How to Start a Violet

HI!  I have a fun little tidbit I'd like to share with you.  I love african violet plants and have a few in my home.  They are my favourite indoor plant.  Recently I had an issue with one of my violets and it wasn't going to survive...can you say children and flying objects!  Well, I saved two leaves and tucked them in some soil in my pretty cup that sits on my desk.  They were kept moist by frequent waterings and they have started to grow tiny little plants.  This week they erupted and I'm delighted!

I am going to wait until they are about half the size of the parent leaf before I take them out and repot them.  It's just wonderful that soon I'l have more violets and more lovely flowers.  This particular variety is a double purple blossom one with white ruffly edges.

Do you like violets? What is your favourite variety?

Thanks for stopping in!  Have a wonderful day!

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Chinook and Carrot Cake

HI!  I thought I'd share a sweet event that happened recently.  We had another lovely chinook blow through and enjoyed some melting temperatures.  The one day it got up to almost 15C and created some puddles.

Under some of the trees is free of snow and dry.  I have found a nice place to take off my boots and socks to ground.  I know many people are into the New Age mystical end of this idea, but it's just simple science.  We are electrical beings and when we have extra charges built up in us we need to ground.  Living in a world with so many electrical devices our bodies get overwhelmed.  Walking around barefoot on the ground releases the extra charges.  Such a simple way to feel better!

It was also a time where we have been enjoying a newly fixed stove oven.  It was out of service for a few weeks and I'm loving having it back.

We celebrated with making a carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and blue candy sprinkles.  Any excuse really to have cake.   This is one of our families favourites.

Diabetic Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots (about 6 medium)
1 cup egg product or 4 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350F.
I just mix it all up together in my mixer and pour into a prepared pan.

For the icing I just add 1 block of cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter, a splash of milk, a dash of vanilla, and enough icing sugar to make it the consistency I need.

I'm not a great exact kinda cook.  I often just make it up as I go along. :)

Thank you for stopping by!  Praying you have a wonderful day!

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Medicine Cupbard Baskets

Hello!  Look what I found at a garage sale!  Yup two kinda used but very sturdy baskets.  I have a thing for baskets and these were perfect for something I wanted to do.  You see my medicine cupboard has things that like to come falling out when you open the door.  Do you ever have that problem?  Well I wanted to contain things a bit better and these baskets were what I had been looking for.

I find that sometimes if I just wait for awhile the Lord provides things I need for a better deal than buying them brand new.

I have been saving a piece of cork board I'd found for awhile...for just a time as this. :)  I cut out two sections and squished them down to the bottom of the baskets.  This makes a nicer flatter not as slippery surface for the contents I wanted to put in there.

Next I pulled all the things out of my two shelves I use for "medicine".  I filled up one basket with homeopathic medicines and extra pills for allergies.  The next I put in my essential oils, cough syrups, and supplements.

The baskets didn't go side by side like I had hoped, or straight in like I though would be best.  So, I put one on each shelf and tucked in the other items around them.  

As I have been using it this way I find that it works great for us.  Plus the delightful fact that I can open up the cupboard and nothing falls out at me. :)  

Thank you so much for dropping by!  May you have a blessed day!

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A Favourite Brunch

Hi! Do you love to sleep in on some days and them make a big brunch for your family?  I do, and it's so wonderful to see everyone dig in to all the food.

Some of our families favourite options for brunch are fried potatoes, biscuits (buttermilk if possible), scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.  For this meal we had mandarin oranges and grapes.

I love to cook in my cast iron frying pans, then I know that we're not eating something extra from the pan we shouldn't.

I love fresh biscuits with homemade jam or honey on them.  Mine don't ever look "perfect" but they always taste them same..yummy!

It's so nice to have fresh fruit, but canned or thawed fruit is good to.  Our favourite for that is homemade canned applesauce with cinnamon.

We love it when we can get local eggs, and do so whenever possible.  They are a bit more, but they're healthier.

So what are your favourite brunch foods?  Do you even like brunch?

Thanks for dropping by!  Praying you have a wonderful day!

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From Sheep to Sweater

Hello!  Today I would like to share with you about a class that my children just went to.  A local lady came to share with our homeschoolers about wool and spinning.  She brought a sheepskin that is in the process of being treated/tanned.  She has cut a lot of the wool off of it, but some was there to let the children see how it is.

Below is the underside of the hide and it shows lots of the coloration that is taking place in the process.  This one is being treated with cheezewiz! Yes, you read that right.  You know the stuff you spread on celery, yup!  Where I grew up I learned that they used the animal's brain to treat the hide, but I guess now there are other options beside the chemical mixture you can buy.

So after learning about that part, she pulled out bunches of wonderful dyed wool.  She told the children all about the dying process that she uses.  She only uses plant based dyes, and often makes her own varieties.  The children each got to choose out a bunch of wool to use.

She showed them how the carders work and how the wool is placed on them. Then they each got a turn with the wool they'd chosen out.

She then brought out her spinner and showed and described to them each of the parts and how they worked.

She gave them a demonstration of it working and then brought them one at a time with their carded wool to have a turn.  Most of them couldn't do the wool and the treadle part at the same time.  It takes quite the coordination.  :)  Some had that machine going full tilt, and others could hardly get it going. The lady was so wonderful! She was so patient and gentle as she helped and corrected mistakes.  Soon all the wool was spun onto the bobbin. She took this home and was going to spin it with another yarn so that it was more usable and will be giving it to someone to make something with.  How exciting!

She brought one of her finished projects to share with the children.  It's a sweater and the children all thought it was wonderfully made.  It's so interesting how she has learned the old art of using the wool.  We in our society have lost that contact from this basic skill.   Something I'd love to be able to do someday...first I'd need to get the tools....and the sheep. :)

Thanks so much for dropping by!

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Roses for my Bathroom

Hello!  Today I'd like to share with you some roses I now have for my bathroom. :)  Do you ever feel the need for some change?  Well I do and a my husband also as he mentioned getting a new shower curtain for the bathroom at some point.  I had it in the back of my mind for a bit.  Then one day I went to the thrift store and found this lovely curtain.  At first thought I was going to make it into a quilt, but then....it dawned on me that this would be perfect.  And I'd get to see it everyday.

I so love the roses and it has a bit of texture to it with the ripples.  I hung it up and then put a curtain liner behind it so it didn't get wet.  For two reasons: one so it wouldn't get stained, and two so you couldn't see through it when it was wet.  We have only one bathroom in our home and with all of us, sometimes there are more than just one person in the bathroom at a time.

Praying you have a splendid day! And if you have a moment, let me know what kind of shower curtains you like.  Cloth or plastic?

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Homemade Lavender 2

Hi!  I had more material so I decided to make another one.  But in a different style.

I added the other pocket with the flowers again since I liked it so much.  It's decorative and you can still use it if you want to.  Then I added the tab and flower to the other side of the panel the pocket was on.

I wanted to try just flat layers with this one.  I had some other eyelet lace material that I cut to size.  You can see all the wrinkles on the green gingham.  I kinda started using the apron before I took pics. oops.

I found that the top of the other apron didn't seem to fit as well as I'd like it to.  So I tried a different style and it fits really nicely.  I needed to put a mid purple panel to keep the folds from the top on the top.  Then with the strap going through the main part of the apron it was nice and adjustable to.

So, another apron to add to the apron stash, and I'll be finding a home for the other one.

Hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for dropping by!

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Homemade Lavender

Hello! Thanks for dropping by!  Today I have a new apron I'd like to share with you.  I found the lavender material at the local dump free store in a project bag and couldn't help but dream of making something with it. :)  Since I love aprons and use them a lot this is what was created.

I also found an old eyelet lace shirt that I snagged the pocket and little tab from.  Then also a man's shirt in the tiny green gingham that I thought would be great with it.  After looking at the material out on my sewing desk I decided that it needed some purple straps to highlight the darker purple in the material.  So, I went digging in my stash and pulled out some linen in the darker purple that I've been hoarding for like years. hehehe  Just for a time as this!

The above picture I laid against the darker purple to hide what was on the table....and it makes a nice contrast to.  You can see the tab from the shirt that I sewed a button on, and then I added a crochet flower beside it.  I made a bunch of these flowers from THIS pattern.  I added a cream button from the eyelet lace shirt and it was a great combination.

Then there was the ruffles.  I'm going to need to invest in a ruffler if I do this again...not my specialty.  The ruffles aren't too even, but I still like them. The green from the shirt, then some eyelet lace I was gifted with and then a dark purple layer to finish off the bottom.



Thank you for dropping by!  Have you been sewing anything lately?  I'd love to hear about it.

Praying you have a wonderful day!

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