Handmade Christmas

It's July and I've already started thinking about Christmas gifts. I love giving handmade gifts, but have the tendency to start too late to get everything done! This year I'm starting my idea search early and would love input and ideas from anyone who has them! Not only can Christmas be very expensive, but when you have to buy everything you need in just a few weeks in December – well, it can cripple your bank account as well. Those of you who know me know how much I LOVE to sew. I sew something almost everyday. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with lots of little hand sewn gift ideas. Maybe a cute potholder set with a jar of canned homemade strawberry jam? The link to my list will be up top! Keeping checking it if you're interested in a handmade Christmas this year!

Handmade Gift List

Watching the pot....

My first day of canning went great! I started small scale (no bushels yet)! What I hadn't anticipated or read about was how incredibly long it takes that giant pot of water to boil. After a while I decided that the old saying, “a watched pot never boils” MUST be true and I walked out of the kitchen. 

 

I loved filling those jars with peaches and then with a batch of tomatoes. I had such a great feeling about preparing my family for the future. I got my peaches and tomatoes from the farmer's market since my little garden has about played itself out. Travis (my hunky hubby) brought home another five pounds of tomatoes today. I think I may work on some homemade pasta sauce for my next canning project – oh, and strawberry jam is on the list too!

My kids were captivated by the entire process. I think we've all started an exciting new chapter in our lives!

“Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through home production and storage, but others as well.”

— Ezra Taft Benson

Listen

Helllllloooooo...echo...echo....anyone out there? I feel like I'm just talking to myself at this point because I've neglected my blog for so long. I stepped back from the world for a while. I had to be quiet and just listen. Listen.

What did I hear? Several things. First, I'm happier and my family is happier with a little privacy. Though I check in from time to time – life is so much better without Facebook. Prying eyes and nosy Nellies make life difficult – get rid of them!!! You can also have a successful little side business without staying plastered on Facebook as well! Less Facebook = more family time. Period.

Next, I learned that things that never interested me before were uninteresting because I never gave them a chance. I've found recently that cooking is quite fun. Makes me so happy that I can make fresh bread for my family with only flour, salt, and yeast! No bread machine, no aggravation, just simple hearty bread. Tomorrow I'm canning peaches and tomatoes!! My family is priority and having a supply of food for them is so important to me. I think I woke up at age 37 and became my grandmother. There are just so many dying arts that need to be preserved.

At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, this beautiful earth that we live on has become even more important to me as well. In my times of reflection, it has become amazing to me how much we take from the land. How much we depend on it's bounty for our survival. It was so nice to walk to our garden this summer and pick a juicy tomato. Food in my own backyard. Awesome. Our fall garden is going to be even bigger and better. We are planning some raised garden beds for spinach, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes!

I've also been working on some sewing projects for my home – in addition to sewing what seems like a million little girls dresses..

So, why the blog – again?? Because if feels so good to be canning, gardening, sewing. It just feels fantastic and I want to share the fun with everyone. I plan to photograph and document my gardening, canning, sewing adventures. And though I will probably never will be a full fledged “homesteader” my little slice if provincial living will be fun to be a part of!!

The quieter you become, the more you hear. Just listen.

My first loaf of homemade bread - from scratch!

 

Happy New Year!

Proof in the Pics...

My last weight loss post...2012 I'll embark on a new quest!

Goal time again?

Every year I set a new goal for myself. Is it really approaching the end of 2011? Pretty soon we will be living in 2012, when I thought, as a child, we would be flying around in cars like the Jetson family. My goal for 2011 was to get healthy, otherwise known as LOOSING WEIGHT. My goal for 2012 is much more difficult and will be extraordinarily laborious – but when I make up my mind, well, I make up my mind. I can't post about my 2012 goal just yet, however. I digress.
As much as I loathe photos of myself, I feel I would be remiss in omitting a photo this time. I've lost 50 pounds. I met my goal for 2011 – lets hope 2012 will be as kind to me!

Apple Turnovers

Ever catch yourself saying, “If only.” I'm guilty. I have a terrible case of what I call “Wanderlust” right now. If only I could travel to Italy, or just a quick NY trip. I'm just dying to get out and see the world. Of course, travel is expensive, and with the major commitments I have on my time right now, travel is not really an option. Thankfully, we have a few small trips planned this summer to get me through! Maybe it's just a need for some “change” here and there that keeps me going...
SO, apple turnovers. I'm getting to that. One summer when I was in middle school, I remember having these same type feelings. Wondering what in the world was out there for me and what in the world I could do to find it. I've seemed to struggle with this for most of my life. Anyway, the phone rang. My uncle, a truck driver, had a semi full of apple turnovers to be delivered to McDonalds – he had broken down. Since the refrigeration in his truck had been inoperative for about 2 hours, McDonald's would no longer accept the turnovers. So, he called us. The turnovers were still frozen and perfectly fine, so my parents came back with them. About 500 of them. An entire stand alone freezer SLAP FULL of turnovers. Can you say HEAVEN? We didn't eat out much, even McDonalds. My mom cooked everyday – so “fast food” in the freezer was beyond cool. I had turnovers for breakfast, brunch, after lunch snack, before and after dinner snack, bedtime snack, just anytime snack – I ate a lot of turnovers. It didn't take long before the didn't seem so “heavenly” to me. I was sick of them. I'm 36 years old and I still don't think I've eaten a McDonalds apple turnover since then.
My point? Grass is always greener on the other side. I think it's normal to wish to do things, even buy things, to see things. However, at the end of the day you have to step back and see how awesome YOUR life really is. Apple turnovers were awesome for a while, but I missed my mom's grits and eggs for breakfast!
I'm sure I could find quite a few women who would love to be in my place – mom to some wonderful kiddos with a fantastic husband.... Now I just need to talk my fantastic husband into taking me to Italy...
My oldest boys are at Scout Camp this week. Here a few of my little ones enjoying summer...

Where is your joy?

I have about 2000 wedding photos to edit and another 30+ bridal images to edit, and a maternity session to prepare for. Ugg. As much as I adore and have a passion for photography – and yes, I still want a photography degree, the business end is not really fun. Yesterday I dropped everything and cleaned house. Cleaned my sewing room more specifically. Just seeing the shiny hardwood made me SO happy. Then, though I'm not known for my abilities in the kitchen, I tried a new recipe and it was SO yummy, and I was so happy. Next, I finished another pair of shorts for Lacey, helped Travis assemble our new patio furniture, helped with some homework and I was STILL SO HAPPY.
I have a tendency to get so infatuated with learning and growing (specifically in photograph as of late) that I forget about all of the simple things that really do make me happy – like shiny hardwood floors. I've decided that maybe I need to stop perusing “joy” so hard ! If I stop for a minute it's right in front of me!! In conclusion:
1) I think the trick to all this is finding balance, and right now I'm all out of sync.
2) I'm never 100% satisfied with myself. I'm critical of every photo I take, every meal I cook, etc.. UGG. There needs to be 3 of me to get everything done – the way I want it.
3) I'm wondering when I really KNOW, for sure, what it is I'm supposed to be doing with my life.
Maybe I just need to go clean some closets...

"Arriving at destination, on right."

If you have a GPS in you car, you have probably heard this phrase. My GPS voice has a British accent which I simply adore. Something melodic and easy about that accent, simple yet eloquent. I have been beating myself up lately, wondering if I will ever feel that I have truly “arrived.” Have I met the destination I have been traveling towards, or have I just blazed by checkpoints and kept going. My list of checkpoints and destinations is fogging my brain. Here are a few:

1. I don't write enough. I have a blasted English degree and I don't write – not even this puny blog. WHY? FEAR. I'm a coward. I know I have very judgmental eyes that read my blog, and maybe I'm just afraid of failure, or being labeled, judged. But, alas, it is time to write. I've started a novel – because the story in bits and pieces has been in my head for over two years, and it's time to put it on paper. As for blogging, I had decided to write on my photo blog, but I prefer the Blogger set-up; it's just easier. So I'm back to blogging – I even have it on my calendar.

2. I want another degree. I'm seriously considering going back to college either for a masters, or start over and earning a photography degree. No, no dinky tech “joy of photography class.” I want the full blown, real deal. Maybe in a few years.....I'll never grow tired of photography.

3. All my children will be in school next year. WOW. I need to work on ME. I've already started this journey, but next year I'll have more time to refine things a bit. I've lost nearly 40 pounds, and I am thrilled, but there is still work to be done!

4. Sewing and music. They seem to get pushed to the end, but they need some revitalizing as well. I sewed my daughter 6 pairs of ruffle shorts for summer this week, and I practiced a dozen on so hymns on my flute. I'm petrified of losing or forgetting what I worked so long and hard to acquire...

So, have I arrived? Heck no. Not by a long shot. I could add 10 more things to this list and still not be finished. I am hard on myself though, and I have to wonder, will I be 80 years old and still feel like I have yet to arrive. I hope not. The mere thought gives my chills....

Me and my biggest fan - gosh I love this man! (Blogger is making the picture look BAD though - I will have to figure out why...

Time

I'm simply in awe of how quickly time seems to be passing lately. It seems the world may be spinning a bit faster that I want it to. My children are growing up right before my eyes – if I could just freeze them for a while I would so love it. I will have a high school freshman, a new “middle schooler,” a fourth grader, and my baby girl has only one more year at home. WOW. Just yesterday I had toddlers, just yesterday I was changing diapers. I was a “new” mom. At 35 I'm feeling incredibly “middle-aged” lately! But, new doors are opening, new chapters unfolding. I'm enjoying all the new adventures that have come knocking at my door lately. I'm excited to open the door and let the new experiences change our lives for the better. I'm waking up each day looking forward to what's ahead – and what's ahead looks just as awesome as what I've left behind each night as I close my eyes. Hard work really does pay off – in more ways than I could ever put into words. Time, fast and furious, brings everything to light – it cannot be escaped – so I'm embracing it!