Fish, Strawberries, and Rainbows

No, not eaten together!

Last year, we got quite a strawberry yield. We just have 3 good-size rows, but we ended up picking well over 30 gallons. Or maybe I froze over 30 gallons. I can't remember! Anyway, I made a ton of preserves, in addition to freezing a lot of berries, so we were happy with our strawberry patch. This year, Dad was going to start another patch, and we weren't sure if we would be able to salvage the existing patch. See, we put hay over the rows last year, and I think there were a lot of seeds and stuff in the hay. So, this is how our poor strawberry patch looked, even after a little work. Hint: I worked on the beginning of the row on the far left, so the whole thing looked like the two rows on the right before!

Let me back up, though. Dad had worked in the strawberry patch a few days before. Well, I wasn't doing anything else so I decided to go out and help. So, I started walking down the path in between the rows. Dad had pulled weeds and threw them into the middle, where one would walk. Well, I started looking, and there strawberry babies (small plants) growing in the walkway! I talked to Dad about it, and decided to dig the plants out of the walkway, instead of throwing weeds on the poor dears and walking on them (aHEM) so I started doing just that. I dug and planted over 70 plants in pots, and that was only about half the first row. So, then we started clearing the row itself. Whenever there was a spot that didn't have as many plants, I would transplant the strawberries I'd dug up from the walkway. I still have 50 or so pots that I need to find a place for.

So that's one of the things I've been working on for the past couple days. We've (Dad's been out there with me some) gotten this much done:

It's looking better, but it's still going to be a while before it's all done. My back hurts from bending over, but I really don't mind doing it. It's nice to be able to clean up the rows, and it's good daydreaming time. ;)

I still have a lot of plants that I need to find room for. We may try to sell some of them if there are too many, because there are plants in the other walkways as well. They travel like CRAZY!

There was a rainbow Saturday:

Along with a pretty sunset...

And a handsome guy hanging around, who was apparently feeling peaceful. ;)

That, or he was trying to tell me he's two cute, which I am, of course, already very well aware.

Ok, Sunday, I headed out to Jacob's. The drive is a very pretty one, and one I'm getting used to driving pretty often. :)

I was able to tour our house Sunday, which was a major highlight! It's SOOO exciting!!! I didn't get any pictures...I know, shame on me! I do need to be pictures for our before and after comparisons.

I made this bracelet this past week...

And finally, we went fishing today. The guys went a few days ago, but I was at this one guy's house, so I didn't fish. ;) I went out today but I'm not keen on fishing without planning on eating what you catch. I love catfish fishing, and eating the catfish, but I don't see much point in fishing just for the heck of it.

So, here goes...

I cast. Or is it casted? Cast. Yeah. I cast.

Supposed to watch my bobber. Never have liked that too much.

Oh, look...Dave got one!

Then the dogs ran around the pond and I took pictures of them.

Dangit. Something ate my bait.

So I had to trek over to the bait bucket with empty hook...

Attach said bait...

I cast again...

Boys...

There comes Mom...

Mom and Dad...

Looks like Dave caught another...

Which reminds me...

No bobber?

Darn. I wanted a catfish!!!

This little guy swallowed the hook pretty good and I couldn't figure out how to get a picture of me removing the hook with the pliers. My hands were kinda full. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure this one will be ok. Dad said the turtles eat the ones that die, though. Guess turtles gotta eat too, huh? Facts of life, folks.

Yuck.

I tried a few more times after this, but never did get a catfish and those darn bluegill kept stealing my bait.

That'll wrap up this post. See y'all later!

Crocheted Bolero

I didn't care much for the denim shirt that I cut down to put over my new red dress so I went back to the drawing board. I found a pattern for a knit shrug and I liked the way it looked so I made one. Well, it was pretty...but it'll make a good table runner. Just didn't work too well for a shrug! Then I found a pattern for a crocheted bolero and tackled that next. I'll tell you straight...I just don't like crocheting garments and that's all there is to it! It's fine to make doilies or something like that, but I'm just not a big fan of crocheting anyway, and this really tried my patience!

I do like the way it turned out, and I think it looks much better over the dress than the denim alternative. And certainly much better than a table runner. :)

 Crocheting's just not my thing...give me knitting needles any day!!!

Notepad Holders

Remember how I'd said a while back that I really had been busy sewing? And that I was going to take a picture to prove it?

Those are all regular size notepad holders...and that's not all of them. I have another dozen or so that I've already packed up to take to one store on Sunday. The ones pictured here are a little bit higher quality...in other words, more expensive fabric, so they have to cost a little more. Here are a couple more pictures...I think some of these are SO CUTE! I LOVE cute fabric!

I've also started making these smaller notepad holders...they hold, um...smaller notepads. Yeah. Smart.

For now, I decided to start listing on Etsy. I could sell to other stores, and may do that in the future, but for now, check out my Etsy store! There's not much there yet, but I'm working on it!!!

Cumberland Falls

Shortly after we got out of church this morning, Jacob called me and wanted to know if I wanted to go on a hike with them (his family) at Cumberland Falls. I said sure, so as soon as we got home, I changed clothes, threw my church clothes in a bag, grabbed the can of cashews, and tore off like a mad woman on my way to their house. We left their house around 3pm (eastern) and didn't get to the falls until 4:15 or so. We walked around for just about an hour, and then a few of us (me, Jacob, 2 of his brothers, and a sister) headed back to the house so that I could get back to church on time. Well, it didn't quite work out so well...we stopped and got pizzas and ate in the car (and I spilled garlic butter sauce on my skirt,) and there still was no way I was going to be able to go back to Jacob's, clean up and change, and still get to church on time. So we all went to church in our hiking clothes tonight. :) It wasn't a big deal, and Jacob did what he had to do to get me where I needed to be when I needed to be there. He's like that. He takes care of me.

Anyway, I was an idiot and left my camera in my car (which I left at Jacob's house...went back to his house after church to get it) so all I had with me was my iPod to go to Cumberland Falls. That's fine and dandy sometimes, but I really needed my camera today. These iPod pictures just didn't turn out all that great! Jacob's sister took all these pictures of Jacob and me.

I took this one of the Falls...very full and very muddy.

Some cute couple...

I took this one, and I think it turned out pretty cute for one I took myself. That's hard to do!

We had a blast today, even though the schedule got out of whack a bit. Jacob's mom said it well tonight, when we all got back to their house. "You're making memories!"

Just a Reminder...

In case anyone who wanted to remember has forgotten, and if you didn't want to remember, um....shame on you, I guess!

My birthday is in 13 days. March 29th, if you don't want to do the math.

I have an Amazon wishlist, if you were wondering. (Even clickable...handy! haha!)

If you weren't, oh, well. Now you know that I have an Amazon wishlist anyway!

My grandma is taking me, my mom, and my aunt to Pigeon Forge/Dollywood for our birthdays. My aunt's birthday was at the beginning of March, mine is at the end, and Mom's is April 1st. (She has a wishlist on Amazon, too) We'll be leaving on my birthday and be back sometime the following Saturday.

By the way, I'll be 23. Not real sure how that happened...the other day we were talking about a family trip we made a while back, and were trying to remember how long ago it was. The way I remembered was that we were gone on my 16th birthday. It was a real shocker when I figured up that 7 years ago! Wow.

Creations...

You know, this blog was supposed to be about stuff I was making! I might just have to rename it...maybe "Crazy K's Infatuation" or something. ;)

Anywho, I still sew a lot, and one day I'll take pictures of all my notepad holders just to prove it, but the last couple days I've been doing other stuff...not business kind of stuff. A couple months ago, I discovered scrapbook paper. I've never done any scrapbooking, and I don't even remember why I got excited about the paper, but I did. I read about how you could cover clipboards with the paper, so I got the stuff to try it, and I did. Here's what happened.

I love this one...

I like making the clipboards, but I kinda ran out of things to do with them right now so I had to quit making them. Maybe I'll make some more of them and put a for sale page up with Paypal buttons? Yes, no, maybe?


I eat a lot of these. Like, I love them. Almost as much as I love something...or 'one else.

Seems like a waste to throw all those containers away, and I did have some of that pretty paper...

Only thing was, my paper was a little too short...

I like this better than the jar!

Nothing in my room is safe from scrapbook paper right now. I might just cover everything in it. 

A couple months ago, I found this dress that I loved at the thrift store. Only problem was, it didn't quit fit my style. See? 

(Please disregard the mess. My tiny little "room" also serves as my sewing/craft room and I am seriously running out of space!)

I added a few inches of denim to the bottom, pleating it a few times for a little extra fullness. I cut down a very old, stained (dye from the tack shop does NOT wash out!) denim shirt, adding a little lace, but I don't care much for it on. I'm trying to figure out something else to do up top. I'm knitting a shrug thing right now that might work better.

Looks better on the hanger than on me, unfortunately!

Last night at Jacob's, his mom gave me 15 skirts that she and/or a cousin of theirs' no longer wanted. Wow. I do LOVE hand-me-downs! I loved 10 of the 15, and they fit. Wow! So this morning I cleaned out my closet and got up a stack of stuff to take to Goodwill.

Hm...what else. Oh, what do y'all think about this cute lil' house? :)

Sorry for the bad picture, but I was driving, obviously. The folks still aren't moved all the way out (hence the swing-set in the yard! No, it's not ours. ;) ) so I haven't been able to stop and really see it. Grrr!!! I think they have one more week before they have to be all the way out.

I think that catches y'all up pretty well! Talk to you later!