The Hip Homemaker

fields of gold

2011-02-02T08:00:00.012-07:00

Photo by fwvo

I have become a pandora radio junkie as of late. I keep finding new-to-me music that just makes me happy. One of the artists that keeps making me stop and sing along is Eva Cassidy. While she did some original music, it is her covers of well-know songs that continue to blow me away. This cover of Fields of Gold, tops that list...

I listened to it four times, just writing this post, and it takes my breath away every time.

For those of you interested, here is my station that is the current favorite...

Do you use pandora? I would love to hear what you are listening to.

Art of Nancy Jean

2011-01-31T08:00:00.008-07:00

I grew up in a very rural place surrounded by farm kids doing 4-H and such. I thought I wanted to get as far away from that as possible. But then...

"while pursuing a course of action apparently wholeheartedly, I had changed behind my own back" ~Anne Truitt in Daybook

Now I want a farm of my own, with goats, chickens, a milk cow, maybe even some sheep. And a big old white farm house, something like one of these...

Greenfield Farm

Honey Bee Farm

And since we're dreaming, a spot on a lake that feels like these, wouldn't be too bad either...

Storm lake

Magic Lake

All from the Painted Sky

addicted to love redux

2011-01-20T08:00:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite local radio stations has a segment that I can't get enough of, the Five O'Clock Shadow. They play one original, followed by a cover and it is seriously one of my happy places. It's almost always a fresh, how did I miss this, sort of piece. This was the cover in one recent show and I love, love, love it....

intention: courage

2011-01-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

"I have not ceased to be fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life - specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, and I have gone ahead despite the pounding in my heart that says: turn back, turn back, you'll die if you venture too far." ~ Erica Jong

"Courageous risks are life giving, they help you grow, make you brave and better then you think you are." ~ Joan L. Curcio

I want to learn to embrace risk and change this year, instead of resisting it, fighting it. I want to grow in the ways that are only possible through stepping out of my comfort zone and into the unknown. Let the fear wash over me and then march right through...

I am taking the month of January to be mindful in thinking about this new year. Finding thoughts and ideas that capture what I want to hold on to in the year to come. I have traded out the word "resolutions" and replaced it with "intentions". It feels kinder, less condemning of the past choices and living, more proactive and optimistic. I will be sharing these thoughts and intentions throughout the month. Read about my other intentions:
* grace * happiness

intention: grace

2011-01-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

"Make it your habit not to be critical about small things." ~ Edward Everett Hale

This past year has been soured by little grace for my husband and for myself, little patience for this life that we have and little time for love and acceptance. For the new year, my intention is to be softer on myself and especially on him. To trust his good intentions and to accept our flaws and grow together into a much happier, healthier couple. I want to cherish more, critique less; enjoy more, fix less; more present and content in our life.

I am taking the month of January to be mindful in thinking about this new year. Finding thoughts and ideas that capture what I want to hold on to in the year to come. I have traded out the word "resolutions" and replaced it with "intentions". It feels kinder, less condemning of the past choices and living, more proactive and optimistic. I will be sharing these thoughts and intentions throughout the month.

intention: happiness

2011-01-13T08:00:00.024-07:00

I have decided to be happy because it is good for my health. ~ Voltaire

I am responsible for my own happiness. It needs to become something that is a consistent force in my life, not dependent on the emotions of my beautiful two year old, or the choices of my hardworking husband, the fulfillment of my job, or even the realization of creative projects. I want to exude genuine happiness this year.

I am taking the month of January to be mindful in thinking about this new year. Finding thoughts and ideas that capture what I want to hold on to in the year to come. I have traded out the word "resolutions" and replaced it with "intentions". It feels kinder, less condemning of the past choices and living, more proactive and optimistic. I will be sharing these thoughts and intentions throughout the month.

savory breakfast tarts, patchwork and a new baby

2010-01-30T16:59:00.001-07:00

So, it seems like once a week was a stretch. The time is just flying by. The business is growing, life is settling in and this weekend I found some time to do a few projects, a little baking, little crafting, a little visiting with friends. Here's the recap:

Our friends, Becky and Gary had there first baby on Monday and he is beautiful and wonderful and I am so happy for them. Welcome to the world, Mathias!

He was a little early in coming, so what was intended to be a pre-baby shower turned in to a post-baby shower. We convened at Becky and Gary's house for yummy treats, baby snuggles, and good conversation. I was googling around online last night trying to find a savory brunchy recipe to make for the party and came across these Bacon & Egg Tarts on a beautiful Australian food blog. They were a big hit and so easy to make. I will post more about my version later this week.

I took a few hours to sew the other night. I had no plan, I just wanted to relax, use up some scraps and create something useful. I pulled together a little log house patchwork hot pad for the kitchen. It turned out much better then I expected and relieved a little pent-up creative steam.

It was sale weekend (through Saturday) at our fabulous local fabric boutique, Selvedge Studio and I had a gift certificate! I didn't have a specific project in mind, so I just grabbed a dozen or so half-yard pieces of a variety of different fabrics. I got such a great selection and it was so much fun.

a new adventure

2010-01-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

my helper

The past few months have been a whirlwind and it isn't over yet. I have sat down several times to write this post and then in a panic, hit delete, completely overwhelmed. So sorry to all of you who are still out there.

On November 1st, my husband (and I, of course) opened a martial arts s tudio an d fitness center. It has been chaos, stress, excitement and panic for months now. It will all be great in a little bit and we will look back on these first months with nostalgia at some point I am sure, but it has been f*$)!@#ing hard. The goal is to allow my husband to do something he loves and to make it possible for me to stay home, take care of our family and our house. But for now, just to make things work, we are both still at our "real" jobs. Avery is in daycare an extra day a week so that I can make my schedule with the office work more, which is killing me. I hate not being around her. We are both working 14 hour days and still trying to keep our life from falling into utter chaos. We have had to deal with local business and real estate policies and laws that we had no idea would be so complex and excruciatingly challenging to understand. Did I mention it was hard.

Don't worry, I will stop complaining soon, I just need to tell you all what has been going on so that you understand why you have been a little neglected. I have not opened my google reader more then a couple of times to freak out over how many unread posts I have (1000+). I have visited a few of my favorite blogs, usually late at night after reading something riveting like "bookkeeping for dummies". I miss my crafting and cooking, but if I am coherent enough to straighten my house and pull some taquitos from the freezer for dinner, then "hallelujah"!

Its not that I haven't done anything. I have squeezed things in here and there because otherwise I might lose my mind. Here are a few updates from my hiatus:

eggs from the chickens, finally

one of the few crafts I have done, a doll for Avery

trips in the sled and playing in the only real snow we have had this year

cookie baking

a birthday party for Margot Bea

Despite all of the insanity, christmas with a toddler was so much fun...

At this point, my goal is a once a week check in here at the blog. I can't promise much, but I miss you all and I want to come back. So, hopefully I will talk to you all soon...

V is for victory

2009-10-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

An email from Park Seed popped into my inbox this morning with some cuteness I had to share. Their line of vintage-inspired Victory Garden merchandise is so fun and the perfect antidote for the cold weather garden hiatus that many of us find ourselves in the midst of.

cornmeal pancakes

2009-10-12T06:42:00.000-06:00

(photo from Martha Stewart Living)

This weekend we tried a fabulous new pancake recipe. I have been really into cornmeal treats lately, so when I saw a recipe on Bakerella for Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes, originally from Martha Stewart Living, I had to try it. I have a freezer full of raspberries from the u-pick farm this summer, so I used raspberries in place of the blueberries, but they were just as good.

I also had to adapt it a little because I didn't have any buttermilk in the house, and I also wanted them a little bit more cornmeally. Served with a side of bacon, these are my favorite breakfast treat. I did skip the orange maple butter.

Here is my adapted recipe:

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Mix it all together and pour them on the griddle. Drop raspberries, blueberries or whatever-you-want berries onto the cakes before flipping.

For the original, head on over to Bakerella.

weekend thought

2009-10-11T12:27:00.002-06:00

(photo from Adam Foster | Codefor's photostream)

Do you want me to tell you something really subversive?
Love is everything it’s cracked up to be.
That’s why people are so cynical about it.
It really is worth fighting for, being brave for,
risking everything for.
And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything,
you risk even more.
–Erica Jong

deer

2009-09-29T07:36:00.001-06:00

I have blogged about my love of nontraditional taxidermy before, and that original example is still my favorite, but these paper options come in a close second...

weekend thought

2009-09-27T16:52:00.002-06:00

(from jaxxon's photostream)

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

affordable art

2009-09-25T07:27:00.000-06:00

Last month marked the end of a 4-year tenure as a volunteer with the Missoula Art Museum's Artini Thursday committee. I love the organization and the program, but life has me in a different spot right now. A spot with a lot less free time then I had 4 years ago.

I am still a member and we were just there last week checking out a few of the incredible new exhibits. Since then, I have been craving some new art for our house, so I went searching for options and inspiration. I stumbled across the Art Garage Sale, which has a plethora of beautiful, striking, reasonably priced options. Here are a few that caught my eye...

*info

what I like today...

2009-09-22T07:52:00.002-06:00

This week's list is full of nature inspired goodness.

This adorable set of cups would make great desk organizers...

This sweet clock would be perfect in a child's room...

I love this toadstool nightlight. It makes me think of fairies and elves...

This bear bean bag is so amazing! I am smitten with the details and expression on his face...

This t-shirt is perfect for fall with its folksy birds and flowers...

tweet, tweet

2009-09-22T07:51:00.000-06:00

(from Melingo Wagamama's photostream)

Yep, I have fallen into the time suck that we call twitter. I can't promise anything profound, but I am excited to share some of my favorite little tidbits from the web and my life. You can follow me at @hiphomemaker.

zucchini recipes

2009-09-21T07:44:00.000-06:00

It's the time of year when coworkers, team mates and family show up at various times with a pile of zucchini that out-weigh new born children. You hear people complain about the various incarnations of zucchini that they are currently consuming daily. So, in response to this, I thought I would share a handful of more creative zucchini recipes from one of my all-time favorite food bloggers, Deb from Smitten Kitchen.

Deb has been doing this since before most of us knew what a blog was. She is funny and honest and inspiring, one of my blogger heroes. And she had her first baby this weekend, so go to her blog for sweet baby goodness.

Without further adieu, some new ways to use the squash that is threatening to overtake your garden and kitchen...

Zucchini Latkes: These seem like the perfect fall side dish, a little heartier for the cooler days.

Zucchini Carpaccio Salad: A great way to hold on to the summer flavors just a little longer.

Ratatouille: This was the first SK recipes that I tried and I was hooked.

Lemony Goat Cheese Pizza: I love making pizza on the grill, maybe next time we will try this.

Indian-Spiced Vegetable Fritters: A more exotic way to serve your zucs.

Kefta and Zucchini Kababs: This one I really want to make this week. That yogurt sauce looks yummy!

So there you have it. Enjoy the last days of summer squash!

All photos from Smitten Kitchen.

weekend thought

2009-09-19T07:55:00.000-06:00

I found an old notebook filled with quotes and funny sayings, probably about 15 years old. I decided to share these and others with you every weekend. Share your thoughts or just read and enjoy!

(from David C. Foster's photostream)

"Good friends beware! The only life we know
Flies from us like an arrow from the bow.
The caravan of life is moving by,
Quick! to your places in the passing show."

-Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Campy

2009-09-18T12:01:00.000-06:00

I have been dreaming about a vintage camper for family trips next summer. It seems so much easier with babies and dogs. That and it seems so Mayberry perfect. How cute is this one from my local craigslist?

Sweet paint job!

Robin's Egg Blue appliances!

And a ladder for the bunk bed!

Julie and Julia

2009-09-16T20:35:00.000-06:00

Nici and I were just trying to make plans to go see Julie and Julia. I know, where have we been? Busy. That's where. Besides going to the movies seems to be a silly way to spend your time during the summer, why not be outside? Anyway... Partially my inspiration for the Cooking 101 experiment, I am excited to go see it. I was looking back at old posts last night and found this one I had written over two years ago about the book. It got me even more excited to get to the theater before its gone.

Have you seen the movie or read the book? What did you think?

what I'm listening to: mellow jazz

2009-09-15T07:45:00.001-06:00

(from ramon_perez_terrassa's photostream)

I have been craving mellow, jazzy music for the last week or so and my current playlist includes two of my go-to, slow and sultry divas, Madeleine Peyroux and Diana Krall.

Madeleine reminds me of Billy Holiday. Her Bare Bones album is my current favorite, with the first song, Instead, being my personal mantra now days.

Krall has been on my playlist since the days of Ally McBeal. She does some amazing covers on her Quiet Nights album, which includes a fabulously drawn out version of Walk on By .

cooking school: the first week

2009-09-11T08:00:00.004-06:00

This was my first week with the Martha Stewart Cooking School cookbook and my Cooking 101 adventure. I started with the chapter entitled basics. I chose this as the first book because I knew it would be straight forward and well edited. Not too wordy, highlighting the best and most important of the cooking basics. The photo styling is always so fab, as well. Martha did not disappoint.

For the first week, there was quite a bit of reading and assessing my kitchen, tools and cooking style. I went through my cupboards and reorganized things. I got rid of a few things that I either had too many of or just never used. I looked at my current kitchen habits and thought about what could be adjusted or overhauled.

The very first subsection was entitled "The Cook's Golden Rules". Here are a few gems I gleaned:

"Read a recipe all the way through before you begin cooking." I tend to be fairly seat-of-the-pants in the kitchen, so this nugget could help me to make less mistakes.
"Keep notes while you are cooking...Taking notes is the best way to remember what happened the first time you attempted a recipe." At first this seems totally overkill, but this week as I went through my various fall canning rituals, I found my own little notes on the edges of various recipes and realized how helpful it could be. "Don't add too many peppers to the pickles or they will be too spicy for the family Christmas dinner."
"Ingredients are your most important tool. Buy wisely and with an eye toward quality, not quantity." As a stingy thrifty person, I have definitely been know to scimp on quality because it seems to pricey. I think that learning when you can and can't cut costs is the key.
"Replace spices and other pantry items each year, as they lose their flavors over time." Again, my desire to save some cash and not waste is my undoing in the kitchen. I am also trying to grow more herbs in the garden so I don't have to buy, but freshness is definitely the key.
"Get in the habit of doing what the French call mise en place, or preparing our ingredients (chopping, peeling, measuring, etc.), before beginning a recipe." I used to be really good at this, but got out of the habit. It definitely makes things much smoother and you feel like you have your own cooking show, with everything ready to go!

Rachel over at Heart of Light recently shared her tips for a Zen kitchen and they were very inspiring even before I started the book. What's your favorite tip for making your cooking go smoothly?

what I like today...

2009-09-08T07:57:00.000-06:00

With fall weather in the air here, I am loving all of these little tidbits right now...

this pillow is all school days and recess...

yesterdays experience of apple picking and sweaters makes me want to wear this perfume...

these boots are made for autumn puddle jumping...

the perfect first day of school jumper...

a coat for blustery fall days, filled with swirling leaves...

and of course boots...

the littlest birds

2009-09-04T09:40:00.005-06:00

Avery loves music and so we keep a small stereo, stocked with some really great music in her room. The album she is currently listening to while she plays features this song (by The Be Good Tanyas) that I love so much that my heart swells when I hear it and I have to sing along. Happy Friday everyone!

learning to love cooking again

2009-09-03T21:15:00.004-06:00

(from *MizzEl*`Elly*'s photostream)

When I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to learn to cook, so I picked a night and that was my night to make the family dinner. Coming from a meat and potato kind of house, I was excited to branch out and try new things like stir fry, interesting pastas and enchiladas. Of course I always needed to include some sort of meat and bake a potato for my dad if those options weren't inclusive in the meal. I grew to really love cooking. I loved trying new recipes, going to dinner parties, throwing dinner parties, baking for friends.

But then, somehow, it became a chore. Just one more thing to try and get done every day. I don't throw dinner parties anymore because it is too stressful to plan. I don't go to dinner parties because most of my once single and fancy free friends are married with kiddos and struggling to get it all done too. We are barely surviving our weeks let alone living perfectly articulated lives with gorgeously clean homes and delectable meals each night.

It has become a line up of standbys and thrown together mishmashes. It is uninspiring and down-right discouraging. It certainly is not how I want it to be. I really want to fall in love with cooking again. I want to enlarge my repertoire of go to recipes so I don't keep going to the same ones, over and over again. I want to throw dinner parties again and have fun, not stress out.

So, I have decided to create and enroll in my own on-line blogger cooking course, sort of a Cooking 101. At first I was going to give myself a schedule and deadlines, but then I pulled back. I want this to be fun and inspiring and somewhat organic, not forced. So I put away most of my plan. Here is what remains. I am going to pick one chef, cookbook or food blogger at a time to focus on for a few weeks, months, whatever. During that time, I will post at least once a week about the recipes or techniques I am trying, successes and failures. When I feel like I have learned what I can or I'm bored, I will go on to the next source of inspiration. You are welcome to join me if you would like, following as closely or loosely as you would prefer. If you do follow along, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email to let me know how its going.

It seems I'm not the only one with this idea. With the release of Julie & Julia (which I haven't seen, but would like too), several other bloggers have gotten inspired to beef up their skills in the kitchen with some help from a few cookbooks or blogs. Emily, over at wide open spaces, started her cooking adventure this week using Good Housekeeping's Step by Step Cookbook, so go over and get in on her giveaway!

My first book will be Martha Stewart's Cooking School. I chose this book because of Martha's basic directions and great photos. She has spent a lot of time and money perfecting her craft and I figured she would be a good place to start. I am going to start with the first section next week, which includes an overview of the basics, such as kitchen tools, pans, herb, spices and chopping. So if you want to join in, head out to your local library or bookstore and get your copy this weekend.

refreshed and rejuvinated

2009-09-02T06:59:00.001-06:00

I have not been here for a while, I have been off enjoying my family. I did not read blogs, I did not check or update facebook, I was off living my life. I did not read or watch the news, I barely checked my email, I was off making beautiful memories.

I had started to feel stuck in my blogging, my crafting, my life and couldn't quite figure out how to get unstuck, so I just stopped for a bit. I stopped all of it and just tried to do the things that I love to do and spend time with my favorite people.

J and I took a week off of work. We were going to go out to Portland and Seattle, but decided instead to just stay home, relax and enjoy each other. No rushing around, no craziness.

We did some projects around the house, but without pressure or high expectations. Most are only half-done so far. We took our family to the lake, we sat and played together, we went for walks, went to the park, went looking for a new dog. (eeek! can we handle two dogs? we will see.)

I generally have big expectations for time off, either we need to get a lot done, or we need to do something REALLY fun. This time I didn't. I just really wanted to enjoy my family, get back in touch with my husband. We had kind of lost each other for a while. And that time off, gave us a chance to find each other again. It was a great week!

On the final Sunday before we headed back to work, I found myself getting grumpy and panicked, "We didn't get the laundry done. The bathroom is only half painted. Can we really handle dog #2?". But then I consciously wrangled my thoughts and emotions and reminded myself how all of the little things won't be remembered 10 years from now, but my crazy teeny baby crawling with so much enthusiasm, in and out of the lake, splashing, yelling and laughing, that is what we will remember. Listening to her "playing" the piano, stopping only to clap for herself. Watching the new puppy and our old puppy wrestle and play, racing around the yard. Those are the magical things.

So, I am back, refreshed. I have some great blog ideas and I can't wait to share them. Onward and upward, friends. Onward and upward...

popping by

2009-08-26T23:19:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to pop in and say, "whoa! its been crazy around here!" We are on vacation and I am cooking up some new blog plans, so I will be back soon... Enjoy the sun!

photo from Lida Rose's photostream

hal-le-chicken-lu-jah

2009-08-16T09:33:00.001-06:00

The chickens have been out in their coop for about 2 months now and over all of that time, they had never once gone into the coop at night to roost. Instead, they would all climb up on the log at the end of the run in a big chicken pile and sleep there for the night. For a while I was going out every night, picking them up one by one and putting them in the coop, but they never seemed to catch on. Then I decided it wasn't going to hurt them to sleep outside and it was a big pain, so I left them alone. At least until a couple of weeks ago, when the neighbors reported having a skunk move in under their shed. Skunks are bad news for chickens, so I was back to tossing them, one by one, into the coop each night. I knew there had to be a way to get them inside.

What's a newbie chicken farmer to do? Why "Google" it, of course. And google it I did. I found gobs of discussions and empathetic chicken owners, but it always came down to a few pieces of advice. First, bribe them with food. So, for about four nights I went out with some sort of yumminess in hand, but no dice. They all just stared at me through sleepy chicken eyes from their chicken pile. Next, I read that chickens can't see well in the dark and so you should put a light in the coop. Tried that for several nights, but just ended up burning through a half-dozen AAA batteries.

And then one night, in desperation, I went out early and made a trail of stale blueberry corn muffins from the log, up the ramp into the coop and left them to their own devices. 20 minutes later, they were all snug inside on the roosts and haven't missed a night since.

I have no idea what the final turning point was, but I am not longer stooping under the raised coop, chasing squawking hens every night to get them inside. Now if I could just get a couple of eggs, I would be a happy chicken farmer...

wonderland

2009-08-14T07:30:00.000-06:00

One of my all-time favorite stories (I have 5 vintage copies of the book and this version on video, which is my current favorite) and where I will be going for my birthday next spring... anyone care to join me?

more fabulous photos here

my favorite things

2009-08-12T17:35:00.000-06:00

Here are a few things I am loving right now...

These boots make me swoon...

my heart skipped a beat when I saw these vintage wall hangings...

this bike makes me want to get out and ride...

wearing this ring would make me feel bubbly and sparkly, even with jeans and a t-shirt...

the little black dress that just begs you to invent occasions to wear it...

a new light for the bean's room, feminine and unique (and it could be made with the new saw, hmmmm)...

What have you been loving lately?

basic cuts using a scroll saw

2009-08-10T14:31:00.003-06:00

After several days of on again, off again torrential downpour, the sun finally came out on Sunday. So out came the saw and the camera to take some photos for a tutorial/how-to on some of the basic cuts you can do using a scroll saw.

Here is a quick step by step of how I cut the letters out with the saw.

1. As I said in the last post, I printed out a template alphabet on my printer, cut them out and traced the cutout onto 1/4 inch plywood.

2. I then rough cut between each of the letters using the scroll saw, just to seperate them. This made it easier to cut them in more detail.

3. Now the fun begins. With each letter, I did the "easy" cuts first. All of the big, straight lines, external right-angles and big curves. You can see an example in the cuts I drew in below. I did the big curve of the R and the next small angle as cut #1. Then I came from the other edge and made cut #2, connecting with the first cut so that excess is removed. The final cut #3 from the bottom take off the remaining excess.

The scroll saw blades only cut going one direction, so it is easy to make a cut and then back the blade out to reposition the blade, or make another cut. Always hold the piece securely when cutting so the blade doesn't jerk it out of your hand.

4. The internal cuts are a little bit more tricky. Again, you will do the easiest cuts first, the straight cuts. In the photo below, the cuts 1 & 2 were done first. Each time I backed the blade out. For cut #3, I followed the path of #2 again, but about halfway in, I went in a curve to line up with the longer line parallel to the right side. This cut intersected with #1 so that whole piece came off.

Then I made the fourth and final cut taking out the small piece that was left.

5. Center cuts on letters like R, B, Q and O require a few extra steps. First you need to drill a hold in the center of the piece that you are going to cut out. You will need to be sure to use a drill bit that is big enough that the blade can fit through the hole created. If your piece is small like mine, I would recommend clamping the piece to a secure surface. Just make sure the spot you want to drill is not directly over the surface, or you will be drilling a hole in your table.

Next you will need to remove the blade from the saw, insert it through the hole in the piece and then reattach the blade. Once this is done, you will cut from the drilled hole to the edge of the line and follow the line until the piece is completely cut out. In the example below, I used a spiral to connect to and follow the edge of the inner circle in the "O".

When you have finished the cut, the center piece will come off completely, but the main letter will still be stuck around the blade. You will again need to remove the blade to take off the letter.

NOTE: Because I can be a bit accident prone, in addition to shutting off the saw to remove the blade, I also unplug it or shut off my power strip, just to be doubly sure that I won't accidentally cut of an appendage. This may not be necessary for everyone, but when it comes to power tools, my mantra is "know thyself" and adjust accordingly. Most accidents are user errors.

So that is the basics of scroll saw use on this project. After the pieces were cut, I sanded all of the edges and corners. Next I will need to attach magnets, but I haven't found ones that I am happy with. As soon as I do, I will give you an update on the project. Please let me know if you have any questions!

this weekend's big score

2009-08-08T22:16:00.004-06:00

I hit a totally fabulous estate sale today and if I had a bottomless pot of money, I would have come home with so much more. Oh, so much more...

Here is what I did score though:

2 really fun vintage patterns, 50cents each. I will defintely use the little girl dress pattern soon and I am totally digging that swimsuit.

2 crazy vintage cookbooks, $1 each. Mrs. Hawaii's Cookbook I bought for my friend, Jon, who is from Hawaii. It is full of all kinds of kitchy 50s recipes from paradise. The second is a cookbook published by the United Nations in 1960 that features recipes from all of the member nations.

And the cream of the crop...the Little People A-Frame House, vintage, including all furniture and family members, $10. The people are even the original wooden ones, not the plastic. Everything is in pretty good shape, the foam mattresses on the bunkbeds have disintegrated and one picnic bench has a crack. I am in love though, totally smitten.

And Avery, well, she loves the little bell...

u-pick

2009-08-07T07:12:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, I snuck out of the house before the bean woke up, picked up a couple of coffees and met my friend Aubrey to drive to the raspberry patch at the Common Ground farm for some u-pick yumminess. We brought along her two boys, who were very interested in all of the bugs and the yummy "blueberries".

After a 40 minute drive, full of "are we there yet?" comments and a stop off at the port-a-potties (those coffees were big!) we headed out into the giant raspberry patch with our buckets in hand. Common ground has rows and rows and rows and rows of raspberries. It is a pretty amazing site!

We chose a spot in the middle and went to work. The boys soon lost interest in picking and turned to eating, squishing and hiding in the tall grass. I had a bee crawling in and out of the berries in my basket for quite sometime and he put of with quite a few raspberry "bombs" before flying off to a safer spot.

After about an hour and a half, we had a collective 11lbs and some very hungry boys so we packed it up, paid our fees and headed back to town.

Avery, although not able to participate in our picking, did enjoy the fruits of our labor... raspberries are yummy!

alphabet soup

2009-08-05T12:30:00.000-06:00

I fiddled with my new saw this week, hemmed and hawed about what to make first, drew out several designs and finally settled on something basic. Letters. Avery was at grandma's house last week, methodically removing her alphabet magnets from the fridge and putting them in a basket, then taking them out, putting them back on the fridge and starting over again, so the project seemed timely.

While the classic, fluorescent plastic letters are nostalgic for many of us, I was thinking that if I was going to have them on the fridge all of the time, I would kind of like them to be a little bit classier. I know, maybe I am kind of a toy snob, but I think that they can be fun, educational and look nice.

So, I went to Font Squirrel, which is my new favorite stop for fonts on the web. They have just enough of a selection without having to search through 7 million options. I found a nice, bubbly, cartoonish font called Big Fish. I printed it out at 265pt so that they were big enough for little hands to hold on to. I used regular paper, because that was what I had on hand, but card stock would probably be a better option.

I cut out the letters and then arranged them on my pieces of 1/4 inch plywood. I tried to get them really close together to save wood, then traced the letters onto the wood. Then I went to the saw and got to work, cutting the little guys out. I will do a more thorough tutorial later this week, as the photos I took of the cutting process turned out terrible. I will have to put the saw on the deck tonight and shoot some photos with better light.

I did want to share the final product however and give some of my initial thoughts on the workings of the saw.

Here are some of the letters, which I am very happy with. They are cute and fun and they were really easy to cut out. It took me about an hour to do a full set last night (just the cutting, not including the prep). I sanded the edges a little and was going to paint them, but I kind of like them with just the plain wood, what do you think?

I had a good experience overall with the saw. For those of you who are new or haven't been by for awhile, it is a 16-inch Variable Speed Scroll Saw from Craftsman tools. Here are the things I really liked:

It is really quiet, even on higher speeds (this is great with a sleeping baby)
I really liked the variable speed option. I started out on a really low speed to get the hang of it, but then found that a medium speed made it easier to cut straight lines
It cuts really nice and quick (like I said, it only took me an hour to cut the set)
The visibility of the blade and what you are cutting is really good and unobstructed. The blower worked well, once I adjusted it to point at the right spot. I ended up removing the guide foot because it kept getting in the way. I think if I was cutting out bigger pieces it might be more helpful.
The pin top blades were great for taking the curves nicely and doing angles. They are really thin, so it was really easy to change directions.
To do the center cuts in some of the letters like "O", you have to drill a hole and then remove the blade and insert it through the hole and re-attach it. Once I got the hang of this process, it was really quick to make that switch.

Things that I wasn't as fond of:

I used the pin top blade for the whole project. At one point, I tried to switch the blade to a regular blade and it was really challenging. I will talk more about this when I have better photos because the visual really helps.
I would like to have a small LED light mounted on the arm, kind of like my sewing machine light. It would really help with the smaller cuts and eyes that are getting older.
As I said, I did end up removing the guide foot because it was just in the way. It also was a problem with doing center cuts. I think it could be more useful if you are cutting bigger pieces. I didn't find that I needed it on this project.

So overall, I am really excited about this tool and I have some more projects on the horizon. As I said, I will post a tutorial later this week, when I can get the photos to turn out. I really do want your thoughts on the paint/no paint dilemma, so let me know!

the economy of the home garden

2009-08-04T07:56:00.000-06:00

I just read this post over at Garden Rant and couldn't have agreed more... I posted this in the comments as well, but I just wanted to share with all of you how I made this first year of gardening and chickens affordable:

"I agree that the first year can be a bit of an investment for chickens or gardens, but it a lot of it is up to the individual and the time they have and the creativity they use.

I could have bought the $2000 coop, but instead, chose to build one myself with reused building materials totaling about $75. I too use tons of scraps to feed my chickens and have found that a 50lb bag of food will last me 3-4 months at $10 a bag (from a local feed grower). I got my $2 bale of straw from a local farmer instead of paying $10 at the garden nursery.

The same thing goes for my garden. I used reclaimed lumbar to make raised beds. Scored my shovel, rake and hoe at garage sales for about $3 each. Spent $18 on a load of topsoil that i amended with free manure from a coworkers barn. I went in with a bunch of friends to order seed from High Mowing because the bigger quantities you order the cheaper they are. we just divided them up in envelopes. I also happened to score a flat of "frost bitten" starts from one of the local nurseries for free that have turned out to be just fine and a bunch of tomatoes from an overzealous coworker who had too many.

The economy comes with simplicity and creativity."

It seems funny to quote myself, but as I was writing the comment, I realized that I hadn't shared all of this here, but should. I don't have any problem with people spending big bucks on their garden or chickens, I just know that you don't have to. For me growing my own food was about the adventure of it and the economy too. Why do you garden or raise chickens? Have you taken steps to keep the costs down? I would love to hear from you.

this weekend's big score

2009-07-28T18:11:00.000-06:00

Yep, that's a piano... for free.
From the fabulous neighbors.
Scores don't get much sweeter...

the mystery revealed

2009-07-27T20:37:00.004-06:00

I started this blog as a place to chronicle the things I love to do, to inspire me to do more of them and to share them with others. One of my favorite types of projects involve woodworking, usually house projects. I haven't done too much lately, so imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox a month ago to find an email from Lisa at Craftsman tools. She said that they had been following my blog and saw that I liked to do wood and house projects. Would I be interested in trying out one of their tools on project and blogging about it? Do you even have to ask, Lisa? Seriously, ask anyone that really knows me and they will tell you that I love me some power tools.

So, the package that arrived last week, was my tool. My free, very exciting tool. My mom had one of these when I was a kid and used them to make all sorts of fun projects. I had been looking for a second hand one for awhile but nothing had turned up. Enter, Lisa.

So without further adieu, I will unveil the 16-in Variable Speed Scroll Saw from Craftsman. I finally pulled it all the way out of the box last night (Avery was sick most of last week, so I got a whole lotta nothing done). It is way more sophisticated then the one my mom had all those years ago. Hmmmm, I love power tools...

Besides being shiny and new, it has some really nice features that I am excited to try out.

You can hook up your shop vac to that little tube and suck all the sawdust away.

It also has this built in, adjustable blower to blow the sawdust away from your cutting area, so you can see what the heck you're doing.

The package included a total of 5 blades and a 3mm T-wrench to tighten and adjust the various parts. One of the first things I thought upon seeing these little parts, "Crap, I am totally going to loose those, probably by tomorrow morning." Luckily, the design team over at Craftsman was miles ahead of me. They included this little tray to store the blades (above) and a hook for the T-wrench (below). My only addition would be a lid for the blade tray, just because my workspace is always a little transient in nature and that would make it more secure, plus it would keep little fingers out.

In addition to all of these fabulous features, here are a few things that I am already really impressed with:

the cutting surface and blade guard foot can slant up to 45 degrees from the blade, allowing you to do a beveled edge.
the manual is really user friendly and includes a glossary of "Scroll Saw Terms", an overview of which blades to use for which woods and projects and some really good, detailed instructions on the various uses of the saw.
it came to me pretty much assembled. There were a few small adjustments, but I didn't have to do any major, "insert tab A into slot B" sorts of assembly.

So, the next step is to try it out on a few projects and share those with you all. I will be working on some designs and taking it for a test drive this week. This has inspired me to add a new "category" to the blog, Girls With Tools. All future woodworking and house projects will be filed here. Check back for the updates! Trust me, when this is done, every homemaker in America is going to want her own scroll saw... yep, they are that cool...

garden update

2009-07-26T11:27:00.002-06:00

I have posted an update on the garden this week over at 1000 new gardens. Stop by and visit. There are also a couple of posts about installing a drip system that you may want to check out...

Oh and take a gander at this cool article about 40 farmers under 40. So inspirational! And my friends Courtney and Jacob are #s 18 and 19 on the list. You can read more about their adventures over at Prairie Heritage Farm.

mystery box

2009-07-22T17:43:00.001-06:00

This very large, very exciting package was waiting on my door step when I arrived home on Thursday night. What could it be? What could it be?

You will have to wait until next week to see!

whirlwind

2009-07-21T17:56:00.005-06:00

I feel like I am playing catch up from a couple weeks of running like crazy. A few weekends back, Avery and I met my parents at the National Folk Festival in Butte, Montana. Uptown Butte is a crazy place, as anyone who has been there will tell you. At the turn of the last century, Butte was one of the biggest mining towns in the world. Along with its pile of copper, it was one of only two places in the world (the other was in Africa) to have a functioning platinum mine. There was more money running through those dusty streets then people knew what to do with. So they built these amazing buildings, huge, stone buildings with beautiful details. Then the mine closed and now most of those buildings sit empty and abandoned. Coming from a town where commercial real estate, especially cool, vintage real estate, is at a premium, I am always in awe and a little sad when I visit Butte. Here are a few quick photos of our adventure:

You can find more, much more on flickr.

We had a great time with my parents and the bean was a trooper even though it was a long full day. One of the highlights (insert dripping sarcasm here) for me was running into a man-child who was one of my charges in my first babysitting gig 15 years ago, now in college. Always nice to have those reminders of just how old we are really getting to be. That traumatic experience aside, if the National Folk Festival ever comes to a city near you, don't miss the chance to get in on that action!

(any of you regulars will notice the pictures that include the bean. I now have the baby daddy's blessing to post her photos here. Yay!)

gardening for the greater good

2009-07-16T07:32:00.001-06:00

I found this Washington Post article about the White House gardens (via Garden Rant) yesterday. It made me tear up, just a smidge. How much would our nation change, in health, connection to nature, confidence in what we can accomplish, if everyone just did a little bit of gardening? How amazing is to have a leader who is really taking the lead on this and showing people what is possible.

As Craig Ferguson would say, "Its a great day for America!"

naturally clean

2009-07-15T07:52:00.000-06:00

I have been a big fan of non-chemical cleaners for my home for a few years now. Staples at my house include vinegar, baking soda, lavender oil and borax. My friend Carolyn sent me the link to a Real Simple slide show that highlights these products and a few more and gives you a great list of uses for each.

I got some fabulous new tips from this article and I wanted to share it so that you too can harness to non-scary cleaning power of these inexpensive, everyday cleaning superheroes!

gypsy playhouse

2009-07-14T13:17:00.001-06:00

You have to check out this amazing, DIY playhouse at mikodesign.

I don't even care that Avery can't even begin to appreciate it yet. I want to build our own backyard retreat. Pronto!

Oh, and the fact that it is made out of reclaimed and recycled goodness makes it that much cooler. This will definitely be filed away for future ideas...

veggies

2009-07-10T07:25:00.000-06:00

As a new gardener, I am continually amazed that it actually seems to be working. I have real, live veggies popping up all over. Here are a few shots from my garden this week. Sorry for the quality of many of them. I didn't get into the garden until almost dark last night. J's grandparents brought some of their oldest friends (the ladies have been friends since 5th grade, so like 60 years!) over to visit and things got late.

(free ranging chickens eating the bugs in my beds)

(tomatoes)

(cucumbers)

(yellow squash)

(sunflower)

montana mornings

2009-07-08T10:00:00.005-06:00

Another Montana mama and bee keeper extraordinaire that I have been following is starting a new venture. montana mornings is a collaboration with her neighbor to share a little slice of their heaven from "either side of the road".

And judging from the first photos, this is going to be glorious!

red plastic plates

2009-07-07T21:01:00.001-06:00

I am in love with this piece by Ann Toebbe...

and if you haven't checked out 20x200. Go there now and get yourself lost. It is a great concept and they offer some amazing work at prices the rest of us can afford.

dinner party

2009-07-06T22:29:00.002-06:00

For the holiday weekend, we got together with some of our oldest friends from in town and out. We have been planning for weeks and I have over 100 emails in a gmail string to prove it.

Friday night, after everyone arrived, we gathered at our house for an italian dinner on the deck. I love throwing parties, especially with good friends. The weather was perfect. Warm, but with a soft breeze to keep you cool and blow the mosquitoes away. We ate slowly, gabbed a lot, drank wine and played games in the twilight.

A few friends had their fabulous envy-inducing digital SLR cameras there and I got to play around a bit. Here are a few photos from the evening:

garden inspiration

2009-07-01T16:02:00.000-06:00

(a little baby cucumber)

I have been getting all sorts of inspiration from gardeners around the blogosphere. Here are just a few of my recent finds:

I loved this short post about color in your flower garden
These terracotta watering pots are intriguing
I love this pieced together glimpse of Gayla's rooftop garden
The monthly Garden Blogger's Death Day always makes me feel like I'm not alone
The gardening over at Burbs and the Bees always blows my mind
An finally, what has become one of my favorite garden blogs from the other side of the globe

I hope you enjoy!

BTW: Head over to 1000 Gardens for my latest post about what's growing.

some housekeeping

2009-06-30T22:08:00.002-06:00

I have had several questions about some of my posts from the last month and its time to catch up.

First on my bean bag post, Mary asked for the list of activities that I sent. Well Mary, after way too much time, here you go: Bean Bag Activities for Ace. I have also added it to that post.

After my rhubarb revelry post I got a few questions over email. My friend Cat emailed and asked how many cups equals 2 lbs of rhubarb for the jam. For all of you jam makers without a kitchen scale, it is roughly 3-4 cups depending on how big your chunks are. Really, with jam, you can fudge a little. If its too thick, just add a bit of water and let it cook a little longer. Too thin, add a bit more fruit and again, let it cook a little longer.

My friend Carolyn and my friend Shelley both emailed me to pass along some of their favorite rhubarb recipes and I wanted to share those.

Carolyn's Fresh Rhubarb Cake
"I consider it one of the best. Very simple but very, very good. The more tart the rhubarb, the better in this case."
1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
¼ c. white sugar
1 tsp.Soda
½ c. shortening
2 c. flour
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk or sour milk

Combine and put half batter in bottom of 9 x 13” pan. Cover with raw rhubarb (2 c.) Add remaining batter on top. Sprinkle over top: ¼ c. sugar, 1 tsp. Cinnamon.Bake 350 degrees at 350 for 60 minutes.

Shelley's Rhubarb Cake
"This cake keeps well and is very moist."

1 ½ cups rhubarb, cut fine
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup coconut
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 cup nuts

Combine rhubarb with ½ cup sugar and set aside. Mix flour, sugar oil, egg, sour milk, soda cinnamon and vanilla. Add the rhubarb and sugar mixture. Stir until well blended. Pour into greased and floured 9 by 12-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour or until done. Combine the last five ingredients and cook three minutes. Pour topping over cake while still warm.

So, a few things to catch you up on my projects of late. Look for a new garden post tomorrow!

happy birthday, teeny tiny bean!

2009-06-26T22:56:00.002-06:00

At 9:17pm, one year ago our little bean was official birthed.

It has been a wild and crazy ride and I am so glad you let me tag along!

1000 gardens post

2009-06-25T21:50:00.003-06:00

Instead of reposting, I will just direct you all to my post on the 1000 gardens blog about the successes and failures of this year's garden, so far.

Hooray, its almost the weekend!

painting

2009-06-24T17:18:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! It has been a busy week here at the Hip Homemaker's urban homestead.

The teeny bean turns one this week!

Much party prepping has ensued, including painting the kitchen cabinets. Most people just clean the bathroom when they prep for a party. Not me, no, I try to cram in every languishing, half-finished house project. In the past two weeks, I have finished painting the living room/kitchen area, mostly finished painting the cabinets, did some work on the bedroom, and tidied up the yard. Before Saturday afternoon I would still like too mow the lawn, recover the couch, sew a new cover for our futon couch, clean out the remnants of the chicken brooder in the basement bathroom, make cute little party favors, decorate the deck a bit and bake cupcakes. Hmmmm, we'll see if it gets done.

Here is a shot of the fireplace in the living room with its pretty golden wall and a new arrangement of things...

I will have more photos once I get everything cleaned up.

cocktails with the ladies

2009-06-20T15:57:00.004-06:00

My brilliant friend Aubrey and her fabulous mom, Shelley, hosted a casual cocktail gathering at Aubs' house last night. They are both amazing cooks and entertainers, so I knew it would be fun and yummy.

Every year, Shelley and her husband design their own cocktail and serve it at various get-togethers. This year's drink of choice is the Lemon-Drop Fizz, which was one of those deliciously smooth drinks that have you downing three or four of them before you realize the damage you've done. I don't have the exact recipe, but it included vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and seven up. Very tasty indeed!

The second cocktail choice was a Caribbean champagne with rum, banana liquor and champagne. Also good, but I am not really a rum or banana flavor girl, so the lemon was by far my favorite.

They also served up an assortment of finger foods, including spinach dip; hummus; crackers with turkey, melted cheese, tomato and basil; sun-dried tomato on bread, rhubarb salsa (which i will share the recipe for soon) and strawberry shortcake cookies.

The recipe for the cookies came from Martha Stewart Living and they were a really amazing, not too sweet, perfect use of fresh summer strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Martha Stewart Living

Makes about 3 dozen

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into ¼ inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 7 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 ½ inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Note from Aubrey: I don’t know what sanding sugar is. Any type of larger crystal sugar should work great. Too bad these all have to be eaten in one day!

Happy weekend everyone!

paperless post

2009-06-17T17:58:00.000-06:00

Finally a "grown up" evite that makes me feel less guilty about not sending elaborate paper invites. Paperless Post lets you design and send fancy-shmancy invites to all your friends and track RSVPs. It works like evite, but looks a lot more classy and well thought out.

I just used it to design Avery's 1st Birthday invite, after seeing a recommendation from Erinn over at the happy living blog. Tres bon! And it even gets delivered to your friend's inbox in a fancy envelope. Here is the design I went with...

It does cost you "postage" to send them, but its totally reasonable ($5 for 60 stamps) and you get 25 free stamps just for signing up. Plus, if you get your friends to join, you can earn additional stamps too.

So, head over there, sign up and play around with the fun. You might just have to plan an event so you can use one!

chickens in the coop

2009-06-16T17:13:00.000-06:00

The girls have officially moved out to the coop. Of course we have had cold rainy days for the past two days while they have been there. They seem to be fine though. They love playing in the dirt, pecking at the grass and gobbling up bugs. They have also become pros at the ramp, even playing king of the mountain sometimes. They are much happier in their new digs, and I am so happy to have them out of the house.

two

2009-06-15T21:32:00.003-06:00

(from kwerfeldein's flickr photostream)

No, we did not get two adorable cows. I would, but I think the neighbors are just getting used to the idea of chickens.

No, this blog turned two last Wednesday. Happy Birthday Hip Homemaker!

rhubarb revelry

2009-06-12T07:25:00.001-06:00

I got a few requests for my favorite uses for my beloved rhubarb and as I searched through my archives of bookmarks and dog-eared pages, I couldn't resist trying a few.

So, here are the current, top-of-my-list, favorites (which all, incidentally include ginger in some form):

1. Ginger Rhubarb Jam

There are a lot of variations of this around the web, but this is the recipe that I prefer. I love the twist the ginger adds to a truly simple recipe.

2lbs of rhubarb, chunked into 1 inch pieces
2 cups of sugar, can be reduced depending on how tart you like it
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
zest of one lemon

combine all ingredients in a medium, saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir until all sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-40 minutes, stirring often. The goal is a thicker mixture that will mound on the spoon. When its ready, you can remove it from the heat and pour into jars. They can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks, or you can follow standard canning techniques for fruit jams and put up a stock of it to indulge in over the winter.

2. Basic Rhubarb Chutney

I love a good chutney, having made plum variations for a few years. I decided to just adapt a recipe I had to use the rhubarb. I think I would make a few adjustments, noted below, but overall, this is delish! It will be accompanying me to a party at Nici's tonight with some cream cheese slathered baguettes.

2 tablespoons of juice (apple, orange, grapefruit, whatever you have on hand)
1/3 cup of cider vinegar (I think I will use rice vinegar next time to give it a milder flavor)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (I substituted a 1/2 tsp of ground ginger that I had on hand)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups rhubarb, in 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup golden raisins

In a medium saucepan, mix juice, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the fruit and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat again and cook until rhubarb is tender, about 5-10 minutes. Mash up rhubarb with a fork. Remove from heat and cool. Will keep in the fridge for about a week.

3. The final recipe that I love and made this week was the 'Big Crumb' Coffeecake with Rhubarb from Smitten Kitchen. Deb has some of the most fabulous recipes and this is one of my favorites.

Happy Friday everyone!

weekend score

2009-06-10T07:07:00.000-06:00

This is not from the past weekend, as we spent about 10 hours on Saturday hopping from one graduation party to the next. These are just a few things I picked up over the past few weeks in garage sale mania.

A set of vintage wooden puzzles - $1 each
A set of vintage cardboard puzzles - $1 each
a box with a few quilt pieces and some random cotton fabric - $3
An alligator xylophone for the bean- $1
A few vintage clothing pieces - $1 each (can't seem to get a decent photo of these)
A chest freezer for the basement -$40
Oh, and a vintage wind-up "radio" that J's grandparent's picked up, which she also digs...

I am really excited about the great toys for the bean. She loves the xylophone, in fact, that girl loves anything that she can make noise with (drums, rattles, etc). I like that it has keys and the mallet and she can drag it around once she gets around to walking. She also enjoys taking the puzzles apart and having you put them back together again. You can see a few more shots of the puzzles laid out on my flickr photostream.

The freezer, however, was the big, gigantic score. It is older, but in really great shape. It provides an enormous amount of new food storage, so I can really put up food for the coming winter and I don't have to can everything. I am also contemplating becoming a hunter (shhhh, don't tell J. He really wants me to, but I haven't totally committed yet). Guns freak me out, I mean really freak me out, but the idea of not having to spend $5 a pound for good meat is enticing. Plus, it seems more healthy and self-sufficient to me. If I did decide to take the plunge, I would want to really learn how to process the meat ourselves. It gets pricey to have it done and they don't always do a great job. (My dad is probably chuckling in disbelief at this point, having watched me cry through the entire process of cutting up my brother's deer in high school)

So, what do you all think about hunting? Do any of you hunt?

its growing...

2009-06-09T07:32:00.000-06:00

Here are a few shots of the little plants coming to life or growing big and strong in my garden this week...

(broccoli, from the free, frost bitten starts I got at the nursery )

(cauliflower, which is also from the free starts and was only chosen because it was free)

(I did not properly record this planting on my map, I think it is a turnip, but may be a beet. Anyone know for sure?)

(cucumbers for pickling from the free starts)

(the first little bean to pop through)

(peas)

(big spinach leaves, which I actually picked and ate in a salad for dinner last night)

(one of my 8 tomato plants, 7 heirloom and this cherry)

(nasturtiums in pots around the chicken coop. I also planted peas in here, although kind of late. we'll see what happens)

(sunflowers in a small garden between the fence and coop. i've never done sunflowers before, but now I get why everyone loves them. they are growing soooooo fast and are so easy)

BTW: I will be posting weekly about my garden over at 1000 New Gardens (its a project to get new gardeners started throughout Missoula). My first post was just a recap of some of the fun I have been sharing here.

sprouts

2009-06-06T23:34:00.003-06:00

Here is a quick shot of my upcoming peas and lavendar moth...

five

2009-06-05T20:12:00.003-06:00

Today my marriage turned 5, only a few hours ago in fact. It is crazy it has gone so fast, but so much has changed since then: jobs, houses, babies, pets.

Here are some of the sweet things about that day, followed by a few shots.

We had been talking about getting married for awhile, but then our friend Brad got his orders to ship out for Iraq. We wanted him there, so we planned our wedding in just a few days over four weeks. Yes people, four weeks to plan the event of a lifetime.

My friend Carolyn made the amazing cakes. An assortment of bundt cakes including her famous lemon cake (which I think some people may actually kill for), a spice cake and a chocolate. They were to die for.

Our friend Tim did the ceremony, despite being so nervous I though he was going to faint.

Our photos were taken by my friend Thais.

My friend Julie sang a song. J's friend Bruce got his band to play for free.

My dress was made by a woman in the Bitterroot in record time out of ivory silk I picked up on a trip to Vietnam for the thrifty amount of $15.

I wore my friend Jessica's fresh water pearls.

It had rained for some crazy number like 24 of the past 30 days before our wedding. It rained right up until 4 pm on Friday night and started right back up at 10pm Saturday night, just as the last of the tables and chairs were loaded in the trailer. Which was great because we had no plan "b" and no tent.

The iris garden burst into bloom the morning of the wedding because it was the first day of sunshine it had seen in quite awhile.

Aubrey put all of the flowers together, but accidentally froze some of them and had to remake a few things right before the wedding, with the help of Jessica and without me knowing a thing.

My husband had my ring made from an example I gave him, using sapphires from his great grandpa's collection of uncut gems.

My husband wore an $8 ring because he was afraid he would lose it right away.

His grandpa was his best man.

Brad, one of the groomsmen held his 2 month old son Jacob throughout the ceremony.

We danced and danced and danced...

big chickens

2009-06-03T17:21:00.001-06:00

Look at these ladies... they are huge!

We have officially had them for one month this week. They have been nameless almost the entire time, but I have finally decided upon names for all of them. I was reminiscing the other night about some of my favorite old movies and was inspired to name the girls after some of my favorite movie characters. So, meet

Dolly (Levi) - the red head, who seems to be the bravest and most curious, named for Barbara Streisand in Hello Dolly!, one of my all time favorites. It was actually a toss up between Dolly and Fanny for her character in Funny Girl.
Holly (Golightly) - the quieter black one, named for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's
Cleopatra - the bossy, dominearing black one with a personality to match the famed queen, named for Liz Taylor in the title role
Maria - the blonde, named for Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

What are some of your favorite old movies? I would love some recommendations.

bean bags

2009-06-01T23:21:00.001-06:00

My nephew Ace turned 3 on Friday. I love that his name is Ace... He lives in New Orleans. He is the only child of my only sibling. My giant, little brother and I have an interesting relationship. We get along just fine, but we never, ever talk. He called me on my birthday this year, which is the first time he has called me in a few years. I never call him either. We get updates through our parents. He and his family came to visit right after Ace was born. We got along great. I really like his girlfriend. It was great to see him and to see who he has become, but still we never talk.

Now that I have a kid of my own, I am finding it more pressing to have a relationship, to keep in touch, for our kids to know each other and us. But how do you restart a relationship that should be close to begin with? How do you begin to get to know someone you saw everyday for 16 years, who you shared a room with, played make believe with, fought with over stupid things?

I started by making a gift for his 3 year old son. One that would give them a new game to play together, that would maybe start a conversation about aunt Amy who lives near grandpa and nana in Montana, with uncle J and baby Avery. I was hoping it would also be the start of an apology for never calling, for not trying harder.

I struggled to find a good gift for a 3 year old boy, especially one I don't know much about. I do know that he likes being outside, playing with sticks and cars and he likes his dad and mom. I decided to make a little set of bean bags and included a page of fun games and activities to play. I also put in a wooden giraffe that used to sit on Leo's dresser. I found it in a box of toys that my parents brought over a few months ago and thought he should have it.

So this is my start.

ETA: Here is the list of activities.

rhubarb

2009-05-31T21:52:00.003-06:00

I love rhubarb. I love it in pies, crumbles, jam. I love it on ice cream, pancakes and toast. It's one of my favorite parts of the summer bounty.

In my big freecycle run this spring (where I got the perennials, raspberries and strawberries) I tried to get a rhubarb start as well. I had connected with a woman who was all ready to share, but life kept getting in the way of a rendezvous. When we were finally able to connect, we realized it was too late to do any digging, so she offered to share her fruit this summer with a plan to dig in the fall.

I got the email this week that it was ready to go. I was so excited. I went over Wednesday night with instructions to not take more then half of the plant. After knocking on the door with no response, I walked around the side of the house to find the garden. The path was made up of these really great pavers.

I love the pattern that they had laid out. I came around the corner to this beautiful arrangement of raised beds and flowers. How amazing and well kept is this?!? Our yard is completely overrun with dandelions, knap weed, thistle and other broadleaf terror after a decade or more of perpetual neglect. We are just trying to get it under control. This expansive blanket of green was almost too much. And those brick-lined beds. Wow!

And look at that gigantic rhubarb plant. It was so huge and full that even after I had taken everything I could carry, it looked like I hadn't even touched it. I can't wait to get a piece this fall and to have it come up all big and gorgeous next spring.

I also found this little rhubarb plant about ten feet behind our fenceline on the hill after a hike the other day. It has probably been a little water starved and deer munched, but it should come back strong. I am going to dig that one up as well to give us two large plants to feed my rhubarb obsession.

Finally, I wanted to leave you with this wonderful "window box" hanging on the garage wall in the garden. Isn't that a great idea? Do you think you would have to be a welder to make something like that?

happy friday!

2009-05-22T16:32:00.001-06:00

Enjoy the three day weekend!

rug for the bean's room

2009-05-21T17:40:00.001-06:00

I really want this rug for the bean's room.

Why are rugs so freakin' expensive? Anybody got the 411 on some cute cheap rugs?

wildlife update

2009-05-20T17:35:00.001-06:00

I love our neighborhood. We are right in the middle of town, a completely 60s rambling, ranch-filled suburb, but with the open hill behind us, the wildlife has been incredible. Of course, there's the deer. I know that they could be a pain in the tookus, but they are a good reminder that we share our space with a whole lot of other creatures. Here are just a few of the wild critters we have seen around the urban homestead in the past week. (Note: my lousy camera cannot catch any of these quick little buggers, so I found other's photos to give you some visuals.)

A red tailed hawk...

(from Tilton Lane's flickr photostream)

Two guinea hens (I think)...

(from cwalker71's flickr photostream)

Three baby bunnies...

(from the Eleventh Earl of Mar's flickr photostream)

And signs of a raccoon (trash can tipped and sorted; foot prints in the garden; could be trouble for the chickens)...

(from Michael Scheltgen's flickr photostream)

kitchen how tos

2009-05-19T17:55:00.001-06:00

(from trazomfreak's flickr photostream)

I have been getting regular emails from the folks at apartment therapy since joining the cure a few months ago.

(a quick cure update: I totally tanked out at the end. I realize now that I was trying to take on too much and get the garden and coop done as well. I am slowly getting back into things and hope to paint the kitchen and living area sometime soon. )

One of the kitchn cure updates included this amazing list of how-tos that had been posted by staff and members over the past year or so. It included everything from making fresh pasta to peeling garlic to creating your own cocktail recipes to cracking an egg, one-handed.

There were so many useful things it made me swoon and reignited my desire to get into the kitchen and try some new things.

a few quick things

2009-05-18T22:04:00.002-06:00

First off, I am so excited to say that my baby officially crawls. At just under 11 months of age, she has finally decided that mobility is where its at. So yay!

(for any of you who are new here and wonder why I never post photos of the bean or even post about her very often, J is very nervous about cyber predators and kooks on the internet. sorry to everyone who wants to see what she looks like, you'll just have to imagine the cutest baby you have ever seen.)

In other internet news, I have been working on some social networking projects for work and in an effort to experiment without putting my companies info out there for the world to see, I created a few new ways for people to find or follow The Hip Homemaker. It seems a little vain to toot my horn like this, but I figure if people want to get the news through facebook, that's great with me. So, here is my new facebook page using Networked Blogs. You can follow the blog here or share it with your 154 closest friends and family. I am following several of my favorite blogs there. Also, if you have a blog, it may already be listed. All you have to do is claim it. I am also working on a flickr group that you can all join to share your homemaking goodness.

And finally, on a completely unrelated note, last week I received my copy of Urban Outfitters new catalog. UO used to have some great bohemian chic outfits, some fun kitschy housewares, things I would actually buy. Now, granted, I am probably out of their demographic, but when I opened the latest catalog, I was appalled to find outfits like this, filling the pages...

All I have to say is that I regretted these fashion decisions the first time around... will not be making the same mistakes. Do your outfits from the 80s still haunt you?

fishing

2009-05-17T19:13:00.003-06:00

Today was my mama day redo and I will start off my saying this weekend was a bazillion times better then last weekend, so we were off to a good start. Yesterday I drove up through the Mission Valley to pick up a plethora of raspberry starts, strawberry plants and perennials. All for free. Thank you freecycle.

All of this bounty came from a little farm nestled in the foothills outside of Ronan. Sheila and Steve have lived there for 25 years, raising their family and managing an enourmous garden. There current spread consists of raised beds and paths covering about 1000 square feet. At one time it was more then double that size. Sheila said she used to put up 300 quarts of green beans every year. 300 quarts...can you imagine? They have an expansive raspberry patch which they jokingly curse as it migrates into the surrounding paths and beds. As I left, they made sure to tell me that if I know anyone else in need of raspberry starts, to send them their way. So, if any of you are in the neighborhood and are looking for some raspberries, leave a comment with a way to get in touch and I will pass you along to Sheila.

Of course, in my haste to get on the road, I forgot my camera, so I have no photos of the adventure. I am contemplating putting more plants all along our back fence to deter the critters and give more fruit. If I decide to go ahead with that, there may be another trip to visit Sheila and Steve this fall to partake of their frustrating bounty.

We spent the rest of yesterday with NO PLANS. I wish I could express how amazing it felt to have no where to be and nothing to do. It's been weeks since we just enjoyed each other's company, napped and hung out.

Today entailed another adventure. Fishing. I am not a hardcore fisherwoman. I defintely couldn't do it for days on end, but I love to be outside in a beautiful spot, just listening and watching the natural world. My husband's grandpa actually has a certified "secret fishing hole". He was shown the spot by a man who refused to take his own son because he was too much of a loud mouth. In the thirty years he has been going to this spot, his grandpa has only taken five people there. His two closest brothers, my husband's dad and my husband. And now me. We went for the first time two years ago and I was the first woman that his grandpa had ever brought along. I am flattered to have that spot in the ranks. He is surrounded by women he loves, but I am a different breed. I build things, take things apart, get my hands dirty, I'm not afraid of bugs or falling down or getting into the thick of things and he has always liked that. So, I got to tag along to this very special spot.

It is a beautiful place, so calm and peaceful, even with the river roaring by as the snow melts from the mountain tops. Now, as I said, I don't know a lot about fishing, but I guess most people think you can't catch fish in the high water. Its muddy and fast and a lot of people don't even go out. But that is the beauty of this spot and the reason they go back, year after year. Here, you can. The day before, they had caught 13 fish over a few hours. Today, we caught 4. I caught my first trout since I was a kid. It was way more exciting then the sucker fish I caught last time, which nobody wants. My fish actually broke the line and flopped down the rocks into the water as I was trying to pick it up to get a picture. I was so mad as it swam away. So the photo below is with one of the two that J caught. Those suckers are strong. Notice how tightly I am holding on (and ignore the lack of muscle tone in my upper arm, jeez, I'm out of shape).

And to finish off this very long, not very homemakerish post, I will show you some shots of the wildflowers and other pretty things I saw along the trail today.

(for the individual photos, you can visit my flickr photostream)

fabric baby ball...back on the crafty wagon

2009-05-14T22:25:00.003-06:00

I have been so busy with house projects and garden/chicken excitement that I haven't been doing much in the way of crafts. Last week, I picked up "Seams to Me" by Anna Maria Horner, from the local library. It is full of brightly-colored sewing projects, but the one that caught my eye was the "For Kicks Patchwork Ball". This fabric ball, based on the pattern of your everyday, ordinary soccer ball, was just too cute to resist.

Totally dismissing the obvious need for a geometry brush up and some more patience and attention to detail then I usually have, I dove right in. Choosing the fabric combo was a grueling process just to begin. I decided to do a complete crazy mixture of basically monotone fabrics with smaller prints. There is a little bit of repetition, as I ran out of options in my scrap bags, but there is definitely no pattern to the color layout. The ball is just a pattern involving larger hexagons and smaller pentagons. It seemed fairly straight forward, but those angles were a little tricky. So, when you look at the picture, you can see a few puckers here and there. I think I worked it out by the end, but we'll see how the next one turns out. I also added a jingle bell in the middle for some fun for the bean!

Despite the tricky angles and crazy patch working, it was relatively quick to pull together. I plan to do a few others for baby gifts. I will share the designs as they come together. Happy Friday!

peep, peep, peep

2009-05-09T16:33:00.002-06:00

Finally today the sun decided to come out of the clouds and give us a beautiful day. Yesterday was one of the gloomiest days we have had in a long time and not good for a photo shoot with a stupid old camera. But today, it was perfect. So with out further ado, I would like you to meet the four newest and smallest members of the hip homemaker household:

The first silver-laced wyandott

The golden easter egger

The other silver-laced wyandott

The red-headed easter egger, which I think is my favorite. She is definitely the bravest of the four.

The two easter eggers will lay blue or green eggs. The silver-laced wyandottes will grow up to be big and black with silver edges on their feathers. They loved being outside and all followed me around already, which cracked me up. We also got some great shots with the bean to send to grandmas and grandpas. So, these are our girls at their teeny-tiniest. I have four more babies to look after and it has already been so much fun. Happy Mothers Day!

psst...

2009-05-07T21:25:00.004-06:00

...I have chickens... but no pic til tomorrow.

I know, I know, but stupid camera is acting up again and refuses to cooperate. But they are super cute. Probably the cutest chicks ever to peep!

Since I have you all here, I will share a few new and favorite farmish blogs. Because in case you haven't noticed, I'm a farmer in training...

Prairie Heritage Farm - this is a new venture by two great individuals that I have known personally off and on for a long time. Courtney is one of my dad's favorite "liberal" reporters, so she must be truly great!

Burbs and the Bees - this is a new to me blog that I found through flickr. She is an awesome farmer in training as well and has some crazy beekeeping photos and posts that I can't get enough of.

Enjoy and wait breathlessly for photos of tiny peepers!

chickens? no, diapers.

2009-05-06T17:25:00.007-06:00

(look at that teeny tiny bean)

Random title, I know. But it pretty much sums up today's post. It was supposed to be about the cute, fluffy chicks I picked up at the feed store today, but alas, it was not to be. I had heard a rumor that chick day was getting pretty competitive. I envisioned tossed elbows with some retiree, trying to distract the masses with my cute baby while I scooped up my 4 little layers. So, I woke up at 6 am this morning in a panic that I would somehow be late for chick day.

After getting myself out of bed at 7, I woke the bean, threw on her jacket and slippers and off we went, arriving right before 8. Wait a minute... only a few cars in the lot, no crazy line, no hustle and bustle. I walked tentatively into the store and back to the chick tanks. There were lights on over some of the tanks. Roosters...guinea hens...more roosters. Crap! Where were all the girls? You can't get yummy eggs from stupid roosters. Had the crowds already come and gone, taking the hens in a flurry? Impossible, the store didn't open until 8. I mosied back up to the front with a puzzled look on my face. One of the short stocky guys that always seem to work at ranch supply stores stopped to help me out.

"I'm here for the chicken delivery...", I say, trailing off at the end. He laughs. Out loud. Then quickly apologizes. It's not me. It just happens every Wednesday because their chick delivery has been late all season. Usually one day, sometimes two. Best to call tomorrow at 7:30 to make sure there here before I drive across town. Aaahhh... You see, I had picked up my schedule for the deliveries way back in like January and hadn't checked in since. Woops!

So, the bean and I wandered back to the tanks again, this time just to watch the teeny puff balls skitter around as she yelled and shook her arms frantically with excitement. We gathered a few supplies that we would need to get anyway and headed back home, sans poultry.

Now, because I have no chicks to show you I thought I would do a quick cloth diapering update that I have been keeping in the back of my mind for awhile now. I haven't talked about this since I started almost a year ago and I've learned a few things since then, so I wanted to share.

I'm still using the same general system that I outlined before:

PUL covers
Cloth prefolds serged to be more of a fitted
Snappis
Liners, when needed, made from serged remains of prefolds and fleece

Overall, things are working well. Every now and then we have a leak and the very occasional blow out, but not often. There was some trial and error at the beginning, especially because they just need to be changed more often then with disposibles. That and the bean was so teeny at the beginning that you had to be sure to get the covers tight around her legs. We also ended up adding 5 All-In-Ones for the days that my in-laws watch the bean. They are way easier to use, which is good for grandmas and grandpas.

Here are a few tips I've picked up that have made things go more smoothly. First, laundry tips:

Pre-wash. Run things through a quick pre-wash with no soap just to get that first layer of poopy off. Just cold water, nothing fancy.
Use Bac-Out and Borax in with your detergent. Borax helps with stains and Bac-Out really helps with the smell. I forgot to use the bac-out once and I ended up having to pull them all out of the dryer and rewash them because they smelled like ammonia.
Do an extra rinse with vinegar. If your baby has sensitive skin, like the bean, it will put a big damper on diaper rash by getting any lasting soap residue off the diapers.
Oh, and don't forget, no dryer sheets. Puts a film on the diapers that makes them less absorbent.

Now, a few random diapering things:

If you use cloth wipes, add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the water in your spray bottle. This will add a bit of antiseptic help to your spray.
You should also spray your used covers with the lavender water before you hang them to dry. It will kill the germs and the smell.
If you have a kid who is prone to diaper rash, keep a bottle of regular old liquid antacid on your changing table. If the rash appears, pour a little antacid on a cotton ball or cloth wipe and dab it on the rash. This will off set the acid in the pee and help clear up the rash faster. You can alternate this with a cream if you want.

Oh, one last thing. I have about 4 different types of cloth diaper covers and I would highly recommend the Imse Vimse brand. Originally, I thought the bummies were the cat's meow and they are still pretty darn good, but I think the Imses are just a little bit superior. They seem to be more leak resistant, with a better fit around the legs. Yes. Me likey.

So, no cute fluffy chicks, but hopefully some good info. And maybe there will be chicks tomorrow...

here comes trouble

2009-05-05T20:56:00.003-06:00

So, one of my favorite things about our new house is the open hill behind us and the wildlife that resides there. I have been completely realistic about the possibility that the deer may attempt to invade my garden, but they have always kept their distance. Until today. They are not yet in the yard, but check out the 3 boys hanging out just beyond our fence line today.

While it was quite fun and exciting to see them so close it does not bode well for small veggies. Not good at all.

the garden plot

2009-05-04T22:06:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday night after putting the bean to bed, I frantically raced around my back yard: measuring, cutting wire, putting up my garden fencing and then poking little seeds into the ground. I knew the weekend would be useless with a trip out of town and I didn't want to put it off another week. I want to see little veggie sprouts, dang it!

( the garden sketch)

So after a quick plotting of the garden and hoping I didn't forget anything, I put those little seeds to bed and thus began garden 2009. Here is a quick drawing of the plot. Not totally to scale, but you will get the idea. I still need to pick up some sunflower seeds and starts for garlic, herbs, broccoli and maybe some peppers. My wonderful coworker brought me 10 of her various heirloom tomato starts today and those will be coming home tomorrow to bask in the sunlight on our kitchen table. I am so excited for summer and the bounty (fingers crossed) that's to come!

ETA: you can see a bigger version of the drawing here on flickr.

our weekend rendevous

2009-05-01T07:02:00.002-06:00

I promised these earlier. Sorry for the delay, but here they are. Last weekend was my beautiful friend Leona's 30th birthday. Her husband planned a surprise gathering with all her favorite people. We spent a few weeks trying to find a place that would hold our families and we were struggling to find a big enough spot that didn't cost an outrageous amount. In steps one of my favorite people of all time, Jessica. Jessica grew up in Jackson Hole, rubbing elbows with rich and famous. She said her mom's good friends had a house outside of Bozeman they didn't use. We could have the place for free for the weekend. We all expected a rustic but comfortable cabin in the mountains. Something our kids could run through and a place we could all spread out in. So imagine our pleasant and awestruck surprise when this is what we drove up to:

This is just one house on the 300 acre ranch where horses roam the fields and the river really does run through it. 6 bedrooms, all with their own bathroom, 3 living rooms, a den, sunroom, huge country kitchen and lots of space for kids to run and play. It was a dream. Here are some photos of the house and the people I love having fun:

Oh, and the GIANT rattlesnake the ranch hand killed while we were there... in the spot we had hiked through a few hours earlier. Creepy!

recap or what I've been doing the past two weeks

2009-04-28T21:42:00.004-06:00

I have been doing and not blogging, that is for sure. Tons of projects, totally overestimated the amount of time in the day, the amount of energy I have and underestimated the amount of snuggles a teething 10-month old needs. I haven't even had time to check the blogs that I haunt as a reader. Yikes!

So, here is the update:

First, the Spring Cure - almost totally derailed by garden/chicken coop building, visiting family and a wonderful weekend getaway with friends.

A month or so ago I called my mom, begging her to come for a long weekend to help me with some projects. The boy has been working hard on some exciting, but time-consuming projects and so has not been available. Mom is super handy and easy to work with and we always have fun. So, she came over Saturday morning and stayed through Wednesday. As I said in the intro, I have a horrible habit of underestimating how much time any project will take and overestimating the number of projects that I will be able to complete in a given time. This was totally the case here. So, no painting in the living area, no small repairs. Here is what we did get done though:

This corner of the yard had been fenced off for a dog run. The grass and weeds were waist high and there were giant holes in spots. The soil, however, was amazing, the product of composting nature and neglect. That's my cute mom in the corner by the shed.

And here is what it looks like now. A glorious chicken coop, raised garden beds and a side by side compost bin. The posts will soon have fencing attached to keep the dog (and hopefully deer) out and the chickens in.

And another angle. The weather has been nasty since we finished up so I haven't been able to get decent shots of the coop interior. I will post those soon, I swear. To fill the beds, we picked up a yard of top soil from a local landscaping place and then topped it off with about 1/2 a yard of aged manure, compliments of my coworkers horse farm.

Finally, we blew insulation into the attic of our house. When we bought it, the attic only had rolled fiberglass insulation, much of which appears to have been the bed for a very large cat. The R value was almost nothing. We bought a pallet of "green" insulation from Home Depot and got the blower to use for free. Mom ran the blower and I sat up in the attic for 3 hours, filling it in so that our house will be comfortably temperate this year. That's is the giant truck I got to drive around all week, making me feel and look much tougher and more capable then I probably am.

Needless to say, we were wiped out everyday, in bed by 9:30. No time for blogging. Now, I am spending my evenings this week, getting in my cold weather vegetables and putting the finishing touches on the coop. I will pick up the chicks next Wednesday, bright and early. Yay!

Next, the Spending Hiatus- I ended quite well and have done a good job of sticking with things. Although tonight, I did do the thrift store run, looking for summer items for the wee bean. I spotted a dresser that would be perfect to replace the bedroom one, but I am so used to being thrifty, I passed it up. I may go by tomorrow to see if it's still there.

My thriftyness also translated nicely into last week's projects as the chicken coop and beds were made almost entirely of reclaimed lumber (except for a few 2x4s my dad bought to get us started). I was able to get everything for just over $50. A bargain. It also helps that the renters who preceded us left a bunch of random scraps behind, including the pieces I used to make the big door to the run and giant rolls of pig wire that I used on the coop and will use to fence the garden off too.

The one item that has moved from non-essential to essential is a new camera. Look at these photos...gads! The focus is getting worse every time I use it. Sometimes it just dies. Note: I only paid $60 for it in a shady deal with an 11 year old right before I started this blog, so I am actually surprised it lasted this long. So, look for some better photos soon.

And speaking of better photos, tomorrows post will feature some shots of the amazing house we used as a rendezvous with some of our dearest friends this past weekend... for free. Stay tuned!

still here...

2009-04-17T13:21:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to pop in and say that I am still here! We have been curing up a storm around here, painting, purging and organizing. My mom is coming this weekend and we will be building garden beds, a chicken coop and working on a few other fun projects. Stay tune next week for some photos and the play by play. Also, I will get in a final "spending hiatus" post to bring you all up to the end (Yes, this was the final week) and a week 5 cure update.

Happy Friday!

(from the Library of New South Wales' flickr photostream)

grey + gold

2009-04-09T21:59:00.004-06:00

I have been trying to find the perfect color to offset some of the wonderful gold that I found for our main living area (living, dining, kitchen). I've always been a brown girl, but suddenly grey seems to be the color that is calling my name. I have avoided it because it always seemed so cold. I am learning that their are warm greys, with more of a brown or orange tinge. I have several chips taped to my wall right now, but I wanted to see some of the combo in action. A little flickr search pulled up some fabulous options:

(from Coco+Kelley's flickr photostream)

(from atexski's flickr photostream)

(from inspiringdecor's flickr photostream)

(from blueprint mag, c/o coco+kelley's flickr photostream)

(from revolutionarygirl's flickr photostream)

(from {kay}'s flickr photostream)

So, what do you think? I think I'm ready to pick up some new paint!

a winner and some rockin' cleaning ideas

2009-04-08T17:21:00.000-06:00

So finally, we have a winner for the Wednesday giveaway. Honestly I will be more organized next time. The winner is Nici over at dig this chick! At first I felt kind of silly because I know Nici and see her all the time. But the random number picker does not lie, so congrats sweetie. I will drop it in the mail so you have it when you return from your adventures! Everyone loves fun mail!

Now, onto a must have resource. Real Simple sent a link to this incre dibly helpful, extremely thorough list of all natural cleaners. Many of them are things we have around the house anyway and their tips for using them are fabulous. I got some great new ideas from this.

Another quick cleaning tip I picked up while looking through some old issues of domino: To get out stains on old linens, try Fan Chinese Laundry Soap. Has anyone tried this? I may order some just to give it a try.

(from KennyChen's Flickr Photostream)

The Spring Cure - Weeks Two and Three

2009-04-07T07:36:00.001-06:00

First, a quick update on the giveaway. Silly me forgot to state a deadline, so all comments posted by noon on Wednesday, 4/8 (MST) will be in the running.

(some inspiration for my potential living room palate, courtesy of domino mag)

So, first a confession. After week one I have done more improvising and less following the cure steps to the letter. Clutter was less of a problem, boring and uninspired decor was the real culprit. So, here is my week two list:

Bones:
Fix one thing- Check! I oiled all of the squeaky hinges. This wasn't on my original list, but it was driving me batty so it was promptly added and attended to.

Clean your kitchen from top to bottom- Check! You know how when you first move into a kitchen, you think you know the best place for everything, but then, after a while, you realize you had it all wrong? Moved things around, removed things and made it function much better.

Buy a water filter - No check... It seems silly when we have good water here.

Breath:
Run hands over all the walls - again, no check... just didn't feel like doing it. However did start to paint, so I have been paying much more attention to all of our walls.

Clear space for an outbox and use it - kind of check. As I said, clutter isn't a huge problem, but I have started using a corner of my office to put things I am not sure what to do with or things in transition.

Heart:
Buy fresh flowers. Check! I forgot how much I loved having flowers in the house and daffodils are only $2 for 10 right now so they add instant color for little cash. They are just so cheery. Soon the farmers market will start and I will get my fix there.

Determine your style. Check? I feel like I'm still working on this but I would have to start with something like "eclectic cottage traditional". Somewhat nebulous, but I am certainly not modern. I like soft comfy furnishings, but I definitely gravitate towards traditional elements, with an updated funky, eclectic feel. A little bit bohemian, a little bit grandma's hand-me-downs, a little bit thrifty kitsch.

Head:
Find a new recipe and cook at home one night. Easy Check! We cook a lot at this house and I love trying new things. I did a nice light lemon, rosemary chicken as my assignment meal.

Choose a date for your house warming. Still working on this! We have some crazy weeks coming up so I am trying to find a good time. I want to have a girls cocktail night with a little dress up and some great drinks and nibbles. Right now i am thinking May 15th or 16th.

Week three is where it gets a little bit fuzzier. This week was about clearing your entry and getting rid of junk mail and paperwork. This is an area that I have a good handle on so I took this week to work on a few other fun projects. Here is the list though to begin:

Bones:
Vaccuum, dust and mop. Check...try to do this every weekend so it doesn't get too bad.

Clean your entrance and coat closet. Check... not a lot to do here, as I said.

Arrange to get all of your repairs taken care of. Check... mom is coming over for a week of house project fun so we will do the repairs then.

Breath:
Declutter your entrance. Check..easy-peasy.

Move old mail and catalogs to outbox. Not neccessary, already in recycling.

Look into creating a landing strip. Check...I have come up with some things to look for over the next month or so at garage sales and thrift stores. I want a narrow console table or dresser to sit either behind the couch or along the wall in the entryway. I also want to find a couple of nice wicker trash bins. One for mail that needs to be shredded and one for mail that can just be recycled. I also want to get a new basket for the dog's toys and accouterments which are kept by the door.

Heart:
Identify cool and warm rooms. Check! I have been doing this and playing with paint colors. Most of the rooms in my house have large spots of paint on the walls.

Use the 80/20 color rule. I am having a hard time with this. I really like colorful walls, but I am trying to balance it with some good neutrals. This is especially hard in the kitchen, living, dining area, which is one big open space. I have a deep, golden yellow that I really want behind the fireplace, but I can't find a corresponding color to use on other walls to break up the space. I definitely don't want a giant room of all yellow. Too much. I have just started to consider grey as an option. Will look into this over the weekend...

Head:
Cook two meals at home. Done... cinch.

Design party invitation. I didn't do this. Want to use some cute, ready made ones just to save time and sanity.

(the invitation for my fabulous, post-Cure soiree; outside and inside)

today...

2009-04-01T07:18:00.002-06:00

this says it all...

check out shelli's other amazing prints. i want them plastered all over my house reminding me of all that is good and wonderful and joyful in the world. and while your at it, be sure to read her profile. the bio at the bottom is priceless. AND...if you read her blog, you will fall more in love with her and wish she could be your new BFF. happy humpday!

spending hiatus - weeks #5 & #6

2009-03-30T21:42:00.005-06:00

First, don't forget to leave a comment on last wednesday's post so you have a chance to win a fabulous prize...Now, a caution: this post is much more serious and brooding then the usual hip homemaker fare. You have been warned...

The thing that has been the most revealing to me through this whole process is the "why" of my shopping habits. I knew that I enjoyed a jaunt to the thrift store or a stroll through target's shiny aisles, but I don't think I fully grasped the emotional relief that shopping can offer. I shop because I am hurt or angry or bored or insecure. Hardly ever do I shop because I actually need something. This Sunday that came so plainly to a head. After a hurtful, disappointing afternoon at the end of a somewhat full weekend of entertaining company, my first response was only to immerse myself in the mismatched racks of my local goodwill. I wanted to buy something, anything that made me feel cute and hip and pulled together. The exact opposite of how I felt at that moment.

I was grateful that it was shopping and not food that I craved(which has been my vice before), but I kept thinking that I needed to channel these emotions into something healthier, like yoga or running. My post baby body has never quite returned to the glory that once was and I have done nothing, zip, zilch to help it. I struggle to keep up with everything else that I have to do and all the things that I really want to do and I just haven't found the motivation. Until now. I am tired of being tired, no energy by the end of my days. I am also tired of my favorite pieces of clothing fitting awkwardly or not at all. Tired of being self-conscious, insecure and frumpy... No more, I say! I will start to make time for the healthy, active me and I will find a new, healthier place to channel and deal with these negative emotions.

So, overall as I look back over the last 6 weeks, I feel good about the changes I have made in my spending. I also know that removing that coping mechanism, even inadvertently, has helped me to get out of an unhealthy rut that I had been stuck in. I would love to hear from you: what are your favorite healthy ways to deal with stress and negativity, in your life?

(running shoes from timtak's photostream)

Now, back to our regular crafty program...

a wednesday giveaway

2009-03-25T15:58:00.007-06:00

So, my intrepid readers, I have been posting very consistently for the past few months. Back pats for me... But now I want to hear from you.

So kids, let's discuss... What is your biggest challenge in your own life as a hip homemaker? Where does your greatest joy come from? I want to hear a little bit about your adventures in homemaking and I would love some ideas to help make this blog a fun but useful place to visit in the midst of your most likely busy lives.

So give it to me people...

And now, the superfantabulous news: one lucky commenter will recieve this super cute vintage dishtowel and a copy of Organizing Plain and Simple. This is a book that I reference often and find useful in a myriad of contexts from cleaning to budget to cheap organization solutions. Yay!

Bee-utiful music

2009-03-24T20:20:00.005-06:00

My new very favorite music for kids is from Frances England. I love, love, love her fun lyrics and acoustic flair. I also adore that she uses her family, especially in her first album. The tunes are catchy and you don't feel silly singing along. Listen to this track, Spring Has Sprung and get ready for the sunshine...

The Spring Cure - Week One

2009-03-23T20:25:00.005-06:00

(Edited to add: before photos can be found on flickr.)

Last week's to do list:

Bones:
Make a complete list of repairs and solutions...

...Check! Check out or download my list here.

Vacuum and mop all the floors...

...Check! (Although J did do most of the vacuuming, but I am still counting it people!)

Breath:
Remove one item from your house and put it outside...

...Check! I posted our pile of moving boxes on freecycle and they disappeared on Wednesday. I also hauled one giant box of stuff to take to the Goodwill and put it in my car.

Heart:
Buy yourself fresh flowers...

...Check! Lovely photo below.

Head:
Sit for 10 minutes in a part of your home that you never sit in...

...Check? This one was just weird to me and because of that, I'm not sure if I completed the task. Oh well.

Look into earth-friendly cleaning products...

...Check! I actually have been using a plethora of "green" products for the last 6 months or so. I have included a few of my favorite "recipes" below.

My Everything Spray

Take an empty spray bottle, fill it half full of white vinegar. Add 15-20 drops of lavender essential oil, and then fill the rest of the way with water. You can use other oils to scent your spray, but I use lavender because it adds a little antibacterial kick. Use this on your counters, table, mirrors, etc.

Smooth Scrub

In a large jar, add 2 cups of baking soda. Mix in liquid castile soap (I use the dish soap from the bulk bins at our local health food store) until it is runny enough to spread, but not too runny. It will dry out over time so you should keep some soap on hand to rejuvinate it once and a while. You can also add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice along with a few teaspoons of vegetable glycerin, which helps it last longer. Use this on your sinks, tubs, stains on counters, etc.

Now, on to week two...

animals on parade

2009-03-20T11:46:00.006-06:00

Every once and awhile, I find something on etsy I can't resist sharing. Check out these stunning but simple pieces from Sharon Montrose. Her portraits range from the domestic...

...to the exotic.

I think that they would be fabulous in a series. I also think it would be fun to see them larger then her current prints, like 18x18 or something. Happy spring everyone!

spring

2009-03-18T23:28:00.003-06:00

One thing that is really fabulous about a new-to-you old house, is the garden surprises that pop up.

happy spring...

new bibs

2009-03-18T07:34:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of new bibs I made for some new(ish) babies in my life (I'm a little behind on one...whoops!). Boys are much harder for me to pick out fabric for then girls. I am much more worried about offending some dad ("my boy won't play basketball, I love soccer"). Not sure why, but it takes me a zillion times longer to settle on the fabric choices.

spending hiatus - week #4

2009-03-17T20:50:00.001-06:00

I told you all I was going to have a harder time this week. More free time and a thrifting itch that hasn't been scratched for a few weeks means T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I had to run to the hardware store this weekend for the legitimate purchase of vacuum bags. We have actually been opening up and dumping out the same bag for about 3 years because I couldn't find our bags anywhere local, which isn't as bad as it sounds since our last house of 2 years was all hardwood, so we didn't use it as much. But still...

Now, the biggest thrift store in town is right across from the hardware store and I felt myself unable drive past. I swear my car just pulled right into the parking spot. Okay, maybe not... And I suppose I could tell you that the adorable yellow silk shirt and two tattered Oz paperback jumped into my arms and forced me to buy them. But that just isn't true. I caved... big time.

So, that's the bad news. The good news is that, thanks to my Eating Down the Fridge challenge, I didn't spend money on groceries or food. Also, I found the perfect pair of plug-in wall sconces that I have been searching for more then a year now. I want to clear up the bedside table space but still have lamps for reading. And they were a great score for the weekend at $4 each from our local building materials recycling center, Home Resource. Another good spot finding cheap, recycled goods to save some cash. You will see more of these beauties in a future post, as they need some TLC to get up and running.

(the temptations I couldn't resist)

living room inspiration

2009-03-17T07:03:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post to show you my first virtual inspiration board for my spring cure. This is specifically for my living room.

my living room - by The Hip Homemaker on Polyvore.com

I created it using polyvore.com. Very cool tool, mostly for fashion but a few people are doing interiors with it. The way that the tool works for layering kind of distorts some of the room shots, so I need to play around with it and figure that out. Be careful though, I think this could become extremely addictive...

So, if my living room turns out even half this fabulous, I will be thrilled!

starting therapy

2009-03-15T22:31:00.003-06:00

Since the demise of my beloved Domino I have been looking for inspiration elsewhere. One of my favorite sources of budget-friendly, real people decorating and solutions is Apartment Therapy. Now obviously, I no longer live in an apartment and I am not in big city, USA. I reside in a small mountain town, in a quiet 60s suburban neighborhood, just about as far from a New York, 250 sq foot walk-up as you can get. But I still find tons of beautiful, brilliant and totally doable ideas here.

Some of my favorites from just poking around today:

A few years ago, I came across the book that launched the site at the library (of course!). As I was reading through it again today, I realized how much this book had changed how I looked at my space and the things that I filled it with. I didn't even realize it until I looked back. His main premise is that many of us live in houses that frustrate us, stifle us and general suck the life out of us in a myriad of ways. His goal is to help you find the problems in your house, fix them and get on with enjoying your space. This is where the "therapy" comes in. Tomorrow (monday) starts the next session, the Spring Cure. You have to commit to getting the book and following through on the 8 week process. If you join, you will be added to the mailing list. You will upload photos of your beginning and your progress. As in all therapy, there is digging to be done, steps to follow and nasty sentiments to come creeping out of the closet as you try to send that hideous macrame plant hanger your mom made in the 70s back to the curb. It is just what I need to jumpstart my makeover of this new house.

We moved in December 1st after being transiant couch-crashers for 2 weeks (not nearly as fun with a dog and a baby). Everything we owned had been stuffed into a tiny storage unit and then hastily loaded up again and tossed in our garage. There were less then four weeks to Christmas and we were hosting. We needed to get a support beam put in the basement pronto, to fix a shoddy reno job by previous owners. Oh, and the previous renters did zero cleaning and even left behind a few treasures (like a retainer in the bathroom drawer, gross!) Needless to say, making the beautiful, warm, well-organized home I had hoped for was not really part of the timeline. So, I threw things into the first spot that made sense, no stopping to redo hideous paint jobs or replacing non-existent light fixtures. It was guerilla unpacking and I was taking no prisoners.

Now that I have lived in the space, moved through it day after day, it is definitely time to make it the place I want to come home to every day (or stay home in all day if I am working from home). I want my kitchen to be better organized. I want my garage finally cleaned out. I want my bedroom to be the haven I imagine, not the tossing spot for all the things and furniture we don't know what else to do with. So, I am taking the challenge and joining in. I picked up the book from the library today and I already have a list of things that I am ready to tackle. I am excited to post my progress and gain inspiration from my fellow patients. My name is Amy and my house needs therapy...

eating down the fridge - final update

2009-03-15T15:12:00.000-06:00

Here is my final update on this challenge. It was so much fun. I only stepped out once, ordering chinese the other night after suffering through hours of sad, sick baby and being to pooped to care. I would do it again and maybe even shoot for a longer time span in the future. Perhaps this summer, when we are in the middle of garden bliss. I loved the challenge of being forced to be creative with what I had. The biggest challenge came on Saturday when I was having a friend and her son over for a "playdate". I have decided that lunch is the hardest meal to host. Dinner and breakfast are easy peasy, but lunch is sooooo hard. I could think of a million things to make, but they all required a trip to the store and way more work then I was willing to do on a Saturday morning. Inspiration hit when I opened the drawer in my fridge and spied a pack of bacon. BLTs were the dish of the day and a big hit.

I don't know if any of you played along, but drop my a line if you did...

surviving the recession in style- tip #5: recycle, trade, barter and share

2009-03-12T23:53:00.000-06:00

Don't just go out and buy that new whosy-whatsit that you want, get creative. What do you have that you can trade for those sewing lessons? How can you find a bread maker for cheap or even free? How many of us have a pile of stuff around our house that we never use, wouldn't miss if it was gone?

It's kind of like being a super slueth or a survivor in your own little island; its all about finding ways to not spend your money and still have the life that you want. I love sharing my expertise or things I have made in exchange for something that I really want to learn. In the last few months, I have traded some of my skills and help for gardening advice and plants. I have traded help with major home organization and overhaul for cooking lessons. I have scored a free bread maker, dehydrator, washer and dryer, baby food jars, home magazines, garden starts and more all just because I asked. I put the word out that I was looking for certain items and eventually, I found someone looking to get rid of what ever it was I was looking for.

Freecycle is great for these quests. Also Craigslist, your local paper, or even friends and family. These are also great places to get rid of those things that you have been hanging onto for too long. I was able to find great homes for some clothes I never wear, an old living room chair, baby things that we weren't using and some old computer components. Now, instead of taking up room in my basement or garage, they are being put to use in someone else's hands. There are also some great swaps arranged through crafty blogs, flickr and others.

With the current economic situation, there has been some great articles and stories on bartering and being creative to exchange goods and services. For instance, a Brooklyn funeral home director offered free services in exchange for some construction work. A group of artists in Phily created an exhibit around the idea of bartering their art for goods and services.

I think that the hardest part is figuring out what you have that you can trade or offer, but as you start to have conversations or put your desires out into the universe, you realize that one woman's trash is most certainly another woman's treasure.

Images from recent swaps on flickr

(miniquilt from vetcw3)

(fabric and pen from kideias-artesanato)

(birthday goodies from jek in the box)

eating down the fridge - an update

2009-03-12T17:32:00.001-06:00

Cornelia asked for an update, so here goes.

I actually kind of feel like a cheater. Not because I have actually cheated, but because I haven't really even had to think about it. I have done such a good job of stocking up on things when there are sales and getting more creative with my meals and planning that this isn't nearly as challenging as I thought it would be.

Tuesday night I had leftovers. Wednesday night; pasta with meaty sauce and garlic bread (which I froze from our pizza hut leftovers a few weeks ago). Tonight, burgers (made with extra meat from the pasta sauce) with cheese and sauteed mushrooms, with a side of tots (tater, of course). For breakfasts we have done leftover pancakes from Monday, oatmeal with raisins and cheerios. For lunch, I had one more day of burrito and then left over pasta. The only thing I really wanted to go get was flour and the right yeast for my bread maker. I used up the last of my flour making a loaf of the molasses cornmeal bread that totally flopped. I think I may have picked up the wrong sort of yeast from the bulk bins at the natural foods store. Will have to investigate this next week though...

eating down the fridge

2009-03-10T07:38:00.001-06:00

I thought this fit in well with my "dig deeper" challenge, so this week, I am joining in the "eating down the fridge" challenge via homegrown. You can join here on facebook or just shoot her an email to get in on the fun. Here is what we ate for day one:

We had chicken; pounded thin, dredged in flour and pan fried with garlic, roasted potatoes and cabbage and mushrooms fried in the leftovers from the chicken.

For lunches for yesterday and the next few days I made a "burrito" filling of pinto beans, cabbage, mushrooms, ground beef and sauce. add cheese and stuff in a tortilla for yummy mid-day meal.

Join in if you want, one week only!

spending hiatus - weeks #2 & #3

2009-03-09T20:26:00.004-06:00

So, I'm sure you can tell from my last post, that yes, I did spend some money in the last two weeks. But because it was a planned purchase using earmarked money, I don't count it. So there. Otherwise the last two weeks were relatively easy, probably because I was sick and busy. This week will be interesting because I will have some extra time on my hands and my favorite way to waste time is a little thrift run.

I think the hardest thing for us is eating out or getting takeout. In one of my early "surviving the recession" posts, I wanted to work on eating in more, cooking good food, spending less money. We have done okay at this, but it is one area that I want to keep working on over this hiatus. Part of it is planning better, especially on days that are a whirlwind of one thing after another. So, I picked up two new cookbooks at the library this week. Both of them are really great ones to own someday, for sure. I will just highlight one today and save the other for another day.

Today's eye and tummy candy is Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. I have had this one on hold for almost a year now. Obviously a good one because everybody wanted to get their hands on it. It is totally not what I expected, it is so much better. I don't know why, but I pictured a thin, pretty book, without a lot of substance. Nice to look at, but not very useful.

Instead I picked up a 400+ page tome filled with wonderful, easy yummy recipes, fabulous storytelling and colorful pictures. It is actually a book of recipes with children in mind. My favorite thing is that she has arranged things by "color". The "red" section high lights yummy things made with tomatoes, raspberries, red peppers. The "green" has broccoli, peppermint and capers. For someone who arranges her closet by color and color-codes her to do lists, this is a brilliant idea!

Here are a few page shots to tempt you, but I would suggest getting out and finding a copy of your own, right away!

(All images from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros)

my new favorite thing

2009-03-08T22:53:00.004-06:00

I have done a little happy dance several times throughout the weekend. You see, on Friday, the new love of my life arrived on my door step. Now I want to draw out this whole analogy of the new lover and tell you all about "him", but "he" is so clearly a "she", so I won't even try, I will just introduce you.

Meet my new baby(lock)...

Isn't she pretty, all green and retro and wonderful!?!

Last year during my sewing 101 class, I fell in love with the sergers. I have pined and swooned over them and finally this winter decided I needed one of my own. I started by asking for one for Christmas; no research was done, I had no make or model or features in mind. I just wanted one, any one. But then, as everyone was too intimidated to pick one and I recieved a handful of cash to find my own, I started the task of finding the "right one" for me.

I looked on ebay and craigslist, checked the local sew & vac stores, visited the sewing forums and review sites, asked people I knew and checked out Wikipedia, of course. I learned that sergers were only made for commercial use until a group of employees at one major japanese manufacturer latched on to the idea that they could make them smaller and lighter for the home seamstress. They were rejected by management, but believed in the idea so much that they all quit their jobs and started their own company. Thus, the baby lock was born in the late 60s. My new best friend, the EA-605 was made in the early 70s. The first model to use 3 or 4 threads, it can do an overlock stitch and a double chain stitch, seperately or together to form a safety stitch. It was also the first model to cut and sew at the same time.

It is solid and metal and green (did you see the lovely green?). I found it on ebay from a woman in Illinois. I have to say that while I chose this model for several reasons and after reading a million reviews and opinions, I was still scared that I had made a dumb choice, swayed by her flashy color and vintage appeal. I was so relieved when I emailed the seller to tell her how tremendously excited I was and she replied with a hearty, "You will LOVE these vintage machines!" She has worked for major department stores, altering suits, for almost 20 years and she was just cleaning out her stock as she retired. She actually had 10 sergers, each threaded with a different color, so she could just pick the right machine and not rethread (how smart is that?!?). How nice to get that affirmation from someone so experienced and knowledgeable. I was even more in love.

So, now that you've met, you will hopefully be seeing a lot more of her, or at least her handiwork.

this weekend's big score

2009-03-07T10:22:00.003-07:00

This was actually from last weekend, but I kept forgetting to take a photo. So, this was another boon for the spending hiatus (which I forgot to update in my haze earlier this week, so look for two weeks up updates on Monday). My parents came to town to visit and my mom brought along her old dehydrator along with a few dehydrator books, the book for the bread machine she gave me at Christmas time, and a fabulous vintage Ball canning book. Free is definitely the best score! I am really interested in making fruit leather, which I may try this weekend with some applesauce from the freezer. If you have any tips for the dehydrator, let me know.

I am also going to break out the bread maker this weekend and try one of these recipes from dig this chick. Nici brought it over the molasses one for our dinner date awhile back and it was fabulous. Happy weekend!