Crafting Homestead

Category: Family

  • So much has changed

    It’s been so long since I have posted here. So many things are different.

    The fact that I have not been working is one of my dreams, NOT that I don’t want to work. Rather I want to work doing what I love… and I have been. So, though times are difficult and many people are struggling, for which I am tremendously sad, I have been flourishing! This extra time has allowed me to accomplish so many of the projects I have for myself. Still a very long way from completing them, however it feels amazing to be so productive.

    Another blessing is that my children are home more. <3 😀 Crazy schedules are gone, though in comparison with many other families ours was quite calm. My two teens are still working, my husband still has his job (so grateful for that, he would be wildly unhappy if he was trapped at home).

    In any case, in the coming days and weeks, I look forward to sharing some of the projects, crafts, ideas, organizing, recycling, and masks that I have been spending my time WORKING on.

    Until then, please be safe.

  • A NEW BABY IS COMING!

    A NEW BABY IS COMING!

    One of my darling sons along with, of course, his wonderful wife, is expecting their first child this year. We are SOOO excited! This will be our sixth grandchild and second grand-daughter. She is due on our 17 year olds birthday.

    We just attended the baby shower which was lovely. Sadly, some folks selected gifts from the registry but didn’t actually get them.  NO WORRIES!  My husband and I are ready to help out. Miss Ava Mae will have everything that Mommy and Daddy want her to have.  🙂

    So this is what we will be buying for the little princess:

    Snookums Baby Mirror

     

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    We hope these will help Mommy and Daddy keep Miss Ava Mae comfortable.

    Maybe in the next post I will share what we have already given the little family…really wish I had already taken the pictures.  sigh…

    (Last of my delayed drafts hiding among my folders…time to move on to current items!)

  • Welcome 2018!

    2017 was a great year.

    It had it’s moments of unpleasantness, but overall it was quite lovely. Certainly more wonderful than 2016. It is my great hope that 2018 will be better still. Towards the end of the year I opted to do many things related to my “business”. As October was underway, I pulled my items from the local store and chose to focus on craft fairs. The tricky part about wanting a business is that you want to make money, right? Most folks know that you also must invest (spend) money to make money…why is it tricky? I didn’t happen to have money to spend to have products to sell.  UGH! Some of my items are created from re-purposed materials, which helps, but in addition to having items, if you are looking to sell at craft fairs, you have to pay for your space up front.

    SOOOOO, I only attended one craft fair, but I feel it was successful as I came home with more money than I had paid for the space.  Did it cover my materials and time? Not really. Maybe next year. Meanwhile, I have been enjoying making designs to sell on Etsy.  the beauty of those are that, being digital files, I do not have to physically mail anything, it is automatic. Sure, there are substantial fees (compared to the price per item), and sales are slower than my dreams. I’m happy knowing that I have moved beyond the starting line.

    Therefore this means, to me, that I have a head start on 2018 and things will be terrific!

    Wishing you all similar terrific-ness and success for your 2018!

  • Changes are on the horizon

    Changes are on the horizon

    What a whirlwind life has been these past few weeks! I thought once school things were settled, it would be back to normal. NOPE! We’ve had Dr appointments like crazy! Some folks deal with those on a regular basis, not us. We all see the doctor once a year for physicals, dentist twice a year for cleanings and eye doctor once a year for good measure. Then we’re done, but not this year. This year we have GI issues, still trying to determine if it’s Celiac’s or something else. When the 16 year old avoids gluten (oh, and dairy now as well), she feels better…but instead of just going with that we apparently must see all the specialists, do all the lab work, twice and keep the child out of school to do it. UGH!

    The 15 year old had surgery when she was 9 and is experiencing some discomfort near the scar tissue. The original surgeon and her pediatrician suggested physical therapy, that didn’t do anything. Different doctor in the same practice said to consult a local surgeon who performs that same surgery for their input. Did that, got the x-rays. He seems to think that it’s likely coincidental regarding the location, may be unrelated to the surgery (both initial and follow-up). Waiting to hear about the x-rays.

    Yesterday the 16 went to the dentist, she said her gums were swollen all the way in the back. It’s pretty early, but I’m thinking wisdom teeth. X-ray, and YES, they are impacted. GREAT! More doctors appointments and more missing school.

    Oh there’s more, the 16 year old just started working a month ago. She’s saving her money so she can get her license. She has the permit, and has been practicing, but it’s almost time for the whole enchilada. She is also an actor in the local Haunted House.

    All this while I have been trying so very hard to get my business really geared up. Trying to get my name and products out there. I have many orders, mostly for family, and therefore, are gifts. I had many of my items in a local craft/gift store as you may recall having read. Her shop has been doing very well, it’s chock-full of all kinds of things. My products seemed to not quite fit in, somehow. Some things sold, but it wasn’t profitable enough so this evening I will be bringing it back home and I will resort to craft fairs for the season. They are fun and I will enjoy them.  Meanwhile, I HAVE learned quite a bit about making my own designs and have actually listed quite a few for sale on Etsy.  At this point only 2 sales however, those designs don’t really owe me anything. I made them for whatever project I wanted to make, now someone else can make something.  If you visit Etsy, look for me : CraftingByValerie

    Anyway, time to finish up my other orders. Hopefully, word of mouth will continue and the paying customers will find me. 😉

  • My sad garden

    My sad garden

    I started a bit late.

    The hectic schedules around here keep me on my toes and any plans I ever attempt are constantly thwarted by anything two teenage girls can come up with. For instance yesterday, the 15 year old technically still has school although finals were done last week. The time of her orthodontist appointment required me to pick her up from school. Between the school and the office I notice my Jeep was shimmy-ing at 55 mph, and a peculiar burning kind of smell. Everything else seemed OK, but being half an hour from home with a child made me anxious. Called my darling husband, if he says to go ahead and drive it home, I will. BUT he says he’s coming down (thank all that is good that he was HOME) and he will check it out. He does and it turns out I only need a new brakes, caliper, and rotor. However, my quick jaunt that I would have been home by 3:30 turned into all kinds of other tasks. Calling part stores, going to the store to retrieve said parts, calling on friends with a garage to impose on them to fix. UGH! It has to be done sooner than later as we are travelling next week.

    The silver lining…it happened while we were still here and not far from home.

    Back to the garden, it’s sad. I planted a few things: peas, kale, lettuce, carrots, watermelon, and beets. I also planted some cantaloupe seeds from a cantaloupe we had just eaten. When some of the seeds sprouted I was thrilled, then I realized I had no idea what it was. The seeds look like pumpkin seeds, but we didn’t have pumpkin. I thought they were cantaloupe, but they are too big.  What the heck did I plant?? I guess we will have to wait an see.

    I also thought, what the heck and put a couple of small potatoes in there, a garlic clove, an onion that had begun to sprout, and two green onions that were growing wild.

  • Summer is almost here!

    It’s quickly approaching one year since beginning my blog. I had hoped to already be moved, definitely further along with being self-sufficient, and having a thriving blog business. However, although it hasn’t happened yet, we are still proceeding in that direction.

    The school year is almost over, just 4 more days, then a wedding, a week to prepare for a little vacation, the vacation and BANG, serious time.

    Things have been going fairly well. The crafts I have been making are selling at Stacey’s shop. Well, actually, I hope, find out today as I pay her rent for the start of my 3rd month with her. Hopefully she has a generous check for me.  🙂  I am about to place a large order of supplies for my stock along with another piece of equipment to help with the process. My husband is always so agreeable. He sees my commitment much more than he has in the past, yes he never denies me whatever I look to pursue.

    The crafts are only a part of the plan. They will provide the fun and peace in my life…and maybe even some cash to pay for necessities.  😉

    Truly the most challenging thing is having teenage girls. The rough daily mental plan I make for myself each day generally gets tossed right out the window as soon as they wake up. Yesterday was the first day of high school finals. One child didn’t get to finish one test because of some issue which happened during the last class under the supervision of a substitute teacher. So, a make up test (??) involving staying after school seems to be in order. The other teen only has one exam so wishes to not remain at school the entire day. Meanwhile, I *am* still working, two schools are on half-day schedule, but the third is not. Both girls attend separate high schools, about 5 minute drive away from each other, but 30 minutes from our home. SO…do I go to work (driving) for 3 hours, drive 30 minutes to school #1, drive her home, go back to work and drive for 2 hours, drive to school #2, drive her back home, go back to work again for an hour to keep them happy? This means that the few moments I could accomplish *anything* would be gone AND I would be driving in the blistering heat of the third day in our heat wave. I hate sweating. Yes,my vehicle has AC, but my large yellow tin can does not. That’s assuming I have “my” bus as yesterday it was out of commission, having to borrow 2 others. Am I complaining? I kind of feel like I am complaining.  🙁 Have I mentioned that I don’t like to drive? I know, wacky that I am a bus driver, but remember, that was  means to an end. So I could drive the motor home coach.

    Sheesh! I have typed a book already and we haven’t even talked about dance. So much more to talk about, yet, no time. I’m going to get ready for the day – STAY COOL and enjoy yours. 🙂

  • It’s been a while.

    So much has been going on. Just that time of year I suppose. Things are beginning to wrap up. The school year is almost over and the extra-curricular activities have all but stopped.  PHEW!

    Girl Scouts has finished, field trips are done, the recital is over…the count down to the last day of school and then…

    There is one major and totally awesome event left: A WEDDING!

    Yes, on June 17, 2017, we will be attending our youngest sons wedding! The ceremony and reception will be held at the brides mother’s house. We recently attended the bridal shower which was also held there – WHAT FUN! Their backyard, while small, has all the elements of a vacation spot, specifically Key West! There is the all important bar area, the gazebo area, the fire pit area, the beach area (!!), the tiki area and the patio area.  All kinds of memorabilia and decor to make you feel as if you are on vacation in the Keys. I dare say, the only things missing was the salt water smell. I bet we could figure that one out!  😉

    The Bride and Groom are keeping everything simple and low-key,  it will be small (under 50 people). Not an easy task when the Groom’s immediate family is 24 (grandparents, parents, siblings, significant others, niece & nephews).

    I do hope to post again prior to the wedding as I have been busy making crafts…so busy making things, that I haven’t switched gears to attempt to sell them.Definitely have to work on that!

    So, toodles until next time…

  • Loving life

    Loving life

    Campfire in Virginia.

  • WOOOIE!

    WOOOIE!

    I love my kids SOOO much! We all love our kids, right? That’s how it’s supposed to be. We’re proud of them, take care of them, try like the Dickens to do the right things, while at least sometimes feeling like a complete failure.

    Well, I feel like an awesome mom this week (well, sort of, fighting some kind of cold this week)! We had a Sweet 16 party for, wait for it…our 16 year old on Saturday.  I don’t want to brag…wait, yes, I do…IT WAS GREAT! Everything went smoothly, she was happy, the other kids had fun, a bunch of family was there and they had fun, too.

    It was like having a mini wedding. We sent invitations, hired a hall, DJ, photographer, theme was masquerade, made decorations.  Everything was color coordinated, including her brother who escorted her into the party when the DJ made the announcement. There was the Father/Daughter dance, can you say “tear-jerker” OMG! It was great. She had her nails, hair, and make-up done. It was a production! I took mostly videos and I haven’t received the CD of pictures  from the photographer yet…so not many pictures yet. While I await them, please enjoy these. <3

    Yummy subs! ACKKK! The banner shifted! It is not straight and letters are not even…my OCD *hates* this.

    C & Oma, frosting courtesy of the sister.

    Papa with C

     

    Kids at the soda bar. Notice the fast moving grandson in the foreground. 😉

     

    The Candy Bar

    Most of the fam

  • Motorhome news

    Winter is the perfect time to get work done on the motorhome. Instead of taking up so much space in our driveway, it’s away getting some TLC. We needed  to get some caulking done and a few frivolous things, like gutters. Had them check out the belts, hoses and brakes…all fine. PHEW! But we learned that the tires were beginning to show some dry rot…UGH! We had been planning to take a lengthy trip and what a horrible surprise it would have been to discover that away from home.  We have AAA and Good Sam, but replacing 6 tires is no joke! $310/tire. 😛 So, since it’s having an extended stay at the dealers,may as well do a few other things. The sink is horrible, stainless steel, but rusted (hmmmm), not to mention the drain was higher than the bottom of the sink, meaning water sat in the sink. The faucet also crowed the sink so the large corn pot just wasn’t getting washed inside. So, new faucets all around (kitchen, bathroom and shower), I’m not a primadonna (promise), but my DH wants them to match.

    We can hardly wait to try it all out. For now we are just going to chill out waiting for the blizzard on Tuesday…THEN we’ll starting dreaming of our vacations!

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