Musings on my birthday.

Planing stages and finished product (this one is sold)

Some people write, some people play piano or sing. I paint, and I make handmade voodoo art dolls. I started to paint years ago because I had the time and I liked to do it. I started to make the dolls because painting was out of the question with a small child. Handmade dolls were smaller, and could be done with a smaller amount of mess. I make voodoo and Day of the Dead art dolls because the part of the country I was from-well that's what I saw. I used to go to a lot of folk art galleries- so I think that really had influlanced my art.

I wrote here a few weeks ago that a web site had purchased 2 of my dolls. They were going to put them on their site for sale- you know, to see how it went and if there was any response. Well, yesterday I got an email from them. The dolls sold in less than one hour-both of them. They want more. They think they might be a big hit with their client base. So now I have a quandry. I do enjoy making these little creepy things. But I don't know about making them just for re sale. It's not that I am all that attached to about 90% of them. I take their pics, post them on flicker and my other blog, and then box them up. So, I probably wouldn't miss them at all. But I have always thought of my brother as the artist in the family- he is- he has no other job- and I don't consider what I do to really be ART. I don't know how to explain it better than that.

So what does this have to do with my birthday? I don't know. I have never been a big fan of my birthday. At 25 I sat in a closet in Vegas for a while getting my head straight- so this isn't anything new. Since the accident and my son came along, I tend to think more about what I might have missed if things didn't go the way they did for me that year, and less about what I did or didn't do in the past. But what I am coming up with this year is that I don't really have a plan for the next chapter of my life. In about 1 1/2 years my son is going to go to school. Then what will I do? Maybe school for me? Art? Back to business? I just don't know- so that's what I have been thinking about today, yesterday- probably tomorrow. My birthday is technically 22 minutes away right now. I will be 42.

outsider folk art watercolor

outsider folk art watercolor
Originally uploaded by thefarmersdaughter

My sons watercolors. He is quite "prolific" These are called "red river in desert" and "fashion lady"

My cleaning philosophy or How I do, what I do

Moving on the living room this week. Yea ! That is the biggest problem room day in and day out for me. We actually do live in this room. We all sit about and watch tv (it's winter in the North that's what we do) my boy plays in this room all day , my dog and cat sleep out here, I do exercise in this room , heck, we even eat in here (way to much). It's almost like my family lives in one giant studio apartment somedays. We have 2 giant sofas in this room just because we like to lay about and stretch out. (I actually fell asleep in the living room last night ) The room is really to small for 2 sofas, but comfort is king. . .
I have made a small area in the corner of the room for the boy and his toys. A small 3 shelf bookshelf , a few storage pieces, with a small desk and chair. The living room has a large amount of floor space (on purpose) so he can drag out hot wheels, play sets, bowling and golf sets etc to set up and play with. I know, furniture shouldn't be slammed up against the walls, and one day it won't be, but it looks decent enough and I want the boy to have plenty of play area.

My house has been added on extensively over the course of the past 40 years. The public areas are amazingly "open concept " for an older traditional style ranch house. That makes it great to know what is going on while in the kitchen or living room, but a mess in one room is like a mess in all the rooms. So, when I think about cleaning, I break my routine up into "public" and "private" spaces. When I plan my cleaning and organizing I usually break it down like this- living and dining rooms get cleaned together, kitchen, laundry and bathrooms get cleaned together, bedrooms get cleaned together. My office is a giant pigsty right now- and a holding space "catch all" for stuff my boy can't get his hands on. I am going to organize that soon- and it will be added into the bedroom cleaning plan.

I use a modified "Mt Vernon" cleaning method- http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/cleaning/the-mount-vernon-cleaning-method-039113. That basically means that you start at the door to your space and work in a clockwise motion around the room, cleaning as you go. Now, I have modified it. I start at the door, but I don't care what way you go around the room. I also throw anything I find in the room that doesn't belong in the room, into the middle of the room. When I have finished the room, I take the piles in the center and move them to the correct room it belongs in.( Usually I try to put them away as much as possible, not just dumped into the next room. )Then I move into the next room. When the group of rooms are cleaned- then I vacuum the space. (yes, I know, dust gets blown back up when you vacuum last and should really be done first so you can dust after, but with a boy I can't vacuum until the stuff is up off of the floor- so for the time being I have to do this backwards.)

The bathrooms and kitchen are a little different too. The bathrooms are started by the door, but I skip over the toilet until last- so in my little bathroom I clean sink area, shower area , toilet then floor. Then I take out the towels and replace with new towels. Twice a month I wash the shower curtain. Every 3 mos. I replace the plastic liner with a new one.
In the kitchen, I start with the dishwasher. I empty it, then re load it and start it again. Then I move onto the countertops, the stove, the sink, then the fridge. Then I wash the floor. Now, my actual galley kitchen floor is approx 4 ft by 7 ft. I wash this by hand. Then, when I am done with that I move on to the pantry area, then the landing strip area (which is next to the pantry) and the garbage can area. That floor area gets swept and washed with a swiffer type cleaner. (it's bigger and more dusty than dirty) I don't clean my stove as much as I probably need to- maybe twice a year unless something is disgusting inside. I clean out my fridge and clean the inside about once a month to 6 weeks-it's easier to do this kind of job when there is a blizzard outside and can't possibly leave the house to do something fun . I try to clean and organize my freezer twice a year. (it's frost free so really I just need to worry about old food)
So that is my cleaning plan for my kitchen, living room and dining room. Next is the laundry. It is technically in my "public" space because you can see it from the kitchen. That room is for another post though....

My shopping trip

So- I got to go out yesterday shopping by myself. It's a rare occurrence that I don't have a 3 year old tugging at me and telling me to buy something while in a store so I savored the experience.
It seemed to take forever- and I didn't understand why. I mean, I'm used to simple trips into town taking 2 or 3 hours because of the child-by the time you get him ready, dressed, and into the car that's a good 30 minutes gone already. Gone are the days of grabbing my purse,locking the door and hitting the road.
Anyway I went out shopping and ended up being gone for 11 hours. YEA! What really took so much time was how differently I was thinking about items- for me and my house. After going through 2 AT cures, and one WT, I found I was looking at items with a much more discerning eye. Did I really need that? What would I do with it? Does it match the items I already have? Is it something I love? Does it fit me well? It is right- or just right now? It's amazing how much less I bought (and wanted) once I asked those questions of myself. Now, I still bought a lot on this trip

• 2 blazers for me- one blue, one brown. Yes, I still want to lose weight and these jackets were on final clearance at TJ Maxx for 10 bucks each. ( I had looked at them when they were full price) So, these are my style, and they will fit me now and until I loose some weight. And when I can no longer wear them anymore I won't feel that bad about it because of their price
• 2 sport coats for the MR.( He has to dress up for his job.)
• 2 t shirts for me. One short sleeve black t- tissue weight with a round neckline and longer length, one brown long sleeve with a v neck. ( I love Eddie Bauer)
• a fisherprice castle play set for my kid.

But what I didn't get was more telling- I didn't buy another pair of Levis because I have 4 pr of jeans that I wear now, I didn't buy a new handbag because I didn't think I would carry it enough to bring down the cost per wear to an acceptable level, I didn't buy any shoes (even though there were some cheap nice ones at TJ's) because they didn't fit into my style and they weren't all the comfortable. I could go on and on, but the final point is this. I think I got great stuff, and great prices, that look good on my family. But I only got the great stuff ,and I got what we( kind of ) needed.

This is why I yell at the tv so much right now. Our national economy is so so. It is very, very bad where I live. Our President is telling people who live pay check to paycheck to go out and shop to save our economy. Heck, he's even going to give us more money to go and do it. (by borrowing from our future and raising the debt ) Instead of telling people they need to live within their means, save money and pay down their debt it's " shop till you drop" ( I heard yesterday on NPR the average American has 10,000$ of credit card debt.) How crazy is that? Why are we are giving our children a shopping bill? And a huge shopping bill for what? 600, 900, 1200 dollars? What will that get us? Gas in the SUV that we shouldn't be driving anyway? Disposable items we don't really need? A flatscreen tv made in China? I know I am going to use the money that we will get eventually to pay down some credit card bills. I don't want to be sheeple and go out and buy something because I am being told to.

Rant over.

Tommy- the devil cat

Tommy- the devil cat
Originally uploaded by thefarmersdaughter

This is my Mr.'s little baby. 16.5 lbs of muscle. No really, he's not fat. He is ,however, very lazy.

My Grandmother and her housekeeper

Reading every one's posts and entries has made me think about my upbringing, my family, and their stand on housework. My parents are from the same small town, but when you get right down to it, they could have been raised thousands of miles apart. My Mothers family has had "money" right down the line, my Fathers-not so much.
My paternal Grandparents met and married in less than a week, had 5 children and lived in a trailer (happily) for years. She was not a housekeeper by any standard- but then, she had 3 boys, 2 girls, a husband who worked as a tree trimmer and she herself worked everyday of her life (she was a seamstress who sewed clothes and straight jackets for the state hospital). Their house was always unkempt and kind of sticky. We were never allowed to eat at her house because she left all sorts of food out on the table for hours (and hours and hours) and my Mom -being a nurse-did not want us to get food poisoning. But this post is not about them...

My maternal Grandmother was a woman that expected and demanded an immaculate house. She went to college, but never really worked outside of the home. She worked during ww2 because she had to, but that was it. Her house was everything. And yet, she never allowed anyone to come over to see it. The place was a showcase (she would redecorate every year or so) but only the family saw it. Don't take this the wrong way- she went out, she saw people. She was not agoraphobic or anything. She just didn't want people over to her house.
This was the funny thing about my Grandma though... she had this housekeeper who wasn't really all there. I can't remember what exactly was wrong with her, but I am sure my Grandmother hired her just as a means to provide for this woman's family without it looking like charity. But because this woman was incapable of actually doing the level of work that my Grandmother felt was necessary- she cleaned the house herself before the housekeeper arrived. And not just her, when I came to visit I too had to clean the house before the housekeeper arrived. I remember when I was about 13 or so I asked why I was making the beds and vacuuming the floor before Joyce (the housekeeper) came. She sat me down and told me that she didn't want anyone seeing any mess in her house- even the housekeeper. My Grandpa was the one who told me about Joyce's family and why Joyce worked for them. And when they passed away, it was the community who told us about how much charity my Grandmother had provided throughout the years- often anonymously.
My Grandmother thought that making the world a better, nicer and cleaner place to live was her job, and she tried to pass that down to my Mom and her sister. It didn't really work, but it was a nice thought.
She would be very pleased with me though......

What do I do all day?

I get that question everyday. It's usually phrased "so- what did you do today?" and I think my Mr. just wants to know I had a good day- but that question is asked of me daily. So- I thought that I would write down what a semi normal day is for me.

I get up about 9 to 9:30. My boy lets me sleep that late most mornings, and yes, I know I am lucky. I have a cup of coffee (or 3)-get the boy a milk or yogurt an oatmeal breakfast cookie and a banana- and watch the news,( because I am a huge news junkie) and plan my day. I have planners, but I use large post it note stuck to my computer usually. I don't usually prioritize my list- I know what's really important.
Yesterday I had a pretty productive day and this is what I did

• I did the dishes
• I cleaned the kitchen- this included the pantry, the floor, the cabinets, the sink and the countertops.
• 1 load of laundry
• dusted the entire house- even the bedrooms
• made my boy lunch- he is on the hotdog, cheese, goldfish, and apple diet right now ;)
• cleaned my bedroom
• cleaned my sons room,put away some wipes etc
• vacuumed the entire house
• patched some nail holes in the hallway ( I am re doing my picture walls) and painted those patches when they dried
• I made dinner (homemade enchiladas -with homemade chili sauce-with corn and a mexican salad as a side dish )
• did about 4 puzzles with my boy (he loves puzzles)
• colored and did general play with my boy
• my boy also "helped" with the vacuuming and the dusting.

Today was messed up from the git go. We had a huge snowfall last night (and continuing now) and my Mr. put his car in the ditch this morning going to work. After I got the call at 7:30 to get him a tow truck number-my routine changed dramatically. (He is ok and so is the car) but that's ok. I don't have a hard and fast routine and it can be changed depending on circumstances.

It all starts with the kitchen....

After years of watching home improvement shows, I know that kitchens sell houses. If that is the case I have no idea why we bought our house. It had sat on the market for a staggering 3 years ( the former owners were fighting ) and was still in it's original early 1970's glory- mirrors, multi colored shag carpet, paneling, tiny rooms and electric heat. But it's on an interesting lot and sits on the water. I knew the minute we walked in and saw the backyard view my Mr. was going to buy this place. And I knew from the moment I saw the kitchen I was screwed.

Originally this place had dark fake wood cabinets, a weird Little House on the Prairie type of pink and blue wall paper, and the ugliest carpeting (yes, carpet) in the kitchen. Did I mention that the entire kitchen is 8 X 10 ? That is had paisley countertops ? That is has 3 ,yes 3, undercounter cabinets (and one of those is the undersink cabinet) and it that it has 3 large upper cabinets and 2 tiny upper cabinets. THAT'S IT. When we moved in it had a avocado green dishwasher that didn't work and a white fridge that we were told didn't work either (it did, but we didn't find that out until we bought a new one ), and an off white stove. (we are still using that stove because it works great ) It's only saving grace that they had converted a small closet right off the kitchen into a pantry. That thing is a lifesaver.

We moved in and I thought that I could make the kitchen work. Silly me. I had come from a house in Texas where my kitchen was 20 X 26 WITH another another room attached that was 14 x 10 (where my walk in pantry was located). When you have a kitchen and pantry of that size, you have stuff to fill it. I sure did. Even after purging I still have too much stuff for this kitchen. I do what I can, but I have stuff. I also have a Mr. who is not the most tidy in the world- and a 3 yr old with the eating habits of a 3 yr old. (Right now he is in the hotdog, goldfish, macaroni and cheese diet. )

Keeping this kitchen clean is hard. You would think that it would be easier- after all it's tiny. But no, that's not how it works. We got a new dishwasher which is a lifesaver, but we do tend to stack up the dirty dishes in the sink. The dishwasher doesn't get emptied in a timely manner most days. Run yes- but then no one empties it. So dishes stack up. I get CRAZY if there are dirty dishes on my tiny little countertops- there are 3 small countertops in my kitchen each about 2 ft square. When there is dirty stuff on them it makes me furious. Dirty stuff belongs in the sink or dishwasher only. I have to have clean countertops. I wash them about 3 times each day. We also tend to pile up items that need to go back to the pantry, instead of walking the 4 steps and putting them back. Or- if the item is put into the pantry- it's a rare sight if it's put away where it needs to go. So then, the pantry gets junked up and it's useless to me. Do I sound like I hate this kitchen- because I do.
Head

• The dishes need to be done
• the counters need to be cleaned
• the fridge needs to be organized and cleaned
• the sink needs to be cleaned and the disposal run
• the floor needs to be cleaned
• the piles to go into the pantry need to be taken care
• the pantry needs to be organized
• the trash needs to be taken out

Heart

Are you kidding? I just want my kitchen cleaned so I don't go insane. I am not Mrs. Cleaver. Cleaning this is not going to make me fulfilled- just sane.

Hands

Organization. I need a better organizational program. Daily, weekly, monthly. A pantry list to help in the food buying. A little more help from the family. (HINT HINT- I know you are reading this honey)

So here it goes.

Daily-

• load or unload the dishwasher whatever it takes to keep the dishes out of the sink and off the counters
• wash the counters.
• wash out the sink and area around it- make sure the disposal is run
• put away the piles of stuff for the pantry- in the right spots!
• wash the floor- I do it after dinner everynight
• keep the fridge cleaned

Weekly

• garbage (every few days- maybe more than once a week)
• wash out the fridge area- and check for outdated food
• clean the pantry floor and shelves
• clean the cabinet doors
• grocery shop

Monthly

• clean the light fixtures
• clean the inside of the dishwasher,
• clean the disposal
• clean the underside area of the fridge
• touch up any paint

To clean or not to clean-well, that's not an option

I don't like to think about cleaning my house. I would rather think about oh- just about anything else. It was so much easier to keep clean before I had my son. He can make a mess bigger than anyone else I have ever seen. It's my fault for giving him so many toys I guess- and my parents just shower him with gifts. I guess when he's the only child- and only grandchild ( on both sides )
it's something that I just have to learn how to accept and deal with it the best I can. We are trying to get him to pick up his own stuff, to put away big toys before bringing out more toys to play with, but he's 3, and he likes piles and piles of stuff. So, for now, I just have to learn to deal, and work on training him. I do want to have a little boy, not a little housekeeper after all......

I am trying to figure out a cleaning plan for me- that will take care of the 4H that SCB put together. Head, Heart, Hands, and Hop to it. I am the type of person who likes to have a plan, but may not stick to it 100% if the time- and that's ok.

I am a list maker so that helps with the Head part of it. I set aside a few minutes every morning to drink my coffee, catch up on the news (because I am a HUGE news junkie) and make my to do list. I don't prioritize so much as just get a working list to remind me later what I need to do.
As for the Heart part of this- I don't know. I think of housecleaning as part of my job. I stay at home now and taking care of the boy is job 1, and cleaning job 2. I think of cleaning as something that I have to do and I do small things to make it less horrible, but I don't think I can ever put my heart into it.
Hands- what do I need. Well, to start, I need another set of hands. I live in a house of men. Most men- mine for sure- are messy and don't think of clean in the same terms that I do. I have dirty and shed-y pets, a boy who is only partially housebroken himself, and a husband who tends to leave all sorts of items in his wake.
Hop to it. I think that isn't really my problem. I do housework every day. I just need a cohesive organized plan to be able to get a reasonable amount done every day- so it doesn't all back up to the weekend. Because, I don't want to have to do housework every Saturday.

Housekeeping therapy?

Newly finished backsplash

Well, housekeeping and cleaning are not my favorite things in the world, but I hate dirt and grime even more. Dirt and clutter make me nervous. I tend to be a bit bi-polar when it comes to cleaning though. I can let things go for a while (way to long) then go into a cleaning frenzy.

I was trying to figure out my housekeeping style to do my "interview", and it's actually harder than I had imagined. Reading everyone else's interviews just seemed to make it worse. Well, here it goes-

3 words that describe my housekeeping style

1. Scattered



2. haphazard



3. incomplete

What is my housekeeping icon and why

I didn't realize people had those. I guess if I had to say anyone it would be Kim Woodburn from How clean is your house? I love the BBC America. Kim is the rather stout blond who wears those crazy fur lined gloves and hits on all the men. I like the show for two reasons. The first is because those houses are FILTHY. Far more disgusting than my house has ever been or will ever be. Seeing that mess makes me feel better immediately. The second is because it gets me in the mood to clean. Since the show comes on every afternoon for an hour (2 episodes) I can usually get myself motivated for at least 20 minutes of hard cleaning.

What do I want from my home?

I just want it to look nice. I want it pretty tidy, but not pristine like a magazine. I have a husband, 3 yr old, an old bad dog, and an old big cat. It's never going to be perfect, but I want it to to tidy and smell good.

What is standing in my way

Physically-

My husband, 3 yr old, bad dog, and cat. Really.

Psychologically

see above . No, I guess it's that if I spend to much time on cleaning I am ignoring my son . Not enough time and I am failing at my job.

Equipment

I have everything I need and more.

Well, that's it for the interview. I have tried a lot of different cleaning methods in the past. I want to figure something out where stuff gets done, and we still have time to do things. I hate spending time on the weekend cleaning when we could be doing something together (or fun) . I also want my Mr. and my boy to be better at cleaning and organizing than they are right now. Although I think getting a 3 yr old to pick up his toys is a pretty good feat, I would like it to be more consistant.

This is what happens when I get bored

I paint a dining room wall. I honestly just wanted to see what it would look like. It needs another coat but I need to let it dry. I don't know how I will feel about it- or how the Mr. will feel about it when he gets back from his trip. I just got really tired of hearing about the primary results on the tv and with the writers strike, honestly there isn't anything on tv worth sitting down for.

It's late and I need to get some sleep. I'll see how I like this in the morning.

What to do when the weather is bad

This weekend the weather was iffy at best. Snow, snow and more snow. Not a ton of it, but it was constant. Enough that I didn't want to really go exploring about. After my accident a few years ago, I have found that my driving has really been impaired. Not physically, but mentally. I love to drive. I used to enjoy driving across the country. But now, the minute we get snow I lose all my nerve and I just semi freak out. I can barely drive over an overpass- let alone a bridge. So, this is the kind of weather that keeps me out of the car and in my house.

I worked on my dolls this weekend, I have done 8 bodies. 3 are completed voodoo dolls, 1 just needs some shoes, 1 needs shoes and a shawl, and 3 are just blank bodies. I posted pics on my other blog http://creepylittlevoodoodolls.blogspot.com on flicker. I worked on cleaning my downstairs work room- that's where I sew mainly, but I also keep my extra supplies, clothes, and ebay stuff down there.

I am also going through my old planners and trying to figure out if I need one anymore. As I have written about before, I used to work for Franklin Covey. I taught some classes and was a store manager back in the day. I loved that company. I have some beautiful leather planners. I just don't know if my life really needs a planner right now, or something else altogether. That's not a decision I can make in just 2 days, I really need to consider it more. I am going to put a planner together this week, and use it for 30 days . That is what we always recommended and I don't see a need to deviate from that plan.

This week is a tough one at my place. My Mr. has a ton of work to do, some travel, and my parents are also on vacation. So, it's just me and the boy 24/7 . Wish me luck.

I have just one work for you- THUNDERSNOW

So the experts were right, we did have a winter snow event..... I don't know how many inches we have on the ground, but it's many. Thick, heavy snow that stuck to everything. School was cancelled again. It was nice not to have snow for a few days at least. The weird thing was last night- at the beginning of the storm -we had a huge amount of snow coming down and a thunderstorm at the exact same time. Like the title says- thundersnow. It doesn't happen often, but thundersnow is never, ever a good thing.

My Lamarthe Handbag/purses- purses 12, 13 and 14

Because the weather up here has been so unpredictable, we have been keeping close to the house (THEY say we are going to now have a big winter storm ). I am going to continue the handbag series since I stopped abruptly at number 11.

These are the Lamarthe handbags. Lamarthe is from France. They aren't found here in the US everyday- not as popular as say Dooney or Coach. You can find them a TJ Maxx sometimes because they aren't as popular here. The quality of these bags are amazing, and they have a large selection of styles. I have a few- here they are:

This one is a small clutch style green faux green alligator. It has a chain strap. I bought it because I didn't own a green handbag.



This one is a white leather tote bag. It's big, unlined with an interior pocket. I use this in the summer about one day a week. It's my casual tote bag. I love it.
This is a grey everyday type of bag. It's leather, a medium size, with a nice nylon shoulder strap and leather handles. Lots of pockets and places to put stuff. I don't normally do grey. The color tends to look odd on me. I changed my mind with this bag. It goes great with jeans and a black top, or dress slacks and a t shirt with a more casual jacket.
This one you have seen before- it's green patent leather- shiny and sparkly. Yea for being a girl!

I also have a spring/summer wallet- A lovely shade of yellow. Yes, I know, yellow is one of my no-no colors. But this is inside a purse. Besides- it's cheerful....

Rain, rain part 2- or honey- grab the keys to the ark!

As Mella put it- we're getting biblical rains. It is STILL raining here. The snow is gone. The river is rising. The first picture is from this morning, the second picture is from just a few days ago. The deer is still alive, hobbling about- but feeding and moving. The snow being gone for her is a good thing. She can hide far more easily in the grass than the white snow.

Last night we had a spectacular thunder and lightning show and a tornado warning. A freaking tornado warning in January.

When I lived here when I was little (in the -gulp- 70's) I remember snow up the the roof line of the garage, and people having to take snow mobiles to the grocery store because the roads in town were impassible. I even have pictures to prove this somewhere- the one I love is my dad snow blowing the backyard in full cold weather gear- he even was wearing his bank robber ski mask-the snow was over his head and he's 6'2. We don't get that kind of historic snow anymore.

Normal weather patterns or global climate change ? I don't know. But I do know THIS type of weather is not normal for here for sure.

Rain, rain go away!

I have so much work to do today- and I am not doing hardly any. It's all due to the rain and storms we are having today. Now, you have to remember that I live in northern Michigan, not especially known for rain and thunder in January. We had about 2 1/2 feet of now on the ground yesterday. I think there is less than 1 inch now. The rain is intense, and we are totally socked in with thick fog. School was cancelled today due to fog. I don't remember that ever happening here before. I went into town today to go grocery shopping and my car almost died because the water was so deep in the streets. My husbands parking lot at the campus had over a foot of standing rain in it.

I am watching our back yard with interest too.. the river is up. A lot. And with the snow pack melting and the water from the skies joining it, we have a small flooding problem already. But that is not the only reason I am watching, we have an injured deer in the back yard. She has all 4 legs, but only 3 are working- she never lets one of the back ones hit the ground. She doesn't appear to have an open wound or blood, but I think she was hit by a car. She hasn't moved from this general area for 5 days. She is feeding, and we have fresh water available, but I am concerned for her safety from local dogs that run free. I hope she is ok, but if she's not, I really hope she doesn't die in my back yard. My parents live about 1.5 miles away from us and my dad has the largest collection of injured deer on his property I have ever seen before. Many, many 3 legged deer. One deer has all 4 but one is at a funky angle pointed out. So, they can live and thrive with only 3 working legs- I know of one 3 legged deer that has been at my parents place for 4 or 5 years now. I hope it works out.......

please help me!

please help me!
Originally uploaded by thefarmersdaughter

This is the problem- that big empty wall space. I am currently in the process of re working this room. The large orange wall hanging is staying, the kiss painting too, but that leaves approx 8 ft of empty wall. What to do with it? The entire wall is approx 20 ft long (some parts aren't visable in this pic. Any ideas??? And yes, those blonde wood chairs are going to be re covered in something else that matches the new color scheme.....

What I learned in WT this season

Just a few items I wanted to jot down- to put this season of WT in perspective. I will use what SCB and Dr. Wende did as a template- because it makes sense to do it that way and because it's easier. You know, semi-homemade.

My Look
I don't have a good name for it- but I know it when I see it now. And really, doesn't that mean more? I guess I would call it Rural rebel adventure. Denim, leather, chunky jewelry, t shirts, thin knits. This experience has made me really consider what I do day in and day out and dress for that- not my old life, or my imagined life. I am going to dress for my actual life. (and that doesn't need evening wear. )

My Colors
I used to wear black and white. Only. I have more black clothes than a living, non- goth, woman my age not living in New York should have. Now, I still have a basis in black and white but with a healthy helping of browns and blues for my neutral colors. I need to branch out even more and with my skin tones I should add rusts, some oranges, deep reds, olivey greens to the mix. I look better in fall colors. I honestly don't know what I am going to do when spring comes....

My Shapes
Nothing boxy. Semi fitted (not tight) to show my waist so I don't look like a gigantic box due to the chest size. V neck knits. No crew necks. No empire waists for me. Longer jackets and blazers- at least to the pocket of my pants- not the waistband. I don't look good in the "shrunken" clothes that are so hot right now. Not that "big momma" clothes are what I am looking for either....
My Patterns/Textures/Fibers
I don't wear any. No prints. No patterns. No real textures. I like cotton. Linen makes me look like a bag lady. I am ok with man made fibers in my cottons. I am not a huge fan of wool. I have a habit of liking t shirts with prints on them- not sayings really, but I am a fan of concert t shirts under a leather jacket with a nice denim pant and sandals. Don't make fun.
Level of maintenance
Can I say none? I am a wash and wear girl. I don't mind hanging stuff to dry instead of the machine, but that is about all I am prepared to do. I do about 10 to 15 loads of wash per week, I don't have time for much else.
Classics
I have blogged those before- look to the right-no left (whoops I changed the template-sorry).
Expectations
That I will continue to improve my wardrobe and look going forward, that I will learn that "close enough for who it's for" really isn't good enough. That I will have pieces that work together and fit my lifestyle so I don't worry about what to wear anymore. I am still learning but I am also enjoying the process.
Random thoughts
This has been really nice. I am so not done yet, but I have had more fun shopping these last few weeks than in the last 5 years. Thanks everyone.