Where Have I Been?

I decided today to do some catch-up and monetize my websites, and in the process realized I have some very neglected blogs. I see it has been over a year since I posted anything here.

I do have to say, I do have a relatively legitimate excuse. On January 24, 2012 I was outside doing my chores and blacked out. I woke up in my house, with no recollection of what happened at all. I also realized somewhere along the way I had dislocated my right shoulder. A call to my son and I was on my way to the hospital to get it set back in place. There was significant damage, and even now I have to be careful so I do not injure it.

We also had two surprise cria (baby alpacas); one in February 2012, and the other in April. When we bought our little herd we were told all of the females were open (not bred), so the little additions were very unexpected. The February cria was born in the snow, so by the time I found him he was very cold. Had I been expecting him, I would have checked much earlier.

I quickly realized he would need a coat, as he wasn't big enough to stay warm on his own. With my limited arm use, I struggled through making him a coat so he would survive the night. Cria coats are available for sale, but I needed one immediately; there was no waiting for one to get shipped to me. It took a couple of tries, but I managed to get one made that worked quite nicely.

When cria number two arrived in April, I was ready. I had a hunch the female might be pregnant, so checked on her early everyday. Why is it the mothers always seem to give birth in the worst places? The February one was in the snow, the April one was in the dirt. Neither one could be bothered to have their baby in the straw; silly girls. I was glad my shoulder was a bit better, as I was the only one home to tend to the new arrival. I dried her off, and moved her over to the straw. It was a nice sunny day, so she stood up much quicker than the February boy.

The summer was spent working on my garden, tending to the alpacas and writing articles and a book. I started two websites; one for my freelancing business, and the other for our alpaca farm. They have both taken up some time, and I now have them the way I want them. My goal was to combine blog and website, and for the most part that has worked. I did learn today that even though I haven't added any new content here for over a year, I am still attracting some traffic.

The fall left us devastated, as my mother-in-law (CL) passed away suddenly. It was a big shock for all of us, so that in itself took its toll on us for awhile. When life settled down a bit it was harvest season, so I did what I could to help my Dad and Uncle with bringing in the crop. I spent a few days on the combine (not something I had done much of before), which was a relatively new experience for me. The early winter put a damper on the harvest, and I'm sure the deer have been well fed over the winter.

November had me writing a novel (I registered for NaNoWriMo), which was in essence a step out of my comfort zone. I was a nonfiction writer up until that point, but am quite proud of the novel I created in 30 days (this was with being in a truck for the better part of two weeks in November hauling bales). I pushed myself to finish, and submitted my manuscript with less than a few hours to spare.

December had me editing, and I self-published it with CreateSpace and Kindle shortly before Christmas. It is now available on Amazon, Kindle, Kobo and Kbuuk (a new kid on the block). Sales have been sparse, but with my additional titles I know my goals will be reached. The sequel to my novel will be written in the coming months, with a personal publication deadline set for mid-summer 2013.

I have recently revised my Craft Shop Report, which has been available on Kindle for over one year. The revised edition can be found here. I have covered the basics for setting up a Craft Shop without the need to purchase substantial inventory. This edition also includes three patterns, which are valued at $9.97.

Now that I have brought you up to date with what has been happening, I will say this - I will be posting more regular updates. I know daily is not possible, but I will aim for a minimum of one post a week. Thank you for staying with me and being so patient and understanding. Until next time, have a great day!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! My, how time flies!

I have been busy with my writing and blogging (two new blogs which cater to more specific areas of expertise). The first is in direct relation to my book series, The Homemaker Helper. The second is focused on my writing career and the steps I am taking to achieve success. I would appreciate you taking the time to visit them both and leave a comment.

Christmas was busy as always, but all went well and we spent time with family. The kids went back to school today after their two week long vacation (they weren't very happy about it) and I am getting back into my routine. My son spent a part of his holiday studying for Diplomas, as they are to be written this week. They don't have much class time to review before the tests so he took advantage of the quiet time at home. I wish him the best of luck!

I received a Kobo Vox from my partner as a gift and am completely thrilled with it! You can read my review here, and also find out about some of the apps here. I have read several books on it already and have been able to use the Notepad to write articles and blog posts. I can be just a little more mobile now that I don't have to sit at my computer to work. I am quite enjoying the change of scenery. It will be even nicer when I can work outside; I will most likely put a chair in the alpaca pen and write from there.

I will try to post more regularly here in the future. Once again, please visit my other blogs to see what has been happening in the way of my books, crafts and life in general.

Thanks and have a great day!

Diane

New Course

I have just written and published a new course on writing eBooks. It walks the student through the process of writing, pricing, publishing and marketing eBooks. It is an affordable course which could lead to a very nice income for the right person. For those who are interested in writing, I encourage you to take the course. there are no time limits for completion, although you will want to get it finished as soon as possible so you may begin reaping the rewards.

Good luck and have a great day!

Alpacas and Saskatoons

Wow! Has it been over a month already since I posted? It is hard to believe!

I have been busy with berry picking and alpaca wrangling; our wonderful alpacas have made it a point to escape on an almost daily basis. My daughter and I converted the horse pen into an alpaca pen; which meant replacing the barbed wire with page wire. They have been in their new home for over 24 hours now and have not attempted an escape; let's hope it stays that way!

Now, for the saskatoons; they are absolutely delicious, especially with whipping cream and sugar. They aren't so bad in pies either. I have picked at least 10 ice cream pails full, and there are more to pick. This is the first year I have picked and sold any; usually I pick them for our own use and let friends and family have some too. We have eaten at least two buckets full with cream and sugar; one was made into pie filling and some were sold. I picked another two pails full today, and there are at least another five buckets full on the trees. I think the birds, bugs and bears are going to have a good feast as well, as the berries are starting to dry up.

Summer is always busy with gardening, lawn cutting and just being outside. Our winters get so bitterly cold I like to spend as much time outside in summer as possible. Speaking of which, it is time to go out and get some Swiss Chard and lettuce out of the garden. Have a great day!

Our Alpacas Have Arrived!

I picked up our alpacas on Tuesday! I am so excited to have them here! I have been busy fencing so I could bring them home; now I am fencing more so I can expand their pens. We bought five females and two males; now that they seem settled we will set up a breeding pen and make our matches. We have a variety of colors as well, so it will be interesting to see what colors of cria we get next spring.

They have not been sheared yet, so that will be another project for us in the very near future. I am looking forward to working with the fleece; I have plans to buy a spinning wheel so I can make my own yarn. I will be crocheting hats and scarves to begin with, plus mitts and socks as soon as I can find a good pattern. I will be a very busy girl this winter.

In the meantime, I will continue to post on my blogs in hopes of earning enough revenue to build an alpaca barn; or better yet purchase a farm which has suitable facilities already available. Thank you for your support and I will be posting items for sale when I have them ready.

Fabric Prices Reduced!

Just a quick note...I still have mountains of fabric left that I will never use. It is 100% cotton quilting fabric and still on the bolt. I am cutting fat quarters and am bundling up seven for the price of five. For any two or more bundles ordered, I will throw in a half meter cut of 100% cotton broadcloth. Contact me and I will invoice you through PayPal. Each bundle is $23.00 which includes shipping and handling.

I am needing to make room for my spinning wheel which I will be purchasing soon. I will have alpaca yarn and fleece available in the not too distant future. I will be bringing our alpaca herd home early next month, and will be able to start working with the fiber shortly thereafter. I will post links to my alpaca blog when I have it up and running.

Have a great day!

Alpacas & Horses

It has been several weeks since I posted on this Blog; I have some news! We are getting a small herd of alpacas in less than a month! We will be bringing them home after 4H is finished for the year. My daughter is unsure if she will be joining again next year. The alpacas will be so much easier for her and I to handle than the calves.

I let our horses out of their pen today so they could graze on the nice green grass around the yard. It was quite funny, because the one kept looking toward the corral at the calves. I don't think he could quite figure out what they were. The pens are on opposite ends of the yard, so they don't see each other much, if at all.

I will not be sad to see the calves go...well, perhaps a little. I had an argument with the pen mate today, and he almost won. Okay, he did win...I would have fought harder, but he was trying to destroy my corral. Posts should not make cracking sounds! Tomorrow a good friend comes over and we try to get a halter on...again...and see how well he can be led. Hopefully it goes well!

I cannot wait to get the alpacas home...and to start working with them and making yarn and other things out of their fleece. I will be on the lookout for a spinning wheel so I can spin my own yarn...I have watched videos on YouTube and it doesn't look difficult at all. It will be a very interesting and profitable experience.