Fast Forward, Rewind

Alright, so there was a brief hiatus, without warning- on keeping this blog up to date. I'm going to try and avoid this in the future.

There has been some very positive motion since the last time. But first, a quick recession-budget friendly holiday gift wrap-up. Obviously, this year was pretty tight with the unemployment, but even in more prosperous years, I tend to make almost all of the gifts I give. Sure, it takes more time, and isn't always less expensive- but they tend to be more personal and being a control freak- just the way I want them. I'm lucky that I have an exceptionally indulgent, and equally crafty girlfriend, so together we were able to give folks what I think were great gifts.

First, canned goods! The garden was abundant this year, especially in cucumbers. Sweet pickles, dill pickles, relish, honey spice peaches, jam, rhubarb con-fit- delicious, useful, and easy to make ahead of time.

Next, we recycled tee-shirts bought from good will stores with good designs on them and made hand bags using a pattern online with some modifications. They would made great grocery shopping bags, and are much better looking then the store-brand ones you buy for a dollar.

Deciding tee-shirts were this years theme, we also made some stenciled tee-shirts. We cut out designs and taped them to the shirts. Next, we mixed a 50/50 bleach solution, and using a small paint brush, created negative-space images. This worked best with really simple designs, and we tried to be unique about stencil placement too.

We rounded off gifts with handmade ornaments, chocolate pumpkin fudge (made ahead and frozen), knitted hats and candles we purchased. If you want more info on how we made any of these things, leave a comment and I'll provide some step-by-step instructions.

Next- INTERNSHIP SECURED! Beginning in March, I will be working on a 600 acre organic farm. It isn't a CSA (community supported agriculture) model, but it's a well-known, exceptionally successful livestock and veggie operation. The moment I stepped on site, I really loved the vibe from this farm. It is a family run farm, and speaking with the farmer and his farmer sons was refreshing. They were dedicated, down to earth and excited to meet me. I was fortunate enough to get an offer that same day, and now we're just working out details. More on this in an additional post soon!

In the meantime though, the house I'm living in/own still hasn't sold. This of course, is causing some serious financial maneuvering and the anxiety I feel about that is a constant struggle. I'm doing everything I can to try and mitigate damage, and I picked up some part-time cafe work.

Right now, I'm counting the minutes until the internship, and simultaneously crossing everything hoping for a buyer on the house. The balance between the excitement and stress is a little taxing, but the excitement keeps winning out. I think that's a sign that we're heading in the right direction.