~More Ottobre Sewing~

I did some sewing for my little girl today. This particular pattern was a fun project.

"Dolly" dress, from Ottobre 6/2008:


I made it in size 74, only one size up from the last time I used an Ottobre pattern, but it is still a little big. That's OK though - there is room to grow and it will hopefully last through the winter. I lengthened the dress by 2 inches so it would be a little below knee length.

I sewed a little ribbon tag in the side:


Closer view of the yoke and sleeve:


I'm also working on a diaper cover to go with this dress, and I'm considering sewing a red jacket to match.

A huge plus for me was that I had all the fabric and notions to make this dress. It is always nice to have everything on hand! I bought the fabric for $1.49/yard, and I used just over a yard, so this was an inexpensive dress.

I let my Ottobre subscription lapse. I want to get the most out of the issues I already have, and then in another year or so I'll re-evaluate and see if I want to subscribe again.

Saturday is for Sewing

~Today~

This morning started out wet, and it has been wet all day long. The temperature was actually quite warm, and at one point I thought it wasn't raining so I was going to take a walk. It was raining. :-P I got about half a block down before I turned back around.

The rain and wind is causing all the pretty leaves to come down. I've enjoyed my neighbor's trees so much. They are a nice bright orange and yellow, and even when the sun wasn't out, the color fooled me into thinking it was sunny outside!

This evening we went to the mall, just to get out of the house. So did a lot of people. LOL The mall was crowded, but we still had a nice time walking around and talking.

Well, those are the highlights from my day! :-) Just wanted to pop on and say "hi". Hope you have a nice day!

My neighbor's tree

We get to enjoy the color and we get to rake the leaves too, because the wind blows them in our yard. :-)

~Top Ten: Favorite Childhood Books~

Last night I was thinking about books I enjoyed in my childhood and early teen years. In no particular order, here are my top ten favorite books:

1) Anne of Green Gables (series), L.M. Montgomery

I read the books before I saw the movie. Oh, how I adored Anne Shirley! And then I was thrilled to watch the movie - all my favorite characters brought to life on the screen. Though I still say they missed the mark when it came to casting Rachel. She was supposed to be a little more "fluffy", shall we say.

2) Little House on the Prairie (series), Laura Ingalls Wilder

I wanted to be Laura!

3) The Borrowers (series), Mary Norton

These books certainly spark your imagination. Wonder where all your safety pins and buttons disappear? The Borrowers have them, of course! I recommend all the books in this series, except for the last book. In it, the Borrowers move into a haunted house.

4) Eight Cousins, Louisa May Alcott

This is my favorite book by Louisa May Alcott. I know that Little Women is her best-known novel, but she wrote some excellent books that get passed over, I think. There is also a sequel, called Rose in Bloom.

5) All of a Kind Family (series), Sydney Taylor

I loved these books! So much! The books follow a New York Jewish family through the children's growing up years. When we first meet the family, all the little girls dress alike. I loved that, because my mom dressed my sisters and me in matching clothes too!

6) Mary Poppins (series), P.L. Travers

I debated about listing this series, but it was a series of books I enjoyed. As a child, the books were quite innocent, but rereading them when I was older made me realize that Mary Poppins is more witch than nanny.

7) What Katy Did (series), Susan Coolidge

All about a little girl and an accident that changed her life forever. My sisters and I checked this book out of the library so many times, and found the sequels online, since our library didn't have them.

8) The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner

Four children, recently orphaned, and fearing their grandfather who will now be their guardian, run away. They find an abandoned boxcar and set up house. This book was a model to our play when we were little. My sisters and I were lonely orphans living in a boxcar (the bed of my dad's truck), until, that is, my mom called us in for lunch.

9) Love Comes Softly (series), Janette Oke

Not technically written for children, but I read the first book when I was 8 or 9 years old. I loved anything "old fashioned" and this fit the bill!

10) The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White

E.B.White is better known for Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, but this book was my favorite. It is about a trumpeter swan who cannot trumpet. A sad plight for a trumpeter swan, indeed!

What about you? What are your favorite books from your childhood/early teen years?

Shiny Sink

Dandelion

~WIP Wednesday~

I finished the baby bonnet that I started last week, and decided to make some mitts to go along with it.


These little mitts work up so fast! I just have to knit the I-cord to attach the two, and then they'll be done.


I am using the pattern My Magic Baby Mitts, with the following modifications:
:::knit in the round, rather than flat
:::two inches of ribbing, rather than one and a half
:::closed the end with kitchener stitch, rather than gathering through all the remaining stitches

I'm pleased with how they're turning out.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The weather is incredible for late October! I hear we're in for colder weather soon, so I took a little walk this afternoon, and enjoyed every minute! Here are some pictures from my walk:

~Hedge fruit~

Kevin and I were at a farmer's market on Saturday, and I spotted a curious green fruit. I stepped in closer for a second look, and saw a sign that proclaimed that these mysterious fruits would keep away spiders and centipedes. Be still my heart! Something natural to keep those nasty creatures out of my house???

I bought four of them, with plans to strategically place them in the basement and attic. I hope these work!

Now, at the farmer's market they were calling these "hedge fruit" but when I looked online, it appears that they are more commonly known as "hedge apples". In fact, there is a whole site dedicated to hedge apples: hedgeapple.com.

From what I've read, it is considered "folk lore" that these repel insects. There have been lab tests done and they don't know how or why they keep insects away. Honestly? I really don't care about the hows or whys! If these work, I may consider growing a hedge apple tree! LOL

Have you gotten the idea that I detest centipedes? My hero, known to the world as "Kevin", knows when to put on his hero cape and come to my rescue. He can tell by my scream and/or tone of voice when I call out his name that he has a centipede to kill! So here's hoping that these truly do work and are more than just folk lore!

~Monday's Daybook: October 26~

Outside My Window...a dark, rainy evening

I am thinking..."dishes, go away!"

I am thankful for...for the food we ate for dinner and the fact that I have a family to do dishes for!

From the kitchen...zucchini ginger stir fry for dinner.

I am wearing...a patterned t-shirt, navy skirt, sweater, and slippers.

I am creating...mitts for my baby, to match the hat I made.

I am going...nowhere tonight!

I am hoping...for a good night's rest.

I am hearing...nothing much! The Baby is down for the night, and we're having a quiet evening.

Around the house...dishes and laundry to be done.

One of my favorite things...cherry cough drops! Wish I didn't need them though!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...pretty quiet week!

For more Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.

~Sunday~

Psalm 118:28

Thou art my God, and I will praise thee:

thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

~Simple Granola~

This recipe is very versatile. You can add dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or other grains if you desire. I like it plain though!

5-6 cups rolled oats
1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar OR honey

Melt butter. Stir in brown sugar OR honey. Pour mixture over oats, mix well. Spread in a large tray or stainless steel bowl.

Bake at 300* for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

The fewer oats you use, the chunkier the granola will be. I'd take a picture and show you what it looks like...but the batch I made is all gone! :-) It looks like normal granola though, so I'm sure you can picture it in your mind. ;-)

~This is why...~

I don't like to bake:

I got this grand and glorious idea to bake cookies for my neighbors. Not just any cookies but pumpkin cutout cookies beautifully iced with orange icing. Doesn't sound too complicated...

The cookies turned out ok, although they had just a little too much baking soda in them, and I could taste that in the finished cookies. (I followed the recipe.) But I figured a yummy icing would cover that, right?

And for the icing, I used powdered sugar that had been in my cabinet for ages. Ages too long, apparently, because the icing ended up tasting like plastic (the sugar was in a plastic bag).

And the icing, though it looked orange enough in the bowl, was very pale on the cookies. But I pressed ever onward.

And then I tasted them combined. Bleck. What am I trying to do? Get my neighbors to move away or something? LOL So all my hard work is dumped into the trash can.

*sigh*

I think I'll get some chocolate chips next time I go shopping. At least I can make chocolate chip cookies!

~Chit-Chat~

Yesterday was amazingly beautiful! I took advantage of the lovely weather and went for a walk. It felt like spring but smelled like autumn! The leaves are gorgeous now. Here is a tree I saw while on my walk:


At church a friend who reads my blog (Hi!) handed me a teabag. Oh...just the name alone sounded so good! Pumpkin Spice. It was every bit as good as it sounded too! I love Stash teas. They are so flavorful! I enjoyed my cup of tea after finishing a mountain of dishes. It was the perfect treat for a job well done!


Are you using Swagbucks? I love searching via Swagbucks! So far, just by searching alone, I have gotten $20 in Amazon gift cards. I am waiting to spend my Swagbucks gift cards until I have at least $25 so that shipping will be free! There many other things you can choose from as well! Searching through Swagbucks is free and easy! If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so here. I installed the toolbar so that it makes it even easier to remember to use the Swagbucks search. Once you open your account earning Swagbucks is as simple as doing a search.

See this delicious headband? (Image from Briar Claire)


I purchased this and two others from Briar Claire on Sunday and the package was on my doorstep on Wednesday! Since I bought them for a Christmas present for The Baby, I have to wait for her to wear them. Oh, the torture! I did try them on her, and are they ever cute!

Right now, I'm in the process of making dinner. What's for dinner? Brown rice, Garlic Lime Chicken, and salad. I have made this chicken recipe so many times. It is always so flavorful. I cut the cayenne pepper in half, and even that is a little on the spicy side for me, but Kevin really likes the heat!

Hope you have a blessed day! Thanks for taking the time to stop by!!!

~WIP Wednesday~

I thought I'd round up my current WIPs (Works in Progress) and show them to you today!

First up, my sister's afghan. The wedding is in less than 10 weeks. I am maybe half-way finished. I need to step it up a little so that I am not giving her a WIP on her wedding day! ("Here ya go, I'll finish it while you're on your honeymoon." Um, no. I don't think so.)


Rivulet scarf:


Because of the afghan and the dealine to finish that, finishing this quickly is a low priority. I enjoy working on it though! I am perhaps 1/3 of the way finished.

Lastly, a hat for The Baby. I made this exact pattern, in the "baby" size, and she wore it a lot last winter! I am making this one in the "child" size. It fits her very well! All I have left is the I-cord ties (one tie, as you can see, is almost finished).

~Milly-Molly-Mandy~

My mom called me a few weeks ago and told me about a little story book that she thought I would enjoy, called Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories. I checked to see if it was available in my library system, and put a hold on it.

As soon as I opened the book, I knew I had read it before! There is a little map on the inside cover, and I recognized it. I read this book when I was 7 or 8 years old. The funny thing is, I only remember one chapter out of the whole book.

It was a fun little read, and when The Baby is old enough, we'll enjoy it together. I love old children's literature.

Milly-Molly-Mandy is written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley. She was a children's illustrator, but she also wrote a few books herself. This book was written in 1925. It is a very sweet book. I would guess that this book is about 2nd or 3rd grade level (back in 1925, anyhow). Today's young reader will definitely need someone to help them understand the old-fashioned words, objects, and activities.

Milly-Molly-Mandy is one little girl - her full name is really Millicent Margaret Amanda. But that was too long of a name so it was shortened to Milly-Molly-Mandy. *Smiles* The chapter that I remember? Milly-Molly-Mandy was practicing with a little boy for a race. Since they didn't have a clock out in the field where they were practicing, Milly-Molly-Mandy practiced in the house by the clock counting out seconds till she was able to do so away from the clock. I think this chapter enamored me so much because I tried to do the same (count seconds away from a clock) but I was never able to get it down. :-)

~Monday's Daybook: October 19~

Outside My Window...a cold fall morning

I am thankful for...the fun time we had last night with our church family at our annual bonfire.

I am going...grocery shopping and to the post office.

I am reading...500+ Time-Saving Hints for Every Woman by Emilie Barnes and Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey.

I am hoping...to get a lot done today! :-)

I am hearing...the hum of the fridge and laptop, The Baby playing.

One of my favorite things...toast and eggs and coffee for breakfast! This is my breakfast almost every single morning.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...mums in my garden:



For more Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.

~Sunday~

Psalm 47:6

Sing praises to God, sing praises:

sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

~Golden Oats~

This recipe is one that I remember from my childhood. One fond memory is having it as a special treat for supper, when I was six or seven years old, because my dad was going out for dinner with a future employer. I was quite distraught that my dad wasn't going to be eating dinner with us (or maybe I was upset that he was eating dinner out and I wasn't! LOL), so my mom promised me that she'd make golden oats for dinner.

If you don't like the consistency of oatmeal cereal, you will probably like this recipe. The oats separate and are a little chewy. This cereal is not gummy at all. If you don't like the taste of oatmeal itself, well then, you probably won't like it. :-P

1 1/2 cups oats
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup juice

Combine oats and egg in medium-sized bowl; mix until oats are thoroughly coated. Add oats mixture to butter in 10-inch skillet, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until oats are dry, separated and lightly browned. Add juice; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Makes 4 servings.

I particularly like orange juice, but apple juice works just fine too. I like to add thinly sliced apples - just saute them a few minutes in the butter before adding the oats mixture to the skillet.

Very, very yummy! I had this cereal for breakfast yesterday.

~Fall Decorations~

Yesterday I finally snapped some pictures of my fall decorations. I have been waiting for a sunny day and a clean house, but those two haven't happened together. :-P It has been overcast a lot lately!

I hung a fall garland in the doorway between the living room and dining room. Last time I hung it, I'm pretty sure that I put white lights on it. But I just kept it simple this time.


Two of my teddy bear friends, notice the matching candle and topper (a gift from my husband many years ago):


The coffee table. I've mentioned the doilies in autumns past, but I got them for either 5 or 10 cents each at a yard sale. They are just perfect for fall decorations -- the only time of year I use them.


The dining room table:


This year some of my decorations were quite dilapidated, and I ended up tossing them out. I'll have to hit Hobby Lobby's clearance sales on their fall merchandise and get a few new things for next fall.