Whew! (and Twin Fawns)

I hope you all had a nice weekend.

I'm happy to report that our work day was successful in repairing two of the worst areas on our road. Only a few neighbors showed up to work, but we got right to it starting at 8:30 a.m. and didn't stop till well after 4 p.m.

The men got totally sidetracked and ended up replacing an entire culvert pipe in one of the driveways. This was NOT in the plan at all. Talk about a huge project!! This is the only reason we didn't get more done on the rest of the road. And I believe in the KISS rule whenever possible...you know...keep it simple stupid. Well, one of the men wanted to make even more work when replacing the new culvert pipe by digging a completely new trench when there was a huge one created by removing the old and very plugged pipe. I stood my ground and reminded them that they were creating more work than necessary and they finally listened to me.

In the mean time, I dug out another neighbor's pipe and drainage trench that was completely filled in. If they had kept up with it from the beginning, most of the erosion would never have occured. I'll give them a gentle reminder next time I see them.

I also shoveled a bunch of gravel from across the entrance to our road that had washed down into the ditch over there. One by one, I shoveled and crossed the road and threw it back onto our road. I guilted one of the non-participating neighbors and he brought his big tractor out and made two very lame passes and then went back to his house.

It was nice getting to know a couple of my neightors better. One man has lived here two years and I've never even met him or his family. How terrible is that!?! Another neighbor brought some pizza for a snack and another supplied some yummy iced tea. We were all sweating so much that we needed to drink a lot of fluids and that helped a lot. I was absolutely drenched from top to bottom.

They all thanked me for organizing them and agreed that there is more work to be done but that we had made a good start.

I didn't sleep well at all Saturday night; my right hand kept aching from gripping the shovel I guess. Sunday was back to Lowes and I was pooped but have been home all day today. Doing what you ask? I did some more work on the road by myself for an hour and then worked on my patio and back yard till a little storm drove me inside.

This evening I've been working on my little autumn stitchery. I tore out most of what I had done and started over.

I'll leave you with some poor pictures of twin fawns. There are two sets this year and a pair were in my front yard early one morning. I took the pictures through the storm door, so there is a terrible glare but you can see them. Then I stepped out on my porch and snapped a couple more. Still poor quality but better than no picture at all.







Aren't they sweet (even though they are munching on my plants!)?

Rest well tonight.

Friday Night Sew In and a Fountain

I finally finished the dress for Alissa just in time for the start of school next week. I made the size 7 and it's way too big for her :(
She can wear a little shirt under it this year and it will probably fit her just fine next year. She was very happy with it anyway.


Last evening I found a cute freebie design on Ariane's blog and got a few stitches done before going to Lowes today. I think I'll make it into a little pillow to set on a table. I'm definitely in the mood for fall projects (August is my least favorite month due to heat.) Now that I look at it, I'm going to have to rip out those awful stitches and start over! I was rushing with it - I just had to start it before I left the house!
I've started a big project for my mom as a Christmas gift. I can't say too much about it but these are the fabrics I'm using. I had all but the two on the far right end and am really excited about this project!



When my mom and sister were here in July, mom commented on a little fountain I have on the front porch. I decided a table top fountain would be the perfect birthday gift for her this year, so I made this one. I had all the elements but the pump and artificial greenery. My younger daugther (mother of Alissa) just delivered the fountain to her today in Maryland. I'm very happy with the way it turned out and enjoyed it in my kitchen the last couple of days.


I am tired and have a headache and it's way past my bedtime. I've got to get up early tomorrow as I've organized the neighbors to do some repairs to our gravel road and will need all the strength and energy I can muster to help redistribute the gravel!

Rest well, everybody. I know I will!

Animal Games

This is one of JoJo's favorite things to do - chase the cursor when I'm on the computer. Here he's watching it move around a little. He's so goofy!



Then he decided he'd rather watch me :)



Now the favorite game of Hansel and Gretel (both boys, btw) is to see how mucky they can make their water. This container is supposed to be for the chickens to drink from....look what the geese do to it every day! There is about an inch of mud at the bottom. They love to get rocks and sticks and put them in the water too! And boy does it stink when I pour it out!!!


And this is what they do to their pool. Notice the pink heart? It's part of a toy I bought for them last summer, which they destroyed. There are always some pretty big rocks dropped in here too.


Their other favorite game is terrorizing my poor chickens.


Crazy critters - the lot of them!

Silent Sunday (My First)

This and That...and JoJo

I've been jumping from project to project as usual these last few days while I've been home.

I've got Alissa's dress almost finished...except for the zipper. I hate sewing in zippers! School starts in a little over a week, and I've promised her I'd have it ready in time. I'll take a picture of it when it's completed.

I turned a little shutter into a shelf and got that hung in my sewing room.


I have a second one and I'm going to make it into a shelf for Laura.

A little more progress has been made on my walkway out front. I'll be glad when I have it finished.


JoJo had his final shots and neutering yesterday. They gave him a tatoo on his belly and I had him microchipped. Poor little guy was poked and cut all over, but he's doing fine today after lots of sleeping.


He's good for a year now. My little "free" guy has cost almost $300 now. I'm thankful my neighbor that found him paid a third of it.

I've gotten quite a bit of house cleaning done, but still have more to do. I've continued my project of sorting through things I'm not using and putting them in boxes for donation.

It's back to Lowes tomorrow - I really hate working there but don't have any other options at the moment. It's such a negative environment as far as management and employees go, but I am meeting lots of nice customers and getting leads on potential jobs elsewhere.

Time for a little snack and then going to bed. I hope you all have a good weekend!

So Much for Daily Posting

I was on a good streak there for a few days, wasn't I? There just aren't enough hours in the day!

I'm sad to say that Cinnamon didn't survive whatever ailment she had. I thought that she might pull through as she seemed to be getting more color in her comb. Along with different food items, I was giving her a mixture of Karo syrup, garlic and water based on information I learned from others but it wasn't enough. Kas was the one who mentioned the antibiotic properties of garlic and a woman from Lowes told me she gives Karo syrup to all her animals when they are sick. I always feel so bad when one of my chickens die, but it's part of the circle of life. Thanks for your ideas and comments for her.

I've heard from a couple of neighbors who said they will help with the road repair. I think a lot of them will help even if I don't hear from them. Looks like August 21st will be the day. In the mean time, I'll fill in a few smaller areas myself as I can. We've already had another hard rain and the grooves are getting deeper. It's better to be proactive and take care of them now before we're faced with hiring a bulldozer to scrape the road; I sure can't afford to pitch in with that!!!

Seems like I'm spending a lot of time mowing and pulling my weeds. This hot summer weather mixed with occasional showers is perfect for growing weeds! I'm so torn between my indoor and outdoor projects, and the outdoor projects seem to win out most of the time. I still don't have the little dress for Alissa finished, but at least part of it is together.

My limelight hydrangea has done beautifully this year. I've kept it sprayed with Liquid Fence to keep the deer from eating it and will use it every year from now on.

I need to get a lot done around here before going to Lowes this afternoon. Stay cool!!

Short Day Yesterday

I got up early yesterday and rode my bicycle for a few miles and it felt so good. It's been so hot here that I just couldn't think of riding it. That was a pretty good start to my day.

I live on a gravel road, which is private. The recent storem we had cut some ruts in it and a lot of gravel was washed to the sides of the road. I created a flyer and put one in each of my neighbors' mailbox trying to recruit them for a day of repair. Nobody has done this before, but if we don't fix the road ourselves, it ain't gonna happen. Hopefully, I'll get a response. If not, I'll start repairing it by myself and hope they all feel bad when they see me out there with my pick and shovel! I'll let you know what happens with this in a couple of weeks.

Since I was all sweaty by the time I got home, I went ahead and sanitized the chicken waterers and geese pools. They appreciated it very much, I think.

Cinnamon is still with me but her comb is quite pale. I've searched on line and think I've figured out what's wrong with her. Unfortunately, I need antibiotics and can't get them w/o taking her to a specialty vet - something I cannot afford. I will do my best to make her well and strong again. She seems to have more energy now at least.

Here is a picture of her from a couple of years ago. Guess I lost track of time b/c I thought she was just a year old. She's about 2 1/2 now.


I had to work the evening shift at Lowes and that makes me leave shortly after lunch and not getting home till after 10 p.m. I didn't want to get involved in any big project so just did some tidying up in the house after I took my shower.

On the sewing front, I've made a little something for my mom's birthday and will have them in the mail today. I don't want to show a pic yet in case she reads this.

I've put away my All Dressed Up quilt squares so I can start on Christmas presents. As slow as I go, I need to get busy NOW.

It's another scorcher here today and I hate it. August is my least favorite month and I'm already looking forward to September. Till then, I will stay inside as much as I can.

I hope you are having a good day. I've got to get all my critters taken care of before heading to Lowes.

Sewing for Alissa Rose

I had some company today - my little granddaughter, Alissa Rose. We did some sewing together; she is currently working on a small pillow for her daddy.

A few weeks ago I took her to JoAnns with me and I bought this pattern for the cutest little dress for her. She wants to one with the straps on the shoulders...and a flower, not a bow in the middle!

I wanted the same fabric that was used in the store sample but that wasn't her style. And she definitely has her own style!! This is what she chose for her new dress - very 60's, don't you think? :)

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture; I held the camera too close to it.

I have the dress pieces all cut out and ready to sew. There is a long zipper down the back of it and I hate sewing zippers. I mess up every time, but will try hard on this one. I'd like her to wear this dress on the first day of school later this month. She'll be going into 3rd grade!!

We went outside for a few minutes to watch the gazillion butterflies in the yard. One of my butterfly bushes is huge and has at least 20 swallowtails on it at any given time. Alissa wanted them to land on her finger and one got pretty close.


Then she watched while I gave my sick hen, Cinnamon, some Karo syrup and more food. She's still alive, so that's a good sign.

We went back inside and she played games on the computer for a while and held JoJo the entire time. Then we watched some cartoons together till it was time to make supper - she helped with that too :)

I wish I could see #2 granddaughter more frequently to build a special relationship with her too. She has grown so much already and is walking now. Alissa got to visit with her over the 4th. She loves her newest little cousin, Ginny.

Here are my two little treasures :)


The day is over and it's time to hit the hay. My 'weekend' is over and it's back to Lowes tomorrow.

Rest well.

Cats in the Hat

....er...I mean boxes.

I've been bringing home boxes from Lowes to start gathering up my donations in. Now you KNOW how much cats love boxes and bags, don't you? Little JoJo was in the house a while today and jumped in the empty box and peered over the edge of it at Topaz, who is his best buddy.


JoJo ran to another box and Zoe had to come over to see what he was doing.


JoJo was bouncing around so much the box flipped over.

I think Wendy secretly wanted to join in on the fun too, but she isn't nice to JoJo and he's afraid of her.

Next thing you know, JoJo went tearing down the hallway with Topaz in hot pursuit!


Let the wrestling match begin!

Smudge wanted nothing to do with the silliness and claimed the box for his own - Prince that he is :)


My priorities today were to check on Cinnamon, one of my hens, who isn't acting right. Last evening she was laying on the floor of the barn which is a bad sign. When I picked her up to put her on a perch, she didn't struggle and was light as a feather. The bird is skin and bones - not good. So this evening I've got her in a cage in the garage so I can tend to her closely. I made her some scrambled eggs and she gobbled them up. Tomorrow I'll give her some chicken meds and make her oatmeal for breakfast. She's only a year old and I have no idea what's wrong with her. Hopefully, she'll pull through it.

The next big priority was to start making a walkway from the house to the driveway. Ten years I've lived here and have made do with mismatched stepping stones.


Somebody gave me a concrete form years ago and I just never have used it.


Well, last night I bought four 80 lb. bags of concrete to get started on the project.


I only had enough concrete for five fills, but it's a good start. I added a few flat marbles and beach glass here and there. It will look pretty when it's all finished. It wasn't difficult but sure took a long time to get this much done.


I'm headed for my recliner to watch some TV and do some stitching. It's a nice way to end the day after all the physical labor.

Rest well.

Friday Night Sew In (late) and a Frugal Tip

This morning was wonderful - nice and overcast and actually cool. I love rainy days and would be quite happy living in the Pacific Northwest!! I enjoyed drinking my morning coffee at leisure on the porch again and smiled when I looked out at my pretty yard.

Since I'm working at Lowes later today, I cleaned up the kitchen and mopped the floor with some bleach water. I love cleaning with bleach! I also gave Princess a much-needed bath. She's rolled in deer poop twice and was very dirty. Then I got a load of laundry done so that I have some clean jeans to wear today.

I've been embellishing my little dress blocks and got a few completed last night. I've got a long way to go, but as I said before, it's a nice project to pick up when I feel like working on something different.

Before I show you the pictures of some of them, I wanted to share a frugal tip with you.

I love my cats but hate litter boxes. I clean my litter boxes every 24 hours for several reasons, but mostly for odor control. I've used baking soda and some kitty products as well, but gave up. Recently I had the brilliant idea of sprinkling cheap baby powder in the bottom of the litter box before adding the fresh litter.

It has talc in it which helps with absorption, plus even the cheap stuff smells fresher than the cat products - not to mention it costs a lot less. It works great!

Now for some dress pics....








I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Frame of Mind

I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last several weeks about my life and situation. I'm a planner and like to have a defined direction to go in. Some people call it setting goals.

Since losing my job over 18 months ago, I've been trying to force change to go in the direction I want it to. It has caused me a lot of frustration, anger, depression and resentment. I've worked hard and smart for the last 20+ years and while I can't say it hasn't gotten me anything, it sure hasn't landed me in a good place for a time in my life when I should be looking forward to when I can do what brings me the most happiness and not constantly worrying about survival.

With all that said, I'm now in a pretty good state of mind. I am forcing myself, against my natural tendencies, to take one day at a time. There is something ahead for me that I can't see and my future will unfold on its own terms. I just have to be open to what that might be.

I am now a permanent part time employee at Lowes and have adjusted to an irregular work schedule and standing on my feet for hours on end. My immediate goal of getting health insurance has been achieved and I'm grateful for that.

When I am not working at Lowes, I continue to maintain my home, land and care for the animals that depend on me. I have also started taking naps almost daily and not feeling guilty about it since I need the rest. I have stopped working myself to death keeping everything orderly the way I prefer and accepting that I do a pretty darned good job of it, even if some things are left undone. I also try to spend at least a little time each day stitching or sewing to soothe my soul.

Some other changes have come in the way of the decision to begin paring down things around me that I don't need. One day, sooner or later, I will be moving and the thought of packing up all the things I've acquired makes me feel sick to my stomach. I've contacted an antique dealer I know and will be selling some of my antiques. This isn't due to financial hardship but has everything to do with simplifying my life even more than I already have. I am donating or selling everything I don't need or don't use and just making that decision has put me in a positive frame of mind.

Oprah had a great show Thursday about this very subject. We are bombarded daily with commercials and ads to buy the latest and greatest gadget, or pair of shoes, or new car. It's so easy to get caught up in that way of thinking. While I certaily have my weaknesses, I am pretty good at disciplining myself even when I had a good paying job and could shop when I wanted to. I cancelled my satellite TV subscription well over two years ago and have been glad that I did. I thought I'd miss it but haven't and learned that it was an unnecessary expense.

I have also decreased the amount of time I spend on the computer and haven't been visiting blogs nearly as much, but still job search almost daily. While so many blogs are inspiring, they also tend to make me want to run out and buy stuff I don't need. I am concentrating on being more self reliant and living more simply. There are a lot of great blogs devoted to this and I have added a few of them to my blog list.

And since I'm the worst at seeing what I DON'T get done every day, I think I'm going to use my blog as a diary of my achievments. It will be a good way for me to see what I've accomplished instead of what I didn't get done.

Yesterday I got most of the mowing done and my yard/land looks pretty good considering the horrible heat and lack of rain this summer.

I have had my coffee at leisure this morning while watching all the birds and butterflies I have attracted by planting things with them in mind. I am looking forward to watching my silly BritComs this evening and having a good day till then.

Top Complete and a New Project!

Well, except for the borders. I don't have that fabric yet but will buy it next payday.



Funny how completing (or almost) a project encourages me to do even more. It's a good feeling :)

I've already started a mini quilt that Kim of Create and Sew designed. She was kind enough to share her pattern with me. Thanks again, Kim!



The temperature is a "mere" 98 degrees here but the heat index has us at about 105. It's insufferable out and I feel bad for my poor chickens and all the other animals that are outside. I've given the chickens cantalope and watermelon today to help them with their fluid intake. Poor babies.

Stripping for the First Time!

It is horribly hot here and I've been staying inside when I'm not at Lowes. I've been pouring through my quilt magazines and patterns trying to find one that I wanted to work on. I still take my embroidery to Lowes with me, but want to get back to my sewing machine.

I've been wanting to make an easy quilt for a while now, but just couldn't decide on a pattern. While my mom and sister were here, we went to Thimble Pleasures Quilt Shop and there was a sweet Christmas quilt on display that one of the gals had designed; this is her site.

I bought the pattern she had used called Lightning Fast, and a small stack of pre cut fabric which was just enough to make the blocks with (not Christmas fabric though). Here they are sewn into the first set of strips....

This is the first set of strips pieced together....



I think it's going to turn out really pretty. I don't have any border fabric yet, but maybe tomorrow I'll go out and buy some - it won't take very much for this small quilt.

And who do I see in my computer/craft room window????? It looks like JoJo is inside the house...but I thought he was an outside mouser kitty!

And what's this?!? Now he's on my keyboard tray!

Doesn't he look full of mischief!
He's a good little kitty and I'm letting him stay in the house with me when I'm home but he is sleeping in the garage at night. Hopefully, he'll learn how to take care of the mouse problem out there.

Wendy doesn't like him at all and isn't nice to him. She takes a long time to adjust to new situations, so hopefully she'll be ok in the garage with him when he's bigger.

I hope you all are staying cool - it's an impossibility here!