Make Lemonade

Since we found out we have to move I haven't been motivated to garden... like, at all.  I'm so sad about the possibility of letting go of my garden box.  It is time to harvest though.  So, I called my sweet neighbor/friend over to take what she wanted and offered her the box if I can't take it with me to our new place.  She said she'd love to have my garden box.  So, hopefully it will fit in her yard.

The other day we dug out our crop and clipped lots of lemons from our little tree. Don't worry I've left plenty for the new residence. It is so rewarding to pull carrots and beets from my own soil. I just love digging and watering and watching things grow. Jack was such a good helper this season. He takes credit for the sewing of seeds, most of the watering, and of coarse the harvesting. Thats the fun part, right? God gets the glory for the growing though. It is so amazing how much can come from one little seed.   Here is my little farmer Jack Jack:

And here is the Lemonade we made together:

I used this tutorial I found on Pinterest.  Its super easy and yummy if you ever want to try making your own.

Next I think I'll try Lemon Curd, its one of my favorites on my chocolate chip scones.  

xo,

Lindsay

 

Garden + New Stuff

Oh I'm so excited to share a few fun things with you.  Today Mr. Postman brought me some things that have been on my 'want' list for a while.  This Fiesta pitcher for one:

Got it on eBay for like $30 and I love it.  Its not quite the aqua vintage color, but I can't find one under $60.  So Turquoise it is.  Isn't it pretty?

I've been looking for some craft to put on my sewing corner walls.  Not really knowing what to look for, I stumbled across this cross stitch pattern called Home of a Quilter by Told in the Garden.  And...its Amish!  Bonus, I know!  

I just got home from the craft store and got all the DMC threads and cloth.  Now I just have to learn to cross stitch.  Any tips out there? 

Next I scored on Jeni's Destash shop on Etsy and found this fabric:

I was just thinking someone should reproduce the Amish Pyrex bowl print on fabric.  Thank you Henry Alexander!  Its called Harvest Town.  I have no idea when it came out, but I'm so happy to own one whole yard of it!  The colors are super fun too!

Okay, bare with me.  I've got a few more photos to share.  

This lovely stack of fabric was graciously given to me by my very good designer friend.  It's called Vintage Butterflies by Christine Adolph. 

Aren't these pastels and brights pretty?  There are two panel prints too.  This will make a precious little girl a pretty quilt.  I think I love the butterflies and script prints the most.

Okay time for a garden update.  Today we had a small harvest:

 Red Beets

 Tomatoes are ripening

 Cauliflower doesn't seem to love my late planting, but there is one little head forming.

Corn!  Jack is especially excited about the corn.  What kid doesn't like corn?

Sadly, I caught a opossum eating 2 of the 4 apricots on my tree.  Little rascal!  He better not come back...or else!  

We thats all for this week.  I do have a quilt top finished, by haven't taken the time to snap any shots of it.  Have a great weekend my friends!

Linds

Weekend Garden

Just  a quick update on my garden:

 

We've had a bunch of growth!  I'm so proud to say my garden has made it this far.  I haven't killed anything yet.  My corn, in the back, already has one ear on it.  The carrots are hiding in this picture, but I picked a few today.  I think I may have planted the cauliflower a bit late, although they are my biggest, there is no sign of veggies.  The beats should have been harvested already, but they are the size of marbles.  So, I've thinned them out and fertilized the garden in hopes for bigger beats and carrots.  The Spinach has been my strongest yet!  Ironic, right?  Pop-eye says spinach makes you strong, probably because its pretty hearty itself.  We are able to make at least one salad for 4 each week.  It just keeps growing back.  I love it.

Lots of green tomatoes on the vines, so in a few more weeks we'll be enjoying them too.

 

Here is my sweet little Sheriff Jack.  He is strutting his new cowboy hat and badge along with a stick horse I pulled from the attic.  It was mine when I was a little girl.  My Aunt made each of my sisters and I one.  Love the calico print on it.  I love sharing my childhood toys with my son, especially the handmade ones.  I don't like however that things from my childhood are now considered vintage.  That used to be what I called my mom's things.

We are headed to Baja for a week, and I've packed a few hand sewing projects to keep me somewhat productive on vacation.  I'm looking forward to listening to the waves in the morning when I wake and taking naps in the hammocks. 

FYI: my shop will be on vacation mode until, Tuesday, July 10. 

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Lindsay

Whole Lot of Sewing Going On

Prepare yourself for a long update and many photos.  I've been really busy at home the last couple weeks.  I love being home with Jack.  Together we garden... 

My Garden :: Week 5

and when he naps, I sew...

Swoon Block 4

Swoon Block 5

Swoon Block 6

Swoon Block 6

And... I've finally pulled out my Farmers Wife Book again.  Remember those cute little 6.5" blocks that were inspired by the Farmer's Wife letters that answered the question, if you have or had a daughter would you want her to marry a farmer?  Well here are two more:

[85] Square Dance

Quote from the letter that inspired the block:  "Yes.  I have two young daughters, although not yet of marriageable age but I wish them both to marry farmers.  First, because the country home life is more nearly complete in itself, and therefore productive of real happiness.  Each member has important duties which make him necessary to the whole.  The city draws from the home, not toward it." Mrs. J. J. T., Cascade County, Mont.

Fabrics Used: Bliss, by Bonnie & Camille for Moda;  Hope Valley, By DS Quilts for Free Spirit;  Heath, by Alexander Henry

 [22] Corn & Beans

Quote from the letter that inspired the block:  For my children I covet happiness, development and service and that they may 'live in a house by the side of the road.' Happiness is not a matter of locality but of training and congenial companionship." Mrs. W. R. Hutchinson County, S. D.

Fabrics Used: Peas & Carrots, by American Jane for Moda;  Hope Valley, by DS Quilts for Free Spirit;  a vintage sheet

Here are my 12 blocks.   Only 38 more to go!  Ha ha ha,  maybe I'll pick up the pace a little.  Opening up this book and reading the letters again, really makes my heart long for the open country and a simpilar lifestyle.  Man these ladies really make me appreciate things I often take for granted.  Now that I'm gardening, I feel a little bit more connected to the farmer's wives.  But only just a little.  They did it all without modern conveniences.

Well, my heart is happy to have made so much progress in my sewing room.  I'm truly loving it.

xo,

Lindsay

We Have Growth!

I have HAPPY inside.  

I'm so excited!  Coming up here is spinach. 

And here we have cauliflower and red beets.  The corn also sprouted, but I didn't get a good shot of them yet.  No sign of the carrots though.  Or at least, I'm not sure if what I see is carrots or weeds.  I was able to weed the rest of the box, but the carrot section I left alone.  I couldn't decipher where my rows are.  It could all be weeds as I may have planted the seeds too deep. I'll wait and see.

I've been reading The Pocket Guide to Amish Life by Mindy Starns Clark on Kindle.  Last week I read that  "The average Amish farm in Lancaster County has about 70 acres, and the crops commonly include corn, tobacco, alfalfa, and various grains.  Unfortunately, rising land costs and decreased availability are prohibiting many younger Amish from continuing the farming tradition.  Nowadays, the Amish work not only on farms but also in other trades, factories, restaurants, retail establishments, and so on...  

Glenn Rifkin gives this report in the New York Times: The business, which favor such Amish skills as furniture-making, quilting, construction work and cooking, have been remarkably successful.  Despite a lack of even a high school education...hundreds of Amish entrepreneurs have built profitable businesses based on the Amish values of high quality, integrity and hard work. 

...With the shift into entrepreneurship, of course, comes all sorts of challenges to the Amish way of life-new technologies, less time spent at home with family, and even mothers working outside of the home."

I sometimes wonder if the world that surrounds the Amish culture will inevitably infiltrate their way of life as technology competes with skill.  Still they have managed to remain authentic even when they make new exceptions into their culture.  Got to love the commitment & perseverance!

Speaking of growth.  I found this awesome growth chart for my little man on Etsy.  

Abbie's House

Isn't it cute?  It looks like a giant ruler!  I got the decal kit from Abbie's House on Etsy for only $12.  Gonna head to Lowes to get my supplies today. 

Catch ya later,

Lindsay

lil of this, lil of that

daffodils

In the last couple weeks, I've been catchin' up with my routine.  

Jack and I finally got those seeds in the ground last Tuesday.  I let that darn box just sit there for a week before planting.  Of course little weeds began to grow in that time.  Now I'm not quite sure how often to water.  I think I'll just stick with checking it every morning for moisture.  Sound good?

Oh, almost forgot to tell you WHAT we planted: sweet corn, carrots, red beets + cauliflower (might be to late for cauliflower), spinach. 

Unfortunately, we had some hard rain Saturday night, I hope it didn't do any harm. 

Indoors we have the tomatoes + cucumbers.  

I'm so nervous...I hope something grows, anything.

Got my second Swoon block finished.  Not totally as thrilled about this pairing, but I'm sure it'll look cute in the mix.

Picnic & Fairgrounds by DS Quilts

I'm really excited about this Little Golden Book.  Remember when I went here, and purchase this fabric panel?  Well, I finally pulled out the panel and some scrap batting and stitched it up.  Finished it in a few hours!  Its available here.

I love cloth baby books, don't you?

Especially ephalents...Yep, thats right I said, EPH-A-LENTS.  Thats what my mom says I called them as a kid.  My dyslexia apparently began before I could read, ha ha.

Just for fun, I also thought I'd share our dinner menu for the week. 

Monday:  Cobb Salad

Tuesday:  Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup + Strawberry Pecan Spinach Salad

Wednesday:  Lemon Honey Dijon Curry Chicken + Spinach Orzo Salad

Thursday:  Cream Pasta + Veggies

Friday:  Lettuce Wrapped Hamburgers + Sweet Potato Fries

Saturday:  I have NO IDEA...lets each out!

Sunday: Deviled Eggs, Easter Ham + whatever my family brings to share!

If you'd like any recipes, just email me.  I love to share.

<3

Enjoy your week!

Back and Busy

We've hit the ground running.  San Felipe, Mexico was great!  It was the perfect little get away for me.  Beach, movies, friends, ahhh.  Upon return I set out to finish building my vegetable garden.  It turned out way cool!  I never thought I could build somthing like this all by myself.  Now for the hard part:  GROWING FOOD!

We are waiting for a storm to pass this weekend before planting seeds.  I think we might do a starter kit in egg cartons. 

I hope I can do it.  I mean, I usually kill every plant that enters my home.  Lord willing, I'll have a healthy garden.  Jack picked out 10 vegetables.  We'll see what ends up getting planted first.  He is a great little farmer.  As I said here I got the plans to build this from Better Homes & Gardens, but I found a second resource and find it much easier to follow.  To build a raised garden bed like mine visit Sunset Magazine tutorial.  It was missing one item on the materials list (bird netting) but that was a mear $5. 

I'll keep you posted on the progress.  

Again, gardening tips are welcome, so please spill your beans!

Lindsay

Over the Weekend

Last weekend was very productive.  I whipped out this cute little top using DS Quilts Picnics and Fairgrounds fabric from JoAnn's.

When I picked out the fabric, I didn't exactly think thru the directional print.  So the pleats aren't so great to look at.   Below is my solution:  I bought a few crocheted flowers at the Road to California quilt show last month and thought I'd use one on this top.

I think I'll dye the flower red and add a fun white ribbon to the bunch.  This top was inspired by one I've owned for maybe 4+ years.  I only pull it out on special casual occasions.

Here I am wearing it on my 26th birthday with my friend Aubrey.  Sorry my hair is covering the cute flower.  This tank is my all time favorite shirt, and I hardly wear it cause I want it to last forever.  It's made using a collage of stretch/knits fabrics.  I love that it has an above the bust cut.  Since I'm not good with sewing knits, I've been looking for a pattern for a long time to replicate it that didn't require a knit.  Above the bust patterns are really hard to find.  But, finally I found one.  The pattern I used to make my new shirt is Butterick 5217. 

The pattern was super easy to follow.  However, even though I'm no virgin to sewing apparel, I ran into a few hurdles.  For one, the facing was narrower than the drape.  I couldn't figure out what I did wrong, but I fixed it letting out a couple seam allowances.  No biggy.  Anyway,  a also made a few other changes to the pattern to get the look I was going for.  Instead of three pleats on the back I only did one and I made my own biased tape from the left over fabric instead of buying some.  I also shortened the tunic, which I wont do again because it hangs a little stiff.  I think if it was a little longer it wouldn't look so stiff.  Maybe its just the fabric though.  A voile would probably work better.  Maybe I'll order some AMH for my next one. 

On another note...

I also worked my butt off on the side yard weeding, digging, sawing lumber and making this:

Looks like no big fuss, but oh believe me, this was a lot of work.  I got the plans from Better Homes & Garden's how tos.  I'll admit, I did have a little help from my father-in-law screwing it together.  We've always wanted a vegetable garden, and by golly we are gonna have one!  There is still so much to do, but I'm making good headway and I have a great little helper.  Any tips on raised gardening?  Please do share.  I have no green thumb an can use the advice.  We'll get back to this in a couple weeks. 

Hope you have a good week!  I'm off to Oklahoma to visit my big sister. 

xo,

Lindsay