Sew What?

Sew What? 

Sew knits! 

I was thrilled to discover that our local fabric warehouse has begun to carry knits.  The ladies who work there just shake their heads at my enthusiasm:  "What could you possibly want with this fabric?"    (They're really fun, sweet ladies who always give Little Boy treats and are eager to help me out with my crazy project ideas, so I'm willing to tolerate their playful jabs.) 

At $3.99 a yard for solids and $5.99 a yard for prints, I decided to do some experimentation in making my own clothes.  I was going for a kind of "body-drape" look that I thought would be easy to achieve with knit. 

Here's a look at 4 things I've made lately with Marshall's knit fabrics.

This one is definitely my favorite!  I love this dress.  Since it only involved sewing one long seam, it was definitely the easiest to make.  I even made one for Girl 1, and she loves it.  I feel a little like I'm headed to a toga party when I'm wearing mine.  Girl 1 says she feels like she lives in the Bible.  Either way, it's a neutral, comfortable dress that can be accessorized lots of different ways.  To make this dress, I kind of loosely followed these instructions.

I had some leftover fabric from the above dress, so I decided to turn it into a skirt.  Love this skirt!  It's very versatile.  I don't usually tuck into it, but I thought that would give you a better look at the skirt for the photo.  For this one, I VERY loosely followed these directions.

Then, I guess I started to get cocky and decided I'd try something with an actual pattern.  When I got that pattern home and started to read over it, I realized that though I've sewn LOTS of things over the years, I had basically no formal sewing training.  My mother-in-law gave me a few simple sewing lessons years ago, but other than that, I'm self-taught.  Reading that pattern was like reading another language.  Needless to say, this tunic/dress did not turn out as planned.  After lots of seam ripping, my first go at using bias tape, and a quick YouTube tutorial on how to sew a slipstitch, I did complete the project.  The end result is not something I would buy off the rack, but, oh well.  It was intended to be a tunic that I can wear with leggings, but it turned out a little longer than anticipated by the time I added the extra length to the waist to allow for my height. 

My mom, who probably hasn't worn bare shoulders in public since her 40th birthday, will be glad to hear that I am making some attempt to dress my age lately.  My new personal rule has been that I don't show both knees and shoulders at the same time.  It works most of the time.  So, if I'm wearing short shorts, I try not to pair it with a tank top.  Jeans and tank tops.  Short skirts and t-shirts.  You get the picture.  The dress, as pictured above, however, does not meet the criteria.  So, I guess I should go put on those leggings.  (By the way, my exceptions to my own rule are my running gear:  I definitely wear shorts,  and I can't stand to have sleeves when I run, so shoulders and knees are all bare when I hit the road.  I also make an exception for crazy hot days.  If it's above, say, 90 degrees, all bets are off!)  Of course, rules are made to be broken, so I don't always follow my own rule.  Besides, 33 is not that old, right?

And lastly, this picture really doesn't do this top justice.  It's really cute.  And it has an adorable little pocket!  Oh, and these are the jeans I had on in a Goodwill store one time when a kind, older gentlemen offered to buy me a new pair!  Hahaha!  And, yes, I do realize that these jeans do not look like the jeans of someone who's trying to "dress her age,"  but I love them AND, they do follow my rule:  my knees may be showing, but my shoulders aren't!  ;)

Surprise, the Chicks Are Here!

So, the last (and first time) our shipment of chicks arrived, I likened it to Christmas morning.  We had counted down the days and prepared for weeks for their arrival.  It was such a joyous occasion.  Today was joyous, but I'd liken it more to that "oh-we're-in-labor,-better-head-to-the-hospital" day.  We knew they'd be coming mid-September.  We'd originally thought that we'd get them this week, but we hadn't yet gotten the shipping notice.  So, we were surprised to get the phone call from the post office this morning at 7:00, asking us to please come pick up our chirpie chicks! 

We all scurried around.  Girl 2, our #1 chicken farmer, rushed around throwing shoes on and jumping in the van to accompany daddy to the post office. 

Their home in the garage had to be readied quickly.  Luckily, we already had all the feeders, waterers, and tubs cleaned and had feed ready to go.

Some quick assembly, and the chick habitat was ready to go!

Time to move in!  Unfortunately, one died in shipping.  You can see the poor little one in the top left of the box.  :(  It's pretty common, but it was a first for us.

This girl loves her chicks!

We'd orginally ordered a bunch more chicks, including more layers, but we canceled those and just went with broilers (meat chickens) this go round.  In fact, we decided to try a different breed altogether.  These chicks are Cornish Cross, which is much closer to what's grown in chicken houses today.  They reach maturity very quickly, which is good, but they have some other negatives that must be weighed in as well (that's another post altogether).  Because we'd ordered so many in our initial order, the company threw in a free "exotic breed" chick that they apparently didn't remove when we diminished our order.  You can see her/him in the above pic.  Girl 2 named it Cuddles.  It's the only one she was allowed to name (meaning that the others will all be dinner).

Getting acquainted with their new home

Pinterest Cleaning Day!

On my weekly cleaning schedule, Wednesday is Bathroom Day.  As you know, if you read the blog regularly, I don't love cleaning.  I DO, however, love an experiment, so I decided to make today's cleaning more bearable by trying out a couple of cleaning tips I'd pinned on Pinterest.

First off, I planned to try this pin to tackle the soap scum in the shower.  All I needed was vinegar (which we use all the time for all kinds of things, so we always have it on hand in giant jugs like the one pictured below) and blue Dawn (which I do not keep on hand.  Luckily, the 9 oz. bottle is on sale this week for 99 cents at Walgreens).  I put 1/2 c. vinegar in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.  Then, I poured 1/2 c. Dawn into a spray bottle.  Once the vinegar was warmed, I added it to the spray bottle and gently mixed the two by turning the bottle.

I doused the shower pretty good and was surprised to see how thick the mixture is.  I just let it sit for 2 hours (while I tried my other cleaning experiment).  At the end of the two hours, I used one of my Grandma Smith's scrubbies that she knits (but any kind of scratchy pad or sponge would do) and went to town on the shower.  I really was amazed at how well the mixture had dealt with the soap scum.  Now, we didn't have just a ton of build-up, but I suspect it would work it's way through even pretty tough scum. 

I'll definitely continue to use this mixture on occasion (looks like I need to get back to the store before the end of the week for some more Dawn while it's on sale).  Of course, because of the Dawn, this mixture is not entirely green, like the vinegar-based cleaner I usually use.  Although, since it's typically used to clean dishes (which we eat off of), it's presumable less hazardous than, say, a cleaner with bleach, Soft Scrub, or Comet.

The other pin I tried was the grout cleaner in this pin.  While I was less than wowed with the results, it was a green option, and it was good to get down on my hands and knees with a toothbrush and really work on some spots that I normally miss with the mop. 

Organics: Are They Worth It?

In case you're not as intrigued by studies related to farming and the food industry as I am, let me fill you in on the latest.  Stanford scientists have recently released a study wherein they compare organic meat and produce to their conventional counterparts.  The findings, which have shocked many and allowed others to enjoy a smug "I-told-you-so" moment, are that in many foods the organic variety does not contain a greater amount of beneficial nutrients.  Organics are, of course, more expensive for the consumer, so the study has left many wondering whether it's worth it at all to "go organic."  (For more info on the Stanford study, check out this balanced article by the NYTimes.)

As you can imagine, this is lighting up blogs and forums all over the U.S. as we all try to make sense of these most recent findings.

Well, why should I be left out?  Here's what I think about it all.

As a proponent of organic foods, let me start by saying that I am not at all shocked by these findings.  Yep.  You read that right.  I grow an organic garden in my backyard yet I am not surprised to learn that a conventionally grown sweet potato has all the nutrients that an organic one does.  To me, choosing to eat organic (when possible and feasible) has never been about what's in the organic food so much as it is about what's not in the organic food:  namely pesticide residues, hormones, and other additives (which this study and countless other have confirmed are greater in conventionally-grown produce than in organic produce).

So, a vitamin-packed organic strawberry . . . or a vitamin-packed conventionally-grown strawberry with a side of pesticide residue?

Sounds like a no-brainer, right?

Oh, if it were only that simple.

The organic vs. conventional argument is over as far as most foodies are concerned, and I doubt that the new study will have enough momentum to swing the pendulum in the other direction.  Besides, foodies are now on to talking about the next big thing:  local food.

Even if you're not into the whole green movement and are unconcerned by how many fossil fuels are burned to get your bananas to your table, there's another reason to care about how close to your home your food was grown. 

Fruits and vegetables are at their freshest and most nutrient-dense when ripe and freshly picked.  Food that has to cover a lot of ground to get to you is losing nutrients all along the way.  The lettuce at the farmer's market that was picked this morning is going to pack a greater vitamin punch than the one that was harvested and shrinkwrapped for its cross-country trip to your grocery store via refrigerated truck and may very well be 2-weeks-old by the time it makes it to your shopping cart. 

Do you see how all of this can get very hazy for the modern consumer? 
Should I go with the conventionally-grown but local bell pepper from the farmer's market? 
Or should I go with the organic one at the supermarket that was grown in California?

Yes, I've read a lot about the food industry lately, but I do not claim to be an expert, by any means. 
Still, if I had to boil it down, I'd say that for me local trumps organic.  And organic trumps conventionally-grown.  Let's say I'm on the hunt for celery.  Here's my order of preference:

1.  Organic and local -- what a great combination!  If your farmer's market or backyard can meet both of these criteria, great!
2.  Conventionally-grown but local -- yes, I side with local in this debate.  There are lots of reasons.  For a good start in understanding this debate, though, I'd suggest this article.
3.  Organic but not local -- this is especially true if it's a fruit or veggie from The Dirty Dozen list.
4.  Conventionally-grown and not local -- this should be the last resort.  Unfortunately, for many of us, this is all we have available to us for many produce varieties.

And, if you make it all the way to #4 with a fruit or veggie, don't throw your hands in the air and grab the Cheez-Its.  Believe me, a celery stick conventionally-grown in California is still better for you than that box of Cheez-Its.

If all of this is interesting but foreign to you, maybe start educating yourself by watching a movie.  Who doesn't love a movie?  Grab some popcorn (organic or not ;) and check out Fresh or Food, Inc., both of which are available on Netflix instant streaming.

My Monday

5:00am --  alarm goes off.  Already?  Snooze.  Just once.

5:09 -- alarm goes off again.  Already?  Okay. Fine.  La:mp is turned on.  Bible reading and prayer time in our quiet bedroom.

5:30 -- the fastest shower known to mankind.  Why did I hit snooze?

5:40 -- dressed, don my muck boots at the backdoor and head out to feed the goats and milk Razz.  What a glorious day!  I really should've put on a jacket.  Decide just to enjoy being cool outside.

5:55 -- back in the kitchen.  Pasteurize milk, start coffee, juice oranges, make breakfast for 4 (according to their orders placed the night before -- John makes his own breakfast.), put yogurt that was incubating overnight into the fridge, make lunch for Girl 2, and prep water bottles for both girls for school.

6:30 -- sit down to breakfast, all 5 of us.  Yes, we do that nearly everyday.  Yes, I know we're pretty lucky.

6:45-7:15 -- do girls' hair (they otherwise get themselves ready for school -- yes, it's very nice), have them gather dirty clothes from upstairs, Girl 1 strips her bed (Monday is the day she gets clean sheets), Girl 2 and Little Boy make their beds.

7:15-7:36 -- start laundry, clean up breakfast, mix up Black Bean Soup and start CrockPot, say goodbye to John as he leaves for work, and be sure I look presentable enough to walk to the bus stop while the kids watch a show on Netflix  ("Good Luck Charlie")

7:36 -- Alarm on my phone goes off signifying that it's time to walk to the end of the driveway and meet the bus.  Girls grab sweaters, lunchboxes, waterbottles, and soccer balls, and head out the door with me and Little Boy.  Dexter hears us in the front yard, shimmies under the backyard fence at the back of the yard, runs out into the pasture, shimmies under the pasture fence, runs around the house and into the front yard to meet us at the bus stop.  Yes, this has become a  part of the daily routine.  Everyone, including the other kids on the bus, seem to enjoy this.

7:40 -- Little Boy, Dexter, and I wave to the girls as they load the bus then head back to the house (Little Boy and I) and backyard (Dexter).

7:40-8:15 -- Little Boy wants to watch his Netflix show ("Dinosaur train"). (Our most recent policy has been that each child gets to pick one short show per day; although, now that school has started and the weather is so nice outside, they often forget to request a show) so I whip up some cornbread to go with tonight's soup, start a loaf of bread in the bread maker, and run dishwasher.  While cornbread bakes, I review next week's Home Church curriculum to see if there's anything for the craft time that I'll need to add to my shopping list (in lieu of AWANA this year, we are working through a great curriculum together as a family.  So far, we are loving it, and the kids are talking a lot about the lessons throughout the week, so I know they're really getting something out of it.)

8:15-9:30-- shuffle laundry, then Little Boy and I head outside to work.  Today, we dump the rabbit poo on the compost pile and clean out her cage, remove the poopy pine shavings from the chicken house, haul them to the compost pile, and replace them with fresh shavings.  Then, we empty the contents of the kitchen compost pail on the pile, feed the chickens the bread heels that no one else seems to want, water the garden, haul a 50 lb. bag of alfalfa pellets to the goat shed (oooohhh!  I'm still sore from Saturday's race!), and pour it into the empty bin.  We weed the flowerbeds in the front yard and backyard (ooooohhhhh!  still sore), haul some dead limbs that fell during the most recent storm from the front yard to the burn pile out back, so that John will be able to mow later this week. 

9:30-- Back inside, Little Boy has his fruit snack (always at 9:30).  Slim pickin's today means it's either strawberries or this lone freckly banana.  He opts for berries. 

9:35 -- (yes, he wolfed down the fruit) shuffle laundry, then begin Little Boy School.  This week is the letter D, and he thinks it's "super awesome" that we'll be reading and singing about dinosaurs all week.  For our gross motor activity, we crawl around the floor like various types of dinosaurs (oooohhhh.  still sore!)

10:15 -- Little Boy colors a picture while I go through the weekly sales papers and write down price comparisons so that I can take advantage of our grocery store's price matching policy tomorrow on shopping day (yes, I'm the annoying lady at the grocery store that you always seem to get in line behind who has 15 price-match items, 3 coupons, and brings my own green bags), plan the weekly menu, and compile the shopping list.

10:45-- I put the sheets back on Girl 1's bed and then vacuum entire house.  I HATE cleaning.  But, I've started following a program that has me doing small cleaning tasks each day so that it's never an all-day-long project.  Theoretically, it should keep the house perpetually clean.  Normally, on Mondays I would vacuum downstairs and mop.  But . . . last week I didn't get to vacuum upstairs because the kids had a week-long, 100-square-foot project going on up there that involved building a town and farm out of their train set, Legos, and Lincoln Logs, so upstairs really needed to be vacuumed  today (hauling the vacuum up the stairs-- oooohhhhh, I'm still sore!). . . and, I couldn't mop today because John broke my mop last week while using it to trap and kill the mouse he found in his closet.  (No, we do not have mice in our house all the time, but we do live in the country, so it happens.  Since we've lived here, I'd say we average a mouse per year.)

11:15 -- Bread is done!  It's huge! 



Here it is next to a mason jar, for perspective.  Apparently, the yeast likes the weather today, too.

11:20 --Empty dishwasher (I know this is weird, but this has got to be my least favorite household chore) then Little Boy and I have lunch on the backporch (I mentioned that it's a glorious day today, right?).  He has leftover mac-n-cheese, and I eat eggs and toast (we really need to get to the grocery store).

11:40 -- We check the chicken tractor for eggs (there are 4).  We figured there'd be a lot because we kept hearing them clucking about it as we ate lunch.

12:00 -- lunch is cleaned up, Little Boy goes down for a nap.  I head outside with the laptop to type a long, pointless blog post about my day thus far.

That pretty much brings us to the present.  Here's what I know for sure about how the rest of my day will go . . . at least 5 unexpected things will happen, hopefully none of them too catastrophic, and we'll just roll with it.

The plan, though, is this:

12:00-3:00 -- I will sit here, rest, blog, and read.  OR, I'll get up off my rear and clean out my closet (we'll see) while Little Boy naps, then plays quietly in his room.

3:17-- my phone alarm will sound, indicating that the bus will soon arrive, and Little Boy and I head to the end of the driveway to greet the girls/be sure they don't get run over as they cross the highway (I'm sure that the bus driver is capable of this second part on his own, but I help out gladly).

3:20-4:00 -- unload backpacks, look over graded papers, do homework, discuss days, unload lunchboxes, have a snack

4:00-5:00 --the kids and I will make S'mores cookies (a new recipe that we're all excited to try) and I will probably be the single audience member for an awesome dance show (if today's anything like the last several days)

5:15 -- John will come home, and we will sit down to big bowls of Black Bean Soup and cornbread. 

5:45 -- John will milk Razz while I clean up dinner

6:15--7:15  This is perhaps the best time of day.  That's because it's pretty much unscheduled on Mondays.  And, because Little Boy and I have busted it this morning, I'll be free to just enjoy whatever it is that we choose to do.  We may play a family game of soccer, or the kids may play outside while John and I work in the yard, or I may go for a run and take one or both girls with me (need to work out that soreness).  Tuesday through Thursday afternoons and evenings look a lot different because we've got scheduled extracurriculars, but Monday is calmer.

7:15-7:30 -- the kids will get ready for bed (mostly unassisted -- yes, we're to that stage, and it's wonderful!)

7:30 -- Little Boy will go to bed, lights off.  Girl 2 will go to bed, lamp on.

7:40-- Girl 1 will go to bed, lamp on (she gets 10 extra minutes to stay up because she's older.  She usually uses them by reading to me or John or searching for dance gear on Amazon).

8:00-- the alarm on my phone will go off and sound like crickets chirping.  This signals that it's time for lights to go off upstairs. 

8:00-9:00 -- another wonderful hour!  John and I will enjoy some time together.  We will probably share some ginger ale and try to fight the urge to munch on Veggie Straws.  We may watch a show on Netflix, or just sit and read or talk on the porch.

9:00pm -- I know it's insanely early (but so is 5:00, when the alarm will go off in the morning), but we go to bed.  Ahhhh. 

So, weird post, but, I say all this to say, I'm kind of enjoying getting back into a routine now that the girls are back in school.  Our days are full around here. . . . but in a good way.  Also, now that I've written this, let me say this:  if you ever feel like you're not being very productive, maybe try writing down everything you've done that day.  If it affects you like writing this has affected me, you'll feel very much like you've gotten a heck-uva-lot done.  In fact, maybe I will just sit here and read rather than clean out my closet right now.  I kinda feel like I've earned it.  :)

Goat Pedicures

For those who think that goat pedicures are right up there with chicken baths here at our backyard spa, be aware that The Backyard Goat claims that "Trimming your goat's hooves is the most important thing you can do to keep them healthy." Wow! If only I could get my doctor to say the same for me, I'd get to spend a lot more time in that awesome chair at Nail Spa!

Why is it so important? When their hooves get long, they may limp. If a goat's feet hurt, she won't graze as well and may lose weight. For a dairy goat, this would definitely affect milk production, too.

So far, we've trimmed Razz (our milker) and Honey (my favorite sweet goat). Pictured here is Honey. She's never been on the milking stand before, which is where we opted to try this so that she'd be better restrained. She did alright so long as we kept feed in the trough. John did have to lift her onto the stand and wrestle with her a bit, but we got the job done!

Anybody Ever Tried Barbecued Dog?

This was the sight that greeted me this morning on the backporch.

Yep, those are the carefully planted fall garden starts.  If you remember, I'd been tracking their progress, comparing the ones started in our compost to ones started in Miracle Grow.  Well, Dexter seems to think they tasted about the same.  Or at least the little newspaper pots rip equally well. 

Oh, the carnage! 

Okay.  There may have been some not-so-ladylike language and perhaps even a Croc shoe hurled in his direction.  Please suspend judgment.  It was, after all, before 6am on a Saturday.  And, no kids were around to hear the language or witness the violence.  And, I've been nursing these plants for a couple of weeks now. 

When John and I came home from running our 5K race this morning and were famished, just like the kids we came home to, I proposed barbecuing Dexter.  It was such a nice day out, we could just string him up over the fire pit, I told them.  We put it to a vote and I lost, 4-1, so I guess we won't be eating him, after all.   . . . Or maybe they just don't like the idea of barbecue.  Maybe they'd go for a little CrockPot Canine.  ;)

If my kids didn't love him so crazy-much, I'd be serious about finding him a new home.  Maybe I'm going to have to fence in my garden area. . . . and all the kids' toys . . .  and my outdoor furniture . . .

Uggghhh.  Even after the horror of discovering the dirt-strewn porch this morning, I couldn't help but smile as I watched him and Girl 2 chasing each other around the yard, -- she in her pajamas; he jumping like a trout on the line to higher than her head.  They absolutely love each other.  I think that if he and my garden could just figure out a way to peacefully coexist, we'd be good.

Suggestions?