At times I just don’t know

Yesterday we got the thing I’ve been talking about for 3 years.

Chickens.

Patrick built a coop that you would want to live in, if you were a snooty chicken.

They settled in pretty quick and today they explored their mini front yard. Eventually they will be free rangin’ but they’re penned up a bit till they figure out that this is home. The girls fed them earthworms and beetles yesterday and they gobbled up the French Toast leftovers from breakfast

Many thanks to Melissa, Mr. Wonderful and Girl for raising such beautiful ladies. So far they are “thing1″ and “thing2″ but I’m thinking Wanda and Tulula. Patrick shot down Fricasee and Cacciatore.

Saeb took this pic of their bottoms – too cute.

Toots

September 7, 2009. chickens. 4 comments.

I always though that I knew

– and you were laughing along

We had several mini projects/distractions over the summer. Early in August friends of ours were raising Monarch caterpillars – they do this every year – this year it was crazy! They have a friend who also raises them and he was going to be out of time when all the chrysalises were ready to hatch.

So, our crazy friends took over 200, amazingly jewel like, jade and gold chrysalises and hung them all over their mantlepice, bookcases and anything else with an edge.

We were lucky enough to come home with 4. We hung them outside so the butterflies would be able to fly free when they were ready and we waited.

2 days later some began to lose their jade color and they seemed to darken to black until we realized that the shell had actually become clear and the dark color we were seeing was the butterfly itself, ready to emerge. It was all pretty cool.

It was really cool to see them climb out of their little sleeping bags, their wings all crumpled up and short and their bodies short and fat as well, and to watch them slowly pump all the extra fluid from their bodies out into their wings.

They each took about 24 hours from hatching to fluttering away and we had 4 females. The males have a little black spot on their back set of wings and none of ours had that.

Hope you had a couple fluttery moments of excitement and new beginnings this summer! For more info on Monarchs you can go here. Enjoy.

Toots

September 2, 2009. Uncategorized. 6 comments.

Call my name, or walk on by

– Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Sorry, I sorta dissappeared on ya there for awhile

I’ll try to catch you up in small installments.

I made (and am teaching) crochet socks this fall.

I made (and am teaching {and am selling the pattern for[ Rav link]}) awesome slippers.

I got AWESOME mugs! See Malea, they DO match my kitchen.

Really so much happened in the last 2 months its still kind of a blur. Just wanted to pop something up to let you know that I’m still here. More soon.

toots

September 1, 2009. Uncategorized. 5 comments.

You go with your two feet bare

– Drawn to the fragile legs you walk on

So, I punctured my foot on Friday. Stepped on a garden rake, went almost all the way through my foot, ball of my foot, between the big toe and next. No major damage but major enough pain. I’m pretty much stuck in bed, I can’t quite walk on it yet, though I can drive short distances, and if the foot is below heart level for more than 10 minutes she swells like a puffer fish and throbs like you can’t believe.

Small things make me happy, like these awsome mugs that my SiL Jamie made for our anniversary.

They fit perfect in my hand. I love them.

Toots

July 13, 2009. clay, crazy, family, healing, presents. 12 comments.

Drawing lines above my head

– But the fan keeps spinning over me

Life has been SO busy here the last few months, well its been busy for my hands. I have not been without a hook or needles in my hands in weeks, and there doesn’t seem to be an end to it anytime soon – not that I’m complaining.

I have a series of crochet workshops at WEBS this summer, plus a year long blanket class, my summer run of Crochet 1 and a 6 week tutoring session, and all the samples needed to be done by early May, to be put on display in the store, photographed for the website, and available so potential students could see what they’d be making. Then it was time to start on the samples for Fall classes!

Somewhere in there my kids finished up school, I attended 2 baby showers – with gifts that HAD to be handmade, my sister’s 30th birthday party with her handmade gift, my 13th anniversary slipped by, I participated in a hotpad/potholder swap ( I needed 5 – I made 12), weekly trips to the farmers market started, we got to meet the 2 chickens that will come home with us sometime this month, jam making, pickle making and I was asked to take over the Friday afternoon drop-ins at WEBS.

Just to see how high I could pile it, I wrote 2 patterns. This one from last week and one more. The potholders that I did up for that swap were my own creation, based on a inspiration pic I’ve had for a couple years, and now you can make your own. The pattern is up in my Etsy shop – have at it

Toots

July 9, 2009. Etsy shop, baby, birthday, chickens, classes, crochet, family, knitting, patterns, presents, school, socks, stuff we make, swap. 4 comments.

I am a poor wayfaring stranger

– I’m just a going over home

I want one.

No wonder she’s angry – she’s got a yarn shop full of crappy acrylics.

Toots

July 4, 2009. crazy. 1 comment.

It’s easier to run and harder to be still

– When I’m tired

How many of you can reach for a snack from where you are sitting?

What is that outside my computer window?

Are those the black raspberries I have been patiently waiting for?

Why yes, yes they are!

Hello delicious, conveniently located healthy snack!

om, nom, nom

I relish the thought of the pies to come.

Toots

July 3, 2009. Tags: berry, black raspberry, snack. crazy, gardening, willingly. 2 comments.

Don’t stop till you get enough!

– Lovely Where We’re At

I’ve been makin’ coasters – and now you can too! you can buy the pattern or you can buy some of mine. Either way, stop by the Etsy shop to pick out your goodies!

I promise a return to actual, regular blogging in July. Be well my little chickadees!

Toots

June 30, 2009. Etsy shop, crochet, patterns, stuff we make. 2 comments.

The smile on your face I live only to see

– Lay here and watch the trees sway

How to have my Tuesday in 7 simple steps.

1:Wrangle with your insurance company and that of the other party involved over the fault of the rear-ending that you experienced 5 months ago and finally get them to come to the conclusion that it WAS NOT your fault and that you can now get your car fixed.

2:Drop your car off at the body shop which also has a rental place and drive off in a spiffy PT Cruiser.

3: Get a job teaching at WEBS so you meet awesome people who will bring you fresh Hadley Grass from their garden for NO reason, out of the blue, while you are happiily crocheting away at Drop-in. Thank you Joyce!!

4: When you get home from work with the kids marinate the asparagus with some chives and oregano from your garden and a bit of the real balsamic vinegar that your sister brought snuck back from Italy almost 2 years ago that you totally hoard.

5: Fire up the grill and get it ready for some steaks and the super yummy asparagus.

6: Counsel, comfort and bandage your almost 7 year-old after she shatters the glass on your garage side door and scares the SH!T out of herself, her sister and you. (Breathe a sigh of relief when you clean up the Van Gogh worthy amounts of blood from the side of her face and ear and you only find superficial cuts. *sigh*)

7: Clean it all up and be ready to sit down to a delicious meal just as the hubby pulls in.

You could probably get away with steps 4, 5 and 7, or you could make up your own, but that would be simple and easy. The best things in life are more enjoyable if you toss in some drama, and a full belly.