1920's Apron

My Sister bought me the book "Vintage Notions" by Amy Barickman.  It's a tribute to Mary Brooks Picken and "The Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences" which she helped found.

It's a wonderful collection of articles, recipes, advice and patterns dating from around 1918 to the 1930's.  The books is such a fun read.  Lot's of this and that making it really easy to hop here to there in the book.

When I found this 1920's apron pattern I couldn't wait to try it.  So I bought some inexpensive bright feminine fabric and a happy contrasting bias tape....and hopped right in.  It's made from a yard of fabric folded on the bias and cut out paper doll fashion.  All edges are bound with the bias tape.  Then ties are sewn and attached...then voila!!!...cute little slip over apron!

Seleste agreed to model for me....umm...it's a little...no a lot large...but you get the idea!

...a little overlapping bow....

...scalloped bottom edge....

...I want to do this again!!!

Rainbow Reminder

Yesterday, after a bad thunderstorm, Seleste and I saw this....
it was light at first, but as we neared home it grew brighter and reached from one side of the horizon to the other...

and as we got closer we noticed another lighter rainbow right above the bright one...Everyone!!! hurry!!! come out and see the rainbow!!! Oh wow....we all stood there gazing at the rainbow as long as we could ....then when we turned our backs it wasn't there anymore....that's what I love about nature....it frightens and delights all in one day....

...rainbow birdhouse....

....rainbow garden....

...it reminds us we are at it's mercy and are no match for the ferocity and beauty that God has created....it reminds me to be content....Thank you God for your creations!

Dress Attempt

Two Little Girls....Two Pretty Fabrics for each.

Cut, Cut, Cut....

and cut, cut, cut.....

read, read, and sew, sew and read again, and rip, rip, and sew again....

sew, sew, sew....

Yes....

Pretty little dresses for pretty little girls that actually fit their tall thin frames...

I'm going to do this again....it was so much fun...and now that I understand the basics....I'm going to have even more fun!!!!

Home Made

It never ceases to amaze me....
that when you try making something at home....

that you always bought, and thought the bought item was pretty good....

now the bought item no longer seems very good at all...

when you carefully make it at home fresh from quality ingredients....

then....

Wow!....you no longer want to buy it, because if you did, you wouldn't eat it anymore!
Because these are sooooooooooo goooood!

This is the recipe I got from "Throw Back at Trapper Creek". Not only are they scrumptious, they are a fraction of the cost of store bought ones. To my best estimate I made 24 muffins for the same cost of six at a discount store. I used organic ingredients as well.

Sourdough English Muffins

Starter
1/2 pkg. yeast
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 c. water

Muffins
1 c. starter
2 T. honey
2 c. warm milk
5 c. flour (4 c.) (1 c.)
1 t. soda
2 t. salt
Cornmeal

Combine starter, honey, milk and 4 c. flour in glass bowl. Let rise in warm place overnight (or all day). Stir down; mix in soda and salt. On board, knead in 1 c flour for about 5 minutes, working in enough flour to make a smooth dough. On lightly floured board roll or pat to 1/2″ thickness. Cut using a biscuit cutter or tuna can. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal. Place muffins on cookie sheet; sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover with a light towel and let rise approximately 30 minutes. Heat griddle over low heat for at least 5 minutes. Cook each muffin with a little butter for 4 – 5 minutes on each side, turning once.

To replenish your starter, add 1 c flour and 1 c water mixed well.

A New Start

The beginning of the year signifies an opportunity to start again in so many ways. My husband thinks, "so what? It's just another day", but to me it always feels like turning to a fresh page in a sketch book. You get to start all over again if only in your mind. I always forgive myself of my past failures and remember a motto I learned to live by a long time ago: "You can't make deals with the past, but with the future everything is negotiable."

So at the beginning of this year I'll congratulate myself on my past success, forgive myself of the failures and look forward to trying again and tackling new challenges.

I do believe setting and writing down goals is important to realizing them. I smiled as I looked through an old sketch book of mine. My sisters happened to be close by and I pointed out to them a rough sketch I had done of my "dream garden" and the computer generated drawing I had painstakingly rendered, printed and place between the pages of my sketch book. The date was January 2004. Here six years later I am in the final stages of realizing a completion of this dream. We slowly installed the garden one stage at a time and I am closing in on the final stage.

If there is any complaint I have about myself it is my tendency to start a new project before the last one is finished. This year my motto is going to be: "Start it. Do it. Finish it."

I'm going to find all my projects in the "Do it" stage and I'm going to finish it. I'm going to find all the projects in the "Must Start it" stage and start, do and finish them. Must is the key word here. I only want to start those projects that must be finished.

For example I "must" start my seeds indoors to have a nice crop of tomatoes. All other "Start it" projects "must wait" until the "do its" and "finish its" and "must start it" projects are done. In other words I'm not starting anything unnecessary this year until I wrap up all the loose ends!!! I could have said that to start with right!

My first exciting "Must do it" project is to plant my tomato and eggplant seeds. Mission accomplished! Also I "must" order my new seeds for this year. Done did! And I am so anticipating their arrival any day now!

Some seeds are best started indoors before they are ready to be placed out. I finished planting mine a few days ago. In our zone 9 you can start tomatoes and eggplants indoors in December. I like to start them as early as possible to avoid a lot of the pests that come along with the hot temps. Once they sprout I am going to keep them under grow lights this year. Last year I grew them on my front porch facing southeast and protected them when cold temps threatened. They did well, but I am starting them even earlier this year so I am going to try using grow lights. When I plant them outside I am going to use row covers to protect them if necessary.

I start seeds in peat or plastic pots using seed starting soil. They can be started in large trays and then divided and placed individually in their own pot, but I'm not doing that this year. I placed at least three seeds in each pot. I'll thin them down to the strongest one.

I like to buy my seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I really enjoy their catalog and the descriptions of each plant.

Here are the boxes I use to sort and store my seed. I store them alphabetically by type...tomatoes, eggplant, greens, beans, peas, carrots,...etc...

This is a pic of the things I dehydrated, and some of the seeds I saved from last year. I'm doing my best to save seed from year to year. I didn't have to order many types this year because I saved seed.

Here is a list of seeds I ordered:

(The ones in bold are varieties I have already successfully grown)

Asian Winged bean

Blue Lake Bush Bean

Golden Wax Bean

Red Seeded Asparagus Bean (a long bean variety)

Bull's Blood Beet

Crapaudine Beet

Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts

Bacalan De Rennes Cabbage

Nero Di Toscana or Black Palm Tree Cabbage

Cosmic Purple Carrot

Jaune Obtuse Du Doubs Carrot

Parisienne Carrot

Tendercrisp Celery

Chires Baby Corn

Dakota Black Popcorn

Rainbow Sweet Inca Corn

De Bourbonne Cucumber

Suyo Long Cucumber

Long Purple Eggplant

European Mesclun Salad

Georgia Southern Collards

Tom Thumb Lettuce

Green Machine Melon

Sleeping Beauty Melon

Sakata's Sweet Melon

Vidrines Midget Cowhorn Okra

Red Creole OnionAnaheim Pepper

Coban Red Pimiento Pepper

Emerald Giant Pepper

Quadrato D'Asti Rosso Pepper

Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach

Bennings Green Tint Scallop Squash

Crookneck Early Golden Summer Squash

Black Beauty Zucchini

Green Striped Cushaw

Brandywine Tomato

Cherokee Purple Tomato

Moneymaker Tomato

Pineapple Tomato

Yellow Mortage Lifter Tomato

Boule D'or Turnip

Moon and Stars Watermelon

Crackerjack Mix Marigolds

Giant Primrose Sunflower

Bright Jewels Cactus Flowered Zinnia

Some Seed Varieties I have saved and will plant:

Broccoli

Curley Mustard

Arugula

Purple Hull Peas

Silverline Melon

Striped Marigolds

Caledula

Zinnias

Contemplating Electricity and Seeds

I know seeds and electricity do not have too much in common, but I have been thinking a lot about both of them lately. Usually I can't wait for summer or winter to come. Both of them have their drawbacks and blessings, but in the winter my electricity bill hits almost nil.

After Gustav our electricity was out around 18 days. Actually and unbelievably a longer time than after Katrina which was incomparably worse. It was sweltering. If you've never experienced the summer in New Orleans the best description I can use is oppressive. Humidity drapes over you like an iron x-ray apron and sweat soaks underwear, spine and stomach first and works it's way out. In the hottest part of the day it's best to rest to avoid overheating.

Me in my optimism and desire to "find out how much I can take" after Hurricane Gustav, resisted the desire of my husband to run out and buy a gas generator and window unit. After much sweating and griping my husband explained he really didn't want or care about my "experiment" and went out and bought both. We kept the master bedroom and bath cool and the kids "camped out" on the floor around our bed. I must admit I didn't volunteer to sleep in the living room to complete the experiment. What a difference it made in the attitudes of certain people in the household. We also ran the refrigerator and a few fans and lamps.

It really bothered me that we were so quick to rush out and spend large amounts of money to get our own electricity. My grandparents and my parents, Byron's grandparents and parents didn't always have air conditioning. Even though she had central air my grandmother from Mississippi never used it. I'll never forget the feeling of laying in bed with her on a summer night with the windows open and a breeze blowing, all the covers kicked off and my silky night gown sticking to my skin while my grandmother told me the story of the very wise King Solomon who wanted to cut a baby in half. That story really stuck in my mind and I mulled it over and over. Byron's mother likes to say, "I don't remember it being this hot when I was a little girl!" In many ways I believe her, but always just tell her she's wimpy now. Everyone cuts down their trees to "keep them from fallin' on the house during a hurricane", and so much more of the land is concrete. When I stand in the dense shade of a large live oak I realize we've been cutting down our "air conditioning" for years. In college I couldn't wait for the first sunny spring day to take a nap under the wide low sweeping branches of one of the ancient live oaks that can still be found in most city parks.

I once read on someones blog that his goal wasn't to replicate dependency on electricity with solar or wind. He explained that those who did went to great expense to secure a source that was still basically dependent upon outside sources to supply the necessities to generate electricity....turbines, solar panels, batteries, repairs...etc.... His goal was simple...to become less dependent upon electricity period.

Life should be able to go on with out it. You should be able to eat, entertain yourself, function and most of all cope. I quickly saw a breakdown of my family's ability in the cope department. But could you? Could you really live without electricity and actually be happy? I certainly love all the great stuff electricity gives me one of them being the limitless fingertip knowledge of the Internet, but if it and all the other electrical niceties disappeared would I moan like a wronged in love country singer or conjure up a "I will survive" spirit?


...and oh yes, on the seeds. I've heard quite a few advertisements about "emergency seeds". You know... just in case anything apocalyptic happens. This really is a joke. Unless those seeds fall into the hands of an experienced gardener or farmer, planting them and getting a decent crop is about as certain as winning the lottery. Maybe they should come with gardening classes as well. So if you're thinking about stocking them and have never gardened a lick. Go head and plant them as soon as you get them...It'll do you more good in the long run. You'll have more fun than you've had in a while too....

....hmmm maybe my next post will be on steps I've taken to help my family cope without electricity.....

Pumpkin Patch

Ms. Sandy's pumpkin patch has so much to do.

You can pick out a perfect or not pumpkin to decorate no matter how old you are!
Then decorate it right there.
If you happen to get hungry from all the exertion there are barrels of satsumas to taste. Satsumas are sorta like oranges. Except they are sorta flattened, much easier to peel and break off into nice bite size wedges, but the whole thing will fit in your mouth if you have a big enough mouth!

O.K. what kinda decorations are in this little baggie?

Tera's chubby cheeked pumpkin.

Gluing takes lots of concentration.

Are those whiskers straight?

That is one cute little apple gourd devil.

Hmmm....I love those parents that allow their bunchkins to decide how the pumpkin should look!

Talia's pirate with glitter gold teeth.

Is that a pumpkin with legs? Yep!

Now for a hayride through the orchards and to the levee for a romp and a view of the river.

Forget the wagon! I'll race you back! I'm winning!

Whoops!

Oh well, that gives me more time to check out the orchards. Look at this huge grapefruit.

Here comes all the babies and old people in the wagon.

Babies like satsumas too!

Some of these pumpkins greatly resemble their designer!

Contemplate

Every garden should have a quiet place to sit, listen to the birds, enjoy the breeze, watch the clouds gather....and contemplate.