I Can Almost Breathe Again

I have been ill since November 1st. It's getting old. It hasn't been the same illness continually, but one thing right after the other. Has it really been weeks since I've posted here!? Yikes.

As much as I've tried just muddling through, getting things done, it hasn't really happened. For example, our Yule/Christmas tree has been up for a week, sans ornaments. All of the decorations are still in the attic. I could go on an on about the frustrations that have come up and the number of things of my to-do list that haven't been done, but today is the first day that I can actually move without feeling like I'm pulling taffy, so I'm just going to keep moving forward. One step at a time. Things will get done or they won't. I may be kicking myself later, but right now, through bouts of hacking and shivering, I'm just doing what I can.

At this moment I can do laundry, so I'm going to. Joy!

Product Review: Knifty Knitter Long Loom

A couple weeks before her birthday, Annie had a sudden interest in knitting. I have no idea where it came from, since she hasn't seen me knitting anything, but she was very insistent that I go to the attic and find my supplies. I only have one circular needle, however, and it's a rather small gauge. I was afraid it'd be difficult for her, so The Husband and I went on a search for a beginner's knitting kit. Instead, we came across the Knifty Knitter by Provo Craft. Annie said she wanted to knit a scarf, so I bought the 19" long loom. I also bought some pink, fuzzy clearance yarn.

She wanted to get started right away after opening the loom on her birthday, so we opened it, and I quickly went over the instructions with her. It was immediately apparent that the yarn winding was a bit confusing for her, but she really loved doing the hooking. The real surprise was that Airius loved it more! We ended up knitting as a team of three with me weaving the yarn on the loom, Annie hooking one row and Airius hooking the second. Before we knew it, we had half a scarf done!

I felt the biggest negative of the product was the amount of plastic it involved. The loom itself is plastic, as well as the hook handle, needle, and all packaging. If you're trying to avoid plastic in your life, it's best just to skip the Knifty Knitter and try your hand at regular needle knitting.

Another negative is that for even a mediocre knitter like myself, the loom is soooo much slower than needles. I'm sure I could have whipped the scarf up in an hour or two with needles, but even without helpers it took much longer on the loom. It does do away with having to count stitches though, definitely a plus. Provocraft.com has plenty of Knifty Knitter projects to expand upon the very simple knit project given with the loom, so at least there's a certain amount of versatility. Unfortunately, there are several different looms in various shapes and sizes that may be needed for any given project. You can't just buy one and complete every project on their site.

I don't think it'll be long before Annie and Airius both can do the entire process by themselves, so the product is probably appropriate for most children 5 and up.

Overall rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Durability: *****
Ease of use: ****
Versatility: ***
Environmental friendliness: *
Usefulness: **

Church of the Old Mermaids is on Amazon.com!!

Just when I was feeling uninspired, unamazed, and ready to hibernate through the winter, my favorite author, Kim Antieau (whom I know I've posted about before on here), has self-published her book Church of the Old Mermaids. I mentioned the Old Mermaids back here when I talked about our garden "seashells", but I've been following the stories for some time through the blog. These stories are... beauty in words. Beautiful words. I don't know, but I know what I like when I read it.

I feel my tail sprouting. Must. Go. Splash into this book. I hope that some of you will join me because I know the journey will be well worth it.

Homemade Gift (Kinda Sorta)

Annie absolutely cannot stop drawing and crafting. She wants to do it all day long, every day, and she brings at least 5 drawings or projects home each day from school. For her birthday, then, I decided that she might appreciate her very own art box. This way she doesn't have to ask me to get the crayons for her (which are put up because a certain 2-year-old has covered every single downstairs wall with doodles), and I got to introduce some new craft items to her that have been stored in my cache.

In total, this gift cost about $20 because there were a few items that we don't generally keep on hand in the house that I wanted to add especially for her. The box itself is actually my old Caboodle that I kept my makeup and accessories in as a teen. In the box we have:

3 craft punches (dog, cat, and paw print for my little animal lover)-- From my scrapbooking stash

Mini stapler-- Bought new for use in making her own booklets

Large eraser-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Pencil sharpener-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Two pencils-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Glue stick-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Safety scissors-- Bought new since we only had one pair in the house

Heart shaped paperclips-- Bought new (and grudgingly)

8 Glitter glue pens-- Bought new; the most expensive new item, but I knew she'd love them!

Crayons-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

White sketching paper-- I looked all over for a mini sketchbook that would fit, but couldn't find one. Instead, I cut up some larger sheets we already had at home.

Construction paper-- Again, small sheets cut from larger sheets we already had

Pipe cleaners-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Beads-- Bought new

Elastic thread for beading-- Bought new

Cinderella stamp and pad of stamping paper-- Received in a party gift bag earlier in the year

Phew! I think that's it. As her skills improve, we'll add things gradually. For now, this keeps her plenty occupied. She makes magic wands from the pipe cleaners, bracelets and necklaces from the beads and elastic thread, and has covered every sheet of paper in glittery doodles. Fun stuff!

How I SHOULD Have Prepared My Garden For Winter

Yesterday we were a little surprised to get quite the snow flurry. It was wet, packing snow too. Mondays are errand days for me, so I was out and about and thinking of all the things I still haven't done to prepare my garden for winter. Between the kids being ill, me being ill, and the rain we've had for the last week or so, I am sorely behind. Still on the to-do list:

-Rake all leaves (which only ceased falling a couple of days ago) onto garden beds
-Cover compost piles
-Find something to do with the billion and a half pebbles filling the children's sled and every single plastic pot I own
-Wash all outdoor toys and bring to basement for duration of winter
-Clean patio area
-Move large rocks from backyard to frontyard for border
-Remove hose from spigot and store
-Clean all garden tools
-Mulch blueberry bushes with pine needles

We're supposed to get more snow Sunday, but I hope that this slight bit we have now will melt before then so that I can get my behind in gear! How is everyone else doing on winter prep?

The First Snow

Okay, I admit it. I've lost my will to blog. There are things that I could be posting about, like the fact that the twins have turned 5, the few "thrifty" things I got/made for their birthday, my foray into making apple cider vinegar, my insane journey into trying to really connect with my home and redoing our master bedroom, or the battle that is waged every year around this time between me and... everyone else.

But I just. Can't. Make. Myself. Do it.

Yesterday, however, the first snow of the year fell, and it felt like the kind of thing that needed to be put down somewhere. You know, recorded for posterity or some such thing. It started as rain, but by the afternoon, it had turned into a very wet, light snowfall. None of it stuck, and it wasn't the sort of white fluff that makes pretty pictures. But, well, now you know that it's snowed here. :)

I hope you're all doing well out there in the ether...

Now back to hibernating.

Our Ohio

I'm not a magazine person. In fact, I don't have a single magazine subscription in my name (The Husband and the kids are a different story). "Our Ohio" is sent to us as a benefit of membership in the Ohio Farm Bureau, however, and I thoroughly enjoy its bi-monthly editions. It's a great way to learn about various local farms, vineyards, businesses, and events. It also has a recipe feature with each edition, where one ingredient (usually seasonal) is featured.

The reason I'm sharing this little treasure of information with you now, though, is because the November/December issue featured a couple of "alternative cooking" methods that is right up the alley of any homesteader. The recipe theme was campfire recipes (which you can find online at Our Ohio), which was preceded with a short, sweet article entitled "Fun With Campfire Cooking." There's also another article called "Fire it Up" about hearthside cooking lessons in Lucas County.


Unfortunately, I won't be doing any hearthside cooking anytime soon. That loverly picture to the left is my "hearth," a non-functioning, capped gas fireplace which we haven't even come close to restoring yet. After a dreadful Yuletide ice storm in our apartment years with 1-year-old twins in which our electricity (including our electric heat) was knocked out for days, we purposely looked for a home with a fireplace... just in case. Once we had it, however, The Husband was so worried that the twins would be burned that he had his step-dad cap the gasline going to the fireplace and remove the fixture. Then the worry was that the twins would climb the chimney, so our fireplace was turned ever so stylish with the addition of a lovely baby gate to the front. That was a long way of telling you that I don't have the proper equipment for hearthside cooking. ;)

Annnnnnyway, check out "Our Ohio" if you have the chance, especially if you happen to, uh, be in Ohio. If you don't have access to the mag but the idea of hearthside/campfire cooking has intrigued you, check out The Magic of Fire by William Rubel for another jumping off point. Happy cooking!