Winter Scene

Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes sound so sophisticated and prestigious. Their price tags certainly are high enough - usually almost double that of their hybrid counterparts. This year, however, I'm getting the seeds for free. Yesterday I came across Winter Sown, a seed saving group that sends out free hybrid and heirloom tomato seeds. All you have to do is send in a self-addressed, double-stamped envelope (SASE), and a list of the tomatoes you would like. They'll send you at least six seeds from each kind of tomatoes, which is just right for my smallish garden. The names were so intriguing, too - "Mountain Princess," "Silvery Fir Tree," and "Old German" for starters. Mmm.

Waiting

Chrissy and Dixie have been laying in the living room for the past couple days - Chrissy because she's sick, and Dixie because of her back. They've both been abnormally quiet. I can't wait until they get better, though Dixie has been up and about more today - the pain meds are having their effect. Chrissy has an ear infection, a sinus infection, and bronchitis. We're so thankful for antibiotics!

In the mean time, David and I are at the college in town. I'm sitting on a window seat waiting for his guitar lessons to finish. A funny scene is happening in front of me:

There is a LARGE, hard-backed wall map that needs to be moved through double doors.

A man and woman are politely debating whether or not it will fit. He says he's pretty good at estimating, and it probably is too big. She measured it herself. They have four inches to spare. Thank you.

A man with a foreign accent is studying the waiting map and explaining how his wife came from Spain. He also seems to be interested in Alaska. And the Arctic.

Several bystanders are asking questions of the map-movers.

The man with the Spanish wife is having an exciting conversation (in what sound like Spanish) with a couple of friends and they agree with whatever it is that he's saying.

The map-movers are now unscrewing the double doors, to make room for the map. Will it fit?

It did!

Perhaps it's not really that funny, but it seems so to me!

Campaigning

Oh the joys of campaigning by telephone! While making phone calls for a family friend who's running for office, Beth, David and I had some unique experiences:

• David was mistaken for a lady several times, much to his chagrin (silly voice!), but did a victory dance after learning that several of his first callers were willing to vote for Our Candidate.
• Beth met many people who "aren't into politics," and others who have decided opinions and are happy to share when given the chance!
• I called a state representative at his home (without knowing who he was). I'm glad he announced himself, and that he was in favor of Our Candidate. You just never know who you will call!
  

If you have the opportunity to help a candidate it your area, I whole-heartedly recommend that you do so! We've helped a friend of a friend with campaign calls before, and though he wasn't elected, it was satisfying to know that we'd done all we could to help.

You're almost always guaranteed a memorable experience!

Poor Doggy!

Dixie acted as though she was in pain from the moment she got up this morning, whining and eventually shaking and refusing to walk. She isn't very old, eight at the most (the story of how she came to be ours is very long, so we'll just say that she was rescued and we don't know that much about her past), so we had no idea what was wrong. The vet, however, quickly diagnosed it as back pain. No walks, jumping after squirrels, stairs (I guess I'll have the bed to myself), or jumping up on Daddy when he gets back from work. But it's only temporary - a two week ban (we hope).

*Sniff* We love Dixie.

She does like the pills though! It's probably the peanut butter.

The Urge to Garden

This morning I heard a cardinal sing, just once, and instantly I wanted to plan the garden, buy seeds, till up that dirt, and plant. I went straight to the Burpee Seed Co. website and looked at their heirloom varieties. It was a relief.

I now sympathize with Pavlov's dog.

Attitudes Affect Attitudes

Today was an in-home art class day. There were two new students in the first class , and I was amazed at how their attitudes affected the attitudes of the two students who were in the class last semester.

These new children had very negative attitudes, both towards the other students and towards being in the class itself. While last year the two original students had been constantly complimenting each other on their work, they hardly spoke a word this class.

Contrast this with effects of a cheerful attitude in one of the classes which came afterward.

Last year, these students had enjoyed the class and been friendly with each other, but a new student came this semester and her laughter and happiness is affecting the whole group. They are much more talkative and laugh at anything even remotely funny (last year it had to be hilarious before they would giggle).

My point? Our attitudes affect those of others. "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" (Prov. 17:22) and my art students are here to prove it.

Now, to cheer up one class and reduce the mirth of the other to a more manageable level.

Head in the Clouds Continued

Some photographs from the cutest pediatrician's office in the world. Sorry about the quality - Chrissy's camera is still awaiting parts, so you'll have to settle for what my point and shoot has to offer.

"Clouds" in the waiting room - my pet project.


A baby with his security blanket. Original with Lyndsay, re-created by me.


The three Wonderful boys, entirely by Lyndsay.


Dr. Wonderful herself. Everyone's project.


And just because I love complimentary colors.

Sledding

The snow is melting now, which makes me so glad that we had an opportunity to sled yesterday. Rachel and her family had us over, and we laughed, marveled at how similar our younger brothers are, drank hot cocoa, played Balderdash and went sledding. Have you ever tried sledding on your back without a sled? If not, you should, because it's fun. So thank you, Rachel. :)

This morning we've been catching up on school from yesterday's snow day and cleaning in preparation of our parents' return. I'm so ready for life to return to normal. And it will in one hour!

The Finished Quilt

At last! My scrap quilt is finished. I started out hand-quilting, but after three days I had very little to show for it. So my dear Mama wisely persuaded me to machine quilt. I'm so glad she did!

You can see a bit of the pieced binding.



Gideon even approved.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

For years, Beth and I have been hunting for the perfect cookie recipe. Thin and chewy, not dry and puffy. We've tried many recipes that claimed to be chewy and moist, but none of them delivered (it may have been operator error). Not so with these. I don't remember where I found the recipe, but it's good. Eureka!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Beat 1 cup of softened (but not melted!) butter with a wooden spoon until it is smooth. Add 3/4 cup white sugar, and 3/4 of a cup brown sugar, and beat it until it's creamy. You'll know when you're done.

Stir in two eggs and 1 tsp of vanilla. Then add 1/3 of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir. Add 2 cups of white flour (you can replace part of it with whole wheat flour if you'd like), 1 teaspoon of both salt and baking soda.

Then comes the fun part! Add 1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate chips. REALLY. It's best if they're dark, not milk or semisweet. But semisweet will work...

Place tablespoons of the dough (it will be very soft) about 2 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (dull side up). Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 375 degree oven (Fahrenheit). You can tell they're done when the very edges are firm. The centers will still be very soft.

Pull the tinfoil and cookies off the baking sheet and let them cool on the counter. Hide them somewhere out of sight, or they will be gone too fast.

I will be making them again soon, without any cocoa powder for regular chocolate chip cookies.

Last Light of the Day

In our dormer.

In the living room.

On my pencil holder.

I love the complimentary colors in the top and bottom photos - blue and orange.

Head in the Clouds

Both Mama and I had our heads in the clouds today. Quite literally.

I spent a couple hours this morning painting at a new pediatrician's office - the doctor is the mother of the Wonderful Family. She just started her own practice, and the office is so fun. The theme is stick people which look as though a child drew them, so in each of the rooms there is a figure smiling at you - a football player, a baby dragging his security blanket, and a boy in a wheelchair for starters. The waiting room has a recessed ceiling with hot air balloon shaped light fixture, and I've been painting clouds in the recess (which has a blue background). I will post some pictures just as soon as I remember to bring my camera over there. You have not seen a cute pediatrician's office until you see this place!

Mama's head is in the clouds as I write this, as she is flying home! We'll leave in just a few minutes to pick her up from the airport. I'll be so glad to have her back! Life is just not the same without her...

A Couch-Bound Afternoon

I've come down with something. I think it's just a bad cold, and hope it doesn't get any worse. Whatever it is, it put me on the couch all afternoon.

While on the couch, I knit, read a little about gardening (the addict's wintertime substitute for the real thing), folded laundry, and poked around a bit on Etsy and facebook. I tried studying for a math CLEP test, but could hardly think straight, so I abandoned that after about fifteen minutes. Giddy was unusually friendly today, and sat on my lap. He was very warm.

As I right this (from the couch), Chrissy and David are headed out for an after dark (!) snowball fight with the neighbors. We are relishing every minute of this snow!

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

Perfect for a very snowy day (six inches!). I made the Allrecipes version, which has over three thousand reviews and a five star rating, so I figured it must be good. And it was!

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup (from Allrecipes.com)

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (or, just add some strong broth - or curry powder!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (or more)
  
• Directions

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

I would have pictures, but I'm afraid Chrissy's camera needs resuscitation. Hopefully we'll have the needed parts soon!

Red Poppies at Argenteuil

By Claude Monet, 1873.

A Quiet Day

Not much excitement happening in my corner of the world today. We saw Mom off early this morning (already missing her). I finished sewing my quilt this afternoon, so now it's time to bind the edges. I decided to put together a bias binding from the remaining scraps, which is very colorful and looks more homemade and whimsical than plain binding, I my opinion. I like it!

I watched kids this evening (Chrissy and I regularly babysit for a wonderful family with three boys), which was fun. After the boys were in bed, I folded laundry and read about how not to get injured while running (yes, I'm just starting again, but hey, I might as know how to stay safe!). And they had extremely fragrant pink lilies! I liked those, too.

On a future note, tomorrow night's football game may be turned off mid-way at our house in order to watch the last installment of the Masterpiece Theater version of Emma. It's wonderful!

The Valley of Vision

Daddy gave each of us girls a copy of this wonderful book for Christmas. It is amazing! It's a collection of prayers and devotions by puritan writers including John Bunyan. It is so beautiful - these prayers are God-centered, well written, and constantly point the reader to the cross. It is full of prayers that a) say just what I need to hear, b) express just what I'd like to pray, but can't think of the right words, and c) remind me of my need and Christ's sufficiency. Also, they are relatively short (just a small page or two each), so you can read them in small sections throughout the day if you are busy.

Not to mention the face that the gold-lettered black leather cover is just plain elegant. But even if if had an ugly cover, if would still be a treasure!

Berries at the Farm

Mama is planning on flying there this Saturday to be with her parents. We will miss her!

Pecan Shortbread

I mentioned shortbread in my last post. Before last night, I'm not sure I'd ever had real shortbread. I like it (in small doses), but the rest of the family gave mixed reviews. Dad and Mama really enjoyed it, but my siblings all took one bite, and called it done, which means that Mama and I get to finish it off. Pity.

I used the recipe for Ginger Shortbread from Pleasantview Schoolhouse, but as no one in our family likes ginger very much (I promise, we're not really that picky), I skipped it and added a handful of chopped pecans instead.

Over all, it was very rich (like I said, baked butter), and almost toffee-like. I would post a picture, but Chrissy's camera is out of commission.

Melting Snow

The sounds and scents I encountered today really stood out to me. Here are some of the ones I remember.

On a walk:
The patter of a leaf skidding on the sidewalk.
The smell of melting snow.
The whir of cars.
The smell of pine.
The jingle of Dixie's collar.

At the cottage school:
The thunk of chalk pastels being tossed across the table.
Piano music after class, compliments of my art students.
Sounds of suspense as we (almost, but didn't, then finally did) pricked our fingers in anatomy class.
Interested voices as we found out our blood types (mine was O+).

Tonight, at home:
The smell of shortbread (or should I say baked butter?).
Chrissy plucking on the guitar.
The hum of the sewing machine.
David's laugh of victory after he trumped me (again) in Stratego.

An Instrument for David

David has been asking to take guitar lessons for years, and last week, he got his wish. He's been playing the G scale almost non-stop ever since, and though his fingers hurt, he's looking forward to the next lesson.