Christmas Cranes

December is a great time to watch migrating cranes. The cranes stop to rest at Hiwassee Refuge in Birchwood Tennessee near Cleveland.
On a recent visit I observed thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and four white Whooping Cranes. An added bonus was seeing four adult Bald Eagles. Crane Festival January 14-15 2012 is here:
Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival Home » Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival

Pearl Harbor Knitting

Knitters were encouraged to knit for the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor 70 years ago today. Knitting was considered a patriotic activity.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite Christmas cookies to bake and eat.
No fancy ingredients required.
Snickerdoodles Recipe from Betty Crocker

WWII Muffler Knitting Pattern 1942

During WWII The Red Cross handed out free knitting patterns to encourage knitters to knit warm garments
for soldiers. The Red Cross formed an army of knitters on the home front to knit socks, sweaters, mufflers, and gloves for the military.

Knitting Lap Robes For Veterans

Lap Robes are great TV knitting projects. You can keep warm while the lap robe grows longer in your lap.
130 stitches on size 10 needles is slow knitting. Lap robe takes 3 skeins of Red Heart yarn. (size 36x36 inches)
Garter stitch is mindless knitting.
This lap robe is for a WWII veteran.

Caramel Frosting

I made caramel frosting for a boxed
spice cake mix . Caramel frosting is easy to make. Recipe is here
Cooks.com - Recipe - Easy Caramel Frosting I used a 9x13 inch pan.

Television and Radio Scarfs 1950

Who knew we were supposed to crochet doilies for our televisions and radios ? Notice the crochet mat on top of the refrigerator ! No home is complete without these crochet accents covering all surfaces.

Davy Crockett Cookies

These Davy Crockett bar cookies are
one of those school lunchroom desserts. I do not know why they are called Davy Crockett cookies, or what is the history of the recipe. They are baked in a jelly roll pan , and cut into
squares when cool. Recipe is here:
Davy Crockett Bars Recipe - Food.com - 98981

Knit For Defense

Knit For Defense a 1941 knitting pattern booklet encouraged knitters to knit sweaters and woolen accessories for servicemen during WWII. "The popular V-neck pullover is welcomed, and accepted in every branch of the Service." There are patterns for gloves, scarf, chest protector, helmet, cap , and socks using Red Heart Knitting Worsted yarn in regulation Service colors.

Civil War Sock Knitter

Mary Chesnut knit socks during the
Civil War. She was the wife of General James Chesnut aide to President Jefferson Davis. " I do not know when I have seen a woman without knitting
in her hand. Socks for the soldiers is the cry." Relive the Civil War through
the pages of Mary's diary as her world
crumbles. Known for her Southern hospitality, Mary tried to keep some sense of order in her household in spite of the chaos of the Civil War.

Picking Peppers

It is too hot to knit, but just right for growing peppers. The red peppers are cayenne, and the green peppers are jalapenos. I will string the cayenne
peppers to dry, and use the jalapeno
peppers in cornbread. I bought my Bonnie pepper plants at Lowes .
Bonnie Plants Varieties - Vegetable Plants and Herb Plants Gardeners Trust

Growing Zucchini

Zucchini is fun to grow. I am growing
an heirloom variety called Black Beauty. Zucchini grows very fast, and is quite productive. You can bake
zucchini bread which freezes well.
Zucchini bread was popular back in the 70's.James Beard’s Zucchini Bread Recipe from TasteBook

Amish Sugar Cookies

These tender cookies are simple and easy to make with ingredients on hand in your pantry. I used a melon ball scoop, and rolled the balls of chilled dough in granulated sugar, then flattened
them with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. I baked them on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
Amish Sugar Cookies Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Civil War Era Knitting

Here is a another knitting project I plan to start and never finish. It is a Civil War era sontag or bosom friend. The sontag was a common article of women's clothing. It was worn for warmth, and tied leaving the arms free.

Royal Wedding Hat

This is the vintage hat I will be wearing for the royal wedding.
It is made of black velvet with a satin bow, and has a black net veil.

More Tulips

Every Spring visitors flock to my yard
which looks a lot like the Atlanta botanical Gardens.

Thalia Daffodil

Thalia is a pure white daffodil. It is sweet-scented, and blooms later than
most daffodils. Thalia is deer and rodent resistant. It has multiple blooms per stem.

Teacups With Roses

I started collecting teacups with roses
and now it is hard to stop. These cups
and saucers are bone china made in England. Collecting china is addictive.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer Lemons are sweet lemons. They are very juicy and thin skinned.
I planted the seed from a Meyer
lemon after I squeezed some juice into my tea. The Meyer lemon seed sprouted into a tiny seedling with two leaves. Meyer lemons are available at Kroger.

African Violets

I enjoy growing African Violets. They
do not take up much space, and will thrive on any windowsill. African Violets bloom year round, and are available at most garden centers.

DAR Lap Robe Knitting Project

I finally finished this blue lap robe that I knit for a veteran as a DAR
project. I cast on 130 stitches on size 10 needles, and knit until I ran out of yarn. I used 3 (7 ounce) skeins of Red Heart Yarn. The lap robe measured 36 inches wide by 36 inches long.

Civil War Bride

My husband's great great grandmother married during the Civil War. She grew the cotton that she used for the quilt batting. There is a
lot of hand quilting on this old quilt.
The pattern seems to be a variation
of Drunkard's Path.

Apple Stack Cake

My grandmother, aunt, and mother-in-law all made the best apple stack cakes. They used real dried apples
for the cooked filling between the layers. I just use a jar of apple butter.

Civil War Knitting

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil
War. Knitters in both the North and the South joined soldier's aid societies to knit much needed socks for soldiers. Knitting for the Blue and the Gray was considered a patriotic duty.