(Almost) Wordless Wednesday--Ode to Jackson Pollock

This is my son's artwork for the SC State Fair. It's his Ode to Pollock-Part 2.

Jackson Pollock was an American artist, known for his unusual techniques.

They're Here!

As of Saturday, just after noon, we are goat owners. One of our cousins, who keeps a couple dozen goats himself, brought us a male and two females.

They are spending their time checking out their new surroundings, which include an open pasture as well as a wooded area.

The billy is the one with a brown and black head. The other two are girls and are creamy white.

I'm not sure the boy is happy with the new situation yet, based on his expression. What do you think?

Why I Didn't Leave My House This Afternoon

This gigantic tree fell across our driveway today. It was leaning rather precariously over the driveway for a couple days, and picked today to fall. Thankfully, no one was under it.

So, how was your day?

Jelly

I finally finished making apple and bullace (wild grape) jellies yesterday. I had made the juice a week or so ago and put it in the refrigerator. So after lunch yesterday, I set the giant water bath canner on the stove to heat, pulled the juice out of the fridge and got to work.

Once the jelly was made and dinner served, I realized we had nothing for dessert, so I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

My day didn't start out too well yesterday, (see previous post) but it ended nicely. Warm oatmeal cookies make it all better.

It can only get better from here, right?

Have you ever heard the saying "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day"? Well, I didn't eat a live frog, but I did have an unpleasant chore to do. My son came in from feeding the outside animals and said, "Mom, one of the chickens is dead. She's next to the waterer."

Sigh. My husband left for work an hour earlier so it was up to me. My sweet son kept me company and helped cover the grave with large sticks, to keep other critters out. It's not a pleasant chore, but it is one of those things that makes me feel a bit stronger when I've done it. Burying a farm animal is now one of the things I can do on my own.

When we got back to the house, my six-year-old daughter had made me a cup of coffee. She did a great job. She can add that to the list of things she can do on her own.

Aiken's Makin' 2011

Lori and I were at Aiken's Makin' this weekend. It's a great street craft fair in Aiken, SC, held every September. Aiken a beautiful little city, with a wonderful downtown area.

Here's our booth on Friday.

We made some changes on Saturday, including adding a shelf for the fabric baskets. I think it helped a lot.

If you look across the walkway from our booth, you will see what may be the most interesting tree in history, judging by the number of children who stopped to check it out. We heard them guessing what it was, everything from a raccoon house to a trash can.

Silly children, of course fairies live there.

Making Gifts

The younger daughter of the Cousin-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named* had a birthday earlier this week. She's a special girl who manages to be both fearless and feminine, at the same time.

It's always a good day when we get to visit with her and her older sister. They have their mom's sweet spirit and their dad's wicked sense of humor.

So, clearly in need of a gift, I headed to my sewing room and found just enough of this adorable owl fabric to make a purse. I love how it turned out!

Originally, the party was going to be at my aunt's cabin, just down the road from us. However, it is hurricane season in the southeast, and the threat of high wind and heavy rain moved the party back to town. We didn't make it to the big city for the party, but I know the birthday girl had a great time, even without us.

*See the July 4th 2010 blog post.

SC State Fair is Coming

The South Carolina State Fair is just over a month away. I've registered to enter loads of things this year. Some are already complete, some may not get done in time. No matter how much actually makes it to the fairgrounds, it's fun to participate.

This is a Jacob's ladder quilt block, made into a pillow. I used fabrics left over from other projects and I'm really pleased with the result.

I've registered canned goods, machine sewing (things I don't sell in the etsy shop, like quilt block pillows!), a crocheted scarf and a shawl, even herb plants. I'm a bit worried about the plants. They aren't looking very "fair worthy" at the moment.

Now that the pillow is done, on to the rest of my entries...

My Aunt's Cabin...In Legos