Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Happy Ash Wednesday everyone,

I have totally fallen out of my routines the last couple days.
Yesterday was supposed to be a Ben day, but Harold called from Lansing to tell me there was a huge storm coming.  Chicken that I am, I switched Ben's day to Thursday.  No storm, no nothing.  Soooooo, since Harold was gone, I spent the day in my quilting room.  I worked on the guest room quilt for a while with no problems. It is coming along nicely and I am getting quite proficient at maneuvering it around the quilting table.

 Then I switched projects, broke a needle, changed the needle, and then the bobbin thread kept breaking on me. Removed the HUGE, HEAVY, quilting machine from the table.  Trust me, this is no small feat, looked around for my cleaning brush and started brushing lint out of the bobbin case holder.  Don't know if that was the problem, but it seems to be running okay again.  Note to self, dedicate a small plastic container for screw driver, oil, and cleaning brushes.  I swear, I waste more time looking for things when having a place for everything makes life so much easier.  (Yes, I am slowly finding homes for things.)

I pulled out a couple of UFO's and started quilting those, cleaned a couple of shelves next to my cutting station, cleared the area next to Lena so I could close the closet door - big difference.

I also started Meghan's Frozen Quilt.   I am so stinkin' proud of my perfect pinwheels.  But take a close look at the picture.  See anything wonky?  I will use those two for the other border.

Monday was my usual soapmaking day.  I have been eager to try a new fragrance.  It's titled Mardi Gras, but the scent reminds me of times spent at my Grandma and Grandpa Caputo's house.  In my memories it is always late winter or early spring - usually Lent.  My grandparents had a set of statues that Grandpa brought from Italy.  There were originally three of them, but one was broken so Grandma told my Aunt Molly to take them home with her.  Last summer she and my Uncle Tom gave them to me because they knew I had always loved them.  Uncle Tom insisted that we take them home with us after our last visit.  A month later my Uncle Tom died.  I am calling the soap Tarantella

I love how the soap turned out.  It is swirled with lilac, green, and gold

On Monday's I also package soap that has been curing for a month.  It is another new one I call Anointing.   To me it smells just like the Sacred Chrism used in baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations.

Yesterday I received an order for a full batch and a half batch of soap.  I was so excited.  Then I realized that I had listed the wrong price on the website.  Basically, it is going out the door for the cost of the materials.  However, it is a cousin who ordered it, so that's some consolation.  You can bet I fixed it on the website.  LOL   Ya lives and ya learns.

I have been teaching Claire, Maddie, and Meghan to quilt.  When I started they were 4, 5, and 8.  We began each session with a discussion about keeping fingers away from the needle.  They have each made a small quilt.  However, my sewing room is not very big (nor very organized) and it gets crowded trying to have them all in there.  I have been looking for a small, lightweight, sewing machine that they can use at the kitchen table.  I found this at JoAnn.  It weighs about 5 pounds, is speed controlled so they can more easily sew a 1/4 inch seam, but I need to mark the bed for a quarter inch.  It  doesn't have a light, though, but I have several small Ott lights that can do the job.  The machines come in some really cute colors. I only ordered one, but if it works out, I will probably get one for each girl.  They are already fighting over who gets what color. 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

It has been a busy and productive week.  Monday was soap day 

I am testing out a new fragrance.  The soap has darkened since I cut it.  It will eventually turn a dark brown.  

Tuesday I made stockings for an order and started a quilt.  I had intended to start a quilt for our granddaughter, Claire, but I can't find the fabric she picked out.  

I also made Valentine wax melts.  These are scented with a blend of bergomot, honey, and other lovely scents.  It's one of my favorites. 

Wednesday was housework day (but I ditched it to work on the quilt) and I packaged up some potpourri that has been curing for a couple of months.  I use a lot of fragrance oil and it takes quite a while to soak in.

We also went to grandson, Clay's winter concert.  We were quite a way back in the auditorium so the pic isn't great.  He is the one in the middle of the back row.

Today I made Valentine candles (and I worked on the quilt.)  

About 10 this morning, Sam asked if he could drop the twins off for a couple of hours while he worked on the family vehicle. Grandpa found an excuse to come home and get some twin time in.  He is attempting (without any luck) to take a selfie.

Ten minutes later I walked in to find this.  But Grandpa is faking it.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Today was a Ben day.  Ben loves to go to the library where his friend "Mr. Mike" is the director of children's services.  Ben has changed so much since we first started going there.  When we first started going he would not leave my lap and didn't really join in much with the singing.  Over the year he has come out of his shell, has made a few friends, and hardly knows I'm there.  Today's topic was magnets.  

                         

After story hour we headed to Walmart to pick up some smooth-sided pint-sized canning jars.  Over the last few months I have really gotten into making grungy candle jars.  I've tried the embossed kind but prefer the look of the smooth side.  I have started leaving the area under the picure "un-grunged" so that as the candle burns it seems to come to life.

Last night I made a batch of lavender soap.  I like to pre-measure my batches and limit the icky job of measuring out the oils to once a month.  I used my last batch last night so next week I have that fun chore again.   I have a bad habit of cutting the soap a bit too soon.  I find it hard to wait and see how the swirls in the soap turned out.  Since I now go down to watch Ben on Tuesdays, I didn't have time this morning to cut it and take a peek.  I unmolded it, but it sat like this until I came home and had time to cut it.

I am now sold on waiting . . . maybe.  It was soooooo much easier to handle since it had more time to harden.  I will most likely make a couple more batches since I have a hard time keeping this on the shelf.  

Cure date for this batch is Feb. 1. 

On the way home from Ionia today, I stopped by the church one last time.  I had a few things to clear out of the church and my office.  I was hoping no one would be there because I just wanted to get in and out with the least amount of emotion. Fr. Nate was there and we talked a few minutes about the loss of a two year old in the parish.  He had been battling cancer and looked so good the last time I saw him.  I can't think of any harder thing to go through in life.  This child's grandfather is a local funeral director, who in fact buried our little Joseph. 

 Then I turned in my keys.  That made everything official and I barely got to the car before losing it.  Afterwards I stopped at Walmart and saw a man who had been in our RCIA program but never completed it.  I had heard that he'd had his leg amputated but hadn't seen him.  I stopped and spoke with him for a few minutes.  He has a positive spirit and I enjoyed talking to him.  I also ran into a parishioner - one I will greatly miss and we spoke for a while.  This is what I love about smaller towns.  Everywhere you go you know you will run into a familiar face. 

When I got home I opened a letter from one of my cantors.  When I think of those ladies I do start to cry.  They stuck with me through thick and thin over the years.  We've laughed together and cried together and we have made plans to get together regularly.

As always, when I need to lift my spirits, I head to my happy place - my craft room.  I finished the snowman quilt I started last week.  I only have to finish sewing on the binding.  I love to hand sew the binding - especially if I am making the quilt for someone else.  It gives me a chance to think about them and pray for them.  Often, I give my quilts to people who are battling cancer.  I am keeping the snowman quilt, though, because there are some things I really wish I had done differently.   It's a cute quilt, but I am still on a learning curve with my quilting machine.  The lighting isn't very good here, but you can see the quilting fairly well.

Last night I made the patch for the quilt I am giving to Clay.  The quilt itself has been done for a while, but I need to put the identifying patch on the back.  Clay picked out the fabric himself.

He loves to hunt and fish with his dad so this choice was no surprise.

Tomorrow I am going to lunch with a friend who was also on the staff with me most of the time I was at St. Mary.  And another friend will be joining us. 

Tonight is the night that La Befana used to come and visit when I was a kid.   January 6th was when we celebrated the Epiphany - or La Festa Dell'Epifania (hence the name La Befana).  There are many versions of the legend, but this was the one I heard as a child.

The legend of la Befana

Like children everywhere, Italian kids look forward to the arrival of the red-suited 

Babbo Natale on Christmas Eve. However, this relatively modern tradition pales in comparison to the anticipation generated by the arrival of an old witch in early January.  On Epiphany Eve, the old, tattered and soot-covered Befana flies around the world on a broomstick and comes down chimneys to deliver candy and presents to children who have been good during the year. For those who have fallen a bit short of model behavior, la Befana will leave lumps of coal. (Realizing that no one can be perfect for a whole year, these days la Befana often leaves a sweet “lump of coal” made from black sugar.)

            La Befana has been an Italian tradition since the XIII century and comes from Christian legend rather than popular culture. The story is that la Befana was approached by the Three Wise Men who asked her to lead them to the stable where the baby Jesus lay in a manger. La Befana was too busy cleaning her house at the time, so she declined the offer to go with them. Very soon she realized that she had made a huge mistake, so she gathered up a bag full of gifts and set off alone in search of the baby Jesus. Though she followed the same star as the Magi, she was unable to find the stable. Undaunted, la Befana continues to travel the world over to this day searching every house for the Christ child. On January 6, the first day of Epiphany, Italian children hold their breaths as they search their stockings for a sign that they have been good that year.

The arrival of la Befana is celebrated with traditional Italian foods such as panettone (a Christmas cake) and marks the end of the long and festive holiday season in Italy.

On January 6 we would go to Grandma and Grandpa Caputo's house and celebrate Christmas.  Our Christmas tree never, ever came down before January 7th.  While the rest of the world had moved on, we got to celebrate Christmas just a little longer.  To this day, my tree never comes down until after Epiphany.  And my friends John and Bea always give us a panettone di Natale for Christmas!

"La Befana vien di notte

Con le scarpe tutte rotte

Col vestito da Romana

Viva viva La Befana"

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

It's been a while so I thought I'd better update.  October 15 is my annual traditional "start thinking about Christmas" day.  (December 15th is my annual  "wish I'd started October 15th day")

Anyway, things have been hopping here at the Sugar Bush.  The grandkids keep us all busy.  The guys have started the fall harvest, and we are two shows into our fall craft show schedule.  We continue to be blessed by wonderful support from our customers.

The stocking orders are starting to pour in and it's a challenge to keep on top of them.  (A good challenge, to be sure.)

This year we have been experimenting with different fudge flavors - Kit Kat Crunch, Peppermint Patty, Snicker! Snicker!.  (Shown is the Snicker! Snicker!)

 I have yet to make the pink peppermint yet, but speaking of peppermint, I made a batch of peppermint soap last night.  I am chomping at the bit to cut and see the pretty swirls inside.  But when I went to put it on the cutter, it felt soft so I will wait.  I did unmold the overpour, though.

Madison has started pre-school so Meghan is now becoming my Sugar Bush helper.  She is unpackaging all of the bulbs for my lamps.  I ordered her Sugar Bush tee shirt.  She is very excited.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Let's see - what did I do today?
Started off the day with Madison, Meghan, and Garrett.  Never a dull moment with those three around.
First off, the girls turned on the CD player which is, and has been, their custom.  Garrett, who is Claire's little brother, has heard this song before.  So he did his little dance.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Despite the fact that Garrett is a little tornado boy, I did manage to get a batch of chocolate peanut butter fudge made.  I had some help with the testing.  Notice Maddie's ponytail.  That is her 80's look inspired by the Princess Pageant.

Thankfully, Harold made a roast the other day, so I didn't have to worry about lunch.  After the monkeys went hope, I made a batch of Maple Cream Fudge, a batch of Hazelnut Coffee candles, a batch of Country Orange Spice grubby tarts, and 120 more soap hearts for the Girls on the Run race bags.  I have one more batch of those and they will be finished - and none too soon because they have just enough time to cure before the event which will be in Shepherd this year - woohooo!!  Tomorrow Madison will help me package them and put on the labels.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Well, it's been a jam-packed couple of weeks. We went down to Ohio on Friday to celebrate my nephew's graduation. His party was on Saturday so we made it a sort of 3 day mini-vacation. I love mini vacations. Harold suggested we stay in a tree-house cabin that Howard told him about. We were only able to find ONE vacancy and that was for Friday night.  The cabin is located in Berlin, Ohio - in the heart of Amish Country so I knew right away that this was going to be a winner of a weekend.    It has all of the amenities of normal motels and then some.  It had a jacuzzi, a flat screen TV, the countertops were granite and on and on.  We were reading through the guest logs and there were references to a mysterious "George."  It seem that there is a tradition of hiding one dollar bill and then leaving clues for the next guest.  We found all but one and we left another in a secret place.

We have been getting stocking orders already so I sewed up a bunch on the drive down.  We visited some shops and at one of the thrift shops, I found a treasure trove of sheets to use for rugs.  I've already used on in a rug I am making for Madison for her birthday.  The pink stripe is from a comforter we found.  As you can see, it isn't finished yet - hence the tag on the right hand side.  It will be trimmed with yellow.  Madison has been helping me with this rug by handing me strips so I asked her if she would like it for her birthday.  Her party is on Sunday so it should be finished by then.

 I had the 5 oldest grandkids here yesterday morning.  It was a pretty lively time.  Melisa can always tell when Meghan has been here because she always buckles the belt on Garrett's carseat as soon as Grandma takes him out of it.

Friday was Sam's 30th birthday.  Madison keeps telling everyone that her Daddy is 40.  I didn't get a good pic of Sam because the kids stole the show.

 
 

Clay and Claire were there too, but I can rarely catch them long enough to get a pic.

Yesterday I went back to work getting inventory ready for this fall.  I was working with Cider Mill scent and - mmmmmmmm - I can't wait for Fall.  I made some new shaped tarts with some small bundt cake molds that I bought for soap.

and I made some more electric grubbies.  The house smells wonderful!!  I am so blessed to be able to do so many of the things I love.

Word of the day:

Wednesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Jesus said to his disciples: «Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Well, it's Monday so you know what that means.  I made a batch of vanilla soap today.  I hadn't realized I was out until I went to fill an order and discovered that all of the vanilla was gone.  Vanilla turns a soap a dark chocolate brown so I left out a cup and didn't put any fragrance in it.  If all goes well, the soap will turn brown and have lovely lighter swirls in it.  This is what it looks like now.  The yellowish parts will turn and the lighter part will remain light.  (I hope)

Yesterday we went down to Nina and Jamie's and had a nice visit with them and our newest grandbaby.  Of course no baby is safe from Grandma's camera.  Ben is my little brown-eyed cutie!!

 And then this morning was a Maddie and Meghan day.  These two were groovin'!  In the background you can see a rug that I'm working on.  The girls love to stand on them.

 

I've become interested in rugmaking again.  (Like I needed another addiction.)  So far I have not been entirely happy with my efforts.  However, last week I developed my own technique and now I am loving the process again.  This is the first one using my own pattern and technique:

 I'm finishing up another one round one tonight and then I want to try out my new method on an oval rug.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kids at St. Mary.  This is always a bittersweet time of year. I will miss these kids!

 

Word of the day: 

Monday of the Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Francis Caracciolo, Priest & Co-Founder of Congregation (1563-1608)  

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:1-12.

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. «A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
What (then) will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this scripture passage: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?"
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Still pluggin along getting inventory ready for our fall shows.  Because yesterday was Memorial Day, I did not make soap.  I spent the day down with my daughters and 3 of the grandkids.  We went to a parade in Sheridan, went to lunch, and hit up a few garage sales.  It was just fun hanging out together.

Today I made some more electric grubbies, some more tarts, more candles, and soap scented with Fairy Tales.

I am using some new soap colorants.  The company I first bought my micas from is out of business and I have been having trouble finding soap stable colorants.  I found some liquid ones that I tried out in the soap above.  Because the soap is called Fairy Tales, I kept the colors soft. 

Word of the day: 

Tuesday of the Eighth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Mother Orsola (Giulia) Ledóchowska (1865 - 1939)  

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 10:28-31.

Peter began to say to Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you.»
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and (the) last will be first."