Money Doesn't Grow on Trees

Yesterday we enjoyed a little sunshine and took a stroll around the fields. P wanted to find some birds. We saw one hawk and lots of animal tracks.

We also checked on our Christmas trees.

This area was a corn field when we bought our property. We started planting a variety of trees here but nothing we planted the first year lived as there was too much herbicide still in the ground. You can see that we do have some tallish trees now.

We had grand plans when we started planting the Christmas trees. We put in 50 each year and thought we would be harvesting them about the time the boys started college. We planted Christmas trees under the power lines because we knew we would cut them down before they got tall enough to be in the way. We have had experience with the way the  power companies trim trees and would like to avoid that in the future. We also planted Christmas trees along the edge of one of the garden spaces.

Our plan was for the boys to plant them, tend them, and then sell them to bring in money for college --or maybe just college books. Due to the deer, rabbits, and the occasional tractor incident, they are not growing as fast as we had hoped. Perhaps they will add to P's education fund.

This area covered in snow is where we grew our pumpkins last year.

Starting Things

I seem to be good at starting projects. I thought I would show you an update on the Miss Terwilliger sweater. This is the back.

After starting this sweater I started the popcorn set for P as seen yesterday.

These are just my most recent started projects. I don't want to think about all of the other projects I have not finished. Maybe I need to make a contract with myself. "I will not start another needlework project until I finish one of these sweaters." I thought about higher goals- like finishing all the projects I have started. But I would have to find them all first. I will keep working on them.

As I knit on these, I am thinking of that red and aqua yarn and what I want to do with that...

Growing Up

I know it happens. I just don't think about it every day. I notice the changes in jumps. Last night, for example, we saw an eclipse of the moon. It was not a "moom." Today we baked cookies not "tookies." These changes are bitter sweet. I am glad P is growing and learning but it is sad, in a way, to see the baby ways disappear. At least we can still eat "compatoes" and play with Mr. Compato Head!

It also seems she is getting to be all arms and legs.  That big, red sweater her auntie A made her when she was born is now rather small - and she used to wear it with the sleeves rolled up.

P and I are working together to make a new and BIGGER sweater.  P helped wind the yarn on the ball winder.  She learned how to keep winding in the same direction for the whole ball.

My sisters and I used to wear sweater and hat sets from this pattern when we were small.  My mother made many of these popcorn sweater sets for us and for gifts.  When my aunt sent me a copy of the pattern, I knew I would be making one for P.   I do wish my mother could see P in her little popcorn sweater set when it is finished.

Think Warm Thoughts

We have had several days of VERY cold weather. I am now thinking warm thoughts to years when we stretch President's Weekend into a trip to Florida to visit B's brother who lives in St. Petersburg. We camp on the beach at Fort DeSoto and soak up the sun and warmer temperatures.

Here is M in 2004. He made a friend at the Tampa Zoo.

We also enjoy sunrise walks and picnic breakfasts on the beach at Fort DeSoto. This is D in 2005. It is amazing the colors the water and sky can go through in such a short time at sunrise.

We see a lot of beach life on our early walks.

P  has not been to Florida. Perhaps next year...

Fleece Fair

A few weeks ago P watched a friend as she was spinning. She was mesmerized by the process. I haven't spun in a long time and our wheel has been put away in the closet.

Saturday, I went to the Spinners' Flock winter Fleece Fair. I really wasn't planning on purchasing anything.   Do I ever PLAN to buy roving (or yarn, or fabric)? The tables were loaded with lots of beautiful fiber.   You know how it is when you have yarn, roving, and supplies stuck everywhere in your house. You tell yourself that you should use what you have first.  But, then you look across the room and see that some of the balls of roving are jumping up and down on the table. They are even waving at you. "Come over here," they say. "Take us home." That is how it was with these balls of roving.

You might remember I currently have a "thing" for red and aqua as seen  here and here.

We had to start spinning right away when I got home! Just as I thought, P wanted to watch. She had to be close - very close. She learned a little about spinning and a lot about what happens if you watch from TOO close.

She learned that your hair can get sucked into the spinning wheel. Perhaps her mother knew what she was talking about when she warned about getting too close.

I haven't decided what I want to do with it yet. Just that I want to do some color work with them together. I know I should have a plan before I start to spin but I don't always  work that way. I am thinking socks, or mittens...

I could not get the colors to come out true in the photos. I tried LOTS of pictures in different light. The red is almost right in this one but the turquoise is a bit blue.

Doll Cradle

B made a doll cradle for P for Christmas. It was actually made after Christmas so P was able to watch the process. B uses mostly hand tools.

I think the only  power tool step was cutting the board in half (the skinny way) on a band saw.  She liked that the cherry wood was pink when it was first cut.  The cradle was designed to fit this doll.

View from the foot.

P likes it a lot. Her baby spends a lot of time in it.

Here, Baby and the Esthers are napping. Don't you just love their hair? I made those dolls and could not get the hair right. That is why we bought the other baby.

Sometimes she adds other dolls and snuggles them all in.

This is where I found the matryoshka dolls when I needed to wrap them to mail them for my swap.

They are now on their way to Israel! What did we do for entertainment before the internet?

Icicles

I know that icicles hanging from the roof are not a great thing for the house, but they are beautiful and interesting. We have enjoyed watching these grow for the last few days.

They changed with the light at different times of day.

Sometimes they sparkled in the sun.

M took this picture last evening with the pink sky.

The boys were hoping they would grow to reach the porch. This morning we woke to fog and warmer temperatures.

The icicles grew to about 20 inches from the porch. They melted today and the last chunks fell this afternoon.

Whipped Butter

When I was newly married, twenty years ago, one of the tricks I learned from B's mother was how to make whipped butter. The recipe called for butter, margarine, and vegetable oil. You let it get soft and then whip it in the mixer until it gets white and fluffy. It is then easier to spread on bread. There is also the theory that with all the air whipped in you use less. I am not so sure on that one.

I still like the whipped butter. Last year we eliminated shortening and margarine from our diet so I have adjusted the recipe. I now use one pound of butter and a half cup of olive oil.

I like the way the butter looks in these vintage jelly jars. I found a whole box of these at a garage sale a couple of years ago.

New Socks

I am still cleaning house. Really.

I found the leftover ball of yarn from these socks. I thought there might be enough there to make P a pair of socks. That would be cleaning up wouldn't it? I made one sock. It was a perfect fit. Then, on to the other. I knit it through the heel and gusset and GASP I was at the end of the ball. I had to undo the toe of the first sock and knit from that sock to the second until they were the same length.

I found a tiny ball of lavender yarn and used that to knit the toes. I used it ALL. So, let's count. That project cleaned up TWO balls of yarn AND P got new warm socks!

I call that success.

Hearts

Years ago I found this great little baby blanket at a thrift shop. It is made from two feed sacks. I love the feel of it and the soft pink color. I had it stored away with other fun finds until P was born. This blankie is one of her favorites.

The back shows where it was tied in a heart shape and also has initials. It makes me wonder about who originally owned this blanket and how it ended up in a pile of discarded items in a thrift shop. I am pleased to give it a second life.

I will also share this little cotton washcloth I made for Valentine's day.

The pattern is here.

Spice Cake

Happy Birthday Kim!

We don’t need a special reason to make a cake.

Painful Process

It is a painful process.

My family calls it "cleaning up the slow way."  No, really, I AM cleaning the house.  I have tackled the Lone Ranger pile! These Matryoshka dolls are finished and ready to be mailed for a swap.

I am eager to see the Matryoshka dolls that others have made.

I made one from a tiny sock for P.P likes her. "Isn't she cute?"

Millionaire

Saturday night I got a call from my teenage niece. I was her lifeline in a birthday party game of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." I could feel the excitement over the line as she had me on speaker phone. The pressure was on as she had called me long distance rather than calling her mother, my sister. I waited to hear the question.

In the Curious George books what color car did the man with the yellow hat drive?

The image popped into my head immediately. The man with the yellow hat and George driving away in the BLUE convertible with a bunch of balloons blowing in the wind.

I recently made a greeting card out of that picture. My niece picked her lifeline well and won the  million dollar question. I am sure she will be sharing the million dollars GIGANTIC chocolate bar with me.

I have been making more greeting cards lately. I am restocking my supply and will be putting some in the shop.

A Taste of Summer

This morning it was so cold that our upstairs windows were frosted over and we couldn't see out. It was 4 degrees when I got up.

We had a taste of summer last night, blueberries that we picked last July.

When D was in second grade he loved the Boxcar Children books. I think he read all of them in the library collection. We even got the Boxcar Children Cookbook. Our favorite recipe in the book is the one for Miner's Blueberry Pie.

I love the way the  Boxcar children are independent problem solvers. They are very thrifty too.

Handkerchief Doll Tutorial

As I mentioned here, my grandmother could entertain children all day with a button, a handkerchief, and a piece of string. When I was little she taught me how to make a doll from a handkerchief. The boys eagerly volunteered, cough, were given baked goods as payment for being hand models for a tutorial on how to make the doll.

First, stand or sit opposite your friend. Each person take two corners of the hankie and roll them towards each other to meet in the middle as shown below.

When the two sides meet, rotate the hankie 90 degrees so that each person now holds two corners that are touching.

One person then folds his or her corners down about one third of the length of the hankie. These corners will be the feet of the doll.

The other person then folds his corners up leaving a little of the hankie showing above the corners. These corners become the hands.

The last corners that were folded up (the hands) then get crossed through the loop formed when the first corners were folded down. Each person then tugs a little on the corners in their hands to stretch the arms and legs.

Last, slip a ring or tie a string just above the arms to shape the head.

Now you have a finished doll.

If you want to use the hankie or make another doll just remove the ring or string and shake it loose.

Lone Ranger

One of B's roommates in college had a name for the socks that came out of the wash with no match. He called them "Lone Rangers." For some reason little socks are more prone to become "Lone Rangers."

I thoroughly cleaned house and did all the laundry and these are definitely lone rangers.

I am tired of keeping this little pile so we are using them in projects. P and I made this little puppet yesterday.

It was a good project to work on while it was snowing.

We then went out and shoveled the porch.

P had some tea party goodies in her cardboard box oven and was still wearing her apron.

Getting Ideas

During our weekly get together with the "knitting aunties" we have snacks and share projects and magazines.I get new ideas and inspiration from the sharing. It is also nice to visit with friends and have hot chocolate and scones on a cold day.

Miss Terwilliger

I have to say I was feeling a bit like Miss Terwilliger in Homer Price by Robert McCloskey when I finished winding this ball of yarn. It took several hours.

I bought these beautiful handmade buttons and hand painted yarn from Briar Rose Fibers.

I plan on making this sweater. The yarn is 60% merino 40% bamboo.

Those fabulous silver bracelets I am wearing in the first photo are made by my friend Nancy Melet. I have been building my collection for years!

Little Bear

I just adore the Little Bear books by Else Homelund Minarik.

We read them when the boys were little but somehow back then I wasn't as interested in them. I was younger and more worried about all the things they were learning to do. I wanted them to have things and do things. It was a Buzz Light Year world. With P it is different. We are much more relaxed, and yes, older. We like calm. We like simple. Little bear is calm. He uses his imagination a lot. I like the way his parents interact with him. His grandparents too. I like the way they lead him to make his own discoveries.  I like the subtle humor. These are good books that we read a lot these days.

May all of P's friends be as kind and thoughtful as Little Bear.

Finished Tam

Here are some  photos of the finished tam. I finally found a plate of the right size. I blocked this thing three times. The first time I stretched it out too much. The little knob on top was flattened out and the crease was so far up the hat that it looked like a top hat!