Where does the time go?

Every time I write a new post and see how long it's been since the last one, I always say that I am going to post more often and then before I know it, it's 3 months down the road and I haven't posted a thing! Maybe I just ought to do quarterly posts and then I will keep up with it! I have been busy trying to keep up with everything going on and it's been a handful to say the least!

We have had a birthday here every month since January so once a month I have been busy making cake! Isaiah wanted chocolate cupcakes!
Hannah wanted a cake with Tiny from Dinosaur train and the Big Pond!
Olivia wanted a 5 layer chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cake with a pond, frogs, strawberries, a picnic basket and all 5 of us on the cake fishing and of course frogs! Well in the end she got everything but us on top! So for the rest of this year we are done with birthdays and cakes! Mine is next month, but I don't think I will be making a cake and I won't hold my breath of getting one otherwise! I think I will treat myself to a Mocha Frappe with caramel syrup and whip cream instead! No work and very yummy!

On the fiber front I have been busy adding new items to my shop and my esty shop and get re-organized from the Art Show I did the end of March! It went pretty well, but I think I ended up breaking even after I bought 2 Mocha Frappe's, ate Chinese two night's in a row and everything else I spent to do the show! It was fun, but very tiring!I did have a chance to organize a lot of my yarns though and realized that I had a lot more than I thought! I sold a few at the show and now just need to get the rest of them up and listed on my website.
I also got a bunch of new Diz Sets done with threaders and Orifice Hooks. They are fun to paint and fun to make except when you have a bag of stone beads and only one bead out of the whole bag will fit on the wire!
Well I guess this is enough for now! Do I dare say that I will post again soon! I will try!!

New yarns!

I have been working on some new hand spun yarns lately and this is what I have done so far! I have been working on coming up with some new art yarns and trying to get myself organized, which in all reality will probably never really happen!
The first yarn is spun from Kid Mohair Locks, Silk, Cotton and hand dyed Romney Wool!
The second one is from hand dyed Romney WoolI am offering a special at Just Ducky Hand Spun Yarn & More on facebook. For the first 5 people that comment I will give them a coupon code for 50% OFF any order on my website or at my etsy shop

Spiced Chocolate Torte Wrapped in Chocolate Ribbons!

When I saw this recipe, I just knew that I had to make this!! It turned out so incredibly yummy! I have had a few slivers of it and it is so very good and yes! this is one of those cakes that you don't even ask how many calories are in it! Let's just say that it will probably take me a week to burn off the calories from the little bit I had, but it was well worth it!

Sears and Kmart deserve coal for Christmas!

I don't generally just complain about something, but this has really upset me! The other day my mom was going to order some Erector Sets for my son for Christmas and they had them online at Sears with Free Shipping ( or so we thought)! To make a long story short, she went to check out and it would not take the code which was SANTA! She called and the lady asked her if she had read all of it and here it turns out that toys are not included at all in free shipping! Who could not include toys at Christmas! So bah humbug to Sears!

I then looked online for them and found what she wanted at Kmart and I had a $5.00 off coupon and Free Shipping! They even had a thing that if you ordered by the 17th you could get it by Christmas! I had decided to check at the store before I ordered just in case they had any sales! They didn't so I was going to order them online when I got home from grocery shopping yesterday. It was getting late so I called my mom from the market and had her order them for me!

Everything seemed fine until I found out today that you can only get it by Christmas if you pay for expedited shipping which I didn't see, so now my son's presents should be here the 28th! on top of that it appeared on my receipt that the items were on sale, but didn't ring up on sale so I called and got possible the nastiest customer service agent that basically said to me "okay here is what I see so what is the problem" at that point I had enough and just got off the phone! She could not see what I was talking about! I finally realized that it was not sale prices but the free shipping and $5.00 off that was being called the savings even though it wasn't! It also turned out that I could have ordered them online before I went to town and picked them up at the store yesterday!

Would someone tell whether or not these items look on sale to you! Problem is that if you add up the item total it comes too $49.77 not $61.80! Why do they have to make is so confusing?

	Five-ModelSet Sold By: Kmart	004W788609110001 KSN #: 78860911	1	$17.99
		Item Amount: Item Savings: Item Total: $17.99 $-0.87 $17.12

	150pc Construction Bucket Sold By: Kmart	004W435989800001 KSN #: 43598980	1	$19.99
		Item Amount: Item Savings: Item Total: $19.99 $-3.80 $16.19

	Motorized 10 Model Set in Tub Sold By: Kmart	004W435989830001 KSN #: 43598983	1	$24.99
		Item Amount: Item Savings: Item Total: $24.99 $-8.53 $16.46

Initial Subtotal:

$62.97

Tax:

$3.83

Shipping Charge:

$8.20

Savings (deals, promotions and/or shipping discounts):

$-13.20

Total:

$61.80

I am so tired of all of the fine print and mean customer service agents! Why can't stores simply say you can get it by Christmas with expedited shipping right there on the front page instead of making it look like something it's not! I think it's deceptive and misleading! Is there no more integrity or honesty left with businesses! I will tell you one thing! I will not ever shop at Sears or Kmart again! Too much of a pain! So there is my complaint!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Finally, my first dish towel!

I got my loom last February and I finally got up the nerve to tackle it and start weaving! I had to cut off the old weaving a partially warp it again, but I got it done and made my first dish towel! I have to say that I am really happy with it and the sides also came out nice and even! I have to confess that it's harder to weave alone than it is to spin! There are a lot more terms and I am unfamiliar with most of them. I think with all of that, I still managed to pull off a decent looking towel!:)

What else???????

This month has just been one of those months and I have to say that I am glad it's over! We are still waiting to move and at this point I honestly have no idea when it will happen! I am wondering whether or not I should start digging out Christmas decorations or if we will be moved by then! On top of that my dear hubby had two operations to repair two hernias that got worse after he had an accident on the ATV in July so I have been doing double duty on chores this month including hauling and cutting firewood with his big saw that used to intimidate me! My computer has been playing a game with me in the mornings as to whether or not it wants to turn on right and the tranny is going out on the truck! Besides that I have not had even one measly sale between either of my shops at all this month and not even anything for my big 30% off Black Friday through Cyber Monday Sale! I have to say that if it was not my life I would not believe it!
I do know it could be much worse! We still have a warm roof over our head and praise God my poor little Jeep is still running and the operations both went great and hubby is recovering very nicely and I have still found time to relax with a warm cup of coffee and spin some yarn and to top it all off, today is my mom's birthday!! In the end I am still grateful and thankful that the Lord has watched over my family and that I still have a good sense of humor! I hope and pray that for those of you that may read this, that even if times have been tough that you will still be blessed and have a good sense of humor! Life really is great!

Time flies!

It's amazing how time flies! I can't believe that it has once again been months since my last post! I have been busy with so much lately. We have been working on the house until recently and it's almost done! The carpet was put in Thursday! Not much more to finish so hopefully we will be moving soon. The bad part of finally moving is that Gary is having surgery so he won't be able to do any of it!
I am still plugging away trying to sell yarn and lately things have been very slow! I opened up my own website at Just Ducky and I am still in process of listing things! Someday I would love to make enough to hire someone else to list stuff for me! I would so much rather be spinning than listing!
I have started working on lace weight yarns and while they seem to take forever, I love them! The good thing about them is when you finally get done spinning, you have 700+ yards of yarn!

2 Years Spinning!

Two years ago today I purchased my first drop spindle to start my incredible journey of spinning yarn! It has been a wonderful time working with fiber and I have decided to celebrate by having a 20% off SALE at my etsy store. I must say that in two years I have accumulated lots of fiber, more spindles and even quite a few spinning wheels! Better yet I have gained some very special fiber friends that are the best part of all!!

Giveaway on BluemoonRanch's Blog

My friend Linda is having a giveaway on her blog at BluemoonRanch's Blog! She is giving away a whole alpaca fleece so hop on over there and leave a comment if you want to be entered!!

Dyeing all weekend long!

Last weekend, I got into a serious fiber dyeing mood and dyed 16 batches of fiber! I found that I was getting great colors by dyeing a second batch of wool in the same water! I had a lot of great results! Some came out the second time better than others, but nothing was disappointing at all!

My New Loom!

I have a rigid heddle loom and have always wanted to get a 4-Harness Loom! When one of the ladies in my Ravelry group put up a link to this loom I decided I couldn't pass it up! It is a beautiful 1930's Structo Artcraft 4-Harness loom and I love it! It made it all the way from Pennsylvania safely on UPS even with a snowstorm going on! It came with weaving already on it and I haven't had a chance to play with it much yet! It is in beautiful shape and I cna't wait to warp it and start something on it! Oh what fun!

How time flies!

I can't believe that is has been almost 3 months since I last posted on my blog! Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have all come and gone! Valentine's Day is upon us and I sit here and wonder where the days have gone! It seems sometimes like the days pass by so quickly that before I know it a week has gone by!
We had a very nice Thanksgiving Dinner with friends! This was the first time that I have cooked for a large group and it all went fairly smooth!
Christmas was exceptionally hectic this year with the kids being in a play at church and a Christmas party for all of the kids in town, the week before! The whole week before Christmas seemed to pass in such a blur! Cookies to bake for various gatherings and costumes to make! I did manage to get my tree decorated,but even though I had high hopes of decorating the house I never even managed to get the boxes of decorations out! I have decided that for next year I don't care if we don't do anything outside of the house for Christmas, I am determined to keep things low key for my family and have time to bake cookies with my kids and to go crazy decorating!
For New Years we stayed home and went to bed before the ball dropped here!

Now it's the middle of February. We have been busy packing and getting ready to move! Gary has been remodeling the house we are moving into! I am so excited because I will actually have a craft room of my own! I will also have a pantry and the kids will have their own rooms! This is a pic of the front addition that will be my craft room! I know it doesn't look like much now, but I am so excited! Of course, Isaiah can't pass up the photo op! When it's done my room will be about 12' x 8'! There will also be tons of shelves!!! Gary has gotten a lot done since I took this pic last week and Lord willing we will be able to move soon!

More Batts

Ever since I got my Fancy Kitty Kitten Carder, I have been having so much fun processing wool for spinning! I realized last night that I have accumulated quite a collection of batts so I thought I would post pics of what I have been working on! I was trying to get ready for an Art Show coming up, but after getting sick for a week, I finally had to accept the fact that the show just wasn't going to happen for me this year. At least I will be able to get my etsy page stocked up nicely! Hope you enjoy looking at what I have been up to with my wool!

My Incredible Finds

I went to a yard sale last weekend and hit the jackpot! I usually don't stop at sales because quite often I follow signs all over to find nothing at all! I decided to try to find this one and I am so glad I did! I have been wanting a water pitcher and bowl for ever and usually they are either out of my price range or they just have the pitcher, but I found this one and it is going in my bathroom when we move! I really love it!
I also have been looking at Grain Mills for a while, but the ones I really like run $200.00 and up! I found this one at the same sale for a lot less. I haven't had a chance to clean it up all the way, but it's a really pretty brick red and it works great and it's an antique one so it's even better!I also got a rolling cart with 4 baskets which works great to put my fiber in. My son who is 7 and a complete tool nut got a small hand cart for $1.00 and he was in heaven!!

I got this for free and it works great! I love old waffle irons and I already have 3, but this one was given to me and I will tell you what, it beats Eggo's and day! Hannah told me the waffles were delicious!

My New Batts of Wool

These are some of the batts I have gotten done with my carder so far. I am so happy to have it and it really does speed things up a good deal! This first one is Romney that I dyed for a custom order of yarn.

This one is Romney wool that I dyed! It is a really pretty pink with a bit of pink firestar added


This one is Romney wool with some bright red firestar added! It is really soft and fluffy!

My New Drum Carder

I finally got a Drum Carder! I think God got tired of hearing beg for one! It is absolutely wonderful! It is a Fancy Kitty Kitten Carder and I must say that if you are ever in the market for a carder, you must check these out! They are incredibly affordable as far as carders go. Very nicely made in the U.S.A. by Ron Anderson! I know this sounds a bit like a sales pitch, but I really am thrilled with it and if you ever have a problem, you can actually reach Ron by phone. They really do have customer service which is almost unheard of these days! So if you are in the market for a drum carder, check them out http://www.fancy-kitty.com

Christmas yarn

Here is my first Christmas yarn! It is beautiful white mohair, once again from Sugar blended with red and green silk! I am really happy with the way it came out! Right now I am working on a custom order for some beaded yarn! Yes I am doing another one!! And after that I am probably going to do a white yarn with red beads! I know I am nuts, but I am having fun!




I finally dyed my first batch of wool with commercial dyes and it came out really nice! This is the wool for the custom order and it will have silver lined glass beads in it when I am done!

My New Wheel and more!

My friend Carol reminded me that is has been a while since I have posted anything so I figured I better get something new up! Things have been very hectic around the house. I have been home schooling my 3 kids and that in it's self is quite an adventure! I have been trying to get some new yarns done for an art show next month and we might be moving some time this month!! The place we might be moving to has a tub and I promise you if everything works out, I will be doing my own rendition of "Calgon, take me away" the first night! Oh how I would love to take a bubble bath! It's amazing how little things like a tub can make one so happy!

Here is a picture of my pretty little new wheel! It is an early 1800's Romanian spinning wheel and I absolutely love it! I had seen it on Down in the Country's website and fell in love with it! I was hoping I might be able to talk hubby into it, but no such luck! The next thing I knew it showed up in the mail and I found out my mom had gotten it for me with a bit of help from a complete stranger! This lady Pat had stopped at my mom's to pick up some stuff she was buying from my mom on craigslist and they got started talking about kids and my mom told her about the wheel. Pat said "Oh my gosh, that's why the Lord brought me here and proceeded to give my mom some money towards the wheel! My mom decided to put in the rest and have it sent to me! What an incredible surprise it was!

I have been working on some new yarn and here are some pics of them. This one is a black Romney wool that I blended with dyed nylon roving. I really like the way it came out and it's really soft and fluffy!
This one is from white Romney wool that I dyed myself! I think it came out really pretty!
This one is mohair yarn with light blue beads! The mohair came from Grace's goat Sugar and it has been a dream to spin! In fact I bought all of the rest of it that she had listed on etsy! If you are ever looking for some of the most wonderful fiber to spin check out Grace's fibers on her etsy site at www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com! And yes, I did a 2nd beaded yarn! Actually I have done 3 so far!
This one is from white Romney wool that I dyed myself and it is super soft and fluffy!

Here is a pic of the 3rd beaded yarn I have done! They haven't taken as long as the first one and yes my family thinks I am nuts! I tired to get my son to help me slide beads on one of them and I even offered to pay him and he said"NO" ! My hubby said" You're doing another one of those!" Maybe I am nuts, but I sure am having a lot of fun!