Cake for UMSL Graduation Party

    A simple sheet cake was easily transformed into a splendid tribute to our graduate. The chocolate fudge cake with vanilla icing sported the school seal, which I found online and printed on card stock. Fittingly, the school colors are red and gold (translated to an organic orange which happens to be Christa's favorite color), so it was a no-brainer choosing the decorating palette. Orange tableclothes and balloons completed the scheme, and dressed up the park pavilion nicely. I was afraid the ninety degree temperature and the gusty winds would play havoc with my artistic endeavors but I only detected a little droop of the icing (and a few runaway balloons.)

Stinkhorn Mushrooms

     Possibly the ugliest plant ever, these mushrooms appeared in my yard this morning. They even have an unpleasant name, Mutinus caninus, according to David Fischer on AmericanMushrooms.com. (Fascinating site which introduced me to the study of mycology - maybe someday I'll find a Phallus impudicus!) Anyway hopefully the forecast for a hot, sunny day will hasten the Stinkhorns demise as their slimy appearance and rotten odor are only interesting for the time it takes to discover and photograph them.

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine

    One of my favorite places was established in 1789 in the township which was called St. Ferdinand by the Spanish and Fleurissant by the French ( it is now known as Florissant). The cornerstone of the shrine was laid in 1821, making it the oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi. It replaced a church that was constructed of logs and had served the early fur traders until it was destroyed by fire.

     The church, rectory and convent have survived fire and flood and are loving maintained today by The Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. The buildings are authentically furnished and beautiful in their simplicity. A walk around the grounds or inside the buildings is a humbling, haunting transport into another era. I have been there many times and still come away feeling the spirit and courage of the early settlers.

the bellfry

interior hallway of the convent

view up St. Francois Street from the attic of the convent

Button Necklace

     Not every woman would appreciate a necklace composed of buttons, but this was a gift for my daughter-in-law, who happens to be a kindergarten teacher. I have quite a collection of buttons gathered not only from my own sewing projects over the years but also from flea markets and garage sales, and was inspired to create a jewelry set after searching for a replacement for a lost white shirt button. Teacher and students loved the result.

Sauteed Cube Steaks

     Another standby favorite from my mother's recipe box is cube steaks and since the market frequently offers them discounted, we enjoy this comfort food often. A side dish of cooked vegetables is added for a meal in the winter, while in the summer the additional fare might be a three-bean or pasta salad. A tasty entree so to make sure we don't overeat, I never buy more than three steaks!

Painted Rock Village

     Some people prefer concrete gnomes in their yards, or coachmen holding lanterns, or even geese with seasonal capes (ugh!).  My back porch ornamentation runs to the whimsical end of the spectrum and is miniscule in scale. Rocks that I painted and varnished during the winter are arranged on a far corner of the steps. Simply landscaped with ivy and connected by pathways composed of smooth river stone, the little village appears to be home to a community of some small beings - fairies or elves, perhaps. But we never see them in the daylight hours!

'Give Us This Day' Sampler

     The petty dramas of everyday life at the workplace and in the extended family tend to drag the spirit down. When I walk through this hallway at home, the simple fragment of a prayer in this cross-stitched sampler is uplifting and in my head I always finish the sentence, "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". Now I am not a fervently religious person, but I was raised a Catholic and being a romantic, I still relish the enduring and lyrical traditions, the rich symbolism, and the transcendent mysteries. Perhaps the fact that my grandmother did the needlework is also significant - she chose the colors and lovingly labored over a simple piece of linen to create a composition that is treasured several decades later.

My Meema

     Today, May 17, is the birthday of my beloved grandmother, Meema. Phyllis Eleanor Phillips was born in 1905; she was a most cherished child as she was the youngest of five children, two of whom did not survive infancy. Her doting parents did not spoil her however and she became an independent free spirit who attended bathtub gin parties and sang in a barbershop quartet. Meema married Larry Voorhies and had a little girl, but divorced her alcoholic husband soon after. She never remarried and out of necessity became a working woman way before it was acceptable for ladies to have a career outside the home. When the family of her only child, my mother, relocated to another state, Meema moved with them, living in the same house and when not working, she helped with the seven grandchildren. The family was her life and the children loved her for her musicality, her creativity and even her no-nonsense guidance. Meema has been sorely missed but fondly remembered since her death in 1995. Perhaps a bottle of her favorite Stag beer is in order for today.

Fascinating Old Cook Books

     My cook book collection includes a few vintage volumes and I recently acquired another at a local flea market. The American Woman's Cook Book immediately appealed to me since these old books are delightful not just for their recipes but because they read almost like a novel. The comments and descriptions differ as greatly from contemporary books as do the lives of women who use them. And in fact, if most cooks today, like me, use cook books less and less and internet recipe sites more and more, these tomes may become as obsolete as printed newspapers. I certainly hope this is not the case as I enjoy an occasional recipe search through a trusted book, which usually takes quite a bit longer than necessary because of the extra reading I do along the way. Following are three excerpts from my new book that I found amusing and a fourth from The Century Cook Book, another prized possession which has been on my shelf for several years. 

 

 

Dolls are Sew Fun

    After the previous post about dolls, we decided to dress the babies in outfits that I made for Rissy's birthday a couple of years ago. Rosie's romper is aqua and white striped cotton with an initial applique, and Lana's bunting is aqua dotted swiss edged with tiny white ruffles and tied with a pearl-trimmed satin ribbon. The Beatrix Potter motifs and fabric were remnants left over from another birthday gift - a doll's quilt and little matching pillow, which were handmade to fit a small bed (found at a flea market and painted with white enamel). So many of my favorite things are featured here: sewing, quilting, dolls and especially Beatrix Potter - the fabric was a treasured find!

Dolls on the Porch

     It is apparent everywhere that girls seem to grow up so fast these days. I am thrilled that ten-year old Rissy still enjoys playing with dolls. She is just as happy changing Rosie's dress or giving Pinky a bottle as she is listening to Justin Bieber or watching iCarly. On one of the first warm days of spring, I was asked to take a group photograph on the screened porch. None of the girls needed prompting to smile!

The Housefinches Who Came to Stay

    Easter decor on the front porch became spring decor when it had to be left in place for a longer period of time than anticipated. The reason was unanticipated houseguests - a pair of housefinches who nested in a metal basket of silk blooms. Because the basket was hung conveniently at eye level, we were quite intimate with the process of nest building, egg laying, and chick development. While it was fun to watch, by the time the adorable nestlings were ready to fly, we were ready for them to leave. The concrete and the wall needed a good scrubbing, the flowers were trashed and the basket needed a thorough steam cleaning!

In the end there was no room left at the inn!

Liver 'n' Onions

     Ask most people if they like calf's liver and you get a very adamant denial. Pop and I, however, belong to the small minority who actually enjoy the meat. Coated with lightly seasoned flour and sauteed alongside some sliced onions in a little bacon grease, the liver becomes delectably tender with crispy edges. We like the slices served exactly as my mother did, with buttery mashed potatoes and corn. Obviously this is a fat and calorie laden meal - what we call a weekend meal because Monday through Friday our dinners consist of much lighter fare - therefore because it's an entree we don't have often, it's very much anticipated.

Jenna Woginrich's Advice on Taking Control of Your Life

     Today I am merely quoting from a most entertaining book, "Made from Scratch". Author Jenna Woginrich is delightfully witty and informative as she describes her adventures on a journey towards a simpler, self-sufficient life.

"I think the real trick to finding that sense of satisfaction is to realize you don't need much to attain it. A window box ... can be all the freedom you need. If it isn't everything you want for the future, let it be enough for tonight.

Don't look at your current situation as a hindrance to living the way you want, because living the way you want has nothing to do with how much land you have or how much you can afford to spend on a new house. It has to do with the way you choose to live every day and how content you are with what you have.

Accepting where you are today, and working toward what's ahead, is the best you can do...the starting point is to take control of what you can and smile with how things are."

Wise woman.

Redwood Updated

     The old redwood two-seater traveled with us from our original townhome over twenty years ago. We had a love/hate relationship with this piece of patio furniture: Pop loved it - I hated it. We reached a compromise that pleased us both. After a paint job and new slipcovers for the cushions, it was allowed to stay on the front porch where Pop enjoyed sitting on it and I enjoyed looking at it. To tie the piece in with the decor of the house, I chose the same Dover gray paint used on the siding, however, a new fabric wallhanging inspired the rest of the colorful Engelbreit theme. Checkerboard and floral designs embellish the built-in table and are accented by a matching checked pillow tufted with a big red button. Even an ordinary clay flowerpot sports the happy new theme, hand-painted with similar details and planted with a small fern graced with bright red berries. (And since the southwest sky is visible from this comfortable spot, we can also monitor any approaching storm fronts, of which there have been quite a few this spring!)