tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11503802805807886302025-08-06T09:53:44.987-06:00valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-50186240624840636772013-11-30T23:53:00.001-07:002013-11-30T23:54:36.228-07:00

As usual I have been MIA from the blog (here's the blog post you've been asking for mom.) Lots of news and changes going on around here. Eric and I got engaged on Oct. 12 (opening day of pheasant season). He'd been waiting for a special day and since we typically have run of the mill days up here, planning an extra special day would be very obvious and a dead give away. He decided opening day

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-26199233337895736132013-03-17T12:36:00.000-06:002013-03-17T12:37:07.170-06:00

We're still around with the yearly case of the winter blah's. I usually do well until the end of January then the blah's set in.The Christmas season and New Years resolutions keep me going till February then the last 3 month's of Winter (yes I still consider March, April, and May Winter up North) are pretty tough. Luckily we have a vacation planned this year and garden fever will hit me soon (I

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-74883540956342070822013-01-23T20:20:00.000-07:002013-01-23T20:20:51.952-07:00

Here's the disclaimer folks: I am making fun of Midwest cuisine. If you don't like it, don't read it. While living in North Dakota I have come across many a dish I find enjoyable. However, for each one I like there are more I would never consider making, eating, etc. Hence my periodic blog posts sharing the lovely cuisine of Dickinson garage sale cookbooks. First for you all: Tiger Meat (no

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-85985712394719757252013-01-07T06:00:00.000-07:002013-01-07T06:00:16.946-07:00

I found some leftover tamales in our freezer from some friends who brought them and their own red chile. A quick google led me to this recipe and we tried it out last night. It really turned out great. It was slightly bitter at the end, but it was totally worth repeating with some modifications.  I added a few tablespoons of brown sugar (2) to the red chile mixture as it reduced. I think

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-81514305487546719562013-01-05T20:11:00.000-07:002013-01-05T20:13:04.116-07:00

With a little help from Ana White plans and inspiration from Bower Power, Eric successfully constructed his first piece of furniture with my recommendations. We build our own bed and upgraded to a queen size (yes we used to fit two people and two springer spaniels on a full size bed). We pretty much just followed Ana's plans for the farmhouse queen with a platform option and Bower's glazing

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-2980214694754946032013-01-02T06:00:00.000-07:002013-01-02T06:00:06.140-07:00

I finally made a to-do project this Christmas season. Using this pillow tutorial and some thrifted sweaters I whipped up some winter pillow covers and there will likely be more to come as I have been obsessed with cable knit anything for a while. Then, after some holiday shopping and outrage at Target that their cable knit tree decorations were almost 20 bucks, I used the sleeves of the sweaters

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-79901193247541500162013-01-01T11:32:00.002-07:002013-01-01T11:34:00.370-07:00

Happy New Year. One resolution I make every year is to blog more. Let's see if I can stick with it this year along with the also frequent failed resolutions of drinking more water, working out, and making my bed every day. Last night we went to a party and I took dessert. To me it is the perfect New Years Eve dessert because it is something you surely won't eat after the new year, new diet, new

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-62306438731310095282012-09-03T11:18:00.000-06:002012-09-03T11:18:58.592-06:00

At the request of my mother via facebook, probably the only person who reads this blog, I am trying to get back to the blog and post some things. Recently I guess I haven't felt inspired. With 100+ degree heat, dead flowers, and a failing garden I think my attempts and being Martha (Stewart) have become supressed. Then I discovered Ravelry. The best way to explain it is like Pinterest for

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-720612941870341622012-07-01T14:11:00.000-06:002012-07-01T14:11:34.051-06:00

Eric loves avocados. I don't really care for them. I can eat guacamole because of the crunchy chip that goes with them, but avocados by themselves are simply a texture issue thing I can't handle. This doesn't stop me from pinning avocado recipes because I think Eric will love them. This week we made avocado fries and let me tell you....AMAZING! Here's the pin and recipe: I used panko bread

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-80336002656823263372012-06-23T10:29:00.000-06:002012-06-24T00:15:10.594-06:00

The garden is again underway and is growing nicely. It doesn't look like it, but we did cut back. We decreased by 10 tomato plants, 45 pepper plants, increased green beans and peas, and added new strawberries. My delphiniums are blooming too. It amazes me every year that I grew them from a seed packet and how beautiful they are. They are my favorite flower I have. I also found a white spider

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-2462792816813882212012-06-20T16:58:00.001-06:002012-06-20T16:58:29.915-06:00

April was English paper piecing of hexagons. Keep in mind it is late June as I am writing. That is how much I enjoyed the tedious hexagon hand sewing. Enough to put it off for two months and work on other things. I don't mind the way the blocks look but would not willingly make either of them again.

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-20842728017381733122012-06-09T09:33:00.004-06:002012-06-09T09:34:02.284-06:00

Here's June, the modern nine patch. Cute, simple, fast, and blocks I feel I could make an entire quilt from (just have to figure out sashing). My favorite is still the string blocks though. I am literally working on the last April block today. I really am not liking all the hand work. I just don't think it is my thing and am kind of dreading the dresden plate blocks next month.

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-13492795613081831102012-05-29T11:58:00.000-06:002012-05-29T11:58:00.411-06:00

This month was "Wonky Log Cabin," super easy quick blocks. It was a nice change from all the hand sewing hexi's I have been working on. I have one April block done. Hopefully I will be able to post them soon. Here's the May blocks. I like the second one much better, but a lot of people I've shown like the first. I feel like I need to add a few fabrics becuase the blocks are getting

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-45767333740371949612012-05-28T11:51:00.000-06:002012-05-28T11:51:00.304-06:00

Not only have I made my own deodorant, started quilting more, tried reducing the parabens and chemicals in my cosmetics, begun canning....I have now made my own laundry detergent. My mother would say "You are turning into your mother" (she wouldn't say "you are turning into me" she likes speaking in the third person when people become more like her). I didn't exactly copy her though. I had to

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-42100761329101949442012-05-27T10:19:00.002-06:002012-05-27T10:19:24.200-06:00

About a month ago I came home from work to find that our little deck on the back door had been ripped off (by Eric and Chad). I guess they had decided to take on the deck project without consulting me. So within about two or three weeks the back side of our house that used to look like this: and now looks like this: has evolved into this: With a lot of Chad's

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-9656131405580203642012-05-06T14:56:00.002-06:002012-05-06T15:01:14.405-06:00

This past weekend we headed out to the Meyer Ranch in Richardton, ND to help out with their branding. Eric had been to one before, and Chad (our friend and visitor) and I were first timers. Each calf needed 5 (I think) vaccinations, a brand, and the male's needed castrated. There were 280 calves so a lot of people came to help out. Each calf needed to be held down by two people, one

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-37641500512468104092012-05-06T12:18:00.002-06:002012-05-06T12:19:07.381-06:00

I have written before about skin products I use here. I am changing some thing ups though and adding in a cleaning routine with more natural stuff. I have been through 4 different "natural" deodorants and finally, with the help of Pinterest, have found the one. I started with this, my mom's home made recipe. I am not sure where she found it, but her and my sister both use and like it. Maybe

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-84849679776725815302012-04-14T11:31:00.003-06:002012-04-14T12:54:26.466-06:00

This blog post is about Whispering Winds Kennel in Bagley, MN run by Kevin and Kim Sellin. It is based on my personal experience after buying a dog from them. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or suggestions. Our dog Chops was diagnosed with canine PFK deficiency (phosphofructokinase deficiency) a while ago. You can read about it here here or here. It is a genetic

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-13053365319935289512012-03-31T11:58:00.000-06:002012-03-31T11:58:35.167-06:00

Long time no blog! Don't I do this every spring? As soon as the weather warms up we are out the door and away from the computer soaking in as much warm sunny weather as possible. This year that has happened WAAAY earlier than the past two years. Thank goodness too or I may not have made it through this winter without some sort of tropical vacation, which really isn't an option right now.

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-4601990079701006402012-03-11T10:14:00.000-06:002012-03-11T10:14:28.172-06:00

I know I say this every month, but these are my absolute favorite so far. The blocks look very complicated but are so easy to do and they use scraps! This month focused on the technique of foundation piecing. You are basically sewing scrap strips to a larger piece and then trimming it. I loved the first one the best, but then I made the second one and I think I like that one better. The colors

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-75210834607046169062012-03-01T20:22:00.000-07:002012-03-01T20:22:14.245-07:00

Turk had a new favorite toy this week...a pair of cut off shorts he figured out how to remove from one of his toys, an old build a bear. After a few days of him flinging them around the house I had a revelation.... Build a bear bottoms are about the same size as puppy bottoms.....and they just happen to have a pre-cut hole for a tail. It's a good thing we realized this when we did. Another

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-84267530569719496582012-02-28T08:00:00.001-07:002012-02-28T08:00:02.941-07:00

I recently took this into work for a birthday and got many compliments. I typically make my grandma southward's granola but thought I would change it up. After eating this a few days I am not sure which one I like better. They are both very different. I will have to post about my grandma's another time. Hers is softer and chewier and chunkier which is why I like it. This one is finer and

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-17955459041270533842012-02-26T12:47:00.000-07:002012-02-26T12:47:32.705-07:00

The February blocks are now complete and I am back on track. See January here. It's a good thing it took me the whole month to get caught up because I would have had a hard time waiting for the March blocks. February was working with half square triangles using two different methods to make them and March is foundation piecing.  I am not sure how I feel about some of

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-64875993344974383952012-02-22T08:00:00.002-07:002012-02-22T08:00:00.261-07:00

Mr. Chops and Baby Turk have finally started to snuggle. I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen. It seemed like all they liked to do is wrestle with each other. Well, yesterday we let them play FOREVER!  I wanted to see if I could tire Turk out so he would just lay down and relax, something that rarely happens. It took from 9am till about 5ish with no nap and constant playing until I

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150380280580788630.post-25519275530105743172012-02-20T08:00:00.001-07:002012-02-20T08:00:08.275-07:00

Thanks to my mother, who finds awesome things online, I am participating in the Craftsy free block of the month class. My mom is doing it too and so is a lady at work after I told her about it. Any kind of creative class is limited up here. Craftsy offers lots of different online classes too, not just sewing. The block of the month happens to be free and some others cost money. I

valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05576649554476319248noreply@blogger.com1