Snow Day!

So the Blizzard of 2015 is on it's last breath, and left a bit of snow!

Here's our little greenhouse in our front yard.

And the front of our house

It doesn't look like much snow, but we probably got about eighteen inches.

And here's our Winston enjoying the snow.  He did not want to come back in! (That's the stinkeye he's giving me as I call him to come back to the house)!

I have been keeping up on my goals for 2015.

1.  Declutter:  Already made my two trips to Goodwill, each time with a car full of stuff!
2.  Finish studio remodel and second bedroom remodel: Carpet has been ordered for the upstairs and should be installed in about a week.  I'm VERY excited!
3.  Get my Etsy shop up and running:  I've been sorting through my dyed wool and have started making up packets.  My plan is to have items in my Etsy shop by this weekend.
4.  Vegetable gardens:  Seeds are here, and I'll start clearing out the greenhouse to make room for my starts.
5.  Canning/Drying/Freezing garden bounty:  While this goal is for my garden harvests, I've thought about starting some preserving using organic produce from a local grocer.  Stay tuned for updates!
6.  Learn to be a beekeeper:  I was signed up for a class this past Saturday, but we had a little "preview" of our blizzard, so it had to be rescheduled.
7.  Chickens!:  Still have to order the coop.
8.  Bring lunch to work:  I haven't been as good as I should on this goal, but I'll keep working on it!

Lastly, on the rug hooking front, I ordered a present for myself from Searsport Rug Hooking.  The top is my lap frame that I also bought at Searsport, and have been using for years. They offer the floor frame separate so that if you already have a lap frame, it just attaches right on.  I like it because it rotates as needed, and it doesn't get wobbly.

Here's a picture of my current work in progress.  All that's left is the background, which I think will be antique black.  I'm also considering offering this as a pattern drawn on linen for sale in my Etsy shop.

Well, that's all I have for today.  It's back to work for me (working from home).  Have a safe and warm day!!

Last rug of 2014, first rug of 2015, and a "worm" issue

My last rug of 2014 was a pattern that just plopped into my brain, and wouldn't let go until I drew it up, dyed the wool, and started hookin'!  It's not bound yet, but I'm thinking it will be a pillow.

I also drew up and started hooking my first rug of 2015.  I'm trying to combine my vision with a way to use up all those woolie worms!!

 And lastly, my hooking chums from our gloomy Sunday.

HAPPY 2015!

Our New Year's Eve was celebrated with friends, fooseball, and several rounds of Cards Against Humanity (the most un-PC game ever)....but great fun!  New Year's Day was just plain relaxing.  Once I got moving, I headed upstairs to the "under construction" studio and painted a computer armoire a beeyootiful green so I can use it for storage.  After that, it was off to the shower and the rest of the day on the couch, hooking a bit, stitching a bit, and lots of tv...lol!

Here's my tv watching companion.....

After having so many free hours to hook and stitch, I've really decided to push myself to get my fiber business going again.  I've let things slide since starting my current job a little over five years ago, and it's kind of made me a bit crazy.  My dream would be to be able to afford to quit the day job and transition completely over to my fiber business.  The only way to do this is to set goals that will get me moving.  Also, putting them here, for all to see, should motivate me!  This is actually something I'm "borrowing" from a blog I read religiously, http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/.  Last year, Mavis put down her goals on her blog, and updated her readers each week on where she was on reaching those goals.  Genius I say, so, here I go!!

GOALS FOR 2015

1.  Declutter:  After getting two rooms ready for a studio redo, I realized that I'm a bit of a pack rat!  So I'm going to go room by room with a goal of at least two trips to Goodwill a month until it's done.

2.  Finish studio remodel and second bedroom remodel:  this is a goal that actually needs to be done by the middle of February. (company's coming)!   My studio is right now in need of paint, new molding, and new carpet.  The second upstairs bedroom needs paint, new molding, and new carpet as well as a guest bed.  Here's a few pictures.

First bedroom being transformed into my studio.

 Painter armoire.  Love the green!

Second bedroom.  See....pack rat extraordinaire!

3.  Get my Etsy shop up and running.  I will start with some wool bundles and expand from there.

4.  Vegetable gardens.  I have already sent out the seed order, so this one is already started.  I will start all plants in the greenhouse.

5.  Canning/Drying/Freezing garden bounty.  Last year I did get a few things frozen and canned from our garden, but this year, I will do a much better job.

6.  Learn to be a beekeeper.  I am lucky enough to have a master beekeeper right next door, and he has offered to help me set up and learn how to be a beekeeper this year! (hope he doesn't mind a lot of questions)!

7.  Chickens!  I have picked out the chicken house, and will be ordering the coop and chicks for a chicken flock this year!  So excited!

8.  Bring lunch to work.  I have spent way too money and gained too much weight from eating out at lunch five days a week.  This year, I will plan meals and start bringing my lunch to work.

It's not too many goals, but I will post at least once a week about each goal and how I've worked on it.  Maybe putting it out to the universe will help!  Now that mine are done, what are your goals for 2015?