Oh, it is so good to be back here!  It was difficult to leave Instagram, but now that I have, I feel peaceful and content with that decision.  

Here we are four days from Christmas and I am no where near to being ready...I hope to decorate our tree tonight, I did manage to get three types of Christmas cookies made (nothing fancy!) as well as some Oreo Cookie Bark, some orange slices were dried, and almost all my Christmas cards are mailed.  Maybe someday I will be one of those organized people who mail theirs out right after Thanksgiving.

I did fit in some knitting for my new granddaughter Aurora ~ the Small and Clever hat and mittens from Pickles.  They actually knit up very quickly and are perfect for this holiday season.  Soon I will post a picture of the sweater I knit for her also.

Just a quick post here as now I must get decorating that tree!

Take care,

Deb

A Little Spring Update

 

Typical spring weather here means lots of cloudy, cool days, some rain, a few warm sunny days, and this week some lows in the 20's F.  My young peach trees are in bloom, so I hope they will be fine if I cover them.  A nice day means I'm gardening or working on a project, one of which was the beginnings of a stone garden path between the tool shed and the raised beds.  Next up is to lay stone in front of the shed entrance.  With lots of help, I also have a compost bin now, built out of a few free pallets.

One warm day we hiked at the wildlife refuge looking for some signs of spring--leaves are starting to unfurl and some wild flowers were in bloom. 

The hellebores were cut Easter morning and lasted a couple weeks in the vase.  Tulips and snow in summer are in bloom and leaves are starting to open on the trees...I can't wait until all is green again.  Hope you are enjoying Spring!

Deb

late summer projects

Surprisingly I managed to sew more than I am usually able to in the summer.  The top in the picture above was made of chambray linen using the free Grainline Hemlock Tee pattern, to which I made several changes:

• widened the sleeves
• changed sleeve length to 7"
• used a 1/2 inch seam allowance
• raised the neckline by 1/2" at the front center
• shirt length 18 1/2"
• added a bias-cut, raw-edge hemline

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  The lightweight linen has a nice drape, and the loose style was perfect for a hot summer day--of which we had many this year.

My daughter made me a stamp with my business  logo.  With a bit of practice I was finally able to get a good result.  I sewed up several zipper pouches for the shop with my faithful companion for company. As you see, there is still no baseboard and one window yet untrimmed--our winters project.

There is not much left in the garden, but I am picking lots of Heritage raspberries.  Also still getting some zucchini, eggplant, random tomatoes, and out of a half dozen plants, I found one Charantais melon--last year's never ripened properly, but this years melon was delicious!

Today I planted two boxwood next to the back porch and two redbud trees in the meadow.  I'm hoping to find a couple more limelight hydrangeas to add to the front, as the ones I have are doing so well.  
What are your late summer projects?

Deb

summer news

It is difficult to acknowledge that summer is beginning to wind down. Parts of the garden are looking a bit forlorn; it has been a great year for pests--bad for the plants.  I have been busy in the kitchen eating/cooking/preserving what is good -- tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, many eggplant, zucchini, peppers, basil, and raspberries.  Delicious red haven peaches found at the Amish store have been frozen and baked into pie.  I planted two Red Haven trees this spring and can't wait to be able to pick my own! 

This is our third summer at our new-built home, and we continue to work on finishing things inside as well as adding to the outside landscape.  The limelight hydrangea are thriving and perfect for indoor arrangements.  This year we added a snowball bush, rugosa roses, a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose, oakleaf hydrangea, bleeding heart, white pine trees, clematis, and more...  Inside, the pantry was finished and wall planks & a range hood were added in the kitchen.  A hundred year old beam from a corncrib was used to trim out the hood...still need to add crown molding.


We were happy to get away to the woods one weekend with our camper--we haven't camped since selling our previous home.  It was very relaxing, except for the night a large black bear decided to visit!  I've also been enjoying time spent with my first grandchild, a boy born to my son & his wife, and looking forward to another grandbaby my daughter and son-in-law are expecting in January.  Life is so good!

Whenever I could, I have squeezed in some knitting and sewing.  A sweater started for grandbaby no.2 and a dishcloth is always on the needles.  I sewed 4 tops for myself and a pair of pants, all out linen I had on hand--I was actually happy with how all turned out and have loved the coolness and comfort of wearing linen this summer. And most recently, I finished up a few zipper pouches for the shop.

It feels so good to be back here on the blog--please let me know what is new with you!!

Deb