Looking Forward to an Organized Life - Time-Wise Anyway

Today in the New York Times, I am mentioned and quoted in an article about spinning your pet's hair after they have crossed over the rainbow bridge.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B7hJZsOpq-0/
I am honored to have been included.  It is a way for me to help people cope with the loss of a beloved pet and create something they can have for a long time.


On another note, it is getting really cold!  I love winter, especially if it snows. It is time for sweaters, hot cocoa, and soups.  However, in Crossville, we don't get much snow.  When it does, it is certainly celebrated!  By me, anyway!  If there is a threat of snow, all of the bread and milk is quickly snatched up at the grocery.  I often wonder why that is.  I remember growing up, going to the grocery and all of the bread and milk being gone when it snowed.  Maybe people yearn to make bread pudding!  lol  Anyway, it still holds true today.  Is this a Southern thing?

I am working on making a schedule for spinning pet hair.  It is hard to treat it like a job, when I love to do it.  However, one can become burnt out.  Sometimes I really crave dyeing some wool, spinning it, and then knit something.  But, when I have 7 pounds of hair to spin with more hair coming, I feel like I can't spin anything else.  If I looked at it like a job, then I would only work certain hours and then I would be off for the day.  Then I can spin, knit, dye with no guilt!  It is tough to work from home.  I have a fabulous studio out back, but it is not insulated, so it takes a lot to heat it in the winter.  I generally move all of my spinning to the living room.  So, family life goes on all around me.  I see laundry to fold, dishes to wash, floors to sweep, etc. and I feel like I should be cleaning and being a good keeper of my home.  Today, it hit me!  Set a work schedule, then I can have time to clean, play and do the fun, fibery things I love to do.  Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE what I do.  I thank God that I can make money doing something I love doing.  I am grateful that I can work in the comfort of my home.  I just need to be more organized.  So, my son came up with an excellent schedule for me.  I had one set up and he reminded me of my nap time.  lol  I nap for about 15-20 minutes at 2.  Not everyday, but nearly.  I have my little power nap so I can carry on through the evening hours.  Now my naptime is built in.  Keeping it real!  I will let you know how this works.  Do any of you have these same issues?

Sunday is a great day for me to blog, so I will probably start doing this on a regular basis.  I will be a little more creative in my writing.  I love to write and used to do it all the time.  Now, I just teach writing to high schoolers.

I look forward to my new organized life!  Any suggestions or advice is welcome!  What has worked for you?

Take care and have a blessed week!

Kim

Loving This Winter!!

The view from my back porch this morning was stunningly beautiful!  I praise the Lord for the winter wonderland He provided.  They sun is out now and the temp. is going up,  but I am thankful for the sight, if just for awhile

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I have been busy spinning, dyeing, and carding fiber!  I am trying to get 200 items listed in my shop.  Apparently when you get 200 listings, you get more traffic directed to your shop.  Each time I get past 160, I have big sales and it goes back down.  I AM NOT COMPLAINING!!!  I rejoice in each and every sale.  I just need to up production to keep up!  My son, Ben, made a rolag last night on the Ashford Blending Board.  He loves fiber and I love that he loves fiber!

I believe this is the perfect morning for a Maple Steamer.  My daughter, Jessica, and I were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at exactly this time last year.  We were caught in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere - Chatham.  We were in a 4 room motel and there was a bar & grill, a general store (a real general store - they had everything) , an organic little restaurant, and a post office.  It was literally a stones throw away from the motel.  We went to the organic restaurant and I discovered the Maple Steamer!  It was great!  It is nothing more than maple syrup - about 2 tablespoons in a large mug and steamed milk.  I don't know if it is the taste or the bringing back of a close, shared time with my daughter, but I love this drink.  Definitely a comfort drink for me. 

Have a wonderful Saturday!!
Kim

Good Monday Morning!

Good Morning!!  The sun is shining and the temperature is perfect for a woman of many hot flashes!!  I am loving winter this year.  I have never truly embraced winter.  It has always been the prelude to one of my favorite seasons, Spring!  However, this year, I am really enjoying snuggling with my family by the fire, hot cocoa, sweaters, and the occasional dusting of snow.  I pray for more snow, but it is not up to me!  So, I am just enjoying the cold! 

I have been busy getting my shop rejuvenated!  I updated my Twitter, Ravelry, Facebook, this blog, Stumble Upon and have joined Tumblr.  Not even sure what Tumblr is, but I am part of it!! 
I have some fabulous art batts in the making and 1 really cool one ready to be listed today.  I carded some Romney wool with bamboo and then put it in my dyepot!  The plan was for the bamboo to not take up any of the dye and stay white.  It worked beautifully! 

I am really tempted to spin this.  I have some really great ribbons I could add as well as some sparkle. 



This morning's Good Morning Girls Bible Study has us in Exodus Chapter 11.  Here is my SOAK!

S: v.3. "Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel."

O: The Israelites needed to collect their wages of silver and gold from the Egyptians for work they had done. It seems.unlikely in the flesh, that the Egyptians would just hand over silver and gold to their slaves, but they did. Why? Because God gave the Israelites favor with the Egyptian people. I have experienced God's favor and it is definitely a "wow" moment. And the best thing is - we can walk there!

A: If I abide in the shelter of His wings, then I will walk in the favor of God. I put the caveat of abiding under His wings, because if I am indeed covered and abiding, then that means I am totally trusting God with everything. I am seeking Him for the everyday of my life. I am in obedience to Him. There are many rewards to living under His wings - not the least of which is protection from deadly disease, no evil will conquer me, no plague will come near my home, protection wherever I go - I won't even hurt my foot on a stone! I will be rescued from trouble! Talk about favor!! Check out Psalm 91! So my goal is to purpose to abide in the shelter of His wings for the next hour. Then I will, with the Holy Spirit's help, I will abide for another hour. I may have to repurpose every 30 minutes, or even 15! But I am feeling pretty good right now , before my day starts, with an hour.

K: Lord, thank You for this beautiful day! Father, let me praise You without ceasing for you are worthy of such praise. I want to abide in the shelter of Your wings all day long. I want to bring my children with me. Hold onto me tightly and give me a swat when I start to be restless and pull away. I do not want to leave you. I love You so much. Without You, I am nothing. Thank You in advance for giving us a glorious day! In Jesus' Name..

Have a wonderful day!

 

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