Let's Talk Gardening

I am pretty excited. I signed up for the Master Gardener Course and my first class is tonight. We are jumping right into it with the first class all about botany. Hopefully I will glean enough from this course to have a more productive garden here at Prairie Cairn Cottage.

I am also pleased to announce the completion of the hat I made for my Ever So Handy Husband. I didn't quite get it complete by Christmas but it was done before he had to make a trip to frigid North Dakota. He said it came in handy and was really happy with it! Yeah!

Happy New Year 2014

Well, we made it through the holidays here at Prairie Cairn Cottage! Christmas was good to us this year. Little Black Brindle got some new balls and a squeaky, stretchy fox which he loves! Tabby got a pole with a long string to tempt him to chase but his favorite where 3 fabric mice. Both pets chose the toy I thought would be their least favorite. Guess I don't know them all that well after all!

New Year's day had me working on the things I'd like to spend more time on in 2014 or new crafts I'd like to accomplish. To that end I enjoyed a day of knitting, sewing and I tried my hand once more at spinning on a drop spindle. A few goals were set for 2014. For Prairie Cairn Cottage we'd like to finally get fencing put up,a shed or two put up, and the new chicken coop built. Personal goals for me include learning to spin, learning to knit hats and socks and walking more. Of course adding a few more critters to the Cottage is always a possibility!

Count Down Begins

Like all of you out there, Prairie Cairn Cottage has begun the countdown with only one week left. I just got my packages to out of town relatives in the mail yesterday and cards sent off Monday. Whew! I am cutting it short as usual. Anyone out there besides me vow to make next year stress free? I've already figured out what I want to create and give as gifts and the timeline necessary to accomplish that goal. Let's just say that as soon as this Christmas ends, I'll be starting on next year's gifting. Mr. Tabby and Little Black Brindle are looking forward to Christmas this year as well. A visit to our local pet store for treats should have their presents all wrapped up. The stockings that I made them last year have been hung and are adding that special touch to the decorating at Prairie Cairn Cottage. Thanks for stopping by the Cottage for a Christmas visit. We hope you find the joy of the Savior's birth to be at the heart of your holidays. Audrey

Weekend Crafting at Prairie Cairn Cottage

What's on my needles?

knitted dishcloth

What is under my needle?

Lil' Rascals quilt kit

What is on my hook?

crocheted skillet cozy

What is on my reading shelf?

A Cairn treat for you



Uh Spring?

The Cottage is being slammed by the big storm pushing through the US today.  The poor dear chicks are snowed in again and I've had to dig them out 3 times thus far.  I will do it one more time before night fall.  You can see a large drift in the corner of their enclosure. 

We've gotten over a foot of snow and with our ever present prairie winds the snow tends to drift.  The drift off the patio is now over 5 foot high.  Lucky for me I had planned a couple of snow days and don't have to try to go out in this in the cairn mobile.  I just have to go out and shovel and shovel...well you know the drill.

The funny thing about the wind, it piles the snow up 5' in places but scours it bare in others.  This is  the rest of the back yard at the Cottage:

At least I'm not trudging through 5' of snow to get to the coop.  I just have to walk to the back fence then come back up to the coop so I can shovel to get the enclosure open...then dig them out...when I'm done I get to shovel to get the enclosure closed back up.  Not to mention having to shovel a path for Little Black Brindle to use the loo.  Whew!  Quite the work out today!

Between shoveling, I've been enjoying my snow day at the Cottage.  A little sewing, a little knitting, a lot of blog hopping, some texts with family...

I certainly could use the finished version of this knitting project.  It will soon turn into Fear of Commitment Cowl found here.  I got tired of only knitting dish cloths and am pushing myself to try different projects.  The yarn is Lion Brand Hometown and is deliciously soft.  It should feel good against my neck next fall and winter.  Big size 13 needles and only 35 stitches per row should have this done in no time. 

Last but not least, I am very pleased to announce the soon completion of my muumuu!  I only need to hand stitch the yoke facing and the hem band (pinned for the picture).

Remember, this is the first piece of clothing I have sewn since Home Ec.  For my first attempt in decades, I am rather pleased.  It's too large and I will be making the next one a size (or two?) smaller.  It will be only for around the Cottage, so no matter.  I've been dreaming of sewing my own clothes for some time and feel this is a step in that direction.   

 

I know you won't be driving up the Lane to Prairie Cairn Cottage today (you'd get stuck in the snow silly) but I'm ever so glad you popped in to see us.  

Sew Close

The Mission's Dinner was Friday but alas, I was unable to complete my muumuu in time.  I am having a wee bit of trouble with the yoke.  I have either had to reposition it, cut it down or just flat out re-sew it 7 times now.  Ai yi yi!  I think I might finally have it fitted properly and pinned in the proper place.  I basted it and tried it on and it seems fine.  I even got it sewn in place but then horror or horrors, I had gotten it all bunched up under the presser foot and sewn together so out came the seam rippers once again.  That's when I gave up trying to complete it for the Dinner and went on to plan B for my Hawaiian Luau attire.

I've had the most difficult time just getting the yoke in the proper position.  My fabric looks the same on the wrong side and I think that has a lot to do with my confusion.  I'd get it pinned in place only to realize the shoulder seam would face the wrong way so I would pull out all the pins and re position it.  I even basted it down once only to realize I had positioned it on the wrong side of the dress.  Talk about frustrating!  But it's in the correct position now and basted down and tried on and everything looks right as rain so if I sew it very carefully in place, I might be able to move on to the next step. 

I had always planned on using this as a summer dress so even though I missed the Dinner, I still plan on completing it.  I'll post the finished masterpiece when it's ready.

I was also very pleased to remember as much as I did about sewing clothes.  My 7th grade Home Ec class was quite long ago but I had only forgotten a few items which I had to look up on the internet.  Just like with all new activities I think the more I sew the easier it will be to sew.

This was the dessert I made for the Dessert Auction.  Apart from being a bit lopsided in this picture, I was quite please with how it came out.  I found two of these cake stands at a local thrift and bought both.  I used one to take to the auction and am keeping the other.  My inspiration for this cake can be found here.

I did so enjoy your visit to Prairie Cairn Cottage today, I hope you come back soon.

Audrey     
 
  

Letting the Cat out of the Bag

 

Last night I walked past the dining table only to discover Mr. Tabby had crawled into one of my work tote bags.  With a picture like this I think I was obliged to label this post as I have.

What I want to let out of the bag however, is that I have been seriously bitten by the sewing bug!  It all began with the Christmas stockings I made for Mr. Tabby and Little Black Brindle.  Then I started a new bed quilt which got interrupted by the pillow cases I made My Ever So Handy Husband for Valentine's Day.  That was followed by a table runner and another quilt (a local Block of the Month).  I've shared with you the stockings and pillow cases which so far are the only completed projects and will post more about the other projects later on.

We are having a Missions Dinner at Church in a few weeks.  The theme this year is a Hawaiian Luau complete with a pig roast.  The participants are encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts for men and muumuus for women.  You may be asking yourself what this has to do with this post?  Well, fear not!  The explanation is as follows:  Not owning a muumuu myself I was trying to decided what to do when that pesky sewing bug bit me again! 

Here is the fabric for the muumuu I plan on making for the church dinner and a picture of the dress.  Being the proverbial optimist, I just know this dress is going to go together in a snap.  And since warmer days are just around the corner (and I fell in love with the blue flower fabric) I thought I just might as well make two!  Mind you, I have not successfully sewn an article of clothing for myself since 1971 but I just know this is going to be a piece of cake!

 

 If that were not enough unfinished projects, I also signed up to make some baby blankets for a ministry at Church.  Wouldn't you know it, when I was at the fabric store I found these darling flannels.  I think this will make a good start to the number of blankets I volunteered to make.

So two dresses, three blankets, two quilts and a table runner.  Hmmm...looks like my trusty Elna will be getting a workout soon. 

I think sewing for oneself and for our cottages is the newest resurrected craft.  I certainly have seen a lot of blog posts about sewing projects of all kinds.  Are you starting to sew more for yourself?  I'd love to hear what kind of projects you've got on your sewing table.

Thanks for coming to visit us at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  I hope you come back and bring your sewing machine so you can sew with me.

Audrey

The Dirt Itch

I am anxious to start gardening.  Judging by these pictures it looks like it will be awhile before that can be accomplished.  That is the garden as seen though the top of the garden gate, I don't believe I'll even be getting inside the garden for several months weeks.  The free-cycle patio set is anxiously waiting for snow melt so it can get a good sanding and painting and then finally it can enjoy it's first meal at the Cottage.  The lawn tractor is buried in snow but, alas, it will not be needed any time soon.

So what's a girl to do?  Start her seeds indoors that's what!  Later today I'll be setting up a table with some flats that I can start some cabbages and cauliflower in.  Then in a couple of weeks I'll be starting some broccoli and brussels sprouts.  Before I know it, I'll be able to get into that garden and plant some peas and greens.  Sigh, spring is just around the corner out here on the prairie, I just know it is even if all I see right now is white.

a Little Taste of Summer

I am sitting here at the Cottage waiting for a Peach Pie to bake.  The smell is divine!  The peaches came from a farm stand last fall and if I remember, they were some Palisade Peaches, a much prized Colorado delicacy.  We are having a potluck at church tonight  and this is the dish I'll bring so I'll have to wait to get a taste.  Pure torture!

To help pass the seemingly endless winter on the Prairie I have pulled out my trusty Elna sewing machine and have been working of various projects.  I had friends over a few weeks ago and we made pillow cases.  If you haven't made any you should, they were super easy and fun.  I made these for my Ever So Handy Husband and he was thrilled!  I'm making another set soon just for me. 

The sunsets and sunrises still thrill me no end out here on the Prairie.  This sunset was taken just the other day and the following morning the sunrise was just as spectacular!

 

On Monday, we celebrated Little Black Brindles' one year anniversary of coming to live at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  He may be the "rescue" dog but he truly came to rescue me.  I look back at how despondent I was over losing our little Wheaten Cairn and I realize how much my new little Cairn has helped me these past 365 days.  Good Boy!  Smart Boy!  Brave Boy!

Tabby has taken to sleeping in the sun coming in the patio doors in the Morning Room.  I swear he is 6 feet long when he stretches out.  You KNOW a cat is relaxed when he exposes his belly while sleeping.  He makes me laugh when he sleeps this way!

And lest you think the chicks have flown the coop, here is a recent shot of them practicing being free range birds.  My Ever So Handy Husband has not been able to finish the coop he started late last fall, which is just as well since we decided it was way too small anyway.  So the poor dear birds are still in their temporary, just for the summer coop!  I've been a bit worried about them and have done a lot of internet searching about winter care.  One person wrote in and asked if she needed to put in some supplemental heat in her coop and two people from Alaska both wrote her back and said they don't have any type of heat in their coop and they get very, very cold there.  That made me feel a bit better but when I went out to open their coop for the day and the thermometer said it was minus 15 degrees I was a bit apprehensive until they strolled out as if it were a nice day in July!  It was just as the Alaska chicken keepers said, they don't need extra heat as long as they get acclimated to the cold, remember they are wearing down coats!

 

Such are the mid winter days at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  A little sewing, a little baking, a lot of warming ourselves in the sun coming in the cottage windows.  Thank you for visiting with us today and come back soon!

 

Audrey

 

 

  

Now that I have a better understanding of how this new computer works and finding the program I needed for my camera, I can finally share a few pictures from our Christmas.

 

 

What do you do when it's Christmas time and you have two new critters in the household?  Make stockings for them of course!  I took a tracing on freezer paper from another stocking that we had and got the basic shape I was looking for.  For Little Black Brindle's stocking I found the cutest terrier fabric and lined it with a basic red.  Having never sewn a stocking before, let alone a lined anything, I was very pleased with the way both stockings came out.  Tabby's stocking was a cute collage of different breeds of cat.  Both stockings served their purpose very well and if I get ambitious I may embroider their names on the cuff (probably not!).  If you're wondering, the chicks didn't get stockings.  Before you get upset, they did get Christmas presents of dried meal worms and a suet block, just no stockings. 

 

As you can see from the top picture of Little Black Brindle we had let him get a tad unkempt.  He was shouting, "Don't take my picture!  My hair looks awful!" So New Year's weekend we gave him a grooming session, mainly around his face, tail and skirt.  After his date at the spa and he was dried off; we were relaxing in front of the TV when he drags my camera off the sofa and hands it to My Ever So Handy Husband.  MESHH picked the camera up and Little Black Brindle stood in front of him and posed for this picture (I kid you not!).  He said to tell you he feels much better about his looks now that he's back to looking like a proper Cairn.  He also wanted everyone to see his favorite Christmas present.

 

Tabby wanted to let everyone know he spends his days in a nice warm bed positioned just right to catch the warm rays from the winter sun.  Santa Cat brought him some Christmas toys but his favorite present was an even nicer bed than the one in this picture.  No longer having to hunt for his dinner he is becoming one very spoiled cat but he has taken on the jobs of keeping mice out of Prairie Cairn Cottage (and is doing an outstanding job of that) and keeping Little Black Brindle in line.

 

Life at Prairie Cairn Cottage has taken on a soft, relaxing pace.  We are spending our days inside out of the bitter Wyoming winds and taking in the beautiful landscape that God has placed all around us.   We hope you are also finding peace, warmth and beauty in your surroundings.

 

Audrey

 

 

Thought Provoking Website

Aren't these amazing pictures?  I was looking for some black and white farm type pictures that I might be able to print out and frame for the guest bedroom at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  I found these at the Library of Congress website here.  There are thousands of these pictures.  Some are nostalgic like those I've posted  and some are just plain sad but they are all real. 

I can't help but wonder what kind of lives those kids experienced.  Did they grow up and become someone famous?  Did they have happy lives?  Did that young boy on the left go off and fight in WWII?  Did he make it home?  What about the younger boy in the doorway, did he fight in Korea?  Or was he like my father who enlisted in the relative peace in between WWII and Korea?

I found myself mesmerized by these photo's, you should check them out; but before you go, thanks for stopping by and visiting with me here at Prairie Cairn Cottage.

Audrey

    

New Toy

I alluded to this in a previous post so here at long last is the revealing of my new toy.  A dear woman from church actually gave me this and is giving me lessons on how to use it.  It is a knitting machine!  I am a tediously slow hand knitter and would love to be faster.  I volunteered to help out with the Covering Prayers Ministry (prayer shawls, baby blankets, etc...) at church and she was so delighted that she gave me this machine.  I'm only in my baby steps learning this new craft.  It is not at all like hand knitting!  The results are, but the process is far removed from each other.  I've only this past weekend been able to set this up and play around with it.  I knitted several rows well and then several rows had holes and dropped stitches.  But isn't everything we do a learning event?  One of these days I hope to post an actual completed project made by me! 

This next pictures are a wash cloth and one baby sock that my friend made while showing me the machine.  She did these in just moments!  When I hand knit a wash cloth it takes me about a month!

I still think I will be hand knitting for the shear satisfaction of the hand work but for making shawls or blankets, this machine may be the way to go.