Lace vests

Pictured are two vests showing a front and back view, each made from an old lace antimacassar set.

Crocheted lace was a popular way to decorate 50 plus years ago. Doilies, table clothes and runners were used to protect tables and other furniture as well as to be decorative. They were also used as antimacassar sets, arm and headrest covers, on couches and chairs. Most were made with cotton crochet thread. White and ecru were the most popular colors used.

Lace was also crocheted onto bed linins and towels. Embroidery was also added to these items as well.

A lot of time was spent on making them as well as on the up keep of them. They had to be washed and ironed on a regular basis. Those that were well used also needed worn spots repaired.

As the pace of living life moved into the fast lane there was neither time to make them or keep them in nice condition. Today they may be seen mostly in museums or tucked away in boxes at the back of a closet or attic. Some lace items such as tablecloths are used on special occasions today but even that is a rare event.

We came across some well used ones recently. They had old stains so we tried several whitening agents but none were successful at removing all the stains. There were several sets of arm and headrest covers. After thinking about what we could use them for today the idea to make them into vests came up.

First we decided to dye them a dark green to hide the stains. We just followed the directions in the package for the dying process. After they had been dyed it became obvious that several had been repaired in the past with polyester thread that did not take up the dye. We removed all the old repairs and redid them with thread that matched the new color.

It takes one set of arm covers and one headrest to make a vest. The headrest becomes the vest back and the arm covers are the two front sides. The front sides are attached to the back at the shoulders and under the arms. When worn the shoulder seams fall to the back of the shoulder as seen in the picture above.

The front sides overlap the back about one inch starting at the outside shoulder and taper up to just the edges overlapping at the neck. The sides are only sewed together about two inches beginning at the bottom edge. We stitched them together by hand to hide the stitches.

It does not take long to stitch them together. The dying process, though not complicated, is what took most of the time for the two vests we made.

Other ideas to use old doilies include sewing smaller ones to articles of clothing as decoration accents to attaching them to throw pillows or quilts. Some have even framed a single doily behind glass to be displayed on the wall.

We are always looking for new ways to use old things. It is not only challenging but fun. The closet also has a little more room for another item waiting to be rediscovered!

Yo-yo Pumpkins and more

Pictured are pumpkins crafted for fall decorations.

Fall is around the corner. Pumpkins are traditionally used for both baked goods as well as decorations. We have made different crafts featuring pumpkins over the years. This year our new additions are yo-yo pumpkins, a TP pumpkin and a macramé pumpkin.

No specific pattern is needed to make things from yo-yos. We used round plastic lids from the kitchen in graduated sizes as patterns to achieve the pumpkins pictured above. Our largest ones have seven yo-yos down to the smallest having only three. The finished shape does not need to be perfectly round as real pumpkins are not all perfectly rounded. For the stems we used twigs from trees in our yard. The yo-yos and stems are all glued together with hot glue. Craft glue can also be used to put them together.

After cutting circles of fabric a running stitch is sewed around the outer edge and pulled together to gather the fabric in the center. If the fabric tends to fray the edge can be turned under but the end result will be a smaller yo-yo.

We used cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics. Light weight fabric is best. Thicker fabric will leave a larger hole in the center as it cannot be gathered as tightly.

To find the colors we wanted we looked in our collection of fabric and came up with the ones pictured above. Fabric can also be used from clothing no longer being worn. We came up with three different patterned fabrics in shades of orange. Also we made one with white fabric as real pumpkins come in white.

More details on making yo-yos are in our blog on the yo-yo angel craft we made in April. Also posted is a picture of other items we have made from yo-yos.

Making items from yo-yos is a good project that is easy for all ages. They are good for clubs and after-school groups looking for inexpensive craft projects.

Another easy to make pumpkin is the TP pumpkin. It is made from an 18-inch fabric square gathered up around a roll of toilet paper and poked into the center of the roll. A stick is used for the stem and a green floral wire is curled for extra decoration. This is a regular size TP roll. A larger roll will need a larger square of fabric.

The macramé pumpkin is made from a wire clothes hanger bent to make the desired shape with floral wire to make the lines for the inside ribs. The wire frame is not flat so it gives more of a three dimensional look. We then knotted orange macramé cord around the wires of the pumpkin shape and green was woven on the stem. Again we have no pattern as we made it up as we went. Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes so creating pumpkin decorations can reflect that fact.

Other pumpkins crafts we have made in the past include pumpkin shapes cut from wood. Then they are painted and embellished with wood and silk leaves, wire stems and raffia bows. Also we quilted wall hangings with the precut pumpkin shapes ironed on with fusible web and accented with fabric paint and other embellishments.

When decorating we try to use what we have around us as apposed to buying preassembled decorations. Being creative is fun and is something the whole family can participate in.

Nutrition

Pictured is produce being enjoyed at the Love house this week.

There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yes, it is true! A rainbow of vegetables, from white onions, yellow squash, orange pumpkins, red tomatoes, purple eggplant, green beans, blueberries and more. The gold is good health.

Good nutrition is something that is talked about a lot, but from what we see not many take action to achieve it. There are many good books full of facts. Many speakers talk about the do’s and don’ts of healthy eating. But the larger fact is fast food industry; the quick and easy pre-packaged meals and junk food are all doing big business.

Healthy eating is not something that is hard to do but it does take a conscious effort to do it right. No books, charts or graphs are needed to achieve it. A few simple guidelines are all that are needed along with a goal to live a healthy lifestyle.

The ideal way to have the best quality food is to grow or raise it yourself. If that is not possible the next best is the farmers market and local fruit stands, butcher shop and mill. The closer to home the food sources are the fresher it is and it is usually better in quality also.

For those who shop in the supermarket, the easy way to select healthy food is to stick to the outer isles of the grocery section. That primarily includes the fruits and vegetable section, the dairy products and meats. The only other main section to visit is the baking section.

Fruits and vegetables come in all colors. The different colors indicate the vitamins and minerals in them. We don’t need to know the specific vitamins and minerals in each one. The best is to use as many different ones as possible. The more variety eaten the more balanced the diet. Every color group is important.

Herbs and spices are also important for good nutrition. They are used to flavor our food, but they have important nutritional value also. Again we don’t need to know exactly what nutrients are in each, but to use as wide a variety as possible. That way we get the benefit of things good for our health as well as a wide variety of taste choices.

Protein is necessary in a good diet. Most people get it from eating meat. Other good sources come from beans, nuts, eggs and dairy products. Nuts make great snacks and our favorite recipes to season them were posted at this blog site in April.

Fiber is just as important. It is primarily found in whole grains and nuts as well as some fruits and vegetables. We prefer to start most days with pancakes made with ground rice and oatmeal. Our recipe is still available at our blog sight at the address listed below. It was in our first blog in March.

Other choices can be a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins or a bowl of rice sweetened with honey or maple syrup in the morning. For lunch or dinner rice can be seasoned with garlic, pepper, ginger or a personal favorite spice.

If good health is the goal, the rules to remember are to obtain fresh and local grown or raised food, making sure to have a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein. It is easy to do, but will not happen with out serious intent. Meals do not have to be elaborate or difficult to prepare. Again we made suggestions in our column about quick and easy meals in April. It is also on this blog site.

Tehama County, California is a great area to find a good variety of foods that are not only good for us but taste good. We are very fortunate.

Fruit Rollups

Pictured are two applesauce fruit rollups drying in the sun on top of a tray of almonds also set out to dry.

The canning jars at our house are still being filled with all sorts of summer fruit. Sometimes we also dry small amounts of fruit or make fruit rollups. When making applesauce we sometimes end up with more than we can process in one batch.

If it is only a quart or two over a batch we turn the extra into fruit rollups. We mix in a little honey, lemon juice and cinnamon to spice them up. The amount of sweetener and spices can vary depending on individual preferences. The lemon juice is to keep it from turning dark and discolored. Other spices that can be used are nutmeg, mace, allspice or pumpkin pie spice which is a premixed combination of some of the other spices mentioned.

To dry the fruit rollups we use cookie sheets covered with plastic wrap. Each cookie sheet holds about one pint of applesauce. With the applesauce spread out evenly over the plastic wrap, we set it in the sun to dry. They only take one day to dry. Then we roll them up and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Rollups can also be made with other fruit. The fruit can be pureed in a blender. Then the spices, sweetener and lemon juice added as desired and spread on cookie sheets covered with plastic wrap to dry. The rollups are great to take for lunch or just keep around for snacks.

Drying fruit in halves or slices is also a good way to preserve extra fruit. The thicker the slices the longer the drying time will be. Seedless grapes are one thing we dry more of and they are small enough to dry whole. They make great raisins to add to cookies, bread, salads or other recipes. Other dried fruit can also be used in baking but usually needs to be cut into smaller pieces.

There are also different ways of keeping the fruit from turning dark or discolored. The discoloration does not affect the flavor or make it bad to use. It is only a matter of looks. We mostly use lemon juice for the fruit rollups. For the cut fruit, we soak it in a bowl of water with ascorbic acid powder added.

When drying fruit we set it out in the sun to dry. Dehydrators made for fruit drying can also be used. They are sometimes faster than sun drying but use electricity.

To make the fruit last longer we store it in the freezer after it is dried. This is a sure way to keep bugs out of it. Also if any moisture is still in the fruit, it will keep it from growing mold.

We still are busy with other garden produce also. Our tomato production has been down a little this year. We have had plenty to eat fresh, but for canning purposes we have had only enough once for a small batch of tomato juice.

Almonds are plentiful this year. We are busy shelling them so they take up less space in the freezer. It also looks like we will have plenty of concord grapes to make juice from. They are just about ready to pick.

Yes, this is all a lot of work but the payoff is worth it. Fruit and vegetables that are allowed to fully ripen in the garden taste better, even after canning or drying than store bought varieties. We also like having control of what additives are or are not included in our food.

Dog bed

Pictured is Shadow on her bed made from recycled materials.

Our dog is spoiled. For one, she likes soft things to lie on. Wanting to have a comfortable place for our dog to sleep we set out to shop for a dog bed. Pet accessories are big business, we discovered. There are stores that specialize in nothing but pet supplies. They carry everything from pet food to toys, food dishes, leashes, cages, beds and more.

We found that dog beds are a little pricey. After giving the matter some thought we decided on a customized bed made by recycling items we already had on hand. A king size egg-crate mattress pad that we no longer were using became the filler. We cut three 30 by 40-inch pieces from the pad. Then stacking them one on top of the other it made a nice inner-cushion.

Next we decided it needed a durable cover so we got out a box of jeans that were beyond repair. We saved them to someday make quilt squares out of the parts that were still good. It seemed like this would be a good time to put some of those quilt squares to use for the dog bed cover.

We used a 7-inch cardboard square for our pattern. After cutting a big stack of them we sewed them in strips long enough to go around the bed. Then we sewed the strips together until we achieved the proper width for the cover. We made half-inch seams, making the finished squares to be 6-inches each.

Coming across a large bag of socks that had lost their mate over the years, we decided to make a blanket for the dog bed. We cut the tops off of each sock and after sorting them by color, sewed them end to end. Next we sewed the rows together making the sock blanket big enough to cover the top of the dog bed. To sew the sock pieces and rows together we set the sewing machine on the largest zigzag stitch possible and butted the ends and sides of the socks together as we sewed them. Since the socks were all colors we choose red for the thread color adding an extra design element to the blanket.

Due to our recycling efforts the cost of the dog bed only amounted to the time and effort it took to make it. And since it was a fun activity the cost seemed negligible and the landfill was deprived of things most people probably throw out. Anytime we can recycle and reuse items, giving them new life, we feel an extra sense of accomplishment.

The dog has approved of the bed and uses it regularly. We all are very happy with the final outcome.

Thai Party

Craig Love is making Pad see ew, Suzanne Love the ginger and chicken stir fry. Pictured at bottom right is the beef and bamboo curry being made by Charlene Love.

We were in the mood for Thai food, but didn’t want to go out to a restaurant this time. We decided, along with our daughter, to have a Thai party at our house! So we invited friends and family over for an evening of fun and trying out new Thai dishes. We began by looking on the internet for some good recipes. There were quite a few on several different sites but the ones that appealed to us the most were at ThaiTable.com. We chose to make three main dishes: pork and garlic stir fry, chicken and ginger stir fry, and beef and bamboo shoot curry served over rice. Also from that site we choose recipes for two appetizers and desert. For the appetizers we made were marinated grilled pork on skewers with peanut sauce and cucumbers salad and for desert we made pumpkin in coconut milk.

We tried out all the recipes a couple of times before the party, just to make sure we didn’t have a complete flop when our guests were here. Our daughter likes to experiment with new cooking methods, so during the process of selecting dishes to serve, she learned how to make rice noodles. They turned out better than ones from the store.

The recipe for making rice noodles that we used is at asiarecipe.com/ricenoodles.html. We thought it was not too difficult to make but it takes a little time. It is necessary to make them up ahead.

Some ingredients that were called for are not ones we use on a regular basis. Most of the local supermarkets have things like kale, coconut milk and bamboo shoots. Some of the recipes that called for vegetables like Chinese broccoli gave suggestions for substitutes like bok choy that were also available locally. Thai food can be very spicy. But when you make it yourself, it can be anything you want. Most of the recipes we used said that the dishes were usually seasoned at the table to taste.

The cucumber and shallot salad was prepared ahead of time. The vegetables and meat were also cut up beforehand. Desert was another thing that we were able to prepare ahead of time. The pumpkin desert is really made with winter squash, not pumpkin as we know it.

When all our guests had arrived we put the pork skewers in the broiler. As soon as they were done we served them and the salad as appetizers and immediately started the three main dishes. With three of us cooking at once, one using an electric skillet and two at the stove, we made all these dishes simultaneously, which was a lot of fun.

One of the main dishes we made is called Pad see ew. It is a type of stir fry combining pork, garlic, rice noodles and Chinese broccoli. The dish is easy and only takes a few minutes to make. Another dish was ginger and chicken stir fry. It features mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and chicken stir fried with some sugar and fish sauce. For stir frying, we usually use a frying pan but a wok would probably work better. Some of the dishes can get voluminous when adding noodles or greens. The other main dish we made was beef and bamboo shoot curry. It uses curry paste, fish sauce, bamboo shoots, coconut milk and beef, then is served over rice.

After dinner we played an enjoyable round of Balderdash. Many laughs were had by all present.

Information Sources

Information sources shown are Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, The Rodale Cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Country Living, Countryside magazines and the More-with-Less Cookbook.

Sources of information are greater now than ever before for growing, cooking and preserving food. In the past we relied only on books, magazines and talking to others who had knowledge in the areas we were interested in. Now we also can do searches on the internet for information.

Recently someone asked us if we knew how to pickle walnuts. We said no, but while talking to them we sat down at the computer and typed “pickled walnuts” into a Google search and sure enough there was information on how to pickle walnuts! It doesn’t look like something we would ever try, but the information is available for those who do.

The book we have found most useful for the things we do is “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by Carla Emery. She has gathered practical advice and information by talking to folks and farmers from all over the country. In about 1969 she began the process of gathering information, mainly for her own personal use. Then in 1974 she mimeographed the first edition.

Other editions quickly followed as she gathered information. The latest is the updated ninth edition with more than 1,500 mail-order sources, checked and updated and the addition of websites and e-mail addresses. At the back of the book there is an explanation of the chronology of the different editions printed.

Information given in the book includes old-fashioned methods as well as updated methods for raising farm animals, making a chicken coop, catching a pig, growing plants, to cooking and preserving food. Other information tells how to cook on a wood stove, churn butter, grow herbs, make sausage and more.

We first came across the ninth edition in 1994, but used it so much it was falling apart and had pages missing. Our current copy is the updated ninth edition printed in 2003. It has so much information it is the first place we look when we have questions about how to do something.

Cookbooks that are useful are “The Rodale Cookbook” by Nancy Albright and the “More-with-Less Cookbook” by Doris Janzen Longacre. The first is good because they avoid sugar and use many kinds of flour instead of just wheat. They stay away from using white flour. The second uses basic ingredients focusing on recipes that are economic as well as nutritious and good tasting.

Two basic cookbooks that get used at our house are “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook” and “Better Homes and Garden Cookbook” for general information. Usually older cookbooks are more useful to us as newer cookbooks list ingredients such as a can of this and a bag or box of that. Older cookbooks don’t use as many processed foods in their ingredient lists.

The “Countryside and Small Stock Journal” magazine has also been useful for information in many areas. Many people write in about their experiences with raising animals, growing gardens, using alternative power sources, food preparation and even building houses. Hearing information first hand from someone with experience is always most desirable but not always possible. Being able to read about the experiences of others is the next best thing.

Nowadays the internet is becoming a better source to find information even faster. Search engines such as Google can quickly locate a vast variety of information for every topic imaginable. The more places one can find information the better. Gathering differing methods and preferences from others helps us make more informed choices.