Blueberry Buckle

The forecasters said that our area could see up to a foot of snow by this morning, and I would say that it came pretty close. I wasn't ready to get out of bed, but I love quiet mornings before anyone is up.

A morning ritual is to turn on a string of lights (or two), fix a cup of tea and read Scripture. As daylight began to seep through the low hanging, empty clouds it was obvious that I wasn't the only one up early.

Before heading outside to help shovel the snow and brush of cars, I whipped up and put in the oven a special morning treat; a recipe I hadn't fixed in ages. It turned out well considering I used a pan that was a wee bit smaller than what the recipe called for. But here's a hint: if you cut everything into small pieces you won't feel to guilty for eating two. ::ahem::  Oh, and don't let the title be deceiving - it's a fancy (or otherwise?) way of saying coffeecake.

Blueberry Buckle

Mix:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. soft butter
1 egg

Stir in:
1/2 c. milk (I used almond milk)

Add:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. soft butter


Spread batter in a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top (I used a fork to mix and slide the crumbs out of the bowl and onto the batter). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Summer Reading and Other Things

When I picked these books up from the thrift store for literally pennies, I knew they would be on my summer reading list. It turns out "New Chronicles of Rebecca" is supposed to come after "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" so I have refrained from reading that one until I can get my hands on the one written first. If you're unfamiliar with the other two, I jotted some thoughts down on each, and can recommend both!

Half-A-Dozen Housekeepers, by Kate Douglas Wiggin, is a hilarious tale of school girls enjoying a two-week break from school and coming up with the grand idea of being housekeepers at Bell's home (Bell having strong skills in leadership). From kitchen attempts to putting on drama productions in the upstairs ballroom, you'll be laughing right along with them in their endeavors. If you have read any of Kate's other books, you'll be sure to enjoy this one!

Merry Girls of England, by Mrs. L.T. Meade, will make anyone with a sister or two or three be entertained by the dynamics of Underhill sisters as they go from city life to country life. Their country friend, Hero, becomes like another sister and joins Barbara Underhill as they secretly runaway to make life in London. Without spoiling the book to much, they end up realizing that hearth, home, and family are the dearest of all in life.

The close of summer break is officially next week, so I've been trying to get things together or wrap up things here at my parents house before I make my way down to the south east. 

The thunderstorms and sunsets here have been great the last several months: 

This is the view coming out of the evening church service a week ago

So was the county fair a few weeks ago. To be completely honest, this time I only went for the dole whip pineapple ice-cream. It's a guilty pleasure I don't mind indulging in once a year. ;)

And before I head back to college, here is a little coupon code for my etsy shop if you wish to indulge in having 15% off your order; just use the code 15SALE when checking out. 

Happy Monday!

Summer Sale!

Summer is here and our weather has no problem reminding us! A friend of mine shared this on FB the other day and I knew that I had to post it somewhere. Perhaps any Jane Austen fans will appreciate this? :) Now I'm curious where she quotes the following: "What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance."

Taken several summers ago in Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI

It has been quite awhile since I've offered any sales or discounts in my etsy shop, so I just added one this afternoon. Type in SUMMER as a coupon code and receive 10% off any order. And check back later this week, I should hopefully have another apron (maybe two) in the shop!

Comings and Goings

The fall semester came and went. The start of Christmas break found a friend and I taking a road trip back home with lots of music (Can you believe I never heard the music from Phantom of the Opera? I got choked up, I won't lie...), philosophical discussions, coffee stops, and sneaking in pictures as we traveled along the beautiful highways.

Christmas Break. It was wonderful. It was a time of...

sleeping in,
my persian cats snuggling up to my face,
lazy mornings on the couch bathed in sunshine,

laughter, stories, and movies,
Christmas books, and candles,
late night sister talks,
going on two brother-sister dates,

shopping at all of my favorite thrift stores and antique stores,
lots of rest,
caroling with good friends, 

 

snow storms,
family gathering around the kitchen with steaming mugs of tea or coffee,
having someone pour encouragement and prayer into your life (and then buying you a scarf and a matching necklace & earring set and saying, "When you wear these, remember I'm praying for you),

and much more could be said about the break. It was wonderful. But then it came time to leave and make the same trek back to school. This time driving solo, but it was good to spend that time in solitude, prayer, and thanksgiving.

The semester is only 1 1/2 weeks underway, and we have already been blessed with a three day weekend. Snow and ice came two nights ago, so classes were canceled yesterday, much to everyone's delight! This morning we woke up with a little bit more snow and a magical-looking world. I slipped into my moccasin shoes and took a couple pictures from our back porch.

My roommate and I have been making use of our extra time for rest, making a mess of the kitchen (she made pumpkin cinnamon rolls this morning, which we enjoyed over piping-hot mugs of coffee), and homework or practice.

Perhaps with being so busy with college, I have to say that I never miss sewing but then yesterday some kinda of wave went over me and I was longing for a sewing machine, soft fabrics, and paper patterns. :) If I'm not writing in vain, (though I can't blame anyone for deserting a blog that used to consistently appear with with posts, but then die away once school became a higher priority) what are some sewing projects that you all are working on this winter?

Before you know it winter will have come and gone, too. Growing up and even now, I've loved the winter (but then maybe only because my favorite season follows it) and whether it's the earth seasons or seasons of life, I want to learn to savor each one for what it is.

I close with a good quote I read on a blog a while back:

"The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination." - Terri Guillemets

Weekend Favorites

[No. 1] While I can't say that fall is my favorite season (it quite possibily is my least favorite, actually) I do love the month of October.

[No. 2] A leaf necklace from Anthropologie

[No. 3] Baking on the weekends. Often times it will be a Friday evening and I get a random burst of energy to be creative in the kitchen. ;) Last night it was Apple-Nut muffins and today I'm tempted to make my Grandma's Apple Crisp.

[No. 4] This Quote: 

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

 - Winston Churchill

Pictures courtesy of Pinterst.

Hunter Boots

Don't let the title be deceiving. I've never gone hunting in my life. ;) There were times when I used to wish I could in my childhood days and around 10 years old I got to use a "22" once during a church-related father/daughter camp out. That was the one and only time, but was called "Annie Oakley" from some of the dads there since I hit every target (aka. pop cans and two-liter pop bottles). :P

Oh, but that was a side note. I was originally going to introduce you to the brand, Hunter Boots. My British-loving sister told me about them, and I had to agree that they were rather cute looking. But were they functional and comfortable to wear for possibly hours at a time? A couple of years I ago I found some rain boots on clearance at Target and my legs & feet greatly despised the hours I walked in them while living in Georgia, so comfort was a must.

Courtesy of Pinterest

I drove to a big shopping mall in the Big City to try on a pair and hopefully walk out with boots in my hand, but alas the ones they carried were not on sale and I wasn't about to pay full price. But they certainly met my demand for comfort! Happily, I found a pair on their website for nearly half the price with free shipping.

And they just arrived on the delivery truck today! Part of me feels guilty about investing in them, but I guess some people buy cowboy boots and some, well, buy rain boots. ;)

A Wordless Sunday Post

Fun in the Snow, 1930s style

If you "like" A Joyful Handmaiden's Facebook page you would have seen that earlier this week I found a vintage coat at one of my least-likely-to-visit thrift stores (that changed!). While I normally try not to buy an item that is full priced from the thrift store, one can't even buy a modern coat for $11 in pristine condition.

We have some snow, so this morning I convinced one of my brothers to follow me outside and grab a few pictures.

As you can see, it has enough fur on the collar and sleeves to keep anyone toasty warm!

My sister's dog loves to run in the snow or bury her head in it. Silly girl!

The coat has a tiny label on it, but it doesn't give very many clues as to its age. I think it looks 1930s after finding some images on pinterest. But then again, if you look for 1970s coats, they look interestingly familiar to that of the 30s.

Looking at the notched collars on this picture found here, the belted waist, the double breasted buttons and such, I still want to believe that it's from the 30s. Does anyone else have a clue?

Now I just need to find a suitable 30s style hat (that fits my large head!) to sport around. ;)

Mother-Dear's Chicken Noodle Soup

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and feel like the north pole here! :) We've been staying inside and have begun to put our Christmas decorations. When I haven't been helping, I've been at my sewing machine or practicing/teaching violin.

Leftover greenery from the tree was made into a wreath. We placed a favorite candle in the center of it.

I simply gathered a few excess branches and made little swags for the front porch. I had them hanging on an antique dresses until the snow storm passed.

A homemade hazelnut latte

Tonight it will be sub-zero weather, if it isn't already (!) so Mom decided to make her homemade chicken noodle soup. It's definitely a favorite around here. If you're needing a comforting soup recipe, you may want to try this one out! Serve it with warm corn bread muffins or whole wheat rolls.

Mother-Dear’s Chicken Noodle Soup

2 qt. water

1 pinch of saffron
1 large onion
2 celery stalks
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 carrots
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 c. noodles, uncooked
4 c. chicken broth
4 c. cooked chicken, cubed
 

Dice onion, celery, and carrots. In a large kettle, put water, saffron, onion, celery, bouillon cubes, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook vegetables until they’re almost soft. Add chicken broth and chicken; bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until they’re done. Serves approximately 12.

Caving In & Other Rambles

Every year around this time, we keep telling ourselves, "No, wait until after Thanksgiving," to listen to our Christmas music CDs or watch our favorite Christmas movies (White Christmas, anyone??).

This year we sort of "cheated" that rule since my older sister was feverishly practicing carols for her new Christmas CD that she just finished recording. She is a wonderful harpist, for those who didn't know, and has produced four albums. Yours truly played the violin on one of them, though now I cringe at hearing myself since I've attempted to be more proficient on my instrument by way of studying violin performance at college (two more years to go!)

The other day I was browsing one of my favorite thrift stores and I bought a John Rutter Christmas CD for $2 in like-new condition. And yes, I caved in and have already been playing it in my car. :)

Snow will be here tonight, Lord willing, and as much as I wish to bring out the Christmas decorations, I must content myself with hot chocolate, thick sweaters, and sewing.

Here are a few sneak peeks at what I have on my table:



The ingredients for a perfect Christmas apron to sell in the shop. I'm thinking a simple Tasha Tudor style, but if you must have this fabric in another style, leave a comment or send me a note through etsy, and I'll try to accommodate you!



I've decided that I'm going to make myself a Christmas dress out of this pretty deep teal cotton/poly/rayon (???) blend. It's not red or green, but then I can sometimes be somewhat "original" in nature. ;P I briefly mentioned it in this post of historical patterns and will be doing it in the 1933 Vintage Vogue pattern. Right now I can't decide which button to use. Any ideas?

October

 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." ~Anne of Green Gables

 

 

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Transitions

 

  "Summer magic, the soft summer magic, drifts across the meadow. Summer magic, it weaves through the willow, right into your heart."~R. Sherman
 

Our summer was over. It had been a beautiful one. We had known the sweetness of common joys, the delight of dawns, the dream and glamour of noontides, the long, purple peace of carefree nights. We had had the pleasure of bird song, of silver rain on greening fields, of storm among the trees, of blossoming meadows, and of the converse of whispering leaves. We had had brotherhood with wind and star, with books and tales, and hearth fires of autumn. Ours had been the little, loving tasks of every day, blithe companionship, shared thoughts, and adventuring. Rich were we in the memory of those opulent months that had gone from us–richer than we then knew or suspected. And before us was the dream of spring. It is always safe to dream of spring. For it is sure to come; and if it be not just as we have pictured it, it will be infinitely sweeter.

~Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Story Girl
  

Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree. ~Emily Bronte

What to do When it Rains

 

My stash of scrap fabric is overwhelmingly full. It's overflowing and piling quite high that I'm surprised the fabrics haven't fallen over. But what does one do when quilting is practically a foreign word to this seamstress? I even found a bag of organic cotton batting in the closet.

 

Cutting a few strips of some fabrics near the top of the pile, I cut 8 uniform ones and sewed four together making two squares. I used these as a pattern to cut out square pieces from some of that batting. Using the old standby of "right sides together," a few stitches, turning it right side out all I had to do was some top stitching and some fake "quilting lines," and out came a pot holder. 

It's not perfect. But I'm not worried. I mean, when was the last time you looked at your neighbors potholder to see how perfect it was?

Exactly my point.

I may make up a few more of these to take with me this fall when I set up housekeeping with a few of my college friends. They're easy and simple to make on a rainy morning, and not to mention useful.

The rain is gone and the first few lines of William Wordsworth's "Resolution and Independence" befit the afternoon:

There was a roaring in the wind all night;
The rain came heavily and fell in floods;
But now the sun is rising calm and bright;
The birds are singing in the distant woods;
Over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods;
The Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters;
And all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters.


All things that love the sun are out of doors;
The sky rejoices in the morning's birth;
The grass is bright with rain-drops;--on the moors
The hare is running races in her mirth;
And with her feet she from the plashy earth
Raises a mist, that, glittering in the sun,
Runs with her all the way, wherever she doth run.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment." ~Ellis Peters

Milky white dogwoods in bloom

Not sure what kind of bush this is, but it's lovely!



A quiet lane is a lovely place...

Fading light in the northern hills of Georgia

A tree blossom (apple, maybe?)

All is green and lovely!

It's that time of year when there is so much new life and new beauty to behold that it seems as if, like what Ellis Peter's said "every spring is the only spring." This season is certainly my favorite out of all four, though I love each one in its own way.

It's also a favorite season because that means the spring semester is drawing to a close. This upcoming week will wrap up a few finals and a violin studio recital. Then later in the week I'll start the drive homeward, where my family has been (what seems like) buried in snow this season! Would apprecitate prayer for endurance physically, mentally, emotionally, and for safe travels also.