Spring Salad!

Yumm! So beautiful and so delicious! I made a wonderful Italian dressing with Balsamic Vinegar and fresh herbs, rosemary and oregano to go with it.

Wood Cookstove Baking

Nothing tastes quite so good as it does baked in an old fashioned woodcookstove.
Our modern "Gallery Series" professional stove went out, so we're doing without it. Quite nicely, might I add.

Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Onesies

I was recently inspired by Anna of Pleasant View Schoolhouse to embroider onsies for baby gifts! I am very pleased with the results! I did all of these free-hand, considering I didn't have any good iron-on patterns. It is so much fun coming up with ideas, sketching them, and then creating them!

Challah Bread

Last week I made some more Challah bread. I got the recipe from a Jewish friend on HSA. I revised the recipe a little and added ground flax seeds as well as sprinkling a few whole flax seeds on top! It was SO good! I'm making it again today to bring to our church potluck tomorrow. I copied a little excerpt from Nancy Cambell's article, The Shabbat Meal, and printed it out with the recipe on the back for anyone who is interested. I'll post it here as well.

Jewish Challah Bread
The father prays over the challah, the Shabbat bread, – “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” The challah consists of two separate braided loaves, representing the double portion of manna which God provided on Fridays so the Israelites could gather twice as much – enough for two days. It is plaited in three to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The challah is covered with a linen cloth, symbolic of the dew that came down each night and brought the manna. But we remember more than God’s provision of the manna. The Israelites ate this manna and died. We now eat from the Living Bread who came down from Heaven and gives life to the world.
The challah bread is not cut, but broken it as it symbolizes Christ’s body which was broken for us. Each one present breaks off a portion (as big a piece as they desire), and enjoys it with butter or other dips.

Challah Bread

5 cups whole wheat

2 cups white flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast

1/3 cup oil

1/3+ cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 cups warm water

Together add water, yeast, and white flour, mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes while it "sponges". After 15 minutes, add the other ingredients. Be careful when you add the flour, if you fresh ground you will need more, if not, you may need less. Add a little at a time to make sure you don’t overdo it. Knead for 10 minutes. Divide into 2 sections, then into 6. Braid both loaves, let rise for an hour. Bake at 350 until brown (usually about 20-25 min). Thanks to Neshama for the wonderful recipe!

Getting ready to "sponge"

Ahhh! It's alive! Ready to riseReady to EAT!

*I've seen Challah spelled both Hallah and Challah.

St. Patrick's Day

Introducing...

My new business website!
Please feel free to check it out at
www.mothersapparel.com

In the hive.

The inside scoop.

For more great adventures in nature check out my 2 Brothers' Nature Blog!

(Early) Spring Cleaning

The resident animals needed a good vacuuming, so I got out the shop vac's extra long extention and spiffed them up...

Before...

After...
Before...

After...

My New Boots

I bought these cute boots the other day! Just thought I'd share a picture. :o)

Dad's 1851 Colt Navy

Ben's Moth

Ben's moth "hatched"! It's beautiful!

My Cat

Most people don't believe me when I tell them that my cat can do tricks. He will sit on command as well as "shake", give me a "high-five" and "stand". Don't believe it? See for yourself.

Power Outage

This Thursday we had a power outage during a howling storm. We hardly ever loose our power here, so you know it must have been quite a storm.

Dinner came out of the oven just before the power went out, so we feasted in candle light. After dinner we decided to break out a special treat...mini marshmallows! :9 After eating a few "raw", we thought we'd try roasting them with tooth picks over the candles! It was loads of fun.

After that we listened to the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show all together on the couch. We all went to bed at 8 o'clock except Mom, who went to bed at 7:30. :o)

George Burns & Gracie Allen

St. Lucia Day

St. Lucia

~~~

Night goes with silent steps

Round house and cottage.

O'er the earth the sun forgot

Dark shadows linger.

Then in the threshold stands

White-clad, in candlelight,

Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

~~~

St. Lucia's Day is a Sweedish tradition and primaily a home festival, celebrated by the rich and poor in every part of the country.

Saint Lucia is always represented by a young girl who wears a white dress and crimson sash and stockings. She has a lingon, or whortleberry leaf crown, into which lighted candles are inserted. She announces Yuletide at dawn by stopping at the bedside of each member of the family witha a tray of coffee and treats, such as saffron buns. This custom goes back to the legend of Saint Lucia, who was condemned to death in 304 during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian.

Early missionaries carried the Lucia story to Sweeden. There the legend of the young martyr took deep root in popular imagination. Now her day stands for hospitality at home and in the community. She wore white robes and a crown of light, as she glided across the icy lakes and snow-covered hills with food and drink for the parish poor.

This probably accounts for this modern custom:

In the home the oldest daughter enacts the role. (That would be me!!)

She wears a long white dress offering ginger cookies or saffron buns baked in the shape of a letter X. Originally the form probably stood for the Greek letter chi, which looks like an X and begins the name of Christ.

St. Lucia's Day is a happy occasion not only because of the traditional refreshments and fun, but because the day supposedly marks the completion of the busiest holiday chores. Young people have finished their Christmas gifts. The farmer has threshed and put his barns and storerooms to rights. As for the housewife, she not only had made the tallow dips, scoured the copper, and scrubbed the floor, but has also started to prepare the lutfisk, or stockfish. This fish, traditional to the Cristmas Day dinner and the most important item on the menu, requires a full three weeks of soaking, cleaning, and scrubbing before it is ready to cook.

~From 46 Days of Christmas; A Cycle of Old World Songs, Ledgends, and Customs By Dorothy Spicer

This morning I got up at 5:30 to get ready for my rounds as St. Lucia. I brewed the coffee and warmed up the buns, which I had made the night before. I also made some hot cocoa for the rest of us who don't drink coffee.

I did wear a white dress, but I omited the candles and wreath...I didn't think it was too safe. What if my hair caught on fire and how was I going to get that dripping wax out of my hair?

I pinned two ribbon roses in my hair instead.

Everyone enjoyed receiving their treats in bed, there was about just as much anticipation as there is on Christmas morning.

Old Fashioned Winter Dance

Our Old Fashioned Winter Dance was a success! We had a very good turn out and everyone caught on wonderfully. It was so homey with the candles burning and the Christmas music playing.

It was suppose to be from 2-4, but we couldn't stop! :o) We ended up dancing until 6p.m. We sang "Joy to the World" together before we left.

Believe it or not, my throat is not sore (yet) from yelling out all of the dance steps.

Pearl Harbor

December 7th, 1941

Today, sixty-five years ago, our nation was upheaved with great shock at the news of a horrible catastrophe at a U.S. Naval Base in Hawii. The Japanese Imperal Army bomed Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans: 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians also hitting 17 warships and destroying 188 aricraft.

I feel so inadequate writing about this. How do I know what I'm talking about? I wasn't there. I can't possibly imagine what it must have been like, how it must have felt. Peace was over, America was in WWII. I didn't have a father, brother, or husband in the war. I never had to receive a dreaded telegram from the War Department. How could I dare to act like I know what I'm talking about! But that's not why I'm writing this. This is the least I can do, but praise the Lord I can do it! I can remember this day, this war, those men & women-- my great-grandparents-- I can glean from their successes, thier mistakes, I can learn from history. May this generation look back...just pause for one instant...from this busy life of today, and hear the people talking from down the corridors of time. Hear them laughing & crying, singing & and moaning and listen to what they have to say. What they have learned and what we can learn from them. May we ever draw near to God and He will draw near to us. May America bless God as God blesses America.

Here's to the men & women I never met and to the ones I have. Although I may never have known them, I feel as if we've always been friends. I am greatful for what they have done for me, for America.

USSCalifornia sinking

The forward magazines of the USS Arizona exploded after it was hit by a bomb dropped by Tadashi Kusumi.

USS Pennsylvania, behind the wreckage of the USS Downes and the USS Cassin

Memorial Service for men killed during the Japanese attack on NAS Kaneohe.

My great-grandparents.

A Honeybee & Banjo?

While I was playing last night I got a little visitor! She got carried in on the frames I had outside for the bees to clean off. She is quite the accomplished player, if I do say so myself.

My little tea pot

My birthday~

For my cake I decided to go with some pretty Vine Maple leaves. The boys were so sweet to go climb up to the specific tree that I wanted leaves from and got me a few choice branches. I also made a bunch of cup cakes with spelt flour and no dairy for special people who cannot have the ordinary.
Kami got me the cutest teapot that I have had my eye on for at least six months! She's so sweet!! Ben got me 2 very nice pairs of knee socks. (He heard that I was reforming and deciding to have my own socks, instead of sharing with Kami. :o) I must be growing up!) Gabe got me a beautiful pair of earings, and Dad & Mom bought me a dressy pull-over sweater, along with paying the expenses to go visit some friends in Oregon!