Life and times of a new farmer/homesteader
Wet Felting and Needle FeltingThere is quite a difference between the two. Up until about 2 weeks ago, I hadn't done much wet felting. I took a class a few years back on wet felting and one of the projects was to felt around a rock. The whole idea was to create a box with a fun design on the inside as well as the out. When the whole thing dried, you cut it off the rock and VIOLA!, you have a surprise pattern on the inside of your box. My rock was such that I could actually make an eyeglass case out of it. It was a lot of work and I said I'd never do that again. Yea, fast forward a couple three years and here I am, wet felting my brains out! With wet felting you have to layer the wool roving in about 3 to 4 layers, alternating the fibers. You lay it on bubble wrap and put more bubble wrap over the top of the wool once you have poured hot soapy water all over the wool. Then you begin to massage the wool! The friction and hot, soapy water makes felt! One example of my work is the Thanksgiving Table Runner in the top left corner of my etsy avatar to the right. It's the brown thing that looks like carrots laying on it! Check it out and see what you think. FYI, this is probably my most "normal" wet felting project so far!
A Collection of WordsQuotes, to be exact. I've always loved poems and quotes. Sometimes I find myself reciting some little ditty to someone and they just look at me like I'm nuts. Well..............quite possibly they may be right! My son's friends, in particular, have asked me, "Where do you come up with this stuff?" Poems and quotes and sayings must be passed down and preserved like songs of family recipes. We must not forget them and we must pass them on. I came across this one today that I just LOVE! It's by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that; one stitch at a time taken patiently, and the pattern will come out all right, like embroidery.
So true, so true!
Board GamesI popped over to see what Suzanne is up to and she found this fun link. Give it a try.What Board Game Are You?
CONGRATULATIONSCongratulations to my beautiful sister and her wonderful family on the birth of their new little one... Greyson! He is adorable and healthy and my sister is AMAZING!! :)Also, Congratulations to my winner! #36 CHALLICE!!!!!!!! I will contact you about your prize!!! :) Have a wonderful weekend my friends! My Cup Runneth Over... Haven`t posted for awhileSo much has happen since I posted last. I am no longer homeschooling the kids. They started back to school on Friday and Monday of this week and last. I can`t say I am a hundred percent happy about it. But things were getting to the point of me being so stressed with everything I was having chest pains. For right now, I think it is for the best.We are still downsizing our homestead as far as the animals goes. I am getting ready to get rid of all the chickens. All but the boer goats are gone. I hope to find a home for her soon. We will be butchering the hog sometime in January. Course, the turkeys, will be butchered sometime this week. I have a horse I want to sell. The reason we are getting rid of the animals is because Hannah is highly allergeric to all of the animals. She was tested last week for them. She is highly allegeric to cattle, horses, goats, cats and feather which takes in chickens. She is also highly allergeric to white oak and some other trees. So us burning wood isn`t helping. She has had a time. She starts on the drops Tuesday. She has also tested postive for asthma. Which just about everyone in my family has asthma. She has had a time. The kids are playing basketball now and that is keeping us hopping. They both are really enjoying it. It is funny Hannah is the tallest one on her team. They have eight players, 5 boys and 3 girls. I say she will be playing center. My mom and stepdad are still living in our camper. They hope to be in the house by Christmas. I hope too, that way, we can have Christmas at her house. I won`t have so much cleaning to do. lol. I have been trying to get the house cleaned up for Thanksgiving Dinner. It is such a mess. I am so far behind on my cleaning. I just haven`t had the time to clean like I normally do. Well Beth is on her way with her boyfriend and I need to go. Hopefully I will have more time to get on here. Thanksgiving Wishes
This season, I am increasingly aware of the blessing of family and friends. And you wonderful folks here are some of those I feel priveleged to count among my friends; though our connection is just a "cyber" one, I feel a kinship with many of you who are part of this little community. I received this little poem in my inbox from another dear friend, and would like to share it with you: The Computer Prayer
Dear Lord,
Every evening as I'm lying here in bed, This tiny little prayer keeps running through my head. God, bless my mom and dad And bless my little pup And look out for my sister When things aren't looking up. And God, there's one more thing I wish that you could do Hope you don't mind my asking But please bless my computer too. Now, I know that's not normal To bless a motherboard But just listen for a second While I explain to you, my Lord. You see, that little metal box Holds more than odds and ends. Inside those small compartments Are a hundred of my 'friends'. I know for sure they like me By the kindness that they give And this little scrap of metal Is how I travel to where they live. By faith is how I know them much the same as you I share in what life brings them From that our friendship grew. Please take an extra minute From your duties up above To bless this scrap of metal That's filled with so much love! author unknown I pray you have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, surrounded by the the blessing of family and friends, enjoying some of the bountiful harvest from your gardens! I will be back visiting with you on the Front Porch soon. Our family is once again "on the move", so it may be a few days until the computer has a new spot in our little nest, and is set up and ready to go. First must come other things...the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathrooms (oh, they need some serious attention), and of course, a nice sunny spot indoors for my potted herbs. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!!! Blessings to you and yours, A Sad Note... Moving & MoreOn a sad note, my husband's step-mom passed away early this morning. She has been in failing health for a very long time, and though her quick passing was a shock, we know she is at peace now, and at home with the Lord. My husband had the special blessing of baptizing her and his step-sister a few years ago, after a long, long time of prayer for them. So, those of you who have been praying for your family members for years...don't give up! On a brighter note, after what seems like a very long wait.....in my book, 3 months past the original move in date is quite a wait I have 1/2 the house packed, 1/2 unpacked and absolutely no energy to get it done with being up most of last night. I've also had some issues with a pinched nerve in my back, so I'm virtually useless when it comes to lifting anything or carrying boxes. We should have some manpower to help with the beds and other furniture tomorrow, though. Our game plan is to get the big things moved this weekend, and at least get the kitchen in order so I can cook Thanksgiving dinner there. The rest will come as we have opportunity. I will be offline after tonight for a few days at least. I pray that you and yours have a lovely Thanksgiving. We do have much to be thankful for! Blessings, Catherine Wishing I had more time to post here to ya'llWe are living here in Linden, or should I say south of Linden. Its beautiful here in fall but boy it sure feels more like winter already. Tonights low is 15 and we have been 2 weeks with no furnace due to the electrical fire in it . We have rented a 14x60 2 bedroom 2 bath. Now imagine me trying to sort through all the stuff that we brought with us from our 2200 sq ft house, after getting rid of half of it. We only brought our beds and my sewing stuff and my soap stuff and my homeschool stuff, crib, changing table, porta crib, high chair, fold up tables and 2 folding chairs, 2 bins of toys that were left of the girls ( baby dolls and tea set, little people house and farm, noahs ark and play set.) All the bathroom, kithen stuff and what food I could bring with us. I am sorta set on baking supplies for a month maybe less and it seems that I only run low on milk and meat, potatoes and those things that come from a garden. Since we were moving we didnt really plant a huge garden as we wouldnt be there to can things. We left for TN Aug. 2nd. I did have meat in the freezer but it was not able to travel down with us , what I tried to bring spoiled on the way down though packed good. Yes I brought my electric sewing machine and serger and vacume and our computers. ( 2 desktops and one laptop with wifi capabilities) Well the point is we thought we were coming down with less and yet in the RV and in this smaller home it seems like alot of stuff. So what is really needed anyways ? Well as I sort through it all much is going in boxes to be sold. To raise money for other needed things. ie. land, cabin or small home, wood cookstove. After all that was the idea, to move here and eventually get land and homestead more then we had been in NY. Somehow living the countrylife no longer seems like homesteading once you have visited many here that life off the grid and have built their own home, rustic as they are, they are home and boy they seem nice to me. What is life all about anyways ? Was it about nice rooms with painted and papered walls ? Was it about having a nice bathroom with all the fixtures and such ? No, it is nice to see an outhouse now with paper holder, a light in there and ya know what ? copies of countryside and a real toiet seat !!!! Fancy huh !!!! Some here have solar, some are living no electric substitute at all and each encourages us to strive toward whatever the Lord tells us is for us to do and each gives "My use to be DH who said we will never go non-electric and we will never live like the Amish" A new vision for our lives. The first goal was to live on what money we do have or can make and live on less or with less. Unless it can make you more money or serves a purpose that is useful, it has no real value here. ( I will admit I have my country tins, crock, and rooster things with me, but they serve a purpose too. My rose bowl and pitcher and my tea set will be used not just sit on a shelf for looks anylonger. Here DH has a shed to keep his tools in and we can keep our goats here. All the new ways are blessings and those we meet are the best blessings in our new life here in Linden TN. The likemindedness is in the fact that Jesus died for each of us and though we are each different in our degree of living the life of plain and simple living, we are all sharing the fact that Jesus died for us to save our souls. Wensday night we attended a local sing, the glorious sound of our blended voices while we blend our lives in friendship I am sure is the most wonderful thing to the Lord God. Blessed to be in His Child Love Linda Faithful Acres Homestead
It's giveaway time again! A Christmas Package
I posted once before about all the "free" stuff I receive in the mail from many organizations and charities that I sometimes donate to. Well once again I have an abundance of items that I will not be using. This times it's Christmas cards and gift labels. I am not the type of person that throws ANYTHING away. I always try to find another use for it or another home for things. So I thought with times being the way they are and just yesterday on the blog someone mentioned that they can not afford to buy or mail cards this year, I thought I would offer a package that may be helpful to someone. I have a package that I have put together that includes the following items.
Sorry I don't have a picture, my camera is still not working, I'm so lost without it too. So if anyone is interested in these items just leave a comment here on my blog. If I should get more than one comment I will draw a winner from the bunch. I will let this ride over the weekend and pull on Monday morning. Hope this is helpful to someone. Prize 3 in the giveaway To you my friends, number 3 in the Milestone giveaway. You can use Sammy the Snowman as an ornament on your tree, or just sit him somewhere sweet.Like I said, I will be choosing a winner this evening around 6:00 pm EST. UNLESS I am still awaiting my little nephew and then it will be as soon as I get home. Have a beautiful day! { Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page } |
; we are in the process of moving into our "new nest". It still isn't really ready for us, but lack of adequate heating in this house and a stove that only broils 
(which doesn't do much for my temper, either), is more than reason enough for us to go on with the move and let my husband deal with whatever must be done in the other house in the next few days. 
