more scattergories

B  Bridesmaid Dresses
        (August 1)                                

                                                                                                                               

Claire's sister got married on a beautiful evening on the first day of August. Three of the bridesmaids asked me to alter their dresses, which I so willingly and happily altered while listening to podcasts on the computer in my sewing room.

M Music Camp 

        (July 19-24)

                             Every morning Charlotte would travel to the next town's university to attend a summer music camp. She would leave home at 8:00 A.M. and get home somewhat weary at 10:45 P.M., full days of music for sure. My husband and I would take advantage of the time in the evening to dine out in a wonderful restaurant or sit outside at a campus coffee shop. On Friday we were able to be in the audience of two daytime informal student performance concerts, and one formal evening performance concert.

                    ballgame right outside restaurant's parking lot           practice room on old Baldwin piano

D Dip and Dots

                             

What can I say...they stand on their own splendid merit.

C Creation Museum

           (August 14)

Situated right at the Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana borders sets the most glorious museum. My advice is it is worth making the trip and experiencing this museum; God's Word is honored and upheld as total truth in this place. Ken Ham and his team ministry, Answers In Genesis, do a superb job of giving creationism validity. If you plan to go for a  visit, keep in mind it will take at least a full day to see this museum and planetarium.

O Ohio

        (August 15-16)

We visited with some dear friends that live in the middle of Amish country. As we sat outside on their side deck that morning, we were able to observe the horse and buggy wagons noisily ride by the road. Then later that day we rode through the green countryside and observed such wide open spaces and simple rural life living. We stopped at one farmhouse to buy a veneer basket and the wife offered to give us a tour of some of the rooms in her house. She was so kind and answered questions that must have seemed silly to her. 

It is Saturday, that makes tomorrow my Sabbath. I still have a few preparations to make to our Sunday meal, so I am signing off for now. Thank you for reading and leaving comments from time to time. I hope to visit your blogs this week and enjoy reading about what you have posted about recently. 

Lord willing.

scattergories

One of the things that keeps me coming back to this place is the knowledge that I am able to just open my computer and begin to post. No one slaps my hand for however many months I have not posted while my blog lies dormant and silent. Gracious are those of you who check my blog from time to time. Melissa simply writes..."missing you"...my heart felt good for days after reading that comment. Thank you.

I am  giving this post the title scattergories. Have you ever played that game? It is a truly fun game when a group of people are gathered at your house and you are looking for a game to entertain. Everyone must find a word in the categories given with a key letter. So with that in mind this is my weak attempt to entertain you with some of what I have been doing this summer. Due to its length it will take at least two days of posting. It is not my intention to overwhelm after all....

F Fourth of July Celebration

        (July 4)

 We hosted a get together on the Fourth of July at our house. It was hot and humid outside with threatening thunder storms so we stayed inside where the air-conditioned rooms decorated in red, white, and blue kept us in a happy mood.

S Swimming

     (June-August)

After many summers of no swimming I  made a plunge into the pool waters once again on a regular basis. From 10:30 to 11:30 I show up at the pool and I swim on the average of three to four times a week for the solid hour. 

P Pointe Shoes

      (July 7)

 The day arrived, finally arrived! Charlotte is dancing "en pointe". We made an appointment to have pointe shoes fitted at our local dance wear store. The sewing on of elastic and ribbons shortly followed enabling her to attend her first classes this summer on pointe. This was a very big deal indeed! I love seeing her on her toes.

T Tennis

       (July-August)

Charlotte picked up her rack for a week long morning camp to improve her skills at playing tennis. Then I would take her to play with her friend on Saturday mornings.

While at the courts I met a lovely woman who sews lingerie. I have plans to contact her this fall so we can get together. She would like to learn to knit while I am enthralled with the desire to learn to sew lingerie. O the glories of those people one meets while waiting for children at various activities. Wouldn't you agree?

I glance at the clock on my computer screen and realize it is 5:05, hungry people live at my house and tonight we have the addition of a six year old we are keeping while his parents are celebrating their anniversary. So I will stop for now and hope to get back soon.

Enjoy the rest of your evening!

Cathy

last day of june

I have finally come full circle to the knowledge that as women, some of us simply enjoy reading about another woman's day, as in the everyday things written down in a diary or common book of old. It rounds us as we can relate to the ordinary things that make another woman's daily life happenings so close to home.

...So on that note, here on this last of June, is a record of my day.

 6:00 Thankful for the summer light as I arouse from my sleep chamber and head to the kitchen. The cats, George and Serena precede me, begging for breakfast. I always oblige them finding that makes  my morning routine less distracting. I delight in the pink petunias outside the window while the coffee is set to brew.

6:15 A stretch routine while listening to Elisabeth Elliot on Gateway to Joy.

6:20 I step to the sun room and pick up my Bible, my journal, and prayer cards. Oh, and I see Charlotte has left her *little book* for me to read the message she left, whereupon I will leave her a note of encouragement in return.

To the back porch, coffee and books in hand. I sigh with contentment, sit quietly, and then begin my quiet time.

8:00 I am dressed in brown shorts, a blue denim top,*Jambu* walking shoes. I pluck the little bits of grass that have lodged themselves between the pavements waiting for A_____, my walking partner. We begin our daily walk and prayer regime after she arrives.

9:15 Home to discussing Charlotte's plans of the day; she manages a small schedule of schoolwork in the summertime. A load of towels put into the washer.

9:25 I am having a guest come for lunch at 11:30 on this day, so I begin to make the crust for the tomato tart I will be serving. I grab a colander and head to the garden to pick some sungold cherry tomatoes...so sweet and delicious. Along the way I decide to cut a few hydrangea blooms for the table. A gathering of thyme, basil and mint are snipped in the kitchen garden too. One large Vidalia onion to caramelize in an iron skillet with butter. Watermelon cut, this will be doused with mint syrup and lime juice  and put into the *Cuisinart* later for a granita.
Menu
Tomato tart
Green salad
Watermelon Granita

9:40 My husband is working at home this morning in his office and has a question I must run upstairs and attend to.

10:00 Time to dress. A floral skirt of aqua and turquoise, a sleeveless white blouse. I don an apron over my head to remain spotless as I continue to chop, shred, and cut.

Charlotte shreds fontina and Gruyere cheese and stirs the onions as they are caramelizing beautifully and making my kitchen smell absolutely tantalizing. I set the table in the sun room and clean the powder room. The load of towels are switched to the dryer.

10:30 Green salad with beets, cranberries, almonds and Parmesan cheese placed in a bowl, add fresh thyme to simple vinaigrette which will be tossed with salad before serving.

I hurriedly rush into my bathroom to apply the lightest application of makeup and lipstick, just in case my time gets crunched. I find if I have covered all bases of my personal care at least an hour before my guests arrive, it saves me from immeasurable stress. Who wants your guest to show up only to find the hostess looking harried, or have to wait while she dresses?

11:00 Crust rolled out onto tart pan, layers of cheese, onions, tomatoes added. Put into the oven. Realize the dirty food processor in the dishwasher is needed to puree the watermelon. A quick wash  in sudsy hot water and in a mere 3 seconds the watermelon is ready to be put into the cold Cuisinart bowl.

11:30 She arrives right on time bearing a basket squash and cucumbers from her garden, and a jar of smiling black- Eye Susans.

She offers to help and keeps me company as I toss the salad, pull the tart out of the oven, and arrange the food on the plates.

4:15  Time on the clock failed to stand still and all too soon it was time to say "adieu".

5:00  Kitchen cleaned. Upstairs to work on post. A telephone call to Rose.

6:15 A large thunderstorm is now upon us. I watch the trees bend in the wind through the rain spattered windows. Lightening hits close! Charlotte is disappointed because the plan was for an evening swim with a friend at the pool. I am dreaming of leftover tomato tart...

*Seldom do I manage to get photos of events happening, so the photos were shot after the fact...

hopefully, you get the picture...smile. And the times are approximate...

yarn along

I must say it is good to be able to skip over to Ginny's Yarn Along this Wednesday and see what some of you are knitting and reading. The Prairie Ridge Shawl  I was knitting last week was completed and is on the blocking board at the present. I know I will love pulling this shawl out of the cedar chest to wear this winter. For now knitting a sock in a self-striping Opal wool satisfies the "knitting need beast" in me. It carries well to the pool and in the car, especially since I found DP Wip Tubes to hold my sock knitting. I do not know about you, but I stuff my little projects like socks and mitts into my pocketbook or a carry along bag, but on numerous occasions I have been known to whip out my DP project only to  discover I have dropped stitches in transit. Not any more!

Opal Stadtgefluster Potpourri colorway knitted on 2.5 cm dp's in a plain simple sock. I begin this type of sock by casting on 64 stitches with a k2p2 ribbing. Mindless knitting but that is one of the glories of knitting socks of this sort, especially on hot summer days.

I did want to mention the needlework traditions magazine, Piecework. I love this bimonthly magazine that features some sort of handwork including, but not limited to, knitting, crocheting, tatting, embroidery, beading, or lace making.  Reading the history written about a featured type of needlework is informative along with project patterns you can create for yourself. I have yet to do so, but one can drool and dream!

how I make my tabbouleh

Something about summer and the abundance of parsley in the garden puts me in the mood for making tabbouleh. When I was pregnant with Charlotte twelve years ago, I craved tabbouleh and would eat it for lunch several times a week. It was the most satisfying lunch eaten with crackers. It still is. Ingredient additions can vary somewhat depending on your personal taste. Here is how I make mine.

Tabbouleh

1 cup bulgur wheat

1 cup boiling water

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 cup cherry or roma tomatoes, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh chopped mint

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

salt and pepper

Pour boiling water over the bulgur wheat in a heat proof bowl. You may wish to add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the wheat at this time. Stir, cover, and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Your wheat will puff up and absorb the water. Add all the fresh ingredients and toss to mix well. Season to taste with the pepper and any extra salt, then cover and place in the refrigerator.  Tabbouleh is better if you wait until the next day and allow the flavors to mingle before eating it. 

a summer yarn along

It is a sizzling hot June day, and a perfect day to take part in Ginny's Yarn Along.

 Before leaving on the fifth of this month for Vermont, I considered what I wanted to take along to knit since we would be driving for two days to get to our destination in central Vermont. All in all it was a fairly easy decision to make since I had been wanting to knit a shawl for quite some time. I found this Prairie Ridge Shawl pattern, and as I sorted through my stash I ran across  two skeins of a hand-dyed single ply 100% wool yarn I had purchased a while back. I love the variations of the colors in this yarn, maybe that is the reason I hung the skeins on the door knob of my closet and left them there to admire for a spell about a year ago. I would from time to time hold the skeins in my hands and dream of what I could knit with this wool. This yarn is working out beautifully for this shawl. I am using addi turbo lace circular needles. The turbo lace needles have tapered points and are quite nice in the hands.

While in Vermont we were able to clean and paint the fellowship hall of a church in the small town of West Topsham. It was cold and rainy as we labored together for two solid days, but on Wednesday we awakened to the sun and temperatures that settled to a beautiful 72 degrees. We drove to Tunbridge where we had the most delightful visit with Sue Thomas. I remember watching a TV Show called Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye back in the 90's, a true story of a deaf woman hired by the FBI to solve cases due to her exceptional ability to read lips. I read Sue Thomas's book, Silent Night, while on the journey home, and I have just begun reading her second book, Staying in the Race. As we sat on her deck that afternoon her love of God was so evident, and His peace was sensed in every breath she spoke, because this remarkable woman speaks clearly in spite of her deafness. Silent Night tells this story and gives a thorough account of her life. We listened to her talk about God, and the vision and the work He has given her. All too soon it was time to leave.

pickle addition

Egg Salad and I have a union of sorts. We go way back, and while I have my standby traditional not to be disputed addition of ingredients, where I do experiment is with the addition of pickle, the variety of pickle that is since either sweet or dill pickles will make a delicious egg salad. This day it was sweet gherkins.

Then I add a tad of mustard, a good helping of mayonaise, salt and pepper and spread it on whole wheat bread for a sandwich. It is also very good on a cracker.

Deviled eggs are basically the same ingredients. Though I do like to add a garnish of fresh chives when the herb garden is flourishing.

ten plus two

Days ago she woke up with visions of a lemon cake with lemon icing. Because at ten plus two birthday cakes are things to dream about and anticipate.  We pulled out the vintage cookbook and together we came up with a cake that satisfied her visionary lemony birthday cake.

 And then fishing rods and worms took center front...we headed to the pond of a good friend to fish. Maybe, just maybe we can hook a ten plus two dream here too!

strawberries and smocking

A phone call last evening from my neighbor, it is the last days of strawberry picking, an invitation ensued. We headed out to the fields this morning and I came home with a gallon of the ending season's bounty. The strawberries this year have been deliciously sweet, and I have found a way to make them have a longer life if kept in the refrigerator with a few simple tips. Place unwashed berries in a Tupperware container, or any such container with a tight fit will work fine, then layer the berries with wax paper on the bottom and a paper towel on top. Tighlty secure the container's top and place it into the refrigerator. I was pleased to find the berries lasted over a week when prepared in this way. Since today's berries are the last of the crop, I do not expect them to last as long, but tomorrow I have big plans for them anyway.

The gentle art of smocking a garment keeps me happy. A pink batiste gown was completed and Charlotte is enjoying wearing it to bed at night. We are venturing to the Green Mountain State next Friday and Charlotte has asked if I might have her robe smocked and sewn so she will have it to wear. I was right on schedule, until I realized I had pleated, blocked, and smocked two right sides. Woe! I sat outside on the back porch and ripped out the gentle smocking, consoling myself that this was only a minor setback. Grace was applied, the pleating was completed, the blocking was done, and I plan to begin to smock once again his evening. Only a small kink!

Right?

signatures of May

May comes with a pomp and a circumstance...leaving many signatures of activity that must be consciously enjoyed in their simplicity.

*cherry red geraniums potted for the front porch
*co-hosting a bridal shower with Claire, for her sister
*sweet strawberries to pick in the fields
*smocking a robe for Charlotte
*a barred owl to observe in the woods
*fermented lemonade set to brew
*listening to Elisabeth Elliot reruns
*suppers on the patio
*end of year testing
*preparing a trip to Vermont in early June
*visiting and shopping with Rose
*harvesting sage
*piano recitals
*a garden dance performance
*a strings concert in the backyard
*checking the bee hives
*graduation parties to attend

the plum...yarnalong

Reading and knitting equals a wonderful time to join with Ginny's yarnalong this day in May.

It exists because of the snow. My husband drove me to the yarn shop in late February so that I could  purchase some wool with this project in mind. It was very cold outside and predictions of more snow were in the forecast. Of course, there was the other matter of me desiring to improve my continental knitting and the exercise of knitting a sweater for my daughter appeared to be a sensible thing to do. My local yarn shop did not carry Classic elite yarn in her shop, so it was suggested I try Cascade yarn. Other than reworking the gauge and going down two needle sizes, all went well with its sizing.  Since I thought of plums as I knitted the sweater in the multi-colored yarn, I named it as such.

A very good childhood friend of mine first introduced me to J.R.R. Tolkien when we were about eleven years old. I was not impressed with this trilogy even though she praised Tolkien and shared parts of these books with me. I could tuck myself away for hours and read, but fantasy or science fiction of any sort were always put aside for other classic novels or a well-written biography. Then I entered adulthood, and while science fiction still stirs no interest whatsoever,  I have discovered the delight in the pages of other books  included those written by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.  Frankly, I am not sure I would have grasped the gems of some of these novels back then as a child. Because I have read to my children throughout the years, I am taken away to places I missed as an eleven year old, and the journey makes me happy. Charlotte and I have been reading the The Hobbit together. 

"You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"