Breconbcs...On the path to Self Sufficiency

[breconbcs]

Name: Kim
Current Residence: a bunglow with lousy, nosey neighbours
Relationship Status: married
Interests: according to dh, anything that will annoy him
Favorite Music: I listen to pretty much everything, but prefer 80's
Favorite TV Shows: CSI, NCIS,
Favorite Movies: Grease, Dirty Dancing, Showboat
Favorite Books: Anything on nutrition - animal or people, aromatherapy, alternative therapies...think you get the idea
02. Gender? Female
03. Disneyworld or Disneyland? Neither. Now 6 Flags or Canada's Wonderland...
04. What is your favorite color? hunter green
05. What is your favorite kind of gum? Don't really chew gum but prefer Stride when I do
08. Can you swim? To save my life, but no one elses
09. Do you like to swim? Yes
11. What's on your mouse pad? laser mice on all my comptuers..
12. Favorite board game? Wilderness Survival
13. Favorite magazine? A tie between Hobby Farms and Ontario Gardening
16. Do you have an accent? According to those in Southern states, yes. And when I get home from a Southern visit, my friends say yes..lol I pick up accents pretty easy
17. Favorite smells? Freshly bathed dog, the sap running from the pine trees in the spring, fresh bread baking
18. Least favorite smells? liver and onions cooking
19. Favorite sound? the birds first thing in the morning, the lack of sound when the dogs are all sleeping...lol
27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Dang pups, can't they sleep in for once!
28. How many rings before you answer the phone? Three if I want to talk to the person, takes that long for caller id to show whose calling
29. How do you want to die? in my sleep would be nice
30. Have you ever called a 900 number? No, but was offered a job at one before
31. Gold or silver? Either as long as I'm not buying it
32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping? Nope
33. Do you like dressing up? Dressing up for the barns, yes, in a dress and heels, no.
35. Do you enjoy reading? Yes
36. What book are you reading now? Rereading Juilette Levy's Herbal Handbook for Dogs and Cats
38. What was the last movie you saw? Mall Cop
40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Only when DH has over eaten
43. What's your biggest fear? My kids dying before me
44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? No
45. Future child's name? There better not be a future one, 3 is enough!
48. Do you like to drive fast? Yes, but I drive a Hybrid so the cops laugh at me when they pull me over
49. Storms - cool or scary? cool
50. Do you like to dance? Yes
51. Do you do drugs? Nope, never have
52. Do you smoke? Not since highschool
53. What do you think of people who smoke? There choice, just not in my house
54. Do you drink? Occassionally
55. Favorite drink? blackberry wine
56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other? No, unless they are married...LOL
57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? yes
58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? Stay at home and raise my animals and veggies to sell
60. Do you bite your nails? No
61. Any siblings? Yes, 2 - one that I talk to, 1 that disowned us
65. Have you ever stolen anything? Hubby's heart count??
79. Glasses or contacts? have reading glasses, but rarely use them
80. What color are your eyes? hazel
81. What is your natural hair color? brown with grey coming in
82. But what color is it now? brownish red with no grey
83. Have you ever been in love? once
84. Any pets? 5 Border Collies, a cat that thinks he's a dog
85. Good, decent, or poor grades? good, could have been better but I partied most of highschool away
86. Is the glass half empty or half full? half full
87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? Yes
88. What's under your bed? the other leaf to the dining table
89. What is your favorite number? 29 (and holding... LOL)
90. Favorite sport to watch? Tennis and soccer

 

[breconbcs]

I'm not very creative, but I have decided to finally take the step and try soap making and sewing.

So I bought a kit just to see if it was something I would like to do. It is just a simple melt and pour but I'm hooked!

I put pictures here (couldn't figure out the insert thing) http://breconbordercollies.freeservers.com/misc.html

I've ordered more soap, colours, and frags. I'm going to stick to melt and pour for now. I've signed up for a cold press class this week. I've read how to make cold pressed soap online but it's not clicking so I think to see/do with someone experienced will help alot.

My dd has me helping her with sewing - I don't really sew but I realize I have more knowledge than I thought as we play with it. We bought a beginner machine for her (and me) yesterday but I'm taking it back as it's not working right (it's not sewing the fabric though everything looks right and it was working at first). Tomorrow I will go to the sewing shop dd gets her lessons at and buy one from them. We'd looked at them (it's a HuskyStar) but it was more money than dh wanted to pay, well cheap isn't always best and now he says go buy it. So, when I get better at sewing, I'll post some pics of what I make. Going to attempt dog beds and hot/cold packs.

eta: ignore the sample photos on that page...not sure why freeservers didn't save my changes. The soap are the only pictures I've added.

 

[PamsPride]

I look forward to reading your journal!!
I just started sewing one year ago this month and I have lots of links to easy sewing projects in my journal.

 

[breconbcs]

I took the plunge - I bought a new sewing machine. DH got one from WalMart but we returned it. The needle kept unthreading (not breaking) and the bobbin fell apart which took us an hour to figure out how it all went back together. That was my breaking point and took dh I was going to spend a little more to get a decent machine. I went to the lady who shares the basement with my dd's sewing teacher. I got a Huskystar E10. So far I like it and it's very easy for dd to use too.
So now I have to get some material and start making the hot/cold packs and get the dog beds made. I have the pattern for the dog beds - I already have the material, just have to dig it out and figure out what to do with them...lol. I've never sewed with a pattern. I think I have alot of learning ahead of me.

I also ordered more soap making supplies - more soap - goat's milk, clear and a white glycerin , colours, a couple of moulds and more essential oils - which should be here by the end of the week or early next week. I'm looking forward to getting them so I can play around and see what I come up with.

In August our oldest son is off to University in B.C. Now before you all think we are bad parents for making decisions before he's out or that he will be back - ds has not been the easiest child to deal with over the last few years (the teen years have not been pleasant) and he has already said that he will never be back - not even for Christmas. We hope he will grow up and change his mind once he's out there and if he does then the recroom downstairs will have a pullout couch for him and/or other guests.
So after long debates with the dh, he has agreed that we will turn that room into a sewing/soapmaking/plant room. The room is big enough to put a material table and sewing table in one side and on the other pipe in a stove to use for the soap making and still have room for my plant stands along the walls. Though if I get to the point of doing cold press soap, the stands may have to go towards holding soap - which isn't a bad thing.

Once I make something with the sewing machine, I'll try to post pictures of it! If nothing else, they'll be good for a laugh.

 

[PoultryScienceAggie]

I look forward to reading more about your life and your projects!

 

[breconbcs]

I completed my first sewing project...

My two baby girls, Fly is wearing the bandana (Pearl is still waiting...lol)

My old girl, Jacque with her's. This design lets me put herbs in to help keep away fleas and other buggies.

eta: the picture of Jacque, was having problems with it submitting when I hit enter...lol.

 

[breconbcs]

With the nice weather we've had I've been outside raking and cleaning up the yard and at night helping dh move his workroom over so we can set up a recroom.
The weather today hasn't been that great. It's been threating rain but the sun did come out for an hour or two so I decided today I would make some more soap. I got my order of new molds in so had to try them out. I ordered The Soapmaker's Companion book and it is in so I've been reading that this afternoon while waiting for the soap to be ready. I think that once I'm done the clear and white soap melt and pours I have, I will be moving on to cold press...or I may just put them away for now and try the cold press. Here is a picture of the soaps. The ones wrapped I made on Saturday with the kids helping pick colours.

The little round heart ones, I got that mold for my dd's birthday party. She wants to have the girls make bath bombs (I have the molds for those already) and she loved the idea of making them some soap for the gift bags, so I may hold off on using the m&p and keep them for that. The ones in the picture aren't for the party, I just couldn't resist trying the mold..LOL. The dog one is actually for the dogs. It has a combination of essential oils in it that help repel fleas and other nasties. I'm looking forward to making their soap from scratch and having true total knowledge that I'm using all natural soaps on them.

I'm still having to sit down and do the rest of the bandanas for the dogs and I have to make one for a friend's dog but she has asked for the herbs to be added to it so I have to source those out as I've just been using the essential oils on my crew. Not alone finish the yard and get started on building the raised veggie bed. I'm contemplating the pvc planter idea for growing lettuce and such so that I have more room for beans, peas and tomatoes in the raised bed. But with the rain looming and the temp now starting to drop again working outside will have to wait till another day.
Why is it when it's cold the dogs want out.?? The sun was out and it was beautiful on the deck and they would not stay outside, it gets cold and they are all outside on the deck hanging out...silly brats.
Oh I almost forgot... DD and I signed up for a Mother/Daughter sewing day on April 25th put on by dd's sewing teacher. It will be fun to spend the day with dd doing what she loves (finally she has found her niche/passion!) and hopefully I will not embaress her to much.

 

[PamsPride]

Awesome soap and bandanas!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Kim--where did you get the soap molds and stuff from?

The neck bands are cute--i tried that once but hubbs said no dog of his was gonna wear one of those things!!! Picture a big tough rottie wearing a bandana. It looked too cute-but hubbs didn't go for it.

 

[breconbcs]

Thanks! I really like playing with the soaps, especially playing with the colours - I can't wait to start making my own cold process.

I got the molds and soap from http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/ they are in Brampton. I will be buying most of my oils from them for the cp soap. Also from http://www.canwax.com/page/page/251746.htm I got the lye and olive oil as they were cheaper. I still have to look and see who is cheaper for the essential oils. I've been using the ones I already had in the house but want to add some new smellies to the soaps.

I'm going to continue playing around with the bandanas. I bought a herbal collar a long time ago that was cotton fabric that was rolled with the herbal mix in it and it looked more "masculine" than these do but it required our boy to wear it and his collar which he hated, so I want to try and do something similar but with the collar going through it instead.