White Sheep Farm

Here a Duck ... There a Duck ... Everywhere a Duck, Duck ... I Hope ...

2012-02-11T07:44:00.007-06:00

These little guys are so cute ...

Here they are waiting to be brought up to room temp. before heading into the incubator for 30 days ...

And here they are ... waiting on life to begin ...

I don't know what it is about this time of year ... But, I get the need to want to see baby things, ducks, chicks, goslings, lambs! Anything cute and fuzzy! However, the work involved is very hard and tiresome on this old gal ...
When we sold the other farm I gave up my ducks, and have yet to replace them. I saw these on Ebay and thought I would try to hatch some out. Wish THEM luck! Have a warm weekend!
WSF

Primitive Prairie Curtain Tutorial ... My way ...

2012-02-06T05:16:00.007-06:00

Good morning,
Today I thought I would bring you a primitive curtain tutorial, and again all ... I'm pretty sure you all know how to make these ... but I did not. So, as with most things I sat and figured it out. And just in case you don't know how to make them or you don't want to pay an over inflated price on curtains made in ... well ... who knows where these days. Follow along, it's easy ... I promise.

And just to show you how very SIMPLE this is I will use the method that I figured this out with ... Kind of like flash cards ... LOL!! Plus it will be easier for you to see this way. As I am working with the same color thread as my fabric.

First of all these curtains can and SHOULD be adapted for your size window. Mine I made for a small window. But, it is the same principal.
Mine are made using Osnaburg fabric, I buy it by the bolt(S) one window 36 inches long took two yards of fabric. Remember my curtains are lined.
One other thing you need to remember is that when sewing the fabric, I am ONLY showing you for one panel, but for every fabric step you will want to do the step for BOTH fabric panels. Why? well, in the end BOTH panels will match up.

Supplies:
Fabric (figure yardage)
Yard stick
Pencil or chalk marker
Hemp twine or cording
BASIC SEWING SKILLS

Step 1 paper:
This is how I started ... I took a piece of printer paper (which was about the shape I needed) I drew a line from corner to corner in pencil.

Step 1 fabric:
I cut my fabric the size I need for my window, which was 36 inches long x the 45 width of the fabric.
I repeated the same thing as the paper. I took a LONG stick (or yard stick) and drew a line from corner to corner on DOUBLE fabric. (these are lined curtains)

Step 2 paper:
Next I cut the paper on the line from corner to corner ...

Step 2 fabric:
Here it is in the fabric ... same thing cut on the line from corner to corner

Step 3 paper:
Then I took the paper and flipped one side over ...

Step 3 fabric:
Same with the Double fabric ... Starting to look a little like what I want now. If you will be using a print fabric and a plain lining, here is where you will want to make sure you have them right. One side will have to be reversed.

Step 4 paper:
Sew all the way around starting and stopping at marked areas. I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance. You can use whatever you want just remember it directly affects the width and length or the curtain.

Step 4 fabric:
Now sew the curtains right sides together, leaving the small spot open on the one side for the rod casing and leaving the other side open for turning. Press seams, clip the points and turn RSO (right side out) and press again. At this point you should have only a small opening on the left side (rod casing) and a larger opening on the right side.

Step 4 fabric:
Here is a close up of the right side left open ... you should have at least this amount to turn RSO.

Step 5 paper:
Fold back the side with the larger opening. Between 5-7 inches. I folded mine back 7 inches due to my window being small. Remember these curtains are just a guide, they are made for my SMALL window.

Step 5 fabric:
Once your fabric is folded back desired amount, press fabric really well, as this will be your guide line for cutting fabric in next step.

Step 6 paper:
Now cut excess, but leave a 1/2 inch.

Step 6 fabric:
Cut fabric 1/2 inch away from press line. Now turn your 1/2 inch inward and press. The 1/2 inch will be your seam allowance.

Step 7 paper:
This is what your curtains should look like at this point.
Easy right? They should match side to side top to top and cut point to cut point.

Step 7 fabric:
Here they are all matched up. Top to top, side to side and cut ponit to cut point. If not, then you can make your adjustments now.

Step 8 paper:
Now measure for the rod casing. I use a tension rod, so my casing is 1 1/2 inches.

Step 8 fabric:
Measure and mark your casing, I have a rod casing of 1 1/2 inches. Mark for the size rod you will be using.

Step 8 fabric:
Sew, making sure to secure your starts and ends by back tacking. Your casing is now finished.

Step 8 Hand stitch:
This, now should be the only spot that you will have to hand stitch closed. *Refer back to step 8 paper.

Here is what they look like at this point ... not to bad this way even.

Step 9 paper:
Marking for the cord casing. Measure down 10 inches on the outer side of curtain ( the part that will lay next to the window casing) Next measure down 16 inches from the other side.

Step 9 fabric:
Marking for the cord casing. Measure down 10 inches on the outer side or curtain ( the part that will lay next to the window casing) Next measure down 16 inches from the other side. Now draw a mark from the 16 inch mark to the 10 inch mark and sew on line. Next figure how wide you want your cord casing, and sew the bottom seam. This is how the casing for the cording is formed. *Refer to cord casing in step 10.

Step 10 Cording:
This is the cording I used about 1/4 inch round.

Step 10 cord casing:
Sew bottom of casing, making sure it will fit the coring you have chosen. You may want to make your casing wider.

Step 11 thread cording into casing:
take a couple stitches from the cord casing ends so the coring can be inserted. Attach a small safety pin onto the cording, Now slide it, on the inside end of cord casing, and pull it out through the other end.

Step 12 Secure cording:
Once you have the cording from end to end you will want to secure it on the inside edge of the panel ... I took a small amount of glue and then stitched back and forth over the cord a few time to secure it. On the other end I just tied a knot and let it hang about 4 inches ... that way I could adjust it as I need.

Finished Prairie Curtains!
Okay ... before you think " what the heck" Yes that is my kitchen and yes it is just in drywall ... but, I hope it will be finished by spring ... So, I know the photo looks rough! Anyway, I have 3 more sets of these to make ... but, I want them to be ready when my kitchen is. And then 4 set of the valances below ... And that is just my kitchen. Total windows in kitchen 8!

I also made the valances ... but everyone knows how to do these.

I hope you all enjoyed this tut, and again if you have any questions, please ask. You can e mail me at the top of the page under contact. Enjoy, and have a great day and happy decorating!

Added February 7, 2012
Hi all,
I have had several request to have a tutorial on the matching valances, If that is something you would like to have me do, please e mail me or leave a commemt. If I have enough interest in it, I will do a tut on that.

WSF

It a Dogs Life ... Really ...

2012-02-04T06:53:00.001-06:00

Good morning all,
I just wanted to take a minute and show you what I have been up to ... And to let you know I have been very busy ... We continue to have very warm weather her in KY. So much so that yesterday as I walked to the barn ... I saw a yellow spot in the grass and wondered what it was ... well, much to my surprise it was a volunteer Pansy! Yep! right there in the grass had about four flowers on it! I took a photo of it with my phone ... but, alas I'm not very bright when it comes to the phone thing! If it stops raining today I promise I will take a photo of it with my camera.
Last night was the farmers moon ... and it was an AWESOME night for viewing! If you have never seen one ... you are missing out on something amazing! Anyway, there were three countable stars in the ring ... which = three days of rain ... I'd like to say we need it but ...

Okay, this week I worked on this little dog punch needle pattern ... It's free and here it is.
There are a few pretty cool things there. I did mine with my Oxford punch. Which I might add is becoming my most favorite tool ... And a wonderful way to use up some wool yarn. And almost INSTANT gratification!

I wanted to try something in a more neutral color pallet ... I think it looks pretty good ... now to bind him. it is so soft to the touch ... I used some of my Shetland wool.

Also want to let you know, that I have a great tutorial planned for sometime this week. Not sure as when I will have it complete ... Busy weekend ahead. Have a great day!

WSF

Some Beautiful Photos to Share ......

2012-02-01T04:00:00.008-06:00

Happy hump day ...
Today is my Monday ... I wish it was my Friday ... there I go again, wishing my life away!
I just thought I would share a few of the photos I took Saturday (before I forget about them) It really was such a beautiful day ... A bit on the WINDY side.

Here's hubby ... he can't wait to take a look ...

This is beautiful Lake Cumberland ... They have been constructing this dam for over 5 years now! And will need at least until 2014 to finish!

Here it is without the construction ... much better!

Have I told you ... That I love moss ...

That I really LOVE moss ...

The sky was just the bluest blue that day ... I just had to look up ...

Now if you think I don't have plans for some of that moss, well then you don't know me very well ...

I just want to take a minute and answer some of the e mails I received
about my primitive blackened pears ...

Yes, you can make them and resale them ... no limit as many as you would like, and feel like making. LoL!

Yes, I do sell SOME of the things that I make, I don't always have time to list them. So just e mail me and ask.

And no, I'm not worried that someone will call my pattern their own ... If they want to do that ... they know it's wrong. And really, all anyone has to do is change one little thing and it is theirs. This is why I stopped selling on EBAY over seven years ago.

Hope that answers all the questions I received.

And on a final note ... I took this photo on our ride into TN.

I think this is where the DWI started ... Nuff said! Have a great day.
WSF

Primitive Blackened Pear Tutorial ... Think Spring ...

2012-01-30T07:15:00.002-06:00

Good Morning all,
Today I thought I would share a simple little tutorial on some primitive (long and skinny) blackened pears ... yes, I have been thinking spring ... The weather in KY. has been great as far as the temps. go ... But the WIND will blow you AWAY ... So I have been busy in the sewing room ... Thinking spring!
I know there are One Million pear patterns out there ... So here is number one million and one! This is a two dimensional pear. Meaning it has two sides and will stand with support ... And it is EASY ...

Supplies:

scrap of muslin or osnaburg fabric (and I mean scrap)
cinnamon
black or dark brown paint ( I used Burnt Umber)
mod podge
stick
foam paint brush
needle & thread

Pattern, Print out at 100%.

Cut pattern pieces and trace onto double piece of scrap muslin or osnaburg fabric ... Mine is made from osnaburg.

You should be able to get three pears and leaves on the scrap ... notice I have the scrap size on bottom ... 11.5 x 9 inches makes three pears!

Sew pears on the trace line ... and then cut out, leaving at least a 1/4 inch from sew line.

Clip corners or fabric ...

Cut a slit in the back ... anywhere you want and turn RSO (right side out).

Stuff pear with scrap fabric ... wool worms or poly fil ... I use scrap fabric or wool worms or sheep wool.

When pear is all stuffed ... sew up the slit ... It doesn't have to be pretty to close it up ...

Paint pear and leaf ... Do not water the paint down,let dry completely.

After leaf is painted, take a few small running stitches at the base of the leaf, pull and tie into a knot. Cut, leaving enough thread to re thread the needle later, about 5 inches or so.

Apply mod podge to pear and leaf ...I put it on a little thick and waited a few minutes ...

Apply cinnamon, I just shook it onto to the pear ... I did put it on thick in some spots and very thin in others. That allows more of the paint to show through. Allow to dry thoroughly ...

With a seam ripper ( or something sharp ... nail, pen or fingernail file) poke a hole into the top of the pear ...

Take the stick and put some glue on the end and insert into the hole ...

Now that you have the stem poked through the hole, take the leaf with the thread still on it and re thread the needle. Take a couple of stitches back and forth next to the stem. Then tie into a double knot and clip threads. And while the glue is still tacky ... sprinkle a little more cinnamon to cover your work.

I wanted to show you that you can't even tell my stitches were messy when I sewed up the slit in the back ...

TA DA! You have now just imitated blackened beeswax! Finished size is 8 inches to the top of the stem X 2.5 inches wide at the bottom.

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this tut ... As always if you have any questions you can e me at the top of the page. I only have a couple more tutorials planned ... and then it will be just about go time for the lambs ... So most if not ALL of my time will be in the barn. We will be into February this week so, work and ready must be accomplished by the end of this month!
Hubby and I did take some much needed down time on Saturday ... I may share photos of beautiful Cumberland lake with you ...
Have a great day!
WSF

Painted Paper Mache' Box Tuturial ... And Choosing a Color Scheme

2012-01-28T07:41:00.002-06:00

Paper Mache' Boxes ...

Supplies ...

Paint your boxes whatever base color you want ... I chose two different shades of brown ... as it will fit into my color scheme ... more about that later ...
Let dry ... I let mine dry for at least 30 minutes ...

After the paint has dried good ... take your wax and rub on box top and sides ... here is where you will have the control as to how the second coat of paint will look ... I put mine on heavy, so that you could see what it looks like in a photo ... That will also give the paint a crackle look ...

After you have applied the wax, paint top coat of paint on top of wax ... wipe off what you feel is excess as you go ... you don't want the top coat of paint so heavy you can't see the undercoat of paint ... The wax will prevent a lot of the paint from sticking ...
This is what the lid looked like after wax has been rubbed in, and top coat of paint is on, and wiped down ... Almost looks like a crackle finish huh?

And lastly, I sand out some of the wax and paint using a fine grade of steel wool or sandpaper ... And then ... I know you are gonna ~~think~~ know I'm nuts on this one, I rub a little of the Old English on the boxes to tone it down a bit ...

Top view of finished boxes and one of my punched hearts ...

Side view of the boxes ... Resting in their new home, on top of my bed steps ...

One of my punched "Red Hearts" in a wood bowl ... Thought the shot was kinda cool ... with the window frame shadow, marking an X on it ...

Well, I hope you enjoyed that tut ... Any questions just e mail me ...I'll be glad to help.

Onto the color scheme ... I have for the past ~~couple~~ several months been struggling with a color scheme for my house ... as more and more rooms get completed, I am forced to make a decision ... on color ... style ... keep ... toss ... paint ... stain ... and so on ... just when I think I know where I want to go ... my heart pulls me back! Well, really not my heart, but the pieces of furniture that I love ♥ and have had with me as long as I can remember ... Living in MA. for most of my adult life ... I have collect antiques, my mother also was a collector, so I inherited a few pieces from her. Most if not all of my furniture is colonial in style with a few very old primitive pieces.

Now, don't get me wrong I like the colonial look ... I just ~~don't~~ can't be a purest ... or a slave to it ... Just like I love the look of all white ... but don't or can't be a slave or a purest to the style of it ... only having white things ... As pretty as that is to look at, again the slave thing ...

Right about now you all must be saying ... "hasn't she heard of the eclectic style of decor" ???

Yep, I have and that is kinda the style I have ... But I ~~need~~ like things to be a little cohesive ... Meaning ... I want it ALL to look INTEGRATED ... Like it all has to make sense to me ...
Does that make sense ???

You see ... I am a homebody, I love to spend time working, decorating, landscaping my home. I mean why not, It is a place where I TRY to spend most of my time ... so why not make it comfortable and pleasing to the eye ... my eye ...

So, I think I've come up with a color pallet that will (I hope work) here is what I have been thinking ... I love the rich dark woods ... and black ... but also love whites and creams ... I don't want a black and white thing ... a little to contemporary for this ole gal ... so I want to bridge the gap with color.

White, this will be my wall color ... the color of my windows, ceiling and doors also some furniture.

Pearwood, this will be the color of some smalls and maybe some furniture ... really just accent pieces ... This is the color I want to use to try to tie them all together ...

Black, ahhh ... now, here is where it will get tricky for me ... I will use black for furniture pieces, and an accent color ... Don't want to go overboard ...

Dark Walnut stain, of course this is my floor color and my window casing and molding color ... And some furniture color ...

Okay, now that I have completely bored you all to death ... Is it just me, or does anyone else go through this? Well ... try to have a good weekend ... after reading these ramblings ... it might be a bit hard ... LoL ...

WSF

Grubby Candle Tutorial ... And Muffins ...

2012-01-24T04:29:00.009-06:00

Okay ... I know your all saying it ... Great ... another grubby candle tut ...
Anyway, here is my version ... you may just take a new trick or two away with you on this one ... Oh and BTW, there is no Mod Podge used at all!

Round about October or so Yankee Candle had a really big sale ... So being a Yankee candle lover for over 20+ years ... I was in! Some of the large jar candles were gifts and some were in my giveaways ... Well, of course I kept a few for myself. And if you know a little of the history of Yankee Candle ... it's kinda like the Amazon story ... small town boy ... starts in garage ... and then turns huge business mogul! ... Hey, whatever ... not disputing that fact of it. Well, Yankee Candle sold several years ago ... I'm not sure to whom ... but rumors were, that it was a son ... And well, we all know how that goes ... I tried to remain a loyal consumer of the Yankee Candle ... but the QUALITY was just not there ... The scents grew weaker and weaker ... They are not the candles of bye gone days ... So, to make a loooooong story short ... I wrote customer service an e mail told them the above story ... and guess what ... no reply! So yep, I'm out! I will never purchase another Yankee Candle.
Now, I have all that out of the way ... one of the crappy candles I purchased was a sent that I have enjoyed in the past "Autumn Wreath' but it was not great this time. I burned it a few times but,it just was not worthy of a match ... So that was my jumping off point.

Supplies needed for this project are:

One crappy Yankee Candle or one crappy candle of your choice
wax paper
Cinnamon
coffee grounds
sweet Annie (optional)
old taper candles or votive style candles
pair of pliers or snips something to hold the wick for dipping

Supplies ...

Melt candle wax ... I just put the jar candle right in a pot of water ... heated on low until melted.

Cheap candles ... I picked up these (pink) candles at an old Antique store. About 18 of them for two dollars!

When wax is melted, take a candle hold wick with pliers and dip candles ...

Take candle from hot wax and roll into the mixed ingredients. If your candle is to long you could cut it or roll one half at a time ...

This is the first rolling in the mixture of cinnamon, coffee grounds and sweet Annie ...

After each dip and roll I let the wax harden and dry ... It really only took several minutes. I used an old plastic ice cube tray ...
I dipped mine three times ... but I wanted mine a bit thicker ...

Put cinnamon on wax paper ... but keep some in the jar to shake over candle ...

Dip candles one more time in wax, but this time roll into cinnamon. Also sprinkle with cinnamon as you roll ... This is the finial step ... Let dry right on wax paper ...

Close up of the candles after being rolled in cinnamon ... Not bad huh?

A few of the finished candles wrapped with burlap and sweet Annie and tied with hemp twine ...

But, here is the real reason I made these grubby tapers ... I wanted them for my Mason jar candle holder ... and I didn't want to pay the high price of primitive tapers ... Here is the link to the grubby taper holder:
http://www.piperclassics.com/products/Taper_Holder_for_Half_Gallon_Jars-7580-0.html

And while I was dipping my tapers I was baking these EASY pumpkin Muffins ...
Recipe as follows:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!
WSF

A Few Photos of My Ladies in Waiting ......

2012-01-22T06:49:00.001-06:00

The one in the front is Becky "Big Ears" ...

Here she is again ... She just has to be in every shot ...

Again, Becky ... The center of attention ...

And you know there has to be one black sheep in the bunch ... That's Felicia.

Good Sunday morning to you all ... Just thought I would take a few moment here and show that yes, I still live on a farm and have sheep ... It has been so long since I shared any photos of them ... They are all bred and looking mighty fat! Couldn't get them all to cooperate for the camera ...
My ladies in waiting ... ( waiting on lambs to be born) We should have baby lambs by end of March early April ... I have been busy getting everything ready for my bottle lambs that Ma and Becky will give me ... I just don't know what makes those two not want to nurse their lambs.
Also been busy on the farmhouse (of course) and crafting ... will share that with you this week some time. Maybe I'll do another tutorial ... First person to comment and leave your email addy, will be my valentine. Anyway, have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by
WSF

I Had to Listen to My Heart ... A Valentine Tutorial ...

2012-01-16T08:12:00.015-06:00

First I want to show you all what I have been working on ... I have been a bit under the weather ... And haven't felt much like hooking ... you know dragging all the wool out ... cutting the wool ... blah, blah, blah ... I have a rather large rug on the frame anyway ... so didn't want to take that off ... Here is a photo of what the rug I'm working on looks like ... This one was designed and hooked by Pat Moyer. Hope to have mine finished by next winter ... LOL!

But, I wanted to make something for V-day ... So I grabbed some scraps of primitive linen and monks cloth, my Oxford punch and some red yarn ... I have tons of yarn ... being a spinner, knitter and I have been known to whip a few edges on a mat or two ...
So, not feeling to well, I grabbed my plastic hoop and away I went ...
You need only a few supplies ...

Oxford Punch needle
Scrap fabric for backing and for stuffing
Scrap monks cloth or primitive linen or burlap
Yarn about 3 oz. made 6
Button hole thread (or a heavy gauged) for basting

Oxford punch needle ...

Draw your shape and begin by out lining the shape ... Follow directions for punching ... It's EASY!

This is what the punch side looks like as you work ..
I punch as close as I can to the row I just punched ... Be careful you don't punch into the last row you have punched ...

Here is what the front looks like as you punch ...

Here is the finished punched heart ready to come off the hoop ...

Baste heart to backing fabric of your choice ... Then sew, getting as close to yarn as you can, without catching it in you presser foot ...

Cut away excess and then turn heart over and cut a horizontal slit in back for turning ...

This is what the back will look like ...

This is what the heart will look like after you have turned it RSO = right side out.

Take your turned heart and stuff with discarded fabric scraps and sew up back ... (I can't remember the last time I purchased a bag of polyfil) So use it, if you have it ...

Here are the finished hearts ... Measurement are 6 inches x 5 1/2 inches. But you can make them what size works for you.
I just LOVE my Oxford punch needle! EASY!!!

I also want to say thank you to Linda of Parker's Paradise ... I came home this week to three of these cute little sheep! They look like they were made from a mold ... Brown Bag? Maybe ... with handmade paper or mache' either way they are so cute ... Thank you Linda for such a kind and generous act! Don't you just love bloggers ... they are the BEST!

And on a final note ... Much like Martha's take aways ...
Get yourself an Oxford punch and start having fun ... the possibilities are endless ... A great project you can do in no time at all .... really ... it took me longer to do this post (thank you blooger) than punch all 6 hearts!
And BLOGGER sometimes, you need to know when to STOP adding so much useless CRAP to your program! Let's just see if you can leave it ALONE for a week or two without making a change!
Happy punching all!
WSF

Love this ......

2012-01-14T04:38:00.002-06:00

Found this on Pintrest ... Made me think of hubby ...
WSF

And The Winners Are ......

2012-01-10T16:12:00.009-06:00

I have contacted the two winners via their snowflake ...

And on a side note, I just want to say there were some amazing snowflakes ... a few of them were disqualified due to they did not leave a comment on the post itself. Sorry about that. Thanks to all for entering.
WSF

One more Project Completed ... DIY Fireplace

2012-01-09T14:39:00.028-06:00

The beginning ...

Built in spot for the DVR ...

It looks very pretty and almost real at night ...

Finished ... Complete with molding and top ...

Last week I posted a little video snippet of our handmade fireplace that hubby built. I received several e mails asking how he did it. Well, here are a few photos as it was being being fitted. We originally were going to have a wood burning stove up here in the family room ... but, after having the issue of the chimney pulling away from the house, (because the mason *term used loosely here* did not put any strapping on the chimney to the house) We decided it was NOT a good idea. But we still ( okay ... I ) wanted something that had flames and could warm the room when it got COLD out. Enter the Dimplex heater/ insert.
Here is the link to my insert. Now I will tell you that I purchased mine last year and got free shipping and a great deal on it. So shop this around, if you are thinking about it.
As you can see from the first photo, hubby built the fireplace so that there was just enough room for the insert ... We did not want a huge space here. The fireplace surround is built in two sections ... and comes apart very easily ... really, this could be moved to any room in the house! It is virtually freestanding. It is NOT attached to the wall in anyway.
Also where this is under the T.V. he needed to build a place for the DVR ( I absolutely hate to see gadgets everywhere.) As you can see on the base he has managed a built in for the DVR and has a magnet system like a kitchen cabinet. So it stays in place very nicely. Once everything was fitted and good to go, we stained it ... added a piece of thin luan to the back, painted it black, so everything fades away ... Then painted the mantel top and molding white ... I just love how this has turned out ... and total cost was around $250.00 With the largest cost being the insert. and like I said, shop it around, you can most likely get this done cheaper. But, I suppose you could go to Lowe's or Home Depot and pay big bucks ... That was just not an option for me ... I wanted something that matches my home. The only thing missing is a fire screen ... And I will get one when I see one I like. Thank you hubby!
P.S. don't forget ... if you entered my giveaway ... check your mail tomorrow after 5 p.m. CST.
WSF

Winter Wonderland Giveaway ......

2012-01-03T07:29:00.004-06:00

This is what I woke up to this morning ... 16 very COLD degrees ... brrrr

So ... I though, no better day than today to start my winter giveaway .... So here it is!

Winter Wonderland Giveaway

Welcome ... to my first giveaway of 2012! I think you all are gonna like this one ... Of course all items are of the chilly winter nature. So check out the photos below and PLEASE continue to read ALL rules. I do and will disqualify you ... come on now ... rules are there for a reason.

Rules:

1. You must be a follower of my blog, new or old is fine.

2. If you are an OLD follower (meaning your face is on my sidebar) you must HAVE LEFT AT LEAST 2 comments in the past.

3. You must follow ALL the rules and directions of this giveaway.

4. You must contact me within 24 hours with your mailing address.

5. You must leave a comment on this post.

Directions:

1. Go to the top of the page and on the right top of my sidebar there is a link to the Snow Days site. Click on the link ...

2. Go to the "create your own snowflake" and click ... ( this is where the fun starts!) So have fun!

3. Create your BEST snowflake ... TIP: you can, if you are not satisfied with your snowflake reset and start over. Click done when you have achieved your BEST snowflake.

4. Okay ...now you had fun, here is where your info is gonna go ... (do not forget this) fill in your name ( first name is fine) you can fill in your state ONLY if you want to, as well as a message. IMPORTANT: you MUST have your e mail address entered.
This is how I will let you know if you have won! click on add.

5. Now add your e mail address again, and under the "your friends e mail address" here is where you will put my e mail address which is cheviotsheepfarm@yahoo.com
(copy and paste) once my e mail address in in the box you can add others if you choose. And then click on send.

6. Fun, fun, fun, if you have followed the direction correctly ... I will receive your snowflake ... once I have received all snowflakes I will pick the BEST and PRETTIEST snowflake and e mail the winners through their snowflake!

7. You can make your snowflake anytime, as long as I receive it before end of giveaway.

8. All snowflakes MUST be received by January 10,2012 at 5 P.M.EST

First place giveaway items ...
Two of my version of the 2 x 4 snowman ...

Two of my salt candles revised ... made with snow glitter ...

Five feet of snowflake garland ...

AND

Runner up giveaway items ...
Handmade Warm and Natural snowman ... and the mystery red box behind him ...

notice the smile on the snowguys face ... he knows what's in the box ...

Hope you all have fun with this one ... And if you have any questions, just e me.

p.s. on an unrelated topic (yesterdays post) ... to all of you who e mailed me about the fireplace, I will post before and after and the build with you next week.
Teri♥♥♥

Baby it's cold outside ......

2012-01-02T07:45:00.002-06:00

Wow! I sure don't know how we went from 50+ degrees to less than 30 degrees over night but we did! It sure is COLD out! I thought I would show you a short video of my Dimplex fireplace insert I bought last year ... It is finally being used in my fireplace that hubby built for me ... better and more photos of that later ... Also, I wanted to let you know that my Winter Wonderland Giveaway will be coming up this week so watch for that! It's gonna be fun! Stay warm ... and enjoy your own form of warm.

Teri♥♥♥

Welcome 2012 ... And Happy New Year ...

2011-12-31T06:00:00.003-06:00

Click on photo to see the birds ...

Things I'm not:

1. I'm not selfish
2. I'm not a phony
3. I'm not a non believer
4. I'm not a liar
5. I'm not a social butterfly
6. I'm not one to hold my tongue
7. I'm not into status or one's social position
8. I'm not a back biter or stabber
9. I'm not without passion for a cause
10.I'm not lonely or unhappy with myself

Happy New Year,
Hard to believe another year has almost ended and a new one is on the horizon ... As I sat and thought of what I was going to do ... what I was going to give up ... what I was going to purge from my life ... for my new year resolution, it occurred to me, that at my age I really needed to look inside for my resolve ...
Why? Well ... sometimes there are people in our life (not ones we choose) that we have to deal with on a day to day. Who know nothing about you, but think they know everything about, well ... everything. Who function in this world being mean and phony, who think that they are something special ... and maybe to somebody they are. I don't doubt that.
Anyway, while thinking about the new year ... I thought I would take a look at myself ... And instead of thinking of things that I am ... I thought of things that I am not ... character wise ... I mean we all know I'm not an astronaut ... right?
And, only after putting them down here ... did I realize that I am happy with myself.
Now, don't get me wrong here ... I am not perfect ... so very far from it ... just happy with who I am at the moment ... And really, isn't that what it is all about ... being happy with ourselves. And NOT depending on someone or something to make us happy.
Yes, there are a ton of things that I could say I am going to change for the new year ... I'm gonna quit this and I'm gonna try that ... all of which we know last about a month ... so instead, I have chosen to focus on the good ... to focus on me, and who I am ... and be happy! To head into 2012 being the best me I can be. To be happy with me ... even if others are not. After all ... What is the point of saying " Happy New Year" if I myself am not happy with who I am.
So to all of you out there ... I say HAPPY NEW YEAR! Make it your happiest one yet.

repinned
Teri♥♥♥

A Very Merry Christmas .....

2011-12-24T04:12:00.000-06:00

Wishing all my fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas ...

Teri♥♥♥

No Chestnuts Roasting ... But We Have Fire ...

2011-12-19T05:49:00.005-06:00

First fire in new wood cook stove ...

Cranberry walnut bread just out of the oven ...

Recipe: Cranberry Walnut Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
1 cup whole berry canned cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 350• Butter an flour a 10 inch tube pan (okay, so this is where this recipe dates me ... let me decode)
spray a bread pan with Pam. In a large bowl cream butter, sugar and then beat in eggs, almond extract. In another bowl add flour,powder soda and salt. Now add 1/2 of that mixture to the egg mix, then stir in sour cream, now add the rest of the flour mixture and walnuts. Spread 1/2 of the batter in bread pan and then spoon on 1/2 of the cranberry sauce. Repeat with remaining batter and cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 50 -60 mins. Until toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!

And some for gift giving ...

Bert ... mud dog and mole chaser ...

Good Monday morning all,
Well, Christmas is just about around the corner ... I hope everyone has all their shopping done ... And you all are just kicked back in front of the tree listing to Christmas music ... he he he ... Be nice though, wouldn't it? ... what is that saying ... "it's the thought that counts" I'm sure you all are just as busy as me ... Just wanted to post this recipe, a great tasting gift giving bread for Christmas ... cranberries just seem to say Christmas to me.
My stove looks and works great ... I have heat again. YAAAAAAY!
Last photo is of Bert my Aussie ... He came home like this Saturday morning ... Digging ... trying to get the moles ... not sure who does more damage him or the moles ... It's a toss up!
Also I just wanted to say that if you have the chance head on over to
Traci's blog ... She is having a silent auction for a fellow blogger. There are some amazing prims to be auctioned. And if you don't like primitives ... maybe you are in a position to just make a cash donation to help someone in need. Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

And the Winner is ......

2011-12-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Well ... The winner is Amy at Bumble Bee Lane ... This is really not how this was suppose to go ... But ... Amy is a little preoccupied and if you go here and and read her post you will see what I am talking about ... Please help if you can ...
Anyway, the photo is just one item that was in the Birthday surprise giveaway. ( this one is mine of course) I love to fill the bowl with different items for the different seasons ...
Thanks to all who participated in my giveaway! I will be having a winter giveaway at the end of December or first of the year. And thanks for all the Birthday wishes ...
Teri♥♥♥

Busy ... Busy ... Busy ... But, Never to Busy for A little Crafting ...

2011-12-12T04:46:00.004-06:00

New stove going in ...

Remember this spin ...

Finished scarf ...

Close up of the twisted knit stitch ...

Dollar store candle ...

Label removed ...

Drying time ...

Finished ...

Old Spanish olive jar ...

A very busy weekend at the farm ... How does that saying go ... "There is no rest for the wicked" ... I think someone is trying to tell me something!
Anyway, this weekend included moving all the sheep into one pasture ... they are all bred and the rams look a little worse from the whole thing this year. It was my first year breeding 3 rams ... lets just say lessons learned and next year it will go a little better.

Also you can see from the first photo, and if you read my last post ... we picked up the new kitchen wood cook stove. We have also been hanging drywall in the kitchen ... We have moved downstairs in our remodel project, until after the holidays are over ...
So now all that needs to happen to get heat from the new stove is to go see the Mennonite man who makes heavy duty pipe that is in and oval. (like on the stove) So if you look back at the photo of the stove you will see the pipe going up the middle is well, first just beautiful ... and second big and oval shaped, then look up at the hole in the wall that the pipe goes into ... round! So oval has to graduate into round ... a special pipe has to be made, and Mr.Sherk is the man for the job!...

And sometimes hubby just doesn't like me around ... you know trying to figure things out in his head and all ... so I went and made a few of the frosted candles ... But wait ... Friday night I knitted the scarf ... I just love how fast and easy this was ... knitted on a #19 needle ... Started another already ... I just love scarfs!

Okay onto the frosted candles ... I found this a while ago while making a purchase of a few things for crafting ... here is the link.
Of course I strayed from it a bit ... I mean really ... what true crafter follows all the rules ... I went to the dollar store to buy my Epsom salt, while there I found these white candles in a small jar ... $1.00 perfect! All I did was peel the label off the jar ... paint it with mod podge, roll in salt, and let it dry ... FINISHED! FAST 'N' EASY!
As you can see I did do an old olive jar ... (I save them for my wool dyes) ...
But, my advice is make it easy as can be ... buy the jar and the candle, and start crafting ...
I really do like how pretty these are at night ... a soft warm glow ....
I may have to do more and have a winter giveaway! Anyway, still cold here in KY.
stay warm and watch for the winners post.
Teri♥♥♥

A little Christmas ... Winter Decorating ...

2011-12-10T09:31:00.025-06:00

Enjoy ...

I made this one from some old barn wood ... perfect chippy paint ...

All about the sheep ...

A little Santa ...

More Sheep ...

Really like the natural look ...

Good morning all ... A chilly one at that ... in more ways than one, at the farm. Last night while stoking up the wood stove the glass popped out ... and yes, it was loaded with wood ... You have never seen and old lady run as fast as this one did!
Trying to grab the ash buckets ... pick the wood out with pot holders and gloves ... run that outside ... open windows ... take HOT coals out and transfer them to the big wood furnace that is in the garage ... oh my ... what a perfect end to a crappy week!
Then hubby has to take over from there ... cut a hole in the wall to pipe the garage heat into the house ... (good thing that room is not finished)
Want to hear the silver lining part to all this ... my new wood cook stove , that I have waited for 3+ months to arrive is ready to be picked up ... Yaaay! so we will have a stove in the house (fingers crossed) by next week!
Anyway, a few photos of a little Christmas/winter decorating ...
Enjoy your weekend and stay warm ...

p.s.all of you who signed up for my surprise Birthday giveaway ... watch for a package ...
WSF

Pin It

Surprise Birthday Giveaway ... And I mean Surprise ...

2011-12-05T05:16:00.009-06:00

Happy December all ...
Some, but not all of you know my birthday is December 14th. I have in the past, done a few birthday giveaways ... This year I have decided to do a Surprise Birthday Giveaway ... and I mean surprise.
Let me first tell you the rules.

*************** PLEASE READ THEM! ***************

1. You MUST be a follower of the farm.

2. You MUST have left 5 or more comments in the past 3 months.
(Giveaway entry comments DO NOT count.) You are welcome to go back over my posts to count. ('cause I will)

3. You MUST be willing to leave your SHIPPING address in my e mail.

4. If you are the winner you MUST do a post on it, and give me the link to the post. That way the others that entered can know who won and see the surprise.

5. Give away ends on December 9,2011. I will do a random drawing and then mail surprise package out. So make sure you watch your mail, 'cause it just might be YOU that gets the package!

So here is how it will work. Leave a comment on this post. Then go to my contact tab and e mail me your mailing address.
I need your address because, well it is a surprise giveaway! You won't know who won until the winner does a post and then e mails me the link. The winner won't be contacted by me that they won, there will be no post by me that they won ... you will just get a surprise package in the mail ... And that is how you will know you have won! Surprise! I'm not even going to show you what you will be winning!
If you can not do a post on your blog about winning or you choose not to ... then you will NOT be able to EVER enter any future giveaways on this blog!
If you win and do not have a blog ... then please let me know that. If you do not understand any of this ... contact me and I will try to explain it better.
So follow all the rules and watch for a package and my blog!
Teri♥♥♥

And the winners are ......

2011-12-02T21:00:00.001-06:00

The winners are ...

Can you read the names ...

Winner of the snowman giveaway is ...

Blogger Jacqueline ... the stalker

Winner of the gingers and cabin in the woods is ...

Carol Stuck from Buttermilk Creek Farm ...

And the winner of the 300 followers giveaway is ...

Gina from Cat Nap Inn Primitives ...

Congrats to all the winners ... Please contact me through my e mail on my contact tab, you have 24 hours to contact with shipping info.
And a big thank you to all who participated in this give away ...
Have a great weekend!
Teri♥♥♥

Quick Pick Christmas Give Away ... Take Your Pick ... But, Hurry ...

2011-11-27T05:25:00.008-06:00

'Tis the season all ...
Here it is my annual Christmas give away ... This year I wanted to do something a little different ... And if you read my blog ... you know I always try to do different things from what everyone else is doing ...
I didn't want to do real Christmasy items ... I wanted something that you could use from Christmas through winter ... I hope you all enjoy my choices.

You may remember these .... my early morning doodles ...

Well, here is what they turned into ...

1. Gingerbread Giveaway ... You get the hooked candle mat, Yankee Candle "Gingerbread" large jar candle, and three big fat gingerbread men ...

Close up of cabin in the woods mat ...

2. Snowman Giveaway ... you get the hooked candle mat, Yankee Candle "Jack Frost" large jar candle, and the set of 6 Hallmark snowmen ornaments ...

Close up of snowman candle mat ...

The quick part of this giveaway ... it is ONLY 5 days, and the pick part is, that you get to choose which giveaway you want a chance at winning! So what that means is there will be two winners!
And if I get to 300 followers (which I don't think so) I will throw all the non winners names into a pot and pick for a third gift!

Okay ... here are the rules ... not many ... all I ask is that you PLEASE read them. Don't want anyone getting upset, because they entered late.

1. You MUST be a follower, new or old is fine.

2. You MUST leave a comment stating which give away you want, if you win.

3. If you post this give away on your blog, you will get and extra entry.

4. All entries must be made BEFORE December 2, 2011 @ 5 p.m. CST Winner will be announced at 9 p.m.

5. Winner must contact me via e mail within 24 hours or forfeit winnings.

Good luck and have fun!
Sorry about the poor photo quality ...

WoW!!!! 300 + followers ... okay ... all of you who don't win giveaway 1 or 2 will have a chance at this one ... hope you like it! 3 more of the gingers and a handpainted candle mat!
Teri♥♥♥

My Inner Alarm Clock ... Where The Heck is the Snooze Button ...

2011-11-22T04:33:00.052-06:00

Here is what I started with ...

Finished chair ...

Seat ...

Italian Bread Soup ...

Italian Bread Soup:
2 Cans of beef broth 15 oz
2 Cans water
2 Cans stewed tomatoes 14.5 oz
1 loaf stale Italian bread cut into cubes
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 medium onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Topping : Grated Parmesan cheese

Put broth, water, and stewed tomatoes and their liquid and cubed bread into a 5 quart pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile remove sausage from casing and cook in a non stick skillet, when almost brown add onion and continue to cook, breaking up clumps of sausage with wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.

Add sausage, onion, cheese and Italian seasoning to pot and cook until it bubbles.
Ladle into bowls and top with cheese.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies ...

Soft Pumpkin Cookies
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Topping: 1 can cream cheese frosting
milk

Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add egg and beat until fluffy.
Combine flour, as well as the other dry ingredients and mix. Add to butter/sugar mixture, alternating pumpkin. Beating after each addition.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Smooth tops.
Bake 350* 15-20 mins (check at 15 mins.) or until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

Topping, take cream cheese frosting and thin with milk, spread over cookie. YUM!

Good morning all ...
I don't know if 4:30 a.m. is technically morning or still night ... That is what time my feet hit the floor. I have been getting up early (0: dark 30) for so many years that my body has a built in alarm clock ... unfortunately for me ... my snooze button is broken ... Once I'm up I'm up! So this morning I baked ... I wanted to share a few of my recipes with you all. I have a couple more ... but I will save them for another time.
As you can see from the photos I finished the child's rocker ... I have to tell you that this chair was the worst chair I have ever caned ... this chair, is a make do chair ... you see, it was NEVER a caned chair ... someone just drilled holes ... and when I say just drilled holes ... that is, they just placed them anywhere ... and random sizes as well ... so this was a difficult chair! My caning work came out good ... and it will be picked today.And I'm sure there will be more to follow. Well, time to go and get a few other projects done ... I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving ... Enjoy your time spent with your family.
Teri♥♥♥

Separation ......

2011-11-19T06:31:00.017-06:00

Separation ... It's a good thing ...

And this is why ...

Becky ... She has the most amazing fleece ...

Early dawn photo ...

This year I was late on separating the girls ... normally they are done in September ... and all bred by the end of the month ... giving me lambs in early spring. Well, this year I decided to hold off on breeding so early ... However, I did not want to wait this late ... My intent was to separate them in October, that way it will be a bit warmer when the two ewes that give me bottle lambs deliver.
And then one thing (company) led to another ... and well, last weekend they were separated.
As you can see by my rams head it was now or go from three rams to ... whoever was left standing ... It has been a rough year on them ... being held back from their girls for sooooo long ... but, love is in the air now!
Have a great weekend!
Teri♥♥♥

I have an attachment ...

2011-11-14T08:01:00.055-06:00

To this Chair ...

It is really old ... Early 1800's ...

It has a story ...

And so does this one ...

I have had this rocker for over 35 years ... It has followed me to all of my apartments, homes, storage units and now I hope it is in it's last spot.
You see that rocker was purchased in MA. from a man who used to pick up rubbish ... When I purchased it for $5.00 it had no caning on the seat or back and had gray weathered wood. It was on it's way to the dump!
I, however had bigger plans for it ... It was my project chair ... Yes, that rocker was my very first piece that I refinished and caned ... the chair that I learned the almost forgotten art of caning ... And when finished, it was in a showing ... and at that showing is where I learned just how perfectly old this chair was. I was told then (35 years ago) that it was old (1800's) and was offered $175.00 for it back then. Of course I did not or would not sell this chair ... I was curious as to why and how did this person know. He told me that this chair was handmade ...every last piece. Again ... how did he know. It's simple ... just look at the acorns on the top of the chair ... they are both different but the same ... one is just a bit smaller than the other ... and I have loved and enjoyed this piece every day since ...

Now here is the bad part of the story ... about a month ago, we went to pick the chair up out of the storage unit ... to be placed in it's new home ... The chair was placed in the back of the truck with the tailgate down ... well, we weren't but about 100 feet from the unit when hubby said "oh no" the next thing I remember is jumping out into the middle of traffic and picking up pieces of my chair!
And I am not ashamed to say that I cried and carried on ... I mean my chair! It was gone! In pieces!

Lucky for me it was able to be fixed ... thanks to a great guy I met, he does wonderful repairs and refinishing work. He put my chair back together again.
And when he found out that I did the re caning on the chair ... well, he has been bringing me work ... the little rocking chair is one of the chairs I am doing for his customer. I may consider doing this as a side job ... with all my others ...
Well, I mean, you know what they say about idle hands ...
Anyway, have a great week ... I'll be thinking about all the things I want to bake and eat for Thanksgiving ... I might even share a few of my recipes with you all.
Teri♥♥♥

If you would have asked me 20 years ago ......

2011-11-08T10:25:00.000-06:00

View of the ridges from the kitchen window ...

A beautiful frosty morning ...

A few of my early morning doodles ...

If you would have asked me 20 years ago could I do without a computer ... I would have said yes! And, gone so far as to say anybody who couldn't ... is crazy!

Hi ... my name is crazy ... and I have been without my computer for weeks ... The dog knocked it over and fried it ... So, it is like I am starting all over again ...

Now, don't get me wrong ... there is good and bad to everything ... but, I have come to rely on my computer ... I pay bills, research, get directions, shop and so on ...
Not to mention e mails ... So when I don't have it ... I can't do any of the above mentioned activities ... Which is okay to a point ... So I am going to go out on a limb here and say ... Anybody who says they can live without a computer is crazy! I guess I didn't realize just how much I depend on this thing ...
So I have been busy this morning trying to retrieve what I can ... And set up all over again ...
So, what do you do when you have no computer ... well ... you doodle ... keep an eye out for these to see what I do with them ...
And on a side note ... it feels good to be connected again ... but I don't like windows 7 ... I miss my old XP.
Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

I had an idea ......

2011-10-24T11:01:00.009-05:00

Love this gal ...

Hi all,
I wanted to tell you all about my new blog ... as some of you know I have been cleaning out and unpacking all the things that I have collected over the years ... And it is a lot! And you know that a ton of it is going to Goodwill. But, there are things that I feel just can't go. So I started a new blog. I think you will like it. Our I hope you will like it. Go here to check it out. I'm just starting to add items so just keep checking back. Please leave me feedback on what you think good or bad. Oh, BTW, the gal in the photo she will be there soon.
Have a great day.
Teri♥♥♥

Spinning ... A Great Stress Reliever ...

2011-10-20T12:29:00.012-05:00

Spun this up yesterday ... "Sunday Sherbet" ...

Even though I'm not one for bright colors ...

I love how it turned out ...

There are very few things in life that take daily stressers down a few notches ...for me it is spinning ... and until I started spinning, I just dealt. These past few months have been a bit much on mind, body and soul. And not being able to spin, just left me on the edge. If you do not spin or know how, I recommend you get yourself a drop spindle (which is how I started)and spin. It is hard to explain how calming and soothing it is ... How you can feel the quiet settle into your body ... How you can completely forget about time and space ... It is almost like your body melts away the stress ... the feel of the soft wool ... the sound of the wheel turning ... all so mesmerising ...
And my end results are a calmer, happier me ... with an art yarn, that reminds me of Sunday evening dessert!
Teri♥♥♥

Vacation ... And Conclusions ...

2011-10-18T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hallway is finished ...

This old thing is storing my wool ... For hooking and spinning ...

I had these made up in white ...

I caned this chair over 30+ years ago ... Love the Dru Ann McCarty bear ...

This vintage cotton thread is a keeper and sits in a splint basket on top of my treadle singer ...

Good morning all ... This week I am on vacation ... It was postponed several times due to family coming ... not coming ... coming ... not coming ... well, you get it. I finally said I'm taking it! I have been resting, and puttering ...
With more of the house being finished in the passing weeks, I have been unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes! I never realized how much stuff I have collected/made over the years. So I have been going through and keeping only the stuff I love. It is not as hard as I thought it was going to be ... And here is why ... I have come to the conclusion that, I have done without it for at least 3 years ... some of it for 7 years! And my life has really been better off because of it. And this is why ... All those things need to be changed out with the seasons ... dusted ... packed ... unpacked ... Now, don't get me wrong ... I love the look of it and love to look at it, but I don't need it to make me happy or make my house a home. And I applaud all of you who have the time and energy for it!
So now I really have to love something to make that purchase. Which is the white pumpkins. I bought them off of Etsy at From the Farm Primitives . I love them. She made them just like I wanted. Check her shop out, she really has some very nice things.
I have no plans on not decorating ... Just not to extremes ...
You may be wondering what I am doing with all that "stuff" well, different things ... but,what I feel really good about is that most of it is being donated to Goodwill ... In hopes that it will be sold and the money will be used to help others.
Photos are of completed hallway ... Yes, it is wide ... that is how I wanted it. I have never liked narrow little hallways. The door in the center of the first photo is the door that will connect the second half of the second floor. Door to the right is master bedroom ... door to the left goes into another bedroom. Taking a break this week ... just puttering around ... trying to get in some much needed down time.
Have a great day.
Teri♥♥♥

A few Confessions ... And I'm Not Even Catholic ...

2011-10-11T06:38:00.005-05:00

Front corner of house ... Beautiful views ...

Middle section of house ...

This is looking from the driveway ...

Moon Flower ... A morning glory that blooms in the afternoon ...

This is hubby's wheelbarrow ... I tried to throw it away ...

And of course my shadow ... Ernie the yard dog ...

View from sofa in Family room ...

A dried garland I made over the weekend ...

As well as the small sheep pillow ...

And I just love the little boo pumpkins ...

They say that confession is good for the soul ... Alrighty then ... here goes.

Confession 1. I'm tired, of working on this house all the time ... It is consuming my life! (our life)
Confession 2. Ditto for the yard ...
Confession 3. I am NOT superwoman ... I can't do it all!
Confession 4. I feel as though I can't do anything right ... Like my brain is just on overload all the time. Simple things are becoming hard.
Confession 5. I just can't seem to sleep, and that is all I want to do.
Confession 6. I think I need a break!
Confession 7. I have to much on my plate, and I want to do none of it.
Confession 8. Even tho hubby claims to be sentimental, I think he is a hoarder.
Confession 9. I really do not like my job.
Confession 10.This post has taken me 4 days to complete!
Okay, is it just me or has anyone else ever felt this way? I think maybe it is that time of year where all want to do is start to nest ... settle in for the months ahead ... you know a good book ... some much loved Christmas movies ... some cross stitch. But I can't ... we have to much to do and not enough time to do it in. This house has consumed mine and hubby's life. We both need a break from it. A week maybe three weeks of doing NOTHING to this place. But then the fear creeps up on me ... This thought of, I may not live long enough to see this house finished ... So go, go, go ... all the time! And then I think ... If we keep going at this pace ... we won't see it finished anyway ... A real catch 22 sort of thing.
The family room is finished ... but yet I can't figure out what to do with it ... I have never been at a loss for decorating a room ... but yet, I am struggling with it.
There are a few things in the room ... and it is a beautiful room ... but it may take a while for me to really deal with it. Okay, enough of that ...
The photos are of the finished landscape project that I started in the summer ... I am so happy that is done ... we put the last of the black mulch on Sunday.
Hubby's wheel barrow was given to him by his father ... it is OLD 20+ years if my memory serves ... tire is flat ... handles are almost rotted off ... holes in the metal, but he won't let me throw it out ... So what do you do with it ... Well, decorate it of course! Other photos are just little snippets of the Family room ... And last but in no way least ... my therapist ... I talk to him all day long ... I'm sure he thinks I'm nuts too.
And one final note ... I apologize for not being able to visit all your blogs all the time ... but when I can I do.
Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

Signs of Fall ... Around The Farm ...

2011-10-08T04:49:00.016-05:00

The colors are just starting ...

I just love this spot ... A pretty grass lined pathway ...

Trees in the small pasture are just starting to turn ...

Mennonite store where I buy my apples and squash ...

Happy Saturday to you all ... If you are like me and work ... then Saturday ... is the best day ... The sleep late day ... The catch up day ... The go out to eat day ... oh, and yard sale day! Ahhhhhh, I just love Saturdays ... Even though I work only three days a week. It is a grueling three days.
Thought I would share a few photos of the fall colors around the farm ... I have been so busy ... I haven't had much time to just enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounds me. Shame on me! I hope to get a few good shots of the FINISHED landscape and my fall decorating this week end. Have a great day!
Teri♥♥♥

Guest Bedroom Finished ... And Just In Time ...

2011-10-03T14:04:00.018-05:00

Made the Osnaburg valances ...

To match the Osnaburg bolster I made for the bed ...

Guest bedroom has no closet ... But this is a great place to store some clothes ...

Love the vintage Amish straw hat ...

And when I had the bolt of Osnaburg out ... I made a few little pumpkins ...

Finished another room upstairs this weekend ... 2 down and 3 to go on this half of the second floor ... This is the guest bedroom ... It really started out to be my sewing room ... but, I felt that it was a bit of a waste for that ... so we turned it into a guest bedroom ... A convenient location for it, as it it right next to the second floor bathroom, it has no closet because it was going to be
a sewing room. So the nice little vintage armoire works well with the dresser for storage for guests.
And speaking of guests ... we have family coming in the next week or so ...
I just love my Jenny Lind bed and that vintage Amish straw hat ... in this room. I wanted a plain valance and matching bolster like the master bedroom ... but did not want to spend the hundreds of $$ as I did in there. So I pulled out my bolt of osnaburg fabric and started sewing ... and while I was sewing ... I had some scraps and some old gourd stems ... so I made up some plain and simple pumpkins ...
I love how everything turned out in this room ... hope our guests will like it as well. What do you think, would you want to stay in that room?
Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

It's That Time Of Year Again ......

2011-10-01T04:55:00.001-05:00

The rams are getting impatient ...

The wood pile is very patient ...

Yes, it's that time of year again ... And I don't mean fall, however, it is my most FAVORITE time of year! What I am referring to is ... it is almost time to put the rams in with their prospective mates ... And believe me when I say ... they are ready! No real fighting yet ... just some normal head butting ... but, I'm afraid all that will change with the cooler temps. coming in this weekend. Cooler weather signals breeding for these guys ... I'm trying to hold them off until mid October.
Poor boys, they just lay by the fence and stare over at the girls across the driveway.
And then there is my next project ... stacking 6+ cords of wood into the waiting wood barn. Guess I better get started if I want to keep the farmhouse warm this winter.
Have a wonderful fall weekend.
Teri♥♥♥

A Long Time In The Making .....

2011-09-27T06:07:00.032-05:00

Remember this ...

So very long ago ...

My dresser redo ... And burlap wreath ...

Some things ... you just can't part with ...

Love the sheet music cabinet ...

My antique spinning wheel ... Still works ...

Other side of bedroom ... hubby's dresser ...

Finished ...

If you all have been wondering what has been going on at the farm ... well, if its true a picture can speak a thousands words, then these are screaming YAAAAAAAAAAY!
Master bedroom is complete ... finished ... Done ... with a few more rooms almost there ... It has been such a long haul ... hubby has had to complete this by himself ... With no competent work force in KY ... Wait! Hold on! I mean NO work force in KY. Yes, that right ... and I can say that ... and mean that ... because it is true! Sad, but true!
If any of you remember me looking and waiting month after month after month trying to find someone, anyone ... People who said they were coming ... and never show up!Then you know, how long this has been.
For now, I'm hoping to have one half of the upstairs complete by end of 2011. And then move to the first floor. I have changed a few things around ... so that has added a bit more time. Tis better to change it now, as later. I want my washer and dryer out of the second floor bathroom, and into its own space in the other half of the second floor.
I love my room ... and really have no plans on adding anything else to it. Plain and Simple farmhouse ... that is where I am heading ... As much as I love the "Dark Side" I feel much happier moving into the light ... If you notice my bedroom is void of any real color ... yet peaceful and understated. I really think there is something to be said for shades of white ... I love letting the wood floors and furniture carry the room ... At last I'm almost home ...
Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

And The Winner is ......

2011-09-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is fall ... I hope you all had fun with this one ... I received 126 total entries only 2 people had all 7 entries ... and it paid off to comment every day ... Because it was one of the two who had 7 entries ... Please say congrats to ...

Sandi, please contact me within 24 hour. Thanks to all for playing along!
Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

Folk Magazine ......

2011-09-23T17:21:00.009-05:00

I'm so glad a new magazine has hit the stands! Apparently, the stands is the only place it has hit! This magazine is suppose to be published in KY. well, I have contacted them at least twice to ask where mine is ... And I got
Blah,
Blah,
Blah,
Blah,
Blah,
Blah,
Blah,
Well ... I could keep going on this ... but really, your new to the game ... yeah that's one excuse ... Here is a copy of the e mail :
Hi! It is Ben... from FOLK Magazine here. I hope you are having a wonderful morning. I wanted to stop in for a moment to update you on the status of the mailings... They have been shipped. We completed shipping early last week. We shipped all of the magazines via bulk mail with the USPS. That means they should be arriving to you within the next couple of days. I want to sincerely apologizes for the massive delays we have had. It has been one learning process after another. The awesome news is... from now on our printer is responsible for shipping of all magazines and wholesale orders... which we are very excited about. I also want to thank each and everyone one of our readers for their support of the first issue and we look forward to many more issues of FOLK together. Dated Sept.20,2011!
And I still don't have my copy!!!!

Good thing I bought 1 issue on this one ... like every thing else in KY. it has it's OWN pace!
Sorry, but ... really ... this is a new magazine that is trying to compete ... in my book (or magazine) you would think, all of this would have been covered before hand! I'ts called RESEARCH!
I'm thinking I might get my copy before the Christmas issue ... I am always the optimist!
Has anybody received a copy? Are there any out there?
Maybe they should stick to blogging ...
Here is a link to a post on their blog ... Check out the date of post!
Okay ... ready ... aim ... fire ...
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item #6 ......

2011-09-22T16:50:00.002-05:00

Halloween Ghost Doll Give Away Item #6 ... Last item ...

He is so cute ...

I love all the detail ...

He will make someone very happy ...

First, no I did not make him ... This beautiful doll is out of my own personal collection ... I have been very busy paring down my "things", however nice they are to have ... I am trying to cut my collections down ... As in this post here. And I know one of you will give him a great new home ...
So, with that being said, I think I have covered everything ... Handmade items, cross Stitch item, rug hooked item, gift card, Doll and YES they are all seasonal! I hope you all had fun with this. And if you followed along with each item and posted on the day of the post and posted to your blog, you should have a total of 7 chances in the pot! Wow! It will take me a bit to go back through the post to make sure all the rules were followed. I will draw and announce the winner on my blog on September 25, 2011. Hope you all had fun ... Thanks for stopping by.
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item #5 ......

2011-09-20T05:29:00.000-05:00

Gift card to Subway Give Away Item #5 ...

Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day ,or it does not count as an entry. (I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win all the items in the give away. Please go here for the rules to this give away.
Teri♥♥♥

Just a Peek ... Into my Plain and Simple Farmhouse ...

2011-09-19T05:27:00.000-05:00

A few farmhouse whites ...

A little fall decor ...

Hi all ...
Just wanted to let you know that we have been busy with the upstairs of the farmhouse ... It is almost complete ... and hope to have it ALL finished by years end ... I changed a few things around, so that has added a bit more time to things ... Master bedroom is complete! Just a bit of tweaking to do ... I hope to show you real photos of it by September's end. I find myself really liking the lighter brighter end of things ... so cheery ... Still waiting on my linen valances for the windows.
I also want to let you know that blogger has me as anonymous ... so I can't leave comments ... but I do read all your blogs at work, really!
I also hope you are keeping up with the give away ... So far I have handmade items, cross stitch item, rug hooked item so just keep watching I still have lots more surprises for you all!
Have a great day ...
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item # 4 ......

2011-09-18T06:53:00.003-05:00

Fresh Cut Bunch of Sweet Annie Give Away Item #4 ...

Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day ,or it does not count as an entry. (I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win all the items in the give away. Please go here for the rules to this give away.
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item # 3 ......

2011-09-17T05:09:00.001-05:00

Hooked Pumpkin Mat Give Away Item #3 ...

Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day ,or it does not count as an entry. (I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win all the items in the give away. Please go here for the rules to this give away.

Teri♥♥♥

People at Work ... They are enough to Make you ...

2011-09-15T18:46:00.006-05:00

I know you don't want to hear this ... but, for me it is cheap therapy ... I have had a bad couple of weeks at work. I truly dislike mean and phony people ... It really is a peeve of mine ... And where I work, the place is over run with them! So much so that I really have been trying to think of a way to AVOID human contact (interfacing) with anybody there. The mentality of these people, well ... if I said they were sophomoric I would be giving them credit! I have been at this place of employment for 7 years and still thank God everyday that I HAVE NOT become one of them. Okay! I feel myself going in a bad direction here ...
Sooooo, what do I do with this stress ... well now that my wheel is back from being stained ...

I spin ... and when I am drafting ... well, I imagine hair being ... NOPE! I won't go there!
Spinnig is the MOST relaxing thing in the world! Starting on some art yarn.

What do you do when you've had a bad day at work? Anyway, TGIF tomorrow!
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item # 2 ......

2011-09-13T06:07:00.007-05:00

Chenille Pumpkin tucks Give Away Item #2 ...

Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day ,or it does not count as an entry. (I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win all the items in the give away. Please go here for the rules to this give away.
Teri♥♥♥

Fall Surprise Give Away Item # 1 ......

2011-09-10T08:48:00.009-05:00

Cross Stitched Autumn Pinkeep Give Away Item # 1

Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day. (I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win all the items in the give away. Please go here for the rules to this give away.
Teri♥♥♥

2011Fall Surprise Give Away ......

2011-09-08T19:11:00.003-05:00

♥ PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST BEFORE MAKING A COMMENT ♥

Hi All,
Here is my 2011 fall give away ... I want to thank you all who took the poll ... So what came out of that, was most, if not all people like the "handmade end of things ... Well, I'm right there with ya on that ... you also liked rug hooking ... again, with ya! I really couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do with this give away ... so I thought why not try to make everyone happy ... And at this point in the post I would have a photo of what you would be winning ...
But, that would be no surprise, now would it? Anyone who reads my blog knows I love to make things a bit different ... and I love to think of new ways for my give aways ... Well, this time is no different.
So ... I'm not going to show you what you will be winning ... well ... not right off anyway ... But, I will tell what will be included in this give away is ... Of course, handmade items, cross stitch, rug hooked mat, doll, gift certificate and of course they will be seasonal! So do you think I covered everything ?
Well, except for George Clooney! Sorry ladies ...

Every few days, I will post a photo of an item in the give away ... until all items are posted ... then I will draw a winner ... So if you want to see what you will be winning ... then you have to log on to my blog ... Now here is where it gets good ...
Every time I post an item in the give away ... Leave a comment ... The comment MUST be made on that day. ( And I will check post marks) Each time you leave a comment is a chance to win! Get it!

Here is an example of what I mean ...
If I post 7 different items in 14 days, and you comment on each item the DAY I post it, that will give you 7 chance to win! A lot of work for me ... But hey, seems like it should be fun!

Now, this is an open give away ... And for those of you who don't know what that means. I will tell you. Like most blogs there are LOYAL readers, casual readers, and those just blog hopping. I however, choose to do MOST of my give aways for my LOYAL readers ... But, every once in a while I will open it up to everyone ... NEW and OLD followers ... This happens to be one of those times ...

Anyway, this give away does have two rules ...

1. You must be a follower, if you are not then you can do one of two things ... follow me or don't enter.

2. You may if YOU choose post this on your blog ... It will give you an extra entry ... purely optional.

I only have one other request ... And it is do not use my space to advertise what you have for sale. Simply put ....
DO NOT attach a link to this post advertising what YOU have for sale on Ebay or Etsy or your blog. I don't do it to you, so I asked for the same. Thanks!

Simple right?

And I must know where I can reach you. That's it!
Winner will be hand drawn by me on September 25, 2011 I will announce the winner on my blog. You must contact me within 24 hours of post, or default your winnings.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot ... If you are the first person to answer this question right you will also receive a little something ... (Which means you can win the give away as well as the extra) So here is the question ... I raise 3 different breeds of sheep ... Can ewe tell me what breeds they are? ...
The first person to leave a comment with the correct answer will win the extra!
Good Luck!
Already have a winner! Courtney! Great job!
Teri♥♥♥

A Give Away Poll ... Tell me what you think ...

2011-09-01T18:53:00.003-05:00

Hi all,
Well, it is getting to be that time of year again ... I will be having my annual open to all ( followers) Fall give away ... But I want to know what items you would like to receive the most ... Like your dream prize ... ( within reason) no cars, ships, millions in cash ... you know ... stuff! So please take a minute and take my poll to the right. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Teri♥♥♥
p.s. if there is something not in the poll leave me a comment ...

Painting ... And waiting For it to Dry ...

2011-08-29T07:37:00.024-05:00

There is nothing fun or interesting about painting ... At least in my opinion ...
So in between dry time, I started and completed a few fun projects ...
Now I know most of you have seen these wreaths ... And how very expensive they can be ...
But,they are really very simple to make, and I purchased nothing to make mine ...
Here is the finished piece ... It will go behind my bed when bedroom is finished ... and the room is almost complete. Yaaaaaay!

I used burlap for mine ... because I had it, and it has actually changed colors from being in and out of the sun ... It made some pretty color variations (You can see them in the first photo) and will fit in perfect with my farmhouse decorating. And I reused and old 12 inch grapevine wreath.

If you deiced to use burlap, don't use your good fabric scissors to cut it. I used some old cheap ones I use on stuff like that. All I did was lay the burlap out still folded and cut strips 1 1/2 inches wide. I cut the burlap that wide, because I knew it was going to fray. (notice white paint on my fingers)
After cutting the strips I cut that strip on the fold line (crease). Which gave me two strips.

Your strips when cut will be the length of the width of the fabric ... Make sense? Cut a few strips at a time ... I cut about 8 strips at a time ... When cut in half it gave me 16 strips to work with. Didn't want to cut more than I needed.

Tying your fabric onto the wreath ... When doing a project that I have only seen a photo of ... you kind of have to wing it ... So, I first tried to tie each piece of burlap next to each other ... well, that didn't work ... So what I did was I took my burlap strip and cut about 6 inches off and then tied the larger piece onto the wreath ...

I then slid the 6 inch piece underneath that piece and tied a knot over the first piece ... Then with the longer piece I tied a knot again over the 6 inch piece ...

And as you can see it makes it a lot fuller and you don't have to use as many pieces on the actual wreath this way ...

Here is what the back looks like ... See not so many strips ... but full on the front ...

I hope to show you a photo of it hanging in my bedroom at the end of September ....
We have been so busy here ... Now that the weather has cooled a bit, we have been getting a lot of things done ... Hubby, is working on ripping the cedar down from what use to be a cedar lined closet ... and will now be a hall or pass through to another bedroom in the front of house on the second floor ... If you look just over hubby's head you will see a bit of the master bedroom ...

And another off the frame ...

This is an Old Scotties Primitive pattern ... I changed it up a bit and will be hooking it in all 4 seasons ... If you go here you will see what the pattern looks like. I am still trying to get a little hooking in, when I can ... This one is hooked in a # 8 cut. And the smoke coming out of the chimney is my initial and the date is down by the right side tree ... Hooking still needs MUCH MORE IMPROVEMENT but, I hope it will come in time ...
Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

It's almost time for sweet Annie ......

2011-08-20T13:54:00.011-05:00

Annie is big ... About 6 feet tall ...

Seed heads are starting to come on ...

More sweet Annie ...

Almost harvest time for the Sweet Annie ... I was able to contain her this year, and I will do the same next year ... Only a bigger crop. I just can't resist touching it when I water her ... So sweet ... Thinking about preserving some this year ... Anyone have any secrets to preserving they care to share?
Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

What a Week ... If it Could break, It did Break ...

2011-08-13T14:53:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite weeds ...

Here is how it started ... Monday I was mowing and I shut the mower off ... Went to get back on, it wouldn't start. Tuesday, I started washing blankets and the washer was making a terrible noise ... Wednesday morning driving to work, I noticed my headlights were a bit dim ... But wait, computer has been running slow ...
So here is what I need ... a new belt for my mower (John Deere) so that won't be cheap ... An alternator for my car (Subaru) that won't be cheap either ... A new pump for the washer ... That's gonna cost ... And, more RAM and a virus cleanup for the computer ... How much did this week cost ... $700.00 ... Knowing your hubby can fix most of it ... PRICELESS!
Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

What a Disappointment ......

2011-08-07T07:19:00.027-05:00

The best deal was this cast metal ram ... $5.00!

My 100% wool TWA blanket ... I felt a bit bad on this one ... But, for $5.00 all that wool ... Come on you know you would to!

The best purchase of 2011 127 yard sale ... Mike the rooster ...

Another disappointment ... Not real happy with this one ... But, will leave it for awhile ...

My great white Pumpkin is off the frame ... Not bad for doing it all myself ...drawing the pattern ... copying onto monks ... A first in what I hope will be many more ... I see now that my pumpkin is a little lopsided ... But, I just LOVE the way the background came out.

And one back on the frame ... Love this one ... A Mad Hen pattern ... Notice the hen wool ... TWA blanket ...

Yes, that's right, the 127 yard sale "The Worlds Largest Yard Sale" was a BIG disappointment this year! This is my 7th year ... And I feel as though I wasted gas!
I don't know if it was the economy ... the lack of interest ... or maybe cost of set up for return. But, one thing I do know is, that the vendors that were there, wanted to pay for their set up fees, gas, food, lodging, on one piece! So many over priced pieces, oh my! And here is one thing that happened to me that made it all hit home ... the light bulb over the head thing ...
I was looking at a SMALL side table ... you could see where they (someone) had tried to refinish it ... without sanding, (you could still see the black ring marks from a glass) on the bottom leg there was globs of wood putty (not even smooth). The price tag was $60.00! I asked the man "what is going on with this table?" his reply " Oh ... that is one of the BEST primitive pieces I have see in years!" I said "REALLY?" He said "oh yes, did you happen to notice the finish? and do you know that that piece is all pine?" I said " yes I know it's pine, and the finish , well sir, I'm not sure how anybody could not notice it!" Then he said " I'd better hurry up and buy it, because there was another lady who fell in LOVE with it!" I said
" Well, I'm gonna pass then ... I have never been known to get in the way of TRUE LOVE" ...
Okay, I have to say it! OMG!!!!!!!!! If you attach the word PRIMITIVE to something that is a piece of JUNK it does NOT make it worth more!!!!! That is what I should of said. But, I just walked away ...
I did find the great cast metal sheep ... PERFECT for a sheepy girl like myself ... The TWA blanket I felt a little bad about ... you know collectors item ... history ... blah ... blah ... blah ... blah ... I'm thinking ... woooooooool ... Over dyed wooooooool ....And then of course I purchased Mable a mate ... she has already hen pecked him .... really!
Still hooking when I can ... But, mostly trying to stay cool ... My lawn has slowed down ... and the pasture is still doing okay ... but rain is needed here. Work on the house is SLOW but steady ... Still hopeful for a September reveal on a few of the rooms ...

Anyway, here is one more piece I found for a dollar, the date on back 1975 ... I was so excited I forgot to snap a before ... but here it is almost redone ... a few tweaks and it will be ready to hang ... A nice vintage piece that will fit nice in my new "Farmhouse White" decorating ...

Have a great week ... And think fall ... I'm ready ...
Teri♥♥♥

I Have the Farmhouse Whites ... No Blues, Here ...

2011-07-31T02:43:00.001-05:00

I have been fighting this for years, and now is the time I must make the decision ... Actually, the farm has made it for me ... Unknowingly, I have been heading in this direction for quite some time. Only I never realized it until last week. It was one of those dah ... moments!
I have made up my mind ... "that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck" Right about now, I know you all are saying ... What in the world is she talking about! Well ...

I"m talking about this ...

And this ...

And this ...

And this too ...

And ...

My what was I thinking moment ...

You see ... It is everywhere ...

It's here ...

Here ...

And of course here ...

So yes, my decorating mind has been made up for me ... Those items in the beginning of the post are mine, and are just a few of the things I have been collecting ... and have been drawn to ... My moment came when when I snapped the photo of our bedroom window with the sheer crisp white panel being blown in the breeze ... That moment brought me back to when my family lived in a farmhouse, as a child growing up in the 60's and 70's ... you had no a.c. you opened windows, that had beautiful crisp white curtains on them ... and the breeze would just make them dance ... all the while making the house cooler and fresher smelling ... Ahhhhh, the good old days!
So,as much as I LOVE the primitive, colonial, country look, I am going to have to turn a corner here and head in another decorating direction ... Light, white, vintage, and of course farm inspired ... in a word ... Plain and Simple Farmhouse Style ...

So what that means is bye bye black stove ...

(my old black stove)

Hello ... Pretty white stove ...

Bye to my black pieces ... Hello, to gallons of white paint ...

And, to pretty new antique white pieces ...

Okay, so now that I have taken up half of your day ... If anyone has any suggestion on how to cover black paint .... PLEASE HELP! LoL ...
Oh, and just so you know that I have been struggling with this ... if you go here you can go to the profile and see the date that I started thinking of this direction.

Teri♥♥♥

The lazy Days of Summer ... Are Here ...

2011-07-25T17:35:00.006-05:00

My pumpkin mat is finished ...

And a new start ...

Toooooooooo hot to do much of anything outside, I know what they mean by the lazy days of summer ... However, what I really think they mean is the lazy DAZE of summer ... You know, that dazed feeling you get when the heat index reaches 110 degrees! All you want to do is sleep ... I am ever so thankful for the A.C.
I did move the girls to the smaller pasture over the weekend. It is a much cooler pasture, with a wooded tree line up next to the fence. And this morning it was threatening to rain ... so ... What better time than to hop on the mower and mow the other pasture down ... The grass has been amazing this year ... The sheep can't even keep up with it ... I have cut it twice this year so far ... I hope it stays this good through the end of the year. Sheep prices fell last month so now I will be holding my ram lambs a bit longer ... By fall (September - October) prices will be back up and so will the weight of my lambs.
What do you do when it is to hot out ... Well, hook of course ... I finished my little pumpkin mat and have my own design on the frame now ...
Guess I am DREAMING of cooooooler weather! If only ...
Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

What Has been Going on At the Farm ... And A Thank You ...

2011-07-18T08:12:00.002-05:00

First a Thank you to Lucy!

Remember my first attempt at rug hooking ??? Over a year and a half ago ...

Here is where I am with that same pattern now ...

Hubby made me one of these ...

So I can now do this ...

I made one of these ... Here it is wet, and not quite completed ...

I started with this ...

And tried using this ... but, It didn't work to well ...

I used a little of this ...

I had to do a bit of tweaking from where I started ... But I like the look ...

Mable is doing fine ... She still has no mate tho ... :(

Sheep are doing fine ... They love all the beautiful green grass ...

Just a few of my Sweet Annie plants, they are getting bigger ... and the smell ...

Love this photo, with the moon just coming over the house ...

Hi all,
Well, a lot of stuff to show you today ... A week has gone by and I find myself busier than ever ... trying to accomplish all the things that MUST get done, and do a few of the things I want to do ...
First tho ... I want to thank Lucy from The Farmers Attic for reading my post last week, and sending me a magazine I requested help with! And not only did she send it she also sent me that sweet little angel! So very sweet of you Lucy, thanks again!
My hooking is coming along ... And I think I can say it's official I am a real hooker ... Why? Well, I am already planning ten rugs ahead of the one I'm working on! I bought a stand for my Puritan frame and love it! So much so, that I want to leave it on the stand. So I found a lightly used K' Creations folding frame to take with me to class. Can't wait to see how I like that one ...
If you remember I started hooking (well, I thought I was hooking) about a year and a half ago ... I started with a kit. The above photo is what that kit looked like ... I quit, because of all the inferior wool, backing, the kit came with! I won't go into it. But, really sellers! Give people a fighting chance at learning a new craft ... Don't try to sell inferior products and crap just to be selling! Because I know who I got my "KITS" from and I will NOT purchase from those sellers again! Okay sorry, Just had to say it! I took the pattern and worked it with my own wool. It is almost done, and I love the colors ...
Hubby made me a nice little table to put my cutter on ... I didn't want to clamp it on an antique library desk! Only thing left to do is put some felt on the bottom of it.
A couple of months back I saw a cement bee skep ... I inquired about it but, the person said they do not ship them (heavy) I found a couple of tutorials on them ... Well, some things you just have to figure out as you go ... because what works for some, may not work for all. After I thought about the process ... it became much easier! I like how it turned out ... primitive and rustic!
The animals are doing okay in the heat ... it has been hard trying to keep them cool in this weather ... Watering is a chore in itself!
My plants are settling in well, I only lost one ... My Nandina ( heavenly Bamboo) but the nursery replaced it. Waiting on putting the rest of the mulch on ... to see if I will lose any more.
And the house ... well, I hope by September I will have some great photos to share with you, of all the work that we have been doing inside.
If you read all the way to the end of this post ... I thank you for taking the time to read this photo and word heavy post! Have a great week!
Teri♥♥♥

Any Help Finding This Issue ? ......

2011-07-11T06:25:00.004-05:00

I have been tearing things apart looking for mine ... but can't find it! If anyone has an old copy (September 2010) they want to get rid of (sell) or knows where I can buy one. (not the pdf version) please contact me. Thank you!

Teri♥♥♥

I think I can Say ... I am now A 10 Minute Hooker ...

2011-07-09T05:07:00.000-05:00

My first sorry little mat ...

Mat two is not as ugly as it looks here ... Really ... Showing very bright.

Mat three ... Hooked in a #8 ...

Number four just came off the frame ... I sort of challenged myself on this one ...

And this is the wool I dyed for mat four ...

This is the wool I dyed to use in the mat I am hooking now ...

Okay ... here is to answer the question ... Yes, I am still keeping up with my hooking ... I go almost every Monday ... except for a few there were holidays and such. Each mat has slightly improved from the last. I have also found myself being challenged by color ... As with the "Mad Hen Primitives" Blue bird ... The background color was supposed to be shade of tan and off white. If you look at the photo below ...

you will see how it is hooked. But,it just did not look right to me ... or my eye. I am really trying to learn color ... a hard thing to learn, to say the least ... What I have found is that, what I think may look good in my head ... my not look so good when hooked. The mat that just came off the frame was a sort of challenge ... My instructor always asks me what colors I will be using ... I said I wanted to do a double compliment ... she said it was to small for that! Just sick with a compliment ... Well, much to mine and her surprise I managed to hook a double. Wise ... no ... just a bit serendipitous ... don't you think? Anyway, what I have found is that, I am very glad I purchased a cutter ... The blue bird wool I cut with a rotary cutter ... Don't want to do that ever again! I have a great frame ... with the stand ... ( Puritan) A box of wonderful wool that was gifted me by a wonderful person ... Thank you Debbie! A great color instructor ... And the desire to hook for as long as I can. I have also come to the conclusion ... that right now ... and I may or may not change ... I love hooking with a #6 it is just so comfy for me ... It feels right ... Does that make any sense?
And here is one more thing I just think suits me ... dying my own background colors ... Dying is just so much fun ...
Oh, and just so you know I am doing my hooking in between ... landscaping ... working ... remodeling ... and sleeping ...
And now I have just one question ... Have I earned my "I'm a 10 minute hooker" badge for my blog? LoL ...☺
Teri♥♥♥

A Few of My Favorites ......

2011-07-03T07:56:00.004-05:00

Thought I would take a break from the farm work this weekend ... Moving the girls from one pasture to another ... Mowing the pasture down that they just were moved from ... cleaning the paddock ... Anyway, on the prettier side of the farm ... my beautiful yellow daylilies and sunflowers (volunteers from the birds) are blooming. I just ♥love♥ yellow flowers ... Oh, and Sweet Annie in the background is growing like crazy! Have a Happy and safe 4Th!
Teri♥♥♥

A Little Peek ... At the Farm Work Progress ...

2011-06-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

This gargoyle ... has been the keeper of our garden for years ...

A peek at one side of the house ...

Master bedroom floor ready for stain ...

A sneak peek at the windows all framed and stained ...

Just a quick peek at a few of the ongoing projects here at the farm ...
Moving closer to having a few rooms done! The landscaping is almost complete ... (just need to add the mulch)
And the lambs will be on there way to market soon.
Hope all is going well with you all.
Teri♥♥♥

A Different Kind of Farm Work ......

2011-06-14T07:10:00.019-05:00

Master bedroom painted in "Heavy Cream" ...

Six inch pine flooring going in the Master bedroom ...

Cutting in the trench for front of house landscaping ...

One side of porch ...

More area still to go ...

And a little more area around the corner ...

Hi all,
Just wanted to pop on here for a few minutes and say Happy Summer!
(still a week away) And to show you a few of the projects or "farm work" we have been up to here on the farm ... The Master bedroom, Family room and the large hall have all been painted. All windows and window sills have been trimmed in pine ... waiting on stain. All rooms have been painted in the color "Heavy Cream". I have always painted all my rooms a "neutral" color with the exception of the bathrooms and kitchen. I think it ties everything together in a cohesive calm sense. In my opinion your eyes are not focusing on the room so much as the color when you paint them all different colors.
The bedroom floor is almost finished ... Hubby is installing 6 inch wide t/g pine boards. (It will be in every room except the bathrooms) At some point we will decide on a stain color and then tung oil finish.
And, while he is inside ... I have headed outside for the landscaping project. I have always like a traditional landscape in the front of a house ... But, when I go to landscape the back ... Well, that will be FLOWERS,FLOWERS,FLOWERS,FLOWERS,and more FLOWERS with my herbs off the kitchen. However, this old body can't do it all this year. But, when the front is done I will post photos.
I am keeping up with your blogs ... just not commenting as I am reading most of them at work in the a.m.
Anyway, have a safe and happy summer ...
Teri♥♥♥

A Sad Day at The Farm ......

2011-06-09T17:26:00.005-05:00

One week ago today I came home from work ... went to feed the girls ... And there was no Fanny Mae! I called and called, then ran into the pasture only to find her to weak to stand ... I carried her into the house, where I stroked and held her until she baaed her last baaa and took he last breath. I don't know what happened. I am simply going to believe it was a failure to thrive. She will be missed here at the farm.
Teri♥♥♥

And the winners are ......

2011-05-31T06:11:00.004-05:00

The winner of giveaway #1 is:
Lauren at Rugs and Pugs

The winner of giveaway #2 is:
Amy at Cottage Prims by default.

The winner of giveaway #3 is:
Kim at Millie's Mats

WINNERS: Please contact me via e mail at the top of the page and I will ship your winnings out ASAP.
I also want to thank Diane of WoolnWares for contributing to this giveaway.
And on a final note I will be closing my blog for the summer ... I may post once in a while ... But ... as it looks now, it is not a priority. Thanks to everyone who has visited me, and left such nice comments. I have enjoyed your company. If you do need to reach me, please contact via e mail. I will leave you with a few spring photos from around the farm ... until then ...
Have a safe and happy summer!

A sheep's eye view ...

Fanny Mae, still small but doing okay ...

Blinkin is finally here at the farm ...

Baby goose is growing bigger ...

Mabel is doing very well, and will soon have a mate ...

Yellow dog out for a swim ...

The boys out for a romp ...

A little porch bling ...

A little gate bling ...

Sweet Annie is growing, and will be ready in no time ...

A quiet spring night ...

And what better way than this, to end this post ...

Teri♥♥♥

Memorial Day ...

2011-05-28T06:42:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day is a day that commemorates all the U.S. soldiers who died while in military service. And so, Monday we remember our brave soldiers in very special ways throughout this country. Without them, where would we be ...
Have a safe and happy weekend ... and don't forget Monday is the last day to enter for my giveaway ... Just click on the giveaway tab at the top of the page.
Teri♥♥♥

What kind of tree is this?

2011-05-23T10:34:00.007-05:00

This is the tree ...

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Close up of the leaf and the unopened flower ...

These are the blossoms that are all over it ...

Anybody form the South or Southeast know what kind of tree this is? It is so pretty when it blooms out in the spring. I would love any help you can give me. Thanks!
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-05-22T03:05:00.001-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

Pay it Foward ... A Giveaway ...

2011-05-14T04:29:00.010-05:00

I was inspired to do this giveaway for several reasons ... but, I will just give you the short side ... because, we know just how wordy I can be. As most, or some of you know I am new to rug hooking ... I have for quite a few years admired (okay, drooled) over some of your rugs ... seeing the beauty in those rugs, all I wanted was to learn how! Anyway, you know the story ... I tried it a year ago and felt that I was terrible ... but, with some time and reading and looking and reading more ... I jumped into it again about 2 months ago. One of my goals for 2011 is to learn to hook .... complete a rug and learn color. Well, thanks to all of your kind words of encouragement I think I can now say I am a hooker! Not a good one ... but a hooker none the less. So this is my pay it forward ...
Lauren at Rug and Pugs was kind enough to send me a bag full of wool strips and a wonderful piece of linen to practice on ... A wonderful note with it and in the note she said that she did not want to be mentioned ... How nice of her. So kind, generous and modest!
Fast forward to a pattern that I wanted to do with a kitty in it ... but I wanted the kitty to be the color of my Cricket cat. So off to EBay, in search of a wool seller who would help me with color ... Well, long story short ... I contacted three sellers ... And two of them could not be bothered with my request. And the third ... well, not only did she answer me ... she asked me a ton of questions about my kitty ... sent me photos of kitties and asked me to pick which one best represented my cat. Then she pulled all the colors together for me in a nice little wool bundle and she named it "lions, tigers and tabbies" How awesome is that! I was so inspired by this person ...
That not only did she take the time for me, but went that extra mile ... And then, on top of all that, when I told her that I wanted to do a giveaway as a "pay it forward" she donated a nice wool bundle for my giveaway ...

This wonderful person is Diane a seller on EBay and here is a link to her store WoolnWares. So, thank you ladies ... All of you, Courtney, Debbie and Kim ... and the above mentioned ... just to name a few ... this pay it forward is because wonderful people like you ... I want to pay it forward to you and to others.

This giveaway is for rug hookers and wanna be rug hookers and new followers ...
There are three separate giveaways ... so please READ all rules and follow them ...

Giveaway #1 "Calling all Hookers"
Rules: PLEASE READ >>>>
1. You MUST be a follower.
2. You must be an established rug hooker.
3. You must have given me hooking advice (comment) in the past two months.
4. You must contact me within 24 hours of drawing.

Giveaway #2 "So you wanna be a Hooker"
Rules: PLEASE READ >>>>
1. You must be a follower.
2. You must not be a hooker but want to learn to hook.
3. You must have left a comment in the past two months.
4. You must contact me within 24 hours of drawing.

Giveaway #3 "Welcome New Followers & Second Chance"
Rules: PLEASE READ >>>>
1. You MUST be a follower NEW or OLD follower is fine.
2. If you are an old follower, and have NOT left a comment in the past 2 months you CAN NOT enter. All NEW followers are welcome.
3. You can be a hooker, a wanna be hooker or neither maybe you like to work with wool.
4. You must leave a comment, if you are a new follower you must leave contact info.
5. You must contact me within 24 hours of drawing.

ADDITIONAL RULES >>>>
PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU COMMENT >>>>
1. All of my old followers may enter two giveaways, you can enter #1 & #3 or #2 & #3 which ever one applies to you as a hooker or wanna be hooker.
2. If you are a NEW follower you may only enter giveaway #3.
3. When you leave a comment for me, put the number of the giveaway/giveaways you are entering. Example: if you are an established hooker, you would put a #1 & #3 next to your comment. This enters you in two separate giveaways.
4. You can post this to your own blog if you want, as your own pay it forward. However, you will not get any extra entries for doing so.
5. You must make contact with me within 24 hours of drawing of winner.
6. DON'T FORGET >>>> If you are an old follower you can enter in 2 giveaways!
7. Drawing will be held on Tuesday May 31, 2011

Now all the wordy stuff is out of the way ...

Giveaway #1 "Calling All Hookers"

This giveaway includes beautiful red, white and blue wool bundles I purchased form Diane at WoolnWares and the book came from none other than Amazon.

Giveaway #2 "So You Wanna Be A Hooker"

This wonderful little kit came from Hollyhock Hill Designs, Melvina is the owner and is such a nice person. Not only has she put the wool strips in, but there is also a hoop a hook and instructions! I am also adding a nice little beginners book to learn rug hooking. So pop on over and see her.

Giveaway #3 "Welcome New Followers & Second Chance"

In this giveaway Diane at WoolnWares has donated this beautiful wool bundle. I also have added a $25.00 gift certificate to Diane's shop as well. So even if you don't hook ... I'm sure there are plenty of projects that you can use this beautiful wool for.

Drawing will be held on Tuesday May 31, 2011, so please check my blog for winners.
Enjoy!

Teri♥♥♥

A long time ago ... I started on a journey ...

2011-05-09T19:02:00.035-05:00

All of the photos of the following rugs were done by my rug hooking instructor ...

All of these rugs are so amazing ...

You really would have to see these to realize their true beauty ...

And size ...

Here is my plain off white wool soaking ...

Here it is with Cushings Ecru dye ...

Here is Pat cutting the dyed wool into strips with her Rigby cutter ...

Here they are all cut and ready to go ...

Here they are all bundled up ... Cut on a #6 ... yep! #6 ...

And here they are in the background ...

Okay ... so here is my news ... I found a hooking instructor ... But not just any hooking instructor ... I found Pat Moyer formally of PA. She is the most amazing person I have ever met!
Let me back up right here ... I have for what seems like a long time, been wanting to learn to rug hook, so over a year ago I started out on that journey ... and most, if not all the advice I received was find a class ... well, in KY. sometimes it's hard to find anything ... A rug hooking instructor! (that should be easy) ... okay I'll give it a shot. So off on my journey to find one, and what better way to start than to simply google "rug hooking class in KY." simple ... found two of them ... one was over three hours away and the other over two hours away. (KY. is a very BIG state) I digress for a moment here ... Remember the drywall installer that I tried to find for over three months and gave up? "nuff said" So I gave it up ... If I was going to rug hook ... it would be "self taught" not a problem ... but yet I felt as tho it was not right ... But it was my goal to learn hooking in 2011.
So one day on my journey ... I decided to google "rug hooking instructors" and this time, under that search I found an instructor who was about 45 minutes from me ... But ... She only holds classes from October - May ... (of course)
I just did not want to be so close and not call her ... So I called and asked about the classes and she said they start back up in October and are the first Wednesday of the month. My heart sank ... (I work on Wednesdays). I said okay thank you.
So here is where the teacher in her came out ... As I was about to hang up, she asked "what do you know in rug hooking"? My reply was " I can pull a wool strip through some linen" She laughed and we started talking and talked for over and hour. She then surprised me by saying ... I would love to teach you. So I am getting private lessons from Pat Moyer! And I couldn't be happier. GOOD KARMA ... She is amazing and has so much knowledge ... And I wish I could tell you all who she has taught in her career, but I'm just not into the hooking world ... YET ... but I do know that Rebecca Erb was her very first student. So what do I say when she tells me all of her past students that are famous in the hooking world and have gone on to do great things ... I say ... Well Pat, I may be a disappointment to you. Needless to say she got a nice laugh out of that one.
Anyway, yesterday I dyed wool for the first time ... not hard and very similar to dying wool that I spin ...
So here is what I have learned in two classes ... I have learned NOT to tunnel hook ... how to find out if I need more hooking done in an area ( yes, Debbie you were right) How not every pattern is meant to be hooked in a #8 cut, How to use a cutter the RIGHT way. And I have improved my hooking ability a bit.
So ... ladies, before to long I might be able to say I am a "10 minute hooker"
And because I have found out these past few months that rug hookers are the most amazing people who will go that extra mile to help a new hooker in every way they can.
I want to say thank you to all of you who have encouraged me to move forward ... to learn from my crocked little mat ... and keep on hooking ... and find a class ...
PLEASE stop back next week for my giveaway, Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T07:41:00.002-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

If they come ... He will build it ... I hope ...

2011-05-07T05:13:00.001-05:00

Mabel ... my adopted chicken ...

They look so skinny after they are sheared ...

Bullet cleaned up nicely ...

The old farm roses are in bloom ... and they smell so good ...

The big ones keep the little gosling protected from the sheep ...

He is growing like all the weeds he eats ...

My old Rat Terrier, Elvis ...

Good Saturday morning ... I am so glad it is the weekend ... rain or not ... I prefer not, but the weatherman refuses to cooperate.
As you can see from the first photo I have adopted a chicken ... someone had three and two got killed and they did not want that to happen to Mabel. Apparently she is a good layer, and lays every day ... And as some of you know I did have chicks last year ... but the fox wanted them more ... So Mabel is the first chicken in what I hope will soon be a flock. I had talked to hubby about building a chicken coop ... a small one of course ... And he said when he gets some free time ... Well, with everything here ... that's not gonna happen ... So I am hoping now that I have brought one home ... well .... She also looks like she has been pecked a bit ... she may have been low chicken in the pecking order ... Anyway, I am going to try to sneak her in a roommate ... A nice big rooster!
On a colder note ... Even tho this is May, you would never know it by the thermometer ... It makes me feel a little guilty shearing the girls ... but this is the time I usually do it. They all look so different when they are sheared ... sometimes its hard to tell who is who, without their wool. Sunday more of the lambs go to their new homes, as well as a few of my younger girls ... They will be missed but, I need to cull my flock. Also adding a Shetland ram and Fanny Mae for more fiber ...
And, I also have some wonderful news to share with you ... but, I will share that on Tuesday with photos. So until then have a great weekend ...
Teri♥♥♥

Sheadring Day 2011 ......

2011-05-02T06:01:00.028-05:00

Let the shearing begin ...

Be careful ...

Oooooh ... that feels good ...

And now the side ...

Waiting room ...

Becky's beautiful wool ...

Echo's turn ...

Echo's beautiful Shetland wool ...

Evie, the black sheep ...

Saturday was sheep shearing day at the farm ... Everyone pulled through just fine ... This year I had decided to try a different shearer ... I chose a young man who had learned shearing at the collage he attends ... As well, his family also raises sheep and his grandfather was one of the first in KY. to raise the Cheviot breed ... so what better choice ... and besides the money he makes shearing goes for his education.
Shearing day is quite a process ... all sheep are sheared,hooves trimmed and get their spring worming ... This takes about four to five hours ... it was a great day ... no rain ... as we shear outside.
I got some great wool from the girls ... Becky's wool is amazing ... she is my B.L. as well as Echo and Evie my Shetlands ... I also got some beautiful Cheviot wool this year ... and a big box of the wool that is being sheared from the girls in the above photos is headed to New York today.
I receive a ton of e mails from my blog ... some about my blog ... some about my sheep and the barns ... fencing and my wool ... I received this e mail about a month ago ...

Hello!
My name is Amanda and I own an on-line fiber shop called Inspiration Fibers (http://inspirationfibers.etsy.com). I have an on-going breed study club, and I'd like to feature Cheviot for May. I'm searching for a nice, large, clean fleece that will be a good representative of the breed and appropriate for a hand spinner to play with. Do you ever sell your raw fleeces? When we discuss the breed, we also chat about the farm it came from and the sheep itself. You can learn more about me on my blog
Thank you!
Amanda

Well,I contacted Amanda, and told her I would be happy to send her some wool for her class ... I love the Cheviot breed ... And I love their wool ... now granted it is NOT a fine wool, that spinners love ... but I do like spinning it. I also like the fact that it is from my girls ...
Sunday several lambs left for their new homes in KY. and this weekend more lambs will go ... and by the end of May I will be done until fall. So time for more work on the house ... Never a dull moment here. Well,time to head out to the barn to feed Fanny Mae ... photos on her on another day. Have a great day!
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-05-01T05:09:00.001-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

A Finish ... A Start ... And a Few Things I Learned ...

2011-04-26T06:40:00.016-05:00

My finish ...

My new start ... Trying to pull loops up higher ...

As you can see I finished my little Penny mat ... Okay, I will concede that it is not the best of the best ... and quite possible the worst of the worst ...
Yes, it is not a perfect mat ... As you can see it is a little lopsided ... and a few of my corners when binding went a bit off ... but that little mat has taught me a few lessons in rug hooking ... That in spite of it having a lot of boo boos I have learned this ... pull my loops up higher,watch my spacing, give myself enough foundation fabric (this was all I had left) and that with each little mat I do I will get better (I hope) and that color and direction add so much to a flat surface ... And I absolutely love hooking ... oh, and a sense of accomplishment ...not because it is great ... but, because I completed it in spite of all the above!
I also found a wonderful woman on EBay ... I will share more about her later ... And, I want to let all my hooker friends know that your kindness has not gone unnoticed ... In May I will be having a "pay it forward" giveaway for all my rug hooking friends ... And introduce you to my new EBay friend ... You all have helped and encouraged me ... And for that I am grateful. I'll even throw in a few surprises for those who want to learn how to hook as well ... I just love surprises ... Don't you? Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-04-24T05:07:00.000-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

Small Sheep Barn ... A few Years Later ...

2011-04-18T06:55:00.046-05:00

Small Sheep barn 10/2009 ...

Small Sheep barn 4/2011 ...

Inside of barn ...

New sheep paddock ...

Hubby digging holes ...

Holding pen ...

Inside of holding pen ...

A couple of small cedars ...

Good morning to all ... Not raining YET here in KY. but it will ... This post is in reference to my very FIRST post on this blog. Which was October 4, 2009. If you go here you can read that post. Anyway, that post received no comments back then ... but wait, that post has been an all time most read post on my blog. Not only is is the most read ... it is the post that gets the most hits when using a search engine ... which in turn, gets me the most e mail request for questions about the barn and sheep ... So I thought today I would show you what the barn looks like now and answer a few of the most asked questions ... As most of you know we sold our Amish farm last year ... So with this farm it is like starting over. Which in some aspects are good and some not so good ... in fact very tiring for a couple of old folks ... When we decided to build a barn for the sheep, we had the sheep in mind ... I wanted it to look good as well as be used. Over my years of raising sheep, I notice that sheep are very flighty ... some more than others. Mine very flighty! After my very first lambing season, I realised that my sheep did not like to be confined ... that it was not natural to them ... only to me. I wanted a barn that would:

1. Give them shelter from the elements.

2. Make the sheep feel safe without feeling confined.

3. Be able to close them if need be.

All have been accomplished ... so here are a few answers to the most asked questions. The size of the small sheep barn is 16x16 total the size that is enclosed is 10x16 and as you can see from the inside stalls we have divided them and there is plenty of room. We added windows only for the fact of the sun to warm them in the winter ... but, I feel that they are not necessary. The siding on the barn is rough cut oak and has been very durable. This barn has proven to be very useful and was not a costly undertaking. However, with my ever increasing flock ... I find them needing a bit more space ... so this year (I hope) we will add a 10x10 lean two section onto one side which will give them a bit more space ... This weekend we added a holding pen for the girls for shearing ... and gathering lambs for tagging,worming and such. Hubby did a great job ... Now all we have to do is train Bert to push them in ... Speaking of Bert, he is doing quite well at that ... I took him into the pasture the other day ... And watched as he gathered all the lambs from the far end of the pasture and brought them to the front where their mothers were. I am ever hopeful that he will be something other than Ernie's buddy. The new sheep paddock is finished and will allow protection from the elements in the other pasture, we wanted it longer than the other and not so tall ... accomplished! Boy,I sure have rambled on here ... Last photo is of a few cedars on the property. When we moved here they were covered over by the tall grass ... not the case now. I just love cedars ... they have that natural Christmas tree shape to them and they grow like weeds here in KY. Have a wonderful day ...
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-04-17T05:25:00.000-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

Fanny Mae ... A Success Story ...

2011-04-16T07:19:00.016-05:00

Fanny Mae ...

Goose with new gosling ...

Sheep paddock finished ...

Happy Saturday to you all ... Just wanted to update you on Fannie Mae ... Well, even though it is not a good photo of her ( she was just stretching and shaking herself off) she looks pretty good. Her tail has finally dropped off and she is putting on a little bit more weight slowly ... she is not so frail and has learned to flock with the others. For that I am thankful ... I did not want her isolated from the flock. At night she sleeps with the other lambs and has adjusted to her feedings. And knows that when she is done she goes back with the flock. Although she is till thin compared to the lambs with mothers ... she is doing well. She is quite a bit taller than the others (long legs) so she looks thinner. The ewe that gave birth to her is a B.L and is a taller breed sheep than the Cheviots.
If you look at the photo with the geese you will see a very small gray gosling ... the goose that hatched her,insisted on building her nest outside the barn ... so she lost several to drowning in the bad storms we have had. What has always amazed me about geese (I've raised them for 17 years) is they are so diligent about sitting on a nest. Once they get all the eggs into the nest ... they sit and sit and sit and sit! Really, they will not move off of it! And the last photo is of a new sheep paddock ... it was to far to walk to get a better photo ... I will post one at a later date. Sheep love it. It will keep them out of the rain and sun. More rain today ... Well, thats about it for happenings at the farm. Have a great weekend!
Teri♥♥♥

My Wool is Here... What to Do ... What to Do ...

2011-04-12T07:50:00.014-05:00

My Heavens to Betsy wool ... I just love the colors ...

This is Dorr Mill wool ... I just love how it comes all tied up so pretty ...

This is what the colors look like ...

My wool arrived this week from a few places that were recommended to me. Thank you all for that ... It is sooooo pretty ... Now, all I have to do is get better at hooking, learn how to over dye ... and get a cutter ... all simple tasks right ... Anyway, for now I am just looking at it and thinking ... should I get a book on over dying? should I purchase the wool dying recipes on EBay? should I use it as is?should I get a cutter? What kind of cutter? Not that I can't use my rotary cutter with a new blade ... Or should I just wait until I become a better hooker? to use this wool? to purchase a cutter? to dye any wool? So many questions ... I feel like a kid in a candy store ... Anyway, have a great week ... Rain here, which is putting a halt to all the outside projects ...

Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-04-10T06:22:00.002-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

Their Baaaaack ......

2011-04-09T10:20:00.026-05:00

Red buds are back ...

Daffy's are back ...

Plum blossoms are back ...

Johnny Jump-Ups are back ...

And lastly ... If you remember last fall, all I was left with after my move was 2 small Sweet Annie plants ...

Sweet Annie is back ...

Happy Saturday! Their back! Finally! I think (fingers crossed) Spring is here at long last. Much work to be done outside today ... As you can see from my last photo my Sweet Annie has managed to come back with a vengeance ... YaaaaaY! I can't wait to have it bundled and drying again. If you look on my side bar and go to labels ... you will see Sweet Annie ... you can go there to read about my past crops ... Have a happy day.
Teri♥♥♥

I've Graduated ... Well, Sort Of ... And a Confession ...

2011-04-05T05:19:00.004-05:00

My Pennies ...

I've graduated ... Well, sort of ... I am no longer rug hooking squares ... I now have graduated to circles or pennies ... LoL! And backgrounds ... Which I might add are hard ... But, I think I am still on a learning curve ... BTW, how long does that curve last? After my last rug hooking post I received several very helpful e mails ... Courtny at Sassafras and Winterberry really helped me out and suggested a few things that would help me with my hooking ... So I took her advice and purchased my first wool bundle from Dorr Mill Store .... I thought I would use my rotary cutter to cut my wool strips... At least until I can find a used cutter ...
I also purchased a few books from Amazon (with my employee discount) one of the books I purchased was With These Hands I can't wait to get this book. I don't know what made me choose this book ... but, the really strange thing was, right after I purchased it I was checking my dashboard for updates, and went over to see what Lauren at Rugs and Pugs had posted ... and the strange thing was she had a post about a rug from the same book! Now I really can't wait to get it. Back to my little rug, after looking at the photo I see these little tiny specks of the linen showing through ... But, while hooking the rug it seems that if I were to go any closer, the loops would be squeezing together to tight. How do you remedy this? Does it go away when the rug is steamed? Do I need to hook my loops closer?
And my confession ... I love wool ... I love to touch it on the sheep, I love to spin it, and now I love to hook it. Have a great week ...
Teri♥♥♥

Lambing Season is Officially over ......

2011-04-04T08:03:00.007-05:00

Daisy's ram lamb born Friday ...

Eve ... one of my Shetlands with lamb born Saturday ...

As much as I love lambing season, I am always glad when it is over ... This morning the last of my ewes (Connie) had a beautiful ewe lamb (photo to come). So now, lambing season is officially over at White Sheep Farm ...
And really, it was a pretty good year ... Only two bottle lambs and both (Frankie & Fanny Mae) are doing fine. Which as a shepherdess, it always makes me happy to know that I have done the best job that I can for my girls. Eve, one of my Shetlands had the cutest little ewe lamb (Felicia) she is all black with a white patch on the very top of her head. Can't wait to see what she will grow up to look like.
And the best part to the end of lambing is when all (most)go to there new homes. I always love to see peoples faces as they pick up their new lambs. All ewe lambs and most ram lambs are spoken for ... Going to try to stay ahead of the rain as I clean up the left over winters hay ... Have a great day.

Sunday Smile ......

2011-04-03T05:07:00.000-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

A day of Sun ... And new Experiences ...

2011-03-30T05:47:00.000-05:00

Fanny Mae ...

Such a beautiful day yesterday ... I took Fanny Mae out of the pen that she has been in for over a week ... she had her first taste of grass and being able to run freely. I am still very torn on making her a pet ... I do not want her to be isolated from the others and want her to belong to the flock ... I am hoping that will happen soon. But I also want her to know me and remember me. She is absolutely beautiful and soft. Rain here today. Have a great week.
Teri♥♥♥

A couple of Thank U's ... And a few Questions ...

2011-03-28T14:28:00.012-05:00

Thank you Becky ...

Becky from Primitives n Stitchin won my spring giveaway ... Not only did she send me a Thank you via e mail ... She also sent me this great note saying she loves following my blog and this neat necklace that says "I'd rather be hooking" on one side and the other side says "wool" ... Thanks so much Becky!

Another thank you to ...

This next thank you goes to ... First I have to tell you this wonderful person did not want me to put this on my blog or be recognized ... And, I hope she does not get mad at me for doing this ... But, anyone who is as nice and giving as this person is, deserves to be recognized and thanked! Because, not only did she give freely of materials and money to ship those wonderful items ... she gave of her time! So THANK YOU Lauren at Rugs and Pugs. Lauren e mailed me after my Goldilocks post and asked for my address so she could send me some linen. Well, as you can see in the photo she also sent me a bag full of wool worms to play with. And a very encouraging note ...

So off to practice with all those wool worms ...

With Fanny Mae not consuming all of my time now ... I have had a few minutes here and there ... So, I tried out the linen ... Okay, I have found my foundation! I love it! Now at some point I am going to have to do something other than a square right?
Now, I have a few question ...
?1. Not having a wool cutter ... where is the best place to purchase wool from? In Lauren's note she said that I would LOVE some of the Wool And HATE some of the wool she sent! Boy, was she ever right!
?2. How do you make those beautiful backgrounds? Where do you start? How do you know what colors to blend?
?3. What is the easiest way to bind a mat? With wool strips or yarn?
And my last thank you is to all my followers who have taken their time to encourage and help me with my rug hooking ...
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-03-27T05:07:00.001-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

Fanny Mae ... One week old today ...

2011-03-26T10:04:00.005-05:00

Getting stronger every day ...

Just thought I would snap a shot of her this morning while feeding her ... As you can see, she is adapting to the bottle quite well ... I also have a bucket in the barn with nipples on it for her to drink from during the day while I am at work ... A little cold here last couple of days ... So she has on one of the little red coats to keep her warm ... Have a great weekend.
Teri♥♥♥

Fanny Mae Update ......

2011-03-24T18:11:00.012-05:00

Fanny Mae today ...

Fanny Mae and her step brother ...

First I want to say thank you to all who have e mailed me about Fanny Mae. I thought I would take a few shots after she ate. As you can see, she is doing just fine ... I think she is over the hump.
So here is what I did not tell you about her. She was born to a BAD mother ... this you know. Well, I have people on a waiting list for bottle lambs. I do NOT take them from the ewe ... I sell them if there is a problem ... like little Frankie ... the ewe just did not have the milk for him ... And I just don't have time for a bottle baby ... So, back to my list ... I called the next person on the list and asked if she wanted Fanny Mae " oh, yes of course" I told her that I did not think that she nursed any from the ewe ... which means NO colostrum ... She said that was fine. She has a friend who has some and she will bring it with her when she picks her up. GREAT! or so I thought ... Well, I'm not going to go into the thick of it ... but, she changed her mind ... Sunday morning! So now, no colostrum ... until Monday! And not all of my sheep "stuff" is handy with our move ... Anyway, I do the raw egg in the milk replacer and hope (pray) for her to hold on ... In the mean time ... Ashley had her twins ... so I tried to graft Fanny Mae ... wash her with soapy water ... and take the newborn uncleaned lamb and rub head ... butts and hope for the best. Monday I run to the feed store and pick up a Colostrum oral gel ... inject it for three days ... and pray some more. Well, today Fanny Mae is six days old ... and eats like a pig! I have kept Ashley and her twins in the barn with her for comfort and warmth ... She is adapting to life ... As I always say ... things happen for a reason and a purpose ... Did I have anything to do with her six days of life? ... well ... maybe just a speck ... But, whoever or whatever is responsible for her ... Thank You! Have a wonderful night.
Teri♥♥♥

More lambs ... And Fanny Mae's story ...

2011-03-21T10:00:00.023-05:00

Ashley had her lambs on Saturday night ... One ewe lamb and one ram ...

Cody had her twin ram lambs last Thursday ...

And this is Fanny Mae on Saturday ...

Ernie helping me finish cleaning Fanny Mae ...

And this is Fanny Mae this morning ...

Many of you who follow along with my blog stop by on Sunday mornings for my "Sunday Smile" ... I try to post a photo that will make you all smile as well as show you how my animals are a big part of my life. Well, this past Sunday was no different, only that photo was of Fannie Mae. She was born sometime on Saturday ... By the time I found her she was wondering around the pasture ... in search of the mother who left her. I have NEVER had a ewe do what this one did ... From what I am guessing ... she delivered the lamb ... started cleaning it ... and then ... I don't know, she just took off. I picked the lamb up and brought her over to the ewe ... and she ran away! Yes, from her own lamb! So I had to finish cleaning her up ... (Ernie helped with that job) I fed her, gave her a colostrum replacement ... tried to graft her onto Ashley ... but, she wouldn't take her. She is still eating ... but, it doesn't look good. I do hope that she makes it. You see Fanny Mae is the lamb that I have been dreaming about since I started raising sheep ... She is a Border Leicester crossed with a Cheviot. Something I have wanted to do for so very long. She is perfect and beautiful! Now, I just hope she will make it. Back to the barn. Have a great day.
Teri♥♥♥

Happy Spring ... And here is the answer ...

2011-03-20T15:00:00.005-05:00

Daffodils ...

So, not only is that the answer ...but ... those are the surprise gift that go with the giveaway ... my handmade daffydills ... Check back to this post after 5 P.M. CST for the winner.

And the winner is ...

Becky Jean ...

Congrats to Becky Jean, contact me via my tab at the page top and I will ship them off. Thanks to all who participated.
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-03-20T06:47:00.002-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

One more day to enter ......

2011-03-19T06:34:00.009-05:00

One more day to enter my spring giveaway ... if you go here it will take you there ... Good luck, and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see the correct answer and the winner will be drawn at 5 P.M. CST March 20, 2011. Have a great weekend!
Teri♥♥♥

The first black lamb ... at White Sheep Farm ...

2011-03-17T16:07:00.007-05:00

Ernie checking things out ...

This little guy was born Tuesday ... and is like a bullet already ... It is hard to get a photo of him ... Mom is either protecting him ... or he is scooting somewhere. This is quite a change for me ... My very first non white lamb ... And sooooo small, almost tiny. He is a purebred Shetland ram lamb that will be a wether unless I find someone who wants him. Either way he is as cute as he can be ... And totally unafraid of dogs!
Teri♥♥♥

I think I have the Goldilocks Syndrome ......

2011-03-15T05:19:00.001-05:00

I hope I can finish it ...

This is a pattern I purchased quite a while ago in hopes of learning ... I probably should not have started it as my second project ... But again, I feel I have to jump in and give it a go ... This is on burlap ... not really liking this to hook on ... I feel as though I am having to wrestle with it. However, I like it better than the monks cloth ... that just seems to loose and this is to tight ... I'm starting to feel a little like Goldilocks ... this bed is to soft thing ... Next stop linen ... which I hope is the "just right" in hooking for me. as for the pattern ... I'm not sure where I am going to go with it ... Guess I'll just figure it out as I go ... Still no 10 minute hooker ... Any suggestions?
Have a great week ...Teri♥♥♥

Meet Blinkin ......

2011-03-14T04:14:00.000-05:00

Blinkin a NASSA ram ...

My new Shetland ram ... I will be picking him up in a month ... He comes from a hand spinners flock in KY. I am very happy to have found him ... And hope he preforms well this fall. I love the color of his wool. Rain here ... What else is new ... Stay dry.
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-03-13T07:07:00.003-05:00

Teri♥♥♥

I'm no 10 minute Hooker ... Yet ...

2011-03-08T05:38:00.001-06:00

It's small ... but, I finished it ...

I tried to keep all loops the same height ...

I stated to think about rug hooking quite a while ago ... But life's little things got in the way ... And I did not feel as though I could do it ... However, at the time I did receive some great advice from several hookers. So, I put it on the back burner and started collecting wool strips here and there in hopes of one day I would find someone, anyone to teach me rug hooking ... Well, I realize now, that I may never find someone ... And I really don't want that to stop me from learning this most wonderful craft. Soooo, I have pushed forward in small ways ... reading, looking at rugs and so on ... So, yesterday I decided to put the wool and the hook together ... I wanted to start small ... really small. I tried to concentrate on keeping all loops at the same height ... I really don't think I succeeded ... but not to bad ... I think. Here is what I did find out ... That all wool is NOT created equal ... And, I can understand why you would want to cut your own wool. Not everyone cuts a #8 the same! But ... one thing I do know is that I want to continue with it ... and hope that I can someday become a real hooker ...
Teri♥♥♥

A little more Progress ......

2011-03-07T06:45:00.009-06:00

Wood barn is almost done ...

This past weekend was kind of a wash ... I started with a scratchy throat on Thursday morning and left work. Sunday I felt a little better and this morning so far I can breath out of my nose ... A big plus! My cold is traveling downward to my chest. So I'm sure it will be at least another week before I feel really good again.
So ... here is my peeve ... I know not everyone can afford to stay home when they are sick ... I got that ... but, at least if you are sick ... try to stay away from people as much as possible ... I really don't need a blow by blow account of how sick you are ... I feel for ya ... but I don't want it. Is that mean?
The photo of the wood barn was taken 2 weekends ago, when we had good weather ... It is coming along slow ... but progress is good ... The weather has been so bad this year that we couldn't finish it, so when it is nice out we work on that. All that is left to do now is four more windows, top half of the dutch door and the batting on the boards. And then on to the chicken coop, two sheep paddocks and in the meantime the inside of the house ... Not quite sure I will live long enough to see it all done ... LoL ... I sure do hope so ... Have a great day.
Teri♥♥♥

Sunday Smile ......

2011-03-06T06:18:00.005-06:00

Teri♥♥♥