Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sewing Machines


I seriously wonder about the newer sewing machines we have been "blessed" with nowadays. I have this old hand cranked Singer sewing machine and an old Singer treadle. The treadle I could still use if the belt hadn't wore out. If I replaced that I would be off and ~~well off and treadling! The crank Singer still works all you have to do is turn the crank. There isn't much to either machine. You put your fabric under the needle and start sewing. Neither of the machines has a reverse but both machines have attachments to gather and do ruffles and so on. Button holes are done by hand as in Hand Embroidery.
Now I have my new Janome New as in it is over ten years old and a Jonome that is from 1986 or there abouts. Yesterday when I was suppose to be sewing up a storm instead I was storming over sewing machines! The one goes clank and that is it. It needs to go to a hospital no doubt about it. My daughter was running it trying to sew her table runner for a sewing class. But it won't budge at all. It has had this kind of attack some years ago. I had a sewing machine fixer upper
friend fix it. It is no big deal but it is a problem and I do not remember what the problem was. The one I was using is from a friend whose husband bought it for her as an appeasement offering after he went out and bought a fancy motorcycle. She has rarely ever used it so she lent it to me for however long I want to use it. The silly thing has a real thing for gathering all the thread on the bottom in a big lump. It will get sorted out but it has to make sure you burst into tears first and cry out to the LORD for help and threaten to throw it out a window. After you take it apart and clean the lint out and try different needles and so on and so forth suddenly it gets all happy and runs like a charm. By that time you are drinking a couple cups of some kind of nerve calming tea and thinking you will never ever sew another seam again!!
Okay so now the rant is over. I want a sewing machine that runs when I turn it on and
doesn't have issues! Sort of like a vehicle ~~you know I love the ones that you turn the key and vrrroom it starts. No banging on the solinoid, no climbing under the hood to pour gas in the carborator, no rolling it down a hill to jump start it. Tires that stay round~~oh and candy apple red would be nice to boot instead of rust and mixed colours. Oh and while I am at it here how about a computer that just plain works without me trying to figure out why it doesn't
I am sure the machines of this world are trying to drive us crazy then they have a plot to take it over.
Maybe I will go back to the treadle and a horse drawn buggy and pen and ink!! Maybe tomorrow ~~I don't have time today

Ponder the ways of your feet,
And let your ways be established.
Proverbs 4:26

May Your Day be Filled
with Peace and Love
Roxanne

Friday, March 19, 2010

Cottage Industries


For some time now I have been doing baking for a few friends. Baked goods such as homemade bread:white or brown or varieties. Big iced or uniced cinnamon buns, buns as in rolls, baking powder biscuits and have added Angel Biscuits to the list. Cornmeal muffins is another big hit. I can honestly say that it pays for the ingredients and maybe the gas to town(for those who don't know town is an hour and a half away) and if I am really "rich" from all the baking I may be able to even buy a few carrots for us or butter or a bag of wheat or layer pellets for the chickens. Maybe the dogs will get a bag of dog food or treat the cats to a bag of cat food but not really putting money in the bank.
Now that I am no longer working a few hours here and there at the local little tiny store/cafe I have been graciously invited by a close friend to help with sewing. Her sewing business is called babycanucks and will soon have its own web page. In the meantime whilst the web page is being made up I am sewing up diaper covers that are "sew" cute. and one size fits all diapers. The covers are one size fits all also.
Now another friend sent me a message last night after I had told her what we were doing. She thought it was a wonderful cottage industry. Now isn't that fun? Here all this time I thought it was a survival technique!

Well that goes to show one how perspectives come into play.
To give you an idea of how one day is for me here at the ranch I will walk you through one day~~
it usually starts with pulling my legs out from under about three cats and putting my tootsies onto a very cold floor as the window is usually slightly open. Morning ablutions tended to I stoke the fire and start the tea water. Heading for the computer after letting dogs in and dogs out and cats in and cats out.
There is breakfast to tend to. And if it is a baking day as was Wednesday the bread is started. The bread is made by hand ~you know in a bowl mix it up punch it and cover it and let it rise. It makes eight loaves at a time or
five and a half or so buns. Wednesday I did not make cinnamon buns so there was five and a half buns that sell at $3.50/doz. seven dozen baking powder biscuits at $3.00/doz, seven dozen Angel Biscuits at $3.50/doz.
I made Mince Pumpkin Loaves two of them for ourselves. Thawed out a gallon of fish soup our youngest daughter and I had made up from the salmons we had last summer. Made moose meat stew for supper. In amongst all that I fed and watered bunnies , walked the dogs. Actually they took me for a walk to get outside.We tried to locate the missing cow. Never did figure out where her hiding place is. There is lots of room to hide in out there but she did come bac
k PTL!! Cleaned house, did four big loads of laundry, cut out eight dozen diapers and a smaller amount of reusable baby wipes. Talked on the phone a couple of times. Watched a movie and went to bed with a novel.
And sometimes someone will say to me ~~the famous line~~"What do you do all day way out here?"
I think I am an occupier or something because I do not find time to be bored that is for sure waaay out here! And so far there is no fear of me becoming rich and famous either. LOL

Honour the LORD with thy substance,
and with the first-fruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
and thy presses shall bust out with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9 & 10

Happy Day to you and God Bless
Roxanne

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Sewing Diapers and Their Covers


Thursday night a quick decision was made to take our one grandson down to visit his daddy. It was such a quick decision in fact that it may have happened Friday morning I honestly do not remember. I do remember Friday morning though!! Quickly throwing together some clothing to take along with us. So quickly in fact that I actually forgot my toothbrush. LOL Our small animals we given water and feed and given instructions to live and make do until we come back. The bigger animals had a round bale to chomp on. They are good at fending for themselves. Electric heaters plugged in. The fire stoked one more time in hopes that the place would not freeze up before we got back. Stopped in on our way out to tell our daughter and son in law that we were on our way to Kamloops. Big surprise to them as they were at our place Thursday night and we weren't at that point going anywhere. How things can change in a night!
Picked up young grandson and off we were. Travelling was good. the deer around the Williams Lake area were well behaved for a change and in hayfields instead of on the road trying their very best to jump onto your vehicle.
Our visit after dropping of our grandson was to Kamloops where my friend has started a diaper business. She designed cloth diapers and their diaper covers which I had to quickly learn how to sew and put together in a few short hours. Not too hard to make and everyone who has seen them seems to love them but a couple of nurses want us to make adult diapers in the same style. They are having a very wretched time of it with the now present diapers available for adults. That is the cloth ones which they are in desperate need of a better design. Well we may look into that but right now my friend (and I second it) wants to concentrate on the baby diapers. Her diapers are called "baby canuks". She thinks her web site will be up and running in a month. You might be able to view some of them on my facebook page for those of you who are on it at least.
After the sewing "lessons" it was off to see my mother in law and meet our son Harely's new girlfriend. She is a sweetheart to be sure. Gramma or great Gramma depending on who you are was doing not too badly. She is having issues with her one kidney and may have to go on dialysis. We are praying not so. She is hoping to soon go into assisted care.
From there out to the Skeetchetsn Reserve where we ate a delicious homemade supper and stayed the night. Of course there was the usual hints to us of coming back home to live. Maybe someday but not right now.
a quiet trip back home and here we are.
Canada Geese flying overhead. Snow melting. Visitors coming for coffee. Talk of baby calves, sewing, knife making, guns.Later our son in law and daughter came over. He played crib with the papa. We said good bye to him as he is leaving on the jet plane for Ontario tomorrow. Sob sob~~ And now I am cutting out flannel for diaper making. Have cut out 46 diaper cover liners which need to be sewn. Praying I can remember what I am to do to put it all together. LOL
There is so much to get done today that it is hard to not have my head spinning. When I figure out how to do it and it is up and running I will add the diaper website link to this blog of mine.
In the meantime back at the ranch~~the dogs have checked out the world. The cats, at least a couple of them are curled up cozy as can be. The day is moving onwards and getting close to 7:30 so my morning is really starting to get away on me. I have to say though the air outside smells of spring. Even the damp grey rather grim looking morning cannot take away the excitement that spring in the air brings. Robins were even sighted not too far away although I have not seen any here as yet.

For the LORD shall be thy confidence,
and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:26

God Bless
Roxanne

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Northern Lights

Laying all cozy in bed last night with a book and heated up magic bags the window open not to very much the phone rings. Now this might not be an unusual thing to some but we do not get a lot of phone calls at 10 pm. Hey says my friend on the other end whatcha doin' ~~well I am reading why? well get outside and watch the northern lights girl. So I jump out of bed and in bare feet and my flannel negligee and my husband by my side we went out on the front porch and watched the lights flickering across the sky. Not the most spectacular showing I have ever seen but it is always so awesome to watch nonetheless. Finally my feet which were still bare and the temperature being at freezing or lower they were getting kind of cold. So came in and back to my book and warm bed.
Today being Sunday and no fuel for the thirsty truck to spare to go to any kind of church meeting this evening we stayed here doing things. Dennis knocked down a couple of trees for firewood for our oldest son's family. Woody came for a nice long visit and I made dinner for all of us. After he left I punched down my bread and went out and gave Dennis a hand piling branches and loading the truck with the firewood. He managed to get the truck out of the upper pasture even with the deep wet snow. The snow is full of water now with the temps that are so warm for this time of year. We did have a blizzard more so I think than we have had all winter thus far I think.
Now I have the dishes done up and the just about all eight loaves of bread are done.
I think I will settle in for another evening.

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Galatians 6:18

God Bless
Roxanne

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Happy Day I think?!


Well this has been interesting as since early this morning I have not been able to post anything . As a matter of fact I have not been able to open or even go to this blog of mine. It tells me I am denied access~~
Apparently that is a not unusual thing to have happen but why me?? I do not know enough about computers to have nasty tricks like that from cyber space.
so I was going to tell all of you about the incandescent moonbeams shining on the snow making the sparkles dazzle and dance between moonshadows. I may have been going to tell you all about what I was planning for the day. Not sure anymore being as I got so frustrated with the whole thing.
I am not even sure I trust this internet nonsense now. things might be quicker and all with internet and one may be able to contact old friends and loved ones and even some new friends through internet but oh my what a fine pickle one is in when it doesn't want to work right and you have to stare at in utter amazed confusion carefully touching a key hoping you won't blow the whole thing to beyond repair!
So in fear and trepidation here I be mostly an experiment to see if it is still going to publish this. What can I say~~? If it works then I will actually write about something tomorrow...God Bless Roxanne

Today's Blog Post

For some strange reason according to this I can not open my blog. Somehow I have got to become more computer wise I guess. This is just a trail to see if it will let me post~~Here's praying roxanne