New Blog Friend
I just made a new blog friend! And I hope you will find some time to visit her blog at The Homespun Loft! Her name is Charlotte and she lives within Dartmoor National Park, Devon in England -- maybe she will send us some pictures? I would love to see where she lives within the park, how about you? She makes darling items and at The Homespun Loft you can find Homespun fabrics, tinware, spicy mug mats, hand crafted items and loads of other prim this ‘n’ that. It's really a sweet little place! Welcome, Charlotte!
ACORNS!
"The acorn becomes an oak by means of automatic growth; no commitment is necessary. The kitten similarly becomes a cat on the basis on instinct ... but a man or woman becomes fully human only by his or her choices and his or her commitment to them ... people attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day to day. These decisions require courage." ~ Rollo May
Yes, my mind in on acorns this evening! Raking acorns, that is! That is what I did after work today. Raked up bags and bags of acorns. Whereare all the squirrels???? Obviously, not in my yard. My pin oak had a bumper crop of acorns this year and I'm sure I'm not done with all the raking, but on the bright side I think I worked off maybe a calorie or two! I also finished up a little acorn wool pillow tonight that I've listed on my eBay site based on a freebie pattern from Bird Brain Designs. I used some of the wool that I coffee stained and baked that I talked about in my last post.
Lastly, does anyone know anything that a person could DO with acorns??? I'd be glad to hear about it!
Smiles and Sweet Dreams Tonight.
Wool, Crafts, and My Kitchen!
FINALLY! I have had some down time to do a little wool dyeing, sew a little and just plain relax!
DYEING WOOL!
I haven't dyed any wool in ages and was really wanting to try the method that Cath's Pennies Designs talked about in one of her recent blog entries. I took a section of a vintage wool blanket I had that was sort of a dirty linen color and viola! a lovely aged color I call "coffeeshop" (I have a habit of naming my wool colors, don't know why since I don't really sell them). Here is picture of the wool soaking in its soap bath and then the final result! Thanks, Cath, for this method! Its super easy and extremely easy to clean up!
This wool is really a great color! It just came out dark in the photo! I also dyed some more wool and tried a mottling effect that I learned from The Woolen Needle ladies.
I really need to get some wool dyed green (I'm running low) so I will probably be making my rounds to the thrift stores soon to see if I can find any quality wool clothing or wool blankets to recyle! BTW, I didn't use any dyes fancier that RIT to dye my wool. Maple Leaves and Harvest started out as a pink wool. I overdyed them using yellow dye to get the "Harvest" color and used yellow dye and then chocolate brown to get the "Old Maple leaves" color. The "Cranberry Ice" was done with pink wool overdyed using chocolate brown RIT dye and the "November Sky" was created from a dirty linen color wool overdyed with kelly green RIT. "Fudge Swirl" was made from the dirty linen color wool overdyed with chocolate brown RIT. I love dying wool as I am never sure what I will end up with because you never know how the wool will take up the dyes!
MY KITCHEN!
Since I've shown you a photo of my stove, I thought you might like to see photos of the rest of my kitchen. Almost everything in the photos are "make do"! The pine hutch came from a friend's garage sale; the hoosier cabinet came from my hubbies farm and was in pieces when he began to work on it. The oak table is from an old farm house. Two of the oak chairs are from an auction and the other two my hubby found on the side of the road and refinished! The high chair I recently got at an auction and the same is true of most of the crockery! The spice cabinet was in a tool shed on my hubby's farm until I claimed it! Enjoy my humble abode!
CRAFTING!
Well, it will soon be that time of year when the lawn doesn't call my name any more (just the snow shovel now and then when it snows) so my crafting time is pickin up again. I was able to sew some things and get them listed on eBay and also get some patterns cut out (and I also got all my laundry done too!!!!). Have fun browsing through some of my finished items and come back later to see if I've found any new giveaways for you to enter! Blessings and have a wonderful week.
Adorable E-pattern!
I was browsing today and came across this wonderful, whimsical e-pattern from Homespun Annie! I think it is one of the cutest and original patterns I've seen in awhile (of course, take in mind that I am drawn to anything that has to do with kitties!). You can find it HERE. You might also want to visit ANNIIE'S BLOG, TOO!
Savings and Giveaways
Remeber to stop by my blog from time to time and check out the giveaways you can enter! Just scroll down and look for them on the left of the screen.
Great Day for CornBread
When the air gets dry and cool and the leaves start to fall from the trees, I begin to think about crock pot stews and chilli. I am always looking for great corn bread recipes and thought I'd share one I came across from Bishop Hill Colony Bakery (I figure if its from a bakery it has to be good! :) So here it is, sweet corn cake. Enjoy and let me know how your's turns out!
While you are here, you might want to check out some of the giveaways that I've just found out about and posted on my sidebar. Good Luck, Everyone.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 Tbls. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, beaten
2½ cups whole milk
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together oil, beaten eggs and milk.
3. Gently mix dry and wet ingredients together just until moistened.
4. Pour batter into a 13"x9" pan.
5. Bake 30 minutes. The bread is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Ember Days Are Almost Here!
Do you know what Ember Days are? I didn’t until I read my Farmer’s Almanac this morning. It says they are four separate sets of three days all within the same week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) set around the four seasons that were originally set aside for fasting and prayer. The Farmer’s Almanac also says that folklore says that the weather on each of the three days foretells the weather for three successive months. So for September’s Ember Days, Wednesday forecasts weather for October, Friday for November, and Saturday for December. Make a note of the weather on September 15th, 17th, and 18th and see if the old tales are true! Now is also the time to plant trees (early Fall), have weenie roasts, chop wood (especially hard woods like oak or walnut) so it can season for a year for use during next year's Winter, make a scarecrow, make apple dolls, make pumpkin bread and pause a minute to enjoy the miracle of Autumn!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
All things have their season,
and in their times all things pass under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal.
A time to destroy, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh.
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather.
A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to get, and a time to lose.
A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew.
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
A time of war, and a time of peace.
Fall Graphics - Myspace 2.0 Layouts
Please Meet Kitty #6 and Kitty #7
I always debate on telling people how many kitties I have, but you are all friends and I know you'll understand that I just can't resist a sad kitty story. So please meet Nicky, kitty #6. I found little Nicky as an abandoned kitten right before Christmas four years ago. He is a very sweet little boy whose best friend is Oscar (our very large puma, er, tiger cat). Nicky would also like Ms. B to be his girlfriend but she's having none of it! Here is Nicky lounging on the patio posing with my scat cat pillows! Isn't he handsome! Nicky also plays fetch and is the only cat that always comes when you call his name. I figured when we got Nicky we would have a full house so to speak, but last October, Louis (aka, Lou C Fur, King Louie, Luigi) came to live with us (as I said I'm a softee!). Louie also started out life as a rescue cat with part of his tail missing and with one of his ears broken. As you can see he is very regal and his ear has healed up, but his tail, though fluffy, is kinda short. Louie has claimed me a his human and sleeps on my shoulder every night. Louie also gives kisses and has his own water bowl and crumchy bowl (of course!). This is a picture of Louie sitting on "his" stove. He is one gorgeous cat! Here is a picture of my autumn porch with Oscar, Ms. B, Nicky, and Louie enjoying the fresh air. 
I also want to share with you some of the things I've just listed on my eBay site that I worked on this past weekend. In case you didn't know, all my stitching is done by hand - I don't use a machine to stitch any part of my woolies.
Well, Ms. B is doing her rain dance and I guess we are in for quite a storm tonight ... if I survive, I'll see you (or at least read your blogs) tomorrow! Good Night and sleep well!
Milestone Weekend!
Well ... I knew it was coming and yes, it finally happened! On Sunday, September 5th, I was able to officially order off the 55 and older menu! What an event! I'm thrilled (yeah, right)! Wow, I guess I've been around awhile, haven't I? The weather here in eastern Iowa is finally wonderful and fall is in the air and my daughter is on her way home from Oregon and should be here in a few days (as well as her hubby!) It's been a year since I've seen them and I can hardly wait! Happy Wednesday and I hope you are having some great fall weather, too! P.S. Check out all the great giveaways listed on my sidebar.
Can Your Cat Predict the Weather?
Well, gee, its raining here again in the midwest. Wow! it hasn't rained for at least 27 hours! I guess we were overdue! Which got me thinking about my cat, Ms. B, the weather forecaster!
Can your cat predict the weather? Is your cat a feline barometer? Sailors put great stock in cats and weather. Cats on ships not only took care of the rat problem, they amused the crew and were believed to be very good weather predictors. Some went so far as to believe that the cat controlled the weather. If sailors saw a cat chasing its tail or playing with a dangling rope it was said to be stirring up a wind. Some sailors believed that the cat carried a "gale in its tail" and could release it at will. These believers made very sure the ship's cat was never harmed or killed, lest the gale be released. Scottish lore tell us that when a cat sneezes, it will rain soon. Folks from Britain and Ireland got more specific and said that weather could be predicted by observing the way a cat washed itself. If a cat washed their face it meant rain was soon due, but given how often it rains over there, the odds are in favor that rain is due more than not! On the other hand, an old English proverb goes like this: If a cat washes her face over her ear, 'Tis a sign the weather will be fine and clear. The folks from Iceland aren't concerned about the cat's grooming habits, but they do attach meaning to how the animal lies down. They used to believe that if a cat lies down with its paws stretched out in front of it that very bad storms were near. Ancient Japan worshiped a wind god who took the form of a cat, who raked open the sky with its claws and brought rain.
Now of all my cats (I still haven't told you all how many I have), Ms. B is my only weather forecaster. She does summersalts, chases her tail, and meows at me pitieously before and during storms. She is quite my little "weather channel" and seems never to be wrong. Since this has been such a rainy summer in the midwest she has been summersalting alot! She also seems to be able to predict earthquakes (not all of them mind you, but many of them) by doing the same meowing, summersalting and tail-chasing. Sometimes I feel so bad for her because when she meows I feel she is saying "Hey Mom, please make it stop!" She is a cute little gal and has fur as soft as mink. So, you cat moms out there ... any of your little furry companions have metaphysical gifts?
Cats and sewing ... a great life! I did finish another item tonight that has gone up on eBay. What a chore to list it though because I changed to a new template and had to remember how to set it up! Well, enough for now. You all have a sweet night! Talk to you soon.AUTUMN OAK LEAF WREATH
In these tough economic times, I know we all appreciate "freebies" ... for me I expecially love finding ones that are craft related. Today while just browsing I came across this free wreath pattern offered by RHYTHM of THE HOME who says the wreath, a symbol of eternity, reminds us of the circle of life; of how one season flows into another, only to return again and again. How beautiful! You really just need a wee bit of sewing and a simple stencil, to make this wreath. Also, stop by her blog for a visit at http://rhythmofthehome.wordpress.com/.
Browsing Tonight!
Since I was having trouble nodding off tonight, I thought I would do some Internet browing using the words "autumn wool penny rugs" to see if I could find anything new and interesting and came across a newer blog called "The Wooden Acorn" ... its a great little blog filled with Valerie's wool stitching! She does a wonderful job. Visit her at http://thewoodenacorn.blogspot.com/ and see some of her creations!
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| From the Wooden Acorn Blogspot! |
I like to spend time browsing on the Web looking for new ideas, new designers, and new crafters. I think we learn an awful lot from each other when we share!
Tonight I also stopped in at The Woolen Needle's site and found a great pattern I like called "For Every Season" and its their own Woolen Needle design. These gals have a wonderful store which is only about 20 minutes from where I live. I get most of my "special" wool from them and would spend all my time there if I could. They have a great little store. You can find this pattern at http://www.thewoolenneedle.com/index2.html. I might treat myself to it and the wool for my birthday which is right around the corner!
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| For Every Season Pattern by the Woolen Needle |
Well, I feel sleep coming on and so I'm going to give in! Hope you all sleep well tonight!
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