Leaning

I have been leaning towards sewing lately. Really the sewing of 60's fashion. I just ordered two vintage patterns from my snack pack sales. I previously ordered three vintage patterns and haven't even had the time to look at them, let alone make anything! However here I am ordering more!

The thing with vintage items is usually if you wait to buy something you really like, it'll be gone in the time you've been hemming and hawing. I've missed out on a number of fantastic vintage patterns and other such lovely things this way. So for now I'll just collect vintage patterns, in hopes of one day making a new wardrobe for myself!

In gardening news, the lettuce barrels are doing great! They've been loving the rain and cool weather. Also I've had another small crop of strawberries pop up, after we relocated the plants to planters in the front. The blackberries are almost done, most that we were waiting on never ripened, as the heat never came.

In the kitchen I've been making cheese scones, whole wheat french bread (i've given up on sourdough for now) and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Due to a shortage, I've found a fantastic addition to my cookie recipe! I was a cup short of oatmeal , and instead of running next door, decided to put in some ground flax seed. WOW!! what a difference! The cookies were much more airy, and melted in your mouth wonderfully! The men of the house prefer raisins to chocolate chips, so I just made a small batch for myself. I then ate them all in one day!

So now it's night time and we are all tired! Goodnight!

Homesteading and Looking Good

I've been doing a lot of thinking about our little homestead. It's great, but I don't know if urban homesteading is totally for me. Some part of me wants to be in the country. We are thinking of moving ..... out of the city a bit! I can't really imagine a life where I have to drive more than five minutes to downtown, but it may just happen. I'm also trying to push the chicken agenda again.

We went to the Saanich Fair and saw a whole barn full of gorgeous chickens. almost feinted with those beautiful gals surrounding me! I was in love and stayed for a long time after the rest of the family abandoned me. Jack was afraid of the roosters. They're loud, I don't blame him! Anyways I don't know if I can wait a year and a half for my babies!! I want them now!!

Okay onto something else (crazy chicken lady rants are never a good way to end a post!). I've been addicted to wearing skirts. Most of my pre maternity clothes fit, but my hips haven't shrunk back to what they once were. All my old skirts fit, as long as they are sitting above my hips. It all feels very 50's! SO I found a pattern (above) and plan to make some cute retro numbers! Wish me luck!

Plans, Plans, Plans

Surveying the Crop

Helping with the dirt patio

Reuseable snack packs ..... want the pattern?

I totally failed yesterday! Well. okay maybe that's a bit harsh! My sourdough starter failed! I went to feed it yesterday afternoon, only to find fuzzy mold growing on the side. I have decided to try one more time and if that doesn't work, then I am going to buy a starter! I have found that my biggest mistake was keeping it an airtight container. It needs to breathe a bit, so that would explain why mine didn't get bubbly at all! Let's cross our fingers that this works!

I have got my husband on board with having chickens! It's still going to be a ways off, but hopefully sooner than later! We were weeding last night in preparation for our bark mulch load this weekend. I told hubby that the chickens would eat the weeds we are digging up and that made chickens more appealing to him! Oh the bark mulch, big plans here! We are snuffing out half the grass in the front and mulching all exposed dirt areas, until we decide what to plant. We are also going to get a bale of straw to put down on our dirt patio, until we have decided how to treat that surface. I am leaning towards cement molds, to make it look like brick, though hubby is going for big grey pavers ..... so ugly in my mind! We've also talked about having narrow planters down one side of the driveway for tomatoes next spring.

So many plans for the spring, but what about right now? Other than my little lettuce gardens, what can I plant? I did find a variety of carrot, however I'm in no mood to sift out a ton of soil, t prep for carrots! I am going to visit West Coast Seeds soon, and make an order for the spring and maybe even some fall gardening! I am so addicted to planning the garden!

This past weekend I did some sewing to save the environment! I designed so reusable snack packs so when I pack the boy's lunch or we go out, I can use them instead of ziplock bags. I designed them so they pop up and function as a bowl, but fold nice and flat to fit in my bag! Also I am turning an old pair of hubby's pants into some play/work pants for our eldest son! It's a bit of an experiment as I am not using a pattern!