Spring has Sprung!

The magnolias are in bloom here, a sure sign that summer is definately on it's way, finally!

genuine fungus

Black Fungus

Appears to be a lichen of some sort, here's a pic with the original packaging.

Lichens on my Cinnamon?

There appears to be a lichen of some sort growing on my cinnamon - well I don't know if it's still growing or not, it is currently living in a glass jar with a lid.

Fairie Names

I was visiting Au Fil du Jardin's blog and found a link that will tell you what your Fairy Name is and I found that my fairy name is:

Your fairy is called Hex Icefilter

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives in places hexed and tainted by black magic.

She is only seen on midsummer's eve.

She wears black feathers and rose petals. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

Get your free fairy name here!

Hmm a person could produce some very interesting artwork based on this description alone!

Mirror Frame

This old frame was attached to a dresser that is basically no more, I plan to paint it have John insert a piece of plywood, that will be painted with chalk board paint, and will then attache it to the front of the house. Oh and I plan to attac some vintage blue quart jars to the frame to fill with flowers and such ;-) I'm thinking a nice pink will make the frame look wonderful, with some red over aqua in the recessed areas.

New Front Fence

I found this vintage fencing material along a road in Valley Junction a few weeks ago - they were having their "throw it out weekend" John wasn't all that excited about picking it up, can't say I blame him it has WORK written all over it!

I have plans for John to cut it into panels and trim it out with wood and attach it to wood fence posts. The wood he's planning on using is from a salvage job of an old garage. I just need to find my recipe for white wash so I can paint the wood white.

Front Garden

This is the front along the porch, I put down some sort of garden cloth and then the mulch. later this week I'll plant tulips, iris, asian lilies, and hostas out there, and put the muddy area back into grass ;-)

New Path

Through the ole mud patch! I've been slowly plugging away at the lawn this week, trying to get all the leaves raked up (a never ending battle) the creeping charlie beaten back (a defeating battle) and the grass seed spread (good luck with the weather on that one)! I was really happy to see that my Asian Lilies survived the winter, they were in a pot in the yard so the goal this week is to get them transplanted to the front lawn.

The hostas should be ready to transplant in another week or so, my peonies are breaking the soil as are the lilies of the valley, tulips, and tirger lilies.

Jerusalem Artichokes

Well spring has finally sprung here, it's supposed to be 66 F here tomorrow, and if it hasn't sprung then I'm pretending it has anyway! I've been doing yard work, will take some pictures of that tomorrow, I've been putting down mulch and pavers in the areas that I've decided are permanent walkways and trimming everything back.

I cleaned the Jerusalem Artichoke garden and found some really nice tubers, will be making these up with a batch of green beans.

The furkids

There are more pictures over here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbaxterpackwood/

Thomas Love

No the iron isn't on, it's not even plugged in, thankfully.

Angel Love

Wow she actually sat still for her photo, too bad it's on our very messy bed! She's five now I figure she'll calm down someday, or not.

What my name means

What Kimberly Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Spring Cleaning

Well I've been on a cleaning jag the past week, and I'm actually making some headway in all of this - all of the clutter is out of our bedroom!!! And trust me that was a feat in and of itself. I'm still working on getting all of the laundry done, sorted, and the stuff we don't want given away or pitched if it's beyond it's usefullness anymore.

My goal now is to get my studio cleaned - this is my at home studio - so I can start working on some projects that need finishing.

More later from the land of sponge mops and cleaning supplies.

Fall Etc.

Well I believe I may have mowed the lawn for the final time this year. The oak tree has completely lost it's leaves, which is really odd for our red oak as it's habit has been to lose it's leaves in the spring. The weather has been strange this year so I'm chocking it up to that.
The Jerusalem Artichokes are cut down, need to pull some so there will be room for them to produce large tubers next year.

I still need to deal with the blackberries, they have invaded everything! I'm thinking of digging in the ground and pulling the roots for a natural dye bath. I have about six fleeces left to cold soak and then put through a final wash in the washer, and a couple of alpaca and llama fleeces to skirt and I'm done with that for the season as well.

The house needs a final cleaning and the windows need to be dealt with otherwise I think I'm excited that winter will be here and really soon!

Tooth ache and the Simpsons

I'm slowly recovering from having poison ivy in my lungs, makes for a cheerful countenace to say the least. Now I have a tooth ache, which is why my left ear has been bothering me non-stop for the past month or so. And knowing that you'd think I'd remember to make a dental appointment, right.

Movies: I can't wait to see the Simpson movie, looks pretty good and I'm not even a Simpson's fan, wonder with the King of the Hill movie will come out.

Inexpensive Dessert

Rootbeer Float - Yum!

Update

The studio is open and going full tilt, more with photos later. Maybe I can figure out how to get this particular blog to archive itself.

Packwood

If you are a Packwood or have Packwood family information feel free to leave a comment with a email addy or link here and I'll get back to you. Some time back someone from Texas left a comment wanting more infomation on Packwoods but left no email addy so I can't get in touch with them.

Kerfont

My cousin Brian Kerfont, he lives in Newfoundland, emailed me with a quite a bit of family information and confirmed what I have always suspected, mom is native american! Mi 'kmaq to be exact. Mom had always told us we were, well she used a not so politcally correct term. But with all moms sometimes it's hard to know what's fact and simple entertainment for small children, after all my husband's mother told him he was a little eskimo and as far as we know he's scottish and swedish. So anyway... the "how much part" would appear to be quite large more than half, maybe whole??? There seems to be a dead end on researching the family name.

Salvation Army

I spent about twenty minutes tops at the local Sal Army, and a total of fourteen dollars, this one has some incredible finds, silver platters, crystal vases, you name it, and all for really good prices. So if your redecorating you might want to check out your local Sal Army ;-)

More Bling

this was 99 cents, and is only four inches across I scored four of these.

Avon Dish?

New Sign for the Door

The letters are much darker now I went over them and made them black.

Bling

It's amazing what you find at the Salvation Army for only two dollars! It's about 24 inches wide, that's both of them btw.John spent some time polishing them for me, I had to ride him to keep him from removing all of the lovely dark patina in the crevices, he doesn't get it!!!

Little Bits

Candy Dish

Salvation Army Finds

Got Rocks?

What more could a girl want except a box of rocks??? Pipestone, Chert, and a Tabby Cat. Christmas is complete - well sorta.

More Shelves

Hubby put up more shelves for me today, his perk is his woodworking books will now get to live in my library, where he can actually find them!

Of Men and Fish Head Stew

Or of Mice, Men and Chicken Feet Soup, either way I grossed my husband out to no end. My mother used to make fish head stew for us kids when we were little, and guessie what I've got cooking up right now! Yep fish head stew!

Anyway hubby was even further grossed out when he found out what chondroitan was really made of, various collagen bearing parts of chickens, cows, pigs and whatever else they can get their hands on. I'm thinking making chicken feet soup is a lot better, blanch the feet and peel the skin off first and then boil up with onion and garlic. Or turtle soup, boiled down until coagulating, to get the same exact affects, and at least you know where your collegan came from!

Beads

10/0 Medium Green - partial pattern on strike-a-light bag

10/0 Dusty Purple and a Federal Blue (shiny pearl medium blue in the middle)

10/0 Deep rusty purple or a maroon color - I'm not sure if they are a dark rust, chocolate with a hint of purple, burgandy or what.

Embroidery

There's a part of me that thinks I should do something with that piece that is on the frame first, but if I do it needs some paint, foil, possibly some dye and other surface design BEFORE it is stitched. Even then it may look different than the original. The fabric was already attached to the frame so I have to deal with that before I can put my fabric for beadwork onto the frame.

Embroidery frame of sorts

The back, the front and a closeup. I've been told that this may work very well for beadwork, if so then I have another one in the attic that came with the husband when we got married. I don't know if I will use that one or not as it's an antique. His former MIL had all sorts of interesting textile tools.

Pantry Links

Some Links to get you started:

Essentials for your pantry

Stock a Basic Pantry

Must Haves

Buying in Bulk

Three Month Pantry

Now this doesn't have to break the bank. Unless of course you are the proud parents of 4 or more boys that eat like horses. I'm going to go with what I know best, a two member family, as it's just me and my hubby - who eats like a growing horse, and our four pets. I'm also basing my pantry on where I live - middle Iowa - so I don't have hurricanes to worry about. But we do have F5 tornadoes, massive floods, and some kick butt earth quakes from time to time.

When I got married my best friend, who is Mormon btw and whom any offspring we have will be left to, told me how to stock a pantry. It's very simple. Everytime you go to the store to get a can of corn, buy two. If the corn is on sale 4 for a dollar then buy four cans.

Something is wrong with the dsl so I'll will have to come back to this later.

Winter Survival at Home in a Blizzard

Hubby and I have discussed this, the only thing we don't have is a generator - someday. We are also sorta stuck because we don't have a fire place or a wood stove, we would like to move and live someplace were we can have the wood stove, if not two of them. We may be able to install one on the second story of our house, ideally we would like one that lives outside of the house and the heat is pumped in. We'd also like to be off grid with solar/wind enegery and a ground pump for heat. We do have a kerosene heater and a propane heater, both varities that are designed to be used in living quarters - or so they say - but they are only good as long as the fuel lasts and then too bad.

Ideal situation that demands survival sitaution: Mind you we both grew up in the country and there are times when a person just can't get to town. But if the blizzard/ice storm is bad enough then even townies will need this stuff.

Generator and fuel for electricity - to power the furnace and major appliances.
Note TV and Computers don't count as major appliances.
Source of Heat if you don't have the above and don't have electricity
Lighting - flashlights and fresh batteries. We prefer oil lamps to candles and have a few that mount to the walls making them pet friendly!

Food: You should always have enough food and water for every member of your family - including pets - for a minimum of three weeks - I'm thinking the ice storm of '78 here, and preferably 3 months. We could survive three months, would need water source, but anything beyond that is a crap shoot.

Water - You would be amazed at how much water you use, turn the water to the house off for a day and then note the number of times you need to flush or wash your hands and this doesn't even include drinking water. And I have noticed the pets seem to need more water when it has been shut off - twice this summer when the city put new water mains in.

Winter Survival Gear - A Partial Listing

This was being discussed on a list I'm on so I thought I'd post part of my list here. This is obviously going to vary depending on the part of the country you live in. NOTE: I own a truck w/topper and I'm a military brat so I am programmed, by my dad who was insistant on teaching us winter survival skills, to be prepared for every possible situation.

I also live in Iowa and my most likely winter survival situation involves being stuck in a ditch someplace, Lord willing my vehicle is not in water, upside down, and/or not on fire!

It can get dangerously cold here (Windchills of -60F or greater which can freeze you to death in minutes) in the winter. If your vehicle is trapped in snow STAY with your vehicle it makes for a much bigger target when searching in the snow! And buy a car color other than white for Pete's sake!

So that being said here's my list: (And if you are good little kiddies I'll take pics of it for you later)

TOOLS (The big Stuff for your vehicle):
Shovels - two differnt species: large scoop shovel and a flat blade shovel (Make sure the handle length is appropriate for YOU and this will make shoveling easier and faster producing the least amount of sweat).
Ice Scrapers and Snow scrapers
Tow Chain/Strap - A TOW CHAIN because someone like me might come along and can pull you out of the ditch!
Chains for your tires
Kitty Litter/Sand for those slick icy situations that don't require a tow chain/truck
Spare Tire, and tire changing tools - you know this should probably go without saying but you should ALWAYS have a spare tire in your vehicle - I carry two, for my truck, in the winter and 6 when I'm pulling my tandem trailor!
Hammer, Screw Drivers, Ratchet Set, Wrenches, Channel locks, Vise grips (all in a small tool bag) -whats that you don't know how to work on your vehicle - well someone may come along and can fix it for your if you have tools!
Jumper cables - Make sure you have a new battery for your vehicle every few years.
Flashlights with fresh batteries
Flares/Emergency placards you put on the ground
Oil - 6 quarts and this one comes from personal experience
Antifreeze
5 Gallons of Gas - If I'm going on a really long trip and I'm not sure about the area, better safe than frozen to death!

NOTE: Most folks end up stranded because they have run out of gas - so fuel up before you head out.

CLOTHING:
Thin wool Hat and Gloves
Insulated wool Mittens that fit over thin wool gloves
Sheepskin bomber style hat that fits over wool hat
Down Parka with hood
Thin wool sweater
Down vest
Thin winter coat that fits over sweater and under the vest and under the parka
Carhart overalls - the insulated variety
wool long johns
wool scarf
Wool Socks a thin pair and a thick pair to go over the thin ones
Boots rated to -40F
Cleats (boot cleats) for walking on ice - you'll have to go to the bathroom eventually

Wool removes moisture from your body and doesn't allow it to freeze on your skin. Cotton and other fibers promote hypothermia!!! Wet and cold equals a quick death if one is not careful. In extreme colds a lot of the fashion fibers will actually break and they can catch on fire easily - nylon being one of those fibers that burns easily. Wool doesn't burn so easily.

FOOD:
Peanut butter crackers - well if you are allergic to peanunts then substitute accordingly - can be bought in bulk at Wal Mart for very little money
Snickers Bars
Beef Jerkey or those sausage rolls
Gatorade

Extreme cold means you burn a LOT of calories protien is the way to go!

If I'm traveling with my dog I put a bit of kibble in the truck for her as well.

TP (Ok not food but I'm including it here anyway)
Handwipes - well you know, do I really have to explain???
Charger for cell phone - might be wishful thinking here but it can't hurt.

TOOLS: The necssary stuff!!!
Gerber multi tool (tis what I have)
Big knife (not sure what the brand name is)
Trowel/small hand shovel - for bathroom breaks (see TP above)
water proof and wind proof matches
instant light mini logs - if you need to make a fire
Those pocket/glove/boot heaters in the sporting goods section

Down Sleeping Bag rated to a minimum of 0F -40F would be better and is attainable with a down insert (Mine is Mountain Hardware)
4 Season Tent designed to withstand high winds (Mine is a Mountain Hardware)
the tent is in case you have to leave the vehicle!
2 wool blankets

Other TOOLS/SURVIVAL GEAR:
MSR Stove and Fuel Bottle
Water purifier (I think mine is a MSR) & tablets - btw ditch water isn't all that yummy
small pot for melting or boiling water
Head Lamp (Flashlight on a strap that you can put on your head) these are great when you need to change that flat tire in the middle of the night.
Fishing pole and small tackle box, small hand net
Edible plant book (small pocket variety)
Walking Stick with pointy end - gives you extra balance on the ice

FIRST AID KIT
plenty of band aids & butterfly bandages.
Kotex (heavy duty pads) - can be used to absorb blood from major wounds (lets say your hunting and get hurt and then end up stranded due to an injury) each heavy pad holds approximately a half pint of blood and this lets emergency personnel know how badly you are bleeding!
Styptic pen (men use those for shaving) stops bleeding on small wounds.
Scissors
Tweezers
Small mirror

I'm sure I will add to this later on - it's time to go winterize my truck as we went from summer like temps to winter like temps in a heart beat.

Winter is Coming!!!

Count me as odd but I love this time of year, it'll be warm again this weekend, but it's COLD outside!!! The only thing that would make this weather perfect is snow!

I brought in the last of the chili peppers, tomatoes, and the basil. My hands smell wonderful now. We didn't have much in the way of ripe tomatoes this year so what I have is green and I have plans to fry them up - yummy. For dinner tonight I am making chicken vegetable soup.

Here's a pic of the boys, they think it's really cold out but what do they know??? Pepper has taken to sleeping in this basket, and Barley aka old man of the woods has found himself a pile of wool blankies to sleep on. He is old and cranky and about a month ago has taken to sleeping under the blankets with me, I'm assuming it's to keep his boney old hide warm.

Yoga

Ok I'm part way into this dvd, I thought I'd watch it first you know for safety purposes - right. Anyway I gotta tell you a lot of these stretches look a lot like the ones we did in PE back in high school.

Yoga Yoga

I checked out a dvd from the library called Yoga Conditioning for Weightloss. They use real sized women in this video! I need to get a yoga strap, I t hought it was just for tying up the matt. Oh well. I'm not sure how long the strap is I may be able to sew one up if I had the dimensions.

More later from the land of breathe and stretch.