Lots On My Mind

First, I have decided to take the plunge and tackle one of the things on my "bucket list" now...well, not now, as in right this minute but now as in sometime this week. I went and bought a book on how to quilt and since I already had some squares that I bought on Ebay, I think I'm going to make a throw for my youngest. She's pretty forgiving if things don't turn out perfect, and she's kinda outgrown her "barney".

Her "barney" is a toddler sized comforter with Barney on it that is well-worn and well-loved. When she was very little, "My barney" referred to the actual blanket, not who was on it. The color purple was also "barney", as were purple paint chips in the store. We used to find them everywhere in our house because every time we went to a store that had paint, she wanted some "barneys".

The youngest loves the size of her "barney", but has outgrown the material. Barney just isn't cool for an 11 year old. So, I think it's time for something new and comfy and definitely more cool. ;) The squares that I have are bright oranges and pinks and greens, very girly and very cute! Nothing fancy for the first one, despite the wild ideas I got from going through the book, a simple square pattern. I will post a pic when I get it done.

My other endeavor this next week is to paint my living room and dining room. I'm going to try doing something with texture to cover the major imperfections, and try to save some money. I'll definitely post pics of the progress on this huge project! My mom gave me 5 gallons of a tan-beige-sandy type color, which will really brighten up the room. It's a dark wood paneling now, and since we keep the curtains drawn to cut down on the heating/cooling bill, it can use some lightening up! The hubby will be gone, so it's the perfect time to do this.

Now something fun....tea. I forgot how much I love tea. Here in the South we usually have our tea iced and in a glass, but I like mine hot and in a mug also. My mother-in-law and I had tea over the Christmas holidays and it was a wonderful experience. I got my grandmother's tea pot out of the china hutch and we had "High Tea" even though with all of the events of the day it was almost supper time. We had Biscotti that Mom brought to share and discussed all kinds of topics like faith, family, and travel. It was a great way to unwind from the activities of the day/season and really made me appreciate our relationship again.

I gave my youngest a porcelain tea set that I found on sale at a local book store. It came with rhymes and poems about tea. One in particular I really enjoyed.

A Cup of Tea

When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its fragrance,

There is solace in its taste;

And the laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!

There's beauty as you'll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup of tea.

-Traditional

Isn't that a lovely sentiment that there is peace and solace lying at the bottom of a tea cup?

The final topic for now is how blessed I feel in my life. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. We have our problems just like any normal family. Money is always a concern, but we always manage to find a way through to the tunnel, and so far the light wasn't attached to a train. ;) I have a wonderful loving husband, and the fact that he loves me so much makes up for the little things that tend to get under my skin. I have great children. We have a small place out in the country, where we can find peace and quiet. Through it all, I have been truly blessed!

Happy New Year, everyone! May you all find your own kind of peace this year!

Free

Free...it's one of my favorite words. We have received quite a few things recently "free". Basically, we let our friends and family know that if anything is going to be given away, we might be interested.

In the last couple of weeks, we've gotten a 11 foot x 14 foot rug. The people who originally bought it paid about $2200 for it on sale. The best part about it is that the rug actually matches the colors that I'm doing in the livingroom.

I also got several loads of mulch for the flower bed free, courtesy of our county. It was a great early Christmas gift, especially since part of it was ground up cedar and it just made everything smell wonderfully! I'm thinking about calling them and letting them know that if they ever need to dump more, I'd be willing to take it!

Our barn was basically free. We had to buy a few 2x4's, some screws, and a couple of other odds and ends, but other than that it was all donated material.

Yes, free is one of my favorite words!

My Bucket List

I've seen the previews for a movie called "The Bucket List" (I think) with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The basic concept is these two old guys have a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. It got me to thinking, even though I'm still young what is my bucket list?
So, here goes....in no particular order

1. Travel outside of the US (anywhere as long as it's not here!)
2. Travel to Ireland
3. travel to Australia
4. see the Great Wall of China
5. Go to Germany on a genealogy trip
6. go fossil hunting
7. go on an archaeological dig
8. go to the grand canyon
9. go to Washington DC
10. go back to Disney World
11. go to Montana
12. have a white Christmas in a cabin in the mountains
13. go scuba diving in the ocean
14. swim with dolphins, preferably in the wild
15. see a bear and elk in the wild...not up close mind you! Thru binoculars would be fine.
16. learn to quilt
17. learn to fly a plane
18. see California
19. see cave writings/ rock art
20. volunteer at a living history farm

That's all I can think of for now. What's your bucket list?

Adrenaline Crash

I have been running on pure adrenaline the last couple of weeks, trying to make Christmas perfect for everyone, that the last couple of days I can barely move. I've slept late, stayed in my robe all day, and haven't done much more than keeping the kitchen straightened up.

The youngest has a head cold, so that's been a good excuse not to have to go anywhere.

I've been debating about something. I put an application for a job, and ever since then, I've been wondering if it's the right thing to do. I'm not sure if my debating is me trying to let myself down easy in case I don't get it or if I'm really torn about the whole thing. The money would be nice, and the benefits are good. The kids are going back to public school next year, so we'd only have a few more months of worrying about that. I'm just not sure if I want it or not. I do but I don't...does that make sense? It is going to be a huge inconvenience for the family in the beginning, because I'll be gone a lot for training. I may be worrying for nothing, because they're supposedly going to have the position filled by Jan. 15th and I haven't been called for an interview yet.

All God's Creatures, Great and Small

Our latest adventure on the farm is a sick chicken. My youngest and my mother-in-law discovered her lying in the chicken pen. The other chickens were attacking her. My mother-in-law (the self-professed "city girl") rushes in to protect her until I can get there. It didn't look good for the poor soul, but the looks on the two hero's faces sets me to action. I ask Mom if she can hand her out to me, as the poor hen was in a difficult spot. Mom gives me this "you've got to be kidding" look, but with sheer determination, picks her up and hands her to me over the fence.

I took the poor thing into the kitchen where I mix up some antibiotic water and literally spoon feed the mixture to the hen. I've never force fed a chicken before, nor have I seen it done, but we managed just the same. I added a little sugar to the mixture, and in short time she's a little perkier. My youngest heats some left-over mashed potatoes in the microwave and the hen really perks up. She manages to stand and eat most of the potatoes. Mom and the youngest were on chicken guard duty while I went and prepared a cage.

We set her up in isolation in our mud room in a wire cage with table scraps and medicated water. She did ok for a couple of days, when back down she goes. By this time all of the extended family had gone back home. I sit most of the day yesterday with her wrapped in a towel in my lap, spoon feeding her sugar/ medicated water. She is now living in the kitchen in our make-shift brooder with a small space heater, table scraps and medicated sugar water. She's standing on her own two feet, has managed to eat a bit and is very interested in the water.

I'll keep you updated on her progress.

Christmas is over....

...and we survived! The kids woke up about 5:30. The got all the grandparents up before they came to knock on our door. The hubby put them off to about 6 a.m., but then we went ahead and got up. The hubby wanted to slow the present opening down just a bit, so that we could get pictures of everyone, so it was a good thing we got up that early. We just finished breakfast and got the turkey on when more family started to arrive. All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas, as I knew it would be.
The homemade gifts were a big hit. I don't think my daughter has put the doll down since she opened it. The ponchos were oohed and ahhed over as well. My mother-in-law got me a box of horseshoes for the hubby to make things out of. One of the things she put on the card was a beautiful cross, so I think that's the first one I'm going to ask for.
The family has now all left, most of the mess is cleaned up. And there's now time to breathe again! I hope everyone else's Christmas was just as wonderful as ours!

Look at my dolly

This is going to be a quick post. I still have a lot of little things to get done today before family gets here.

I wanted to post a picture of the doll that I crocheted for my youngest.

I haven't given her a name yet. I thought I'd leave that to her new mommy. ; )

The hubby just called, asking if I've started on my list of to-do's. He said that he saw the cutest sign. A clean house is a sign of a broken computer. Ain't it so, ain't it so! ; )

I think I might start making dolls. I've seen some of the cutest little things, and apparently there is a book available. Too bad my girls are outgrowing toys. I could still make one or two for them to put on their shelves. My youngest and my mother-in-law collect dolls. After Christmas, I may just have to check out that book!

Well, I really need to go get things done! It would be a shame for all that work over the last couple of weeks go to waste just because I can't get motivated today!

Merry Christmas everyone!