Beginner Mandolin: What I learned in 1 one week of practicing

So as you can see, I am starting to have some fun learning how to play the mandolin. At least I can pick out a tune now. (Even though I still need practice.) 

If you are interested to know more about my mandolin I am using and the accessories, I purchased all my items off of Amazon. You can find links to these items here:

The mandolin that I purchased for right handed people can be found on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Mandolin-Sunburst-Professionally-Featherlite-Included/dp/B00IH0JQCS/ref=lp_7494626011_1_8?srs=7494626011&ie=UTF8&qid=1506874079&sr=8-8

This same company also sells a mandolin for left handed users that can be found on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Soundhole-Wineburst-Featherlite/dp/B01JZZT484/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1506874197&sr=8-5&keywords=left+handed+mandolin

The picks I purchased on Amazon can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JB4WAU4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The lesson book I purchased can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1883206553/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My customer review video I made of the above mentioned items can be found here: https://youtu.be/D3g-w3GoRO0

If you want to know more about Banjo Ben (Ben Clark) and his lessons you can view is website here: https://www.banjobenclark.com/

I am hoping now that I am doing the lessons on Banjo Ben's website, I will improve my picking and licks more in this coming month.

Thanks for watching!

Guitar Works, Inc. A Style Mandolin Sunburst Finish with Hard Featherlit...

We have had the worst fall ever! It rains pretty much everyday. The chill in the air gets to your bones. And, all you want to do is curl up inside the house where the heat is. This, of course, spells disaster to my budget as I start scanning Amazon for items to purchase for Christmas. Yes, I already have Christmas songs playing in my head because of the weather.

Well, I came across a slew of good finds on Amazon to fulfill my family member's wishlists. And, I found a pretty good deal for myself, too.

Turns out that this mandolin was more than I expected coming from the Amazon warehouse. It is very nice! "Joy to the World" was fairly easy as you place a scale backwards for the first two stanzas. I can now play "Amazing Grace." I even got my mandolin in tune thanks to an iPad Tuner app I found!

Glad to have fun indoors with this instrument instead of sitting away depressed looking outside at the dreary cloudy days.

Hope you all are having a better fall season than we are!

New Baby Chicks!

Well, I have been thinking about this for a long time and doing my research, and we finally took the plunge!

We have four new chicks on the farm. All four are pullets because we are looking forward to having some fresh eggs. The two larger, lighter colored chicks are ISA Browns and the two smaller, darker colored chicks are Rhode Island Reds. Both are known to be popular breeds and good egg layers in our region according to the hatchery, so hopefully they work out well for us!



As you can see, I kind of scraped together a quick brooder for these little ones. I did this partly because I was in a rush and partly because I wanted to save some money. I did break down and buy a few things instead of hand making them, but the items were not that expensive. The waterer and feeder were both affordable and I already had the more expensive heat lamp on hand. I didn't buy the chick feeder because they would outgrow it in a few weeks. I see at the farm fleet store they were using the adult feeders too, which made up my mind that a chick feeder was unnecessary.

So, hopefully they turn out alright and I will be able to share with you some updated videos in the future of their progress!

Best Gluten Free Baker in the County!

Yes, it is official! I am the best gluten free baker in the county! Woohoo!!!

The county fair this year was a huge success as they opened up a gluten free cake contest and anyone could enter any kind of cake of their choosing so long as it was gluten free and the flour mixture was homemade and not store bought. I couldn't wait to try and see if I could make a gluten free cake worthy of the grand prize.

It took me forever though to figure out what to make for the contest. I have made gluten free Shirley Temple Cupcakes (the drink not the actress). Those were a huge success. I made S'More Cupcakes for my last birthday party, which were so moist and scrumptious! I have also baked plain cakes, holiday cakes, and everyday snack cakes that were also good. With my three to four years of baking, cooking, and eating gluten free, I couldn't believe all the cake recipes I had accumulated!

Yes, when I started my gluten free lifestyle I had to throw out practically every recipe I had in my drawer as I found out I couldn't make the things I had for years and years without being reminded how the texture and taste wasn't like I remembered. I was so depressed to open my drawer and find only a handful of recipes that saved the evil garbage can. But, that is another story and I am proud to say there is a happy ending with my recipe drawer being plump full again!

Any who... back to the cake!

So, I finally consulted my mom as she knows all the right answers (most of the time...) and she suggested chocolate. She is such a big fan of chocolate. What am I talking about!? I am such a big fan of chocolate! So, the perfect cake was decided on as a single layer triple chocolate snack cake with vanilla frosting. Hmmm, so good!

I chose a snack cake as our recipes would be submitted with our creations for other exhibitors and guests to view. I wanted to choose a cake that was also something everyone felt they could make in their own homes at any time of the year like a, "I made this cake just because I wanted to," type of feeling. I hate leaving all the baking until a holiday, as everyday is special and we make many memories outside of holidays on a day where we just relaxed and said, "Let's do this just because!"

Okay, I know you are dying to see what this cake looked like so here we go!

Yes, the ribbon is covering up most of it but.... I got grand champion! I couldn't believe it! I still can't believe it.

The cake is hard to make out but I shaved some chocolate and sprinkled it over the top of the frosting. Of course, the frosting melted a bit on that 90 degree day when we brought our exhibits to the fair. The judges still thought it tasted great though! I had actually made two cakes and brought the best one. We ate the one I left at home after the contest and I can honestly say it was to die for!

You may also notice the reserve champion ribbon in the bottom right corner. I did very well at the fair this year and that is for my canning entries. So, here is another picture of me with all of my winning exhibits!

It is like a mini fair don't you think! I say all my winning exhibits because the 25% of the projects I didn't place on couldn't fit on the table!

I just love living and growing up in the country on a farm and being able to make and do things with my own two hands. And, the fair has always been the annual highlight of the year! It is even better than Christmas and my birthday tied together as one!

If you enter at your local county fair, tell me about your stories. I love hearing about how other people did and what they made. Leave me a comment down below.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Review

I was very happy this week to check off another bucket list item, #26 Making a Professional Crafting Tutorial Video on YouTube. I hope I can do another one in the near future. But for now, I am working on my thesis for my Masters, slowly sewing together my quilt, and I learned how to freeze my own French fries earlier this week to help become more self sufficient. (Will be posting on this shortly).

Next I need to try making butter. I found some excellent resources on the web that use a food processor and a stand mixer. Not sure which method I will try first, but I will report on my findings here.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

It's Friday....

For me, Friday came way too fast! But, it is another opportunity for us to review our bucket lists/to do lists and prepare for the weekend and the coming week ahead!

#6 I really worked hard on this one all week. Mainly because the fabric was staring at me in the face. So, I cut out all the pieces for the king sized quilt and am ready to begin sewing my top together this weekend. In case you are interested in what quilt I am making here is a picture from the website of the pattern I chose (My fabric selection was a little different but still follows the blue and white theme) and a link for the pattern in case you want to make this quilt too!

https://admin.ckmedia.com/content_downloads/Bed_and_Breakfast_Web_Bonus_8445.pdf

 

 

This pattern is for a confident beginner, which is what I am at the moment. I have sewing experience behind me, so the top should be smoothly finished. It is the actual quilting part I have not done before.

 

#9 My indoor winter garden is looking beautiful I see I am ready to transplant my little tomatoes into bigger pots with the tomato cages. And, the lettuce is growing well. Soon I will be able to eat a fresh salad when the snow flies!

 

#13 The garage sale went over well thanks to the beautiful weather we had that day. After the sale, we bagged up items to donate, toss, or try selling on eBay & Craigslist. Hopefully we can weed out more things this winter. But, I did drop off the donations at our local goodwill and collections facilities. I have more room to breathe now but can still get rid of more items.

 

#18 As my week vacation from school is coming to an end, I realized that this will be my final quarter in my Master's program as I begin the thesis. This will probably put a damper on how many other items I can check off my list, but I will be glad when this part of my schooling is done because it will mean a degree in my hand.

 

#26 I am finishing up the final details of my video for YouTube. It is on how to crochet the park slope afghan pattern from Vanna's Choice yarns for Lion Brand Yarn company. I will make sure to post a link here when it is uploaded and finished.

 

#32 I thought I was really doing well seeing caterpillars crawl around the yard at a distance and not getting too squeamish. However, as I was picking the last of the squash last week, I moved a leaf and a big woolly bear caterpillar was right there. I screamed and everyone thought I had uncovered a snake. A snake would be no big deal, as the ones in my area are not deadly and don't pack a bite. I usually just pick them up and move them out of my way, but a caterpillar, ewww! So, I got a lot of laughs out of my family for that and decided to help out by washing off the melons and bringing them in for winter storage instead. I will definitely have to work at this one.

 

#33 We had a birthday in the family last week and I made the yellow layered cake from the America's Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. It turned out better than any gluten free cake I have ever made before! But, I still have a lot of work to do in making sure I can tell when the cake is done. I pulled it out about five times before I thought it was finished, and it still could have been in the oven a little bit longer. My problem I believe has to do with our oven not being leveled. So, leveling plus adding an oven thermometer I hope will improve my chances of baking success.

 

#37 I found out in my latest issue of the Celiac Insights magazine that there is a tour club you can become a member of and they have travel packages for cruises. Yippee! All the gluten free accommodations are prepared just for you and your other companions you travel with are also on a gluten free diet. One trip in particular is a cruise to Switzerland. I am hoping I can go on that one with a family member. I hear it is beautiful with gorgeous scenery, great food, and a very cultural atmosphere. So, we shall see what comes of it. The cruise would take place over a year from now, so I have plenty of time to prepare.

 

#38 Of course, if I go on the cruise, I will also complete my next goal of traveling to a foreign country.

 

#39 To help me write on this blog more consistently, I have come up with a schedule. Friday's we review how we are doing with our Bucket Lists, Tuesdays can be product reviews, I am hoping to also have a craft project day, weekly menu planning day, and a cooking day. But, we will see how all this pans out. In the meantime, I am hoping to post at least two days a week and see how that goes before I go over my head.

 

#40 To become self-sufficient takes steps. So, our first step was to limit our family grocery shopping trips from weekly to every other week. So far, so good. We had a huge shopping trip this past week after not shopping for two full weeks. We picked up quite a bit of stuff and we also forgot quite a bit of stuff. So, we are working on making more thorough lists and really determining if the items are something we need versus something we want. It is definitely a learning process, but it takes us one step closer to becoming more self sufficient, more organized, and not spending as much money.

 

That's it! Well, I thought I wouldn't have much to write on this subject today, but I proved myself wrong. It just goes to show that when you take the time to review all the activities of the prior week, you find out you have accomplished a lot and are motivated to delve into next week's activities. I hope everyone had a great week and enjoy a wonderful weekend!

TGIF!

It's Friday... Friday... Gettin' down on Friday...

Okay, so maybe that song was annoying but it sure got stuck in my head. But, it is time to get down to work on Friday with my new TGIF time where I take a look at my weekly progress on my Bucket List. So, here we go...

#1 I had the scare of my lifetime yesterday as I had a gray tooth. No kidding and I am a very young adult at heart, soul, mind, and age! It turned out to be a false alarm, thank goodness, as I had staining due to my crowding of teeth in the front of my mouth. I just can't seem to get the toothbrush adjusted right to get the one in the back. Solution, I am now back to using a child's toothbrush with a smaller head. This would not have been a big issue if I had braces when I was a kid/teen. But, due to money constraints, I did not get braces as it was a cosmetic procedure more than a health related one. Now, it has turned into something I am budgeting for as it would help me a lot in keeping my teeth healthy, and who doesn't like a perfect white smile? To be in a beauty pageant, you need a good pair of chandelier earrings (still need to get my ears pierced by the way) and a big white smile. So, I am already tackling one of my two projects. (On a side note, I did find a competition to enter that isn't far from where I live!)

#2 So, I am busy completing my craft projects. I dug them all out and have them lying out in the open in my room, and I am going to be so, so, so, so, so, so busy! To make it even more fun and motivating to get these projects done, I decided to make YouTube videos of how to do a crochet afghan here, a knitted shawl there, and I received approval from both Red Heart Yarn and Lion Brand Yarn companies to do this! I will be starting those videos next week on my break from school; but, I did get all the necessary supplies in order as well as the paperwork. I am all set to go!

#6 This brings me to my sixth bucket list item of making a quilt. Last week I had to wait for a family member to finish an appointment and I made a trip to the nearby fabric store while I waited. I found all the material (some at clearance prices I might add) to make a quilt. I have the pattern, the fabric, and the tools to do it. So, I will be working on that hopefully this fall/early winter.

#9 While I was on Pinterest looking for a quilt pattern (Pinterest and Farmville 2: Country Escape are so addicting right now) I ran across a pin on how to take leftover grocery produce, plant items, and grow your own indoor garden. The first item I tried is celery. I was able to get it to grow now in a bowl of water and need to transplant it in a pot over the weekend. I also cleaned up some pots and went through my leftover seed stash from last spring to start a few tomato plants and lettuce bowls. All the plants sprouted within days and now I have a great winter garden growing in my sun porch.

#13 I just do not like this number, not because it is bad luck or anything, but when I make a list the hardest project always falls on "13". Anyway, it is cleaning out the clutter, which I have a lot of. This weekend is our garage sale, though. So, I am hoping that most of the items I dug out of the attic, basement, closets, and lonely corners of the rooms will sell and not be put back in those places. We are going to have nice weather for it, though.

#18 I mentioned before I am taking a break from school. This is because I am completing my Master's degree online. I take one class at a time for 5 weeks and get a week break in-between. I am almost done to as my scheduled graduation date is in January. Just a couple more classes to go with the large thesis at the end. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once I complete this I will be working on #16 of my list.

#26 is synonymous with #2 as I will be making instructional videos while I complete my craft projects. I will have to post links to my videos here so you can follow along and join a craft project you would like to complete.

#31 On Wednesday, I learned how to pressure can, along with another 30 women in my community. It was a very inspiring experience and I cannot wait to can some more items this next year. I purchased the Ball Complete Guide to Home Canning book and there are so many great recipes in there. My favorite being Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate. I will be planning next year's garden around those recipes so we have more canned items in our root cellar. It will help with my item #40 of becoming more self-sufficient. But as of now, I can mark this Bucket List item as completed!

#39 I have been very happy with myself as I wrote on this blog several times this past week. I am not sure if I will be able to keep that up with fall harvest season coming. And, being on a small family farm operation here in the Midwest, our schedules get a little overcrowded. But, with all the progress I have done in the past week of obtaining my goals, it has inspired me to take on more projects next week. This journal of mine has helped give me a boost of self-confidence and I hope you find it inspiring to begin your own journal that focuses on the goals you want to complete in life.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!