Healing Bone Broth

My newest venture - exploring bone broth for its healing properties for the gut and for auto-immune issues.  This batch of beef bone broth will be simmering for the next four days!  I'll post more info once I get my bearings!

Oasis, the Oasis!!

I'm finally made it to the Oasis store today - what an oasis for a weary traveler navigating the bumpy road back to health via food!  I met Joyce, their very knowledgeable clerk who is on a similar health journey.  She was a wealth of information and very, very encouraging.  It was so nice to meet a kindred spirit and not feel like I'm from another planet for a change!  I bought some ground beef and ground pork, some osso buco (hadn't even heard of that before!) for soup, and a hunk of beef suet to render down into tallow (seriously!!!).  Joyce coached me through making nutritious bone broth - I plan to tackle that later this week.

Oasis at Bird-In Hand is a great source of grass-fed meats, eggs, raw dairy, and produce, etc.  I'm so happy to have found this little oasis!

PS - seeing the carcass ID on the label gives me great comfort - not something you would find on commercial meat!!!!

Welcome back!!

Oh, how I missed you!!!!

What is Wrong with This Picture??

Having to enjoy a free Rita's Italian Ice from inside your car because it is SNOWING on the First Day of Spring is just plain WRONG!!

:)

100 Happy Days, #5

Couldn't resist buying this fun tote at a local quilt shop this afternoon.  It's a closeup of a quilt by one of my favorite quilting celebrities.

100 Happy Days, #4

A HUGE (3400 yards, to be exact!) cone of  red & white bakers twine for only $8.47 at The Restaurant Store - just in time for Valentine's Day!  :)

100 Happy Days, #3

Photo credit: Marin Brandt

Wish I could take credit for this lovely photo, but this was taken by a local lady.  I have been enjoying watching a cardinal on the tree outside my bedroom window as I machine quilt these past few days, so I was thrilled when Marian e-mailed this picture to me; I had been wishing I could capture my cardinal with my camera, but she did it for me, without even knowing what I was wishing for!

100 Happy Days #2

I was going to give up on the 100 Happy Days Challenge since I have totally bombed in my intentions, but then I saw this view from my desk chair this morning....  So, maybe I'll continue!  Glancing at two quilts to bind, some applique blocks to stitch, and my beloved Carolina Lily Quilt on my favorite chair is pure happiness!

PS - the good thing about bombing on the challenge is that at least it motivated me to get back to my daily end-of-day habit of compiling my "God Stops/Love & Gratitude" list in my journal, chronicling any evidence of God's activity in my day.
:)

100 Happy Days Challenge, Day 1

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes fabulous felted wool mittens.

:)

Note:  So what is the 100 Happy Days Challenge?  You can read about it here.  A friend who is struggling with some health issues decided to take the challenge.  I decided I need to do it too, mainly to thwart this crazy worry trail that I can't seem to shake.  I worry about my plaguing health issues, then my finances, and then it quickly spirals downhill at an alarming pace.  I may as well be an 83-year-old woman who worries about her bowels on a daily basis, because that's about how crazy I've been behaving lately!! Shameful, especially since I claim to be a Christian.  Shame on me!!!!  Even though God totally understands my frailty and is way easier on me than I am, it's a horrible way to represent Him.  I don't want to live that kind of life, so this is an attempt to ramp up my discipline of noting God's presence in my daily life - kind of a gratitude journal in photos.

Wanna join me?

PS - These mittens were perfect for this afternoon's snow shoveling - my hands were nice and toasty, even in 15-degree weather!

Merry Christmas!!

I had soooo much fun making these dear little snowmen cards.  Wish I could take credit for the idea, but I saw it on Pinterest (where else!).  I only had a few white buttons in my collection that had two holes vs. four, so I sifted through the button box at my local thrift shop for the rest (enjoyed that part too!).  

Blessings on your Christmas!!

Love, Andrea

Memory Gifts

I made an assortment of these little storage bags for Christmas presents for my family members, made out of my father's old work jeans.  

I simply cut off the legs, stitched across the bottoms, then stitched a box pleat across the side, just like when making these thread catchers.

My father still had a stack of brand new bandannas in his dresser drawer, so they worked perfectly for the linings.  He always carried an old red bandanna in his pocket.  :)  I did interface the bandanna with a medium weight fusible interfacing to give the bags a bit more body.

I love the paint splotches....

Looking forward to giving these gifts to my family!

Mittens!

I just finished stitching this pile of mittens for Christmas gifts!  They are made out of old wool sweaters that had been felted.  

This summer I had stumbled across a garbage bag of felted mitten supplies at the Lancaster Creative Reuse, a thrift shop for crafters.  I could not believe my good fortune!!  Felting wool is mess - I've done enough of it in the past that I had no interest in ever doing it again.  In light of my aversion to felting, this find was quite the treasure!!

The bag was stuffed with sets of mittens, carefully cut out and pinned together, all ready to go.  

Some were even embellished with felted flowers or crystals, like this one.  

Even the patterns were included!

I keep wondering what happened to the person who so carefully prepared all these mittens for stitching, then had to abandon the project....

I was so happy to have the privilege of finishing them up and seeing that they get to good homes.  I still have a number to finish, but I was able to complete enough for Christmas gifts.

They are wonderful -  oh so warm and cozy, lined with fleece!

Maybe I will have to revisit that felting thing....

:)

Physician, Heal Thyself

My latest holistic medical pursuit....

Uncle John's Black Walnuts

My Uncle John passed away last month at the age of 92.  He led an amazingly fruitful and productive life and reminded me so much of my father, both in looks as well as in approach to life.

After he passed away, his children divvy-ed up his black walnut stash in the freezer.  My cousin Jeff was kind enough to mail me a box crammed full of the little ziplock bags he stored them in.

It's so bittersweet knowing that this is the last of the black walnuts from Uncle John....

Knit Bombing Descends on Fort Hunter!

I've never seen anything like it....

:)

Meanwhile, I was hard at work demonstrating yo yo's here.

:)

Myrtle Beach

There's nothing like a vacation at the beach....

Charleston, SC

It was a perfect day for a visit with my nephew Sean and a ferry ride out to Fort Sumpter.

We ended the day with some fried pig skins and some Southern BBQ at an outdoor restaurant - aaahhhh....

Today

Today's Harvest

Curtains for Mrs. Ebersole

Stoltzfus Gourd and Pumpkin Farm