Baby Goats in the Snow

Spin something yellow

At SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival) in Asheville, NC, last fall I overheard a lady tell a friend, "I've never knit anything yellow."  I thought, hey, neither have I!

I immediately began searching for both yellow yarn and yellow fiber.  What I found was golden yellow wool for spinning and it's perfect for the cold, wintry weather we are having this week.  The fiber on my wheel right now is superwash merino and it looks so cheerful.  

I'm kind of looking forward to couple of snow days to play with my yellow wool.  

(Did I mention the mango colored sock yarn I bought last week?  Yummy.)

Homeschooling rocks...just sayin'

Some days, homeschooling is a chore. Nobody wants to practice penmanship or do math or read about ancient Greece. Those are days we're just happy to get through to dinner time.

But other days, it's glorious. Today is a good day. The children are reading their lessons and laughing about writing persuasive papers. We even giggled at Latin pronunciation this morning. (Did you know there's no W in Latin?)

Just look at them, sitting there like perfectly normal children! Tomorrow might not be so great, but I'm going to enjoy this moment.

New year, new fiber

I can hardly believe it's nearly the middle of January already! Knitting has been high on my list of projects lately. Since finishing my first pair of socks last summer, I've gone on to knit six more pairs and am working on another. The sock currently on my knitting needles is hot pink, almost red. They will be, umm, noticeable.

After church yesterday, I headed to Augusta, GA, to the Tangled Threads guild meeting. It's a group of fiber enthusiasts who meet once a month and everyone brings a current project--knitting, tatting, spinning, crocheting. It's great fun to see what other people are making. Yesterday there was a cowl, a pair of socks, a sweater, a dress and a scarf, all being knitted.

There were also four spinners, including me. I started spinning a fiber blend of camel, merino wool and silk. It's very slippery, but drafts beautifully. I'm not sure yet what it's going to be when it grows up, but it's behaving nicely right now.

Brrrrr!

Okay, I know some readers won't be impressed with our idea of cold weather, but for this southern girl-  IT'S COLD!

At sunrise this morning it was 8 degrees here.  Winter lows in the teens and twenties are not unusual, but single digits are rare.  We even brought Abby, our Great Pyrenees dog, in for the night.  (Side note, Abby has to be one if the best dogs ever.  She lay down in the mudroom and was quiet and well behaved all night.)

Supper tonight needs to be something warm and comforting.  I don't have ground beef for traditional chili, but I do have chicken.  So, chicken it is!  

I sort of made up the recipe as I went along-- sautéed onions and garlic, white beans, chicken, salsa, tomatoes and corn.  It smells wonderful!

Stay warm, friends.

Oh, and there's apple pie for dessert.

New Year's Eve in the country

New Year's Eve in the country is a bit different from New Year's Eve in town. It's quieter, although there will probably be some fireworks in the distance. It's also less crowded and, well, darker. So, we're going to have a fire in our fire pit next to the river.

The plan is to roast hot dogs for supper. Then, we'll toast marshmallows for s'mores. I found peppermint marshmallows just before Christmas, and the thought of mint chocolate s'mores just makes me smile. I have my toolkit ready, with chocolate bars, graham crackers and marshmallows all set for the evening.

We don't plan to stay up until midnight. I've tested this theory before--the new year will get here just fine without my supervision.

Smart (aleck) Appliances

Our washing machine is relatively new and I think it's a bit too big for it's britches. It is a front loader and does a fairly good job of getting our clothes clean. BUT, it has a tendency to string me along with it's "oh no, really, I'm almost done" timer. It has been telling me there's just 2 minutes to go for something like the past ten minutes.

It also won't let me open the door until it's good and ready. Okay, fine, the front load system means that water could leak out if I open the door before the cycle finishes, but I'm a grown-up. Let me make that decision for myself!

My dishwasher lets me open the door whenever I want, but it gets even by hiding forks under the rack. And don't get me started on the refrigerator that beeps if I leave that door open too long.

It's Monday. Can you tell?