picky eater

Do you have one that lives at your house? 

We do, and after around nine years of having a "food tyrant" in the home, we decided enough is enough.

It is certainly taking time, baby steps, and there are still many things she will not eat, but it is improving month by month. Ah, the sweet smell of progress. I am contemplating embroidering her a napkin with the above quote...but I fear it might just get lost in the wash.

a cowl to knit and some books to read

While Charlotte practices Christmas pieces on the piano, reminding me of the approaching season, I do my own prep of sorts with the knitting of these cowls to be given as Christmas gifts. With fifteen inch needles and requiring only one skein of  *Lion Brand Wool Ease* yarn, they are extremely easy, very quick and so inexpensive to knit. I thought some of Ginny's yarn-along readers would enjoy making some also.

For concentrated reading, God is King by Tom Wells is an excellent book on God's sovereignty.  By my bedside is a book by Lynn Austin, Eve's Daughters,  which meets my need of before bedtime reading material when I find books must be of a lighter fare, but still must be an engaging story. 

capturing interludes

An interlude is needed in my day, so here I give you two small interludes that were intentionally captured.

A view from an upstairs window of the maple tree showing off. 

At times George would abide here during the day; I think the beauty perhaps lured him too.

The leaves are falling, the bees are slowing, and I am slowly pruning and putting my garden to sleep for the colder days ahead. 

blue-footed marvel

I am in love!

It all began with a TV documentary about the Galapagos Islands. Then it spanned into a library book by Ruth Heller.

 From there we pulled up this video on YouTube.

                                          "Oh LORD, how manifold are Thy works!

                                              In wisdom hast Thou made them all: 

                                                      the earth is full of Thy riches."

                                                                                                       Psalm 104:24

soup around the fire

We made a day trip to visit with my mother-in-law for the day. After being in the car for a quad of hours, we knew without a doubt that being outside to enjoy our evening meal would be the most satisfying leisure

 A fire was kindled and bowls of kale and sausage soup were served.

Everything met with our expectations.

a walk in town

Always looking for a way to make the use of my time as profitable as possible when my children are at their private lessons.

Charlotte has a new piano teacher this year. This means she takes a 45 minute private lesson twice a week, and a 45 minute group theory class once a week. I only have so many errands to run while I am out, so I may chose to read, do handwork, or take a nap (after all, one of the classes is at 4:15 in the afternoon), while I am waiting for her.

I was glad the gorgeous fall temperatures allowed for a walk this morning while she had one of her lessons.

It was more of a walk in town rather than in a neighborhood, as I am accustomed.

Around the YMCA, through the city park, and across the parking lot of the city pool/tennis area, mainly I walked on the sidewalks.

 I wanted to share this sand sculpture that was created in the park for this past weekend's special event. 

The detail was amazing.

flat pastry cake topped with blackberries

In other words, the French meaning for the word galette.

I like to call them rustic tarts, but since we are studying French things, galette it is for now.

  Comfort food in simple form; make a buttery crust, throw in two cups of blackberries and a handful of raspberries, add three tablespoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of cornstarch (I also tossed in about one tablespoon of flour because my berries were juicy), fold the edges of the crust around the mound of berries and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

 Of course, I will serve it with vanilla ice cream.

pleat...to smock...to sew

Once upon a time

someone sold me a pleater that was practically brand new,

never again must I run to find someone else to do my pleating for me when the fabric is purchased, the pattern is bought, and the project is begging to be smocked and sewn.

Joining up with needle and thREAD  today,

right smack dab in the middle of September.

I am now on to the smocking on what will be an autumn skirt for Charlotte to wear just when the leaves will be turning those gorgeous colors of fall.

In between reading The Story of the World/Middle Ages by Susan Wise Bauer to Charlotte,  I am pilfering bits of time to read Martha Peace's book,

 It's high time to admit,

"I am the older woman now".

the possibilities of apple preservation

Perhaps you remember a few years back when I posted about  my accumulation of a rather large apple supply. Certainly this year has been no different in that respect. I find myself with boxes of apples and on a hunt for ways to be creative preserving them. This book

has become one of my favorite cookbooks on the subject. The making of apple pectin with the cores, skins, and scraps has entertained me for hours and in the process has taught me the joy of making all sorts of jellies using apple pectin as the base.

Last year we spent a full day with my friend, Laura, and her girls in the making of apple pies to freeze with our abundance of apples. These apple pies froze beautifully and provided bubbly hot apple pies during the winter season to serve our guests. This summer I have make one pie and one tart to freeze so far, but the thought of making all those crusts this year gave me an idea. How about making apple pie filling and canning it to make the pies fresh during the winter months? This is the recipe I used. The only alteration to this recipe was the elimination of the yellow food coloring, instead, I tossed in a few apples peels with the syrup to give it a natural color.

As of today only a few lone apples sit on my kitchen counter. I am not complaining.

Impossible n'est pas francais

After having studied Latin for the past several years we are on to expanding our language study. Rose chose French, and frankly, I'm glad she did.

Before deciding which program I wanted to use, I did some reading on foreign languages and the suggestions of course studies, the specific programs, and even looked at the possibility of an online language course. The majority of the programs I researched were prominently programs of listening and conversing, but finding a program that taught the structure of the language, including grammar, was not as readily available.  Since we are not planning a trip to a French speaking country in the near future, I hoped to find a program that would promote learning to read French, as well as speak it. After all, we are Latin students and reading Latin is the goal of any serious Latin students.

Memoria Press offers this beginning course for learning French. It consists of a teacher book, a student book and an accompanying CD. This along with cd's from Berlitz and another French program (thanks to Alan's stash) we are on our way to learning French.

Good thing too. We found out this weekend that my nephew is marrying a young woman from France. She will be moving here which will give us a fabulous opportunity to converse with a native French speaking person.

Tres bien!

untouched photography

Witt and Claire invited us over for dinner the other evening.

As always the food that Claire laid before us was delicious to the eyes and the taste buds.

 There's no doubt about it, this couple knows how to put together big events as well as intimate gatherings.

My little iphone sufficed with untouched photos of some of the presentations, but the evening  lacked nothing but the grandest brush of goodness.