Time for an Update!

These past 5 months have really flown by! As this year is winding down, I thought it was time to get back to writing. I'm trying to slow down a bit, get away from the speed of social media, and take time for myself, to think, feel, and create again.

Family

My sons are both doing really well. My youngest, Jameson, is now 6 and in Kindergarten. He's bright and eager to learn and has picked up reading quickly. My older son, Ian, is almost 13 (I know, almost a teenager!) and in 7th grade. He has shot up so fast the past couple of months that he's outgrowing the clothes and shoes before we get the next size up. Ian will be going on his first solo hunt this weekend. He hopes to get the 8-point buck we've been seeing around. It'll be a great prize and will help fill up the freezer. He's also still an active member of the boys scouts and is slowly working towards the eagle scout level.

My husband, Justin, will be heading in to shoulder surgery at the end of this week. The doctor understand his pain and is going in for exploratory surgery and to look for something specifically wrong which hasn't/isn't showing up on any x-rays or scans which he thinks is what's causing the problems. The chronic pain is real and we are hoping, wishing, and praying that this fixes it.

College

I've been attending college full time this fall semester. I originally was signed up for 15 credit hours but dropped a class so I had a more bearable schedule of 12 credit hours. I've been taking flat pattern, tailoring, textiles, and internship. I drive 2 hours, round trip, 3 days a week to attend classes. I really enjoy the classes but even at 12 credit hours it's too much when you throw in driving and are also trying to run a household and business. I plan to not take any classes during the spring semester to get my business built back up. After that I'll just take a maximum of 6 credit hours until I complete my degree. I'm already doing what I love and the degree is just a bonus. I've learned from this semester that it's not as important as keeping my stress level down and maintaining my already full plate. I still plan to graduate, just on a longer time table.

Work Projects

With college taking most of my time, I just haven't been able to create on the level of intensity that I used to. However, with my Internship, I'm required to work about 12 hours a week- and as a self-employed seamstress I can pick when I get to work. I tend to do more secretarial type work within those 12 hours-- answering emails, running my online businesses, organizing projects, prepping things for my workers, shipping, etc. I have been able to create a couple of dresses, hand dyed yarn, make a backpack, work on a T-shirt quilt, and design some dance costumes. (I'll share photos in future posts.) I also changed a regular T-shirt into a T-shirt dress for a customer. I took the sleeves off and also lowered the neckline. 

  

Personal Projects

Most of my time working on personal projects has been squeezed into an hour here and there. I hand dyed some yarns for myself and for a sweater while I was dying the yarn for work projects. Before school started I completed a knit shawl and a caplet for myself and I also knitted an easy scarf for a birthday present and a surprisingly quick sweater for my younger son. Most of my projects have been hand-work so I can get away from my office for awhile. I'm also participating in a Mystahhhhry Shindig, hosted by my sister. I'm behind but there will be plenty of time to work on it when classes end in a couple weeks.

That's it for now!

Heather's Weekly Gazette, Issue 2

Ok, well, it's been a little over a week since I last wrote. Life has sure been busy lately!

Social Media Outlet

Umm, yeah, this has been slacking a bit. I've had my nose in my college books and haven't focused on much of what's going on the world lately. I hope to pre-schedule a few things in the coming weeks though! 

My Facebook page is Heather's Green Home Goods. My Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter handle is hgreenhomegoods.

Business Buzz

All of my business outlets have reopened! I really enjoyed the break but the business is not only my livelihood but also something that I love doing. I'm working on a few sales and giveaway announcements so keep an eye out!

Henandchickcloth

Micromops

Heather's Green Home Goods

Business Undertakings

This week I shipped off 407 microfiber rounds that have been serged together with a hidden waterproof layer. I still need to cut and sew another 193 and get them out the door. They are headed to the Old Soap Factory where they are packaged with a natural wax which is great to use to refurnish wood cutting boards, etc. 

The Yarn Alcove

I made a little progress on the shawl I've been working on but not enough to share. Instead I wanted to show you what I bought at a local yarn shop last week while on my break. OOOhhh, AAAhhh!

 In Other News

I was able to get work done on my left arm recently. I've been wanting a half sleeve that really speaks to me. I gave several designs to my tattoo guy and he delivered a really great custom piece. All the black is done and I get color next week. I think it's amazing!

Heather's Weekly Gazette

Hi, Everyone!

I've really been missing blogging as a creative outlet. Time and life hasn't really allowed for much of it for a while though. Instead, I thought I'd take photos throughout the week and compile a weekly post. I hope to write about how my business is going, what I'm sewing for it, what I'm sewing for myself... you know all those WIPs (works in progress). I'm also going to share about my yarn adventures, mistakes and things I'm improving on, and UFOs (unfinished objects). Besides my crafty side I'll share with you things about life and my college experiences! Hopefully, this helps me get the juices flowing so I can share some more interesting things in the future. :)

Social Media Outlet

As with the blogging, much of my social media outlets get pushed by the wayside. I do try to keep up as often as I can though to let you all know what's going on. My Facebook page is Heather's Green Home Goods. My Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter handle is hgreenhomegoods. (As a side note: I've been on instagram for awhile. Recently something happened to my account and it was deleted! I have no idea why! I had to create a new account and start all over. Oh well, it will all work out for the best.)

Business Buzz

I've been so busy with college that I've needed to take a break. I've got 2 Etsy shops, my own .com, and I sell on Amazon. My Etsy shops and .com are on vacation and pointed towards Amazon. I have Amazon set up so I can ship them my items and they ship Amazon Prime. I'll let you know when I open everything back up again.

Business Undertakings

This week I've been taking my time sewing on some purses for a local salon. The purses are the perfect niche for this place... lots of ladies getting dolled up and checking out all the products on hand. I finished a pink purse and am working on a fun green and turquoise scallop purse. You can buy them at A Passion for Nails (& Hair!).

My Sewing Pursuits

I've been sewing on a muslin mock up of a fun new summer dress for myself. (For those that don't know, a muslin mock up is made out of cheap muslin fabric. If the pattern isn't fitting just right then corrections can be made on the muslin and transferred back to the pattern. This saves your good fabric for the final product!) On this pattern I already had to adjust the sizing up to fit and have started sewing both bodice styles. Trying on and fitting are coming soon. I really like this pattern because of the open back and I can't wait to show off my tattoos with these fun dresses!

The Yarn Alcove

I've grown a lot over the past year as a knitter. One project that I've really wanted to make was a shawl. I finally found a pattern that I love! It's called the Woodland Shawl. I'm working in a self striping fingering weight green yarn. I *think* it's Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn but I've had it for 2 years waiting for me to decide what to make from it and I can't find the info card for it. I started over the weekend and have knitted up to the first leaf pattern repeat. Oh, I'm loving it so far!

UFO's (unfinished objects)

I have tons of UFO's. I think I have CADD, that's Crafty Attentive Deficit Disorder for those who don't know I start a project, get bored, and start something else. My goal is to pick one of my UFO's and make some progress on it!

This week I pick my canvas log cabin project. My next step is to work part of the roof. It's a pretty big section so I'm not sure if I'll get it done this week. I'll try to work on it before I pick up my knitting since I can do both of them while watching TV in the evenings with the family. I'll update my progress next week!

Home & Other Stuff

This post is getting pretty long so I better wrap things up. Everything at home seems to be running pretty smoothly. I'm really trying to take it easy. ;) I'm on Spring Break and head back to the college grindstone next week so things will probably change. I've also been exercising and I hope to talk about what I'm training for in a future post. Until then... have a great week!

Happy 9th Anniversary to Us!

Has it really been 9 years already?! Time seems to be flying lately. :) I haven't got much time to write a big long blog post today. I just wanted to share our happy day with you all!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to ME! Today I'm celebrating the big 3-0. It doesn't even seem real because I still feel the same as I did 5 or 10 years ago. Ok, maybe I have a bit more responsibility these days. 

Life is going really well. We've had 5 snow days over the past 6 school days. Both my boys were home and cabin crazy all of last week. I was able to send my older son out the door or to a friends house but my 4 year old really can't do that yet! He's a mama's boy anyways, which is why I hardly get anything done with him around. :)

Other then the snow, my sewing business is great. I still enjoy what I do and probably will for a long time. Things are still growing steadily and there are still so many ideas and products to work on. I'm still really thankful for the 2 excellent seamstress contractors I hired. They make things go so much more smoothly. I can send ready-to-ship sewing off with them while I focus on the more detailed or custom order items. At the rate I'm going I might have to bring on another helper in the next 6 months. I can't do it all myself even if I wanted to.

They hubby is also doing well. He came home from a year long deployment last late-May. The first 6 months of being home can be pretty rocky for some families but I think we managed pretty well! In 2014 we are looking forward to him finishing his enlisted soldier classes and hopefully starting on the officer schooling. This will means weeks and months of him being gone at different military bases/schools around the country but it's nothing we can't handle. Been there, done that- basically.

Anyways, that's just a little update in my life. The 30's are going to be great! I have a great family and business and as I always say... the grass is always greener wherever you water it. ;)

~Heather

Happy 4th Birthday, Jameson!

I can't believe it, but it's true, my little guy is already 4! It seems like just yesterday that he joined our family. It's been fun watching his little personalty come out. He is very bright, loves going to preschool to learn new things and make new friends. He loves telling jokes. His favorite one being, "Guess what?!?", "What?", "Chicken butt!!". Oh, I've heard it a million times probably. His favorite color is green and he loves all things construction, trains, cars, etc.

Several weeks before his birthday I decided he needed a bedroom facelift. When he was moved into the current room he has now at about a year old the room hadn't been changed or updated from when his older brother was in there. So it had the same old paint from about 8 years ago. We patched walls, painted, and painted some more! I painted the woodwork because it was so beat up and it took 4 coats. Oh, I was tired by the end! Lastly, I bought several custom vinyl wall decals from Etsy. There is grass, a sun, air planes, and all kinds of vehicles. He also has glow in the dark stars on the ceiling which he loves! The car bed was his older brothers and sort of stuck out but now everything works together and is perfect for a 4 year old boy!

We also had a little get together with our family for a birthday party. There was a whirlwind of activity and I couldn't get the best of photos. It doesn't matter though because we had fun and yummy cake and ice cream! I still can't believe he's already 4! Before I know it he'll be starting school and then be off to college....

New Spice Rack!

Lookie what my hubby made me! :) My spices have been a mess for awhile. My shelves are tall and hard to see into and it just wasn't working. My husband came up with this little spice step shelf and built it to fit. Now everything looks nice and neat! I put the little-used items in the top at the back and the things that get used more often down in front. No more searching or knocking over half of them. lol He used some cedar fence boards and screws to put it all together. He's so handy and talented! :)

Before

The new spice rack is complete!

Spice rack side view

After... so much better!

1st Day of Preschool

Today is a big day here in my house! My youngest son started preschool for the first time today. He is so excited. He had no anxiety issues, gave me a hug and kiss, and ran off to play. He's getting to be such a big boy and I'm so proud of him!

Both of my boys are in school now and I'm so happy for them. I'm also really looking forward to the time alone. It's been years since I've had this kind of solitude! I have so much to accomplish that I will probably never be bored. Business is good and I enjoy the work. And speaking of work... I better get to it!

Wordless Wednesday: Last day of summer vacation

Needle and Thread Tattoo

I got my very first tattoo about a month ago! The needle and thread is on my left inner arm. Being a seamstress this really just 'fits' me. I have been wanting a tattoo for years and when my husband got home from his deployment he went with me to get it. I have plans for more tattoos but not until I hit a few weightloss goals.

Sorry for all the short posts lately. My time is limited but I still want to share things on my blog. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with everything!

DIY: In the Home: Homemade Febreze

Buying fabric freshener all the time can get pretty expensive, not to mention exposing you and your family to all the unnecessary chemicals. So why not make your own? 

You will need:

• an empty spray bottle
• 1/2 cup of Everclear, vodka, rubbing alcohol or witch hazel
• 4-6 drops essential oil (approx. 1/2 tsp)
• Water

Add the 1/2 cup of Everclear, vodka, rubbing alcohol or witch hazel to your spray bottle. Add 1/2 teaspoon essential oil of choice (or a mixture of oils). Fill the remainder of the bottle with water. Shake and spray!! *If you choose to use rubbing alcohol, remember that it will leave a scent behind for a few minutes before dissipating. Do not use this spray around open flames.

Suggested Essential Oils:
Lavender – stress reduction
Cedar – a gentile woody smell to freshen up your closet and drawers and dissuade moths from making their homes in your wool sweaters. Ceder is also great for pet beds because fleas can’t stand the smell!
Mulberry – great around the holidays
Vanilla – great base scent if you plan to add another note.

*Recipe Source

Sewing Saturday: Cutting Fabric and a Custom Order

It's really great to have my husband home! Since he was deployed the past year he decided to take off work for the month of May. He's been working around the yard and taking care of all those things I just never could get around to. Plus, he's decided to screen in our little porch. I'm so excited!

But life is always busy these days. We're still knee deep in homeschooling. Actually, we work on a year round schedule, summer vacation is only a short 4 weeks here. However, that just means less time to be bored when we are stuck inside with 110* temps and no need to waste time reviewing. I took the time to plan out our next years worth of vacation days and have worked in several breaks for vacation! We've started planning a road trip for next year... Yosemite National Park, Redwood National Forest, and possibly the Grand Canyon! It's exciting to be able to live our lives on our own time table. :)

Enough of that! When I get the chance (usually late at night) I get to work on my little sewing business. Lately I've been going through my fabric and just cutting, cutting, cutting. I have so much cut that I think I'm set for the next year for projects to complete! I've cut hundreds of diapers and covers (photo of only part of what I have done below) and I've cut countless wetbags, cloth wipes, unpaper towels, and grocery bag dispensers out.

I'm also working on a custom order for a neighbor. I've completed the set of 9 contoured nursing pads and am working on the matching diapers sets to go along with them! Everything is turning out great and I can't wait to finish them so I can get them to her!

I better get back to work! :)

DIY: In the Home: How to Refill your Swiffer WetJet Bottles

Refilling your Swiffer WetJet bottles  is the eco-friendly and economical way to go. Those bottles are sealed up pretty tightly though but there is a little trick to opening them! Watch the youtube video below to find out how. When you have the cap off just refill with your favorite cleaning solution. I prefer a vinegar and water solution which cleans great but keeps the chemicals out of my home. Use 1/4 cup of vinegar and fill the rest of the bottle with water. And viola! Save a little money, keep your home clean, and be a little bit greener in the process.

Happy Mother's Day!

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.  ~Author Unknown

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.  ~Author Unknown

Who fed me from her gentle breast

And hushed me in her arms to rest,

And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?

My Mother.

Who ran to help me when I fell,

And would some pretty story tell,

Or kiss the place to make it well?

My Mother.

~Ann Taylor

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

~George Cooper

DIY: In the Laundry Room: Homemade Laundry Soap

I'm always trying to cut costs and use as little chemicals in my home as possible. One of the easiest ways to do both is by creating your own laundry soap. I've been using a homemade powder in my front load washing machine for years. I used it on cloth diapers, on every day things, and on caked on muddy clothes. It really works great!

The powdered recipe is very easy. Equal parts: 1 bar of finely grated soap (Fels Naptha, Zote, Ivory), 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Super Washing Soda. I also add in a half cup of Calgon water softener since I don't have soft water. Use 1 Tbs per load of laundry. And that's it!

You can find both the powder and the liquid versions in the videos below. Each video also has a rough cost break down.

Wordless Wednesday: Face Behind the Shop!

Here I am! My most recent pic taken March 2013. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Lap Warmer

Green Your Homemaker's Binder

Way back in 2010 I showed you my Homemaker's Binder. Back then I had everything written or typed up on paper and put in my binder. I actually still follow the same general guidelines for our days, although it has evolved with time.

One of the greatest ways my binder has evolved is to change completely into a different format. I now use my kindle fire as my 'binder'. I have found an app that has really been helpful. It's called checkmark and is created by GreenbeanSoft. Actually there are all kinds of apps out there and all kinds of devices, not just the kindle, that can be used. In today's technologically advanced society it's not really a very far stretch to have everything paperless. Not only is it easy to manage but it's also environmentally friendly. I'm not printing out daily to-do sheets or rewriting my schedule every time it changes. Believe me it changes pretty frequently!

If it is at all possible for you, I would recommend doing a little searching and switch permanently to some form of electronic format for your Homemaker's Binder. Check up along the top tabs for how to create your own binder. Good luck!

Follow me!

With Google Reader going by the way side I've been searching for another reader. I think I found the perfect thing! The best part is that it will automatically import all your blogs from Google Reader into it. The link to Bloglovin' is on the sidebar on the left <------. I hope you continue to follow me!

A little update:

We are down to roughly 45 days left of this deployment! When all is said and done, my husband will have been gone about a full year. It's been quite the roller coaster! I've just had to let my blog go for awhile. Life is never boring!

My older son, Ian, is being homeschooled now, well he has been home since early December '12. We were just having too many academic troubles with the school and they weren't willing to help without some sort of diagnosis or other. He's at home now doing very well with his studies. He is getting more and more into electronics and physics. He wouldn't be able to expand his knowledge of these subjects if he was stuck in school all day!

In general we are doing well, although wishing time would fly. :)

An update for you all!

Hi Friends! I apologize for not keeping up with the blogging like I used to. Things have been so busy! I thought I'd take a few minutes and give you a little update today though. :)

Business

My sewing business is constantly changing and evolving. I recently decided to close down my website. It wasn't successful and was just sucking out all the joy (and my extra time) trying to keep up with it. All of my items are still for sale on Etsy, I still have the same facebook page, and I ended up pointing my domain to this blog just to make things easier. I also moved my Project List back to my blog for ease of use. You can now find it under the Custom Order page up top. I'm still working on updating the rest of my links!

As far as the sewing side goes… well as you can see below… all of my work baskets are stuffed full of pending items for me to work on! Some of them are personal projects but most of them are things for my shops. Of course, if a custom order comes it, I work on it before my other items. I'm keeping as busy as I can!

Family

Everything is running fairly smoothly with my boys. We've had a few bumps along the way but we are still managing pretty well with dad's deployment. My husband has been gone roughly 4.5 months now and we still have quite a while until he comes home. We speak time him weekly via webcam and I talk to him pretty frequently on facebook and through emails. It's good to hear from him but I wish he could come home!

We also have a new fur-baby, Bella. She is a 10 week old yorkie. My husband surprised us with her last weekend! How did he do that? Well, he saw a photo of the new puppies on a friends facebook page and via private messages was able to get her for me. One of his state side bosses drove her the 2 hours to deliver her. My boys and I love her so much! Here she is all ready for Halloween!

Home

With everything going on (and with a new puppy too) I always feel like something would need to be put on the back burner. I try to do it all and I'm still realizing that I can't. Sometimes my house doesn't get cleaned, sure we pick up the toys and stray items, but dusting and vacuuming doesn't always happen. It really drives me nuts but I have to put my blinders on sometimes. I try to cook frequently too. I've taken to freezing about half of what I make because it makes it so much easier on me. I enjoy cooking but I don't always have time or energy! So while my house may not be the best it's still home to us!

Self

Last but not least, I've been trying to put some focus on myself. I try to take a walk every day so I can get some exercise. I cut back on training for a 5-k and trying to loose a bunch of weight. Weight loss has slowed but not stopped! I'm down 20 pounds, with 15 more to go. I'm happy with my progress so far. I also try to put on nice clothes and make-up because it makes me feel better. And I try to do something just for me every day.

With me being a 'single' mom it can be tough. The dynamics to my single parenting and running a home-based business are different then a truly single person. I'm still married by my other half is on the other side of the world fighting in a war no one really even cares or thinks about anymore. It can make for some long days of worrying. Journaling helps, as does just trying to take things a day (or minute/second) at a time!

Until next time… have a great day!

~Heather