Did You Know?...

DuFrane Movers Logo

 

I don't know if you already knew this, but when you can't manage moving your own furniture around, you can hire moving companies to do it for you. It's called "in-house moving services". Genius, right?

You already know that I have lifting restrictions (which are making me a bit nuts, by the way), and as vital and strong as Handsome is, he's in his seventh decade, and it's just not smart. So, I got on the phone and contacted the same company that moved us to Florida twenty years ago. Yes, they're still in business.

Their rep came to the farmhouse on Tuesday, and we showed him what we wanted moved out of the house, and what we wanted moved within the house. He gave us a price and we called back on Wednesday. They had an opening yesterday to be able to help us. Everything got moved in less than an hour, and neither Handsome nor I strained a single muscle! I still have things to put away (furniture was moved out of the main bedroom, with smaller pieces moved in), so I'll get that finished today. I'm realizing I have too much stuff, and I need to do something about that.

This service wasn't free - they charge $150 an hour, including travel time - but to us, it was worth every penny. Given the same circumstances, I'm sure we'd do it again. So, if you weren't aware that this service was available, now you know.

Looky!!!...

Brynwood Needleworks - Cotton and Wood Bead Popcorn Garland

It's been overcast and cloudy over the farmhouse for almost two weeks. Because I really love daylight photography, it's been a bit of an inconvenience getting good shots. The light is too "flat" to make for nice images, so I decided to try something a little more "artsy".

 

I pulled out the crocheted popcorn pieces and my 16mm wooden beads and set about stringing my first garland. I decided that I not only wanted strength, but also wanted the garland to have some stability, so I threaded my large needle with a single strand of dental floss and then paired it with the white yarn to feed my elements. I want to get the most out of my wooden beads, to I'm stringing one bead for every two popcorn pieces. I had enough pieces done to string about six feet of garland!

I know that my photo only gives a tease of what the garland looks like, but as soon as I get some good light, I'll do a little photo shoot of the garland as it might be used. I admit, I really love how it looks! I'm out of popcorn "morsels" now, so I'm going to have to make more to continue. I'll be getting right after it!

The Staff of Life...

Are you tired of seeing bread photographs yet? It's the one thing I've been most motivated to do as I heal. I guess it really is the staff of life.

 

These were a test run for a gift I gave my uncle over the Christmas holiday. I gifted him four loaves of bread a month for the year. The last loaf I gave him was a bit large for his taste, so I wanted to try some smaller sizes. I added a few rolls to the batch (which ended up part of our dinner of homemade cheeseburgers last night). 

 

So, the only issue I had was that I had to put my loaves on two sheets on two separate shelves in the oven. Because I don't like to open the oven door while the bread is baking, the bottom loaves got too brown, and one of the top loaves did, too. They're fine for eating, but not up to par for gifting.

 

I'm going to the restaurant supply store in town today to look for one pan small enough to fit in my oven, but large enough to hold four round loaves like these. Once I accomplish that, I'll be making the loaves for his January installment. I'll ask Handsome to be my driver, so after coffee, we'll be on our way.