Sunday sick day

O was running a mild fever this morning so she and I stayed home from church. While she watched The Magic School Bus, I got a job done in the kitchen. I canned mustard. It's easy, and it saves us both money and space to buy it in bulk. We just don't go through it fast enough to keep that giant tub in the fridge. I read online about re-canning it. It's a simple process using a water bath canner. I followed the directions from here. I used 2 of the big tubs from Sam's and got 23 half-pint jars. Now, we just have a little jar in the fridge instead of the big, honkin' jar taking up all the space.

Organized patterns

     All of my paper patterns are organized and in their new place. They have been stored in different parts of the house in the past. In the old house, there just was no good space. Moving to a new house has given me space, and I have been trying to use it wisely.  I have about 420 patterns, not all of them are paper. Some are digital, but as I print out the relevant parts they get stored like the paper patterns. Each pattern in in a 9" x 12" manila envelope labelled with the name and number of the pattern. The big envelope allows me to keep all the pieces together without having to refold them into the tiny rectangle to go back in the original envelope. I also put in tracings I make of the pattern when I make the pattern multiple times. Some are quite bulky. All the patterns fit into 8 cardboard bankers boxes that are up on my closet shelf. It makes me quite happy to see them so neatly organized.

     I picked up my sewing machine today. It was dropped off for service on December 30 with an expected wait of 2 to 3 weeks. I love People, Places, and Quilts! Their repairs are always fast, they don't mind all my kids touching everything (the big ones just sit and read), and all the employees recognize me. Several of them know me and the kids by name. Whenever possible, I will give my money to friendly, local people with good service.

2014

I sewed many things this year and only wrote about a couple. Sad, but completing them was more important than blogging about them. I want to do better this year.

Fabric out was 46.84 yards, a bit more than double fabric in. Yay! The year to beat for fabric usage is last year with 62.11 yards out. That included a giant project left over from years ago. This year I would like to keep sewing stash. It is easy enough to use the stash when I am sewing smaller or scrappy projects. It is harder to sew bigger, coordinated projects because my fabric is from all over the place. So much fabric, but it's an uncoordinated mess. I've already got 12 yards ripped up to make another rag rug. That uses up the less desirable or questionable quality fabric.

I also went through my pattern stash. A few got pulled for the trash, but I still have plenty. I've sewed 18% of the patterns at least once. I would like to get that number up to 20% (85 patterns). I need to stop sewing the same things and try new patterns.

My machine is in the shop getting a tune up. I have 2 new patterns cut out and ready to go. One of them is a purse that H wants to make. I bought the pattern and fabric for her Christmas present and said we could work on it together using her machine.

Finishing up

     I finally finished an embroidery project that I bought late 2012. It's a Christmas piece from PPQ that I pretty much only worked on while sitting in the dentist and orthodontist offices. I will post a picture as soon as I take one. I am planning on making it into a pillow for the sofa this Christmas. The DMC colors are 469, 972, 498, 166, 890, and a dark brown which number is lost.

    I also finished up my yo-yo's using fabric from a charm pack I bought a few years ago at PPQ. The fabric is cute and colorful. I want to use them to make a decorative pillow. My charm pack included most of the fabric in this picture.

From Projects

I hate allergies

Let the ranting begin!

I hate allergies. I have a few allergies, mostly medicines. Aspirin, all the -cillin drugs, all the -mycin drugs, ambien, and a couple I don't remember off the top of my head. I also seem to have a gluten problem that probably led to my anemia. And the nightshade veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant) make my hands swell and joints ache.

A few years ago, L developed a severe shellfish allergy. Fine. That's easy to handle, though, after giving up our shrimp and crab legs. We have to avoid some restaurants and carry an epipen, but otherwise it isn't such a bad deal. She's also highly allergic to rabbits, so no bunnies for us either. Many people around here raise and sell them.

Then, J started having problems being around cats. Once at my in-laws his face starting swelling so bad we went to the ER. Just avoid cats they said. That's ok. We really just wanted dogs when we moved to our property anyway. Dogs for fun and for protection. So we got one. J then proceeded to have another severe reaction. Eight hours and much benadryl later, we gave away the dog. The kids were miserable and cried for a good bit. Charlie and I were pretty upset to give up our dreams of a nice little home in the country with a couple of dogs.

Well, at least we still have the bees and maybe some chickens later.

Last night Charlie and J went to the old house to bring the bees here to the new house. Charlie texted me to get some clay ready because they each got stung. No biggie, it's happened before. A paste of bentonite clay or my homemade calamine-like lotion works wonders. Except when it doesn't. J started swelling and hives started appearing everywhere. Another trip to the ER and another epipen. So the bees had to go. The kids are upset again because we like the honey. I like the beeswax for crafting. I feel bad because it was Charlie's thing more than mine, another potential way to make a few extra bucks is gone, and now I have to buy my own honey and beeswax. Grrrrr

I'm going to make all the kids pet, feed, and play with a friend's chickens before getting our own. Please, please, please don't let them be allergic to chickens!

100 Days of Exercise: Day 23

After finishing grades for the year, I exercised.

20 swings
12 dead lifts
15 squats
20 side pulls each side
10 squats with high pull
0 reverse lunges

Hopefully, after the move I will get back into sewing.

100 Days of Exercise: Days 17-22

Wow. I've been slack on the blogging. Kind of slack on the exercising, too. I have exercised infrequently. These are a few of the dates I recorded.

4/2/14 1.02 miles walked around BiLo shopping center

4/3/14 1.18 miles walked around Briarwood during SHEEP, walking for speed

4/23/14 0.72 miles walked to gas station with J. Only included because I'm proud of myself for not driving.

4/24/14 2.1 miles walked around Briarwood during SHEEP, walking for speed

4/27/14 2.72 miles walked during walk/run ministry

5/4/14 2 miles walked on trail with family

Prayers of a six year old

Usually we eat leftovers and fend for ourselves at lunch. All at the same general time, but usually not all sitting down to begin at the same time. Sometimes we say a blessing for all, especially if one of the big kids or I get ready first. Other times we say individual blessings. If we notice someone praying we are quiet and respectful. Enough back story.

Blessings said by a six year old boy are comic gold.

Today Isaiah just wanted a leftover hot dog, straight from the fridge with ketchup. (Eww) He started blessing. At the end we could hear "... And please destroy all the bad guys." Then he looks up and asked if we all noticed he prayed for God to get the bad guys. Of course we did. Giggle fits from some of the girls.

Most of his prayers in fact call for some sort of destruction for those who don't love God or Jesus. Hellfire and brimstone, that's my boy.

100 Days of exercise: day 16

Today I held a plank for 1 minute. It's a start.

I did the KB workout again. I'm still trying to build up to the recommended amount.
30 KB swings
30 KB dead lifts

10 donkey kicks with each leg

100 Days of exericse: days 14 and 15

Sunday 3/23 I walked with the Walk/Run ministry at church again. The weather was great, and I walked 2.34 miles. My pace was slow because I walked with the flower-picking stragglers.

Today, 3/24, I did the KB workout again.
30swings
30deadlifts
7 squats

100 days of exercise: day 13

I did the 10 minute KB workout again. This time I wanted to do some of all the exercises instead of all of a few. I'm going to build up to the recommended 30 reps of each one.

27 swings
13 dead lifts
20 squats
20 side pulls each side
0 squats with high pull
0 reverse lunges

100 days of exercise: Days 11 and 12

I did not do very much concentrated exercises in the past month. I hate cold weather. Cold, rainy weather is even worse. It seems like it has been cold and/or wet for so long. Yuck. I have been doing 1 or 2 planks each day, holding as long as possible each time. I've also been doing chin-ups. By chin-ups I mean hanging from the chin-up bar and trying to pull up as much as I can. Funny.

Yesterday, I finally got back into the walk/run group at church. I walked 2.6 miles with an average pace of 19.34. Finally below 20 minutes. Yay!

Today I started a 10 minute kettle bell workout for busy moms. I managed 30 KB swings and 30 KB dead lifts.

Sick, sick, sick with a little sewing

     Ugh. I have been sick for the past several days. Just a head cold, but I've been wiped out. I sleep when I'm sick. It's a good thing my kids are older and reasonably helpful. The only problem was our usual Thursday home school co-op SHEEP classes. All the kids take something. There is actually very little overlapping of classes, so I'm there most of the day. The kids come and go in 50 minute intervals. There was no way I could get there by 9 and stay until 2. Charlie came home from work at 8 and shuffled them around while I slept. I am finally feeling like I'm winning the battle today.

     Enough about that. I did some sewing for I's birthday that will get it's own post later. I started sewing for O's birthday then got sick. Honestly, though, all I was able to do was pick out her patterns and fabric. I started that sewing today. Hopefully, I will get that all sewn up quickly.

     We also have a little friend turning 4 who needed a little gift. L and I had a cape already cut out for another boy, so we decided to take the easy route and use that cape for our friend. It is the same cape pattern that L and I made for the little two a few years ago at Christmas. I got the pattern from The Long Thread and changed it up a bit. We used fleece for softness and simplicity. No finishing edges and all that mess. Cut and attach velcro. Easy-peasy. I also used up 2/3 yd of stash fabric.

     Here are pictures of my sweet little I modeling it for us.

By the front door

Action shot

More action

Back view

Sorry that the pics are a bit blurry. I used my cell phone. I just wanted to be able to get pictures here to show what I do with all my free time.

100 Days of Exercise: Days 9 & 10

Wed., 2/5/14 I did some miscellaneous stuff just to move again.
5 minute core exercise
34 second plank (I'm so weak)
.4 mi walk around (close to dark)

Today, 2/6/14 I walked 2.08 miles with J on the walking trail by our house. It was a good time. I do not like walking alone, and J is always happy to walk with me. I also managed to hold a plank for a full minute.

100 Days of Exercise: Day 8

Today, I just wanted to move around and do something. It's late and I'm tired, but I want to do something.

3 deep squats, rising back up with no help
10 side stretches each side
2 straight minutes of twisting
12 floor to ground medicine ball lifts
12 medicine ball tosses

100 Days of Exercise: Day 7

I finally started moving again. I walked the usual 2.3 miles that I walk with the church run walk ministry. I try to go every week even though the official meetings are every other week. I just haven't gone anywhere because it has been so cold here. It was back up to 70, though, today. Glorious!

I want to stop being last, dead last, every time we walk. Charlie says any walking is good but I want to improve.

Doing some cooking

I have been trying to do some cooking. I want to post my favorites and things that I do to save money for my family.

My kids like to eat crepes. I have a sourdough recipe that I usually make for them. I'm eating gluten-free right now. I hope to be able to eat gluten again, but for now I don't. The recipe I used came from Gnowfglins, a whole food, prepper blog.

Sourdough starter, eggs, melted butter, and a splash of milk is all it takes. I make them one at a time in my cast iron skillet so it is a bit time consuming, especially with the kids at my elbows waiting for me to pull one off! Tonight I doubled it with plans to freeze them. I started after dinner so nobody was hungry. I like to flash freeze food to keep it from sticking in the package. I stacked the crepes with parchment paper between them. The paper was an odd size so I cut it into rough circles to fit into the bag in the freezer. Hopefully, they will last longer in the freezer. The kids can pull a couple out for a meal instead of eating them all just because they are there.

I can't wait to see how well they reheat. I plan on just heating them in the same cast iron pan I cooked them in tonight. And, because I am trying to put pictures in my posts I took a picture of the nicely stacked crepes waiting to go in the freezer.

From Family '14

100 Days of Exercise: Day 6

I have not felt like exercising in a bit. Way too cold!

I did some moving around tonight while waiting to pick up E from her babysitting gig.

I did a minute each of the cat pose, hundreds, single-leg stretches, high and low scissors, and ab curl toe tap. I picked some core exercises to do. I also threw in a minute of KB swings.

100 Days of Exercise: Days 4 and 5

Sunday, Jan. 12, I walked 2.2 miles with the Run-Walk ministry at our church. It's very low key, and usually it's a lot of fun. There are serious runners and serious non-runners. That would be me. I hang out in the back. The kids usually go and run, walk, or pick dandelions.

Today, I did several exercises:
30 jumping jacks
10 kettle bell single arm rows with each arm
4 steps up using a knee-high bench
10 squats
20 kettle bell swings

100 Days of Exercise: Days 2 and 3

Sometimes I exercise late at night when the kids are sleeping (no witness of my weakness), so I forget to enter the info. I need to find a way to get all the dates entered.

Sun., 1/5/14 
More kettle bell exercises. I'm working up to a full minute of basic swings.

Wed., 1/8/14
Up and down steps. No weights.
30 jumping jacks
10 crunches
Tried to hang from the chin-up bar.

Walking and running start back up Sunday. That will count. I usually go for a walk on Thursdays when the kids are in their co-op classes. Depends on how cold it is tomorrow.

97 more days to go.