Hillbilly Hilburns

Friday, November 30, 2012

Flashback: Xmas Presents 2011

Here's a look at what I gave most of the gals in my family last Christmas.

I rummaged through my very large stash of bed sheets (see "Flashback: Xmas Presents 2010" for what else I did with bed sheets) & made braided rugs.

I cut the fabric into strips, using my rotary cutter (thanks, honey, for that Xmas gift!), braided the strips into one very long strip, and then sewed in a circular pattern on my sewing machine. I used felt for the backing, which worked pretty well; however, if you're intending to put the rug on a wood floor, you may want to add a strip of rubber to the bottom (so nobody goes flying...and then falling).

It was fun!

Flashback: Xmas Presents 2010

Here are the Christmas presents I made for a few of the gals in my family. It's always fun giving hand-made gifts, even though my sewing & knitting skills are super simple!!

A few knitted scarves & washclothes...

My mom was empyting her linen closet and needed to get rid of bed sheets she'd had for years. Some of them had been my Great-Grandmother's. I used these as well as my own extra bed-sheets to make cloth napkins for my sister & sister-in-law. I washed all top sheets, cut & surged them. I was pleased with how well they turned out...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Happy Days Are Here Again

This was Baby Hilburn at 9 weeks...that was 5 weeks ago.

That's right, folks! I am pregnant again!!!! I am 3 1/2 months pregnant (or 14 weeks 4 days to be exact).

Three months after our miscarriage, we were oh-so-pleasantly suprised to find out that we were expecting another little miracle.

I am enjoying being in the 2nd trimester--no longer sick & getting fatter.

Our midwife doesn't offer ultrasounds (to do that we'd pay a fee to the OBGYN she works with), so we won't get to see Baby Hilburn again until he or she enters this world around April 20, 2013. The above ultra-sound was taken by a charitable organization that graciously offered me a one-time free unltrasound, so that's that!

We have been able to hear the baby's heartbeat several times as well as the super-cool "baby movement" sounds.

Again, thank you to our countless friends and family members who have cried, laughed & cried again with us through life's journey. We know that we've never walked alone.

This song, by my favorite artist, says it all.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Porches, Phase I

We've needed some porches around our trailer for a LONG time; however, we had to wait to move the trailer to it's final resting place first.

So, now it's time!

Phase I began with adding a roof over this old trailer to:

1. Give added protection against rain & snow
2. Be a buffer between our thin roof & the summer sun

Here's a log of our progress from March to August. At the end of August, when it was still quite toasty outside, we could really feel a difference in the inside temperature of the trailer. Our a/c units alone actually made it bearable inside this little home on wheels.

MARCH

We collected poles for trusses, and this yellow beast really helped!

Then we (the Biggers) dug 30 holes for concrete piers for the upright poles.

Collecting upright poles...

APRIL

Now it was time to start on the concrete piers (again, 30)!

MAY/JUNE

The concrete piers get a bolt sunk into the middle of each one. The upright pole will have a hole drilled into the bottom to rest on the bolt. The strapping will then be attached on either side of the pole to keep it firmly attached to the concrete pier...