Merry Christmas to All. . .

I'm a very happy girl tonight.  It's Christmas night, and Kaleigh and I have had a perfectly LOVELY Christmas.  We ended up having our family Christmas party at our house--Mom just wasn't ready for that kind of crazy yet--and it turned out very nice. 

My big girl got married on Friday, December 21.  She looked gorgeous.  I wish I could have been there, but I can't dwell on that too much.  Brett and her dad were there, so that's good, I guess.  And Bianca, who spent the day telling her how pretty she looked.  I'm so proud of her. 

I still have a week off work, and I'm going to do some serious purging and organizing.  Maybe a room a day.  Tomorrow is my bathroom.  I really need to pare down the amount of makeup I hoard... I mean keep on my counter.  It's kind of ridick.  I also need to weed out my old yucky towels and maybe I'll go crazy and buy some nice new ones. 

I'm also going to wash my new flannel sheets that my mom (a woman after my heart) got me for Christmas and get my nice, clean, fresh-smelling new ones on my bed.  Yea! 

Last year was the year of embracing the Amie, what will next year be?  What will be different?  What do I want to keep doing?  I've been thinking about this, but the thoughts just roll around.  I can't make them gel.  I guess I still have a few days to think and process my ideas. 

Creative Satisfaction and Being Thankful. . .

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted.  Forgive me.  I have lots to say about Kaleigh and her trials and tribulations, but not today. 

It's the end of Thanksgiving weekend, and my lovely week off from work ( and it was LOVELY!), and I'm ready to get back to my regular life. 

This week didn't really work out the way I intended, I started out by ALLOWING MYSELF to get all stressed about Christmas and what I DON'T have (an unlimited amount of money) instead of what I DO have (a huge stockpile of fabric, quilt tops, yarn and general craft know-how).  I was unhappy that I couldn't go out and shop on Black Friday, of all things.  I do this to myself every year, stress over the gifts and how I can't visit my ducklings, etc., and every year I swear this year will be different.  So I was very disappointed with myself for letting myself do this and not putting a stop to it earlier. This is not what Thanksgiving and Christmas should be about.   

So around Tuesday or so I decided that I needed an attitude adjustment, and I would spend some time in my sewing room making things for presents.  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!  I'm feeling so much better--let me give you a run-down of all that I have piled in front of me here.  I'm not a materialistic person, so I don't know why the holidays stress me this way, but it's stopping now. 

I've already been knitting stockings (smallish ones for my work study students), and I will add spa things to them.  (My idea is fluffy socks, nail polish, bath teas, and maybe some peppermint foot scrub.)  They are pink and sparkly at the top--truly fabulous.  My camera isn't really working right now, I think I need a new battery so I will try to take some pictures tomorrow at work and put them on here then.  The bath teas are already made with herbs--lavender and rosemary--that I dried earlier in the season (with no idea what I would use them for), and sewn into little fabric pocket bags.  You just throw them into the bath and take them out when you are finished. 

I kept knitting the stockings since they are so easy and now I have a whole set for my nieces and nephews to fill with dollar store stuff--they will be thrilled.  

While my mom was sick, I've been working on a quilt for her, it's hearts and snowballs, and it just needs to be quilted, and it's ready.  She swears she's hosting the Christmas Eve party as per usual, so I will have it ready then.  No picture until quilted.

I had already made some fabric alphabet letter sets for my grandchildren, so I will send those out along with a few little other things for them. 

Hillarie requested a Christmas tree skirt in 30's fabrics, so I whipped one up for her with a pink ruffle as requested.  It's truly gorgeous.  I asked daughter in law if she had a nice tree skirt and she said she had a cheap store-bought one, which will never do.  They all (Brett's family, Hillarie's family and Tristan) already have quilted stockings from me from last year, so I am making her a tree skirt with plaids.  The top is done, I just need to quilt it.  This one will be so much easier since it has no ruffle (I HATE RUFFLES!). 

I found a crap-ton of antique quilt blocks that I am really never going to use, and a few other not-so-antique blocks so I decided to make potholders out of them.  They are so cute.  I will give these to my friends, my assistant and my sister, along with some homemade treats that Kaleigh and I like to make and maybe a small cookbook or kitchen towels.   

In addition, I have a bunch of bags that I made from vintage (not sure about the statute of limitations on vintage, I'm using the term more for descriptive purposes) pillowcases that I've found at Goodwill.  They are adorable. 

I promised my oldest grandson a gift card from Barnes & Noble for Christmas after he told me how much he likes to read--far be it for me to argue with that! 

I am also working on knitting some market bags for gifts, but I need to figure out how to finish them--they are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.  Below is a partially knitted bag.

So I'm feeling pretty good tonight, I will continue to work on little things, and I'd like to find something that I can make for Kaleigh, but she wants so little that I can't come up with anything--maybe pajamas.

My house smells awesome, I'm making turkey stock with the turkey carcass (such a lovely word) and a ton of vegetables, and I have some of William Sonoma scent simmering on the stove too.  The tree is up, and Christmas music is playing quietly in the background.  Am I a lucky girl or what?   Now THAT, my friends, is an attitude adjustment.  I think I'll go knit for awhile, and think about how thankful I am that I didn't have to go out on Black Friday.   

A Saturday All Alone. . . a wonderful thing.

Again, Super-K is staying with a friend this weekend, and I know it probably seems like she's always gone, we pretty much alternate weekends with her and her best friend.  Our house one weekend, their house the next.  And I know it might seem like I would get lonely after having a houseful all my adult life--after all, I did raise FOUR kids!-- I adore having the house and my time to myself sometimes.  I can cook whatever I want, which usually means not cooking.  I like to eat raw vegetables, fruit and cheese when I'm alone.  And read.  And on occasion, drink a glass of wine.  It's not that I can't do these things with K. here, I just don't. 

Last night Hurricane Sandy visited us and all night the trees outside were banging on my house.  No damage or anything, just some branches that look a little beat up.  I want to see if any large ones are around in my yard or the neighbors' yard so I can build a big weaving loom for our playground.  I think it can lean against a tree.  The kids can then weave anything they find on the playground in there, and I might donate some pretty colorful yarn to add in too.  Once it's finished, I want to display it in my classroom.  I saw it during one of my "research" modes on Pinterest.  Yea me!

Actually I'm not alone all day, I'm going over to stay with my mom today so Joe can go and take care of some stuff at their other house in Leesburg, I will be there at least a few hours, I don't know how long exactly so I need to pack a bag of stuff to do.  It's hard to be around my mom because she's so confused and gets mad at me when I "don't believe her".  For example, she thinks Joe did something to the house while she's been sick, making it a two-story house.  She is very  upset by this, and INSISTS that there are two bedrooms upstairs with beds in them.  She even invited me to come and stay with her.  When I remind her that she's lived in this house for 22 years and there is no upstairs, she gets mad and tries to get up and prove it to me.  And every time she gets up she falls and hurts herself.  I'll just do my best.  Maybe we can watch a movie or something.

Not much else to report.  Everyone is doing fine, and I talked to my Brett last night for a long time. I'm so glad that all my kids are so funny!  They just crack me up. 

I have come to a stunning conclusion.  Although I'm not somebody who cares about having a lot of money, I have decided that doing whatever I can so that I can keep MORE of my money for fun stuff is a good idea.  It's not that I haven't had this idea before, but I just didn't think about it enough to make any changes to help it happen.  Kaleigh and I have been cooking almost everything from scratch lately, which is nice to spend that time together, and we do save a lot of money on food.  This also means buying more raw ingredients, so I am feeling better too.  I looked up my electric company's peak usage hours, and I have deemed that we will no longer be washing clothes or using the dishwasher during those times, which doesn't turn out to be too hard after all--the peak times are 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Weekends are fine anytime, but I could stick to that anyway.  I will also make a point to push my thermostat up when the dryer or dishwasher is running.  This means that my electric bill WILL GO DOWN.   Yea me, again!  I also set up my drying racks in a corner of my living room and will start to use those again--probably not for everything, but for my clothes at least.  And my sheets.  Every little bit helps. 

This week has been a lot better for me in terms of my classroom.  I think I'm just going to have to be more structured in the way we teach things this year because of the mix of children we have.  For example, Friday I set up specific stations and granted, we had a LOT of help, but I think that can work on a smaller scale daily.  My goal is now to figure out some good attention-getters, change the cleanup song to something people can't dance to, and work our way into more formal groupings by the Christmas break.  I can do it, I have superpowers!  Yea for me THRICE!  (Do you like the way I worked thrice into my post?)

More on Compost (Didn't think there was so much to say on the subject, huh?)

I'm taking tomorrow off (from my responsibilities).  I'm going to do nothing but rest my foot and maybe take a bath in the huge bathtub that I don't use nearly enough, and maybe stir up my compost.  Maybe. 

Today my school went on a field trip to Leu Gardens--what a beautiful day for such a thing--it was cool and sunny, and just perfect.  I always enjoy field trips with my families, I think it's interesting to see them in different setting.

Yesterday, I took Kaleigh to the dump (I call it that to mortify her, of course, it's really the landfill) to get four huge bins full of compost FOR FREE!!  Yea!  Now I have a lovely pile of finished compost next to my very slow-working compost bin.  Have I mentioned how much I love compost?  I think so.  Anyway, I made Kaleigh go with me, which was a fate worse than death to her, and she sat and glared at me while I shoveled four huge bins of compost into my car, smiling the whole time.  She told me that she doesn't think she should have to go to the dump with me at all, since it's disgusting.  I pointed out that the compost is NOWHERE near any garbage, and it's a nice grassy area with a pile of dirt on it.  She remains unconvinced.  Maybe I'll make her go again tomorrow. 

Does rotted garbage make everyone this happy? 

I'm going to read tonight and just relax.  My foot hurts from walking, and think I will work on a few small Christmas presents for my grandkids tonight.  Maybe knitting or sewing. 

Dirt Therapy. . .

I sit here at my computer this morning feeling sweaty and super-duper awesome, which is nice for a change.  My week has been rough.  Not awful, just not satisfying.  My class feels chaotic and out of control, I'm not feeling like I'm getting things done at home much, I've had a terrible gout attack this week, and I just feel a little out of it.  Not Amie at all.

So last night when I got home (Super-K is spending the weekend with a friend so I can be as self-centered as I want for a couple of days) I went out into the "garden" (it's really just a tiny part of my yard, so I was considering not calling it a garden anymore, but I changed my mind--more on that later) and started weeding, which led to watering and when I went over to turn on the water, I noticed some old concrete garden borders --not sure if that's what they are called-- behind some bushes that I've never paid any attention to.  I started pulling them out, and I remembered that I stored some more of the same kind behind the compost bin when I built that and I pulled them out too.  A disgusting job, since bugs were all over the bottom of them and they were partially buried in the dirt.  I hosed them off and they look just fine, even though one was broken, I gorilla-glued it back together.  I was feeling very resourceful at that point, so I laid them out at the end of my front walkway where there is an awkward square turn, and dug out a little area, partially buried them, and added compost and planting medium into the little bed.  Mind you, it's only about 24" x 12" in a half-moon shape, but it looks so cute.  

I've been reading a lot of homesteading and permaculture blogs (RESEARCH, PEOPLE!) and one that I read--sorry, I don't remember which one--said that if you wait for the perfect situation, you will never do anything--"start where you are".  

So I started thinking, I am lucky enough to live in a house that my parents own, so I can pretty much plant what I want, dig where I want, and I'm pretty secure in staying here awhile, if not forever, so why not just go ahead and do what I can now.  Meaning, I've been waiting until I can afford to build "several" (no specific number here) raised beds to start my little experiment, while working with the two beds and several pots I have going now, but why not plant some stuff in the ground now.  By the way, the raised beds aren't expensive, it's the planting mix that I make that is, but it will last a lifetime, all I have to do is add compost when I pull something out and replant, according to Mel Bartholomew (sp?) of Square Foot Gardening fame.  

Again with the theme of the year, "Never Underestimate the Power of Humans to Complicate Simple Things".  Plants have been growing in the ground for millions of years (no specific number on that either).  So I've been planning on building a raised bed just for herbs, but this little spot--the half moon--is so cute, all I could think of was a bunch of herbs growing there and seeing them and smelling them every time I come home and walk up to the door.  What is wrong with me?  Why do I get so hung up on how I want things to be "ideally" that I can't see what's right in front of my face?  So I have been rooting some adorable herbs in water on my kitchen window, and I'm planting them there.  There were also some little tiny basil plants that came from my old plant when it went to seed earlier than I anticipated, so I transplanted those in there.  

"Start where you are."  Valuable advice. 

So I came in last night, feeling a lot better about life in general, and this morning I decided to go out and work a little more.  Two hours later my compost bin is full of stuff that has been just hanging out waiting for me to put it in there, the coffee grounds that I get from Starbucks is spread into the garden and the compost bin, the invasive vine that my neighbors love so much and grows into my side yard like a tidal wave is cut back to their fence, I raked a crap-ton of leaves from under the oak tree and mulched the tomatoes, beans and cucumbers, and dug into my compost bin to see how my compost is doing.  This always makes me feel better.  Weird, I know.  I have also been "planning" (which I think we all know means looking at pretty pictures on the internet) to lay down layers of newspaper next to my raised beds and mulching over them for pretty paths (I guess technically that would be A PATH since my beds sit next to each other and are next to the front steps).  I picked a space where I want my potting bench to be--next to the compost bin--and dug out all the stuff that was there, and it's kind of where I've been throwing large sticks that I don't want to put into the compost bin, so it was kind of a mess.  I pulled out the sticks and stuff, cut the plants and vines back, layered on a bunch (at least 10 sheets deep) of newspaper, and covered all of it with free mulch, which is the leaves from the oak tree out front.  Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  I wet everything down and walked around on it a little to compress it and I think it will stay put.  The area is not big--maybe 6' x 6', but it looks pretty good, and I have a place to put my potting table when I get it built. 

Which brings me to why I am sitting at my computer blogging while I'm still sweaty and dirty.  This all felt so good to me, getting out there and DOING SOMETHING, even though it didn't really change what is going on in my life right now, I feel better.  So in the spirit of starting where I am, I decided that my little garden is a garden, and I'm calling it that.  Now I have an herb garden too.  And a compost pile,  and a place for a potting bench.  I'm official.  I've planted stuff from seeds. which is my personal definition of official.  I'm sweaty, and happy and dirty.  (Although I will take a shower as soon as I finish writing this)

In doing my "research" last night, I found out that I can get free compost at the landfill, which isn't very far from where I live.  I'm going to empty out a couple of big bins that I have, and head over there with a shovel.  I wish I had a truck.  I also found out that some people around the corner raise rabbits for meat and give away free rabbit manure, so I'm going to try to connect with them too.  Good for the garden. 

I'm embracing my inner hippie.  Peace, love, and compost. 

Everything Rots Eventually, and other life lessons.

So much to say, so little time. . . . 

My plants are looking so happy out in the garden, the beans have reached the fence and are starting to grow UP it now.  The lettuce looks cute, and the tomatoes are okay, I guess.  There are a bunch of baby tomatoes on there, I guess I can't really expect them to perform like summer tomatoes. 

Last night I was reading a homesteading blog, and I decided to take another go at sourdough starter.  Kaleigh and I are making bread pretty regularly now, so I want to give it another try.  After reading this particular book and recipe, I realized I was trying to do too complicated a process.  It's kind of like compost.  Once I got over the idea that it had to be complicated, I had a revelation--EVERYTHING ROTS EVENTUALLY.  Without my help.  This is a fundamental truth of the universe.  So pile crap up in a corner of the yard and it will happen.  And guess what?  It happened.  Without my help.  Never underestimate a human's capacity for making something natural complicated.  But I digress.  My point is, all I REALLY have to do is mix flour and warm water and feed it every day, and wait.  It will happen.  Without my help. 

Last night our cable went out for what I assume was most of the evening, and I had to resort to figuring something else out to do.  I think it was the last straw in the cable's back, so to speak.  I had such a pleasant evening after I figured out what to do.  AND I GOT A LOT DONE.  Figures.  I think the time has come for me to part ways with cable.  I will miss Sons of Anarchy, though.  I ended up taking out the remainder of the English paper piecing hexagons out of the back of my Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt.  It's ready to hand quilt.  I think I will machine baste it this weekend, and start hand quilting it.  It will definitely be gorgeous when it's finished.  Picture below. 

No comments about my name over my bed, please.  Unless you absolutely have to tell me how much you love it.  My bedroom is very self-centric these days.  I spent a lot of years with a bedroom that I hated in muted non-gender-specific colors, so I like a little me in there now.  Sue me.  I'm embracing the Amie. 

I also spent a lot of time reading last night, which I enjoyed so much that I am going to do it again tonight.  I got a new book called "A Homemade Life", which is a woman's story about how food and her life are intertwined and everything good in her life happens with food around.  Her life story with food.  And it has recipes.  Looking forward to it. 



The stupid dog threw herself through a window on Monday, which really pisses me off since she doesn't have a checkbook to reimburse me for the $130.00 I'm out now to fix it.  Bitch.  i also had to take Tuesday off since nobody could come fix it until then, so I decided I could spend the day crying--again--or I could do something productive.  So I opened up my etsy shop.  Nothing has come of it yet, but somebody marked me as their favorite.  That's awesome.  Considering that I kind of feel worthwhile when people re-pin my pins on Pinterest, this is like the holy grail.  (Geek Reference).

A Little of This and That. . .

I finally remembered to cut a bunch of herbs from the school garden and bring them home to root.  I have had success rooting lavender and rosemary in water, so I got those, and lemon balm and tarragon.  I'm not sure if this is going to work with those, since they aren't woody stems, but I'll try.  They are now happily relaxing on my kitchen window sill.  I've been referring to them as "the girls".  I'm not sure why.  My goal this week is to bring some of my worm compost from school and add it to my seedlings' dirt.

I need a theme song.  I started doing this when the show Ally McBeal was on and she always had a theme song, so I started doing it.  I haven't had one in awhile, so I'm trying to think of what a good one might be.  Hmm. . .  I'll think a little about it today and get back to you (all three of my readers).

Yesterday I went out into the garden (which I feel I may have over-glorified in my descriptions, it's really only two raised beds and a bunch of pots right now), and dug around a little bit, watered the seedlings, and I SAW WORMS IN MY DIRT!!!  A LOT of worms.  Yea Me!!  That means my dirt is healthy and doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing.  Makes me happy.  Amazing how what makes me happy has changed over the years.

When I got home from work last night I washed my sheets and put clean, lovely smelling sheets on my bed.  (Not that my previous sheets smelled bad, lol).  There is nothing better than that.  I watched a couple of DVR'd shows and read a little.  Nice to get enough sleep.