Pen Collection

It's a news alert!  This post has nothing to do with being frugal, stocking up, self-sufficiency, or anything garden related.  Shocking news huh?

I have a few collections, and have been coming across strays while cleaning this fall.  This is one of my many pens.  It has buttons on the back to control the hands, moving them out and back again.  I bought this one many years ago, because I love to box, and hubby taught me how.

I love to write, and have a habit of collecting unusual pens.  I do use them too.  I just have to be careful and not buy more than I can use.

.....guess I better get back to writing. 

Beautfiful Sunshine

 It's been nice to see the sun shining the last few days.   Here is another shirt I am wearing this month.


Yesterday I made another trip to urgent care.  It was for my 13 year-old daughter.  We thought she may have an ear infection, but was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection.  On the way to pick up her prescription, I  stopped at a store that sold holistic teas, oils etc. 

I came home with elderberry loose leaf tea that is mixed with an immunity booster tea.  I also came come with a seawater nasal spray.  I'm giving both a try.  The tea is so good.  It has peppermint in it.  After one cup, and one shot up each nostril with the spray, I felt pretty good all night.  I was told that the flower of the elderberry is better than the berry itself.  Not sure how true that is, but I'm giving it a try anyway.  The tea is organic.

This morning, however, the swollen and painful lymph node remains.  Today is day 2 (with the tea), and I have high hopes that I will overcome this.

I have to share something else too.  When I was at urgent care, the machine that swipes the bank card was not working.  Of course I had left my checkbook at home (as I had it out to pay the chimney sweep).  When we walked up the pharmacy counter to pick up the prescription, the computer system for the pharmacy stopped working.  Completely.  No one person could get their medications.  I had to have my hubby stop buy after work to pick it up (the machines came back on a little after 8pm).

Imagine if computers like these prevented anyone from getting medication.  I am thankful that we have holistic stores, and we still have the freedom to treat ourselves, and use prevention for sickness, with natural sources.

It's been chilly here lately too.  I think it's time I put on some Christmas socks, some cozy handmade slippers I was gifted, and read a book.  Yes, I did say Christmas socks.  They make me happy.

 What makes you happy?

Hedge Apples ~ NaNoWriMo ~ Today's Agenda (or not)

Thanks to my Mom, we are now locked and loaded with an arsenal of hedge apples.  Spiders beware! Bwahahaha!

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  I gear up to write each November - 50,000 word novel.  I follow Rachelle Gardner's site and today's post reminds writers. It will be my third year to participate. Maybe one day, one of these will make it to print.  

What I get to do today (or not):

~scatter hedge apples around the house and wood barn

~dig up glady bulbs (way behind in getting this done)

~let the chickens out, check goat's water buckets

~finish the dishes the kids did not (ugh)

~sweep, vacuum, clean one bathroom (double ugh)

~write out a list for the store

~can jelly for Christmas


~make ground cayenne (already dehydrating)

~blog

~check e-mail

. . . .I might be lucky to get one or two things done today.  My neck is still hurting, node is still swollen, allergies are not backing down and I feel miserable.  I literally wanted to go to bed at 5pm last night.  That's how tired allergies make me feel.  My ears are draining, head hurts......and my elderberry juice concentrate has not arrived.   Next year I'm planting a entire field of elderberries (if it does work).  

I'm a tea junkie this week, adding immunity oils to my teabags, and hoping one of these natural remedies will help me.  Say a little prayer, would ya'?  I really don't like the thought of a biopsy. I'd like to prove the doctors wrong.  I may just toss this list today, and crawl back on bed, or high-tail it to the sofa for the day - my laptop, paper and pen, and a good book sounds better already.

Black Walnut Dye ~ Home Canned Applesauce

There are so many versions of using walnuts for dye, including making a dye for stamping fabric.  I decided to soak some walnuts in water for 3 days  (slightly browned).  I ran the liquid through a strainer, lined to catch all the small stuff.

Another Journal for the Journal Junkie - My Natural Dye Swatch Book

Summer here is very busy with gardening, stocking up, repairing, building, etc. I have little time to work on the "little" things.

I finally dug out my swatch book, and put a cover to it.  I could have decoupaged it, painted it, and so many other ways. However, I simply used a piece of stationary and printed it from the computer.

Here is a peek inside my journal/book.  I simply bought tab dividers with color tabs already adhered.  I don't have all the colors, but it's pretty easy to use with the ones do have.  I can also add more by using cardstock and adding a tab.

For yarns, I simply adhere a piece of the dyed yarn to the page, and write what mordant I used, the material I used, the date and then a year later I update if the color held.

For example, I dyed a 100% cotton doily that I crocheted, using red onion skins a year ago.  It has since faded from not using a mordant.  I did not have a yarn swatch, so I printed photos of the before and after, wrote down information, and punched the page with a 3-hole punch.  I added it to the journal for reference.

On my recent hikes around our 6 acres, and into and along the woods, I discovered rosehips.  I decided to pick them and use them as a dye to dye wool yarn. 

I see it's too late this season to dye my yarn with goldenrod.  Time got away from me this season.

Today the chimney sweep comes.  Finally.  

I've got another busy day today, despite how I am feeling.  I woke with both eyes burning and itching and watering.  Fall allergies are here with a bang.  I hope to get a small break in the day, after laundry gets put on the line, kitchen swept and mopped, canning completed, and so forth.

Banana-Chocolate Cupcakes

(from the Diabetic Cooking May/June 2012 Issue)

Note:  I did not have banana flavored yogurt and used vanilla.  I also did not have vanilla on hand.  I used 1 tsp. of almond extract.  Yum!  

Freezer Meals ~ Breakfast Burritos ~ The Weekend

I am experimenting with recipes for freezing breakfast burritos. We have a large supply of peppers, potatoes, and onions from the garden.  We also have a good supply of eggs from our chickens.  

So why not utilize it into freezer meals for breakfast?  Kind of a neat way to stock up differently.

First we made a batch with home grown onions, green peppers, potatoes and home canned salsa.  Then we added some sausage and a bit of cheese. Oh, and the kids opened another jar of home canned taco sauce to top these tasty burritos.