Maple Grove Farm

Update on the Work

This weekend was a both full of work and full of relaxing.  On Friday we ran errands and I bought myself a new sewiing machine.  I have been using the one I inherited from my grandmother.  It is about 60 years old.  It works fine except I have to do the button holes by hand - one step at a time - and that is not my thing.  Every time DH takes it for servicing he comes home and says it is still a great machine and I don't need a new one.  Since the girls are starting to sew and would like to be able to work on projects too, I thought we were due for a second machine - with a one-step button holer.

I worked on finishing up the dresses we started last weekend.  One weeks work of work - 11 dresses and 4 slips finished.  I am hoping that I just have 7 dresses left for summer sewing.  It really mupltiplies fast when you have 4 girls to sew for.  We are starting to look for fabric for fall sewing.  We will plan on making 28 dresses, 12 nightgowns, 8 skirts, and 4 slips for the fall sewing.  Oh my!  Well, just one step at a time.  All I have to do now is find fabric and gather the patterns.

We did some yard work this weekend.  We are working on filling in a part of one of the flower beds with perennials to give it a cottage look, so we planted flowers.  We weeded the herb garden and planted some flower pots to give it some color.  We planted some sunflowers.  We cut back the dead daffodils.  DH is almost finished with the addition to the chicken coop.  We added a second small run for when we have birds we are keeping separate or to rest the ground in the main run area. 

We also took out the tomatoes and put them outside to harden them off.  They are not looking too good.  One daughter was told to water them when she got them outside but she did not and then it was real windy even though they were protected.  I am going to take a look this morning.  My mother told me that I should not depend on a child to water such important plants as tomatoes.  I was so proud that I finally raised tomatoes from seed to a point that they would have produced well in the garden.  Well each year we learn a little lesson.  I am just hoping I don't have to replace them all - 40 plants.

Our focus on work is shifting to weeding.  We have lots of garden weeding to do.  We'll be spending most evenings outside to work on it so that it does not get away from us.  I another month we'll be able to shift away from weeding as the plants take off, but for now we need to give those plants the best possible conditions.  I hope you are enjoying your garden . . .