Crochet Projects

June, June, June is busting out all over!!!

I'm so HAPPY that I finally got through the first trimester of my pregnancy in June and found the burst of energy that I was sorely missing/lacking these few months.  I also found out that I'm going to be an Aunt to 3 more babies this year (2 girls, not sure about the 3rd one yet).  YAY!!! :)  With all the baby excitement going around in my family, I found the motivation to pick up a crochet needle and  taught myself how to crochet some things for the new little ones & for my niece Leyna's birthday.  I have to say, I think they all turned out pretty darn cute & adorable. I can't wait to get started on the crochet project for My Little One.  In the mean time, here are pictures of my finished crochet projects.  Let me know what ya'll think about them. Enjoy!

Hat I made for my niece Leyna

Butterfly & Flowers are also removable hair clips

Ruffle Skirt & Headband for my Brother's New Baby Girl

Shell Skirt, Headband, & Shoes for Baby Sophie

Minnie Outfit I made for Sophie so she can wear it for Halloween

James' Final Month at the Surfing Goat Dairy

Sorry this is a very late post of pictures from James' final month at the Surfing Goat Dairy.  James' got the opportunity to build a gazebo, work in the dairy room and learn how to make cheese.  We got to play with the very first group of kids James' help birth as well as the first new groups of kids this season. Hope ya'll enjoy the pictures.



Gazebo that James help build for the Diary

First Kids of this Season (Rain & Thunder)

 

 

Playing with the very first group of Kids!

Making Cheese!

March through May, Spring has brought us such a nice suprise!

It is amazing how many surprises life has for us.  From March to May there were many changes that happened for us.




Proud Mama-to-be

We found out that we are going to be parents!  How wonderful!  I had not given up hope that someday we would have a baby, it was just supposed to happen when the time was right.  My rests and endures the early months of her pregnancy as best she can.

   

Undersea Adventures!

  It was wonderful to have my parents and My's sister May and her husband Luke come visit, we had a great time with them. It has been very peaceful and nice for the last two months.  I do what I can on the projects that are still underway.
 


Lining the Pond for the Aquaponics System

What we planted has grown and been harvested.  The weather is a little warmer and the days are a little longer. 

Corn and Sunflowers!



Pole Beans and Snap Peas

  

Potatoes!

 

We are finishing the projects and preparing for the next part of our journey west into the pacific.  The island of Guam is our next destination.  From there we will visit the Northern Marianas Islands... all of them (the inhabited ones anyway).  We are searching for the piece of land that speaks to us.  The place where we will sink our roots in and grow our lives and family.

Boots, Boots, Boots

So I have to admit that when it comes to work shoes, I really don't care about how much they cost or how they look as long as they work for what I need them to. However, lately that has not been the case. After a quick day of work shoe shopping and fifty dollars later, the boots that I had purchased just this past October for the Cal-Earth/Permaculture course and for WWOOFing had had enough. It's no fun working with soaked, muddy feet all day long and then trekking it into the house just to create more work for me inside after the work outside has been done.  I also don't enjoy any of the calluses that have so generously graced my feet & toes now (and I don't like it even more so as a licensed cosmetologist), but I do so very much enjoy the work outside regardless. Besides, me & wet feet don't get along (unless I'm playing at the beach) and I am tired of ruining all my socks so it was definitely finally time to get a new pair of gardening shoes for me, especially since my boots were done for after just 3 months of wear, tear, and rain this season. 

 

Anyway, after about a month of complaining that I needed to get new shoes to replace the ones I was still wearing for as long as I could, it goes without saying that I finally purchased a new pair of gardening boots.  This time, quality & comfort was a priority for me when it came to purchasing new work boots so I did a bit of research and found that I could purchase Hunter Wellington Gardening Boots or Sloggers which are like clogs/crocs for gardening. Between the two, both had good reviews but the Wellingtons are 4-5 times more expensive than the Sloggers. I had to decide sooner rather than later since I didn't know how much longer my old boots could last. All  I knew was that I wanted a working boot, not a fashion statement, it had to be a durable boot that I wouldn't have to replace every few months or so and  that could withstand the wear and tear of the work I've been doing, and it had to be a comfortable, easy on & off shoes for me. I finally made the purchased about 2 weeks ago, after all the research and reading, and James' blessing and $$ of course (since I am currently without an income). Needless to say, I gladly threw out the old pair of boot and have been wearing and working in the new ones, and they have made my life a lot easier...at least for my feet and the house that is. ;) I highly recommend them for anyone who is looking to purchase a good pair of gardening/farming boot that will last. All-in-all, it has been a great purchase so far and my feet kindly thank you new boots!

 

Scroll down to see my new boots

 

 

These are my old work boots

 

 

And here are my new boots

Say Hello to my new Hunter Wellington Boots

February 2014

HAPPY HEART MONTH!!!

 

We hope that everyone had a great Valentine's day and that y'all were all able to enjoy it with the ones you love & adore. We had an exciting Valentine's day to say the least. We went down to "Secret Cove" for some Water, Sun & Fun time and that's exactly what we got. We witnessed a wedding while there at the cove, watched whales splash their fins, speared a parrot fish (that was all James, not me) and brought in a shark (pretty sure that's because of the parrot fish). But the best thing about this month is that we were able to welcome a new love into our lives and the newest member of our family, our beautiful baby nephew Joseph. He just melts my heart and has definitely inspired me to teach myself how to crochet so I can make cute little outfits for him. Sorry, no pictures of Joseph or my crochet projects yet, but that will be for a later post.

 

And while we are on the subject of projects....I am so glad, proud, and more importantly relieved that I have finally finished a small water feature project that I started working on this past December. I have to say that I almost bit off more than I could chew. How did I get myself into this predicament you ask? Well, Tori & Donna wanted a small bird bath somewhere in the yard, but not too close to the house since Tori is not a fan of birds but Donna is, so what do I do?...I suggest putting a small water feature in the existing landscaped area. And who thinks it's simple enough to build and volunteers to build it?...This girl did. This was my first time attempting to actually build a water feature and all by myself no less. I definitely bit off more than I could chew, but after one unsuccessful & lazy attempt (which I am not posting pictures of because it's a shame), I slowly but surely worked out all the kinks this second time around, dug and collected rocks, transplanted existing succulents that were already on the property, and planted herbs to finish and complete the build. It may be a month & a half later, but I personally think it was worth the wait to get it done right.

 

Please enjoy the photos. There will be more to come from the Dairy with James in our next post.

Say Hello to Mr. Parrot Fish

 

 

Before Picture of Area for Small Waterfall Feature
Small Waterfall Feature Construction

Existing plants on the property that was transplanted around the water feature.

The Finished Water Feature!

Whale Watching on Maui - January 30, 2014

The first and last time I had the opportunity to go whale watching was about 8 years ago in Okinawa, Japan with James.  It was an amazing experience for me... once I got over the motion sickness of riding in a boat that is.  Unfortunately, we do not have any pictures of our own to show for it except for the ones we sent to Grandma & Grandpa Adkins all those years ago.

This time around, I was invited to go whale watching with the Clearview Christian Girls School that Tori (my host) runs here on Maui, through the Pacific Whale Foundation. Fortunately for us, the rain decided to let up for the day (since it's been raining almost non-stop the last week or so) to allow us to enjoy this whale watching experience. We were able to see a calf & it's mama, as well as two males competing for the attention of the females (at least that's what they told us), and a whale breach (but I only caught the splash at the end :(  since I was on the other side of the boat trying to look for other whales). Once the whale watch was over, we headed back to the harbor to grab a quick bite and then headed to a classroom where we had an educational session all about whales. All-in-all it was a good day, full of sunshine, water, and whales.

I wanted to be able to enjoy the experience so I only took a few photos but I hope you enjoy them. Hopefully James & I will have the opportunity to go whale watching together here (since the season is from November to May) and capture more photos to share with you all.

Leaving the Harbor

 



To learn more about the Pacific
Whale Foundation, please visit their website at the link below: http://www.pacificwhale.org/

Please check out the Clearview Christian Girls School by using the Maui Schools - Upcountry Maui Alternative Middle/High School Mobile app!
http://www.appstore.com

Mahalo!

 

Maui 2014

James and I have planned and worked very hard over the last 2 years to take a risk on our dreams so last year (2013) we sold our home and pretty much everything we owned, said goodbye to our family & friends, and got on a plane to start this journey towards making our dreams come true. We hope that everyone enjoyed ringing in the new year and that this year brings greater opportunities for each and everyone of you, that you dream even bigger dreams, and take a few more risks.

This is late, but as promised here are a few pictures of some of the projects that I have been working on at Tori & Donna's place. There is still a lot more work to be done and pictures to be taken but we will update you on our progress and post more when we can.

 

Part of the Front Yard Before, During & After

Ti Leaf Planted by the Fence Line Before & After

Starter Garden Before, During & After

 

Beans & Corn

 Celery, Strawberries, Sunflowers & Lavender