Changes

Things are changing around here.  As you may notice, fullfreezer is no more.  Since I'm going to be posting more often on my other blog and am hoping to use it as a springboard for my new business, I need to have better continuity across platforms.
Christmas was lovely and low key here. I15 has been wearing his fleece shirt almost non-stop since he opened the package yesterday morning.  K12 has been too distracted by new games to be too excited by his vest.  Justine was thrilled to get her quilt.  And Santa brought me a dress form so now I can have even more fun with designing things!  But by far the most popular gift of the season is from my SIL.  She sent a fez to each child.  They have been much worn around here... because "fezzes are cool".
I'm off work all week and hope to do some sewing.  But I did have to move my sewing machine and a few essentials up into the back room upstairs because we're having a visitor arriving tomorrow for the weekend who will be staying in the guest room that I also use as my sewing room.  Our visitor will be Justine's current beau, driving here 6 hours from Wisconsin to see her and meet the family.  Hmm....

I need to start thinking of an end of the year post and some goals for next year.  I've got lots and lots of plans in my head....

Merry Christmas!

For your enjoyment, a few photos of our sledding adventures:

 V still has the right stuff!

 Justine valiantly tries to avoid a wipeout.  

Help me, Snowbi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

 The Princess is in trouble Han!

 I15 comes to a halt.  The saucer is almost too small these days.

 Ah... feel the love... it's cold and goes down your coat....

 Next stop... Mt Everest!

K12... Falling with style!

From our house to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Winter Solstice 2012

A 

BLESSED

WINTER

SOLSTICE

TO ALL!

I for one am happy the days will be getting longer.

Poachers!

A bit of a rant here.  V was out walking the dog this afternoon and stumbled across evidence of poachers on our property. Back in the little valley between the farthest two hills on the property he came across the carcass of a large buck with only the head missing.  Knowing that this isn't a good thing, he called our local DNR office.  They sent out an officer to look things over.  She agreed that it was most likely poachers out after a trophy.  grrr...

This makes me really, really angry.  Now don't get me wrong- I have absolutely nothing against hunters.  But... if you are going to hunt on my property, you had better ask my permission.  AND- just as important in my book- if you are going to take the life of an animal- especially a deer- at least have the decency to eat it!  Don't just leave its carcass to rot.

I'm also not thrilled at the other creatures this has drawn closer to home.  There is evidence on the carcass that coyotes have been gnawing at it and I'm not thrilled at having something luring them into hanging out here.  Nothing can be done at this point, but you can bet we're going to be a bit more vigilant for a while.

She's HOME!

My little girl made it home from college yesterday afternoon.  And what an ordeal she had.  Well, I guess it is an ordeal if you count being stuck in an airport with a delayed flight for hours as an ordeal.  She had no trouble getting to the airport in Philadelphia, getting through security or catching her first flight.  She made the connection in Chicago but sadly, her flight out of O'Hare had some sort of engine trouble and was delayed. They finally brought in a different airplane and 187 minutes late, they took off.

It's great to have her home, we all piled on the couch in the basement and had family movie night last night (although she fell asleep, the poor thing had been up really early!)
Now on to the festivities of putting up the Christmas tree, baking cookies and wrapping gifts.  Maybe it will start to feel more like the holidays now.

I'm working on another sewing project but more on that later...

I can't imagine...

I can't even begin to imagine the pain that the families of 20 children and 6 adults are going through tonight in Connecticut.  All I know is that we need to keep them all in our hearts and pray for healing.

I also urge you to keep in your heart the young man who reportedly did this horrible thing. I don't think any of us can imagine the pain and hell he was going through to make him able to do something like this.

I hope none of us ever experience a fraction of the pain that all these people have.  Hug your loved ones tight, say a prayer or two and live in peace.

Dark days #2

A little of my world today...

 The view on the bus:  sunrise.

The view on arriving home:  sunset.

sigh

Dark days

I really, really detest this time of year.  Oh, not because of the holidays but because the days are so short.  With working outside the home, the sun is just coming up when I leave for work and setting when I return. I miss an entire day of light.
I feel bad because I'm having to rely on V and the boys to care for the chickens- It's never light for me to check for eggs or feed/water them.  I went out with a flashlight to water the greenhouse this evening. BLAH!
I have been sure to take my Vitamin D every day.  I never bother during the summer months because I am outside so much.  In fact, my MD had my vitamin D level checked last year and was surprised that it was actually fine.  So few people are able to have a good level naturally these days. But, I do take a supplement in the winter.  I find that I have much more energy and focus when I do.  And it's good for your mood as well.
Not much else going on.  I've got a bit of hand sewing to finish this evening and maybe I'll cut out something new.  We'll see.  I'm rather impatiently waiting until Saturday when Justine comes home.  I haven't seen her since August.  That's a LONG time to miss my baby girl.  Oh, we 'chat' on facebook or text on a regular basis but nothing like being able to hug her.
I just can't seem to get into the holiday spirit this year.  No decorations have been put up yet (we're waiting to do the tree until Justine gets home) and I haven't done any holiday baking either.  The weather finally decided to get cold- for a few days- but is now back into the 40's during the day and we haven't seen any snow at all.  Who knows, with climate change, maybe we'll have a non-winter like last year. We'll see.

Crazy sewing weekend

Whew!  I've had a whirlwind weekend in the sewing room.  I did manage to get quite a bit done.  I got the binding machine stitched on Justine's quilt and am about half done hand stitching it.  I got Karl's vest completed. And today, I managed to cut out and nearly complete a fleece shirt for Ian.  All I've got left is to hand stitch down the collar facing.  I've got a photo of it here.  It's made from that ultra soft fleece.
So, I feel pretty good about the weekend.  And, I've finally made a decision.  I'm tired of second guessing myself and playing the maybe/someday/never scenarios in my head.  I'm going to finally take the plunge into starting my sewing business on the side.  I'm currently recruiting models and will be sewing up a storm with the plan to do a photo shoot in March and have the website go live in April.  So I'll probably be updating much more on my other blog that has been rather neglected.
This business will either succeed or fail but it won't do either if I don't at least try.  Besides my (not always willing) family I've got one other model volunteer already and I just sent out the notice today.  I spent a few minutes pulling out the patterns I want and looking through the fabric stash.  I'm excited again about this idea.
Justine will arrive home on Saturday.  I'm also excited about that.  She is also ready to come home.  She's in the middle of finals this week so send good thoughts her way.
I've got to go back to work tomorrow.  It has been such a busy few days here but even with all that I feel refreshed.  It was a great change of pace.

Hope you all have a great week.

A new post

over at my other blog.  I finished the vest for K12 and I15 was a not terribly willing model.

Check it out here!

A Friday kind of Thursday

I've got a couple of vacation days coming up so today was my Friday.  I'm kind of excited to have a 4 day stretch.  I've got a bunch of things to get finished this weekend so I've got a to-do list a mile long.  I've been hoping to have time in the evenings after work to get some sewing done but it just hasn't happened this week.
Last night I15 had a band concert.  It was a lovely concert but it's never a good thing when they have to call in the janitor with a mop between bands.  There is a stomach bug running rampant around town and someone in the back row vomited during the concert.  How mortifying for a teenager for something like that to happen.  The same bug is running through at work.  One of the units I frequent has been quarantined until next Tuesday because so many staff and patients are ill.  I was a bit concerned because I had been seeing patients on that unit on Monday morning.  At least I made it through the 48 hour incubation period and am still well.
I wish V could say the same. He doesn't have the stomach bug but is having sinus trouble again.  He has had such trouble for the past couple of years.  It wouldn't be so bad except he was up half the night- keeping me up in the process.   I do hope he figures this out or recovers soon.  It is getting really old.
I thought I'd give you a little sneak peek of my holiday project for K12.  I found this fabric in my stash last weekend:

Isn't it a lovely brocade?  The thing is... I have no earthly idea where it came from.  It's obviously a remnant from someone's project- just not one of mine.  There is a piece that's almost 2 yards and another good sized scrap.  It has had something cut out of it but no one I know cuts things out with pinking shears.  I asked my sister last weekend when I saw her if it was from her but... nope.  V wonders if it is something he picked up during one of his dumpster diving hauls- possible- or I thought maybe from his Mom. But he doesn't think it's from her.  It was stuffed rather unceremoniously in a plastic bag along with some brown tulle so I do wonder if it was someone's costume for something.  I'll probably never know.
Anyway- this will become a brocade vest for K12.  He has recently decided that bow ties are the most awesome fashion accessory and he is quirky enough to wear something like this to school, with a shirt and bow tie!
Now, I've gotta get to sleep- I'm weary.  It's been a long week for only working 4 days and I've got a busy, busy weekend planned.

Another Monday

Oh my!  It has been a week since I posted last.  Goodness, how time flies!  I'm becoming one of those unpredictable bloggers who only posts sporadically.
But... things have been busy here so I guess I've got a few reasons I haven't been blogging.  The boys and I were out of town all weekend at my parents house to see my oldest sister and brother in law who were visiting from Colorado.  We had a lovely weekend but I didn't get anything done at home- which puts me behind with all my tasks here.  V stayed home to tend animals and do some work at home.
Work has been busy.  Holidays are always rough times and this year is no exception.  Sometimes working in psychiatry has its drawbacks.  Most of the patients right now are really, really ill so it has made work a bit more stressful than usual.  sigh....
I've been getting some sewing done in the evenings. Justine's quilt is nearly finished and I've got plans for both boys- assuming I can get them finished in time for the holidays.  Justine will be home in 2 weeks so I really need to get cracking.  She has a new beau who will be coming to visit for a time between Christmas and New Years.  Hmmm... I haven't met him yet but he seems like a nice guy.
I'm still harvesting out of the greenhouse.  The weather has been somewhat of a roller coaster here.  Last week we had a day where we had a low of 12 and today it was near 70.  Go figure.  But even the really cold snap we've had didn't take out my greens.  Hurray!  We had lovely salads this evening with  lettuce, spinach and slivers of black radish from the greenhouse.  Yummy.  Egg production has been continuing low.  sigh...
I've been continuing to exercise regularly (yeah me!) but I'm at that awkward stage where I can feel my clothes are fitting more loosely but the number on the scale isn't really moving. grrr  But I'll keep at it.  July will be coming sooner than I think and I need to be ready to run.  It is going to be really hard to avoid all the holiday goodies around work but I'm working on my willpower.  We'll see how long that lasts when people start bringing in the fudge!

Now- I've gotta get going and see what else I can get done.  I've been wasting too much time online this evening.