I should have listened to me!

I tried to tell myself I probably wouldn't have the time to blog, and I think I was right.  I haven't been very faithful and it's only going to get worse as summer comes on and life gets busier.  Let's see what is new here,  ok the chicks are getting way too big way too fast, the coop is coming along  but not quite as fast as we need it to be, but we have had a LOT of rain and a very chilly spring it hasn't been the nicest spring that is for sure, but on the other hand I am so thankful we haven't had to deal with the awful storms and tornadoes they have had down south. 
Not a whole lot new here,  sure love having the bread dough in the fridge from http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/  it's so nice to have fresh  bread anytime we want, Steve is loving it for sure. Almost time to make another 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap again, I have been giving some away for people to try before they make a 5 gallon bucket of it, so far everyone I have given some has made it so thats cool!  Sure is a nice feeling knowing I don't have to buy laundry detergent again, and here's a little tip for ya, I wanted to see if I could make my own oxi-clean and it's just peroxide so I have been adding a cup of peroxide yup the kind you use for cuts etc. and it does really work and a whole lot cheaper and I have to believe better for everything.


I did buy a new book called Better Basics for the home by Annie Berthold-Bond it is so cool,  simple solutions for less toxic living incredible what you can do with some household stuff and essential oils, check it out!  Friday night I am going to a cold process soap making class very excited for that.  I have put my lotion on a hold mode for now just for the fact I have found out I should be using a preservative in it, so I'll update on that actually the girl I am taking the soap class from is going to help me out with that she's been doing this stuff for 20 years or as she put it "before it was cool" .   ha ha
We are sitting here waiting for another storm to hit us here in about 10 minutes, I hope we don't lose power or maybe I should just post this now just in case. Ok I'm signing off for now it's getting pretty dark this way, and I would not be happy to have to retype all this, let alone remember what I posted.
Blog at you soon I hope.

Another Week almost gone..

Wow I can't believe another week is almost gone, where does the time go,  it seems as though you always have spare time until of course you go to use it. Well the weather is finally turning here in our neck of the earth, still a little chilly, but the flowers are coming up, the trees are beginning to bud, and of course the lovely sounds of birds chirping, crickets singing, and frogs frogging if thats a word but I know you know what I mean.


I have been doing yard work everyday, and slowly but surely the yard is beginning to look like it, just a little at a time.  I do have a couple of area's that I still need to do but it will get done.  I found a class on cold-processing soap making, take it in two weeks, very very excited about that, I have been warned it's very addicting, and if you know me I can get addicted to stuff like that rather quickly.  I'll update you on that when it happens, maybe be able to snap a picture or two, I have a dear friend going with me, it's always more fun with a friend right? 
The chickee's aren't really chickee's anymore they are looking like chicks, I will be glad when the coop is done and we can get them outside where they really do belong, no offense to anyone but I have a hard time understanding how people let chickens run around in their house, I guess it's just not for me.
The surprise party for my dear friend was a SURPRISE !!   she had no idea. I did take a picture of her beautiful bouquet of daffodils though they were so pretty in my window, coping a sun tan and opening up.
Also started on my purse, have a few pic's of that too, and also the little teddy bears I spoke about a few weeks ago,  I am not very good at faces though so one has one and one doesn't, I'll put a face on the faceless one I promise.

I sure am glad it's friday tomorrow though no matter how fast the week goes,  friday is always a welcome relief right?
Hopefully I will have a chance to update again over the weekend, I have to make dog treats again though can you believe that!!  good thing they are inexpensive to make, just more time than anything but our four legged kids are so worth it.
Well I will talk to you all later, have a wonderful friday and a great weekend!
Val

Surprise!!

Hi everyone, well it's saturday afternoon, got lots accomplished today, probably had a lot to do with staying off the computer!  Planted some sweet basil, and also some cilantro, thought maybe I could sell some plants at our garage sale in a few weeks, gee wiz they want $3.49 a plant at the grocery store I'm thinking hmmm there's an idea and what I can't get rid of I'll put out front and sell it there. 
We have surprise 60th birthday party to go to this afternoon, can't wait!  I love surprises and especially when they are at someone else's expense.. ha ha  We are meeting at Brann's and she wanted daffodil's for her birthday well as you all know spring hasn't cooperated with us this year so of course daffodil's aren't blooming yet, but they are if you go to the florist!!  Got her a beautiful bouquet of 40  daffodils and put them in a vase and they just came to live in the sun today.  can't wait! and I also made her some of my hand made body lotion too.
Our chicks are getting bigger and not so cute, but they are still cute to me, wow it's amazing how fast they grow, good thing humans don't grow that fast that would be scary!  Steve is coming right along on the chicken coop.  
Well we are praying we don't get the nasty storms that are supposed to rumble on through tonight and and tomorrow night, our youngest dog  Mr. Mac  is deathly afraid and it's not fun when you have a 90# black lab trying to get on your lap., and also Steve can't afford to stay up with him tomorrow night, cuz he has to go to work on monday YAY!!!!  He got a job this week so blessed by that! 
Well I guess I should go finish getting ready, heaven forbid we have to wait for me, that isn't the case anyways, I always have to wait for Steve.  Hehe

Midweek! YAY!!

Well happy midweek everyone!  It's been a busy one, work has been extremely busy this week and I love it!! I am covering for someone else who is on vacation and it's been so nice to be so busy, used to be that way everyday but not so sure I could handle that much stress on a daily basis for too terribly long anymore.


I can't believe how busy I have been lately, for being empty nesters (except of course for the girls upstairs, our chickens) life sure is just a flying by, but I am doing quite a few little projects here and there, and the older you get the faster it goes, so I can see why people who retire just don't have time to work! 


We have been really blessed this week, hubby finally got a job, he has been unemployed for 7 months and it really is a relief, a burden lifted, but ya know we learned some really important things from this, as you always do when you walk with God.  He showed us just how faithful he really really is.
He supplied each and every one of our needs, yep we had to go without things that we "wanted" but God doesn't promise us He will be provide our "wants" He promises He will provide our "needs" and that He sure does, not once did we fall behind on our bills, not once did we go hungry, or cold, or so many many other things that people run into, WE ARE BLESSED and our God is so good and faithful..  He also has shown us why He took Steve out of the job he was in, sometimes you can go your whole life and still not know why God did something but He even has shown us that.  On top of all of that Steve has grown so much in his relationship with God and ya know what ?  that was worth everything!!!


Well people are loving my lotion I have been making, got quite a few orders and also have been told I can sell my lotion at a friends medical office,  how cool is that?  So now I need to come up with a catchy little name for my "business"  I am also waiting for a book from the library on how to make soaps, anxious for that too. I am going to use the cold-process which allows you to have control over what you put into your soap this should be interesting, if it goes has well as my lotion I will be happy. 


 I have been doing a lot of knitting lately too, my daughter and I are having a garage sale the first weekend in May so hoping to sell some of my stuff there! Found an adorable pattern for a summer bag to make it's so stinking cute, I can't wait to get started on it, which reminds me I promised my sister I would send her a picture should probably do that..  getting very very anxious for spring beginning to wonder if it's ever going to get here but I have noticed early in the morning if you listen you can hear lots of crickets, frogs, and all those "summer" noises so ya know what?  I think spring is here really.


Well I need to do some online looking for stuff so I guess I better sign off for now, but I do get to sleep an extra hour tomorrow morning have to go have bloodwork done at 8am, so on to work after that. 
Well I hope everyone has a great end of the week, thank you so much for stopping by! Please do stop by again and feel free to leave a comment too!
Blog at ya soon!
Val
P.S.  Any good ideas on names for my "business" would be welcome too!

Been a short/long week.

Wow sorry I haven't blogged since last sunday evening.  Monday and Tuesday I was home sick with a head cold and still fighting the dumb thing, but at least it doesn't appear to be moving down into the chest, which is one place I can't get it back up from, as long as it stays in the head I'm good, that way at least I can honestly say it's all in my head!!  haha 
Have the grand daughters tonight for a sleepover, one is in bed the other one shall be shortly, time to make more bread this weekend, man I tell ya you gotta try it it's just yummy and nothing like having fresh baked bread in the house, hubby loves it!
Also need to make more doggie treats the  last double batch got me through two weeks so thats the way to go I think.. Need more hand lotion it's catching on at work so I think I'm going to start selling it, it so NICE!  and now that I have picked up "real" essential oils makes all the difference in the world.  Also going to try to make tomato soup cake, sounds so strange it has to be good here is a link to that http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com  they have some  delicious recipes on there check them out well worth the wander truly.
The chickens are getting bigger but ya know they are still kinda cute, haven't gotten to the "ugly" stage yet, hopefully they won't for me, their my "girls".
Well hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, rumor has it's supposed to rain/four letter word here, hope they are wrong, I guess my chances of them being wrong are better than my chances of them being right.  LOL 
Hopefully I will be able to update one more time this weekend.
So enjoy, enjoy my blogging friends!
Val