Gardening 2023 The Beginning

 

This is sometimes called, "Winter Sowing." The ideal is to make miniature greenhouses out of milk jugs. 

I used 1 gallon water bottles.

I cut the tops off of the water bottles, poked drainage holes in the bottom, and put 3 inches of steriled soil in the bottles. I then planted seeds and put the tops back onto the bottles.

I left the bottles outside. This was back on March 25th. It was still too cold to plant most seeds in the garden, but the water bottle greenhouses gave these seeds a headstart. 

This method worked out very well for me this year. I was able to keep more seedlings alive and to the point of being transplanted than some years that I start seeds indoors. Having little ones inside that want to play in my potting soil makes it difficult to keep seedlings alive.

My tomatoes are doing very well now that they are transplanted into the garden. The tomato seeds are the ones that I saved from last year's tomato fruits.

How are your gardens growing? Have you heard of, "Winter Sowing," before. Have you tried, "Winter Sowing?" I look forward to reading about it in the comments section.

June By Henry Beer (Poem)

 

June

By Henry Beer 

It is the pleasant month of June,
When roses in profusion bloom.
What precious memories come to mind:
To see the rosebush there entwined
Upon the garden gate, aglow,
Which mother planted years ago!
The mock orange, too, is a delight,
With fragrant blossoms, pure and white.
Who does not deem it a rich treat
The luscious strawberries to eat,
Which have emerged from winter's cold,
As the first-fruits of the year unfold?
'Tis in the pleasant month of June
When clover fields are sweet with boom;
The new-mown hay is mowed away -
Provision for the wintry day.
Refreshing showers, the sun's bright glow
Have caused the field of corn to grow.
The longest days of all the year
Within the month of June appear.
There's growing corn, and ripening wheat,
The new-mown hay with fragrance sweet,
The pleasant days and blooming flowers,
The morning dew and frequent showers - 
Until there come more perfect days,
The month of June shall have our praise.

Dress Sewing Progress In May

 

Before I get to the sewing progress I want to share a picture of the peonies that I have been enjoying. I have cut peony bouquets from yards where no one lives in prior years, but this is the first year that I have had my very own peonies blooming. They are gorgeous! I am so happy to have peonies of my very own. :) Fun fact: Peonies are the state flower of Indiana; land of my nativity.

It has been a beautiful month. This past Saturday the weather was so idilic. I was enjoying the morning outdoors. I hung a load of laundry on the clothesline. There are few things as satisfying as a load of clean diapers flapping on the clothesline. 

It was such a peaceful morning!

I collected a bundle of bachelor buttons to dry.* My bachelor button patch is starting to bloom like crazy. 

*I have since discovered that drying bachelor buttons doesn't work. At least, this method doesn't work.

On to the sewing content:
I did a lot of piddly sewing projects this month between stints of working on the formal dress.

I picked up this brightly colored floral XXL skirt at thrift store. I liked the pattern and I knew there would be plenty of material to make something for my little girl.

I cut out pieces to make a jumper with pockets.

I finished the neck and arm holes with bias tape.

I added lace at the hem.

I was way off with the pocket placement. They are too low; like down at her knees. That is a bummer! I waited until all the seams were finished to check the placement, though, so the pockets are going to stay in the wrong place.

This jumper was a nice one day project. I was able to sew it on a Saturday when I had a lighter load, as far as household duties go.

I did some hand basting on the tulip sleeves for the formal dress. 

I set my phone camera on the shelf above my head to capture these shots.

I found this skirt when we were out thrift shopping, too. It was a size 10-12 girls. Much too wide for my 3 year old. So I put a new waistband on it.

It took me about 45 minutes to take all the stitches out of the original waistband. I decided to reuse the elastic, so that was an extra 15 minutes to take the serging out of the elastic.

I like to use a really light weight fabric for elastic casings. Stiffer fabrics sometime keep the elastic from being as springy as I would like. I used some viscose lining fabric for the casing on this project.

Below, is a skirt that needed to be narrower for my daughter to wear it now. I took it in at few points along the waist. The print is really cute on her and I like the pleating details. They add a nice flare.

This skirt needed some length. 

I had some red fabric that matched. I added a flounce with a lace trim. Now it is a perfect patriotic skirt!

I crafted this black skirt from a spaghetti strap top. I just cut off the top portion and added a viscose casing for an elastic waistband. It is a really comfy jersey material. I think she is going to wear this one a lot.

I sewed the tulip sleeves on to the bodice of the formal dress. I assembled the skirt and skirt lining. I sewed the bodice to the skirt.

When I had my daughter try on the dress she immediately began twirling around and swirling the skirt. This is a really good dress for twirling!

I resorted to stitching the zipper on by hand because I can't find a zipper foot for my sewing machine. I used to have a zipper foot, but for some reason it is gone now.

This is an invisible zipper. It turned out pretty invisible. It is not my best zipper install job, though. I certainly wouldn't want my 4-h Judge of yesteryear trying to work the zipper up and down. It moves, but it is quite difficult! I must have stitched it too close to the zipper teeth. 

The dress is not finished. May is not over yet.

I will keep working. I want her to be able to wear it to a wedding on Saturday. The pressure is on!

The Robin By Henry Beer (Poem)

 

The Robin

By Henry Beer

The robin is a lusty bird,

A pioneer, I'd say.

He comes when chilling winds prevail,

When clouds and storms hold sway.

The robin leaves the sunny south,

He loves the north land best.

He loves our summer, spring, and fall,

'Tis here he builds his nest.

The seasons he can well discern,

He knows when spring is here.

And other feathered friends come too,

When robins do appear.

We hear him in the early morn,

He sings a joyful lay.

The art of industry and toil,

The robin does convey.

The robin is a friend of man,

He builds his home near by.

He nests on ledge of porch, or roof,

Or lilac growing nigh.

The robin is a builder too,

His nest is neat and round.

Although 'tis made of mud and straw,

A work of art is found.

The robin eggs are heavenly blue,

How pleasant to the eye!

The eggs retain the color of

The blue, ethereal sky.

The robin careth for his own;

His brood is well supplied.

If base intruders enter in,

They boldly are defied.

They are a blessing unto man,

For countless bugs they eat.

The worms that spoil the fruit and tree

Become their food and meat.

'Tis true he loves the cherries bright

That hang in trees quite high.

The cherries which we can not reach

He takes as his supply.

Shall we deny the scanty store

That creatures need to live?

The good they do for us is more

Then they ask us to give.

This bird with coat of crimson-brown

Is welcome to our heart.

When chilling winds of autumn come,

From him we're loath to part.

Barbeque Sandwich Or Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe

 

Mr. In The Mid-west loves my Sloppy Joe sandwiches. It made me feel so good recently when I heard him say, after I had packed him a couple Sloppy Joe sandwiches to eat on his way to work one day, "Those were the best Sloppy Joe's that I've ever had!" 

This is a family recipe from my Mom. I have memories of using this recipe to make the pulled

pork meat for my graduation open house. We had to multiply it many times for such a crowd!

Sloppy Joe Sauce

1 small Onion, Chopped

2 TBS. Butter

2 TBS. Vinegar

2 TBS. Brown Sugar

1/4 c. Lemon Juice

10 oz. Ketchup

3 TBS. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 T. Prepared Mustard

1 c. Water or Broth

1 c. Celery, Diced

Brown the onion in the melted butter. Add the remaining ingredients and let it simmer until celery is tender.

Add about 3 cups (more or less as desired) shredded roast beef or pork for barbeque sandwich meat or add browned ground beef to make Sloppy Joe sandwiches.

Pansies By Henry Beer (Poem)

 

Pansies

By Henry Beer

Pansies are a simple theme.

Though they're commonplace,

You can read a message there

On each smiling face.

Pansy blooms of bright array,

Growing near the walk,

Have a language all their own,

For they seem to talk.

Master hands have painted them,

Gorgeous tints we see:

There are no conflicting shades -

All is harmony.

Artists often stand at loss

Colors to combine,

Here you'll see a perfect work

Made by hands divine.

Brown, maroon, and indigo,

Yellow, white, and blue,

These and intermediate shades

Are displayed for you.

Seems to me such loveliness

Does God's goodness prove;

And His bounteous, gracious hand

Manifests His love.

The very works the Father made

Glorify His name

Should not we with grateful hearts

Also do the same?

Page 57 of My Garden Of Verse

Tightwad Tip | Lids Instead Of Foil

 

Lids for baking. Save foil. No waste!
In this post I am sharing some of my ideas for how to save aluminum foil and use lids instead of foil.

For a conservative on the political scale I sure live a "green" life. Haha! From cloth pads, to cloth diapers, to cloth wipes, to flannel "Kleenex," to fabric napkins, to using rags instead of paper towels I am pretty waste free. I recycle and upcycle at every opportunity. 

Frugal people hate to spend money on stuff that is going to be thrown away after one use. This applies to aluminum foil, too. I have reused sheets of aluminum foil several times over by wiping them clean and folding them up neatly after each use.

Having a few nice, oven safe, lidded, casserole type, cookware pieces are a valuable addition to your kitchen. By keeping your eye out at thrift stores and garage sales for pieces like this you can find some nice lidded casserole dishes. 

I recently found two smaller corning wear dishes that are good size for leftovers. By storing leftovers in containers like this you can save yourself dishes later by being able heat the leftover's in the same container that they were stored. I also have a few larger lidded casseroles. One large size and one medium size. I use them when I am baking potatoes, heating up leftovers, bringing dishes to fellowship meals. Dishes like mashed potatoes, baked beans, stuffing, or macaroni and cheese are good candidates.

Having lidded casserole dishes helps cut down on the need to use aluminum foil, but sometimes I have to get a little more creative to avoid aluminum foil.

I can use sheet pans to cover 9×13 pans and even my really large roaster.

Using sheet pans as covers can be very handy when I am short of space. The rigidity of the sheet pans allows me to stack the different pans of food on top of one another. This is helpful in the refrigerator where space is limited, as well as counter tops in a small kitchen.

Covering pans with rimmed sheet pans can be really useful when transporting food to fellowship meals. The sheet pans don't slide off during the drive and they can survive being stepped on, which may happen by accident in our van.

When it comes to rising dough, I have used a bowl turned upside down to give the dough plenty of room to rise while blocking any drafts, and keeping the dough from drying out. These bowls are oven proof and I have used them in this configuration to cook a ham. Hams come in such awkward shapes. It is really difficult to cover them without using foil. 

For smaller batches of dough I just use a plate over my kitchen aid mixer bowl.

Iron skillets are a versatile solution for cooking on a grill. Sometimes the cleanliness of grill grates can be questionable and lead one to cover the grates with aluminum foil. We recently faced this situation. Mr. In The Mid-west wanted some aluminum foil for the grill, but  we were out of aluminium foil. I brought him an iron skillet. Problem solved! Iron skillets can handle open flames. It takes a little scrubbing afterwards to get the smoke and soot off the the outside of the skillet, but I love to use my skillets to cook over a campfire. 

These are my ideas. Do you use any of these strategies? Please share your ideas in the comments! 

Friendship With Creation And The Creator (Poem)

Hepatica 

(If you are interested in seeing many of the woodland flowers mentioned in stanzas 5 and 6 of this poem, I highly recommend the blog: Plants Amaze Me. I enjoy so much the pictures on that blog. I virtually go on walks in the woods with the author through her photography. I vicariously get to experience the flora and it delights me.)

 Friendship With Creation And The Creator
By Henry Beer

Some people love the gilded joys

Of crowded city life;

And many revel in it's throng,

It's tumult and it's strife.

When balmy summer days have come,

I roam the woodland wild;

I still can find a mystic joy,

As when I was a child.

Long years I've known the flowered friends,

Each spring they do appear.

Amid the crowded cares of life,

They give me springtime cheer.

I've learned to know them by their names,

I know their time and places.

You ask me how I know these flowers?

I know them by their faces.

I've learned to know the Violet

And Rue Anemone,

The Adder's Tongue, Hepatica,

The Trillium blooming free;

The Dogwood and the Red Bud pink,

And whither we may turn,

We see Spring Beauties everywhere,

The Bloodroot and the Fern.

One needn't be a scientist

These beauties to explore.

Just view them in the light of Him

Who liveth evermore.

For all the lovely things of earth

Are shadows of the time

When all the pure will bloom anew

More lovely and sublime.

I've learned to know the Master true,

He has most wonderful ways.

He knows the mysteries of the earth,

And merits all my praise.

So in this royal friendship bound,

His handiwork I see;

And though I live on earth below,

We live in harmony.

Proverbs 27:25 

The hay appeareth, and the tender grass 

sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains 

are gathered.