx! I am serious about it. But I keep hearing that you 'can't' make any money on there. Oh well, I don't want to be rich, just comfy.


Well, it's more time consuming than I thought it would be. I have found that you can't just put stuff on there and walk away...because it may sell but likely it won't. You have to update things regularly, by relisting them. If someone searches for something, it'll pull up the most recently listed items first, so if you've listed yours long ago, it'll be pages and pages back in the search. Also, pictures are HUGELY important. I'm still struggling with this. Most times the pictures sell the item more than the item itself does!! It doesn't cost much at all to use though, so I'd definitely say give it a try! :grin:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MamaJ do you have any pictures of your DH's work? How exciting to have yur own little space just for fibers.

Good advice on watching Fargo, lol! Just learn to say, "Ya, sure your betcha" and there are a few other words and phrases that you will notice the longer you live there. St. Paul is far more diverse than Mpls is or it used to be.

I went home early yesterday with a cold(?). My new criteria for leaving work or staying home is this: if I feel like I need to medicate to get through my day then I don't belong at work. No more being tough and brave and working through feeling like crap.

I have my guild spinning group meeting this morning. We are going to be working on art yarns this season.


----------



## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Oh, I absolutely LOVE the northern accent. I could listen to it all day. And I bought the DVD "Fargo". I think I'll watch it again tonight now that you've mentioned it. Ya, sure you betcha.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

SvenskaFlicka! What an exciting weekend!! Be sure to post photos!

I have finally finished canning everything around here ... for a while, that is. I'm so seriously hoping no one else gives me any more vegetables. Oi! The jar count for this year is 381 right now. Then there is the jerky & herbs that were dehydrated. I'm suppose to go help make cider today, but I'm so afraid they will give me a couple more bushels of apples ... :runforhills:

I still have sweet potatoes in the ground and this year's horseradish to can. Beef should be back next week and we'll be doing chickens in a couple of weeks.

I brought out my wheel for the first time since July! I'm spinning a funky yarn (lime green, burnt orange, medium blue) to be made into socks.

Loving the cooler weather. There have been some mornings that I've been tempted to start a fire, but have resisted so far. The mice have moved into the house, so it is time to set my 'trap line'. The 'ping' of the canning jars give way to the 'snap' of the mouse traps ... ayup, autumn is here.


----------



## sharplady (May 20, 2011)

MamaJ have you and your hubby thought about taking your fiber and his paintings to First Monday in Canton? It is a lot of work to vendor but you should get a lot of traffic now that it is cooling off and people are beginning to shop for Christmas gifts. If you had a Etsy shop you could advertise that at the same time so they could shop you later.


----------



## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Canton is just the best place ever!! I think this is an awesome idea, there's nothing that doesn't sell up there. The last time we went we took an empty trailer up, and it came back full. MamaJ, you really should consider it.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

My arm is healing nicely. the burnt skin sluffed off revealing nice pink healthy skin. Except for the the calico coloration of my arm, you couldn't even tell I had a burn.

My Daddy has taken a major turn for the worse in the 2 days. I'll be heading back to OK City tomorrow or Monday. Please keep our family in prayer.


----------



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

MDKatie said:


> Well, it's more time consuming than I thought it would be. I have found that you can't just put stuff on there and walk away...because it may sell but likely it won't. You have to update things regularly, by relisting them. If someone searches for something, it'll pull up the most recently listed items first, so if you've listed yours long ago, it'll be pages and pages back in the search. Also, pictures are HUGELY important. I'm still struggling with this. Most times the pictures sell the item more than the item itself does!! It doesn't cost much at all to use though, so I'd definitely say give it a try! :grin:


Great tip! I have been pondering this, and I think it is do-able. I was looking at the cost, and your right, not too much.



Marchwind said:


> MamaJ do you have any pictures of your DH's work? How exciting to have yur own little space just for fibers.
> 
> My new criteria for leaving work or staying home is this: if I feel like I need to medicate to get through my day then I don't belong at work. No more being tough and brave and working through feeling like crap.


Yes, I do have pics. They were done with an old 35mm camera. lol! I have tons of paintings hanging on the wall here, I will run around and take some pictures and post them. You will be amazed.
I think your new work criteria is a good one. If you can stay home, do it! It will help you heal quicker.



sharplady said:


> MamaJ have you and your hubby thought about taking your fiber and his paintings to First Monday in Canton? It is a lot of work to vendor but you should get a lot of traffic now that it is cooling off and people are beginning to shop for Christmas gifts. If you had a Etsy shop you could advertise that at the same time so they could shop you later.





hercsmama said:


> Canton is just the best place ever!! I think this is an awesome idea, there's nothing that doesn't sell up there. The last time we went we took an empty trailer up, and it came back full. MamaJ, you really should consider it.


I am so glad ya'll are saying this! I started last month telling him, we should go, get a booth, he can paint and set out paintings to sell, I can take my wheel and spin and sell knitted items, quilts, yarn?, fiber?, Those a question marks cause I am not sure I can let go! lol! I am sure that his painting and my spinning will draw a crowd. I just have to get him motivated....maybe the art stuff set up in the cabin will be the push he needs. He isn't a real 'self starter' type. But I am !! and I can motivate! :duel:



MullersLaneFarm said:


> My arm is healing nicely. the burnt skin sluffed off revealing nice pink healthy skin. Except for the the calico coloration of my arm, you couldn't even tell I had a burn.
> 
> My Daddy has taken a major turn for the worse in the 2 days. I'll be heading back to OK City tomorrow or Monday. Please keep our family in prayer.


So glad your arm is better! 
I will keep ya'll in my prayers. Please keep us updated.
Hey, did Tina come see you?? She said she was going to, I sent her a spindle and some fiber. I know she wants to spin and couldn't afford anything like that. 


ok, and now..._*for the BIG Almost news*_! I have been putting out resume's like crazy. Got a call yesterday from a place in Longview, they are looking for someone to work 3-4 days a week, FROM HOME! I would only have to report in twice a month. This is the job of my dreams!!! Please please say a prayer. I think I aced the telephone interview. She said they would be contacting me next week, she wanted to talk with the CEO!!! :happy:
So - cross fingers - say prayers - send good karma!!!! This would enable me to work, make money, stay here and homeschool the last two kids, keep tabs on the farm animals, and encourage DH to move on with making his talent profitable, Oil painting!!! AND I could afford the commute to work! lol!
It sounds so good I am almost scared!


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Cyndi, hugs to you and prayers for your family.


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Another etsy thing... I listed some yarn, forgot it was listed, took it to a shop, sold it, then got a notice saying it was sold on etsy. In this case it was easily exchanged, but something to remember.... 
So, I make these quirky, primitive cowls and shawls for a western lodge, and buttons were an issue- yesterday picked up a band saw at a yard sale, then took deer anlers and hubby whipped out some super buttons, some with the deer hair still on, for these. I am so excited! 
I ordered those movies off of netflix, being a westerner- Colorado is as far east as I've been- what you all are talking about is Greek to me! 
Cyndi, praying for your dad- and MamaJ- that job sounds great!


----------



## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

It's been an interesting week-end for us. We found out that my daughters' friend's father passed away on Thursday... from West Nile virus. They live just down the road. The girls attended the funeral for him and said the 2 kids (teens, both of them now) seemed to be doing okay, but the mom was completely devastated. I knew the boy (my girls' friend), but didn't really know his folks very well. Still, I hope the family will be alright. Apparently the dad was initially misdiagnosed, and that's what allowed the disease to advance as far as it did. Secondary pneumonia is what he actually was lost to though.

On a brighter note, I picked up tomatoes from the market to get the annual sauce-making going. I decided to try making it a little differently this time. So the first batch, instead of blanching to get the skin off then cooking them down, I quartered them and tried to cook them down before putting them through the mill to remove skin and seeds. Unfortunately I overestimated the heat level and scorched the very bottom layer of tomatoes. I moved them to a smaller pot and ran the batch through in bits, then through the mill, which worked much better. The only problem though is it came out much more watery than usual and has a moderate smoky scent to it. The scent didn't transmit into the flavor though, so it's okay in that. However, I decided to make that batch into chili for canning instead. I'd never done a from-scratch canned chili like this before, so I'm creating the recipe as I go. Right now I have most of the ingredients in the pot and am cooking it down. I'll likely add tomato paste to help thicken things, it's still very watery! I keep tasting it and adding new things (writing down as I go) until I get it just right. It smells really good though!


----------



## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

We can dozens of quarts of tomato sauce every year. This year, because I was gone so much, DH chopped up the tomatoes in the food processor and then froze them. I plan to make sauce when I get home from my mom's. The food processor ground up the seeds and skin enough so no need to run everything through the food mill--thanks DH .


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I'm a married lady now! I'll post pictures tonight after my dear husband imports them from his camera to the computer and gets them on Flickr or something like that. But I'll have you knw, even though it was a bit cool, it was beautiful! I don't think a church could have been more beautiful than being outside in God's creation!

Now though, I have to go (finally) clean up the cupcake shrapnel and unpack all the yarn my parents brought up Friday. I have a cord of yarn in our living room. A cord. :teehee:


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

GOod luck with the job, mamaj! I hope you get it!

Congrats Svenska, on getting married!! :clap:

Falls-Acre, I burnt my tomato sauce too. I started a thread in the "Preserving" section because I added peanutbutter to mask the burnt taste (found that tip online, and it worked!), then wasn't sure if it would be safe to WB can it. I'm going to assume it is though, since it was a small amount of PB and I added extra lemon juice to each jar. I'll just boil thoroughly before we eat it! And I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's friend's dad. That would be awful!


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Congrats Svenska !!!


----------



## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

Praying for your job situation MamaJ and also for you & your family Cyndi. May you all find God's peace & comfort in His plans for you.

Congratulations to you Svenska. May God also bless your marriage and new home.

I haven't had much time to post, just popping in for a quick read. Been making things, cleaning up and putting things away from our Railsplitter Festival. I'll try to post a few pictures later.
God bless,
jd


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Keeping my fingers crossed for you MamaJ, and Cyndi, you and yours are in my thoughts daily. Svenskaflicka, congratulations, and I hope things go well for you in your new city home.

We have been canning, and canning, and canning tomato products the last 2 weeks. I had 3.5 50-foot rows of them in the garden, with the goal being a big haul for canning, plus heirlooms for flavor, seed saving, fresh-eating, and BLTs. The canners were San Marzano Lungo Hybrid paste-type, from Italy. So productive it's insane. We have canned about 62 quarts so far of various tomato products, and we have another 8-10 gallons of puree to figure out what to make and can with it on the stove now. I am still photographing, seedsaving, and cutting tomatoes up, so no final total yet. And the plants are still loaded with semi-ripe fruit. We narrowly avoided a hard freeze last night, so I expect to get more from them yet for another week.

And I am just busting up keeping a secret from you guys that I can't announce until Weds evening or Thursday morning. My advice is that you may want to have some spare change available then.  I am going to announce here first, before I post to Ravelry or Yahoo fiber forums. It's really special.:happy: Be ready!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MamaJ good luck! Make sure you tell us how it goes.

Cyndi, keeping you and your dd and family in my thoughts.

Svenskaflicka, congratulations!! Can't wait to see the photos. Good luck with the unpacking.


----------



## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Congratulations Svenskaflicka! Can't wait to see pictures!

Hope the interview went well mamaj - good luck!

Can't wait to 'see' the secret IowaLez!

DH started his job today, and tomorrow he's got to drive 2 hrs. one way to go into the office. They originally told him he could work from home, and just go in once a week, now they want him there 3 days  So it'll be a big change here. We're going to have to downsize some animals, since time will be limited. We were going to cut down on the sheep herd anyway. Such is life - we move on and adjust...

I've almost got all the fleeces skirted, so that's good. I've got way too many for me to spin, so once I've got them done, I'll post some for sale here.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Thank you all for thoughts and prayers. Daddy's body has started shutting down, he will lbe free of his earthly body sometime this week. This house is filled with prayers and love.

I need to get back.


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Love to you, MLF.

Congrats to SvensaFlicka!

As for tomatoes ... I cut mine up and put 'em in the slow cooker (doesn't do huge batches at once, but it's able to be ignored and doesn't scorch!). Once they are cooked to mushy, they go through the food mill and then pressure canned. This last batch I had some shredded zucchini that I added to the cooking (along with a good splash of vinegar to be safe) so I have extra nutrition added to the 'sauce' (it's almost like tomato juice, as I didn't boil it down).

Very tired these days, and knitting on a deadline - but I'm popping in and keeping up!

Take care all.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> Thank you all for thoughts and prayers. Daddy's body has started shutting down, he will lbe free of his earthly body sometime this week. This house is filled with prayers and love.
> 
> I need to get back.


((((HUGS)))) Lots of hugs to you!!


----------



## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Well, that stinks, PKBoo. Telling someone they only have to make the 2 hour drive once a week is VERY different from requiring that same drive 3 times a week. Do you think they'll lighten up once he is fully trained? 

Cyndi, yes, you need to get back. Take enough time to throw in some change of clothes and your knitting. Hugs to you.


----------



## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

Cyndi, my thoughts are with you in this tough time.
Svenskaflicka, best wishes for you new married life. We're still waiting for pics of the dress!


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Hugs Cyndi ....hard times ........


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Beautifully said, WIHH.


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Cyndi, I'm praying for you, and I hope everyone else has good luck with their canning. I should be canning, but I don't have anything to can...  

Okay, I have pictures!!! These are some lovely snapshots my mom took-- we didn't have a professional photographer. Everything turned out just dandy though!










Cutting the cake: 


















On the Bridge: 









Kiss!









And there you go. My dress is made of white linen. It was a little bit chilly for the day, but I survived.


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I should mention that the lovely lavender flower in my corsage was a very special orchid that my dear husband grew. That particular coloration is apparently quite rare and valuable. It was VERY special!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Gorgeous! Both of you  What does your DH do? Did he breed that orchid? Your mom did a great job taking photos.


----------



## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

Ditto--your Mom took some great photos there. And you are a lovely bride, I think the look in your grooms eyes says he sees you as valuable as the bloom he grew and gave to you? Love the linen white linen dress.
Best wishes to you as you start a new life together and God bless.
jd


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Lovely wedding photos! I love it that you are more casual and intimate, than the whole formal thing with fancy photographer. You both look so "real" and lovely. You both have my best wishes for a loving future life together!

Hey WIHH!!!

I been meaning to tell you that when I spoke to my birthmother, Jeanne, last time, I asked her if she knew of the town you live in, because her whole clan is from "up there". She said she grew up right near your town, but you know she's kinda cagey sometimes and won't tell me which town it is.


----------



## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

I haven't been checking this thread, it being so late in the month. Gosh, SO much going on with everyone! 

Hugs and prayers to you MLF. I was just thinking I hadn't seen you on here lately and now I know why. I'm sorry you are going through this difficult time. Thinking of you.Stay safe on the roads.

Svenska Flicka, Congratulations!!! The pictures are beautiful. Wishing you both a long and happy life together. Will you open another shop up there do you think?

Mamaj good luck on the job front! Thinking of you too.

Wish I could tell you about all the canning I've been slaving over, but alas, I'm a deadbeat Suzy homemaker. I dehydrated a few things from the garden but it won't see us through an apocalypse by any stretch of the imagination. Oh, I did make homemade Ginger and River Birch ale. It was very thirst quenching during the hot weather. 

Pauline


----------



## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

Lovely wedding photos SF  It looks like you had a nice simple wedding, the best kind in my book! The orchid is gorgeous too.


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Death and weddings.....and beautiful weddings, at that.

What a crazy mix of stirred emotions that combination invokes.

Cyndi...... a year or so after I lost my Divine bride, someone suggested that I watch "What Dreams May Come". 
I did, and the potential revealed in that movie was a helpful addition to my broad perspective, in re losing loved ones.


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

My thoughts are with Cyndi this morning as well.

(hugs)


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks for letting us know, WIHH- praying for you and family, Cyndi.


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

another picture- this is our developmentally disabled daughter two days ago, her 30th birthday. She is painting her new to us rabbit hutch, to house her angora birthday rabbit, Smokey. He has been scratching her, and she said if he is still doing it by Christmas, he was going in the stew pot, and she is serious  (we spent that whole night watching you tubes of how to handle a rabbit)


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The new FAC for Oct. is up. Please post there from now on. Here is the link http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...r-arts/459356-fac-oct-2012-a.html#post6171776


----------

