Easter 2017

"[While reading the Magician's book, Lucy] came to a spell 'for the refreshment of the spirit.' The pictures were fewer here but very beautiful. And what Lucy found herself reading was more like a story than a spell. . . When she had got to the third page and come to the end, she said, 'That is the loveliest story I've ever read or ever shall read in my whole life. Oh, I wish I could have gone on reading it for ten years. At least I'll read it over again.'

But here part of the magic of the Book came into play. You couldn't turn back. The right-hand pages, the ones ahead, could be turned; the left-hand pages could not . . . . and it was all fading away. 'How can I have forgotten? It was about a cup and a sword and a tree and a green hill, I know that much.'

'Shall I ever be able to read that story again; the one I couldn't remember? Will you tell it to me, Aslan? Oh do, do, do.'

'Indeed, yes, I will tell it to you for years and years. But now, come . . . .'"

C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Sunday Dinner: Pork Shoulder

We continue our Young Adult Dinners, which happen once a month after church (and more often, on a less-formal basis). Here's a recent favorite menu:

Slow-roasted pork shoulder

Baked sweet potatoes, whole or in pieces

Cole slaw

The pork shoulder is awesome--it feeds everyone for less than a dollar a piece, and it's effortless to make. Buy a nice big one, and put it in *the night before*. Believe me here. You want to put it in the oven fat side up, in a covered roasting pan, with plenty of salt and pepper, and a couple of cups of water. Turn your oven on as low as it will go--mine goes to 200. Cook it for 8-10 hours.

So I put mine in at bedtime, and in the morning I check on it. At this point it can be cooled to serve later, left at room temperature for a bit (not forever though--there's the whole food safety issue), or served immediately. It will be falling apart tender, and should be shredded with a fork and knife.

Mint in a Pot

One of those things I'd been planning forever and just hadn't gotten to: planting my mint up in a pot under the spigot. This should be good.

Afternoon in the Backyard

Sister came prowling around the rock work.

Then we went and admired the rosemary in bloom.

But what was *really* interesting was the two giant swallowtail butterflies visiting the honeysuckle.

It's been a great spring for tiger swallowtails--these are our first giants of the year!

Sometimes Instead of Salad

Sometimes instead of salad I set out a plate of pears and some Brie.

Japanese Craft Magazines for Sale

 I'm spring cleaning my bookshelves and have many beautiful Japanese craft magazines to sell! These are all in excellent condition with all the patterns intact--however, if they came with a packaged fabric sample, that won't be included. I'll list the available issues below each picture, and will remove titles as they are sold. To buy, please send me an email at pleasantviewschoolhouse  (at)  gmail then a dot then com. I'll send you a paypal invoice. First come, first served.

Each issue is $8. If you want to know more about an issue, please ask Mr. Google. Also, be aware that these are actually in the Japanese language, although the patterns are usable by anyone able experienced in following a pattern--very clear diagrams. 

Cotton Friend

Volume 23

Volume 30

Volume 31

Volume 32

Volume 34

Volume 37

Volume 38

Volume 39

Volume 44

Volume 45

Cotton and Paint

 Volume 27

Cotton Time

Volume 78

Volume 89

Volume 90

Volume 95

Volume 97

Volume 99

Volume 100

Volume 101

Volume 106

Daisy's New Rabbit Chapter

Daisy dipped her toes into rabbit-world with the purchase of two pet-quality lionhead males. They very quickly became Not Enough and also Not Show Quality, so she found them good homes, and began her quest for excellent rabbits she can show at competitions. 

She decided that Dutch rabbits (above) and Mini Satins (below) are the rabbits for her.  A week ago she got a breeding pair of Dutch, and yesterday the doe gave birth to NINE babies. The best of these will go to the fair in September, and the others will get sold as pets or eaten.

We're lucky to have a very active and educated 4H rabbit community around here. So even though the Composer and I don't know much about rabbits, Daisy has all the help she needs.

Spring Saturday

Some running, some gardening, some sewing, some reading, some cleaning out the mudroom.

Felix Recommends The Pleasures of Reading

Felix recommends a little reading to those of us turning away from distraction.

Along Came Arthur

Just days after Felix's wedding, Bella announced she had a coffee date With a Guy.

Who has turned into The Guy. 

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Carol was telling me how to make her new favorite sweet potatoes. "Cut them up like Jojos at the convenience store."

Okay, what? Since when has Carol bought Jojos at the convenience store? Also, what was she even talking about?

She meant wedges. Leave the skins on. Toss with olive oil, then salt (plenty) and cumin (generously). Roast at 425 on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet for about 50 minutes.

I'm @ The Factory

It's close enough to my birthday/ the Composer is always up for a little road trip/ who needs a reason to visit Alabama Chanin again?

A jumble of salvaged chairs painted in cheery colors.

Stenciled pieces available for sale. I think these may be journal cover size.

The collection garments are so substantial--even monumental--in person.

I absolutely love the varying shades of white and cream and the different elaborate treatments in the wedding collection. Of course.

My real business today was choosing a small palette of fabrics for some new summer clothes. Two pale grey, some hyacinth, and a dab of pink.

I tried very hard to stick to my plan. And also remember to get foldover elastic. Done.

Eye candy: this "Lace" stencil which is one of my favorites ever. Here are three treatments. I love the top one because of the extra row of stitching above the edge of the design, which carries the embellishment further into the plain fabric (this is an elaborate scarf, so beautiful). Also love the coppery sequins filling the cut-out spaces at the bottom.

Then here you can see the same stencil treated differently--the dark areas are totally filled in with coppery bugle beads. Oh my word.

And finally, below, the same stencil done in a black appliqué on pale pink, with all those openings filled in with black beading. Just like glamorous lingerie from the fifties.

While Baby Napped

This baby is a great sleeper (also eater, also spitter-upper), so we got to read for a bit under the rosebush during the afternoon nap.

An Update + An Iris

The girls are having their spring break so we camped this weekend. Now, I pride myself on having survived outdoors through pretty much all the difficult conditions from hail to plagues of caterpillars. This one was new though: fog so extremely thick we couldn't see thirty feet. It wasn't raining but water was running out of our hair. 

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I've been whittling away at a sizable work project. Fortunately it's easily quantified so I know just where I stand. Running up a tally and marking things off a list are very motivating rewards for me.

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And today we brought our crib down from the attic. We'll be hosting a friend's foster baby for the next couple of days. *Lots* of attic dust to deal with, and the Composer is out at Walmart right now buying new sheets. I guess I'm a little excited.

Bits of Daisy's Room + Cat

We were going for a soft, luxurious, cocooning thing in Daisy's room. Clearly it worked for Sister, at least.

No doubt she appreciated the creative layering of fabrics--crocheted afghans on top of embroidered quilts on top of dust ruffles, and the sheepskin laid over the cotton rag rug.

For Sister, it's a little bit like the Princess and the Pea. For Daisy, it's a perfect retreat. Best part: I didn't buy a single thing (beyond the can of paint), just pulled furniture and goodies in from other parts of the house.

My Mostly Off-Line Lent (So Far)

Much reading, thinking, and discussion going on in the house about the issues surrounding Distraction by Technology. Lots of practicing the discipline of being unplugged.

Also experiencing an unprecedented interest in leather notebooks:

 (much cheaper on ebay than on the Filofax website!)

And in old-fashioned letter-writing. I use Daisy's piano lesson as my Correspondence Hour.