THE SEWING CLUB

Another item from my wish list: learn to sew. I've "sewn" before - if you count making pillow coverings. There's not much to that, stitch 4 fairly straight lines and you're done. I want to learn to REALLY sew: sleeves, pleats, ruffles, zippers. Well, maybe not zippers. Those look hard. But definitely sleeves.

Fortunately, I have really good friends who are REALLY good seamstresses! Like, award-winning good! And they are teachers by trade. How cool is that?! So on Friday, we put everything else aside and began The Sewing Club! Membership is open and free, and we take all skill levels - I'm proof of that! Come join us!

Jeanette (left) and Wendy (right) are the experts in our group. Can't you just tell by looking at them that they KNOW sewing? The expertise almost oozes from them!

I'm the novice. Here, I am VERY CAREFULLY cutting a straight line - which I had to have help pin down. Doesn't the ineptitude just ooze from me? And what's with that hair, woman? Don't you own a brush???

It was a really long piece of fabric. Concentrate, concentrate.

After much pleading and coaxing, Jeanette obliged me by pulling out some of the items she'd made as a little girl. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE stories from my friends' pasts, so I was fascinated by the history of  these pieces. This dress has sleeves, a lining AND a hidden zipper! Wow!

And this is the outfit she took to the State Fair! It's a beautiful wool dress (side zipper AND back zipper, both hidden!) with matching belt and jacket. She even made the buttons - MADE the buttons. I didn't know you could make buttons. I thought they only came from fabric stores! Who knew?

Now while I was eating up this show-and-tell, Wendy was busily working away on her own project.

She's piecing together some gorgeous fabrics - patchwork style.

All I could hear from Wendy's side of the table was the rapid whirring of her machine. She's amazing! I'm not sure what this will be, in the end, but I know it will be so pretty!

At the end of the morning, Wendy had a couple of rows pieced together, I had an apron cut out and the armholes stitched, and Jeanette had been persuaded to bring out some treasures. We enjoyed Jeanette's beautiful home and homemade sweet roll. But mostly we had 3 wonderful hours of fellowship and fun. And I can't wait until our next club meeting!

I'm starting my homework right away!

BRANCHING OUT

There have been some developments in the Carancahua Creek Trading Company empire!

Produce sales have gone swimmingly well, and with Big John's help, I may have gotten a handle on the weeds (knock on wood.) The Saturday Market has been a huge hit, and each week we've managed to add a few more touches to make it even more inviting. This means I get to shop for cute "stuff" almost guilt free!

With a routine in the works and many of those chores that teachers have to save up for summer marked off the list, I've begun branching out into other ventures. I've secured a booth in a nearby antique mall, and Sunflower Antiques was born. (I'm obsessed with sunflowers at the moment.) This will give me a chance to "weed out" (garden pun intended!) some of those treasures I've collected over the years - and again, the chance to shop for deals almost guilt-free! What luck!

"Survival bracelets" - braided bracelets made from parachute cord - seem to be all the rage in certain circles, and Big John has become an expert at making them. He's sold quite a few and is experimenting with many new designs, colors, latches - even making necklaces and keychains.

Buyers are so impressed to see him tying bracelets as they watch! Big John Jewelry is open for business!

There are a couple more ideas fermenting in my brain - with adorable names to go with each and to be revealed at the appropriate time in the future. Let's just say they are SWEET ideas! Can you guess that one??? Honey, it will be amazing! (That's another hint...)

FIRST BLOOM!

The first sunflower bloomed this morning! What a beautiful "weed!"

SAMBO THE BEAUTIFUL

I'm not sure why, but Sammy seems to like hopping up into my planter - and posing.

Enjoy the photos of this beeeeeeeautiful rooster!

I HATE MULCHING

BEFORE:

(2 down, 18 to go)

AFTER:

NOW:

GOODNIGHT!

SUPER SUPPER

If you're not eating homemade hamburger/rosemary/tomato/basil/3 cheese pizza with homemade tomato sauce on homemade crust...

Well then, you just ain't livin' right.

It sure was good!

WEEDS ON A WEDNESDAY

"WHAT DID YOU DO ALL DAY, HONEY?"
That's the question I've been dreading/dodging/avoiding for the past 4 days now.

I knew it was coming. He'd have to ask. Heck, I'd have to ask HIM if the shoe were on the other foot.

But he didn't. Big John didn't ask me once (during the 12 times we spoke today) about what I'd gotten accomplished. Mostly because I tried to head him off at the pass. I tried to sing my own praises every chance I got; to remind him of what a workhorse he married. But Big John's really not that kind of guy in the first place. In fact, at one point this afternoon, he actually uttered the words SUSIE and NAP in the same sentence. And who am I to argue with an Agent? So I took one. A short, restful, energizing one, and then I got right back to work!!

Just in case YOU were wondering what I did on a Wednesday, I took this:

135 feet of careless weeds starving out my sunflowers.

                                                   

And turned it into this:

This is what it looked like as I made my way down the row. Slowly. Very, very slowly.

And sweatily. Very, very sweatily...

at 6:30 Wednesday morning - when, I swear, it was already 94 degrees with humidity to match.

UGH.

But I persevered. I'm nothing if I'm not a persever-er. 

4 hours and a couple of iced tea breaks later - DONE! Now I just have to go back and pick up all those weeds. One thing at a time; no rush; I've got all summer to mark this off my list! 

In other farm news, the big chicks are getting regular time oustide the goose pen these days. They are in chicken heaven! They still stick together pretty well, all moving in a chirping clump. And they still take little breaks inside the coop - it's safe in there.

What's not so safe is this little situation:

Daisy was keeping one eye on those tasty little chicks

and the other on me as she was vigorously chewing that chew bone -

that probably tasted just like little chick!

Meanwhile, the little chicks are getting some outside time in the poultry playpen.

They're loving it as well.

All is good right now on the farm!

Have you hugged a chicken today?