Rhubarb-Orange-Vanilla Jam

Here is a picture of some of the jam Joanne, Alex and I made yesterday.  The Rhubarb is from our garden, which was the reason for this project.  It is so satisfying to see these lovely jars of jam and think about enjoying them in the winter.

No new crafty crafts really, but here are my new container lettuces, my pineapple sage, and some other herbs. As you can see, the lavender is planted in one of the teapot treasures from Alex's basement. :)

Project to Complete

I began this small quilt (44" L x 33" W) ages ago and it is not done!!  The hearts are appliqued, mostly from fabrics I had used when I made Martha's dress when she was very young and now she is 30!!  It is machine stitched together, but if you look closely you can see I was hand quilting it.  See the sunflower (Kansas ties)?  I decided this is going to be my project when our quilting group meets, finishing the hand quilting!!  I have been choosing projects that require too much thinking and I want more time to talk and listen.  So here we go ladies, I am ready for many quilting meetings.

Quilters! 

The Alliance for the American Quilt promotes documenting and sharing our quilt stories as part of its mission.  Start labeling your work.  When you finish a quilt you are a part of quilt history.  Save your story!

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/about/

Hello to you from TX,

There would only be a picnic spot like this here!!  All the picnic tables were like this, off the main I-20 route and I do think it is quite regional and in character for this area of the country, but not what we are used to.

Joanne's triangle loom

Here's Joanne demonstrating her new creative endeavour for Bee and Alex. The triangle loom uses a continuous strand of yarn in a fairly simple weaving process yet it seems to have endless possibilities.  This Joanne's first piece and it is beautiful!

Whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.--Julia Cameron

Golden Gate

I am making progress!!  This photo of the Golden Gate was taken at the Discovery Museum when we took Tom and Molly.  The person walking is Norm.  Anyway, this is great to do and soon I will start sending sewing and food things!!

Inspired by Alex's new endeavors!

My new "potting shed"

In anticipation of spring, I decided to make my own "potting shed" out of this mildew-covered cabinet set in the garage. These are the "before" pictures. . . . .

My new "potting shed"

                                         





















And these are the "after!"

Test Picture

Ok, I can get pictures from my computer onto the blog, but not from my phone to the blog.  I downloaded the Google plus, like they said, but later read in a review that it does not work for the iphone 3g!!  Very frustrating.  Anyway, you now have a picture of Tom as my test!!

Mandi's chocolate chiffon cake with rosewater icing was delicious.

Alex bought this rocking chair from Pier One in 1970 to rock baby John in, and John later had it in his first bachelor pad apartment. The black paint started to wear off and flake, so 10 years ago, I thought, "Oh, I'll sand and repaint it by hand." A project that barely got off the ground, as evidenced by the partial sanding in the two "before pictures. That's how it has sat in my basement for 10 years. . .

With the warm weather today, I was inspired to tape and newspaper over the caning (which is in fabulous shape), and spray paint a pretty walnut color on top. The two "after" pictures make it hard to appreciate how adorable the chair looks now! We love it and can't wait to use it on the porch ASAP!

                                          New life to the old chair!

 His and hers kitchen aprons made for us by Alex. Forgive the lack of a human model; both of us are not primed for a photo shoot this morning, but I wanted to get these up!

 John asked me to post his homemade ciabatta and homemade pizza from this morning!

John's homemade soft pretzels

 
Homemade succulent wreath. This time of year, Lowe's did not have a wide selection (let alone color selection) like the choices in the instructional photo, but mine will do for now and will grow in over the next few months, then I can hang outside.

The top woman is from the catalog, the bottom is mine! Waiting a few weeks for her tresses to fill out. She has to stay indoors for now, but will have a place on my side porch come Spring!

Overall, reminds me of Kate Bush's "Under the Ivy" (1985)

 Cheese owl, veggie man, and peanut butter brownies we made for Adam and Molly's Superbowl party. Definitely a good way to get veggies into my children. They all ate everything except for the veggie man's mushroom GI tract. :)

Elliott and I made these "Rainbow Fruit Kabobs" for dinner at my friend Larissa's house. All four kids loved them, and surprisingly, the skewers were less of a hazard than I anticipated.

Zoe's butterfly molds from the plaster kit Santa gave her. She loved mixing the plaster and pouring into the mold more than the painting.

Elliott's homemade Star Wars journal. Covered his composition book with brown paper bag book cover (like we used to make when I was in high school), then pasted on cut outs from a magazine ad for Star Wars cookie cutters.

Elliott and I made these little leaf impression "coins" out of Sculpey clay and then baked them. He had the best time making the impressions with a glass, between wax paper. In the original instructions, you're supposed to write the name of the leaf on the back to help your child with leaf identification. Elliott and I just like holding them and looking at them. . . :)

Instructions at:
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/home-garden-projects/gardening-nature-crafts/garden-crafts/leaf-tokens-876186/

Birdseed wreath made in a bundt pan. Kids loved mixing this concoction. We also made some mini ones in a cupcake tin, and burrowed a little hole so that they could be hung with a ribbon. Elliott gave them to his class for Valentine's Day. See instructions at:

http://familycorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/bird-seed-wreath.html

Okay guys! I think we are in business now! Going to post some of my creations from the past couple of weeks. This is a hydrangea-covered egg (Easter decoration). Used a hot glue gun to attach snippets of artificial hydrangea to plastic egg from Michael's. Need a different container--something more like a candlestick. . . see instructions at http://thesweetsurvival.blogspot.com/2011/03/hydrangea-covered-easter-egg.html