December creativity and cooking

Since I wasn't blogging, I must have been busy in December. Right?

Well, partially right. David and I spent the week before Christmas sick as dogs with the flu. Since David's job makes them get a flu shot, he had it in November. I cannot get a flu shot because I am allergic to eggs, so I get to "wing it" every year.

We were not lucky this year. The week before Christmas, the day after Felicity and Gregory went to spend their every-other week visit with their Dad, David and I both went down-hill with the flu. David was in good shape after 4 days because he had his flu shot. Me....twice I though I was nearly out of the woods just to relapse. It took me 9 days to feel somewhat like myself again.

On a better note, I did spend some time doing things I enjoy. Creating and cooking!

I finished my crochet rug that I started back in the summer. I don't have a pattern for this, but plan to do a separate post with my own rendition of a pattern, coming up soon.

I also made some oh so cute scarfs to sell in my Etsy store. I have plans for a tutorial on this, too.

Fresh bread! FINALLY, after many attempts over the past couple of years, I had two loaves turn out PERFECTLY! I used Judy's recipe. Here's the link!

I found new love in knit cotton dishcloths, too! I have made crochet ones in the past, and wasn't so crazy about them. BUT until now, I had never used the cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby. I LOVE THIS COTTON is the name and boy do I love it! The Hobby Lobby brand cotton yarn is a bit lighter texture than Peaches & Cream and Sugar & Cream brands that I had always used in the past. Now, I even like the crochet ones I have made, but the knit ones are AWESOME!

I used Sandra's pattern here. However, I found I like mine a bit on the small-ish side and I go up to 36-38 on the needle instead of 40. This pattern is also here (free on Ravelry), called Grandmother's favorite, calling for 44 on the needle, if you like your dish cloths a bit on the larger side.

Oh and in late October, I designed an adorable little hat for my grand-babies. Here is Maddie modeling hers. I just love those grand-babies so much!

In October/November, I whipped up a few quilt table runners. A couple are still in my Etsy store, the others were made for my sister and donations for a raffle.

And finally, on Christmas day.....fresh homemade doughnuts! Found it on Pinterest, of course! Recipe is here. All I can say is: Crazy easy, crazy fast and crazy good!

Now I am off to do more creating! I have a quilt I started nearly 4 years ago that I hope to finish this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend all!

In my world right now

Our new home (manufactured home) is on the local lot and awaiting it's time for set-up and delivery!!!  David, the kids and I are so excited! We have decided to buy a new lot and have the new house put there, instead of on the existing land I am on. That way, we can do everything the way WE want it, not having to convert horse barns, trees where we wouldn't have put them, etc.  We will then either remodel and rent this little place or sell it. We haven't made that decision yet. It does need quite a bit of work on it. So, we will see.

So, I have begun the process of getting things sorted out, trashed, sold/given away and packed. I have moved so many times in the past 6 years since moving to Amarillo, you would think it would be an easy task for me. It's not. Never will be. The older get, the less organized I am and it just stinks.

On a great note, though, once we get into the new house, I will finally have a studio! A place to work and call mine. I am working to release a new product line of baby/child items and I will finally have the space to do what I love to do!

We are ordering one of those "Amish built" wood portable storage type buildings and will "build it out" into my studio/guest room/bathroom over the course of a little time.

This photo is awful, I took it with my cell phone and just couldn't get a good shot. This one is NOT ours. It is just what ours will look like from the front. I am torn between a metal or shingle roof. But ours will be painted to match our new house. These are so reasonably priced, rent-to-own in 3 or 5 years(your choice), with no credit check. Pay for it and keep it as long as you like...or pay it off and keep it forever.  So easy!

Ours will have my studio, guest room and a 3/4 bath on the ground floor, then storage galore in the attic area! There is even a neat ledge on the front inside that will be a gorgeous place for plants and displaying my creations. I am so excited!

Working on the layout. I love designing floor-plans of houses (or buildings of any type).

I have also been busy a little with continuing my knitting journey...

Remember back in May, I made my first knitted project (dish cloth) while on the road to Louisiana? I so love making these! Quick and easy. Just the way I like it at this point.

I am also working on a crochet afghan for our new grand-son due the end of this month.

My garden....it's taken quite a beating. Since we decided to buy a new piece of land, I never got things out of pots and into a garden properly, so nothing has done much of anything. Next year will be different!

Here's hoping the weekend is wonderful for you and yours.

May in a nutshell

I posted about the beginnings of my garden on April 30, then I looked up and it was mid-May, then May was gone. Oh how I have missed blogging. I am going to share with you in photos a re-cap of how May went for our family. You will realize, then, why I missed posting.

My birthday is May 1. I turned 46 this year. I don't feel it and if you ask most folks, they will tell you I don't act like I am 46 years old.

Vintage Postcard postmarked Jan 1910 and its mine :-)

David got me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I just love it!  THEN a couple of days later he surprised me and was able to take his R&R two days ahead of schedule, so he arrived on the 6th instead of the 8th. While he was in route coming home from overseas (he is a civilian contractor over there), I used the information I got when I watched "Homestead Blessings: The Art of Making Candles" to make beeswax tapers. The night I was working on these, I was continually texting with David while he was in a holding pattern waiting to get on his flight home.

We traded in my 2009 Dodge Caravan and David's 2004 Avalanche in on a new truck! It is a 2012 Ford F150 Crew Cab. The new models have so much space in the back seat, it would compare in side to a small car.

This gorgeous machine drives amazingly & rides like a car!

While the kids were spending some days with their father, David decided we would take a road trip and head to the casino in Clinton, OK. It's only 2.5 hours away and was nice to spend the time together. On the way back, we stopped in. Shamrock, TX and saw the vintage gas station that was depicted in the movie "Cars".

David being his typical silly self.

"Look at that price! $.38 per gallon!"

Then we headed on down I-40 back toward Amarillo and stopped in Groom, Texas to see the GIANT cross.

The next adventure was to Palo Duro Canyon. It is less than a half-hour from our house.

Even though I have been several times....the canyon is still gorgeous to me!

Whew and I am only to the 13th!

We have been trying for the past couple of months to decide what to do about where to live. I currently have 1.17 acres with a 1981 very small manufactured home on it. David and I have gone through so many scenarios about what we want. This piece of land keeps calling us thought, to stay right here. So, we ordered a new manufactured home! OUR NEW HOME! Together. It is 320sf larger than the one the kids and I live in now. NOW this little homestead is OURS. We just found out yesterday that the home is built and will be in Amarillo sometime this coming week.

 

Ours is hunter green on the top and beige on the bottom.

We went with a single-wide because we don't want to put too large/pricey a home here and price it out of the area when one day we decide to sell the place.

The next thing I have to tell you is not easy to talk about. Many of you that have been reading my blog back to my old one, are familiar with Roosevelt, our Serama rooster. He hatched in my hand on January 2, 2010 and played a vital role in Gregory learning to talk. One afternoon, Felicity went out to the barn and found him dead. We don't know what happened. But I am thankful that David was here. The kids and I were in tears for quite a while. Losing Roosevelt was a huge loss for the kids and I.

Rest in peace our special little man.

Next, we headed to David and I's hometown, Leesville, Louisiana. I am the youngest of eight kids and we have not all been together in one place since 1983, when we buried our father. This weekend...we were all together! I am not sharing photos, because I don't know how they would feel about it.

Margo our Poodle, Petunia our Chihuahua

Bailey, our Maltese mix

Yep, all FOUR of our dogs went on the trip with us. (Ariel is in a later photo) They all did amazingly well and enjoyed the travel and meeting all of the new people.

I started and finished my first ever knitted project while we were on the road!

My daughter, son-in-law and first born grandchild, Madeline.

On Saturday of that weekend, we all headed out to Toledo Bend Lake for a day of fun in the woods (and on the water).

Toledo Bend Lake

Later that week, David and I enjoyed sitting out by the pool at our hotel and watched the kids swim.

Favorite things to read for me while watching the kids.

David was "pondering"...I don't remember what, though.

This was really the first time to swim in a big pool for Gregory, to the best of my memory. He loved it! It took him a few minutes at first, but then he realized his floaties wouldn't let him go under water.

Felicity loves to swim. She is now 11 and as tall as me! She is such a wonderful big sister to Gregory, too.


Oh how I miss the green of Louisiana! I love the State flower, Magnolia.

Then before we were ready, it was time for David to fly back overseas and the kids and I to come back to Amarillo.

We stopped in Canton, TX at a little place called Dairy Palace for lunch and Gregory actually ate BEANS AND RICE!!! Of course, I mashed it all up together, but he ate it! This is MAJOR for him! He still has such problems with food textures.

At the end of our first day on the road headed back to Amarillo, we stayed in Dallas. I took the kids to Bass Pro Shop because I thought they would think it was pretty neat. We were in that store for 2 hours! Felicity really enjoyed it...Gregory not so much.

We were all exhausted at the end of the day. Even Ariel our 3 month old puppy.

I ended the month of May with 15 fewer chickens due to a dog that got into the yard while we were gone. BUT on a better note...my first harvest of the year. HERBS!

 

Basil, Chamomille, Oregano and Cilantro.

Hope you enjoyed your little tour through our month of May. I will be back to blogging now and am so glad!