Author Archives: WoolyMama

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Playing Catch – Up

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Ever feel like there’s just too much going on and you’re so far behind on every little thing you’ll never catch up?  I’m there right about now.  And on top of it I can’t help throwing more and more projects into the mix.

For example…..though I was having fun working on the Bird in Hand Mittens

I couldn’t help but start on Oona’s spring sweater:

And while that’s in progress, why not start repainting the whole house?

I decided I wanted a more colonial look – I just love those old houses with their milkpaint woodwork.  I started papering the bottom half of the walls in the front room under the chair rail (it’s a wallpaper that’s made to mimic wainscoting) and then began the dreadfully laborious task of painting ALL the white trim downstairs.  It’s going to take me forever and a day, but I’ve been working on it as I can and I am really liking the results.

I had plenty of time over the weekend with it – another snow storm dropped about a foot of snow on us.  I have to admit I wasn’t expecting it, since we already had one big storm this year and in the decade or so I’ve lived in Virginia we’ve never gotten more than one big snow a year.  Of course I stocked up on baking supplies anyway once they forecast it, and the kids loved it.

Then Sunday came and the power went out.  ALL DAY.  Thank goodness for the fireplace!

Honestly I rather enjoy a good excuse to relax in the quiet and read or knit, but the kids were going rather stir crazy all day and not having water (because our well has an electric pump) was a definite pain.  I also can’t believe how dependent I have become on the internet.  Sad.

So for a good 7 hours or so we did our best to entertain ourselves.

It worked out alright but I am not eager to try it again any time soon.  Not unless I’ve got one of those old timey wood cookstoves and a big supply of bottled water! I will admit we did have one cheat – my ipod was fully charged and we had plenty of batteries for the speaker dock, so we had music all day.  I think that is what kept us sane.

Now the power has returned and there are lights to knit by and a stove to cook on and tv to watch, but I need the snow to be gone as well.  I have a grim job to do and it can’t be done with frozen ground.

We found poor Mr. Milo under my bed last night and he had passed away.  I can’t tell you how badly I feel because I can’t say for sure how long he’d been there – a day?  2?  I know I saw him 3 days ago, but since then…….

He was old-ish and had rather bad arthritis in his back legs so he wasn’t able to walk very well and preferred hiding out under beds.  He was a great cat but very shy and not one to be seen regularly.

Thanks for spending the last 13 or so years with us, Milo.

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The Misadventures of Wooly Mama

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Oh these last weeks………how trying to my nerves have they been.

The biggest issue we have had is due to the almost 3 feet of snow we got right before christmas.  It piled up all over the electric fence and pulled the wires rather badly.  Half the fence was buried for weeks and we ended up turning off the electric to avoid shorting the whole system.  Everything seemed okay for a few weeks.  Then Milkshakes decided to make a break for it.  Once she realized there was no “shock” to be felt she started ramming the mesh fence until she broke through it.  One time we found her standing on the back deck looking for some company.  Poor Jerry was pacing along the inside of the fence humming like mad for her.  He wasn’t about to test the fence, not after the first time he touched it and it brought him to his knees.  Poor guy.

So, one trip to Lowe’s for additional steel posts later and we spent a cold day repairing the fence and strengthening up the roof of their shelter to get through the rest of the winter.  I’d like to see Miss Goaty pants get through it now.

One project down…….8 million more to go.

Next the chickens decided to get all crazy.  Nothing horrible happened but we have a new “alpha” rooster (my Ruby, now Rubert….) and poor Mr. P-Roo has been relegated to a beat-up bottom of the pecking order chicken.  He looked pretty rough at first and I was worried about how long before I’d have to separate them permanently, but so far it seems to be more or less ok.

In the midst of fixing the fence and worrying about the chickens Oona has taken her “into everything” to a new level.  First, she decided her bangs were far too long for her taste.  And voila!  Now she’s got a baby mullet!

I was (and still am) so upset.  I was waiting for her bangs to grow out so I oculd even out her hair better and make a nice shoulder length bob.  Now….like I said – mullet.  I have pulled out some pretty fabrics and elastic so I can make her some bandanas until it grows out.  Lord I hope she’ll wear them.

Then there’s the chest freezer.  It (stupidly) has the control dial on the front near the floor and to Oona this was a boon from the gods.  She kept turning the dial down to “off” and whenever I’d go into the freezer I’d wonder why everything was so mushy.  So I thought to myself that I’d fix her right good and I put a strip of duct tape over the dial.

Not so much.

I went to put away groceries and all the veggies were mushy.  Oona had pulled off the tape and turned the dial back to off.  We  had to drill a screw there so the dial can no longer be turned at all.

As for the pantry……we could not keep her out of that for anything.  The wasted food……oh the wasted food.  I then made the mistake of allowing Paul to pick out a lock for the doors.

One very expensive purchase later – a keypad lock.  I hate how it looks but it keeps Oona out, that’s for sure.  No more wasted food.

Now, while we’re in the kitchen I’ll tell you about the plumbing.  I think I’ve already mentioned that our upstairs plumbing is bad – our whole ceiling downstairs will need to be replaced and the plumbing all redone.  That’s pretty sad for a house that was built in 2004.  Last night I discovered that the pvc pipe under the sink in the kitchen is busted and leaking.  WHY???  I can’t even figure out how or why this would have happened, since no one goes under the sink for anything.  It had no reason to fail.  I’ll tell you……whoever buys this house after we finally get sick of it will have basically a completely re-built home.

At least there is news on the knitting front to keep the edge off.  I went stash diving and started on Kate Gilbert’s Bird in Hand Mittens, which seem to be taking me forever, but at least they’re fun to work.  I also dredged up wool for a Drive-Thru sweater for Oona.

That green is a celery – like green and the pink is a bit lighter than it looks in the photo.  Oona is very excited – she’s been coveting Neve’s sweater since that was completed.  I am going to start on it today even though I am still working on the mittens.  I am a non – monogamous knitter.  Oh well.

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Finally, A Finished Sweater

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I finally finished the Drive-Thru sweater I started for Neve something like……a year ago?  I don’t even know when I started it.  I know I bought the yarn and the pattern when I was pregnant with Oona, and I finished Emily’s version of it in the fall of ’08…… and I think I started casting on Neve’s not long thereafter.  Anyway, it’s all done but the blocking.

I really really like how this one came out.  The bottom edges curl up pretty badly so it looks in the pictures like one side is shorter than the other.  That will go away once I’ve blocked it.

The biggest problem I’ve had with this sweater is Oona.  As soon as it was off the needles she was trying to steal it.  She cried last night when she saw it go on Neve, and ever since she’s been asking for her own.

Can I have my sweater now mama?

I am thinking she’d look cute in a nice lime green one with light pink stripes on the yoke.  Very spring-y.  Also very optimistic on my part that it would be done by spring.  Maybe if I stopped cleaning and cooking and worrying about what Oona is getting into every 2 minutes? I can’t decide if she should get a pullover or cardigan.  I’ll have to think about it some more.

In other news, we got a light dusting of snow overnight so there was a 2 hour delay.  It’s kind of a running joke amongst those of us northern transplants here. Not that I am complaining.  I quite enjoyed the extra sleep.  Now if they could stay there until 5 or so I might have a chance at some of those Shortbread Toffee Chocolate Chip cookies I made yesterday.   With thanks to the Juniper Moon Farm crew for pointing that recipe out – YUM!


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The Hidden Dangers of Christmas Trees, and Other New Year’s Stories

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That’s my boy, hiding out in there, waiting to reach out and snag someone with a claw.  These trees should come with a warning.  May attract ferocious purring kitty cats.

So the holidays are done and cleaned up.  And 2010…..isn’t feeling any less hectic than 2009.

We kicked off the year by making a gingerbread house together (and then promptly eating it).  Oona had a sugar high you’d have to see to  believe.

Later that evening Neve decided to try some of her stick – on rhinestone jewelry and got one stuck in her ear. Can I tell you how NOT fun that was?  We spent a good half hour with a flashlight, peroxide and tweezers before I finally got the sucker out of there.  I was afraid we were headed to the ER, because it looked at one point as though it was headed further in toward her ear drum.

This is the same child who sat down to eat next to me a few days ago and remarked that she was surprised at all the gifts she got this year.   Now, let me tell you – these kids got WAY less this year than in years past, and they even said as much on Christmas morning (Hey…..that’s it???).

When I asker her to clarify, she said, Well I was really bad a lot this year.  And I still got presents.

I was beginning to panic a bit and I said Well maybe that’s why you got so much less this year.

But you know what she said?  Yeah but I was really bad and I still GOT presents!

I guess Santa cut her some slack.  I told her not to expect it two years in a row.  Yikes.

And still speaking of Neve…..she lost a tooth 2 nights ago.

When we went to check on her to see if she’d fallen asleep yet she was wide awake in her bed with Sushi the cat laying on her chest, a paw in each of Neve’s hands while Neve had Sushi doing some sort of kitty conga.  Sushi, the cat you can’t even look at without her running away.  Putty in Neve’s hands.

Paul said it’s because every evil genius needs a kitty cat.

He’s probably right.

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Once in a Blue Moon….

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It’s New Year’s Eve and there’s a full moon – actually it’s the second full moon this lunar month – which is very rare and is referred to as a “blue moon” (hence ‘once in a blue moon’).  Sadly we can’t see it due to cloud cover.  Last night was pretty darn bright, though, and I am glad we got to at least see the “close to full” blue moon.

It’s about 10 pm and we’re all feeling pretty under the weather.  I spent much of the day on the couch blowing  through tissue after tissue and wishing I could breathe through my nose.  I don’t know that any of us will last to midnight – I think most years we barely get there and then head right for bed. So much for the two bottles of Prosecco I had saved for tonight.

Still the temptation is there to be vigilant and make sure that we ring in the new year “just right” so that all of the ills of the past year are washed away properly and we can start fresh, resolutions or no.  Today has forced me to re-think that a bit.  Generally I push myself hard so that the house is sparkly clean come 12:01.  You know that superstition that how you start the year is how you’ll spend the year?  Today my house is a mess.  And today I was too sick to do squat about it.  And you know what?  I got to thinking that I am not starting the new year with a messy house; rather I am starting the new year actually listening to my own needs for once and not worrying about the grime around me.  I know it’s still going to be there for me to clean tomorrow, and let’s face it – I am going to spend all of 2010 trying to keep up with it and mostly failing no matter what I do today.

So –  filthy house around me – I spent today resting in comfy clothes, cuddling Oona when she’d allow it, watching Spongebob with all my girls, looking through some of my favorite books, thinking about some knitting and sewing  patterns I’d like to try, making a list of the seeds I’ll need to order for early spring,  talking to the animals, marveling with Emily at the 3 eggs she collected today and eating some fresh bread and warm soup. My husband and I sat after dinner in the quiet glow while the kids played in the next room and had a real, honest conversation for the first time in…..well, a blue moon, and made some positive plans for the new year.

If that’s how the rest of the year is going to go, then I say – welcome 2010, you’re gonna be great!!!

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More Post – Holiday Let-Down Syndrome

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You know what I mean.  That anti-climactic feeling you get now that you’re an adult and you no longer partake in the Santa / massive gift opening anticipation.  The day finally arrives, the presents are torn open in a matter of minutes (less than 5 minutes  this year) you eat all day and then………

Then you realize all that cooking, cleaning and preparation (and all that planning to take it easy as soon as the holiday was over) is going to all have to be re-done, because this happened:

and all of the cookies and treats you spent all that time baking were gobbled up well before you got a chance to sit down and enjoy them.  Now you get to clean the whole place all over again (because we don’t like to start a new year with a messy house now, do we?) prepare yet more food for your roving gangs of always – ravenous children and realize that since you’re an adult you don’t have any of the cool new toys and what – nots to play with and keep you occupied through the rest of the winter like the kids do (did I also mention my sewing machine needle broke on Christmas Eve?).

Le sigh.  Yes, I swore I’d relax after christmas.  I just don’t see it happening – at least not until everyone goes back to school and work next week.  For now my sanity is at the mercy of those previously mentioned roving gangs, who are at least well – occupied with new games to play.

They also have their aunt Maddie here to keep them busy.

She’s keeping warm and looking like a big blob of pink bubble gum thanks to her new snuggie.

Did I also mention I think my goat may be pregnant?  We had a male goat here for about 2 days back in November (another story for another time) and even though she hid from him as much as she could she’s also been getting fatter and fatter and I can’t seem to feed her enough no matter what I do.  Since the male was a significantly larger breed there is a real danger that any offspring would become stuck in the birthing process and baby and mama could both die.  This means I am forced to get a vet involved and the most likely outcome would be a goat c-section.  (This is where my supportive spouse tries to convince me to see if anyone wants a free goat/goats).

Ah yes, this is my life.  Here’s hoping for a better, or at least easier, 2010.  And as an offering for that I made a plate full of aebelskivers with my new pan (thank you mom and dad!).

Yummy, cream – filled puff pancakes coated with powdered sugar.

Hey Universe – these are for you!

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Happy Holidays to All!

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I am more serious than ever now about my promise to hibernate the entire month of January – all the cleaning, baking, more cleaning, more baking and sewing I’ve been doing has got me plum wore out!  I even broke down and got my hands on a pair of Dansko clogs because my feet were hurting so bad that my lower back was starting to ache as well.  Housework and baking in no-support slippers isn’t such a grand idea.

Our 2 and a half or so feet of snow is still mostly hanging around.  It took a good 3 or 4 days to get us plowed out and some areas of town are still pretty dicey.  The north this is not.  They can’t plow for a damn down here.  The kids loved it the first few days, when they could go out and play in it easily.

Now that it has been a few days and has gotten above freezing and then back below freezing every day and night it has created a bit of an impermeable ice – crust and playing in the snow just isn’t as fun anymore.

It sure is pretty to look at, though.

The chickens aren’t too crazy about it and haven’t really ventured out of their coops at all.  I am still getting eggs every day, however – 5 of our 6 hens are now laying – which is surprising given that the days are so cold and short and we haven’t been giving them any artificial heat or light.

Jerry and Milkshakes are taking it all in stride – especially Jerry.  Llamas being originally from the Andes where it’s cold and snowy means that he is doing A-Ok.  Our little goaty girl had trouble the first day or so with the snow being up to her chin but is faring rather well now that she can get around again and many of the pine boughs are much lower with the snow weight and she can more easily munch on them.

I’ve made chocolate chip cookies, raspberry rugelach, gingerbread cookies, macaroons, florentine cookies and butter cookies.  I’ve got to make the chocolate cream pies for tomorrow and the boule bread to go along with the lasagnas I’ll be making as well.  I’ve knit up several pairs of slippers and my sewing machine needle broke while I was finishing up some other gifts.  Still have to clean the floors and make dinner tonight.

I’m tired just thinking about it all……but that’s ok.  One more day of work and it will all pay off with satisfied kids and guests.

And Maddie can’t wait for the Snuggie I got her.

Merry Christmas, all – see you back here soon!

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Let It Snow!!!

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I’m sure you’ve all heard.  The DC area is getting a record snowfall.   Massive, major, never before seen in December SNOW.  Well, we’re not DC, but we’re not far from it, and we’ve gotten over 2 feet in the last 24 hours.  And it’s still falling.

I’ve been hearing horror stories – my neighbor left work yesterday at 5:30 pm – 30 miles away – and it took her almost 12 hours to get home.  Neve’s teacher fromlast year spent 7 hours coming home from a location that normally takes all of 15 minutes.  People were abandoning their cars left and right as they ran out of gas or just gave up and went on foot.   I am SO glad I went to the grovery store yesterday.  And I am sorry I made fun of all of the people there who were acting like the apocalypse was upon us (because usually here if it’s threatening even half an inch people go into a panic and buy out all the eggs and milk).   All of our roads have been closed.  I don’t know when our street will get done.  I do know that our driveway is one big snow-slide.  We aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

You like the view out my bedroom window?

The snow is up to my knees right now.  And it’s windy.  Brrrr.

I cracked the coop door for the chickens so I could give them some fresh food and some air circulation.  They wouldn’t come out., but Homie D Hen pecked at teh snow quite a bit.

The girls had a blast playing and throwing snow at each other.  I felt bad for them, though because we stopped buying them new snow gear a few years back since we never got any snow.  Seemed like  a waste.  So today I had to scour the house for snowpants and jackets and boots (which we only had thanks to Veronica giving me her girls’ old boots – V you are such a life saver!).  No one could find their gloves or mittens (they have them, they just like to lose them) so everyone went out with socks on their hands.

Oona wasn’t sure what to make of this crazy, cold white stuff that was taller than her.

Neve could not be made to wear a head covering of any kind.  She played hard anyway, and when she was done she came inside, put on dry jammies, curled up on the couch next to the fireplace and slept for the rest of the day. I need to try that trick more often, and on Oona.

This is just so sweet I can’t stand it.  Maddie loves her Oona. Generally, Oona can’t be bothered with Maddie.  Poor Maddie.

Now it is dark and I have spent much of the day cleaning (mostly Emily’s room.  I can’t tell you the kinds of dark thoughts I was having while I was in the thick of that).  Tomorrow was to have been the cookie exchange but it has been canceled due to the huge wall of snow that fell upon us.  Instead I am going to enjoy my almost completely clean house and try to relax for once.  Probably not, though.  Probably I’ll sew.  And knit.  And bake. And maybe try Wii Active.

I am blocking off January for sleep.  The whole month.  I am going to hibernate.  I plan on wearing nothing but jammies and lounging about for 30 days or so.  I think that’s a wonderful way to start the new year, don’t you???

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Almost There…….

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Still slaving away trying to get everything in order for the big day.  We’re hosting a cookie exchange this coming Sunday so that’s deadline number one. For that I am scrubbing and straightening and cookie baking like a mad woman.  I also need to drag out the white paint and touch up all of the woodwork thanks to certain children who shall remain nameless but know who they are.

Deadline number two is obviously Christmas.  We host it every year and this year’s no exception.  More baking.  More cooking.  We’ve changed the menu up a bit though and are going Italiano – buffet.  I’m setting out some lasagnas (a la Giada) some shrimp and crostinis (a la my dad) some stuffed mushrooms and a big antipasti platter.  Instead of snacking all day and then sitting down to a huge meal we’ll be eating our huge meal all day at our own rate and then I’ll put out the desserts as the big finish (chocolate cream pies!!!).

In the gift department I am staying busy with knitting several pairs of French Press Slippers .

Here’s a pair all knit up, before felting:

And here they are after a few runs through the washer :

All that’s left is to block them, dry them, and sew on the strap and the buttons.  These are the third pair I have made so far.  It would be a little quicker but I have a front loader washing machine and they don’t felt as well as top loaders.  I have to soak the knitting in hot water and dish soap first, then throw it in the washer with an old tennis shoe and run it through on hot about 5 or 6 times to get it all done properly.  They will be lovely when they are all done, though!

Also completed is a purse for a certain someone on my list who lives up north and mentioned she might like me to make her one.

Grandma?  Eric will be delivering this to you after he leaves here.  Merry Christmas!

(Pattern is Amy Butler’s Madison Bag.  Fabric is “County Fair – Ribbon” by Denyse Schmidt for Free Spirit Fabrics)

The other completed project is a tee shirt for my brother:

Chanticleer Farm.  When I finally get my farm that’s what I am naming it.  (It’s an old fashioned French word for rooster – I figured since we are over-run with them it only made sense).

Speaking of things that don’t necessarily work out well for me- my microwave broke last week.  I was changing the light bulb over the stove (under said microwave – it’s one of those built-in thingamajobbies) and it got stuck.  I tried to unscrew it and instead it went “POP”!!!  The kicker is that that stinkin’ little light bulb to illuminate my stove took down my whole damn microwave. Paul took it all apart and tried to fix it but it was wired in such a way that the fuse that blew destroyed the entire main control and was too expensive to be worth replacing.  We bought a new microwave for less and I actually like it a whole lot better.  I guess that means it worked out for me for once?  Still, who else but me could destroy a relatively new appliance just by changing a light bulb?  I’m just sayin’.

Oona has done her job to keep my life full of anarchy, chaos, misery and woe.  She climbed onto my bathroom sink, broke into my mirror vanity and spread foundation cream all over her face, hair and hands the other day.  I did what I could to clean it all off but she still had that tell-tale streak along her jawline.  All she needed was bleached out hair and she’d be all over that white-trash look. She capped off the afternoon by trashing a box of unused feminine pads.  The expensive kind.

Then today she climbed into my laundry hamper and pulled herself up to my jewelry box (it’s at my eye – level on a shelf – I thought it was safe there) and began ransacking it.  This was in the approximately two minutes while I was taking a dirty clothes pile to the washer.

The baby gates we got to pen her in no longer work as she knows how to undo the latches.  Ditto for the all the safety latches for the various cabinets and drawers in the house.  Her current pattern is that she will only stay in a room with me until I turn away for a moment and then she makes a break for it.  It’s tough to make any real headway on anything when I have to go locate her and pull her out of trouble every two minutes.  She’s not a terrible two.  She’s an EXTREME two.

At least the chickens like me.  Sort of.  Ruby (now Rubert actually) pecked the crap out of my hand today when I went out to feed them.  Can’t win ’em all I guess.  I still got rewarded with eggs.  And Benny, my little Ameraucana hen, has been giving me lovely green eggs all week.  Hooray!

All of those are fresh – that’s MY Merry Christmas!!!!!!

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It’s That Time Again

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Christmas time.  This is the time of year I am most over – worked and lacking proper sleep.  Too much to do!  Fortunately I also enjoy all of it – the cookie baking, the knitting, the sewing, the decorating and wrapping, the holiday music and movies.  I love the way the tree looks all sparkly in the living room and the candles all over the house make it feel cozy and warm.  (This year we got LED flickering tea lights at WalMart – they look just like the real thing!)

This week I made several batches of cookies – Chocolate Hazelnut thumbprints (those were all inhaled in no time), frosted butter cookies, and gingerbread cookies.  I love the gingerbread cookies.  I may have eaten a few too many of those this week.

The girls frosted the butter cookies (and fed a bunch to Oona.  As if she needed the sugar).  Maddie helped bake them so I was able to multi – task much more efficiently.  It helps having a willing and able helper.

I also whipped up some apple – walnut cake.  It’s a dense, moist, boozy cake that satisifies many of my cravings this season.  I always liked the idea of those old English puddings and fruitcakes, but I don’t actually like the taste of those.  This cake, though, has all the right spices (cinnamon, cloves, allspice) with a little bit of fruit (apples – I don’t put inthe raisins the recipe calls for because I only eat raisins if they are covered in chocolate) some walnuts, AND a healthy dose of bourbon.  The result is out of this world.  A BIG thank – you to my mother in law for this one.

Aside from stuffing my face and packing unnecessary poundage onto my backside I have been making some little steps toward the holiday crafting that needs to be done.  I have plans this weekend to make some ornaments with the girls and today I’ll be doing knitting and sewing all day (in my pj’s.  I am not getting dressed until I have to go pick up the girls from the bus).  I don’t want to give away too much just yet (there’s gifts involved afterall) but I want to show you a small bit of the tablecloth I’ve been working on.  It’s a reverse – applique method with a rooster and rose stenciled motif.  It’s actually almost complete so I will post a better picture then.

This was taken before the stitching was done and the outlining of the white.  I wanted to make the tablecloth first because I plan to make some gifts using this idea and wanted to be sure I knew what the heck I was doing and prefected it before attempting it on something intended for someone else.  I love the rooster stencil.  I’d like to get a rooster cookie cutter so I can make some rooster ornaments to go with it, but I think considering time restraints I am going to have to wing it.  How hard can it be to make a cookie cutter?  (Stop laughing at me.)

And now, because I am a jerk and because he should have known better, I am leaving you with a picture of my favorite brother in the world.  He emailed this picture to my mother and I (to show off his yearly mustache.  He and his dearest buddies grow them every xmas.  I think it’s hilarious) and I about fell out of my chair when I saw it.  I giggled at the thought of it the rest of the night.  My brother is the funniest guy I know and I really, really wish he lived closer.

Hey KB?  Here’s the deal – I am going to buy a farm one of these days……got too many animals here and I need a barn and all and I am going to be adding mroe and more fur babies because I just can’t help myself.  So………..what’s say you come be my farm hand?  Co – farmer?  I’ll spin the fleece and you canmake the goat cheese.  Sound good????

I am totally taking that as a yes.