Sneak peek for TDIPT tonight!

Have you seen this?

Food Inc. 

This documentary confirmed everything I have suspected about our food supply and more. I have been getting into organic food for a couple of years now, mostly for health reasons. I have hypothyroidism, which I take medication for every day, and for the rest of my life. I have had this condition for many years, and it has really taken its toll. As I  get older, my energy is easily sapped. Diet plays a huge role in this. If I eat healthy-lots and lots of veggies, I actually feel almost good. If I eat badly, I feel awful. Sugar especially effects me, and I try to avoid it. High fructose corn syrup makes me actually achy and tired.

So...I have started gardening in earnest. 

I buy eggs from a local farm. 

I am using organic flour and whole wheat pasta. 

I have thrown out all processed foods. All.

This last winter I had my first free range turkey-it was unbelievable!

Now I am on a mission. 

It is probably a 10 year mission.

It is about self-sustainability.

I am planning a process of slowly living off the land, and becoming 3/4 vegetarian.

My hubby and I put in a 450 square foot garden this spring. I am growing carrots, turnips, onions-red and yellow,basil, lavender,flat leaf parsley, broccoli, kohlrabi, peppers-green and jalapeno, swiss chard, dill,tomatoes-heirloom,cherry, roma(for sauce), and beefsteak, cucumbers, zuchini,pumpkins and pole beans.

This is step one.

Next year we will install our beehive in hopes of having honey the following year.

Eventually, we will move to a house in the country where will will also have our own chickens. There is a no-chicken ordinance in this town or I would not wait.

So that is the plan. We have a lot to learn but our quality of life depends on it. My kids are growing up and out, and we now know what we want to do as we move towards retirement(still many years away). We will end up living a homesteading type of self-sufficient lifestyle out where the wind blows through the trees and you can hear a car come up the road from a long way off.

:~)

Cats!

Ready to go to their prospective homes!

Did you know top hats are in?

Even when you are 6'4"?? This is my son Aidan's Jr. prom picture. I do think he looks dashing in top hat and cane, but I was a little surprized because I knew his date wasn't very tall. So I'm thinking he is going to be like 7" tall with a top hat! But it wasn't that tall a hat, so it worked. They look great! A good time was had by all.

I am behind!!

Big surprise, right? I have 2 orders for the cat and mice doll, and I have RUN OUT of stuffing. AND...Walmart has decided to STOP CARRYING my beloved Morning Glory stuffing!!! WHAT am I going to do? How can I come up with an ALTERNATIVE STUFFING in the MIDDLE of a project...in the middle of 2 PROJECTS  really!!!MAN ALIVE-what are they trying to do to me?

OK, sorry for the rant! I will try to collect myself and go out into the world on a hunt. But I know I will not be able to find anything as lovely as Morning Glory stuffing-which I have been using for 10 years!

Watercolor Wednesday

Just wanted to share some doodles!

 Click on image for a close up.

Happy Wednesday!

My little paintings on TDIPT

This is my watercolor painting called Tea for Two. I took a little online workshop given by Gritty Jane (which you can check out for yourself  here, listed under the tab artsy tutorials) on how to mount prints to wood. It was very helpful and informative. I did not make prints of my work but mounted the actual watercolor to wood. I also mounted a piece of scrapbooking paper first. It all went off swimmingly, and I am thrilled with the results. the pictures just don't do this piece justice, I wish you could see how awesome it looks in real life.

My next piece is called Miss Hattie Byrde. This is a Jane Austen inspired little portrait, also done in watercolor and pen and ink. I mounted it with the same technique. So fun! I will definitely be mounting more of my paintings to wood with this technique in the future. Check out more information about these pieces, as well as a little story about Hattie and The Fisher Cat on TDIPT this month.