Rara Avis

We seldom bake cakes around here anymore, but when we have a weekend houseful, we bake two.

Scenes from the Stone House

Felix and Molly left the stone house this weekend to get back to real life. I stopped by Sunday afternoon to air things out (they had both had the flu, so sad), collect the linens, and polish things up.

I still don't have Real Pictures of the house but here are a couple of lovely spots. Fireplace above, bedroom dressing table below.

This Is Why We Can't Have . . .

 . . . pain-free necks. Three quilt tops in ten days.

It's out of my system now, and my neck will get back to normal.

(This one is about using up all my green scraps.)

Everyone Is Getting Bigger

Hospitality: Yes, You Should

Two years ago we instituted Young Adults Dinner once a month after church. On this day, any young adults we can find at church, and anyone the girls have invited from their networks of school friends, are encouraged to come for Sunday dinner.

I've really grown to love this time. I gave up on trying to present Interesting and Varied meals, and instead just go for really tasty, and plenty of food. Generally featuring chicken. But the best part, of course, is the young adults gathered around our table.

You know, you could do this too. Or you could do something really small. Just once. Or more. You could, and you should.

New Orchid

Several of mine are coming into bloom, but they're still weeks away. So I shortcutted and brought home a new plant from Wal-Mart.

Clara Piecing

Clara and I pieced the squares this week--now she uses our super-secret algorithm to lay them out for the quilt. The boys can't believe I have an algorithm. Best thing I did with it was teach it to Clara. Now it doesn't get messed up.

The View from the Laundry Room

My laundry room is a little half-floor mezzanine above the kitchen. When I'm working in it I can see over the little half-wall into the room. Today I was liking the greens.

Needs a Dachshund

I recently made a plaid wool tote, and it looked a little plain.

"This needs a dachshund," I said to myself.

($30, send me an email if you want it.)

Winter Salads: Romaine with Chicken, Feta, Cranberries, Butternut Squash, and Crispy Fried Parsnips

School-Time Bella is different from Vacation Bella. School-Time Bella doesn't have time to cook, not with work and classes. But Vacation Bella makes us things like this salad for our Saturday lunch: grilled chicken, roasted butternut squash, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and crispy fried parsnip strips.

"A World Made to Measure"

"You can't build yourself a world made to measure, but you can build a village."

--Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera, The Awakening of Miss Prim

Sorry to Keep Doing This + The Last for a While

Really, this is it for a while. My cubby at the studio is pretty much cleaned out.

Shop here.

Four More Paintings

I thought that since the dining table is already a mess of bubble wrap and cardboard slices I'd keep on with posting the paintings for sale in etsy. A big thank you to all who shopped! Just a reminder, these proceeds go to charity--I'm currently giving to a young family who had an unexpectedly complicated childbirth resulting in many unexpected thousands of dollars owed to the hospital.

Oil Paintings in My Etsy Shop

The thing is, if you keep painting, the paintings stack up. Help me out! Four of last year's oil paintings freshly in my etsy shop, and more to come each week.

[Edited to add: a stuck a few more in this morning].

This is the Lord's Doing; It Is Marvelous in Our Eyes

A first taste of wedding photos!

The cake triumphant. 

Gingerbread baked at home, iced with citrus-cream cheese buttercream, decorated on the spot with extra flowers, and consumed to the last crumb.

The men! Felix front and center.

That's right, I wore the same dress to both my boys' weddings! It's my traditional dress now. I'll wear it to the girls' weddings too, Lord willing.

Breathtaking ladies.

 I proudly lay claim to FIVE of these young women. From the left: Bella, Daisy, Tia, and Molly, then Clara second from the right.

Molly's flowers.

They didn't see each other until the ceremony.

And then it snowed afterward.

The Best, Most Random Present

Because of the wedding, our Christmas was somewhat catawampus. The boys' contingent stayed in the northeast for the holiday, since the rest of us were heading there right after Christmas, and there was much to do in preparation for the wedding. MUCH to do. 

Felix had an outstanding cadre of friends and relations who pitched in at full throttle to realize the winter wonderland visions that had danced in his head regarding his nuptials. I've touched on the prep (pictures will come, I promise), but for now I'll leave it at literal *miles* of twinkle lights and a forest of fir trees.

All that to say, we didn't get around to giving Giles and Tia their Christmas presents from home until the morning after. And that's when we found that Grandpa had sent up a bullhorn. Best ever. Just a day late.

2016: The Year in Quilts