I'm back!

Hi everyone... yep, I came back! LOL
I haven't written in 15 days! WOW! Here is why:
I ordered some books online. Then I received them and everything just stopped for a while. Anyone who is an avid reader may understand! LOL
BUT, that is only part of it. One of the books I ordered, on a whim, was "Made From Scratch" by Jenna Woginrich. She is young, mid twenties, but chose to live a simpler life away from work (she is a web designer, I think). She wrote the book when she was living in Sandpoint, Idaho; which is only about a 5 hour drive away from my home. The book is a light-hearted look at some of her trials and successes at trying to get back to a homesteaders life. She learned how to raise chickens and angora rabbits, taught her dogs to be working dogs (as well as her house pets and companions), she learned how to plant a garden and harvest the fruits of her labors... then learned how to can or freeze all her veggies. She taught herself how to sew, knit, and play the fiddle.
I read the book cover to cover-- twice! She also keeps a blog, which I am now going to be following. Ms. Woginrich now lives in Vermont, and is writing another book which is just in the proposal stage (meaning she is looking for a publisher to accept her work). I will be one of the first in line to buy it when it is available.
Jenna has inspired me to take a closer look at my life and I have decided to "disconnect" myself from many things. I realized I have not been doing the things I love to do (like crafts, baking, reading, and being by myself in the Great Outdoors just taking a walk... stuff like that). I stopped most of my Internet stuff... I didn't check my e-mail for a week, and then only every 3 days after; I stopped all my freelance writing; I stopped playing computer games; I didn't check in on anyone's blogs; and I even stopped writing here. The only computerized- Internet thing I stayed current with was Facebook, but I cut down my time with that, too. Now, after all the junkie-jitters have worn off, the only thing I really missed was this blog. I work full time, so I don't really need to write for money... at least I know I can do it if I have to. And, it was fun, but took up quite a bit of my time. Freelance writing is going to be shelved for a while.

So, what did I fill my newly found time with? Crafts and reading! The other books I bought were cookbooks focusing on crockpot cooking or casseroles. I poured over them, mouth watering, ohhing and ahhing over new recipes. I can't wait to try a few of them. The only reason I haven't yet, is I just don't know which one to start with-- LOL!! SOooo, this past weekend I fell back to an old standard and made bread. Oh yeah... Jenna's book explained how to make fresh butter. Had I known it was Soo damn easy, I would have been doing it for all these years! For those of you who don't know, go to the store... buy heavy cream... leave it on the counter overnight... in the morning pour it into a jar (I didn't have a large enough jar, so I used a plastic storage container -- aka Gladwear or Tupperware)... sit at the computer and check your e-mail or Facebook page, while giving the cream a light shaking (nothing hard, just an easy shake)... in only a few minutes the cream will become the consistency of whipped cream, but with a few more shakes, the butter separates from the buttermilk into light yellow globs. Drain the buttermilk off the butter for later use... add some salt if you like. That is it! I did have to stir the butter a few times to get all the pockets of milk out of the butter, but that wasn't any trouble. All I can say is... YUMMY! This is from a die hard margarine fan!

I have also been crocheting an afghan. It is made with 64 large "granny squares" and now only needs to be sewn together. I will hopefully finish it this coming weekend! I also tried my hand at crocheting socks! I have been crocheting for over 25 years, but I have never made anything wearable. I have one sock finished, and I am so proud of myself--LOL! I was strutting around for about 15 minutes yesterday wearing my one finished sock, fawning over it like it was a handmade diamond ring or something! It is an awesome feeling making something wearable... I should have done this years ago.

I also received the book, "The Black Dahlia" from PaperbackSwap.com . Once the afghan is finished, I am diving into that.
And so... now that I am here, online,.... I am going to check all the blogs I follow to catch up with everyone!