Weekly (Ha!) Round-Up

I guess it should be more like Random Round-Up.

I actually had a very eventful week, but I'm not quite ready to make the news public yet.

Thanks to Stacy and Clem for coming over to play Castle Panic.

We combined two expansion packs Castle Panic: The Wizard's Tower
and Dark Titan and were thoroughly trounced.

I've be re-reading books from my childhood and teen years lately.  Right now I'm reading the Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables.

Belovedest fixed the washing machine and saved us a whole boatload of money with that little $40 part.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Puzzle "Painting" + Cute Kids

I wrote here about my puzzle "painting" baby shower gift.  I was looking for some photos of dried beans and came across these, which are much nicer, from when I actually gave the gift. I thought I'd post them here to hopefully brighten you day a little bit.

No, she isn't crying.  She's yawning.  Gen's babies hardly ever cry!

First Try

He is just good at everything!

Here is Belovedest's very first attempt at making an alcohol ink tile....

Gardening, Lately

We've been working to preserve the harvest.

We STILL didn't get enough tomatoes to can, even with six plants.  It was just not a good year.  (On the plus side, Belovested, the cook, is getting better at using them when they are fresh.)  I suppose we could can if we wanted to.  But it seems silly when it all fits in the freezer.

Still, we are saving bean seeds, some for sowing next year and most for eating.

There are special varieties of beans that are meant to dry on the vine and then have the bean seeds harvesting for eating. We didn't actually plant that kind.  But I figure it's not like these are going to be poisonous or anything.  We're going to save them to add to soups.

We're also drying and grinding herbs.  Here's some thyme, with the stems headed for the compost pile.

I've been storing dried herbs in baby food jars.  Thanks to Sarah and Gen and Jen for giving me their empties.

Soon we'll harvest the last of the tomatoes.  We've already warded off one frost successfully, but we won't be able to hold out forever...

I wish gardening made more of a dent in the grocery bill, but as my husband points out, veggies are cheap.  At least we know we aren't eating pesticides, plus the flavor is much better.

Organized? Not so much....

I just cleaned off my desk and took an ineffective swipe at my inbox.  I found 6 To Do lists.

Now my desk is much more functional, but I'm wondering what having 6 To Do list says about me!

They aren't different kinds of lists, mind you, although I do have that too.  One for work, one for long term, one for short term, and sometimes a daily one.  The six were all daily ones.  I guess that just means I lose things a lot!

I'm feeling much better, though.  A cleared-off space on my desk to work always makes me feel more in control.  And now I'm going to go downstairs and work on Mom's rug and some tiles.  :)

Frost Is Coming....

We covered the tomatoes, even though it is only supposed to get down to 35.  You never know in Nebraska.....

Yes, we still have tomatoes on the vine.  We had to start over with tomatoes since the birds ate them so they are really behind.

There are quite a few green ones on the vine, so here's hoping we can keep the frost off of them long enough to get a few more.

Sunday Thoughts: A Quote from Dante

The love that moves the sun and the other stars.

– Dante's description of God the end of The Divine Comedy

September Budget

This month we managed to put extra toward the mortgage and more than usual in savings, so I'm grateful for that.  It helps that utilities were nice and low because of the pleasant weather.  The grocery bill was lower than usual also, which I'd like to attribute to our garden, although I'm not sure if that is really the case.  Veggies are so cheap that it is hard to gauge how much of an effect the garden produce is having.

We'd also crossed the half-way mark on the house, counting from the sale price of the house, not the amount we borrowed, but still: progress.  Right now we have 4.5 years on the mortgage if we make bigger-than-usual payments and 7.3 years if we revert to the actual payment.  I am really looking forward to FT entrepreneurship when the house is paid off.

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Congratulations!

My husband, proud CEO of Charlemagne Beard Oil, achieved a yeard in early September.

A yeard, is a beard that has been grown for a year.  This is a photo from around that time.  I'll have to see if I can find a photo that better shows off his length.  But I wanted to celebrate the moment, even belatedly!

Pottery Class Results

This is what I made during my 10-week class:

Except for the pastel green and yellow pot with the black outlines on its petals--one of the instructors made that for me since the piece to its left (another pot-with-petals) kept getting broken and repaired.

Here is a close-up of some favorite pieces:

I like making pottery, but it is a whole lot harder than it looks.  Plus some things crack for no reason and glazing can be unpredictable.  (Of course, somethings also crack for very good reasons....)

I asked my instructor what she thought of my abilities and she said, "You have a good design sense, but you are too hasty."  So, I said, "Creative, but impatient."  She nodded.

I'm hoping do to pottery again because I like the practical aspect.  Among the other little experiments, I made two vases, three pots for plants, a pencil holder or two, and three matching containers for utensils that match our yellow-and-black kitchen.  Most the above turned out OK.  Also, making pottery is really soothing and meditative.