Not a farmer...

Last weekend, I helped a friend on her parent's farm. They have mostly cows, some that get milked and some that don't, steers, calves, pigs, chickens and a couple horses.

I have always appreciated the hard, thankless work that farmers do. But, I really REALLY appreciate it now.

So, for those of you who don't know...I live in Ohio. Last weekend, it was BITTERLY cold! As in below zero with the wind! BURRRRRR!!!! 

Plus, I am TERRIFIED of large animals...and small animals...and pretty much any animal, with the exception of dogs.

What was I thinking????

It was actually a very interesting experience and I did enjoy the feeling of satisfaction from being able to help do the "chores". 

Thursday was the first day. I followed the girls into the front barn and stood just inside to the right of the door. Then suddenly I realized there was a horse there. I almost screamed. I went back outside and took a few deep breaths which caused me to start coughing because of the cold air. I went back in and didn't get as close to the horse. The other horse, I think it is a pony, kept kicking up it's rear legs and kicking as the girls got the food for their rabbits...oh yeah, there are rabbits too. They are just the girl's pets though. The big horse, the one that I ran away from, kept stretching his neck toward me. I was almost petrified but not quite.

Then, we started taking hay to the calves. Each calf got a flake...for those of us who aren't farmers... a flake is when you pull a section off of the hay bale...it kinda "flakes" off. We also fed them old bread which I had heard of before. What a great way of not wasting food!

Stubborn Cow....MOOOOOOOOOOO!!

It wasn't as cold as the other days and I sank up past my ankles in "mud" when I took food to the steers. GROSS!!!

Sadly, the hose was frozen and we had to cart the water to the cows. I filled the buckets as my awesome husband and the girls carried the buckets to the troughs.

One of the poor milk cows was stubborn and wouldn't walk across the ice to get into the milk room. After a lot of coxing and some advise from the parents and some burnt ashes from the woodburner, they got the cow in to milk.
 
The rest of the weekend wasn't as crazy/scary as the first night. Although, it was very funny watching one of my other friends get goosed by one of the cows. Several times. Everyone else made it seem like nothing to get near the animals, but it definitely doesn't make me feel comfortable.

I tried to get near the cows when they were milking one time but that totally freaked me out and I ran out of the room...almost knocking over my friend. I hope I was comic relief in her otherwise stressful weekend. :-)

Good morning, Etsy!

I have decided to start selling my tatting (and maybe more than that) on Etsy.com.

Haven't heard of Etsy? It is a website where crafters/artist can sell their wares online. Kinda like a GINORMOUS craft show.

Oh, You meant you didn't know what tatting is? Tatting is basically making knots in thread to make lace.

The examples to the right are my examples for a tatting class I will be offering here in northwest Ohio next month.

So, ANYWAY. . . back to Etsy. It is rather time consuming to set up. Oh, and writing the descriptions of items. . . wow! I am stumped. Not sure what to write. For example:

This pair of earrings are one that I put on my site. Here is my discription,
        "Here is a lovely pair of tatted rings. The coloring is different shades of blue."

I can't think of anything else to write. Just don't know what to do. I have done better on some of the other ones.





Check out this one.

 My description:

"For all those Whovians out there, here is a great way to show your love for "Doctor Who" . These earrings have 22k gold-plated hooks. DON'T BLINK or they'll be gone."

I think this one is better, but I am familiar with this show. So, it was easier.


So, I guess what I could use is some suggestions on ways to describe things.

Feel free to comment with suggestions. :-)

God BLESS!

Portal 2 Companion Cube

For those who have geeks for family members, like my brother, here is how I made this Companion Cube like the ones from Portal 2.

I used the following items:
Scissors (of course)
Sewing Machine (or you could hand sew it)
6 pieces of dark gray felt
3 pieces of light gray felt 
1 piece of light pink (for the hearts of course!)
 Stuffing (I used an old pillow that was falling apart)

 After squaring up the dark gray felt, I did a zigzag stitch across and down the middle .

I then cut out the corner light gray pieces and small rectangles and the center circle. Also, cut the heart out. (I cut all the pieces out for all six sides.)

Than placed the heart in the middle of the heart and did a zigzag around it.

I also used a zigzag with gray thread to sew the different gray 

pieces to the each side of the pillow.

When I started sewing the sides together I realized a problem with using the dark gray all the way to the corners along with the light gray. It was too thick for the needle (I broke it).

So, I trimmed the dark gray off from behind the light gray. Sew all six sides together but leave a small hole to put the stuffing in.

 

 

Hole for stuffing :-)

Turn inside out. and stuff.

Make sure to get the corners pushed out to a "point".
 
One of the things I learned from Trading Spaces is to use small hand fulls to stuffing. This worked great!

He loved it! I know you can't really tell from the picture but that is his I-am-thrilled look.

Have fun sewing! And God bless!

Back in November, the doctor told me I had to lose weight...of course! But this time I really did listen. 

I discussed with a friend what to do. I have always been discouraged in trying to lose weight. She suggested that I try the website MyFitnessPal.com. So, when I got home I found that they had an app for my Droid.  So, I downloaded it and started using it. At first, it was strange to realize just how many calories I was eating each meal! Kind of embarrassing actually. 

So, MyFitnessPal.com actually gave me quite a few calories to consume each day. My friend had mentioned this and said that she thought it was better to do less. The amount of calories she suggest I knew was way too low. There was no way I could do that. So, I started looking around that what was a healthy amount of calories to consume. 

I found lots of information. First, of all eating too few of calories is like starving yourself.

Secondly, the amount of calories you consume each day should be based on four things.

1) Your age
2) Your height
3) Your weight
4) Your activity level

I decided to see what a woman my age, height and desired weight should be consuming each day. The best site I found was http://www.thinandhealthyforever.com/CalorieRequirement.asp. I am almost 38, 5'6" and I would like to weight about 150 lbs. I have a sedimentary life style. So, I should consume between 1,500 and 1,800 calories (information taken from http://www.livestrong.com/article/326459-how-many-calories-should-a-150-lb-female-consume-daily/). You should not lose more than 1-2 lbs a week. Losing weight too fast is unhealthy.

As of yesterday, when I was at the doctors office, I have now lost 10lbs. This is very exciting! I am hoping to keep it up.

A New Year, a Year beginning with Forgiveness!

Well, it is a new year! Last year, was a very rough year for me. A lot of friends who I thought where my close dear friends betrayed me or started treating me badly. Medical issues need to be taken care of and the medical bills are adding up. On top of that, there are issues with the issuance company. I believed I was suppose to start a business on top of my Pampered Chef business. I am tired and weak from the worry and heartache. What am I suppose to do?

Well, I know what to do now. (Not that I didn't before...but I wouldn't let it go.) In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, " 'Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.' "

So, how am I suppose to give my burden to Jesus?

First, thing is I need to forgive those who have hurt me. Most of us are familar with the Lord's Prayer. Let's check out the verses after it. " 'For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.' " Matthew 6:14-15. I don't know about you...but I want to be forgiven by my Heavenly Father. So, This year is a year of forgiveness. 

So, to those who were my friends and now ignore that I am on this earth....I forgive you! To those friends who have lied and betrayed me...I forgive you! And to those who I have hurt, wither because I was first hurt by them or because I am an idiot sometime, I would ask you to forgive me. Please do not let my actions keep you from your forgiveness from God.

Lord, may I truly forgive those who have hurt me. My words and actions be those of forgiveness. I no longer want to have this pain. Take it from me, Lord, and give me your burden....mine is too heavy! Amen.

Smokin' Turkey Panini

I decided to try my hand at making my own panini recipe today.  My nephew, who I tested it on, thought it was tasty. So, I am sharing it with you.

We will call it Smokin Turkey Panini.

I used the following ingredience:
     Wheat Bread
     Deli Sliced Turkey
     Valida Onions
     Canned Mushrooms
     Mayo
     Mozzarella Cheese
     Smoked Applewood Rub by Pampered Chef (My favorite rub!)

Here are some of the tools I used as well as My Grill Pan and Press and Saute Pan.

I sliced the Vidala Onions on my Ultimate Mandolin on the thinnest slicing option.

I melted some butter in the saute pan and started them cooking. MMMM! I love Vidala Onions!

While those were cooking I shredded my cheese. A little helpful hint (I forgot to do) stick soft cheeses like mozzarella in the freezer for about  10 minutes before shredding for slicing and it will be easier to do.

 In a bowl, stir together about a half a cup of Mayo, a teaspoon of Rub and shredded cheese. When the onions are translucent ad the can of mushrooms, drained. and heat for a few minutes.

Now, to assemble your panini. Butter both top and bottom piece of bread. I put 2 slices of turkey lunchmeat, then the onion/mushroom mix and then the mayo/cheese mix. Put in your warm grill pan. Grill on each side for a few minutes. I was able to make 4 sandwiches.

 Enjoy!

Rainy day

Well, today is a rainy day. Which means I don't have a lot of drive to do anything around the house. But I will ...maybe.

I have definitely been not wanting to do my chores. Instead, I have been crocheting. And a little tatting. Of course, I have to practice my tatting. My tatting teacher is having me do a demo at a local museum over Memorial Day weekend. So, I need to practice ( Not that I would need an excuse to practice.)

Well, God bless and have a great day!

                                                                          A washcloth

                                                                       Ruffled Scarf

                                                                          A scarf