Five Things Friday October
Hey there! I haven’t done one of these in a while, I know I committed to doing one at least once a month but I think I must rebel against commitment! Anyway, I have enough new things to share with you that I feel like I can justify a Five Things Friday! So here is some randomness!
1. A New Edition of Beginner’s Guide to Homestead Living!! Yippie!!
We just released our latest free e-book! This one is all about the Harvest! It is just beautiful! There are crafts and recipes and tips for drying herbs and flowers!
Here’s a look at the table of contents!
If you are already a subscriber you can snag it for free right here! Not a subscriber? You can take care of that below! You will also get access to all three previous volumes and my printable library!
2. My Sweet Cow Kicked Me
The reality of owning a cow is this: a cow is not a person. There I said it. Animals are animals and they are not people. They simply do not have the ability to reason as we do. A couple of weeks ago, Penelope (our milk cow) had a piece of fencing wire wrapped partway around her foot and in between her hooves. I noticed it while we were milking. I tried to snatch it off a couple of times while I was milking but she kept moving and I was afraid she would spill the milk. It was irritating her, and if you let something like that go, it can often get itself wrapped really tightly and cause injury. ( Ask me how we know that?). I waited until we were done, told her I wanted to help her, and did a quick grab to get the wire. Turns out cows are pretty quick! She swiftly kicked my arm right above my wrist!
It hurt so bad that I really thought it was broken! I quickly ran inside and put ice and then Arnica Oil on it. Side note: If you don’t use Arnica for bruises and bumps, you are missing out! It is almost miraculous! The first time I ever saw it at work was after our second son was born. He had a quick delivery into the world and his face was very bruised. The midwife spread arnica oil all over his face and within an hour it was remarkably better!
Anyway, within a few hours my arm was feeling better. I had a nasty hoof-shaped bruise for quite a while and I still have a tender knot, but I am so glad it wasn’t worse! The reality of milking a cow…I didn’t really like her for a couple of days!
3. I Bought a Berkey Water Filter
I am working on a post about this. I have been thinking about buying one for years and finally did it! In case you don’t know I am 100% Conspiracy Theorist (which anymore just means I don’t watch mainstream news or believe anything I read that comes from anywhere mainstream, and I believe a lot of things that would probably make you shake your head). Maybe it’s not that I don’t believe anything, but more that I question EVERYTHING! However, our differences are what make us all unique, and the freedom to express that is part of being an American!
What does all of that have to do with a water filter? Well, if things get ugly for a while I want to at least be able to filter water for my family. The Berkey can even filter pond water and make it drinkable! So far I am only filtering our well water, and we are enjoying it and I’m glad we bought it!
4. Our Oldest Son Bought a Bass Guitar
It is every bit as loud and annoying as I thought it would be. Yet I helped him find one for a discounted price! What is it about being a parent that makes you put aside your preferences just because you know it would make your child happy? Whatever it is I am regretting that parental quality! Ha! Let’s just say I am glad we have the barn for him to play in!
5. My Husband and I can Button Tuft!
How’s that for random? We have a big ottoman in our family room. We have had it for about two years and of course, I bought it used. It looked nice when we bought it, but after being in our home with 12 people, the top of it was stained, sun-faded, and had a hole in it. I was just sure that I could recover it!
Here’s my problem. I often jump in head first, unreasonably confident in my ability to do something that I have never done before. I never even consider failing, really the thought that I may ruin a nice piece of furniture doesn’t even cross my mind. See…unreasonably confident! I pulled out the million staples and removed the old fabric absolutely certain that the hardest part was over. I then recovered all the buttons and set out to reupholster the ottoman! I realized that you really have to pull those buttons pretty tight to get them to sink down. So, I asked my husband for help.
We discussed the best way to tackle the project and couldn’t agree on the method. Should we start in the middle, should we wrap it around the sides first? I had the brilliant idea to watch a YouTube video! Turns out that button tufting is a skilled craft! People pay a lot of money to have tufted furniture redone! I watched this video and I am so glad I did! She does an excellent job of explaining the process!
It took us two evenings and living with a compressor and sawhorses in the family room, but by golly we got the thing done! It is not perfect, but unless you are an upholsterer, (please don’t tell me if you are) I don’t think you could tell that this was a DIY job! I am super pleased with how it turned out! I bought the oatmeal-colored linen fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby, and my husband bought a pneumatic staple gun, but even with that we only spent about $50 total!
Well, I also sprayed it with two cans of outdoor scotchguard! So that should be added to the cost.
Can you see that marigold-colored throw in the back on the couch? I got it for $24 at TJ Maxx…a total splurge for me, I tried to talk myself out of it, but I couldn’t walk away without fearing someone else would grab it up! It’s super soft too!
Bonus!
Our bathroom remodel is finished! I plan to take pictures this afternoon. I wanted to take pictures before anyone used it, but once that toilet was in and the shower open there was no stopping people! So it will need a bit of cleaning before I can photograph it! Here’s a sneak peek of the fabrics that I used and one of the pictures that I hung on the wall. The picture makes me smile every time! That certainly doesn’t look like a cow that would kick, does it?
