Almost A New Year

This is what we have been doing in the LaFollette household. Her name is Libby Duppydog LaFollette. Our Clara never showed up, so the best we can hope for is that she has a new home, with a nice warm doggy bed. The saddest news is that Capone passed away. He was such a good, loyal dog.

The holidays are almost past, and I feel like I haven't taken the time to enjoy them. We are going to Mom's tomorrow, and I plan to take the time to enjoy my family and my many blessings. It is so easy to forget how blessed I am, and easy to focus on the many irritations and annoyances that plague me every day. Maybe this should be my new resolution for the New Year. At any rate, I'll try and we'll see.

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone???

Clara has disappeared. It has been 2 whole days now. I have called places, looked places. So now I am feeling sad. But this is her picture, and if you see her, please let me know!

Monkey Bars

These are pictures I took of Claudia and her friend Megan last weekend.

Happy Autumn

Finally!! I finished my big rug-hooking project. It took me 2 years from start to finish. It is also my first real rug-hooking project. I should learn to start small. I dyed some of the wool, and all of it is recycled. I have a couple projects in the works of my mind, but haven't executed anything yet. I did clean out my craft/sewing room, and when everything is in its place, I will take a picture. I am grateful for having such a space, but I do wish it had more storage space.

Claudia is home again today. All of her playmates have tested positive for H1N1, so I am assuming she has it, also. She is feeling much better, but gets tired easily, so I kept her home. It has been a good incentive for me NOT to home school. I don't know how others do it. My patience is wearing thin, and we haven't even had big problems with the homework. There is just so much of it. She needs constant motivation to keep at it. I am easily distracted by all the other "stuff" that needs doing. She really just wants to watch Pinocchio, and we will, she just has to get her work done. Then we will lay down for a rest.

Fungus

Fungus. The interesting looking kind. I'm a little obsessed. I just want to take photos of them all. In fact, this week I may go on a fungus forage through the woods.

Sometimes I feel my life is not meant for blogging. I mean, there's just not much going on. Today I took Claudia to the doctor, which didn't make her better, she's only worse. So, I could blog about taking care of a sick child. But, that isn't very intriguing.

So instead, look at pretty fungus.




Plus, I threw in a seed-head for viewing pleasure.

Pumpkin Cookies

I know my heart has turned to fall when I get the urge to make pumpkin cookies. They are so good. So good, in fact, that it is hard to type as I eat them. I tried a new recipe this time, and I think I like it better. It has more spices, and more depth. I added dark brown sugar instead of light. The recipe I used is from George Duran on the Food Network. I must stop eating these. Save some for the girls.

This is not road-kill. It is our 15 year old cat, Iggy who loves to sun herself, exposing her tummy. I wish I could do that.


I am getting obsessed with Christmas, also. As in, what to make for people this year. I have some ideas, but I won't share, I wouldn't want to spoil the fun!

Tomato Time

You wait patiently, and then impatiently for your tomatoes to grow and ripen. Magically overnight they are red and ripe. Cancel, all appointments and plans. You must now can these hard-won fruits. Such was my day. Once I get into the mind-set I actually enjoy canning. I turned on my WVPR and grooved to some classical music. I wore a groovy scarf on my head. When did I become a scarf-wearing person? I remember Mom wearing one when she made bread. We had to go over her person to make sure there were no stray hairs anywhere. (Who wants hair in bread? yuck.) My sisters (in the 70's) wore scarves. And now I carry on the tradition.

Tomorrow I hope to borrow Heather's pressure canner and "put up" some beans and beets.
I love beets! I make a delicious Russian Borscht. I'll post the recipe someday when I make it.

Pop! Pop! My jars are sealed!

Summer is Over

Summer is almost over, and I haven't written anything at all!! That is because we have been busy with the business of daily life. Plus, I got a job at a local fabric shop. I can't even think on one outstanding thing to say about my summer. Other than my childhood friend was able to visit with her family, and I survived VBS, and we didn't go on a vacation. But, I went to Romney last week and Eric's girls Katie and Alexa were visiting. They are actually on their way to my house as I write. Things went pretty well in Romney. It was nice for the cousins to spend time together, getting to know each other.

I finally finished my shawl that I started last fall. Maddie and Katie went to town on knitting, also. Subsequently, I am now obsessed with knitting. I think I have craft A.D.D. I just have to try everything, and I will go through phases of sewing, rug-hooking, knitting, whatever. It must be summer coming to an end that makes me itchy to be arsty. Summer is so busy with swimming and gardening and grass cutting. But fall is for cozy craftiness beside the fire. I can't wait. Of course, it is about 90 degrees here right now. Makes me dream of snowy days, and icy creeks and warm quilts.

I wanted to get some photos of Mom knitting. So here they are. Did I mention how much I love my mother?? She has such patience with me, with us. Any knitting snafu she can fix, without cursing. I wish I had inherited that trait.

More Surprises

You just never know what you will find around here. This morning when I let the sheep out of the barn I found one of our long-lost bantam hens sitting in the middle of everything. Claudia and I both assumed she'd "disappeared" or "relocated" a couple weeks ago. BUT NO. She hops up and there is a chick. Just one. So tiny, maybe 2 days old. I tried to get some pictures. They didn't turn out well. I hate using the flash, but it is so dark in that barn. I told myself I wouldn't interfere with what had happened naturally. But I just couldn't stand it. The sheep and lambs were tromping all over the place and that poor chick was running around like mad and mama chicken was having a fit. Soooo, I moved them into the other side of the barn, where apparently I have another broody bantam hen. It just makes me smile. Under my best efforts of hatching out eggs, mama just goes into a dirty old barn and takes care of business.

Lambs are well. They don't like to be held anymore, and they can run really fast. Ohhhh...THAT'S what shepherd crooks are for!!!!

Today is the last day of school. As in years past I have sworn we WILL have a schedule, we WILL do crafts AT LEAST once a week, and we WILL all work outside as a happy family. This is assuming I can get them out of bed and deal with all the whining about " this is my vacation! I don't want to work!". I'm not good with the whining.

Sorry about the bad pictures. At least you get a ballpark idea. That little thing beside the chicken is a peep.

This is the one who had a change of heart. Amazing!





I have a few updates. The ewe that was going to explode, she only had twins. For real! I was shocked there weren't five lambs in there. She started laboring early Friday morning. I was able to take pictures, until we had to ASSIST! I knew this was going to happen! My pics are pretty graphic, more for my observations than for public consumption, so I will spare you those. JP came home from work, and after watching this poor sheep struggle for TOO LONG we had to pull the lamb out. Very quickly after that another slipped out. Unfortunately, mama sheep was not interested in her babies at all. She wouldn't clean them off, or even look at them. This started our stressful weekend. We were not going to let her get away with this, if only for the fact that I did not want to be bottle-feeding two babies around the clock for weeks. What we did was this: One of us would hold onto mama around the neck, and the other would gather babies and help them nurse. The first day mama wanted to struggle and we would have to chase her around the barn to catch her, but she finally knew that when we came in, DARN IT, she was going to have to let these annoying babies nurse. On Sunday JP went out to check on them and couldn't believe it - she was standing there letting them nurse BY HERSELF. Shocking, really. So there you have it. Now they are all out in the pasture, and it is a distant (for mama, at least) memory.

I took some self-portraits of myself with a lamb. Sans makeup, grey hair and all. That is how much I love everyone and want them to see lamby up-close. It has rained on and off since last night, and thankfully cooled off. So I took some pics of the farm today. I love days like this. I have nothing against the sun. I usually feel more cheerful when it is sunny. But I loooove a rainy, cool, grey day.

Newest Babies

Here are the newest members of our farm. #1 and #2. I was quite surprised, as I didn't expect them until next week. I come to find out that JP had calculated it wrong, and they are indeed due this week. I'm keeping close watch on my other two ewes, especially the one who looks like she is going to explode. I wish I could get better pictures, but I worry about invading "Mama's" space. She doesn't seem to mind that I am in the barn, and I have held the lambs a couple times. Their skin has tight little woolly curls and their heads are very soft. But the worries! I remember worrying like this when I had my babies. Are they getting enough milk?? Are they sleeping too much? Am I cut out for this? I didn't have to assist at all in this birth. They just magically appeared, all dry and cute. I'm not so sure about the other two. If I have to pull out a lamb I'm afraid I'll pass out. Stay tuned!

My Mother

This was taken on Mother's Day 2009. Isn't she beautiful? I always thought I had the prettiest Mommy, and I still do. We had the best weekend. Mom, Paula and myself. And then JP brought the girls over for lunch, and then I was able to spend ANOTHER night! Bliss!

A Few Pics

We've been so busy lately, so yesterday we had some down-time.  It was lovely to sleep in, I almost didn't even feel guilty about missing church.  A lot has happened.  I had 5 chicks hatch out of 15, which was very disappointing, but was a lesson.  Sometimes you just can't fool Mother Nature.  I have lots of pictures of them for later.  JP's truck club came Saturday for a picnic/meeting, so we had lots of preparations for that.  It was a lot of fun, and people always seem to feel that we live so "far out".  It's funny to me, because it doesn't feel like that to me.  Unless I have to go back and forth to town, that is.  I took some pictures a few mornings ago and am posting them.  The sun was shining through the fog, and I tried to capture it.  Still on the hunt for the "Perfect" camera. 

Egg Hunts

We had a hunt early in the morning, as is tradition. Then after a wonderful lunch at Nana and Bob's, we had another hunt.

Did I mention it was J.P.'s birthday, also. And he is now 40??? His sister Aimee made the cake(s).

What I Want, What I Need

I would love to have a new camera. The one I use is really hard to focus. You can't even tell if it is in focus. I'm just putting that out there.

I took some photos this morning. It's really cold outside, even though it will warm up later. My favorite hellebores and daffodils.

Homer in the Yarn

This is what my sewing room looked like a couple weeks ago. I still have some yarn on the floor, mostly purples, but I have run out of hangers! I'm sure I can round some up somewhere. Did I ever tell you the story of Homer the Dog? When I was ready for another dog (Claudia had entered school) I looked online at puppies at the local shelter. I picked one out and she was really cute. I wanted a female. So I go to the shelter to play with the dog and she wanted nothing to do with me. I couldn't even entice her with a chewy bone. I asked if they had anymore young dogs, and they bring out "Dusty" who immediately comes to me and puts HIS head on my shoulder like a baby. That was it. So "Dusty" became "Homer". And now he is totally co-dependent and with me ALL THE TIME. Even to the bathroom. He scratches until I let him in. I love him, even though it sort of gets on my nerves sometimes.

New Things

I ordered some hatching eggs from a seller on Ebay. I put them in the incubator today, so they should hatch around April 16th. I originally only bid on 10, but the seller was very generous and sent 16! Plus one of them is a different variety, so who knows??? I also received my apple trees that I ordered from www.treesofantiquity.com and they need to be put in the ground. So there is much to do around here!

I can smell the chocolate cake I just took out of the oven. Chocolatey goodness. I think I will put the frosting recipe on it that my neighbor gave me. You boil it, and it is essentially a caramel-like flavor. I also promised my girls strawberry shortcakes tonight, so I have yet to do that. Plus, I am making home-made mac-n-cheese. I love this recipe from Martha Stewart. Let me know if you want it!

?

OOOhhhhhhh. So you have to turn it on. I get it....

Helllooo again

Yes, it has been quite awhile. I think I have been avoiding this, I sort of feel like I have nothing to say right now. Life just sort of drags me along sometimes, and I don't feel like I have much control. (vow to try to change that)

Here's an idea - maybe if I wrote more often, thereby giving me time with myself to be introspective, I would feel more inspired??? Nahh. Who knows?

It looks like spring, yet feels really cold. I'm confused. Today is the first day of SPRING and I like it. On a sad note, my beautifulish solar lanterns I got at Big Lots aren't working. HMMMM. Must fix that. I envision an amber glow in the starry night, with fireflies blinking here and there. I got nothing.

The Winter Wall of Pain

I have hit, and keep hitting, that Winter Wall. Let me explain. It is like the winter blues, but has a lot of guilt thrown in and peppered with regret. Still don't understand? Okay, there is WAY too much time to think and be introspective, way too much time by myself (not really a BAD thing, but adult conversation is nice), look outside and be wistful. I'm ready to get going in the dirt, but winter is really just here, so it will be a while. So then I start thinking what needs done that CAN be done now, such as repair leaking roof in my shed, and it just doesn't sound like much fun to do, therefore I don't do it and then I feel guilty for not exercising everyday like I should. It taunts me...really. Okay, I promise I will use the elliptical today. But it is so hard when you don't have a mindless tv show to focus on while you sweat. I'm trying to use it as my meditation time. My mantra "this sucks, this sucks,(repeat)" or "it's hot in here, (repeat)" or "time up yet? (repeat)". Do you detect a lack of focus? I think I need a project.

Plus, my good vacuum cleaner broke, I ordered a new part, will be here on Tuesday, but my floor is dirty NOW.

I have to make cupcakes for Claudia's birthday party on Sunday. We are going bowling and having pizza. But before that, she is invited to a party tonight, tomorrow is Megan's birthday party at Valley Worlds of Fun. So many parties!! Party on.

Did I mention my birthday is February 28? I'm trying to think of what to do that would be fun and meaningful. So far I have nothing.

Okay, even I am getting bored reading this, so I'll leave now. Bye!

Dolls

These are the dolls I made for Christmas. They were a lot of fun to do. I had plans to make some animals, also, but ran out of time.

A New Year, Already???

I just can't believe Christmas is over. I took the kids to the bus stop today, so it is back to a "normal" life. I kind of got used to them being home, and hate to see them go. Mom came for a short visit over New Years, which was nice. I really thought we would not see her until spring.

So this New Year thing has me thinking...I can't believe how quickly the time truly passes. I will be 40 this year - I cannot believe it. I'm not sure if I will have a "special" birthday. Part of me thinks that it is just best not to make a big deal out of it. I really don't like parties and would prefer to just have a quiet day to myself. Speaking of parties, Claudia will be 8 on the 13th. Once again, I can't believe it. She is my baby, and it is hard to see her grow up. Maddie just races toward adulthood. She always has wanted to be independent. But Claudia always says she wants to stay little. I guess I am going to miss having them small enough to hold close.