Apron Strings, Gift Angels, and Pretty Things
January 23, 2008|Comments (none)
Home projects continue with a set of aprons using fabric from Tia Julie and the Gift Angel. My goal is to have them done in time for National Wear Your Apron Day. Here is one side of two aprons (they will be reversible):
And the baskets of fabric:
The days have run together since everyone left. I did make homemade yogurt using the crock pot with Amanda (who brought me a super storage bin for my bulk flour or sugar). We had a great time! I also went to the doctor and have contacts again! Yippee! While the hair is still dreadful — at least I can see where I’m going!
I also wanted to show you a really great idea for a homemade incubator.
Money for Nothing and the Chicks for Free?
January 20, 2008|Comments (none)
Originally we planned to go to the Lee County Flea Market on Saturday but the weather failed to cooperate. This meant that Nancy and Paul were on the road when Tia Julie, Amber, Heather, Josh, and I left for the market today. We weren’t even sure that anyone would have booths set up since it was so bitterly cold but it was worth a shot. We arrived to find a handful of booths and a man selling chickens, pot-bellied pigs, rabbits, and game birds. What luck! He just happened to have with him three lovely Rhode Island Reds (brown egg layers) which we have named Zsa Zsa, Eva, and Magda (after the Gabor sisters). The man was very nice. Tia Julie and I couldn’t stop looking at this little pair of bantams. They were precious! The man selling them took them out of the cage and held them for us to see. Both birds snuggled up against the man’s coat and were obviously quite used to being handled. Tia Julie asked Josh if she could buy them so that when Tio Raul came to visit, we would have cuddly & beautiful birds for him to bond with. Josh happily agreed. Tio Raul will name the darling bantams (pictured at the top of the page) soon. We are confident that he will pick names to match their gentle nature as he is quite good with that sort of thing!
Here are two of our Gabor sisters in the coop:
Chickens are not for the casual investor in these parts! The Rhode Island Reds were $10 each and the bantams were considerably more than that! But that’s the going rate and these were the best looking birds we’ve seen yet. They are plump, well-feathered, brightly colored, and healthy looking. It was also very nice to see that they had been handled from chicks and were not fearful of us. In fact, they enjoy company! This evening, after we said goodbye to Tia Julie and Amber (who we adore), Josh and I went out to check on the birds. I held the tiny bantam hen in my arms like a baby and she nestled into my fleece jacket like she’d been there her whole life. I just can’t tell you how that made us feel… to be holding our own chickens on our own property in front of the chicken coop which we built with our own hands.
In honor of our Gabor Sisters:
Peach Pecan Praline Frozen Yogurt, Cran-Apple Jam, & Orange Cranberry Vinegar
January 17, 2008|Comments (none)
A GREAT gift from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Paul: our very own ice cream maker! I love its classic design and electric motor! We made frozen yogurt (using my homemade Yogurt), frozen peaches, and homemade pecan pralines. Here’s a picture of the pralines:
A little while ago, I purchased a 3 Lb bag of whole cranberries and then couldn’t decide what to do with them. Nancy and I decided to can them up in some manner. We pulled out various canning books but didn’t have all the ingredients. We opted to make our own thing. Thus: cran-apple jam was born. Now we certainly aren’t claiming to be the first to make the stuff but we did make it without a recipe to follow. Here it is:
And with the leftover cranberry juice, we made orange cranberry vinegar:
Aunt Nancy brought frozen wineberries and black raspberries along and they are now fully defrosted. Tomorrow, we’ll can them up and put my quilt on the frame. I’ve decided on a star pattern for the quilt. Pictures soon — promise!
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