Recent Knitting and Reading

So far winter has been milder than what we are used to in upstate New York, but for those chilly mornings and evening we have enjoyed the cozy warmth provided by our hot water bottles. I must admit that for too long I have wrapped my hot water bottle in a hand towel. It had been on my "to do" list to either sew or knit a cover for a long time and this year I finally did.

I found a few free knitting patterns on-line that I liked, but there were elements of each that I preferred. Some had a bottom opening with buttons while others were actually knit around the hot water bottle. Also the yarn weight varied from sock yarn to super bulky. I ended up borrowing ideas from the patterns I liked best and implemented my favorite features into my own cover.

It had been a very long time since I had done any cable knitting and I found it an enjoyable part of the knitting process. I also was pleased to find these wooden buttons in my button box. I thought they were a nice finishing touch.

Another recent knitting project was this little cardigan sweater for my daughter's doll. It was such fun to knit, and quick too! I am hoping to knit a couple more before my nieces' birthdays.

Earlier this month I read The Blythe Girls: Helen's Strange Boarder. It was a truly delightful read! I discovered the Blythe Girls series in a box of books I purchased from an auction a couple of years back. The stories are about three sisters living on their own during the 1920's. They seem to always coming against unusual predicaments, and occasionally a mystery. I enjoy the 1920's vernacular and the different personalities of the three sisters. They are a fun look at 100 years ago.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am hoping to once again share here on my blog as time allows. May you have a blessed week!

Christmas Books by Grace Livingston Hill Part 2

Back in 2017 I shared some of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill Christmas stories. Since then I have discovered a few other Christmas books by Mrs. Hill  that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you will too!

The Prodigal Girl was quite the story! It follows the Thorton family during a rather tumultuous Christmas season. Mr. Thorton has spent his years climbing the corporate ladder and spending little time with his family. One day, just after reaching his highest professional achievement, he over hears a rather surprising conversation regarding his eldest daughter. He is stunned, and upon further investigation realizes that while he was pursuing his dream career his family had been terribly neglected. Mr. Thorton makes the decision to remove his family from the city and relocate to his childhood home in rural Vermont. 

As can be imagined his worldly wise offspring are less than thrilled with this arrangement. Mr. Thorton meets with a great deal of opposition from his family, especially from his oldest daughter. As the story unfolds we see the Lord's redemptive plan for the Thorton family and it is beautiful! I loved the description of the old homestead in Vermont, and I especially enjoyed reading of the old-fashioned preparations for Christmas. The Prodigal Girl was a book that I found hard to put down and one that I would highly recommend.

Astra is a sweet story. In the first pages a wintry storm, as seen from a train, is described so beautifully I felt as though I were there! I could imagine seeing the little towns covered in snow, Christmas lights gleaming. The main character, Astra, is a lonely young woman. She had lived with her cousins family since the passing of her parents. Her values don't always align with those of her worldly cousin, so when her cousin and family take a trip out of state Astra sees her means of escape. Life on her own is difficult, she isn't sure were to turn when all of the old friends she had counted on are out of town for Christmas. Astra finds a friend and help in a most unexpected way. A beautiful story of Christmas romance unfolds in a wholesome and engaging fashion. Astra is a book I will definitely read again. It was cozy, sweet and pointed to Jesus, which is my favorite kind of Christmas story.

Partners is the story of Dale, a young woman out of a job and alone in an unfriendly city. Trouble seems to meet her at every turn. Utterly despondent and without hope she calls upon God for guidance and help. She is amazed at the answer to her prayer, and the unusual responsibilities that come her way. 

On a stormy evening, a young man that resides at the boarding house where Dale lives discovers a baby left in the vestibule of the boarding house. The poor little baby is covered with snow, blue with cold and terribly sick. Unable to find help in the ladies running the boarding house he seeks help from Dale. From that point forwards they become "partners" in seeking to save the precious little life of the baby he had found. Partners is a lovely story. I was blessed with the story's ultimate theme of God's goodness and guidance in the lives of the characters.

Brentwood: Upon the passing of her adoptive mother, Marjorie discovers a letter describing her history. Much to Marjorie's surprise she discovers that her birth mother is still alive. With Christmas soon approaching Marjorie decides to seek out her birth mother, so she will not have to spend Christmas alone. Marjorie is met with  quite a surprise when she finally finds her mother. Not only does Marjorie have a mother, but she has a father, an identical twin sister and three younger siblings! Her parents are both terribly ill and the entire family is living in poverty. Thankfully, Marjorie's adoptive parents had left her with a small fortune, so when Marjorie discovers the situation her family is in, she is able to help them and bless them with a truly wonderful Christmas! 

 

Brentwood is a story of family, and how a loving family is of more value than any amount of money. It was fun to read the accounts of Marjorie's generosity, and how she was able to forge a true friendship with her stand-offish twin sister. I truly enjoyed this unique Christmas story.

 

As you well know Grace Livingston Hill is my favorite author, and I am so happy that she wrote such a wonderful variety of Christmas books! If you would like to read my previous Grace Livingston Hill Christmas book post here is a link. 

 

Quiet Days

Already we are feeling spring in the air! Usually we have snow on the ground, and more in our weather forecasts, in the middle of March*. This week has been warmer and rainy.

Adam has been busy in the garden this week. He has cultivated a couple of beds and is getting ready to plant peas and beets.

  Before the springtime flowers are in full bloom I wanted to share some pictures of my African violets. At this point they aren't blooming quite so profusely as they were when I took these pictures back in January. I love how my African violets are most vibrant during the long winter months. They help cheer me through the dark winter days.

  Once spring arrives I will need to re-pot my violets. Two of my plants have grown new plants.

  During the winter months I tend to enjoy baking more than I do the rest of the year. When I was growing up my mom would often bake a recipe called "Cinnamon Flop Bread". I loved waking up to the smell of cinnamon on a Saturday

  Baking something delicious is a great way to make a dark rainy day feel cozy and comforting.

   The picture above shows what the "bread" should look like before baking. The cinnamon flop in the blue pan has been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, while the other has not. I did this so could see how to distribute the butter.

Cinnamon Flop Bread

1 cup sugar (I use brown)

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. melted butter

1 cup milk

Mix and spread into two greased pans. I will often use one bread pan and a pie plate, but two bread pans would work too.

Dot with one stick of butter that has been cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with mixture of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

  Recently I sewed this dirndl for my daughter. She loves wearing this style of dress and was especially pleased with the pink ribbons! It is a very versatile outfit, lately she has been wearing the dirndl with a turtle neck or tee-top. Once the weather is warmer the dirndl will be worn with a white peasant blouse.

 The dirndl pattern I used was designed by my mom with a little help from myself. My mom makes a variety of European inspired dresses and sells them here.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 

*I wrote this post last week.

Snow and Home

This morning we awoke to over a foot of snow. Generally we do not have this much snow in November, so it was a bit of a surprise!

With the shorter days and longer nights it helps to keep busy with fun projects. I thought I would share a couple of my recent projects today.

Over the past couple of years I have read several articles about the many health benefits of bone broth. Making bone broth has been on my "to do" list for just as long. Last month I felt like I was coming down with a cold, but after drinking hot bone broth throughout the day all symptoms subsided. At that point I decided I needed to learn how to make bone broth and stock up for the winter ahead!

Making bone broth in a crock pot is very simple. I took the carcass of a chicken that I had roasted for dinner the night before, and placed that in my crock pot with some celery, garlic and onion. I covered the carcass and vegetables with water, then add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I cooked my broth on low for 24 hours. From what I have read you may cook the broth anywhere from 12-36 hours. I really enjoyed this article about making homemade bone broth.

Last month I made my first successful batch of soap! I was thrilled. I first attempted to make soap about eight years ago. Unfortunately each time I tried to make a batch of soap something would go wrong. Each batch was a failure for a different reason, so I would overcome one problem only to create a new problem. In great frustration I gave up. About two years ago while going through some totes in the attic we came across my tote of soap making equipment and supplies. Adam was intrigued and expressed an interest in making some soap. I explained my past experiences, and then told him he could use my supplies at his own risk! : ) He did, and much to my surprise he made a beautiful batch of lavender soap! After that Adam made several batches of lovely soap.

Witnessing Adam's success finally inspired me to give soap making a second try, and I am so glad I did! Adam guided me through how he made soap, and explained how I might have gone wrong in the past. Since then I have made three batches of soap: rose geranium/patchouli, bergamot/Earl Grey and lavender goat's milk (my favorite!). The soap to the left is the bergamot/Earl Grey, the black specks are pieces of Earl Grey tea, it smells so lovely! This is the recipe I used.

When the weather began to grow cooler this fall I began searching for a fall jacket to purchase for Jemimah. Much to my surprise it was difficult to find a simple, cozy jacket. All of the girls' jackets I found were too lightweight or a color I didn't care for. I considered sewing a jacket, but our nearest JoAnn's Fabric store is a bit of a drive and she needed a jacket sooner than later. 

The first cool autumn day that we went shopping I was considering where I might purchase material to sew a jacket, or a jacket, and decided to visit a Mennonite general store not far from where we live. I spotted this simple gray jacket, only to discover that it was a boys' jacket. All of the girls' jackets were very lightweight.

The price was right, and it was very warm. So I decided I could over look the fact that it was a boys' jacket. Jemimah on the other hand could not overlook the fact that it was a boys' jacket and refused to wear it. 

My mom then had the brilliant idea of adding floral ribbon, and I decided to add a little embroidery too. Jemimah now loves her jacket! It was such a quick and easy was to transform a simple "boys'" jacket into a darling little girls' jacket. It ended up costing less too, less even then sewing a jacket myself. It is so neat to see how the Lord provides!

Earlier this month I finally got around to making apple sauce. We had purchased a bushel of apples, and with so many apple on hand we have enjoyed eating a variety of apple dishes. I believe the unanimous favorite has been apple crisp. It is a snap to prepare, but absolutely delicious served warm from the oven with a glass of milk or cup of tea.

Apple Crisp

5 cups apples, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spread apples in 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, and rub in the butter with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is browned. Serve with heavy cream.

I hope you are all enjoying the slower days of autumn. What projects are keeping you busy on these snowy days?

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:3

A Snowy Week

 This past week our area was engulfed in a snow storm. We had record snow for the month of March, the third most in history! The snow began falling Tuesday morning and fell continuously through Tuesday and Wednesday.

 Since we have had a mild winter so far it seemed fitting to have a snowstorm of this measure. It just wouldn't be winter without snow! ; )

 While the snow fell I was busy doing a number of things. I was able to finish a doily I began last month. It had been such a long time since I crocheted a doily. As a teenager I crocheted one doily after another. My new doily is now gracing our dining room table under an oil lamp.

   A bouquet of bonnets! One of my tasks for our business this week, in addition to a couple of dresses.

 One of my favorite treats is chocolate and peanut butter. I make no-bake cookies almost every week for Jemimah, as they are her favorite, but this week I made a treat I haven't made in years. It is a very simple recipe! You simply combine 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup honey in a saucepan. Heat these ingredients until melted. Add 1/2 cup of cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Combine well, then pour into lined muffin tins, filling the tins halfway or less. Chill in the refrigerator until set.

 I also made chocolate granola for the first time. I used a basic recipe, then added pecans and chia seeds. It is delicious combined with coffee yogurt.

 Winston was rather disturbed by the storm. He loves spending time outside. One morning he stole one of Jemimah's little toy horses. Jemimah didn't think he should be allowed to steal her horse, but I was able to convince her to share. I think Winston fancied the horse to be a bit like a mouse, the sizes were close. : )

 Jemimah didn't mind the storm, she enjoyed watching the snow fall. Each day she has a number of projects to work on such as her "cookie dough" aka Play-Doh.

 One book we especially enjoyed this week was "Corgiville Fair" by Tasha Tudor. I had won the book in a drawing at a Tasha Tudor tea we attended two years ago. At that time Jemimah was too little to enjoy the book, I had tucked it away for a later date. Coming across it recently I decided Jemimah would like it now, and she certainly did! Even after I had finished reading a page she would go back through to study the illustrations and point out all of the bunnies.

I just finished reading "The Dim Lantern" by Temple Bailey this week. It was a sweet story set in the early 1920's soon after World War I. It was written in 1922 and if you like books of that era I would recommend Temple Bailey. This is the third book I have read by her, and each has been beautifully written.

Did you see much snow this week?

May you have a blessed and restful weekend!

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater." Isaiah 55:10

African Violets

I have many fond memories from my youth of my grandma growing African violets. She took great pleasure in showing us her violets as they bloomed and thrived in her kitchen window. There were a few times grandma gave us violets she had propagated from her own plants, unfortunately they never lived very long in our home due to our cats. My sisters and I had 1-2 cats each!

Last winter I purchased two African violets in addition to a Christmas cactus. I was pleasantly surprised to see all three plants thrive in my kitchen window! Since then I have added two more African violets to my collection.

Throughout the cold winter months it gives me such joy to see flowers blossoming in my kitchen! Just to see some green this time of green is a blessing! : ) Some of the plants in this picture are blossoming now; they all seem to stagger a bit in their flowering cycle.

We have been surprised with an unseasonably warm weekend. All of the snow has melted and we have enjoyed spending time outside. We are brimming with excitement dreaming of spring coming just around the corner, hopefully!

" He hath made every thing beautiful in His time." Ecclesiastes 3:11a

Winter Knitting

Over the weekend I had a chance to photograph some of my recently completed knitted items. One of my favorite knitting projects over the winter was this bonnet for Jemimah. I was able to learn some new knitting techniques, such as knitting an i-cord and an attached i-cord. I was a little concerned about the attached i-cord, but after watching an instructional video on youtube I was able to easily finish off my bonnet.

The yarn I used was a blend of Merino wool and silk. It was definitely a pleasure to work with and I hope Jemimah will find it a joy to wear. : ) Here is a link to the pattern I used.

You may remember the heartwarmer I knit for Jemimah last fall. Well it was such a sweet little garment that I could not resist knitting another! This time I used a blend of alpaca and wool. I much preferred the outcome, as it has more stretch and drapes nicely when worn. It is super cozy and perfect for the spring evenings ahead.

         I was delighted to discover these buttons at JoAnn's, they compliment the yarn perfectly!

 Before Jemimah was born I knit a little pink sweater using this free pattern on-line. I loved the details that added just the perfect feminine touch to the design. Unfortunately the pattern was only available up to size 6 months. I decided I would try knitting the sweater with a larger needle size and thicker yarn, this resulted in a generous size 18 months! It is so thick and cozy knit from 100% wool.

 Last summer I found these Beatrix Potter buttons at a Mennonite fabric store. I thought they were the perfect finishing touch.

Around Christmas I knit a pair of little mitts for Jemimah to match her scarf. They have been so useful over the past couple months! The pattern was very quick and easy as there was no thumb. A link to the pattern can be found here.

 I also knitted two more shawls to my Etsy page. One in the ruffled style that I usually knit and one in a simpler style as shown in the picture above. I added a few new aprons, dish towels and vintage cook books too! : )

Currently I am spending more time in front of my sewing machine and less time knitting as I am busily working on new spring clothes for Jemimah. There are so many cute patterns for little girls that it is hard to decide which I should use!

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm126:3

Christmas 2015

This Christmas season was so filled with joy! Jemimah is now at an age where she can enjoy all the beauty and excitement of the season. Each morning she woke up delighted to rediscover the Christmas decorations about the house.

She did her best to help Adam put the lights on the tree! : )

Mom and I were quite busy sewing this past month, and we were very grateful to have been able to have all of our orders out in time. There were many mornings when I would have a stack of boxes ready to ship sitting on the kitchen table. But once the last of the orders were mailed....

I took some time to sew two new dresses for Jemimah. I like this simple pattern as it is easy to sew, and I hope will last her a while. She is growing sooo fast! Jemimah wore the cozy flannel dress on Christmas day.

In the evenings I have worked on my knitting. Jemimah was in need of a scarf now that it is growing cooler. But a regular scarf would have been too easy for her to pull off, so I was delighted with this pattern I found on Pinterest. I thought the pattern was very clever with its keyhole design. It was such a pleasure to knit that I decided to knit a similar scarf for my grandmother. For my grandmother I used the Miss Marple scarf pattern.

Christmas is the perfect time to enjoy tea and scones! To make my scones extra special I added chopped up fresh cranberries and orange zest. It was a festive combination that I would definitely make again.

      I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Christmas season! And I pray that the New Year ahead will be filled with blessings and joy!

"The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand."

                                        -Psalm 37:23-24