Aged Hot Pepper Sauce Recipe from Sister in the Mid-west

Peppers grown by my dad in Tennessee.

 
Sister in the Mid-west at Simple Inspirations posted a recipe recently for aged or fermented hot pepper sauce. My dad loves this kind of sauce and he recently figured out how to make his own using Tabasco peppers that he grew. I don't know if he has a recipe or not as he tends to "fly by the seat of his pants" when cooking. (Yeah, that's partly where I got it.) This recipe sounds similar to what my dad probably did, so I thought it would be interesting to share it. I'll ask my dad about his recipe later, if I remember. :-)

My Aged Pepper Hot Sauce "Recipe"

Please let her know if you try her recipe. :-)

Worth Repeating - How to Make Ends Meet

This post was first published here in August 2011. I thought it might be helpful to someone again. :-) I added some vintage photos just for interest.
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Here is a good blog post on How to Make Ends Meet.  

Please read the comments too. At the time that I linked to this there were a few that really added to the article itself.

By the way, this is something that all of us need to think about and there are things that all can put into practice, even those who don’t have such a limited budget at the moment. If you don’t see the need for that you must not know what is going on in the world or are willfully ignorant of it. As it says in Proverbs 23:5, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

1 Timothy 6:6-7 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Saving bacon grease for future use.

My mother used to do this. In fact, she still has a bacon grease tin as far as I know. :-)

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Source of photos unknown.

Hard Questions – Have You Done What You Could?

This was first posted here six years ago. As I was thinking about what to post for the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 I wondered about something new or reposting something from the past. Among the old posts that I considered for revisiting, this one eventually stood out as a good one for the turning of the year. I needed the reminder as much as anyone!

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Dec. 8, 2012
[edited]


I was going through some of my photos when I came across  a couple pictures that made me think – again.




My husband and I were walking on a riverside walkway in North Carolina with some of his family the day we found these notes. I was touched and blessed to see that some child with a zeal for lost souls had put these notes (at least one had a tract with it also) on benches along the walk. The printing was not perfect, the syntax was not perfect, but the spirit of the thing – how precious it must be in God’s sight! Whoever this young boy or girl was, they were using what skill they had to do what they could for the Lord Jesus.

Do you remember this story from the Bible? Mark 14:3-9  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

I sometimes get frustrated about the energy and concern that I see Christians put into things like rescuing dogs and cats, fighting genetically modified foods, “saving” America, supporting “our” troops, and righting numerous great wrongs in the world. It isn’t because there isn’t a point to some of these needs, because there is. For example, we are reminded to “remember the poor” in Galatians 2:10.  And, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast…,” Proverbs 12:10. But, sometimes all these earthly good deeds are pursued at the expense of the heavenly good deeds – glorifying the Lord Jesus and rescuing precious souls from eternal damnation.

What good does it do to rescue a child from abortion or a girl from a slave brothel and then not give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ? (That one qualifies as a hard question!) What good is it if we give to the poor and take care of hurt animals but don’t spend time worshiping the Lord Jesus Himself? (And, I don’t mean just “going to church.” Too many people think that warming a pew for a couple hours a week qualifies as doing what they “should” for God.)

1 Corinthians 13:3 says,  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. This is another consideration. Charity is an ability all believers can and should cultivate.

I know some of us sometimes we feel like we don’t have a lot to work with. Maybe you are “stuck” at home for days on end. Maybe you struggle with some physical or emotional disability that makes it hard for you to do what others do. Maybe you feel like your skills are small. Maybe you are financially limited for one reason or another. But, what are you doing with what you have that you can use?

Look at this video of these people who live on a landfill - a garbage dump. [I have no control over advertisements or recommended videos shown.]



Most of us are not in this position I’d dare say! Yet, see what amazing musical instruments these people have created from other people’s garbage! Think about how they are turning the off cast rubbish of others into beautiful music which is in itself a form of giving back.

Do you really and truly have nothing to work with for the Lord? I don’t think any of us could honestly say that. I know I fail often to use the tools that I could as efficiently as I could or as wisely as I could. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.

Martha Snell Nickolson who was bed ridden and wracked with pain for years wrote this:

Handicapped?

How handicapped, how bound are we
When Christ was bound on Calvary?
He could not move a hand nor foot,
And He was wracked with anguish, but
He gave Himself to earnest prayer
For those whose weight of sins He bare.
"Father, forgive, they know not what they do."
O child of God, say not,
"I am too handicapped, too bound,
Too busy, and I have not found
A service I can do for Him."
O Shame! Let us, with eyes grown dim,
Look back to Calvary.
Bound helpless there,
The suffering Saviour gave himself to prayer!

At the very least, we can pray. Or is that “the least”? James 5:16  …The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

It is easy to imagine that our small contribution in the work of the Lord is not much and not worth a lot in the big picture. But, one of the great things about our God is that nothing is too small with Him. Consider the attention He gave to the construction of snowflakes, of DNA, of atoms, and more. We should not think that what we have to offer in His service is too small or useless. He has a purpose and use for every life that He sustains!

When the Lord appeared unto Moses in the burning bush to call Moses to go to the Hebrew people, Moses did not believe that the people would listen to him. 

Exodus 4:1-4  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Moses’ rod was the tool of his occupation as a shepherd. It was not some special thing nor talent, it was a common everyday thing that he used to work. Yet, under the miraculous touch of the Lord God Almighty, it became something by which he could prove that the Lord had appeared unto him.

Now, I’m not anticipating having any of our common tools turn into snakes. :-) It’s the Jews that require a sign anyway, 1 Cor. 1:22.  But, what are the tools that we have – the common, everyday things that we use in our daily work – that could be used to the glory of God? With His enabling power not just the common things, but even the things humanly considered to be “trash” can be transformed into something for His glory.

One young lady I had the privilege to meet had almost nothing to use but her stunning smile, and yet she used that for the glory of God. (See Violet’s Story.)

Think of that child who used his/her “poor” writing skills, some paper, a pencil, a stick, and a rock for Jesus. Think of those folks who literally used the garbage and cast-off junk of others to make beautiful music. Perhaps it is a bed of anguish as with Martha Nicholson. Perhaps it is “just” a smile as with “Violet”. What are you using for the Lord? What are you overlooking as “too insignificant” to be any good? This is something that we all need to consider. One of the greatest things that ever could be said of us is that we did what we could!

1 Peter 4:10-11  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

What About the Refugees? Part 3 – The Missionfield Next Door

(Painting:  "In Cairo" by Joseph Farquharson)

There has been a lot of worry and fear in various places about the possibility of Syrian refugees (to say nothing of “illegals” from Mexico) arriving “here.”  Stories of their alleged evil intent, of possible “terrorists” among them and other horrors have spread.  Some things that have actually happened somewhere have been represented with doubtful accuracy as “normal” behavior for “those people.”   But, what is the mind of Christ?  What does this mass migration mean to the child of God who is entrusted with the precious words of life?

Continue Reading.

All Things Are Yours – A Poem by Eva Travers Poole

 

Here is another poem by Eva Travers Poole.  I posted another awhile back.

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1 Corinthians 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

“All Things Are Yours”

LIFE is thine, but not to trifle or to idly fling away;
Let thy heart's inherent manhood turn from childhood's toys and play;
God would have His heavenly music rolling grandly through thy soul,
Uttered not in broken fragments, but in one harmonious whole:
Let the master hand of Jesus sweep across the strings of life
Till it wakes Divine responses, softly soothing pain and strife.

Continue Reading.

Sew Happy Friday – Quick-to-make Cozy Socks from Polar Fleece

 

Photo property of Tim Anderson

In honor of my readers in south-west Australia, it seemed like a good idea to post something they could make today to keep their feet warm as the “Antarctic Vortex” blows through. :-)

Here are instructions to make some warm, cuddly socks quickly with fleece.  You will have to draft your own pattern, but with the info provided, it looks fairly easy.  This would be a great way to use up fleece scraps or to upcycle a blanket that is getting tired but still has some good spots.  You may want to add some elastic around the top edge to keep them up better.

Note that you have to click the “next” button to continue reading the instructions.  There are three pages total.

“Cozy Socks from Polarfleece Blanket”

Berry Fun Friday– Fun Facts About Strawberries

Here’s a fun post about strawberries from Jo at Finding Joy In the Everyday.  I hope you enjoy the fun facts she shares.  Please leaver her a comment to let her know how you got there. :-)

Random Tuesday #6 – Fresh Strawberries

Berry Fun Friday- A Can of Berries Craft Project

 

Photo from The Enchanting Rose

Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose posted this cute strawberry project in March.  Her instructions on how to make the strawberries are quite simple.  You don’t have to have the exact supplies she used to make your own can.  “Shop your own stuff” to come up with something that will look nice for your décor – fabric scraps, trims, etc.  Also, search online for a pretty picture to print for the front of the can.

A Can of Strawberries

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A few links to strawberry graphics:

Vintage strawberry label from the Graphics Fairy.

A simple one at the Graphics Fairy.

Strawberry cluster from the same site.

Vintage Strawberry seed package label.

Sew Happy Friday – Tea Cup Coasters Tutorial Link

 

Coasters are a good item to have in areas where you entertain guests as well as for regular use by your own household.  They can save your furniture from water spots, or just keep that little mess off of surfaces that are not damageable.  This saves you a little bit of work, especially with coaster that can be tossed into the wash when they need to be cleaned.

These tea cup coasters are so pretty and they look like they are easy to make.  Here is the tutorial from Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose:

Tea Cup Coasters

 
These would be quite versatile.  You can make them “your own” by using fabric and trims that fit your décor and style.  Wouldn’t they be cute in red with white polka dots and a bit of white rick-rack?  I leave you to your imagination. :-)

Note: If you drink a lot of tea in your house, you may want to use a dark color that will camouflage tea stains.  Tea can be hard to get out of fabric.  In fact, tea can be used as a fabric dye.

Sew Happy Friday – A Poll with A Giveaway and A Tutorial for The Falling Triangles Quilt

 

The Poll and Giveaway

My sister-in-law is doing a poll on handmade gifts for her Etsy shop.  Please help her out by taking it.  I think you have to be a Facebook member to do so.  If you take the poll you will automatically be entered to win a free handmade gift in her drawing which she plans to do December 11 (USA time).  Here’s the link to the poll: Handmade – Your Opinion!

There is a “button” on the right hand side of my blog which will take you to their Etsy shop.  She has added a lot of new items recently – all patterns.  So take a look if you’re interested. :-)  I could put the link here, but I want you to remember that you can enter the shop any time through the main page here at my blog. ;-)

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The Tutorial

After you get done with the poll, please come back and watch this tutorial for The Falling Triangles Quilt by Jenni and MSQC (Missouri Star Quilt Co.).  This is not a terribly complicated pattern, but it will make a huge quilt top fairly easily.  Winter is a good time of year to work on a bigger sewing project.

Sew Happy Friday – Free Easy Bag Pattern

 

Here’s a link to a free bag pattern by Jen Eskridge over at Reanna Lily Designs:  Free Beach Bag Pattern.  You can download the PDF file for the bag here.

(Photo property of Jen Eskridge.)

She is calling this a beach bag, but I think it could be useful in a lot of other ways.  How about for carrying blankets, snacks and pillows for a picnic, fireworks or a concert in the park?  Or maybe it could even carry a kid’s sleeping bag to Grandma’s house. :-)  With some snaps along the top it could even serve as an overnight bag, or as a bag to carry “extras” for baby on a long day out.

A Year Ago Today – A Day In Australia

 

Brisbane on another day.  Notice all the solar panels on the roofs in the foreground.

In trying to think of something to post on the blog today it occurred to me that it might be interesting to see what we were doing a year ago today.  A year ago today we were still in Australia visiting my brother and his family near Brisbane.  In some ways it’s hard to believe that was a whole year ago, and yet it seems much longer than a year because so much has happened since then!

At any rate, I got out the journal that I kept of the our time there and looked up September 30th.  That turned out to be the day we all went into Brisbane to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary!  :-)  We chose to go there, at my sister-in-law’s recommendation, because they had a large collection of Australian animals only.  We figured we could see a regular zoo any time, but seeing as many Aussie animals as possible at once seemed a better use of funds and time.  It turned out to be a very good investment for us.

We rented a wheel chair for our entire time in Australia so that my mom
wouldn’t be so limited in how much she would see.

I’ll give some excerpts followed by some comments in purple from my present perspective.

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Mon., Sept. 30 – Got a slowish and somewhat hectic start to go to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. 

[That’s fairly normal for day outings when you have a group of 8 people getting ready in one medium-small house. :-)  We went in two cars as well, a rental and their family car.  The four of us “visitors” were all in the rental together with my husband driving.  Exciting times.]

We got “lost” in Brisbane in our car and had a rather distracting time finding our way back to where we needed to go.  It’s a very confusing city and the map was rather confusing to Daddy at times, as well.  We finally made it, but Dad and I both were rather anxious and I was fighting motion sickness.  Driving in Brisbane is much like riding the “Tilt-a-whirl”. :-P

[Brisbane is very hilly, with twisting roads - and one way streets thrown in to confuse tourists, I think.  We almost ended up in the downtown area, which probably would’ve been quite “interesting”.  Of course, driving on the “wrong side of the road” all the time only compounded our confusion at times.  I can chuckle about it now, but at the time it was rather more excitement that we wanted.  I’m glad my husband, Peter, was able to deal with driving there. :-)  ]

The Koala Sanctuary was quite interesting and almost all Aussie animals, which was nice.  Better than a zoo and less expensive, though not cheap.  Took lots of photos.  Saw quite a few things.

[Quite a few of the animal and bird photos I’ve been sharing over the last year in my “Australian Memories” posts were taken at the LPKS.]

Mom and Dad saw the “Birds of Prey” showing and some of us saw a less-than-satisfactory sheep herding demonstration.

[The sheep were so used to the routine it appeared they could’ve done the demonstration without the dog, who was doing a less than great job at his share of the program.]

The rest of us joined them looking at the birds of prey
after watching most of the sheep dog demonstration.

[We took LOTS of water! :-)  The second photo was taken by my brother on his camera.]

We ate our picnic lunch in the “sanctuary”, then we split up.  Peter and I saw the “roos” and emus and wombats and a few reptiles.  Then I was so done in we rested on some benches in the shade while the others looked at those and headed back and got ice cream.

[This is a bit confusing.  I think I meant that the others looked at those same things that we’d looked at, or at least they mostly did.  We had looked at the monitor lizards and crocodiles, which were outside.  I think I was having a touch of heat sickness as it was a very warm day, so when we went into the snake room I couldn’t handle it and we had to come out.  It was dark in there and just plain creepy with all those live snakes – even if they were behind glass!  We rested because I was feeling overcome by the heat.]

We shopped in the gift shop and got some nice little things to take home for us and as gifts.  The others joined us there and Peter and I also got ice cream.

[Hooray for ice cream on a hot Australian afternoon! :-)  I really enjoyed it that day!  We did take plenty of water, but the sun in Australia is just plain stronger than it is in the U.S.  We don’t appreciate the ozone layer enough here.]

We finished up and headed home.  The return trip was…less trouble than the one in.  We got separated and they actually beat us home, though we’d been leading.

Dan and Clara went out and brought back “fish and chips” for dinner/tea.  Peter and I got some raw items with ours that we didn’t expect to be raw!  Otherwise it was tasty and another good Aussie tradition. :-)

[That was another surprise that day.  We picked out what we wanted from a menu before they went to get the food.  We none of us realized that when it said “fresh shrimp” that it wouldn’t be cooked!  The oysters were not surprising, but we didn’t expect the shrimp to be raw.  I’ve never heard of serving shrimp raw here in the U.S.  We didn’t eat the raw things, but my brother Dan cooked them up the next morning for some of them to eat with their breakfast.  My nephew asked for the shells from the oysters and was happy to be “gifted” those.  I don’t remember if my niece took some of them too or not.  The food was very good, though.]

[Sulphur-crested cockatoo.  Very noisy birds.]

I finished up with some more comments on the sanctuary:

The koalas were surprisingly smelly animals, but really cute too.  The birds and things in cages were hard to photograph, but some were so pretty.  We did get some very nice photos of other creatures.  The wombats were much larger than Peter expected.  We’d been warned that the platypus was quite small, which it was.  They were also very active, and in a dark room/tanks.  The emus and kangaroos were very tame, but I didn’t avail myself of the chance to pet one.  Neither did Peter.

[I’m glad I mentioned the smell of the koalas or I wouldn’t have remembered that.  They were really fun to look at.  We could’ve had our photos taken with one, but at $20 a pop and not being allowed to take our own photos but only to get the one provided by the park, we decided it wasn’t worth it.  I wasn’t sorry later after we saw one koala get angry with another one and “roar” at him/her.  They are not always as docile as they look and can be dangerous animals!

The wombats were surprisingly large, but also sleeping, so we didn’t get any good photos of them as we could only see them through glass in poor light and rather unflattering positions. 

The platypus was in a darkened room and it was posted not to use flashes in take photos, so it wasn’t possible to get much of anything.  I did get a photo of a skeleton display, though, and was surprised that the “beak” is not like a bird’s beak at all, but part of their skeletal system.

Platypus Skeleton

I’m a little sorry I didn’t pet a kangaroo.  They were all in an enclosure where people could walk around and “visit” with them and the emus.  Well, I guess just being there was adventure enough for me that day, and I didn’t want to have to go wash my hands at the exit sinks I suppose. :-)

Overall it was a very interesting experience and if you ever visit Australia and are going to Brisbane, we would recommend the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  It was worth it for us.  Be sure to wear hats and carry water!]

Wearing my husband’s hat and smiling after being refreshed by ice cream!

A Couple Articles On Things that Make House Cleaning Difficult

 

An old picture of me from when we were first moving into our house here.

I guess we all have housekeeping jobs that we dislike and reasons or excuses that we use to avoid doing certain things when we should – or ever.  Patty Gardner at Homemakers Daily posted a couple of useful articles on this subject. [As usual, probably disclaimer on some content of this site.  I’ve actually read very little of it.]

Patty wrote a two part article:

10 Things That Make House Cleaning Difficult, Part 1

10 Things That Make House Cleaning Difficult, Part 2

Some of her observations are so accurate, and some of her suggestions are really helpful.  But, as she seems to make clear, to really overcome the difficulties you’ll have to work out a plan that will help you according to your particular needs.

There are few things I want to emphasize or point out. 

First off, she stresses that if you’re dealing with health issues and that’s a hindrance to your cleaning, not to overdo things when you are able to work.  This is so important.  I have learned this the hard way to my sorrow.  When we feel better and we start overdoing things we’re very apt to cause a new flare up or such.

Secondly, more than once in certain situations she recommends lowering your expectations.  This is something that my mom taught me by example, but I still struggle with it in some areas.  I also know there are some people who really let their expectations rule them.  Be realistic about your situation and decide what is really important and what people will really notice.  I know one person who regularly goes “crazy” when company is coming and will clean things that no one is going to see – and if someone does see them they should probably be rebuked for putting their nose into some place that wasn’t any of their business.  You really don’t need to clean the shower of the master bath when company is coming for dinner.  Close the curtain or hang a towel over the door if there’s a remote chance someone might need to use that bathroom.  If your lady friends are coming for exercise and Bible study and there’s a load a laundry that needs to be folded in the living room carry it somewhere that they won’t be.  It is not necessary to fold it and put it away if you’re already struggling to get things done.  Also, people aren’t likely to look behind your dressers or in your laundry room on casual visits.  (I know some of my readers may wonder at this kind of advice, but I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous behavior – when company was only coming for the afternoon and dinner.  Sorry to say, I’ve done some silly things myself in this line!)

In point No. 7 she recommends if you have kids making them help you with chores, and working together rather than at different times.  This is good advice.  However, one thing she seems to indicate is that certain ones in her household did certain jobs all the time, or their preferred jobs.  I strongly recommend mixing things up and making everyone take a turn at all chores suitable to their age – and, yes, that means the boys too.  Sadly, there are some homes where the boys get away with not learning to do certain chores because it’s “girls’ work”.  One day they may be very sorry or hindered by that, mothers, so don’t deprive them of the full education they may need to run a household if they remain single or “wife” is sick in bed or, even worse, dies.  There are also some homes where certain jobs are considered “men’s work” and so the girls never learn to do them.  This is just as unhelpful for the same reasons.  By having everyone learn all jobs they can cover for each other, and there won’t be holes in your house work when someone is away or leaves home. 

My mom and I experienced this because for some years my brothers were always the ones to clear the dinner table and wipe it after meals and we girls cleaned up the kitchen.  Mom and I both have struggled with remembering to wipe the table because of that.  For me it’s partly an irritation thing because for so long someone else did that and I only had to do it when he annoyingly forgot.  You get the picture.  This is why I recommend sharing the chores around.  Plus, if you share them around the least assertive person won’t get stuck with the most tiresome or tedious chores all of the time that no one else wants to do.  If you had a few siblings or have a few kids you know what I mean.

A Roman Miracle

Photo by John Snyder via Wikicommons

Here’s a poem with a surprise ending for you today.  :-) I think this has been set to music, but I couldn’t find it online.

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A pretty maid, a Protestant, was to a Catholic wed;
To love all Bible truths and tales, quite early she's been bred.
It sorely grieved her husband's heart that she would not comply,
And join the Mother Church of Rome and heretics deny.
So day by day he flattered her, but still she saw no good
Would ever come from bowing down to idols made of wood.
The Mass, the host, the miracles, were made but to deceive;
And transubstantiation, too, she'd never dare believe.
Continue Reading.

In Honor of Godly Fathers

 

Proverbs 17:6  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Here are a couple links to things I’ve posted on the Home Maker’s Corner in the past about fathers.

In Honor of Fathers

Only A Dad

My dad holding me as a baby.

Laying Aside Weights – Some Thoughts On Dealing with Things

 

1 Corinthians 7:29-31  But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

These articles written by others go well with the Laying Aside Weights series. (I know, I thought I was done with that too, but it keeps coming up again.)

Spring Cleaning Your House and Your Mind - Here’s an article over at Living On A Dime about clearing our thinking up as we prepare to clean up our houses for spring and summer.  I dare say most of us could stand to remove some of the “scum of life” that has accumulated from the winter months.  She has some helpful observations about how we view our things and how our things should serve us rather than us serving our things.  (If you have trouble figuring out how to go about organizing and cleaning up – especially if you have some illness that hinders you – you might want to also read this:  How to Get Organized! Part 2.)

Letting Go of Someone Else’s Memories - Here is a thought-provoking item at A Slob Comes Clean for those who are tempted to keep and store other people’s memories and stuff.  I may have posted this before, but it goes well here.

Sew Happy Saturday – Some Quilt Related Links

 

In honor of Worldwide Quilting Day, here are some links on quilt-related subjects.  Enjoy!

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Here is a free primer from McCall’s Quilting on how to do foundation piecing (paper piecing).  It is a PDF download.

Here’s a great tutorial on options for sewing curves from the Sometimes Crafter.  I think I might try one of these if I can actually ever convince myself that I should learn to sew curved quilt pieces. :-)

Here’s a recipe for DIY pressing spray.  This could be useful to anyone who sews, but for quilters it might be very useful.  I have not tried this yet, but I really should.  I think that using spray starch might help with some projects, especially ones cut on the diagonal.

This lady shows us an interesting way to use up scrappy bits in a 9-patch.  I like this improvisational method better than some because, although I like the scrappy look of improvising, some of the things I’ve seen look too busy for my tastes.  I like the way this is contained in an orderly block, but still looks improvised and modern. :-)

Here are some interesting pointers on taking care of heirloom quilts.  While I may not agree with all their ideas, there’s a lot of good advice here (though the ads are a bit overwhelming).  Unless it’s something very labor intensive, I prefer that the quilts I make be used and enjoyed.  You may wish to preserve your old quilts for future generations, but don’t feel compelled to store old quilts away just because they are old.  It’s just stuff, and if you enjoy having it out and using it, by all means do so!

Last, but not least, here is a tutorial for some scrappy quilted potholders.  As a side note I should mention that if you don’t have insulating material to use for the “batting”, try using two 100% cotton washcloths – just be sure they are pre-washed or you may have some disappointing shrinkage.  Actually, this is a good way to use old washcloths as long as they are not too thin in the middle.  (And, as long as you are not planning to sell the hot pads.)

Who Would You Invite for Dinner?

 

(For some reason I like the blurriness of this photo.  It gives it a foggy look from the past. :-)  My mom is on the left and Gramma is in the middle.)

 

My friend Jo at Stop…Have A Chat posted this interesting challenge recently and I thought I’d join the fun by making my own list. :-)

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You are planning a  dinner party and you are allowed to invite six people that most fascinate you, they need to be famous.

Who are you going to invite?

You need to have a combination of those who are alive today and those who have died?  Please note that you are not allowed to invite people from Biblical times just to make it a little more tricky.

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Some of my choices are not “famous” by the world’s standards, but I consider them to be so.

1. Isobel Kuhn (1901-1957) – missionary to China and author of a number of books. 
2. Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932) – a prolific Christian poet.
3. Nate Saint (1923-1956) – the missionary pilot who flew for the Auca endeavor. He is the subject of the book Jungle Pilot.
4. Jane Austen (1775-1817) – author of Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, two books I especially like.  Also, I think it’s likely that she was a Christian.
5. Amy Gibson (19??-) – one of my favorite quilting personalities.  I think she would probably enjoy this group.
6. The Lord Jesus (eternity-eternity) – although Bible times people are excluded I’m going to add Him because He is alive today! :-)

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Would you like to make a list of six people you’d invite for dinner?  Leave a comment or post it on your own blog.  Please give Jo a link back if you blog about it. :-)

Australian Memories – Banksia

 

Banksia

A Random Winter Evening

 

Verse for Today:

Psalms 118:24  This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

This Evening I like the…
Smell of…a wood fire.
Sound of…the dog snoring in front of the crackling fire.  My husband typing.  (He’s working late tonight, but thank the Lord he can work from home!)
Taste of…chocolate.
Sight of…electric lights.  These early evenings of winter make me thankful for electricity.
Feel of…warm extra layers of clothing.

Good Things about Today:

The sun shone – almost ALL DAY LONG!  PRAISE THE LORD!

Things Already Accomplished Today:

Not much. A load of laundry.  Cleaned up the kitchen some.  Dinner.

This morning I thought I really needed a day to “play”.  I’ve had so many things hanging over me since I fell behind while we were sick.  I’d gotten some pressing things done and felt like some things weren’t that important today after all and I needed a break.  So, I got a slow start, read, played a couple simple games on my cell phone, and played “in and out” games with the cats.  (I’m a semi-automatic door opener apparently, and had both our cat my brother’s playing with me this morning.)  Then my sister-in-law came and we played with fabric and made plans for a project.  Eventually she went to get some stuff  from her house and brought my mom back with her.  We discussed projects, looked at fabric and talked, and talked, and talked.  A good time was had by all. :-)

Things that Need to Be Done – Hopefully Today:

A blog post.  Ahem!

Random Photo from My World:

Not a recent photo, but our cat has been doing quite a bit of this lately due to cold weather. :-)  She likes this afghan pretty well.  (Btw, that afghan is not as bright as it looks in the picture.)

Quote for Today:

Mrs. Liscombe sang for us.  I could not make out what it was she sang, being unfamiliar with the music and unable to understand the words.  She possessed a voice of some beauty, but was evidently determined to be classed among the sopranos who are able to soar highest, and when she took certain notes I experienced a peculiar and most disagreeable sensation in the back of my neck.

“I wonder if we couldn’t bring in a stepladder for her,” murmured the Skeptic in my ear.  “It give me a pang to see a woman, alone and unassisted, attempt to reach something several feet above her head!”

Grace S. Richmond, A Court of Inquiry