Recent Hospitality

In the past nine days we have hosted three separate dinners for nine or more people!  The first was our (meaning Wittenberg Door's) twice-monthly Friday night dinner for international students, along with American friends, which features various kinds of American food and English conversation practice.  This week was different, though - in honor of Chinese New Year, we enjoyed traditional Chinese food and activities, led by our Chinese friends.  A fun time was had by all!

We all pitched in to make Chinese dumplings.

There I am, trying my hand at Chinese calligraphy.

The following Sunday we celebrated Dave's birthday with a large family gathering.  His brother and wife moved to town last fall and it's so great to be able to have them join us for family celebrations!

It turns out we didn't take that many pictures, but here's one of Dave and Arane.  (The little ones are so excited about birthday parties, even when they are not their own!)

Arane supervised the gift opening.  She's an expert. :)

Yesterday, my soon-to-be-88-year-old mother and my sister drove an hour and a half to spend the afternoon and evening with us.  They hadn't been here in a long time, so it was wonderful to have them at our house.  Once again, I was too busy enjoying myself to take many pictures, but I really love this of my mother and the little ones watching deer down by the pond.

Scenes from My House

It's hard to know what to say when you've taken an unintentional two-month-plus blog break.  How do you jump back in?  Do you apologize?  Do you explain?  Do you just reappear?  I think I'll go with the third option but give a brief explanation:  I was just plain busy!  At least once a week I thought about my poor neglected blog, but everything else crowded it out. I don't know if I'll do any better now, but I will try.

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After a week of clouds, the sunshine was very welcome.  The morning sun held warmth and brightness.

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We had our first freeze near the end of October and I thought my flowers were done for.  They were, except not all the geraniums in the barrels near the house got nipped, and they continued to bloom.  But another hard freeze was on the horizon about a week later, so I gathered all the blossoms that remained and put them in a vase on the kitchen windowsill where they are blooming still.  From here on out it's store-bought flowers for us until spring.

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My birthday dessert, which we shared, from the local French bakery. So rich and gooooood!

Sorry for the bad lighting!  It's dark by 5:00 . . .

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English food gets a bad rap.  I can say that with authority now that I've taste-tested a variety of authentic English foods.  In fact, the only bad English food we had the entire two weeks we were there was the pasta we ordered at an "American Italian restaurant."  Dave and I had cornish pasties on the train between London and Cambridge that were absolutely delicious!  And this was just train food!  In September, I decided to try my hand at making my own pasties.  They were a respectable first attempt, but I hope to refine my recipe and technique over the winter months.  They don't look too bad, do they?

Again, bad lighting . . .

Catching Up

So much going on!  All of it good (thank you, Lord!), but it definitely keeps me hopping!  A brief recap~

The mixed herb jar was a belated birthday gift from my sister.  I don't have anything
like it and I love it!

This year's fruitcake.  This is Dave's favorite Christmas treat.

This year's Advent wreath

This year's first snow
Photo credit:  Elizabeth

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ September 20, 2015

This weekend has been perfectly beautiful!  Blue skies, cooler temperatures, crisp nights. . . Lovely!

{Pretty}

Dave worked down by the pond all afternoon clearing out brush piles with chainsaw and fire.  He had a great time!  During the last of the fire, we roasted smoked sausages and marshmallows.

Part of our ever-increasing supply of wood

Anyone know what kind of flower this is?  It's all over the yard.

{Happy}

The two pumpkins growing in our actual garden were bug-eaten when I picked them up, but the volunteers in the compost pile were prolific.  That means the pumpkins I paid attention to (okay, I paid them only a little attention) did not do nearly as well as those I ignored.  Plus there are gourds.  I can't explain it, but I am happy to have these despite everything.

{Real}

What's a cookout without a burnt marshmallow or two?

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{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ September 13, 2015

My supply of pictures is pitiful this week.  I just didn't take many, but I will share what I have.  Read on . . .

{Pretty}

The color of this soup is pretty, don't you think?  It's homemade bean and bacon soup. . .  if you count using canned beans and broth as homemade.  It's semi-homemade, maybe?  Anyway, it was better than the canned variety.  I made cornbread to go with it, and we liked it enough and it was straightforward enough that it will go on our regular menu rotation.  Here's the recipe.

{Happy}

Hannah asked me to make her a new quilt for her bed.  Such a large part of the job is gathering fabric (from the scrapbag and from the store), washing it, and finally ironing it.  This weekend I actually had some time to begin cutting the squares and rectangles.  I have a long way to go, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the process, and I'm happy she wanted me to do this for her even though she could make it herself in much less time.  I'll post periodic updates.

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We are trying to decide on a paint color for a very large, very useless room in our house.  The aqua is too overwhelming in the space with 20 foot ceilings (I'm not joking!).  We are going with a neutral because all our accessories come in a wide range of colors.  The gray, which is actually greener than it appears here, is out.  I don't think I can live with gray, even one tempered with green, anyway, though I know it's very en vogue right now.  I'm so happy to be getting rid of the aqua, though!  I haven't shown you this room because it's just. too. much, but I promise a great big reveal when it's all finished.  

Eventually.

{Real}

Our garden this year has left much to be desired.  Ugh.  It had so many strikes against it, the first being that this is the first year we have planted a garden in this spot.  (We moved too late in the summer last year to get a garden going.)  The second was all that cold and rain we had in May and well into June, which caused a late start.  And the third was Dave's broken wrist, which greatly hampered our efforts on many gardening fronts. So our harvest has not been bountiful.  We'd all but given up on the beans when Dave managed to get a small saucepan full.  Wow, were they good!  

So far, we have gotten a total of one tomato, the above saucepan of beans, a handful of carrots, a few leaves of spinach, and enough cucumbers to make a gallon jar of pickles and also some for eating.  There is a field pumpkin and a couple butternut squashes coming on, plus a few mini pumpkins and gourds for decorating.  And we have hopes of more tomatoes if they ripen before frost.  The volunteers in the compost pile are doing better than those we planted on purpose!  

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{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ August 29, 2015

For once I'm not squeaking in just under the wire with {phfr}.  Last week, I began work in earnest on school prep for the classes I teach at The Potter's School.  Yes, I should have gotten to it sooner, but did I mention we had company (wonderful company but company nevertheless) for three weeks?  And that before that I was spending every spare minute on my granddaughter's busy book?  So, now it's time to get down to business, and get down to business I did.  Lots was accomplished, but there is still lots to do and a Thursday deadline is looming for it.  But I made such good progress last week that I took today completely off to recharge my batteries.  I stayed home (bliss!) and did housewifely things (more blisss!).  See below . . .

{Pretty}

The zinnias are profuse and colorful!  I'm sold on them and plan to plant them every year from now on.  Honestly, they practically grow right before your very eyes, and the colors are stunning!

The yellow flower is a Jerusalem artichoke (why are they named that??) and there
is a red geranium thrown in for good measure.

{Happy}

My housewifely things today mainly consisted of cooking.  First I made and canned some applesauce~

I always forget just how much time it takes to prep apples!

For dinner, I made a pot pie with leftover pork roast and vegetables (and additional veggies to make enough filling for another pie, which I popped into the freezer).  

It made Dave happy, and isn't it pretty too?

                            

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Hannah has asked me to make her a new quilt for her bed, which I am happy to do, even though she's a much better quilter than I am.  I have made a total of one quilt. I'd been saving* pictures and patterns of quilts that are simple enough for me to actually accomplish, and today we looked through them and she picked one.  I don't have a picture to show, but follow the link to see!  I'm going to do the one on the right, though I won't try to give it the woven look.  Hannah preferred it to be random, which is a good thing because I have a feeling it would turn out that way anyway!

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Our garden has been a dismal failure this year.  What the rain and cold in May and June didn't kill, the wildlife has eaten.  We didn't get the fence up in a timely manner due to Dave's broken wrist, alas.  We may still get a little, but it's nothing to write home about, let me tell you.  Ah, well, hopefully next year will be better.  But we did get a few cucumbers, so I took a little time away from school prep one evening to make refrigerator pickles.  I loosely followed these instructions and improvised on the spices quite a lot.  I put them in a big gallon jar.  

{Real}

The camera said this shot was in focus . . .

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*I was a reluctant convert to Pinterest, but now I'm a true believer!  (Within reason, of course.)

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~June 7, 2015

Hello, there!  I did not mean to disappear last week, but it's the way things fell out.  I'm glad to be joining Rosie at Like Mother, Like Daughter for {phfr} this week.

{Pretty}

Masses of vivid, multi-colored geraniums at the local nursery.  I wished I could have rolled up the entire greenhouse and taken it home.  Gorgeous!

{Happy}

I recently used my pressure canner for the first time since we moved here last summer.  I made vegetable beef soup from a leftover pot roast plus a few odds and ends.  It's thrifty and tasty, a good combination!  I love having jars of homemade soup on hand for busy days.  Our garden is in full swing now, and if all goes as planned, I will have veggies to can this summer.  Since this is our first year of gardening at this location, the soil is not great, so I'm trying not to get my expectations too high.  We shall see . . .

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I have wanted to do a fairy garden for the past four summers but, for one reason or another, just never managed to actually get it done.  Well, I finally did yesterday, and I love it!

I bought the miniatures at Jo-Ann (40% or 50% off~ I can't remember which), the asparagus fern at the nursery for $2, and the rest I scrounged.  I dug up some of the copious moss in our lawn and used a couple small impatiens I planted from seed.  I had saved the rocks that we weeded out of the garden all spring and used those for the walkway.  The big rock came from the garden too.  The soil and wagon we already had on hand. The wagon is really Hannah's from when she was a little girl and would take her dolls for rides in it. She hasn't used it for many years, though, so I "borrowed" it.  Dave drilled holes for drainage. So, all told I spent less than $20.  I think my fairy garden is sweet and whimsical!

{Funny}

As I was passing through my bedroom, I glanced out the window and was greeted with this sight:

A flying lesson!  The fledglings did not seem eager to begin.  Two adult birds flew from branch to branch, twittering.  "See?  You just do it like this.  It's easy!  C'mon and give it a try!"  I never did see the little birds attempting to fly, but I suspect they eventually screwed up their courage and tried.  

{Real}

This is the result of a scuffle with an uncooperative horse.  The horse won.

Dave says the falling didn't hurt, but the landing did.  He's got an immobilizing splint and an upcoming x-ray to determine if it's broken or just sprained.  Either way, it looks nasty and feels worse!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ August 31, 2014

We are all waiting with eager anticipation for the second grandchild to make her appearance.  It's a special kind of anticipation that doesn't happen very often.  Hopefully, I'll have pictures to share next week!

{Pretty}

Sometimes, it's just Man of the House and I for supper and then we eat at this little table for two by the window.  The table and chairs belonged to his grandparents and then his parents and are of a very good quality.  The blue and white china sets off the wood tones beautifully . . . or maybe it's the other way around.  Either way, the dishes and furniture seem made for each other, don't they?  This day, we were having a simple meal of good ol' bangers and mashed and a plain vegetable.  This kind of meal is among our favorites.  We are hobbits at heart and like plain food and plenty of it.  (Yes, we had leftovers! :) )

{Happy}

We are mostly settled in our new house, but there are still quite a few jobs needing to be done that have little to do with the livability of the house but everything to do with its aesthetics and homeyness.  One of them was attaching the headboard on our bed.  It's a stinker to attach, but Dave came up with a better solution than we had before, and voila!  It makes the bed and even the room feel more finished. 

Yes, the walls are  . .  orange.  I'm getting used to it and I'm not sure I'd want to change it even if we could.  It is bright and sunny, which I think we'll be glad for this winter.  The bathroom, on the other hand, is even brighter and more intense than this.  I will show it to you someday.

{Real}

This is too real for me!  You see before you a picture of a snake--yes, a snake!--that got into the house nobody knows how for sure.  Dave thinks it came in on his shoes after a sunset trip to the compost pile, which is likely.  The little fellow was about six inches long, approximately half as round as a pencil, and had a red ring around his neck.  We looked it up and found out that he is a northern ring-necked snake. Dave removed him to the outside post haste, where he definitely belonged and was glad to get back to.  

I apologize for the poor picture quality.  The snake was moving fast, Dave was waiting with the dustpan, and I didn't have time to adjust my camera settings or focus or anything.  The floor is really a dark gray slate, though you would never guess it from this picture.

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Beauty Around the House

A rainbow. . .

"Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand."

Yummy goodness from the bread machine, that blessed invention!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 30, 2014

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{Pretty}

A snowdrop!  Lookee!  So it's a month later than usual, but the first flower in spring is always a big occasion.  Next will be the crocuses.  Hurray!

Please ignore the dead leaves.  We never really got this flower bed properly cleared out last fall before the snow started.  Then we had snow constantly all winter except for a few days around Christmas when we were busy with other things (not surprisingly).  

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The view from the end of our street.  There's no green yet, but the trees are putting out their buds and the sky was the bluest of blues.  

{Happy}

It's a terrible picture, I know.  It was very back lit, but I wanted proof that it was warm enough to open a few windows for a little while today. Felix was grateful.

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A visiting pastor and his wife stayed out our house this weekend, and I made apple panakucken for dessert.  It's always a hit!  The batter is a little bit custardy, and you can't go wrong with apples, sugar, and cinnamon.  Plus, it's easy to make.

 {Funny}

Not really laugh-out-loud funny, but curious how the tulip leaves are growing through a dead leaf!

*~*~*~*~*~* I'm so glad you visited! *~*~*~*~*~*

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}~ March 16, 2014

Let's just dive right in, shall we?

{Pretty}

I took this through the kitchen window.  I had to or Birdie would have flown away!

The robins have returned, whole fat flocks of them.  The first winter we lived here, I didn't even notice they were gone until they returned in the spring.  I'd never lived in a place before where the robins left and I was glad to see them back.  I'm grateful to hear their song again!

This little fellow (gal?) sat on a rock and looked around for the longest time.  Robins are such sweet birds and I'm happy to see them in the yard again.

{Happy}

I started the tomato seeds yesterday.  That's a sure sign of spring!  I hope they "take" this year.  Last year, they didn't, so we had to buy some seedlings from the nursery, which is not as frugal or satisfying.  We started 24 to allow for some misfires.  We want about 16 in the end.  Gardening season will soon be in full swing!

{Funny}

The snow is melted (except for the great mountains the snow plows made) and we had a day or two in the low 50's, so I wandered out to the garden beds, which I hadn't visited in months, to see how things were. This is what I found:

I know not whence they came or to whom they belonged.  They were just sticking halfway out of one of the gardens.  I keep thinking some little boy with a hole in his pocket passed by on his way home from school and forever lost two of his treasures. 

{Real}

I have no reason to post this in the {real} category.  I just want to include it and I don't have another photo for {real}. :)  Hannah likes to concoct in the kitchen.  Here, she is making delicious soup mostly out of odds and ends. :)

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