Author Archives: WoolyMama

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Yummy Tiramisu!

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A few months back I bought a pattern from Cake Patterns for a dress called “Tiramisu”.

I envisioned a comfortable red dress for summer, and trolled Fabric.com for a good buy on some cotton knits.

I found a color called “Rust” that looked nice online, but when it came ended up being more purpley than red.

But, it felt so nice and soft that even though it was a decidedly more fall color than summer, I decided to forge ahead with it anyway.

And I am SO. GLAD. that I did!

You’ll have to excuse the crappy pictures; I was playing with the self timer on my camera and fighting the fact that there is not one decent place outside to tale pictures where there’s not unsightly overgrowth everywhere (stupid rainy summer).

Also, Susan’s not here to be sure I get some flattering and high quality garment shots, so we’ll just have to deal with what we get.

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Also, excuse the dumb look on my face.  Like I said, I was still playing with the timer, and I wasn’t sure it had set.

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Or we can all just face the fact that I don’t like posing for pictures.  Not because it isn’t fun, but because I am no good with facial expressions.  In fact, I am pretty sure I have This Condition.

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Side View.  Complete with camera glare and thread all over my shoulder!

I have not finished the hem yet as per the instructions on the pattern to wear it a bit first and let the fabric fall and settle a bit.  I also had to take in the size a LOT.

I don’t use knit fabrics a ton, and my first instinct is to generally cut a bit larger than my size, just in case.  With this one, I measured myself and cut to that size, but there was an insane amount of positive ease in this fabric so it ended up hanging on my frame awkwardly.  It’s also a bit heavier weight fabric than I was hoping for, but in combination with the color I think it will be outstanding for fall.  I really want to make more in black, grey and pumpkin color as well as a nice teal if I can get it in a tissue weight.  It’s a great pattern, and now that I have it down to proper size, it’s very flattering and majorly comfortable.   It was also pretty darn easy to put together.

There you have it.

Now go make your own!

 

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Fun with Friendship

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Last week we were lucky enough to have Susan stay with us for a few days in between her trip to Scotland and her trip to the Northwest.

Unfortunately, it was still rainy and humid and just awful out, but she came with ideas for indoor fun.

Off we went to Michael’s to buy several bags full of embroidery floss for friendship bracelets.  At 37 cents per color, we nearly cleaned them out.

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Oona took to it right away.  It kept her busy and quiet for quite awhile.  That Susan, she’s a genius!

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Oona’s finished bracelet.

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I love these ocean-y colors.  I also think they would look good on Susan……..

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Our creative mess.

Though Susan’s visits are always all – too brief, she left us a massive pile of colored floss so we can keep making more.

Rainy day activity? Done!

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Trying to Find Summer

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It’s been one heck of a rainy year.  Virginia has always been infamous  for its humidity, but this year takes the cake, as far as I am concerned, with rainfall and moisture in the air.

Not only is this bad news for the animals (wet and humid conditions are just what parasites need to thrive) but it has made it hard for us to really delve into it being, you know, summer.

Rain every day and thunder mean no swimming, no picnicking, no lounging about out on the deck.  No leisurely evenings in the garden.

We’ve had so much rain that one day our bridge to the pasture was completely flooded over and there were rapids.  We had flash flood warnings that lasted for days and days.

We have had a few glorious days since the Solstice, but they have been just that: few.

So now, we are determined to make it feel more like something we can enjoy.  Summer has always been my least favorite season, so I’ve been doing my part to focus on all the good qualities of summer.

Like the food!

07.09.13k

Fresh fruit pies, fresh caprese salad, corn on the cob.  Anything on the grill.  Basil pesto.

My garden is hurting from the rain (the soil never quite dries out, and everything is going yellow), so we have yet to enjoy a fresh garden tomato, but I spied some green balls out there today, so it’s not too far off!

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We’ve also been enjoying the occasional fresh raspberries and wild blackberries.

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The raspberries I planted last year; the wild blackberries are growing all over our property.

On rainy days I’ve been struggling to come up with fun and lazy activities to keep everyone happy.  We play Uno, Scrabble and Mad Libs.  We read easy and fun (in my case, trashy) books.  We paint with watercolors.  We do puzzles.  We eat.

But sometimes, if we are very lucky, we get days where there is no thunder.  When that happens, I get everyone into the pool.  There is no better summer activity, and it wears them out like nothing else.

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We’re still hoping for summer to have a lovely second act.  In the meantime, we’re making the best of it however we can.

 

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Red, White, and Blue!

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I hope you all had a lovely Independence Day!

We were lucky to be able to spend it with our friends and watch fireworks overlooking the lake from a private residence (no huge crowds to contend with!).  The hosts even handed out Snickers ice cream bars to everyone – it really put our holiday over the top!

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Aside from fresh baguettes with dipping oils and pasta salad, I brought these whacky red (or pink!), white and blue deviled eggs.  To make them, I boiled my eggs, and once they were cool I peeled them.  Then I soaked them in water with food coloring for two hours before slicing them and making the filling.

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Our spot overlooking the lake.  It was lovely!

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07.04.13c

Post – fireworks fun with sparklers.  Jessie’s daughter Katie is Oona’s favorite person at the moment.  Thankfully Katie is very patient, because Oona hung off her the ENTIRE time.

Then of course, there was Neve.  She wore her “Dr. Who” tee shirt with the Union Jack on it because she claimed it was her only red, white and blue shirt.  But she then proceeded to shout “The British should have won!” while we were on our way to the fireworks.

Oh, that kid.

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It was a perfect holiday with some of our favorite people.

Happy fourth, everyone.

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Martha!

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For those of you that don’t follow me on Facebook, I have a quick brag I want to share.

My best friend Susan is in July’s issue of Martha Stewart Living!

MSL

The photographer came down to Virginia a few months ago and spent a day with us taking some stunning photographs of Susan and the farm.  I hope at some point Susan will be able to get her hands on some of the photos, because, well.  Stunning.

Get yourself a copy of the July issue now and read all about Susan and Juniper Moon Farm!

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Celebrating Summer

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We welcomed summer and the Solstice a few days late this year, but it was no less sun – drenched and magical.

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Oona’s favorite book.

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Cat naps are a necessity on hot summer days.

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Pigs looooooooove carrot tops!

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These purple beans turn green when cooked.  Magic!

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Dinner was Brisket Tacos followed by s’mores stuffed with mini Rollos on the back deck.

Welcome, summer.  We hope you are lovely and slow and full of lazy fun.

 

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The Princess and The Pea!

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marquee

Last week was a flurry of excited preparation and nightly exhaustion.  I don’t think Oona has ever slept so well!

On Monday the girls were assigned their parts in the play – a re-working of The Princess and the Pea.  They then had until Saturday to learn their parts and perform it.

Maddie was cast as the Princess.  Emily was cast as a phony princess vying for the prince’s attention.  Neve was a wind-maker from the prince’s wintry kingdom, and Oona was a dust bunny from under the princess’ bed.

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We knew at least two other families’ worth of kids taking part, so it was a fun mix of old and new friends.

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Maddie as the Princess, with her buddy – the pea.

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This is what happens when they ask my kid to make a funny face.

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Oona, and our friend’s daughter Laura, front left.

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There’s Emily on the top left in the funny flower pot hat.

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Paul’s parents came down from New York and we spent the day in town going to both performances.

It was a wonderful, magical experience for the kids and we are thrilled they were able to take part.  We are sure to do it again next year!

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On Hold

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This week normal life has been on hold while the girls are at theater camp preparing to perform in The Princess And The Pea.  It’s a week – long camp hosted by Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater in conjunction with Missoula Children’s Theater.

Children audition for their parts on Monday (everyone who is registered gets a part), rehearse all week, and present the play on Saturday.

Since the theater is a bit of a drive and Oona’s schedule is a bit shorter than the older girls I have been in town pretty much all week and away from home.  It’s been stressful, crazy, fun and a total whirlwind.  We can’t believe that the performance is tomorrow already!

In the meantime the gardens and the house have been completely neglected.

The sheep and goats have of course not been!  In fact I had a hectic day meeting the vet back here to administer copper boluses to everyone for parasite control and then screaming back into town to pick up the kids.  The same amount of work is still going into livestock care; the hours have just shifted a bit.  Still, it will be a nice return to normal after Saturday!

06.21.13a

Hidden cache of eggs discovered in the mint.

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There’s always time to play with lambs!

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Oona named the surprise new chick “Dorito”.

And now I am back off into the whirlwind.  We’ll be celebrating the Solstice on Sunday, and we can’t wait.

 

 

 

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The Longest Week

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Hello, my poor neglected blog!

This week has been one of those “knock you down on your backside” kind of weeks, but I’m cautiously optimistic that things will be a little less crazy now.

Here is a brief rundown of the weeks’ highlights:

06.16.13a

I harvested my first bunch of radishes.  And they were yummy!  I just love the crunch they give to a big, green salad.

06.14.13b

We’ve had “escaping dog” syndrome.  He’d rather hang closer to the house during the day, and then he heads back in in the evening.  It’s a good thing we have all that barking power out there, too.  Last night we heard a chorus of coyotes off in the distance.

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My hydrangeas bloomed!

06.16.13c

Emily discovered a missing chicken hanging out in the honeysuckle overgrowth in my front garden.  And she wasn’t alone.  She’d apparently been secretly brooding over a cache of eggs, and one had hatched. I haven’t gotten pictures yet.  And no, we really don’t need more chickens.

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The entire flock got wormed.  Maddie helped me with the first half; I finished them up on my own.

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They’re not too pleased with me now.  The indignities of having a medicine cocktail shoved down your throat will do that, I guess.

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While walking out to check on everyone this evening I spotted a tiny turtle in the stream.  He darted away when I tried to get closer, but it was a brilliant moment nonetheless.  It’s rather nice spotting something wonderful in the stream instead of all the copperhead snakes that we have been finding.

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Alabama still doesn’t like it when I try to take his picture.  It gets in the way of him stuffing his face with hay in his bid to become world’s fattest sheep.

Starting tomorrow the kids are in theater camp all week.  Hopefully it will be an easy week.

 

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Difficult Days

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Today we were forced to say goodbye to our darling little Beatrix.

She had a bit of diarrhea the last two days, and despite treating her with everything we could, she had passed on when I went to check this morning.

Losing animals is always difficult; it’s especially hard because since we only had two lambs this year we got to know both of them well, and spent a lot of time with them.

I have a call in to the vet to be sure there was nothing else going on I may have missed.  Darby and Amelia are doing wonderfully – they are still penned out in front of the house on grass and I am loathe to put them back out in the field now.  Since there is no grass back there yet it has gotten very muddy with the heavy rains, and I worry that may have contributed to Beatrix’s decline.   Amelia is also still very skinny despite the grass and grain, and I fear she shouldn’t go back to a hay – only diet at this point.

I pray everyone else stays healthy and the heat and mud don’t become more of a problem for anyone.  I have been out to the field four times a day to check on everyone, and I am having to fight the urge to just stay out there all day now.  But, having me fret over them constantly won’t help, either.  These things happen despite our best intentions and care.

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My heart is very heavy today.

We’ll miss you Beatrix.