Special Seed Sharing

These special soybean seeds came from my friend Julia almost two years ago.  (Actually, I saw them on her kitchen counter when I had stopped by her place and boldly asked if I could have some!)

They grew wonderfully last year - so easy to grow (especially after trying several other varieties with no luck) and produced a bountiful harvest.

It's been fun to pass them on.  :)

Click here for the pdf link from Country Living magazine to make your own little seed packets.

Ready and Waiting

Is it just my imagination...

... or does it look like this rabbit is ready to explode with baby bunnies????!!!!!

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Oh Beloved Asparagus...

... how eagerly I have been awaiting your return!

Tonight's dinner:

Roast Chicken

Roasted Asparagus

Oven-Baked Risotto

Stewed Tomatoes

Dear asparagus, you were worth the wait!!

Afternoon Break

The Loveliest Prom Gown Ever

The loveliest prom gown I've ever altered by far....

Slowly but Surely!

Pillowcase Love

I was so pleased that my nephew liked the pillowcase I made for his birthday (you never know with an 11-year old!).  Click here for the link to the tutorial for a quick and easy way to make these.
(I'm finding them to be addicting!!)

Easter Egg Lovelies

These lovely eggs (thanks, Joe!)...

... all wrapped up....

... in some silk ties from a previous life..

... become these beauties!

Click here for the link to the directions.

***Note - what Martha won't tell you:  my house smelled like the thrift shop (that basement smell that goes along with vintage textiles....) while I was boiling these eggs!!!!  And, the water reeked when I dumped it.  Ick, ICK, ICK!!!  I'm a little freaked out - not sure I want to eat these eggs now....  Also, started thinking about how unsafe the dye might be, especially with any dry cleaning chemical residue that might be in the ties....  Such a bummer - these eggs were from beautiful, happy pastured chickens, and I can't bear for them to go to waste.  Not sure what to do!

:{

Happy Easter!

New Easter Traditions

There are plenty of church services in this area to attend to prepare for the intensely spiritual meaning of Easter, but I find I still need to do something a bit more personal for Easter to truly resonate in my heart.  I've made butter on Easter morning the last four years, but no longer have access to a good source of cream.  So, I needed a new tradition....

Even though it seems a bit sacrilegious to do outside work on Easter Sunday (although I have to admit, Sunday afternoons are my favorite time to putter around outdoors), it felt important to me to place a few seeds in the ground as a new tradition.  As I planted, I reflected on the fact that death always has to happen for new growth to start, that death isn't the enemy, that as a Christian there is always hope even when it looks like things are over, and that Christ's death brings redemption, restoration and renewal to every situation in my life.

Blessings on your Easter day!

Off the Beaten Path

In attempting to avoid rush hour traffic on 222 last week,

I took a detour and stumbled across this little fabric shop in the Leola area.

Look what I found in this lady's shop - 

an "Amish Puzzle Ball" pincushion, made by a woman in her 90's who lives in a nursing home in Denver, PA.

It was priced at $3.50.  I could cry - how many hours did she spend stitching it, only to sell it for a mere $3.50??  (It makes me wonder if I too will be sitting on the edge of a hospital bed in my last days, stitching for pennies, trying to pay my bills - oh dear!)

I had to go back today and buy the remaining ones.  They are stitched out of  whatever scraps of fabric she can get her hands on - some vintage, some new.  I'm hoping to visit this dear lady and learn how to make these amazing pincushions.

Just love them - the fabric, the colors, the stitching, the pom poms - everything about them!  

I had seen this collection of them in Better Homes and Gardens magazine a number of years ago, but had never stumbled across one in person until now.  I didn't even know what they were called.

Love them....

Different Interpretations

My nephew and I got together to bake and decorate Easter cookies today.  We differed in our interpretation of this shape - he saw a beehive; I saw a basket!

(Don't you love his bees?!)

:)

A Skirt for a Special Doll

Megan and I used this tutorial she found on Pinterest to get us started.

Next up:  Summer Sewing Camp for Megan and her mom.  

Project:  a doll quilt to match!

:)

Humus Compost

I'm counting on this compost to work miracles again in my garden this year!

Humus is the magic ingredient.  I got this bag through my good buddies at Your Garden Solution.

Thanks, Joe!

Today

First-Day-of-Spring Traditions - a Bit Late!

It finally felt enough like Spring in South Central PA to do my annual first-day-of-Spring traditions!

Thrift-Shop-Inspired Zip Pouch

You can read more about this zip pouch here!