Crazy Eyes

This photo demonstrates the baby's precious smile as well as her completely surprised and wild eyes that she often uses:



Sometimes all you can do is find a box and sit in it:



Today I took the yarn that I have been spinning (a wool and silk blend) and plied it. Then, I "set the twist" by soaking in hot and then cold water.



Lastly (no picture provided), the weight loss update: just click away if this is of no interest to you! I'm just trying to keep myself accountable. The scale read 184.2 pounds today. I'm still in the "approaching obese" category according to some medical charts...yikes. But! I did lose over 3 pounds this past week, so progress is being made.

Hope the week is a great one for you!

A Post.....With Pictures!

I finally grabbed the camera to post a few updates. Let's see if I can "make it work".





One fun summer activity for the older two children seems to be pans of dry beans and rice. I set them outside with various kitchen utensils, and the kids are enjoying filling cups and ice cream scoops. It's our cheap sandbox!

Here are a couple of pictures of my new spinning wheel and some lovely fiber:





I'm trying to spend a few minutes each day getting acquainted with my wheel. It really is enjoyable, and I'm making some fabulous "art" yarn.

My weigh-in was today. I have no picture, but the scale is still moving in the right direction. It read 187.4 pounds, so that's 2.6 pounds lost since last Monday. I am finding that I am a "sneaky snacker". I grab a few animal crackers here and a handful of the kids' dry cereal there. It all adds up! This is something I hope to work on this coming week. This goal will be added to my other goal of drinking more water.

Well, I'm about to publish this post and see if the pictures actually get uploaded! Have a great week; Happy Summer!

Monday Check In

We're busy celebratin' birthdays (Brookie and Small Fry and me!) and an anniversary (12 years) this month. Lots of blessings for which I am so thankful.


Big Fish surprised me with a beautiful spinning wheel for my birthday. He had found it at an auction; and I truly believe that it is in like-new condition. The biggest tip-off? The wheel was not set up right! Now that I've watched many youtube videos and re-read the instruction packet many time, I'm happily spinning away. My yarn is not pretty, but it's yarn! One of the items included in the auction lot was a basket full of wool that I'm using to practice.


The children and I picked strawberries this morning and then came right in and had some for lunch. We are having a bit of a problem with chipmunks stealing some of our produce!


The hardest part about all these birthdays is trying not to eat birthday cake! I weighed in this morning at 190.0. I'm happy to see the scale moving in the right direction! This is the plan I've been following. I appreciate it's structure and am very happy with the breakfast and lunch shakes/bars. I feel like I'm getting good nutrition instead of grabbing things here and there that don't add up to a meal.


We're thinking we might have a thunderstorm here this afternoon, so I need to refer to my list of indoor activities for the two older kiddos.


Enjoy the warm breezes!

I've Been Fleeced!

Yesterday was a highlight of the week, knowledge-wise. I learned so much from a good friend. Barb has taught herself to spin; she knits beautiful sweaters and socks; she quilts amazing quilts; the list goes on and on.

A lovely afternoon was spent with Barb showing me some of her treasures. I saw some of her fleeces, some alpaca fiber, and some mohair. There was even a spinning lesson involved on her beautiful spinning wheel (I think she said it was a Baynes wheel). I was also able to take my fleece and begin to learn what to do with it!

The first thing we did was dump my fleece on her patio and go around the edges to remove the pieces of, well, poop. This is called "skirting" the fleece. We also tried to shake off the small pieces of wool called "seconds" that are a result of the shearer making a second cut to get close to the sheep's skin. The seconds are just too small and prickly to be made into yarn or anything else. Barb's dog, Rowan, thought the fleece smelled so interesting!

The next step was to actually wash the wool. I assumed that using hot water would felt the wool, but that is only part of it. Hot water is the best for cleaning the wool; you just have to be careful to not rub the fibers together much. We did 4 hot water baths of about 25 minutes each. It is not advisable to wash wool in your sink or laundry basin and let the water drain into your plumbing! The lanolin from the wool will just cause buildup. We used plastic dish basins and emptied the water in Barb's flower beds (great fertilizer!). The 2nd and 3rd hot water baths we used a gentle cleaner to help release the lanolin. Let me know if there is any interest in the product.

Next the wool needs to be hung in order to air dry completely. A drying rack or clothesline would be perfect. I washed a lot more wool today, and my parents' clothesline in the basement has been commandeered by wool!

There will still be a lot of "veggie matter" or "vm" in the wool. This would be bits of sticks or straw or hay. These can be removed by hand, as the wool is processed. I will be using some of the wool roving directly in my needle felting projects, and I hope to spin some of it into yarn. There will be further steps of carding and prepping the wool for spinning later on.