january hymn

Today it is the hard times that bring me back to you, friends. I don't know that I could accurately convey just how difficult this past weekend has been, but take my word for it - it was terrible. Of course, it wasn't without some high points: meals taken with family, evenings with friends where laughter abounds; but the days seemed tainted somehow, with this aura of doom floating just overhead. 

Even now as I prepare to go in to work on a perfectly warm and sunny day, the kind of day my heart should find joy in, I feel adrift in the world. Where are we going? What is the point? Even to think that I could spend the day surrounded by pets and favourite past-times I am left feeling uneasy. I suppose for that it's good that I can't. To keep busy and make chit-chat might be the only salvation from this funk I'm feeling. A low, deep vibration that spells trouble.

august

I think the August garden may well be my favourite. The cucumber plants are dying slowly, the big slicing tomatoes are still producing one or two beauties each week, and the heirloom currant tomato, a breed I'd not heard of until this year, is cloaked in tiny, sweet little morsels - so many I'm not sure what to do with them. Already I've let most of the crop over-ripen and fall off as I hid inside in the AC during the long hot July afternoons.. but now that it's August I can take my time picking, roasting, freezing - dealing with them however I see fit or have time for this week. The chickens love those little toms, preferring me to rip each one open for them to peck out the soft centers. They feasted on over-ripe figs too, jumping up like pups to get a sweet nibble. My husband asked me this week what my plans are for the winter garden, and I suppose it's about time for me to really put some thought into that: what to plant, if anything; which beds need re-weeding before we lasagna-layer them with compost and mulch; whether to finally dig-out the big square bed (we've been moving the chicken-coop around it trying to kill off the thick bed of grass that is its current cover); is there a place we want to put in a garlic crop? I start a new job this week on top of all this, so I will need to become more proactive with my off-time if I want to be in a good position for spring. We are also hoping and praying that Mr will get a new job with regular hours, and that we will still be here in the spring.. I think I'll sew some prayers into the garden and see what she brings us.

putting up

This first year of real summer heat, of seeds planted that actually grew, I find I am learning a lot in my garden. Specific things, like "don't plant things so close together because they will get larger than you ever thought imagined," and more vague things, such as "you'll thank yourself for planting fruit next year." I am learning to wait until you're ready to eat the things before picking them, no matter how exciting it may be to pull up some veggies while gathering eggs in the morning.. no one wants to eat a limp carrot. I've watched my heirloom Cherokee Purple tomatoes turn from flowers to tennis-balls, and larger - I swear one of those suckers is going to weigh in at almost two pounds! And now, in this first week of July, I am having to contemplate what to do with my excess bounty which means my first official year of canning, or "putting up" which is a term that fills me with an heretofore-unfathomed joy. 

I started with pickles. Simple refrigerator pickles, no canning necessary, just easy around-the-house ingredients making a sweet-and-sour crop that is curing out of the way. I tried one yesterday and I think they're wonderful. Soon I'll launch into dill pickles for my husband, which will deal with most of my cuke-crop. I'm researching ways to keep my tomatoes: most likely I'll roast them with garlic and onion and pack them in oil, although they'll need to be kept in the fridge or freezer and that's going to eat up a lot of chilling space. Oh, how I want a deep-freeze! One of our neighbours has a large fig tree than I'm going to raid for jams and preserves; she also has an apple-tree that has been dropping fruit onto our carport for weeks, so I need to get up and gather some off the branches before they all turn to bruised mush on the concrete. I am thankful for my laziness that I didn't get planted half of what I'd dreamed; I've never experienced heat and humidity like we've had lately and I cannot imagine having to toil away endlessly to keep up with the crop this first sweltering summer.

The chickens have doubled in size since they joined us, and we've been able to give away and sell eggs to family regularly. The cicadas drone, the dogs pant, the birds call, and all the while my garden grows; waiting impatiently for me to catch up with it.

On Chickens

One summer, some years ago, I spent a week in Portland Oregon and since then I have wanted chickens. My friend there had 3 hens who happily pecked around her yard, jumped up for treats, and supplied us with breakfast every morning which we ate out on the patio while watching them do their silly chicken things. I was enchanted. As the years rolled by and I grew and developed my wants and dreams, I realized who I wanted to be when I "grew up" - a woman who has chickens. More than that, certainly - a down-to-earth, reliable, fun, slightly kooky, fairly "earthy" woman - but a woman who owns chickens, for sure. This spring I have worked hard on my garden and enjoyed the rewards of planting seeds and being able to share their bounty with friends and family (and strangers!) a few weeks later. I have felt the pride that comes with sweat and sore muscles after clearing, weeding, and tilling a space for your favourite foods to grow. And not long ago, with Mr.'s full approval and equal excitement, it happened. I became a woman who has chickens.

 It happened so quickly - we bought supplies and built what is commonly known as a chicken tractor. We picked colours and painted in the hot southern sun. We overheated and made some wrong cuts, and we were sliced by stray pieces of wire. We made what seemed like 80+ trips to the hardware store (but was only 2, I'm sure). And after 2.5 solid days of work, we went and got our chickens. 3 hens of different breeds, a little worse for wear from their previous home, came to live in our little coop. Having my chicken experience limited to that visit to Oregon I did lots of reading and research before and after they arrived, and fretted over every aspect from coop placement to roost size, and about their feathers/legs/toenails... but it has turned out beautifully. They are silly and funny and magnificent. They sunbathe in the lawn and dirt-bathe in a pile. They chatter to us in their ridiculous chicken voices, telling us exactly what we should be doing or not doing with their home. And the best part: in less than two weeks we were rewarded with eggs - pink-ish brown beauties that never fail to make us laugh with the simple joy of their existence. How amazing that you can build a home for a creature, give it food and water and room to roam, and you are rewarded by little tokens of gratitude. Now, I know the chickens don't actually thank us with their eggs, but it sure feels that way. Already we're hoping to expand from three birds to five or six - they're addictive like that. And now, I realize my original goal was so misguided: I am so much more than a woman who has chickens.. We are a family with chickens, and with a full appreciation of all they are.

establishing routine

Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet, friends - otherwise you might never jump in at all. I am in that both-feet state of mind this week as I return from my Canadian sabbatical, refreshed and rejuvenated and with a heck of a lot to do. I came home to a smaller household as Mr's beloved dog gave in to old age while I was gone, but I find that I have more to do now rather than less. Our younger pup has so much energy to burn off that some days I find myself exhausted just looking at him; my cat is desperate for my attention and affection; and my husband is battling a shift that sucks at a job he hates, and he needs me to bolster him and keep our life in order while he deals with the drudgery. Meanwhile I dream of bursting gardens, wood-fired ovens, chicken coops, maybe a vacation to the beach... my hopes for this summer are endless. What does all this mean? It means that it's time I wake up and smell the coffee, as it were. There has been a profound change in me during the last year, and I am keenly aware of it. The time has come for me to step up to the plate and truly swing with all my might if I want to see our dreams realized.  

I am starting fairly small: trying to set up a routine for myself. Housework broken down into days of the week, forcing myself out of bed so that I can get things done before the husband comes home, making sure to get outside for a couple of hours every day to play with the pup and weed the garden and keep a close eye on our newly-tilled beds. Trying not to overlook those pesky little chores that seem to get put off for months and months. These things seem so minute, but I feel that without them my days will dissolve into an endless chorus of "I can do it tomorrow" wherein tomorrow never comes. 

So far, I feel like it is going well. I am trying to approach each task with vigor and make the most of all the hours in my day. Having spent weeks with my darling grandmother - watching her complete more tasks every morning than I may sometimes do in a week - made me feel appropriately lazy. If I want to be even half the woman she is I'm going to need to step it up. I want to do something to make myself proud, and being able to be more productive and efficient at home seems like a pretty fine place to start.

change

There have been many changes since I wrote here last, friends - but today I'm being moved to gush about the change of seasons, the kinetic energy I feel in my muscles and bones that scream "Spring is coming!"  I am not a winter person (I know that some people are, and I applaud their fortitude) - cold weather puts me into stasis, where it is all I can do to pull myself out of bed and perform the medial tasks required of me to keep us happy and clean. There are no plans made, no bursts of energy to start some great project or other - there is just hibernation and dreaming. But today... today I awoke with that FEELING, like a cat ready to pounce, that change is coming. I have big dreams for us this year: for our new home in a new place; for our lives and our animals; for our lovely big yard and the property that backs onto it. This is the year I want to give to, and get back to, the earth. I want to know the community we're living in, and help them with their endeavors. I want to surround my loved ones in things I've made, and give to them the fruits of my labour. I can feel those dreams and hopes and wants coiled inside of me, like a snake about to strike.

So today, I will use my burst of energy to make my home a little cozier - and continue to dream about the months to come.

sea glass

 

It's supposed to be spring, friends! From the Rockies moving east the country is being battered with sub-zero temperatures and howling winds, and the south is not being spared. We had two beautifully gorgeous days that were sweet with spring before being plunged back into the depths of winter. Life has been a roller-coaster for us, filled with hopes heightened and dashed, nourished and pulverized. We are in limbo. I am trying to keep busy. 

The best thing to come out of this miserable weather is that I'm free to spend my days curled on the couch crocheting, having Park and Rec marathons and drinking pot after pot of steaming tea. Although I'd promised myself not to start another project, I was quick to backtrack with the knowledge that my bestie back-home's birthday is on the horizon! Instantly I dreamed of a 60's-mod blanket in rich blues and greens with black detailing, and rushed off to make it a reality. The colours remind me of sea glass, those shards of bottles transformed by the surf into something truly precious. My hands ache from working on it, but it is so unbelievably pretty that I almost don't mind. I hope she'll like it!

I am starting an online gardening course this week, and hope to regale you all with photos of my various homework assignments around the house, as well as pictures of my busywork once it warms up enough to spend time outside. Keep cozy, everyone!

sadness and socks

This week has been thrown entirely off-kilter. One minute life is a gas and the whole world is your oyster, and in an instant everything you thought important seems trivial and useless. Sunday morning, in my hometown, a friend of mine was lost in a fatal house fire - along with his girlfriend and a roommate. Mark had been such a gentle, wonderful, ALIVE person; perhaps the most alive a human can be.. and now he's gone. Although I feel so removed from the situation, I was overcome with a feeling of ennui - what is the point of living if we could all die at any given moment? - but I cannot be sad forever. I am now resolved to living life like the fullest, and in a way that I know Mark would be pleased with. It is, perhaps, the very least I can do.

 

Here are the few mementos I have here to remind me of my friend: two polaroids taken when we hung out in Toronto, and a pin he had made for me by John K Sampson of the Weakerthans. Any others items be in a box in Victoria, which I will pull out and appreciate when next I find myself home, surrounded by friends. 

I remember making jack-o-melons on the back porch of the movie theatre where he was living; jumping a fence and wandering through a chinese fairground lit up for an event; drawing hot-air balloons on his wall. I remember the day we bought a vase from VV and walked from Store St into Ross Bay, chatting and singing and collecting flowers from gardens as we went. We stopped at the Ross Bay Cemetery, the oldest on the island, and wandered around until we found a grave in terrible shape. Alice Conner, if I remember correctly. It was overgrown and cracked so we cleaned it up and swept it off and left our flowers there. For Alice.  

I hope one day I can do the same for dear Mark. 

 

To keep myself sane and somewhat busy, I've started on the process of knitting all my leftover sock yarns into a few pairs of crazy socks - although, this first pair is not all that crazy. The cuff is a blue/grey gradient, transitioning into black/white/grey stripes, which may end in more blue/grey and possibly some green if I need to stretch the toe. I have half a drawer filled with odds and ends like these, and I'll be glad to cull it... if only to full it again with more yarn. My goal for the year is to knit up some of my existing yarn, and finish 2 of the three half-pieced quilts in my sewing room. It should keep me busy for a little while!

Stay safe, friends. Remember to treasure every moment.

one down

Dear friends! I have been eager to share these photos with you, the anonymous masses, because I will not post them to facebook until the subject arrives safely with its owner... but I know you're all good about keeping secrets, right? Right. So now, without further ado... 

 

 

The quilt is finished!! This is my third hand-quilted project since I learned the art two years ago, and I'll honestly say it may be my favourite. The front pattern is an adaptation of Color Play from Sew Scrappy magazine (spring 2012, I believe), and the back is a nine-patch gradient jumble that I made up based on the dimensions for length. It was many long and tedious months in the making, but I enjoyed (almost) every minute of it and am beyond excited to send it off to its intended...

My grandmother. She will turn 75 in the next few weeks, and has always been my closest friend and confident. She is an amazing woman who I have missed terribly since leaving my little island in the north and moving here to the bible belt, and making this blanket for her is the best way I could think of to show her I love her and give her a hug every time she uses it... which I hope will be lots. 

What's next for my busy fingers, you may be asking? Well, I have a sweater that I started in the fall with a little work left to it, and a blanket that I crocheted that still needs its ends woven in. And then, likely, on to the next big quilt! I'm equally excited and apprehensive. Quilting through the summer is a fresh brand of torture. 

tea for two

 

Here in the middle of winter, nothing says true bliss like a hot pot of tea. English Breakfast, Earl Grey, green, peach permeated, black with sparkles in... something warm and properly steeped works wonders to soothe the soul and make a body feel whole again. It occurred to me this week that while my tea sat waiting for me to put down my quilting it was getting COLD! And as someone who prefers her cup with milk and sugar, cold tea is a travesty. So I took a little break, pulled myself together, and whipped up a simple tea cozy from some leftover yarn and a button from my box. It may not be the fanciest thing on earth, but it serves its purpose and serves it well. I've also purchased a sharp bamboo tea tray so that I can have everything at arms reach without making multiple trips. Isn't civilization wonderful? 

In other news, I have officially finished the quilting portion of my quilt (YAAAAY!) and will be devoting a day this week to making and attaching the binding. I'm so pleased to have this done, and to have the ability to paint my nails again! I've worn a serious groove in my thumb nail from pushing a needle through the bulky fabric, and it is in need of some attention. 

Happy February, friends! 

absence

  

  

 

Dear friends! January has been a month full of change - and almost exclusively for the worse. We received some extremely bad news about Mr's military plans, which has put us both on edge for the last couple weeks. Also, our dishwasher broke. It's been a thrill a minute up in the hills, let me tell you! I've been spending my evenings engrossed in Downton Abbey, wearing my fingers to the bone working on the quilt, and am rewarded to find that it's just over half done. Zoey seems to think it is hers, and finds every opportunity to claim it in that sadistically sweet cat way. The photo below barely does it justice, as it was captured late one night under the lamp. My apologies!

 

 

After Christmas (and embarrassingly, after New Years) I finally got around to dealing with the leftover turkey; making the turkey turnovers my grandmother faithfully delivered to me while living alone. Simply diced turkey coated in gravy and seasonings, packaged in pie pastry; they are a treat to pull out of the freezer and bake on those dreary end-of-winter evenings. Like a little parcel of Christmas, hot from the oven. I haven't given in to having one yet, as I try to make them last as long as possible... but I have a feeling there will be some in the oven tonight.

 

As we wear away the weeks into the new year, some days it seems difficult to find something to smile about... fortunately, my darling love always know how to cheer me up. This week he brought me home a bouquet of white tulips - blooms very sentimental to me, as they were the flowers I carried on our wedding day almost two years ago. I remember fondly wrapping the spray in white ribbon, making sure there was one bud left to pin to his lapel, and threading his ring onto one of the stems so that it would be handy when the time came. These are blissful memories, and although I didn't get a single photo of my lovely bouquet I don't need one; my husband always brings some home when he sees them out. What a lucky lady I am. 

Best wishes for the rest of the month friends! I'll be back soon! 

resolutions

I've been a poor blogger, friends - and for it I apologize. The holidays have been an intensely busy and exhausting time, and I've been taking some over-due rest days wherein I accomplish nothing more than dozing, reading, and spending time with my loved ones - usually while still in PJs. I did cook a fantastic christmas dinner for my hubs, and will be turning the leftover turkey (Daryl, we named him) into turnovers this week. I was particularly proud of my tablescape and coffee/dessert service, complete with the fancy china, christmas cat linen napkins, and a centrepiece made from cuttings around the house.

 

I have been diligently quilting away - I worked out that if I quilt two squares a day it will take me a month. I'm going to try to set aside a few days to quilt my little heart out and expedite the process. I'm crazy about how it's looking so far - pictures to come shortly.

I am always one for resolutions. I may not always keep them but, as a list-maker, it fills something inside of me to write down my hopes for myself in the new year. For the sake of accountability, here are my 2013 New Years Resolutions:

•  Keep up a healthy and active lifestyle. Lose 10-15lbs by the summer; ideally by April. Run the Color Run completely, without walking. Spend more time hiking with the pups.
• Drink more water - 8 glasses a day.
• Read a minimum of one new book a month. Rereading old books doesn't count (but is encouraged.)
• Sign up for an activity/join a social group. Make new friends. 
• Complete the 4 quilts that I have pieced/half pieced. 
• Write more, and take more photos. 
• Worry less. Allow myself to enjoy spontaneity again.Try to finish a project before I get started on a new one!

I've got a lot of work to do this year, and we've got a lot of plans for 2013. Here's to truly living this year, and making it the best year possible! 

 

 

 Love, Kate

wishing and hooping

It's almost Christmas! I've been a busy bee trying to get crafts crafted and packages posted in time for the holidays, and do believe I've succeeded... whew. I spent this week working on kitschy dishtowels for my Canadian family, and I'm especially pleased to have finally finished the blue blanket which I'm sending off as a 30th birthday gift for my big brother. 

Today was one of those rainy grey days that the west-coast part of me adores, so I spent it on another favourite past-time: baking! Specifically holiday baking. I'm putting together thank-you packs for the family we'll be staying with for Mr's graduation ceremonies this weekend in Alabama. I whipped up a batch of dough to chill, then worked on some peanutbutter treats and made my favourite: butter tarts. They're better (I think) when they sit for a few days, so I figured I could get away with making them early. It took everything I had not to eat them! 

And finally, the autumnal quilt is finished! I put it on the hoop yesterday and began the long process of quilting it tonight, with chocolate thread in a chevron pattern. I'm trying to take a moment to enjoy having it completely pieced and sandwiched, but it needs to be finished by early February so I had better get to work! Hope everyone is being the appropriate mix of lazy and productive this week!

 

progress

Happy December! I'm not feeling very festive yet but I'm hoping that will come. The to-do list of Christmas crafting seems endless, and there are never enough hours in the day. My urge to bake all manners of deliciousness is rising, and I am doing everything I can to hold of just a little bit longer.. to try and avoid consuming too much, too soon. Isn't that always the December struggle? 

I took our pups for a hike this week, in "the subdivision that time forgot" behind our house. It is so peaceful back there - birds chirping, the sound of grasses rustling together in the wind, hawks and eagles swooping low to have a look at us. The sun made it quite warm, but that didn't stop the little pup from leaping in and out of the wilderness following some scent or other. I decided it would be a good day to hike the big hill at the very end of the road.. although once we got half way up, the old boy and I were wondering what we had gotten ourselves in to.

The view from the top is lovely though, and there is a big fallen tree that seems perfectly placed for resting. Little pup Early dashed about furiously while us old creatures sat a spell, and then headed back home for water and a nap. An hour well spent.

I've been working hard trying to finish this crocheted blanket, but it seems something else is always calling me away. I've made some good progress on the autumnal quilt and hope to sandwich it soon - I need to have it quilted by February; and then there's Christmas cards to address and shopping to do... I love the holidays, but I'm so looking forward to just relaxing with some boozy cocoa and my heartstrings.

happy tummies

Thanksgiving in Florida should be our new family tradition. What isn't there to love about sun-soaked mornings filled with the cooing of doves.. not to mention the comparatively balmy temperatures? Long hours filled with coffee and chatting gave way to a deliciously enormous meal of turkey and every possible trimming. My meagre contribution was a flat of butter-tarts, my grandmother's recipe - a real hit which ended in my writing out the method on index cards for some of my inlaws. There is such joy in watching personal family favourites melt into what will become our family's story.

Coming home has seemed like an endless string of go-Go-GO! Christmas shopping and new year preparations and a house blanketed in leaves. After helping DH rake up the front and back yards, I slipped into the house to fix a batch of these painfully-simple soft pretzels - a treat for hard work well done. He likes his plain, while I like to tear chunks off with my fingers and drag them through puddles of yellow mustard; either way, paired with a nice cold beer, they hit that "We done good" spot. THIS is the recipe I use, but I find they've not browned enough after 10 minutes so I pull them out, brush them with the melted butter, then return them to the oven for another 2-3 minutes: this gives them a golden colour and the most delicious crunchy bottom. Give them a try, you wont regret it! (Although your hips might. Yummm.)

new growth

 

Good morning! I'd love to say I've had a productive busy weekend, but alas it would be a lie. My darling husband brought home these stunning orange-tipped spider mums to replace my withered roses; I've never seen anything quite like them. He said they made him think of me - a little wild and orange around the edges, a compliment I will accept gladly. They have added the perfect pop of colour to the kitchen, and I will be sad to see them fade.

 

I spent most of my weekend curled up sick on the couch, watching TV and dozing. On a medicine run, my husband bought me this silly card which says "MILK IT FOR ALL IT'S WORTH" on the inside, and shoved it at me any time I tried to fix myself a beverage or snack. His persistence kept me well rested and I am feeling much better now, although I'm sure he thinks I'm a terrible patient. Getting well again quickly was imperative because we're going to visit some of his family for Thanksgiving, which happens to be my favourite holiday, and I would hate to have missed it!

On a final note, I pulled down my little Christmas cactus this morning and noticed that it's growing a new section! See that tiny pink little nub on top? My mother-in-law's cacti are in full bloom and I'm a touch jealous, but my little plant was a 2-segment section found broken in her trunk earlier this year and I'm pleased as punch to have it growing at all. You can see the piece on the right where my cat thought it would make a fun chew-toy - I'm torn as to whether I should break it off in hopes of new growth, or let it alone. Plants growing in winter always serve to remind me that although it's chilly and barren now, spring is not far behind.

November

 

The air outside is crisp and smells of snow: that distinct metallic pink-ness. I can't be the only one who believes it smells pink, right? This month has been full of plans for birthdays and Christmas, graduations and new beginnings. I have been working on that autumn coloured quilt off-and-on for almost a year now, and although I am in the final stretch of piecing the back it seems like it will never be finished. Most of my frustration is trying to make the fabric I have stretch, as opposed to taking the easy route and buying more. My sewing machine is seeing much use these days, and Zoeycat keeps me company by snoozing nearby. 

Must get new flowers for the dining table; those roses have seen better days. 

an introduction

I'm Kate, and keeping cozy is my favourite past-time. Recently I've become obsessed with crafting blogs written by women world-wide, and I figured it was time to add my stories to the list. I'll be posting updates on my various projects, my ongoing education as a military wife, and life in general. 

I was born on an island surrounded by the ocean, but currently live in the hills of Georgia. I am mama to two pups and one fluffy feline, and bride to a soldier in the U.S. army. I love to bake, knit, crochet, sew, quilt, and craft in general; I also love to read, eat, and explore.

I love people! Let's be friends.