Thursday, April 30, 2009
On the Right Track
My dad's recent attempts to eliminate some unwanted valleys in our back yard revealed that we have some intruders:
Apparently the intruders had no sense of direction, made several trips to the birdfeeder, and had a distinctive waddle.
I love our neighborhood ducks! They're definitely one of the perks of living by the water.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Wedgwood Princess
After a long stint stuffed away into the sewing room closet, my linen princess-seamed blouse finally reached completion! I had gotten so frustrated with it that I had put it out of sight (though not always out of mind...). Imagine my chagrin when I found that the only real adjustment that I had to make was to remove the ties I had placed in the front bodice seams. Voila!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Climb Every Mountain
Perseverence is an important quality. Especially if you're a roly poly.
Mountains to climb, new worlds to discover -- the possibilities are endless! This dogged little fellow was intent on climbing our "sand dune," which was at least 18" tall. But when you're less than half an inch tall, that's quite an adventure. I was amused by the mini avalanches that this little guy created. His tiny feet would dislodge two, three, sometimes even four grains of sand at one time! After progressing about two inches, there was a bit of a mishap:
Sometimes it's a disadvantage to having a ball shape as your defense mechanism. But he didn't seem to mind regressing farther in two seconds that he had gained in two minutes. He unrolled himself and tried again. There are times when I feel a bit like a roly poly; that I lose more ground in a moment than I have gained in a week, a month, or a year. It's nice to know that even though I often fail in one kind of perseverance, the other kind won't fail me: per-se-ver-ance [pur-suh-veer-uhns] noun
1. Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2. Theology. continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
For our church's annual Easter brunch, I decided to pull out a favorite muffin recipe that I hadn't used in a while.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease or paper line 12 (2 1/2") muffin cups.
- Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
- Combine applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla in separate bowl. Add all at once to oat mixture, stirring just until moistened.
- Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12.
Monday, April 13, 2009
An Unexpected Easter Outfit
Most of the outfits that I sew aren't exactly "unexpected." Usually I plan them -- it's kind of hard to make a garment without some planning, I suppose! But my Easter outfit was a sort of surprise.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Words of Wisdom From Writers
~ Edward Abbey ~