Reminiscing

Today is a rainy day!  I love rainy days - the smell, the cleansing (especially of all the pollen), the freshness!  I am one of those moms who let their kids play in the rain as long as it is not thundering or lightening.  They love it!  I, myself, like to sit on my back porch and just enjoy the peace of it

It is also a perfect day for all things fiber!  I have a sequined yarn that I am working on.  I finished one skein, but have enough left over for another skein.  Urg..  It is very pretty, but spinning with sequins is not a lot of fun.  It is also very time consuming.  I spun a single out of Ashland Bay's Concord colorway - Tussah Silk and Merino.  It is beautiful and soft!

Before

After

I had a dye day last week, so I will have lots more yarn to spin!  I went through my beads, buttons and ribbons stash and matched some fiber to them.  

So, those are my Finished Objects and some of my Works in Progress.  I am still working on my messenger bag and my quilt, but not much progress there.  I am going to start my dad's Irish Clan Sweater next week!  Trying to decide whether to spin the yarn or just buy it  The Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool is really calling to me.  lol  I did find out the yardage today - 2100 yards.  That is a lot of spinning!  

We are taking a break from school.  We finished up the year and did a trial run of the coming year.  There is a lot to schedule for this coming year with both children.  The trial week went fairly well.  Both Ben and Grace like their curriculum, praise the Lord!  They are ready to begin, so we will probably start next week.  Ben will be using Tapestry of Grace Year One.  It is themed around the Ancients and he loves it!  Grace is using Rod and Staff.  She loves that!  She is my workbook child. My challenge is to be able to juggle both with teaching one on one.  Ben has more independent work, but Grace is a lot of hands on teaching  I am using Homeschool Skedtrack  for scheduling, grading and tracking days off.  I really love this program and it is FREE!  

With the help of a good friend, I have been able to make yogurt a bit more easily.  (Easily - is that right?  It is an adverb describing make? )  lol  To begin with, you don't have to have raw milk to make delicious yogurt!  Great news since my source dried up  You put 1 gallon of milk (I used whole, but my friend just used 2% and it turned out fine) in a crock pot.  Add 2 cups of dried milk and stir to dissolve.  Then turn it on and wait for it to reach 180 degrees.  It takes hours, so you can walk away and live your life  I heated mine on the stove which is much quicker.  Either way works.  Once it hits 180 degrees, you remove it from the heat and cool to 120 degrees.  Then add a little thing of yogurt.  I actually added 2  individual servings of Okios Vanilla to mine  Stir it in really well.  At this point, you could add a sweetner - sugar or stevia or sweetener of choice.  I didn't add any sweetener to mine  I did add some vanilla - about a teaspoon  You could add any flavoring - lemon, caramel, citrus, etc.  Walmart has an excellent selection of flavorings  Then you pour it into jars, cap it, and put it in your oven with the light on (I think I forgot to turn my light off yesterday!)  and leave in 12 hours  If you go longer it's ok.  Mine was due to come out at 11:30 at night.  I dozed off and woke up a 1:00am and put it in the fridge then  It was yummy!  There was some whey liquid, but I stirred it into the yogurt.  Great flavor  Another friend told me she stirs peanut butter into her plain yogurt and it tastes like peanut butter cheese cake!  It is good!  

I am off to Muddy Pond to visit my sisters!  Until next time...

Kim

P.S.  I did forget to turn off the light in the oven!  Oh my!

I LOVE FALL!!

I love the fall!  I mean, I really LOVE it!  The coolness of it.  The art of it - all the beautiful colors!  The smell of it!  All of it!  I feel so much better inside and out in the cooler weather.  Although, praise the Lord, our summer was super mild!  I don't think we ever got into the 90's.  Whoo Hoo!

So, we are still trying to eat healthy, although I have not abstained from sugary desserts like I had intended.  I need to pray about getting control of this area.  However, I am doing much better than I have been doing.  Still trying to get the hang of the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating.  It isn't that hard, once you get the concepts of carbs, fats and how they interact with your body.

I have not been using my Wonder Washer that much either!  I need to go to my original plan of having the kids do their own laundry and then all I have left are my and my husband's clothes and towels.  It does work great, though.  Only 2 minutes for a large load and 30 seconds for the rinse!  WOW!

I am working on my ETSY shop a lot!  I have kinda slacked off a bit this summer, but our bank account is screaming - "Get back to work!".  I am expanding my line of roving quite a bit.  I'm also going to start on my first digital instructional video!  I am excited about that.  I'm going to do a basic spinning class, I think.  It would be a great gift combo with a spinning wheel!  We will see.  Ben, my now 9 year old, has agreed to film me.  We will see about that, too!  LOL.  I don't know if he will have a steady enough hand.  Anyway, I am grateful for his willingness.

I have completed 2 baby blankets this summer.  And, on the urging of my family and friends, I have added custom baby blankets/wall hangings to my shop.  I am not sure if this will work, but we will see!  I did enjoy creating each blanket a lot. 

 

I have discovered, through Stacy Makes Cents, a great meal planning site.  In the past, I would do a menu for the week, but I would forget where the recipes were - book or computer,;  which book;  which website?!  This site does away with that!  Your meal plan, recipes and shopping list are all in one spot!  And it is super easy to import recipes as you stumble across them on the internet.  Just one click!  The site is Plan To Eat.  Check it out!  There is a 30 day free trial, then it is just $4.99/month.  Well worth it, I think.

I am going to sign off and enjoy a cup of Creamy Pumpkin Pie tea before homeschool starts!  This is wonderful with cream and honey!  Yum!!  And the aroma is fantastic!  I highly recommend this organic blend by Shoshanna at the Bulk Herb Store!

TTFN (as Tigger would say - Ta Ta For Now)

The Change!

Ok, my little friend, I mean fiend, Meno (short for menopause - I have made it a 4 letter word), and I are not quite jiving yet!  Due to a mini stroke I had way back in my past, I cannot take any kind of hormone, natural or otherwise.  So, I am walking through this season with the Lord close by.  At least, I am trying so hard to.  Many days I have to turn back from the wrong way and go back to Him, but He is there waiting!  My mantra is "I will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Me!"  The Lord is good and faithful!  Aside from the mood swings and hot flashes, there is the whole changing of season cycle.  I'm entering the fall, no, I'm going to call it Autumn, season.  What does that mean??  Where did summer go??  I am entering the Autumn season with 4 children, 2 are grown up and 2 are small.  I have a wonderful husband 8 years my junior.  I am staying at home and homeschooling my younger children.  I am designing and spinning yarns for a living.  Life is wonderful!  So, chipper up little buckaroo!  It looks good!

I am doing my first big craft show tomorrow!  I am trying to get everything ready.  I haven't felt great this week, and I needed to paint my spinning wheel - it was unfinished.  So, in a weak moment, I let my Ben and Grace, 7 and 5, do the job!

Ben's side

Grace's side

It is Primitive Art, just like spinning wool!

I've got to go and prepare for company this evening!  We are having Baked Spaghetti!  It is wonderful!

1# ground beef
1c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained
2 t. dried oregano
salt to taste
12 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper until beef is browned;  drain.  Add tomatoes, mushrooms, oregano and salt.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Place half of the spaghetti in a greased crockpot.  Top with half of the meat sauce.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Repeat layers.  Mix soup and water until smooth;  pour over casserole.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cook on high for a couple of hours, then turn to low until ready to serve.

Until next time!
Kim

Change

Good Morning!  My husband, Gene, left on a medical missions trip to Guatemala this morning at 2:30.  He will be gone for 10 days!  I am very happy for him, but Ben, Gracie and I already miss him!  They will be working in various villages bringing medical help where needed.  He was very excited about going.  I think it will probably remind him of his Army days.  I'm praying he will come back all refreshed, because....

WE ARE MOVING!  We are moving closer into the town of Crossville, TN.  Our church is there and Gene's work is there.  We live about 30 - 40 minutes away, depending on if you get behind a tractor or not on the way in.  It will save us a lot of money on gas as well as give us a lot more time with each other.  We are moving, not into a tiny house, as we had planned, but a small mobile home, a bit bigger than our proposed tiny house!  It will give us a good idea, though, of life in a smaller space.  We will have awesome neighbors and a lot of property to have a garden and for the kids to play.  It is still somewhat in the country and it has a little shop already there, just waiting to be filled with yarn and spinning wheels and looms and bunches of fiber!  Speaking of yarn...

Valentine's Day is coming up.  Here is my first Valentine yarn of the year!  There is more coming! I call it Candy Hearts.
My shop is doing great!  I just need more time to spin!  I'm spending a lot of - too much - time on the computer marketing.  I would like to eventually hire someone to take that part over.  Perhaps I can talk my hubby into it after our move and things settle down a bit.  I am working with a wonderful lady, Heather a.k.a. "The Buzz" to help me with some improvements to Simply Homespun, so I'm looking for some good things from this.  She is wonderful to work with. 

I am moving along on the goals I set up in the last blog.  However, exercise is still lacking!  I have GOT to get on the stick!  Although, I wonder if packing and lifting boxes could be considered exercise??? hmmm.....  We are moving across from Cumberland Mountain State Park.  Lots of trails there.  Gene wants us to start riding bikes as a family over there.  That should be fun, right???  There is also a pool, so we can go swimming.  Now, I know that will be fun exercise.  No wait, I have kids!  I can't be swimming laps and watch kids!  Oh, well.  I guess I will just have to have fun with them.  Splashing is good arm exercise.  Pray for me in this area!

Homeschool is going great!  Gracie is learning to write her letters.  She is very good with numbers.  She also is doing very well in Spanish class.  Ben does great in everything but math.  He hates it.  We are finishing up subtraction with 3 numbers this week and moving on to measurement next week.  That should be more fun!  He loves to cook and build stuff.  So, I see projects...

I published this, then realized that I hand titled this "Change" and never really mentioned it again.  I feel like my life is going through change.  For one thing, I'm approaching the big "change" - menopause. Then we are moving - for the better, I believe.  My husband has been nominated for the board at our church.  If elected that will be a change in my church role.  I'm facing 2012 for the first time without my sister.  In packing, I've come across a lot of Karen's stuff and it brings with it both happiness and melancholy.  But one thing to remember, in the midst of change, both bad and good, God never changes.  He is always there and always the same.  He always loves me no matter what.  His love, His rules for living, His faithfulness never, ever changes.  I praise God for His strength in the midst of our changes.  His consistency is so comforting.  I love You, Lord!

Until next time!  Take care and may God bless you richly!

Kim

Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012!!!!!!!!!!

So, it's 2012, and I just turned 50!  YIKES! Suddenly I can't think of anyone older than me!  I was speaking with a gentleman the other day and he was saying how at 40 things start going downhill - physically and mentally - and at 50 it just takes off!  Well, guess what!?  Not for me!  I am going to take a turn for the better!
I was reading a friend's blog this morning on Operation Twenty12.  It inspired me to have my own Operation 2012!  Not resolutions that will happen this year, but new beginnings of a healthier way of life that will take root and grow for the next 50 years!  Here are my top 5 areas:
1) Physical - Walk!  That's it!  No fancy gym memberships or aerobics tapes, or marathon training.  Just plain, old fashioned walking!  I enjoy a nice leisurely stroll and generally find that I start of slow and wind up fast.  A nice one mile hike with my kids through the woods would be a great place to start!
2)  Mental - LESS STRESS!  Stress is causing me to hurt all over and I'm afraid I have passed this to my daughter!  I am going to chill in 2012!   Life is way to short to spend it cramped up in a stressed state.  Less stress means less dis -ease. 
3)  Spiritual - Continue in my daily devotions FIRST thing in the morning!  God wants my first fruits, not what I have left at the end of a long day.  I am going to start keeping a prayer journal for all the answered prayer. AND...I am going to press through trials with HIM and praise Him all the way through!  This time on earth is just college for our responsibilities in eternity.  I am tired of having to take the same old classes over and over!  This year, I am going to pass the class on patience and having a quiet and gentle spirit!  Then I can move on to Patience 2 and Quiet and Gentle Spirit2!
4)  Family - Plant seeds of love and kindness in my home.  Take and pass the class of being a helpmeet to my husband!  The wife sets the whole stage in her home and I can either build my up or tear it down!  I choose to build it up!  We are learning to be thankful and content whether we abase or abound and I am very grateful to the Lord for that one - especially for my kids.  What an awesome class in learning to be happy even in the midst of trials. 
5) Simply Homespun - Finally, and yes, #5 on purpose is my shop!  I love my shop!  I love creating all of those great yarns - wacky and otherwise.  I love creating the colorways in my fibers and spinning them to see what comes out!  I want to, with God's guidance and blessing, grow my shop this year!  I want Simply Homespun to bless my family as well as my customers!

So there it is!  I will keep posted as to my  progress.  I would love to hear some of my reader's goals and progress along the way!

Take care!
Kim

Hi All!  Gracie slept all night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Which means I DID TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Thank you, Lord!

Just finished my first winter yarn, Hot Chocolate on a Snowy Day http://www.etsy.com/listing/82464489/hot-chocolate-on-a-snowy-day-handspun .  It was great fun to do.  This will make an awesome scarf.  I may do it myself if it doesn't sell by the time I am finished with all my other projects!  Still working on my Enterlac scarf.  Hope to have that done in the next couple of weeks.  Going to spin a new winter yarn, Winter Bliss, today.

My oldest daughter, Jessica, was up Sunday.  She started 2 knitting projects while here!  I'm going to create a super knitter yet!  She is working on a Waterfall Scarf and a sweater.  I can't wait to see them finished!

I read recently that the biggest budget buster for families is wasted food.  How much food do you throw out every week, or in my case, every month.  UCK.  Stuff gets shoved back to the depths of the fridge and stays there until it liquifies.  I am a huge food waster.  So, this is something that is going to end now.  I believe that wasting our food is a sin.  Everytime I throw something out, I feel conviction.  I ask the Lord to provide and He does, then I pitch it!  Yikes!  I'm so sorry, Lord!  Help me to be a better steward of all the blessings you have given to me. 

I was reading a favorite blog of mine -  Raising Homemakers .  She had lots of good info on preparing frugal meals.  During the Depression Era, the US Food Administration came up with these guidelines which still apply, or should apply, today:

The US Food Administration advised about food:

1. Buy it with thought
2. Cook it with care
3. Serve just enough
4. Save what will keep
5. Eat what will spoil
6. Home grown is best

Here are a few Depression Era recipes.  These were in public pamphlets so are in the public domain. 

POTATO AND CHEESE SOUP

2 cups cooked diced potatoes
2 cups water in which potatoes were cooked
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons onion juice
2 tablespoons fat
3 tablespoons flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
¼ cup grated cheese

Dice potatoes and cook slowly until very tender. Rub through strainer, using potato and the 2 cups of water. Melt fat, add dry ingredients and gradually add the liquids and onion juice. When ready to serve, sprinkle parsley and cheese over top.

This is a favorite of ours.  I add broccoli a lot of the time, along with lots of grated cheese added to the soup to make it cheesy and delicious!  All of our family love this!

RICE WITH CORN AND CHEESE IN BROWN SAUCE

½ cup rice
1 cup cheese
1 cup corn
1½ cup milk
¼ cup fat
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Melt fat until brown. Add flour and seasonings. Heat until brown. Add milk gradually. When at boiling point add other ingredients. Place in baking dish and bake 45 minutes.

Serve with fruit or a dessert and bread and butter.

We haven't tried this one, but it sounds good!  This may just be dinner tonight!

Soups are always good for frugal meals.  The challenge is preparing healthy meals in addition to being cost conscious.  I will post some more of these recipes in later posts.

Now, I've got to get Ben going,  We are going to spend the day at the park.  One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you can have school anywhere!  And what better incentive for doing good work and having good attitudes than the knowledge that a wonderful playground is in your future!  So, today we will have "parkschool", a picnic, and get some spinning and knitting in also!

Have a blessed Tuesday!

Kim

We're Still Here!

A lot has happened since my last post.  We had my sister's funeral, which went very well.  Karen left a lot of people with a lot of good memories.  Her smile was such a blessing to so many.  She struggled with her RA with dignity and humor.  She was close to the Lord and I know she is with Him now.  I love you, Ka, and miss you terribly.  I'll see you soon!  (soon being a relative term - earthly time compared to eternity.  I don't want anyone jumping to any conclusions). 

Anyway, Gracie had her surgery.  She did great!  She sounds like Donald Duck, but the doctor assured me that would go away as the swelling goes down.  So, far, 1 week, 1 day later, she still sounds like Donald Duck.  As Karen would say, "greaaaat".  lol  Gracie is so precious.  She went to church last night and was just raising her hands during praise and worship and praising her Lord.  I thank God for such a blessing and the opportunity to be her mom.  God has blessed me with 4 wonderful children.  All successful and all pretty much well behaved - as far as I know anyway.  Ignorance is bliss in a lot of areas! 

I am back in my shop today!  Had a very good day!  Met lots of neat folks,  Gracie actually sold some of her artwork to some very kind ladies from Carthage.  I have finished spinning some Golden Retriever hair for a customer and started knitting it into a heart pillow today.  It's going to be very pretty.  Reminds me a lot of Angora hair.  Has a beautiful halo to it. 

Of course, my fun project of all time is the Enterlac scarf!  I love knitting it!  And people's reactions to it are so fun!  I should finish it up within the next week or two.  Can't decide whether to keep it, sell it, or gift it!

I received my "bling" to spin with my handspun!  Stay tuned for some beautiful sparkly yarns!!  I can't wait to get started!

I received a lot of Concord grapes in Tuesday.  Luckily, my mom told me I could just stick them in the freezer until I am ready to deal with them.  That was good news!!  So, they went from the box, to the Ziplock to the freezer.  Some are in the frige for munching.  I love them!  Also, canned 10 jars of peaches.  Yummy!    Added a bit of cinnamon to mine.

Enough for now! 

Take care and have a blessed day!

Kim

www.etsy.com/shop/kjhines6065
www.facebook.com/simplyhomespun

What A Blessed Day!

The shop is open and very busy!  I have met the coolest ladies today.  And boy, have I learned a lot!  I love fiber artisans!

Well, here is my sock!  Do you see what I did wrong?  Or did I start a new style??  Hmmmm....

(In case you didn't notice, the toe is sideways.  I can't seem to just twist my toes sideways.)  Should I make the mate to match?? 

My inlaws are here and I am loving it!  They are so great.  They bring the island sunshine with them into our home.

I am starting a Christmas Ornament Knitting Club on Saturdays at Simply Homespun on Saturdays from 2 to 4.  We will be knitting a different Christmas ornament each week.  The class is $15.00 and includes all supplies.  We will be meeting every Saturday from now until the weekend before Christmas.  Come and join in the fun!! 

Homeschool group starts back on the 19th of this month!  I am teaching a drop spindle class.  I really excited about it.  We are going to make a drop spindle then learn to spin  on it!  Because we meet on Fridays, my shop hours are changing to:
Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 - 5
Friday from 2 -7

I have found an excellent source for weaving yarn, so look for that to be added to our product line shortly!  Gene is going to have 10 fits when he sees the selection!  He is almost finished warping for the dogwood placemats!  I can't wait!

Meat loaf, homegrown beans, homegrown potatoes and homemade bread for dinner!!!  Yum Yum!  Just from cutting back on water usage, my water bill was $30.00 less than last month!  By turning off lights in rooms we aren't using and washing in mostly cold water, our kilowatt hours were cut almost by half from last year in the same month!

Woops!

Ok, so I misjudged the length of my rug just a bit - well, maybe quite a bit.  

So now, it is going to be a clutch bag!  Yeah, that's it!  A clutch bag!  Or, maybe a huge washcloth. Or, a decorative table rug. Or...

I am so upset about this!  I had  this beautiful area rug in mind, and then this turned up!  I knew when I warpped it, that it wasn't going to be as long as I originally wanted, but I had no idea it would be this small!  What happened?  I didn't allow for all of the  area that you can't weave at the beginning and the end!  Live and learn!  Today is another day!  I will try again and succeed!!!!!  I will defeat this loom!!!  

Good things that happened yesterday!  My shipment of Lion Brand yarn came in!  Ben and I got it priced and put out in record time!

Ben randomly merchandised them and I was inspired!  He put purple and green together!  I am going to paint and purple and green roving today!  Then, my eye kept going!  There was forest green and a fushia - beautiful!  So that will also become painted roving!  


I just looked back and this is what I saw:

She gets up, literally, at the crack of dawn.  It's 7:43am and she's taking a nap!  Conked out eating her breakfast - mac and cheese!  


Anyway, I've got to get some b'fast for moi and then set up shop for another great day!!  


Take care!
Kim