I had a bit of a scare yesterday. My husband calls to tell me that he is 'forced into retirement'. Reason being.........our local Ford dealer has CLOSED their doors down in the blink of an eye. No warning, nothing. Everyone was shocked to say the least. People were calling their loved ones, crying, stunned, and calling about town to see if any other jobs were available, complete chaos.

In my panic, I cried and worried, not just for my husband, but for all the people I know well who also have families to feed and who live from pay check to pay check. I soon sat down to see what outstanding bills we had and what we spend on our monthly bills. I know everyone should be prepared and living on a set budget, but we have kinda lived by 'if you want it or need it, then go ahead and buy it' kinda way. Don't get me wrong, we always pay our bills, don't have huge expenses on credit, and always keep a certain amount of money in our bank account at all times. We live within our means but have also been able to 'play' when we wanted.

So with this scare I go around and turn off the tv and lights and sit in silence pondering 'how is my husband going to handle this? will he have a heart attack like so many do when they retire? what will he do with himself?'. All of these questions are going through my mind and I don't have the answers, but I am very concerned for him. He is a fairly high strung, strong, healthy man at 68 who does'nt know what to do with himself if he cannot be busy. Oh, he can sit and watch his ballgames and such for hours on tv, like most every man I know can, but he has been on this daily schedule and routine for well over 40 years. This will not be an easy thing to adjust to. I know because I was forced to 'retire' 11 years ago at the age of 45 and emotions ran from anger, depression and worse for years. I did'nt know what to do with myself. Who was I? What did I want to do with the rest of my life? Why can't I find a job I could work at? So many unanswered questions which took years for me to find the answers. I don't want this for my husband. I want him to go into retirement because he's ready to.

We just don't realize how every day routines and what we have set for our life goals can be changed in that blink of an eye. Is this something one can really prepare for? I know some can. But do you really have a plan for how you will go about each and every day? For a man like my husband, who I can rarely get to take a vacation and relax, this would be devastating right now.

After speaking back and forth with my husband on the phone, he tells me he has already called the unemployment office and around town to other companies to way out his options. I can hear the anxiety in his voice and I know he is concerned way more than he will admit. He finally comes home around 7 pm to tell me that he will begin working at the local Chevy dealer starting next Tuesday. They want to hire him and one other guy from Ford to work strickly on Fords at their facility since there will no longer be a Ford dealership here in Klamath Falls.

For now the burden of worry has been lifted off our shoulders. But I know this day will once again, in the near future, come back upon us. I hope that we will both be a little more prepared for when that day comes. If I could only get this man to learn to vacation and find life outside of work.

My heart still aches for our friends and their familes we have met and known over the years that have worked beside my husband. I pray they will find a way to get through this and can hold on to whatever normalcy they can until they each find work again. I know my husband has already spoken with some of them. To let them know we are here to help in any way we can. A few of the men have found work just like my husband, but there are many that I know it will be difficult for them to find. Our town has been shrinking in business a lot in the last year.  So many places have closed down.
 For now all I can do is pray and hope that our economy will turn around soon. Before it is too late for some.  I can only leave you with this.

   The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.


Amen.



--Reinhold Niebuhr

I just received a picture of the infant whom I had crocheted the blanket and hat for. Thought I would share how adorable he looks in them. I was actually relieved to see that the hat fit. His name is Sylas and he was born on Jan 19 weighing in at 8 lbs 7.4 oz and was 19 1/2" long. I understand mom was a champ.


Sylas Dante Rodriquez


I hope soon I will be able to pop in on mom and Sylas and meet this little guy. Is'nt he just too cute?

I also thought it was time I showed you the pics of the antique goodies I had on hold for about a month at the Keepers Corner Antique store while I was waiting to get the craft studio completed.

Even after finishing the studio our weather was'nt cooperating for a bit but eventually I was able to bring our trailer into town and four men loaded the items up wishing they had not been in the store on the day I decided to pick them up. Needless to say, men don't realize that if they only took out the drawers, the items are not near as heavy to move.





Once I got them home it was a piece of cake to get them into the studio. Thank God my daughter is strong. Love you. :)




This piece I call my Hobbit cubboard. I just loved how it was shaped. Yeah, it was a bit heavy, especially since it is made of 3/4" plywood, but it was just the kind of piece I was looking for. Something different.
It is filled with things I have been making and I have put my smaller scraps of materials in the drawers.

The pink bear I had purchased also because I just knew she would fit in to my girlie theme. She even plays music. I should give her a name.....hmmm. What do you think?

The other piece I purchased is this desk I now use for my sewing table. I really thought it was a metal desk because it was also heavy with the drawers in it, but it looks to be oak that had been painted. I felt this would give me a little more room rather than the smaller childs desk that I had been using.

All in all, I think I made a couple of good purchases which helped complete the last of the large items to go into my studio. Now it's just material, materal, material, and everything crafty I can use.

I know there are still things to do in the room, but I am enjoying it anyway. I have started several different projects. That's kinda how I work sometimes. I just finished another apron, a couple of sewing animals and this crocheted market basket I just finished this morning.




market basket


I used up bits and pieces of some yarn I had laying around. I think it turned out okay. If I just keep practicing, I hope to some day crochet much nicer.

Now it's off to see what other things I can get into. With so much snow on the ground, I won't be doing anything outdoors any time soon.
Hope you all are having nicer weather.

Tootles.....................

 

This week has been Winter once again. We have had some pretty cold days and nights down in the teens with plenty of the good old snow to cover everything up again.  My girls have been stuck inside while its been snowing, watching mom lay around in bed or sit in her chair with neck and back pain. Not much fun for them.



Pearl out front, Jade chasing her



So it was time for them to get out of the house while it was'nt snowing or freezing. The sun was up and they had on their coats to keep them dry and warm for awhile. They just love to play in the snow, although Onyx prefers it away from the rowdy girls. They like to snow dunk her so she prefers the safety of the dog kennel. Plus she loves to just take off and pretend she cannot hear when one tries to get her to stop. I was not in the mood to have to go and run her down.



Onyx (Lil' Princess)



After about 20 minutes I called it enough as poor little Jade can wear herself out pretty quick trying to keep up with her bigger sister. I could let her keep going but she starts gasping for air from playing so hard, so fast. They really love playing in the snow and will roll all around in it. I was able to ride on my quad down to pick up the mail today so Pearl got to get her ride in too. She loves it.

I have not only been resting but doing a little crochet and some embroidery. Not out in the craft studio as I have'nt felt that grand to do too much. Just reading books and taking it easy. And this is enough typing for one day as the neck can't take any more.
I will have to catch up with you all on your blogs at another time. Until then, stay warm and have a great weekend.



Craft Studio pics

Well I know you have all been waiting patiently to see what I have accomplished in my studio. Here is where I am at so far.  Hubby and I got a couple of the heavy items moved in this weekend but I still have my antique items to pick up from the store. As you can see my studio is filling up quite nicely.


paper craft area

 Putting in all the bottles and boxes with beads in them I managed to spill some all over the floor. That was fun trying to get those tiny buggers up.



sewing area



Here I get to sit and look out over the valley and breathe in the fresh mountain air while I sew. I may need to put up a sheer to help block out the afternoon sun somewhat. It can become quite bright.

computer area


I have placed another sewing machine on this desk in case I need a back up or someone comes over and wants to sew with me. I placed my books up top which works for me. I know that really getting this place organized is going to take time. As I sit and begin crafting, I will know what needs to be where, as I go.

I still need to have a phone line put in and my computer brought out here. I'm finding more things to move in as I walk around the house.  I did'nt realize I had that much crafting supplies but I keep finding more, under the bed, in the closet, out in the tack room. Goodness you'd think I had enough but I'm always picking up a good bargain when I see one.

I did purchase a new Singer sewing machine, which was still in the box brand new, from a lady over in Medford. She said she had'nt even used it when she found another she liked even more. Good deal for me as I paid half what she paid for it. It stitches like a dream. It can do over 35 different stitches and I will need to do a lot of practice for sure. Heck, it took me 45 minutes to figure out what the picture was trying to show me on how to wind the bobbin. And that was winding on top like I usually do. This puppy can wind itself and thread the needle by itself. That's another lesson for another day.

I have never owned such a nice, more modern type machine. I have always bought inexpensive ones with no frills. They have always worked just fine for me and I hope I don't become too overwhelmed trying to figure out this one.

I am open to any suggestions you all may have on how I can better organize my room. I have looked at many different blogs and have seen some pretty nifty ideas out there. I hope I will be able to incorporate some of them into my room.

The art of ironing

To me there is an art to ironing. It helps to go a certain way when ironing your shirt so that you have the least amount of wrinkles when you are finished. In today's world many people do not even own an iron with so much wash and wear clothing. But for those who would like to learn, here is my way of ironing a shirt.

Start by setting up your ironing board, turn on your iron and have either a spray bottle of your favorite linen water (which I am out of at the moment) or your spray starch handy.

Once your iron is hot, begin by placing your shirt collar down first, then spray and press with it open. Turn shirt over and spray and press again with collar folded down.

     




yoke





Next do the yoke of the shirt, keeping the collar as straight as possible. Spray before ironing each section as needed.



Now you will do a sleeve making sure the seams are lined up properly and the cuffs are close to how you would wear them when buttoned up. Press, turn over, press again making sure to get the folds nicely pressed. Do the other sleeve the same way.

Next you do one front side of shirt.

 

  

As you finish the front side, slowly pull around the back and begin by spraying and pressing the backside.



back

 

 

You can put a crease all the way down the shirt or not. Some prefer it where others do not. To make the crease, simply fold under a bit of material  and hold at the bottom of the shirt and press.

Now pull over the other side of shirt and spray and press, making sure you are careful around your buttons so as not to wrinkle the shirt more, or cause a button to come off.

Congrats! You have just completed ironing the shirt.
 



Place your shirt on a hanger and button every other button to keep it well pressed while in your closet.

I hope some of you learned a little something and that you also enjoyed the art of ironing. After 40 years plus experience, I found this way to make the job more pleasurable and rewarding. Thanks for visiting.

No spring chicken

I got this brainy idea that I could put the chicken wire under the floor of the craft room. So I start by shoving the roll of chicken wire under the wall and push it with a rake to unwind it, as it keeps winding back up I use the rake to hold it in place while I proceed to go and crawl on my elbows and my huge bousom, inching my way up to where the roll of wire is, then pulling on it to try and get it to the other side of the building. I would then roll over and try to tack it along the way while waiting for my dizzy spell to stop a sec, then only to realize where I am and start breathing rapidly because I am also claustrophobic, and when this settles just a bit I attempt to staple up some wire only to have the gun shoot out 3 to 4 staples at a time.

By now I'm getting so exhausted from the struggle of trying because no matter how hard I tried, I was not going to be able to do this. As timimg has it, I get a call from my hubby asking how I am doing, and as I explain that I am no longer a spring chicken and tell him of my failed attempts at trying, he and his buddies at work are laughing their tails off as he is sharing my dilema with them.

This is why the insulation company sent two young hotties to put the stuff in, which is why it only took them 30 minutes to do. Oh... to be young again.

After finally giving up the underside, I proceeded to go inside and paint the walls. But with my arthritis aching up again, I was only to finish two walls this day and the other two the next. By Wednesday it was just the floor left to paint and it is now going to be a couple of days for that to dry as our nights are once again down in the low 20's.



finished walls



This shows a touch of the floor color, I just need to finish a small area by the door and wait until it is all dry before I move in the big stuff.

So for now I think it is time for another cup of tea and come up with a plan on how I am going to sneak the new, old desk and cabinet I purchased at the Antique Mall last week, into my studio without my hubby's knowledge.

Stay tuned for that one. Bye for now from this.... not so spring chicken anymore.

Warmer days of Winter

What a beautiful day we are having today. It is in the mid 40's and has been for several days now. My girls and guy are loving being able to munch some grass and find a few critters along the way.

They look so pretty when their feathers are all fluffed up and they get to have a dirt bath. My poor little vines under the tree don't like the disturbance much though.

Little Jade was out doing her business with sister Pearl when Ol Henry (rooster) decided he was gonna teach Jade a lesson. Boy she was up the stairs lickety split and wanted nothing to do with him. Now she just stays up on the deck and watches from afar.

Hubby has been putting in the wallboards today. With luck my daughter and I will get the inside painted tomorrow. Just keep the sunshine coming, at least for the next few days so things can get finished inside my crafting studio.

Now I think I will go and soak up some more of that good ol' vitamin D myself. Hope you all are having a warm and wonderful day. Tootles..........

Good finds today

Today I was to shop for some more wallboards but got busy thrifting instead. Look at these great finds I got for the craft room. The chairs are really comfy for sitting in for sewing, they were both for $3, the lampshade I found at Goodwill for $6 (love the frilly feathers)  and the lamp I found at Restore for $5 and it looks like crystal and has a brass bottom. I figured the baskets are always good for storing small items in, and the plastic thingy I figured colored pencils and such. No one knew what it was used for. I all, I got everything for a total of $25. Not bad, huh?

The chairs will be easy enough to recover, although the one on the right is in good condition so may leave it alone. The tall baskets will be great for holding scrapping paper and such.

These particleboard shelves I also picked up at the Restore. All 9 for $27. I think that is an awesome deal as they will become my shelves for holding my materials and baskets. If you have priced bookshelves you know they are'nt cheap. The ones I would have liked were for two, $300, so I think this deal is much better. Besides I get to reuse and recycle which is what we all should be doing as much as we can now anyway.

I am getting so ansy to finish my room, but with hubby working days we only have a couple hours in the evening before it gets too cold outside for working in the room.

Tuesday, I have workers coming out to insulate under the room, which will help keep more heat inside. All day Saturday, I spent insulationg the inside walls. I cannot do the ceiling as I still get too dizzy looking up. Have you priced lumber lately?  I had to go with the cheapest for wallboards as most everything was $20 a panel and up. Whew! I don't know how any construction is going on with these prices. But by the time I throw some paint on the walls, it is going to ook just fine. I could always add a trim or two later on.

I'll keep you posted on how things are going from time to time. It may be awhile before it is completed to my liking but it will be functional soon, I hope.

 Just wanted to share this beautiful sunset with you.

God sure knows how to put a smile on my  face.

Hope your day was as nice as mine. Have a great evening.

Tiny Bubbles and lots of them

 I am still trying to learn to crochet..........  I think it's time to find someone who has been crocheting for quite awhile themselves to really show me the ropes.            

    I some how make it work when I am not quite sure what the pattern is asking of me. I stop and look through several books hoping I have found the answer and then I move on. I still have'nt learned how to get a good clean edge...............Even when I use pins to mark my starts and finishes................... Honestly, I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.

But here is what I just completed.

The pattern for this baby blanket and hat is called 'Tiny Bubbles' and I made it for my granddaughter's friend who is about to have her first baby any day now.................

 It took me approximately 37 hours to make and that is not including how many times I had to pull out several rows and begin again..................I get frustrated with myself because I know I need to take proper lessons to make it right the first time.

Hopefully she won't notice any flaws and will use it for her soon to be Son.

Notice there are no booties with this. That is because I am attempting to make them, but not sure how they will come out. lol

Wish me luck! 

The building is Built

 I have been watching patiently while my new craft room has been being built. I  gotta say those guys are pretty tough to work under such cold conditions, but I am totally stoked that it is now complete on the outside.

My husband and I will start working on the inside. We will be putting in electrical and insulation so that I will have a nice cozy retreat to get my creative juices flowing.

It is 12 X 16 X 7 which should give me plenty of space to put many shelves on the walls and still have room in the center of the room for a nice work table.

 

I've been checking out magazines and different blogs to see what others have in their craft rooms, and guess what? Each one is unique. I guess I will just have to do what they have done, and that is be creative and make it my favorite place to go when I want to create.
 

I have dreamed of having my own room just for this and now that I have one it is fun trying to decide just how I would like it set up. Having a spot for just the right thing and being able to put it back where it belongs and know one else moving it about.

 

I know this sounds corny to some, but oh how I cannot wait for a much better organized room. What I do now is go from the kitchen table to the office desk and over to the sewing table. Get the picture? Too many places for me to have to manuever just to cut some material or paper crafts. Then things usually end up in a pile somewhere for me to search through.

 

I sure do enjoy looking at what other gals have done in their very own craft rooms. I am even gonna steal a few of their ideas. Can't wait until it is completed.

 

Happy New Year!

Time flies when ........

one has been a bit under the weather which is why I have'nt posted in a couple of weeks. Some how I managed to overdose on my thyroid medications and let me tell you it has thrown me for a loop. Most days I would like to just crawl under the covers and sleep until this was all over.  It has been about a month of vertigo and just all over yuckies. Severe head pain, nausea and I'm not able to breathe real well. This is a lesson for me to learn to have my glasses on when my meds arrive by mail. I somehow mixed generics and non generic synthroid together, hence doubling my dosage. It has not been fun.

In the meantime I am waiting patiently for my carpenters to come and build a shed for me. This will be turned into my very own crafting room! I have drawn up the plans, which change occassionally, and I cannot wait until the day that I will actually be able to see all the pretty materials I own and be able to find whatever I need at the time. Well this is my goal anyway. I have never been a real organized person, but try to. As I am getting older it is even more important for me to get better organized. I can put something down and turn around and forget where I placed it.

I was able to get all the presents delivered to the Salvation Army on Friday. Both families were to pick up their boxes then. It has been such a blessing to be able to help others. I hope it is something our group of ladies can continue to do each year. This is our second year of doing this along with the Food Bank as well.

I went to my friend Susan's house for a Christmas party on Sunday. We were having quite the blizzard out here all morning but it cleared off enough in the afternoon so that I could drive into town and drop in on her for an hour or so. I wanted to get back before it rolled back in on us. She had her tree and all her decorations up and a beautiful buffet of delicious food for all her guests. The first thing I had to try was her tamales I had heard so much about. No disappoinment there. I ate two. She makes a darn good fudge too which I still want to rack her brain for the recipe.

Today has been another somewhat restful day. I have hauled in all the wood we will need for today and this evening. Yesterday I was able to get the tractor out and plow our driveway. Just some of the many chores that have to get done before too long no matter how one feels.

It has just been a very cold day here today. I have'nt even let out my cats or chickens. The dogs get to run out on the deck to potty and its right back into the house.

I've just finished another braided rug. I think this one I will put out in my craft room. I'm not into any more sewing until after Christmas. I've got pies and cookies yet to make. Just finished another batch of fudge. Delivered my peppermint bark to the neighbors. I will be thawing out my pumpkin in a couple of days for pies. Oohh, no rest for the wicked.

Wishing you all

a very

Merry Christmas

Finally.....I started decorating

I finally started to do some Christmas decorating. I received my new Christmas tree that I had ordered. It is called a twig tree and is 6 1/2 ft tall and only 18-24 inches around. Perfect for my small home. I used all my cabin, rustic type of ornaments with very little bulbs.

I also set up three outside lighted trees and rope lights around the deck. I thought it would look nice to rearrange the living room this way. We are planning to get another tv which will be placed on the far wall, and we will remove the entertainment center completely. A few more table decorations, and I called it good.

When I was walking up the hill toward the workshop, I spotted my vintage chairs so I decided, since they were green and red ones, why not decorate the yard with them. This is what I came up with.

Not bad for country folk art. Too bad the vintage trailer has a tarp over it. Would have made a great pic for Xmas cards, don't you think? lol

Well, my big attempt at some sort of Christmas look around here. Now if I could just get my hubby to get the outside lights down out of storage. I am still hoping to one day get him to put them all the way around the house.

Living so far out in the country he does'nt seem to think we need to go all out in decorating like we did when we lived in the city. I could have white lights up year around up through some of the trees. It is such a warm and soothing look in the evenings to me.

I have wrapped presents for a week and make xmas cookies yesterday with my daughter. Time to make my peppermint bark and some more fudge is on the menu as well.

Hope you all are enjoying your days of holiday cheer. I love Christmas and as I get older, I just have to push myself a little to get back into that good ol' Christmas spirit. Holiday music and cookies baking in the oven usually does the trick.

Warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas to you all.

Winter time around here

When Winter arrives around here, I have to say I am usually a bit sad knowing that we will have snow for so many months. It takes me awhile to get into Winter but I feel blessed when I can wake up and look out my windows and thank God I get to live where I am living.

Just breathe........................

I took this pic about 8 am this morning before the sun really came up.

Can you smell the crisp fresh mountain air?

Keep breathing....................

After a couple of hours outside on my tractor, this is how the sky looked. Is that blue or what? Thank goodness it was'nt snowing so I could plow the driveway and the whole road down to the mailboxes. Now maybe the UPS guy will deliver my packages. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope you are having a nice sunny day where you live. Bundled up and staying warm makes it all that much easier to enjoy.

Still breathing..............

Stuffed, just me

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I know I am truly thankful it is over and that all the pumpkin pie, cakes and fudge are finally gone. My goodness did we ever stop eating? I don't think so. With a huge dinner of ham and all the usual trimmings, we still had room to stuff our faces with pie and sweets. You see I have this thing about making sure your man, or guests, come hungry and leave stuffed, or happy or both. Which ever they prefer. Just so long as they don't leave me with leftovers.

We had our kids here for a few days from California. We have 6 to 10 inches of snow, so staying inside was'nt a bad idea although we did manage to go to town and find a few good deals in the stores on Black Friday. Saturday my daughter in law and I went to the movies and saw 'Burlesque'. What a great show that was. Loved all the beautiful costumes, and the music to say the least, was awesome. Cher can still belt it out there. You could definetly get goose bumps on your arms from the way C. Agulara could sing too. Driving home afterwards was a slow go with ice all over the roads, but back home to a nice warm house was a good ending to another day.
 

Before



As you can see I picked up my center island all finished from my daughter's house just before Thanksgiving. I promised you pics so here they are.

It looks more orange than it is, I think that is do to the lighting. It is more a rusty, burnt color. I sure do love having a lot more counter space as much as the cubboard space below.

We put an old piece of metal that was given to me free, over the top of it. It has it's own patina of rust, so my daughter wiped it down, attached it to the top of the unit and clear coated over it several times. The handles were covered with several layers of paint. She took off what she could but decided it looked cool with some of it still on them, so she left the rest for character.



After

To completely finish this unit I am going to have another cutting board made for the one slot that is empty and a couple of boards cut for shelving inside the two larger cubboards to finish them up.  I am so grateful that my son in law and daughter took a lot of their time to finish this piece for me before the Holiday. It really came in so handy for all the exta dishes of desserts and it's great to put a hot pie right on top of it without a worry of burning it.

Well, I have other things I need to complete today. One is getting ol' Hank out and clearing the driveway once again so that the UPS guy can deliver all the goodies I have been ordering on line. Oops, better now say that too loud.

Happy Monday Y'all