It's Official

Grim is back to work... well, he is in Chicago, being re-certified. We will be paid for this so, he's back to work. He will be home sometime tomorrow evening. I'll tell you, I don't know what to do with myself. He's gone and the monsters are at school. This is the first time in a year that someone wasn't home with me. So I went to the gym after I dropped Mouthy off at school. I was able to do an hour on the elliptical (almost 4 miles). Then I came home and did my weight training. Puttsed around for awhile, then finished the switching out of all the winter for the warmer weather clothes. That was a chore in and of itself.

I've finished reading Nora Roberts circle trilogy. Very good as all of her work is. Now I'm on to Farm City The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter. It is a very good book so far. If you would like to know more about Novella you can check out her blog here.

I signed myself up for another year with Cold Antler Farms Wool CSA. If your interested you can find out all the details here. Jenna, is going to be holding a lottery for new members to be able to join for the 2011/2012 season. I really like the first skien of yarn that I recieved and am looking forward to the rest of my share for this year. As soon as I'm done knitting with it I will show you. Not sure if it's a scarf or a table runner. You can be the judge when you see it.

Spring is really here. No more snow, but the rain is making the yard a complete mess. I can't even get out there to assess the winter's damage. Hopefully, there isn't to much that needs to be fixed or replaced. I know that the chives are up in the back. But when I was able to sneak a peek at the mints, they showed no sign of life... LOL! Neither did either of the blueberries. Ah, I guess I need to put on the rain suit and cute boots. But that unfortunately will have to wait for another day. Even though I was bored out of my skull today. Tonight I do have some ideas of things to do. I will be digging out the sewing machine and trying to get the aprons sewn up. You remember those the ones I cut out months ago. Yep, still sitting in the box waiting!

I have gotten very comfortable with Fluffy Bunny. I trim his nails and handle him in general. Yep, its a him.... I know because one day I was trimming the nails and it was in my hand. Anyways, we decided that since I am way more comfortable with the House Bunny that it was time to start looking into fiber rabbits. Yes, they will have names as they won't be used as food. Need to point that out in case Picky monster were to ever read the blog... I did make it public. She is against eating rabbit. I am not. But in this case it makes the most since not to eat the fiber rabbits as I think I might end up with a hair ball... cough, cough.... LOL! I don't know yet if I like the English or the French angora better, or if there is even a difference. They will be outside and I need to get a kennel for them... I really don't expect them until summer sometime.

There are plans aplenty... And I just don't want to jinx them... so that's all I'm going to say about that... LOL! I know mysterious!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Happy News!

Jenna over at Cold Antler Farm had her first lamb at 2:30 this morning... It is so cute! I can't wait till I get to talk about lambing or any other animal stuff with all of you! One day....LOL!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Remember!

The other day I was complaining that I didn't seem to be accomplishing anything but was super busy. Well, here is what I had been doing that took up so much time......

First are the towels that I embroidered. The one photo will not go right.... sorry! This is the first time I have done this type of needle work in over 20 years. I'm just happy I remembered how to do basic stitches.

 Here are the 3 hats that I completed in November. Both of the variegated are the new pattern. The dark blue is a beanie type.

 This is the 10 pounds of chicken that I picked up yesterday. I raw packed it. This is a first for me. I have done burger before but never chicken. It seems to have cooked up well. So this is a nice addition to the pantry. Especially since today was the first snow day of the year!

 As promised here is the wool and my welcome letter from Jenna at Cold Antler Farm. I was so excited to start on it. When the rest of the yarn arrives next year, I will have to come up with something else. But this is going to be a scarf.

Four posts in one day, no wonder I have no time... LOL! Oh, and I am down to only 2 1/2 skiens left for the prayer shawl... One day I will get pictures of that.

Gotta Run,

Yart

Snow Day!

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning, telling us that school had been cancled due to the weather. The school system has phone recording that calls for all announcements. It was nice not having to wait and see when our district flashes across the screen. The down side to that is the phone rang at 5:30 this morning. You guessed it..... Now I'm wide awake! I'm sitting here in long john's and my robe, drinking a hot cup of Yogi Chia Tea with just a touch of honey.

I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday, I burned my first batch of cookies. I've done it before years ago. But this is the first time in recent history that it has happened. I had the timer on the stove set for the canner and I used a hand held timer for the cookies. Well, the little hand held didn't work. So the cookies were in the oven for like 22 minutes before I realized it. At least it wasn't the canner that got screwed up.

Speaking of the canner I was able to get 5 quarts of beef stock and 2 quarts of water canned up yesterday. I will be doing more turkey stock after Christmas.

 It is days like today that I am very thankful that I have a house full of food. If we decided not to go anywhere for a couple of days we would be perfectly fine. With the temps dipping into the teens for the day time highs, I'm thinking that we will be doing just what needs to be done. Grim has therapy in a couple of hours and we need to go to the gym since we will already be out.

I didn't get a call for bingo again. But this time I am going to call and see what is going on. Two weeks ago they didn't call and I missed. Then last week the woman called, my phone rang once, no message. And now again no call. I'm starting to think they don't like me. Oh, well! No bingo for me.... The only reason I work the bingos is to add money into the monsters account. It helps with expenses like band camp. I think we are going to go back to selling candy bars and pretzels. Just so I can get out from under this bingo thing. Blah!

I will have pictures in another post but I wanted to let you know..... I got my package from Jenna at Cold Antler Farm. I was lucky enough to be one of the first participants in her fiber csa. It is so much different feeling working with natural fibers vs acrylic fibers. The first being that it isn't as think and the second is that it isn't as soft. I'm not complaining, just saying as this is the first time for natural fiber. I think the differences is neat. As soon as I read the information packet that Jenna included, I balled up the wool. Then last night I got started knitting a scarf. The pattern is very simple. I adapted it from a Lions Brand Yarn pattern, which you can find here. I am making mine wider.

The clock is playing Christmas music and I notice that the sun has finally broken the horizon. The dull gray of early morning has now been replaced with the pink and blue hues of daytime! So with that I must awaken sleepy monsters and a grumpy Grim......LOL!

Gotta Run,

Yart

I love my blogging friends

I look forward to seeing what is going on in your lives. I have shared ups and downs.... I have laughed and cried.... I even feel as if I know you personally. Grim was on the phone today and said that I had this friend in California.... LOL! It's another blogger that has influenced me. And yes, I talk about you as if you were real people in my life.... I know that sounds funny. But since we have never met and probably never will, I just wanted to let you know that you are very highly thought of. I even had a blogging buddy come to my defense today on facebook, I don't even know if she puts me Yart with the real me..... But I thought that it was wonderful. *Remember to the world you might be one person but to one person you might be the world" I love that quote!

Enough of the mushy stuff.... LOL! I wanted to share some really great things! The garden is officially been pulled out!!!! Well, the Swiss chard and the zucchini is still out there. It is just doing to good. They will wait till the first hard frost. I got off my lazy butt yesterday and got it done. Now I just need to get some compost and plant the garlic..... And of course in January and February start planning for the next season. I think that next year I am going to do squash, beans, corn and potatoes. Of course I have the strawberry patch established, so hopefully they will produce next year also.

Next Grim sold his bike today. He got enough from it to have the down payment on the next bike ( a dresser).... Even though he has to wait until he is healed and back to work to get it. I'm happy that we get to get a bigger bike. He's sad because it is his first bike and he really, really wanted to keep it. But since it tried to kill him twice I figure it was time for it to go.... Yep superstitious!

I was lucky enough to be online at the right time today. I was able to get one of the spots that Jenna at Cold Antler Farm was offering for her Fiber CSA. I am so excited it is my first CSA. I know it will be almost a year before I get the yarn I am so looking forward to it. Plus, I will get to see how the wool goes from ewe to yarn. I think that I am most excited about that. To feel like I'm part of a large community.... Again bloggin friends..... You all are great!

And the fortunes did smile on me today. I was bestowed with an award. Mother Moon, granted me with the Prolific Blogger Award. I am deeply honored to receive this award as I don't think what I say is prolific, or grand or even an easy read at times (due to the rambling *smiles*). But Mother Moon thinks that what I have to say is important. So I thank you, greatly!

As with all blog awards there are rules and this one is no exception, so here they are:

Link the award to the person to whom sent you the gift. (see above)

2.  Link to the blog of the person who created the award - Hazra of Advanced Booking.  I love the fact that this started back in November of 2009.

3.  At Advanced Booking enter your name into Mr. Linky so there is a complete list of all the recipients.

4.  Pass the award on to 7 more people whom you feel are prolific bloggers.

Jordan at Blueberry Hills Homestead

Lynn at Viggies Veggies 

Cat at The Vintage Housewife  

Skippy at I make soap

Mama Pea at A Home Grown Journal

Faerwillow at Serendipity

Annette at The Ward House

Gotta Run,

Yart