News From The Nest

This Blog Turns 8

Happy Blogiversary to For The Love Of Fiber! Back in 2006, I remember first hearing about a blog. I was knitting at Barnes & Noble in Richmond, VA with the TNK group. A couple of them had blogs. I'd never heard of the word. As I listened, I thought I might give blog writing a go. 

Eight years later and I'm still writing. 

When I think of the eight years that have passed and all the water that has flowed over the dam, it's quite amazing. The blog has recorded a lot of the happenings and I love looking back at the pictures and the posts. When I looked back in the archives for posts dated around this time in 2013, I reread this page from 2013. LOVE the June 2nd and 16th posts! I just got to celebrate Father's Day in person with Daddy this past weekend and Landen turned three this month! So, time marches on. 

Here is a picture of Daddy and me taken Sunday evening. I'm so fortunate to still have my father when many of my friends' have lost theirs. I LOVE having him close by, too! Made me realize how very much I missed both of my parents.

My two boys celebrated their special day as fathers, too. Brian with Miss B. They'll be adding another precious baby girl to their family in August. Taylor with Landen and Raleigh.

Landen turned three this month and is just so cute! He's a character - such a cute personality and all boy. Raleigh is almost 11 months old now and is just adorable! They're coming to see us later this month and I can hardly wait!!!!! Here are Landen and Taylor having some guy time - just chillin' and watching TV. 

I love this picture of Miss B and Brian. Brian is passionate about fishing. The father of a girl with a second one on the way, I hope they will pick up on some of his love of the sport. Girls do fish! 

To think - eight years ago, these precious grandbabies weren't here. Yes, a lot has happened in eight years!

I highly encourage everyone to write a blog. I know with social media, blogs may be a bit outdated but I really enjoy recording my life. When I was in Ohio and my parents were in Virginia, it served as a wonderful way to include them in my Ohio life. 

So, stay tuned! This blog is still young!

Next post will feature soap and knitting projects I've been working on. 

Thanks so much for reading!

Whirlwind

As if life isn't busy enough - my computer crashed! Verdict - dead hard drive. I was shocked! This Toshiba computer is only a year old. I took it to the Geek Squad and after three failed attempts, they were able to retrieve everything except my old emails and some contacts. Thank goodness! Tons of pictures, purchased and downloaded knitting patterns, and all my soaping recipes and labels. Everything else I could have lived without but the pictures, patterns, and soap labels - well, if they were gone for good, it wouldn't be pretty! I thought about a month ago that I should back-up everything and looked the external hard drive I had but couldn't find it. I made a note to self to get a new external hard drive and that's as far as I got. Now, I will be backing up the first of every month! Lesson learned.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I'm fortunate to be able to celebrate with my Daddy this year. This year, with their move to Ohio, I've been able to celebrate both Mother's and Father's Day with my parents in person - first time since 2008. I have the Farmer's Market tomorrow so we might do something special tonight and then have dinner at our house tomorrow night.  

Tomorrow will be my second Sunnday at the Waynesville Farmer's Market. If you are in the area, please come out and support this event. This is the first year and it's starting small but will grow as produce comes in and the word gets out. The market is scheduled for every Sunday from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM through the end of October except for Sauerkraut Festival weekend. I plan to be there every 1st and 3rd Sunday and more often as time permits. I have LOTS of soap curing - 9 batches - and more lined up to make. While in Waynesville, you must check out the shops and Cobblestone Cafe. Waynesville is such a cute and wonderful place! There's always something going on. They have a new coffee shop on the main street and the coffee is delish! You can also grab an ice cream in one of their homemade waffle cones.

My latest batch of soap is Kumquat. This fragrance is so refreshing! I love the shape and look of round soap. Made in Pringle cans, these soaps are a great size. The picture on the left shows the soap after first unmolding. Two towers! The picture on the right is one of the most exciting things about soapmaking --- the FIRST CUT! It's the first peek inside to see what the result of your efforts. I was doing a happy dance when I saw this. The third picture is of all the cut soap pucks ready for the curing rack.

Next to be soaped - four batches of beer soap with the following fragrances: Oatmeal Stout, Raspberry Porter, Shave & a Haircut, and Crisp Apple Rose. After these four, I think a few floral soap would be nice.

If you've been reading for a bit, you might remember Buster - my newest kitty addition. He is so sweet! He trills and chirps and meows all the time. He's a big kitty - 15 pounds! He's also very tall - he stands up routinely and reaches for the doorknob. He loves to be rubbed and scratched but not held. We're working on that. He also loves to play. I'm still
amazed that Earl Gray has accepted him. Usually, Earl has a terrible time with any new cat. The only time I've seen him accept new additions before were George and Gracie. They showed up as teeny tiny kittens. Strays of any size haven't had a prayer against Earl. I'm so glad he liked Buster and allowed him to stay. After I feed dinner, I close the garage door keeping all the cats in for the night. One morning, I went out to feed breakfast and Buster was no where to be found. I opened the garage door and there he was - outside. Turns out, Buster lived up to his name and busted out the pet door! So, now I have heavy boxes of cat litter blocking the pet door. Here's a picture of the two of them playing. They were each on opposite sides batting the ball back and forth. So cute to watch!

The weather here in Southwest Ohio has been great! A little rain, a lot of sun. My vegetables and herbs are growing well. I can hardly wait for the tomatoes to come in! There's nothing like a homegrown tomato. Andy has finished preparing the soil in the new garden area in the front and side of the house. Now, it's time to move plants and plant some new ones. I have a lot to move and hope they survive. 

Well, I'd better get going! Lots to do today. Thanks for stopping by for a read and have a great weekend!

Feels Like Sum Sum Summertime!

June is here and I realize Summer hasn't officially started but MAN OH MAN! it's hot! We're having temperatures in the upper 80's with threats of rain but only get a few drops. The flowers are loving this heat for now. Everything is growing up a storm. My peonies have been just gorgeous. I so wish they'd last longer. Here's a picture of one of the pots by the front door. Love those petunias!

If you've been reading my blog since 2009, you know that I moved to Ohio that year and believe I live in a wonderful place! There is TONS to do and see. You never have to ask yourself what you're going to do during the upcoming weekend - you have to ask what you're not going to do. There's just so much that you have to pick and choose.  

I live in Warren County and its nickname is "Ohio's Playground". Warren County boasts the theme park, King's Island, several outdoor canoe and rafting places, lots of campgrounds, Caesar Creek State Park with its lake, gorge, picnic areas, hiking trails, and fossil hunting, ziplines, etc. I could go on and on. A lot of the offerings involve getting outside and are completely free! Wonderful place for families with children or just active adults. 

With the summer season here, the Farmer's Markets have opened. I LOVE going to Farmer's Markets and every little burg seems to have one here in Ohio. Waynesville joined the crowd. Yesterday was the opening day for the new Waynesville, Ohio Farmer's Market. It will be held every Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 PM June 1st through October 26th. Due to the Sauerkraut Festival, there won't be a market on October 12th.

I, who doesn't ever do outdoor shows - too hot, might rain, etc. etc. - promptly signed up. 

Well, if I'm going to do a Farmer's Market, gotta order a tent. Check. Need to have a banner announcing who I am. Check. Must have simpler displays - tabletops. Check. I hit the internet and found / designed everything I was looking for and it all arrived with a couple of days to spare.

Sunday, I waited for time to head to town. Andy helped me set up and Mom and Daddy were there, too. Mom stayed for a bit until the heat became too much. (Battery fan already on order.) There weren't many vendors but I was told more will be joining us as produce and things become available. I thought we had a great crowd for the first day and they were so happy we were there. People kept thanking me for coming. They seemed as tickled as I was about the new market. Proof that Waynesville needed a Farmer's Market of its very own.

Here is my booth and Mom says, "Hello!"

With the weekly Farmer's Market and other things, my soap stock looked kind of low. Time to hit the soap pot!

Last weekend, I measured out lye and oils for eight batches of soap. I got five made and had plans to make the other three sometime during the week. Work was nuts so those three batches waited until this past weekend and two more batches were added. TEN NEW BATCHES OF SOAP!!!!!!!  Now all cut and curing!

The first two soapy pictures are of Memorial Day soaping. I used two new molds for the first time. If you enlarge the picture on the left, you'll see Lavender Lace from my new paisley tray mold and Roseberry from my new rosebud silicone mold. Both turned out well. The rest of that weekend's work - Orange Peel Patchouli, Buck Naked, and Rosemary Lemongrass. The little flower soaps you see are the result of having extra soap "batter" and needing to put it somewhere so I used a little flower mold. I think they would make cute
favors or guest soaps.

This past weekend's soaping was a ton of fun! I used a new favorite fragrance oil and almost licked the spoon! 

In the picture on the right from botton to top - Dirty Hands (with cocoa butter and pumice), Southern Belle (scented with magnolia), Lime Margarita, Lavender Mint (with essential oils of lavender and peppermint), and Spearmint Eucalyptus (with essential oils of spearmint and eucalyptus). 

Now, lets take a closer look at my new favorite - Lime Margarita. MY GOODNESS! LOVE IT! I think the fragrance is different from any of the many many other batches I've made. Tart, sweet, and fresh. I threw in a little salt and topped it off with salt, as well. What's a Lime Margarita without a little salt?

These new soaps are on the curing rack and will be ready by July 1st. If you're interested in my soaps or visiting the Waynesville Farmer's Market, feel free to comment or ask questions here. I will be at the Market most Sundays but not every one. Would love for you to come by and say "hello". 

Now, for another peony picture or two.