Cold Day in Ohio

Well it is definitely a cold day here near the shores of Lake Erie.  But, I was out and about in our yard a couple of days ago, so I have some updated photos to share of our spring gardens.  They really are taking shape...........and, oh yeah, lots of watering!!!!


We are Iris lovers.  I have more in bloom in the garden from it being so warm just a couple of days ago, but I don't have them off of my camera.........  Enjoy these lovelies for now..............

Our yard is getting smaller by the flower. LOL  But, there is always room for more Iris.  Now my husband is talking about expanding our flower beds on the outside of our fence.  We have about 30 feet or so that extends outside.  The ground is so hard, and from what our neighbors tell us, our house was the last one built at the end of the street, so guess where they buried all the ruble?  Yup, we were the winners!!!

It's to cold to play outside today, so I think I have to tackle my "craft/sewing room".......... Inspiration is just a clean table away.

Sharon

What Have I Been Doing?

What have I been doing instead of my monthly challenge quilts?  I know time has been flying by, and it now will soon make me (3) months behind.  But, I did accomplish something in my sewing.

My two youngest granddaughters received American Dolls for Christmas.  They have 2 dolls each, which means they must now be clothed.  My 6 year old, Izabela, informed me that their dolls had to sleep in their clothes, and they badly needed pj's and nightgowns for them.  So, of course, with that being said, this Gramma had to hurry and make something for them.  Without having the dolls to fit outfits properly, I called on the 18" Cabbage Patch that I have in my craft room, which belonged to my oldest granddaughter.  This Cabbage Patch doll, being a little more "round" than the American Dolls.........I figured if it fit her, it should fit their dolls.

So, I made one pj's pattern and one nightgown pattern.  I 

They were really fun to make, and though the patterns were to be so simple, they were a challenge in the beginning.  But, I have been sewing for many more years than I can believe I have been sewing, self taught, and I got them done!!!!

Joan Hinds is the author of the book "Doll Fashion Studio" and recently appeared in reruns of Sewing with Nancy on TV.  I thought, I could do this, so I sent for the book.  It has 20 different patterns, from rain jackets to dressy dresses, and lots more.  Many of these patterns can be intermingled to come up with even more patterns, which I did on the top for the pj's.

My girls got their package last week, and they "love" them.  I wanted to make sure that these fit their dolls before I start on a wardrobe for all their dolls.  

So, this has been one of the reasons I am so behind in my small quilt challenges.  But, there is no time that they can be too late; so sometime in the next "year",  I should be able to catch up. Also,  there will be many rainy days ahead this spring and summer where my sewing machine will be calling me!

One good thing for today, it "rained" in our gardens today.  Which gives me more time to plan on sewing instead of an hour and a half watering plants.

Thanks for stopping by...........

Sharon

Build It and They Will Come!!

Can you see the visitor the fairies are about to have?  I hope it isn't too early in the morning for them! 

I think he is going to welcome them to the forest!

I guess they were up and ready to greet their visitor.  They are pointing out things of interest to him!

 Mr. Frog wants to get in on the welcome also!

He seems to like what they have done to the place!!

Stop back to visit, I am sure the fairies will have more to share soon!

I'm Back!!

Thank you all for your nice comments and e-mails regarding the Fairy House my son made for me.

I had a very nice Mother's Day.  I got presents, even though I tell my children, please do not spend money on me.  They don't listen....  But I do enjoy my presents, and I appreciate their thoughtfulness.

 Surprise, surprise,  beautiful roses delivered to my door.  There is nothing like roses to make you smile and cry!!!!  Can you smell them......... I can just by looking at this picture:)

 Oh, not to mention my favorite cake!  Coconut Cream, all hand made, and loaded with lots of calories!!!  See why I like presents?

Flowers, a beautiful hanging basket, my children do know their mother so well.  My daughter said this will attract hummingbirds and butterflies............ I'm going to hold her to that statement!!!  Hopefully this Ohio weather hasn't killed off my hummingbirds.

And of course, my Fairy House.  I've started planting things around it, so the fairies have places to hide when we are out and about in the garden.  This picture shows a better view of the size of the house.  Can't wait till the plants take hold and start to fill in around the house.  It will make it look like a cottage in the woods!!

I have to set down one of these days and take stock of the things that I need to finish in my craft room.  The weather had been so nice that I had been working in the yard and not setting behind my sewing machine.  I only have to put the binding on the quilt that heads my blog.  Why can't I just do that?  Then, I am so behind on my monthly challenges in the small quilt group I belong to.  I just can't stay focused.............

Well, thanks for stopping by......... maybe I'll have something for "Recipe Thursday"....... if only I can stay focused!!

Sharon

Spring Has Sprung in Our Gardens!!

We have had a couple of really nice spring days in the last week and a half here near the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio!  So, I thought I would share the beginnings of spring and summer in our gardens.  My husband has a natural talent when it comes to setting up our flower and vegetable gardens. It becomes a full time job for him, but he loves it.

When we moved into this house 3 summers ago, we had one lonely flower planted in the back of the house.  Just yard and pine trees.  How blah was that?

Well, these "blue" forget-me-nots are the first things to pop up in our flower garden this year.  Aren't they just precious?  They just keep multiplying and growing larger and larger every year.  They are in the perfect place and will bloom off and on thru summer.  Soon, the iris, roses, and day lilies will be in bloom also.

This is the beginning of our vegetable garden.  He has been putting things in for the last 2 weeks.  There were a few nights we had to go and cover things so the frost wouldn't get to them. He can never wait to get his garden going for the summer!!

Now, I am sharing early pictures of my "Mother's Day" present that my son has made for me.  I am one lucky "mother"!!!!  I started a few years ago making a fairy garden in a bird bath.  Every year I weed out the old, and add a new vignette for my fairies. This was last summer's plantings.  I'll update later when my new plants have had a chance to grow.

 But this year, my son decided to make me a house for the fairies to live in.  I put it under a small ornamental Japanese red maple.  Now, we have to do plantings so the "fairies" have a more secure place to make their home!

He placed it in my garden last night.  All 90+ pounds of it.  Then he added a stone wall.  There is still ground cover to be added, but, I couldn't wait to show this darling house on my blog.

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 I even got stained glass windows!!!!!!!

The roof will have moss growing on it eventually.  He made a concoction of buttermilk and real moss that he paints on.  It will eventually grow and cover the whole roof.  He has more ideas to add more "stuff" around the house.   This wasn't planned, but can you spy the man in the window?  He's wearing a pirate hat!!!!

I now have to go spray the roof to keep it moist for growing the moss............... Keep checking back, I will be adding updated pictures of the "little fairy house".  I'm thinking the house may need to set in the middle of a field of blue forget-me-nots?  hmmmmmmmm

Until next time,

Sharon

Coming Soon..........My Mother's Day Gift!

I have been a little busy the last week, moving my mom from her home in Western Ohio to the City where I live, just a couple blocks down the street from me.

But, to my surprise while I was away for a few days organizing the move.........my son had started a surprise for me.  I have had my "fairy garden" for maybe 5 years, in the top of a bird bath.  In the last couple of years I have been admiring the "fairy houses" that you can buy at some of the garden centers.  Beautiful little cement cottages, churches, etc.  Well, they also cost a pretty penny too.  But I have been hoping that maybe one day one of these would appear in my garden.  I sure have been giving everyone the "hint"!!

Well, my crafty son is in the process of building a stone cottage with stained glass windows.  I have been taking pictures as he progresses.  As I am in the middle of helping my mom get her new place comfortable, I will be posting these pictures from start to finish soon.

Please stop back and see my soon to be Mother's Day Gift.

Sharon L.

Recipe Thursday

It's getting late, but it is still Thursday.  This recipe popped into my head as I was cleaning up dinner dishes.  You have to hear the "back" story on this recipe, before I give it to you.

Many, many years ago, I loved to collect cook books.  I had a dedicated bookcase in my kitchen for them.  Then, I had to expand them into "our den", because they outgrew their shelves in the kitchen.  I would send for many booklets that different food company's advertised for free. The recipe I am making for Recipe Thursday came out of a 1978 Quaker Oats booklet.   That year I just had my first child, so when I say many, many years ago, it was.

As I had children, and they entered school, I would make this recipe as an afternoon snack for them.  I use to make it quite a lot in those years.  Then, like everything else, the recipe was forgotten, and placed in a box of old cookbooks, not to be thrown away, but to be saved "forever"!!

After about 28 years living in the same house, we found a place to down size to.  Which meant, all my cookbooks in their boxes was put up in that house's attic, never to be seen again for 7 years, when we moved again to up size our house.  My children (4) were of great help, and the girls put some of my everyday cookbooks on a shelf in my new kitchen.

Because my "old" brain skips here and there on many subjects, I was thinking one day, whatever became of my Quaker Oats booklet with that great bar recipe?  (see hint, it is going to be a bar)  Looked high and low, for the life of me couldn't find it, and blamed my children for probably throwing it out!  So, here a few months ago, I am looking for something in the night stand of our bedroom, yup, you guessed it.  There it was.    I was so excited, that I put together a batch of these bars that day.

My son-in-law can't get enough of them.  Let me just say, they are very sweat, and really good.  Don't let the name fool you.  It is described as:  A layered treat, with the sweet taste of fruit combined with the crunch and "wholesomeness" of the oat mixture.  I think they may have been a little confused on what was "wholesome" in the 70's. LOL

Wholegrain Jam Squares

2 cups Quaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter 

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually use 1 cup)

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

1 pt preserves (I use mine that I can) 

Combine all ingredients, except preserves in large mixing bowl, beat at low speed on electric mixer until mixture is crumbly.  Reserve 2 cups; press remaining onto bottom of greased 13x9 inch pan.  Spread preserves evenly over the base; sprinkle with reserved mixture. 

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven, 25-30 min. or until golden brown.  Cool, cut into squares.

Ready for assembling..butter,flour mixture, brown sugar & oats.

Press mixture on bottom of a 13 x 9 " pan

Add preserves  and crumble reserved mixture over top

DONE.........cooling.  I cut it while it was still warm,
when completely cool, it will come out in bar form.  

Published in 1978.

I think the bars have cooled and they are calling from the kitchen...........very good with a glass of milk!!

Try it, you'll like it!!

Thanks for stopping by, please come back..........let me know if you tried them.

Sharon