a fine romance

One never can assume upon Valentines Day or how it might pan out in any given year. I gave up thinking I had it all figured out and could ever control the circumstances of any day, much less one smack dab in the middle of winter! There were so many things I wanted to do this year on Valentines Day that I didn't do, yet there were things I did manage to do that led to a delightful ending of a day designated as a one of romance.

The menu was planned several weeks ago. Other than the chocolate pots de creme that must chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before hand, the rest of the food took about 45 minutes of constant chopping, searing, sauteing, frying, stirring, and cooking.

If one word could sum up Valentines Day this year it would be rich.

balmy day knitting/reading

The other day I was taking a winter's day walk around the block and the wind was so blustery that it put me in the spirit of yearning for something to cover my ears, something soft and warm. Over the Christmas holidays I knitted this for Claire. She is able to wear this sort of headpiece with glamour and sophistication, and she does it so fetchingly.

I remembered there was one-half of a ball of yarn leftover from this project and it certainly did not need to go to waste. So this balmy afternoon while Charlotte and her friend played in the creek, I situated myself on the creek bank and began to knit the beginnings of another one. The chunky malabrigo yarn is fabulously lofty and dyed in the most pulchritudinous shade of orange.

I can not imagine why I decided to take the month of February to begin reading a book series by Francine Rivers. But here I am engrossed in its pages. Joining once again with Ginny's yarnalong.

meet George

 He has never had it so good.

Neither have we.

I have always had a cat in my home. When my husband married me, I came with an attachment, a long-haired cat named Tiffany.

I considered him blessed, he was getting a double portion, after all.

With Penny no longer being around, not only was there a huge hole in my heart, but my home felt like it had a hole in it too. A cat-less house is lonely. Since Penny was almost twenty years old when she died, the thoughts of a kitten make me twitch slightly, but a grown cat, 

now, that would be perfect. 

hibernum

Winter is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand 

and for a talk beside the fire:

it is the time for home.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun

It seems like I have been encased in a state of hibernation, as it might possibly relate to communicating anything on this blog of late anyway. It was never intended to be that way, just spells of activity and priorities immeasurable overcame any extra computer time. 

But isn't winter stoked with good things? We are drinking oodles of steaming pots of herb teas or hot freshly-brewed coffee with cream, reading wonderful pieces of literature, and eating comfort foods with family and

 friends.

Smothered in the essence of winter, rather reminding me of a hot biscuit smothered in chipped beef gravy. 

Cozy and dappled,

Welcoming places to gather,

Rosemary peach jam spread on an English muffin, I call this preserved summer in a jar.

"Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics, when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew;
especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun

Although this post has quoted a particular piece of Hawthorne's work twice, frankly, I have not read the novel, The Marble Faun. But I do love the quotes.

 As far as the sewing goes, on winter afternoons and evenings I stitch. Lately, I have been keeping my hands busy smocking on a blue batiste nightgown or my "piece-de-resistance", a table runner created as a crazy quilt type arrangement. It lends itself to such creative needlework, and to me astounds with its distinct siren call.

a good feline life

She entered our lives in 1993, a kitten bought from a local pet store in town. 

 My mother and I whisked into the pet store with anticipation because my mother had determined she was going to buy Alan a kitten. It was a day of  blooming roses. I remember Alan was barefooted when we placed this tabby tri-colored ball of sweetness into his arms, almost twenty years ago.

"What greater gift than the love of a cat."

                                                           ~Charles Dickens~

I have dreaded this day for some time. But even in my sadness I am extremely thankful she was a part of our lives for all these years.

I will miss her so.

she said it well...

It is plainly written there on page 95,

"There is no one way to cook, obviously, but we do all have a way that's best for us, and life is so much easier once we know what that is. For example, I don't cook well in chaos. It stresses me out, I get flustered, then I fly into a rage and start banging pots and dropping spoons on the floor. Now that I've got that figured out about myself, I don't even so much as peel as onion unless I've got the kitchen tidy first. I hate to cook under time pressure, too. I am a putterer of the highest order".

I felt so justified when I read this defining bit of knowledge about Laura Calder that she included in her cookbook, French Taste.

 Because I am exactly the same way. I clean my kitchen and get everything in order before attempting to cook a meal. My brain can not function smoothly with clutter or disorderliness in my surroundings.

Claire gifted me with this book for Christmas. I am on my way to cooking elegant meals everyday. But first my kitchen...

the love of books and knitting...yarnalong

I was the kid that read the back of the cereal box from top to bottom. Place words in front of me I read them, or my eyes will scan my surroundings to find any words to latch onto to read. Bedtime reading is imperative, yet I usually must read something very light at this point of the day. Over the holidays I would be pressed for time with later nights and busier days, perfect for revisiting one of Lucy Maud Montgomery's books. Newlyweds, a quaint home on an island, characters that delight, a bit of drama with a twist, this book included it all.

Cables are tickling my fancy these winter days. The easiest way to get a cable fix I have found is to knit a pair of mittens or fingerless mitts. The wool is a ella rae heather superwash wool and the pattern can be found here.

Joining up with fellow knitters and readers at Ginny's. You can too!

cleaning day aid

Whew! The Christmas decorations are finally down and put in in their assigned space in the attic, with several new storage containers now glamorizing my attic. This definitely was an all day job involving able- bodied family members, willing or not. My house seems empty now, somewhat forlorn. But that will not be for long because tomorrow has been declared Cleaning Day, with a capital C, capital D!

Rose and I are enjoying a break of sorts here at the moment sipping tea, and while I make a detailed list of what must be done starting early tomorrow morning, she comments on something or another on Pinterest. It is a restful moment before I head to the kitchen to complete the fixings of my New Years Day menu of BBQ Chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread. The cooking was pre-planned and cooked earlier knowing how tuckered out I would be after the flurry scurry of the day's activity.

A dear friend of mine and her five lovely daughters will sail into my house at 9:00 sharp tomorrow morning and we will clean the lower level of my house from top to bottom. This is a cleaning crew of nine females, am I blessed or what?

So in honor of cleaning, I am sharing a most propitious, but extremely simple cleaning aid. I first heard of this on Lesley's blog and I have now developed the keen habit of keeping jars of this always under my kitchen sink. It smells good and can be used to naturally clean so many things.

For dusting cloths I prefer cotton diapers or cut up cotton baby receiving blankets, really anything cotton works wonderfully. Having different weights of fabric for your cloths I have found can be helpful too. Keep your lemon and orange peelings then mix a combination of  1/4 cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of water and put into a glass jar. Layer the peelings between the damp cloths and secure with a tight fitting lid on the jar. These will keep in a dark area for quite a long time and when you need to clean just open the lid, take out a cloth and the smell of clean accosts you with such pleasantness.

Now tell me, don't you just want to go and clean something?

Happy New Years!

delayed postcards

My life needs to catch up and it needs to be soon too. The holidays are quickly dissipating and routine is cranking up. My last, hopefully,  time to share a bit of our days of Christmas.

* What kept us extremely busy was Charlotte's part of Clara in her ballet troupe's annual performance of the Nutcracker. Ways to put lasting curls into her hair was a daily quest.

*My sister and I took a day trip to Virginia to visit the aunts, my Daddy's sisters, and a basket of gifts accompanied us

*One evening my husband and I were sitting in the sunroom and the reflection of lights were too beautiful for words, SNAP

*Eli and Charlotte spent one entire morning constructing a gingerbread house

*We hosted a Widow Luncheon at our house on the Friday before Christmas. My family served these precious ladies and we had loads of fun playing games too.

* Christmas cookie baking has become sparser at my house. But we still managed to bake something fun. This year Charlotte chose Gingerbread cookies and decorated them with white icing. This icing is simple to make and I love the shine.

*Claire's mother, Nancy, invited us to their home for lunch and then we made a trip to town and toured a dry good store with a long line of history

*Homemade Nativity in sunlight

*the last performance of the Nutcracker

much to ponder

It was Christmas after all.

And even though it is days later when I am in the throes of wrapping paper and Christmas sweets and leftovers of the feasting kind, still...I am immersed in Christmas goodness.

Which is very evident as I download my photos and smile.

"But Mary kept all these thing, and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

This verse has been one of my favorites of all the Christmas verses read and reread in the Bible. A woman and a mother, roles she was given by her Creator. Yet He chose her, Mary, to be the mother of the Savior, her Savior too. She had  much to ponder.

But as women and mothers, we without doubt have much to ponder too. And I shall spend some of these slower days before the New Year pondering, getting my heartfilled.

Christmas morning, afternoon, and evening

"A jumble of impressions, bright fragments of the last twenty-four hours, jostled together in her tired mind like the tiny pieces of colored glass in a child's kaleidoscope."

Miss Read

The Christmas Mouse

Up early with Claire and Witt arriving just as they said they would.  Hot coffee poured into Christmas mugs. Then Charlotte found Baby Jesus and placed him in the manger. Christmas morning began.


In the afternoon, I took a walk with my second son. The one who is planning on leaving the first of the year to go to North Vietnam to teach English. So glad for the times we are able to spend together.

We dressed for dinner. I wore a  black velvet skirt and black swooped-neck top. A vintage silver watch,  a gift from my husband this Christmas, cupped my wrist. All seven of us gathered around the dining room table with candles glowing in glass globes. We ate a delicious meal of prime rib and yorkshire pudding with brussel sprouts, carrots, and spicy french green beans.