The Presence of Peakes!

This morning I woke up with the presence of Peakes.
Bonnie Peakes that is.
My middle school homec teacher who I about wore slick with unexcused absences and spilled sauce.

I have had a denim sling bag in my brain for more years than I care to admit, and last year Six bought me a sewing machine for my birthday so I could have an outlet for my endless stress to stitch.

I have tried to make a bag. Eh. So so.
I tried to make an apron. Fail

But I come from a long seam of stitchers.

My Grammy was a pattern designer for Jantzen back in the day of designer swimsuits and sweaters.
My mother can nip and tuck an army tent into a prom dress and my sister...
Well lets just say she was blessed with the ability to quilt.

A very very special ability.

And my other sister can mend an ax handle to your bottom seams and turn your britches into snow shoes.
So there you have it.
My dilemma.
I can't sew.
Until I "Peaked".

At 3:00 AM this morning as I was laying in bed listening to the dogs snuffle and my husband snore, I saw Mrs Peakes.
I saw her face just as clear as day with that one eyebrow raised and her voice patient yet a little pissed off.

"Think about it Marilyn, what did we talk about...."
Oh yeah... End to end. Inside out. Sew the corners. Trim the thread.

I did it.
Kind of.
Well, sort of, it's a start.

Ok, so I started out with an old pair of Wyatts jeans, and I saw in my brain that if I left them attached at the crotch, the crotch could be my handle.

So I got out a Sharpie and cut them like this...

Then I found my left over apron fabric and used the jeans as a pattern and cut out a lining...

And cut off and sewed on some pockets.

And WaLa!

There you have it!

Kind of.

I also made a proto bib for the neighbor last night out of an old towel and a broken sheet!

I cut a pattern out of a dog food bag and just started pinning and sewing and it's not perfect, but I at least have an idea how I can improve it!

I think it would be SUPER cute with real baby fabric and soft terry.

Wyatt is home sick again.
The wind is blowing so hard outside today that my fish tanks inside have whitecaps.
Always wear slippers when you're in the kitchen with sheep, hardwood and hooves don't mix.

I've hit a wall on my weight loss so I think I'll just do liquid today. Homemade juice and protein shakes.

Did I tell you about the crayons I made for the neighbor?
I'll check and if I didn't I'll tell you tomorrow.

Peas.

Santa Swims With The Fishes

I think this kind of thing only happens to me.
Remember this...

Well I got that almost all taken care of, so now I have this...

And... 

This.

That's not snow in the fish tank it's food. 

Food that I was feeding them when I realized Santa was still in Tank Town.

Won't the neighbor be surprised to find out that Santa lives in grannies fish tank during the off season,

Oh well, I guess if there's a sheep in the living room what's the big stretch about Santa swimming with the goldfishes during the warmer months.

Wyatt is home sick today with a gross disgusting intestinal disorder.

I wonder if he suffers from some kind of lettered dysfunction.

You know like 

AWCS (Artists Who Can't Study)

Or

IRMJ (I'd Rather Make Jewelery)

Or maybe just this, 

CIPSHIRS (Can't I Pleeeeeease Staaaay Hoooome I'm REALLY Sick).

He does have the stink and fever thing going on today, so things are 

"working out"

 in his favor, but jeeez, that's all I need, is for everyone in the neighborhood to get sick.

You know the most dreaded sentence a girl can hear is 

"Here Grannyma, he's poopy"!

So back to Wyatt.

He has finally decided to sell some of his jewelery, privately and on Etsy.

You need to go to his Etsy store and check this kid out.

Not only does he make the jewelery, but then he photographs it, lists it and then writes the descriptions for it.

Honestly, where did we get this kid!

He's pretty amazing, and keep in mind, he refuses to part with his best pieces.

One of those crazy eccentric types you hear about.

Click here for his store Winded Wire

And here's a ring that LJP from Fat Cat's Corner just bought from him!

Vitamin D3.

Anyone doing it?

I read a TON about it yesterday.

It is being touted as an amazing ostio pain reliever for unspecified joint and bone pain and a real swift kick for people with Fibromyalgia , AND a super duper kicker upper of weight loss. 

This is what I read... If you cut down your average calories by 750 (Not down TO 750) by 750, and take 4000 units of D3 a day it turns into this crazy fat blaster.

I read that we are so deficient in D3 that it can also lead to mood disorders, calcium deficiencies, blah. blah, blah.

So for .07-10 cents a day, count me in, I'm doing it!

It won't help with my rotten no good verry bad broken down back, but it may very well help my rotten hip, sore knees and arthritic feet and hands :)

Oh, and by the way boys tend to suffer from D3 deficiencies more than girls.

Go get some.

Have you ever roasted broccoli in the oven at 400 degrees tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt?

Good huh.

Don't ever do it with lemon pepper, my house still stinks this morning.

And I love lemon pepper, just not roasting at 400 degrees on broccoli.

In case you're counting, this is three in a row.

Peas.

Another Post?

I keep going up to the barn to check little Dangles to see if he is still "dangling" and he is. It usually takes about ten days for them to make the big switcheroo from a ram lamb to a wether (castrated lamb).
We have two other rams, Butch and Buck from last year to do the heavy lifting for another season and then it will be time to get the vet out to do a little snip on Butch. He's a big baby that was raised in the house and would still prefer to sleep in front of the fire, hence the hay manger sleeping still today. I would hate for him to leave the farm so I'll just find a vet with some whiskey (for me) and some tools for Butch.
But Buck is a real sheep, a big strong handsome black ram who might bring in a good price on Craigslist this summer.
Judy and Belle are doing so well with their new offspring. Who would have ever thought that Belle could be a nurturing selfless mother. It's just never been in the stars for her, but this year she's really surprising us with her one twin.

Sorry for the crappy picture, but look at that smile!

Judy of course, as always could be giving parenting courses in the back of the barn.
She's just that good.

Now all eyes are on Polly our youngest ewe who we're not quite sure if she took this season or not. If she did it would be an accident on our part because we would have liked to see her a little older before lambing. So, I just keep my eye on her all day so if she does go and needs some help we can be there for her.

Ok, now I'm going to give you my new favorite homemade cleaner recipe.
I found it on Pinterest and it works for EVERYTHING.
Windows, wood floors, regular floors, bathrooms, greasy kitchen messes, neighbor messes and even sheep "accidents"

Ready?

One cup of isoproplyl alcohol

One cup of vinegar

One cup water

Two Tbsp dish soap (I use Melaleuca Green Apple)

Shake it all up in a sprayer
Easily doubles

I love it.








P.s, I came through the holidays with my weight loss still almost in tact. Not as good as I thought, but better than I hoped. Twenty-eight pounds!

No Neighbor today so it looks like all I get to do is put up Christmas and vacuum.

Oh, I'm working on a giant new crochet afghan.
Classic simple stripe with fringe.

Tons more to say, but no time to say it!

Peas.

Did You See This?

Rex the llama was upset that his friend Belle the sheep was locked in a stall with babies last week.
So he did what any llama would do and climbed on to the barn roof to try and see her.
It didn't work.
He ended up having to lean in over the gate like everybody else.

Under Construction

Will be back new and improved in January.
Happy Hollidays Everyone!

Lasagna Love!

Jill posted a recipe for crock pot lasagna on facebook a week or so ago and I thought...
Crock pot lasagna?
Really?
But I love lasagna and I have never ever made a good lasagna.
I made Pioneer Woman's lasagna once and it was so spicy it burned my tongue off, but usually it just turns out like lasagna soup or lasagna brick or just lasagna yuck which really makes me mad because everyone I know says oh I make the best lasagna ever and usually they're right they do.
I, on the other hand, do not.
So, Jill posts this recipe and I think to myself... Maybe?
It. Was. Amazing.
So easy, ready in four hours, and I think it's pretty much no fail.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (16 ounces) ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 6 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions

1. 1In a large skillet brown beef and onion. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Drain.
2. 2Add spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. 3Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan, egg and parsley.
4. 4Pour 1 cup of spaghetti meat sauce into a 4 to 6 quart sized slow cooker. Place half of the noodles and half of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles (If the noodles don't fit exactly break them to fit) and cheese mixture and meat sauce.
5. 5Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until noodles are soft. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Cover with the lid to melt the cheese and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
6. 6Do not overcook and don't try to speed up the process by cooking it on high.
7. 7*Works best with a 4 to 6 quart size slow cooker.

And here's the link with all the credit where credit is due
TABLESPOON


Here's a story that will amaze you.
My washing machine has been dying a long slow drawn out painful suffering death.
We have been supporting and encouraging it with kind words and swift kicks to try and just get that one last load out of it and mind you it has been a hard blow for us because the stupid thing is only five years old and I think it cost more than my first car.
Six has had it apart six ways to Sunday cleaning filters, counting bearings and checking hoses and he could usually get it to run for a day or two, but it would always end up sputtering and stopping with a barrel full of water and a tank full of suds, so finally, it was time.
I told him I couldn't take the madness any more, he knew what we had to do.

It was time to take the long walk to the shop and uncover the boss.
The thirty year old stand by.
The heavy.
The top loading faux wood grain shiny white Whirlpool.
We really had no other choice, we had to have a machine we could count on and albeit ugly and old, it was tried and true.

But... To my surprise, Six had one more trick up his sleeve.

With the boss on the patio and the broken bohemia looming large in the garage Six went for his tools one last time...
What he would emerge with would shock us all.
It was the water pump.
Packed with sand.
Like a sand castle bucket at the beach.
Gross.
Five years of door mats and towels, logging pants and dog beds, all there, packed in the water pump.
Six had won.
He cleaned the packed up pump and conquered the bohemia, and as he wheeled it back into it's place in the utility room I thought I saw him walk a little taller and he may have even slept a little sounder that night.
A wise man (Red Green) once said,
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
I'm pretty lucky to have both.
 ❤
Peas

Decisions...

I can tell that August is winding down because my crochet finger is getting very twitchy...
I can't stop looking at patterns of afghans, doilies, sweaters or scarves and each one seems to draw me in even more than the last.
So now the decision...
What to start with.

I am loving this afghan done in a warm rich fall colors.

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L20072.html?noImages=

I really like this.

Maybe I'll start with it.

For sure.

I think.

But then I am also tempted by these little doilies...

And can easily see myself sitting down with a brightly colored stash of fingering weight yarn churning out doilies by the dozen...

But then there is also this...

http://www.patternfish.com/patterns/10434

What more is there to say about this scarf.

Really.

Crocheted with sock yarn so the look and feel would be out of this world.

You can see where my quandary lies.

Maybe I'll make some brownies instead.

Brownies are good and the decision making process is simple and straight to the point.

My only question about brownies...

If you eat the entire 9x13 in one sitting is it still considered just one piece?

I say that it is.

Peas.