A HOMERUN, A TOUCHDOWN, A FINISH

A finish yippee, yippee yahoo !

I actually finished knitting this last year and gave it to Caitlin for Christmas,

But it has taken me another 10 months to weave in all the loose ends.

Silly, silly me.

I even wore it to my sister's Friday night before I gave it back to Caitlin.

I think I will have to knit me one 

and 

soon.

Yesterday was a busy day , lots to do and only so many hours in the day.

{ I have to work tomorrow...so felt a little crunch for time }

I made some more laundry soap...

I really really like this stuff.

It smells wonderful

I do not put in any essential oils

Just pure soap

I also made some artisan bread

not sure how it will turn out since I have not baked it yet

The bread is still rising.

 Sounded good to have some hearty bread to make our BLT's on tonight.

Will let you know how it all turns out.

Have a wonderful day

Knitting group tonight

a favorite !

LIVING AS SIMPLY AS I CAN

I really like the simple things in life. I am no longer interested in acquiring STUFF.

This includes fabric and fibers. 

Oh I'm sure I will buy fabric that stirs my heart, but I am DONE stock piling fabric.

{tulips}

Seems now I just want to spend my days at home fluffing the nest. This includes tending a garden of flowers and veggies.

{ davenport }

Living simply is not about perfect but about the PROCESS.

Instead of buying new cushions for this davenport I learned how to make these fitted cushions. No they are not perfect but the process of making and learning was a PERFECT learning experience !

{garden}

Gardening is the unattainable nirvana for me. I am always planning the following years garden. How to do it differently, where to plant for a better yield, using more heirloom seeds, better at not wasting a seed.

It is the perpetual hope that I love about gardening!!

{ homemade dish clothes}

Homemade things tells me I do not have to be a victim to the advertising world of what I need to buy to be HAPPY.

That their is a peacefulness and accomplishment in doing it myself.

{ homemade laundry soap}

Love this stuff, very easy to make and works great.

The other benefit of HOMEMADE laundry soap....

this is safe for our water ways

no toxins in these bottles

and that makes me smile !

{ laundry line}

Drying clothes out on a sun drenched clothes line has to be in the top 5 things I love to do .

I feel at peace with the world and myself watching clothes gentle blowing dry out side on the line.

Oh, yes it makes a huge difference on the electric bill.

Making bread helps me to return to one of the oldest arts of food.

The many kinds of bread and the science of bread making seems endless.

{rag rug}

My newest endeavor, making rugs using the tooth brush method. As many of you know I have a house full of fabric, so I like to use the fabric I most likely will never use in a quilt.

The old saying

Use it up or do without

{ blueberry pancakes}

home cooked simple meals for simple days

{homemade dog food}

I started making dog food more because of my allergies to the puppies.

The benefits has been amazing:

*the fat boy has lost a pound

*the skinny girl has gained a pound

*their coats look so much better

*my allergies are better

*less shedding 

but the surprise benny has been less waste our kitchen.

We save all left overs for the dog food.

I have read several reports that the average household throws out $30 worth of food a week. 

I am sure I have been guilty of this but no more. As long as I have used no onions, it is fair game for the dogs!!!!

This is a few things that I enjoy doing to remind me 

TO KEEP IT SIMPLE !

I AM SO HAPPY

To be home and not at work !!!

I have fulfilled my "working up" at the hospital, so now it is back to PART TIME, HALF TIME !!!

On Monday I made 10 liters of laundry soap and I love this stuff. 

I used Down to Earth recipe

Easy, easy.

Early this morning I went out to the garden to check on my plants and I am satisfied that I will have plenty of beans to put up in August.

Loads of tomatoes.......did you know that tomatoes are considered a "super food"?

I love to eat fresh tomatoes right off the vine.

Roses are at the end of their first blooming

And this clematis plant is huge and covered with light and dark purple blooms.

Now when I tell you what I did today do NOT think " oh my she has flipped out now".

This is home made dog food. Yes you read this correctly.

I am very allergic to my dogs and they shed a ton of hair. So I thought maybe if I made them some better food they would not produce so much dander and shed less. 

Will let everyone know how this all works out.

Oh and some how the dogs knew this was for them, they stayed at my feet all morning while I was cooking. And they loved their new food at dinner, thought they had hit payday !

Continue to work on these blocks that are just a modified star block that looks like a bow tie block.

I love little scraps

This quilt is made from the "left overs' of this quilt.

Happy Friday .

Making Home Made Laundry Detergent

Homemade laundry detergent is very easy to make and does an incredible job of whitening and cleaning clothes. It cost about 7 cents a large load, is not harmful to the environment, and we have never had sensitivities to this detergent.

You should be able to find these products in the laundry isle at the grocery store. I have noticed that not all stores carry these simple products. Remember you want WASHING SODA not Baking Soda.

Grate the bar Soap with a cheese grater. This does not need to be fine grated just on the medium grate side.

Mix the entire grated bar with 2 cups Washing soda and 2 cups Borax.

That's it, you could add essential oils here if you want.

2 Tablespoons per large load, I use 2 tablespoons for all loads

This recipe I found on down---to---earth. Take a look see, you will be pleasantly surprised with all the info Rhonda has to share.

Things To Do

This has been a busy week with work and testing recipes for the house. i made laundry soap and love it, love it. Our socks, tee shirts and sheets are soo white and smell so good. I am never going back to the store bought stuff. The recipe is from Rhonda Jean at http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com. I also tried baking soda and apple cider for my hair and loved it. I did this because of an article in the UK about how their water has way to much chemicals in it from hair products, mainly soaps and conditioners. It is only a matter of time before it is a problem for us here in the States. Heck it could be a problem now we just have not been told yet.
The other thing I'm doing in my life is taking care of me. I am closely watching what I eat and looking up the nutrition values. Cooking meals at home from scratch, made 2 more loaves whole wheat bread. Then the biggie is I have been going to the gym and riding the ellpticlle for 30 min/day. At first it was very hard, but now I am beginning to enjoy it. I tell Mr.P that I am going out to get my" jello legs". My blood pressure has dropped very nicely from 150/102 to 120's/70's. Hopefully soon I can start reducing the BP meds.
Mr.P and I started the bathrooms yesterday. We scrapped out the old grout between the tiles, very dusty work. Today we will wear masks. Hopefully we can re-grout this afternoon.
The irish sweater I am knitting is coming along but very slowly and have only worked on the mystery quilt one hour this week.
Will try to post pictures later.