Grocery Shopping

I want to shop for some "pink sugar" today, don't you?

And I wouldn't mind a red polka dot dress with a blue bow in back either. :-)

Pink Sweetness

One of the first blooms from our new rose bush.

(David Austen "Huntington Rose")

The demitasse teacup is a flea market find from last summer.

It is a wee fairy cup of lovely rosiness.

I wish I could share the scent with you....ummmm

Green Checked Bag

A large project bag that I made as a birthday gift.

The cross stitch on the front is a saved piece that was damaged while it was in storage.

I wanted to use it because it is still lovely.

I added the word "make" on the embroidery to suit the bags use.  

The lining is a cotton print from several years ago.

The casing for the drawstring is a striped fabric that I turned to the wrong side out.

It toned down the coloring so that it wouldn't grab too much attention.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!  :-)

Yards

Mid-week stash in the sun. 

This orange one is my favorite--not a typical color for me to like.

I am usually liking the pinks and blues. 

I love a green grassy yard outside in the springtime but oooooo, don't you like this kind of yard as well?

Transplants

Another successful transplant.

I hate to say goodnight to this blooming daylily, for it will be gone timorrow. 

Purple Siberian Iris with transplanted bee balm beneath it.

Rainbow for the Rain

A gorgeous gift. 

What to make, what to make?

Mantra for a rainy day. :-)

Sunny Drive

Our sunny drive included picking up Em from a 4H camp overnight.

We left her looking a tad nervous,

picked her up and she was hanging off the upper bunk exchanging emails with her bunkmates.

Passed a horse farm with young colts prancing. 

Visited a Hopewell Indian Mound.

(alongside a more modern cemetery)

It was a glorious sunny day!! :-)

Sample Squares

Last summer, I visited a quilt shop in Michigan. As we checked out the sisters who ran the shop gave me a wee pile of sample quilt squares from the Bar Harbor fabric line by Moda.

I have made a decorative quilted square after adding a few little squares from my own stash.

I plan to use the square at the center of my dining table and/or on the wall.

Eggs & Cake

I've got just the right amount of icing on this cake for my liking. It isn't so pretty but it is just so yummy.

The cake is a sponge cake and the butter icing is made with lemon zest and juice.

Strawberries on the side are a perfect compliment. :-) 

OK, the sponge cake with 4 egg whites. 

I have made this old family recipe quite a few times and this is the highest I have ever gotten this cake to rise.

Now, I know why.....

I've just found out that I beat the eggs for far too long.

I recently found a description of egg white preparation in a cookbook called

flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery and Cafe by Joanne Chang.

(Very fun reading, so far, haven't baked from it yet) 

In the front chapter or so, it describes some basic baking techniques and this is where Ms. Chang gets into the nitty-gritty of egg whites.

Simply put, if they are beat too much, ahem, they lose the ability to expand any further while baking.

I had never paid much attention to the preparation of egg whites before. 

Now I will. :-) 

These are individual baking dishes with meatloaf for our supper.

I've been given four of them.

Polka Dots!!!!

Yeah!

Doll's Afghan

These granny squares have been an orphan project for soooo long. I couldn't decide how to join them up. I looked online and found about four different ways-at least-of joining granny squares and I tried each and was not happy. Especially about ripping each method back out!

I liked the idea of joining them with a crochet stitch but it ethier left a bumpy ridge or it skewed the squares and ended up looking crooked.

So, I mattress-stitched them together. :-)

The final size is 15 1/2" X 18 1/2", made of Palette Yarn from KnitPicks, C-hook. 

Meg helped me with the border. The red is just two times around, but the blue border is one normal row and one edging row. The pattern is on Meg's blog, right HERE. The result looks like ric-rac to me! :-)

Buds Forming

There are roses on the way.

I love how our plentiful rain hangs in little droplets along the rosy leaf edges.

Pretty Tape

Beautiful Cath Kidston paper tapes.

The floral one is my favorite.

Found HERE!!

I've used these already to mark a favorite page in my journal.

Folded over on one end then taped down on page creates a soft tab on the page's edge.

Granny Pennant

My brand-new granny pennant banner that Meg made me for Mother's Day. Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?

Meg's blog is but a click away HERE to see more of what she works on.

(hint--she loves to knit lovely socks!)

Amish Spring

We took a short trip today and visited an Amish community.

We visited a farm and got to ride in a buggy.

A short ride. :-) 

This is a beautiful farm, not a homestead anymore, but a working farm where we could visit. 

Older "Grandpa House" with Lye soap. 

I loved the stacked foundation stones on the barn. 

And inside the barn a new white-faced goat.

There were so many baby animals to see, kitties, piggies, bunnies, colts, kids, & calfs.

Little children running around the barn in bare feet, having fun.

With the threat of rain all day, we enjoyed a very sunny afternoon.

Ahhhhhh......

Keeping It Real

Look what is coming up near my garden gnomes....Jack in the Pulpit. The gnomes are from Germany, our neighbors there threw them out in the trash. There was a rule when you packed up to return to the states that required a very thorough cleaning of outdoor items. Every trace of dirt from every crevice had to be removed. Cars engines even had to be power-washed to remove dirt. This was to safeguard the US from possible contamination from organic material that might proliferate and harm our native flora/fauna. Needless to say it was a pain in the extreme to clean things so well. Our neighbors, upon inspection, didn't have time to clean these well enough, so they had to leave them behind--for lucky me. 

Now, to keep things real around here. Yesterday I posted a picture of a BEAUTIFUL foxglove that is blooming in our front bed. Well.....it came from Walmt. already in bloom, so it is a cheat on the season. Foxglove are not in bloom here yet. This is what most of the front bed looks like---plain dirt. :-) 

And yet, there is a very pretty rhody in bloom nearby. Pretty in pink!!

Gloves for a fox?

Spotted throats....

Another favorite flower.

The ever beautiful foxglove.

and lots of dirt. :-)

To Mom

Happy Mother's Day!