Things I enjoy

If I had 48 hours in each day I probably could achieve all the things I want.
But the heat cuts back my activity to roughly 8 hours.
Forcing me to be patient with unfinished crafts and gardening plans. Taking it slowly in sultry Okie climate.
I have put a lot of my craft-earned money to several garden and house projects. This lovely, but generic Lowe's patio bench makes me happy, because for a former life-time apartment dweller, it means a great deal to put a bench in front of our house instead of sitting on a drab north-side utility balcony facing the back of some large apartment building.
I especially love our 2 cheap (plastic) humming-bird feeders, so far I had no luck taking pictures of the tiny birds in action yet.
The greatest and most anticipated project will be a real hardwood floor in butterscotch tone in our living room. Detail work has been started and in June we will finally get this natural upgrade for our main living area.
Even though this post doesn't really contain a message, it's a life sign, no, I haven't abandoned my blog. Revealing a bit of "modesty" when it comes to small things that bring me happiness.
In times of rising prices for living and fun, I am grateful to be happy with my little treasures around the house and outdoors.

Tam updates under weird circumstances

Yesterday I was talking about my difficulties taking pictures in a stormy season, well, to make matters worse, we had an ueber turbulent evening on Memorial Day. A severe thunderstorm right over town with tornado warning. And the first time of actually seeking shelter at the police department building. Needless to say I am still a bit stressed out and cleaning up around the house.

Luckily I had taken advantage of the calmer afternoon and got a lot of pictures taken of my new tams. As you can see above.
They are available at my Etsy shoppe and my website.

Back from my hiatus

(100% large bamboo yarn visor tam, available here)
It's been a while since I posted.
Lots of personal business.
One sad story:
We adopted a dog from the Humane Society and sadly had to bring her back after 6 days. It just didn't work out between her and our dog Oscar who had been with us ever since he was a puppy. Missy-Mouse, the fox terrier/golden retriever mix would have made an excellent single dog, but she turned out to be a very possessive and dominant dog once she was comfortable with her new environment. Her possessiveness of me as her person, the yard, the toys eg. made our Australian Kelpie mix Oscar eventually retreat to the point where he would hide from her just to be left alone. Oscar tends to avoid confrontations and enjoys playing until he gets tired, but Missy-Mouse went beyond playful behavior and eventually started bullying Oscar. There was nothing I could do to intervene and it saddened and stressed me to the point where I had to make a decision: keep a peaceful family life (and our dog was always part of the family) or take the chance that things may change eventually. After Mouse jumped on Oscar while both dogs were relaxing under the patio table, I had to decide to let her go. The HS accepted her back the day after.

Dog Adoption may be a good thing, but it may not work out, regardless of good intentions.

I did work on new tams, but the photographing part wasn't always possible.
Yesterday was a severe tornado day with several touch-downs, luckily they all happened in rural areas with hardly any population. We stayed watchful of the weather all day since it was not immediately happening in our county, but at the same time we had severe thunderstorm warnings that may have turned into tornados.
The strong winds would have blown my mannequin head of the table outside.
I managed to list one bamboo salt&pepper visor tam this morning before we took off to a classic picnic in the park with most of Sid's relatives returning to town for Memorial Day.
And as the story goes, sitting idle for many hours makes me even more tired than working, so, tomorrow will be another day;)

Sometimes a little silence can't hurt

Especially when you don't have anything important to say.
So I'll just indulge in a little bit of self-promotion today.
I want to thank Gimla of the Mature Natural Blog for her special feature of a few Etsy hat stores showcasing our summer tams and snoods.
Thank you so much for including me!
The feature is here
Work in progress is the title of the picture below and following are a few new clothing items pictures. My materials and supplies are overwhelming and I need to create!
A pile of hats that is awaiting to be finished and listed.
A patchwork skirt that finally came to life after concentrated sewing.

I had already given boxes full of baby yarn to charity groups, but I need to put the rest of my light weight skeins to good use myself and I have decided to make these little summer halter apron tops for girls.
(Tops and skirt available in my Etsy shop.)

A special day for all the fine mamas out there

Stitchin' mamas, working mamas, hope all you fine women out there have a day of joy, gratitude and appreciation for all the love, hard work and dedication to your families!
Happy Mother's Day!
(Picture source here)

Chilling out -- Greatful Dead Movie Clip -- New Riders of the Purple Sage

It's raining cats and dogs, it's stormy, it's an indoor day.
Is there a better way then chill out with some great Dead and New Riders of the Purple Sage music and a little Hippie cartoon?

Going Green -- A new Slogan for commercials?

(Image found on this website offering a cleaning service with earth-friendly products)

All right, ever since EARTH DAY I have noticed that a growing number of commercials use the slogan "go green" and similar.
A good thing, right?
Well, I really hope so and if this was the new movement and life style I couldn't be happier. But I am suspicious and have yet to be convinced that this is not just a new way to sell all kind of products.
As for cleaning products especially, I wonder how earth-friendly the ingredients really are. And even though they may satisfy a certain industrial standard, I still wonder why the products (that typically come in more plastic containers) couldn't just easily be replaced with "grandma' tips for thrifty cleaning", the vinegar and lye-soap old-school cleaning type. There are great recipes for homemade cleaning products, I used to own wonderful books with tips of the old-fashioned kind.
So, I wonder how effective the readily mixed and plastic-bottled products will be for the environment in the long run.
Another example may be the improvement of tumble dryers when it comes to the use of electricity, but how the use of a simple cloth line would actually simplify saving our money and earth instead of all-year tumble drying. (Not everywhere it's possible, but it's just an example how simple things really could be).

I found some nice tips about home-made natural cleaners here, but there is a whole lot more to be explored.

Vinegar

Uses:

Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area.

It is safe to use on most surfaces and has the added bonus of being incredibly cheap. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Don't worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries. Here are some uses for vinegar in the rooms of your house. Use it in the…

1. Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. Mop the floor in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution. The substance will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and tile. Make sure it is safe to use with your tile.
2. Kitchen- Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops, and floor.
3. Laundry Room- Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)

Lemon Juice

Uses:

Lemon juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your home. Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Lemon is a great substance to clean and shine brass and copper. Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar and or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.

My favorite use for the fruit is to put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Orange peels can be used with the same results.

Baking Soda

Uses:

Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers. Baking soda is great as a deodorizer. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action. Try these three kitchen ingredients as natural cleaning products in your home.

Weather turbulances, May Day and website update

It's officially here, tornado season. All evening long we have watched the weather channels as they report about severe thunderstorms with tornado potential not far away from our home, actually our friends probably got hit pretty bad with hail and had to take shelter. Up to now it looks like the storm is not going to head directly into our direction.
Time to light a candle and pray. It's that time of the year when dangerous situations can occur without a lot of time for preparation and inhabit a potential thread to life and home.
Usually we lose a lot of power in the month of May, so, I just leave this notice on here, I may not be able to power up my pc if anyone doesn't here back from me in a timely manner.

May Day, or the First of May as we call this official Day of labor in Germany. Celebrating the strength of the work force, the emancipation of workers in the economical play field with the help of unions, better work rights and a broader higher eduction. Funny thing, it's a holiday for most people in Germany, and workers enjoy a day off. Traditionally there are public "Dancing into May" party events on the last day of April. Well, I almost forgot about it, I am estranging from German culture and happenings. I have worked for MYSELF (and not a boss) all day today, so, hurray to my May Day.


On a lighter note, it's been pretty been busy, busy,
I have tended to my website with this 2 color choice hemp wool custom tam listings. (above pictures...they are available here in different hemp wool yarn colors. I am happy I could find a good supplier and stocked up large quantities.
Purple Sage Designz