born imaginative.

Snow.

Snow. Goodness, we have lots of it.

Let me give you a comparison.

This is the view a couple months ago I'd have from my kitchen door..

This is now.

Animals watching every move I make from this spot. It's really prime time TV, apparently.

Anyway, the drifts are out of control.

But I guess they make great places to 'roost'.

And they give plenty of opportunity to shovel. Which I'm all set with, but this one, he'd keep going.

I guess if you're a dog who likes to dig, you're living in a great state.

Don't know where she's digging to, but keep on keeping on, Kammie.

We're still getting out there, bundled and rosy cheeked, everyday.

But...that doesn't mean I haven't thought about gardening. It really is right around the corner, starting those seedlings.

New Hats.

I'm thinking today might be (another) good day to sport our (new!) hats (knitted by our neighbor) and....

Spend some quality time with those who are most important to us.

Oh, happy is the weekend!

Upcycled: Puppet Wash Cloths to Rice Bags

Let me tell you what I find annoying about me.

I can't stop.

I get so focused and driven that any chance I have with someone who needs me, I pour into the project of choice. The latest big time project was that reupholstered chair. It was really time consuming. That and shoveling snow has been time consuming.

I had meant to make some more rice bags. The cow rice bag pattern I published was a hit. I had wanted to design and make patterns for more animals.

But I've been running out of time, doing that which I mentioned above. But we use rice bags regularly around these parts. I wanted more.

As I was tidying our puppet bin (that was sprawled across multiple rooms-those kids!), I came across these wash cloth puppets that I got in the target dollar bin maybe 10 years ago? I'm likely not exaggerating 10 years ago. Here's a pic of me at work with the duck from 7 1/2 years ago. They have no metal (which is of course important if you're microwaving). I stuffed them with rice, sewed the bottom. Voila. Instant rice bags.

Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, place in your bed and it's toasty warm.

Useful for Maine winters, for sure.

Before-puppets propped on canning jars.

After: Useful rice bags.

I was going to get a picture of my kids sleeping with their fave puppet rice bags. But then, I thought that would wake them. For they don't always sleep at the same time like they are right now. You'll forgive me for skipping those pics, yes?

Now tell me, do you have any puppets at home that you can make into rice bags? I bet you might!

Giveaway! Soaps/Lotions from Cobble Hill Farm

GIVEAWAY!

No kidding, this giveaway is really fab. I'm not just saying this because I'm guessing. I'm saying this because I know. Cobble Hill Farm products are top notch and my family uses many of their products daily. I would recommend their products tenfold.

You can buy some of your own here: http://www.cobblehillfarmhandcrafted.com/

They are providing a generous selection to a lucky reader (United States only at this time). The reader will get all this:

1 - 4oz jar of Coconut Cream Body Butter, 1 - 1oz tube of Lavender Lotion Stick, 1 Citrus Grove Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm, 2 soaps - Love and Winter.

I have tried their balm, body butter, soap and lotion stick. You'll love it all! You have up to five chances to win. Enter below. And do check out here:
http://www.cobblehillfarmhandcrafted.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thrifted. Updates. Randoms. GIVEAWAY!!!!

1) Thrifted.

Melissa and Doug Puzzle. Four miniature baskets (that are regularly used for feeding play horses). Four brand new garden tools for kids. A restoration hardware brand new pickup truck, price tags still on it. A tie. And this pillow. More to tell about this pillow. Grand total: $7.00.

So, the pillow. My little 3 year old never asks for gifts for himself while we're out and about. He always wants to get gifts for his mama, though. If my husband brings him to the store, they almost always come home with flowers or a special treat for me. Not my husband's idea, but my 3 year old's.

Well, he picked this pillow. Carried it around. Was convinced it was perfect for his mama and that I'd love it. It wasn't something I would pick out, but he was so convinced it was perfect for me. I couldn't crush his spirit and refuse.

You know what? Brought it home and placed it on the couch. It really is quite perfect. He knows what he's doing.

You should have seen him beam from ear to ear when I told him I loved it.

And another round.

Boots. Poem and vintage Mother Goose. A wooden box and an extension cord. And more Mother Goose books (we're obsessed), as well as four other best sellers. $4.50.

2) Updates.

We have snow, snow and more snow. Although days are getting longer, it's still dark very early. That's the life in Maine in February.

But, we're making the best of it. We're getting outside. We're making elaborate meals (and desserts!) to warm our bellies. We're using our freezer stash. We're finishing projects, reading books, playing games and giving the sewing machine a workout. We're garden planning and summer dreaming. But not moving so fast that we forget to embrace winter. The pace winter sets is much appreciated.

3) Randoms.

Just a couple pics of my loves on a horse drawn wagon ride. Would have been smart to take a picture of the horses too, huh?

4) GIVEAWAY!

No kidding, this giveaway is really fab. I'm not just saying this because I'm guessing. I'm saying this because I know. Cobble Hill Farm products are top notch and my family uses many of their products daily. I would recommend their products tenfold.

You can buy some of your own here: http://www.cobblehillfarmhandcrafted.com/

They are providing a generous basket to a lucky reader (United States only at this time). The reader will get all this:

Homesteading Where You Are: Raise

This is week six in the:

Week one: Intro
Week two: Make
Week three: Grow
Week four: Preserve
Week five: Save

This week is "Raise".

If you've been around these pages at all, you're well aware my husband and I are raising children-two of them. While I could write you a detailed discourse as to why I choose to raise them living this homesteading life, I think this series of pictures sums up the reasons behind our choices perfectly. These were taken before the snow in late fall, but have not been shared before.

Welcome to serenity, also known as home.

We're thankful our peaceful home is on this farm. But truth be told, we'd find the pace, togetherness and rhythm of being home and living the homesteading life wherever we lived. Animals or no animals, it's not where you live, it's how you spend your time. There's so many gifts of being raised a homesteader. Join in and discover for yourself.

Want to get inspired? Click on these links and you will, I promise.

Daisy, at MapleHill101, currently homesteads with her family in the suburbs of Central Florida. Her vision is to move to a more rural property in North Carolina later this year and continue fostering a self-sufficient lifestyle, which includes chickens, a large garden and a permanent clothesline.

Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as much self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.

Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.

Sue – at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.

Coloring Snow.

Fun in the snow? How about coloring it? I have two peri bottles-one from each birth. I kept filling them up with water and a drop or two of food coloring.