Tuesday, November 28, 2006

What shall we do?

Oh so many tempting things to do on a farm! Chickens, pigs, cows, goats, sheep and on and on.... Can we have them all?! Of course we can. However, we might need to settle for just one at a time.
Icelandic Sheep - they are so beautiful (well in pictures anyway). Usually the pictures don't do justice to the subject. That is my experience anyway. We are considering raising Icelandic Sheep. We are planning on visiting a farm and talking to a Sheppard to really get the feel of how it all works. I will post that experience once it happens.
I have even pondered the idea of raising earth worms.
More research is needed on all the critters that we are thinking about.
Regardless, I intend to have a few chickens (I have had them before) and the fresh eggs are priceless.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Me and crafting

There is not too much in the line of crafts that I have not tried. But then again, there are alot that I haven't tried. I love crafts! I love yarn, glue, thread, needles, paint, canvas, patterns and anyone who crafts. Isn't it wonderful to sit with the family and watch a movie (not tv) and craft until your fingers ache?! I love to crochet and knit while we watch a movie. Especially crocheting.

I started crocheting at the age of 11 (6th grade). It was my very first HomeEc class. I have my original needle and I still love that needle. I still remember my teacher - Mrs. Herring. A wonderful lady. She recently retired and I got to go to her retirement party. That was a real treat. I took my mom with me to the retirement party. I was in the same room with two of my favorite women - the same two women who taught me alot about sewing and cooking.
Some time over the years I taught myself to knit. Why? I really don't know, unless it was one more task that I felt compelled to master. I have a long way to go before I will master knitting, however, I have made several sweaters, scarfs and hats. I love to knit also, but it seems to demand more of my attention.

Sewing is another of my crafty things. I love to sew, but I generally pour myself into it and don't want to stop (not even to sleep) until the project is complete. I will just have to work on my self control with that issue.

Painting - oh now that is another story. If only I could paint what is in my head. To be a real artist! I have taken several paint classes. I dearly love my paint teacher. Mary McClead - I salute you! Thank you for every class that I have attended.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Trash Your TV

I gave up TV in 1994. I just rebeled against the satellite & cable companies.

I remember when satellite & cable was first coming into homes across the country. I remember how there were not any commercials. Why? Because we (the customer) was told that there would be no commercials because it was all paid for with our monthly fee to have satellite or cable. Well the companies got out money for each and every month and I guess they figured out how to double and triple their money. So the advertising (commercials) began. Now if you have satellite or cable you have commercials. Not only that, you pay to watch the commercials. Imagine that. And get this! You only get certain packages when you subscribe to satellite or cable. So that tells me that you pay the satellite or cable companies to tell you what you can watch. Kinda ironic to me!

I have people ask me -
Did you see that show last night? or Have you seen the commercial about...?
My reply is simply - no - I don't watch tv. And what do you think their reply is? They ask, "You really don't watch tv?" All the time they are asking they are looking at me as if I just grew 3 more heads. Then I have to go into a spill about how tv has taken so much time away from families and so on and so on.

Here is what I figured - If the average household pays $50 a month for tv and they do that for 12 months, that is $600 per year. In 10 years of doing with tv you save $6000. Just in case you thought you didn't read that last dollar figure correctly, here is is again - Six Thousand Dollars.

CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO AN AVERAGE OF 50,000 TV COMMERCIALS PER YEAR
CHILDREN WITNESS 14,000 SEXUAL REFERENCES ON TV YEARLY

You can go to this link to read great "True Stories about Trashing your TV http://trashyourtv.com/

Here is an article that will blow your mind. It decribes in length about the affects of tv.
http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html

What are we really teaching our children?

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Good things to eat

If you would like to include a recipe - please post a comment or email me. I will be adding recipes from time to time.

Recipes

Winter Energy Cookies: Take-me-along cookies, great for skiing, skating, and snowshoeing!


Winter Vegetable Curry:
After a day in the snow, make this quick and healthy curry. Serve with rice.


Roasted Winter Vegetables:
A wonderful vegetable dish to serve for lunch on a cool day or as a side dish for supper.

Crafts

Oh how I love to work with my hands and create wonderful homemade items. Once I get the website up and running, I will be putting my crafts on it. Not only homemade but crafted in the USA.

Colors are optional. If you like a certain style or color, just let me know. Prices will depend on sizes.
The double sided are wonderful to show your team colors. However - any of them can show your team colors.

Here are a few of my crafts
.
Seaside Square (crochet) Sage Seaside Square (crochet)

Crochet Top Towel


Camo Square (crochet)


Double Sided (crochet)

8 inch Doily (crochet)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Go Shopping

These are a few of my favorite places to shop. There is pretty much a little something for everyone in your family on these sites. Wonderful - top quality products.






Be sure to mention my name Alta Brewer or my Rep #1454 at Gourmet To Go

Fuller Brush is another great one to shop at. Here is the link - http://www.fullerdirect.com/0655126

DogYums is even another one. Lots and lots for your critters. A new and growing company that I love. Here is the link - http://www.dogyums.com/store/affiliate.asp?aff=339

So much for that.

So much for posting every day. I somehow knew that wouldn't happen. Kinda silly of me to think that. Regardless, I am posting today and I will try to bring it all up to date.

Of course I have been busy. I really can't imagine life any other way. Oh yes - I will get back to a Simplier Way of Life. It is the light at the end of the tunnel.

We have been to Arkansas and Missouri two times now. We love the land, the farms the simple life. Why is it that people seem to be friendlier there than in Florida? People actually say good morning there and mean it. Oh not in Florida - they grunt when you speak to them. Or you get some weird look and they suck through their teeth. They play their music too loud - not that I don't like loud music, but really, is it necessary to play it so loud that they can hear it 2 blocks away.

Quality of life - what ever happened to that? Well, I intend to create a wonderful quality of life for myself and my family.

I am just so upset by the way society has changed. What ever happend to "excuse me" or "thank you" and so on... What ever happened to helping our neighbors? Yes - our society has become a rudier society. Horrible!