Fiber-y Goodness

Today after my WW meeting, I came home to 2 (yes, two!) packages on my doorstep. I swear it was like mail heaven. In the mailbox was a Hobby Farm Home magazine, plus a netflix, and my two packages on the doorstep. The packages were from a Ravelry swap, and I couldnt wait to dive in. Check out what I got today.



I cant wait to get started on even more projects. (hubby will tell you how many I currently have going, thats if he can even keep track). I am definitely not in a committed relationship with any one project...

Off now to go fondle some yarny goodness...

Wednesday Weigh In- I LOST!

This week I was dreading going to WW. I thought I might even have gained weight. I ate out at Chipotle yesterday PLUS bought a frozen mocha (my nemisis). For sure, there was no way I was going to do well at the weigh in. Ha! I was down 3.6 pounds for a total of 13.2 lost. Not too shabby! I have .8 to lose in order to hit my 5% goal. I know I can, I know I can, I know I can. So my goal for this week is to lose at LEAST a pound. Thats right folks, next week I will be 5% lighter than when I started a month ago... I hope. I am going to be good at all the 4th of July events... we can do this!

Dinner

(please excuse hubby's lack of shirt- we were moving the turkeys and the result was quite messy!)

I had a whole post ready last night and blogger deleted it. In the post I told you about the amazing dinner we ate, at home. I had made goat cheese the night before. I took some toast, spread the cheese (crumbled more like it) on the toat and broiled it in the oven. We had two red tomatoes from the garden that I sliced and tossed with olive oil, salt and basil (from the garden too). All I can say is...yum!!!! We ate that aside our garden leftovers from the night before.

Mold, Farm Dinners and A Coyote

You know the saying, when it rains it pours? I know where that saying originated! If you remember a while ago it rained, and poured and the basement flooded. Hubby and I have been working on taking the carpet out because it just wasnt drying. We thought (and hoped) it would solve our basement issues. Then came the mold. Hubby went to get something out of the closet, and his jacket was covered in mold. Then there were moldy pillows, and shoes, and baskets...ulgh. Our insurance specifically does not cover mold I was told. I have put a call in to some mold companies to give us an estimate on how much it will be to fix it. I am sure it will be a lot so we are bracing ourselves. In the not so direct sense of it rains and pours- we also need to get both trucks fixed, and hubby needs new tires... I think we will be penny pinching for a while.

On the frugal note, we got all our chickens back from the butcher. Yum! We shared one with a friend yesterday, complete with potatoes and a salad from the garden! Tonights dinner is chicken, with garden zuccini and squash. This is a perfect time to be penny pinching, as our garden is just starting to deliver its goods.

While at work on sat, I got a message from Hubby. Something like this- "the neighbor just said he saw the biggest coyote he had ever seen on our property". Perfect... when I got home hubby was all geared up to go hunt for a coyote. He didnt see it (which is a good thing). All we need is a coyote to get our livestock. I thought I would share some pics of hubby dressed for the hunt.

A daily dose of fiber aka the making of yarn

(draped over the wheel before any spinning was done)


Yesterday I finished spinning up 8oz of this blue roving. I had bought it at the MD Sheep and Wool Festival two years ago, and never did anything with it. It took me about 2 weeks to get it spun. Yesterday I finished up, washed it and now its hanging to dry. I cant wait to knit with it!

(spinning on the bobbin)

(against a quarter to show the size)

I have a lot of fiber goals coming up. Starting on July 2nd is the Tour de Fleece. Essentually it is a competition (a friendly one at that) to knit every day that the cyclists ride during the Tour de France. When they take rest days, so do we. I am hoping to spin up a lot of fiber from my stash and then ill have even more yarn to knit with. Secondly, I promised to knit a aran sweater for my Uncle Cal. Yesterday the pattern came in the mail. I just have to buy the needles and get started. Thirdly, I am trying to see how many shawls I can knit in 2011. So far the count is 3. If I can get a total of 6 plus the sweater done before the end of the year Ill be a happy camper!

(winding on the swift)

(taking a bath in the kitchen sink)

(hanging to dry in the shower)

Wednesday Weigh In

Down .8! Wahoo!

A Farm-y Update

I havent posted much about the farm goings on lately because a-my camera card wasnt working and b- i might be a tad bit lazy. So here goes. Ill show pictures to catch you all up.

1st- the turkeys are getting big! they are actually looking and acting like turkeys.

2nd- Suprise and Delight (the two new goats) are adorable. I would never give them special attention...not me...never...ok so what if I like them best right now? so what if they get extra rations of feed...

3rd- The 19 meat chicks are going to the butcher on Sat, along with our surplus of roosters. We are looking forward to more chicken diners.

4th- Hugs finally moved to his new pen. I hate to call the adorable baby goat that everyone is smitten with a pervert, but if you know ANYTHING about billy goats I dont have to explain... this weekend was the final straw and he now has a new pen. He is NOT happy with this new arrangement and he is currently letting the world know. He even complains to the cat, who doesnt listen...

(hugs looks depressed behind bars)


(he tries to tell Mittens his sorrows)

5th- The garden is alive! We got our first harvest of new potatoes this week and are going to cook them with our fresh chicken. Check out the tomatoes! And we are going to have a huge surplus of squash. Maybe I can pawn some off on friends...beware!

(land of squash)

(squash)

(to-maters)

(cantelope and lettuce)

(sweet potatoes)

6th- I dont have a picture of them yet, but today we adopted 8 ducklings. They were free and I cant say no to anything so small. Duck eggs are our biggest sellers so we figured they would be a good investment.

Wednesday Weigh In

How did it go, you ask? I know you have been waiting all week to check in on Wednesday Weigh In. I am proud to announce that I am now 8.8 pounds lighter than I was last wed. Yes indeedy, you read correctly. Eight point eight whopping pounds! While its not visibale, and it doesnt make me feel any different, I believe its all a mind game. Knowing I lost that much (they say the first week you lose a lot due to water weight) just makes me feel damn good (sorry for the language mom).
As a reward to myself, I am going to eat some raspberries and spin on my spinning wheel. Thats all for now!

WIPs (works in progress)

Today was a perfect day for finishing up knitting projects that are laying around the house. For example, the shawl I knit on our trip to NY is done and just needed to be blocked (washed and stretched to dry). Same with a second shawl I knit since NY. I had to knit a hot pad for a package I am sending out.

I set the shawl on the floor (before washing)and the cats decided to investigate.


"Hmm the human is giving us a super soft offering. Buttons, come here"



"I dont know Mittens...looks suspicious"



"oh ok, ill join you. Wow, you sure knew what you were talking about, this is soft!"

Once I washed and blocked the shawls, you can really see the lace patterns. The brown and white one was made from a Ravelry pattern. I made up the all brown one as I went. Turned out pretty good!

Where Jack discovers the Electric Fence

Yesterday was another scorcher. We stayed inside most of the day. Last night after dinner Hubby and I took the dogs on a walk. Jack and Whiskey were loving it! They walk through the tall grass on the side of the road. When we go on walks, they are on the lookout. They never know what they are supposed to be looking out for. They walk through the grass with their noses down, sniffing, trying to find the trail of whatever it is they think we are tracking. If Jack thinks he found something he will alert Whiskey. Whiskey doesnt know what Jack may or may not have found, but she doesnt want to be left out of the party. She goes on alert too, until they decide there was nothing there to begin with, or until Hubby and I continue walking.
On one of the bends in the road, the farmer has horses. Horses generally mean electric fencing. Poor Jack discovered this the hard way. He was walking along the grass, when all of the sudden he yelped the loudest yelp and jumped back onto the road. We like to imagine he was thinking "I was just walking along minding my own business when WHAM, something in the grass shocked me. Must. Stay. Away. From. Grass." The rest of the walk, he completely avoided the monster that shocks in the grass and walked down the middle of the road.
The End

Love a Good Bargain

I have to admit, I love a good bargain! Which is exactly why I love shopping at Goodwill. Tonight, while hubby and I ran into town to pick up some fencing, we stopped at Goodwill. Hubby may just like it as much as I do. We spent $26 and came home with a new birdcage, 3 records, 3 vintage childrens books, 1 book for me, 1 ceramic tea cup, with a strainer and matching lid, a jewelry box (check out the lady feeding the chickens and turkeys!) and a mini frame. Now, thats a good bargain!




We had gone into town to buy fencing for Hug's new digs. We bought a roll at Tractor Supply, but the price had gone up $10 since buying our last roll. Later, we found less expensive fencing at Lowes that will work just as well. We went back to the feed store to return the original fence. I am sure the cashier didnt like us too much. The bargain lovers hubby and I are liked the Lowes fencing better.

When we left for town, the weather was hot and sunny. When we came out of Goodwill, the sky was black, and there was lightning and thunder. The storm is still entertaining us. Not sure what tomorrow will bring.

A Hard Life

“Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard.”

Everywhere I turn there is hard work. Taking care of the farm is hard. Keeping a house in order is hard. Doing my best at work is hard. Being fat is hard. Yesterday I joined Weight Watchers (again...and again). There comes a point when you realize the person you are isnt who you used to be, or want to be. Im not talking about core values. The things I believe in and what makes me me will not change with my weight. I still believe in Jesus. I still love my family. I dont like how physical activity is harder than it used to be. In college I walked a marathon. Today I dont even want to walk downstairs (I know, call me lazy). I used to be "fun". Now I am just tired. Wouldnt being skinnier and healthier make farm chores easier? Wouldnt it make dog walking more of a priority?

Hubby and I are wanting to have kids. Honestly, I cant imagine being this heavy AND pregnant. I want to be a healthy pregnant girl. A healthy mom, like my own. I want to be able to run with my kids, climb on the slide, swing on the monkey bars. The doctors dont know why we arent getting pregnant. They say we can try infertility treatments. I cant imagine my weight doesnt have something to do with it.

So, heres the plan. We are not going to pursue infertility options until we are sure my weight is not a factor. In any case, kids or not, I want to be healthy. I cant count how many times I start a diet, do well, have one bad day and then get off track and give up. I am hoping by posting on the blog here, I will not give up. I will be going to ww meetings on wednesdays. My intention is to post on here my losses (or gains) each week. I have over 100 pounds to lose and figure it will take a while. A long while...

Most things in life are hard. “Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard.”

this is the final straw picture...saw this, and signed up for ww!

I'm Back

Wow, I have been away from the blogging world for what seems like forever. We have had a busy couple weeks here and now we are back to normal (i think). To bring you up to speed Ill give the short version of our comings and goings.
For memorial day, we went to a ceremony at the VFW (Vetrens of Foreign Wars) Hall. We were part of a very moving ceremony despite the 100 degree weather. After the ceremony we were served refreshments inside. We were joined at our table by our town's gold star family. This couple lost their young son in Afghanistan in 2009. The way the father spoke of his deceased son brought tears to my eyes. There was no grudge holding going on in that family, at least not publicly. They spoke with such pride and honor of their son. I can not pretend to know what they are going through. I do know that they are in our prayers as well as all the other families who have lost loved ones.
The highlight of this past week was when my grandparents came out for a visit. Hubby was away for the week training so he didnt get to see them. We had a great time downtown Frederick and at the farm. My grandpa picked out a cherry tree to be planted on the farm. My grandma is known for her roses (among other things) so she selected a rose bush for us. The weather was too hot to be digging and planting. We took pictures of them and their plants. I cant wait to watch the tree and rose thrive at the farm. Everytime I eat a future cherry, or smell a future rose I will be reminded of this most recent trip. My grandparents left on thursday and hubby returned on friday.
Today, we welcomed two new additions to our ever growing farm. We brought home two saanen doe kids (translation- two all white girl baby goats). The saanen breed is known for its milk production. Like the Jersey cow of the goat breed. They have been accepted into the herd and spent the better part of the afternoon munching on green leaves from the trees. We will have to build Hugs a new home and pen as he is discovering he is a boy. We dont want any unplanned pregnancies here, so he will be moved to a seperate but nearby pen.
Since last winter, our lawn mower has been parked in the middle of the backyard. Sat there through snow, heat and torrentual downpours. I think we get an A+ for lawn mower maintenance right? One of my girlfriends let us borrow her push mower. Hubby and I have been mowing ever since. Our neighbor behind us, saw us mowing and took pity on us. It seems his hobby is fixing mowers and he agreed to take on our not moving riding mower. As I pushed the mower around the front yard I couldnt help but think how quickly it all would go sitting on a riding mower drinking ice tea...instead I was sweating (remember its super hot here) and pushing a heavy piece of machinery. Hopefully Chris, our neighbor will be able to fix the mower AND the tiller. Wont that be the day! He refused any payment for his services "Neighbors should be neighborly" he says. We sent him home with venison and eggs, since we are being neighborly and all...
As we go into the upcoming week we are excited about our new goats. We are happy to have the whole lawn mowed. We are looking forward to having everything fixed and running. No more visitors are planned (although anyone is welcome! always!) and nothing big is on the books. We are looking forward to things getting back to normal as we establish our warmer weather routines.