Sweet Songs

Queen for a Leap Day

2012-02-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today, after an offhand Facebook status (Since this is sort of an "extra" day, and it's going to storm anyway, who is in favor of taking the day off? If I were Queen, I'd make it so, but since I'm not, guess I better get going! Make it a good Wednesday, friends!), I was elected/selected Queen by my peers.

So, I've been giving this a lot of thought, and have come up with the following rules and regulations; you are welcome to come stay, if you will abide by the following:

Be nice or go home
Work hard at work you love, and produce something good every day
Read. Preferably in a comfy chair
No whining
Listen to lovely music
Vacation like the French, nap like the Spanish and have a lovely cup of tea each afternoon like the British.
Government subsidized corgis for everyone
Tip at least 20%
Bike! If you can't bike, you must drive a Mini Cooper
Make art. Enjoy art
No smoking. (Sorry, my queendom, my rules)
Knit a little, if you can
Share
Sit down to supper each evening with people you love
8 glasses of water a day, 8 hours of sleep
Never complain
Limited 15 minutes per day cell phone use; no texting
Throw a party as often as possible
No littering
Love with all your heart
Garden and keep a few chickens in the back yard
No political/religious/ethnic/hurtful jokes or commentary
Do something nice for someone else. Every day. Mandatory

So, when it's your turn to be Queen (or King), how will your little corner of the Earth look?

Peace

Lenten Give and Take -- 40 Bags in 40 Days

2012-02-23T22:00:00.003-08:00

So have you heard of this 40 Bags in 40 Days program? Lots of bloggers are talking about it -- look here for an example. It's a way to de-clutter your home, 1 bag of stuff at a time, 40 days in a row.

I think it's a fantastic idea for those who have stick-to-it-tiveness, which as you know, I don't. I also believe that clearing your home of clutter is a pathway to peace -- at least that's what I try to tell the people I live with.

I think I am going to try this, in my own inconsistent way. It may not happen 40 times during Lent, and you know I wouldn't be able to stick to a cool chart, but I think I have a plan.

In my work, I visit Provisions food pantry and Anchor House Shelter at least once a week. It really wouldn't be any big deal to take a bag of groceries with me each time I go.

My friends at Knit Night love sharing yarn -- taking a plastic sack of yarn with me each time we meet during Lent will significantly reduce my yarn inventory. (In the past, I had a bad habit of buying yarn without a specific project in mind, just because it was pretty or on sale. I've gotten much better about this, but still have ~~some~~ a lot to share!)

I have some books to put in a bag and take to the Friends of the Library book sale.

I have a stack of Country Living and Martha magazines I could take to the Lutheran Home.

I could take a bag of cookies to my neighbors.

I should take a bag of coins (collected from the bottom of my purse and the floor of my car) to church to put in the Change Haiti collection.

And of course, if forced, I could clean something and take a bag of stuff to Goodwill.

A bagful of Peace.

Thoughts on Lent, More or Less

2012-02-22T05:04:00.001-08:00

I'll just confess it now.

I'm lousy at Lent.
Much in the same way I'm lousy at New Year's Resolutions, willpower and self discipline.

Which is why my butt is the size it is, my teeth aren't sparkly white and why my bed goes unmade most days.

I've been a Catholic for almost 28 years now, but I would wager a guess that I haven't successfully navigated even one Lenten season having fulfilled my promises. I blow it every time.

And not because I want to -- I just do.

I have a lot of respect for those who give up dessert, TV, Facebook or coffee for the entire duration of Lent -- good for them -- that must feel fantastic. But I've found that for me, "giving up" something doesn't seem to draw me closer to Jesus, it just makes me cranky.

So I have adopted a more-or-less attitude about Lent, which seems to work pretty well for me:

Less taking, more giving

Less sitting, more walking

Less coffee, more water

Less complaining, more enjoying

Less spending, more saving

Less hating, more loving

Less TV, more reading

Less talking, more thinking

Less mess, more cleaning

I'm not making any promises about blogging daily (because you know, that's a self-discipline thing) but I am thinking about writing on each of these. Stay tuned.

Peace

School Auction!

2012-02-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the things I made for the annual auction:

This is my first quilt made with my new machine. I didn't have a pattern, just an idea from some other banner quilts I have seen recently, and of course, those fantastic Japanese travel-inspired fabrics -- Parisian landmarks, Hawaiian hula dancers, Eskimo children, subway maps, London double-decker buses and Japanese geisha girls! (I think this quilt is headed to a new baby in Michigan, whose parents were in the Peace Corps - perfect! I had bought the fabrics with a quilt for my little friend, Georgie, in mind -- I had started a sweater for him when he was born, but he has grown like a weed and I thought a quilt would be a wiser choice -- I have plenty of fabric to re-create this quilt for him. Plus, knowing his family, I think as he grows he will appreciate the worldly theme of this quilt!) I machine appliqued the flags onto the white backing, then appliqued on bias tape for the ribbon. I cut out the letters with my Cricut (not sure I'll do that again -- I think I have better luck hand-cutting them with freezer paper) and appliqued them on, then machine quilted around everything.

The backing is a piece I've had for a few years -- "hello" in many languages -- and the binding is a Russian-inspired print.

Speaking of Russia, this babushka quilt is my own design, too. When Clay goes to Russia, he brings home vodka and matryoshka dolls, which I just love (the dolls, not the vodka). The fruit fabric in this quilt is a collection I've had for probably 10 years; I had planned on doing a basket block with each of the fruit designs, but never got around to that -- so, the fabric was perfect for this quilt, and I wish I had another 1/2 yard of each so I could make another quilt just like this one!

Each of the dolls has a little pocket, and I embroidered their mouths and french knot eyes, then added a little colored pencil blush on their cheeks.

I added a strip-pieced strip (!) on the back for a little color, then quilted in lots and lots of curly-q's -- I didn't quilt over the doll appliques, though -- I'm not sure if I should have or not. Hmmm. I need a lot more practice with free-motion quilting, but was happy with how these first attempts turned out.

Yet another stocking in the Cascade pattern:

I knit up one Christmas stocking for the auction, and gave a certificate for three more. After my friend, Barb, had the winning bid, two more people came and asked me if I could knit them a set of stockings for their families, too -- of course I will, but I should have offered to teach them to knit!

For the dessert auction, I made our famous Pinkalicous cupcakes.

Peace.

Heavy Sigh

2012-02-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

Mr. Engineered4Life left at 4:45 this morning for 3 -- count 'em, 3 -- weeks away on business. One week in Japan, 1 week in India, 1 week in China.

Oh, I'll be fine. The bills are paid, my car got the once-over, the water softener is filled, the furnace filters changed.

And I have Will and Zoe to keep me company. I won't be lonely.

And I have plenty to do. In fact, I have planned extra stuff for myself during these three weeks, outside of work and regularly scheduled events such as laundry and dishes. I plan to clean the basement, read 2 novels, lose 10 pounds, knit at least one sock, learn to play the fiddle, finish revisions on Chuck's book and work on my own book.

(I believe in setting my goals high. If I at least get Chuck's book done and go on a couple of walks with Zoe, I'll be happy.)

But I will miss my friend. I'll miss him at the school auction tonight and the Lenten Friday fish frys. I'll miss him sitting on the couch with me and watching the Oscars. I'll miss him on Will's birthday. I'll miss him making coffee for me in the mornings and supper in the evenings. I'll miss telling him about all the crazy stuff that happens during my day, and listening to him laugh. Oh, cell phones are great, and I am thankful that we're able to talk every day, but it's just not the same now, is it?

Three weeks is a long time to be separated from the one you love. It seems even longer when you're separated from the one you like. You know what I mean?

Peace.

PS As I was writing this post, I got a call from Chuck -- he is sending me a big box of revisions plus a DVD on the Korean War. Plenty to do!

I'm Recruiting Bloggers . . .

2012-02-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

I don't have many spare moments to blog this week, but promise you some good pictures as soon as I get my school auction items completed.

In the interim, I'd like to introduce you to a new blogger who I am pretty crazy about; he blogs at engineered4life.

Peace

Back to Happy

2012-02-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Here is some good stuff, to calm my spirit and re-center on the happy.

- Mr. Fix-it has the coffee maker back up and running. How I love ~~coffee~~ him.

- Being with Purdue friends last Friday night. We grab every opportunity to be with them. Love our Purdue friends.

- Knit Night. Six years now, and it never gets old -- always some new knitters, new projects, plus old friends and good old patterns! Love my KN friends.

- Kitchen Therapy. Friday mornings in the school kitchen are the greatest cure for what ails me. Love my St. A friends. Even Doug.

- Adele will be singing at the Grammys! Setting the DVR for her 60 Minutes intereview, too.

- An Excellent Book. I finished Caleb's Crossing last week. Read it.

- A Birthday Week. Little Nate turned 6 yesterday, Big Nate turned 28. We celebrate together tomorrow.

- Sewing. My cranky machine had been taking the fun right out of sewing and making me curse (OK, so it doesn't take much). So, thanks to my new job, I saved some $ and bought myself a new machine:

Fun sewing. No more cursing. Project pictures soon.

Peace.

Why Am I So Cranky?

2012-02-09T13:39:00.003-08:00

Reading over my last two posts, I realize I used the term "asshole" in each of them. Sorry -- that's not very ladylike. I'm not sorry I used the term, though, I'm just sorry it's not ladylike.

You know me. I try so very hard to be happy: Life is good. Look on the bright side. Count your blessings.

But this week, I'm just feeling cranky.

It might be because I broke our coffee maker.
It might be because Clay is getting ready to leave for 3 weeks.
It might be because this weird weather is making my head throb 24/7.
It might be because I am still having a bit of trouble with time management -- I haven't come to a peaceful spot in this "working/housework/writing/other stuff I love to do" world I now find myself in.

But I really think it's because I am so tired of people being cruel to each other.

And I am particularly tired of people being cruel to others in the name of my pal, Jesus.

This means you, One Million Moms. (I'm not going to link up to their site or the FB page, because I don't want to expose you to any meanies.) And that's what they are. Big meanies, aka bullies.

Because anyone who loudly pronounces universal judgments about others because of their race, ethnicity or sexual preference is nothing but a bully. And bullies who hide behind the "Christian" label are my least favorite bullies of all. I think the OMMs know this, but let me make it clear -- Jesus wasn't a bully. And he didn't particularly care for those who were. AND, he had a very soft spot and loving heart for those who were bullied. That's why I love him so.

I read the One Million Mom site. I've read their successes. One of their recent victories is having convinced several advertisers to withdraw their commercials from the "Modern Family" episode where the toddler Lily keeps using the f-word.

I don't know about you, but if I raise children who are loving toward all people, not judgmental of those who are different than them, and giving of themselves to the betterment of humanity, I could care less if they drop the f-bomb now and then. (OK, maybe not when they were 3, but you know what I mean.)

And I would bet you almost One Million Bucks that when Ellen Degeneres films her JC Penney ads, she won't mention being gay. Not once. Kind of like how Clint Eastwood didn't mention that he was heterosexual in the Super Bowl ad Sunday evening (greatest man in the best commercial of the night, IMO, followed closely by the VW dog, who didn't mention his sexuality, either).

So here's what I would say to the OMM's -- turn off the TV and quit shopping at JCP if you don't like it that Ellen is their new spokeswoman. Or, on the other hand, maybe watch a few episodes of her show so that you can see how loving, kind and generous she is.

And take a look at another Million Moms -- the ones who have taken the challenge to make life a little easier for pregnant moms in third world countries.

Because this cruel shit really has to stop. Before my head explodes.

Peace.

One of those guys

2012-02-07T20:50:00.001-08:00

You know those guys?

Those guys who think they have it all figured out?
Those guys who think they're smarter than you because they're guys and you're not?
Those guys who try to engage you in a religious/political/ethical debate but don't really want to listen to your side because they are too busy thinking of what they are going to say next?
Those guys who always seem a little surprised when you can come back with a witty reply to their asshole pontifications?

Yeah. Me, too.

The Dirty Little Pink Ribbon -- My Komen/Planned Parenthood Rant

2012-02-04T20:41:00.002-08:00

This morning, during Good Morning, America, I read on the news scroll that Planned Parenthood was "pleased with the Komen Foundation's decision to restore funding to Planned Parenthood."

Well, I'm not pleased. Not one little bit.

Honestly, I have been at odds with Komen for some time; I am baffled and angry that they continue to accept money from corporations whose products and/or ingredients are antithetical to good health -- breast health in particular. Don't get me started on Yoplait or KFC (because I've ranted about them before, here and here.) And I don't know who was asleep at the wheel of the Good Ship Komen when they rolled out their signature fragrance, "Promises"; do these girls not read? Don't they know that for years women have been warned of the possible link between the chemicals in perfumes and cancer? Good grief -- even if all that research would be disproven tomorrow, wouldn't you think a Foundation focused on cancer prevention would take a wide, wide tack around an association with a product that could be a carcinogen?

And I'm not crazy about how they spend our money. If Komen really is "for the cure", don't you think they should spend more than 20% of their yearly income on research? According to their latest published report, they gave only 13% toward screening services and only 5% on treatment.

Their biggest slice of the pie -- 40% -- goes toward public health education, also known as "awareness".

If there is still a woman in the US who isn't aware of breast cancer, roll the rock off of her and send her to me -- I can educate her for $0.0 in about 5 minutes.

It's time to flip those numbers around -- how about 5% for awareness and 40% for research? Send back all those barrels of pink ink that packaging companies use in October and use the refunds for mammograms. And someone tell those guys in the NFL that they can quit wearing silly pink sweatbands and footwear; we are all quite aware. Give all that money spent on the pink gear to women who can't afford their chemo, because we get it. Breast cancer is bad, pink is good.

But just because pink is good, don't use the ribbon willy-nilly for your fund raiser, and don't even THINK about dubbing your event "for the cure"; even if it is for lung cancer, or prostate cancer or toenail cancer, Komen will sue your ass. Aren't we all in this together? Apparently not, if you step on their trademarked motto or logo. They will spend a million dollars a year to make sure that you don't try to sell "Cupcakes for the Cure" at your local bake sale.

I will admit to being a huge fan of Komen until just a few years ago; walking in the Race for the Cure let me do something to remember my mom, raise awareness, give a little $ to an important cause and fill my closet with t-shirts from the events. And I greatly admired Nancy Brinker, and her promise to her dying sister that she would work for an end to breast cancer, and not quit until there was a cure. And even though I could say some pretty rotten things about her, I won't, because I try really hard not to be mean to others.

I guess that's part of what I promised my mother when she was dying of breast cancer -- I promised I would take care of myself and my family, do self-exams, get yearly mammograms and play nice with others.

But Komen has forgotten how to play nice with others. Even when those others are women who desperately need the funding Komen can provide. Even when the only place those women can find the care they need is at Planned Parenthood.

As a Catholic, I know I'm not supposed to say nice things about Planned Parenthood. For the record, and to hopefully keep my Catholic card punched, let me say right here that I am against abortion, and look for the day when no pregnant woman would see abortion as her only, final choice.

But unlike my Catholic brothers who make the rules, I believe that the best way to prevent abortions is through education and (watch out, I'm going to say it) birth control. And I believe that the agency who best knows how to disperse sex education and birth control is Planned Parenthood.

I know, I know. It's a tricky, labyrinthine slope leading straight to hell that I am treading upon. But I believe that if I proclaim that I am "pro-life," that means I have to be pro-all life. I have to be pro-life for death row inmates (which I most certainly am), and pro-life for assholes who make even bigger assholes of themselves by spouting their asshole agendas outside military funerals (which I most certainly am not pro-, and hope to someday be forgiven for loving them not one little bit). It means I am pro-unborn babies, but I also must be pro-their sweet, scared moms, whether or not they choose to have their babies.

And to me, what is most important is that I must be pro-life for those people who are not privileged to have access to shelter, food, education and healthcare. I can't fix all their lives, but like my hero, Mother Teresa (who was firmly anti-abortion and would probably wag her finger at me for this blog post) said, with love, I can do what little I can do. And if that means supporting an agency like Planned Parenthood, which has a great potentional to fix lives, then I will.

Komen's transparently insincere re-funding of Planned Parenthood will probably do some good for a lot of women, so I guess I should just shut up and let it be. But I'm just tired of Komen and their kidnapping of breast cancer to the benefit of their bank accounts, "corporate branding" and political agenda. I am sick, sick, sick to death of the politicizing of women's health issues.

When the pink ribbon gets political, as it did this week, it's no longer a sweet symbol of solidarity among all women -- it's a dirtied little reminder of what happens when corporations and politicians make pacts to "benefit" one another instead of benefiting those they claim to serve. I just can't wear it any more. And you can't know just how very sad that makes me.

Some Finds, Some Crafts, Some Sweetness

2012-01-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

It has been the weirdest January I can ever remember, weatherwise. And all this warm weather has me anxious for the auction season to begin. Thank goodness for antique shops and indoor flea markets.

On my way home from Indy last Friday, I stopped at the huge antique mall and found a few things:

Maybe this dessert plate is the start of my Franciscan dinnerware collection. Grandma Hunley had this pattern (Desert Rose), I always loved it and have been thinking about starting a set. Something else to keep my eyes open for at the auctions (this summer's goals: globes, white dishes and inexpensive furniture to re-paint.) The song books were only a dollar apiece, and always come in handy at the Lutheran Home. The handkerchief? Well, I really don't need any more, do I? But since it says "Happy Birthday," how could I resist?

I'm still not acclimated to working 30 hours a week. While I never was very good at keeping up with dusting and laundry, it's a bit worse now. Thank goodness for Fridays off, when I can get a lot accomplished, if I keep moving! But in the middle of a bunch of errands yesterday, I did make a stop at the Goodwill, and found a few things: a yellow rose teacup for .50, the C&I dessert plate for $3.00, a white Williams-Sonoma bowl for a dollar, and the white vase for $3.00. The four wool sweaters have already been through the hot wash/dry cycle twice, ready to be cut apart. I had some big plans for these sweaters, but I laid them out on the workroom floor, and Zoe found a new favorite spot on top of them -- I think I might make a new pillow for her crate from them (and one for the workroom floor, too).

This new fabric (some from superbuzzy, some from fabricworm) is for two quilts, one for a sweet baby boy and one for our school auction. Stay tuned.

I haven't done much crafting lately (besides knitting!) but took the Cricut off the shelf for a little vinyl cutting. This cake carrier was for my supervisor, Lauren. We have birthday lunches at the office (yet another thing to love about my new job) and Lauren had pinned a Snickerdoodle cake to one of her boards. Although I ended up using an easier Cake Mix Doctor recipe, it was delicious. Decorating the carrier was a snap, and if she doesn't care for the monogram or flowers, they are easy to peel off!

I also did this drink cup for my pal, Madge. How cute is that? And so easy.

And just because, here is one of my favorite pictures from Clay's birthday. Sweet.

Peace.

The Joy of Volunteerism

2012-01-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

There are some people you would do almost anything for. My lifelong friend, Blake, is one of those people. He is a teacher at a nearby high school, and today, the school celebrated volunteerism and community service. When Blake asked me to speak at their convocation, I was honored, but nervous about how to tell my story to high school kids in a manner that would avoid the dweebish. Then, he told me I only had 3-5 minutes. Then, he told me the speaker following me would be his niece. Miss America, Katie Stam. No pressure, Georgie. Add to the mix that he wouldn't let me have a podium and had a nice hot spotlight in my face as I gave my presentation. Yikes. I think he owes me a drink. Here's what I said:

On a hot July Saturday night, when I was 8 years old, we had a terrible storm. My dad was down in the barn milking the cows, my mom was at the stove, trying to finish supper before the electricity inevitably went out and me? Well, I was just plain scared. We didn’t realize that lightening had struck the tree next to our house -- it had caught on fire and the fire had spread to our roof-- until dad came running through the door, shouting for us to get out. He called the volunteer fire department, and the volunteer fire department came and saved our home.

My dad was a farmer, but he loved politics. He wasn’t the kind of politician who is on the ballot, however; he was a precinct committeeman, a volunteer position. I loved to ride along with him as he went out to make sure everyone was registered to vote. He opened the polls on Election Day and bought donuts for the poll workers, but I think his greatest joy was driving little old ladies to the polls so that they could exercise their right to vote.

My mom was a nurse, but was a stay-at- home mom while I was growing up. Once every six weeks, she would put on her starched white uniform and her little white cap and go volunteer at the bloodmobile -- she was a Red Cross nurse. (I wore her Red Cross pin today as a little inspiration for myself!) She worked at shot clinics and Girls Scout camps, and in one of my favorite pictures, she is standing outside of the little white first aid building at the Jackson County Fair where she volunteered one day every summer during fair week.

I was asked to come speak to you today because I am a volunteer. Throughout my life, I have done a lot of volunteering and community service, because growing up, I had great volunteer role models. I work with volunteers, and have been helped by volunteers (perhaps the first time by the volunteer fire department!) But I didn’t just want to bore you and list all the volunteer opportunities I’ve been involved with – I wanted to be able to really inspire you.

So I did a little research.

I asked my friends on facebook.

I got almost 40 responses to my question, “Why do you volunteer?” (“Friend” me on FB and you can read all of them!) My friends are very wise, and their answers ranged from the sweet – volunteering makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside – to profound thoughts on servant leadership, Christian duty, selflessness and responsibility.

But the same themes run through all the answers: serving others while doing something you are passionate about is highly rewarding.

Like my mom, who was also a 4-H leader and Sunday School teacher, I am passionate about kids. (Maybe that’s why it was easy to say “yes” to speaking to you today!) One of my greatest and most memorable volunteer jobs was at the Ronald McDonald House in Akron, Ohio. It wasn’t glamorous work – every week it seemed like I got toilet-scrubbing and refrigerator- cleaning duty. But I also got to share with emotionally exhausted parents who needed a clean, warm, comfortable place to land after a difficult day at the hospital with their sick children.

I am passionate about music, and would probably sit and play the piano 8 hours a day if I could. So once a week, my "band" (me and four gentlemen, two of whom are over 90!) play for the residents of the Lutheran Community Home while they eat their lunch. It’s not exactly great music, but it is great fun for both the band members and the residents; they are always happy to see us and so appreciative, despite the fact that we play the same songs almost every week.

I am passionate about teaching. Although I was trained as an English teacher, I have taught art, music, sewing, quilting and scrapbooking as a volunteer. For the past 6 years, I have taught a knitting class twice a month at the Jackson County Public Library. In turn, the knitters in my group have made many items for distribution to those in need – baby caps to Riley Hospital, scarves for kids who “age out” of foster care, afghans for women in Afghanistan, just so they know that women on the other side of the world are thinking about and praying for them. You never know when passing on your knowledge of something you are passionate about might just spark a passion in someone else.

And finally, I am passionate about changing the world. When I went away to college, that’s what I thought I was going to do. I was going to follow my dad’s example, get involved in politics and change the world that way. It didn't take me long to realize that it probably wasn't going to work out that way! Luckily, I started to study the writings of Mother Teresa (one of my personal heroes), and realized that changing the world happens one person at a time, one little thing at a time.
One bag of groceries at a time, one hot meal at a time, one rescued puppy at a time, one warm coat at a time, one ride to the cancer center at a time.

To paraphrase Mother Teresa, it doesn't really matter how much you are able to do, but with how much love you do it.

I can tell you how much I have learned from volunteering. How much I have grown as a person, how many friends I have made, how much satisfaction I get from helping others, and how tired I am at the end of a busy day. But the best way for you to understand how good volunteering makes you feel is to do it yourself.
Find your passion.
Give of yourself.
I can promise you, it will change you in ways you can never imagine.

I would like to leave you with these words, taken from a Franciscan blessing:

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Thank you. And peace to you all.

2012 Reading List

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm open to great book suggestions any time of year, but have found that the "best of the year" lists published in December are a good way for me to keep up.

Yes, I realize that this puts me a whole year behind the literary world, but since I'm not in grad school, no longer subscribe to the NYT Review of Books and just read what I really like to read, a year behind is where I am content to be.

(I was secretly pleased, however, to see that I have read at least one book that showed up on many of the Best of 2011 lists -- Ann Patchett's State of Wonder.)

So here is my reading list for 2012; wish me luck.

The Marriage Plot (Jeffrey Eugenides)
The Call ((Yannick Murphy)
I Married You For Happiness (Lily Tuck)
The Devil All the Time (Donald Ray Pollack)
The Dovekeepers (Alice Hoffman)
Caleb's Crossing (Geraldine Brooks)
Swamplandia! (Karen Russell)
Train Dreams (Denis Johnson)
Forgotten Bookmarks (Michael Popek)
A Good Hard Look (Ann Napolitano)
On Canaan's Side (Sebastian Berry)
The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes)
The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)
Once Upon a River (Bonnie Jo Campbell)
Bright and Distant Shores (Dominic Smith)
Blue Nights (Joan Didion -- although The Year of Magical Thinking almost did me in!)

And, just to keep Clay happy, I will add Atlas Shrugged. Yikes.

Peace.

Best of 2011

2012-01-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

2011 was filled with many, many good things.
If I made a list like David Letterman, this note would definitely belong in my Top Ten:

And the recipe, on the back:

Peace. And joy. And lots of #4, all year long.

Happy 2012

2011-12-31T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well done, 2011.
You took our sorrows and brought us joys.
You took my fears and brought blessed peace.
You took my pain and brought renewed health.
You took some beautiful friends with you, but left us with good memories, then brought beautiful new friends into our lives.
You took one of my dreams and brought it into the light, toward fulfillment.
You took my volunteer lifestyle and brought me an exciting and rewarding new job (that pays real money!)
You took the Rodeo and brought us . . . not another vehicle, which I personally am very thankful for.
You took our wallpaper and brought us fresh paint.
You took 51 and brought 52. And that's cool -- bring on 53, cause I'm not afraid of it!

And bring on 2012. I'm ready to fill it with peace, love and happiness.

Crafty Christmas

2011-12-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

Such a lovely Christmas. I tried to rest and recuperate, I really did. I didn't put out nearly half of our decorations, but the house looked festive. I didn't go into cooking overload as I usually do, and everyone was still well-fed (thanks to my all my sweet friends who brought us meals for two weeks!) And while I didn't get something sewn or knitted for everyone, I did get several projects done. I made 7 duct tape wallets and 7 fun fur scarves for my friends in kindergarten, and a few other easy projects:

These Peace, Love, Christmas burlap pillows are a variation of the Scrabble pillows I made earlier in the summer (you can see the steps here). Easy freezer paper stenciling, then I sewed them up, wrong sides together and left about 2 inches all around for a fringe.

Will's requested grey hat (isn't he cute?) This is just a simple cable, knit up with Lion Brand Jiffy and size 7 needles. No pattern to direct you to -- I just sort of made it up on the fly.

Gap scarves (and you get to see all my kids -- isn't the Schlitz beer t-shirt so Christmasy?) I really love this pattern, and want to get another one of these started ASAP (maybe for myself!). Maggie's was knit up with 2 skeins of Loops and Threads bulky yarn from Michael's in mushroom (sort of a camel color) and Sarah's (sorry, I didn't get a picture of hers) was 2 skeins of cream-colored Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick and Quick. These were knit up on #13 circulars -- you cast on 130, join, then knit in a seed stitch until the scarf is as wide as you want (I think the pattern says 15", but I stopped at about 8"). This is a great pattern for knitting while recuperating in front of the TV, as the pattern is simple and easy to correct.

Not-for-TV-watching knitting: a Christmas stocking for my friend, Ashley. This is my 4th Cascade stocking (pattern here). Ashley recently graduated from the University of Louisville, so I used a variation of the cardinal found in Colorwork Creations (beautiful book!) I also learned the Latvian braid for the top of the stocking; I think I have my lesson for our next Knit Night -- it's an easy technique that really adds some snap to the edges of knitted work. After some trial and error, I found that the best thing to line these stocking with is t-shirt material; I found a red-striped shirt at Goodwill which made a perfect lining for this one. I have another stocking in the works for her mom -- pictures soon!

If you've read this blog for long, you know that I inherited several fruitcake tins of buttons from my mom. I sewed a bunch of them on this pillow for my niece, Taylor, and once again, I think I have just as many buttons as I started with!

And if you've read this blog recently, you know of my addiction to pinterest. Several months ago, I pinned some adorable Harry Potter stylized pillows; my niece, Carly (who is addicted as well) commented that she loved them and "knew what she wanted for Christmas" so I had to make them for her. I couldn't locate a pattern (the pin was from a tumblr site, which I find a little difficult to navigate) so I just studied the picture and came up with these:

I started with a rectangle of cream flannel, strip pieced the scarves from gold and maroon cotton, and added the robes with black flannel. Harry's hair is the same black, while Ron's is a piece of an orange sweater; Hermione's hair is a piece of a brown velvet jacket I found at Goodwill. I did a little machine quilting in her hair to make it look wavy. Eye buttons from mom's collection and a little embroidery.

I have a crafty goal for 2012: socks. I know, they have defeated (ha - an unintended play on words!) me before, but this year, I am going to conquer them, even if I have to drive all the way to Alabama for a lesson.

Peace.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

A Blessed Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

I was working on a Christmas Eve poem, but have a rhyming writer's block.
So, I offer you this, a true treasure:

And God bless you, Bill Watterson, wherever you are.

Peace.

Blessed

2011-12-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

From the 1st Chapter of Luke:
And coming to her, the angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High . . . of his kingdom there will be no end."

It is a strange and glorious thing to realize that all I believe, faithwise, is centered on a supernatural, miraculous conception in the womb of a scared young woman.

It is a strange thing to listen to these glorious words from last Sunday's Gospel -- words I believe, words I practically know by heart, words that form the foundation of our Rosary prayers-- and feel an achy sort of longing.

It is glorious to know that soon, the pain, discomfort and worry I've been carrying around for quite some time will be just an unpleasant memory.

It is strange to know that part of me is gone.

Last Monday, I had a hysterectomy.

I won't bore you with details, but I will tell you that so far, things are going very well. I had great medical care, was lucky to have the surgery robotically (minimally invasive, less pain, quicker recovery) and have had fantastic support at home from family and friends (and one nag, who knows who he is).

And I am trying hard not to be a sappy mess about the whole thing, which of course, for me, is quite difficult. Facing facts, I know my uterus and ovaries haven't been doing me much good lately. I haven't had to use them to make a baby in over 18 years; my uterus has just been hanging around, filling up with tumors, and needed to be gone.

But like Mary's womb defined her, I sometimes feel like mine defined me, as well. At least it defined me as a mother, a title and job I have held and loved for over 26 years. While I certainly don't feel like any less of a mother without my uterus, I do appreciate it, the miracles of conception and childbirth, and the motherhood that it allowed me. (Good grief, that is sappy, isn't it?) But it's true.

And I know, like Mary, I'm blessed. I was able to carry my children in my womb, a strange and glorious experience in itself. I will always be thankful for that. And I know in time (probably a short time), this achy sadness will leave, and I'll fully appreciate all that modern medicine and a great doctor have done for me.

But for now, for this Advent, and for these last few days before Christmas, I'm thinking of Mary, and the crazy miracle that happened in her womb. She had to be full of grace to believe, accept and glorify that miracle; I'm pretty sure I'll never be that full of grace, but I'm thankful that I have enough grace to be thankful -- for my womb and my children, my own little slice of miraculous.

peace

An Enough Christmas

2011-12-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I do, I do, I do.
I love it so much, I get stressed. I do, I do, I do.

But I know that's just because I think it has to be perfect.
Note to self: it doesn't.
In fact, it's the imperfect parts that turn out to be the most memorable.
The tree without ornaments Christmas.
The sick Christmas.
The snowed-in Christmas when the X Box was just a big X drawn on a box.

So, with everything going on around here (ie, a little new job, a little choir, a little bell ringing, a little surgery, a little food pantry, a little catering), I have adopted the motto, "It is enough."

Whatever it is. Gifts, decorations, cookies. How ever many or much, it is enough.

If there is love, if there is family, if there are friends, if there is Jesus, and if there's at least one cookie, it is always enough.

Peace.

PS Although I have given up both Coke and cigarettes, I can still chill.
PS 2 OK, so I only smoked for 3 weeks sophomore year of college, but allow me that one bad ass moment, please.

A Little Holiday Sadness

2011-12-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Babies born at the holidays are an extra special joy.

A friend dying at the holidays is an extra special heartache.
Looking for a little peace today.

God bless Sherry Brown Comstock, a great mom, wife, teacher and friend.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Always Thankful

2011-11-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Various and sundry things I am thankful for:

Noisy wheel bearings
Nutella
Dog hair
Coffee
Faith
Modern medicine
Green smoothies
Purdue University
Recipes
Antiques
Snoring
Bicycles
Patience
Laundry

And, of course,
Peace

November Thankfulness - Anniversary

2011-11-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

For our 29th wedding anniversary, I thought I would write a poem (which can also be sung to the tune of Rossini's William Tell Overture, a la Fred Flintstone.)

Happy Anniversary,

I had a colonoscopy;

Clay took such good care of me,

Happy Anniversary.

Happy Anniversary,

We got home just before three,

He made me pb and jelly,

Happy Anniversary.

Happy Annivesary,

Dinner at Tre Bicherri

Lamb and fancy ravioli,

Happy Anniversary.

Happy Anniversary,

One love letter just for me.

All I need, just G and C,

Happy Anniversary.

PS I didn't say it was a great poem.

November Thankfulness - Gifts

2011-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.
Albert Einstein

I like presents.

Primarily, I like giving presents. Finding just the right thing for just the right person is a true joy.

I like to wrap presents, and tie pretty bows and hand-stamp the tags.

I like to make presents. Duct tape wallets, fuzzy fun fur scarves, purses, pictures, soap, hot fudge, cocoa mix, cheeseballs.

And I will freely admit that I like getting presents, too. While I'd like to think that I am not materialistic, I realize that I do like things. Not lots and lots of things, but pretty things, useful things, things that someone else has picked out for me that are just the right things. And my tastes are simple. Books. Pictures. Yarn. Crafty things. Antiquey things. Basically, anything anyone gives me is deeply appreciated, especially hand-made things, which I love to display, and have even been known to frame.

But what I don't like is a present just for a present's sake. Shopping just for the sake of shopping. Spending money because that's what the calendar and the commercials tell you to do. If you are one of those Black Friday shoppers, that's cool with me -- I like a bargain, too. But Black Friday shopping is not something I am comfortable with, as it seems to consist of two of my least favorite things in the world: crowds and conflict.

And, it falls at my least favorite time to be up -- sleep time -- on my favorite day of the year, the day I like to call Couch Friday.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Brown Friday

2011-11-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Leftovers, couch time, a movie or two, knitting and quiet.
And today was a little more special, because Clay and I took a nice hike at the Refuge. Take that, Black Friday -- we just created Brown Friday (crunchy leaves version.)

So, today I am thankful for a long-legged husband who will shorten his stride so that we can walk together. (There's a metaphor for something in that last sentence - I'll work on that!)

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Pie

2011-11-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

My, oh my, how I love pie. (I should write a poem, shouldn't I?)

I love to read about pie, bake pie, serve pie and eat pie.

And eat pie the next day, when it is almost always better, except for meringue pie; sad but true, meringues, like yeast breads, are outside of my skill set.

Mom was a great pie baker; her best was Raisin Exquisite.
Grandma Hunley was a great pie baker; fortunately for us, meringues were her specialty -- chocolate meringue, lemon meringue, coconut meringue.
I am just an OK sort of pie baker, whose crusts still tend to shrink and often get a little black around the edges. I do, however, have aspirations of greatness, and look toward the day when I'll have enough time and patience to cut out little pastry leaves to decorate the edges of our pies, a la Martha Stewart.

This Thanksgiving, I think we will have about 20 pie-loving guests, so I'm baking the following: 2 pumpkin pies, 2 regular sugar cream pies (the state pie of Indiana, and everyone's favorite), 1 brown sugar sugar cream pie (recipe here -- Clay says, "Why mess around with a good thing?" but I say, "This might be the new good thing!") and 1 mincemeat (just because). If things go as planned, I am going to make the crusts, using the foolproof recipe from America's Test Kitchen (the secret is vodka!); if things go wonky, as they are apt to do around here lately, I will rely on the Pillsbury Dough Boy and his marvelous refrigerated crust.

Piece. Of pie.

November Thankfulness - My Girls

2011-11-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Craft show admission - $0
1 spoon ring - $5.00
2 cookies - $3.00
3 pork burgers - $9.00
Spending a few precious hours with Sarah and Maggie -- Priceless.

OK, I know that is completely cliched, but it's true. It just doesn't happen very often, and I am so thankful when it does.

November Thankfulness - Riley Children's Foundation

2011-11-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

Today, I was privileged to attend the Riley Children's Foundation annual luncheon. It was a beautiful, inspiring day; I could try to describe it for you, but there is a nice video here at the Foundation's website.

I am thankful that Indiana children (and children from all over the world, actually) have such a fantastic hospital, and thankful that all Hoosiers can easily help Riley by tossing their change into Speedway buckets, dancing in marathons or buying a Riley license plate for their car. None of our kids or grandchildren have needed Riley services, but I am so thankful that if they do, Riley is there.
Peace.

PS Bonus thanks -- I got to say hi to Anne Ryder in the bathroom, and told her she did a lovely job as the MC. Anne did the very last filmed interview with Mother Teresa before she died, and I've always been a fan. She had closed her remarks at the luncheon with something she learned from Mother Teresa: "It's not how much you do that matters, it's with how much love you do it."

November Thankfulness - Forgiveness

2011-11-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

At about 1:30 today, I realized I had forgotten to call the guys in the band and tell them I wouldn't be at the Lutheran Home at 11:30 today. I wasn't there last Tuesday, and won't be there the next two Tuesdays.

The guys will all understand, and carry on, but I know I am really going to catch it from the residents. Here's hoping that if I play all their favorite Christmas songs nice and loud, they'll forgive me.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Middle Age

2011-11-13T18:31:00.000-08:00

After an evening of partying with a sweet 21-year-old birthday girl, I am thankful that bars, obnoxious DJ's, pounding music and shoulder-to-shoulder clubbing are not a part of my life.

I am thankful, however, for the introduction to Toast, Scout and NuLu -- East Market Street is now my new favorite Louisville locale.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - A Vet

2011-11-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

So I told you about my friend, Chuck, the 82-year-old Korean War veteran who is writing his memoirs.

Today, he came to St. A, shared school lunch with us, and spoke at our Veterans Day program. He passed his Purple Heart around for the kids to see, told us to appreciate all veterans and made me so proud.

I am thankful to have a friend like Chuck.

November Thankfulness - Busy

2011-11-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have really been too busy to post anything deep or witty.

So today, I am thankful for this busy life.

November Thankfulness - Little Bites

2011-11-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

I really needed just a little bit of chocolate today, and there is none to be found in this house.
There is, however, a jar of hot fudge in the refrigerator, and one good spoonful was just enough.

Thankful for just enough.

November Thankfulness - The Proper Tools

2011-11-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

Monday evening my chapter made cheeseballs. Hundreds of cheeseballs. (need one?)

Monday morning, all the supplies were delivered to school, and that evening we all hauled our mixers into the kitchen and started the assembly line. Proper tool #1 - a KitchenAid mixer. Perhaps the best gift I ever coerced Clay into buying for me. Here's mine, in pink:

I had to guard her closely -- some sisters with plain white mixers thought it would be a good idea to trade.

Unfortunately, the nuts we ordered were not chopped, so I called Will and he brought in Proper Tool #2, my Cuisinart:

which makes fast work of almost anything.

After the chopping and mixing, the forming of the cheeseballs began. The only proper tool for this is #3 - hands.

So today, I am thankful for my hands, which are my proper tools for all the things I like best -- playing the piano, knitting, quilting. turning book pages, turning soil and hugging.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Paint

2011-11-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

A fresh coat of paint makes everything better, doesn't it? You know one of my goals this year has been to get rid of all the wallpaper in the house (OK, that's the one paper I don't like!) The baby shower was just the kick in the pants I needed to finish the task, and I am proud to say that it is all gone! We painted the living room and dining room in Martha Stewart Dolphin gray -- bright and clean.
And, I sanded down and repainted these

to get these

I also painted some old picture frames in the same off-white, then framed our favorite song lyrics. Speaking of painting, I broke out my watercolors for two of the songs -- I had forgotten how much I love to paint with them.
The chalkboard in the center is another pinterest idea; the sentiment on the chalkboard is Maggie's idea.

The Norman Rockwell corner

The foyer, with a sweet little telephone desk I purchased from my favorite little shop, Claire Marie

And I don't think I posted the re-vamped family room wall, so here it is:

We've lived here almost 20 years, but it feels sort of new.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Paper

2011-11-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

I love paper.

Newspaper, wrapping paper, scrapbook paper.
The paper books are printed on.
The paper thank you notes are written on.
The paper wrapped around a florist's delivery.
The paper books are printed on. Yes, I said that twice -- that's how important it is to me.

We had a terrific party here today. Some of my best friends came together to celebrate a sweet girl and her soon-to-be-born sweet girl. And besides being all about a baby, it was all about paper.

Brittany will soon be a teacher, and her mom is our school librarian, so I thought a book-themed shower would be appropriate. Thanks to pinterest and Martha Stewart, I got all kinds of good ideas.

Here are the invitations:

I found a template of a blank library card on the internet, copied it into Printshop and messed around to get this. The envelopes were just brown lunch sacks cut down to size and stamped. (Isn't that fancy smudging out of my address and phone?)

And the decorations:

Cricut letters, cut with the Storybook cart. I smudged around on the edges with stamp pads like my pal, Tonja, taught us at her card class.

And the food, with little paper replicas of children's books as menu cards:

Joannie's Stinky Cheese Man

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie cookies

Sarah's Famous Strawberry Pinkalicious Cupcakes

Linda's Green Eggs, served with ham sandwiches

A Very Hungry Caterpillar vegetable tray

I made up 26 blank scrapbook pages, each with a letter of the alphabet and had everyone choose one; they were to draw a picture or write some words about that letter (and sign their creations), then we put them all in a pink scrapbook for Brittany. That was lots of fun, even for those who said they couldn't draw!

And favors were, of course, bookmarks:

Everyone pitched in to make it a great time. Special thanks to my sweet girls, the cooker and the cleaning fairy.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Discovery

2011-11-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful that it's never too late to discover something new to you.

A food.
A song.
An artist.

This week, it's Pat Conroy. How did I get to be almost 52 years old and never read him? He crafts a sentence/paragraph/scene like no one else. Yowsa. I'm not very far into Beach Music (primarily because I keep going back to re-read beautiful passages) but I can't wait to continue this fantastic discovery.

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Chicken Salad

2011-11-04T04:55:00.000-07:00

My Grandma P. was in two very important clubs -- The Sarah Society at church and the Country Club.

I knew these club meetings were important, because Grandma told me so. The Sarah Society raised money for the church through their annual chicken noodle dinner/bazaar and mincemeat sales. ("Mincemeat", you ask? "Delicious", I answer. "Is it meat?" you ask. "Maybe.") I only recall raisins, nuts, lemons, spices and lots of apples. The church kitchen buzzed with ladies chopping, stirring and canning hundreds of quarts of mincemeat, my Napoleonic Grandma in the middle of it all, giving orders.

Country Club? How I longed for people to think my Grandma and mom were members of the "real" country club, where people went for drinks and supper (which they probably called "dinner".) But their Country Club was more of a monthly chat fest for the neighborhood farm wives, held in the afternoons at one of the member's homes, no cocktails involved.

I knew these club meetings were important because I watched and was pressed into duty as Grandma got ready when it was her turn to be the hostess. She was a dynamo, anyway, but she went into overdrive, and took me along with her. There was a lot of cleaning to be done, snack sets to be washed, tablecloths to be ironed and chicken salad to be prepared.

Club meetings were a time for showing off culinary skills and new recipes -- I believe Grandma saw it as a competition. Fancy cakes, fabulous jell-o creations and chicken salad. I don't think I can remember a meeting without chicken salad -- maybe it was in the by-laws.

My grandma made very best chicken salad. I know because she told me so. Chunky chicken, grapes, celery, crushed pineapple, nuts and Miracle Whip. Lots of Miracle Whip. Pile it on white sandwich bread with a piece of lettuce sticking out "just so", slice off the crusts and cut it into two triangles. Perfection.

I still make it almost like Grandma did. I leave out the Miracle Whip, but try to include the attitude.

Here's my latest variation. For lack of a more creative name, I'll just call it November Chicken Salad. Thus,

November Chicken Salad

6 cups cooked chicken, diced
6 ribs celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
2 nice apples, chopped (I used Ambrosias -- they are delicious!)
1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
juice of one lemon
2 cups low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup sugar

Toss everything except sour cream and sugar together. Stir sour cream and sugar together and let sit a few minutes; stir again, pour over salad and mix well. Chill. Serve on white sandwich bread with a piece of lettuce; cut off crusts and divide into triangles, just because.

I had planned on writing something deep and moving about chicken salad -- like how even though people make chicken salad in many different ways, it's all good.

But in the end, you know what? It's chicken salad. Not much more needs to be said.

Chicken salad is a happy memory, and one I am thankful for.
Peace.

November Thankfulness - Parties

2011-11-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I was going to throw more parties, to honor the memory of Sarah Stephens.

This weekend, I'm having one, so I don't really have time to write a blog post, except to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to get together with my friends and celebrate!

Peace. Party on.

November Thankfulness - Knitting

2011-11-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know it's November, because I have been getting requests: cabled hats, colorful mittens, and big chunky scarves.

So today, I am thankful for knitting -- the peace it brings me, the friendships it has allowed me and the pleasure my knitted efforts bring to others.

Currently, I have four projects on the needles: a prototype chunky headband (that red blob in the basket), a Branching Out scarf made from local alpaca, a sweet lacy baby sweater in a soft green, and the previously mentioned big chunky scarf (the white blog in the basket). There are several pattern variations out there for this seed stitch scarf, including this one knit end-to-end and sewn together, and this one -- the Gap-tastic Cowl -- which one of our knitters shared last month. I showed the pattern to Sarah, who immediately put in an order, and Maggie said she would like one, too. And although you cast on 131 stitches and knit in the round, it's really a pretty fast knit with the Lion Brand Hometown chunky yarn on 13's.

Plus, I have taken the opportunity to practice my continental knitting. I conquered the continental knit stitch a few years ago when I made myself learn two-handed color work, but have never perfected the continental purl. I think after these two scarves, I'll have it.

As long as no one requests socks, it should be a pleasant knitting season!

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Sisters

2011-11-01T04:52:00.000-07:00

Beside a well, one does not thirst.

Beside a sister, one does not despair.

- Chinese Proverb

I am blessed with two biological sisters. Two sisters-in-law. Many, many close friends I consider sisters.

I do not despair.

Besides, when you get to go to work with your sister and dress like this,

despair is not an option. And for the record, I was a Minion, not a bumblebee.

November - A Month of Thanks

2011-10-31T04:36:00.000-07:00

You know that I believe there is always, always something to be thankful for. Most days, that's an easy one for me -- I'm a pretty blessed girl, and thankfulness doesn't take too much effort.

Some days, however, like today, it's tougher.
When things don't go quite right.
When loved ones are suffering.
When it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But I know that light is there. I know suffering ends. I know things can and will be better.

So with that in mind, I'm going to try to blog something I'm thankful for each day in November. OK, it's true that I am very bad at blogging every day, but I'm thankful that my friends understand that about me.

Peace.

This and That

2011-10-20T04:37:00.000-07:00

- Tuesday, during my little band's "set" at the Lutheran Home, my friend Susie brought me this card on the left. How did she know it was just what I needed?

- In my last post, I referred to Chuck (Korean War veteran, candy maker, book writer and all around fantastic person) as a hero. When we met yesterday, he asked me to remove the word "hero" from a sentence I had written. I'll take it out of his book, but I'm not removing it from my post. He masterminded (he'd hate that word, too) an escape from a North Korean prison camp and saved 36 men's lives. Sorry buddy, that qualifies as a Hero on this blog.

- This writing thing is playing havoc with my housekeeping skills. OK, so I know I don't really have any housekeeping skills, but I've washed the same load of towels 3 days in a row because I keep forgetting to put them in the dryer.

- Writing's also playing havoc with my dog care skills. I was hard at work the other night, and when eyelids tried to slam shut, I realized it was 1:00 AM and I hadn't let Zoe out. She really had to go and launched herself off the front porch, but an abandoned cat who's been hanging around was annoying her, and she kept prancing farther and farther into the misty darkness to get away from him. I called but she didn't come back -- I went inside for shoes and an umbrella, and called and searched all over the yard, but no sign of her. I went in to wake up Will and tell him I was going to drive around the neighborhood to find her, and as we were headed out the door, up she bounced back onto the porch. I was too relieved to scold her, but I sure would like to know where she was for half an hour!

- After meeting with Chuck yesterday, I made a stop at the teacher store for Sharon then went to Jo-Ann Fabrics, just for a look-see. I do believe it is the very first time I've left a Jo-Ann's without buying something. Sort of proud of myself.

- Knitting. I whipped off a fluffy pink scarf on Monday for Jolene, a little sweetie in kindergarten who is moving back to Texas -- Bernat Boa in hot pink held together with some hot pink Red Heart on size 13 needles. Jolene probably won't have too much need for a fluffy pink scarf to keep her warm, but I am guessing she'll use it for dress up, because she's just that kind of little girl. I'll miss her.

I also have another Branching Out scarf on the needles. This is one of my favorite patterns; I've knit it several times, and always recommend it to knitters wanting to try lace. I visited a sweet little alpaca farm last week, and bought a skein of brown sport weight; it is working out beautifully in this pattern, and hope to take an hour or so today and knit a few more repeats. Photo soon.

- Reading. I'm not really reading anything but Chuck's book, over and over. Oh, and a little Korean War history, too, but I think I'll go to the library today for a girly novel to give my brain a break.

- Last weekend, we had a visiting priest from Food for the Poor. After noon mass at B'town, I told him a little bit about the plans for the Community Diner soup kitchen. He said he was proud of the community for taking on the project and that he would pray for its success. All I'm going to say is he must have some pretty powerful prayers, because things really took off this week. Maybe not as I was hoping --I have lots and lots of questions -- but at least there's some sort of progress, and that's a great thing, right?

- I miss my husband.

- And, because it is a dreary old day, and because my sister shared this with me on Pinterest, and because I have seen this very look on my own corgi's face, I send another little smile your way:

Peace.

A Real Live Writer

2011-10-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

I started the month of September with meeting a real live author. As in an "I've-sold-17-million-books" author, Diana Gabaldon.

I ended September with meeting a real live war hero. As in an "I-am-finally-writing-my-memoirs-and-want-you-to-help-me" hero, Chuck.

And I think the primary reason I am able to help Chuck write (and to finally make my own book a reality) is something Diana said at lunch that day: "I always knew I had a book in me."

So did I. But I was always afraid to say it out loud.

Last week I went looking for my college transcript. I didn't find it, but in the middle of my search, in the middle of my closet, in the middle of a box full of stuff from grad school, I found a book I had started writing way back when. Like 1983. And you know what? It's not awful. Kind of a Jodi Picoult-ish story, full of angst and tensiosity (it's a family word). Although I'm not too interested in re-visiting that story, it gives me another reason to keep writing -- if I did it once, I can certainly do it again. Plus, I'm a lot smarter than I was when I was 24, thank goodness.

I am also not as afraid of rejection as I was when I was 24. My writing was rejected a lot back then, and it did take the wind right out of my sails. (Perhaps it was because I used too many cliches. !)

Maybe all this blogging has also given me a boost. Although I don't have a lot of followers, I know several people who actually look forward to my next post.

And maybe it's that my friends are standing behind me, giving me a firm push. Last January, at her dad's funeral my college BFF Ann introduced me as her friend "the writer." It shocked me a bit, because I didn't think I had mentioned my current ambitions to her. I had, however, helped her through English 101 and 102, written her a short story as a Christmas gift one year, and written a song for her wedding. I guess that qualifies.

Last Christmas, my pal Joannie gave me a journal for writers.

I think my friends are expecting big things from me. And you know how I hate to let my friends down.

So, it's time to throw off my namby-pamby attitude about my skills and hang out my writing shingle. (And quit using idiomatic expressions.)

I am a writer.

In that box in my closet I also found my thesis prospectus, all my notes and thesis research, a pretty boring but mostly well-written (did I just say that again?) 20-page linguistic analysis of politeness in Jane Austen novels, and a peer review of another grad assistant named James. It's a pretty stellar review, and I wish I could remember James, because according to me, he sounds like a heck of a guy. I think I will google him, or look him up on facebook.

But I might wait until we get Chuck's book published, so I can tell James that I am a Real Live Writer.

Peace.

To My Future Vintage Camper

2011-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, James Whitcomb Riley

2011-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Prayer Perfect

Dear Lord! kind Lord!

Gracious Lord! I pray

Thou wilt look on all I love

Tenderly to-day!

Weed their hearts of weariness;

Scatter every care

Down a wake of angel-wings

Winnowing the air.

Bring unto the sorrowing

All release from pain;

Let the lips of laughter

Overflow again;

And with all the needy

O divide, I pray

This vast treasure of contest

That is mine to-day!

Peace.

2011-10-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

I’m but a stranger here, Heaven is my home.

There at my Savior’s side, Heaven is my home;

I shall be glorified, Heaven is my home.

There are the good and blest,

those I loved most and best;

There, too, I soon shall rest,

Heaven is my home.

Thinking about Marriage . . .

2011-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

This summer, my sister got married. The long-anticipated wedding was sweet, the reception was sassy and I loved every minute of Sharon and Dave's celebration.

This summer, I participated in a Catholic Worker wedding. Regina and John's ceremony itself was just a part of a large prayerful retreat, during which all who attended were challenged to examine their lives, how they lived on the Earth and what they could do for others. I left a more thoughtful person, I know, and came home to re-read Dorothy Day.

This summer -- six weeks ago to be exact-- I was privileged to sing at the 50th Anniversary celebration for RV and Sarah, my dear friend Kelly's in-laws. It didn't take me too long to fall in love with them, as they made all of Kelly's friends feel like family. They did it up right, from the kick-off at French Lick to the IU string quartet at the renewal ceremony to fabulous meals to the fantastic band that played late into the night (yes, I did drink too much and danced myself right out of my Spanx. That's how much fun it was.)

Last Saturday, Sarah died.

In spite of our shock and sadness, we are supposed to celebrate, as Sarah was the queen of celebration; even her obituary touts her as a professional social chairman -- she was Queen of Mardi Gras, for pete's sake!

And so I'll celebrate.

I am pretty good at celebrating, having served as Social Director of Meredith Hall, 1979-80, and having thrown some outstanding parties over the years (if I do say so myself). Planning events for my family brings me a lot of joy (and stress, true) and I love to have special times with my friends.

So, in Sarah's honor, I am going to make an effort to plan more parties and have more friends over. Coca-Cola and french fries for everyone!

And as for celebrating marriage, in November, Clay and I will mark 29 years. But in cheesey honesty, I think we celebrate every day. We'll probably never be rich, or have famous friends or travel to 102 countries like Sarah and RV, but like them, we've learned to find a lot of joy in the everyday stuff --- we read to each other, fold clothes together, bring each other coffee, sit on the couch together, talk and laugh and laugh and laugh. Sort of like what Dorothy Day wrote in The Long Loneliness: "Most of our life is unimportant, filled with trivial things from morning till night. But when it is transformed by love it is of interest even to the angels."

And when we reach 50 years, we probably won't renew our vows; I think it's sweet when couples renew their vows each year at Mass, but we never participate, as we hardly ever sit next to each other, much less attend the same Mass. Furthermore, I've come to like Clay's philosophy on renewal: "Why do we need to renew our vows? I meant it when I said it the first time."

Pragmatic, yet romantic, no? And definitely worth celebrating.

God bless Sarah, and all the Stephens family.

Peace.

Breast Cancer - A People Thing

2011-10-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

So, if you read Saturday's post, you know that I'm a little wary of the Pinkification of October, and am re-focusing my efforts in the battle against breast cancer.

I've walked in the Race for the Cure many times. I've organized events to fund mammogram machines at our local hospital. I've given away baskets of pink stuff on my blog. I've written a lot of checks. But by far, the easiest things I've ever done in the war against cancer is to sign up for the Army of Women. They can explain it better than I can, so here you go:

A program of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, the Army of Women initiative is dedicated to recruiting one million women of all ages, ethnicities, with or without breast cancer, to sign up and participate in innovative breast cancer research studies. After signing up at www.armyofwomen.org, members are then contacted via email blast about new studies seeking volunteers. They can either sign-up for the studies online, or if they do not qualify, they are encouraged to forward the information to a friend or family member. Every woman over 18 is welcome to participate, whether a breast cancer survivor or someone never affected. There are currently more than 20 breast cancer studies seeking volunteers through the Army of Women. The full list of open studies seeking volunteers like you are listed at: www.armyofwomen.org/current.

Go sign up. It's an easy thing we can do for each other. And that's what it's all about.
Peace.

Cakes, Fall Edition

2011-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we had the BIG BIRTHDAY BASH at our house -- Tommy's 7th, Griffin's 5th and Paul's 3rd birthdays, celebrated on the same day. We made Super Hero Capes for all the kids, broke a pinata and had a lot of fun (despite the fact that the rainy weather put the kabosh on the Bouncy House!) I made one big cake, and three little cakes, so they would all have candles to blow out. Note to self -- that was WAY too much cake!

This summer, I donated a decorated cake to a fund raiser for our friend, Brandon. That donation came due today, and I made a cake for a baby shower, based on the new babe's nursery wallpaper.

I don't love to cover cakes with fondant (because I stink at it!) but I do like to model little figures from tinted blobs of it; I guess it harkens back to my Play-doh days.

Peace.

October - Month of Pink, Month of Sorrow

2011-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

If you've read this blog for long, you know how I feel about pink. I love it.

You know how I feel about breast cancer. I hate it.

OK, so these are not exactly astute observations, or singularly unique stands, especially during October.

But I really think I'm over all the pink=breast cancer stuff. It just makes me sad that so many people/corporations/groups have taken the sweet pink ribbon and have turned it into a cash cow for themselves. I wrote about that here two years ago; Marie Claire magazine published a great but sad article on the same thing just last month. If you've had breast cancer, loved someone who had breast cancer, have breasts or know someone who does, read it at your own risk -- it will probably ruin your day.

So this October, I'm taking a new stand.

Instead of buying pink things, I'm going to try to do people things.
Instead of spending the month writing letters to corporations like Yoplait, KFC and Campbell's, I'm going to do a different kind of writing.
Instead of participating in the Race for the Cure (mainly because we have two other events that day), I'm going to do my own personal race.
I'll let you know how it goes; I promise to write an update here in November.

But I'm still going to wear a pink ribbon all month. For mom.

As I've said before, I don't have breast cancer, but breast cancer changed my life forever.

Peace.

September

2011-09-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to go an entire month without posting, so here it is. See you in October!

A few Random Thoughts

2011-08-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

- The next time I go to a party, someone remind me that I can't drink like I did when I was 22. Wait -- when I was 22, I would throw up and wake up with a headache, too, so maybe I can.

- When dealing with a difficult person in your knitting group, always remember the immortal words of Donny Osmond: One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl.

- Why do I feel so guilty when I run out of birdseed?

- When you walk through a restaurant with your skirt hem tucked into your panties, the best thing to do is laugh.

- Is "wearing a stupid little phone in his ear" grounds for divorce?

And just a couple pinterest-generated thoughts:
1) Before you have a fantastic quote tattooed on your body, think really hard about it. Sayings I thought were really deep when I was 20 seem pretty contrived and/or stupid now. I'm pretty happy I just wrote those in my journal, and not on my arm.

2) Just because Home Depot doesn't charge for paint chips doesn't mean you should take as many as you want for your next craft project. Someone, somewhere is paying for those chips. Probably me.

3) I believe the "Keep Calm and . . . ." trend should be coming to an end soon. Fingers crossed.

Peace.

Summer Reading

2011-08-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Now that school has started, I realized I didn't plow through as many books this summer as I usually do. The wedding, convention and re-decorating all played a part, but the biggest part of that problem was probably my book choices. No easy, beachy reads for me this summer; here are some of the intense books I read and loved:

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
If I were to go back to school, I think I would major in Religious Studies, because books like this drive me to the Bible and the research stacks. When my cousin, Tom, was in the seminary, he told me that the Church of LDS was a cult; I know he believed that they earned this label by professing the Book of Mormon to be the inspired word of God, but I have never been comfortable with that. I have never met a Mormon who was not the proverbial "salt of the earth" -- good and kind and loving. So, this book, and it's fictionalized account of Brigham Young's ministry, was a difficult read for me. Interestingly, the fictional modern-day polygamous community in this book (First Church of Latter Day Saints) was a lot like that of the Warren Jeffs community (Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints); he just so happened to be sentenced to life in prison (plus 20 years) just last week. Timely, no?

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
If I didn't know better, I would swear this was non-fiction. It is fantastic, complicated and complex. It is the story of an ancient illuminated codex (Jewish family prayer book) and the scholarly detective work that goes in to proving its authenticity and trying to trace its historical journey. While reading this one, I had to study up on Yugoslavian history, the reign of the Habsburgs and the Inquisition (yikes! Brigham Young doesn't look so bad compared to some of those Spanish priests!) three areas I didn't know much about, I'm sorry to say.
This is a book for people who love books. Just read it -- I promise, you will love it. Once again, huge love to my friend, Pam, who recommended this one.

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
Beautiful and heartbreaking story of a young girl who knots carpets in 17th century Iran. Another historical era/area I know little about -- the reigns of the Shahs are fascinating.
As a person who spends a lot of time working with her hands and messing about with artsy crafty stuff, this book amazed me. The descriptions of preparing dyes -- from finding the plants and minerals to dry, grind and mix with acids, to the charting of designs to the intricate knotting of the rugs -- were incredible. And I thought following a latch-hook rug pattern and working with Rit dye was tricky! I have so much to learn.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Crazy, tangled story about love, ancient tribes and pharmaceutical morality set in the South American rain forest. Ann Patchett has been a favorite of mine since Pam gave me a copy of Patron Saint of Liars. She is an amazing writer, and I have such admiration for how she (and all these authors) takes important social questions, sets them into interesting historical times and far away places and creates a novel that I couldn't hardly put down. Read this one, too!

So now, I'm looking for another great book. Thanks to the nook, I've got samples of several highly-recommended novels to try. Maybe I should crack open the first Lord John book, as next weekend, Clay and I are headed to Atlanta to meet Diana Gabaldon! (I KNOW! How exciting!)

Peace.

Hooty Hoo -- Grandmother's Favorite Knitted Owl

2011-08-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Some of the best little knitting patterns are those that are passed on from knitter to knitter, handwritten on an index card or scrap of paper. Favorites like the potato chip scarf, the feather and fan baby afghan, and of course, the famous dishcloth knit on the bias, aka Grandmother's Favorite. Since the early days of Knit Night, I have taught this dishcloth as an introduction to easy increases and decreases -- I couldn't even guess at how many GF dishcloths have been made by our knitters. A few years ago, I worked up a pattern for a triangle shawl and a rectangular shawl using the basic GF formula; one of our knitters won a blue ribbon at the fair for her purple GF afghan! I was so proud.

Owls are very popular on the crafty blogs lately (plus, they are my high school mascot!); I really want to sew some up, maybe even from some of my felted sweater collection. But in looking at some of the patterns, I noticed that many of them start with a square of fabric, and this got me thinking that maybe I could make an owl from a square of knitted fabric. And what's easier than a GF square? So here are my two versions of the owl; both are knit on the bias, but the smaller one is done just like a GF dishcloth in garter stitch, while the larger owl is done in stockinette.

Grandmother's Favorite Knitted Owl

For the smaller owl
Materials: Kitchen cotton in three colors (I used off white and yellow I had on hand, and Peaches and Cream in the Good Earth color); Size 7 needles, polyfill for stuffing, buttons for eyes (or felt for applique eyes), yarn needle.

Notes: kfb = knit into the front and back of the stitch (this is an increase used instead of the yarn over increase usually found in this dishcloth, which makes an eyelet hole – we want to avoid that!) Also, if you are making the owl as a toy for a baby or young child, don't use buttons, which could come off and be a choking hazard -- circles of felt applied with a buttonhole embroidery stitch are great!)
Pattern: Starting at the beak, with yellow, cast on 2. Knit 1, kfb. (3 stitches).
Row 2: K1, kfb, k1 (4 stitches)
Row 3: k1, kfb, k2 (5 stitches). Cut yellow and pick up second color.
Row 4: K1, kfb, knit to end. Repeat row 4 until there are 22 stitches on your needle.
Pick up color 3 and repeat row 4 until there are 41 stitches on your needle.
Knit one row.
Decrease rows: k1, k2tog, knit to end. Repeat this row until there are 23 stitches on your needle.
Pick up color 2 and repeat decrease row until there are 3 stitches on your needle. Bind off. See, you get a dishcloth!

Finishing: Fold all four corners of the square toward the center; secure with pins, if you need.

Using any seaming method, sew up three seams; leave the 4th open for stuffing.

Stuff the owl as firmly as you like with polyfill, then sew up the last seam. Pinch ½ inch at each corner of the head for ears; using a yarn needle threaded with a length of kitchen cotton, weave needle in and out around the pinch and secure to form ears. Add buttons or felt eyes. Using yarn needle, gather center of the owl and draw up; tie a secure knot and hide it inside the owl.

For larger owl, knit in stockinette:
Materials: worsted weight yarn in 3 or 4 colors (I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes from my stash -- the colors have changed, but when I looked at the KP color chart, I think that Caution, Maple Syrup, Almond and Hollyberry are the closest to what I used. Of course, use your favorite colors!); Size 7 needles; yarn needle; buttons and/or felt appliques; polyfill.

Notes: 1) KFB = knit in the front and back of the stitch. 2) Since this is knit in stockinette, I increased on both ends of each knit row. 3) Slip the first stitch of each row after the 3rd row or so -- this will make it much easier to seam up at the end. And 4), as I mentioned above, if you are making this owl as a toy for a baby or small child, use felt appliques for the eyes instead of buttons, to avoid a choking hazard.

Pattern: (Starting with the beak) with yellow, cast on 3
Row 1: Purl one row
Row 2: Knit 1, make one, knit one, make one, knit 1 (5 stitches)
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: Slip one, kfb, knit 1, kfb, knit one (7 stitches)
Row 5: Purl
Row 6: Slip one, kfb, knit to two stitches before end, kfb, knit one. (9 stitches)
Row 7: Purl
Repeat rows 6 and 7 once more, until there are 11 stitches on needles. Change to color 2
Repeat rows 6 and 7 with color 2 until there are 41 stitches on needles. Change to color 3
Repeat rows 6 and 7 until there are 72 stitches on needles.
Begin decrease rows: On each knit row, slip one, k2tog, knit to 3 stitches before end of row, k2tog, k1.
Next row: Purl.
Repeat these two rows until there are 39 stitches on needles; change to color 4 (or back to color 2, if you want.)
Repeat decrease rows until there are 3 stitches on needles; bind off.
Finishing: Fold all four corners in to the center. I stitched the point of the beak together with the opposite point, just to keep things in line.

And, to make the seaming up easier, I slipped a notebook, which was luckily just the right size!) into the owl -- a piece of cardboard under where you are stitching will help you avoid cathing the back of the owl in your seams.

Sew three sides together, leaving the 4th open for stuffing (and removing the cardboard before it gets sewn inside).

You can seam up the owl with your favorite method; I did a weaving stitch on the outside, catching those slipped stitches on each side:

Stuff the owl with polyfill, and sew up final seam. Pinch about an inch on each side of the head, and using a strand of yarn and yarn needle, weave around the pinch to form ears. Add button or applique eyes; here are the felt eyes sewn on with a buttonhole stitch:

Give your owl a hug.

Peace.

A Hot Time at the Fair

2011-08-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

I love our county fair. We have the best fair in the State of Indiana, and it's always a highlight of my summer. We take in as much of the spectacle, people and food as possible.

Most years.

This year, I worked a few shifts at our church booth and spent a very sweaty hour looking at projects in the 4-H and Family Arts buildings. That was it. It was just too hot. Uncomfortably hot. Icky hot.

I did take some projects, though. As I've noted here before, it's always been a quiet little dream of mine to win a big purple rosette. My mom won a few, as have my kids, but the grand champion has always eluded me.

UNTIL THIS YEAR!

I was very surprised; most years, I carefully plan out what I will enter, and do my very best work on my project. This year, however, with the wedding, I didn't have much time to think about it, and just rounded up a few things I had made up during the year. So, I took two of the three Christmas stockings I knit for the boys last fall. Tommy's blue and green stocking won Grand Champion in the Christmas category, and Paul's orange and black stocking won for Knitted, Other. (!)

I got a blue on a baby sweater set I finished up as a gift and haven't given yet,

and a red on this scarf (knit from the last of the Russian/Chinese yarn Clay brought me several years ago!

I entered in this purse I made out of a felted sweater, an old purse strap, a big button (from mom's button tin, of course) and two binder rings in the "Recycled" category, and got a blue.

The only thing I made up especially for the fair? This crocheted purse:

The only thing I didn't get a ribbon on? This crocheted purse! But I'm not upset at all -- there were many entries in that category, and honestly, I'm not the best crocheter -- I just like doing it. And I really like my purse, until I go back and look at the purse I based mine on, another great Pinterest find:

Source: craftster.org via Georgiann on Pinterest

Isn't that beautiful? Mine is made up of leftover kitchen cotton from many, many dishcloths, in a traditional granny square -- I think I would like to try it again, using wool and colors similar to the original, in the sleeker motif shown here.

Tomorrow, I have a knitting pattern to post!
Peace.

Sorry

2011-08-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for such a long time, but I've been keeping busy, I promise. I took some projects to the fair, worked up a couple of knitting patterns and wrote a bit.

But for today, here are some pictures of what has been taking up the most of my time -- redecorating the family room and kitchen:

We stripped all the wallpaper, then painted it a nice golden yellow -- Martha Stewart's Cornbread from Home Depot, to be exact. Picture wall:

Phone wall in the kitchen. I "borrowed" my chalkboard from my workroom door -- I know it will be more useful here.

Family corner. Here you can see two of the projects I fell in love with on Pinterest.

Neither one of these projects took too much time or money -- I already had the frames and all the supplies. Once again, thanks to my mom's extensive button collection, I had a ton of buttons to choose from. I just printed a big "C" from the computer, cut it out then traced it onto the blue paper. Then, using clear tacky glue, I filled in the letter with buttons. There are some really interesting buttons on here, which don't show up too well in this picture. Why don't you just come on over and have a look at it? I'll make tea.

I think that the dates project I saw on Pinterest was letter pressed -- it is gorgeous. But I thought I could get a similar effect using my Cricut. Not quite as gorgeous, but I like it. And, it fulfills a great purpose, as I have a pretty rotten reputation for not remembering my children's birthdates -- I remember to check the calendar when we're near their birthdays and I never miss having a party, but if you had asked me last week to tell you the days and years they were born, I'd probably make at least one mistake. I know, it's shameful and just plain odd (for heaven's sake, I was there all three times!), but at least it gives the kids something to make fun of me for. Now, I'll just be able to glance over at the wall and shut them all up.

And here is a picture of my great score from an auction I went to Saturday -- 24 melamine cups, 2 melamine cream pitchers, a chipped Fiesta cream pitcher and a turquoise coffee server, 4 cups and a sugar bowl.

$4. I know. Now, I really didn't need 24 melamine cups, etc., but for $4, how could I resist?

Peace

Handkerchief Bunting - An Easy Little Tutorial

2011-07-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

While I was straightening up the basement, I came across my collection of handkerchiefs. I have quite a few, because several years ago, I was planning on sewing them together for a bed skirt, an idea I had seen in Better Homes and Gardens and torn out for my "Ideas" notebook. You know, Ideas notebook -- what people did before they pinned all their dream ideas on Pinterest.

But the bed skirt never panned out, as I would have needed about 100 hankies, and collected only 2 dozen or so. Plus, the problem with handkerchiefs is that they are not a standard size or shape, which would have made piecing them together tricky.

I started thinking about displaying them in my workroom somehow, and came up with using them in a bunting. And since buntings are popular right now (see my blog header for evidence), and since I haven't seen anyone do one like this yet, I thought I would write up a quick how-to. What I like best about this easy technique is that the hankies are not cut -- you could take them down to use for another project or display (or for when you run out of tissues.)

First, give the handkerchiefs a good douse of spray starch and iron them well.

Fold the hankie like a kite. First, bring two sides together in the middle and press:

then the other two sides and press:

Wow. I really need a new ironing board cover. Please ignore my scorch marks.

Fold with the points together and iron one last time, with lots of spray starch.

Hang each hankie over a line (ribbon, string, twine or whatever you have) and pin in the back to keep it in place. If the hankie is a bit flimsy, pin again at the bottom.

Hang the bunting and enjoy it. I am; this makes me feel like there is always a party in my room.

Just a few thoughts:
I have several white lace-edged hankies; folding them as I described above hides all the pretty lace, so before I folded the diamond into a triangle, I flipped it over, which put the lace on the outside.
I think this would work really well using a Moda Layer Cake packet, like this one; layer cakes are sets of 40 or so coordinating fabrics, cut in 10" squares and pinked on the edges. You could enjoy the decoration for awhile then take it down and sew a quilt!

Peace.

Burlap - Not Just for Bags

2011-07-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

I might be a little late to the burlap party, but I have seen a lot of burlap projects on Pinterest. Another big trend on Pinterest? Scrabble Tile crafts, both with the actual tiles, and projects that just look like the tiles. As a long-time Scrabble lover, I knew I needed some lettered pillows, so I thought I would mesh the burlap/Scrabble thing and share the process with you.

First, I lucked into 3-16" pillow forms at Hobby Lobby last week, 50% off. I cut 3 squares of burlap to 17", then found the center and put a pin there.

For the stencil, I printed off 8" letters using the Arial font, bold (the 1's are 3"), traced the numbers onto freezer paper and cut them out with an Exacto:

Then, after finding the approximate center of the stencil, I matched that up with the center of the burlap square and ironed the freezer paper onto the fabric:

Using a foam brush and acrylic paint, I stenciled the letters. I wasn't at all sure how the burlap would take the stenciling, since it is such a loose weave, but it worked great. I think the key is to use just a little paint at a time.

If you make sure and iron the edges down nicely, you should get a clean print. Let the paint set just a couple of minutes, and peel off the freezer paper. Viola!:

I waited until the letters were completely dry before I stenciled on the numbers, because I know myself too well, and would have surely had a mess if I tried to do it while the letters were still wet. I am an impatient crafter, I know. Stencil on the numbers the same way.

For the backs of the pillows, I used three dishtowels I had stored away in my crafty bins -- I like to use a dishtowel because the edges are already finished. Cut the towel in half and lay the halves on the burlap square, right sides together, having the towel overlap to create an envelope opening. ( Freshly Picked has a great tutorial of an envelope pillow.) Sew all around the edges, trim the seams, flip it inside out and you get this:

Stuff your pillow form inside, give it a good whack here and there to even it out, then put your pillows on your front porch swing.

Zoe thinks this is very cute. Isn't she just the cutest herself?

One more burlap craft:

One of the genius ideas I learned on Pinterest was to use a swim noodle as a wreath form. Genius, I tell you. And, right now, you can get one for $1.00 at the dollar stores!
To form the noodle into a wreath, start by bending it little by little -- it will easily begin to take on a circle shape. I just rolled up a 4"strip of newspaper to make a plug -- stuff it into the hole on one side, and bring the other end around and push that onto the plug. Bring the edges together as neatly as you can and tape with packing tape or duct tape. Just keep messing with it and bending it here and there and you will have a perfect circle.
I cut strips of burlap about 2" wide and wrapped them around the wreath, securing with straight pins (I'm sure you could use tape or glue, as well -- you might have to experiment with what will stick to the noodle).
Then, I tried my hand at the fabric roses I also see everywhere on Pinterest -- from pillows to sweaters to headbands. (There are several good tutorials out there for these, as well --try this great one at Portabellopixie.) You can secure these with glue or stitching, but I just used a few pins.

I made a bunch of roses out of burlap, and tried a few with cotton strips:

I like them both. The leaves are just little knots of green fabric.
I think this would be a great project for fall, with a darker burlap and orangey roses.
But no time for that now -- more Pinterest fun to share tomorrow!
Peace.

I CAN'T STOP CRAFTING!

2011-07-19T05:11:00.001-07:00

Why?
1. Well, I just love crafting
2. I now have a nifty room to do it in
3. Summertime = a little more free time
4. The County Fair time is quickly approaching (yippee!)
and 5., PINTEREST

I just knew this would become an addiction for me. Pinterest is like foodgawker or ravelry, but so, so much worse because I can make it about all the things I love. A little crafting, a little food, a little kid stuff, a little corgi. And then there's all sorts of enabling, as Pinterest lets you know when other people like and re-pin the things you love. Good grief -- it's just one big happy family of people who like to poke about on the internets and show off what they find! I added the Pinterest button over there on the right --- I don't know if that will take you to the general site or to my page, but you should all join.

I've tried a few recipes I've seen on Pinterest (Sopapilla Coffeecake should be added to the food pyramid -- next time I make it I'll post the recipe and pictures) but I just can't stop making things I see on there!

My big plan for while Clay was away was to clean the basement and sort and pitch. However, my only trips to the basement the past week have been to search out craft supplies that didn't get moved to my work room.

This week, I'll post some pictures of my projects, but here is a set of pillow cases I made last week -- one for my friend, Keaton, and one for the gift box.

I saw these panels at Craft Town last spring, and couldn't resist, as Eric Carle is one of my favorites -- when I drove the bookmobile, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was one of my very favorite books to read, and my sister does a great Grouchy Ladybug! Pillowcases are an easy project, and I love making them.

Off to craft a little more -- pictures soon!
Peace.

Fix-up Friday - Jewelry Solution

2011-07-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

I've seen re-fashioned frames like this on the internet for a couple of years now, and have been keeping my eyes open for the perfect frame -- I found it at Trader Baker's last week. It was really grubby, but only $8, and with a little gentle cleaning and some spray paint, it is quite shabby chic. I went to the farm store for chicken wire, but this hardware cloth seemed like a better choice; it was only $3.95 for a roll, and I just used wire snips to cut a piece a bit larger than the frame opening, then used the staple gun to hold it down in the back. Unfortunately, while I was snugging down the staples with a hammer, I knocked a bit of the carving off, but I've decided to say that that just gives it some character.

I hung my jewelry with little s-hooks that you can pick up at any hardware/farm store.

This was a quick project, and a good solution to the tangled mess of necklaces and bracelets that I kept in a silverware tray!

Kindness Sadness

2011-07-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

I believe in kindness.
I believe in living for others.
I believe that every person-- even the mean and nasty -- is deep down an image of God, and deserves my kindness.
And, therefore, I believe that it is as important to be as kind to strangers as it is to be kind to those I know and love.

I know that many, if not most, people agree with this. But none of those people were in the parking lot at the Greenwood Chik-Fil-A on Tuesday night.

As some of you know, when Clay is out of the country, I can depend on something dramatic happening. A blizzard, a broken air conditioner, perhaps even a call from the police. (Twice.)

This time, it was car trouble. To condense a really complex story, I drove to Indianapolis on Tuesday to visit a sweet little friend in the hospital. On the way home, I stopped at Chik-Fil-A because it's delicious. Unfortunately, as I was paying at the drive-through window, I saw my temperature gauge spike. I immediately pulled in to a parking spot, turned off the car and then listened while fluids boiled under the hood -- a true "fire burn and cauldron bubble" moment. Luckily, Clay was up and on his way to breakfast in China, and talked me through -- I was a little nervous and at that point, was certain that this would involve a tow truck.

Everything was blazing hot -- even the hood of the car was too hot to try to open for about 10 minutes. When the hood was finally up, it was almost another 1/2 hour before the radiator cap was cool enough to touch, even with a rag. This gave me plenty of time to clean out my car, go into the restaurant for a pitcher of water and consider all the people who stared at me and my open-hooded car and never offered to help.

No one.

Perhaps it was my intimidating appearance. This 51-year-old, blonde, Birkenstock-shod, cross-wearing grandma could have looked like a serial killer, I guess. Perhaps it was my intimidating ride: a soft gold 2000 Chrysler Town and Country van with 180,000 miles and a Life is Good sticker in the back window. Perhaps it was the time of day: 7:30 PM, which in Indiana in July could be considered broad daylight. Perhaps it was the area -- Chik-Fil-A. Right outside the Meier. Across from the Target and Steinmart. Just down from the Starbucks. Scary.

Now, I had great automotive and emotional help on the phone, and I knew what I had to do to get my car running -- I didn't really need anyone to come to my rescue (although I had warned Maggie that she and Nate might have to come up and get me if indeed I had a hole in a hose or something unfixable). But the fact that no one even offered as much as a kind word just makes me sad.

Having grown up in the country, where everyone waves at everyone else and where folks will stop you on the road to be sure you are OK even if you're just out walking your dog, I just don't understand why not one of the many people who saw me in that parking lot asked if I needed assistance. But I do have a message for the man who was parked right across from me and watched me as I was pouring water in the radiator and he was strapping his two little girls into their car seats: Sometime in the future, one of your girls is going to be all by herself and need a little help (I don't wish that on them, it just happens to everyone). Can you imagine how sad you would be if no one offered to help your daughter change her tire or find her lost dog or pour water into her radiator? Trust me, you'd be really sad (and probably pissed) if someone like you didn't at least stick his head out his window as he was getting ready to drive away and say, "Hey, can I call someone for you?" That would have been the kind thing to do, daddy-o, and the kind of thing you would want someone else to do for your sweet girls.

Oh, I don't believe kindness is dead -- I see it every day. We teach it in kindergarten. We live it out here in Smalltown, USA. But maybe we're all just going too fast and have gotten out of the habit of looking out for each other. I hereby give you permission to give me a swift kick in the butt if I ever get too self-absorbed to notice others' small needs or too busy to share a small kindness. Just a little kindness keeps the world from being a sad and lonely place; I can attest to this, because Tuesday night in that parking lot, I felt very sad and very alone.

Peace.

PS FYI, I made it home just fine. Just in case, I bought 2 gallons of water at the Meier, drove without the AC and kept watch on the temperature gauge. The hour drive seemed a lot longer than usual, and it was a huge relief to be in my own driveway.

Fix-up Friday - On Monday

2011-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

I blogged eight days in a row. Eight! But you knew that it would end, didn't you? If I am anything, it is inconsistent. But here is the post I had planned for Friday, before life got in the way.

This dresser came our way many, many years ago from Clay's mom and dad. It's an inexpensive piece, but all wood; Dad had already re-finished it a couple of times, and when we got it, it was orange. That 1970's burnt orange. The dresser sat out in the garage for awhile until I painted it black and brought it inside. I had some rub-on transfer rose motifs I rubbed on each drawer front, as rub-on transfers were all the rage back in the day.

I saw a map-decoupaged chest on The Nate Show, and decided that this dresser was the perfect candidate. I just cleaned the drawer faces, removed the knobs, sanded down the transfers and cleaned again. Then, I cut up a large paper map of the world (that I thought I got from barnesandnoble.com, but I can't find it on there anymore -- if you want to do this, I know you can find a good paper map at a teacher store). For measuring, I used my quilt mat, quilt rulers and rotary cutter -- great time saver. Then, I Mod Podged each map section onto a drawer, waited for it to dry and then screwed the knobs back on.

The top of the dresser was a bit messed up, as several years ago I had left a tinned candle burning, and the tin caught fire. (Yes, I did learn a lesson that day -- no more tinned candles!) So I decided to put a map on top, too -- you can't see it in this picture, but it's a map of Beijing, and Clay had circled some of the spots he was visiting on that trip. I thought it would be fun to display some of the treasures Clay brings home from his trips, so there is a Japanese fan and a Chinese Buddha on the top -- those cute dolls from Belarus, however, had to go back in the cabinet, as Clay was pretty sure some little boy we love would decide they needed to go in the super hero cubby or take a ride on a Gator.

Peace.

Stories - Strength and Homemade Ice Cream

2011-07-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

My dad was a strong man. He didn't lift weights or have a plate-sized belt buckle to prove it, but he could easily fling two 50-pound bags of seed corn onto his shoulders to load a customer's truck. Clay likes to tell the story of dad lifting a wrong-way, 150-pound pig out of a chute by the snout and tail and giving him a toss across the fence to make another go of it. But maybe his strength was best displayed every summer when we made ice cream.

Sundays were ice cream days. Through the week, mom had frozen blocks of ice in freezer boxes, and after Sunday dinner we'd haul these out to the yard as she stirred together the milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Dad would bring the blue ice cream freezer from the garage to its place beneath the catalpa tree in the yard, and break up the ice blocks with a hammer. The ice cream mix was poured into the canister, ice and lots of salt all around, and the handle assembly fixed into place. Then mom would put a folded-up rug on top of the freezer; one of us kids would sit on top while another took their turn cranking. We cranked and changed positions, cranked and changed positions and cranked. And cranked some more. Mom would check every now and then, adding more ice and salt, and we whined and complained and continued to crank until our arms were sore and the dasher just wouldn't budge any more; we just knew that the ice cream was done. Someone would yell for dad to come check; he would kneel down, put one big hand on top of the freezer, the other on the handle, and crank like his arm was a motor, as if the ice cream was still just soupy milk. Every time. And every time, we were amazed that he was able to turn the handle at all.

When he finally judged that it was done, he disassembled the freezer and pulled the canister out, being careful not to let any salty water get to the ice cream. The dasher went into a big mixing bowl, and the canister into the kitchen, where bowls and spoons were waiting. And I will tell you, it was the best ice cream ever. Ever. Oh, without any stabilizers or emulsifiers or whatever, it melted quickly, and didn't re-freeze very well, but then again, there was rarely any left. Over the years, there was some experimentation with additions of fruit and different recipes (cooked vs. non-cooked) but plain old vanilla was the family standard.

I don't know what happened to that old blue freezer, and I don't remember making ice cream after mom got sick; I guess there were just too many other things to worry about. But my dad was still the strongest man in the world through mom's battle with cancer -- always positive, always pushing for a new treatment or drug, always trying to get mom to eat and always trying to make her happy. It wasn't until the day she died that we watched his strength disappear -- her death was his Sampson moment.

I miss my strong dad every day. Not for just for cranking the ice cream freezer or lifting heavy objects, but for lifting me out of a dilemma, sadness or regular old funk. And not with soft words, pats and smiles, but more with a figurative kick in the pants and a toss back into the pig pen. Luckily, dad's lessons have stuck with me. Doubly lucky, I married a strong man much like him; early in our relationship, we almost broke up when Clay told me to "get your head out of your ass" and move on. I have no recollection of what I was whining about, but after I got over being ticked, I realized it was pretty good advice, and the same advice I would have gotten from dad.

Here's to strong dads. And ice cream.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

4 eggs, lightly beaten (or 1 cup of Eggbeaters or liquid pasturized eggs if you're disturbed by raw eggs)
2 1/2 c. sugar
6 c. milk
4 c. half and half
2 T. vanilla (I like Marion Kay the best; here I go on the Indiana kick again)
1/2 t. salt

Stir eggs, sugar and about half the milk together until all the sugar is dissolved; all the rest of the ingredients. Pour into ice cream freezer, and freeze according to the directions. We have a Rival electric freezer I think we received as a wedding gift (so it is OLD); Clay had to cinch it together with a strap and the motor was a little bogged down, but it works! Have lots of ice ready (we went through one of those huge bags) and lots of salt -- several cups worth. Water softener salt works great; the more salt, the colder the ice mix, and the faster it will freeze.

You know, I am a pretty simple girl and don't want for much (besides a Mini Cooper, a vintage travel trailer and a new sewing machine). But I would like one of these:

just so the kids can sit on a folded rug while we all take turns cranking.
Peace.

Some fun, some finds

2011-07-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

On the 4th, rub-a-dub-dub, three sweet boys in the tub, after supper and playing and freezer pops and playing and homemade ice cream and a little more playing, but before jammies, fireworks and books.

We could see the city's fireworks display from our bedroom window, and after, Adam put on a display just for us. It was great fun.

Earlier that day, Clay and I drove to Louisville; I had always wanted to go to the FANTASTIC Kentucky Flea Market (as they say on the TV commercials), and I was hoping to find some treasures to fix up.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of flea market I dream of -- just lots and lots and lots of new stuff -- purses, deodorant, health drinks, jewelry, shampoo, doggie sweaters. "Craptastic," to quote Clay.

So today, I visited a few antique/junk/flea market stores, and gathered this haul:

Not too bad for $44. I read one sweet little story in Fairyland Visitors and knew I had to bring it home; however, I passed up a half-gallon ice cream freezer at that store, and am already starting to regret it (a post on homemade ice cream coming up this week). I have a hard time not buying sweet pictures of kids and dogs, but I'm not sure what my current attraction to kitchy Chinese figures is all about -- this is my third set this year. I am excited about the bingo board and cards (I think I can feel a decoupage project coming on!) and I am going out to spray paint the big frame right now! Finished project soon!

Peace.

The DIY Wedding

2011-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

What a fun time we had getting ready for Sharon and Dave's wedding! A little crazy, a little stressful, but still great fun. Although we didn't get any good pictures of the bride and groom (thank goodness Jennifer did!), here are a few of the DIY projects.

The ideas for the table decorations were taken from the many wedding blogs we stumbled upon. Sixty wrapped books, blue mason jars with orange gerber daisies, lots of candles, and 30 different saying/poems/lyrics/pictures in the silver frames we found at the Dollar Tree.

The cake table was a highlight. Wedding pictures of our mom and dad and Bill and Shirley, cute little owl salt and pepper shakers and moss-covered initials. (Maybe we should have pressed that table skirt!)

The cake was our favorite Bride's Cake from the Cake Doctor, filled with raspberry and iced with White Chocolate Buttercream. 200+ cupcakes -- mocha, chocolate, orange marmalade and strawberry.

Sharon found two slices of tree that had been up in the teachers' closet for years, apparently from a very cool science lesson; no one claimed them, so Clay and I turned them into her cake plate -- oh how I love power tools! We tucked leaves of ivy from our back yard around the cake, just like Grandma Hunley used to.

The "guest book"was a large canvas. Sharon drew the tree and did the wording; the small frame on the right asked the guests to make their thumbprint leaves and sign their names. You can see Sarah's family's branch below:

Everyone loved the photo booth, perhaps more so as the evening progressed and they enjoyed the sangria! Sharon had all sorts of fun props, from hats to boas to mustaches. Now they have a great collection of wacky pictures to hang next to their guest book!

Brother Kenny made up strings of lights that gave a soft vintagey feel to the big room, and hung some blue and orange paper lanterns; he also made sure that the air conditioning at the K of C was up and running, thank goodness!

We didn't cook the food, tend the bar or DJ (or perform the wedding ceremony, which Father Dan did perfectly in his typical warm and loving fashion), but the rest of the event was all family! I think mom and dad would have been quite proud.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate than with an explosive bowl of fruit?
Happy 235th Birthday, America, and Happy 80th Birthday, Doc.
Peace.

Summer Reading

2011-07-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Now that things are quieting down a bit, it's time to read. We had a nice discussion at our last Knit Night about knitting fiction, and Julie suggested the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street series. I barreled through The Shop on Blossom Street, and started A Good Yarn immediately. They are sweet books, and Julie says the shop is just like the one she imagines me running one day -- how could I not read these?

But Blossom Street will have to wait, as I have downloaded a great one to my nook: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. At first, I thought I was going to have to stop reading, as the book centers on the death of a man who dies while on a trip for his employer. Yikes! Not something I like to think about, but something I always think about, especially when Clay is in the middle of nowhere, like the character Dr. Eckman was. I'll give you a full review when I finish, but I can already tell that this is one I'd recommend. July 5 -- I finished the book this morning, and would recommend it highly! I think it would lead to a great book group discussion -- I can't wait until Clay reads it so we can talk about it, but in return, I have to start reading The Bronze Horseman, the first of a 3-book series by Paullina Simons so he will have someone to talk about them with.

The greatest thing about the nook is that you can get free samples of books before you buy them -- much like reading a chapter while standing in the bookstore. After 20 pages, I knew State of Wonder was one I would purchase. On the other hand, a few months ago, I had downloaded a sample of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; although it was highly rated on many lists, it just didn't grab me. I have a lot of critically acclaimed books scattered around here that I just couldn't get in to -- the nook relieves a lot of my book-buying guilt!

The rest of my summer reading list: South of Superior (Ellen Airgood), Ten Thousand Saints (Eleanor Henderson), Twin (Allen Shaw), The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (Gayle Tzemach Lemmon) and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Tom Franklin).

Off to read. Peace.

Saturday Refreshments - Sharon's Sangria

2011-07-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

The "Signature Cocktail" is all the rage on the wedding blogs; I did enjoy a few Lemon Drop Martinis at Blair and Ryan's wedding in May, and Clay liked their Dirty Martinis with bleu cheese-stuffed olives. Sharon wanted a special drink for her wedding, and since her colors were blue and orange, we messed around a bit with blue cocktails (ick). Dropping the blue idea, we finally came up with an easy and delicious sangria, which was a big hit -- I know we went through at least 12 bottles of wine! Several people at the wedding asked for the recipe, so here you go!

Sharon's Sangria

1 cup peach schnapps

2 bottles Oliver Soft White wine (I tried a Riesling this week, and it just wasn't as good. Plus, Oliver is an Indiana winery)

1 2-liter ginger ale

lots of fruit, probably 8 cups or so -- sliced oranges, apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, etc.

Put all the fruit in a large container (the nice jar above is from Walmart!) and pour the schnapps and wine over all and give it a little stir. Let marinate for 6-8 hours, or overnight. When ready to serve, pour in ginger ale. Serve over ice, and be prepared to make more! (The original recipe we worked from also called for a cup of cognac, which was a little intense, and made the drink $$! So, we left it out and thought it was just right.)

The Pioneer Woman has a great sangria in her cookbook and she posted this coffee concentrate recipe last week, both of which I might just make this weekend!

Peace.

Fix-up Friday - Red Chairs!

2011-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

When we helped Grandma Shirley clear out her house, she really wanted us to keep the chair on the right, even though it was in pieces, and parts were being held together with strapping tape. She said, "I know you can do something with it," and I didn't want to let her down. I also had an awesome folding chair I found at the flea market for $7.00. It was red, but had been chewed on by a little dog, I am guessing.

So, I glued and hammered, tightened screws, used a good deal of wood putty, sanded and used up 3 cans of gloss red spray paint to get these:

The seats are covered with Heather Bailey fabric that I bought over a year ago for pillows, but I think it looks nice on the chairs. I am thinking of doing a whole set of fixed up chairs for the dining room -- if only someone would let me paint the table . . .

Now, don't get all excited and think that I am actually going to make a habit of posting a fix-up EVERY Friday, but I do have more for the next several weeks; this is perhaps the one benefit of the sporadic blogger!

Peace.

So Long, June

2011-06-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

and with it, so long graduation, so long Convention, so long wedding. Once again, I have lots and lots to talk about, but let me just post a couple of links (because I am lazy!)

Beautiful wedding photos here, by Jennifer.

Fun convention pictures here, which is our new website!

ALSO, so long old blog design; I just spent most of today adding art and gadgets, getting rid of too much white space, categorizing blog posts and generally spiffying up around here. I'm pretty happy with how it looks, but I still want to add my signature to each post, just for fun.

Tomorrow, some things I've been up to -- watch out!

Peace.

Where did May go? Happy June!

2011-06-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a big few weeks. Nate graduated,

Will graduated,

our great kids -- Sarah, Will and Maggie

we went to the race,

(and dinner at Mesh, a show at the Phoenix, the Parade, lunch at Barcelona and fun at Wine and Canvas! Such a great weekend with such an outstanding group of friends.)

and I made a few cakes

Graduation party cake and 13+ dozen cupcakes. (German chocolate, chocolate, mocha, strawberry, lemon and red velvet)

Dr. C's 60th Birthday Cake

Just for Tammy, here is the recipe for the Mocha Cupcakes:
1 devil's food cake mix
2 T. cocoa powder
1T. espresso powder
1 1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. canola oil
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Put all in mixing bowl, and using a hand mixer, mix on low for a minute. Scrape the bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium. Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top springs back under your finger. Cool and frost with this:

1 stick butter, softened, 3 c. sifted powdered sugar, 3-4 T. cold coffee, 1 T. cocoa, 2 T. espresso powder. Beat butter until fluffy, add about half of the p. sugar and beat a little more, about half the coffee, beat, rest of the p. sugar, cocoa and espresso powder, beat, rest of the coffee until it is the consistency you want.

Next up? Convention details to finish up, closet cleaning, and tidying/prettying up my blog -- I just can't figure out why all the white space, and why things don't publish as they do on my design page? I've been investigating some beautiful blog design sites, and am really ready to make some changes. I also got an invite to Pinterest, which I predict will be another great inspiration (read: time suck!) for me. And maybe next week I'll post some of my recent furniture re-do's. You should see the great red chair I got at the flea market -- just wait!

But this week is wedding planning! Cocktails to mix, centerpieces to design and cupcakes to bake! "Knock, knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad the wedding day is almost here?"
Peace, love and cupcakes all around.

SMS Giveaway Winner

2011-05-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

is #18, Jeannie D!

And thanks to all who commented.

After the 500, we'll be back to our regularly-scheduled blogging.

Peace.

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day!

2011-05-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the lovely comments -- the Giveaway Days are over, but I'm looking forward to doing this again in December!

Every day in May, I've thought, "Man, I need to blog!" I have so much good stuff to share -- cakes and recipes and and knitting patterns and pictures of a handsome senior as he barrels toward graduation. Plus, pictures of the premiere of our kindergarten graduation play, "The Three Colorful Little Pigs", in which the pigs are house painters and teach the big bad wolf the joy of mixing paint. (While last year's "Goldilocks" was met with rave reviews and they still chant 2009's "Tiki, tiki, timbo" in the school halls, I think the pigs was our best effort yet, perhaps because it was a musical! More on that later . . . )

What really drove me to blog today is the annual Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day. I haven't had much time to sew lately, but I'm "friends" with SMS on Facebook; when I read that it was giveaway time, I was excited to make up a little something and jump on the bandwagon. So, here is my entry:

Puppy Love Pillow

Just a simple little embroidered puppy, framed with a bit of kitchen towel fabric and some Japanese dog fabric. The envelope-style back is the rest of the towel!

If you would like a chance to win this pillow, just leave a comment below by midnight EST on Wednesday. Comments don't have to be fancy -- just say hi, tell me your dog's name, or what you like to sew. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win, or check back here on Thursday, May 27 and I'll post the winner, who I will choose with a random number generator.

I have a huge project due tomorrow, but after that, I'm sitting down with a cup of coffee and wandering through the giveaways; last year, there were so many I didn't get through half of them, but got a lot of great ideas. So many ideas, too few hours to sew!

Peace.

Good Friday Shrimp -- Too Good to be a Sacrifice!

2011-04-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I bought a copy of Paula Deen's magazine at the grocery checkout, and found a recipe for Margarita Shrimp Cocktail. I made it that year for the Good Friday Fish Fry/Christmas Tree Burning, and it was delicious, but I have misplaced the recipe -- and, a pretty thorough internet search turned up zilch. So, I gleaned what I liked from lots of different recipes, and came up with what I think is a keeper. I used smaller shrimp, so I think I am going to call this a salad -- good to eat with a fork or with chips.

Good Friday Shrimp Salad

I made this in two parts -- shrimp and salad -- but I think you could mix them all together from the start.

Shrimp:

2 pounds medium cooked shrimp (from Sam's), thawed

4 T. olive oil

1 cup lime juice

1 shot tequila (completely optional -- in fact, I think I will leave it out next year)

3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 t. salt

Toss all together and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Salad:

6-8 roma tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. lime juice

1 T. worchestershire sauce (I know -- weird ingredient, right? And I like to spell it that way, because that's how my dad pronounced it!)

Toss this all together and refrigerate, too.

Accompaniments:

2 avocados, coarsely diced and tossed with a little lime juice

wedges of lime

paprika

tortilla chips

To serve, drain the liquid off both shrimp and salad and toss all together. For a party at home, I'd line a platter with lettuce, then the shrimp; sprinkle with a little paprika for a nice color. Toss the avocado on top, and surround it with the lime wedges. Serve with chips along side. (For the fish fry, I took it in a 9x13, with the avocado on the side, since Clay can't stand avocados. I don't get it -- he'll eat almost anything in any country, but not avocados, which I am sure grow on the trees that line the streets of Heaven!)

Peace.

Books and TED and Gossip and Poetry

2011-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote shows up on Facebook every now and then. I suspect it is in response to someone having been a victim of some nasty gossip. I also suspect Mrs. Roosevelt may have said it in response to some nasty gossip spread about her or her husband. But I'm always confused by this quote, because to me, ideas, events and people are all tangled.

I'm currently reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas . This is a complex and beautiful book about a man with a great mind who was thrust into the events of Germany pre-WWII and gave his life for other people.* While he would have been completely comfortable in an academic environment (theology school, to be precise) he knew that the events of his time were so adversely affecting the people of Germany that he had to act. Tangled, I tell you.

And really, can you name one great idea that doesn't come right down to people? Peace = people. Virtue vs. vice = people. Democracy = of people, by people and for people.

I am guessing what Mrs. Roosevelt wanted us to understand from this quote is that she believed that great minds discuss the labyrinth of ideas, focusing not on individual people, but on "humankind."

Average people just try to figure out what the hell happened (would this, however, make historians simply "average?" I've just re-watched every episode of Ken Burns' Civil War, and I believe that Shelby Foote was brilliant. Period.)

And small minded people gossip.

But what is the difference between gossip and simple information? If I read it in the nosey news (aka The Crothersville Times), it's not gossip, is it? And if I tell something I know about someone, but don't have malice or hate in my heart, is that gossip?

Trained well by my "If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anything at All" mother, I really, really try to avoid gossip. But it is so easy to slip from a lovely conversation into a gossip-filled talkfest.

April is National Poetry Month (perhaps my favorite month of the year despite that tax thing). I once wrote a poem about gossip, which I will try to dig out and post here. At one time in my boring younger life, I longed to be the kind of person someone might gossip about. You know --a bit questionable. Maybe a little fast and loose. But not quite a hussy -- let's not push it.

Now, after having been the target of some nasty talk, I don't find it quite so enticing. When you're the victim, gossip just stinks. As do the small-minded people who share it. Eleanor and I agree on that one.

And speaking of books (and ideas and events and people and entanglements), I finished another great one, The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, in under 24 hours. The story of slavery set in Virginia in the early 1800's is sad and beautiful.

And, if you want some really great ideas from some really great people at a really great event, go to www.ted.com and watch a video or two. While I enjoy watching talks by people I have heard of, some of the very best ones are by regular old people like you and me.

Peace.

*This would have been the perfect book for my high school German class, where I learned a lot about Germany, but not much German. God bless you, Mr. Lambertus, wherever you are.

Buddy Bunny

2011-04-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

One of the favorite patterns of my Knit Nighters has been the Buddy Bear from Bev's Country Cottage. Since I first shared the pattern with the group in May of 2009, I know that many of these sweet little bears have been given as gifts and sent to charities by my friends in the group.

For Easter, I wanted to give them a bunny pattern (we have done eggs and baskets in previous years); I couldn't find one that wasn't too tricky or time consuming, so I thought I would write one up myself, and started with the Buddy Bear as my inspiration. Thus, Buddy Bunny was born.

The bunny is worked on straight needles. Although the Buddy Bear was worked in garter stitch (knit every row), I did the Bunny in stockinette (knit a row, purl a row). The entire bunny is worked in one piece, starting with a leg. Once the first leg is worked, the yarn is cut, the leg is pushed to the end of the needle and the second leg is worked, then both attached to form the body. Then you work up through the body, cast on extra stitches on each side for the arms, bind off those stitches, work the head then the ears separately (much like the legs) then down the other side of the ears, to the head, arms, body and legs. You'll see -- it will make perfect sense in just a few minutes of knitting!

Buddy Bunny

Materials: Any yarn. Choose a needle size down one or two from what is suggested for the yarn; this will produce a denser fabric for stuffing. You will also need some polyfill for stuffing, a yarn needle, a stitch holder and scraps of yarn for embroidering the face.

For my bunny, I chose a white worsted weight acrylic I had in my yarn basket, and held a thin strand of mohair with it -- it's a very soft bunny! I used size 7 needles, but I probably could have gone with size 6; if the bunny had been any other color, the white stuffing would show through. My bunny is 12" tall and her arm span is 7".
Pattern: Leg #1: Cast on 8 stitches. Stockinette stitch 16 rows; leave tail and cut yarn.
For Leg #2, repeat as for #1.
Body: Now, push the two legs together on the needle and knit across both legs (you will now have 16 stitches across); stockinette for 16 rows.
Arms: Using the knit-on cast on, cast on 8 stitches at the beginning of each of the next two rows (32 stitches across). Stockinette stitch for 8 rows. Cast off 8 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows (back down to 16 stitches)
Head: Stockinette stitch for 19 rows.
Ears: You will work each ear separately, just like you did for the legs. For Ear #1, knit 8 and place the remaining 8 stitches on a holder for later. Now, stockinette stitch for 7 more rows.
Row 9: knit 2 together (k2tog), k4, k2tog (6 stitches).
Rows 10-12: Stockinette. Row 13: k2tog, k2, k2tog (4 stitches).
Rows 14-16: Stockinette.
Row 17: k2tog, k2tog (2 stitches). Rows 18-20: Stockinette
Row 21: Knit into the front and back of each stitch; now you will have 4 stitches Row 22-24: Stockinette
Row 25: Knit into the front and back of the first stitch, k2, knit into the front and back of the last stitch (6 stitches)
Rows 26-28: Stockinette
Row 29: Knit into the front and back of the first stitch, k4, knit into the front and back of the last stitch (8 stitches).
Rows 30-36: Stockinette.
Put the stitches for Ear #1 on a holder, then go back and repeat for Ear #2. Slide the ears together, begin careful not to twist them, and knit across.
Stockinette for 18 more rows to complete the head.
Repeat arms as above. Repeat body as above.
Legs: Knit 8 stitches as leg instructions above and bind off (put other 8 stitches on holder). Then, pick up stitches from holder and work as above. This is what you will get: Looks a little crazy, doesn't it? If you use a natural fiber, you probably will want to block your work here. With an acrylic, you can probably just proceed.
Fold the bunny in half and sew a seam starting at the pit of one of the arms, around the arm, head, ears, head, other arm and legs; leave a few inches of opening on the body for stuffing: Stuff the bunny as firmly as you like, using the end of a knitting needle to push the stuffing into the ends of the ears. Stitch the side opening closed. Thread the yarn needle with an 18" length of yarn and use a running stitch around the neck; draw up as you like and tie in a firm knot. Do the same around each ear. Pompom tail: Here is a fun way to make a little pompom -- use a kitchen fork and wrap the yarn around several times. Thread another length of yarn between the middle tines of the fork, draw up and tie in a firm knot. Attach to bunny's backside.

Use yarn needle and scraps of yarn to embroider the bunny's face; hide your knots in the neckline, and cover that with a bow or some lace. I added a little blush on the cheeks and inside the ears. And, I sewed up a little apron, because I am a little crazy like that. Give to a child you love. Or to one who needs a little extra love this Easter. Peace.

Cake Post

2011-04-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

So, I need to learn how to categorize my blog posts over there on the right. All my knitting posts in one spot, all the recipes, all the parties. I know it's possible, I just can't figure it out quite yet. Until I do, here's a bunch of my cakes, just for my pal, April.

Griffin's First Birthday

Nate's 2nd Birthday - that's Max and Ruby, if you can't tell

Baptism Cake for Macey -- flowers made from gum drops

Super Why! for Tommy

Allie's Baptism

Griff's 2nd Birthday

Allie's Birthday

Tommy's 5th Birthday -- my most successful fondant attempt

Paul's 1st Birthday

Wills' 17th Birthday - Up

Joannie's Coconut Cake

Cake, Cake, Cake for the Brown Wedding

Carnival Cake for my twin pals

Sweet Taylor's 11th Birthday

Nate's 5th Birthday

Peace.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not Irish, but I love this day and wish I were just a tiny bit not German so I could claim some of the fun. I love the legend, the green and mostly the food! Today, since we took the boys to the Louisville zoo, we made the corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot -- some carrots in first, then the beef, then the wedged cabbage on top and cover with water. Pretty good method when you're away from the house. (Last year, we were in Akron for St. Patrick's Day, and made dinner for Grandma Shirley, who, despite her Boston roots, had never had corned beef and cabbage. She loved it, but then she loves a boiled dinner -- maybe that's a French Canadian thing?)

When we got home, we peeled potatoes and I made Irish Soda Bread, with help from Sarah and the boys. It turned out extra delicious this year, so I thought I should blog the recipe here so I am sure to do the same thing again next year. I found a recipe I liked many years ago, but have made changes. I bake it in our trusty cast iron skillet, just like my mom always made cornbread, so I'm going to call it

Farmgirl Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

2 c. raisins

1 T. caraway seeds

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 c. milk plus 1 t. apple cider vinegar stirred in

1 c. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350, and put a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven while it heats up.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients; stir in raisins and caraway seeds. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, milk and sour cream; pour into dry ingredients and mix just until all is moistened and you can't see any dry flour mix. Take the skillet from the oven and plop in 2 T. of butter. When it is melted, whirl it around the the skillet and pour the dough in.

Bake for an hour; the bread will have a nice firm crust and will sound hollow when you give it a tap. Let it cool a few minutes, then turn out onto a rack. It will cut better if you let it sit another few minutes, and it's extra good for breakfast the next morning.

Clay made black and tans (Guinness + Harp = downright lethal for a woman whose recent beer of choice has 64 calories and no kick) and then we made homemade shamrock shakes with fudge ripple ice cream, a smidge of peppermint extract and green food coloring. Delicious, like a Girl Scout Thin Mint. But, after the boys went home, we made another batch of milkshakes, but this time with a couple of shots of Irish Cream. Slainte!

And peace.

Not Much Better Than This

2011-03-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my college friend, Sue, posted on Facebook that "Active bloggers (those who have written in the last 30 days) are 23% more likely to enjoy being the center of attention." And she added, "keen grasp of the obvious. . ."

I understand that. I read a lot of blogs. But I'm probably more in the 77% camp. It is nice when friends read my blog and like what I have to say, but I am not so good at promoting it. I don't have any ads or my own link buttons for others to "grab". I just like writing about the stuff in my life, interesting or not to other folks.

I have, however, started posting my entries on FB, and I included the link here in my signature on a Readers/Writers board I have started visiting, which is a huge step forward for me.

To me, blogging is like journaling or scrapbooking. Mostly for me to remember what I did and why. Ideas for things to do later. Things I want (and I want my kids) to look back on and be happy.

So, in that spirit, I wanted to share this video clip, which is from the 25th Anniversary Les Miserable Concert. It reminds me of going to see Les Mis for the very first time at the Auditorium at IU with my mom. She was embarrassed by the lovely ladies of the night, but loved the show. It reminds me of when Clay and I saw it together, and how we love to listen to the soundtrack on long car trips and sing along. It reminds me of seeing it in Louisville at the Palace with my friends, and explaining the show to a bunch of ladies in the bathroom at intermission -- one little older woman said, "Oh thank you, dear. I knew it had to be good, but I just had no idea what was going on. They sing so fast!"

Plus, if it's here on my blog, I'll always know where to find it when I need it. Because, you know, sometimes you just need a little Jean Valjean.

Oh. I forgot to add. Alfie Boe, the Valjean who comes in last and changes the key and makes goosebumps, has officially made it onto my "Top 10 British Boyfriends" list. Today, he might just be #1.

Peace.

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

or as we call it in our house, National Tuna Casserole Day. I make tuna casserole just once a year; I don't need a recipe, I just sing Garrison Keillor's Tuna, Food of My Soul (to the tune of Whispering Hope):

Only a small can of tuna,
Mushroom soup, celery and peas,
Mixed with a quart of egg noodles,
Sprinkled with chips and with cheese . . .

Tuna casserole, oh how dear to my childhood,
Tuna and noodles and mushrooms and chips.

We play Whispering Hope almost every week at the Lutheran Home; it's one of Arno's favorites. Of course, when he sings "whispering hope," I hear "tuna casserole."

I offered to make some nice fish for supper, or our extra delicious macaroni and cheese, but Clay asked for the regular. Lent is so much more than tuna casserole, but tuna casserole is Lent.

Peace.

Stories - Ordinary Days

2011-03-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

On the liturgical calendar, this is the last ordinary day we'll see for awhile, as Lent starts tomorrow. We're already preparing for the most beautiful Mass of the Catholic year -- the Easter Vigil. I've cantored this Mass for many years, but with so many readings, psalms, sprinklings, chants, confirmations and litanies, it's almost overwhelming. I was overwhelmed at my first Vigil Mass, 27 years ago when I joined the church. When it was all over, I remember thinking, "What just happened, and what in the world have I done?"

As much as I love the special feasts of the Church year, as a musician, I like Ordinary Time best -- nothing fancy, just worship, with the same familiar flow at Mass every week: 3 hymns, a psalm, a Gospel acclamation, 5 mass parts. After pounding out the joyous Gloria every week at the start of Mass since Christmas Eve, this week I have to remember not to launch into it after the Kyrie. I know that probably doesn't sound too difficult, but I'm a creature of habit, and usually once during the Lenten season I play the first notes of the Gloria only to hear a subtle throat clearing by the priest, or hear him launch into the "Let us pray" so that I get the clue and stop.

When I think about our family stories, I realize that most of the good ones center around special feasts, as well: the major holidays, birthdays, reunions. But for me, like the church feasts, those events are times of intense preparation and high stress. Give me an ordinary day, with ordinary things: work, school, taking the dog out, feeding the cat, making supper, reading books, some laundry and maybe a little TV. It's the ordinary days when we can enjoy the peace of our home, and the company of each other. We can relax and renew our spirits. I don't think it's a coincidence that the liturgical color for ordinary time is green -- the color of life and renewal.

Tomorrow, we turn purple. Intense. Deep. Solemn. I'll try to keep to my Lenten fasts and promises, for as Father Sheets said every Ash Wednesday, this may be the last Lent we get. (!) But I'm not much of an intense and solemn girl; I'm a pretty ordinary girl, and I'll be looking forward to the ordinary days to come.

Peace.

Not a Story, Just Some Books

2011-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

I was working on a pithy little blog post about some topics I've been reading about on other blogs. However, I realized this evening that thinking about/writing about/arguing about volatile topics is not so good for my spirit. It absolutely amazes me that at one time I thought I would go into some sort of politics -- that is so, so far from where I am now, and I am thankful for that.

So, I'm going to blog, instead, about 2 books that I am currently loving. First, And I Shall Have some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Land for My Own Dirt Road by Margaret Roach. OK, I know I have never lived in the fast lane; I've never really had a career other than mom and professional volunteer. I guess I am living a little vicariously through this book; Margaret had a job much like the job I always thought I would have -- she started out writing for a newspaper. Of course, she ended up as the editorial director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. (That's a hell of a word, isn't it?) But after 30+ years, she left the corporate world to live on her little farm in upstate New York.

She writes much like I would guess she talks to her friends, with lots of asides and quips and jabs at herself. I think what I like best about this book is that it doesn't pretend everything is perfect. So unlike everything that comes from MSO. So like everything that comes from me.

It's that lesson it's taken me so long to learn -- life doesn't have to be perfect to be good.

On Saturday, I had volunteered to help at a 4-H crafts workshop at the library -- a little cross-stitch, a little knitting, a little crochet. Linda, the dear woman who organized the afternoon, is a Knit Night friend, and I was pretty excited to help. She put together little kits of needles, hoops, yarn and floss, had stations all set up and ready and even had door prizes. Unfortunately, only three 4-Her's showed up for the workshop. I was one of five volunteers there, and after chatting with the other volunteers for a while (and realizing I wasn't really needed because the terrific Jr. Leader there is a better knitter than I am), I headed upstairs to find another sock book, since these socks of mine really aren't "soaring on two circular needles" like Cat Bordhi tells me they should. (I've got holes, just like every other time I have tried socks.) I didn't find another sock book to help me out, but I did find Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit and Crochet by Mags Kandis. She designed the Modern Quilt Wrap, a pattern I love, started, ripped out and have been planning to knit again for several years. This book is just beautiful, and is full of sweet little patterns I would like to try.

As for the sock, I'm resisting the urge to rip it out and use the yarn for a bunch of mitered squares. Even if a sock isn't perfect, can it still be good?

Peace.

Stories - Ketchup

2011-02-28T05:12:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite parts of A Prairie Home Companion are the commercials "brought to you by the Ketchup Advisory Board." How I wish I could snag a seat on that board; I'm sure I would qualify, as I eat ketchup, love ketchup and have made ketchup.

Growing up, the shelves in our basement (and also in the basements of both sets of grandparents) were lined with jeweled jars of canned goods. Grape jelly, apple butter, sauerkraut, pickled beets, pickled green beans, pickled pickles. But primarily, tomatoes. Whole tomatoes. Tomato sauce. Tomato juice. Chili sauce. And ketchup.

Canning is hot and sweaty business, starting in the garden. We'd pick early in the morning, but in Indiana, August early mornings can still be brutally hot. After we'd haul our bushel baskets up to the house, we'd peel and snap and chop and cook, then mom would ladle the vegetables into hot sterilized jars to be processed in the canner or pressure cooker. When I was a little girl, I heard a horror story about a woman whose pressure cooker blew up in her kitchen, burning her with the scalding water and cutting her with shards of the jars; I've had a huge fear of pressure cookers ever since. As the dial on the cooker would work its way up, I'd work my way out of the kitchen, and try to get mom to get out, too. But she said that if you did it right, and kept an eye on the gauge, it would be fine, and it always was.

The best part of the whole process was listening for the "pop" of the lids as each jar cooled and sealed itself, sitting out on our dining room table. Each pop put a satisfied little smile on mom's face. She kept a tally of the pops, and after a few hours, she would run her fingers over the top of each jar, feeling for the dent left by the sealing; any jars not sealed would be served for supper.

One day, in the middle of canning season, dad came home with a big copper pot -- it probably held around 20-30 gallons. He spent the next few days welding together an iron base with a swinging arm and then fashioning a wooden stirrer -- a paddle angled on the end of a long wooden handle, so we could stir but not get burned. Time to make ketchup!

Dad set up the fire between the house and the barn. We poured bushels of chunked-up tomatoes into the pot, along with vinegar, sugar and spices -- cinnamon and cloves, I remember. Then dad swung the pot over the fire, and it cooked. And cooked. And cooked and cooked and cooked, and filled the whole yard with the sweet spicy aroma. (It makes my mouth water, just remembering how great that smelled!) We all took turns stirring the ketchup, which was great fun at first, but quickly turned into a hot, miserable job. Mom brought out the kitchen timer, and we'd each stir for 10 minutes, passing the paddle on to the next kid as soon as we heard the ding.

Meanwhile, mom had washed and sterilized several cases of dad's Miller High Life bottles, and had them lined up and ready on the counter. When the ketchup had cooked down to his satisfaction, dad swung the pot from over the fire, and used a kitchen pot to ladle the hot ketchup into the canner, which he carefully carried into the kitchen. Mom ran the mixture through the food mill to remove seeds and peels, and then poured the ketchup into the beer bottles through a funnel.

I wish I could remember what happened next. Did mom process the bottles? Did we cap them first, or wait until the ketchup cooled? I do remember the fun of the capper -- lining up the bottle just right, setting the cap on and pushing down hard on the handle until the cap crimped around the bottle top nice and tight. (I found this picture of a bottle capper on another blog --it's just like the one we had.)

I would like to lie to you and tell you how much I loved that ketchup. But I didn't. When I was in the third grade, I was allowed to stay overnight with my best friend, Jenny. Jenny was so exotic -- she lived in town with her father and her Southern grandmother, and that night for supper they had fried chicken and french fries, which they ate with a knife and fork. Most amazingly, they ate store-bought ketchup that flowed like a river out of a brightly labeled bottle with a white twisty cap. It was smooth and bright red, so unlike the deep red, slightly chunky, slightly watery junk that came out of the re-used beer bottles. I was in ketchup heaven. Until Jenny's father snapped at me and slapped my hand for reaching for a french fry with my fingers. (Yes, you are right -- I never stayed overnight there again.)
Every time we went to the grocery after that, I begged my mom for store-bought ketchup, just like I had begged for store-bought milk after drinking out of the little cartons in kindergarten.

I didn't get it. In more ways than one.

In my basement freezer, I have one jar of strawberry jam from the last batch mom ever made. And I have one bag of hickory nuts that she picked out, sitting in her chair in the family room, watching TV with dad. How I wish I had a bottle of ketchup to round out my collection.

Peace.

Stories -- The Elevator

2011-02-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, my friend, Jim, blogged about worry.

Last night, Father Dan's homily was on worry.

And yesterday, my baby boy turned 18.

Was this a sign to write about worry? I thought about that for a minute, but then realized that my thoughts on worry haven't changed much from what I wrote here.

But there's a connection, I think. Sometimes I worry that I'll never finish my book. I've been plotting it out and mushing it about in my head since Will was a baby. Yes, that long.

But I have decided that this is the year to write full force, and have something worth reading by the end of the year. My book is a highly fictionalized account of losing our family farm, but I am trying to include as many of the real life great memories I have of the people, events and landscape. Even if it's never published, I think it's important to get some of these stories down on paper (or flash drive) because sharing family stories is one of the great joys of life.

In his homily, Father talked about his little sister and an escalator. So, I thought I'd write about my little sister and the elevator. Therefore,

My Little Sister and the Elevator

My mom had her hands full. I knew this, because when I was 8, everyone said that -- from strangers ("My God, you mom has her hands full!") to my Grandma H who reminded me every time we were together, "Now you be a good girl, because your mother has her hands full." My brother was 4 and a wild child, and my twin sisters were 2-year-old toddlers; mom's hands were more than full, and she could have used a few more. That's why someone gave her a set of harnesses for the twins. These were strappy little contraptions that fit over their shoulders and buckled in the back. Each harness was attached to a stretchy cord, so that the girls could walk and run about, but were still in mom's hands, so to speak. I'm sure whoever gave them to her thought they would come in very handy, but I remember them being used only once.

In our little town, there were 2 stores with elevators: the fancy furniture store and JC Penney. Although mom did most of her non-grocery shopping at GC Murphy's, when there were good sales we would go to Penney's, and riding the elevator there was a fantastic treat. Usually I had the honor of pushing the button and then taking the ride all the way up to the second floor, where we would shop in the children's department. As my brother grew, however, he liked to race the elevator, so I would have to begrudgingly run the wide staircase with him while mom and the twins rode up.

One shopping day, we kids were enjoying our time on the second floor, happily

weaving in and out among the racks as mom searched out bargains. The children's department was right outside the elevators doors, and mom reminded us to stay away from both the stairs and the elevator. I remember seeing the girls playing on the floor at mom's feet as I made lap after lap, chasing my brother around the clothes racks. But as I came around the rack on the next lap, I saw that one of the twins had stood up. I watched in stifled horror as Karen, attached to mom by her elastic tether, stepped through the elevator doors just as they were about to close. I yelled for mom to look, but Karen had already started her ride down to the first floor.

It didn't take mom long to realize what had happened, but what should she do? There she stood with her other three children, holding on to Karen's harness and watching the strap stretch, tighten and slide through the slit between the elevator doors right to the floor. She held on tight, not knowing what would happen if she let go, and sent me running down the stairs. I made it to the bottom just as the doors opened to see my sister, hanging near the ceiling of the elevator from the stretchy strap like a little angel. There she fluttered, too confused to cry, until the manager came with what I remember as the biggest pair of scissors I have ever seen, and cut her down. He held her until someone yelled up to mom that everything was OK, and mom and the other kids came barreling down the steps. After gathering Karen in her arms, she tearfully thanked the manger, unbuckled the harness from both girls and handed the remains to him, saying, "Throw these away."

There were so many things to be thankful for. Karen was unhurt. The manager was quick and level-headed. JC Penney's was only a 2-story building. And we had a good story to tell over and over.

Sometimes, I still see children attached to their moms with stretchy little harnesses at parks or malls. They probably think I am crazy when I sidle up and tell them to avoid elevators.

Peace.

A Quick Catch-up

2011-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

First off, I missed the milestone of 300 posts to this blog (this is #304, I think) since I started in June of 2007. I've tried to keep it mostly happy, but I've complained a bit, too. I've blogged joys and sorrows, birthdays and holidays, wrestling, fairs and funerals. This started out as a knitting blog, but quickly turned into a blog about things I love, which perhaps is why it seems a bit disjointed at times -- I love a lot of things. And if you are reading this, I am guessing you are one of those things I love. So, thanks.

I missed writing about Lucky's death. She was not the most pleasant cat, but she was ours. For 18 years. Will found her curled up in my closet, where she had spent many happy hours not being forced to interact with us. I do miss her, but I think I might be the only one.

I missed writing about the end of Will's high school wrestling career. His goal was to get further in the tournament than he did last year, and he achieved that. At regionals, he lost to a kid from Terre Haute who went on to place 2nd in the State meet last Saturday. I will really miss watching him wrestle, no matter how difficult and worrisome it was. Wrestling is a great sport, and he was a great little wrestler. So says his mom.

I'm knitting a pair of socks, I'm reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova (talk about difficult and worrisome!), I'm thinking about my next quilt and I'm almost done with my first draft of my first chapter. Not running yet, but I'm thinking about that, too.

There. All caught up now.

peace.

Happiness

2011-02-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

is when a 10-year-old boy (who you are not related to) wants to name his new sheltie puppy after you because you're a "pretty good mom."

Now that is good karma.

Make Stuff/Be Happy - School Auction Edition

2011-02-19T23:02:00.000-08:00

(This might be the last of the make stuff/be happy series for awhile -- I need to get some things done around here besides crafting!)

Our school auction/chili supper is one of the most anticipated events of the year. I don't know how many years we've been doing it, but it gets better every year -- this year was no exception.

We had a great time, got to sit with the King and Queen of Mardi Gras and ate King Cake. I got to hold Sloane for a while and won a sock monkey. What more could you ask?

Here's the stuff I made for this year's auction:

Each class was asked to make something commemorating our parish's 150th Anniversary. Hmmm. What to do with kindergartners? We had had great success with Sister Anna Rose's big birthday card last year (we had the kids lay on the floor in the shapes of the letters, took their pictures, then put the letters together into "We Love You Sister!") so we decided to try again. This time, however, we tried to do it in one take; we had ALL the kids lay on the floor of the gym in the shapes of 150 YEARS, and took their picture from a tall ladder Doug put on the stage for us. (Yes, I did climb that ladder to take the picture, and no, I didn't like it one bit!) Getting 20 kids to be stay quietly in position was a challenge, but I think it came out pretty nice. Wacky, but nice.

Last year's Red Riding Hood trio did pretty well, so I thought I would try another knitted set. For this nativity, I used the same pattern as Red (from Petite Purls ), but changed it up a bit, knitting in the round instead of on straights and adding a bit more length in the bodies. I didn't add faces, as I thought the last time I tried this, they looked too cartoony. See? And, I felted them. Sort of. As usual, I ran a little short on time, so the shepherd and angel are made from felted sweaters and the shepherd's head is actually a sock. The other two kings, who are still in pieces on my work table, will be delivered shortly. The manger for baby Jesus is made from hot glue (my favorite adhesive), and the bits of Will's laundry hamper lid that I keep finding on the floor, although it really looks like pretzel sticks. I wish I had taken a picture of the stable Stan made to go with the figures -- it was really perfect. I'm hoping he'll make me two more, as two dear girls I love were interested in the nativity set -- I think I'll start on theirs soon, one for an 8th grade graduation present and one for a wedding gift.

I've made a quilt for the auction for the past several years. Here is the 2011 installment: This quilt, machine pieced and quilted, is made up from the leftovers of my Nursery Rhyme quilt, which is still in the works. I only had to purchase the batting and two yards for the backing. (That reminds me -- the nativity set was knit/sewn up with stuff from my collection of yarn and crafty stuff. Use it up, wear it out, etc!)

Here is the back -- I love how Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! adds color to the backs of her quilts, so I did, too!

The woman who won the quilt told me she's going to put it into another auction, this one for special needs kids. See? Make stuff and be happy.

Finally, Clay baked our favorite chocolate cake for the dessert auction. I hope whoever won it is enjoying it! Peace.

Make Stuff/Be My Valentine

2011-02-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Early on in our years together, I made lots of stuff for Clay. A Browns afghan with a BIG orange helmet. A bathrobe, which he has worn maybe three times. A down jacket. (I know! It was a challenge, and there were little feathers everywhere!) That, he wore a lot.

But except for supper and trouble, I hardly make anything for him anymore. Until this week, when I made him a pillowcase embroidered with a favorite sentiment from our Outlander books:
It means "give me a thousand kisses."

Of course, when you've been married to someone for 28 years, I guess you should remember that they don't use a pillow.

Peace.

Make Stuff/Make Nate Happy - Birthday Edition

2011-02-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Nate turns 5!
Sassy smile with a little bedhead, but I love it.

When Sarah asked Nate what kind of cake he would like me to make him, he said he really didn't care, but later asked for "the most awesomest Batman cake ever." Holy tall orders, Batman!

I had made Paul a blanket for Christmas, and Nate asked for one, too, with the "cozy material." I added the N, just because.

Zoe liked it; she thought the "N" was a "Z". I told her I'd make one for her on her birthday.

Nate liked it, too. But then, Nate likes everything.

And I love every picture of our family, especially this one of Sarah and Nate:

Peace and birthday love.

Make Stuff/Be Happy - Cricut Edition

2011-02-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

Since Clay surprised me with a Cricut for Valentine's Day two years ago, I'll celebrate its anniversary by showing some of the things I've cut out lately.

Our school lobby was spruced up with a fresh coat of paint over the holidays, and our principal, Michelle, asked for a welcoming sign:
I was a little worried how the vinyl would look on the ductwork, but was happy with the result!

A BIG frame, a mat board and a lovely motto, and you get this:

A smaller version of this had been hanging in the lobby for years, but Michelle wanted it to be more visible. At 27x40, it's now hard to miss!

Valentines for my kindergarten friends:
The owl and bee were cut with the Paisley cartridge, and the envelopes with Tags, Bags and Boxes. I wrote on the back and slipped in three pieces of sugarless gum, cause that's how I roll.

Peace.

Make Stuff/Be Happy - Kindergarten Edition

2011-02-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Making stuff just makes kids happy, which is why I am so glad I'm in a classroom where the teacher takes making stuff very seriously. Here are some recent creations:

Snowmen and women, a la Snowballs. Sharon collects stuff all year for this project -- I just clean out our junk drawer!

We read Elmer, by David McKee

Last week's "D" project:

It's a bit of a trick to display 20 little dogs and avoid mounting/butt sniffing scenes.

100 Days of School -- the groovy entrance to their coat hooks:

The groovy teacher:

Zero the Hero left zero-shaped surprises for the kids on each day that was a multiple of 10 (donuts, bracelets, Funyums, etc.); on the 100th Day of School, he made a personal appearance:

Funny. His cape looks a lot like our Christmas tablecloth.

Peace

Pleasantries

2011-02-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

Finishing up my projects.
Zoe under my chair.
Clay reading the last few chapters of Echo in the Bone out loud.

happy valentine's day to me.

Peace.

I Hate Guns

2011-02-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

I don't want to debate.

On Friday, a woman I met at convention last year was shot and killed by her husband.

When you can make that all better, maybe we'll talk.

Peace to Kim Guyton Williams.

Close Enough

2011-02-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

to show! I still have a few things to add to the room, and I need to sweep, but I'm not going to show you a picture of the floor, anyway.

This is the great table I bought off the back of Doug's truck last spring. I made the curtains from a vintage tablecloth; it wasn't quite long enough, so I added some of my mom's feed sack material at the bottom, and used another feed sack for the tabs and tiebacks. (I hated cutting into that feed sack, but thought that it would be better to trim curtains than to spend more years in a box of remnants in my basement!) Flowers from the sweet Gibbons family.

Here's the chest I showed earlier; it's full of Cricut and scrapbook supplies. I can just put the Cricut on the table and go to town! And, there's a perfect spot for our dear old horseshoe lamp. I re-did the yellow chair last year, with another vintage tablecloth.

I quickly filled up the shelves Clay put up. Art supplies, sewing supplies, buttons and lots and lots of miscellaneous. The quilt on the sewing table is the first full-size quilt my mom made; it was a wedding gift to us. However, after she took a few more classes and got really good at quilting, she wanted me to burn this one! Glad I didn't, because I think it looks just right here (plus, it hides all the plastic containers of yarn, fabric and crafty stuff under the table!)

This is my little corner dedicated to Grandma Hunley: my Raggedy Ann and Andy she made, the little whistle cup we all loved to tweet, a picture of her parents, and the cash register I found at the flea market that looks just like the one we played with growing up. Oh, and this was her trashcan, which I love, if one should love a trashcan.
My chair corner. I got that lamp at WM for $12 -- highly functional, but I think I need to kitch it up a bit. A little fringe, maybe? And the bulletin board is one Karen and I made for Grandma -- it's just a piece of foamboard covered with fabric; the ribbons are held on with paper fasteners.
And the wall. A pig, a plate, a Jesus, my parents, a quilt, a thank you note from Abby and some words, which I still need to stick down. This room makes me happy.

Peace.

So long, Cowboy

2011-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

The room, before:

These poor old bandanna curtains were pretty cute long ago. I had made button holes along the top and threaded twine to hang them by. Nice stick, huh?

The room is a very soft pink now -- 2 coats of very soft pink over 2 coats of Kilz, because this:

was very hard to cover. At our downtown paint store, they taught me how to do the denim painting technique -- paint one blue, sponge on another shade of blue then comb through it. This room was one of my first big decorating projects, and it was really hard to strip that border and paint -- sad to see it go.

Denim blue on bottom, beige on top, cowboy border in between. It was awesome.

Peace, buckaroos.

25 years ago today

2011-01-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

Sarah was a baby.

We were watching TV.

Clay worked at NASA.

The world stood still for a moment.

I will never forget.

Christine McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnick, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith and Ellison Onizuka.

Peace.

More progress . . .

2011-01-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

I think I might like to take an upholstery class -- very satisfying work. But I am pretty sure they wouldn't advise me to use hot glue and a staple gun. Those work pretty well, however, when you're recovering a ratty 26-year-old chair with an old chenille bedspread you dyed purple. A little cutting, a little stretching, a little stapling and a lot of hot glue.

Before:

After:

Clay put up shelves for me -- how sweet. It might be karma, but the opening between the door and the wall in this room is exactly the same width as the shelves they sell at Home Depot. He also found a 6-foot table at WM that fits perfectly in this space.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post the whole renovation soon.

Peace

Today's thoughts on Karma

2011-01-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

You don't do good things hoping that something good will happen to you in return.
But if they do, that's sweet.

And if they don't, sometimes you wonder if maybe it would just be easier to stay home on the couch, eat cheese doodles and watch reality TV.

But then you realize that a home, a couch, cheese doodles and TV are good things.

Namaste.