“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder
Like a good Mainer, I just love LL Bean's Boat and Tote bags, particularly for grocery shopping. I wanted more, but am cheap. I used some thicker fabric to make some thicker bags, a set of 6. I tried to make them wide, short and sturdy for all the groceries. They're working great! Nice to make something for me.
One week ago, the garden looked like this:
Tonight it looked like this: 
Here are a sampling of pics from the garden as of late. Most frequent visitors are Zippy and Anna-Kate. Adrian shows up to complain about my nonsense. Audra avoids the garden lately, that way she doesn't get roped into helping! Along with the growing bit is the putting away of the food for winter. I've been working very hard at that.
Audra requested a Mediterranean Feast for her birthday. She got homemade pitas, Lebanese 7 spice chicken, tomato/cuke/feta salad and then tzatziki and hummus. And fruit salad.
Plus sprite with raspberry sorbet fizzy drinks.
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11.5, 11, 10 and a HALF, TEN, Nine and a HALF, Nine, Eight and a HALF, Eight,Seven and a HALF, Seven ,Six and a half, Six ,Five, 4 1/2, Here's 4 , 3 1/2, 3 years, 2 1/2 years, 2 years 18 months, 12 months, 9 months? 6 months? 3 months? Just being born
Happy 12th Birthday, Audra!
You're my resident crafter. I enjoy seeing the things you're making. You pick something new to focus on every now and then, then mass produce, before leaving it for a bit to try something out. Then you loop back around to an old activity when you decide. Lately you're working on beading and knotting friendship bracelets. Combining knots and beads, you've made some unique designs. You stitched a beautiful dress that looks lovely on you. You've looped back to crochet. You've done a lot of weaving, although it seems like you've taken a pause on that. You've soared at rug hooking and dabbled in candle making. Plus you enjoy drawing faces lately.
You're always on the go, often upside down. Swimming is your favorite. You enjoy being upside down in the pool, ocean, on land and on the swings. You run out to the livestock multiple times a day. All the livestock have names (although do some of the names change? or maybe I can't keep track). You are most at home with animals.
You love to be a friend to others and to serve others. You delight in sharing flowers, food, homemade gifts. You make treats for the shelter animals and your own.
Your appetite is hearty for your preferred foods and prefer to not see novel choices. Literally, you don't want to see it. If you close your eyes and try it anyway, 9/10 times you enjoy different foods. Eggs are definitely your favorites.
You're improving on your sleep, you're doing more self care activities without reminders. You hope you'll conquer keeping your room tidy. You work harder than most, everyday you try.
Audiobooks and being read to are the most organizing activities you do. You'd be thrilled to have some sort of audio blaring 24/7. Silence is undesirable.
You're learning and growing everyday and I am so proud of the leaps you've accomplished over the last year. Here's to a new year!
Love, Mama
I didn't expect to host this month's Homemaker's meeting and considered canceling. But then I thought of my lack of flower pressing the last couple of years. Decided that hosting a flower pressing workshop would guarantee many of us to get a few things pressed. We had a lovely time. My presses (that my dad made me) are packed now! Thank you, friends!
Our 4-H club, Audra and I worked together to make 45ish cat mats for one animal shelter last year. These are measured to fit exactly the space needed.
We told the one we were fostering for that we did that and she said she'd take 25. Audra and I provided that, plus more! Partial stack below.
For 10 years, I've been meaning to get to this pantry. I wish I took 'before' photos. It was yellowed paint that was foxing and carpeted. I had plastic blue shelves and it was a big dumping ground. Fresh paint, red old floors, back to square one. I am super thrilled with the progress thus far. We still need to fix the light and I want to add shelves over the vintage hooks. I didn't purchase anything to other than the inexpensive shelves for this project. Just shopped around my house. I may purchase something at some point, but I guess I'm going with eclectic vintage farmhouse.
And while I'm add it, the last space I redid that is much more functional than it was.
