Two if by Tea

In honor of National Hot Tea Month, let's talk tea for a bit. A cup of tea offers much by way of relaxation, good health, and reprieve. 

A favorite writer of mine is Ce'leste perrino Walker who writes from Rutland, Vermont. I think I enjoy her writing because it her topics deal with real life things. In the Sept/Oct 2001 issue of Vibrant Life magazine she wrote an article that I've saved called One if by Land; Two if by Tea. In it she shares how a friend introduced her (and her French blood) to the gentle art of the English afternoon tea. She learned that tea is much more than a beverage in a cup, but rather something emotionally fulfilling, and a refreshing pause to the day. 

To quote her: "Teatime fills a need for peace in our stressed-out society. Not only that, but the manner in which you 'take tea' lifts the spirits and fills the senses with beauty. Everything about tea time contributes in some small way to this: beautiful tea linens, gorgeous china, luscious tea, delicious tea biscuits or cookies (or other even more scrumptious treats). Teatime 'for the soul' can be compared to dropping everything to spend a few stolen moments in a beautiful garden." 

She goes on to say: "I've decided to give 'teatime' a try. I'm not sure how it works. Maybe it's the special feeling you get from using the pretty teapot and china on yourself for a change. Maybe it's the ritual of preparig the tea, boiling the water, smelling the aroma of the tea as you measure it out, the rhythm of the procedure that won't be hurried. But teatime really is all they say it is."

Her advice to her readers is to take a little time for yourself this week and discover teatime, the pause that refreshes. Then thank the English. They were right all along. C'est la vie.

*The photo shown with the article reminds me of the children's teas that my mother used to conduct. She taught kindergarten for thirty years. Sometimes her school would have a benefit auction, and mother would donate a children's tea party. They were always popular and mothers and daughters would enjoy a lovely afternoon tea with all the trimmings at mom's house if they were the winners of the auction bid. Her beautiful children's china tea set was put to good use!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Moments. Precious time with family. Exchanging gifts. Appreciating the little things in life. Blessings.

Family Farm Dinner

The summer weather has been perfect!  It's pleasant and warm, but not too hot to spend some time outside.  With gardens producing wonderful things, it was the time for a garden supper.  Earlier in the week, Serena from the Farm Chicks posted about a Farm Dinner that she went to last Sunday.  It looked delightful!  I decided it really would be fun to do at home, so invited the family for dinner.  I shared the concept with Rylan and showed him Serena's blog post.  He thought it looked like fun and was very surprised when he saw a picture of his art teacher from the university featured as one of the guests at the dinner Serena went to.  

By the time it was all said and done, dinner became a family affair. Brandon and Rylan carried tables and chairs to a shady spot on the lawn.  Sally helped me set the table.  And Brent willingly carried food to the serving table.  Everything came together all at once. 

The table was covered with a white cotton sheet, then set with my mother's china.  Goblets and glasses, teacups, silver, and Mason jars holding candles were all set in place.  Pretty plaid napkins and rings from Paula's shop accented the blue in the china.

Our side table served as the buffet.  Our menu included Herbed Rosemary Bread. . .Broccoli Quiche. . .Green Beans with Oregano and Dill. . .Roasted Potatoes (Yukon Gold and Kennebec) with Sweet Onions and Rosemary. . .Corn on the Cob. . .and a Garden Salad.  It was a true picture of summer's bounty!  

The fresh dill was fragrant!  Not only did it add fragrance and flavor to the green beans. . .it made a pretty addition to the floral centerpiece as well!

It is summer at it's best when the corn is ready to eat!

A simple menu. . .and a pleasant setting. . .made our family time a special treat.

Ice water, sparkling cider, and Nilgiri white tea gave us a choice of beverages.

The shadows grew long as we ate and conversed.  Coming together after some time apart and relaxing after a busy week was the best part.  The family farm dinner was delicious, but secondary to all the rest!

Congratulations, Aaron

Congratulations, Aaron! All your hard work has paid off! With diploma in hand, you can now venture into the world of full-time work! Being an Industrial Designer sounds interesting and fulfilling! Best wishes in your new career! We are proud of you!

The "Class of 2011" Rocks!
Click on photo for larger view.

Remembering and Grandmother's Kitchen

I've recently been looking for a copy of a book that shares short stories from the life of my great-great grandfather and my grandmother.  Great-grandfather is a man whom I have read about online, and of whom I have heard stories from my father, my aunt's, and my grandmother's sisters.  He must have been an amazing man because stories about him share of strength of character and fortitude.  He was a farmer by trade, but at sometime in his life, he converted from his Mennonite religion to a different evangelical one.  His focus became his strong belief in sharing God's word and the prophecy's that spoke of the nearness of end times, so in addition to farming, he became a traveling evangelist.  Life was hard in those days, and women often found life's events ones that caused illness and death.  As a result, great-grandfather ended up having three wives in his lifetime, and with each wife he had a separate group of children.  My grandmother, Katie, was one of four daughters born to the first wife.  I don't remember Grandma sharing too many stories about her youth, as I was young in her later years and we sometimes found communication between her German and my English difficult.  She was the type who never complained, so might not have shared of all her experiences anyway.  Her sisters, on the other hand, were women who didn't have any such scruples and in later years shared many stories of life as daughter's of the first wife.  I'm pretty sure these stories were shadowed by a little bit of bias, but I don't mean to discount them either.  I'm sure they are true, although slightly embellished with the perspective of their youth.  They tell stories of their step-mothers that are reminiscent of Cinderella.  The second wive's children were many and, according to Grandmother's sisters, very coddled.  The four older girls of the first wife were expected to work hard in areas that their younger half-siblings were not asked to partake.  Which brings me to the reason why there is a picture of my kitchen at the beginning of this post.  I cannot help but compare the modern luxuries of this day to the kitchen my grandmother and her sisters had to work in.  Their stove was heated with wood, and during the summer and autumn months the days were hot.  To keep the house as cool as possible, a summer kitchen was constructed a distance from the house.  It was the job of grandmother and her sisters to cook all the meals for harvesters and farm help.  The farmers in their Manitoba community would share the job of harvesting their crops by assisting one another.  It appears that great-grandfather's oldest daughters did all the cooking for the crews as the neighbor's harvested the crops of one another.  How interesting it was to hear, in later years, of women in their 70's and 80's sharing about the sweltering hot kitchen and of all the delicious foods they prepared there, and all completely from scratch.  These were not soup and sandwich meals, but rather the German dishes that were quite expected of them, as the farmers worked hard and must be fed accordingly.  Water had to be drawn, heated on the stove, and dishes washed by hand.  Baking and cooking on a wood stove during hot summer days must have been agonizing to them.  No wonder their perspective might be slightly biased!  I'd like to say that my dear grandmother ended up with a house that contained every modern convenience.  But it was not to be.  All of my memories of visiting Grandma include visits to a sweet little cottage that had electricity, but no running water, nor indoor bathroom.  And in the kitchen was huge wood cookstove!  Neat as a pin, Grandma was one to never complain.  Her house was always neat and clean and you'd never know that she lived without the conveniences of her neighbors.  She was a dear.  I am happy to say that in her adult years she embraced her half-siblings without prejudice and I grew up knowing all of them as great-aunt and great-uncle.  She was much loved by them all.

Happy Creating!

When our children were small and we were developing our parenting and educational philosophy, we decided that creativity was a trait that was important to us and one that we wanted to develop in our children.  According to one of my favorite books on the subject, one of  the best gifts we could give our children is to provide them with ready-materials and time.  It’s important to let children invent, create, and have fun.  It sure makes a mess, but it’s worth it!  Arts and crafts projects that don’t use pre-drawn patterns or designs allow children to create and develop according to their view of the world.  Here are some ideas for some of the craft projects.  Maybe they would be something you would enjoy doing with the children in your life.
 
1.  Paper mache’ — create sculptures or scenes using newspaper and flour & water glue.  After it dries, paint with Tempra paints and add twigs, stones, dried moss, aluminum foil or mirror rivers and lakes, etc.  Great fun!  We once created the Garden of Eden doing this!

2.  Sawdust and glue — similar to paper mache’ but using fine sawdust and Elmer’s glue instead.

3.  Make kites — use a plain template and paint or color designs on the kite body to make your own design or check online or the library for books and kite shapes.

4.  Wooden objects — children seem to enjoy crafting with wood, so we bought lots of different ‘wood’ things from the craft store and let them paint, decorate, hammer, nail, etc. to make things.  Stencils are helpful in adding designs like planes, trains, etc.  When homes were being built around the neighborhood, we would ask the contractor if we could take the wood scraps home.  They were happy to get rid of them and they provided raw materials for some great building projects.

5.  3-D art using foam shapes, twigs, dried legumes, etc.  Fun to use a basic design on tag board and then glue objects on it to make a collage or work of art.

6.  Computer art — using simple programs that teach 3D animation, computer graphics, or photo editing.

7.  Kits — lots of fun!  Go to Michael’s or Craft Warehouse and look at all the kits that are available.  Latch hook rugs, felt art, beading, etc. can all be fun for both girls and boys.  Boys enjoy making latch hook rugs in an airplane theme!

8.  Candle-making — either dipped candles, molded candles or rolled candles using beeswax.  Kids especially have fun with this project:   take an aluminum pie plate and hold a regular candle up in the middle of the plate.  Then pour melted, colored wax into the plate.  Gently dip the plate of wax in a sink full of cold water.  The hot wax will rise to the top and will ‘hug’ the candle, making a candle holder.  Work as a team, as hot wax can burn.

9.  String art — look online for designs.  A pattern looks somewhat like a dot to dot page, but without the numbers.  Colored string is sewn on the page in sequences that create a woven effect and make beautiful pictures — of ships or buildings — etc.

10. Watercolor — really fun and helpful if you can find someone who is willing to give a few lessons first.  Use ‘cheater’ techniques to help get started with watercolor (like dot stickers that keep paint from sticking somewhere when you first coat the page, etc.).  Small paintings make great Christmas gifts for family.

11. Boys love sewing machines!  And so do girls.  Make them earn their driver’s license first (to teach machine safety) and then give them small projects where they create designs — hot pads, pillows, and other small things are fun.  Or, have them turn a t-shirt inside out and sew up the neckline and the sleeves.  Turn right-side-out and stuff will pillow stuffing.  Then stitch up the bottom.

12.  Theme quilts — have them make quilt blocks on a theme (we made one with a dog theme and another with an airplane theme).  Use muslin for the blocks and cut them out in 10″ squares.  Using fabric crayons, permanent markers, appliques, buttons, or photo transfers (where you print off photos onto transfer paper and then iron them onto fabric) to create blocks in the selected theme.  Give grandma a block to make — and one to dad — and one for mom — etc.   Then have the child sew the blocks together with printed fabric (also in their theme — they have fun going to the fabric store and choosing something that strikes their fancy).  The quilt top is pretty easy to make.  Add a back (stitch together like a pillow case with thin, rolled padding for the middle and then turn right side out).  Tie with yarn and stitch up the turn-space by hand.  Easy and really valued by the child when done!

13. Make wicker and twig (or silk flower or dried leaf) arrangements or wall hangings.  Cool glue guns, fabric ribbons (printed in themes kids like) etc. all work together to make small objects, arrangements, wall-hangings, etc.  The fun is the process — and they make nice gifts for family members.

14. We had a great time with ceramics!   A ceramics shop has green-ware that they will show you/your child how to clean (using tools kind of like a dentist uses).  After it’s cleaned, they will bake it for you in a kiln for a small fee.  Then have child apply a glaze and take it back to the ceramics shop to be processed in the kiln again.  We chose projects like gazing balls, vases with multi-colored glazes that melted and make funny patterns, chess game pieces, etc.  You can also get plain clay from them — like play-dough.  Statues, objects, free-form pots, etc. can all be made.  When done and dried they can be fired and glazed as well.

15. Model rockets and model airplanes — plastic or paper — ones that fly or are used just for decoration — all are fun and teach creativity and following directions.  Allow your child to think ‘outside the box’ as they create on their own using the base kits that are available at craft stores.
16. Model airplane paints work great for painting designs on stones for paper weights.  Be sure to buy the type of paint that is safe to breathe!

17.  For art — never negate the value of Legos when it comes to developing creativity!  So many skills are learned with Lego building.  You might assign specific projects with Legos — a complete village or building or vehicle.  Take a picture of the finished project to remember it by.

Happy creating!  Remember, children are only limited by time, resources, and their imaginations!


~ Thanks, Katie, for sharing a fun afternoon and for posing for the picture! ~

The Winter Sea

Have you noticed how the winter sea is always BLUE?

Sea

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.  Psalm 104:25

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.  
Psalm 96:11

Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.  
Isaiah 42:10

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:  
Jeremiah 31:35  

~ Bandon Beach, Oregon ~

Talk Like a Pirate

 

The pirate speaks,"Every beach town seems t' have its own version o' pirate fun! Most o' us be familiar with Captain Jack Sparrow and t' quirky kind o' pirate adventure he brin's t' t' big screen. Even grown up lads seem t' find intrigue and humor in pirate lore. Pirate food, attire, and trinkets be abundant in any seaside down worth its salt! Our seaside town had enough t' brin' a smile t' everyone's face. "

Time & a Perfect Day

When sharing time with friends, it is always interesting to observe what decisions people make regarding use of their recreational time.  "What shall we do today?" is a question asked each morning.  Responses vary and a melding of ideas occurs.  Tradition (things done or places visited on other trips) decrees that some things simply must happen.  Individuals new to the group come with their own, unique ideas.  Answers range from walking the beach (a must for each visit to the ocean) to shopping in the quaint little town nearby.  Favorite bookstores must be visited, fudge or caramel corn purchased in tiny candy shops, and trinkets examined in stores where shopkeepers work to vend the most unique things they can find.  Seagulls and sea lions beg be fed.  And it is always entertaining that fishing boats observed.  No matter what the activity, relaxation occurs (yes, even with shopping).  Lively conversation over a cup of tea and an afternoon nap cap off the days activities.  A perfect day.  

Wired with Friends

There are several things required for a get-away week-end when a group is involved.  You need adequate space (places to take a nap and sleep), a clean kitchen with lots of space for food, and Internet!  Twenty-somethings are fully wired these days!  So are fifty-somethings!  If the beach isn't right outside the door, that's alright.  A meandering walk to its sandy shore allows for many things to see along the way.  Kids, kites, cozy couples, dogs, quaint houses, driftwood, and more all entertain as footsteps lead to miles of sandy shoreline and the magnificent crash of waves!  Today, as we experience a wintry day at home, with temperatures in the teens, memory recalls the milder temperatures of the coast and a half-dozen or more flowers we observed in bloom.  Little things create pleasant memories that carry us through the rest of winter as we anticipate spring.  The ocean in the winter is one of my favorite things!

Sea Quest

The winter has been long, gray, and chilly.  News of a sunny week-end at the beach was welcome as we turned our wheels toward the beach.  The great Pacific did not disappoint!  Waves and sunshine mixed with the fellowship of family and friends created a lovely meld of activities inside and outdoors.  A pleasant surprise, miniature daffodils blooming beside the rental house, added an extra touch of cheer!

A Friday Evening Tea Tradition

Friday evenings are always welcome at our home! After a busy week of chores, work, school, and activities, everyone is ready to relax and spend some time visiting together.  Tea is a part of our Friday night ritual.   It's been a tradition we've always had, starting in my family home during my teen-age years. Herbal tisanes and infusions, although not technically "tea", are our favorites.  But all teas, white, green, black, and flavored are delicious too!  Setting aside a specific time each week for rest and regeneration is beneficial for individuals and families.  Having a 'no fail' plan for rest that one can look forward to during each week is a blessing to anticipate. 

As teens, sometimes my sister and I would bake a Snackin' Cake for Friday night tea.  Do you remember them?  The cake mix goes in the cake pan, liquid ingredients are added, and then after a quick stir the cake goes in the oven.  I don't think they make Snackin' Cake mixes any more, but they sure were popular in our family.  Recently Dad and Alma came to visit and we made a Depression Chocolate Cake.  It reminded me so much of the Snackin' Cakes that sis and I used to bake.  It goes well with tea.  Would you like the recipe?

Depression Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups flour (gluten-free if necessary)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

In a well-greased cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and  baking soda until well mixed. All at once, add the vinegar, vanilla, oil and water. Stir well.  Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Now, go put the teakettle on!

Teapot ~ Teekanne Mikado
Table Runner ~ Gift from Aunt Cella; from one of her trips to Romania.

Homemade Games

Sis brought a homemade game for each family to our Christmas celebration.  It's a simple game, but challenging for all ages!  Called "Backwoods Board-em", the instructions say this:

The goal is to balance all ten nails on the nailhead.  Seemingly impossible problems can have simple solutions if all work together as a team!  When ten are mastered, increase the number of nails!  Tales of 40!

Groups set to work around the house, working on this puzzle.  Within ten minutes, Brandon had the solution and once others saw the results, they followed his plan and balanced their nails as well.  Would you like the solution?  I will share on another day.  For now, go find eleven nails and a piece of wood.  Pound one nail into the wood to create a center post and then try balancing the other ten nails on the nailhead.  You can do it!

[The solution to this puzzle can be found here.]

All the Faithful

 

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord. 

~ Adeste Fideles ~

A "Make It" Christmas: Felted Soap

Since I grew up in a teaching family, preparations for Christmas usually didn't start until school was out for the holiday.  Then our house turned into "Santa's workshop".  Each family member would get busy creating meaningful gifts for the others.  Mom's gifts usually involved a sewing machine or crochet hook, and Dad's his woodworking tools.  Sis and I enjoyed making glue, glitter, and fabric scraps into works of "art".  A "making it" Christmas was always the best!  Don't you love homemade gifts?  Sometimes ideas come too late in the season, but they are always useful for "next year" or "last minute" stocking stuffers.

Here's an idea from Earth Guild for making felted soap; perfect for a "make it" Christmas, this year or next!

Felted Soap A curious idea, but the result can be very pleasing. Make a bar of soap with a built in wash-cloth, good for gentle exfoliation. Materials A bar of soap (one that is round or has rounded edges will be easier to cover evenly; edges are apt to make thin spots) Wool roving or batts - it doesn’t take much (colorfast; rich colors should be checked to make sure they will not run) A stocking or piece of similar mesh or netting A ribbed mat, such as a washboard, a felting board, a sushi mat, a ribbed container lid, or a piece of bubble wrap (not absolutely essential, but useful to speed up the process) The Process Wrap a thin layer of wool around the soap in one direction. Wrap a second layer at right angles to the first. Wrap a third layer on top of the first. These layers can be all the same color, or not. Cover the soap as evenly as possible, paying special attention to corners and edges. Add wisps of wool in various colors and directions. Carefully put the wrapped bar in the toe of your stocking, or wrap it up snugly in whatever mesh or netting you are using. Gently dribble on warm water, till the wool is wet through. (If you are not using a mat, skip to the next step.) Gently rub the wrapped soap on the mat of your choice, all sides and all edges, for about ten minutes. It should lather up. Roll the bar around in your hands as if you were washing them. When the wool is well adhered to the soap, remove the stocking or mesh wrapper. Rinse with cold water. The cold will shock the wool and may give the felting process an extra boost. Rinse away the suds, squeeze the bar a little bit to remove water, blot on a towel, place on rack to dry. Between uses, the bar should be placed on a rack so that it can dry out.

© Earth Guild (You may reproduce this if it is unaltered and our name stays on it.)

A Family Recipe

Are you looking for a last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving table?  This recipe is fast, easy, and yummy!

Here's the recipe for Grandpa's cranberry salad that has become a family tradition. It is his contribution to Thanksgiving dinner each year. It's beautiful and turns out so well. It is so easy to make, but looks really fancy and time consuming. The perfect kind of recipe for the holidays!

Grandpa's Cranberry Molded Salad

You'll need:

2 (16 oz.) cans cranberry sauce
2 (20 oz.) cans crushed pineapple
4 cups non-dairy whipped topping*
2 cups chopped pecans

Mix cranberry sauce and crushed pineapple together well. Gently stir in non-dairy whipped topping and chopped pecans. When well mixed, pour mixture into a mold of choice. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer. Freeze for at least 10 hour (can be made days ahead and be kept in freezer until ready to use). When ready to serve, remove from freezer and gently unmold onto pretty plate or cake stand. You can use a warm, moist towel to gently thaw the salad so it releases easily from the mold. Garnish as desired. It's pretty with more non-dairy whipped topping, whole cranberries, orange slices, pineapple mint leaves, etc.

*Rich's non-dairy whipped topping works very well for this recipe.

Grandma Kathrina's Pumpkin Pudding

October is a great month to share the recipe for Grandma's Pumpkin Pudding. It's an all-time family favorite. Yummy!

3/4 cup granulated sugar (Florida Crystals)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
12 oz. soy milk
2 - 3 Tbsp. cornstarch thinned with water

Mix all ingredients together in kettle and bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch, stirring constantly until well blended. Cook three minutes and remove from heat. Chill completely.

To serve, mix the pumpkin filling with equal amounts of non-dairy whipped topping. Spoon into parfait glasses and garnish as desired.

*This makes excellent pie filling as well.   Simply mix with non-dairy whipped topping (50/50) and spoon into a pre-baked pie shell.  Garnish as desired and serve.

A Simple Rag Rug

 Are you one who appreciates things of the past?  Or have you noticed how some things that were common and practical are now obsolete, but appreciated by those 'in the know'?  I think that rag rugs fall into this category.  Authentic rag rugs are hard to come by these days.  Replicas can be bought in country-themed shops, but they are usually fastened by monofilament threads that stitch the knotted strips together rather than hooking and looping for one-piece fabrication.  Monofilament threads break apart over time and the rug falls apart.  In comparision, crocheted rag rugs will withstand hard use and many washings.  The art of rag rugs making made a come-back in the 1970's and I remember my mother skillfully creating one that she used on her stoop for years to come.  But hers were nothing in comparison to Grandmother's magnificent rag rugs made from wool scraps.  They were large enough to visually anchor a dining room table and chairs, or to fill the space in front of a hearth in the family room.  Mother's were a recreation.  Grandmother's were authentic to the core.  Such beauty, warmth, and grace they added to her home.  The art is not to be lost!  Simple projects, like chair pads or small rugs for the front door can still be made.  Scraps of cotton or wool can be saved from other projects and successfully used for rag rugs over time.  Old garments, recycled for a project like this, cut costs and save resources.  Essentially any type of fabric will work, but natural fibers, like cotton and wool, will provide the most enduring value and effectiveness when it comes to the helping the rug achieve its duty as welcome mat and cozy covering.

If you would like to try your hand at this art, instructions can be found here.

Happy Mother's Day