Granny Squares, burning pastures, new land owners

I fell in love with crocheting a few years ago. I think my sister Jeana tried to teach me to either knit or crochet years ago before I left Arizona and I was a dismal failure at. I watched a few videos on you tube. Made some hats and a scarf or two. I made this blanket that I was immensely proud of. It was just a double crochet and the sides are a little uneven.

Still waiting on spring

The tulips think it should be spring. I looked down Monday and realized I had new green stuff in my flower garden, among all the dead brown stuff I hadn't pulled out from last year. I bought a lot of bulbs last year from Walmart that were on clearance. Ones that had flowered and the flowers were gone, or that had flowers sprung upon before they got tall. I stuck them in the dirt and forgot about them. Looks like they are starting to do their thing. Of course we had a snow storm blow through this morning. Couldn't see a darn thing past 100 ft in front of you. Last about two hours. Dumped three inches of snow (the forecast was for light snow, not accumulating more than half and inch). By mid afternoon it had all melted away.

Scott has decided wood carving sounds like a good hobby. I'm all for it. It makes a mess of shaving on the floor, but they sweep up so easily. He got a set of carving thingies when he was in Boise a few weekends ago, a box of wood chunks, and has been going to town with it. I even tried it a little bit.

Meanwhile I sat on the couch and worked on the hat I've been doing forever, and never seem to get finished.

Jeff made an amazing contribution to the little homestead this weekend. I was just out of the shower, upstairs checking on Facebook, and I hear Jess talking to someone downstairs. I figured Scott must be up, so I bounced down the stairs, and it was Jeff. He'd been to Poccatello, and brought back a welder he'd had in storage for Scott.

Scott used to make a living as a welder, so now we can build anything he need here. Very exciting stuff.

Such a slacker

I've gotten caught up in my game. The Star Wars game. It doesn't consume every waking moment of my day, but I find myself less going through other blogs, or updating this one. Last Wed I did Patches and Apache's feet. Patches actually have decent, almost normal looking hooves now, instead of the under slung, flared out messes she had when were got her two years ago. I've been trying to to the barefoot trim on her, and do it myself. The results are really good. I wheeled 15 wheelbarrow loads full of wood from the wood stack next to the driveway, into the garage, and filled two shelves so I don't have to tromp outside, fight with a tarp and/or wind, rain, snow, dogs, cats etc, just to get a few logs for the fire.

I'm working in wool for the very first time. Scott and I went to Michaels and I did the unthinkable. I payed way too much for mass produced wool. I know I could have gotten it off the net, and prolly from someone over on the Homesteading Today forums, but I was there, and I "Had to have it NOW." Scott picked out the color. Brown and white twist. He requested a hat. This stuff is not as easy to work with as the acrylic. It's not twisted as tight, so I end up snagging with my crochet hook. It's smaller diameter. I'm using a tiny hook compared to what I'm using on the blankets. I get discouraged easily because I don't see me making as much progress as the blankets from the smaller hook. I'll keep at it though. It doesn't stop me from wanting to do eight more projects in wool. I'm also working on the blanket for my nephew. I'll have to get pics.

Vacuum Sealers

I am the proud new owner of a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer for food storage. While in Boise over the weekend we were admiring my Father-in-laws unit he just got from Costco. There was a $20 off deal at the register. Scotty was talking to him about how we were wanting one, and had been researching different brands and models. So off to Costco we went. We'd let our card expire last year, but Grampa has one. We picked up the unit, and a box of rolled create your own bags, with a set of pre-cut ones. The best part, my amazing Father-in-Law paid for it when we got to the register. We had just enough money to get it from the extra money from Scott working Xmas day. Grampa put it all on his card though and told us not to worry about it. How stinkin great is that.

I promptly went to Winco Mon after work and grabbed some meats on sale. Hamburger in 1.5 pound packages that were so many $ off, to be used to froze that day, a large package of chiccken breasts that got divided into three breasts each, a three pack of pork roasts. The sealer was easy to use. Worked just great.

I also got a use or freeze $'s off tri tip roast that I made into beef stew lastnight.

2 lbs cubed beef

Half a can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic

1/2 c flour and 3 tbs

2 tsp seasoned salt

2 tsp black pepper

5 med potatos

5 lrg carrots

2 minced cloves of garlic

2-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 dashes papricka
1/2 med onion diced
4 tbsp oil

Heat half the oil in a pan on med high. Sift 1/2 cup flour and seasoned salt together. Dredge the beef in flour and brown in pan in lots. Add more oil as the beef and flour soak it up. Toss the beef in the crockpot as it browns. Add remaining ingredints minus the 3 tbs flour to the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. After 6 hours mix the 3 tbs of flour and enough water to disolve it. Set the crockpot to high and add the flour/water mixture. This will thicken your stew. After 15 mins, you're done.

Don't forget to add the onion and carrot ends to the ziplock baggie in your freezer for stock later. The carrot and potatoe peeling go into the worm box. My left overs I set in plastic containers in the freezer. This afternoon I'll fill the sink with hot water, set the containers in for about 5 mins to loosen the contents, then vcuum seal them. I freeze them in protions small enough to send with Scott for work lunches.

I also got busy on making things for breakfasts so I don't keep stopping at Maverick every morning and spending a fortune every morning on coffee and breakfast sandwiches. I got giant croisants, cooked a bunch of eggs and put together sandwiches with ham and cheese for me. Scott got breakfast burritoes with diced potatoes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheese.

Horses got wormed Mon. I brought home two rabbitts from a co-worker. They are two bucks, 15 weeks old. I figure I should see if I can slaughter, process, and cook them into something edible before I get a bunch of rabbitts to raise. And they were free. Can't beat that with a stick.

I'm working on a blanket. My first crocheted blanket. It's my first big project ever. It's from the yarn Scott's mom sent home to me. It's almost done. I had to make it beig enough to fit Scott. First it started as a rug. Just a rug to put in front of the fireplace. I already have a hand woven rug there from Peru. And then I realized the one I have is natural fiber, and does't burn. The yarn I have is acrylic and will melt and go up like dry grass. So It decided it wanted to be a throw blanket. I was getting somewhere on it finally and Scott really liked it. He liked the colors and remarked how nice it would look on the bed. Our Queen sized bed. And how he's 6ft plus. So off we went with round and round and round crochetting. It may now lay over the sides like a queen sized comforter, but it wil cover the whole top of the bed when finished. I have one more row of double crochets around three and a half sides, and I'm DONE!

And just because I love this little pot. I keep water in it as a stemer to add some humidity to the house in the winter.