Weekly Recap #22

{May 30 through June 5, 2016}

General

• This post is late. I almost did not write it up as I am hitting a wall and a bunch of don’t wannas. I am not sure if I want to even continue to blog. I have not even taken many pictures as I have lost the passion for it and life – struggling with chronic sickness can take a lot out of a body (and spirit).

Gardening; Yardwork; Weather

• The weather has been really frightful with one storm pushing me on the verge of hiding in a closet because the winds were straight line and sheer. The power outage did not help either. Damages were minimal with one cucumber plant stake pushed over which is now barely surviving. Two clay plant pots destroyed. I heard that there were some substantial damages around town. So, in my humble opinion, we were lucky.

• We harvested the green beans Sunday night and I plan to pickle them. (I like pickled carrots; so, I thought I would like pickled green beans.) I also harvested the rest of the cucumbers which will make one last batch of pickles. A couple of strawberry plants are trying to grow shoots and one died due to either a gopher or the excess amount of rain we received within the few weeks (4-1/4 inches last week alone). Dan asked if he could pull up a peanut plant or two to see how they’re coming along. I think both of us were surprised with what came up out of the ground!
• The hummingbirds (three of them) are still hanging around. When they first started passing through, one of them look rather skinny and hung around. The weather this spring has been unseasonably cool and wet. I am wondering if both weather and the fact one may have been sick prevented them from moving on to where they usually go for the summer. Anyway, I am still putting out the hummingbird food for them (every two days) and the one that looked skinny and sickly is now thriving. I am also pleased to see them make an effort at being neighborly; but, it is so hard for them to share!
• I started mowing Sunday morning. I only did the street side before it got too hot. I am planning to continue mowing late in the evenings as it needs to be done especially out front.

Quilting; Crafts

• I made two more clipboard frames. So, I am not totally useless. Ha!

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• Dan has made more progress on the barn. He took his time though because I got sick again Saturday and he claimed he wanted to be inside and tend to me. I was better Sunday and was able to do a few things. In spite of the weather and my being sick, progress is being made on the barn. The porch frame and trusses are up. The plan is to put the roof on the porch this coming weekend.

Some Links to Share

• Strawberry Pincushion (tutorial)

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring ~

Weekly Recap #21

{May 23 through May 29, 2016}

General

• Yesterday was a holiday here in the states which is the reason why this post is late.
• My youngest niece came over with her two young children late Saturday afternoon to visit and spend the night before heading onto Garner State Park to join the rest of the family. We are skipping camping this year due to the fact that Dan’s is bogged down with work and deadlines along with our focus on getting the Barn built. Anyway, I really enjoyed having them over and I hope they will feel free to use us as a hotel again.

Gardening

• I actually had to purchase more canning jars as we used up most of the ones I had to make Grape jelly and pickles. I didn’t get fancy colored ones this time – just clear jars. We made more pickles last Sunday modifying a recipe we used last year.

  I think we will have another batch of pickling cucumbers soon and we will make even more pickles! I will have to give some away because there is no way we will be able eat them all within a year!

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• Dan worked on the Barn a little more on Memorial Day (May 30th). The day dawned rather stormy and we had a power outage. Our plans to go see family at Garner State Park for the day was cancelled mainly due to the fact that there was a Flash Flood watch in effect until 1 pm for that area. We know firsthand what flash floods can entail and we just did not want to be traveling through them should it happen.

  The storms lasted until late morning here and then Dan started working on the barn. The porch post braces were added and I really like the look. The beam to hold the upper porch trusses was also added and the braces for the Barn’s trusses were beefed up on the other side. Not much was done because it was a holiday weekend and Dan deserved to take some time off.

Quilting; Crafts

• I made two more clipboard frames and am pleased with them. I used a memorial flyer of my Aunt who passed away recently to demonstrate the use of the clipboards in the above picture. These clipboards will be used to hang 4x6 or 5x7 pictures of family. The pictures are easily swapped out for newer ones which is exactly what I wanted. Plus, I wanted to hang more casual pictures rather than the nice formal ones.

  I do need to figure out how to streamline the crafting process and clean up the actual craft better. But hey, they are good enough to hang in a darkened hallway and I can always claim that they are supposed to look like crap! Ha!

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

~ Lilo and Stitch (movie) ~

Weekly Recap #20

{May 16 through May 22, 2016}

General

• I have struggled for more than a week (and am still struggling) with chronic illnesses. It has made it difficult for me to focus on much of anything in particular. I am also beginning to be aware that I can no longer tolerate the Texas heat and humidity. More often than not, I will come down sick with headache, stomach and body ailments.

Gardening

• I harvested and dehydrated more Basil this week. I also harvested a LOT of pickling cucumbers. We made (canned) nine jars of pickles! We will have another bumper crop of pickles come in within the next two weeks.
• I did a lot of heavy weeding in my garden. I need a sign saying “Garden of Weeden”. The thing is I don’t grow marijuana. I grow good stuff along with legitimate weeds some of which are wildflowers too. So, I don't dare put up one of these signs for fear of someone getting the wrong impression.
• For the first time since we moved here, my rain gauge reached the limit of 5 inches. There were a lot of storms that came through with one bringing 2-1/4 inches making it a total of 5-1/4 inches for the week!

Quilting; Crafts

• I took the time to make a clipboard frame using scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. It will be used to display either a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 picture. Now that I have made one, I think the rest will go quicker now I have a template to use. I want to make a bunch of them to hang in the hallway.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• A severe thunderstorm in the night caused us to make repairs to the barn trusses first thing Wednesday morning. I discovered a day later that there were some damages from wind in the surrounding areas. I think we were very fortunate that the trusses were just a tad tussled. I believe I mentioned and posted a picture in my last post about the shed.

• I got fairly sick by noon Saturday which made me useless to Dan concerning the Shed for the rest of the weekend. I did help just a tad Sunday. In spite of this, he made a lot of progress. The porch roof in now going up!

Winning Love

• I was notified not too long ago that I was a winner of a “super secret newsletter subscribers only giveaway” by Heather Kojan Quilts. That prize (pictured above) arrived last week and I am thrilled.
• I also won another 100 Blocks magazine through Cora’s Quilts which was sponsored by Quiltmaker via blog hop. That prize came in last week also. I am wondering which relative of mine will claim dibs on this magazine first? We shall see.

Some Links to Share

• How to Photograph Dragonflies.

A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.

~ C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) ~