I. Have. No. Computer.

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I do have a computer. Yup. It's sitting right on my desk, and a right fine paperweight it is indeed! However, other than its paper-weighting duties, the machine is pretty much... well, useless. And I admit to feeling a bit lost without my electronic-companion-and-bountiful-source-of-information-and- amusement. Oh, how I love computers. Except when they don't work.

Then I can't stand 'em.

Hurrah!

Although my computer is still basically non-functional, we have found a way to retrieve all of my photos from it's electronic innards. All of them! Kind of makes one want to let out a hearty Sis-Boom-Bah, if ya know what I mean.
O yeah.

And in other wonderful news, the kittens are home again and back to their old purring, cuddling ways. Perhaps with a bit less swagger to their strut, so to speak, but nonetheless not a bit worse for the wear. What a joy to have two such fat, healthy, immunized and non-intact felines about the place!
Millen tells me they missed us very much.

I've been thinking

Wouldn't
this
pattern
make up
into
an
adorable
home-dress?

And
wouldn't
these
fabrics
be
sweet?

An elderly lady from the church who knows I like "old time-y things" gave me a tin full of sewing notions salvaged off of old garments... that's where I got the buttons. Their color reminds me of the rootbeer barrel candies I used to get for a penny when I was a child, and it perfectly matches the background of the floral fabric.

Now my only problem is... I don't own this pattern. I don't have a clue where I could obtain it. If I could find it I probably couldn't afford it, and it was most likely never made in my size anyway.


I suppose that's actually four problems, but, hey who's counting?

1 Corinthians 11:1-16

There's some interesting reading over at Chelsey's place this week...

An introduction, a praise, a prayer request and a recipe

Have you ladies met the gals from Katie's Mercantile? They make clothing and such with the sweetest modest style, and truth be told, they're pretty sweet themselves. A couple of times a year there is an open house at Katie's. Sometimes they have a speaker and a meal; they always open up their beautiful log home and store rooms of pretty things. The bedrooms and bathrooms become changing rooms and the place is swarming with friendly ladies- all in a good mood. Gracious, it's like Tuesday morning prayer group and a Saturday afternoon shopping trip combined! My favorite thing is the chest full of "seconds" and clearance items tucked away in the corner of the loft... yeah.


The other weekend they were having their Fall open house and I was looking forward to taking a drive down to their part of the state. The foliage would make for beautiful scenery and I had a hankering to see some of Katie's headcoverings first hand. Besides that, the gals at Katie's had heard of our Puff and Tilty and were having a donation canister for funds to help pay for their veterinary care. (See, didn't I tell you they were sweethearts?) Alas, on the very day of the open house there was a funeral at our church. Being a stalwart member of the hospitality committee, I could not shirk my duty, even in the face of a party at Katie's. So I stayed in town, made a spinach salad for the luncheon, set up tables, cleared them off, and spent some lovely hours chatting with my lovely church lady friends. And I firmly resolved to make it to the spring open house, come luncheon or high water.

Well, yesterday morning I got a call from Katie's mother to tell me that they had managed to raise a quite sizable donation for the kittens. Even better yet, one of the visitors knew of a program to assist folks with veterinary costs. This lady had connections, and she wasn't afraid to use 'em. And in an oddly coincidental turn of events, two cats who had been slated for appointments in that program had unexpectedly bailed out... leaving openings for two cats. Hmmm.
"Would I be able to drive our boys down and leave them for a couple of days?"
Yes, indeedy!
"Would I OK them for neutering, immunizations, and a whole range of other procedures?"
Absolutely and oh-by-the-way, Praise the Lord!

The kids scurried off to find the large cat carrier and scrub it out, Amelia did her hair, bagged up some cat food and did her hair, and I set to work locating a good cookie recipe. After all one can't walk straight into the face of such thoughtfulness without at least a box of baked goods! We had no eggs as Louisa's girls have been shirking a bit of late and that did concern me. Cookies with no eggs? Well I needn't have worried.. this recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies did very nicely. I made them in mini-muffin tins with the dearest little white liners and packed them into bright red pastry boxes for good measure. They certainly looked darling, but as for how they tasted... well, you'll have to ask Katie about that.


Oh, and if you have a mind, we'd greatly appreciate prayers for our little boys: that they wouldn't be too frightened and that they would fare well through all of their upcoming and present.. ahem.. trials. mmhmm.

Cloth in the kitchen*

We use cloth napkins. It started when I saw pale green checked napkins at the local discount store... $2.59 for a package of two. They matched my kitchen. They also matched the jadeite dishes that I've wanted for decades. True, I don't actually own those dishes, but I if I ever do get them I really should have table linens to match, I thought sensibly. In the meantime these napkins would do nicely for lining the muffin basket or covering a loaf of bread. So I bought myself a pack. They did do very nicely and I soon found that two of the cloths wasn't nearly enough. Every week when I did my shopping, if I had a bit of extra money, I'd buy another package or two. By the time I had a dozen, I felt well-equipped indeed and started using them in place of paper napkins for the evening meal. Well, once we experienced the softness and luxury of cloth, none of us wanted to go back to paper.

Those cloth napkins got me to thinking about other paper or disposable products I used in the kitchen. I wondered about the feasability of replacing them with the different kinds of cloths that filled my grandmother's kitchen drawers. Cotton and linen tablecloths, placemats, dishcloths, tea towels, sturdy humble washrags, fluffy terry washcloths, and of course the napkins. Lots of lots of napkins. All laundered over and over until they were soft and thick, then ironed smooth and crisp.

Honestly, it was all that laundering that concerned me most. Napkins and washrags come in contact with food and dirt. Food and dirt have this most inconvenient tendency to... stain. Would I end up with drawers full of dingy spotty linens? Or worse, would I end up running to the laundry multiple times a day in a (probably futile) effort to keep them clean looking? My grandmother used to boil her washrags on the stove to keep them bright. But I didn't really want to do that, at least not on a regular basis.

At first I did struggle- and I have more than a couple of dingy spotty cloths to prove it! But through trial and error I have come up with a system that works very well. In my kitchen I keep a large bucket which is filled with an ample amount of laundry pre-soak dissolved in water. Any napkins or table linens are immediately dropped in once we're finished with them. Soil doesn't have a chance to set into the fabric, and the extended soak time gains victory over even the most stubborn stains. A second bucket filled with bleach water is kept under the sink for cleaning cloths. Laundering is done every couple of days by first spinning out the soaking liquid, and rinsing. They can then be washed along with a regular load of clothes.


The whole endeavor became much more manageable once I had an adequate supply of a various kinds of cloths. Those green checked napkins went on clearance and so I was able to purchase a few additional dozen for little more than a song. I've also acquired a very ample supply of white terry cloths useful for cleaning a variety of surfaces. They handily attach to "Swiffer"-type floor mops and, along with a spray bottle of lemon or vinegar water, do well for light floor cleaning. Cloth diapers are marvelous for sopping up large spills. Well-laundered cheesecloth cleans glass surfaces lint free. There's nothing like a fresh bright tablecloth to cheer up the morning.

If you're interested in reducing the amount of disposable paper products you use in your home or even just want to treat your family to a bit of old fashioned comfort, don't be intimidated. You needn't have a large quantity or variety of linens. Just start out with a few pretty cloth napkins...





*originally posted March 2, 2009

Aprons for the help*

Sweet little visiting help-ers, that is.



I have long had a hankering to reproduce a certain beloved-to-tatters children's apron dating from the 1930's. So simple... the pattern is only one piece and the style very similar to my own mobius apron.













Only problem was, I couldn't decide whether to make a sturdy bright little boy version or a rosebud-studded girly one. Well, I did the only sensible thing and created one of each. After all, one never knows who might come a'visitin' and decide to help out in the kitchen. I believe it's best to be prepared for all eventualities, yes indeed-y.











I pulled out all of my saved bits and pieces... vintage fabrics, buttons salvaged decades ago by an elderly friend, even precious all-cotton bias trim. I squeezed one last image from some bedraggled embroidery transfers and used the last drops of my Nana's brushable dye. What fun I had making these little things: hand-worked buttonholes, and all that marvelous bias trim to finish with teensy-tiny stitches... do I know how to have a good time or what?!

Now Mrs. Mordecai, if you ever do decide to pay me that call, please feel free to bring along Red Chief. I've got him covered. Get it? I've got him covered....

hehehe, sometimes I just crack myself up.



*originally posted on August 15, 2008

I returned to work today*

Well....not exactly...
You see, I haven't always had the joy of being a homemaker. Honestly, as a single mom this homemaker thing is pretty hard to pull off financially speaking. There have been times when I just plain haven't been able to manage it.. have had to work outside of the home, and have been grateful for the jobs the Lord has provided. Up until this year I worked for Head Start... you know, the federally mandated pre-school program for low-income families? My position title was "Special Services Coordinator," and I was responsible for arranging therapies and supports for the "special needs" kids in our county. Now that may sound charming and fulfilling and worthwhile and all that, but the reality was I rarely spent time with the actual children involved. Most of the time I was at a desk, on the phone or in meetings. Meetings between budget-crunched school districts, overburdened therapists, stressed parents, sadly burned-out teachers...each with their own agenda. Including me, because truth be told, what I really wanted was to be home. With my own kids. Tending to their special needs.

So all that to say, I was thrilled to be able to hand in my resignation last summer. I have had not one moment of regret... in fact there are moments when my gratitude to be back at home almost overwhelms me. I have no desire to be back in the workforce.

But this morning, I had an extra cup of coffee, donned the freshly pressed professional duds, woke the kids up early, gave them their must-do lists, and rushed out the front door, running late, sorry-baby-no-time-for-a-second-good-bye-hug... and went to one of those dreary meetings once again. This time I was only there to support a friend struggling to obtain services for her daughter, not representing a program with an agenda. I was free to take that call from my daughter regarding a crucial issue of chocolate chips. I didn't have to be "assertive" with anyone. I didn't have forms to fill out and signatures to obtain, goodness I didn't even bring a briefcase. When the meeting was over I could get in my minivan and drive home instead of back to the office.

but it still felt waaaay too much like Work to me.

and it was indescribably nice to come home in the middle of the day. Put on my apron and do a sinkful of dishes. Start the chicken for dinner and make up new copywork sheets. Go over flashcards and scrub behind the toilet. Yes, I am so glad I don't have to work anymore.

so very very glad........

He settles the barren woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.
Psalms 113:9

*originally posted January 24, 2008

Just call me Edna*

OK, Edna Turnblad and I have more in common than I'm comfortable admitting in public...



















... yeah..................

But I'll be completely open about one thing; we both spend a lot of time ironing. I don't mind. I've been known to iron just for the fun of it...which probably says something rather tragic about the state of my social life, but no matter. I love ironing!

One thing I don't love though is those skimpy little ironing board covers they sell. And nothing can take the fun out of ironing like those thin little foam rubber pads that come with them...they slip all over the place and aren't thick enough to do the job. One can't do a good job if one doesn't have good tools, or so says my dad.

Soo, I decided to quit griping and make myself a fun ironing board cover and pad set. I started with this oddly off-kilter fuschia gingham print in a midweight cotton, washed and dried it to within an inch of its life. I then restrained myself from switching projects midstream and making an apron out of the fabric instead- c'mon now girls, wouldn't this look cute over my mod squad housedress?

Focus Diane! Focus!


errmmm, ironing board cover, yes, back to the ironing board cover... I made my main pattern piece by tracing the surface of the ironing board and adding a generous 6 inches all around. I cut out one piece of the printed fabric and, to give the finished cover substance, two more of plain cotton muslin. All three were layered together and bias trim was stitched around the entire perimeter.



The bias trim functions as a casing for a cord which pulls the fabric tightly around the board. See all the extra fabric? This baby isn't going to shift out of place no-way-no-how! That makes me happy.


I also made a pad out of this waffle weave cotton fabric... six layers thick and finished with matching bias trim. Using a darning needle, I took floss and tied the pad down to the board surface through the vent holes. You can also see the floss coming through the underside of the board in the picture above. So the pad won't move around when I'm ironing. Have I mentioned how much I hate that?

Seriously now, ladies.....does life get any fun-ner than this??



*originally posted January 27, 2008

A slight change of plans

Well, I had a plan for this morning, I really did. I wanted to show you the adorable little Pyrex custard cups I scored at the thrift store, and the adorable little individual apple crisps I made with this recipe to go inside them. The cups are handpainted with the dearest wee apple branches and the effect was just.. well, adorable. But, as my blogging capabilities are severely curtailed at the present moment, my plan has been foiled.

Tomorrow I wanted to show you Amelia's new glasses- which are also adorable but now then, you'll have to take my word for that, won't you? I wanted to show you my new sewing area in the living room (of all places) and my rearranged front hall. I bought some very interesting new beads, and we have new neighbors. The fall leaves are beautiful, but I can't share my pictures. Curses! Foiled again!

I however, am not the type to be easily discouraged, no indeedy! I am determined to keep right on bloggin'... yeah. So this week, I'll be dredging up some of my older posts that have gotten lost in the archives, as it were. I'll be sharing some of my favorites with you all, and I do hope you'll like them. I'll start with this one, first published in December of 2007. Hows that for a plan?

Collecting

Back when I was in college, fair aisle sweaters were all the thing... you know the ones with the intricately knitted yokes? I loved those things. Can one lust after a sweater? If so, I lusted after those sweaters! I studied the ones I saw the other girls wearing. I wanted one. But I have a fatal flaw... I am a clothing snob. Not just any sweater would do. It had to be the right kind, from the right store.

The Village Corner. It was the kind of store that doesn't really exist any more, at least not in the kinds of towns where I live. The kind of place where one buys silk embroidered bed jackets and thick wool skirts... or fair aisle sweaters imported from Ireland. The sweaters were along the side of the store on deep wooden shelves. Each one folded into a precise rectangle and placed with the others so that the colors made a subtley impressive display. Brights and pastels, heathers and earth tones, I let my fingers run down the row and settled on a kelly green. I pulled the soft sweater from the shelf and held it up to me. At fifty dollars each I could only look, but Christmas was coming.
"If I could have just one of these sweaters, " I thought, "I would be utterly content."

And on Christmas morning all my hinting and cajoling paid off. Inside the distinctive black and white striped box was that very green sweater. And it was layered with just the right turtleneck, the kind you could only get at the Ski Chalet. I picked it up and held it to myself.. it was just as soft and bright as I remembered, and the perfect thing to wear with my Calvin Klein jeans. As I gently nestled it back into the crisp tissue paper I thought,
"Now if I could just have one of these in every color, I would be utterly content."

Put to death therefore,
whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

sexual imorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,

which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:5