Last Saturday was a perfect day to wash my handmade Amish quilts (1970s vintage) and hang them over the front porch railing to dry. And today is even better, but I'm caught up on blanket washing. P.S. I only hung them face out for the photo. Usually, to protect the colors, that side is not allowed to see the sunlight. Just in case you were worried. :-)
And yes, I will miss this front porch and its views. It was the best thing we ever did to our farmhouse, which we are working to get on the market May 1.
Don't miss out!
Now is the time to stock up on HomemadeSoapnSuch natural vegan soap bars.
8 bars for only $20.
Nine orders are being shipped this morning.
Thanks to all who purchased my soaps thus far!
Don't miss out on this incredible deal.
While inventory allows.
Mystery Grab Bag Sale
8 bars, no cello bags, no labels,
Just great clean and fragrant moisturizing bars of natural vegan soap.
I will choose soaps, but will not duplicate any more than absolutely necessary.
This is just a quick post because a couple of you asked about Tommy and Smokey. I am sorry that I neglected to post a photo of them in Wednesday Medley. Well, they are still here and still snuggly and still happy kitties. Keeping them when we move to Wausau is absolutely out of the question. If you knew the respiratory issues our little granddaughter dealt with all last winter and the hospitalizations, you would understand. We desperately need to find a wonderful home for these two sweet cats. I even gave a few copies of my flyer to the FedEx man when he delivered their food yesterday! He said his mom and his sister are both cat lovers, that his German Shepherd, not so much. So then we started talking about German Shepherds. But anyway, he happily took the flyers and agreed to help.
If any of YOU would like to help us find a home, I would be happy to email you a .pdf of the flyer I made. Your librarian will most likely let you put it up in the library (one idea). Especially in the Wisconsin and Minnesota area. Anyway, here's the poster, in case you didn't see it before:
I condensed it into a 9" x 12" and you can email me at: judymasrud@gmail.com if you would like to print copies to hand out. We will probably actually be moving in August, so we don't have a lot of time left. It's already the end of April and I'm getting a bit worried. Please post this on Facebook or wherever you are willing. I will not post it on Craigslist because I've been warned away from going that route. One woman responded to my flyer, but when I asked her for a reference from her vet and a friend, she never got back to me. Mr. C., as an asbestos abatement contractor has worked in homes that were animal hoarder homes (that had to be condemned and torn down or burned!) and we just want to make sure that Tommy and Smokey will go into a loving and healthy environment. I didn't think that the two references was too much to ask. After all, they're the two cutest and best cats ever and come with a two-month supply of food, four clean litter boxes, a sleeping box, and four bags of Fresh Step litter. We might even throw in a rocking chair and a queen size mattress! :-)) I mean, c'mon!! Okay, I'll move onto the rest of the post:
One thing I will miss when we move to the Big City of Wausau (as opposed to the 67 acres of crops, woods, and stream and long driveway and neighbors few and far between) is the fact that I will no longer be able to hang my quilts out on the front porch rail to dry in the breeze (or maybe I can. I don't know about city life, but I feel kinda like The Beverly Hillbillies moving to LA) I lifted up the corners to show you these two Amish-made quilts that we bought years ago at an auction in Westby Wisconsin at the Syttende Mai celebration May 17. They're beautiful, and I just washed them so that I can get them ready to pack to move.
I am keeping only a minimal amount of bedding, towels and washcloths, etc. Always in the past, we've been the place where the family meets, so I've had a ton of everything on hand. No more. It actually is quite liberating to be packing up and donating stuff. I've come to realize that my life's most important things are, in this order:
God
Family
Pets
Books
Plants
Camera
KnickKnacks
And as I've been packing books, it's almost embarrassing how many boxes are labeled, "British..."
I'm not sure I should admit that. I'm not even going to try to Google and find out what that must mean about my personality.
I actually took this photo at a long distance, from inside our house through the library window. I wasn't going to post it, but look how cute that little guy is standing between those two men. I think he spent the whole day with them as they were fencing. Three men hold onto a post pounder and drive 4" diameter posts into the ground. The posts do NOT have a pointed end. I don't know how they do it, but they're all young men, so I guess that helps.
Our big spruce with view to the S, SE, SW
That's it, folks. And I'm going to close comments today (which I HATE TO DO) simply because I have no business being on the computer. I've a ton of boxes to pack, items to donate, a new sofa and loveseat are being delivered this afternoon, and we'll get to spend time with the Minnesota portion of our family this weekend. Can't wait!
Be sure to let me know if you want the .pdf of that kitty flyer. And thank you!
***
20% OFF SALE ON MY SOAPS ENDS APRIL 30 HURRY if you want that great discount PLUS the Buy Five or more, Get Another Free.
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
NORTHWOODS
Balsam and Siberian fir
Natural, Handcrafted Vegan Soap
Moisturizing
Great lather
Large Bars
No animal products
No harsh chemicals!
Delicious fragrance
...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
The neighbor boy dropped by for a visit the other day, perched in the highest point in our yard, trying to see if he could detect spring on the horizon.
See him at the top of the big spruce?
He's that little dark blob up there.
And did he see spring??
Nope.
He saw only snowbanks.
Actually this photo was taken in Wausau, Wisconsin last weekend. They have even more snow than we do. It's just incredible, and there will be some serious flooding once we ever get warm temps. This morning we woke to -23F, so I doubt it will be for a while. And once that snow starts to melt, it's like living in a refrigerator that's being defrosted. Even with a hot sun, that snow keeps things pretty chilly as it's trying to melt its way toward spring and...
flowers.
***
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap! Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
French Lilac & Lavender
Natural Handcrafted Vegan Soap
No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Luxurious lather
Moisturizing
Luscious fragrance
...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
Neighbor Bill's Barn An eyesore? or a thing of beauty?
Join Terri and the Gang
for
She writes the questions;
we write the answers.
Plug them into your own blog post
and link up!
Thank you, Terri, for this week's
Wednesday Medley!
It's all about - What, what, what???
1. What is your claim to fame?
I have lived a long time. I remember a one-room schoolhouse. I've shot and eaten an alligator.
2. What is something you like to do the old-fashioned way?
I like to make soap, to actually cook food using ingredients, and to bake bread (nut breads and regular yeast breads).
This is banana bread, baked in pans
that used to belong to Mr. C.'s grandpa
3. What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?
I thought I'd grow out of being silly, but I realize now that my dad never did, so why would I have expected that I would?
Fall has come to an end.
I finally gave up on covering the mums at night
and let them freeze.
4. What is the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty well?
I homeschooled our kids for a zillion years. I never thought it was dumb to do, but certainly many other [skeptics] did, and this was 1981. I'm happy to report that it did turn out pretty well. The only difficult thing is getting rid of all the things I used during the years I homeschooled. I'm just not good at getting rid of stuff. Well, except for the kids. They left a long time ago, and honestly, I'd always trade all the stuff for a houseful of them. Not doing it all over again, mind you, but just from time to time.
I finally took photos of the entire timeline on our walls
so that I could take it down. That worked.
5. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Probably Benedict, for it would help explain how I could have lived out in the middle of nowhere for so long.
6. What is something random you can tell us about this week?
My week is comprised of reading, praying, voting, cooking, baking, making soap, visiting friends, tending to Tommy & Smokey, and writing/drawing in my journal. Another thing about the week is that I have Daylight Saving Time withdrawal. It's now darkish by 5-something, and when I look at my watch at 7:30 PM, I can hardly believe that it's not 10:30. This is terrible.
Tommy & Smokey
***
NOTICE:
My HomemadeSoapnSuch shops will be
closed November 25 - December 14.
All Christmas soaps are ready and in the shops now.
I will not be making more this season.
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap! Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
Christmas Hearth
Natural, handcrafted vegan soap
No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Kind to sensitive skin
Great lather
Luscious fragrance
Each bar labeled and wrapped,
ready for gifting.
...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
1. The Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival starts today. All things pumpkin are everywhere. What is your one very favorite pumpkin flavored food or drink? Do you wish it was available all year or do you only want it in the Fall?
The gluten-free pumpkin muffins I made last week are incredible! An IGer had mentioned the source of the recipe, (www.blessthismessplease.com) so I thought I'd check it out.
2 c. rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
3/4 c. plain Greek yogurt (not fat-free)
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. sea salt
2 t. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
1 c. mini chocolate chips (semi sweet)
1 c. chopt walnuts
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
In the jar of your blender, add the oats. Cover with lid and process until the oats look like flour (1-3 minutes). Pour oats into your KitchenAid mixer bowl or some other mixing bowl. This is supposed to be a blender-only recipe, but when I made my first batch that way, it set up like concrete in the bottom of the blender. I wasn't about to try that a second time!
Into the mixer bowl add pumpkin puree, eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix.
Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Spoon batter into muffin tin.
Bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes or until muffins spring back slightly when touched.
I love this recipe!
The neighbor's Jerseys.
Thinking about that yogurt
2. What product would you seriously stockpile if you found out they weren't going to sell it anymore?
Coffee beans. Can you imagine opening the door of our largest guest room and coffee beans come gushing out? Try. Just try.
North of our farm about 2 miles on 17th Street. Gorgeous color on the 11th of October.
3. What is the most interesting thing you have seen online this week?
The most interesting thing I saw online this week was a set of Bruynzeel colored pencils, which I purchased. The color feels so nice and smooth as you're working. (playing). The Banksy (graffiti artist) spoof, was the most interesting thing the week before.
More neighborhood pics
4. Is it better to be a "big fish in a small pond" or a "small fish in a big pond"?
A big fish in a small pond is more likely to encourage one's ego and give us a false sense of our own importance. A small fish in a big pond is more likely to make us dependent upon God. From this great distance on the timeline of my life, I'd choose the second option. But as my mother-in-law used to say, "Too soon old; too late smart."
I wonder if a gangster or a serial killer holes up here
(in our neighborhood)
5. My Joe has become obsessed with playing chess on the computer. Do you play chess? Are you good at it?
I played chess when I was young, but haven't played it for years. I'm more likely to play a word game.
(or maybe HERE)
6. Tell us something random about your week.
Yes, that's snow you see
Making its autumn appearance on October 14. (Daughter-in-law and three of the grandkids)
I thought you'd never ask! :-) We enjoyed a nice gathering of family and friends for our Early Thanksgiving. Not only did we all get an opportunity to tell each other one thing we were thankful for, and not only did my son bake two apple pies to go along with my two pumpkin pies, and not only did my daughter make a killer gluten-free, dairy-free green bean casserole, and not only did we have too much ham and turkey, and not only did the kids have a blast playing out in the sudden snowfall,
and not only was a group around a game table in the library and from the sound of it having a rip roaring time, BUT our son and his wife, who are expecting the birth of their second baby in February shared a 'gender reveal' with us. I'm showing a video for all of you, but especially for those friends in the UK who would probably be arrested and hauled off to gaol for doing such a thing. LOL
And not only do we have 'open carry' in Wisconsin, but we have 'open shooting,' I guess, as long as it's not at any living thing, including a tree. (Okay, the last part was my rule for the BB gun when our kids were young.) I guess this would be considered target practice.
Some of the gang on the hilltop with their pink or blue balloons, their guess of the baby's gender before the big explosive 'reveal.'
Two of the cousins, both 8 years old
One of the lovely granddaughters
Expectant mom and dad and older 4-year old brother
***
Christmas soaps are up in my Etsy shop
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap! Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
Figgy Pudding
Natural Vegan Soap
...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
What we can expect from October. Coming soon to a woods near us! (unless our rainy streak doesn't stop)
Join Terri and the Gang
for
She writes the questions;
we write the answers.
Why not join in, answering the questions on your own blog. Then comment on her blog so we can find you!
1. October 3rd is National Boyfriend Day. Ladies, who was your first boyfriend?
It was definitely Roy Rogers. But we kept it a secret from Dale.
I know you've seen this before, but it's the best I can do.
Roy (left)
Dale Evans (right)
2. Who was your first celebrity crush?
Roy Rogers, of course (and after that, Tom Berenger, but I don't talk about that anymore. Both of us looked a lot better when we were in our 30s. LOL)
3. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Boa constrictor, no kidding. It did not taste like chicken. It felt like rubber. There was no good reason to eat it except that it was huge and fed a lot of people, and something to write about in the far distant future.
The Potato Eaters,
Van Gogh
4. What famous artist, dead or alive, would you want to paint your portrait?
Perhaps Van Gogh, if it were painted a bit darker than the one above. And it would be entitlted, 'The Pistachio Nut Eaters."Somehow, this reminds me of an episode of Jeeves and Wooster. Unfortunately, I could not find it, but in my quest, I did come across a list of P.G. Wodehouse insults. "Newt-nuzzling blister" is my favorite. :-)
I had thought it was in this one maybe.
If not, it's still a fun episode.
with Cyril Bassington-Bassington
5. What Are You Most Likely To Stay Up All Night Talking About?
Our family. God. The Church. Jeeves & Wooster, The Crown, England.
6. The new Fall season has begun on TV. Which show are you most looking forward to seeing?
I am certainly hoping that another season of The Crown shows up on Netflix soon. And when it does, I will binge watch it. I wish I had more control over this, and maybe it won't be the same without Matt Smith and Claire Foy, but...I don't watch any of the network shows except for PBS, and only occasionally. I don't know what's coming up for Masterpiece, but that would be the one I'd be most interested in. It won't be Poldark.
After reading about the new cast of The Crown, Season Four, I might just watch Seasons One and Two again.
***
Most nights this winter we'll be watching
The Tommy & Smokey Show
***
Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap! Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
Cucumber Peel & Aloe
Natural Vegan Soap
With real aloe and dried cucumber
No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Large 4.5-5 oz. bars
Labeled and Wrapped, ready for gifting
...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
