Nov. 13, 2006 Living Lives of Loveliness Nov. 9, 2006 The Loveliness of Handmade Gifts
When I saw that Dawn had mentioned a Loveliness of Handmade Gifts faire, I knew I'd have a submission... but not just because I like to make gifts, no. Because I am fortunate enough to be the recipient of such gifts.
Both of my children were brought home from hospital, cradled in my arms and wearing a special outfit that their Nana (my Mum) had made. Photos do exist, but are not available on this computer unfortunately!
When I had my daughter, some kind soul had donated hand crocheted hats to the nursery, and my bald headed daughter was the lucky recipient of two of them (one was a little large).
I treasured these gifts, and the kids wore them as often as the weather and their size would allow! I was delighted that my Mum and my own Nan, would send me such gifts. And I made sure to use them... because the best thing to be said about a handmade gift, is that they are used! These treasures are now safely locked away... either 'just in case' or for future generations of the family.
I was a very lucky child in that I was made many clothes as I was growing up... dresses for summer, dresses for school Our school uniform was a red and white gingham check, and my sister and I declared our dresses much prettier than the store bought ones.
It was the rare birthday or Christmas that passed without a knitted jumper (sweater) or cardigan... and we were most upset if one of us got one, and the others did not!
There were many handmade gifts that were given to me, that were literally worn into holes. Sometimes my Mum would have to physically take something from me and throw it in the bin... I was that loath to part with it!
And if I am lucky... I still get one... like the cardigan I am wearing in this picture from last year!
Since I left home, I have tried to continue the tradition of handmade gift giving. A few friends over here have been the recipients of such delights as baby slings I sewed for them, or knitted cardigans or jumpers (sweaters) I made for a newborn.
Then there are the presents I made for the family.
This is a hat I made for my son when he was small... I was in need of a hat with earflaps... the poor little chap's ears were getting cold! So I went online and found a nice snowman hat... which I then adapted and changed into a cat hat. It has since become a family deal... known as 'the cat hat', my daughter has taken to wearing it with delight... since she loves cats!
and a better view of the CAT:
I promised him this one birthday... and started to make it. Well, I got bored, the needles were just so small that the yarn was knitting up VERY slowly... and I was starting with the back.
I picked it back up later, unravelled it and started it again with a larger sized needle.
This knitted up fast, but then I learned the yarn was not so good... and this was AFTER DS spilled coffee on it and I washed it... the back was pilling after one go!
So, we got some new, pure wool, yarn.
And I worked on it... this time I managed to finish it OK... but not before I ran short on yarn and had to try and find a dye lot match. I never did find a complete match, but did get something close!
When it was finally finished, DH was ectstatic... he'd been wanting it forever... the only problem now was waiting for cold enough weather to wear it. Being pure wool, it is definitely warm!
Last Monday (the 6th November) was my sister's 18th birthday. I jumped at the chance to make her something... I had long since wanted to knit something using a ribbon yarn... so I chose one in her favourite colour and knitted up a 'capelet'. Of course there is no such thing, a cape being by it's very nature a short cloak, and at that, this one is more of a wrap or poncho than a cape... but I still made it. And told her if she didn't want it to send it back!
I kind of liked the fit...
I was inspired by how well it turned out, so I decided that this year, the 'second little' present I like to give my siblings (even though I dont usually manage this) would be a homemade one.
So I started with hats... (I am modelling them all, yes, since hats look funny on a bed rather than a head)
One for a sister...
One for a brother... in his team colours ;)
 A small black hat for a sibling... Then there are other kinds of gifts... 
A scarf in a sibling's favourite colours!
These are not the only things I have made... the sweater in the photo at the top that DS is wearing, is one I made him... one of many over the years I have made both of the kids.
All handmade gifts are given with a little piece of the giver in them... because when we make a gift, we put a little bit of ourselves into it. Sometimes this is more literal than others! (Some of my handknits end up with hair in them LOL).
This year, I challenge you to make your own gifts... whether it be a knitted hat for your Mum, a square for a charity blanket, or a basket of cookies for the nursing home... make this Christmas mean something... give a little bit of yourself!
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Jun. 13, 2006 My latest knitted item...
I did not 'create' the pattern, but I certainly created the top and shrug by myself  !! It took about a week of knitting, and the pattern was from the May issue of Simply Knitting Magazine.
and my helping 'Head' wanted to be in the picture too!
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May. 30, 2006 Knitting... again Apr. 25, 2006 Gardening... again!
Recently, I have been on a gardening kick. I admit it… I get on one every year… and by the time summer drops in, I am about ready to give up! The
heat still gets to me… my fair English skin was never designed to
withstand a Virginia summer… and the travails of the gardening life can
easily get you down. The first year I was over here… I was pregnant during a HOT summer. The second year, I had a small baby, but managed to do some… and we started on a formal garden. The third year we had a good year and everything went fine. The fourth year, we had a drought, and my MIL was sick and dying. The fifth year we had a flood… and spent most of it trying to do up MIL’s house to sell plus I was pregnant again The
sixth year, we had plenty of rain… but since it came about once a month
in the space of a few days… we had drought and flood in one. This year… I *plan* to do better. Of course, plans are always subject to weather conditions! My aim, is to achieve a certain level of self sufficiency. I
don’t believe that we cannot achieved that which was achieved in the
colonial days, and as far as I am concerned, fresh veggies from the
garden cannot be beaten! I remember picking fruits and vegetables in my childhood quite fondly. And I admit… it seems as though it is something that is much more easily done in the UK than it is over here!
So... now I am bound and determined to at least do some level of gardening... and I even found a group that can help with the canning and cooking aspects too 
Our garden... weeded and serene!
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Mar. 9, 2006 Now the weather is getting warmer...
Someone needs a sun-hat for the garden!
Could this be Sunbonnet Sue? Or one of her friends? Nope! It's DD in a hat I made for her!
I think she likes it!
It only took about an hour... and that's because I had to chase this one round the yard!
But back to the hat...
The back is an arch shape... gathered along the curve and sewn to a
longer, straight piece. I edged an even longer piece of fabric
with bias binding and gathered it before sewing it to the edge of the
hat. Maybe I'll make a second one with pictures later!!
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Mar. 8, 2006 Two Great Recipes
You know I love to cook. Baking and trying new recipes are definitely a form of excitement for a housebound SAHM!
I picked this recipe up off of Allrecipes.com, which is arguably one of the better recipe sites on the web.
Meatless Sweet and Sour Meatballs Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Yields: 5 servings
INGREDIENTS: Meatballs: 4 eggs
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon dried sage
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs Sweet and Sour Sauce: ¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup white vinegar
¾ cup apricot jam
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup minced onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 dash hot pepper sauce DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In
a large bowl, mix together the eggs, Cheddar cheese, and cottage cheese
until well blended. Mix in ½ cup onion, pecans, basil, salt and sage.
Stir in bread crumbs. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls, and place
them in a 9x13 inch baking dish. In
another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, vinegar, apricot jam,
ketchup, ¼ cup onion, oregano and hot pepper sauce. Pour over
meatballs. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until meatballs are firm, and sauce is thick and bubbly.
Speedy Orange Rolls Prep Time: about 55 mins Including rising time
Cook Time: 16-18 Minutes
Ready In: 1 hour 10 Minutes
Yields: 12 rolls INGREDIENTS: Rolls: 1 Package dry Yeast
½ C Warm Water (105 to 110 degrees F)
2 to 2 ¼ C All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine, softened
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 egg, beaten Orange filling: 1 ½ C Sifted Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
½ Tablespoon grated Orange Rind
3 Tablespoons butter or Margarine, softened
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice DIRECTIONS: Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add 1 C flour and next 4 ingredients. Beat at medium speed on electric mixer until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth (about 2 minutes). Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling: combine all ingredients, stirring well. Yields about ½ Cup. Roll dough out to 14 x 7 inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling mixture, leaving a 1 inch margin on all sides. Roll dough like a jelly (Swiss) roll, starting at the long side, pinching seam shut when done. Cut into 12 equal slices, and place each slice, cut side down, in greased muffin pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 16-18 minutes. Spread remaining filling over the tops of the rolls while still hot.
This second recipe came from an old edition of Southern Living, given to me by a relative. Enjoy eating!
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So I am a recent convert to aprons, or as I
refer to them... Pinnys. It's an English term... short for
pinafore, which is more like the full length frilly aprons... I have
one of those too!
But here is a picture of my latest pinny, and a link to some Pinny Evangelism!
Enjoy!
My Pinny:
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Feb. 27, 2006 A Busy Homemaker
That's what I am... putting into practise one of my goals for the year, I have been rather busy making the house look pretty!
First, we needed a new broom... on the left you can see how worn the old one had gotten... and I was tired of going around after sweeping and picking up straws from the broom!
Then I decluttered my laundry closet. It was hard to put things away in there, so I decided it really needed a good tidy.
Before
After
Then I made some curtains for the kitchen... I am really proud of these!
 EDITED to put a better photo of my curtains up :)
This allows you to appreciate them a little better!
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Feb. 21, 2006 The PERFECT Loaf
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Recently, I have had
some issues with bread. I don't want the family to eat only white bread... of
which I make unquestionably delicious examples, but whole wheat bread has been,
up until now, a pipe dream that I can not perfect.
So, lurking on a
healthy eating group, I came across the mention of a book by Peter Reinhart, the
Bread Baker's Apprentice (I linked in a previous post).
And I decided to try
his whole wheat bread... extra long fermentation time and
all.
It was worth
it.
They say a picture
is worth a thousand words... but I dont think it can scare up the taste
of the bread.
Not too sweet, not
too salty... this one is perfect. Just as it is... sweetened with just 2
tablespoons of honey, an added egg and some canola oil... very healthy
in my book, and definitely into my permanent recipe
files...
YUMMY!!
Here are my two loaves... I sprinkled some poppy seeds on top, in an effort to recreate the bloomers of my youth. Of course a bloomer is an English bread, and white bread, not whole wheat, but still...
Notice the swirl in the end... this is done when shaping the loaf...
And notice the dark colour? Apparently the lighter loaves are an American invention... but this is delicious... and invented by an American, bread baking Master.
I give the book 5 Stars *****
A great read, interesting if you are into baking. Good tips,
great information. Not for the casual baker, as most of the
methods take a day or more... but for someone who is tired of the old
sliced, flavourless stuff in the store... you will love it!
The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
ISBN: 1580082688
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Dec. 29, 2005 Some knitting stuff
Those of you with eagle eyes will have
noticed that I am the owner/moderator of a small 'gardening with
Children' group on yahoo...
Gardening is, for me, the thing I love
to read and plan about all winter long, and the main means of exercise
and excitement come springtime.
Summer gets a little too hot for my
English blood, and I have a hard time forcing myself to go out into the
garden to work, and by the time autumn comes around I am less than
eager.
Still... I love to do it, and I have my favourite and pet projects.
My first garden love was herbs... of all sorts. From the old
'Antique Roses' used for medicine 'way back when' to the more modern
culinary herbs, I find an increasing fascination with them.
I like
to read about them, go to herb festivals, grow them, eat them... smell
them. I aim one day to start using them for more medicinal and
beauty aids too.
So a chance read in a bookstore the other day, managed to get my interest up and down a long, and somewhat unfamiliar road.
The book was called Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway
and I originally picked it up thinking there would be some herbal
information in there. You may think that the title denotes a
pagan influence... and to be honest, it may well do so. However,
there are a number of pagan resources on herbs and gardening out there,
that are well worth the read, if only for their expert information on
the subject!
The book spoke of a method I found intruiging... something called Permaculture,
a method of utilising the natural structure of the Earth as a guide to
designing a garden in harmony with nature. There is obviously
more to it than that, for it also includes all organic gardening
methods, reclaiming water, composting and recycling.
It sounds like a good teaching project.
As I google my way to enlightenment, reading as many books as I can, I
find that the idea of permaculture is something I had already been
trying out for years.
I try to go organic with my vegetables (only
DH is a barrier here... he will try to add chemicals), I have used
sheet composting... or lasagna gardening, I tried to make a compost
heap and I tried to grow my own food.
Much of my projects have met with failure...
My compost had roaches. I realise this is probably caused by the
temperature being too cool... but DH would not hear of it near the
house! Where the sunlight is.
Then for two years in a row we
had too much rain... drowning much of my garden, and the third year, it
was too dry. The garden was parched.
The corn has never
really produced much in the way of ears... see previous paragraph for
reason! Although my tomatoes grew with abundance (a shame since I
am the only one who eats them) and the beans were terrific (we had
several crops of them). My potatoes grew well, but mites hit my
thyme for the second year in a row and decimated it. I could not
convince DH that it was not in fact just autumn arriving...
My
experiments with mulch have been very successful... when we can
actually cover the garden with it, we get much fewer weeds.
Unfortunately, bermuda grass is able to grow even with mulch, and it is
one of the toughest weeds to mess with.
Typically the weed
population gets out of control in mid summer, when I am barely able to
tolerate the heat... so I am not very productive at the weeding
business.
Permaculture seems to try and help us get through the weeding
business... now perhaps you understand why I am intrigued by the
method...
Googling the term will get you a ton of information, but there is a nice guide here: Beginner's guide to Permaculture to help you get started.
Oh... and if you like to garden with children... feel free to join my group... the link is in the sidebar!!
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Dec. 25, 2005 A Christmas Present Dec. 19, 2005 One for the road Dec. 19, 2005 Crafting and all Sorts
I managed to teach my son to knit this weekend.
We were sitting there, and I was knitting. If you are a knitter
with a young child, you probably know the feeling of certain someones
coming up and asking innumerable questions about what you are doing and
why, and how. If you don't, well, I do!
So I decided the only way to describe it, was to show him. This
came about after I showed him how to finger crochet... something he did
with a modicum of success, even if he did coin it his 'knitting'.
And for what it is worth he was not interested in learning until he saw me knitting stripes... at which point he desperately wanted to know.
Stripes are pretty easy... you just change the yarn every other or every two rows or so.
So now, DS is plugging along with the 'scarf' he is knitting. Apparently for his sister 
At the same time, I finished knitting and decorating the gift for my
friend... I do hope she send some photos as i didn't get a chance to
take any before I mailed the gifts...
Then I started on a knitted in the round sweater for DS... knitted on
large needles (10 1/2 US) and in stocking stitch (knit all the time in
the round) the sweater (or jumper in English) is going fast!
In search of the larger needle needed for the sweater, I paid a trip to the knitting store... as usual I spent ages planning and touching but only picked up the needle. The nice shop owner, did give me two
stamps on my discount card thing... even though I did not spend
enough for even one! Not such a biggie really... I have a sweater
for myself planned next... and I will go there to buy the special yarn
I want!!
We also took a trip down to Williamsburg... which is beautiful as
ever. There I learned the secret to their beautiful above/below
door/window displays... a cut board with nails in it! I have also
resolved to make DD a lappet cap. (the one with the long ears)
There were numerous little girls there in their cloaks and caps... and
I figured the increased traffic was a direct result of the film Felicity.
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Dec. 14, 2005 Some days...
Some days are very productive. You
know, like the ones where you make bread AND cookies, teach the kids
everything you needed to that day, and keep the house tidy on top of
it... Monday was like that for me. Unfortunately it ended there!
Today was more like a small breakdown... we did no school (well I read
a book) and instead I spent the day making my DH's Christmas
present. I can't tell or show you... cos he reads the blog!
But it is good!
So instead, I'll share the delicious mulled cider recipe we drank on Sunday!
1 Gallon Apple Cider
2 tsp Whole Allspice
2 tsp Whole Cloves
Two 3" Cinnamon Sticks
2/3-1 C Brown Sugar
Orange Wedges
heat cider, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and sugar to boiling, reduce
heat. Add orange slices and cover, simmering for 20 minutes.
Strain cider and pour into heatproof punch bowl.
Serve hot!
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Dec. 8, 2005 Quick Share :)
Just for my crafty friends... here is a bad
picture of the preemie outfit I crocheted... did you knwo that preemie
sizes work well on baby dolls? Now DD's doll has a new outfit...
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Dec. 2, 2005 baking, knitting... all kinds of making!
I've been a busy bee... I promise!
I had to bake some cookies... they were delicious!
I've been knitting, crocheting and wrapping gifts, not to mention photo
taking for my grandmother's present... it took some effort to get them
both smiling, but I did it!
Anyway, just so you can see... here is one of the things I made... a scarf! The camera was on loan, so no more photos!
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Nov. 28, 2005 Leftover Recipes
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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Mine went pretty smoothly… of course, my turkey was ready too soon… and there were all the leftovers to do something with… BUT,
I found a really nice recipe for Turkey Pot Pie in my recipes and I
used that! I also discovered it has an alternative name… Olde English
Pie… and this alternative actually allows a little of the stuffing to
be put in the pie. Trust me… it tastes great!
Take an onion, chop it small and saute in 1/3 C butter until
tender. Add 1/3 C flour (you can try for a GF one if you need
too) and mix well. Slowly mix in 1 3/4C Chicken broth and 2/3 C
milk, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and stir for one
minute.
Add either 1 bag of frozen vegetables OR your leftover cooked veggies,
and some boiled potatoes (you can also use leftovers for
these). Ad 2-3 C of leftover turkey, and mix well. Remove
from the heat and place in a pie dish. Cover with a puff pastry
top, vent it and cook for 35 mins or until golden brown.
Delicious!
If you have leftover mashed potatoes, make them into potato cakes.
Add enough crushed crackers to make the potatoes fairly firm in texture... not as gooey as just plain mashed potatoes.
Shape into small patties, and saute either in butter or olive oil (or
turkey dripping if you kept it too) until brown (dark) on each
side. Serve immediately.
Enjoy your leftovers!
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Oct. 31, 2005 Crafty Business
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This weekend I went
to a craft sale... you know the kind, the annual Christmas craft shows. Full of
all kinds of things people make and sell.
I was surprised at
the knitted gifts there... there were (amongst several hundered exhibitors)
about 3 knitted gift stalls. Two of them were the knitted scarf
ones.
I mean the kind
where you just cast on 22 stitches and knit straight until the ball is done...
using some of the fun fur. very simple stuff :)
I was interested
because I have just been creating some things for a friend, who is expecting a
preemie any minute now.
I was inspired by
the craft show to knit up a couple of the fun fur scarfs for her older
children... one in cookie monster blue and another in a pink and purple 'fun
print'. The blue one is finished, and I'm just beginning the
other!
I crocheted a tiny
dress and bonnet for the baby, and also a bonnet for DD... a little on the big
side, but the ideas are just pouring in as to how I can improve it.
Hopefully...
pictures later!
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About Me
I'm a 29 year old mother of two, who loves to read, bake, knit and homeschool... You can also read my husband's 'rantings' at the link below ;)
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I am currently having problems blogging here. Please check
my nature blog for more information.
Nature Blog
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