The Lingo

So… if you read the first post, you heard my embarrassing story on how I didn’t know what a western was. Yup, true story. My girl at Luck Leather Lace Love, will testify to this. You can say, that I’ve learned a few things since then, and I’m still learning. I’m just the wife to the guy that does all the adventures I blog about, but I do get to do and learn about some of these adventures with him. Here are a list of words that have an Outdoorman meaning and what I thought they meant, you will see my progress.

      Words                                Outdoorman definition                                 My first thought

v  Shed                           Antlers                                                                 A place to put storage

v  Buck                           Male deer                                                           A dollar

v  Cow                            Cow or female elk                                           An animal that says moo

v   Bull                            Bull or Male elk                                                 A cow with horns

v  Spike                           A male deer with one point                   something sharp that pops tires

v  Doe                              Female deer                                                      cookie dough or money

v  Two point                   A male deer with two points on both side       I had no idea.

v  Snare                          A type of trap                                                        No clue

v  Bale                          hay block                                                      What you post to get out of jail

This is really a short list of the many words I've learned along my journey, but I figured it was enough to get my point across. Hope it was either educational or made for a good laugh. (:

Little shoes

Part of thrifting is about spending as little as money possible. I refused to pay the $60 a pair of moccasins from Freshly Picked, so I decided to make my own.

 

I do not have a good tutorial for this… and I wish there was. I will be on the lookout for one. I use this free pattern from this blog, and modified it by hand to make moccasins. It literally isn’t something I could even upload because there is nothing for me to upload, it’s on the leather. So, this is a case of “I figured something out that works for me, but with no clear instructions on how to make it work for you”. Sorry… but if you follow her pattern and I did NOT sew mine by hand; you could make some really cute scalloped moccasins. I did. (:

Crochet ear warmer headbands

I learned to crochet with my grandma when I was 12 years old. I started off with making a lot of hot pads, of course square hot pads. They literally are the easiest thing to make, which is why I started with those. Years later I thought… “Hey, I know how to crochet, why I don’t I make ______ item?” Little did I know… there are many more stiches to crocheting other than chaining and double crochets.  So, as I’ve made a few more items since then, YouTube has been my best friend. I seriously don’t know how my grandma learned how to do it when she was younger. I’m a watch and do kind of girl, and she didn’t have YouTube. If you ever looked at crochet magazines or books, the instructions on how to do a stich are so confusing… so I suggest, If you want to learn and your pattern asks for stitches you don’t know, YouTube it. It literally is an awesome way to go.

 

 

I used this pattern for my crochet ear warmers… I guessed on measurements for my daughter. I used the full measurements for myself.

Pillow Case Dresses

I use this tutorial because I can usually hit Joann’s on a holiday and get sweet deals on flat quarters. I only use 4 flat quarters on the dresses I have made, but my last dress I will use bias tape for the bottom hem and the straps. I just feel like it will give it so much more. Just follow her instructions, but when she adds the 5^th fabric strip, just use bias tape instead. She also has a few more ideas on how to change the finish of the dress on top. Those will add diversity to your creations.

Tutu’s…

 

There are just so many tutorials to watch on these… I really don’t even know which one is best, but I will add a link to one that I think will give a basic idea on how it’s done.

 Also, flowers… Most of the time, I made my own bows and some of my flowers, but every now and then I cheat. Here is a link for a shop that will give you flowers, wholesale prices, and it even has tutorials on how to create headbands for your little’s. I believe that knowledge should be shared. Enjoy.

Fabric Banners

I love the fabric banners I have made for holidays and for my daughters room. They are just a nice addition to add a little something else, as far as décor goes.

 

 

 I used this tutorial. I liked her instructions, but I will just add… measure and measure again every side before you cut. My first banner I didn’t, and I can totally tell that some of the triangles are larger than the others, luckily I think it still looks cute, but I still notice.

Wrapping up Summer...

Before I knew it, summer came and left. For my very first summer not being stuck in an office building in  6 years, I would have to say it was quite fun and enjoyable. I now know all that I've been missing, and I kind of hope that I never miss out again.

For my outdoorsy man, summer consisted of a LOT of fishing trips, in just about everywhere (lakes, streams, creeks, and ponds). Ocean fishing is something he's always wanted to do... It's on his outdoorsman bucket list.... which is a very long list. Sometimes I hear the list and the re-edited list right before bedtime.

Anyway, we also have a lot of summer hiking trips. Usually out in the middle of nowhere looking for deer antlers and elk antlers, and most of the time it's with this guy...

On the left is my man and on the right is his cousin and partner in crime. 

I know when these two are out, coming home at 6pm usually means somewhere between 8-9pm. 

In a previous post I ranted about my husband bring home fish every time he goes out fishing, and how I do not want any more fish in my freezer, well... I have to say that catching fish is OFFICIALLY better than NOT catching ANY fish.

I introduce to you dinner on a fishless night....

Can I just take a minute and tell you how happy that I am I stayed home on this trip. He boiled them and dipped them in a stick of melt butter. Yuck!!! He said it was yummy, whoever, my stomach thinks otherwise. 

On a happier and lighter note, we finished off the last day of summer with the perfect outing for our little family. We went up the canyon to a cute little camping/creek area and just had an evening out. Of course, we prepared a nice dinner of dutch oven potatoes and hotdogs, but it was our kind of perfect. 

Of course, I had to sneak in there a mommy made item. I finished a beanie just in time to keep her warm for this perfect family evening. 

Our girl had found a evergreen twig that she would just not leave alone, she literally had it with her the whole time. 

In my opinion, this was the best way to wrap up summer. Family time, good food, and being in the outdoors with my loves, it is picture perfect.