• I love color

    I love color.

    Whenever someone asks what my favorite color is, I’m at a loss.

    I truly don’t know what to pick! ONE color?  Impossible!

    I love the color of the sunsets from my balcony when it’s blazing orange and gold.

    I love the color of the sky and ocean when both are so blue you can barely see where one ends and the other begins.

    I love the color of the grass, and the trees, when they are thick with green all around our yard!

    I love the color of flowers…

    SO many flowers…

    TOO many to choose from!

    I can not even choose one favorite flower, let alone a favorite color!

    I just love ALL color. Mix up those colors, and I love them even more.

    When I first began using dyed fabrics for our products, I only used fabrics that others had dyed. Those who were much more experienced at dyeing then I was. It gave me the options of lots of color, without having to do the dyeing myself. I didn’t know a whole lot about dyeing at all and wasn’t even going to try to pretend I did!

    However, that became very costly. On top of the high cost of fabrics like bamboo velour, I was now paying more then two- four times the fabric cost, for the cost of having it dyed.

    It really cut into the profit margins! I just couldn’t do it any longer. Plus, I was just DYING to learn how to properly DYE on my own.

    All that color! All the ENDLESS possibilities!!!

    I just couldn’t help myself any longer, ordered some professional grade dyes, and started having some fun!

    Now, I can’t believe I ever paid someone else to do what has now become one of my favorite parts about the business!

    At first, I just tipped my toes into the whole dyeing experience…

    Trying out one color at a time. That didn’t last long though. Hee hee.

    Soon I was experimenting with LOTS of color. Watching in amazement at how they all came together.

    Watching how they mixed and mingled.

    I developed some favorite color combinations.


    *a small pillow I made, for me! Sometimes it’s good to pamper oneself too!

    At first, I never wrote ANYTHING down, no recipes.

    I wanted to just play, and have fun, and not be too serious about it all.

    And it was fun, and I did play. I played A LOT!

    And I learned a LOT!

    I learned what I liked, and, what I didn’t like so much.

    My ‘stash’ of dye colors began to grow… and grow…

    My stash of fabric colors grew …

    and grew…

    and continues to grow!

    I’ve begun experimenting with other fabrics, like our dundies fabrics!

    And finally, I’ve even began writing things down.

    Once I got to a place where I realized that sure, it was a lot of fun to just play, but it wasn’t so much fun when I played and found something I really LOVED only to loose it, because I just couldn’t remember for the life of me what colors I had put into that particular concoction!

    At times it almost made me want to cry!

    *mystic gem colorway, the colorway that changed it all for me. The very first colorway I ever wrote down because I couldn’t bare to ever forget how it had been created.

    And now, I realize I can write it all down, and still have LOTS of fun with it! I can write it all down, and mix it up just a tiny bit, to get TWO colorways I love from just a little bit of change.

    Yet some times, I do find myself going back to having some fun and throwing a bunch of colors into the mix to see what turns up!

    Dyeing for the business, has become great fun!

  • Dream home.

    I shared a link on facebook the other day and said, “if I had a million dollars…”

    Hopefully the owners of this home don’t mind me sharing their photo and link, hopefully they will consider it extra advertising. I just had to share!

    http://www.landsalelistings.com/canada/saskatchewan/spacious-victorian-country-dream-house/images/

    This is a gorgeous home, on a beautiful piece of property! TOTALLY my dream home. It’s almost like someone crawled inside my brain, and turned my dreams into a reality.

    Well, a reality if our farm/dream home budget were not 1/4 of the price of that home. Hee hee!

    Ah… sometimes, just sometimes, I do dream of what it would be like if only I were rich.

    I’m sure everyone does.

    Yet, I know in reality I truly AM rich!

    We have a sponsor child and when I compare my children’s life with her life, I know that I am only being totally selfish to think I could need, or even desire, a place like the link above.

    MY home, the home/homestead we have right now, would seem like an absolute dream home for our sponsor child.

    HouseFront2

    At the same time, I do enjoy the search for our ‘realistic’ dream home/farm/large homestead. I know there’s nothing wrong with our desire for a larger farm, a larger homestead. We are willing to work hard towards that goal, make the sacrifices necessary to get there, and be realistic all the while. It just makes the end result all that much more worth while.

    But I won’t allow myself to feel self pity when coming across the big beautiful homes like I linked above. On our budget, I know our dream home won’t be like that one, but I know it will be great just the same, and I can not WAIT to meet “it”!

    So tell me, “if you had a million dollars” what would YOUR dream home be?

    Feel free to share a link and we can all dream together! Or join us on facebook where we’ve been discussing our dream homes. http://www.facebook.com/HomesteadEmporium/posts/205815842795293

  • Sunday , a day to reflect, be thankful, and ponder the blessings of the week.

    This week, I’ve been pondering something I’m very thankful for.

    You, our customers!

    As I was putting together this collage for our About Homestead Emporium page, I reflected on how blessed we are to have such great customers.

    I’ve spoken with so many of you about so much more then just the business, more then the pads, about more then our other products.

    I speak to so many of you quite regularly, whether it be via email, facebook, or even twitter. We have great discussions, we have some fun, and we all get to know one another better.

    Homestead Emporium customers are like a very large extended family.

    And today, for THAT, I am thankful! VERY thankful indeed!

    *Sunday -What are YOU thankful for today?
    If you’d like to play alone, post seven things on  your blog then share your link here so we can come visit you. Or, simply share here in our comments!

  • Silly Saturday, time to smile!

    Lacey, as a young filly.

    Lacey FAV!

    She’s still such a silly girl!

    *It`s Silly Saturday. Capture a silly moment and share it with the world. Make someone smile today!

    If you’d like to play along, post your silly moment on  your blog, then leave a link for all of us to come see! 

     

     

     

  • My soft spot.

    You may not know this, but I have a soft spot for one of the products we sell.

    It’s nearest and dearest to my heart. Why? Because it’s exactly what I wished I had for so many many years, so many years ago.

    Our nursing pads.

    My children have all grown up well beyond the nursing stage now. My eldest will be 20 in just two months. My youngest, our twin girls, are now 11.5 years old.

    I have not nursed a child since they were just 2.5 years old.

    It feels like just yesterday Julia looked up at me when she tried to nurse, and let out a little cry, and said, “Wawa (her way of saying Shaylah, her twin sister) drinked all my milk…”

    I knew then that our nursing days were over. My milk was now gone.

    In total, I’ve nursed five babies for 108 months of my life.

    During that entire time, I always wanted some awesome nursing pads. I was a soaker, a super soaker. I wanted super soaker nursing pads that could withstand my super soaking needs.

    However, at that time I didn’t know about pul, organic cotton fleece, and other such high quality fabrics that could help me.

    So instead, I made myself reusuable nursing pads out of flannel from the local fabric store, and, of all things, baby plastic pants.

    I cut out tear drop shapes, and sewed them onto the backs of my homemade contoured nursing pads.

    I had no pretty colorful pul back then. Such a thing didn’t even exist in Canada! But the plastic pants, purchased at a local thrift store, actually did suffice fairly well!

    BUT, when I learned of pul… and absorbent organic fabrics…
    I was in awe. TOTAL awe! These amazing fabrics that could withstand leaks, even leaks like those of mount milkie! I wished I had discovered these fabrics years before, but was so VERY happy I had discovered it now!

    Maybe I couldn’t help myself, as my nursing days were now over, but I could however, help those who understood the same frustrations I had felt when nursing.

    And this, is how our nursing pads were born. Years ago, and now loved by so many.

    I thank YOU for that!

    *If you’ve used our nursing pads over the years, please, share here! YOUR experience could help another shed those disposable nursing pads and realize that they can have their needs met with reusable! 

     

  • Thankfulness.

    We’re trying our best here on the homestead to remember “thankfulness” lately.

    For example, we are THANKFUL that we have a house showing tomorrow even though I have a million and one things that I needed to get done today, before we ever got a call for a showing in 24 hours, and was already feeling overwhelmed, I am THANKFUL at the possible opportunity to show this place off once again and MAYBE find a buyer.

    I am THANKFUL that I have a home to clean.

    I am THANKFUL someone wants to see it.

    What I want to do is grumble and complain and maybe even stomp my feet a little, that I do NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS! But I won’t. I’ll be THANKFUL instead.

    graydon, julia
    What could be sexier then a man, with fabric, helping his wife!?!

    It’s actually my husband’s doing. I’m going to blame him for this.

    He was chatting with someone about their inlaws, a couple we both greatly admire and respect. They were discussing how this father in law is such a great person. The someone my husband was talking to, the son in law, was saying how his father in law is ALWAYS thankful. If he gets a flat tire, he’s thankful for the three that are NOT flat. That kind of thankful. THAT is having a thankful heart.

    And you know what? It shows. It REALLY shows in his and his wife’s life. It shows in their marriage.

    We want to be like that.

    So today, as much as I’m feeling overwhelmed at having to get things ready for a showing on my busiest work day of the week, I’m going to be thankful, and mean it.

    I’m also thankful that I can go work in the studio and know that the three younger kids, and Graydon, are taking care of the house and doing as much as they can to prepare for the showing tomorrow. I’m thankful Graydon is going to make dinner tonight.

    I’ve really got LOTS to be thankful for.

  • We’re sorry…

    We’re sorry, but we can not receive your ‘call’ at this time.

    All systems are busy, please try again later.

    That’s how my brain & body feel right now. Ha! What I “want” to do is sit here and look for a farm within our budget, now that we’ve “lost” the other farm, but what I must do is get busy and finish up this week’s stocking items!

    By the way, I did it again, but this time you were not sleeping. I did another dyeing session, unannounced.  Hee hee. I had to dye two pieces of fabric for a custom order, sooo… why set things up for just 2 yards of fabric when you can enjoy an ENTIRE afternoon dyeing up 10 yards instead?

    Plus with all the fabric I’ve been cutting through for all these extra’s like the luxury cloths, more fabric, (and more COLOR) was needed.

    I’m sure you all won’t mind my sneaking away like that. Only good things come of that kind of sneaking…

    Maybe this stocking will need to be called, “while you were playing…”

    I’ll try to share some sneak peek photos on facebook some time in the next day or two!

  • Back to square one.

    We’re back to square one when looking for our ‘dream’ property.

    We found out some things about the former property we were interested in, the almost 700 acre property.

    I won’t bother going into a bunch of details about everything, but suffice to say, we’re back to square one with our search!

    At first when things like this happen, it’s disheartening and frustrating. But then when you realize you could have been stuck with a ‘mistake’, you breathe a sigh of relief and carry on.

    We have to trust that when the timing is right, everything will fall into place, and we WILL indeed find our ‘dream’ home/property!

    As for today, the animals are fed, homemade chicken & wild rice soup made with home grown chicken stock is in the crock pot, the girls and I are about to do some fabric dyeing, later we’ll be shipping packages, and all is still fine in our world.

    One day at a time.

    And some days, one small step at a time.

  • It’s Sunday!

    It’s Sunday , a day to reflect, be thankful, and ponder the blessings of the week.

    This weekend our four girls have been away. Yesterday our son had to work, so dear hubby and I decided to take the rare opportunity to head out on the quad/atv for the afternoon.

    We headed out on the nearby logging roads. It’s GORGEOUS up there.

    We made a few scenic stops along the way.

    First, Rhododendron Lake.

    The lake has tons of Rhodo’s but they were not quite in bloom yet. We need to go back in a couple of weeks though, when they are actually in bloom. I’m sure it’s quite colorful at that time!

    It was still very pretty.

    We’d been trying to get to this lake for a couple of years (not often mind you, we don’t get out enough!) but the last time the trail was washed out and we had to go back. I was glad we made it this time!

    It was so quiet, I had to get a video.

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHuriOJmM4?rel=0]

    Next stop was Englishman River, this is a spot we’ve been to before.

    It was a gorgeous day to just sit and enjoy the views.

    We headed back out and found a new path to another part of Englishman River, under a bridge we’ve ridden over many times.

    It was very pretty under there, and the water was fast.

    Then it was time to head home after a gorgeous day out!

    I’m so thankful we had the chance to enjoy our time out. It was like a mini vacation.

    What are you thankful for this week?

  • It’s silly Saturday, Kid Vid Edition!

    It’s Silly Saturday and I as I browsed some of my children’s photos from 2009, I found some VIDEOS they had done!

    Now that’s real entertainment! ha ha! I thought I’d share a couple, just for fun. It is silly Saturday!.

    Here’s a typical gathering of the tribe. One on horse back, the others watching, a bee joins in on the fun off camera.

    Don’t have your volume too high, there’s squeals and shrieks involved. hee hee. They are GIRLS after all!

    [flickr video=3462653459 secret=760ab8e9e0 w=640 h=480]