• Sewing days…

    March 30, 2013 / 10 Comments

    I’ve spent the past few days sewing a vintage-look apron for my daughter…who spends so much of her time in the kitchen.  I used Simplicity pattern #4987, view 5.  We both fell in love with this delightful fabric from Michael Miller fabrics entitled “lil’ cowgirl” at Hobby Lobby.  I also purchased the adorable “lil’ cowpokes” boy fabric and the accompanying red and blue bandana prints.  The fabric is a soft, high-quality cotton.   I used a cream colored high-quality cotton for the lining.  My two sweet daughters-in-love will be happy to know that I am making one for each of them too since they are also terrific gourmet cooks!  Eventually, I’ll make one for me as well even though my time is the kitchen is definitely limited.  😉

    I have also been busy knitting and sewing baby blankets.  I have not ventured past “knitting and purling” and am still a beginner (so, all of you fabulous knitters don’t look too closely!)   I don’t think my precious 18-month-old granddaughter will care though.  So far, I have knitted two blankets for her…this is one of them.

    I love this soft fleece blanket below which isn’t as orange as it looks in the photo. 

    I mitered the corners and did a blanket stitch around it with the sewing machine.

    The quilt below is one of my favorites!  It is a soft high-quality cotton which will only get better each time it is washed.    The quilt is filled with white Soft & Natural cotton batting which is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  I have hand-quilted around all the designs of the Suzy’s Zoo pattern. 

    It is so cute and I think she will love it!

    I’m in the process of sewing several other quilts and blankets for her and her baby sister who is due mid-August.  With two babies, lots of blankets will be needed!  Can you tell this Grandmom is excited?!  I will be there for a visit on April 20th but I will mail these ahead of time since there will not be room in my suitcase!

  • Apple pie…

    March 27, 2013 / 4 Comments

    As I’ve mentioned before, cooking for one is no fun.  So, the only time I truly enjoy cooking these days is when I have my daughter and her family over for Sunday dinner after church.  Two weeks ago, I prepared a really nice dinner of baked ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, spinach & strawberry salad and homemade biscuits.  Dessert was the delicious apple pie pictured below.

    My granddaughters (ages 9 & 13) helped me prepare the salad and biscuits.  They love being in the kitchen and that’s a good thing.  I had made a 10″ homemade apple pie the night before and it turned out very well.  This is an excellent recipe.  In place of the spices in the recipe, I used 2 teaspoons of Tones Apple Pie spice.  It was delicious!  It was such a large pie, even after serving all of us, I sent half of it home with them!

    Now, I’m looking forward to cooking Easter dinner for them this Sunday…

    Perfect Apple Pie

    Recipe for double crust pastry: 

    2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut up

    1/4 cup vegetable shortening

    5-6 tablespoons+ cold water

    Sift together the flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Slowly add the water stirring with a fork…until the dough holds together.  Handle the dough “gently” so the crust does not become “tough”.  Divide the dough in half.  Sprinkle flour on to a pastry board or cloth and roll out the bottom crust.  Add your fruit mixture and then your top crust.

    applepie

    Apple Pie filling:

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

    4 tart apples (like Granny Smith)

    4 sweet apples (like McIntosh)

    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    1/2 up firmly packed light brown sugar

    1/2 granulated sugar

    1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

    1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

    2 tablespoons butter

    1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon cold water mixed

    (If you have Tones Apple Pie Spice, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of that for the spices above)

    Peel, core and slice the apples into a bowl.  Toss the apples with the lemon juice.

    Combine the flour, sugars and spices.  Sprinkle over the apple slices and combine well.

    Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust.  Cut up the 2 tablespoons of butter and scatter around on the apple slices.

    Place the rolled-out top crust on the pie.  Fold the top edges of the pastry over and under the bottom crust.  Crimp the edges to seal.  Cut slits in the top crust.  Combine egg and water and use pastry blush to glaze over crust.

    Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees THEN

    *reduce* the temperature to 375 degrees.

    Bake until the filling is bubbly and the pie crust is golden – about 30 minutes more.  Ovens will vary.

    Enjoy!

  • Time in a bottle…

    March 6, 2013 / 4 Comments

    Remember the old Jim Croce song, “Time in a Bottle”?  Time is flying by.  I see the changes in my children, my grandchildren and especially myself.  I didn’t expect to stay young forever and, truthfully – in my heart and mind – I still feel like the young woman my daughter is today.  Too bad the rest of my BODY didn’t get the memo!  😉

    In a couple of months, my high school graduating class will celebrate our FIFTIETH high school reunion.  Unfortunately, I will miss it.  I have a hard time believing that FIFTY years have passed since I graduated from high school.  It seems like last week!  I think I can explain that rationale.  After six decades and a few years, our long term memory is actually better than our short term memory!  Go figure.

    In the spirit of nostalgia, I’ll share a few photos from yesterday – uh, I mean yesteryear…

    My first two children (fifteen and a half months apart) and I were out shopping one day.  Here, they were about two and a half and four years of age.  I decided to snap some photos of them in a Photomat.  I love their expressions!  Priceless photos and memories. 

    They’re all grown up now.  He’s a physician, happily married and the father of three daughters.  He was a missionary doctor in Peru for almost 7 years but thankfully they’re back in the states now.  She’s happily married and the mom of two sons and two daughters.  She has a degree in fine art and is a wonderful artist but has little time to paint between homeschooling and managing everyone’s busy schedule! 

    Where did all that time go?

     I love this photo.  This is my youngest with his beautiful strawberry blonde hair.  We had been camping in the Great Smokey Mountains that week.  Here, he was walking across a beam that was about two feet above the ground…that’s a lot when you’re barely three years old.  What you can’t see in the photo is that his dad and brother and sister were cheering him across.

    He’s all grown up now.  Happily married and the father of a beautiful 18 month old baby girl (and they’re expecting their second late summer).  He has always been an entertainer…for as long as I can remember.  Now, he’s the executive producer of a successful television show. 

    Where did all that time go? 

     In the three photos below, my sisters and I were having our usual “four sisters” photo taken at one of our gatherings.  The first photo was taken about 1961.  The other two in the mid-1980’s.   As always, there was plenty of kidding as we lined up.  The lower two priceless photos were taken at my late sister Gerry’s house on the hill.  Sadly, two of my sisters are now in Heaven.

    Where did all that time go?  

    Parts of this post were originally published in My Southern Heart…

  • The prayers of a four year old…

    February 28, 2013 / 6 Comments

    At my daughter’s house before each meal, they hold hands and each person prays.  If you have never heard the prayers of a four year old, you have missed an amazing moment.  They are so totally real.  Completely open and honest.  There is no “filter” in the mind of a four year old – the filter that you and I have developed over the years.  So, he tells God just how he feels and what he thinks.  He asks for something in the simplest language possible.  I confess sometimes it is hard not to break out in the joy of laughter.  I don’t though.  I just sneek a peek at this precious child and my daughter trying not to laugh, squeeze my daughter’s hand and we both fight it.

    Our Heavenly Father must love it when a child prays, and I promise you that a child has His undivided attention.  I can also promise you that God has a sense of humor.  Don’t doubt it for a moment!

    Just a few excerpts from the prayers of my precious four year old grandson:

    Dear Lord (Lord sounds very Southern here – like Law-ward – I love it),

    Thank you so much for today.

    I got to go to school today.  I was the star.  I brought snacks.

    We couldn’t play on the playground because there was too much snow!

    Thank you for swim lessons and that my swim lessons went well.  (He has heard the expression about something “going well” from his older siblings.)

    Thank you that no one crashed in the race today (Daytona)!

    Please help my lego league to go well.  (His big brother and sister are in the lego league but he thinks he is too.)

    Thank you for the football game on television where you go up and down with the ball.

    Thank you for my mommy, daddy, sisters, brother and my grandmommy (and then he goes on to thank God for each one of our birthdays individually!)

    Thank you that grandmommy got to come over to play with me today.

    Please let Kiana (the dog) feel better soon.

    Please let me stay in this group.  (He meant family, of course, and that one just about broke everybody up!  I think he probably heard the word “group” at preschool).

    The photo above was taken over three years ago on the night they arrived home from Ethiopia with my grandson.  They were instructed by the adoption agency that for the first few weeks, only his Mom and Dad were to hold him to promote bonding.  So, as soon as he would fall asleep, my daughter would hand him to me.  I’d talk softly to him as he slept.  We were bonding even though he was asleep!  Now, of course, we are totally bonded.  He loves his Grandmommy and I love him…

  • Kindred spirits…

    February 27, 2013 / 4 Comments

    The past few months have been a challenge.  I’ve been through enough changes in my life that I scored quite high on the “stress level” meter.  I have fought to remain positive but, as you already know, that is sometimes beyond our reach.  When I first arrived in the Midwest six months ago, I spent two months living with my daughter and her precious family (my grandchildren thought they’d hit the jackpot!).  My belongings were stored floor to ceiling in her garage.  Not one word of complaint from her or my son-in-love, an amazing young man.

    When the worst of the depression hit months ago, I spent four days in an out-patient “depression class” which lasted all day long.  (Remember I was a Psych nurse for ten years and believe in getting help when needed!) When my grandchildren asked where I went early each morning, my daughter simply said “she’s going to a depression class”.  Each night at dinner, I had tales about who had joined the class that day (no names or details of course).  One day, a beautiful young Sandra Bullock-look-alike joined the class.  The next day it was Al Pacino’s double!  On my last day, Dennis Hopper showed up (nevermind he had died by then).  There was laughter at the dinner table and my grandchildren were so happy that Grandmom “graduated first in her class from depression school”!  Their words – not mine!  Mainly, they were glad I was home again during the day.

    When the time came for me to move into my own apartment/condo, my grandchildren weren’t so sure they wanted to part with me.  Thankfully, I’m only 14 minutes from them if I hit all the green lights just so.  They love coming over here.  They are my little kindred spirits.  They can read me like a book.  Especially my eight year old granddaughter.  She searches my face for signs that I am fine.  I may think that I am hiding tears or sadness from them, but they are not to be fooled.  Thankfully, there are very few tears now and even though they don’t realize it – they remind me, once again, that I am strong.  I am thankful for my daughter who is the biggest kindred spirit of all.  I am thankful for the closeness and the memories we are making.

    Spending time playing with grandchildren is the very best therapy in the world.  Anytime I am at my daughter’s or they are here, there is an abundance of laughter.  Laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, and makes anyone feel good…

    candle

  • A promise of Spring…

    February 25, 2013 / 4 Comments

    There may be snow on the ground – and evidently more in the forecast – but there is a promise of Spring on my table, a sweet gift from my precious daughter.   These are Long Life tulips from Bloomaker.  They will be a gorgeous shade of pink and I am looking forward to seeing them bloom!

    My daughter purchased one for me and one for herself as she, too, looks forward to Spring and planting all 32 varieties of vegetables and herbs that she has ordered!  Her plans are to rent two large gardening plots in a local gardening co-op.  My beautiful, artistic, athletic daughter has turned into a homesteading, cooking-everything-from-scratch goumet cook!  She would love a farm on ten acres or more!  Maybe that will be in the not too distant future.

    In the meantime, we’ll watch our tulips grow and wait for Spring in the midst of an Iowa Winter…