Boys & Bacon

I'm doing a Facebook LIVE video today in a large crochet group to outline how I make crochet work for me. Beyond being a therapeutic respite from the world around me, because I can absolutely sink into a project for days on end, crochet has become a huge financial savior in our lives. I suffer from several mental health disorders and chronic migraines, holding a "real job" is hard for me. I have 2 kids on vastly different schedules, and childcare costs more than college in this area. So Crochet gives me the flexibility to take a mental or physical rest day without fearing for my job. Some of the questions I was asked to touch on are answered below. I learned to crochet from my grandma when I was 5, learned to amigurumi when I was 7 in elementary school. I started selling my hats and stuffed toys in my mom's second-hand store and by commission when I was 12 (7th grade). When I was 4 months pregnant with my first son, (2012) I was in a car wreck and my O...

From all the blogs I'm reading, the biggest take away is the need to build skills BEFORE I have to depend on the skills for sufficiency on the Homestead. So here's my first major new skill I've learned! So far this week, I've done Chicken Fajitas, Shredded Pork, BBQ Chicken, Mac N cheese, Creme Brulee, Pot Roast, and have had leftovers each night, half to freeze for later, half for future work meals for hubs. Today! Today I'm making mixed berry jam and applesauce. Sorry for the mess and bad photos... trying to get ANYTHING done with kids underfoot makes perfect photos difficult... For our jam, I took some blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (don't know how much, just went with what I had, it came to about 3 cups of mashed berries), and mixed them together in the mixer with sugar and pectin. I chopped the strawberries in half after removing the crown and leaves. Poured the whole mix into the instant pot. I set it to ...

A few months ago (okay, longer than that...) I wrote about the brown-ness of where I grew up. Now I need to be clear, I grew up on and around farmland, but very little GREEN grew there. It was brown (potatoes), brown (wheat), brown-sage (mint), and brown-yellow (alfalfa). You can't find berry bushes or more than a few handfuls of tomato plants in my home desert. (Photos courtesy of DD Ranch [My dad's neighbors] Terrebonne, OR) When I moved a couple years ago (renewing our 3rd lease) I realized how much GREEN we could have. I love the hustle and bustle of the city. I loved the fast-paced, everything within a few min drive...but as time has worn on, I miss dirt therapy. (Buckman Community Garden) I miss the animals, and the smell of rich compost (because you can't plant straight to soil in the desert) I miss the idea of the country, if not the actual country I grew up in. Images Courtesy of Croakers Crossing Farm I've felt an intense pull to ...

Thankful for my health. It's not always in the best shape, but I'm able to work enough to support and raise my family, which is more than a lot of people have. Thankful for great deals, sales and coupons make my life, and lives of my family. Thankful for good rain, and quiet fog. The weather that most people dread ease the chaos in my mind, and put my heart at peace.

Thankful for Tough days as a mom, they remind me how wonderful the good days are. Thankful for Omara's (or Baileys) when added to hot cocoa. It helps me unwind after one of the previously mentioned tough days. Thankful for friends and family supporting my passions in crafting and writing .

Thankful for Great opportunity Thankful for simplicity Thankful for Coffee

Thankful for bad puns. "...because Seven Ate Nine....." Thankful for local entertainment resources that offer annual memberships, like the Oregon Museum of Science . Thankful for great friends who can help me unwind over dinner and crafting, even in the middle of their own hustle and bustle.

I know I ramble on a lot about mental health, but it shows how important it is. I've been in a less than ideal place in my mind for years, and this year, after the persistent insistence of my husband, I took a "me vacation". I stayed at a beautiful 14 room hotel called the Seaside Oceanfront Inn . While I was there, I asked about the history of the place.   The property started out as a family cabin on the beach with a set of duplexes on the back end of the property. In the 80's a fire destroyed the cabin, and rather than rebuild a family residence in the middle of a now fully developed hospitality-focused business area, they chose to rebuild it as a bed and breakfast. Over the course of the build, the four-story building became more than it was originally supposed to be. The family divorced and sold the partially competed Inn to new owners. They completed the build and turned the lowest level into " Maggies on the Prom " and fine dining restaurant ...

My little thinker. He's most often found tinkering and does "independent play" well. This mister is my little engineer in the making. He's quiet (mostly) and thoughtful. And a joy every day. Thankful.

My dear sweet first born. Pure and constant emotional depths. This little boy made me a mom and created a new person of me. I may find deep frustration in his behavior and attitude. But really, it's just because he's bullheaded like me. I am thankful for him every day!

My rock. The love of my life, and my tether to sanity. My anchor in the storm of life. I love you!

I've been making and selling hats for YEARS now, I've probably made at least a thousand hats, most my own pattern, or a significantly altered variation on a pattern I've seen online. The most significant change is that I HATE brim up hat patterns. They're cute and all, but I lose interest before I get to the top..... So I'll alter a pattern to be top down. Which is great, but I get bored with that too. So I set out with the task of finding/creating a pattern that was consistent in size, easy to remember, and could be scaled to accommodate several different variances. And so I came up with my "slouch recipe". This is a great pattern/recipe for showing off those lovely wonderful cake yarns without an odd seam down the back, or for lovely yarns that are variegated, and get lost with fancy stitches. This hat was done with this pattern by a good friend of mine, Kirstin. She used I Love This Yarn in Dakota. What you'll need: Worsted (weight ...