Sunday, December 7, 2014

First Christmas

Today we had our first Christmas celebration of the season, as so often happens when family is scattered far and wide. Today was a celebration with family on Rob's side. It has been a weekend filled with fun traditions and some new adventures. The festivities officially kicked off with trimming the tree. An opportunity to share with the next generation the memories held in those lovely bits of wood, metal and glass. Including the first ornaments that trimmed the first tree that Gram and Grandpa had when first married. They were hand painted wooden ornaments hung on a tree with popcorn and paper garlands. That first tree was about as tall as my youngest (three feet.)

Today was the day that stockings and presents were opened. Yes, Santa found us even for this early celebration. We told our kids that Santa makes sure to find all families that are celebrating Christmas, even if they have to do so on a day that is not exactly Christmas. This was the first time that they both truly understood that treasures lie hidden within those colorfully wrapped packages, so they had a hard time being patient while gifts were being handed out and they wanted to "help" everyone open theirs. 



It was a wonderful holiday weekend, the perfect start to the Christmas season and an excellent time spent with family. 

Many blessings to you this night.--Kate

Saturday, December 6, 2014

A Christmas Surprise.

Today, as a Christmas surprise, I was taken on a "girls' day" trip to a painting class. The "girls" who went on this adventure were, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law (Marjorie), a neighbor and close friend of my parents-in-law (Bobbie) and myself. It was a special surprise planned by my mother-in-law for Marjorie and I. All we where told ahead of time was to bring clothes that could get messy. Which was definitely not a hint that gave the surprise away. One of Marjorie's not so serious guesses was panning for gold. 

Another wonderful part to the surprise was that the class was at a nursery, which was once an orchard. The building front looks much like they did in the many old photos that hung on the walls, and they have done a beautiful job caring for and refinishing the inside so that it has kept an antique, early 1900's charm. It was a lovely location that one could easily spend hours wandering around in. Besides the nursery there was a cafe and in the old Fruit Shed there was a large selection of home and garden furnishings, like pots, (some that were water fountains.) Also in the Fruit Shed there was a little fabric store, a wine and art gallery, a olive oil and balsamic (on tap) shop and another art gallery. That is just in the small section that we walked through to get to where the art class was being held. 

The art class is open for people of all interests and skill levels. It is called "Sip and Paint." Everything is provided, canvas, paint, brushes, a little picture of the painting we are working on for the class and a table filled with delicious snacks and a variety of beverages, mostly wines, (perhaps to improve the technique.) The teacher, Unni, does a wonderful job of guiding you through the painting and walks around frequently to offer up suggestions and aid in color blending. Amazingly at the end of 3 hours you actually have a painting ready to take home, and if you can manage to refrain from making "finishing touches" and are brave enough to allow your work to be viewed by others, it is ready to be hung proudly in your home. 

Today really was an excellent Surprise Saturday. 


They all turned out amazing. It was so much fun to see how everyone has a slightly different take on the picture. 

 The painting I did.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Tuesday Traditions

I am going to put transformations on hold to the month to talk instead about some of the traditions that we do during the holidays.

Today's tradition, the Advent Calendar. We have had this cute little Hallmark Tree calendar for a few years now. The kids like it so well they fight over who's turn it is.



So the solution, this year we have two Advent Calendars.



The new addition is a Lego calendar. Where they get to open a new door everyday and build the item that is inside then add it to the city scene. It is already turning out to be a lot of fun.



I am excited for this season of festivities, family and traditions.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Monday, December 1, 2014

Coconut Pancakes

A wonderful grain free pancake option. It is a little bit sweeter and much lighter then almond pancakes, (a recipe I will share later.) My youngest requests these pancakes almost every morning. 

Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-4 Tbsp Organic butter (melted)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp Coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Xylitol (I have found that it makes the pancakes taste much better then the Stevia does.
2 tsp coconut oil to cook in. (You do not need much the butter in the batter helps it to not stick, but I have found that for the first pancake I have to have a little something in the pan.)

Directions:
* Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Then add the wet to the dry ingredients. 
Over medium heat add 2-3 Tbsp of batter to the skillet. Makes approx. 10 cakes.



My youngest enjoying some breakfast.

Many blessings to you on this fine night. 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Peaceful Sunday Afternoons

Lovely, quiet, sunny fall days are the best!

Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Microsoft/Windows Phone Scam

What a Saturday Surprise, here I was thinking I was so smart, but I fell for a major computer phone scam. Now I feel like a huge fool.

First you receive the phone call saying that they are from Microsoft or Windows and that there have been error warning reports sent to them that there are problems with your computer. (this is the point that you should hang up, Microsoft does not track what is happening on your computer.) If you are a fool like me and persist. Next they will have you go on your computer and push some buttons and they will show you a few sites that show how many problems there are on your computer. Then a few sites later they will have remote access to your computer and then they can start showing you all kinds of things that will convince you that your computer is a total mess and each second it is getting worse. Then comes the kicker they can clean it all up and get your computer back to working order just as soon as you fill out their registrations and sign-up for either a one year, three year or whole life protection plan. I of course fell for the whole life plan, (what a deal, right) 399 dollars and can be transferred to any computer or even to your kids. ( I know, I know in hind site I can totally see the warnings. Even in the moment something did not seem quite right, but I ignored my smarter self and on I fell.) The actual total was 415 and some change, (for the taxes and fees right.)

Thankfully I have a smart and suspicious husband who looked into the whole thing and quickly discovered the danger. So now I have a canceled card, 2 hours in combing through both computers to change passwords and check to make sure there were not any other problems. I will be making a few phone calls to report the scam. I have that horrible feeling of violation and I am totally embarrassed.

Most importantly though I wanted to send out the warning. They are good, especially if you only know enough about computers to be dangerous. Some of the biggest warning signs that I thought were strange even at the time was that they are giving you the hard sell the entire time. Trying to show you just how bad it is and convince you that you have to take steps to fix it. Please, please do not fall victim as I did. Microsoft and windows will not call you if there are problems on your computer.

I really still can not believe that I fell for this.

Many blessings to you on this lesson learned night. --Kate

Friday, November 28, 2014

Holiday Lights Parade, Caroling and Fireworks.

So every year downtown they have a parade and fireworks the day after Thanksgiving to kick off the season of Christmas. Actually they have a lot of activities down town for the season. There is a Festival of Trees, where the proceeds for the trees goes to the local hospital. There is a cruise to Santa's Village. Where they even read off the list of kids on the nice list. Everything is kicked off on this night with the parade and fireworks.

Even though we have been living here for 10 years this is the first time we have made it downtown for this event. We have watched the fireworks from the roof of our house before, but I thought this year with the weather being more mild that the kids might enjoy it.

Let's just say it was a good idea. About the time we were leaving it started raining. It was warm but quite wet. My youngest fell asleep on the drive downtown, so I had to hold him the whole time. Though we chose a great spot for watching the parade as it was right across from the fireworks and carolers and there the tree would be lit. In was an intersection and people kept pushing and crowding until the wee children in front were less then a foot away from the vehicles driving down the street. Very scary (and rude). The one very bright spot I met an exceptionally nice woman who was down there with her son, who was a great help to me with my oldest.

We did not quite make it to the end of the parade, we left just before the carolers started and we were definitely gone before the fireworks started (though we did catch then from the car.) It was a good first attempt. Maybe next year Daddy can join us and then it will not matter where we stand because we can hoist the kids on to shoulders to see.

Many blessings to you on this fine (wet) night.--Kate

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thankful Thursday

I hope that all of you have had a marvelous Thanksgiving. Our family enjoyed a delicious meal and a few fun holiday traditions. First we watched the Macy's Day parade together. Well the kids and I did, Dad was at work. Also it was the 2013 parade on You Tube because we do not have any television channels, but still it was fun. My oldest really enjoyed it, my youngest came and went.

It was fun finding recipes that worked with our new maximized diet. Of course the Turkey was unchanged and the veggies were all still on the list. We replaced cranberry sauce with homemade Granny Smith apple sauce. We made faux mashed potatoes using cauliflower instead and found a wonderful gluten free stuffing. Was a great but a late meal, (we waited for Rob to get home from work, which is sevenish) and the turkey too a bit longer then planned.

My gratitude this year if for my amazing family here and spread across the U.S, for wonderful friends, for good health and for all the wonder and blessing that come from living in this place and time. I wish good fortune to you all for this coming year.

Many blessings on this fine and thankful night. --Kate

Work in Progress Wednesday.

There are just not enough hours in the day. Since currently most of my hours are filled with my sewing contract there is not much time left to work on Christmas presents. Today I manged to squeeze a bit of time in though. So here is my work in progress not my wrap-up. I know it looks more like a mess right now, but that usually is where my projects begin. 


There are actually a few Christmas projects in this pile and one special project for my girl. Which should be done by next weeks wrap-up so stay tuned. 

Many blessings to you on this fine late night.--Kate

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Transformation Derailed

My hope in staring this blog was to give myself the motivation and accountability to reduce some of the stress triggers in my life. Well I am full in the middle of one of my biggest triggers and I am finding that things are going about as expected. My big trigger is large sewing contracts with unrealistic deadlines. Instead of setting boundaries with my client, I take on the work and work twice as hard to try to get it done quickly (or meet the deadline) and I find that all other areas of my life get neglected. Things have not totally fallen apart, but the house is a disaster and all other projects have come to an abrupt halt. I am afraid that I will once again be missing out on the fun of the holiday season because of my ridiculous need to honor this commitment. Do not mistake me, I think that it is important to honor commitments. Sometimes though I wonder if I allow this need to please to cause me to miss out on the much more important and fleeting moments with my family. Then I marvel as the selfishness of that thought because my wonderful husband misses out on many more fleeting moments because he is working outside of the home to take care of his family.

I find peace in knowing that this derailment to transformation is temporary and it reinforces the need to stay committed to this attempt to reduce stress and get my life in order.

Many blessings to you on this very early morning. --Kate

Monday, November 24, 2014

Chicken Pot Pie

Here is another great use for that delicious Almond Cheese Cracker recipe from last week. 

Chicken Pot Pie
 
Ingredients:
-1 lbs Chicken
-1/2 cup onion, chopped
-1/2 cup celery, chopped
-2 Tbsp Coconut oil
-1/2 cup Chicken Broth
-1 cup peas
-2 Tbsp Arrow Root
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp Marjoram
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 tsp Basil

Directions
* In large skillet saute onion and celery in coconut oil. Add chicken and broth. Cook for 5 minutes then add spices, peas and arrow root. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Make the almond cheese cracker for the top. 

Put chicken mixture in a casserole dish and top with Cracker. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.



Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this lovely night.--Kate

Sunday, November 23, 2014

A prayer for Thanksgiving week.

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light, 
For rest and shelter of the night, 
For health and food, 
For love and friends, 
For everything
Thy goodness sends. 

--Ralph Waldo Emerson



Many blessings to you on this very fine day.--Kate

Saturday, November 22, 2014

33 Days before Christmas..

and we are done with our Christmas shopping. Now that is truly a happy surprise.

Three grandparents, three aunts, three uncles and three cousins (and maybe a few treats for our kids.) Not everything is at our house yet, a few of the gifts have to be made and nothing is wrapped yet, but the shopping is done.



Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Friday, November 21, 2014

Introducing the First ever Tig-Tzu

Sorry, this is another cheat. My brain has been turned to mush by the very large, very consuming sewing contract that I have been working hard at for two weeks now and still have five to go. So today I offer a moment of hilarity.



This is our dog Toby with his new hair cut wearing the tiger hat of our youngest.


Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Boxes of old Photographs

There are some truly great things about living in this digital age. Not the least of which is digital cameras. No more wondering if you got the shot, no more wasted rolls of film and no more endless piles of photographs that you are not sure what to do with. I am thrilled that hundreds of thousands of photographs can now be stored on devices the size of our thumb, or palm and even some the size of a finger nail.

My problem today is what to do with the boxes of photos from yesteryear. Now do not panic they are not being thrown out. Even if the boxes are as yet unorganized they still hold some very cherished memories. It is just that I am not much for scrap booking but I want to make sure that I am storing the prints in a way that future generations can still enjoy them or at least wonder about them.

For now I have them in some Photo boxes. I also have some old photo albums from my mom. I am sure that these old sticky page albums are not good for photos. If anyone has any advice or experience to share I would happily take it. Also I would love to hear your creative ideas on what you have done with your photos.


 Many blessings on this fine and snowy night.--Kate

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Christmas Stockings

This is a project that has been on my to do shelf for almost a year. Only just a bit into the new year last January my sister asked if I could put names on their stockings. Of course I said I would and then immediately put the box on the shelf. Now they are finally done and ready to be shipped back. Yay! In time for Christmas and everything.


I tried to pick laces, yarn and such that would match the theme of the stocking.


It was much harder to write these freehand then I thought it would be, but I did not want to leave any marks. In the end they turned out pretty good.

Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

How Children Transform our Lives

In less then 5 minutes a room can go from organized to messy. Your movie collection doubles mostly with Disney and Dreamworks. All flat surfaces become road ways, crafting stations or covered in puzzles. Your favorite blanket, scarf, seat and many other favorites get claimed by someone else and you find that you don't mind. You spend your day trying to define words, explain how things work and putting band aids on any ouchies even imaginary ones. In our family we have chosen for our kids to be educated at home, so now I am learning about all kinds of new things and working to relearn many that I have forgotten. I am also discovering what my kids get excited about. Like medicine and science for my oldest and animals and engineering for my youngest. I am also finding that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all the desired adventures and also get the laundry folded. There have been a lot of changes in our life in the last 4 and a half years. Most of them great, some of them tough and a few that we never saw coming. The greatest change of my life though was becoming a parent. The most amazing, challenging and blessed transformation.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Monday, November 17, 2014

A Savory Snack.

A few Saturdays ago I mentioned a friend of ours, that helped drive my husband to work, and the snacks that we made for him. Today's recipe is the Almond Cheese Crackers. A simple, quick and delicious snack option. 

Almond Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
-1 egg
 -1 1/4 cup almond flour
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
-Mix all dry ingredients including cheese. In a separate bowl melt oil and add egg. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture. Will make a dough that can easily be shaped. 
Roll dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Cut into 2" squares. Slide onto baking sheet. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 min. Let brown slightly if you like crispy crackers. Once cool you can break into the little squares. 




Really delicious with soup.

Many blessings to you on this fine chilly evening.--Kate

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Cold but Sunny.

There is something alluring in the brown and barren beauty of November. Especially on sunny days when the air is chilly and the sun still close enough to share some warmth. Days like today remind me of childhood, playing outside in leaves until cheeks are pink and fingers numb.





Many blessings to you on this day of autumn loveliness.--Kate

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Disney on Ice

As a special holiday surprise my mother took my daughter to Disney on Ice. Thanks to my mom's friend they were able to sit in one of the arena's boxes and had an excellent view of the ice. The Minnie Mouse drawing is a thank you to the friend for the great seats.

Is there anything better then taking a little person to see something that they really love? She had a marvelous time seeing all of the beautiful Disney princesses and Mickey Mouse and all his friends. Even better she thinks she got to see two shows, because of the intermission. She also thought the Zamboni was pretty cool. Plus she got to spend time with her Grammy, which is also a special treat.


Any special holiday traditions you do with your family?

Many blessings to you on this fine evening.--Kate

Friday, November 14, 2014

He's my favorite.

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday my love.



Many blessings to you on this very happy day.--Kate

Thursday, November 13, 2014

The things shelf

Perhaps like me you have that spot in the house that collects all the things. Maybe a shelf, a table or a spot on the counter. I am pretty sure I have that spot in every room, as I mentioned I have too many things. While up in my sewing room my youngest stood next to me asking over and over what's this as he pointed to item after item sitting in the windowsill. So today I figured it was time to clean up my things spots. Here is what I found. 


In the kitchen counter spot: My recipe cards, a hair band, the manual for our new Jeep Elsa, Some stickers (that need to go into my kids' sticker books,) a stamp (that has not yet made it up-stairs into my stamp collection,) a flag from the veterans day service at our church last Sunday, some red yarn and white knit fabric (for a sewing contract with a medical program in Seattle that does training for midwifes and medical professionals on how to handle complications during birth,) my address book, my new book, my camera case, and a dime my oldest found at the play ground that needs to go into my kids' "coins for college" bank.

 
In the sewing room windowsill spot: A shipping label, a magnifying glass, a few CDs, a wireless mouse, some floral tape and a paper leaf, (for one of my sewing contracts with a local company called aNeMonE,) scented towelettes, more stamps, button tabs, buttons and diaper elastic, (from my diaper sewing days,) Christmas cards and a Christmas ornament, (I wish I could say that I was getting a jump start on Christmas but the truth is I think they have been sitting there since last year,) a spool of ribbon, a blue sequenced headband, and some other hair accessories, bias tape, machine needles, a threaded bobbin, multiple spools of thread, hook and loop tape, safety pins, paint, glue and tape, a cloth measuring tape, a scrap of flannel fabric, zip-lock baggies, a notebook and pen, a butterfly charm, a piece of fusible interfacing, (for a contract making pet bandannas,) a cloth wipe, a lavender sachet, (the guest gifts from our wedding,) and a medical cord clamp (part of the same project as the yarn and the white fabric from my kitchen counter spot.) 

So now my things spots are all cleaned up or organized (and ready for more items.)

Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

Long forgotten on the shelf

Here is another item that sadly sat on the laundry room shelf for months needing a little attention and a good cleaning. In this elephants first life it was a holiday treat to me because of my love of elephants. He was a Macy's Horton, to advertise the movie in what ever year it came out. He use to say cute phrases like, "I meant what I said and said what I meant, an elephants faithful one hundred percent." He lost his voice long ago and was adopted by my kids for their imagination games many months back. It has
been a well loved elephant and has gone on many adventures, because of that it has become a very dirty elephant. Before I could wash it I needed to remove the electronics. Now we arrive at the reason that the elephant has sat on the shelf for so long.

Finally tonight I have gotten to this long overdue project. To get the voice box out I found the manufactures closing seam. A great place to open a plush if you want to close it back up again, because all of the seams surrounding this spot have been reinforced and this spot opens really easily. Once open I discovered that the electronics had been really well secured inside, but after a bit of snipping all of it was out.





Then some quick stitching and the elephant was closed up again and ready for the bath (or the washing machine.)





While waiting for the elephant to get clean I also closed up a few other friends that had some seams open. That little giraffe is nearly 40 years old. She is looking pretty good, I think, but she is getting a bit threadbare and that is why some of the seams are opening.



Now these friends and the elephant are ready to join back in the imagination fun with the kids. Yea!




Many blessing to you on this fine close of day.--Kate

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

something old, something blue, something borrowed into new

I believe that this item is actually on life number 3. It was a veil for a friends wedding. It was a veil for one of my dance routines from the days that I did Canine Freestyle, (or doggie dance,) with a dog my Mom had, Gretchen.


Gretchen and I have pink bands.

 For its most resent reincarnation I have separated the headband and tulle.


The headband has been claimed by my oldest.
 

I cut the tulle into strips and crocheted it with a strand of yarn to make some dish and fruit scrubbers. 


These are to replace the sponge scrubbers that are a little to scratchy for some of the dishes and always smell moldy after only a few uses. The green one is to wash fruits and veggies. I try to keep a separate scrubber for this job. It always seems a bit gross to use the same scrubber as I use for the counters or dishes. 

I am excited to have these new little kitchen aids and my girl is thrilled with her headband. 

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Monday, November 10, 2014

Warm you up food.

Tonight's recipe is one we eat fairly often because it can be easily changed with just a few ingredients and it is so very delicious. Plus it is a great dish to eat on these cold autumn nights. 

Easy Chili

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp coconut oil
-1/2 cup onion-chopped
-2 garlic cloves
-1 1/2 cup celery-chopped
-1 cup green pepper-chopped
-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
-2 tsp thyme
-2 tsp chili powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1  8 oz can diced tomatoes
-salt and pepper to taste
-salsa (optional)

Directions:
* In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic, celery and peppers in oil until tender. Add meat, thyme, chili powder and cumin and stir frequently for 5-6 minutes. 
Add tomatoes to pot. Cover and simmer for an hour. (this can also be cooked in the crock pot on low.)

You can add a can or two of black or kidney beans and have a more traditional chili. This recipe makes great taco meat. I have added green beans or peas in the last 5 minutes of cooking also. As you can see a easy dish to make and easy dish to experiment with. 


Just do not forget to top it with cheese, yum. 

Many blessing to you on this fine night--Kate

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Honoring our Veterans.

Today in church we had a Veteran's Day service to honor all those who have and are serving our country to preserve our safety and freedom. It was a lovely celebration with music, prayer, applause and even bagpipes. I am so grateful for the bravery and sacrifice of these amazing men and women.
 

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” 
—John F. Kennedy

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms.  It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”
—G.K. Chesterton

“Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
—Winston Churchill

“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death!”
– Sun Tzu

Many blessings to you on this day--Kate

Saturday, November 8, 2014

A big thank you!

One scheduling issue from when we were a single car family was getting Rob to work. Most fair weather days and even a few of the foul, Rob would ride his bicycle into work. Riding in the rain was not his favorite, especially after a long day at work and riding in the snow was not happening. 

Rob has some wonderful co-workers who would help him out with a ride to and from work, and one co-worker in particular who has offered many, many rides over the last two years. So today's surprise is for this wonderful friend who has helped us out greatly. 



My helpers and I worked this morning in the kitchen to whip up a few treats. Almond cookies, Chocolate chip cookies and Almond cheese crackers. A huge thank you again to this very special man. 




Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

Friday, November 7, 2014

The new ride

The first for today is a particularly exciting one. It is our first ride in our new car. 


  
New car is a Jeep just like her sister old blue Jeep, (also know as Lizzy.). My oldest loves naming things, especially cars, so this evening when we asked her what new Jeep's name is she said "Elsa". We all agreed that was the perfect name. 

We have been a single car family for a little over two years. It has not been terrible, but it does require some very careful scheduling and makes last minute plans very difficult. So this newest addition to our family is a very welcome one. 

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Mismatched storage containers.

One thing that drives me crazy is Tupperware. We have a drawer of it and only half of it seems to fit together. I feel like I am cleaning out that drawer all the time to make sure that everything in there has its match and the very next time I go to that drawer I find pieces that do not fit. Also it seems as though there is twice as much and the drawer is hard to close. Where are all of these mismatched pieces coming from?

Do not get me wrong, I love plastic storage containers when used in other areas of our life. For example to corral those renegade toys, to hold all of the soaps that seem to take over the bathroom and to keep all of my craft and sewing supplies organized and easy to find. For some reason the containers in the kitchen refuse to stay in order.

Today's thing mismatched plastic containers. Now once again I am going through the drawer and out goes the separated sets. Of course next week I will find that missing lid under the refrigerator. 


Many blessings to you on this fine autumn evening.--Kate

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Crossed off the to do list.

Life is busy right now. I am trying to get my house ready for company and I have a really big sewing contract in the works. I was tempted, so very tempted to skip my wrap-up today. These are the moments that I created the blog for in the first place. It is much too easy to fill up time and let the to do list grow and grow. 

The project I finally tackled today and am now able to cross off the list is cleaning out the dryer. The dryer has been acting up for a while now. I was thinking the problem was a build up of dryer lint and dust bunnies. So I took some pieces off gave the whole machine a good vacuum and put all the pieces back on. 



There were no surprises in the machine, just a lot of dust and lint as I expected, but in moving the machine I found a piece to one of the kid's toys that had been missing since Christmas. I also found a plastic coin that must have been part of a toy from the previous home owners that had managed to go through the whole system and was stuck in the venting shaft. 

After procrastinating on this project for so long it feels really good to finally have it done. My little helpers also really enjoyed cheering me on as I put it all back together again. 




Many blessings to you this fine night.--Kate