Crazy, Hazy, Lazy Days of Summer!

It's been a crazy summer. First, I had eye surgery...yuk...but I'm OK now and can see much better!
Then...sadly, we lost 3 of our baby goats. My husband, trying to help out after my surgery, (bless his heart) mixed corn in with the goat feed...thinking they would like it. And they did....too much.  :-(

Then, we bought new laminate and took all the carpet out of the house. We thought it would go down in a week-end...you know snap, snap. Well, that's what it showed on the box! Yessss...I believed it. And Yessss, it was not totally true.  It would go down snap, snap, if we had 10 or 12 guys helping us...but we don't.

Soooo....We have the kitchen, hall and dining room done (almost)... but still need the living room and all three bedrooms!  Wondering (hoping) it will be done by Christmas...sigh...




Then...my cat, Trevor, somehow managed to fall and break his little tail up close to his little butt. The vet said he "might" recover feeling and ability to use the litter box...and then again...he might not. He amputated the tail... and I made a little diaper cover and used pantie liners for the diaper. He looked both pitiful and adorable at the same time...lol!  It worked...but then I had change cat nappies all the time.  Eventually, though, he recovered and can use his litter box. He no longer enjoys being outside, however, and stays close to mama... 

Next up..."Scruffy".   We already have four dogs, so when this big, shaggy, burr covered boy came down our driveway...we just knew we couldn't keep him.  I thought he must be somebodies baby that has gotten out and I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to locate his owner. Talking to neighbors...placing signs around the neighborhood and local shops.  Nobody came forward.   Have you ever seen the movie, "Beethoven"?  Yeah...well that is exactly what happened.

One by one the fliers flew off the telephone poles and day by day, Scruffy made himself at home, getting in our hearts a little more with each passing week.  Now...we have to admit he's ours!

So how has your summer been going?  Gotten any sewing done?  Vacations?  Let me know!

Ohhhh...as a PS... for some reason I lost all my "followers" on here and cannot figure out how to put the "follow" link back up...urrrrggg.  I'll keep trying. So if you wanna follow me...just keep checking back. Sooner or later I will figure out!  Love, and happiness...Kate~

Baby Goats Everywhere!

Ok...so I've been AWOL for a bit. But hey...I have an excuse! You see, I have goats. And this is kidding season!  And I have been busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs...

First, Claire gave us two lovely little does. I named them Merci and Grace. And then our Abbie gave us triplets! Two does and a little buckling that is an absolute honey. All white except for his ears, which are long and puppy dog brown. Their names are Prudence, Purity & Prince.  Unfortunately, we lost little Prudence after only 21 days.  She was the healthiest one, too. Don't know what happened. We just found her passed away in her little sleeping house. Very sad.

Then Rachel gave us twins. A little doe and a buckling. But she rejected them! Refused to feed them. So guess who got to be goat mama?  I told you I had been busy, right? 

For the first couple of weeks they had to be bottle fed every few hours day and night! Boy was I tired. Now it is a little better as they can go five or six hours between feedings. 

They think I am their real mama and run to me bahhing loudly everytime I go outside.  They are so adorable. I've been letting them spend more time with the herd lately so they can figure out that they are "goats"...and I am only their foster mom!  But it's really hard...they are like my babies now.

Finally, our Leah gave us one little doe that looks exactly like her! I named her Joy Belle...because she was born on my sister, Joy's birthday...and she is...a "little Joy"... my baby goat...AND my sister...lol

So what have you been doing? Write and tell me. I love to hear from you!

Baking an Apple Pie

Have you girls been over to Sugar Pie Farmhouse yet? You know?...Aunt Ruthie?  Let me tell you, she is amazing!  I always feel totally inept after visiting her blog. She does everything...and does it well...ya know what I mean?  I never feel like I can do the things she does...but last week she posted a recipe for apple pie that looked soooo good that I just had to try it.  It was called Butter Crunch Apple Pie and the photo made me almost drool! 

Now, I haven't had the best results with making homemade pies in the past...but I was sure that the reason for Aunt Ruthie's success with her awesome pie was in the special apple peeler...corer...slicer thingy that she had. It was shiny and red and looked...ahem...like a professional apple pie making tool.

So I immediately ordered it.  While I waited for it to arrive, I dreamed of all the lovely apple pies I would make...effortlessly, of course, with this new and wonderful tool.  I imagined my husband and son thinking I was amazing and telling all their friends about all of the heavenly delicious apple pies I made.

I purchased the apples and other supplies for the recipe...and anxiously watched my mailbox...

Well, Thursday...it arrived!  I was so excited! I opened it on the dining room table and put on the little handle and prongs that hold the apple, in place... and sighed. Now, I would make a pie like Aunt Ruthie...finally!

First, I made the pie shell...just like Aunt Ruthie said.  It wasn't too difficult I managed to sail right through it...a little flour found its way into my hair, on my forehead and the front of my apron...but that was ok. I still had my professional apple thingy tool to use and I was quite certain that the displaced flour was all part of my new professional baking skills.

Now...on to the apple peeling! The thing that had catapulted me into this new vision of me as a person who can snap her fingers and produce the prettiest, yummiest, most awesome pie you ever saw!

That is a terrible photo...sorry!  Even Aunt Ruthie's photos are better than mine.  Anyway...you can see how clever it is. You put the apple in and turn the handle and in no time at all you have a lovely bowl of peeled and sliced apple ready for your pie...right?

Well...it didn't work that way for me.  I don't know if I had the tension wrong or the prongs in the wrong place or what. I looked for directions in the box but couldn't find any...so I just tried to figure it out from the picture on the box. 

The result was a squished apple...juice all over the counter and peels on the floor...which the dog tried to eat but decided against very quickly.
I had already made the pie shell and was covered in flour from that and now I was sticky, too.   Sticky...but determined.

So, rather than be defeated by a lack of knowledge about my new kitchen tool...I made a note to email them for instructions and sat down with a bowl of apples in my lap and a paring knife...like my grandmother used to do. I was feeling very "vintagey" as I began peeling.

It took a bit longer...but when I was finished, I had a bowl of apples ready for a pie...and I was plum proud of myself!

I mixed the apples with the required ingredients, then topped them with the butter crunch topping...and then popped it into the oven and set about to clean my kitchen... whew...

When all was said and done...I had made a lovely apple pie that I was proud of and my husband and son absolutely loved it! My son has told me three times that it's the best apple pie he ever ate... (moms love that doncha know?)  

And then...my sweet husband heard the story about the tool problem and found the box...and pulled out a little booklet of directions. 

"Where did you find that?" I stammered

"It was right there in the box" he replied.

I felt like and idiot.  Somehow in my excitement to use my new kitchen tool...I overlooked the directions...totally.   This can only mean one thing.
I shall have to make another apple pie...using the directions this time!

Meanwhile...I encourage you to go visit Aunt Ruthie and get her awesome pie recipe. I would post it here....but I haven't asked her permission to do so. Anyway, you need to see her amazing blog!
www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com
'Til next time... love and happiness... Kate~

The Quilt Show

Friday was such an awesome day! I went with my sister and my daughter...my two favorite women in the world,  to the Dallas quilt show!

Kate, Joy & Sweet M~

 We saw the most bee-yoo-tee-ful quilts...were filled with inspiration and stirred to creativity!  I still cannot believe some of the quilts I saw. Such talented women!

Don't you just love this vintage pick-up truck? Omg...I can't even imagine how long it took her to get the shading right... wow...

The fabric and the colors and the excitement of hundreds of quilters all around us was electrifying!  Then after a couple of hours of oohs and ahhs and "look at this!"... we went and had lunch. We laughed so hard and talked so much and shared phone photos of everything that was happening in our lives. It was truly wonderful!  We were like three little girls on a playground!

Then we got down to some serious shopping and filled our little pull along carts with awesome deals and beautiful things and said the word, "cute" so many times it started to lose its' meaning!  

I have to say my favorite fabric was the little fat quarter I bought with the tiny aprons on it....

Which I will probably use with this sweet little piece of vintage rose fabric... sorry...there were no names on the fabric when I got it home or I would be happy to tell you... but I do remember the website of the shop! It was http://www.quiltingals.com/



And my favorite "kit" was a little quilted wall hanging of a chicken with a heart shaped wing, looking down at it's baby chick as if giving "mommy" instructions!  Just love it. I can't wait to get started on it.

Isn't it adorable? The little chickens are wool felt and all of the fabric I needed was included in the kit...I LOVE that... :)  It's called Spotty Hen by Rachel's of Greenfield.

And how 'bout this, dare I say it?..." Cutie, cute, cute snowman pillow?



Bought the pattern and enough fabric to make two of them! One for me and one for my daughter, Sweet M~  Pattern is by Meg Hawkey for Crabapple Hill Studio.

 And of course, I had to have some of this...



After all that walking, I slept like a baby Friday night and woke up to hear the bahhing of a new baby goat in our barnyard!! A little doe...and since it was my sister's birthday that day...I named the little goat, "Joy", after her!

That's all for now. I have lots of sewing to do!  Hope I have something finished to show you next time... until then...wishing you love and happiness...Kate~ 

Overcommitted...

Hmmmm...overcommitted...is that one word or two?  Right now I am going so fast trying to finish projects and keep up with my obligations that it seems fitting to make it one word. It looks as in a hurry as I feel...
So...how did that happen? Last time I popped in here, I was halfway finished with little J's star quilt. Wanna see it?

I was doing so nicely and then I saw this gorgeous afghan I wanted to crochet.

So I ordered the yarn and got started on it...while I was still quilting the star quilt. And then my sister asked me to make this cute little baby cape for a friend of hers...

I found the pattern at Yeppar on Etsy.com... and it's too cute. Reversable, too.
You should go visit her shop. She is soooo talented!

So now...I am quilting, crocheting and sewing...all at the same time. See what I mean? Over...committed!  Hopefully, I'll finish all of them at the same time.
Until then...I'm busy, busy, BUSY!  

I'll be back soon and chat some more. Until then...stay well...be happy, and love those around you like there's no tomorrow... Kate~

Hearts

Working on a quilt for little J this past month...and I just looked up and found that it was February already!  Sheeesh... I didn't even write anything in January. :( Sorry...   I can tell you why, though, if your wondering.   Three days before Christmas I got sick with the flu. Then it went into Bronchitus and lasted til after New Years!  yuck...  

We had to postpone Christmas with the children and grandchildren so they wouldn't catch anything, and we ended up leaving the tree up so long I had to dust the ornaments!  

So anyway...that's what happened to January. 

About mid way through I started on this sweet quilt for little J.  It's stars with a black and white checked border.  I'll get a photo up here for you soon.  I wasn't feeling well enough to sit at the sewing machine when I began it...so I hand pieced it!  Now, I'm hand quilting it...which I did not intend to do. I wanted to do learn free motion quilting and use the wonderful new foot my sister, Joy, gave me for Christmas. 

Unfortunately...I found that free motion quilting is not as easy as it looks! Sooo, not wanting to mess up the pretty star quilt...I decided just to hand quilt it. I'm exactly halfway finished today!

Gotta run for now, sweeties...   I have church tonight and I'm teaching the little girls to crochet!  They are so excited about learning.  I'll let you know how that goes...  meanwhile...you have a blessed day!  Love and happiness...Kate

Catching up...

Wow... I can't believe I let so much time go by without blogging here. I had such a nice start, too!  But now I'm back.  I'll have to catch you up, though... so much has happened!

My family was staying with us during that summer when I began this blog...while trying to find a new house in a town nearby.  They finally did find their dream home and my daughter, Sweet M, is busily decorating it these days!  She is very happy and content in her new town and nestled in her dream home. That makes her mom, verrrry happy!

My big guy, D, graduated from highschool last June. He is a second generation "home school kid" and so this was a very big moment. I am so proud of him. He is now enrolled in classes at the Jr. college in their new town and has a girlfriend and everything.... The only thing that makes one happier than seeing their children happy...is seeing their grandchildren happy... :)

Little J is still homeschooling. He loves it... He has a play group that he meets with every week at a local park and looks very forward to this time of making new friends. 

As for me... well, let's see. I now have one more rabbit, 2 more dogs, (rescues) and six more goats!  Ohhh, how I love my goats. They are all Nubians... Claire, Abbie, (Claire's mom), Rachel and Leah (twins, born to Abbie last Spring, Oliver, (our first Buck) and Thaddeus, a whether, that basically keeps Oliver company.  Ohhh, they are beautiful.   I think Claire and Emma (the one goat I had when I started this blog) are pregnant...so we will soon have more baby goats running around, making us smile.  Ill keep you posted on their progress.

For now...I am enjoying the cooler weather...after a terribly hot summer here in Texas. And I'm decorating the house for Christmas.  I love Christmas. It's such a happy, gentle, snugly time of year. When most of us put aside our differences to do kindness to others and to one another...as Jesus would have us do all year...  

I'm always very sentimental at this time of year. Thinking back on Christmas' past and on my children's childhoods...as well as my own.  It's very easy to have regrets and think of all the things we could have done better.  But I try to sweep those thoughts from my mind...and only concentrate on what I can do better today.   Life has a way of mellowing everyone. Of putting things in the right priority.  And with each passing year...I find that I enjoy Christmas more, and with much less stress...as I focus on the giving of myself...my time...my efforts to others...rather than "stuff"... and take in the beauty of each day and what it brings. There is always something beautiful even in the midst of great  hardship... weather it's having a roof over your head and warm bed to sleep in, or the stars that twinkle above us each night.  We just have to look for it sometimes...and look past all the things that try to discourage and deflate our Christmas cheer...  I pray that as you go through this first week of the Christmas season...you will find the beauty of Joy, Love and Peace...if even for a moment. Let's make it the merriest Christmas ever!  Love and Happiness to you and yours...♥ Kate