Ohhhhhhh, I have sooooo been a busy bee!

Well!!!  Here I am again, your faithful, if sporadic, crafty friend!  I have lost my camera, today, so no pics from me.... but I have been making things... I have been very inspired by the Sew Mama Sew Blog, they are so good about coming up with lovely ideas for making handmade things for gifts for people you really, really love, and who really, really love you!  So far I've printed gift tags and stationary, little Christmas Houses, and sewn a meal planner to put on the fridge and a calling card case for some calling cards I printed out..... so sweet.

Sooooo, I've drafted a pattern for a skirt for my Prairie Princess, and I've made her a wool coat for Christmas.  I'm making a doll and clothes for the Barefoot Contessa from this Dover Book on Dollmaking at left.  It has patterns for the doll herself, underthings, petticoats, a cape, a suit, lots of dresses, skirts, nightgown, etc... really everything a lady could need, including a wedding gown!  There are several books from Dover I like for dollmaking.  There's one for making Godey Dolls that I find particularly fetching, it's more detailed than the dolls I have made, but I've got some experience now, so perhaps I'll take it on later! 

I'm making really good progress making socks.  I only have one more to start, one for Mini Me, but everyone else has a pair waiting for Christmas morning, Halelujah!  I've done most of the Christmas shopping for the children, but as for the rest of the family.... not so much.  This Sunday is the first of Advent and then is St. Nicholas Day, so it's more feasting for us, soon!  The plan is to make foods that have something good hidden within... cranberry jelly filled buns, omelets, a stuffed pork roast, etc... to remind us of St. Nicholas doing good works in secret.  Also, brandied mini tartlets and peanut brittle for dessert from my Everyday Food subscription.  I get tired of our standard fare and love to receive new inspiration often!

Speaking of food, I made and delivered Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls to the neighbors.  Some were surprised... like one neighbor I terrified (it seems she didn't hear the loud "Hello!" I called as her son ushered me in)!  One was belligerent (What do you want!?) till she finally figured out that I brought her a gift with no strings attached!  Another couple of neighbors invited us in for short visits, which was nice!  I think it was a hit!  I have some pretty ribbon candy already wrapped and set aside for Christmas gifts for all of them.  They're getting some Christmas cheer whether they like it or not!!! 

Don't tell my daughters, but I plan to make us all matching skirts to wear for Christmas the rest of the winter in a non typical pink... I got some really nice suiting for $3 a yard.  I think they'll be sweet. What else???  Well, after I find my camera I'll post pics and tell you all about the rest of my housewifely endeavors!  Happy St. Nicholas Day!!!

Pork with Rosemary, Always

My mother's recipe, in her own handwriting:

The first time we made this together, I had a boy-man coming to dinner, and she wrote it in a book that she'd been preparing for me with other recipes... I don't remember that boy's name at all, but making dinner with my mom is a very fond memory.  I made it one night last week and thought I'd record it pictorially.  I used fresh rosemary and my enameled cast iron dutch oven... I highly recommend this to new brides to register for... let someone else buy you a treasure you can hand down to your own grandchild.

I have been putting a pitcher of water in the fridge with a few herb sprigs in it for a little mama treat:  It's amazing how potent herbs from one's own garden are compared to those you buy at the store.

And, the finished product, complete with rosemary sprigs from my garden:

Farmer's Markets

Our first real initiation to a farmer's market couldn't have happened at a better one. San Luis Obispo's farmer's markets are kind of legendary, really they're rather more like carnivals with really fresh food. Street musicians, fresh flowers, magicians, street corner preaching, and prepared foods joined the fresh food in vying for our attention. Our local markets are less complicated, but they've got plenty to satisfy our hunger for local food and farm products.

We bought lots of yummy veggies and some berries and some ground lamb and lamb sausage... ground lamb mixed with ground beef for hamburgers is really good... I only wish we'd gotten some fresh goat cheese to stuff those burgers with a la Eat Make Read. Ooooh, also this cocktail... mmmmmm.

I even bought yarn! and some fiber covered soap from the Dream Keeper Farm in Orlean VA. They had 220 yards of hand dyed worsted wool yarn from their sheep (not handspun). Fun! For $10 a skein! Score! I bought a loverly bluey, lavendery, aquaey variegated skein for my friend's 6th baby. OK, I'm knitting a gift for said baby with said yarn. Actually, I'll probably finish knitting it tonight after I write this. More on that later! Those half gallon jars are for our milk from our cow shares... we start getting at least two gallons a week next week. And look at that cool bag I got from the Dream Keeper booth, just for free with my stuff!

Blueberries

We are locavores, when at all possible. We like to eat stuff that is grown around here, which is really easy in our area because we're very rural, but near a city, so there are tons of small farms and farmer's markets, etc. very near. Monday morning we went to Hartland Orchard and picked blueberries. We have the luxury, being at home to go in the morning on a weekday, which is the best time because it's cool, there are fewer people, and the bushes are less picked over, which is common on a Saturday anytime after the first hour a u pick it farm is open. Anyway, the people there are just as friendly as can be, and helpful, and eager to answer questions, which is wonderful. Soooo, here are our five pints of blueberries:

What to do with all those berries? Jeremy had picked up a bargain cookbook featuring food from Maine and I used a recipe for a blueberry crumble pie... yum.

The Prairie Princess made the crust for me and put it in the fridge this afternoon.

I rolled it out and fluted the edges and popped it in the fridge.

Mmmmmmmm, blueberries, flour, baking powder, and a pinch of black pepper!?!



Next the Crumble! Flour, dark brown sugar, and lots of butter...



And very small people to help.



Baking the pie crust, using dried green peas as pie weights



More crumble-ing, and little baby helpfulness:

The finished crumble all, um, crumbly

I popped this all into the pie crust, put it in the oven, and made a little tart with the leftover filling and crust... to give to the neighbors. What do you do with the leftover crust and filling.

All served with a litle iced cream, warm and tangy sweet, with that nutty, molassas flavor in the crumble, wonderful! I'd have added some oats and maybe some nuts to the crumble, but it was really good.

It's absolutely amazing, a bit of summer on your tongue.

Of course, I forgot to plan supper, so we didn't eat till 9:30 pm, cause we're a little short on cash right now and hub says no eating out... and the kids went to bed late and were grumpy all morning, but the pie was worth it.

St. Patrick's Day

Look at this pretty little vignette...

My stove, though not pretty in and of itself, especially since it always needs cleaning, still manages to catch my eye occasionally when I'm cooking.

But look what's on the stove...

A beeeeeeutiful enameled cast iron pot in my favorite blue! I got it half off. Yay for me! I got two actually, so really two for the price of one! Except they're different sizes, though both adequately commodious for cooking for my big family.

Now, look what's in the pot...

Mmmmmmm... Irish boiled dinner. Corned beef and cabbage and potatoes and carrots. Yum!

I had a little conversation with my sister recently about how noticing the beautiful in the mundane is part of being really happy. I'm convinced it's one of the keys to contentment in whatever circumstance you find yourself in. I think that the pursuit of happiness and contentment in my daily life has inspired me to make all the things I have to use a pleasure