Recent Up To Dating

Right now I am slouched in a chair with a cat on my chest, while Alex showers and the dulcet tones of Bach's Toccata and Fugue ring through the house. I remarked to Alex today that I haven't posted a blog in weeks. Possibly even months now. He said it was because I didn't have anything to say. I disagreed. I have plenty to say, I just don't know how to say it anymore.

I've had a nice week of vacation and I still get Monday off before having to head back to work at the bank. We lost two more people, and then my boss underwent a surgery, so I had a period of 2 weeks where I earned plenty of overtime. I am grateful. I really am. I just have an odd way of showing it. I love the people who come it. I have trouble with the people who work there.

The garden is completely dead now, and I haven't had a single day where I have been able to go out and clean it up. This bothers me. On the days where I have time to do it, it's either raining cats and dogs, or it's freezing cold. We had our first snow on Thursday. I finally dug out all the remaining potatoes and they were an absolute success this year. I will most definitely continue to plant that same variety in the coming years. I retrieved about 6 dozen potatoes over the course of the summer and autumn, from 7 plants. And they made the most wonderful soup I have ever produced in my kitchen.

The Etsy store has enjoyed a nice holiday rush and I've introduced several new designs to the shop in the last few weeks. I even managed to get a box of business cards printed! Definitely keep checking the Facebook fan page for promotions, coupon codes and free shipping specials.

While antique hunting in New Buffalo, MI this week, my husband and I stumbled upon an old buffet and china cabinet set. How fortunate for us that the seller had her entire booth 50% off and was taking offers! We ended up paying a total of $106 for this new piece of furniture, which will be residing in my kitchen by Tuesday of next week. I won't call it beautiful just yet. At the moment, it's quite hideous. It was filthy, covered it grime, spilled God-knows-what dripping down it's cabinet doors, painted a lovely shade of baby pink with ancient country floral wallpaper pasted into the china cabinet, but by Golly, if nothing else, I have an eye for the POTENTIAL! I see a gorgeous piece of furniture for my kitchen as soon as I slap some new paint onto it! I spent the better part of this evening washing and scrubbing, dismantling and sanding. Now my fingers are torn apart from sanding grit, my lungs are full of paint particles and I am exhausted. I can't wait to get that baby into my kitchen and start filling her up with my things.

I spent 5 hours on Thursday turning roma tomatoes into sauce. It was rather disappointing work. I only managed to get 3 pints out of all that time! Talk about irritating! I made some beef jerky as well, and as I happen to have some frozen salmon in the freezer, I am giving some serious thought to trying fish jerky. Honestly, it sounds pretty disgusting and God knows what the kitchen will smell like afterwards, but I have heard my hunter friends say that it makes a great snack and has essential nutrients.

I have been recently addicted to The Walking Dead on AMC. It's messing with my brain a little bit though. Now, instead of simply preparing for the economic meltdown, I am also preparing for the zombie apocolypse. I'm not entirely sure that they are two different things. What I do know is that I really need to add more canned goods to the pantry and make even more serious efforts in next summers garden. My 40 tomatoe plants did not produce nearly as well as I had anticipated and I got a single serving of green beans from 6 plants. Not exactly thrilling I must admit, although my potatoes and corn were magnificent and I did get a nice crop of cucumbers. I plan to make much better use of trellises next year as well.

So there's the recent news. I will be posting pictures again fairly soon, as soon as the hard work for the new furniture is complete. I am giving serious consideration to returning to school. Not college though. I have decided college was utterly useless. I am considering trade school. Whether I take technical drafting again, start some agricultural studies, or learn carpentry, I see honing my skills and passions in the near future.

Pride Goes Before A Fall...?

This blog went viral yesterday due to the extraordinarily BAD behavior of the author on this reviewer's comments about her self-published work. Read it - it's like watching a train wreck. 300 and some comments, few of them out of pity and more views than the writer of the blog could have hoped to achieve.

In some ways I feel sorry for the author - not because she received a less than glowing review - but because she clearly believed that her work was exceptional and couldn't possibly recieve anything less than 4 out of 5 stars. She's really bitten the dust now. Good luck with ever selling another book now Jacqueline Howett. You will never be more widely read than you were this week - and it isn't your mediocre writing that everyone is talking about.

Anyway, if nothing else, I've started following this blog!


BigAl's Books and Pals: The Greek Seaman / Jacqueline Howett: "Genre: Suspense/Literary Fiction Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words Availability Kindle: YES Nook: YES &..."

Giveaway Promotion!!!

L.Peek Designs has made some FAB new friends this year, and Kelsey, from Family Fashion and Facts, has been a wonderful blessing! Currently, she is hosting a giveaway for L.Peek Designs Etsy shop on her blog! Check her out so you can enter!

Family Fashion and Facts: I Peek Designs Giveaway!!: "L Peek Designs Giveaway!L Peek Designs has <3 <3 A*M*A*Z*I*N*G <3 <3 Crochet items! They are more than adorable! The first..."

New Look, New Attitude.

Well, if you have just found me this morning, you will have been greeted by my all new background and 'look'. I must say I am quite pleased.

My motto for this beautiful new year is "Necessity is the mother of invention."

I am determined to constantly be seeking new and creative ways to be self-sufficient. I'll admit, yesterday, I was so depressed I couldn't get off the couch. (We also had a blizzard, which is the most opressive of the weather patterns I find.) But today, the sun is OUT, the snow has finally stopped, my back muscles are positively screaming from all the shoveling I did yesterday, I have friends, love, and life, and most importantly a FUTURE.

What brought about this sudden change? The sunshine outside helped. My husband suddenly deciding that we are going to pray together every night after some time of reflection and study in God's word was a huge part in my attitude adjustment. And it occurred to me that I do so much that ensures the survival of our tiny family that I have no reason on earth to feel useless and unwanted. My cats would DIE without me. It's true. My husband would live with his grandma without me. (Not so bad - she doesn't nag him like I do.)

I am returning to my original plan - to be a pianist! I didn't go through 22 years of piano lessons and 7 years of music school to be worthless. I sure as all get out didn't go through all that to be an insurance agent.

Alex is my manager. Beginning in March, I will begin marketing myself as an event pianist for weddings, receptions, etc, and an accompanist. That means I have to buckle down and practice every day again. I hope I have that in me.

I will continue to work the Etsy shop like my life depends on it.

I will try to take on a few new piano students.

I will grow my best garden to date this year. Hence the new background - veggies are one of my great loves.

I will preserve more food than ever this year.

I will create new recipes and try new things every week.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll convince that husband of mine that we should be thinking about starting our family?

Nah - I'll save that one for next year. :)

Statistically Speaking

My favorite part about this blog is the 'Stats' tab. I think it's so cool to be able to see where my nonsense is being read from. Okay, yes, sometimes it makes me a little nervous to see that 40 people on the other side of the world are reading a certain posting because it makes me wonder what I said it that posting that's so damn interesting, but by and large, I love to see the different countries of the world light up in mint green to show me that there is one or two souls in France, Nepal, Australia, China and Brazil that thought something I put up was worth looking at for a few minutes. :)

Alex and I have been talking about where we would move to if things here in the US were to get really bad. We don't anticipate it anytime soon, but you know how conversations just kind of rise up while you're riding in the car or just before you turn off the lights? That was how this conversation started.

We decided the place we might like to live best would be New Zealand. His company has a large client there where he would likely be able to get a job fairly quickly. And the climate is excellent for mini-farming, which would put me in heaven. Our second choice would be Germany, which is where Alex was born. Again, because of the possibility of him getting a job with one of the 3 companies that his company provides research for. Not my favorite choice though, unless we were to live more south in that country. I'd like to be in a place where winters are a little more mild than they are here.

So if you are in New Zealand, or Germany, or somewhere that isn't the US, Hello! I know I don't usually say anything great, profound, enlightening or otherwise important, but knowing that you're out there does make my day.

Missed the Centennial Posting

Well!

Yesterday I posted my 100th blog posting without realizing it! Kind of makes me wish I had said something important rather than a breif bit of prose about what rolls around in my head on nights of insomnia. Last night I slept well though.

We put a lot of importance on the number 100. 100 years is a long time, 100 objects is a lot, 100 of anything can become overwhelming. 100 rejected job applications....well, let's not worry about that right now. I'm pretty impressed that I've made it to 100 postings. I've started 5 different blogs in the past 2 years, but this is the one that I've been keeping up with. Little pat on the back for me, as I have never been very good about keeping up with the things I've started.

I would be overjoyed with 100 sales in my Etsy shop and I believe I am well on my way there. Last night I reached 42 sales, and I am still playing catch up for the upcoming bazaar and promotions. I'm a little sad that there has been almost ZERO interest in my Superbowl Sale, but I also understand that it's only been a few days and that not everything works as quickly as I would like it to.

I have discovered the joys of audio books! They are wonderful for the crocheter/knitter because they do not require you to pay attention to a picture on a screen when you are trying to count stitches! All this week I have been listening to James Patterson's 'Women's Murder Club - 1st To Die'. It had very mixed reviews, but those are the kinds of books that I enjoy - murder mysteries, crime dramas, suspense thrillers, etc. - and I have really enjoyed it. Except for the narrator. She's a little bland. I still have one free credit left on Audible.com that I want to use wisely, so I've been scouring the bestseller lists for the best title available. Then perhaps I will head to the library for some more.

These weeks have been beautiful. I feel great promise for us this new year. January is already nearly over, and though I am tired of the snow and the blizzard conditions, I will be sorry to wave goodbye. But February, though usually the least favorite time of year for me, has the same amount of promise this year. Bring it on.

Just Some Things

What a week. I hope I hear from my new job soon about when they are officially going to hire me and start their training courses. I had a call last week, to tell me that they don't know when it's going to start yet and am I still interested, but haven't heard from them since. Being at home all the time is kind of messing with my head.
I've been crocheting like a crazy person here lately! Seriously - a crazy person. Yep - part of being stuck in the house and not working. However, I am getting ready for a handmade/vintage bazaar that will be held on April 10 in S.B., so it's not necessarily bad that I am being a bit crazy about it. I am also in communication with a fellow blogger who does promos and giveaways for handmade goods and shops to be a featured seller in the next few months. Giveaways always attract potential customers.

I have been working out some new baby shoe designs, beyond my tiny Chucks, with some success. Alex's big contribution to the effort has been to suggest that I attempt the classic Vans skater shoes in mini crochet scale. Not a bad idea really. I've also been working on tiny Mary Janes with flowers on the toes. I hope to have them available soon, but with my freehand designing, it's always a process of trial and error. 

So back to the studio I go to run yarn through my fingers until they are dry and stiff with hopes of completing a finished product or two today. If you ever loved me, share my Etsy.com shop with your friends. :)