Knitting With Ólöf

New Favorite Designer ANKESTRICK and Giveaway!

2013-05-14T09:04:00.002-05:00

ANKESTRICK which goes by the username fallmasche is my new favorite designer on Ravelry. I stumbled upon her while I was surfing patterns on Ravelry and had to stop by and tell her how much I enjoy her creations. Here are some of my favorites....

Mrs. Garter

Her designs are elegant but wearable. I love her natural colors and flattering designs.

Anke was nice enough to answer some of my questions.

Who is Fallmasche?

Hello, my name is Anke. I wanted to knit something after several years of not knitting and was looking for a shawl pattern on the internet. There was a nice one: "clapotis" on ravelry. Because clapotis was made out of dropped sts "Fallmaschen" in german, I took this name as my username. I was hooked on this pattern and made 5 or 6 of them.

How did you learn how to knit?

I learned it from the women in my family and in school. I always like to craft and from time to time knitting was my favorite for some months, maybe years.

When did you decide to start designing and why?

During my knitting times, I always made my own designs, but I hate sewing and could not get the shape I wanted when sewing. When I learned the top-down seamless knitting from all the talented ravelry designers I knew immediately, that I would be able to make the garments I like to wear. I love to see how it grows and being able to test the fit at every stage of the process. (especially the neckline, my favorite part of a garment)

What is your favorite pattern and why?

My own or in general? My own favorite is always the next one I have in my mind. My first and all-time favorite on ravelry (after clapotis :) is Snowbird by Heidi Kirrmaier and than Holl by Kirsten Johnstone. Some day I'll knit them …

Who is your favorite designer and why?

I love the cool plain style of Kirsten Johnstone (assemblage) design.

I could feel the joy playing around with knitting possibilities itself in the pieces of Heidi Kirrmaier and I love how she modeled them.

I admire the output and nonchalant style of Isabell (lilalu)

I admire too the simple but still charming pieces from Veera Välimäki.

And I like to put Nicole (chirimoya) on the list. Even if she didn't publish here own designs, she always interprets a pattern with her own sophisticated style.

Where do you find inspiration?

Sometimes from the enthusiasm of trying to tape the full potential of seamless knitting itself. Sometimes from designs I saw on the street or in shops. Sometimes it is just enough to touch a nice yarn and the garment appears on my inner eye.

What are your favorite colors and fiber to work with?

My favorite thing is to knit with two threads of different yarns and colors to make the garment more lively maybe a little mysterious. I prefer to use natural based fibers.

You designing something at the moment and when do you believe it will be ready for the public?

I am planing to release my "Birdsong" ebook with several patterns. They all will use my new favorite neckline in different shapes. Very easy to knit and made for the warmer period of the year. I finished two (Tschilp and Zalp) of maybe 4 patterns, so it will take a little time until I will be able to publish it.

I have to say I am pretty excited to see what these new designs will look like!

Anke has been so generous to offer one of my readers a pick of her patterns. You get to go look at all her patterns and decide which one you would like. My personal favorite is the Walnuss since it is so versatile and usable.

This giveaway will be open til Monday, May 20th 2013.

Entry -Form

Sad day......

2013-05-09T09:59:00.001-05:00

Found out today that Owl is actually a boy. A boy that crows.

Yep. Owl was posted on Craigslist today. I live only 2 minutes from down town Tulsa so keeping a rooster is very unneighborly. Owl doesn't crow loud but I'm sure with time he will really find his voice. He is kind to the girls and my kids. The photo above has Owl in the front and Mathilda and Dinner behind him (still hard to say him when talking about Owl because I thought he was a she). I still believe that Dinner is a boy too so I will not have any Easter Egger chickens which makes me sad but I guess I will then just get a Isbar chicken for a nice green egg.

This is Buff. She is a Buff Orpington and the sweetest of our flock. I have handled her the most too. Odinn picked her as his bird but has little patients to sit still so that he can catch her. She is usually the first to come running as soon as I step off of the porch wanting a treat or just food in general.

The black bird is Mathilda our australorp. She is a BIG lady and very curious. She is not as trusting as Buff though and gets very verbal when I catch her.

The other bird in the photo is Dinner and I'm pretty sure Dinner is a He. I haven't caught him crowing yet so he gets to hang out a little longer.

This is the chicken tractor my husband made me even though he wasn't all that excited about getting chickens. Yes I am a lucky lady for having such a great husband. I can fence them in if I want to but mostly they roam my backyard and eat grass and bugs all day long.

Remember the baby chicks that were in my kitchen. Well here they are at a month old. They have hit the punk rock stage of just looking all tattered. They are loosing their baby fluff and getting feathers. They have been booted out of my kitchen into the PlayYard (my temporary chicken coop) until they are big enough to join the big girls in the tractor. The one in the back is Chipmunk, a Cream Legbar. The one in the front is Sassy, a Black Copper Maran that I have a feeling is a boy. This makes me sad. That means that as soon as they are big enough to join the big birds then I will have to find him a new home too. Boo.

I love how proud Chipmunk is when she runs around though. She is not a friendly bird. She is quite flighty even though she was handled quite a bit in my kitchen. But she is pretty and will lay the most beautiful blue eggs.

Nala, the stray that I saved from starvation in my back yard. Her mother gave birth to her in my back yard and then left her there to starve when she was bout 8 weeks old. The vet thought that she was not going to survive since she was just a walking skeleton. But I took care of her and now she is a happy tubby girl.

The boys having a lazy morning with the iPad. They love accessing Netflix and watching the old cartoons.

Alex is a force to be recond with now. He army crawls and if he is in the walker then he RUNS to where he wants to go and has started getting into anything and everything.

This is my loveseat or what the boys call "mamma's couch". At the moment it represents my brain. The 3 projects of knitting, further education on Personality Disorders and the new DSM 5, Mother Earth News (my fav magazine), Menu planing board and grocery list pad, and The Mindfulness and Acceptance book that I'm looking at to learn techniques for when I go back to work. This is why I make To Do lists because this is what my brain tries to do if I don't have a list to follow.

As I have my cup full of coffee and a list to finish, I wish you a beautiful day full of wonder and love.

What is on your To Do list?

Have a problem with organization like I do? This looks very promising.

Mom's Ultimate Family Organizer: A One-Stop Planner for Busy Moms

New Sponsor- Rain City Knits

2013-05-03T16:25:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to introduce you to Rain City Knits Yarn. Krista, the owner, was nice enough to answer some of my questions.

This is Krista. Isn't she beautiful?

Tell me a little about RainyCityKnits and how it got started.

RCK is a very small hand-dyed yarn company based in the heart of Vancouver , in a vibrant neighborhood called Gastown. RainCityKnits was born out of a love of bright colours - an antidote to the the endless grey season on the West Coast.

Prior to launching RainCityKnits, I worked internationally on issues of sustainability and social justice. My passion and commitment to these issues help guide my business decisions. For example, I only use food-grade dyes to colour my fibres in an effort to minimize my impact on the environment. I also source my Uruguayan Merino Wool from a worker’s collective, where workers are paid a fair price for their yarn.

How and where do you get your inspiration?

As mentioned, I really adore bright colours in juxtaposition to the cool colours that characterize Vancouver’s landscape.

I’m really inspired by current trends in colour and I think that my time living in London, UK has a lot to do with this. Londoners, on average, are very fashion-forward and know how to combine colours without appearing garish, which is a possible risk when working with a super bright palette.

Locally, Gastown is a real hub of creativity with fashion boutiques, furniture shops and lifestyle stores lining the streets and that too inspires me.

Who are your favorite designers and why?

I’m guessing this question refers to knitting designers. I opt for clean lines in designs and am really attracted to Nordic and Japanese designs.
A few of my favorite designers are Julie Hoover (USA), Ririko (Japan), Jane Richmond (Canada), Rena Varsakis of The Red Fox and Gown (Canada) and Isabell Kraemer (Germany).

What does a normal day in your life look like?

Cliche as it sounds, every day is different. That’s one of the things I really love about running RainCityKnits. On a given day, I will be dyeing yarn (of course), skeining, packing orders, writing for my blog, Tweeting and taking photos of things that inspire me.

My husband and I are also raising a BC Guide Dog (for the Blind). She’s 8 months old. A part of my day is dedicated to her training too.

What is your favorite knit item at the moment?

Relax by Ririko. I’ve never knit myself a sweater - though I’ve made several for others - and I’m really looking forward to the end result.

If you could have dinner with anybody dead or alive, who would it be and why?

A bit of a heavy choice, but I’d love to sit down with Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban. I’d love to hear how she finds the courage to continue lobbying for the rights of girls in the face of such an oppressive and frightening regime. She is truly an amazing young woman.

What is your dream in the future for RainyCityKnits?

My dream for RainCityKnits is to continue to be able to make a living while making things I love. It’s a simple dream but one that can be a real challenge to achieve. Hopefully RCK will continue to grow and bring happiness to those who encounter our products.

I have to say, with this as the view from our studio, I have a pretty great reminder of the importance of treading lightly.

Thank you Krista for answering all of those questions and what a view! I´m super jealous. I miss the mountains and the ocean!

I was lucky enough to get to play with 2 skeins of her DK weight in natural and Fried Egg color and this is what I came up with.

This is preblocking.

Working with this yarn was divine! I REALLY loved the yellow fried egg color. It really does look like a fried egg from a nice organic chicken and I wish the camera could catch the color so that you could she the high and low lights in it. The yarn is soft and fluffy and very nice up against the skin. I would love to make a whole chevron blanket out of it to cover my bed.

Alright beauties, Krista has so generously offered a skein of her amazing DK yarn in a color of your choice (I know it will be hard to choose). I will also be offering 3 of you my design for free. It comes in 3 different sizes, the one in the photo being the largest.

Here is a sample of the awesome colors she has!

To enter leave your email address and a name in the box below and then start going through the many different ways you can enter to win. You can do just one or them all! It is up to you! Now off you go to enter the giveaway! Good luck!

If you want to head over to Rain City Knits and make a purchase then Krista is offering a 10% discount to everyone if you enter OLOF10 at checkout.

Entry -Form

Knitting Update- Blankets and Spinning

2013-05-02T15:17:00.001-05:00

As you can see on my to do list today is write a blog post and I realized that for being a blog with knitting in the title I have had very few posts about knitting lately. I have been busy the last 2 months designing things and making very large changes to my home and family for the better. But as I finished my last design project (having a giveaway tomorrow), I started revisiting some of my unfinished projects.

I have been spinning the fiber I got from The Wacky Windmill and finally plied it yesterday to make my first ball of plied yarn! Then I started spinning some more on my Turkish drop spindle. I have plenty of roving left to make more. Can't wait to knit something with it.

I then had a ball wound up of odds and ends and in the spirit of not wasting yarn I crotchet it on to my odds and ends blanket. For this blanket I don't care about the weight of the yarn. All I do is tie the ends together and then with a large crotchet hook, I just single crotchet it on. I love watching this blanket come together because each strand reminds me of one project or another.

Finished another block of the Miter Cross Blanket and started another. I have now finished 7 blocks and only have 3 more left to make before putting it together. The colored blocks are all made from leftover yarn from when I knit the Princess and the Pea while I was knitting through the Itty-Bitty Toys book by Susan B Anderson. It's Lambs Pride worsted and the outside is Cascade Ecological wool. I'm trying not to have to purchase anything to finish this blanket but I might need to unravel a vest that doesn't fit well to use the yarn to finish this blanket. Have any of you ever done that? I've been thinking about that a bit lately. Unraveling and re-purposing yarn from projects I no longer love.

What do you have on your needles these days?

Mini Farm update

2013-04-26T12:32:00.000-05:00

After I posted on Monday I started feeling icky and on Wednesday morning I got the stomach bug that the boys had had. It wasn't pretty. My husband took the day off and took care of my children only bringing Alex up to nurse (yeah I was loosing liquids but still had to feed my giant baby). I spent the day in bed. Ached all over. Not doing well at all but for some reason not able to sleep. When I gave up on laying with my eyes closed feeling like poo I would turn the TV on for a few episodes of Vikings and Warehouse 13 and then turn them off for a while and just lay there trying to sleep even though sleep did not come. But after all of this I woke up yesterday feeling renewed. I felt grateful and happy and ready to take on my day. Here are some of the images from my beautiful day yesterday.

Alex turned 7 months old yesterday. Weighing in at 29lbs and 30inches!

Magni enjoying a snack of veggie straws on the back porch.

Odinn playing with the baby chicks Sassy and Chipmunk while they had their first day outside.

Sassy the Black Copper Maran 2 and a half week old chick.

Chipmunk the 2 and a half week old Cream Legbar chick

My Peach tree that didn't make it through the winter.

Tomatoes, Kale, Lettuce, Broccoli, and Collard Greens.

My first harvest of the season. 1.7 oz of asparagus that I added to the veggie soup I made last night.

I spent the day just catching up on chores and enjoying my boys' time. Making mental notes of the things that need to be done around the mini farm in the back yard like digging up the dead peach tree. I don't know what killed it but it only gave us one crop of fruit and that was last year and the animals ate them all before we could get to it so we never even enjoyed it. Sad to wait so many years for a tree to mature only to have not enjoyed it much at all.

The baby chickens have hit the punk rock stage of loosing their fluff and getting in feathers. It will be an interesting experience to introduce them to the big girls since I have never done such a thing but my sister in law gave me some good advice and we will see how it goes.

Now I sit at home and my poor husband has the stomach bug. I feel for him but I hope he feels as renewed as I did after it is over.

I plan on weighing everything I get in from the garden this year so far I'm at 1.7 oz. from the Asparagus and I plan on harvesting it into the early summer. That is the joy of permaculture. I was hoping the peach tree would be another easy harvest but alas no. I planted a grape plant and hope that in the summers to come we will get some grapes from it and we have the cherry bushes that have just finished their bloom.

If you are interested in learning more about permaculture (the art of keeping plants that come again and again to feed you) then you might be interested in this book.

Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture

My Abundance and Gratitude List

2013-04-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

Good morning dear readers. I woke up this morning after a rough night with a teething child and my home looks like a tornado went through it. Odinn caught a stomach bug and got sick all over our couch which is covered in fabric and since he got it all over himself and his baby brother the priority at the time was to clean up the kids and then get back to the couch. This gave the mess time to sink in. Yes Eeeeeeewwww. This was just the beginning and Alex joined him in his returning ventures. Now my kitchen, which is my laundry room too, smells like baby chicks, dirty dishes and sick. Yeah. I'm functioning on less than 4 hours of sleep a night for over a week because Alex is teething and woke up to a pity party for myself since my house looks like a war zone. Once I sat down and had my coffee I started thinking and remembered the Newsletter Laura sent me from The Nurished Home about having an Abundance and Gratitude List visible in your home at all times. This lists all the things we have and love and are grateful for having. A great tool for when we are having rough days. To read over and be reminded by the good things so the right now hard things may seem less hard. So I sat down and wrote my list and here it is.

My Abundance and Gratitude List

My Husband- My Children- My Family- My Home- My health- Healthy Husband- Love- Healthy Children- Parents that are such a help- In-laws that love my children- siblings that are there no matter what-My education- My blog- My Readers-Ability to inform myself- A husband that is so supportive of my whims- My able body- the YMCA- Yoga- Money cushion in case of emergency- books- Entertaining chickens- Coffee!- clean drinking water- Electricity- Internet- Educational cartoons- Simplicity Parenting- Nature- Farmers Market- Friends that take me out of my comfort zone- Modern medicine- Living in a peaceful place- Being a mother- Helpful Appliances- Public School- Amazon Prime- Organic products- My fenced in backyard- My Veggie garden- Nap time

You may remember that I took Laura's Hectic to Harmonious Home Cleans that got me kick started to living a more congruent life to my personal values and then I started my journey into Simplicity Parenting. Hope those of you that are having a hard morning with me can use this tool to bring some inner peace and then be able to choose to look at life in a more joyful manner.

What is your list?

Interested in living a happier life through gratitude? Check out this book

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

To Do Lists

2013-04-19T15:05:00.001-05:00

OK if you are anything like me then even your to do list can seem super daunting. You write it out with the best intentions of finishing it and then you stare at it for the rest of the day thinking that you don't even know where to start after the list is written.

Here is what I do to keep me to doing. I start with a piece of paper and three colors of either markers or pens that I find pretty and/or fun. I pick my main color that I write the list out in. Then I write the day and to do at the top. Then I make boxes in front of each to do item to be checked off later. It is very important that even if you have already made your bed that day to include it because you should never underestimate how gratifying it is to check that off your list of to dos as DONE. Also if you do something that is not on the list like you notice that the front porch needs to be swept and you do it. Add it to the list and then check it off. Then I pick the second color to make the list more appealing by outlining the check boxes and underlining the date to do header and then I have a whole other color to check off my done to dos.

DO NOT FORGET TO PUT FUN STUFF ON YOUR TO DO LIST!!!!

Enjoy reading? Put 10 min or more of reading on your to do list.
Enjoy knitting? Put 15 min or more of knitting on your list.

The adding to the list of things already done, things that you enjoy and things you think of through the day is important because it makes the list more doable and less of a chore. And like I stated above NEVER underestimate the psychological feel good of checking things off a list as DONE!

I try to write mine in order but with kids and all I get distracted and things end up all over the place.

Also if I have something that I need to do multiple times through the day like 3 loads of laundry I put one check box at the front and then three behind it so that each time a load goes in the wash I check it off and then when the three loads are done I can check off the box in front of the item. I also put dry, fold and put away in their own separate check offs each with 3 boxes behind them so I can check off at each step.

Why all the colors? Because this is something you are going to look at often through the day so you want it to be appealing!

At the end of the day I might not have finished ALL of my To Dos but seeing how many checks I managed is very rewarding non the same.

How do you do your To Dos?

This moment

2013-04-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

Trying to be present in the moment today. Join me on your blog and link to them in the comment section if you wish.

Right now I am....

:: looking around my home and hoping that I will have the energy to finish cleaning up.

:: hoping that Alex takes a proper nap so that I can get to all the things on my to do list today.

:: listening to my big boys play with their trains nicely upstairs.

:: looking forward to finishing the design that I have been working on for a month now.

:: hoping that it isn't too late for that design this season.

:: feeling my shoulders that are tense and needing of some yoga.

:: thankful for the body that has given me 3 healthy sons and trying to be kind to it so that it can finish healing from a long hard pregnancy.

:: anxious about the Color Run next weekend and hoping I will make it.

:: enjoying all the new growth around me and trying to grow mentally with it.

:: stairing at a basket full of cloth diapers that need to be stuffed and put away.

:: realizing that I don't hear the washer or dryer anymore so it is time to rotate and put more dirty clothes in the washing machine.

:: about to go out with the kids and let them play on the deck with the new carpet which has made such a great new play area.

If you are new to Mindfulness techniques then check out this book

Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

The Past Week

2013-04-09T15:54:00.001-05:00

These AppleCheeks arrived in the mail and are new sponsors of my blog!

My big boy turned 5 last week!

Odinn decorating his cake.

Alex getting some tickles and wearing some of the AppleCheeks we already owned!

The new chicken coop almost finished but usable. Just need to cover the front of the coop so that rain doesn't get in the feed.

Buff free ranging.

Got some plants in the garden

Mathilda.

He added an extra candle. LOL

Owl!

Guess you just started joining us at the dinner table?

The best play yard ever!

People ask me how I am keeping chickens and gardening. The trampoline is where Alex is happy and outside and playing so I get some free time to get stuff done. My husband also is a great help. He built the coop. I just painted it and told him what I wanted.

And last but not least....

Say hello to Chipmunk and Sassy! Chipmunk is a Cream Legbar and Sassy is a Black Copper Maran. They hatched on Sunday! I'm so stinken excited bout them. They are the newest additions to my flock and the first real baby chicks that I have had and OMG they are so fluffy and cute! I just want to hold and watch them all day long! Sorry the photo is not the best but they are just getting use to their brooder box in the kitchen.

Want to start your own backyard flock?

Check out:

Homemade Living: Keeping Chickens with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock

100 Things About Me

2013-04-03T15:54:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Lorna's Laces and thought I would do mine.

1) I am 5'10".

2) I have one brother and 4 sisters. They are all much older than I.

3) I have 3 male children.

4) My last child was born 11lbs 14oz.

5) I'm a part time vegetarian, only eating animals that were treated humanely.

6) I've been married since 2003.

7) I was born a blond, but have been a redhead and brunet and even all 3 at once. But right now I am naturally a brunet but get highlights every once in a while.

8) I used to be an apple picker in France.

9) I tended bar when I was in college.

10) I was fired once from being an apple picker in France when I was 17 because I was the only female and was distracting the other workers, slowing down production.

11) I learned to knit when I was 6.

12) I've lived in 3 different countries. Iceland, USA and France.

13) I use to hold grudges but have learned to let go.

14) When my ADHD is at it's worst I stop being able to keep up with housework.

15) I wear a size 11 shoe . It use to be a size 10 but pregnancy really did a number on them.

16) My favorite color of yarn is grey.

17) I make a mean leg of lamb.

18) I'm planing on running my first 5k in 17 years on the 20th of April. God help me.

19) I wear glasses all the time since I am blind with out them.

20) I keep chickens.

21) I prefer baths to showers.

22) I'm reading through the 1001 books to read before you die list and I'm taking forever.

23) I wish I could fly first class all the time but I have only been bumped up a few times.

24) I don't like carnival rides that make you feel like you are dropping.

25) I love wine.

26) Left to my own devices, I'd eat chocolate for all meals.

27) I sleep with 2 pillows.

28) If I find a piece of clothing I like and fits well, I'll buy more than one in different colors.

29) I perpetually wish I was 25 pounds lighter.

30) I spend waaaay too much time on the computer

31) The homepage on my computer is Google.

32) I own stock in Google.

33) I need a vacation.

34) I have a red couch.

35) I like pedicures.

36) I don't like Tulsa summers.

37) I am learning not to be so mean to myself.

38) I can't keep almond butter in the house.

39) I drive a Mazda 5.

40) I belong to 2 book clubs.

41) My mom is amazing and lives in Iceland.

42) I am afraid I will get cancer since it runs in the family.

43) I am even more afraid of dieing with out warning and not being able to tell my children one more time that I love them.

44) I love to go to Paris.

45) I hope I never want to have plastic surgery.

46) Too many of my clothes are from the Gap.

47) I listen to audio books, not music, on my iPad.

48) I wish I gave myself more time to draw.

49) I have 15 nieces and nephews. The oldest is 29, the youngest is 5 years.

50) I almost always have chocolate in the house.

51) I wore retro suites in high school.

55) I once forgot that I was in London airport and not still in France and asked where the restroom was in French.

56) I prefer the Chocolate dessert.

57) I am afraid of failing.

58) I'm done having babies.

60) My spelling skills have gotten better because of spell check.

61) I have a bachelor's degree in Mental Health Psychology with a minor in Business.

62) I love interviewing people.

63) I started smoking cigarettes in high school. Quit over 6 years ago.

64) I love making good food.

65) I'd like to go to Italy and soooo many other countries.

66) I have too any allergies.

67) I'd rather have jewelry then another kitchen product for my birthday.

68) My favorite flower is a calalily .

69) My husband is a genius.

70) I like to knit simple things.

71) I never wore braces.

72) I use to host New Years Eve dinner parties before kids.

73) I over think things.

74) I'd like to live in Europe again.

75) I'm not a big fan of perfume.

76) My husband's blue eyes and height were what attracted me to him at first.

77) My dad is a retired airplane mechanic.

78) I wish I had more time.

79) I try not to have regrets.

80) My dream house is an old restored homestead in the south of France.

81) I love fountain pens.

82) I am impatient.

83) I get stressed when I am away from my baby when they are still breastfeeding.

84) You couldn't pay me enough to be single again.

85) My handwriting is awful.

86) I grew up in Iceland and the USA

87) I listen to NPR more than any other radio station.

88) I love to wear a skirt or pin stripe pants when I get dressed up.

89) I wish I'd rather read than watch TV but I watch way too much TV.

90) I met my husband at a coffee shop.

91) I'm a dreamer.

92) I require Coffee.

93) My favorite color is grey.

94) I am planing on keeping bees for the first time this summer.

95) My right foot is bigger than my left foot.

96) I drink home brew Starbucks coffee.

97) I like cardigans better than pullovers.

98) I passionate about simplicity Parenting

99) I have been knitting more small projects lately.

100) I love designing knitwear and seeing that people value it enough that they purchase my pattern.

Now your turn!

The Color Run- Tulsa

2013-04-02T10:20:00.002-05:00

OMG I've lost my mind and I've signed up for my first 5k in 17 years. I have signed up for the Tulsa Color Run. A friend of mine said that she was going to do it and have a blast. Not so much run as just walk fast and have a fun time. I thought this would be the perfect way to start, hopefully, new 5K habit.

The color run is more about the fun of getting out and doing it than a hard core run but it will be a jump start in the right direction.

Of course I need new gear to start getting ready like new running pants and support bra (those breastfeeding milk jugs need to be contained and protected) but boy I'm excited. I haven't run since before Odinn was born but now I really am excited to start. My body needs the exercise too. Since we have daylight longer during the day I have decided that I will be ready to leave the house as soon as my husband gets home and go for half an hour 3 days a week and when I can do that easy I will add a 45 min run once a week and then when that becomes easy then I will add an hour run. I know I have a ways to go here but boy will this be fun and painful. LOL

Have you done a 5K this year? It has been on my bucket list for a while now. I did a few before I was an adult but I haven't done any since. Always thought that I had to be a runner that could run for an hour with out stop to do one. Well I haven't been that EVER so I never went out. I'm hoping to really get into running again. I miss it. I quit while I was pregnant with my first because it hurt so much to run. Hoping my hips will let me do this with out too much pain. My body after 3 kids in 4 and a half years is not very happy with me.

Cobble Stone Mittens/Fingerless Mitts

2013-04-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

My pattern is finally up for sale on Ravelry!

Go grab yourself a copy and we will do a knit along. I will be knitting up a pair of the fingerless mitts they are at the end of the pattern as an option.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mini Farm Coming Along

2013-03-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

OK, so I was going to take a before pic but honestly I was too ashamed at the state of my garden and horrified that my neighbors back door opened up to it and has had to look at it. It's the only place where we do not have privacy fencing since there was already a fence there. But so far, I cleaned out the beds, used my Garden Weasel to turn the soil, added 6 cubic feet of peat moss and some organic fertilizer then turned the soil some more to mix it all up and then watered thoroughly.

I know it's a mess! Wish me luck!

I planted some Fava Windsor Broad Beans a couple of weeks ago and waiting for them to pop up and this weekend I´m planting some Organic Carrot Seeds Carnival Blend, some beets, some peas, lettuce and other cold hardy plants.

A couple of years ago I put down some weed cloth and put mulch over it. This looked great and was an awesome idea until my cats and the neighborhood cats thought that this would be the ideal place to poop. Yeah, eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww. I kept stepping in it. I got to the point where I didn't want to go into my garden area. That, plus the heat and the bugs just caused me to quit all together. My garden became a mess and my harvest was lost since I wasn't keeping up with it. Now I have vines and weeds growing through the cloth. What do farmers do then (this is an Icelandic saying when there is a problem)? I´m going to clean out as much as I can put down even more mulch and then put down pavers for stepping on. This means that I need to go to my city's free mulch site and pick up LOTS of mulch.

Mathilda the s/he bird

Owl, Buff and Mathilda getting lost in the weeds.

OK so the chickens are growing FAST! I know one of my Easter Eggers is a rooster so his name is Dinner. I live in the city so keeping a rooster is not being very neighborly. I'm still waiting to see if Mathilda is really a girl. I go back and fourth on if she is a he or a she so right now she is a s/he. LOL. I have just started letting them free range in the backyard. They are funny to watch and much easier to keep then I thought. Don't know why I didn't do this a LONG time ago. If you are on the fence on this one just jump in! If this is not the hobby for you then you can sell them and people will for sure buy laying hens and your coop.
Just make sure to read books on keeping chickens so you know the basics and have a library to reference to if you start having any problems and check with your local ordinands to see if you can legally keep chickens in your city. The entertainment value alone is worth keeping these birds. I could sit around and watch them all day. In June they should start laying if what I am reading about them starting around 18-22 weeks of age. I can't wait! I'm still waiting on my Icelandics (lay white to pink eggs) and on a Maran (lays chocolate brown eggs) and Cream Legbar (lays blue eggs). It will be so much fun keeping these fun colors in my frig and giving them to the neighbors and friends.
Waiting for my boots to arrive from Amazon. Have to have proper attire for taking care of my mini farm.

What are you doing this spring? Trying anything new? New plants, animals, hobbies?

Our Growing Family

2013-03-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

Material I got to make new sheets for Odinn´s bed

Odinn on his new mattress

As I am in the midst of wanting less in my home I still have to purchase things for my growing children. Yesterday we had to go buy my oldest a new mattress since his bed was getting too short for him and Alex's cosleeper was getting too short for him. So we had to juggle beds. Odinn got his new mattress on the floor until we find the perfect bed frame for him, Magni got Odinn's toddler bed and the crib that we had transformed into a toddler bed for Magni was transformed back to a crib for Alex. Alex was so long that he was starting to either touch the top with his head or the bottom with his feet to the cosleeper and it was waking him up on a regular basis (every hour and a half) and this mamma was getting NO sleep. So what happened after the big swap? My husband and I were sure that we would get a toddler and a baby in our bed last night but the big boys slept in til 7:30 this morning and Alex only woke up once at 3:30am to nurse and then slept til 7am and woke up to nurse again and then slept till 9:30am when it was time for a dry diaper and some play.

Alex in the crib that use to be Magni's toddler bed

Magni in the toddler bed that Odinn was using

Yesterday while at Sam's buying the oldest a mattress we also bought a folding wagon and some lawn chairs for the upcoming soccer practices and games that are starting on Thursday at the YMCA and a outdoor's rug to cover our aging deck so that I can let Alex play out there with out getting splinters and filth all over him.

As I purchase things now I think about how much they will be used. The wagon will be used quite a bit for years to pull along things for games, camping trips, and gardening when I need to get mulch and things from one place to another. Folding chairs can be used for all the 4th of July's, games, camping, parties and the list goes on. The rug will make a space that is unlivable at the moment livable for me and my children adding living space to be outdoors for snacks, play and relaxation.

I've been reading a lot about organizing and minimizing and one question I found in MINIMALIST PARENTING: Enjoy Modern Family Life More by Doing Less was "If your house burnt down and you had to start over would you buy it again?" if so keep it. If not then get rid of it. When I thought about this it shed a whole new light on all of my STUFF and I am now more willing to just get rid of it. I had a yard sale two weekends ago and I made over 250 dollars. I plan on having another yard sale in 2 weeks and getting rid of even more. There are so many things that I would not buy again so why am I holding on to them? The great thing is the money I made from the yard sale paid for all of the things be bought at Sam's yesterday! Love the power of less that the Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids book helped me cultivate in my life.

Thursday Update

2013-03-22T16:13:00.001-05:00

He scratches himself when itching his nose

Silly big boy

I have to say sorry for how I've been absent this week. I have 2 other blog posts that I started but never finished. Our family hasn't been feeling its best and Alex had croup this weekend. Still snotty and so are my other two big boys. This leads to a very tired mamma that doesn't get to finish a though because of noses/bums that need to be wiped or someone is thirsty or hungry or sleepy or ................it goes on. I love my boys but at this point mamma needs a break while there is no break in sight.

I had a yard sale on Sunday afternoon, selling all the left over cloth diaper product that I had since I closed my online store and other baby items that Giant Alex has grown out of in his almost six short months outside my womb. Made some money but have lots of product left and people asking to come see it almost every day, selling a little here and there leaving bins of cloth diapers in my living room and boxes of baby clothes.

Also since I had a yard sale on Sunday I didn't do any cleaning and now I'm overwhelmed to say the least making it so that it is just getting worse. I have a pile of clean laundry beside me and there are more loads that need to be washed in the kitchen.

What have I decided to do about this problem, which I alone can fix? Take my boys to KrispyKreme of course! That will fix the problem right? My house will be amazingly clean and organized by the time I come back by the amazing cleaning fairy? OK maybe not but I will get a mental break from this craziness.

Here are some of the photos from my week.

Hubby has finished now by adding those top boards and putting wheals on the back.

Just needs paint

Alex enjoying the sun

The peeps outside in the temp tractor.

Playyard+box full of shavings+fencing panel= temp tractor

All I want to be doing these days.

How do You Feel when You are Alone

2013-03-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Being alone does not mean that you have to be lonely. If you have a problem with being alone with yourself with out the TV blaring or the radio on or a computer to communicate with maybe it is time to figure out why.

I borrowed that video from a friend that just posted it on her blog. It inspired me to really think about how my thoughts of being alone have changed through the years. I remember hating being alone as a teenager and early 20s. It made me anxious. Now a husband and 3 children later I really LOVE being alone when I get the opportunity to be. Which is maybe once every 2 weeks when I get to wander off to the store by myself. I feel at peace and wrap myself up in the silence. Of getting to finish a thought with out it being interrupted.

Don't get me wrong. I love my children and husband but there is only one of me and 4 of them and all 4 need me. I am outnumbered by 4 amazing people that I am proud to call my family. That I'm so lucky are healthy and happy and only need me to do what mothers and wives do. But I am only one person that also needs the healing that comes with being alone.

If you feel uncomfortable being alone I want you to try this exercise. Next time you find the opportunity to be alone get a pen and paper or a journal and just write down everything that comes to mind. Doesn't matter how crazy it sounds or weird. You don't need to keep this. You can shred it as soon as you have finished the exercise if that would make you feel better. Just let it flow until you have nothing left to flow. Until there are no more feelings of anxiety left in you or the time you have allotted for this exercise is up. Read over the paper again to really read your own words. Let them sink in. Are these feelings that you might need some help to work through or are these feelings that now that they are on paper you sort of feel that the next time you might feel better about being alone? Are you feeling alone or lonely?

Hope all of you are lucky enough to get some alone time this week.

Chicks got Names and Garden Update

2013-03-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

The chicks have gotten names. Meet the girls Buff, Owl and Mathilda. Starting to think Dinner is a boy so that is why his name is dinner for now.

And here is my honest try to start the season off right

I just planted the strawberry containers. Ordered from Amazon 25 Evie Everbearing Strawberry Plants and got WAY more from the seller than 25. Planted 18 plants in those 2 red planters and another 4 in another and there is at least that many more still left to plant. They are also all live and sprouting, unlike so many packages I have gotten from my local hardware store.

Also got Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) in the mail today to review. Can't wait to dig into it and tell you what I think. Hope I learn something new. From what I've seen by looking through it quickly it is pack full of useful, specific information on plants and breeds of birds. Tell you more about it soon.

Winners of the Wooly Wonka Fiber Giveaway

2013-03-12T11:42:00.001-05:00

Winners are!!!! I hated having to skip over people because they didn't leave contact info in the comment per rules. But here are the winners that did leave a way to contact them! Congratulations!

1: Gets the yarn and mitten pattern

ikkinlalaMarch 3, 2013 at 5:09 PM

I follow your blog by e-mail.

ikkinlala AT yahoo DOT ca

2: Gets mitten pattern

WehafMarch 7, 2013 at 11:54 PM

Your mittens look to me like they should be named "Rowena".

urchiken at gmail dot com

3: Gets mitten pattern

AnonymousMarch 8, 2013 at 4:23 PM

I like the Peacock colorway and the Roses of Avalon Shawl.
reiki on ravelry

Keep checking back because I will be doing another giveaway soon!

::right now::

2013-03-08T22:22:00.000-06:00

Borrowing this being in the moment from Amanda at Soule Mama. Join me and link to your blog in the comments thread.

Right now I am......................

Silly bird stay in your brooder

My brave boy!

:: glad that when we took our 3 year old to get his blood drawn to check on iron levels, heart issues and other things that I was able to mentally prepare him well enough so that he didn't freak out. I told him that we needed to see what color his blood was. If it was red then he was human but if it was green then he was an alien. Thankfully it was red and it was time to celebrate.

:: relaxing after having taken the 3 boys out for pizza with my husband because that is what Magni chose after having his blood drawn.

:: thankful for having a pediatrician that listens and is thorough.

:: feeling the tension in my shoulders that I am sure will not go away until I get the results from the blood test.

:: listening to my baby chicks chirp from the kitchen and glad that I got medication for their bacterial infection because now they don't smell as bad and hopefully Buff (the blond one) will bounce back and start putting on some weight.

:: finding it funny that while I was sitting and watching the birds earlier the Australorp (the black one) was staring at me and suddenly the name Mathilda popped into my mind. So now that is her name. Mathilda. I like it. Would have never thought I would own any animal by that name but I believe that is what she wants to be called. Starting to think that even though she will just be black that she might become my favorite.

:: hurting after a cycling class I took last night. Not my muscles but my bum is bruised after the saddle. Ended up having to quit before the class was over because the saddle just hurt too much.

:: looking forward to tomorrow morning's yoga class. Wondering which teacher I will get this time.

:: deciding that I need to start running in the evenings after dinner now that the time is changing and we will have daylight longer.

:: disappointed after my dear husband got batteries to put in our scale and found out that I had put on 3 pounds in the last 3 months. Sigh.... You would think that supporting such a big boy on breast milk alone would be making me smaller. I guess I will have to do this the good old fashioned way. Stop eating like a pig and move my rear.

:: staring at the amount of laundry that needs to be done. Ug.

:: thinking about poring myself a nice glass of wine, watching a show and knitting for an hour.

:: wishing you a beautiful weekend full of adventure and people you love.

Simplicity Parenting update

2013-03-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

As I have said in the past my journey into Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids has been a little revolutionary to me. It is changing the way I think about TV and STUFF. How I need to get rid of all the STUFF in my life. What am I calling STUFF? STUFF is the things that I do not love or need in my life but have held on to because maybe one day I might need it or it was given to my child so I don't have a right to get rid of it. I use to be able to fit every worldly possession that I cared for into 2 bags and move from one country to another. When we moved into this 1500sq.ft. home we had moved from a one bedroom apartment and the house was so empty. We had 2 empty bedrooms and our bedroom was half empty. The living room was half empty and everything echoed. 3 kids later and our, what we thought, large house is now cramped. Not enough room for all of our STUFF. In reality this house is not too small for our family. It is just too small for our STUFF.

I was overwhelmed to say the least and those of you that have followed my blog for a while know that I really wanted to do something about it but honestly, I just didn't know how, or where, to start and my kids and husband were starting to show signs of being overwhelmed as well. I knew I wanted to take that first step but how? I found Laura's Hectic to Harmonious Home Cleanse and it gave me the jump start I needed. Helped me focus in on what mattered and what didn't matter. The first culling of toys happened and I saw how it changed the way my children played and how less overwhelmed I was with their vast amount of toys. It was a lot easier to pick up and not as big of a deal. Laura kept referring to the Simplicity Parenting book. After the cleans was over I knew I needed to learn more about this book and its teachings.

I contacted the Simplicity Parenting group and got to join the current class even though it had already started. Thank you Dr. Kim. I had to play catch up on several weeks of material but each time he lead us through a meditation that really helps put things into perspective. So far we have talked about:

Gift-Quirk-Disorder Spectrum
How to move your child’s quirks towards their gifts and away from potential behavioral and discipline problems.

Soul Fever
How to cool the “soul fever” many children and families experience.(This is when your child is just acting off and you know they just aren't feeling well mentally.)

Decluttering the Environment
Gain support to simplify books, clothes, toys, lighting, noise etc.

Strengthen Rhythm & Predictability
Experience the powerful and soothing effects on the whole family when daily safety valves of rhythm are strengthened and made more predictable. (I realize that this is something I have a hard time with with each birth. Trying to find the new right rhythm to the now different family)

Prioritizing Schedules
Receive support to dial back busyness and over scheduling. Rediscover the gift of boredom and the gift of anticipation.(I'm not one to over schedule if I can get away from it but this has gotten me to feel better about being a homebody)

Screens…
Filtering Out the Adult World Taking a sensible and objective look at the effects of screen media and designing your own plan around what you feel is healthy. (This one is a problem in our home. We watch way too much TV and it is just too easy to use when I need time to nurse the baby or bath the baby or take a shower myself)

This webinar has helped me box up some more toys and there are even more to be boxed up to be put into the toy library to be rotated monthly. Sundays have become no screen days and I try to limit screens even more than before especially after hearing the research that was done with brain imaging on kids that watched too much TV.

On top of taking this webinar I am reading books on how to organize that are helping me do what I´m wanting to do with out letting myself get sidetracked. I am far from perfect at the moment and doing this with 3 kids under the age of 5 is not easy but I am going in the right direction. I am informing myself and learning from others. I hope to become a simplicity parenting leader this fall and start offering my own webinars to those that need them but until then, I will keep working on my own CHAOS (can´t have anybody over syndrome) and hopefully I will have a home that is open and decluttered and inviting to my family in the months to come.

How do you keep up with clutter?

Chicks are Here!

2013-03-04T11:04:00.000-06:00

I did it! I actually did it! I got chicks. We are now proud to introduce you to the newest additions to our family the feathery 4! No names yet. Need some help on that point. We have 2 Amereacanas (the brown ones that will lay some cool looking greenish blue eggs), one Buff Orpington (the blond one) and an Australorp (the black one). All four are 3 weeks old but boy are the Amereacanas big! Thought the Buff and the Australorp would be the heavyweights but the Amereacanas are so much heavier.

Finding that I will have to change out their bedding twice a day while they are inside. They are stinky! Thankfully my husband is almost done with the chicken tractor and I will be able to take them outside as soon as they finish this ugly stage of shedding their baby feathers and getting their big girl feathers.

Welcome chickies! Now what to name you? Any ideas form you dear readers?

New Sponsor- Wooly Wonka Fibers and Giveaway.

2013-03-03T14:52:00.000-06:00

I am so happy to introduce you a new sponsor, Wooly Wonka Fibers owned by Anne Podlesak. Look at some of her amazing colors and products.

Anne was nice enough to answer some of my questions about her and her store.

What is Wooly Wonka Fibers?

My online indie store. I carry several different weights of yarn bases from laceweight up through worsted/Aran weight. I also carry hand-dyed and limited-edition blended rovings for handspinners, as well as yarn packs for various projects. I've also got a designer store for my knitting patterns under the Wooly Wonka label available as downloads from Ravelry here.

Who is the mastermind behind the colorways?

Me and myself!

What are some of your other hobbies?

I don't really have a lot that I do outside of fiber-y things, although I read quite a bit and listen to a lot of music. I used to horseback ride competitively, but after my last older horse passed away last year, I decided I didn't want to learn to bounce again to train a new one. :)

A day in the life of Anne, What would it look like?

I'm an early bird. I'm usually up by 5:15. I have a day job, but I telecommute for it, so I work usually 5:30 to 1:30 at my computer. I'll then hit the treadmill for an hour's run. After that and a shower, I head to the dye room for several hours most days to dye and skein yarn. After dinner, I usually sit and knit until I start falling asleep.

If you had your dream job, what would it be?

My dyeing and knitwear design would be it!

What can we look forward to seeing from Wooly Wonka Fibers in the near future? You jumping on the bright color bandwagon?

In terms of dye colors, I do carry a few eye-searing brights (the apple green Thornapple and the hot pink Flamingo), but I tend to like blended/grayed/muted colors, so that's still likely to be the main focus in my dye colors. I will be offering 2-packs of sock yarns later this spring with one handpainted and one semisolid colorway that coordinate for striped shawl projects, for example, and I'm working on a line of transitional colors that are 4 smaller skeins that blend from one color to another for socks or other smaller projects. I've got a ton of design projects in the works. I have two patterns coming out in Cooperative Press books sometime this year. I'm working (feverishly) on three projects for an Interweave special publication that'll be out this summer, as well as two projects for the Spin-Off magazines this year. In addition, I'm launching a big 3-part design collection that I'll start photo shoots for in June, with tentative releases in early fall 2013, mid-winter 2014 and late spring 2014.

I was lucky enough to get a skein of Anne's yarn to play with and OH MY is it dreamy. It is so soft and the color is just so well balanced. An Aerten Sock yarn with 80% Superwash merino wool, 10% Cashmere, and 10 nylon it is 435 yards in a 100gr skein. Would also love to knit myself a shawl or sweater out of this stuff. You can´t tell while it is in the skein and I couldn't get a good enough photo of it but the color in this skein of sock yarn dyed in Pewter really reminds me of a nice foggy morning where you know the air is crisp and mittens are needed. There is just such a nice depth to it. It also doesn't split too easily so the stitches come out nice and even.

The mittens are knit from the fingers up to make sure they are a perfect fit for you. Starting with the thumb and then putting the thumb on scrap yarn while you knit the finger part and then bring the 2 together. I used the magic loop method so that You can try your mitten on as you go so that you know how much longer or shorter you want the cuff or the fingers. If you are use to toe up socks this is just the next step in doing that but to make mittens. Hoping that you will learn this simple method to make mittens for the whole family. In the pattern I am including a fingerless version. Both great to make as gifts and you can get a kick start on holiday knitting early.

This yarn gets 5 stars from me. With it having a nice twist, very workable, beautiful high and low lights and just all around a joy to the fingers.


Even after the mittens I still have plenty left for some mittens for my boys

Anne is also offering one of my readers a skein of her Yarn of the Month which is this sock yarn just like the one I use in my pattern, but in any color you would like from her dye lot, for free! The winner also gets the pattern for my mittens so do 2 other readers that enter and follow the rules.

If mittens are not for you, or you really want to make one of Anne's sock patterns, Anne has been nice enough to give my readers a discount code for the Fall in Vermont patterns of 10% off and it is 10FIVT. That will include the 2-Horse Hitch Socks that were designed using that sock yarn and will be included in the giveaway this March, any pattern in that collection, or the entire ebook.

1st place gets Mitten Pattern and the yarn to make it
2nd and 3rd place get the Mitten pattern and can also get the yarn to make it using the 10% discount code.

Here are the rules. Please follow them or you will not qualify for the giveaway.

You can enter up to 5 times just read how and post a comment for each entry. Don´t forget to leave a way to contact you in the post.
1. Follow my blog and leave in the comment thread how you are following my blog
2. Follow me on twitter. and if you already follow me on twitter then retweet the giveaway
3. Like my Facebook page if you already like my page then share the post about this giveaway
4. Tell me which color you would like of the yarn and which one of Anne´s patterns are your favorite.
5. Tell me what you would name my mittens.

Sign up will be open til Sunday the 10th of March 2013 noon and then I will use Random.org to randomly pick a winner.

Got Chickens on the Brain

2013-02-28T14:56:00.000-06:00

Yep, I have got chickens on the brain bad! Yesterday I drove all over Tulsa County trying to find the chickens I wanted for my backyard coop (that we have yet to build). I want colorful eggs and good birds. I chose an Ameraucana, a Buff Orpington, and Australorp. I also want some Icelandic hens and will be hatching some out later this spring. I found a farm here that has all 3 breeds for me and a breeder of Icelandics sending me some eggs from Washington. I´m so excited! So then I have green or blue eggs, brown eggs and white eggs!

Yesterday we set up a brooder box for the chicks and now we sit and wait. I'm using a cardboard box until I have organized my deep bins in the basement and free one up to use for chicks. Hubby is putting together my coop this weekend. Is it so odd to be so excited about feathery farm animals? The boys keep asking "Can we go get the chickens now?" I´ll be letting them decorate the outside of the box tomorrow.

I've read and researched and getting my chicks now against a wiser person's advice of waiting til April (I do value this advice just to impulsive to go by it). Just getting a little start means I am just that much closer to having eggs, hopefully. Some of the birds I´m getting are even 3 weeks old already. Hope the stench in my house won't get too bad if I change bedding every day until it is warm enough to put them outside.

Yay for being a step closer to being more self sufficient!

Is anyone else getting ready for spring? If so, how?

Here is the book I have been reading on the subject of chickens the last 2 days.

Free for Prime members

Dreaming of owning one of these Eglu Cubes.

And getting some of these for my kids to run around in the backyard in this spring.

::right now::

2013-02-26T12:10:00.002-06:00

Following Soule Mama´s lead and doing a right now moment. Learning to be in the moment and savoring it.

Right now I am..............

:: consumed by my new chicken interest. Drawing coop designs and picking out which breeds I want. Will post about this better tomorrow.

:: catching up on my 8 week simplicity parenting course. On the 3rd week where we talk about simplifying kids spaces and why and I think that it really is the same for adults. Simplification just makes life easier and less stressful for all. I hope those of you with children can take the next course. It is worth every penny.

:: listening to my beautiful boys play upstairs after having quite the adventures this morning on the stairs and outside in the little amount of snow we got.

:: know that I have to finish my mitten design by the end of the day so that I can have everything ready for a giveaway on the 1st of March.

:: enjoying the spring in my home with seed starters and the beautiful flowers that my husband got me for valentines day. Knowing that I will need to transplant some of my tomato plants soon so that they get plenty of room to grow before it is time to transplant them outside.

:: covered in baby snot as this household is recovering from a cold and poor baby Alex is really gross today.

:: proud of myself for doing my morning chores this morning (unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the bathroom (boys are gross), running a load of laundry) and trying to will myself to get the stuff out of the dryer to fold and put away. Need to keep up the momentum.

:: thinking that after reading the blog One Hundred Dollars a Month I feel like I can really make a difference in our food bill this summer with my chickens and my garden. Lets see if I can find a grocer that is willing to give up his or her "spent" produce for my "chickens".

:: wondering what to do for lunch.

:: proud to have not eaten any meet in over a week and a half and not craving any either after my conflict of values.

:: loving my coffee at the moment. It's chilly and the coffee is nice and warm.

:: wishing all of you a beautiful day full of wonder, blessings and fun.

Feel free to do a right now on your blog and linking to it in the comments.

Happenings Around Here....

2013-02-20T17:11:00.000-06:00

Today was a very happy day for me. I got snow! I LOVE snow. My kids have gone out to play in it twice today. I was a bit sad that I couldn't go out and play with them since Alex is still so little and he has acted a bit under the weather in the last 24 hours.

My seedlings are sprouting...

And I'm reading The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre by Carleen Madigan to learn as much as I can about how to turn my backyard into a productive piece of land for my family. I am truly starting to feel like a homemaker now. I love the tone in this book and how it feels like you are siting and having coffee with the writer and she is just telling you about her experience and what has worked for her. As if wisdom is being relayed to you. I believe this book will be referred to many times this spring and summer. I am in the middle of reading about keeping chickens which is the most important at the moment since I am getting ready to go get my first chicks to raise for eggs.
The illustrations are great. This is one of my favorite multipurpose homesteading books. It is so packed full of useful information that is easy to read and covers everything from what to plant and when to raising meat that is legal to keep in the city, caning and even foraging in the wild. If you are like me trying to become more self sufficient then check this book out from the library or buy yourself a copy. It is worth the money. I don't regret purchasing it.

I'm also very busy finishing a design project for a giveaway in a few days. Can't wait to show you what I came up with!

What is going on in your home these days?