Sponsor Highlight :: Agape Angoras

Several months ago I approached a friend of mine about sponsoring my blog. I suggested that she allow me the pleasure of testing out some of her hand plucked and home spun angora yarn in order to review it on my blog. She agreed and gave me this: a skein of angora yarn from one black bunny and one white bunny.

The wheels started working immediately in my head. What do I with one skein of this luxurious yarn? I spent many hours on raverly trying to find the perfect pattern that would show off the yarn. In the end I decided to just wing it and I cast on for a loose cowl. 

I didn't know what to expect. I've never used angora yarn or hand spun fibers. I cast on several stitches and began. The first thing I noticed was how soft it was. It was knitting with a finely spun cloud. I tried my best to savor every stitch (since I only had the one skein) as I worked my way through the ball. The skein I received had thick spot and thin spots, but knit up uniformly over all. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the yarn almost self stripes. The results are quite stunning. 

One of these skeins would make a great Christmas present! If you would like a skein you can click the link on the left for her email address.

Next week I will post a pattern on how to make your own simple cowl from a single skein of yarn.

Take a moment and get to know Jessica from this interview: Sponsor Interview: Agape Angoras

Fingerless

I wouldn't want you to think that my fingers have been lazy, so here it was I've been working on. They are all Christmas presents.

Swirling Gauntlets - adult

I made the finger cuff a little long so that they could be folded down. I also used a smaller needle for both cuffs for a tighter fit. The swirling rib pattern of the body knit up a little tight for me so I went up a couple needle sizes.

Bus Stop Mismatched - child

I will be using this pattern again. It was very straightforward and there is lots of room for modification and adaptations. 

Chilly Truck Mitts - toddler

We'll see if he keeps these on. I knit the finger rib long in hopes that his fingers might stay warm in the truck. Thankfully the truck warms up fast so he won't have to keep them on long. I am also hoping he can get at his thumb. Time will tell!

Currently on my needles is a pair of plain fingerless mittens that I will be adding dino spikes to. Including the Star Mittens I made for Stomper it makes the fifth pair of hand related knitted items. I'm a little tired of knitting in the round, but I did get smart and I've been knitting them "two at a time" so that I don't get "second mitt" syndrome. My fingerless mitten making is not finished, I still have at least one more pair to knit before I'm done. After that a few hats. On a positive note, everyone will get a little something knit by me this year!

Around Here

We've been keeping busy around the farm. Between picking up pears, peeling pears, canning pears, and eating pears we've been making salsa, playing with our turkeys, and receiving a new batch of broilers in the mail. Nothing like a little work to make your day go faster!

Stomper loves pears. He eats four a day when he's outside. It's a treat for me to watch him pick one up from the ground and just take a big bite. The pears have really cut down on the grocery bill! The turkeys really like the pears too. If we throw just one in they will chase each other to get it! It's pretty funny. I feel certain that one of the reasons God gave us animals was for entertainment purposes. We love to watch our turkeys run. Mom thinks they look prehistoric and I agree!

We bought a second batch of broilers. Our freezer has one chicken left in it, we are saving it for our Harvest Party in November. Mom has a chicken soup recipe she wants to try and it will be perfect for our harvest celebration!

This week-end marked the first day in preparing for a new adventure. Dad would like to try and raise sheep. The first step is to clear the field. We rented a bush hog and set aside two days to cut, trim, and clear the field. The men managed to clear about half the field. The rest they will work on as they have time. Maybe, just maybe, in a year we will have sheep!

Turkey Race

Post by Hamberg Family Farm.

Large Utility Tote

Yesterday I told you about how awesome my Large Utility Tote is, now I will show you.

(Disclaimer: I am not paid for my love of these totes, but with every sale I am earning free products due to the fact that I hosted a party last week.)

This is how Stomper and I often look during our trip to the Library: him on one hip and my filled tote over one shoulder. For today I filled the tote, with Stomper's help, with some things that could be in it for a trip to Mimi's house. 

Here it is stuffed to the gills. There is actually quite a bit of room left. My purse didn't even have a knitting project it in it for the photo. The items have been shifted during unpacking and repacking, but I assure you its all there.

This is what I packed into it. Starting with the red car and working clockwise there is: five diapers and a plastic wipes tote; my large purse; an electronic toy (Stomper calls it his computer); a pile of clothes containing sweatshirt, t-shirt, shorts, and pants for Stomper; Froggie, and eleven books half of which are board books. This tote is a packers dream. Can you imagine the possibilities? Beach trips, picnics, grandma's house; this tote can contain it!

These specials have ended, but each month there is always a fantastic deal!

With the purchase of this tote or any purchase over $35.00 you can buy one of two organizing totes for half off! Just think how together you will feel your next trip to Grandmas! 

Check out my sister-in-laws shop for even more purses, totes, wallets, and other organizing products!

The party closes Friday so act fast!

Thirty-One Party

This past week I hosted a "Thirty-one Party" at the farm. I invited friends, family, and co-workers to our home and we all listened to my sister-in-law tell us about the fantastic products. She showed us the versatility of the products and how cavernous all the bags are. We talked about finding quality products that will withstand the vigorous of children, husbands, and our busy lives. We debated organization, "car clutter", and how to bring them under all control.

Thirty-One may not be the total answer to domestic bliss, but it certainly helps. I have two large utility totes that I use several times a week. I take a large amount of the library to and from home (about thirty books of various sizes) and it all fits in the tote comfortably with my purse. Then I sling the whole thing over my shoulder and have two hands free to wrangle my boy! I use it Sunday morning for church and pack it with my purse, Stomper's bag, our bibles, and my Sunday School material so I am not trying to hold three bags and hold Stomper's hand all at once. 

I have one of their cargo purses and one day this summer I put a snack, a beach towel, a change of clothes for Stomper, and diapers for our trip to the park near the lake. Jason calls it my "apple picking bag" because it is so large, but if I need to carry more than my wallet it is perfect.

If you are interested in purchasing any of their products you can check out my sister-in-laws shop HERE. I'll also be leaving a link up on the sidebar until my party closes on Friday. 

For the month of September the following two items are 50% off with a purchase of $35.00!

Open House

Harvest Swap

Bring 6 Harvested Items all the same Like 

(Plus 1 to Taste Test):

Jelly

Pickles

Salsa

Apple sauce

Muffins (1 dozen)

Squash

Cookies (1 dozen)

Then Swap them for 6 different items

Prizes for Best tasting 
and Most Unique

November 9 from 2-6pm 
Hamberg Family Farm

2-4 Farm Open House  *  4pm Taste Testing & Voting  *  5pm Potluck Supper

On Tenting

This year we managed to camp at or visit four campgrounds.

We are still in search of our "perfect" campground. We know, though, that it doesn't exist. So we are looking for something close to perfect. All the sites in my following reviews do not have water or power at them and ranged from $17-75 a night.

Walking out to the dock at Mt. Blue

Mt Blue State Park:

I would recommend this camground to tenters. There are a lot of dirt paths for bikes, free hot showers, and lots of places for kids to play. All the fire pits have grills for cooking.  I love, love, love the water of Webb Lake (the lake the campground is on) it is shallow and perfect for kids. There is also a very recent playground near the lake and boat docks. It is not, however, from what I observed very easy to get RV's and campers into the sites.

Playground
Affordable Boat Rentals
Shallow Beach
Grassy Areas at Beach
Picnic Tables and Grills at Beach
Free Shower
Cooking Fire Pit
Shade
Sun
Dog Friendly
Camping Atmosphere .. not touristy
Spacious Tent Site
Pool
Space Between Sites

Jumping into the pool at Papoose Pond

Papoose Pond -we went as visitors, we had friends camping there

Jason didn't like the "feel" of the campground. He called it "City Camping". There was arcades, a dance floor, carousel  restaurant  mini-golf, volley ball court, several playgrounds, store, free movie once a week, plus lots of other things. If you like all of those extras than this place is perfect! The price is high, $75 a night for no water or power. They have lots of different types of site, I am intrigued by the kitchen sites.

Playground - multiple!
Affordable Boat Rentals  -didn't think to ask so I don't know
Shallow Beach - didn't go down to the beach so I don't know
Grassy Areas at Beach
Picnic Tables and Grills at Beach
Free Shower - not sure if they were free or not
Cooking Fire Pit
Shade
Sun
Dog Friendly
Camping Atmosphere .. not touristy
Spacious Tent Site
Pool
Space Between Sites

Walking beside the river at Evergreens

Evergreens Campground -stayed overnight twice as guests of Jason's parents in a pair of campers

We were so unimpressed with this campground. It is a sportsmen campground. Lots of ATV's, fishermen, hunters, and no place for the little guy to safely play.

Playground 
Affordable Boat Rentals  -didn't think to ask so I don't know
Shallow Beach - it was on the river
Grassy Areas at Beach
Picnic Tables and Grills at Beach
Free Shower
Cooking Fire Pit - had a pit but no grill to cook on
Shade - too much shade
Sun
Dog Friendly - for a price! $5.00!
Camping Atmosphere .. it seemed more like a hunting camp than a family camp
Spacious Tent Site
Pool
Space Between Sites

Our site at Hadley's Point

Hadley's Point Campground

I was so very disappointed that they closed their pool down after Labor Day. We would have gone swimming even though it was a little chilly. In a heated pool what does it matter? There was a lot of RV's, mostly RV's. Most of the tent sites accommodated RV's so the sites were small. We stayed in the tenting only area, the back site by the road. Our site was large, but every other site was tiny and very close to their neighbor. It was off the beaten path of the traffic, but close enough to Acadia and Bar Harbor that we were able to find lots of things to do. Also, we were able to hike down to the point at low tide and play in the rocks

Awesome Playground
Affordable Boat Rentals  
Shallow Beach - no beach
Grassy Areas at Beach -no beach
Picnic Tables and Grills at Beach  -no beach
Free Shower - $.50 for 7 minutes which was enough time.
Cooking Fire Pit - had a pit but no grill to cook on
Shade
Sun
Dog Friendly
Camping Atmosphere .. not touristy
Spacious Tent Site - ours was, but the rest were not.
Pool - closes down after Labor Day
Space Between Sites

Bar Harbor 2013

Camping and Tenting at Hadley Campground

Walking, Splashing, Digging, and Jumping at Sand Beach, Acadia National Park

Driving and Snuggling with a special puppy

Exploring with Papa and On my Own

Tickling 

Fussing and Screaming "Not Monkey Mommy, Monkey Papa!"

Picking up treasures while Beach Combing

Riding like a Monkey

Watching the Sun Set

We had a great time in Bar Harbor