The Never Ending To-Do List

                This weekend I got to take in the High Plains Quilt Festival and it was fantastic!  It is a smaller quilt show but the talent that comes out for it is always amazing.  The variety of quilts and the level of handiwork that comes from our rural area is just fabulous.  I was so sad that I didn’t have as much time as I usually do to look around and take in all the beauty but even in the short time I was there I was inspired.  The miniature quilts were unbelievable and I was pleased to see all of the seasonal quilts that were there this year.  I don’t remember there being that many seasonal quilts in the past and since I want to try a Christmas wall hanging this year it was great to see!

                I did slip up and buy a jelly roll pack in beautiful batiks and also a panel that gets assembled into a quiet book.  The upside to this is that neither of these must be done or used right away so at least it doesn’t add to my immediate to-do list.  The only way it has taken up my time so far is me researching different jelly roll quilt ideas on pinterest.  I suppose it could be a lot worse though! 

                I don’t know if anyone else has this issue but when you go to events like this it can make for an overwhelming few days following.  It makes me want to try new projects and new things but I still have a list a mile long of other projects that have been started that I need to complete.  I had a killer to-do list going and finally took the time to prioritize it yesterday.  It was a seriously difficult task to even prioritize which is never a good sign.  There are some projects I feel must get done before the baby arrives and others I want to get done before the baby arrives.  Then there are the Christmas gifts.  Every year I have the intent of making gifts for family and friends as I think the sentiment is so nice but I usually fail at this.  This year I feel my determination is even greater than normal but that could all change in a hurry.  There are 17 items on my “to-sew” list and I hope to knock out a few a week and have things under control in no time!

                How do you organize your projects and prioritize your to do list?

Mom/Daughter Sewing Project

My mom and I are about to embark on a new adventure.  She will be arriving in a few weeks to help welcome the new baby but also so we can have some great mom/daughter time before the baby arrives.  One thing we are wanting to do is to do a quilt together.  Let me be more specific, each do our own quilt but do the same pattern and process.  I simply can’t wait for this project!

My mom and I have very different styles when it comes to sewing/crafting/creating/organizing.  She is very precise and methodical.  I tend to throw stuff together and hope it all works out in the end.  This really can make it fun to work together as we tend to balance each other out really well.  When I have something that calls for a pattern (my worst nightmare!) she is always there to help me actually follow the rules so things turn out as they should.  When she has something with limited directions I am there encouraging her to “just wing it” and see how it ends!  That is why I am so excited for this project.  This project comes from www.dontcallmebetsy.com and we are going to do one of her quilt-a-longs that she did a few years ago called Kaleidoscope.  The fun thing about this is that the trial and error stage is already over and we can see others designs and finished projects for inspiration. 

Mom has been throwing around a lot of color ideas and I still haven’t heard what she has settled on.  I have a huge stash of red fabrics and some wonderful beige fabric that would be perfect for a background (think camel colored lightly tooled leather) so I think that is what I am going to try.  There are so many variations that can really change the look of the design.  It will be fun to see how this all ends up!  I can’t wait for her to get here and for us to get our projects underway!

 

Finished product from www.dontcallmebetsy.com

Meat Processing

A couple of weeks ago Michael took some friends and their family out to the ranch for prong horned antelope hunting.  They were interested in the hunt as a family adventure and in the mount.  This worked out perfectly as I was wanting to add variety to our freezer so we got to keep the meat.  They went out early in the morning and were successful in their hunt!  They did all of the dressing work (and I am not talking about dressing dolls) out in the field so all we had to do was process the meat how we wanted once it was cooled properly. 

This past weekend we got to finish that processing.  I am fairly familiar with the butchering process but I had never done anything with game meat.  Michael did all the major cutting and then we worked together to process the meat.  Antelope is a tasty meat but can be very dry as there is almost no fat.  We kept about 6 pounds of meat for stew and then kept the back strap and a few other pieces to have in their entirety.  The rest we ground for hamburger.  Because the meat can be so dry we made our own blend.  We bought pork fat and Boston Butt pork roast to add to the mix.  First we ground everything separately in a coarse grind.  Then, we mixed everything together and ground it again in a finer grind.  The ideal ratio for us turned to be about 50% antelope, 25% pork fat and 25% pork roast.  After grinding the meat we packaged it into 1 to 3 pound packages and vacuum sealed everything so it will stay fresh as long as possible.  With the cost of the sealer bags and the extra pork we added we figured it came out to less than $1.00/pound.  After all of that we ended with about 70 pounds of ground meat.

Some people are game meat purists and think mixing different meats isn’t necessary as the flavor can be great on its own and for some meats they are exactly right.  For us and our liking though mixing was what we wanted to do.  It would be crazy to do a blend that we knew we wouldn’t enjoy and let all that meat go to waste!  Anyways, this process was very time consuming but was worthwhile.  Call me crazy but there is something rewarding about knowing that I am consuming something that we processed and came off of our ranch.  We have already used some of the meat for burgers on the grill and they were delicious.  The biggest thing I learned from the experience was how much work it is.  It was a good sized antelope but after all the trimming and processing we really weren’t left with that much meat.  I know for sure I will appreciate the food I make with this a little more than normal after being a part of the process!

Just getting started - putting our meat grinder to work - coarse grind was the first step.

 

Michael was very excited to use the grinder attachment.  It worked fantastic!

 

Colorado Camping

 At the beginning of July we got to escape away for a little vacation.  My parents flew to visit us and then we drove to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit with my mom’s sister and her family.  We left my parents to stay with them and we continued on the rest of our adventure.  We visited Michael’s sister in Carbondale, CO before heading out camping on our own.  We had such a great time camping.  We only went for two nights as pregnancy was already starting to make things interesting (ie: sleeping on the ground) but enjoyed the experience.  We camped near Redstone, CO along Avalanche Creek.  Our campsite was remote and we didn’t have anyone around us.  We were just a short walk from the creek as well.  It was my goal to get into a body of water bigger than my bathtub on this getaway as living in the desert (at least I think it feels like the desert although technically, it isn’t) keeps me from doing this at will.  Thank goodness I was able to succeed!  The weather was surprisingly warm (in the 90’s) but the streams were still very cold.  It didn’t stop me from getting in though!  All those years swimming off the east coast really got me in prime shape for cold water that I have encountered elsewhere.  It would probably take icebergs to keep me out!  Campfire cooking was also a blast.  Michael was so much fun to grocery shop with as we got to have some great junk food (he said it was one of the best things about camping and he was right!) but we also got to create some tasty meals as well.  It was fun to see what we could invent to get what we needed!

 

After camping we headed towards Crested Butte, CO and spent the night there.  We loved the little cozy town and thought the valley was just beautiful.  After a yummy breakfast in Gunnison, CO we headed back towards home.  It was such a nice getaway that was a perfect blend of visiting with family and having some new adventures of our own.  Here are a few pictures!

Proud of his tent set up.  This was the first location for the tent but it was way to lumpy so it had to be relocated.

 

Still proud at spot number 2!

  

Afternoon shower and rainbow, view from our campsite.

 

Tiny tent but worked well!

 

 Kabobs for supper. Yum!

 

Our high tech, double filtration coffee pot.

Ready to steep!

 

On the drive headed towards Crested Butte, CO

 

 

A New Distraction

I have an addiction to project searching.  I LOVE to travel from blog to blog and see what people all around the country and world are working on.  Many times I see blog writers refer to the website Craftsy.com.  I had never been to Craftsy but this week found myself finally wandering over there.  Basically it is a mecca for patterns, online classes and project ideas for all mediums of crafting.  There is everything from cooking to photography to weaving.  Of course, I spend the majority of my time looking through the sewing and quilting sections.  Many of the items I have come across cost money however, there are many that are free.  By joining Craftsy (for free) I get to try a class for free so I will do that before spending any money on an online class.  Plus, I am one to usually take advantage of the free patterns before going for a paid one.  Below are a few free patterns that I have saved to my pattern library so some day (hopefully soon) I can go back and try them!

“Kissy Fish” Baby Quilt Pattern from craftsy.com

 

“A Walk in the Park” Quilt Pattern from craftsy.com

“Oh My Stars!” Pattern (Part of a Quilt Along) from Craftsy.com

 

"Stocking Advent Calendar" from Craftsy.com

Is it really October?

So, let’s face the music, it has been months and months since I last posted.  To be honest, it makes me sad! I think about posting all the time and have so much I want to share but I just seem to run out of time!  So what has been taking up all this precious time?  Life.  Very simply put.  The biggest event has been preparing to welcome Baby E into the world.  That’s right, the funny farm is awaiting its newest member.  Our scheduled arrival date is November 11^th so we are almost to the end of this stage!  With that being said this summer was spent trying to squeeze in every activity possible before our lives change forever and we have a trio to travel with.  We also have been so blessed to have lots of visitors from near and far and try and have even gotten to escape for a few weekends away.  Our chickens are growing, the orchard is green and lovely (and without a single pecan due to late freezes) and our momma cows continue to raise fabulous babies.  Life has been progressing at breakneck speed and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

                One thing that has been a blast and highlight to the last few months is the amount of crafting and sewing I have done.  We decided to not find out the gender of the baby so along with my mom and mother-in-law we have been sewing up a storm.  Gender neutral items are not easy to find but that hasn’t been a concern for us!  It has been fun searching high and low for fabrics and then creating fabulous and unique pieces.  I can’t wait to share all that we have been up to and I will post pictures soon!

                Hopefully I will be able to give some more regular updates on life as I feel it has been an exciting time but, then again, I am pretty biased.  In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of the latest happenings!

 

We got a new pup for the place.  Meet Rufus (Or Woofus as he is commonly called) our Bassett Hound puppy that was born April 12th.

 

 He loves ice-cream

 

And riding on the 4-wheeler

 

 He even got a new backpack for school!  Clearly, he is excited for school to start.

 

 Then there is Mao.  This girl got out the house and did a little to much visiting with the neighbors.  We had our own episode of teen mom going on.  Here she is shortly before she had kittens.

 

I came home to check her during lunch break and work and when I got home four hours later she was a momma of 7!  She is the best momma cat ever!  She had her kittens the same day Prince George was born. 

 

The kittens have grown like weeds! Meet Peaches!

 

 

 

We were blessed with some rain this summer which brought many wildflowers out.  The ranch was covered in color this summer!

 

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to this guy.  Honcho passed away unexpectedly.  It breaks my heart to not have him around anymore and I still miss him like crazy.

 

But don't worry, Bossy, the chicken who had the  super glue operation this spring is still doing great.  So great in fact ,she enjoys sitting on our front porch furniture watching the world go by.



 

There is so much going on I will post more soon!