plums

Little plums of our weekend captured on film.

* Alan's birthday with German Chocolate Cake
*Dying Easter eggs
*Good Friday Tea

The recipe for the cake was found on the German Chocolate package.

Charlotte takes a bow

Charlotte's best design of any dress is how much they flounce about her as she dips, twirls, and sways. She makes "marshmallow" skirt bottoms and arranges fancy bows with extra cadence.

Maybe one day she will actually take note of the extra handwork on the dress and be equally pleased.

A Living Hope

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In His great mercy He has given us

new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-

kept in heaven for you."

I Peter 1:3-4

Easter

Oh Lamb of God,

Sweet Lamb of God,

I love the holy Lamb of God

Oh wash me in His precious blood

My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
-Twila Paris

Happy Blessed Easter

springy blooming

All Maundy Thursday's should be this marvelous in weather and temperament. Spring in our steps and hearts tuned toward the happenings remembered on the last evening of our Lord's life.

Tea sipping outside where the savoring of the loveliest blue skies with all the colors of spring can be better enjoyed.



A tea cozy sewed up one afternoon in March when old man winter was still awake, but mimics this first day of April when the arrival of spring is in full bloom everywhere.

White Linen

In church yesterday someone prayed using the words, "intricate work of the Holy Spirit", which immediately put a picture image in my mind having to do with the hand sewing I am totally engrossed in these days....drawn- thread hemstitching.



After drawing out the linen threads, you collect three tiny threads, and then embroider them with stitches in order to make a fine edging along the border of what is to be, in this case, a table napkin. I am mesmerized with each little stitch of this involved work.

And so on this Holy Week, I am also absorbed in certain remembrances regarding white and linen:

"Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 1:18

"So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen." Mark 15:46

The intricate work of the Holy Spirit.

Saying it with a Song

Nothing seems to beat those impromtu date nights with my wonderful husband. A little bit of gussying up and out the door with anticipation of spending uninterrupted time with him. We dined at a fabulous new restaurant downtown in our state's capital.

Traveling home always finds us turning on the radio to a popular evening show, the only time we listen to it is when we are on a date night, it adds history. But it also becomes one of the most favorite parts of our date night, music to listen to and sing along with as we course down the highway amid the headlights and shadows.

This song is one of those songs that puts a smile on your lips every time you hear it. My husband and I totally agreed of how true the message is ...love only grows bigger, brighter and better.

Since Youtube is my source of every rhyme, reason, or whim of our culture, there could be no other way to actually share it with you, other than possibly taping us singing it together! Spiral Staircase does it so much better!!!! Yet we certainly have quite a bit of fun our way too.

Happy over many things

Happy Spring! Happy Sewing!

Since Wednesday's bout of green and afternoon teas served on the patio with green-sprinkled brownies, Spring has been jumping out at us like little cottontail bunnies with twitchy noses.

This weekend the Smockers Guild that I belong to sponsored a two day workshop. Kari Mecca taught us ribbon embroidery on a silk purse. I have plans you know, I believe it would be lovely to carry it in the wedding.


In Saturday's class we were taught how to make animal buillions on a diaper shirt. My plans are for special babies in my future.

So many hours of hand-sewing and learning new things.

I arrived home to sparkly windows, my busy beaver family had cleaned all my windows on this spring Saturday! Thank you dear ones!

Tonight's meal celebrated the first day of spring with supper al fresco.

Happy things, and we do not want to waste a single one.

Weekend Menu

Feedings this weekend...nourishment for the spirit and soul.

I will be attending this conference with a friend. I have seen Sally Clarkson in person several years back at a homeschool conference. I appreciate her ministry of encouraging women in their faith and calling.

There are frozen turkey potpies in the freezer, Rose's idea of preparing dinner. I do not sweat what my family will eat when I am away. They get hungry...they eat.

When I arrive home at 5:30 on Saturday afternoon, I will have four out of town guests at my house. This morning, between packing and schooling, I have cleaned the guest bathroom, changed the bed sheets and vacuumed and dusted the guest room. Instructions have been given for Rose to clean her room for the other two guests, a young mother and her adorable one year old.

These guests are very good friends. They go into your kitchen cabinets, grab what is needed and generally make themselves at home. I am not sweating this either.

A basket of chocolates atops the bureau, a little sweetness to feed any cravings.

A Dream of Spring

All nature seems at work,

slugs leave their lair

The bees are stirring-

Birds are on the wings

And winter slumbering

In the open air

Wears on his face

A dream of spring.

S. T. Coleridge

Isn't Coleridge's metaphor of winter perfectly defining? I imagine the most detailed picture of winter (masculine) with a spirited smile as he dreams of spring(feminine) yet to come. I think I might wear a dream of spring on my face too these days, especially after some of the springlike days we have had this week. Or at least the dream of spring has greatly affected my afternoon pursuits.




After reading in last year's journal that my lettuce and spinach seeds had sprouted by mid-March, I plowed my little rows with a blue- handled spade and carefully planted the light- as-a-feather lettuce seeds and round spinach seeds into the rich brown soil. The empty seed packages now edge the rows and so begins the wait... for those first sightings of green.

The winter's dirt and grime was hosed off the white wicker porch furniture and then the job of giving it a fresh coat of white paint was begun. Shake, spray, shake, shake-S-P-R-A-Y... a rhythm all its own.

When not being carried around in the arms of the six year old owners, the dolls commenced their first sun bath of the season. Like me after their brush with winter, they were in dire need of those extra doses of Vitamin D!

Chocolate Dessert

If you are looking for a fabulously scrumptious chocolate dessert, look no further.

And let me highly recommend this one.

It can be found here.

Except the next time I make this dessert, I will have a crowd over to help eat it. A little bit goes a long way, and makes for a very pleasing ending to a meal.

Now that I think of it, several of the recipes in this book were tried and hailed as excellent by those I serve on a regular basis. I am highly considering purchasing this book. For the most part I find her recipes simple to make and accommodating when certain alterations are desired or needed.

I thought I would prepare the veal chop saltimbocca recipe included in this cookbook using boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the veal, served over angel hair pasta...yum! It was elegant, delicious and simple, just add a fresh green salad. One of those meals that would be perfect for company, and only taking about 30 minutes from stove to table.