I’ve been working on putting the magazine together, so I hadn’t been posting any tutorials. I thought it might be fun to re-visit some oldies but goodies. I’ve got a lovely list of Tutorials planned for you after the magazine is safely off to the printer! But for now, I hope you will enjoy this one:

**This tutorial assumes intermediate sewing ability***

This little stacker would make a nice gift, or addition to your nursery. I whipped this up without a pattern, from scraps, in about 2 hours.

Materials:

1 yd 54″ wide fabric
baby sized hanger
9″x12″ cardboard (back of notepad works great!
thread to co-ordinate

Instructions:

1. Lay out your hanger on a doubled piece of fabric and cut around the ’shoulders’, making a seam allowance of approximately 5/8″. Make sure to leave a small ‘neck’ approximately 5/8″ tall.

2. Cut a length of fabric 22″ long by 54″ wide for the body of your stacker.

3. Cut two pieces of fabric approximately 10″x13″ for the bottom of your stacker.

4. Press down the ‘neck’ of the ’shoulder’ piece and hem on a machine.

5. With right sides facing, sew each side of the shoulder piece, from the bottom edge to the neck edge, pivoting at the corners and leaving neck open. Clip corners. Turn.

6. Turn right side out and press.

7. On body piece, turn each each selvedge edge 2-1/2″. Hem.

8. Take up body piece and make three box pleats as follows: One pleat measuring 5-1/2″ at CB, and 2 pleats measuring 3-1/4″ where the body will join shoulder seam.

9. With right sides facing, attach body to shoulder piece, matching side seams and CB. Trim bulk as necessary. Turn right side out and press.

10. With WRONG SIDES facing, take up bottom pieces and sew around three sides. Insert cardboard, sew fourth side.

11. Matching CB with the center of one long side of bottom, attach body to bottom using 5/8″ seam and clipping corners as you go. Pink seams, or use serger, keeping close to cardboard. Turn out.

12. Front edges will overlap considerably. This will prevent the diapers from falling out the front!

Of course, you might like to add emboidery, appliques, ribbons, etc. Make it your own! Send me photos of your finished stacker and I’ll post it here.

We keep our stacker on the back of the bathroom door - most convenient!

Simple Gifts from Appalachian Spring, part of Alan Copland’s Symphony for the Common Man. I love this piece of music. It really is how “Simple Gifts” got its name. You will see some beautiful work in this video. I was a dancer as a young lady, so this piece is particularly special for me.

Enjoy!

I had to share this beautiful, inspirational project from Katherine at “Life in the Onion Dome”. I can’t begin to express how blessed our family has been by her sharing a look at the Eastern Church. It has helped us immensely to grow in our understanding of the Universal Church.

These boxes have prompted me to do a similar project for my own children, which I’ll try to photograph and post here. Our liturgical year and family of saints provide so much nourishment for our children - both spiritual and temporal. This project is a wonderful way to introduce small children to that richness. Thank you Katherine!

For the birthday boy (whose birthday was on the 25th!). Another one from the cookbook!

Apple Cake

This is an easy autumn cake that can be served alone, or frosted with maple frosting, like my grandmother used to do. It does not call for milk, which makes it a perfect dessert in a pinch. It’s so lovely with a cup of coffee or tea.

4 c. apples, grated
½ c. vegetable oil
2 c. organic sugar
¾ c. walnuts, chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 c. unbleached flour
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. salt

In a large bowl, combine apples and sugar.. Add eggs, oil, nuts, and vanilla.. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, being sure to thoroughly incorporate baking soda. Add to apple mixture, and fold together. Pour into greased and floured pan or pans and bake at 350F – 30-35 minutes for 8” layers, 50-60 minutes for 9×13” rectangle.

Maple Frosting

¼ c. butter, or coconut oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. pure vanilla
3 c. confectioners’ sugar
¼ c. cream (or milk)

In a large bowl combine butter, salt, syrup, vanilla and half of sugar. Add cream and remaining sugar alternately. Mix until smooth. Frosts 8”-9” layer cake or 9”x13” rectangle

Now available on the brand new website!

A sampling of some of my recent projects. These will be available in my Etsy shop shortly. But if you want one now, just email me!

This is a hand-knotted linen rosary. As you know, I love natural fibres. I also love hand-knotted rosaries, but I couldn’t bring myself to use nylon twine - pretty as the cords are. The linen is from Ireland (and available in many more beautiful earthy colors!), and coated in beeswax. The cut-out crucifix is olive wood. The significance of each element is powerful. Linen is one of the two fibres allowed for wear in the temple, beeswax is the only acceptable material for sacred candles, and Jesus prayed beneath an olive tree in the garden of Gethsemane. My friend Pat said that if Jesus had carried a rosary, this would be it.

They fit perfectly in your pocket and make wonderful gifts for scouts, outdoors-men, or anyone that loves natural twine rosaries. $7 each, plus shipping

Time Flies Book Thong:

Made from waxed black linen cord with marcasite and garnet-coloured Swarovski crystals and a matching pendant watch, in case you tend to lose all track of time while reading! $25, plus shipping.

Celtic Book Thong:

This book thong is perfect for your Bible, or other sacred text. A waxed linen cord in black with an antiqued pewter crucifix, beautiful natural stone beads the color of moss. St. Patrick would have liked this one, I think. $15, plus shipping

More to come…

This is one of my favourite poems. It’s one that my own mother assigned me in high school. I still can’t read it without tears. It reminds me now of our son, Samuel, whom we lost before his birth in 1993.

Eugene Field had lost a son also. So touching…

Little Boy Blue
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)

The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue—
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place—
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.

My oldest daughter attended a lovely Montessori school in a little village called Beck Row, in England. I remember taking a tour with the headmistress before enrolling. My heart went thumpity thumpity - nearly beating out of my chest - at the sight of those beautiful materials. I remember doing some research into buying materials for Cate at the time. I nearly cried because there was just no way I could justify the enormous expense on our meagre military pay.

Unfortunately, the internet was not what it is today. I had no way of finding resources for making my own Montessori materials. But now, for my younger children, I can!

I am so inspired by this website, with many thanks to Meredith for the recommendation. And my friend Donna-Marie is both passionate and knowledgeable about Montessori. Kim always has wonderful ideas. And I can never keep up with Theresa - but it sure is fun trying.

And if you still can’t get enough, visit Montessori Mom for some more ideas!

The only problem I’m left with is which project to start with. What is your favorite homemade Montessori tool?

My family waits all year for butternut squash to be ready. We eat it all sorts of ways - even baked in a pie like pumpkin. Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A. This soup is a great way to warm your family and fill them up. Served by the cup-ful, it’s a nice introduction to the cranberry chicken that follows.

Butternut Squash Bisque

This soup would be beautiful garnished with halved cranberries and a sprig of parsley!

1 butternut squash, halved and cleaned
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 qt. chicken stock
½ c. heavy cream

Bake squash in 400F oven for 45 minutes or until soft. Scoop flesh from the shell and pass through a food mill. In large soup pot, sauté onion in oil until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add spices, squash, stock, and cream. Gently heat through. Serve.

I’ve seen recipes for cranberry chicken all over the web. Unfortunately, the ingredients are laden with corn syrup - a no-no on our list. I have nothing against corn syrup on it’s own. It’s just that it lurks in all sorts of places like salad dressings, sodas, and condiments. There are also all sorts of hidden nasties like preservatives and lots of sodium.

So I offer you what I think is a much better recipe.

Cranberry Chicken

Whole chicken, giblets removed
2 c. homemade cranberry sauce** see recipe below
1 c. homemade French dressing ** see recipe below
1 med onion, sliced thinly
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T. parsley
1 tsp. thyme
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Saute onions and garlic in oil, over medium heat until caramelized. Combine with remaining ingredients, and pour over top of the chicken.

Roast at 400F in a covered Dutch oven or roaster for approximately 60 minutes. This roasting method should take 10-12 minutes per pound. Check with a meat thermometer – it should register 165-170F.

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. fresh cranberries
¾ c. organic sugar
1 c. water
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until all berries have popped. Pass sauce through a sieve to remove spices, skins and pips.

French Dressing

¼ c. Dijon mustard
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp. tarragon or marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine mustard and lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Season with herbs, salt and pepper. You can also use a blender or food processor, or you can shake ingredients together in a glass jar with tight-fitting lid.

These recipes will also be in the upcoming Simple Gifts Cookbook!

Eleven years ago today, a beautiful baby girl arrived, all pink and soft with a fluff of blond hair. Our English rose. Papa’s ladybird. Sensitive, sweet, and soulful.

And ten years and two days later, she welcomed her brother, her special companion, into this world. One year later, she is still holding him close, loving him.

Happy Eleventy-First birthday Caroline and Louis!