The Man Behind OTR

Good Morning~

Today I'd like to introduce you to Evan...he's the man.



You may know Evan as my lova, since that is how I mostly refer to him here and on twitter.



Evan has a major passion for fishing and he is an INCREDIBLE fisherman. We call him the fish slayer. That nickname isn't totally accurate though since he is more of a catch and release kind of guy. Evan cares very deeply for all creatures and doesn't like to cause harm. <3



Evan also shares his passion for fishing with little Taylor B., our 3 year old.



Did I mention Evan is an amazing father? Well he is. Also, he bakes the most delicious bread, takes out the trash, scrubs the toilet, and puts air in my tires.



Evan and I have so much fun together every single day, and we have since the very first day we met.


This is us the first summer we started dating...we look like babies!



Evan is my very best friend and my partner in every way. And as for OTR, OnTheRound would not even exists if it wasn't for Evan's support and encouragement. He pushed me to be brave enough to start my own business. He puts up with fiber EVERYWHERE, my constant shop talk, and most importantly he puts up with my intensity- and yes my friends, I can be INTENSE.

So here's to Evan, he is the man.

be well, be positive.

rAchel

Daydream Believer Batt Series

You may have noticed a lot of chatter about washing fleece and dyeing wool from me in the last month. Well now it is officially time for me to reveal the fruits of my labor!

I am proud to introduce....



Day dream believer batts are a squishable, huggable, loveable blend of farm fresh fibers. These fibers have all been bought as raw fleece and hand washed, dyed, and carded by moi. It has been a long slow and beautiful process full of whimsical daydreams.

Daydream believer batts are filled with Merino, Cormo, Corriedale, Border Leicester, Clun Forrest, and Rambouillet fleeces. There may also be Mohair, Sparkle, Handspun bits, Coopworth, Targee, Lincoln Locks, &/or BFL.

This batts are excellent for spinning functional handspun or novelty art yarn. And lets not forget about felting! These batts are all 100% feltable wool!

Here are a couple of goodies that I have spun up using Daydream Believer Batts...







Be sure to check out my Daydream Believer Batts available now at OnTheRound!

Be well & Be positive

rAchel

Having Fun in the Sun

Yesterday, TT, Bessie and I spent the ENTIRE day outside in the sun and had we LOTS of fun!

Sometimes, let's be honest, most of the time, it is very hard for me to pull myself away from work and really enjoy myself. But yesterday was just one of those perfect days where I was just having too much fun to be thinking about work.



Us girls spent from 9:30 to 3 up to camp swimming, digging in the dirt, sun bathing, snacking, and knitting, well I was the only one knitting. Then, I loaded up the canoe (ALL by MYSELF!) and we headed home for an early dinner. Then we met up with another family and took the kiddos fishing, well ok, I was knitting.

Every single bit of the day was a total BLAST! I look forward to more of these perfect days ahead in this short, but sweet summer season.

If you are interested in doing more things outside with your family, I highly recommend checking out my sisters Blog: The Maine Family Outside, Tips and Tools for Outdoors-Minded Families.

And now, I need to get back to work!

Be well, be positive & HAVE SOME FUN!

rAchel

And The Winner Is....

I am happy to announce the winner of OnTheRound's first ever blog giveaway!

Drum roll please....the winner is commment #5.....Yay- Allyson of The Sweatshop Of Love!



I would like to say Thank You every one of you who left such sweet comments. It seems like we all have crazy, busy, fun, productive summers coming our way! Also, thank you for Random.org for choosing the winner.

'Tis The Season... For Fresh Tomatoes

On Saturday, I scoped out a the Searmont Farmers Market off of Rt. 131 after getting a call from my lova who drove past it on his way to Bangor. He saw a booth with local goat cheese and new that I would want to get some- I LOVE goat cheese. So I loaded Bessie up and off we went for a lovely little drive to the small, but plentiful market.

I immediately found my goat cheese at Second Wind Farm. I had a great chat with the owner Suzanne and got to taste all of her flavors including pesto, garlic and herb de provence. I had to make the herb de provence mine, it was creamy and just a little tart with a perfect blend of herbs. I pretty much had to hold myself back from eating the whole container on the spot!

My next stop was at Green Arrow Farms. My brother has been best friends with owner Dee Boehmer's son for forever and it was great to chat about tomatoes and life. Dee and her husband grow Hydroponic tomatoes that are the redest red you will ever see- they are gorgeous, juicy, and sweet! She had some yummy roasted tomatoes out for the sampling and after tasting them I knew that I wanted to make some of my own. So, I purchased 3 lbs of paste tomatoes and Dee told me her recipe.


Paste Tomatoes from Green Arrow Farm

With that, I headed back home with nothing but roasted tomatoes and herb de provence goat cheese on my mind.

Back at the house I gathered my materials and got right to making. Here is the recipe and instructions for Dee's Roasted Tomatoes:





You will need:

Paste Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt
Sugar
Oregano or Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Pastry Brush
Cookie Sheets
Knife
Cutting Board

Directions:

Slice your tomatoes into about 1/4" slices and lay them out on your cookie sheet. It's okay if they overlap a little but don't over crowd. Next, brush olive oil all over the tomatoes in a nice thin, even coat. Be sure to use a good quality EVOO for this- it will make a difference! Now sprinkle your seasonings over all the tomatoes- the amount is up to you, just make sure every tomato has some of everything. Finally, drizzle another layer of EVVO over everything. Place cookie sheets in your oven at 200 degrees and bake them for about 5 hours.







Easy right? Mmm, and I can't tell you how good my house smelled while the tomatoes were baking! Once your tomatoes are cooled you can store them in a jar filled with more olive oil (this will keep them from molding). They should last up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator or you can portion them out into bags and freeze them.

Just before heading into work I made myself the most delicious snack with my goat cheese, wasa crisps and roasting tomatoes. YUM! Later this week I plan on making a penne pasta with farm fresh spinach, roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese- if there is any left!





I highly recommend this recipe- it is easy to make and the results are amazing! If you try it, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Be well, be positive and GO to the farmers market!

rAchel

Give It Away....

Hello~

Since my move I've been feeling a bit out of sorts: summer is officially here so I am working more nights at the restaurant, my house is certainly crazy and everything is being moved around every day, and we have a new doggy that is keeping me busy and rocking any shred of a routine that I may have left.

(Follow my re-arranging & settling in progress here)

So, to help me get my creative mojo back, I've decided to bring back some of my all time favorite colorways in both yarn and roving. This way I have a big project to focus on that will help me get those creative juices flowing again- no matter what kind of chaos is happening in my life! So far, it's working.

In honor of this fun and inspiring project- I'd like to give something back, or away as the case may be!



or



The winner of this OTR Giveaway can choose between 5 oz of hand painted merino wool roving OR 160 yards of handspun merino wool yarn!

Here's how to win, leave me a comment below telling me about your summer plans- creative, or otherwise! Also, while you're at it, some sharing love would be great too: link it, tweet it, post it, whatever you like! Please just make sure you leave me your email address so I know how to reach you in case you win. The winner will be chosen in one week on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010.

Also, be sure to check in with OTR's etsy shop all summer long to see some of these classic colorways!

How about getting in the give-a-way mood with some Red Hot Chili Pepper's

Be well, be positive!

rAchel

Maine Fiber Frolic

Today we took a family trip to the Windsor Fair Grounds for the 10th Annual Fiber Frolic! The weather was terrible, but we had a blast anyway.



There were lots of beautiful animals to see and friendly fiber folks to chat up!



TT and Evan did a lot of wandering while I searched through the fleece tent. They are always so patient with me when I'm having a fiber attack.





Oh the fleece tent... I pretty much lost my mind for an hour as I went through ALL the fleeces for sale! Merino, Alpaca, Corriedale, Lincoln, Coopworth, Romney, Border Leicester, and on and on and on, black, brown, white, gray... in a word, heaven.







Finally, I settled on some heather gray Lincoln locks and some super crimpy Corriedale.





Yay! I'm super excited about this last round of farm fresh fleece! I will be washing and dyeing all this week and hopefully will start my turbo carding session by next weekend!

Happy Saturday!

b.e.w.e.l.l.BE.p.o.s.i.t.i.v.e

Summer Lovin'

Things have been very busy around here in the last couple of weeks- I've got a lot of things brewing right now but I'm not quite ready to spill the beans! I will tell you this...there is a giveaway in the works so be sure to check back next week...

















I hope you are all healthy and happy!

be well. be positive

rAchel