Preparing for tomorrow...

Friday evening has arrived, and it seems as though the work has just begun.  The start to our holiday gifting season hits "GO" tomorrow.  And this fact is made very obvious by the current state of my house.

I arrived home, groceries in hand, only to toss the frozen pizzas to my eagering awaiting husband, so he could begin our "dinner".  Then once any other warm bodies had cleaned out of the kitchen, I was up and moving.  Pizza out, cookies in, quiche in, cookies out, more quiche in...frankly, at this point, I just hope I got the temperatures right....  it all looks OK....I guess...;)

But either way, it is all in process...

But right now, as dishes are covering the counter and cookies are once again in the oven, I am taking a break.  I have three crochet projects in the wings and a cat guarding them all ;) 

And yes, that is the orange soon-to-be blanket of my son...and it is looking like a grannie square...but, someday, it will grow up to be a real blanket!

Wishing everyone a wonderful start to the weekend... :)

Friday morning....

Well, we got here.  It is finally Friday morning.

It was the first full week of school for the kids....starting the year with a week of 3 days, then a week of 4, warming up to this week.  School definitely in session.

And with school, comes our new routine.  And we are beginning to settle into it.  The mornings go by fast....getting up early to work from home, then breakfast for the husband before he runs out the door, followed by caring for the chickens and the cats.  At 6:15 am, bright and early, I am rousing the kids with a wake up call, as we leave for school an hour later.  Come 9am, I am settling in to the office, having already been up for 6 hours, and ready for yet another cup of coffee. 

This is oddly comfortable.

What is missing, however, is time in the garden.  I am a mix of emotions as we work to close down the garden...sad that summer as passed and the cool weather is rushing in, but content in knowing the harvest is nearly done.  The freezer and pantry (although small) are close to bursting with frozen and canned goods from the garden's bounty, and I am welcoming the break.  Only a few crops are still left out - mainly the rest of the butternut squash, pumpkins, a few late edamame plants, and the sweet potatoes.  Many of these will be coming out in the next few days.

I have been spending much for time crafting, as you may have noticed from past posts....crochet has caught my attention again, and while I wish I could knit with the best of them....I can't deny that I love the ease of handling only one needle at a time.  And there are very few things better than having cozy family time indoors crocheting a warm gift for another, while the brisk, and often rainy, weather carries on out of doors.

And I feel more prepared for this coming winter than last.  This will be our second winter with the chickens, and we have made some good decisions to handle it well.  The coup built by the husband is holding strong, and we have downsized from a count in the 20's last winter, to only 16 feathered ladies this time around.  Everyone fits in the large coop together, and we have the heated mat, heat lamp, and heated water dish ready for the frosty weather.  That being said, I do so hope that such temperatures are still far off.

But, for now....it is time to continue on with this morning.  Chickens, cats, kids....here we go again ;)

Something a bit cozy....

Yarn Along with Ginny today....

I am continuing to practice my knitting....and have been making some some movement in a positive direction....but in the meantime, I need something else to work on.

That's where the slippers come in.  Late last week, I was working on some socks, and finally finished one of the pair....but was not happy with the fit.  The heel would just not work for me.  And instead of ripping it out again, I moved on to slippers.

In my mind, they will be of a Mary Jane design, but at the moment, I only have one sole in place.  I have high hopes that these will bring some coziness to the crisp Fall weather that is speeding towards us.

On the reading front, I have been very lucky to receive a loaner copy of Jim Butcher's Ghost Story.  It is the next in the Dresden stories, and I am loving it!  It is great to have something fun to read.

On the fiber front, I have also been reading "Knitting for Dummies", which sounds horrid, but has been very helpful in learning the basic knit and purl stitches.  I am entertaining the idea of finding a local knitting class for this fall, to assist in this learning process.  Can't have too much help :)

Well, that is all for now....Happy Wednesday everyone!

A new project...

Yarning Along with Ginny today....

So, I finished my shawl...but, as you can see by the picture, it is a better fit for my seven year old then for me...

Feeling a bit let down, I thought I would get crazy and to relearn knitting. Sounds simple, right?

Well, not so much... I will keep y'all posted, but right now...well, it ain't pretty....

A jam-packed rainy day...

For such a rainy day, it was a great day for homesteading!

I finally fulfilled my summer urge to start making more of my own wearables....and in a little bit of time, I will have a colorful & warm shawl to welcome the fall with. 

And the start of this adventure was made even more fun with the company of a good friend, who seems to have a bit of a homesteading soul in her....Soon, we shall be having our own crocketing gatherings, as our spouses gather together to drink and watch football, and our children race through our respective houses. 

And, to make it even better, my daughter is currently hard at work, crocheting a blanket for her American Girl dolls.

The evening was brought to a near close with the accomplishment of my summer goal - to finally CAN something!  There are now four pint jars of sweet pickle relish cooling on the kitchen counter.  'Course, I don't like pickles, or relish...but I am sure I can find someone who does! 

Next up will be Apple Butter...which oddly, doesn't have any butter in it...but is crazy good!  For that, I just can't wait :)

It was a good day...a jam-packed day...and a great day for homesteading!