summer news

It is difficult to acknowledge that summer is beginning to wind down. Parts of the garden are looking a bit forlorn; it has been a great year for pests--bad for the plants.  I have been busy in the kitchen eating/cooking/preserving what is good -- tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, many eggplant, zucchini, peppers, basil, and raspberries.  Delicious red haven peaches found at the Amish store have been frozen and baked into pie.  I planted two Red Haven trees this spring and can't wait to be able to pick my own! 

This is our third summer at our new-built home, and we continue to work on finishing things inside as well as adding to the outside landscape.  The limelight hydrangea are thriving and perfect for indoor arrangements.  This year we added a snowball bush, rugosa roses, a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose, oakleaf hydrangea, bleeding heart, white pine trees, clematis, and more...  Inside, the pantry was finished and wall planks & a range hood were added in the kitchen.  A hundred year old beam from a corncrib was used to trim out the hood...still need to add crown molding.


We were happy to get away to the woods one weekend with our camper--we haven't camped since selling our previous home.  It was very relaxing, except for the night a large black bear decided to visit!  I've also been enjoying time spent with my first grandchild, a boy born to my son & his wife, and looking forward to another grandbaby my daughter and son-in-law are expecting in January.  Life is so good!

Whenever I could, I have squeezed in some knitting and sewing.  A sweater started for grandbaby no.2 and a dishcloth is always on the needles.  I sewed 4 tops for myself and a pair of pants, all out linen I had on hand--I was actually happy with how all turned out and have loved the coolness and comfort of wearing linen this summer. And most recently, I finished up a few zipper pouches for the shop.

It feels so good to be back here on the blog--please let me know what is new with you!!

Deb

feeling thankful...

Mid-morning tea with some blueberry buckle--a long time favorite recipe!

I cannot resist 'free' stuff, such as this perfectly good door ~ with some more scraping and sanding
and finishing, it will find a place in our new laundry room

A beautiful end-of-day sky while out for a walk with the dog.

We have a foundation, rough grade, septic system and the beginning of the
garage walls.  We're presently in a brief lull as our framer is on vacation for a week.

An amazing old oak tree on our walk through the wooded trails.

Beautiful goldenrod!

Checking out a nearby lake at sunset as a possible spot for kayaking.

I am just soaking up these late summer days.  After unseasonably hot weather for us, the nights have cooled off and an extra blanket is kept within reach at bedtime.  I am still shopping for lighting and faucets and am trying to come up with a unique cabinet for the pantry.  And, there's still the question of what floorings to use in the bathrooms...

But more importantly, I am counting my blessings today, this September 11, and remembering the lives lost 14 years ago.  

Easter, rum cake, and sewing projects...

I hope your Easter was good.  A new tradition here is a holiday tablecloth that I started last year--everyone signs their name and maybe even adds a comment or drawing, which I later embroider.  I hadn't actually done any stitching however, so last week I pulled it out, selected a palette of embroidery flosses and got caught up.  Sunday we added a new section of memories and had fun looking back at what we wrote in 2014.

For our gathering, I made a ham dinner.  For dessert, I thought about making a lamb cake, but since the lamb mold is somewhere in storage limbo, I decided to try a rum cake instead.  I wanted it to be from scratch, and so I used this recipe for the vanilla pudding mix.  It turned out moist and delicious, and I'm enjoying the leftovers with a cup of tea.

This week I've pulled out the patchwork I pieced for the baby quilt, made a quilt sandwich with cotton batting and a blue & white dotted flannel backing, basted with pins, and started to quilt.

After going back and forth as to whether I should machine or hand quilt, I decided to hand quilt using perle cotton.  The larger stitches are going fairly quick, and I'm really enjoying that time in the evening when I can sit down and stitch away.

Some new bags for the Shop are also coming together; the latest

is this striped shoulder bag using an Indian-style striped blanket and recycled belts.

For today, a flour sack tote is in the works...so back to work,

Deb

an update from this week...

I have {another} new houseplant--a spider plant--which loves the light from the front window in my workroom.  Surrounding myself with plants is becoming a new Spring ritual that cheers me up when it's still too cold/wet/snowy to get outside and do any real gardening. In the sunroom I've added a split leaf philodendron, and a Hirt's Fiddleleaf Fig Tree - Ficus - Great Indoor Tree - 4" Pot/Decorative Cover* that I ordered online--it arrived in the frigid month of February, miraculously lived to tell about it, and, so far, appears quite healthy.
A couple projects that I've finished this winter are the drawstring dress 3C, made as a tunic, from Interweave Press Simple Modern Sewing* and the Artfully Simple Infinity Scarf.  The tunic is sewn from a somewhat sheer linen-weave fabric that I had on hand; I think it will be great for summer over a tank top or camisole.  The scarf is crocheted with an indigo heather, baby alpaca yarn from mooglyblog's pattern--it will be the perfect scarf for Spring.  More information is available on my Ravelry page here.  There are also new bags in progress for the shop--a new-style lined leather bag and another Indian stripe blanket tote.
The muffins pictured are from a new-to-me recipe, flourless peanut butter chocolate chip mini blender muffins.  I double the recipe and make a dozen regular size muffins, which I bake for about 13 - 15 minutes.  They are a new favorite around here...delicious!
A visit to the library this week was especially worthwhile--the Birds, Insects, and Outdoor Cookbook were found on the sale shelves. I could not resist the illustrations on that cookbook cover!  The rest are borrowed, and I will be reading up on quilting and house building--a perfect way to spend a cold weekend.  Hope yours is a good one,

Deb 


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cooking & crafting...

Cooking and crafting, that's how I am managing to get through our 'long, cold winter'.  It's been over a month since we were above freezing.  Many days, in fact, have begun at below 0 degrees F or in the single digits; wind chills of -20 or -30; snow, snow, and more snow.  On a bright note, I saw two flocks of Canadian geese fly over today while I was walking the dogs--maybe they know something about a sudden thaw...?

Before Ash Wednesday I made up a batch of Paczki, which are a traditional Polish pastry.  I used this recipe, and although it was my first try, they didn't come out too badly.  Keeping the oil at a constant temperature was a challenge, and quite a few ended up a little burnt--we did suffer and eat them anyway, filled with cherry filling and glazed.

When we moved, I realized just how many fabric scraps I have accumulated over the years.  I was considering donating them, but then decided it was just time to start quilting.  Looking through Pinterest has been fun and I am filled with ideas, which you can see on my sewing board.  Thanks to Leila's recommendation, I am reading The quilters: Women and domestic art, which 'chronicles the lives and quilts of pioneer women of Texas and New Mexico at the turn of the twentieth century.' It is a wonderful look into the part that quilting played in their lives.  I think it would be almost impossible to read this book and not be inspired to quilt something. It has been added to my list of favorite reads.

So, I am now working on a crib quilt--my first really-from-scratch quilt, as the only others I've made were a 'cheater' quilt and one from a pre-cut kit long ago.  I am using this tutorial for improvisational quilt blocks using scraps of fabric.  It is amazing how fast these came together! I now have the top done, need to come up with a backing fabric, and am trying to decide whether to quilt by hand or machine--by hand would be nice, though I am not sure how long that may take me.  

I received a new order of leather, which I would like to use for some totes.  I've sewed one up and am excited to test it out for myself; if all goes well, maybe some can be added to the shop. Sewing with leather has been a real learning experience, and I continue to try and perfect my methods; my motivation--I just love leather bags!

Hope you are keeping warm, or maybe even enjoying Spring,

Deb

changing seasons...

As I sit typing, the honking of Canadian geese flying past can be heard outside the window.  They are a daily sight now as they prepare for their flights south. Though still summer here, the weather has become quite autumn-like and those warm days at the lake are just a pleasant memory.

The garden is winding down--I am picking raspberries, peppers, and a few tomatoes.  This past week I dug the red potatoes, and I still need to harvest the celery and onions.  There are a few pumpkins and many gourds ripening; but no sign of the winter squash I planted. 
I would love to do some sun-dried tomatoes in the dehydrator if time permits--they are the best on homemade pizza!

Yesterday I washed the outside of all our windows {which were looking quite dirty now that the sun is lower in the sky} so the new owners can enjoy the view through sparkling clean glass.

Our closing date is tentatively set for the first week of October, so we're really stepping up the pace on packing!  It's quite chaotic here, but thankfully we have been offered a parsonage to rent while we wait to start building our home in the spring.  

Thank you so much for your encouragement and well-wishes!!