Where Hubby Learns to Spin

As we have been having cold, nasty weather lately, we have been inside most evenings. I have been either spinning or knitting and hubby...well he sits. I am always saying he needs to learn to knit. He settled for learning how to spin (maybe knitting is too feminine?). We made our second trip in one week to the Mannings. Hubby bought some pre-drafted pencil roving. I have plenty of spindles at the house so we didnt need to invest too much money into this new hobby. I figured whether or not he likes it, we arent out anything. Last night hubby had his first spinning lesson and caught on quickly. Considering how the roving is already drafted and pencil thin, he was able to focus on the spinning with the spindle part. Next time we will work on drafting, if he likes it enough to continue. I made it very clear that I am not sharing my stash. I consider myself a nice person. Just not that nice.

(my loot from the Mannings trip 2)


PS We stopped in at one of my other favorite yarn shops- the Lancaster Yarn Shop and got yet more awesome yarn...

A trip to the Mannings

Today I was blessed with the day off! For the past year, other than vacations, I have worked every saturday. This means no sleeping in with hubby, no lazy mornings drinking coffee and reading, no lounging in pjs. Which meant that having a sat off is super exciting in my book. This morning we woke up to an inch (or two) of snow. We slept in until 730. We had planned on going up to PA today to do some shopping/road tripping. We dug my truck out of the snow and attempted to get up our driveway. again. and again. and again. Long story short- the truck is now "parked" in the middle of the front yard, dangerously close to the well pump. When I say close, I mean it. The truck is inches away from hitting the well pump. We abandoned the truck in the yard (luckily its our own front yard) and proceeded to attempt the hill with hubbys truck. After many unsuccessful tries, he managed to back his truck up the hill (our next truck really really really needs to be 4 wheel drive!). We went on our merry way.

I should have learned by now that my plans usually fall through. I wanted to take hubby to this amazing restaurant in PA. We drove the hour drive and got there at one, starving, only to find out that on saturdays they are closed for lunch. boo. we grabbed a wrap at the gas station (sorry mom, there was no other choice) and proceeded to go to the Mannings. The Mannings is a fiber artist's mecca. They specialize in spinning wheels and equipment, but also have a huge selection of yarn, tools, fiber and books. This is where we bought my wheel from 2 years ago. This Christmas hubby had secretly got me a gift card there. I used it (plus some) for my bounty. Its an internal battle as to which project I will start first. Before heading home, hubby and I had a photo shoot. Did I mention that the Mannings is situated next to a river. And they have a big red barn. And it just snowed. Perfect!

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We had an awesome Saturday together, and now are spending the evening on the couch, knitting (well me at least, not hubby) and watching movies. A perfect ending to a (almost) perfect day.

Living Room Re-do

Since we now have so much free time on our hands, and we dont have cable, we have been doing some redecorating. Recently the living room has been the victim of our restlessness. We traded out our couch and oversized chair for a compact couch from ikea (new to us from craigslist). A chicken crate that hung on the wall is now our coffee table. We installed a faux fireplace mantle, complete with logs from our woods. What once was a bare wall now houses a cozy fireplace sans fire. The room is so much more us now... Stay tuned for more decorating projects!

A Fresh Start

Okay, so this new years post is a bit late... but its here nevertheless. A new year brings a frest start, and boy is that true for us. Our life is in the middle of doing a 180. Just as things were getting comfortable here, we are re-evaluating. In Nov, hubby was told that he will be getting out of the Army. As part of the budget and troop reduction, they are eliminating any soldiers that have "issues". A few years ago hubby had knee surgery that wasnt done correctly. Now when he runs his knee is waaay too painful. Tomorrow he is having the knee surgery redone to try and fix the problem. According to the Army, if he cant run, he cant do a PT test. If he cant do a PT test, he cant deploy. If he cant deploy he shouldnt be in the Army... and so on. This process of getting out can take up to two years. They cant start the process until after he recovers from surgery.
Only having two years left in the army changes everything! After much prayer, discussion, debating and more prayer, we dont think we are meant to stay here. On one hand, the house has way too many issues (that will be another post completely), we have no family here and we would love to live closer to family. On the other hand, we love our little plot of land (maybe just not the house itself). We feel its best, once he is completely out of the army to move closer to family. Where exactly we wont know until we know when he will be out. So, knowing that in two years we will most likely be moving we have had to rethink our farm plans. We cant take livestock with us when we move. With that in mind, we have sold most of our livestock. What is the point in keeping a bred doe if we wont get to keep the kid or the milk. See, the process of getting out of the army can take up to two years. OR it can take as little as three months. The army loves to keep you at arms lenght and hold your future over your head. Of course, I honestly believe that God has the best plan for us. So if Uncle Sam wants to threaten my future, I am ok with that. No matter what, God is looking out for me. When it comes to the animals, I would rather assure them good homes now. I would hate to wait until the last minute and sell them to someone who will just take them to auction. Sadly we said goodbye to the pigs. to the goats. to the sheep. to (most of) the chickens. to the turkeys (they went to the butcher). to the rabbits. We said goodbye to the farm equipment and supplies. We still have some chickens for now. I couldnt give up my daily fresh eggs just yet. There is a huge financial loss to keep animals over the winter and sell them in the spring. I would have loved to keep everyone until the last minute, but financially it isnt possible. Thankfully they are all doing well in their new homes and I am convinced they will be just as loved there.
Hubby and I are left with a lot of free time now that daily chores dont take so long. Our weekends are free to do house projects instead of farm projects. In the past year we went from no animals, to livestock, and back to none (well except the house animals). We do know that where ever we end up, we want livestock again. I love milking the goats and collecting eggs from my hens. It might be a few years before we get the livestock numbers back up, but it will happen.
Tomorrow I will drive hubby into town for his surgery. I pray his recovery will be quick! Please forgive me for not posting since Nov, but to say I have been in a funk is an understatement. Wait until you see what we have done to the living room though...here's to a fresh start!