Some old and new thoughts.

First the old. A couple of the many mini-sweaters I made this year. Still not enough because I would like to give several more away-I will stick with getting more done throughout 2009... And Erin Harris's The Rose Hill Hat. Wonderful pattern, however, I never like this shape of a hat on my head. I kept thinking the entire time while knitting that "maybe this one will fit me differently".. no, it fits exactly as it should... I am more of a beret style wearer. Still I recommend this pattern because it is well written, and I think my head shape/size is just a bit odd.





I always enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year. It seems like I start to write down some of those ideas I have that I want to start or try. One idea I have had for a long while now is EZ's "Knitter's Almanac, Projects for Each Month of the Year". I love the idea of a project planned out for you each month of the year. I keep trying to figure out how I could make a plan for more then myself, but then when I start to list what I want to accomplish in January and February - well, let me just say the list is long and mainly contains knitting with a very small bit of sewing thrown in for good measure. Also a bit of scrap booking, which I am very behind on, but that is mainly it. So, for now, I'll just share a few projects I have started since the Christmas present making has ended.
-finish sewing a skirt I started last month
-finish sewing the pajama pants I started in August?
-Knitting a Porom
-knitting on another sweater
-finish sewing up some bibs that are past due
-finish knitting a mini-stocking to save for next Christmas
-knit EZ's Norwegian mittens
-knitting another men's hat

This is only a partial list mind you, but now maybe you can see why it is such a struggle to even be a part of a knit/craft along since I already have so much in the works. Alright, enough rambling. I wonder what else is everyone else working on?

Handmade gifts and toys.

Even though I don't sell what I make, I do support others that do. Please take a few minutes to check out this link if you do as well.

The snow has left.

Very early this morning, the wind blew in and took the remainder of the snow from earlier this week. I know I may sound like a poor sport, but I am glad. I know it will be back-at least I am sure the extreme cold will be back, and I will have plenty of opportunities to trudge out to break ice for the chickens, try to avoid the nasty rooster, and take quick photos of what I find. ;)

I found the wreath pattern here. I just used some of my scrapbook paper stash, you can also use pages out of magazines or catalogs.

The view.

Thursday afternoons are always crazy because we rush from one place to another, and then waiting for 3 kids to finish piano lessons, followed by rushing home to make supper. (That sentence is a perfect example of my brain on Thursday afternoons.) As I was pulling away from Mrs. H's home last night, the sunset was beautiful. A beautiful reminder of how God has wasted none of His minutes nor sunsets. Too bad that didn't hit me until this morning.

I started this post with eggs in mind. Note to self: I am still gathering 3-4 eggs a day. I was expecting the hens to start laying a bit less by now. The chickens also love those left over Autumn pumpkins, they are working on their second one right now.

Recently I found Twist Collective. It is full of beautiful knitting patterns. One in particular I especially am fond of. Maybe some day I will be a proficient enough knitter to try this.

A bit of this last week...

The hot chocolate is a recipe from Apples for Jam. The best hot chocolate I have ever made. (And like bread, I've tried quite a few recipes.) The berries are from before the snow yesterday.

The pattern for the hand warmers is from The Purlbee. They were a Christmas gift for a friend.

Ginger snaps and leg warmers.

I love ginger snaps, so I finally got to this recipe this week. They are incredible. I will be making them again. I also finished up another Christmas gift, some leg warmers for Lizzie.



The yarn is called Chocolate Cherry from Marigoldjen at Etsy.

coffee.

I can drink it black. I still  like it best with a bit of hot chocolate, but black works. 

Last week Anna Sophia laid a double yolk.

The first snow.

Still in the 30's, so not so bad for chores. 

Cooper is going to have to go, he hasn't been able to flog me again, but he has tried. I talk with an expert (Grandma Helen) and it isn't something I can break him of, so now to get the guts up to grab him, and get him ready for dinner. 

Queen Anne's Lace in November.

Cooper.

Cooper flogged me the other morning when I went out to feed and water them. He had never done this before, so I was so glad it was me and not one of the kids.  I have been closing him in the run when I feed and water them so there have been no further opportunities to see if he would do it again.

I finished the mystery socks this weekend...

November walk.

The leaves have been falling and curling up for winter. I have tried to add a lot of the leaves to the garden to help mulch for the winter, however, if you looked out over our yard right now, you would never know it. 

More knitting to fit in today on mystery sock #2. I was hoping to have 2 socks completed by this evening, I am no where close and tomorrow we are heading to Lawrence, so I know I will not finish tomorrow. Maybe by Sunday evening??

everytime..

Every time I think I have a few minutes to post, I end up with at least one child helping me.  So another day goes by. 

Interrupted thoughts.

This morning while knitting a gauge swatch for a pair of socks, listening to Luke practice his memory verse, hearing more requests for breakfast (breakfast was served an hour ago), I remembered why I wanted to start fresh eggs and lavender. It is for some of my interrupted thoughts to possibly find completion, to remind myself of the first day I drank a cup of coffee, with only some hot chocolate (that would be today) and other trivial topics that would matter to only me. So I am back, sometimes with photos, some days without, because, well, I don't have too and there isn't always enough time for that. :)

Taking a break.

Well, initially, I thought I could keep up with two blogs. I think I do have enough photos to keep them up, just not enough time. Every day I think of things I wanted to get recorded and it just hasn't happened. And, school starts next week, the garden is in full swing, not to mention Christmas gifts to begin working on... so I am going to do my best to keep up with Life on chestnut hill, and maybe I will still be back to this one later on. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and see what has been happening, please check up on us at Life on Chestnut Hill when you have a chance.

In the garden.

The EZ February baby sweater.

I almost didn't post a photo of it. I had envisions of it being so much pretty (and all in cream, but I ran out of yarn and am trying to use up my stash)...
It turned out not at all like the ones in the book, but Liz wore it for almost 24 hours straight-so it will do.
And I learned a ton, my next one should be much better.

First watermelon of the season.

Well, at least the first one we found in our garden.


Today Allison and I counted 6 of them, along with more then a dozen sweet potato squash. We picked our first green beans along with a couple of green bell peppers, 6 cucumbers, 2 small tomatoes and a few very new potatoes. Something has been eating all the leaves off of my potatoes. Only a couple of my plants have leaves left. So far, that is the most damage I've seen and they are further back in the yard so next year I think I will plant them somewhere else.

Another trip to the farmers market.


Our first picking from our own garden. So far we have gathered 6 cucumbers and 2 green peppers.


My sweet friend brought me 3 bags of summer apples and I think close to 30 cups of blackberries. (Thank you Megan!)
So far I have made 9 pints of apple sauce and 6 pints plus 5 half pints of sugared blackberries, a huge blackberry cobbler. I will be making blackberry jam and apple pie filling today...

Some eggs...

from our backyard... not all in one day, but still I find it pretty amazing to be able to fill my own egg cartons.

An apron and herbs.

Sorry for all the sun in the photo. I'll try again, after I finish the next two on my list. (I hope that fits in sooner then later.)


Here is a bit of the goods I picked Sunday. The basil and cilantro are perfect right now. The carrot, well, I am hoping they just need a bit more time.

Yesterday my friend Megan brought me 3 bags of summer apples. I did not know there were summer apples until I saw them. Hopefully I will make a pie or tart today with some. :)

Farmers Market.

Since we are driving everyday to get the children to swim lessons, I was also able to hit the farmers market last week. That just makes for a good day. :)



Yesterday I was able to cut enough cilantro to take to the Farmers Market! And then there is still more. Thankfully I have some friends who also enjoy cooking with it. Today I am planning to make some pesto with all my basil.

I was talking to a friend on Saturday and she has made some Queen Annes lace jam. I can't wait to try making some myself, our land is brimming over with it right now.

A bit of a update (at least some photos.)

This is the right time of year to be walking through the garden. The flowers are beginning to bloom, the squash and watermelon is spreading to cover weeds and fill up all the empty space and there are tomatoes and peppers on the plants. And then the smells are amazing, right now as I type, the aroma of cilantro is in the air.

The roses are still producing blooms, not as many as a month ago, but still lovely.


And my newly added yarrow is growing out by the lilies, cosmos and potatoes. Not much to look at right now, but I am hoping by next summer that the brilliant yellow is easy to spot from the house.


And my hollyhocks continue to grow. I am guessing that one of the plants is at least six feet tall right now.


Our original hens are finally catching up in size to Compassion and Padmae, in September they will be close to 20 weeks old and should begin to lay eggs. Compassion and Padmae having have each been laying on most days. It is so cool to actually fill up egg cartons with your own eggs. While trying to get a photo of how the girls size are about the same, out of the corner of my eye I spotted Mac noticing also. I wonder what he was hoping to accomplish? :)



On to other topics-one of my favorites-knitting. This is my knitting bag, it has two projects inside, along with more granny squares to be weaved together. All good projects, one is a cowel and one is a baby hat for a friends niece. However, I begin Elizabeth Zimmerman's February baby sweater in February, and this is as far as I got. I think I became a bit intimidated while working with the pattern... any way, I have picked it back up again...



However, today, I need to get an apron made. I have the fabric and have finally decided on the pattern I amy going to use. Hopefully it will be a quick and fun project to complete this weekend. I emphasize quick, I am a rather slow sewer and cutter, so seldom do my "quick" projects end up being quick.

Blueberry picking.

We visited The Berry Patch yesterday. So far I have 12 cups frozen in the freezer and about 12 more cups to make blueberry waffles, a blueberry cobbler and a blueberry cake...maybe not all today, but it is tempting.



If you enjoy reading about our hens and backyard gardening adventures, you can read more about ours at Backyard Adventures.

A peek of some of my flea market finds...



A recent crochet project. Anne, pattern by MK Carroll. The yarn is from Suzanne, who found it at The Plucky Knitter.

A great week.

This week the kids spent a couple nights with Grandpa and Grandma. I was able to do spend some good time with friends and my sweet husband. Aubin and I hung out and went to a flea market and found some great bargains, Suzanne and I watched some Martha (I haven't seen Martha in years-it was so great) and made facial lotion. I also helped catch a bull calf to band-castrate him. (I may have wrote that incorrectly, I don' quite have the whole bull/calf/castration/steer lingo mastered yet.) And Matheau and I ate at Chipotle, had some Ben & Jerry's and started watching season 6 of 24.



But as always, I love my kids. So when they arrived home we have had fun picking black raspberries, going swimming, working in the garden, and today, Allison volunteered and helped me clean out the hen house.

Fruit.

We have wild black raspberries that are getting ready to pick. Last year I did a horrible job of keeping the area around them cleaned up enough to pick them. This year, since my Dad, brother and Matheau have mowed twice, I have been able to keep an eye on them. They should be ready to start picking this next week.





I ordered some tomato seed from Seed Savers-late-but I could resist. A couple of days ago, I noticed one of the containers I had planted them in was missing some leaves. I didn't really think much about it until a little later, I noticed that a lot of leaves were gone! After a bit of inspection, I found the culprit. I nice fat caterpillar.