Moderation and Economy

Fresh Eggs

IMG_7242

We got chickens!!

After months of scouring Craigslist, pricing materials at the ReBuilding Center and researching plans (not to mention years of wishing, dreaming)… we finally found a used coop that met our super tight budget. (A coat of pretty paint, and the sturdy coop will look quite nice in the back corner of our yard.)   And a completely unexpected bonus- the large (6 nest boxes) coop came with enough fencing and fence posts for a very large run.

An even bigger bonus – the coop came with 3 organically-fed, heritage breed, 9 month-old hens – 2 Australorps (two big glossy-green/black girls that lay brown-eggs) and an Auracana (a rusty, stripey hen with big tufts of feathers on the sides of her head that lays blue-green eggs).

We can’t wait to expand out little flock, and I can’t wait to write some more about the beginning of our chicken-keeping adventure.   But, that’s all for now- yardwork calls.   After having friends and neighbors help us move the weighty coop into place yesterday, we need to get out and put the fencing up today, so Sarah, Plucky and Nudge can roam their patch of the yard safely (and also keep the tender baby veggies safe from them!).

More soon…

Seedlings

IMG_7211
Yesterday afternoon, with my son on my back, the girls and I potted up the first of our tomato seedlings – all 51 of them.  (The one above is a “Black Krim”, a favorite of ours for salads.)  Another 26 little tomato-lets (started a week later) will be potted up this weekend, time allowing.
IMG_7209
(Above: Our eclectic collection of potted-up tomatoes – in sour cream and tapioca containers, large paper cups, milk jugs, juice bottles, hand-me-down pots.)
It felt wonderful to spend the afternoon in the warm sunshine, kneeling with my children on the front steps, tenderly moving each little seedling from a starting tray into its own pot.   It felt wonderful to be growing food with my children, and I am grateful for the many, many days  of gardening with them that are spread out in front of us.
One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener’s own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race. – Wendell Berry

Real Food

IMG_7214

Today we finished Michael Pollan‘s In Defense of Food.   The girls and I listened to it on unabridged book CD over the course of several afternoons of making dinner.  I had really enjoyed The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, but somehow missed this one until now.

Much of what he writes really melds with our family’s thoughts on what we eat, how we eat, and where our food comes from, and we found the book affirming and encouraging.

In honor of Pollan’s call to simply “eat food”, instead of “food-like substances”, here’s the food we made for tonight’s dinner while listening to the final chapters of the book:

sliced mangoes and oranges

roasted carrots, golden beets and potatoes tossed with toasted walnuts and bleu cheese (above)

Cabernet-braised beef with dried apricots

brown rice

mint tea

whole-wheat oatmeal-marionberry bars

Pollan quotes Wendell Berry throughout the book, greatly esteeming Berry’s writings on humanity’s relationship to food, agriculture and nature.  (By the way, thanks to Pollan – and even more so to Kortney at One Deep Drawer – I’ve got a whole stack of Berry’s writings on order from the library). Particularly moving for me was Pollan adoption of Berry’s words as a sort of grace at the beginning of the dinner meal: 

Eating with the fullest pleasure – pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance – is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living in a mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.

Got our wellies on!

IMG_7127

Seems like we’ve been living in our wellies this week as we spent most of our time planting in the garden.  This week we’ve started:

IMG_7080

IMG_7085

IMG_7075

Peas, round two, this time in the front yard – Little Marvel, Tall Telephone, and Oregon Sugar Pod II.

IMG_7156

Potatoes, in three beds in the backyard, near the larger coldframe – German Butterball, All Blue, and a rare heirloom, Red Thumb, an oblong potato with thin red skin and rosey pink flesh.

Leafy and misc. Veggies – Fordhook , Magenta Lights, and Bright Lights Swiss Chard; Russian Red, Dwarf White, and Nero Tuscana Kale, chives, an heirloom lettuce blend, mustard greens, and a brave early attempt at carrots.

Sprinkled around the edges of the beds we seeded calendula and mixed-color California poppies.  At the ends of the pea rows, we put in Wedding Blush tall sweet peas.

IMG_7158(Hyacinth picture by Firecracker)

When I got too tired to do any more yardwork, and the kids were tired of scooter and bike riding around the driveway, we sat on the front steps (smelling the fragrant hyacinths that have just begun to open), and potted up some seeds:

Tomato and tomatillo – third round of tomato planting, so all of these are repeats – Green Zebra, red and yellow Brandywine, Persimmon,  Black Krim, Yellow Pear, Sweet  Million, Tigerella, Cherokee Purple, Crnkovic  Yugoslav (from Seed Savers), Marvel Striped tomatoes, and Purple de Milpa tomatillos.

Other veggies – we started Musselborough Leeks and a second round of globe artichokes (Tum Tum the Destroyer did in my first pot of 7).

What veggies are you starting in your garden?  What are you most looking forward to starting?


Ridiculously good dinner

IMG_7049

Little Hen and I made this recipe for spiced pulled-pork (from Sunset Magazine) for dinner two nights ago.  I have yet to find a Sunset recipe that is a dud – there are always keepers in ever issue -but this one was a cut above.  Oh my goodness, the allspice and thyme combined with the apple-cider vinegar, and tender (yet economical) slow-cooked pork – it was beyond delicious!!

Here is Sunset’s original recipe (I’ll post my slight alterations at the end) :

Sunset Magazine’s Spiced Pulled-Pork

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 sandwiches

  • 1 1/2  pounds  boned pork shoulder or butt, fat trimmed
  • 4  ounces  green onions, rinsed, ends trimmed, and coarsely chopped
  • 2  cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2  fresh Fresno or other hot green chilies (about 1 oz. total), rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
  • 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
  • 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 2  teaspoons  ground allspice
  • 1  teaspoon  ground dried thyme
  • About 1 teaspoon salt
  • About 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4  cup  cider vinegar
  • 8  to 10 soft dinner rolls (about 1 oz. each), sliced in half horizontally

Preparation

1. Rinse pork and pat dry.

2. In a blender or food processor, whirl green onions, garlic, chilies, tomato paste, brown sugar, allspice, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until finely chopped. Add vinegar and whirl until smooth. Scrape mixture into a heavy 5- to 6-quart pan. Add pork and turn to coat completely. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

3. Add 1 cup water to pan, cover, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to very low and simmer pork, turning once, until meat is very tender when pierced and shreds easily with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Remove from heat and let cool about 15 minutes. Transfer meat to a bowl. Skim and discard fat from surface of cooking liquid. Measure liquid; if there’s more than 1 1/2 cups, boil over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. With a fork or your fingers, pull meat into thin shreds; remove and discard fat. Mix meat with cooking liquid. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

5. Spoon about 1/4 cup pulled pork onto each roll bottom; set tops in place.

IMG_7046

We made a quadruple recipe (since I happened to have a 5-ish lb. pork shoulder in the fridge).  This way, I could serve pulled-pork with spinach rice and a side of roasted sweet potatoes (in cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic, and a titch of cayenne) the first night, and pulled-pork sandwiches (on homemade buns) with a side salad and some homemade pear sauce later in the week.  There were also two dinner-sized bags to pop into the freezer.

If you’re going to make a quadruple batch, and also planning on feeding this dish to children (who, by the way, love shredding the pork, it’s great, messy fun!), here are some changes I recommend:

1)Quadruple everything in the recipe, except the hot chilis – keep this the same, so it’s not too spicy for little ones (our pork had a teensy kick to it, but even Tum Tum ate three helpings with no complaints.) and also do not quadruple the water – instead use 2 1/2 – 3 cups.

2)Definitely let the larger cut of meat sit in the rub overnight or even 2 days in the fridge.

3)Increase cooking time to about 4 hours, using a meat thermometer to check that the middle of the roast has reached a safe temperature – that’s 160F.

If you’re looking for a hearty, easy, delicious late-winter meal, I highly recommend this recipe.

Up next for comfort food (if I can get my hands one some local lamb that doesn’t bust the budget) (thanks for tipping me off to this yummy looking recipe, Chris!) – Honey-Rosemary Lamb Sandwich.

PS- Have you seen Sunset’s blog, One Block Diet?  I have been reading it lately, and getting some inspiration for our own garden project.

Last-minute handmade gifts

IMG_6845

The weather here has been  bitterly, bitterly cold (we are eagerly anticipating our annual Christmas trip to Florida next weekend!!).  The past few days, we’ve built a big fort out of chairs and blankets in the living room.  We’ve been spending our mornings snuggled under it, reading Christmas stories (like this collection of short stories, and this, and this).

While Tum Tum naps in the afternoon, the girls and I have been finishing some last-minute Christmas gift sewing.   The children’s’ Great Aunt gave us some lovely blue toile, and I picked up some other fabric at the thrift store (including a sturdy pale-blue canvas with ferns).  We set out to make a few more farmer’s market totes/library totes for family and friends.

IMG_6848

Firecracker held and worked the pedal, and Little Hen and I guided it through the machine.  Little Hen trimmed the threads and helped cut fabric.  In two afternoons, we were able to churn out five large totes, and one child-sized one.

IMG_6846

All of the totes are lined with contrast fabric and have reinforced, deep-set handles.   A few have lined pockets, since I had a bit of fabric leftover.

IMG_6853

IMG_6854

The child-sized tote was cut from 3/4 yd late 1940’s/early 50’s (?) sombrero fabric we found at the thrift store – the colors were so vibrant!  And for 75 cents, how could I pass it up, even with a few age spots?  I had originally planned to give it to one of my nieces, full of craft supplies (colored pencils, watercolors, brushes, etc), but Tum Tum adopted it this morning, putting Nativity figures in it and carrying them around the living room, so we’ll see if it actually leaves the house…

No time to make handmade gifts for Christmas?  Consider buying handmade – here are some beautiful totes  on Etsy – a burlap coffee bag tote, a floral bag,  a tie-dyed tote, and this bright oilcloth bag.

Now to clean up the clouds of fabric and thread snippets all over our living room!

Christmas Paper-Craft Kit

IMG_6829

The girls are reaching an age where they really enjoy being able to participate in making Christmas gifts.  So, for their cousins (ages 5 1/2 and 3 1/2), we put together little paper-crafting kits, so Aasha and Ruby can enjoy an afternoon of Christmas crafting.

This is a very frugal gift, costing us less than $1 per kit, since we used cardstock scraps and last year’s Christmas cards, as well as craft notions purchased at the thrift store.  It’s also a gift crafty kids will love – when I made my girls fall-themed kits for Thanksgiving day, they made cards, collages, and all sorts of really inventive little creations.

If your kids would like to make these thrifty gifts for their young friends and family, they will need:

IMG_6798

Scissors and pinking shears

a hole punch

paper punches (we used cardinal and snowflake punches, which I pick up when they are deeply discounted after the season)

Christmas-print cardstock scraps (we found some 60% off right after Thanksgiving (with a coupon)  for another project and I saved the scraps) or old Christmas cards to cut up

blank cardstock (we used reds and whites approx 3″x5″ from our economical big box of trimmings and discards from a stationer’s)

small cellophane bags (thrifted), and one larger cellophane or paper bag

crafting notions, such as ric-rac, sequins, stickers, buttons, glitter, seam-binding (anything crafty you can pick up at the thrift store)

glue sticks and glitter glue

IMG_6828

Directions:

1.  Use the pinking shears and scissors to cut out small pieces of cardstock and old Christmas cards – various sizes (2″x3″ up to 3″x5″).

IMG_6818

2.  Puch out snowflakes and birds (this is Little Hen’s favorite part), and sort them into the small cellophane bags. (Firecracker spent a very long time glueing the glittery wings on all of the little cardinals and getting them at just the right angle.)  Punch holes and tie with thrifted ribbon or ric-rac.

IMG_6827

3.  Fill additional small bags with craft notions and other small cut-outs from Christmas cards, and again whole-punch and tie these closed.

IMG_6817

4.  Neatly fill the large cellophane or paper bag with the card stock, and add the bags of punches and notions in the front.  Throw in a glue stick and a tube of glitter glue.

IMG_6831

IMG_6835

5.  Create a pretty label for the front from additional cardstock, and decorate with glitter glue.  Whole-punch, and run a ribbon through the label and the bag to attach and close.

6.  Give the gift of open-ended Christmas crafting fun!

Thrifting for dollie dishes

IMG_6606

My husband had Veteran’s Day off of work, and stayed home reading the last book of The Chronicles of Prydain to some sick little kiddos.  I took the opportunity to make a quick run to the thrift store and the craft store.

IMG_6610

PACS is hands-down the best thrift store in Portland.  I am never disappointed when I make a trip there.  Wednesday’s trip (which happened to be their half-off sale day!  Woo-hoo!) was no exception.  I picked up some little china dishes (the polka-dot sugar bowl and saucer and the flower tea cups are 1950’s Japanese lustreware, I believe.)   The girls’ dolls will receive them as Christmas gifts.

Total cost for all of the dishes = $ 2.12!

IMG_6607

My favorite piece is this little Delft blue mug/stein, about 2 1/2 inches tall, which will be a Christmas gift to my mom, who collects blue and white china.  I think it’s quite old and well loved.  It will look very pretty tucked on some shelf, holding a few sprigs of sweet alyssum and some violas.

And speaking of Christmas giving, I’d better get back to working on those socks for my dad!  Maybe Little Hen will want to read to the family out of Highlights while I get a few inches knitted.

Addicted to Candleflame

img_6531

Sigh… I’m getting a bit repetitive in my blogging and my knitting both, but I can’t stop knitting candleflame shawls!!  I think this pattern is this fall what Toasty was for me last winter (and I’m still cranking those out for Christmas gifts again this year).  It’s easy to memorize, easy to knit while doing other things, and I love the results.

img_6530

This time, I’m going to keep the shawl for myself.  Pink is not a favorite color of mine, but the shawl is so warm and big and cozy, I can’t part with it.  It’s knit in Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky, Victorian Rose (and that does go nicely with brown, which IS my favorite color).

img_6532

It was very economical to knit (less than $12 worth of wool), because I used seconds .  There is a slight color variation throughout (not sure if it shows up in the pictures), so the yarn was very inexpensive, despite taking nearly 4 skeins.  Knit on size 11’s, the whole shawl took less than two weeks including blocking, with several other knitting projects going in the background.

I hate to say it, but I’ve already begun another shawl, in gold 50% mohair 50% wool ( I picked up a 2 lb cone at an estate sale a few years ago for $2).  I already know who it’s going to when I’m finished.  It will be interesteding to see the contrast between the heavy pink shawl and the airy, lacy mohair version when it’s finished.

Do you have a knitting pattern you love to knit up over and over?  ( Please share!  I’m NWKnitterMama on Ravelry.)

Cider Pressing

img_6460

img_6469

img_6492

Some pictures from the cider pressing party last weekend.  It was also my husband’s birthday – I’m so glad he had a great time! (We all did!)

img_6475

Most folks brought apples from their own trees and also gleaned many from abandoned orchards along country roads.

img_6476

Apples were washed, wormy parts and bruises removed, and then cut in half or quarters to fit into the grinder.

img_6477

Ground apples in one of the two presses on site.

img_6458img_6457

Little Hen was strong enough to crank the smaller press. (The electric grinder is the wooden box behind her on the back end of the press – SO much quicker than the hand-grinding we did in the past!)

img_6461

The girls carrying the pressings to the wheelbarrow (they’re heavy!).  The pressings will eventually to be buried back in the orchard, although while we were there, the deer kept snacking on them.

img_6493

Tum Tum liked to hang out by the wheelbarrow.

img_6473

Pressed cider, waiting to be strained through cheesecloth and bottled.

img_6480

A small fraction of the finished cider – most folks froze theirs, but I canned mine, since our freezer is pretty well full.

img_6487

img_6482

The girls even got a chance to ride the zip line (thank you, Jody!!), which they have been talking about nonstop since. ( I’ve been informed by Firecracker that I need to plant some really fast growing trees, so that we, too, can have a zip line in our yard. )

img_6497

Thank you for a wonderful time, Teacher Linda!

Family Bed and Cloth Diapering

img_6238

Some friends recently asked how we share sleep with our youngest while he’s in cloth diapers.  Overnight leaks are a worry, even with doublers and the “good covers” saved for night time.  To safeguard the mattress, we don’t use expensive wool mattress pads (which sound fabulous, but are way out of the budget) or those awful rubberized crib pads that don’t breathe a bit.

img_6234

img_6235

Our simple solution is to use some thrifted wool blankets that I ran through the wash a few times in order to felt them up nice and thick (from twin size down to about 3 x 3 1/2ft).  They are breatheable, natural, and very waterproof.  I double up just to be safe – and wash on warm, tumble dry.

It’s that easy!  I’d love to hear any tips on how you make the family bed work for you!

Water-coloring

img_6218

img_6226

Like most children their age, the girls are prolific artists (esp. Little Hen, who loves her water colors).  Our living room was looking pretty bare, and despite amassing a  substantial collection of their artwork, it’s just not in the budget to get anything professionally framed right now.  Why should that prevent us from displaying their art?  So, we strung up a line, hunted down some scrapbook paper on clearance at the craft store, and a little glue and a few clothespins later…the walls aren’t quite so empty.

img_6215

img_6216

Some of my favorites -  The Lady with Grey Hair by Little Hen , who loves to paint people, and Untitled by Firecracker, who takes a sweeping, abstract approach.

img_6213

img_6214

This one – Moon and Sun in the Corner – is  Little Hen’s favorite.

I plan on scouring the thrift stores the next few weeks for some frames I can paint or decoupage to match, and then we’ll get the girls’ work framed and properly displayed.  But for now, we can fill an empty wall, enjoy their creations and stay in the budget.

The last two days, I find I’ve been setting up my spinning so I can look at their paintings while I work – it still amazes me what is working inside their heads and hearts that they can make such beautiful art at such a tender age.   I don’t get ever tired of looking at them, and look forward to what they’ll create next.

Hot Cocoa Mix

img_6201

Today Firecracker and I are attending our church’s fall kickoff of our monthly Ladies’ Breakfast.  The pastor’s wife is hosting at her house, so we thought we’d take her (and her daughter – Firecracker’s friend) a little hostess gift when we go.

img_6199

Earlier this week, we went to to the thrift store and picked up a little basket, lined it with an embroidered linen hand towel (from my stash).  We also found two little silver spoons, and paired them with two vintage Japanese tea cups and saucers.  The tea cups had a glossy opalescence that Firecracker really liked  (“the inside of the cup looks like a soap bubble!”).  To round out the Mom and Daughter Afternoon Cocoa basket, we made a batch of Not-Too-Sweet Hot Cocoa Mix.

If you’d like to make some cocoa mix of your own (which I prefer to store-bought, because it isn’t overwhelmingly sugary), prepare to get messy!  You’ll need –

img_6167

Sift together 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 cup dutch-process cocoa and 2 tsp cornstarch (no lumps!).

img_6160

Then stir in 1 tsp salt and 2 1/2 cups powdered milk,

img_6174

and finally, add a large pinch Ancho Chili Powder.  (The original recipe is from Alton Brown’s website (love Good Eats!), although, the first time I made it, the girls didn’t like the cayenne, so now I use the Ancho chili powder, which is very mild, but provides a hint of smoky pepper flavor.)

img_6177

Stir all ingredients together, and store in a large jar, sealed tight.  To make up a cup, fill your cup 1/3-1/2 full with the mix.  Add hot water, milk or coffee to fill.  Enjoy!

Hope your weekend is filled with peace and good fellowship.

Retro Fall Doll Quilt

img_6071

img_6073

Little Hen and I finished the  first scrap doll quilt in a while with more of a fall color scheme.  We made it for a friend who’s daughter has a birthday coming up.

img_6040

Actually, there wasn’t much to it -the four main blocks were in the middle of a big bag of  fabric scraps I had been given.  Little Hen picked out the orange fabric “because orange is a good fall color” (from the same bag of scraps).

img_6072

In the scrap bag was also some neutral-yellow cotton fabric in a large enough piece to fold triple thick to serve as batting and backing for the quilt.   We layered them up and quickly put the doll quilt together.  The finished quilt is about 18″ x 24″.  Can’t wait to see our little friend snuggling her dollies up in it soon!

Bartlett Harvest

img_6138

Saturday,  I was blessed with the opportunity to ride with another family of volunteers out to Mosier, OR (in the beautiful Columbia Gorge) to glean pears for Birch Community Services.   The weather was very rainy, windy, and chilly, so I was grateful that the children could all stay home, snuggled up reading their latest chapter book with Daddy.

img_6144

The five of us wore large canvas pear-picking bags, and picked 40-50 lbs of Bartletts off of the trees at a time and then unloaded them into large crates.  Due to the windy, rainy conditions, I didn’t get any pictures of the actual picking, but here you can see a fraction of what we picked.  The owner’s of the orchard estimated that we picked close to 2200 lbs of pears!!

img_6139

You may ask, why were thousands of pounds of beautiful pears sitting unpicked, unwanted on the trees?   Well, the owners explained to me that there isn’t any profit in Bartletts – they cost $120/crate to grow,  but can only get $180/crate on the market – so by the time they pay workers to pick them, and absorb the cost of transporting them, they actually lose money on the Barletts.

The farmer makes his living growing Bosc pears for market.  So, why grow Barletts at all, then??  Bosc pears command a much higher price than Barletts, but the trees are not self-fertile, and require another pear variety for pollination.  So, for every 4 rows of Bosc pear trees planted in the orchard, the farmer must plant a whole row of Barletts in order to reap a crop.  The Barletts are generously left available for the gleaners.

img_6148

After picking over 8000 pears to donate to BCS, we were allowed to harvest for ourselves as many pears as we could put up  – so I have over 150 lbs of pears sitting on my kitchen floor to ripen over the next week!  I’ll be dehydrating and canning pears and pear butter non-stop late in the week and over the next weekend.   Bring some jars and you’re welcome to join me and take home canned pears for your family, too!   I’d love to have your company!

For more on the culture and history of gleaning, check out my favorite (and oh-so-French!) documentary – Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse (The Gleaners and I).

Passing down

img_6111

A day of sorting clothes for the change of seasons found lots and lots of dresses that are too small and will be passed down to a friend’s little girl.   Some were handmade for my girls, and It was bittersweet to see how much they had outgrown and to realize how quickly they’re growing up.  Seemed a very short while ago that these dresses were Little Hen’s, and then Firecracker’s, and now they’ll be another little girl’s.

img_6113

The girls reminisced for a bit (“Remember when I wore this dress to so-and-so’s birthday party?”, “Remember when you wore this outfit to the beach and we caught that crab?”, “Remember when Auntie Jen got me this dress?”), which seriously made me misty-eyed, and then we packed them up.

Glad to be able to bless someone else with them, but I wish my girls would stop growing up so fast!!

Totes

img_6085

img_6087

Now, my sewing skills are pretty basic, (nothing like the beautiful sewing at Pleasantview Schoolhouse), but this week I tried my hand at making some farmer’s market totes. (A few more tote tutorials can also be found here, but I like how the pattern I used has the lining fabric peeking up above the edge of the bag).

The first tote is made out of some vintage (1950’s?) fabric from the thrift store, with plain muslin lining and blue contrast stitching.  For the pocket on the front, I used a little heart I had been holding on to since I hand-quilted it at Girl Scout craft camp two decades ago.

img_6089

img_6088

The other two totes are made from old sheets (two thrifted, and one Little Prince toddler-bed sheet with worn out elastic. ).  They are very soft, and I like the blue-on-blue in both.  The girls have already claimed the Little Prince one as a sleep-over bag for visits to Grandma’s or Auntie’s.

img_6079

I also had enough fabric leftover from a quilt I made the other day to make a little (10″ x 12″) out of the scraps.

img_6080

The outside material is from a skirt I cut up, and the inside and pocket are made out of the same sheet material that lines the other two blue totes.

img_6092

I think making totes is pretty addictive, and several folks will be receiving some for Christmas (yay for the Handmade Pledge!!).  The girls picked out fabric for their own totes at the Knittn’ Kitten, and I also have fabric for two more large farmer’s market-sized cut up and waiting to be sewn together.   Hopefully, I’ll get to sew them up when the baby is napping later today.

Wishing you a thrifty, productive week!

Pink and Blue Quilt

img_6066

The other night I stayed up ridiculously late finishing a little scrap quilt, and I really paid for it the next day! Of course, the children decided to wake up almost two hours earlier than normal the next morning!  I needed two cups of coffee just to be able to make toast and eggs for breakfast!

img_6038

The quilt is based around a little stack of 15 pink, blue and raspberry colored blocks that came to us in a large bag of fabric scraps.  At first, I put the blocks in the bottom of my fabric drawer, because my initial reaction was that they were super ugly (circa 1992?).

I went through my fabric stash, and found a strip of equally ugly early 90’s fabric, a vintage sheet with a large rip in it, and an old summer skirt of mine, (back when I used to wear skirts above the knee!) that all sort-of coordinated.  Soon, a little quilt began to take shape.

img_6069

The sheet was cut into strips for the middle of the quilt (to join the blocks).

img_6068

The skirt became the sashing around the outside of the quilt, with that strip of extremely-floral fabric tucked in, too.

img_6067

The batting is two layers of a pale-blue flannel sheet that had become quite worn and was in my rag bag.  And more of the torn vintage sheet fabric was used for the back.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with it, even if it’s not my kind of color-scheme.  It was a frugal use of some blocks that might otherwise have sat in my fabric stash for years, and I was able to repurpose all sorts of fabric odds and ends.  Of course, my super girly-girls love the pink on baby-blue look, so even if it isn’t my cup of tea, it made some folks happy.  🙂

Have you been able to utilize or repurpose a craft supply that someone else has cast off?  I’d love to see what you and your kids have created!

Peaches, Preserved

img_5634

Peach-Brandy Jam = 18 -  1/2 pints

img_5635

Peaches in Light Syrup = 12 Quarts

img_60131

Peach Honey (a delicious, thrifty, vegan honey substitute) = 6 1/2 pints

img_6021

Peach Honey Butter on Applesauce cake (with peach jam between the layers.) – 1 stick unsalted butter, 6 tbsp peach honey (or regular honey) , beaten together in the Kitchenaid Mixer with a whisk attachment until combined and fluffy.

The best thing about home-preserved peaches, in my opinion, is opening a jar in the middle of winter and tasting a sunny summer day.

These ladies are taking preserving the harvest to a whole new level – Dana, Beth, Rural Mamma, and Amanda.

Yardwork is hardwork

img_5934

This weekend was the first weekend in months that the weather hasn’t been horrendously hot or rainy, and we haven’t had other obligations (weddings, visitors, birthday parties, etc), so despite the fact that the two younger children were sick, we spent the entire weekend at home, working on our major yard renovation.

img_5936

img_5997

Along with a lot of other yardwork, were able to mostly complete a sheet mulching project in the backyard – we put in an 18 x 22 ft veggie bed, using lots of boxes and packing paper (10 sheets thick) from our move.

img_6000

Here you can see the mulching clearly – a layer of weedy soil, simply covered up with a 3-inch layer of chopped, dried bamboo mulch (Permaculture principles state that it’s best to use what you have on-site, and we have TONS of bamboo we are slowly ripping out.).  On top of that we sheeted mulch with cardboard or stacks of packing paper, carefully overlapped to smother the weeds.  Then, composted cow manure is added on top of that.

After we add the final layers of straw/hay and compost, and topsoil, it will have 4 4×18 ft mounded rows with 18-inch mulched paths between the rows.  One or two more weekends, and we’ll be done – just in time to plant garlic, leeks, shallots and a few brassicas for the fall!

After a long time spent playing at busily gathering leaves and things for the compost, Little Hen went to an un-touched part of the yard, made a little nest in the middle of the “prairie”, and took a nap in the sunshine.  She was pretty tuckered out from all her hard work!

img_5938

For more on permaculture, I highly recommend the DVD, Establishing a Food Forest,  anything on Powell’s new permaculture bookshelf, and connecting with your local permaculture group.

And since our garden isn’t actually growing anything yet, you might like to visit  Mom in Madison, Garden Mama , Green Thumb Mama, A Little House by the Big Woods,  and Little Red Caboose to see the bounty of foods and flowers other mama’s gardens are yielding this summer.

Kelty

img_5859

We were recently, unexpectedly, blessed to be able to trade a family friend some homemade jam and brownies for a Kelty his son had outgrown.  Best barter we’ve ever made, if you ask me!

I love my Ergo and use it daily, but the Kelty is a much better fit for my husband.  We’ve been on two good hikes in the past week or so, and both he and Tum Tum have been quite comfortable.

More on our hikes tomorrow with Friday Nature Table sharing.

Wooden Bowls

img_5796

Yesterday’s thrifting yielded these three child-sized wooden dishes (Other finds – two prairie bonnets for the girls for 75 cents each, and an April Cornell baby dress for a friend’s little girl for $1.50!  I also picked up a like-new Maya Wrap for $2, but it’s a size M and a bit short for my tall frame – if anyone in the Portland area would like it, send me an e-mail at angela dot baker dot knits at gmail dot com, and it’s yours!).  The larger bowl and the plate were 25 cents each and the smaller bowl (with a teensy chip in the rim) was 12 cents!!  I LOVE my local thrift store!!

img_5797

img_5795

img_5800

These dishes were all handmade right here in Oregon out of myrtle wood with a wax finish.  Little Hen remarked right away on the beautiful grain in the larger bowl.

On the topic of beautiful wooden things – two mamas who always are so inspiring with their pictures and thoughts that capture the beauty of childhood moments – Grace at Uncommon Grace, and Shelley at Waldorf Mama.   Grace posted a while back about her children polishing wooden objects with beeswax polish.   The reason this post stuck in my mind is because of the purpose behind it – Grace says, “And, best of all, polishing is such a relaxing activity for my children, especially in the ‘witching hour’ right before dinner.” We are always searching for purposeful things to occupy the children that often-frustrating time of day, and this activity seems like something my girls would enjoy doing very much!

Shelley has shared some pictures of her daughter Maya’s  wooden child’s dishes by Heartwood Arts.      Her posts have inspired us to slowly transitioning from plastic play dishes to wooden ones (Little Hen especially oohs and ahhs over Maya’s lovingly handcrafted toys and playthings).   She has such a way of emphasizing the benefit of natural materials in children’s lives.  It’s been fun to hunt the thrift stores for pieces to add to our growing collection.  Now to find some little wooden spoons…

What natural treasures have you been discovering lately?

(Please visit my giveaway post – comments will close at 11pm Pacific this evening.  Thanks!)

Egg-dyed yarns

img_5657

I have always wanted to dye my own roving (mostly because of the Twisted Sisters Sock Book!!), but wanted it to be something the children and I could do together – something safe, easy, and non-toxic.  So, when I was pregnant with my son, the girls and I dyed 2 lbs of white Brown Sheep mill end roving (super economical!) with Easter egg dye bought at 75% off after Easter.    The needed ingredients are food-safe dye, vinegar and water.

We followed this Kathryn Ivy tutorial, using spray bottles, brushes  and spoons to experiment with different patterns of adding the dye to the roving.   We worked outside, putting down lots of newpaper,  so we could make a huge mess, and have fun.  The girls had a blast squirting different patterns into the white roving, and were surprised at seeing the final results after it the roving was steamed, rinsed, and hung to dry.

It takes a LOT of  very concentrated dye to get the vibrant colors in the tutorial, and mine came out very pastel (as you can see).   It spun up nicely (you can tell this is some early spinning, however – it’s pretty uneven), but after we set the twist (just singles), the hanks have just been hanging out in my yarn dresser, because I haven’t been much in the mood for pastels.  With the wave of friends/family having babies the last several months, now is a perfect time to crack into that oh-so-pastel yarn!

img_5656

So far, I’m really enjoying knitting with it, and when it’s all used up, I think we’ll try it again, but with more concentrated dye for more vibrant colors.  Who knows, maybe Little Hen will be old enough to spin some up herself by then.  🙂

img_5702

If you’ve tried your hand at home-dying fiber, I’d love to hear about it and any advice you can offer.  If you’ve posted about it on your blog, I’d love to share the link.  Thanks!

(Only 3 days left to enter the giveaway!!)

Garden harvest

img_5670

Fridays are my days to volunteer at Penelope’s Garden.  This week’s harvest was 29 lbs delivered to Birch Community Services!!

img_5671

The raspberries are all done for the year, the mint bolted in the heat, but the tomatoes and green beans are in full production!  There were even some carrots and a new patch of basil ready.   (I must admit, I couldn’t help myself and snacked on some of the tender beans while harvesting – SO delicious!)

img_5675

img_5673

The heat wave, followed by the cool snap in the weather caused the Walla Walla sweet onions to bolt and then fall, so that meant harvest time for them, too.  They smelled unbelievably good.

Next week it looks like lots of peppers, some patty-pans, and maybe even some cucumbers will be added to the wave of tomatoes and green beans to bring in.  Can’t wait!

What are you harvesting in your garden this week?

(Don’t forget – check out my Contest, if you haven’t yet.  Thanks!)

First Giveaway

img_5647

Welcome to the first giveaway at An Exaltation of Larks!

The girls and I are giving away a handmade scrap doll quilt,

img_5641

some soft, dove-gray Rowan-spun 4-ply 100% new wool yarn (enough to make two pixie hats),

img_5642

some vintage linen napkins, and assorted other goodies, yet to be revealed!

img_5643

This is a comment giveaway – please leave a comment telling me 1) which Category (in my sidebar on the right) is you like best, and 2) what crafty/domestic/culinary/mama activity you enjoy doing the most (feel free to include a link to a related post on your blog so I can get to know you, too!)

If you link to my giveaway on your blog, post about it on Facebook, etc, please let me know, and I’ll add THREE extra entries in your name to the drawing.

The drawing will be held on Comments will close at 11 pm Pacific time on Saturday, August 15th, and the drawing will be held Sunday, August 16th.  Thanks!

Giveaway closed.  Thank you all very much for the lovely comments!