Come on get here, NOW!

2013.... See ya... I won't miss you... I will be happy to see you go.... Can you move out of the way so that BABY NEW YEAR can get here already!!!!

I decided that this year there will be no resolutions.... Resolutions have no structure, they have no end. They are hopes and dreams of something different. This year I have goals. Most of them are short term. But that's fine because I will have such a feeling of accomplishment once they are done... With that being said, it should motivate me on to the next goal. All of the goals revolve around one another. 

Get the address to the property

Loose 2 pounds a week

Get Thyroid under control

Start eating more organ meat (liver)

Juice more

Make $500 a month (31~UL~yarn)

Get the electric on property

Fix soffits on shed

Find a used mobile to put on property

Plan on going to convention

Clear orchard area

Plant trees

Find out about cementing the floor of the shed

Get 2 does

Breed out 4 sets of kits before the end of the year

Get 1/2 a cow

Get 1/2 a pig

This year is going to be about focusing on the property, me and my home. Two of which have severely ignored. 

Here is to Eating that Frog in 2014!

Yart

Stuck in the Smoke Hole of our Tipi.

This is my newest favorite Christmas song.... Then Dominic the Donkey and Jingle Bell Rock! Enjoy!!

Yart

Oh, where is it?

The Christmas Spirit.... It really hasn't made an appearance to my home in a couple years now.

I'm not depressed or down trodden!?!

I'm not rushed or frazzled!?!

Almost everything is done....

Decorating -Check

Cookies - Check

Presents bought - check

Wrapped - check

Meal Planned - check

House Cleaned - Almost 

Not sure what the deal is....

But I feel like its just another day... I think it has something to do with the monsters getting older.... I fell like I'm going through the motions.

On a side note... 

I took the family to help out at Toys for Tots... We sorted and placed toys.... Then we went back and assembled bicycles. We had such a great time... Picky even commented that how cool it is that we put the bikes together that little ones will be getting on Christmas morning... I love my monsters! I was so proud of them... They jumped right in with what needed to be done... Never a complaint... Always looking to see where they could work next!

Winter Solstice -

We didn't do anything special... Mouthy worked on her Pooka Pages. The older girls helped me make cookies. It was a very quite day together!

Yart 

What Spring Holds!

About a month or so ago we lost our Tickety-Boo. Not really sure what happened to him but he didn't make it. So that has now freed up the hutch for two females this spring. Grim works with a Fella that has rabbits. He said that we can come out and get them once the weather breaks! YEAH! I am so excited to actually have does!!! I'm hoping that I get them old enough so that I can breed them right away and have the first kit before the weather warms up to much.

Now if I could just figure out how to make these bark, I could have a couple!

Baby Doll Shetland Sheep!

Off to by lottery tickets!!!

Yart

Lots going on!

Since its that time of year again, I feel the need to clean house... I know it would make more since to do it daily or even weekly... Which we do keep up on the top layer of stuff.... But its the deep down cleaning that I feel the need to do... I didn't get a chance to do it at Thanksgiving because of the dreaded funk of 2013. So now we are just 10 days from Christmas and I need to get it done... But what am I doing instead.... Playing on the computer of course.... LOL! And waiting on the time to come for me to leave and get my oldest Monster from the bus depot! She will be home for almost a month... Its going to be weird her being here again.... When she was here at Thanksgiving I was so sick that it didn't matter to me who was here... :D Since she will be home during the day with me as the others are at school, she will be able to help me get a ton of stuff done....

I haven't even started my Christmas cookies yet... 

Chocolate chip

Oatmeal

peanut butter

magic bars

cherry nut bread (oh, my mixer is going to hate me)

snowballs

russian tea cookies

thin mints

The shopping is done... Just need to get everything wrapped! Still need to get a turkey, already have the ham. I have most of the stuff for the side dishes. Just need to get a few more things.

Yart

I never got to show you

Years ago Grim bought me daisy's for Mothers day and I planted them. Little did I know Daisy's actually bloom in the fall. So every year I am surprised by a glorious display of beauty while everything else is dying off.

These came into the house the first week of November. Who would ever think blooming flowers in November in Southern Michigan. The funniest part is that the heat didn't get turned on for almost another 2 weeks.

Crazy weather!

Yart

Prayers

Tonight I pray for a family facing the unthinkable... I've prayed since the first day and even before... I will continue to pray... For that is all I can do! My heart breaks for them, I can't imagine their pain or sorrow... 

Yart

One done

I was hoping to have had the second one done... But with half days, bowling practice and parent teacher conferences.... It would not be the case.... I plan on getting a few more rows done today... We have instrument practice and Grandma's.... I also have the first night of a 3 night vendor event to attend tonight!

I like the design.... But I'm thinking that this pattern would also lend itself well to a hot water bottle..... Off to see how much they are?!? The last one I had dry rotted a couple years ago and I never got around to replacing it.

Yart

Little Drummer Boy

This video was shared on FB.... I'm sharing it with you! It is a lovely version!

Yart

Little Things

Since I've finished the baby blanket and not quite ready to get onto the Autumn afghan...... I thought I should get a few small projects in. I only have 1 pair of leg warmers that I made two years ago while at the hospital with my uncle. I have a couple really nice skirts that I want to be able to wear this winter. Since I get cold so easy I think leg warmers are the way to go... 

I didn't go out for Black Friday or Cyber Monday... I was very good! But I did manage to have to go to Michael's today to get a bigger set of circular needles. While I was there I spied the yarn.... It was on sale.... So I got 2 skeins of 2 different colors. The one above is a Red Heart Soft jewel-tone and the other is Impeccable charcoal tweed.

All I did was start with 48 stitches k2 p2 for 3 inches and then just knit. I'm at 5 inches right now... These are coming together quickly. Once these are done I have a skein of Bernat in Pink that I want to use to make a set with also.... 4 pairs will work nicely for this winter. 

Yart

Pumpkin Pies

Like I said they needed a post to there own!

Back near the end of October Grim and I went down to see the old woman... Who wasn't there but her family was... ( don't know if anything happened but keeping her in my prayers none the less ). We got some apples and a few small squash. While we were there I picked up 5 pie pumpkins.... I have only once in the last couple years cooked them up... Usually they end up as decorations or squirrel feed. But this year I had every intention of cooking them up. By the middle of November one of them got all mushy on the counter. So it was a do or die situation... LOL! Needless to say it was a good day to cook pumpkins!

Once the pumpkins were cooked and cooled, I blended the pulp and forced it through a fine colander to remove any chunks.... Then I weighed and put into zip top bags. Off into the freezer they went... I ended up with 4 ~ 28oz bags. Two of which were used to make 4 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.....

This monumental task was taken on by Picky monster.... It was her first time.... She kept coming and asking me why the color didn't match the color it should be.... In my brain fogged sickness it took me awhile to come up with an answer... Its because we used real pumpkin not canned. She did a fantastic job! I guess I don't have to make the pies anymore... LOL!

Yart

December Already!

Where did the time go? Not really sure, been busy chasing my tail as of late. Ever seem so busy you don't get anything done. Yep, I think that's what has been happening here. With the new business ( Uppercase Living ) I have been doing a lot of computer work setting up the facebook page and listening to seminars as to how to run a successful FB page. Not to mention all the crafty stuff I have been making to sell as cash and carry items at the vendor shows. I only have 1 more weekend of vendor shows this year. Then I can put everything I made & didn't sell up on etsy.

I have almost finished the baby blanket. The boarder is done, all that's left is to tie up all the ends. I'm very thankful this one is done... Its beautiful!!! Once its done, it will be up for sale! So if your interested please let me know. I also have a few other things that I need to put up on the craft page. More to come this week.

We went and picked up our monster from school so she could be home for Thanksgiving. We have had no snow down state but this is what we found on the way up and back.

I ended up being so sick that I thought I might have to go to the hospital. I had already gone to urgent care got motrin and antibiotics. But my temp shot up and had we not been able to deal with it here I would have had to go to the ER.

The monsters and Grim cooked the entire meal... as we still had company... I stayed in my bed the entire time. No visits for me.. :( Food turned out great... They did a fantastic job. (The pies deserve a post all by themselves) Friday night I got time to visit with my kid.... Saturday morning we were up and on the road taking her back. The weather was pretty much the same... Smooth saleing up until we got across the bridge and then it snowed like crazy.... Cars off into the ditches, good thing we have a 4x4 truck now.

Grim's pickup died... The gas tank fell off as he was going in to work one night... Bad, tow truck, police, fire rescue.... everyone was ok.... except for the truck. Grim decided that it was time for it to go. It was 14 years old and it was starting to nickle and dime us. So off it went! Remember I told you all about the little car that we absolutely hated. The one that I've been trying to sell for months now.... Well, we went to every dealer in the area. Grim found a truck he absolutely loved. Its a Green Ford F-150 4x4. So we talked to the dealer and they not only gave us a great deal on the truck they took the car and payed it off. YEAH!!!!! So we both have good dependable vehicles now.

That's about it for now! Off I go... LOL!

Yart