I want that Wednesday...

I have a huge problem. You all know that I've decided to decorate my office with lots of pictures (stitched pictures) of books and reading. Well, I think I have a problem...

Look at these designs from Heaven and Earth Designs and tell me if you can guess my problem...

They are too cute!

And, very elaborate. Most of these use 70-90 different colors of floss. Imagine how often you have to change colors!

And, the recommended fabric is 25 count...but to stitch over ONE strand. Look at a ruler. See how big an inch is. Now, divide it by 25...see my problem?

Look at the detail in these designs...can you imagine? And, each chart is 30+ pages... for ONE picture!

I want to try one...I really do...but I can't decide which one to attempt...and then, do I really want to do it on 25 count fabric when I struggle stitching 18 count? Can I see something that small?

Who out there loves me enough to stitch all these up for me? Anyone? Yeah...I didn't think so...maybe next year I'll get one of these and stitch it up.

Maybe...

my dehydrator

Remember this? It was on one of my "I want that Wednesdays" list.

I finally ordered it last night. We got a flyer from Cabela's over the weekend, and these were on sale! So, I ordered it along with 3 meat tubs and a new vacuum sealer, which was also on sale...like 1/2 price! Oh, and, with our awards points, I got a great deal. Very little money out of my pocket! That's even better!

Hunting season is right around the corner, so we'll need these to process venison.

My garden produce is producing and I want to try dehydrating some potatoes and onions and garlic and mint and maybe even a few tomatoes. (If they ever turn red, and if the chickens stay out of them!)

So, now, I'm eagerly awaiting delivery so I can start playing with my new toys!

I want that Wednesday

Today, let's talk about Christmas. More specifically, let's talk about what I want for Christmas.

This is an honest wish list.

1. I want my pellet stove hooked up. It's not saving us any money sitting in the garage, and if it's in the garage, then Andy can't park the pickup in there.
2. I want legs put on my Hoosier cabinet. (Which will mean that I will have to disassemble it and empty it again, but dang it, it needs legs.) I ordered legs a few weeks ago, but when I turned it over to get the legs put on...well, it isn't a standard kind of Hoosier, so the standard legs aren't the right legs. I'm not sure if it ever had legs or just large casters. And, I also ordered a latch because the latch that Grandad evidently replaced doesn't always latch. But the latch I ordered isn't the correct latch either, it's holes for screws won't line up with my screw holes. I think I have an off brand of a Hoosier cabinet, or I have one of the very early ones, because there never was a spot for a flour bin.
3. I want my plumbing fixed. There were a few plumbing issues in our house when we moved in last year. But, we wanted to get in it ASAP and said we'd fix them ourselves rather than wait on the plumber. Big mistake. One year later, they still aren't fixed. We bought new faucets, but they are sitting in boxes waiting for us to hook them up.
4. I want the garage doors fixed. Over the past 2 weeks, the garage doors have decided to strike and work when they want to. I want them fixed. (Kev does too...he's just not sure what to do.)
5. I want all the rest of the boxes emptied and put away...somewhere.
6. I want that "office" room cleaned up and looking like an "office."
7. I want the garage cleaned out. The stuff we had in Colby that we don't need here and we don't know what to do with...I want it gone.

My list is a rather strange list, I know, but when I try to think about things I want for Christmas, well, this is what keeps coming up in my mind. I could use some sweaters for work, but I'd rather just have "stuff" done. And that's what I want this week.

You know, when I decided to to the "I want that Wednesday" posts, I really thought I'd have to struggle to find things I wanted. I'm not really that materialistic, and I guess most of what I want falls into the category of "stuff that makes me more self-sufficient" or maybe it makes me more "country" or even a "hick."

I don't care. I like me, and I like our "hick" life!

Today the items on my discriminating list include items that we need for processing deer. We butchered Kev's deer all by ourselves, but it wasn't pretty. We quickly discovered the necessity of having a good set of knives. A butchering set. Now, I have a set of kitchen knives, but they are cheap knives and just don't hold up to the demands of cutting up meat. They got duller and duller and duller as we worked. I've never mastered the art of sharpening knives with a steel either. That was Daddy's job and Kev sometimes sharpens my knives. But, we really really need a good set of knives.

Besides a good set of knives, I also need a new one of these...
It's a vacuum sealer. Or, some call it by one of the brand names-- "Seal-a-meal". I need a heavy duty one. I have a cheap one, but it wasn't cooperating with me when we were packaging our not-quite-professionally-cut meat. Sometimes, it would seal, other times, I had to baby it along. So, I want a new sealer.

Finally, I want one of these:




We make lots of jerky out of deer meat. We borrowed this exact model a couple of years ago from a friend in Colby. It was FABULOUS! We loved it! We've been saving up for one of these, and we want this exact model. Besides drying jerky, I can dry onions, fruit, and herbs (if my herbs ever produce enough to dry). I can make fruit rolls and lots of other fun stuff.

Someday, I'll have all this stuff. Then, butchering & processing meat will be so much easier. Maybe by then, we'll be good enough that our meat cuts will even look like they should...

(Hey, I should update you all too...I got my meat grinder that I wanted about a month ago. It worked so nice! Just ground that deer meat up into burger like a pro! While our steaks aren't pretty, at least our burger looks like burger!)

I want it Wednesday

What I want today is rather radical.

Today, I want people to stop saying "Obama, the first black president" and start saying "Obama, the President-elect." Cause, technically, the media should be saying "Obama, the first bi-racial President".

Let's not emphasize the "difference" and simply move forward. Cause, I've never cared if he was black, white, purple or green. And, here's a question for those of you who were around when Kennedy, "the first Catholic President" was elected. Was that the headline? Was his catholicism such an issue? Are we a society that has to note the differences? If McCain had won, would the newspapers say "McCain, the first Vietnam Vet President?"

So, today, let's ignore the "black" part and just look at the man who is the President-elect.

That's what I want today.

I want it Wednesday

I've wanted one of these since I was a Senior in High School.

See, around here, they are traditional graduation gifts for girls. We were even given a mini one from a local furniture dealer. I had my little one for years, until it got dropped and broke.

But, I want a big one. I want it to sit at the end of my bed. And, I finally have a bedroom big enough to allow one to sit at the end of the bed. I want to fill it with...stuff. Blankets and sweaters and fabric keepsakes.

Have you figured out yet what it is?

Yep, a hope chest.

I want it Wednesday

Today, my mind is thinking about what all we need to process deer.

See, one of the disadvantages of moving was leaving our hunting buddies and their labor and equipment! Gene, Lynn, Kev and I would cut up each other's deer. Gene owned a meat grinder. It was a old manual commercial one, but he'd rigged it up to a small motor and put it on a small platform, making it much easier and faster to grind that burger! Lynn had meat trays which we put our meat in after grinding and before wrapping. Gene skinned and cut the meat off the carcass and Lynn and Kev then de-boned it and cut steaks. My job was to grind burger and wrap the meat. Gene's wife was also a wrapper/grinder. Back when Lynn was married, Cindy also helped. Butchering goes really quickly when you've go so many people helping. We could usually do a deer in an hour--from carcass to freezer.

But...we had to move, and we had to leave our friends and their equipment. So, now we find ourselves needing to purchase our own equipment. This is the grinder I want...yes, I want this exact one. But, I'll probably get a slightly smaller one that's slightly cheaper. We don't really need this big of a grinder for just us, but I drool every time I see this!

So, what do you want???

And remember, to click over on the Homesteading Wife's link. This was Dana's idea, I just joined her. See what Dana wants...(but fair warning, she likes the same kind of kooky stuff that I do!)

I want it Wednesday

Today I want this...

Yes, it's a Wind generator. I want one so I don't have to pay so much for electricity. I want to generate my own electricity. But, they cost a lot. More than I have right now. But, the wind blows all the time here. You might think that Chicago is the windiest city in the U.S., but it's not. Dodge City is. (look it up if you don't believe me.)

Wind farms are going up all around me and no one will pipe it into my house, so I'll just have to get my very own Wind generator.

I want it Wednesday!

To go with my old fashioned looking stove, I want a farm sink. (I neglected last week to say that my old stove is really a reproduction. It's a modern stove made to look like an old one.) Back to farm sinks...

You might call it, an apron front sink.

Whatever. I want one. I don't need a double sink, one will do. I don't like stainless steel. (I know, I can hear you all gasping in shock!) Stainless steel is boring. I want an old, heavy single sink. And the apron front ones are drop dead beautiful.

Now the beauty above is a double sink, but she's a copper sink. Isn't she lovely? She'd really look good with my reproduction old fashioned stove. Of course she isn't cheap, but neither am I!

Can't you see me, standing in front of my sink, doing dishes, or peeling potatoes or canning tomatoes? See, that sink would look gggggoooooodddd next to me!

I want it!

Be sure to click over on the Homesteading Housewife to see what Dana wants. Hey, this is entirely her idea! I just stole it :)

I want it Wednesday

This week, my goal was to do the "I want it Wednesday" on Wednesday.

Did anyone else notice that last week, I did it on Thursday? Thanks for not mentioning it. You all are very kind.

This week, I'm sharing something I've wanted for a very long time. An Old fashioned stove.

I want the one on the right. It's been on my list for 10 years or more. Ten years ago, it would have cost $5000. Today, it costs $7000. Give or take a couple of hundred.

For 10 years, and three kitchens, I have wanted an old fashioned looking kitchen, and this stove would be the centerpiece. I've bought 2 stoves over the past 10 years, but have yet to get this, my dream stove. I keep hinting to Kev that we need to remodel our kitchen, and when we do, then we can make space for my dream stove. He doesn't say no, but his yeses, oks, and uh-huh's aren't very convincing.

But, I'm very patient, and I can wear him down. It's only been 10 years. I've got lots of time to convince him that I need this stove....stay tuned.

" I want that Wednesday"

One of the gal's who's blog I follow, (Dana, the homesteading housewife) does a "I want that Wednesday." I've thought that was a neat idea, but I just don't often think of things I want, but since last time, she put up a tree lined lane, well now, that's the kind of thing I want. So, this week, I thought I'd put in something that I want.

Here it is:

Here's a different one:

I want an autogate. Or, some of you might call them "cattle guards." The correct term is autogate. I don't care what brand they are, I don't care if you can find traffic signs that say "cattle guard ahead". Some people might call them cattle guards. But we Southwest Kansas folk call them autogates. So that's what they are.

I grew up in Open Range country, where many of our roads run through pastures, or open range. Autogates are put in so you don't have to stop, open a gate, drive through, stop, shut the gate and go on. If we had to do so, at times, we'd have to stop 5 or 6 times on one road. With an autogate, you just drive across and move through.

When I was little, we had one at the end of our lane. At night, driving home, riding in the back seat, we might doze off, but once we felt and heard the rhythmic "brum brum" of the tires crossing the autogate, we knew we were almost home. It's always been a soothing sound to me, a sound that says "I'm home."

I also liked riding a bike across one. Yes, you had to keep your tires straight, or you'd have nasty wreck, but I liked that bouncing. (No, I am most definitely not normal!) Besides riding a bike across, they were fun to walk across, stepping on each tube, or skipping one or skipping two, or jumping across the entire thing and back again. Most of our autogates were home made out of heavy pipe, so you drove on the top of the pipes, and walking barefoot across them was fun, your foot could curl around the pipe, making you more stable.

Of course, you might need to watch out for snakes and such, they liked the shade. And, if it was a good autogate, there might even be enough space to crawl under it and play. Oh, I like autogates!

I want one. I want one at the end of our drive. I don't care if we don't live in a pasture. I don't care if there's not any reason to have one. I love driving across them, I love the sound tires make. It means, "I'm home."

That's why I want an autogate. But, [insert sigh here] Kev won't get me one. And Daddy won't get me one either. He's got a perfectly good one sitting out, unused, in his pasture. But, they just don't think I need one.

But, I can still want one.