Pink Camellias

The camellia tree is in full bloom outside Giles' bedroom window, and Daisy's . . .

Serving Soup

A big pot of homemade soup makes a lovely cold weather supper, but I sometimes feel ungracious presenting *just soup* for dinner, especially if we have guests at the table. Of course I always include salad and bread or crackers as part of the meal, but somehow, though the soup pot may include meat, many vegetables, and a starch, the menu can feel a little bald.

So here is what I do to round out the meal and present a more gracious table:

•Bread or crackers are naturals with soup. I like to offer at least two choices in the bread basket or on a tray. Several types of hearty crackers, slices of sourdough bread, biscuits, cornbread, or rolls.

•Additional protein in the form of a small cheese tray. A wedge of Brie, or cubes of cheddar or jack. It doesn't matter how much cheese I slice and set out, it will all be eaten with soup--and my children aren't even big cheese eaters.

•Something fresh and crunchy. NOT a vegetable that plays a role in the soup. Instead, fresh and shiny red radishes with a salt grinder beside. Or cucumber spears.

•Something sour. Tiny dill pickles, a bowl of olives, or best of all for Southern people, okra pickles.

That really ought to do it, I think!

Last Yellow Leaves on the Wisteria

Felix has taught us not to hang suet out in warm weather, as the heat melts the fat and tragically it can clog the birds' nostrils (!). In fall and winter, however, the cardinals enjoy finding suet-and-seed blocks hanging on the wisteria arbor in the front garden.

Mud Room Door

Giles took this great picture of the mud room door today. Behind that door lurks a very large woodpile, brought inside in advance of the snow and sleet we hope to see tomorrow.

It is such a luxury to have a room that can withstand dirt and mess. I credit my mother, who designed this wing of the schoolhouse (it was added on later). For the floor she put in large quarry tiles in cement and I love how durable and impervious they are.

Freshening the Laundry Room

It's time to:

•clean out the dryer vent hose
•wash the ironing board cover
•wash the laundry basket liners
•wipe down the laundry supply shelves
•and restock the handwashing soap and rose geranium ironing spray.

That's better.

One More Lovely Day

We had our traditional Sunday-after-Thanksgiving-at-the-cabin.


I love the understated beauty of winter there. The colors are so subtle--the white sycamore! The textures are beautiful, and the silence, with just the river running, is enchanting.




The Composer's parents cooked a lovely dinner. I won't even mention that I spent part of the afternoon knitting.


Daisy in her Thanksgiving onesie: "It keeps me warm under my dress!" But she's not wearing one.



(photo credits to the Composer this time)

Red-Tailed Hawk

Another sunny, leisurely day--we had a birding outing this morning at a wildlife refuge in some hardwood bottomlands at the river. Felix informed us that we could expect to see birds of prey, ducks, and geese.


As back-up fun I took my knitting along.


Giles took pictures. Daisy ran around.


Our big sighting of the day was spectacular. This is a juvenile red-tailed hawk sitting on a fencepost not thirty feet from us. We got as close as we could without scaring him, and Bella got him to turn his head and look at us by making squeaky mouse noises.


Daisy cooed respectfully, "Oh, an owl!"

Bliss

Bliss indeed to have a day where the only things on my to-do list are sewing a dress for Bella, reading to Daisy, making cookies, biking with Felix, and sitting outside in the warm sunshine under the maple tree with my knitting . . .

Thanksgiving Day

Now this was a nice Thanksgiving Day. We made our pies yesterday--pumpking and pecan. I love the restfulness of planning Thanksgiving dinner. What's to plan? We're having what we always have!



We planned to have our meal at midday so Clara and I spent a very pleasant morning in the kitchen. We diced and sauteed vegetables for our cornbread dressing, which was the best ever this year. I dried the white and corn breads out in a low oven this morning tearing them into little pieces. Made all the difference.



We set the table with the Rosemeade china and a vase of alstromeria left over from the wedding shower, as well as a ceramic chicken. It was a beautiful balmy day. We left the kitchen door open while we ate, and sunshine was streaming in.



A little parsley left over in the kitchen after all our cooking. Parsley is supposed to aid digestion. Instead of eating this bouquet, though, we all went for a really long walk in the beautiful weather.

Knitted Hat

Here is the finished hat I began knitting on a sunny morning in October. It only took a week to finish but I never did get around to knitting the lavender flowers--instead I pinned on a felted wool corsage that my mother had used to ornament a sweater for Clara last year. It's a perfect near-match: I love clashing shades of bright pink and orange together. I think the hat will belong to Clara since she looks so dear in it, and I just made her a dress that truly is a perfect match.

Beauty in Felix's Bathroom

Vintage Rules for Married Life

"I never made a list as important as this one, [Betsy] thought, writing at the top, Rules for Married life.

1. Handle Joe's money well. That, she knew, was important. She had noticed that married people had more trouble about money than almost anything else. She would keep accounts, she resolved, and never be extravagant--unless Joe wanted to be.

2. Keep yourself looking nice when Joe's around. Don't plaster on sticky creams at night, or wear your hair in curlers. She would put up her hair after he went to work, she planned.

3. Wear pretty house dresses, like Mamma does, and see that they're always clean. Some organdy aprons would be nice, too.

4. Learn to cook. Betsy frowned over that one. You're fairly bright. You can learn if you try.

5. Always, always, be gentle and loving. No matter if you're tired or feeling cross. Papa and Mamma don't quarrel, she thought. You and Joe don't need to, either.

She read the list over several time, looking sober. Then she tore it up and, getting out of bed again, she knelt down and pressed her head against the blankets."

--Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy's Wedding, 1955

Wedding Shower

Yesterday afternoon we hosted a wedding shower here at the schoolhouse. The bride's mother is such a wonderful lady--one of those women I want to be like when I grow up. The bride herself is a lovely, quiet, red-head, and it was delightful to host a party for them.

These cups and saucers were for hot cider, my big hit of the season. Again, I was surprised to see how much *everyone* loves cider! In fact, after all the guests were gone, the engaged couple and their best friends lingered in the kitchen drinking the last of the second urnful, talking and laughing.



I realized when setting things out on the table how convenient it is that all my "party things" go together easily--the dishes all complement each other, the napkins and linens are all similar enough to blend nicely without matching perfectly. That makes setting out a party table very simple--I just pull out whatever seems right and it seems to work.



Here I laid ivory and white tablecloths over the table, and got out white and gold china. I used a casserole dish for the centerpiece. I cut floral oasis to fit roughly, and took a dozen white-with-touches-of-green roses from the grocery store. I trimmed their stems to two inches and filled the bowl. Then cut a big handful of rosemary from the garden and used sprigs to fill in the bare spaces. Beautiful and clean-smelling!

Invisible Zippers

I am a big fan of invisible zippers in my sewing. Truth be told, I have never installed a regular zipper--I went from complete zipper ignorance to the three dollar plastic invisible zipper foot I am using now.

My biggest zipper challenge is always to install it evenly from the top so that my left and right waist seams match perfectly. I have tried basting, with only moderate success. My hand stitches are not enough like the tight machine stitching to ensure that the two sides of the zipper are going to end up that same distance down from the top of the dress, like they promised during basting.

Here's what I hit upon in the last dress I made (see Clara playing her cello in the coral corduroy, above): I sew the zipper in on one side. Then, counter to all the instructions I have read which order me under pain of death to not zip the zipper up until both sides have been sewn in, I zip it up and use a pencil to *mark where the waist seam should hit*. Then all I have to do is move heaven and earth to make sure that little pencil mark lands on the waist seam. Easy as pie! Or easier than it used to be.

Now that I have this nailed I'm going to miss all the ribbons-stitched-around-the-waist styles I have made in the past to cover up my mismatched waist seams.

Many Muffins

Bella and I made many, many muffins today. First we made cranberry (love the crackly sugared tops):


Then vanilla (these are miniatures though you can't tell in the photo):


A dozen blueberry:


And because no baking session is complete without them, a double batch of chocolate chip cookies.



Giles is spending the weekend in the mountains with his youth group and I'm catering breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow--hence the flurry!

Shortbread

Yesterday, on the spur of the moment, I invited a neighbor to come over for tea and knitting. I wanted to serve something to nibble on with the Cream Earl Grey but had very little time and no eggs in the house, so settled on ginger shortbread. I mixed it up in five minutes, popped it in the oven, went for my half-hour walk, and came home to find it perfectly done.

Shortbread is so easy to make, looks rustically elegant, and tastes both complex and homemade. It is also pantry-handy, so good to keep in mind when you need a quick treat.

*Ginger Shortbread*

Stir with a fork:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. ground ginger
1/2 t. baking soda

Cut in like you would for biscuits:

1 stick butter

Press into an 8-inch round cake pan, then prick evenly with your fork. Bake at 325 for about 35 minutes. The sides will puff up slightly, and it will become firm to the touch. While still warm, slice into twelve wedges, let cool slightly, then lift them out and let cool on a plate. You will love the way they look and taste.

Henry at Six Months

Henry celebrated his six-month birthday today. He is a real bright spot in my day--every time I walk by Felix's room, going down the hall, he lets out a beautiful, loud wolf whistle! Most cheering.

He's now diligently practicing the Andy Griffith theme song.

Daisy's Soft Arm

Afternoon of Donuts

The girls and I made donuts this afternoon after putting our loaves of bread together. I accidentally used all whole wheat flour in the dough, instead of half white, and the donuts were a little more fragile to handle before cooking, but tasted just fine with a nice crumbly texture. First we mixed everything up by hand:


Cut them out (this is the fun part and Bella got to do it all today):


Fried them (Clara's job):


Then sifted powdered sugar over them:



Then we ate all the donut holes!

Yes, Another Knitting Project

What can I say? The dire predictions came true and during Clara's last rehearsal I went to the yarn shop again, this time with my mother, the worst of ennablers. A wonderful knitter herself (Daisy's hats and sweaters are locally famous--well, famous at Kroger), she egged me on to purchase all *eighteen skeins* of Debbie Bliss cashmerino for my next project, a cardigan for Clara. Found in the Junior Knits book above, it is styled like a parka--a hood, a drawstring waist, fun pockets, and a "fishtail" back that buttons up to the waist. I realized after the fact that it is one of the most complex patterns in the book but oh well! I'm committed now, with almost two skeins used up.

Giles was sadly overworked by school projects today (ha!) but promises photos tomorrow . . .