Annabelle Hydrangeas

If it weren't for the fact that I love other hydrangeas just as much, the Annabelle hydrangea would be my favorite! The flowers, which appear in abundance, start out a lovely chartreuse, ripen to a creamy white, then stay on the bush till fall slowly becoming rusty and interesting. It is an unusual and long-lived cut flower, it spreads effortlessly and quickly, and it resists disease and dry spells surprisingly well.

Besides, with a name like Annabelle, we here at the schoolhouse could never pass it up.

Schoolhouse Campdish

A beautiful sunny Saturday, an open pool, and nine children here all day--no surprise then that at dinner time I had a weary, hungry family. I served them a dish that is a big favorite with the kids, and is easy for me too since it relies on pantry staples and is cooked all in one pot. No matter how much of this I make, they will eat it *all*.

I invented it several years ago on a camping trip notable for both the beautiful hike through autumn woods to a cave containing a waterfall, and also the freezing, freezing nighttime temperatures. The name has stuck.

*Schoolhouse Campdish*

In a large pot, brown:

1 1/2 to 2 lb. ground round.
1 diced onion (optional)

Drain off grease if necessary.

Add:

28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
the empty can filled again with water
1 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni
1 t. salt
lots of pepper
big slug of Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Stir frequently and don't walk away, as it wants to stick to the bottom. Campdish is done when pasta is tender and most liquid is absorbed. If pasta needs more liquid, add a little water until it's done cooking. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

I like to serve with something fresh but also salty--maybe some stirfried asparagus, cabbage, green beans, or Bok choy, sauteed in olive oil, then doused with a little tamari sauce. And, of course, a big salad. Eat, hang around for a while, then hit the sack!

Almost Summer

All signs are pointing towards summer:

• Bella and Clara have finished their school work for the year (whew!). Giles and Felix only have a little science left. I know some homeschooling moms teach year-round but I tell you what: that would not work for me!

•Clara found a patch of ripe dewberries, those sweet early-ripening blackberries;

•Daisy hasn't had on real clothes in days;

•The state has run out of money to pay my invoices here at the end of the fiscal year;

and finally, and most importantly,

•The Composer has OPENED THE POOL!!!

Yes, Another Apron: Simplicity 4692

I can't stop sewing aprons--they are the most satisfying projects to sew, plus I use them every day and enjoy having lots to choose from. I can't pass up Simplicity's "retro-reprint" patterns and want to try them all in the delicious silly fabrics (eclair, anyone?) that I can't resist at the store.

Here is one I sewed last week. I love the rick-rack trim, the topstitched triangular yoke, and the smart pockets. I do love the design details in these old-style apron patterns--the scalloped hems, bound edges, and dart fittings make them delightful to sew and to wear.

Art Songs

We were all out late last night having a good time. A nearby university was having an art song festival, and the Composer's work was being performed. He and I dropped the kids off at Grandpa's and went over to hear a marvelous piano/cello/soprano trio perform a song cycle of his. Artistically it was not breaking news, as he had written it about seven years ago, but it was delightful to hear it performed so beautifully, in front of an audience.

Of course there is a backstory (isn't there always?): on our tenth anniversary he had presented me with these songs (best present ever). He had taken three poems I had written, all set at dusk, written transcendent music for them, and recorded musicians performing them.

Here is the text of the poem set in summer, "Drought":

At dusk we walk the gravel lane.
The red dog snaps the wild chives drying in the ditch,
the dewberries withered on the stem.

These evenings we pray for rain.
The moon rises over the fading mimosa,
and we dream of waking to rain, to thunder.

Vintage Finds: The Homemaker's Encyclopedia

I uncovered this gem at the vintage book store a couple of weeks ago. Apparently it is one in a series of Homemaker's Encyclopedias--this one is "Food-Buying and Menu Planning." I adore it for its many photos of glamorous young homemakers in fabulous aprons looking happy in the kitchen, as well as its spot-on advice. Such as:
"Don't get gay and combine several part-full bottles of milk if they weren't all purchased the same day, or you may sour otherwise sweet milk."
"Every housewife knows that sinking feeling when she finds--much too late--the leftover chicken she'd planned to use for salad."
"Don't let your meal develop an all-white look through the use of fish, potatoes, cauliflower, and onions."
"A friendly cooperative attitude will make your shopping easier. Not that you should expect preferential treatment, but because your wants and needs will be accorded more interest and helpfulness where you are a regular and known customer. Even a store which features self-service can sense a friendly attitude. . ."
*Love* the middle picture of the young lady cooking in her suit (is she just back from court?) using a condiment which appears to be salt. . .

Hard Look at the Houseplants

How is it I can walk by, and even water, a houseplant over and over and somehow gloss over the fact that it looks *awful*?! I took a good look at the plants in the living room today and ended up throwing one away--it was so decrepit that the "temporary" drip tray I was using under it, a foil pie plate, literally crumbled in my hand! I also took a sad droopy ficus tree outside and gave it a new pot and new soil--still debating on whether or not it deserves to come back in. It does tend to drip stickiness, but on the plus side, it sits right beside Albert's cage (parakeet), where I fondly hope it provides him with the illusion that he still lives in the rain forest. Meanwhile it's having a vacation on the deck.

The whole houseplant sphere is an enigma to me. I water and Miracle-Gro all my plants the same, and have thriving Boston and asparagus ferns, shamrock, rose-scented geranium, and one big airplane plant in the bathroom. The others are sad, sad, sad. I think I will let natural selection do its thing and stick to these successes.

Waterfall Today

This morning after breakfast and a quick vacuuming of all the downstairs floors, we left for a hike to this waterfall. We drove for an hour, looked for the barn with an "E" on the side, then parked in the cow pasture and headed down the unmarked (but very clear) trail. This creek has the most amazing rock formation--it drops through a giant rock doughnut shape, a perfect circle, in a fantastic waterfall. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to it I peered down in and my sunglasses fell off my shirt, circled around a few times, and disappeared, exactly as if I had flushed them down an enormous stone toilet. Lucky for me the big boys were already at the next lower level and were able to fish them out from under the fall--after being offered ten dollars for a successful recovery (since the water was icy cold!).

That was our only mishap, however. The kids stayed down in the creek rearranging stones for an hour, and even Daisy, who was in a quiet, contemplative mood, threw in her share of sticks before we hiked back up to the road, enjoyed a picnic, and headed home.

Alterations

For today's adventure, the children and I stopped in at the alterations lady's shop downtown. She has a great space right on Main Street, with huge windows which house rows of orchids, a series of really large downtown cats that live in her shop, and a few good toys.

While she pinned my new suit (jacket and pencil skirt in "espresso") into a more flattering shape, everyone found something of interest: Bella was using a lint roller on the big orange cat while Giles charmed it into submission, Clara and Felix were enchanted with the orchids, and Daisy swooped in on the baby doll and toy stroller, pushing them madly around the racks of clothes. It was hard to leave.

"The Duty of Every Woman"

"It is the duty of every woman to attire herself as charmingly as possible, for the pleasure of her friends and all who come in contact with her as well as to aid her advancement in any calling. It is hard not to be self-conscious when unsuitably dressed. It is embarrassing to feel either that clothes are not becoming or that the costume selected is inappropriate for the occasion."

--from Charlotte Rankin Aiken's 1922 book, Millinery

Fairy Rose in Bloom

My fairy rose is in full bloom! This bush, like so many of the plants in my garden, came to me from a friend. I have found that other gardeners are truly my best gardening resource, since whatever they are growing and sharing is:
•free
•successful in this microclimate, and
•likely to spread;
otherwise they wouldn't be freebies! Long ago I figured out that asking to "come over and see your garden" was a fail-proof way to load up on everything from uprooted and unwanted phlox, to chunks of hostas that needed dividing, to baby hydrangeas. I continue the tradition by never letting gardening guests leave empty-handed--I always load them down with starts and babies. And I travel with cheap plastic pots in the trunk during the high gardening season; I never know when I might need to stop and "see" someone's garden!

Scrubbing Madness

The back story is that during last week's routine mopping, trying to get a piece of gunk off my pine kitchen floor, I scrubbed with the bristly brush on the back side of my sponge mop. To my consternation, I realized that I had actually *cleaned* a patch of floor, taking off a layer of grime I didn't even know was there. (Hey, it was wood-colored!) After eyeing that clean spot for a week, I decided to do the whole floor today. Ouch. I am hurting, and I've only done half--but the kitchen is truly huge.

Giles sank a bunch of muscle into it as well, and together we dirtied countless buckets of soapy water. (By dirty, I mean that it looks like Bella took the bucket outside to one of her play kitchen spots and filled it with dirt and a little water!!!). Apparently we have stripped the floor down to its essential pineyness, unadorned by varnish, finish, or any of those effete substances. We are enjoying the pale wood color (of the half we have finished!), and waiting to see how badly it gets messed up in the days to come.

As soon as my muscle spasms subside, I'll finish the room.

Big-Eyed Daisy

Front Yard at Dusk

On Not Driving Around

I don't think of myself as having a large family (what is five children when you had fourteen brothers and sisters?) but I know five strikes some moms as a lot. I think, putting myself in the shoes of a mom of one or two, that I might have qualms about the large amounts of laundry, or the quantity of cooking. But I have recently noticed that what parents of small families wonder about it is: How do I drive all my children around everywhere?

Of course the answer is, I don't. Unlike children in smaller families, my children aren't all on sports teams, taking multiple lessons, and living high-performance lives. Clara does have a cello lesson once a week, and on the same afternoon Bella goes to gymnastics. As for the boys, team sports, scouts, music lessons, etc., have all been tried (one at a time) and found wanting. I am grateful that right now neither Giles nor Felix has to go to an Activity.

The children seem to be turning out okay in spite of their curtailed lives. Giles is turning out some razor-sharp photographs (see his blog). Felix can't find enough time to do all the bird-watching he would like. And everyone seems pretty peaceful--even me.

Sunday Dinner

My mother made beautiful, abundant Sunday dinners which were served after church and fed fourteen or so people. My cooking is a pale shadow of hers, but I have been mastering the art of preparing and serving Sunday dinner as best I can. Here's what I've learned so far:

1. I set the table before we leave for church. Actually, Clara usually does this for me as she totally appreciates the fun of getting out a nice tablecloth and the Sunday dishes--Mikasa's Rosemeade china. We use a white cotton Battenburg cloth which is tossed in the washer and dryer--it comes out totally wrinkled but I don't care! I like the rumpled charm. We use ironed napkins too--pink cotton or ivory damask, or sometimes the transparent embroidered white voile. Why own things too good to use? Use them.

2. Before leaving for church I put in a roast--a pork loin, or a pot roast, or two roasting chickens--often with carrots and potatoes around it. I make a salad or a big luscious slaw with peppers, radishes, and cucumbers. Sometimes I cook and refrigerate vegetables for quick reheating after church.

3. Hot bread? Yes. I'll either mix biscuit dough up to the point of adding the (rice) milk, ready to quickly finish and pop in the oven after church, or put a batch of roll dough in the bread machine, which I run to the point of rising. Then I take the dough out and refrigerate it--when we get home I quickly shape it into rolls and pop in into a very hot oven for wonderful rolls. Either way, butter, honey, and preserves definitely belong on the table!

4. Make dessert on Saturday. Clara at bat again, as she dearly loves to bake a good cake. Today she did a Rose-Raspberry Layer Cake which is gorgeous: layers of white cake baked in pans lined with rose geranium leaves, stacked with raspberry preserves, and iced thickly with sweetened whipped cream mixed with more raspberry preserves. Over the top? Yes.

5. Relish plate. Raw carrots, celery sticks, pickles, olives. I love having one on the table, and the kids all think it's special too.

This used to seem like a lot of work to me but the more I have done it the more it goes smoothly and quickly. Now I consider putting Sunday dinner on the table one of the most enjoyable times of the week. It's a privilege to serve a luscious fattening meal to my beautiful growing children and wonderful husband, and realize the blessings of another week together.

Key Limes

I've never seen these live and in-person before, so when Giles and I saw bags of them on display at the Walmart Supercenter, we impulse purchased. They are only as big as a walnut! So far we have:
•squeezed them on vanilla ice cream
•squeezed them over grated carrot and pineapple salad
•cut them open and sucked on them.

Tomorrow in the true Key Lime spirit I will be making:

*Upside-Down Frozen Key Lime Pie*

Do not make this in a pie plate. Use dessert dishes, margarita glasses, sherbet cups, etc.

Into large bowl:
Squeeze out 1/2 C. key lime juice.
Grate 1 T. peel.
Stir in 1 can condensed milk.

In a medium bowl, whip 1 C. cream until stiff. Fold the cream into the lime mixture a big spoonful at a time. Distribute among 8 serving dishes (see above--I always use my big stemmed green margarita glasses).

Make or purchase a graham cracker crust. Break it gently into large pieces, aiming for eigths. Stick about an eigth of the crust in each glass in an artless fashion. Freeze glasses for a few hours. When ready to serve, garnish with extra whipped cream and some more lime zest.

I love this!

Real Vintage Patterns

I have taken the plunge and ordered two charming dress patterns that are really, truly vintage! The one on the left is a great forties' dress (love the bodice gathering up into the shoulder yoke in front!), and the one on the right is a "beginner's side-fastening frock" from the thirties (which is a close approximation of my dream garment, so far found only in the Sears' Catalog Everyday Clothes of the Thirties book, the Hooverette dress, a wraparound cotton garment with frilled organdy trim!!!). Both of these are available at the Vintage Pattern Lending Library website, a resource with treasures abundant though not well-organized. I have been cruising around looking at vintage sewing patterns both original and facsimilated, and these are pretty good prices--and the patterns are complete.

It's hard to find vintage patterns with larger bust sizes so I was thrilled to find several to choose from. The ladies in the old days were slim and elegant indeed.

Early Morning Kitchen Chores

When I got up this morning we were getting a heavy rain, which makes the house so cozy. And dark--I didn't think anyone would wake on their own and I was right. I so enjoyed having an hour to myself. I had my tea and some of II Corinthians, then started my list of kitchen chores--Tuesday is Kitchen Day. I keep up during the week, but I like to set aside a day for things like:

•wiping out the cupboard where we keep the compost bucket.
•scrubbing the stovetop.
•dusting the light fixtures.
•cleaning everything on the counters--breadbox, salt/pepper/sugar shakers, cookie jar, toaster oven, etc.
•cleaning and refilling the soap dispenser at the sink--why *is* it so dirty?
•cleaning the microwave.
•scrubbing all the countertops with Bar Keeper's Friend.
•and so on, wherever grime collects.

It was nice to knock so much off my list before the day really started. I kept my cooking projects for afternoon (rhubarb cobbler and four loaves of bread), and in between went to court. Split shift, sort of. I think I do a lot of that!

Last Light of the Day

The sun sets in the valley behind our house and only the tallest trees catch the last light. This is my favorite tree in all the world, a white oak beside our driveway.

Home Cooking

Laurie Colwin snagged a great title for her first food-writing book, Home Cooking, followed of course by More Home Cooking. These are two of my favorite food books, and are filled with wonderful recipes and truly funny stories, many of which I have read to my children and are now repeated around the table every so often, just as though they are family memories.

I especially love the chapters "Kitchen Horrors" and "Repulsive Dinners: A Memoir." And I've loaned the books to friends who have loved and profited from them-- Carol has even built a reputation for fried chicken lifted straight out of the "How to Fry Chicken" chapter. Delicious!

Rainy Saturday Pleasures

•Sleeping in til 8:05.
•Puttering in my sewing room while Felix lolls on the landing talking about birds.
•Baking a maple cake and oatmeal cookies.
•Taking Daisy out on my back covered porch to watch the rain, and seeing her fix a beady eye on a dead hosta leaf and exclaim, "Oh, my goodness, a titmouse!"
•Taking a walk at sunset when the clouds parted, under a gorgeous sky, and along lanes redolent of honeysuckle and privet.

Fun Retro Sundress

I made this this week in a pale pink cotton with cream polka dots. Having never fitted with princess seams before, I thought it would be wise to make a mock-up of the bodice to solve any fitting problems. In spite of that, it still doesn't fit like I would wish--odd looseness has arisen in the bust, and I left too much ease through the waist. Fortunately I can still wear it, and adding a cardigan on top not only covers my mistakes, but makes for that true co-ed look. Next time will be better!

Vintage Finds: Driving Safety Tips

While re-reading a vintage Nancy Drew first published in 1932, I was struck by the syndicate author's fascination with all things driving. In that spirit I have compiled a few tips from the book:


•Use your turn signal and other "safety devices."
"Nancy's new car had all the latest devices, and its clever driver certainly utilized them, yet without taking any undue chances. Dixon marveled audibly a Nancy took advantage of every opening, and when the traffic lights switched from red to green, had her car in motion before other autos in the line were started." (This doesn't actually sound all that safe--wouldn't you be ramming people?)

•Choose the correct headlight setting.
"As soon as Nancy shifted to high gear she switched her lights from 'parking' to 'bright.'"

•Timidity turns no heads.
"More than one head was turned, in envy or admiration, to watch the pretty girl manipulate her snappy maroon car with the dash and confidence of a veteran driver. Traffic did not worry Nancy." (Lucky her!)

•Keep your car in good repair.
"How quickly the auto responded to the touch of the accelerator, how easily it picked up speed when traffic moved on. It was certainly a fine piece of mechanism." (Unlike my Suburban, Big Mike, who takes his time.)

•Self-taught isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"A young woman as capable and self-reliant as yourself must be a wonderful driver,' Mr. Nickerson said, pausing at the car door. 'Wouldn't you like to drive?'
'I have never driven a car of this make,' Nancy said. 'But if you will risk the car---?'
Nancy accordingly seated herself at the wheel, studied for a moment the way the pedals and levers worked, and then started off. (This is about how Giles has taught himself to drive, actually.)

Daisy in the Strawberries

Our strawberry bed is new-- I decided this year that I am only buying organic strawberries after too many news stories about the nasty chemicals on conventionally-grown berries.

After pricing the organic berries at Kroger, Giles pointed out that if each strawberry plant bears only two berries ever, they are still cheaper than buying berries at the store. Oh well.

Daisy is convinced that each strawberry growing in the garden is there just for her, and demands that it be picked, carried into the house by Mother, washed, and handed back over to her for her delighted consumption.

Felix On His Birding Trip

According to the Composer, he and Felix hit the right wildlife reserves at the right time to see great quantities of birds. Felix added more than forty birds to his life list on his three-day trip.

We love giving our children trips as gifts--there is only so much *stuff* that they need or want or can use or store. A travel adventure, on the other hand, takes up no space, gives them special time with parents, and will never be forgotten.

The Parlor

" 'You are the lady of the house. Every mistress of a household has her parlour. . .Your temperament, my dear, is reflective, as mine is, and as you grow older you will increasingly need somewhere to go when you wish to be private. I suggest that the younger children and myself enter this room only with your permission'. . . Something inside her seemed to expand like a flower opening and she sighed with relief. She had not known before that she liked to be alone. She sat still for ten minutes, making friends with her room. . ."

--Eileen Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.

Schoolhouse Chocolate Pie

We had a beautiful Saturday here with lots of time in the garden, much of which was spent multi-tasking (digging/weeding/planting while at the same time convincing Daisy that her tools were better and she didn't need to trade or take ours). The Composer has gone out of town with Felix on a wonderful jaunt to the gulf coast in search of all the birds who are migrating north and, having just flown over the gulf, are dropping exhausted right in front of the binoculars of birdwatchers from all over the world.

The work load is always a little heavier when I am parenting solo, but on the other hand, with no husband to gaze longingly at it,I got the last piece of chocolate pie.

*Schoolhouse Chocolate Pie*

Prepare or purchase a chocolate crumb crust.

In a small bowl, whisk:
3 T. cornstarch
1 T. cocoa
1/4 t. salt
1 C. half-and-half

In a medium saucepan, heat:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 C. sugar
1 1/4 C. milk
until chocolate is melted.

Whisk in the half-and-half mixture and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens suddenly. Turn heat to low and continue to stir and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in:

2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

Chill for several hours in crust, and before serving, top with sweetened whipped cream:

1 C. heavy cream
2 T. sugar
Whip until peaks are stiff. I used to stop with the more elegant soft peaks, but in my tackier old age, I find that I like the tidiness of whipped cream that stays in place.

This is a great summer pie; it doesn't involve turning the oven on, and it tastes so chocolately and cool that it makes the world a better place to be.

Peony

The pink-flecked white peonies are in bloom this week. I'm especially fond of these plants because they were planted by my mother more than twenty years ago.

Chickens Looking Good

I couldn't resist Giles' photo of Hurtneck and Pearl in front of the barn with the vine making them look like they're somewhere in France. . .

Housedress Pattern

This is McCalls 4759, which I used on my housedress. I particularly like the darts in the bodice--both horizontal under the bust, and vertical. There are also darts in the back, and I added darts to the skirt front and back to get a nice shape through the hips.

New Retro Housedress

Here is a glimpse (if you can get past Daisy's profile) of a most successful dress I have made myself. I got this fabulous silky cotton in a pale green with red rosebuds at the incomparable Denver Fabrics Store last summer, after first becoming acquainted with their website. I made up a pattern with a fitted bodice and A-line skirt and trimmed it in rick-rack used as scallops, along the sleeve cuffs,front placket of the dress, and around the collar. When I put it on, I just want to mop!

Loving the Work

From a 1903 book with the delightful title Millionaire Households and Their Domestic Economy by Mary Elizabeth Carter:

"No one can do anything well while hating the work, unless governed by an unflinching sense of duty, and a conscience that permits no laxness; even then, the aesthetic touch that can only be secured through love of one's occupation will be lacking."

Easter Dresses in Action

My lovely daughters in their Easter dresses. They are not always looking down; here they are hunting for Easter eggs. We had such a beautiful Easter, with intense sunshine, lots of music, lots of whipped cream. . .

Easter Dinner Menu

Ham in Coca-Cola
Corn Pudding
New Potatoes
Roasted Salty Asparagus
Steamed Carrots
Green Salad with Cucumbers and Violets
Wheat Rolls
Pineapple, Cherry, and Mandarin Salad with Lemon-Whipped Cream Dressing

Orange-Marmalade Cake
Sour Cherry Upside-Down Cake
Chocolate Cream Pie with Whipped Cream

Fruity Iced Tea

Simple Dress for Bella

This was a quick sewing project designed around the fabulous denim my mother gave me to make girl clothes with--can you beat pink with purple flowers and purple sequins? No, you can't. This is a simple A-line dress (front and back are each one piece bound with bias binding), with a self-fabric flounce around the bottom for a little style. It suits Bella perfectly, especially when it is giving off purple sparkles on the white walls of the kitchen.

Planting Flowerpots

I'm not much of a container gardener, but we did put together a few pots for the front porch this year. This is my favorite--white petunias combined with white alyssum. In the high heat of summer, I find that pots are just too demanding to sustain, needing water two or three times a day. We will enjoy them until they get to be too much of a pain!

Daisy's Hair

. . . does this if I fail to brush it down neatly after bathtime. Here you see her in her beloved Purple Jammies, used as daywear for a special treat.

Reflections

Old mirrors are lovely. I love the little scenes they set up--their little reflected worlds look so inviting and so much more magical than the real room. . .

Poking Around in the Garden

This is such a fun time of year to putter in the gardens--the perennials are filling in and doing the work for me, and the vegetable garden is empty and inviting. We have been planting bits here and there this past week--Giles put in a raspberry bush and the tomato plants, Clara has planted sweet peas, and we have spinach, beets, and sugar snaps up (including Daisy's own Sugar Snap Corner, with all the *rest* of the sugar snap seeds). Oh, and two long rows of potatoes. I haven't figured out yet where the other vegetable must-haves are going to go, but I'm sure it will come to me.

Not Again!

Yesterday while I was folding laundry I looked down and was horrified to see that the sapphire in my engagement ring was gone. It is such a beautiful stone, and I've never seen one like it--it's called a cornflower sapphire and is a beautiful medium blue, cut in an oval.

I had lost it once before, fifteen years ago. Just like yesterday, I Iooked down and it was missing. Several weeks later I was unfolding a pair of socks and it flew across the room. It has lived safely in my engagement ring ever since then.

Yesterday I was hopeless that I would ever find it. I was sure that it would get vacuumed up or had fallen out outside. I did pray that God would restore it to me once again but there didn't seem to be any point at all in looking for it.

This morning I put in a load of wash. When the cycle was over I was pulling out my wet laundry and heard the sound of something rattling around in the washer. I couldn't see it, and I couldn't even feel it, because it was wedged down in one of the round holes in the washer, but there it was. I'm going back to the jeweler with it, and this time I want it superglued! And thank you, Lord!

Oven Fries

My children have huge appetites. They are generally a joy to feed because they appreciate everything (well, no fish for Bella please), but boy, do they eat a lot of food!

I make a point of serving at least one good carbohydrate with every meal, to fill everyone up. Oven fries have been a big hit the last few weeks--easy, cheap, popular, and healthy! I generally prepare one *large* potato for each person present.

Preheat oven to 425. Scrub potatoes, leave skin on, and cut into fry shapes. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil--just drizzle it on til everyone's got a little--no need to soak. Spread out in a single layer on a Pam'ed baking sheet, and sprinkle with kosher salt (easy there, it's so salty!). Turn once or twice while baking for about an hour. They come out just like French fries, with only a little bit of healthy fat, and lots of fiber. Daisy always demands her fair share, and pass her the ketchup.

Simplicity 5961: A New Apron

I picked this pattern up at the fabric store yesterday, along with a yard of fabulous retro-style fabric that even I would not attempt to make into street wear--bright red with scenes in yellow and brown of little girls at a birthday party, including cutting the cake and pinning the tail on the donkey. But with some bright yellow bias binding trim and a great retro pattern (View B, shown in pink, perhaps?), I am on my way to a great addition to my apron collection.

When Life Gives You Chicken Breasts. . .

A child who will remain nameless left the door to the big freezer open last night. I threw out all the fruits and vegetables (could have been worse--we had used up our summer peaches already), and salvaged several Sam's Club bags of boneless chicken breasts. They were quite thawed but still cold, so I plunked them in marinade this afternoon (tamari, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic), then the Composer graciously stepped in and grilled them *all*.

We enjoyed a huge Chicken Caesar salad tonight which consisted of my biggest enamel bowl filled with mixed lettuces and chopped tomatoes tossed with a very garlicky vinaigrette, and plates of these items to choose from: grilled chicken (ha!), fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, black olives marinated in wine and herbs, sliced avocado, and whole-grain baguettes split and toasted.

The Big Salad Meal, while delicious and much appreciated here, is in my experience a dinner which costs much more in terms of actual time and money than almost any other, although it seems like it would be cheap and easy. By the time I've gathered and prepared all the goodies for a big salad, I could have fixed two or three meat-and-potatoes dinners, I think! Still, we all enjoy dinners of taco salad, salade nicoise, or grilled chicken salad. Just not all the time, please!

Monogrammed Napkins

Just in time for a fancy Easter dinner, I've finished monogramming the stack of twelve damask linens I picked up at the antique mall a few weeks ago. I do love to embroider! The stitching part is easy compared to getting a pattern I like. Vintage charm is good, but it's so easy to cross that line into twee. . . For this project I used an iron-on alphabet from one of those Aunt Martha packets which I only seem to find at off-brand general merchandise stores like Alco. Lots of those packets are girls in hoop skirts (no thanks), but I've found some nice letters and some wonderful pinecones and pine needles. And vegetable collections, which are good for the classic dishtowel set.

Wisteria

Giles took this photo of the wisteria blooming on the front yard arbor. Not only are the flowers a most delicious lavendar color, they are also fragrant, and swarming with bumble bees. Standing under the arbor looking up through the flowers, with all that buzzing overhead, is delightful.

Keeping Up with the Ironing

Some people hate ironing and would do anything to avoid it, up to and including wearing polyester shirts. I am not one of those. I find ironing to be one of the most rewarding of domestic tasks. You start with a pile of wrinkled things and end with a rack of smooth, crisp shirts and a stack of lovely folded pillowcases. At least I do: I iron the Composer's button-down shirts, dresses for the girls and myself, and the pillowcases, which at my house are all cotton or linen. I even iron the Sunday napkins when I can get in ahead of Clara.

Although I love to iron, I do not do it perfectly, sprinkling and rolling clothes in time-honored fashion. (See Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelsohn for details and instructions). I use the shortcut my mother raised me with--the spray bottle of water used at the time of ironing. I have known people who sprinkle and roll before they iron, and believe me when I say that their ironing piles were much, much bigger than mine have ever been.

Raising the Potluck Standard

I'll be the first to admit that I spent a few years in a slump, bringing more than my share of canned vegetables, cookies from the freezer, and bags of baby carrots to our monthly church potluck. Several months ago, though, I became embarrassed about my own under-achieving behavior (Let's call it laziness! No! Failure to plan! No! Both!) and began to turn it around.

Potluck is its own institution, with its own rules. Lora shall bring her big Tupperware bowl of broccoli slaw; Maureen shall bring angel hair pasta with fresh basil; Barbara, blackberry cobbler and a pot roast. Ideally. But somehow we had all been slipping, and relying heavily on the takeout containers of Wal-Mart fried chicken.

Having repented, I have begun referencing my calendar when I make out my menus and grocery list. What do you know, potluck is right in there and I can shop and cook for it now! (Keeping the cardinal Potluck Rules in mind: 1. Food must look like what it is. 2. No surprise ingredients. 3. Try to present attractively.)

For this Sunday I brought a pan of manicotti (went a little wild on the dairy with Giles out of town!) with sauce from scratch, Clara's all-butter pound cake nicely glazed with lemon and presented on a rimmed cut-glass platter, and my very own new potluck signature, a romaine salad on a deep robins'-egg blue platter, with an arrangement of tomato and avocado slices on the top, all drizzled with Schoolhouse Vinaigrette dressing.

And guess what? At the end of dinner, there was lots of Wal-Mart chicken left over.

Homing

Homing is one of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill books. The lonely, poverty-stricken heroine works soul-grinding hours at the button counter of the department store, only to go home at night to the world's worst boarding house. Meanwhile she is dreaming about:

"Wide windows and pretty curtains. Cool in summer and warm in winter. A little fireplace somewhere with the brightness and comfort of firelight. . . She would have a pretty rug. Perhaps not an oriental, but one with soft colors. And a bookcase with books she loved. A desk to sit and write letters at, only she knew no one to write to, and a little table to have five o'clock tea on with frosted cakes. . ."

Don't worry, her fortunes take a turn for the better and in fact she not only gets to visit the shore, but is able to purchase (for $1.98) a new dress to wear there, a light summer frock of pink dimity with a lovely white collar, and a wisp of black velvet ribbon making a tiny dash of smartness at the throat! And that's only the beginning. . .

Schoolhouse Cherry Cobbler

It is my experience that men like dishes with crusts and particularly that my father-in-law adores cobbler. I had to go to his town this morning for court (45 minutes away) and happily had two slices of this concoction left over from last night's baking so took them on a plate, and they were happily received.

*Schoolhouse Cherry Cobbler*

In a medium bowl mix:

2 cans tart cherries in water (drained but keep and use 1/3 c. juice)
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
1 drop almond extract

In a small bowl cut together:

1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. oatmeal
1 t. cinnamon
3 T. butter or margarine

Spread cherry mixture in a glass pieplate. Top evenly with crumb topping. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 minutes more. Oh my, this is so good. And not even that bad for you.

Billable Hours

Alexandra Stoddard has some excellent thoughts on the value of time versus money. As someone who works as a homemaker, and squeezes in time to work from home as a lawyer who must record every tenth of an hour in time spent, I found this essay to be quite on point! I have taken the liberty of changing some of it to first person, while she is actually writing about her husband:

"Because their job often 'prices' them at a per-hour dollar amount, people will put this same price tag on their nonwork hours. They begin to question everything, asking themselves, Is this worth my time? As a result many people hire workers to do the household chores that they might actually enjoy doing. . .

If I make a salad that takes an hour to prepare, allowing to me wonder and reflect as I enjoy the . . pleasures of chopping and dicing. . .why should I rush and diminish my pleasure in the experience, or delegate the task to someone else? I could be working, but one is no replacement for the other. . .

If I had been thinking about the dollar value of this time I would have hired someone else to do the work, but I would be giving away something I really enjoy doing. I am paid substantially for my time serving clients as their lawyer. If I were to apply my hourly rate to my free time, I'd never do any gardening. I'd be sitting at my desk working nonstop. I'd lose all the simple ways I enjoy living every day. . ."

excerpted from"Working with Grace" from Gracious Living in a New World

Bella Bakes

Bella made three loaves of banana bread all by herself today! All I did was read her the recipe one item at a time--not that she couldn't read it, but I make substitutions, and the recipe itself is a "Variation" of another on the page, and it's tricky to jump back and forth and easy to lose your place. So I would tell Bella the ingredient and she would interpret it back in her own kind of fraction patois:

Me: "Two thirds cup rice milk."
Bella: "That's one slash three filled up twice!"
Bingo!

She did a lovely job, and she has laid a nice array of slices in a vintage pie plate to take along to our Bible study group tonight, where I know she will shine with accomplishment as she passes it around.

Arbor in Afternoon Sun

My Lady Banks rose is looking gloriously ready to bloom. I love the pale yellow pompoms that cover the arbor when it's in full swing. I planted this rose four years ago, I think, and it is a *generous* grower, with many branches at least fifteen feet in length. Fortunately, since it's sending itself all over the path and I can't bear to prune it back, it is thornless!

Schoolhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been making these cookies for many, many years, ever since I was a little girl working from a recipe card that said "Dubble" at the top (my oldest sister: not that great a speller). These are the cookies that invariably filled my Nanny's cookie jar; mine are good but never quite so good as the ones she always had on her countertop.

*Schoolhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies*

Mix:
2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. salt

Blend in:
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. shortening

Add:
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
between a half and a whole bag of chocolate chips--I like lots!

Bake at 375 on an ungreased cookie sheet, but don't brown--I take them out as soon as they've lost their shininess but are not brown yet. I like to make these in my stand mixer and "Dubble", or even "Tripple" the recipe.

A Hike at the Cabin

Day trip today! The Composer's dad and step-mother invited us to spend the day with them at their cabin. It's up in the mountains past many fields of cows and horses for Daisy's viewing pleasure, on a little river which at this time of year blooms an unbelievable opalescent turquoise. We managed quite a hike--about 2.5 miles up the next ridge and then back down. I don't know how the Composer did it, but he hoisted Daisy the whole way in her backpack (not her favorite).

I fixed a pot of chili to simmer at the cabin before we set out on our hike, and when we got back we were tired, hungry, and happy to sit down and eat. A big game of rummy, then we bundled into the car and drove home in the dark. The last twenty minutes of the trip featured Daisy's wailing of the phrase, "Nursey in caaaaarrrr!" one hundred and forty-one times (actually). She was very glad to hit the sack.

Dinner and Another Schoolhouse

After I put dinner in the oven this evening I gathered the kids up in the car for a quick adventure--I had heard that there was another school building for sale right around the corner of the mountain. We've been in love with this building for over ten years but it's not been on the market until just now.

It sits on a hill and is called Fair View. It was built in the '30's out of blocks of sandstone. Sigh. The field around it had *just* been mowed, the air smelled spicy and sweet, and the last long beams of sun made everything look gilded. We wandered inside and fell in love: twenty-foot ceilings, two main rooms with a mahogany sliding divider, a stage, a long (20 feet or more?) blackboard running along the wall, both pot-bellied stoves still intact with stone chimneys, all the original benches piled in the center of the room. Stone walls, of course.

I called the realtor and a sale is already pending. But. Sometimes things fall through, and the Composer needs an off-campus studio!

We came home to a delicious-smelling dinner done to perfection: oven mustard chicken, Carol's rice pilaf, sauteed Swiss chard, and a nice vinegary romaine salad.

*Oven Mustard Chicken*

In a small bowl, combine about 1/2 cup grainy mustard, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 T. thyme, and 1 t. salt. Use to coat pieces of cut-up chicken. After they are coated, roll them in fine bread crumbs. Lay in a greased casserole dish and bake at 375 uncovered for 45-60 minutes.

*Carol's Rice Pilaf*

Chop half an onion, two stalks celery, grate two carrots, and mince 2-4 cloves of garlic. Sautee all in olive oil until transparent. Add 3 c. brown rice and stir to coat. Add 6 c. chicken broth (I used about half broth and half water) and salt and pepper. Bring to boil, cover, and turn down to simmer for 45 minutes. Done, as all rice is, when liquid is absorbed and those cool-looking craters have formed on the surface of the rice.

Square Foot Gardening

(Picture of my garden in fall with the asparagus still in feather)

Square foot gardening has been around for a while and always intrigues me but I've never made the leap to using this method exclusively. I do have a modified sort of square foot garden, in that I have permanent beds placed in permanent paths for my vegetables, and I dig rotting leaves and compost into my planting beds every year.

My friend Jody has invited Giles and Felix to join her boys in forming a "square foot gardening team" in a contest that the organization is sponsoring this summer, which involves planting, tending, and documenting through writing, photos, and video. It sounds fantastic and I hope they win lots and lots of cash!

Cleaning the Computer

Windex on a paper towel is most effective for removing pencil and colored pencil marks from the computer keyboard. That does not mean that Daisy is free to keep writing on the laptop.

I have seen Windex recommended for cleaning the monitor screen but this horrifies the Composer so I stick to a dry microfiber cloth.

Between-the-keys crumbs are best blown away by the can of compressed air with the little green straw to direct the spray where needed.

That's all I know. . .

Spring Cleaning the Pantry

My big project today was The Pantry. Frankly, I have been looking at the wad of gum stuck to the floor next to the trash can for long enough. The pantry would stay a lot cleaner if it didn't also house the kitchen trash, but that is What Is, so maybe I should just clean it more!

The shelves were actually in great shape and have been ever since Clara has taken over the organization of the pantry. When the groceries come into the house, the kids unload them and sort them into refrigerator pile and pantry pile. Clara then takes over as sole stocker of the pantry, and the canned and dry goods are always in perfect order, thanks to her tidy nature.

It was the lower half of the pantry that needed my attention. I removed everything from the floor, washed my potato and onion bins, wiped down my wheat buckets, and then got in on and my hands and knees with a bucket of hot soapy water and scrubbed the walls, baseboard, and floor. That was some dirty water in my bucket when I was finished.

When everything was dry and fresh I moved everything back in and admired. Nice.

Safely Home Again

Happy to say that Giles and Felix made it home in one piece each! The weather was much better than they expected, and neither went hungry. Giles brought home many photos of the beautiful lacy brown and gray woods, and Felix had a couple of good bird sightings.

The Last Fire

We are enjoying what is most likely the last fire of the season. One last weekend of chilly rain, then on to better things! When it warms back up I will empty all the ashes out of the woodstove, clean and store the red enamel teapot I keep filled with humidifying water on top of the stove, and move the Boston fern back onto the stove. The mudroom will get a *thorough* sweeping out after a winter of bringing logs in and out, and that will remind me to wash all our winter coats and pack them away for the season. I love changing seasons!

Boys in the Woods

I have sent Giles and Felix into the woods on what is sure to be a "memorable" weekend--hiking and camping with four uncles, a cousin, and a grandfather. The high for the next two days is in the forties, and nothing stands between the boys and a 70% chance of heavy rain but two-dollar ponchos from Wal-Mart. As soon as they left I realized they had forgotten their can-opener (there went dinner), and their packed lunches (they speak for themselves). Thanks to modern technology, however, this crisis was text-messaged to the Uncle in Charge and remedied.

The Composer's parting words to Uncle in Charge, who is known for his hardy optimism: "Please don't turn this into the Freezing Rain Death March."

Tamari

Tamari soy sauce is my favorite secret ingredient. Not only does it have a deep, rich, salty taste, it adds a wonderful dark brown oily shimmer to anything it's a part of. I love it so much that I buy it by the quart jar at the health food store--although I try to take it easy since it's probably high in sodium (you think?). It's been years since we've touched regular old grocery store soy sauce--once you've tried tamari there's no going back.

Perfect teriyaki sauce for chicken or salmon:
Splash filets or breasts with plenty of tamari sauce, sprinkle with sugar and rice vinegar. Let sit for half an hour, then grill or broil, basting occasionally with leftover sauce (be sure and stop basting in time for the last application to cook thoroughly).

Perfect roast vegetables:
Cube or thickly slice any amount of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant, etc. Toss with crushed garlic, a little olive oil, and a big splash of tamari. Cook at 425 for 45 minutes or so, checking for burning/doneness and adjusting as necessary (I'll cover to soften vegetables if they're not cooking fast enough, or uncover to get them browner). Add lots of fresh-ground pepper before serving.

Great salty cole slaw:
To a bag of shredded cole slaw, add thinly sliced red pepper, cucumber, and green onion. Make a dressing with 2 parts mild olive oil, one part balsamic vinegar, and a big slug of tamari. Stir in half a cup (or a cup!) of sliced almonds which you have browned in a little oil. Oh my!

Apple Green Paint

Giles took this picture of the afternoon sun coming in his window. I love the bright apple green paint we used in his room--on one wall only. The other three walls are papered in white with little green leaves, and the wood trim is all painted my favorite Benjamin Moore Atrium White. I have a special fondness for this room because it's the first one in the house where I really let the color rip--wait til you see Daisy's Mango Lounge. I posted a picture before which only shows her one *white* wall!

Bird Lore Galore

With several birders in the house (one of them "avid", let's say), we have been revelling in hours and hours of bird footage and facts in the wonderful series "The Life of Birds." This is a seemingly endless series of nature shows which my mother found at Netflix and has been forwarding on to us.

Several of the children cannot hear anything interesting or exciting about birds without immediately relaying that information to me, even if I am sitting within earshot and heard it the first time. But I'm not complaining--I appreciate their enthusiasm!

Open Windows

Having the house open, especially after dark, is one of my favorite things about warmer weather. The house takes on a smell that it never has at any other time of the year when the doors and windows are all standing open to let in the night breeze. The frogs in all the neighbors' ponds have started their spring calls, and I can hear the wind blowing up the backside of the mountain.

I am blessed to live in such a quiet, safe place.

Daisy's New Playdress

This one was lots of fun to sew! I found some black grosgrain ribbon in my piles and trimmed the yoke with it. I used shiny round black buttons to fasten down the back and the effect is stunning. . .

Schoolhouse at Night

Fridge-Keeping

One of the nice side benefits of sticking with a set grocery day is that the day before (that's today!) I can work on cleaning everything out. This usually means a big pot of soup or stock, which is great for any leftover cooked vegetables (nothing cruciferous please), the end of the bag of celery or carrots, and the frozen chicken carcass maybe left over from a roast chicken earlier in the week. I also try to empy the fruit bowl by squeezing tired oranges into juice, force-feeding apple slices to the children (not *real* force), and giving Daisy the run of the tangerines. I also try to use up any salad vegetables I still have in an enormous salad or a plate of sliced cucumbers, peppers, or whatever I've got, at dinner time.

A quick wipe to the shelves and around the walls with a spritz of grapefruit cleaner, and I am good to go tomorrow. The spatially-gifted Composer undertakes the job of fitting a week's worth of groceries into the fridge for me, and it's much, much easier when I've cleared a path.

Finished Easter Dresses

Clara and Bella's dresses finished and hanging rather spookily outside near dusk . . . not meant to be scary! They do have lace around the sleeves which looks beautiful up close.

Happy Sunny Baby

I love Daisy looking like a retro Vintage Housewife in this blue gingham dress!

The Big Bed

A big day for Daisy: the move from the crib to the Big Bed. She had a very successful nap under this delightful chenille spread, with a lovely view of the daffodils in the back yard. She seems happy to move on from the crib.



Thanks to my mother for such a wonderful hand-me-down (bed, mattress, box spring, bedspread!).

Finally Finished

I don't usually get bogged down with my sewing projects (could it be my approach of making the same pattern over and over and over?), but the big girls' Easter dresses have taken forever! Unfortunately I experienced a Fitting Issues with Clara's and a Fabric Issue with Bella's.

With Clara's bodice I took in the sides *a lot* to get a nice trim fit. Duh, there went my armscye. So I had to recut the armscye curve four times as my lining was already stitched together and so was my fashion fabric. Sigh. Bella's was darted so wasn't as tricky to fit (I am so in love with darts, there are no surprises there!), *but* after completing everything but the zipper installation I realized that the fabric was more transparent that I had thought. The facings showed right through, especially against her gorgeous skin. Ack! Sleeves were already in with the seam allowances trimmed and zigzagged. I took a few days to work up the necessary determination before ripping out all the facings, constructing a lining, binding the armholes, and sort of floating it down the bodice and hand-stitching it over the waist seam.

I am *glad* to be finished and on to the next project! Which happens to be a turquoise play dress for summer, for Daisy, which sports pink, white, and black polka dots and is trimmed in black grosgrain ribbon! Photos to follow. . .

Favorites

My favorite oil painting (by glamorous family friend Carol V.), favorite vintage quilt, and absolute favorite vintage dress, handmade by my great-grandmother for my mother to wear her freshman year of college--darted pink velvet bodice handtrimmed with sequins and seed beads, silk chiffon skirt. I wore it to a dance in 10th grade, but now it intermittently brightens my bedroom.

Clothesline Raptures

I adore the clothesline.

We had clothesline weather this week, and it's been so nice! I love the smell of line-dried clothes, of course, but I also love how they look hanging on the line, I like being out at the edge of the woods hanging them up, listening to birds and squirrels and checking out the daffodils. I love clothespins; I'm a late-life convert to the old-fashioned peg. I've always used wooden spring clips in the past, but they do tend to fly out of my fingers like catapults, or twist apart. The pegs are great for everything but the bulkiest jeans and towels--and I often hang those out without pegs anyway.

I'm also a late-life convert to the umbrella line, which took some getting used to. We finally realized that aesthetically it just wasn't working to have thirty feet of clothesline stretched across the yard *right* where you wanted to walk to get to the pool, and ordered an umbrella clothesline from Get Organized . It holds about four loads of clothes, so no complaints there. The only drawback is not being able to spread quilts out full length. For that I just use the porch rail, so tacky.

Daisy Stalks Her Prey

Daisy and Baby at the zoo last week.

Girls in the Sunshine

Clara, stalked by paparazzi, accompanies Daisy down to view the chickens.