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June, june, joon, joooooon

I like June--it's my birthday month--things are growing in the garden and I usually haven't lost my ambition to keep the weeds down yet--strawberries are ripening--school's out (not that it makes much difference in my life--no kids and I am no longer in school or work at one, but still I've always loved that feel of school being out)--cute critters are out and about--and on and on and on--now, Dan doesn't love June so much--it means work (really hard work) trying to judge when to cut hay, keeping the wildness in the pasture at bay, working on things out in the mosquitoes (I guess these things can be said for me as well, but Dan is the one who really feels the pressure of all of it and is the one who does the really hard labor of it all--I help him with the hard labor, but he's the one who really gets down and dirty--I drive the tractor:he picks up the bales, I somehow throw the bales onto the hay elevator:he somehow pulls the bales off the elevator, stacks them up in the heat of the hay mow, and comes back ready for more as I finally drag another bale onto the elevator) . . . but, I digress--I really came here to show you some pretty pictures, so  . . .

Strawflower--I'll have to get a photo of the whole pot of flowers I put together on the deck--yellow and white flowers in a pretty blue pot!

The old wooden manure carrier that used to sit out behind the barn just going to waste.  Now it is in the front yard with a couple of rose bushes, painted daisies, and some lilies.  I planted it full of canna lily bulbs and they are starting to poke through the surface now.  I can't wait to see how it will look!

Last year's kittens!  Murphy, Betty, and Maggie--Murphy's saying, "What aren't you petting me? You could be petting me if you weren't taking that picture!"

Well, that's where life stands at the moment!  Hope you are enjoying your summer beginnings!

Smiles for the New Year!

Lake Jennie Church at Christmastime--our little country church

(There were a few tears before Christmas, I'm sad to say)  All my busy times just got pushed together and if I was better at organizing my time, they might not have been there at all, but golly, I hate to organize my time!

We had Christmas Eve at our house this year for my family--no big deal really-everything as basically clean and it was just my parents and one of my brothers with his wife and son.  The food was easy enough and I enjoy making food and making treats, but when you combine that with editing down school Christmas Programs (also a fun time), finishing off your own gifts to give (fun, too), and finishing off other people's gifts to give (fun as well, I like my job) it gets to be a lot of stuff to get done.  Dan ended up doing all of the wrapping of presents which was very nice!

While my brother was at my place we went sledding out in the South yard (cow yard? former goat pasture?) with him and my nephew.  With all the new snow we had gotten it was so much fun.  Even the cows wanted in on the party (wish I had some pictures--I'm waiting on getting them from my brother as we had his camera out there with us).

Christmas was at Dan's parent's place and was really fun as well!  Just a nice relaxing day with his family.

Dan had the whole week from Christmas through New Year's off, so he did all sorts of things around the house.  Most not very visible (like leveling the stove and refrigerator, plugging up mouse holes, and helping sort through all the cupboards and the big walk-in closet)  We threw away so much stuff and have things a lot more organized once again.

Now just a couple of fun photos of the critters I've taken the last couple weeks!

Dakota rolling in the driveway on a cold winter's day--

it was well below zero at this point, but she'd been cooped up inside all night!

Forgive the bit of blurriness and shadow in this picture, I've been trying to get a good picture of Bernie as he sucks on one of our blankets for a while and this is the best one so far (what with poor lighting and the flash blowing out the picture).  Bernie just loves to nurse on blankets--a comforting thing I suppose since his mother left him alone in our chicken coop at such a young age.  Norman used to do this, too with one of our extremely soft blankets, but Bernie really seems to like these striped wool Southwestern style blankets.  Never knew bright blue stripes looked so much like a mother cat!  (Of course, Norman has also stepped in as a surrogate mother at times--who knew a big 6 year-old neutered male cat could be such a loving mother!)

Hope the new year will bring you smiles and fun moments now and again, too!

Closer

I just finished editing two Christmas programs to go up on the local cable channel and also finished off the framing jobs I needed to do before Christmas.  Feeling a little less crunched.  Didn't finish all I had hoped (my brother's family will be getting their Christmas box after Christmas--just didn't have time to package it up, yet), but as long as I get those programs i just edited onto the air tomorrow afternoon I think everything will be just fine ;)

Just Keep Breathing

Finishing Christmas presents that need to go into the mail today, putting Christmas programs up on the air on the local cable channel, if it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done, but I'll try to finish it up . . .
See you at the end!

Chilly, Christmas-y Winter Days Are Here Again

Brrrr . . . I'm chilly today . . . and yesterday . . . and the day before

Do I use . . . too much?

I don't know . . . (he, he, he)

Well, this post hasn't said much so far, but I thought I would show you one thing I had designed in the last month that might be of some interest.

For the last couple of years, I have been designing and printing banners to be hung at my church during different seasons of the year. Our little country church gets decorated so beautifully at Christmastime with candles, wreaths, and greenery. It already looked so special, so I didn't know if anyone really wanted me to design anything to be put up in front for Christmas, but I asked the Pastor and he said that he thought people would like them during this season as well.

So this is what I came up with . . .


I split this picture in two and it is up on either side of the cross in front of the church. The thing I like about this picture most is the scene truly is from the hillside around Bethlehem. (Although a heavily photoshopped version of it all!)

Dan took a picture looking out over Bethlehem when we went to Israel a couple of years ago. Do you notice the tall mound on the far right. That is a Herodioan (built by Herod/Herod's people) from way, way, way back to before the time of Jesus (at least that is my understanding). Mary and Joseph would have looked out on those hills, the Magi may have had to have crossed those hills to get back home. Those hills were there when Jesus was born and, if hills could talk, could attest to have seen angels in the air announcing His birth. Anyway, those are some special hills :o)

Do you want to see the real picture Dan took?

Well, yes, you do.


The part in the banners is in the way back--I am doubting that Bethlehem currently looks much the same as it did in Jesus' time. I hope I did it all some justice in the banners (highly smooshed and manipulated is they may be).

***Me on my bit of a soap box***
I think that there are times when people today think that God doesn't really have anything to do with the world anymore (if He ever did). That maybe He just ended stuff whenever the Bible was done being written (or, that whole thing was faked anyway). He doesn't care about anyone, none of what He did (or was thought to do) can really be explained, so He must not really be out there at all. I get that. I can understand that people don't see things the same way as I do, but, I say, "What if . . .what if God truly is there and truly loves each one of us and truly has a plan for every single persons life on this earth? What if He truly has known you since before you were born?"

My mind and my heart say that we will see one day that God and all the science and everything out there really do work together. And that thoses hills that were there way back at Jesus birth will attest to the fact that He was born one night 2000+ years ago to really save the people of this world (before and after Him) from the sins that have separated us from our perfect relationship with God since the Fall of Adam.

But, I digress, I am not here to start some kind of theological argument. I just get thoughtful about things sometimes and don't know where to put those thoughts except for out here somewhere where they might cause someone else to think something or other.

Well, enjoy these special days and I hope that wherever you are (here in my hometown or out far away) that your fingers and toes are warm and will continue to be throughout the winter.

Eye Camel Friday(or Oliver takes in the local sites)

Hi, everyone!
I've guess I've been silent this week. I suppose it is because I've been busy trying to exercise for about an hour or more everyday and all that and trying to get myself into some kind of schedule. I didn't do any kind of knitting or making of anything this week-sorry,

BUT, I did plant my garden (along with my mom), and planted most of the flowers that I had hoped to plant around my house. I still have a couple of containers to fill and I would like to rework a section of a perennial garden area that we have, but that means lots of hoeing and planting and buying more seeds and plants and that will have to wait until I have some money in my bank account. (my, my I do enjoy run-on sentences. My old high school English teacher would be shocked. (totally unrelated tidbit-I see her on occasion and she can still make me think about the fact that I don't use proper grammar-I mean I did very well in her class and everything, but I know how to be a good little student when I have to be and then I promptly forget everything anyone taught me))

Yesterday, Oliver the Camel and I walked to the little bandstand park we have across the street from the gallery for a little break.

Here is Oliver enjoying the park swing as the scent of the lilacs behind him waft through the breeze.

And a close-up of Oliver enjoying himself.

We enjoyed the view for a while and took a couple of pictures!


The Railroad tracks behind the bandstand (whenever we have events at the bandstand, we have a couple interruptions from the trains)

Pillars

Bandstand Railing

Hmmm . . . looking at these pictures makes me excited for Summer. We have a bunch of fun activities at this little park. There is always Dairy/Berry Day when we have root beer floats and strawberry sundaes served (fresh strawberries from local growers-my favorite!) and music from the Mid-Minnesota Concert Band. Then we have a brat feed or two with proceeds going toward fireworks for our town festival on Labor Day Weekend. We also have a street dance (where very few people actually dance- mostly just mill around chatting with friends listening to the live music) on Labor Day Weekend.
Some people may find my little town a bit hokey, but I really enjoyed growing up here and living here, still.

Well, I hope you all enjoy your weekend- I hope to be spending mine outside! (probably not knitting, though-bad, bad knit blogger)

Thursday is a good day

Well-at least I hope it is for everyone-I didn't know what to put for a heading, so I just wrote that. (and Thursday is a good day-it is nice weather here, I'm a healthy person, some of my favorite television shows are on tonight, etc)

Okay, I have to tell you I started something yesterday. It wasn't knitting-(of course it wasn't knitting-after all, this is a blog about knitting that rarely has knitting content on it).

I started a diet and exercise program (eep). (Isela, you keep doing so much all the time and made me have to start my own thing)
Today's Pic's don't have much to do with today's post because I really didn't want to show you a picture of me in my work out clothes with my tummy bulging. These pictures are much prettier.

My horse, Beauty. (she's being trained to ride and just under 4 years old)

I've been wanting to do something like this, but I never get the courage and get really lazy and all that. So anyway, I started it yesterday and am hoping to lose many pounds and inches. (please, please, please) All through high school I was around 130 (of course, I always felt like I was fat and ugly and now when I look back at pictures I get mad that kids, when I was little and then, thought of me as fat-I was not at all and it just goes to show how much words can hurt someone so bad that it screws up what they see in the mirror). Then in college, I gained some weight, but then I lost it all by some miraculous occurrence (I really don't know how it happened, but I thanked God for it every day-for once in my life, I looked in the mirror and thought - "she's kinda cute").

So then I got married, made meals everyday, didn't get out much, and briefly (ever so briefly because I saw what started to happen to my body) got those b.c. shots. (sorry if this is TMI, just skip over it) I had been on pills, but then I was having a weird reaction to something and my doctor took me off of them to make sure it wasn't them and had me take the shot-not a good idea because (a.) it wasn't them at all and (b.) I gained all the weight back and more that I had lost in college (for whatever miraculous reason) and had kept off for 3 or 4 years, by the way. (mad face goes here) (but instead of a mad face, I'll show you a picture of Reno. He's more pleasant)

Reno is the 20-something horse that I currently ride. He is always gentle and good with me, but he doesn't really enjoy having to be ridden anymore. He would like to be able to stay in the pasture, so I'm hoping, Beauty will be a good and gentle horse for me. (She may not be and then we'll have to find someone who knows horses better than me who would like a pretty young horse)

Since then I have been waiting for that miraculous change to happen and it hasn't. I have tried things to lose weight and I gain it instead, so I really hope that this will be the thing that helps me and takes the weight off. The plan is---the Extreme Fat Smash Diet and it was done by one of the trainers who does Celebrity Fit Club. Now, I've never watched the show (no cable, satellite kind of stuff at my house), but it seemed like a good plan to me as I looked at it. I'm the kind of person who needs a schedule to follow or I won't stick with anything and it has a schedule of things to do and food to eat that I can actually get and afford.

So, here's hoping it will all work out. (cheers)

Most of the food to eat is pretty good and I can have snacks here and there (as long as they are under 100 cal.), so I don't have to totally cut out sugar. Although last night's supper left something to be desired, so I'll have to figure out a way to make Garbanzo Beans and mixed veggies more edible (they are not good with salsa). My mom makes a really good sauce with garbanzo beans, spinach, tomato, and garlic. I'll have to look for the recipe.

Yesterday, I took a walk in the morning for about an hour. This morning I did a Billy Blanks workout video (which I've owned since college) and later on I'm going to go for a 40 minute walk with the dog.

Dan and I with Checotah (his horse) and Reno. We are in front of the teepee that Dan's brother built and at a Glacial Lakes State Park here in Minnesota.

Come back tomorrow for Oliver the Camel's adventure-(he might go on a walk with me tonight!)

Is is just me, or did I do tooooo much this weekend?

Hello, all!

Okay, so I did it. I sang and played guitar on Friday night and survived. Whew. I wasn't that great or anything, but I survived (probably won't be asked to do that again, though). I would tell you about the large crowds that came out to hear me perform, but that large crowd consisted of - the two ladies who work at the shop, one of their husbands, my parents, my husband (who arrived late by the way, bad husband), some other guy, and a family of three that has come into our gallery a few times. Yep, that's what I was nervous about. I sang and played stuff (including a few verses of The Ballad of Jesse James(music comes up right away on this site, so if you are in quiet place you may not want to click on this link)). Anyway, it went by (and as it turned out, I had to play for 2 1/2 hours not 1 1/2 (is was 6:00-8:30 not 6:30-8:00)


This was my day Saturday

10:45 -leave for "the cities" to get to baby shower for one of my best friends
12:30-5:00- have tons of fun with my friend and her family (it was wonderful by the way-her mom makes the nicest food and she made us all feel so special by putting fresh strawberries in our drinks and giving everyone a beautiful gerbera daisy as we left). She absolutely loved the little hat that I made.
5:00-8:00-drive home, stop for groceries, get some art supplies for a drawing I want to do, and finally arrive home.
8 something- have peanut butter sandwiches for supper and sit down for a while to do nothing for a minute
9:30- start making salad for 75 to serve at a surprise birthday for my mom on Sunday
10:45-3 gallons of salad are in the refrigerator all ready to go, so I sit down to watch the episode of Martha that I had taped. (The perfect woman to watch at the end of that kind of busy day-she doesn't sleep and probably makes salad for 75 every day)


Sunday-

10:30- go to church
11:45- leave church to rush to my parents house (before they get home from church) and pick up old family photo albums for the surprise party that will be at church later this afternoon.
12-ish-try to figure out something quick I can make for lunch, wrap faux birthday present from my brothers, me and my dad (because the present we ordered for my mom won't arrive for another couple weeks), brother-in-law calls and want to come over, lunch ends up not being as quick to make as I would like sooooo . . .
1:15- eat lunch
1:45-3:30-brother-in-law arrives, husband and brother-in-law go outside to walk around the farm and figure out what they need to do for the pasture in order for everything to be ready by the end of the month when the horses go out on it, I finish off the scrapbook I had started about our trip to Israel (only on page needed to be finished) because Dan and I will be making a presentation at church about our trip to Israel at a church service that we are having this afternoon right before the surprise party for my mom that will also be happening at the church, try to figure out what to say at the presentation and write down a few notes.
3:30-run into town to put gas in the car (because we will not make it to church and back on the amount of gas we have in the car) and pick up supplies for punch for the party.
3:45-leave for church
4:00-5:00-family service at church where Dan and I talk about our trip to Israel
5:00-8:00-SURPRISE, my mom has a ton of fun (my dad and I sent our invites to all sorts of her friends and to a bunch of her cousins that she hadn't seen in a while), oldest brother and his family from come up from Iowa, youngest brother (he's older than me, but he is the youngest of my three brothers) and his family come out from "the cities" (middle brother lives in Idaho and has a 2 year old and an 8 month old, so he stayed put.),
8:15 -9:00 or so- clean up the church from the party and pack up the vehicles with presents and leftovers.
9 something-arrive home and do as little as possible until it is time to go to bed.


Then this morning before I came to work I went outside and picked a bunch of violets from the hundreds (maybe even thousand) that are growing wild in our yard. Ahhhh . . .violets have a wonderfully calming effect.

Aaack! It's Friday, again-(plus, Eye Camel Friday and a new FO!)

Golly, I sure have a tendency to forget that its Friday. The same thing happened to me as last week. I know full well that today is Friday. Golly geewhilikers, I sure know that it is Friday today (for reasons that I will tell in a bit, and let me tell you I am getting NERVOUS).

Alrighty, now for the show (by the way, at this very moment there is a song from Pirates of Penzance playing on the radio. I love that show. I played a policeman (and, yes, I do mean man) in it and had the most fun dancing and goofing off.)

This week Oliver the Camel pretended to be Tiny Tim and went on a little "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"

You wouldn't think that Camels could sing, but I can tell you he was singing in that clear, freakishly high Tiny Tim voice "won't you tiptoe through the tulips with meeeee?"

Now, down to business. I know that you guys probably don't believe that I ever really knit or do much of anything with yarn because I never really finish a whole lot, but I now have something to show you.

This little hat was made for by best friend from college's baby that is due in June. It is made with handspun yarn from this post and lion brand handspun for the lining. (I love the color and the look of the wool, but it is way to scratchy for a little baby head and the lion brand handspun acrylic is really soft) The basic pattern came from a free lion brand pattern for use with velvetspun, but I modified the pattern for the yarn I used (a lot less bulky) and made up the green lining stuff.
Mmmm, I think it is really cute!
Here's the lining. I pretty much made another little hat inside because I wanted to make sure that the little one's head wouldn't get itched anywhere, plus I really like how the green yarn shows through the natural wool. (By the by, I just made that all yesterday and sewed in the two little ends this morning--see, I can get things finished if I have to. (The baby shower is tomorrow))Here are Rebekah (made of plaster, twine, and wax) and the hat having a little fun.

And the thing you have all been waiting to hear since I told you I was NERVOUS as the beginning of the post. I'm going to be playing guitar and singing at our local coffee shop tonight. Eeep! I'm a little nervous. Soooo, tonight I am supposed to play music for about an hour and a half. I don't think I have enough music for all that, so hopefully I can take a break part way through. Now, don't get me wrong, I could play for hours if I had a piano in front of me, but this isn't that kind of coffee shop that has a stage and piano and everything. This is just our little coffee shop in our 1200 person town, so I will be bringing my guitar (that I have played for under 2 years) and my voice (that I've had for 20 something years) and that's it. I am hoping that people won't get scared off by me singin' some acappella because I don't know no 1.5 hours of music on my geeetar. Wish me luck!