Blessed

Shannon
2 weeks from tomorrow til I see your lovely face and drink tea in my favourite kitchen (no matter how it looks)! I foresee a madeline baking in my near future... X!


5 hours ago ·  ·  · See Friendship



This is a Facebook message from Shannon who, as you can surmise, is coming from South Africa to visit in 2 weeks.  I can hardly wait to hug her, hold her, bake madeleines and do what she pleases in the 3 days I'll have her home!

What is less endearing about this time is that, due to circumstances out of my control, I'm having to sell my house and eventually move.  It is one of those times in my life when I get out of bed in the morning and do what I have to do to get through what feels like is another crisis.

Only, I have the most stellar friends in the whole wide world helping me, again, and I don't know what I'd do without their counsel, help {physical and emotional}, support and love.  You should have seen my house bustling with my friends and Susannah pitching in this past week, and they all have such busy lives. I am humbled beyond words.  And I am so blessed.  I was describing this pure Grace to my mother who then said :: "I hope you're thanking God!"  To which my answer was :: "Oh, yes I am!"

I am on my knees.

As far as my blog and my creativity....it's slowing down out of necessity for now.  It's impossible to get creative juices going to sew, craft, cook, or whatever when you have the responsibility of a move from a home you've lived in for 29 years, raised 3 children in, truly lived very busy lives to the fullest in and have accumulated too much stuff to sort through and pack.  Period.  I hope that in a few weeks, when the dust settles, I can devote the time again.

'til then... XO

Iced Zoo biscuits

Does your house ever get to the point {by design} where there is nothing sweet to eat?  My house has been depleted of yummy snacks for a while now, and tonight I was scavenging for something to have with my Typhoo tea.  I had a king sized sugar craving and so, in a state of weak willed-ness,  I opened a packet of Iced Zoo biscuits which I've been eyeing on my pantry shelf for 2 months since I came back from South Africa. Come to think of it, I've done well to have waited this long, but I was thinking I'd share the packet with someone else...maybe...but now not likely.

Iced Zoo biscuits are a reminder of my childhood - a distinct sugary taste trip back to the past. For some reason, they were something my mom only bought for birthday parties, making them quite exotic, in fact.  They were iced in paler colours back then, and the detail on the zoo animals was more distinct.  I'm thinking that they were decorated by hand, whereas now they are churned out in an icing stamp machine.  The new colours are garish.  Yet, they do still taste the same....the memory of the taste takes me right back....

This is quite a fancy dress for a little farm girl :)

I was wondering if anyone had written about them, and I found this website.  There are some humourous comments.  Seems it takes other SA ex pats back to their childhood roots too.

Quilts and tea

Some of the most superb ladies in town have invited me to join them at their weekly quilter's meeting.  I feel both honored and humbled.

New to the States and a new bride with not much social outlet living in Miami, and completely self-taught, I made my first quilt in the seventies, entered it into a national magazine contest and won as finalist.  I have never again attempted such a large quilting undertaking, but over the years, I've dabbled in a few baby quilts, some crazy quilt vests, pieced duvet covers, and more, including a class here and there.  I would not, however, classify myself as an expert quilter by any stretch of the imagination and even calling myself a quilter is probably stretching it.  So that is part of why I feel humbled by this group.

Yet, it's their sheer generosity of time and spirit that is really moving and humbling.  They make quilts - yes, great big quilts with hours and hours of love stitched into them - for so many needy causes.  For friends who have babies and grandbabies, for friends who have trials and tribulations and for sheer acquaintances who have sickness and sadness in their lives.

The evening progresses with laughter, sharing, caring, helping each other pin and piece, "show and share", talk about fabrics, quilting techniques and art styles.  And get this...there are lashings of hot tea and warm Irish soda bread.  Yum!  It's such an honor to spend time with them.

A touch of antiquity

Last week I had a phone call from someone I’ve known for 25 years or more. She’s a new grandmother and her first grandchild will be christened next month. The reason for her call: the family heirloom christening gown that her father-in-law, husband and two children {amongst others} have worn, was in distress.  Ha! My name came up, as it so often does, on the subject of christening gowns needing this or that.  It most likely goes back to my days of being a smocking and fine needle arts shop owner.  I have both made and repaired a fair number of gowns in my day.

Over the phone I agreed to take a look at the “tiny broken crochet” that she spoke of needing repair, pleading that I may not be able to mend it.  She brought the gown by.  One look told me that it's not crochet in need of repair but a Swiss insertion lace, called entredeau, which has disintegrated.  About 3 inches of the yoke was detached from the skirt. I told her this may be something that I could repair, but I doubted it would look anything like the original, and it would definitely be different in that area.  My friend agreed that would be just fine.  She was happy to just have the 2 parts sewn together in any form, so it will be wearable for the next generation.

I brought it home and I have pondered the 3” hole for days on end now.  I knew I would not be able to match the entredeau because, one it’s a double row, and two, it’s so tiny.  Over the course of the week, I’ve been going through my lace boxes and each time not coming up with a solution.  Today, I contemplated the entredeaux that I do have – a yard here, and two yards there, some white, some ivory – but none seemed suitable and I was wondering if I should try and {heaven forbid} make some, somehow.  All the time I was looking, I was disregarding wider laces, when all of a sudden I spied a decorative Swiss edging lace that, if cut up, might be just the ticket.  And it was!  You can see in the photo that I cut it apart, and used the center mesh part, where the “holes” are offset just like the entredeau in the gown. I did all the stitching by hand, of course, with heirloom denier thread.  However...there is a little “bulk” behind where I sewed, because I didn’t want to trim the lace down too much, lest it fray and fall apart in the course of time.  As it is now, I think it will outlast the dress.

 It is always such a treat to work on someone’s heirloom.  I love thinking about who made the gown – this one, apparently 95 plus years ago – and think back to her life and what the world was like then.  Her stitches are impeccable, every stitch done seemingly effortlessly by hand.  I wonder how many cups of tea she drank while she was stitching?  I had a couple in her memory today.

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,


This is Mother’s Day weekend.  I’m thinking about you 8,000 miles away.  I’m traveling to see you later this month. I’m experiencing a mix of emotions that vacillate between extreme excitement at spending time with you, and excruciating anxiety about witnessing your deteriorating health firsthand.

When I’m there, I may be faced with the decision of helping you to move to a senior citizen facility because family members are finding it harder to care for you at home. I’m sad and confused about the right thing to do because I’m so far away and I can’t be there to help on a daily basis.

When I came to America at a young carefree age, I never thought ahead to the day when I’d be divorced with limited resources as I, myself, age and feel so helpless about your continued care. Perhaps you knew {not about the divorce but} about the hardships of life, and that is why you were so sad to let me go from Cape Town to Chicago. Yet, you gave me your endorsement and you told me a mother has done her job when she raises independent children who can fly the nest in the same way baby birds do.  Thanks, Mom! Like you, I have now also raised 3 independent children, who have flown far from home, but I can be so proud of them. You taught me so many lessons about good parenting.

Another lesson you taught me was that if I was doing the best I could do, it was good enough for you.  Mom – that was an amazing gift.  I have seen so many parents put undue pressure on their children and perhaps, I did a little more of that than I should have with my own, but I tried to follow your example and let my children know that I love them unconditionally just the way they are  ~  they were, and still are, good enough for me.

I was trying to think of memories we made together, the one thing that stands out over and over again is all the knitting, sewing, embroidery and smocking you taught me. It’s possible that I would have learned some of this later on in my life, but you were always knitting and sewing clothes for your family and made sure I learned the art too.  I had my own knitting needles at the age of four, and I embroidered flowers on a pair of baby bootees that I made when I was in preschool.  You taught me to smock when you found dot transfers in a cabinet when I was about 8 because it was a “dying art.” You gave me my first sewing machine for my 11^th birthday because I was churning out so many Barbie clothes you thought I might be able to sew for myself.  After that I never stopped sewing. You and Dad gave me a fancy Elna for my 21st birthday. You helped me make my wedding gown and all my attendants’ dresses.  Then I made my own children’s smocked suits and dresses.  I taught so many others sewing and smocking skills as well until I stopped abruptly about 4 or 5 years ago.  Mom, this was a precious gift and it formed me into a big part of who I am.  I promise I'm on my way to restructuring my time and priorities so I can have it back in my life.

And Mom – one more thing. You had everything to do with the love of tea in my life.  I can’t remember NOT drinking tea. Every day. Ever. You made teatime a ritual in our home…teapots, tealeaves, tea cosies, tea strainers and beautiful porcelain cups.  I have a special memory of you bringing me lashings of tea when I was in high school, doing homework or studying for an exam. 

Anyway, I’ll see you soon. I’ll bring small projects I’m already planning ~ some knitting and some stitching.  We’ll sit together in the winter sun and catch up. I’m making lists of things I want to ask you that only you will remember. We’ll make time to reminisce. I'll do whatever I can to help you get settled if you move while I'm there.  

And please, if you’re able, will you make me a cup of Five Roses?

I love you forever

XOXO

Understanding tea

I just posted a draft I wrote earlier in the week, and I must confess, I am still having those doubts.  I don't feel as if I'm getting very into it yet, but I write posts in my head a fair amount - like when I'm driving, or when I'm showering and I obviously can't post.  Maybe other bloggers have those moments too.

Needless to say, I have thought about this blog a lot this week, about getting back to it.  Confession: For a week I've been looking for my camera cord to add photos to the first post, to no avail.  I have a new camera from Christmas but it's no good because the card doesn't fit my printer and without a cord there's no way I can upload images. Argh.  I'm frustrated with myself and have almost exhausted the places where I can look for it.  And the obvious...yes, I've tried my old Olympus cord, but it's not compatible with my Canon.  There's one more thing I should mention....when I do find the cord, or buy a new one, I still have to figure out how to add photos to a blog, ahem!

Did I sew every day?  Hmm - no.  After my first post, I kept it up for two days and made 3 more blossoms for my project that I've named, Just for Japan {a spin-off from Hearts for Haiti.}  I didn't set any real goals, but I did contact a friend who teaches apparel in a high school to see if her students might be able to make some pins and supplement what I can make. She came over to see the pins and took one with her to mull it over and perhaps show it to her students. I don't know where we're going with that, but if her students do make 2 or 3...or 5 each, it could mean 50 to 100 blossoms that will supplement what I can make and that can be sold.

Meantime, daily, the news out of Japan becomes more and more dire and I feel real urgency to do more than I've done so far.

I am disappointed that I didn't set a goal, but I have to "forgive" myself because I had a lot going on this week.  Things like: Work each day. Meeting with my painter to see about progress on his projects at my house. Two trips to Home Depot to buy hardware for the house {for painter.} Boxed up items for Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity/Restore and for a guy at work to sell at a flea market, making somewhat of a dent in the things in the garage, but it's still a mess out there. Battled with a sore knee for a few days - pre-patellar bursitis, but it's better, thank you Father. Met with a designer to walk through my house to discuss what  inexpensive upgrades I can do to the house. Baked cheese crackers two nights. Baked and iced a chocolate birthday cake over two nights. Had pottery friends over last night and then we all went to a gallery opening.  Oh, and did I mention that I cleaned house, the downstairs anyway?  And that I painted the closet under the stairs because the painter never got to it and I needed to put the things that were strewn all over the diningroom back into it?  There was not much extra time for sewing and I can see why I only got 3 more blossoms made!

There were daily phone calls to my mom and my sister-in-law about my mom's health.  All week my mom was ailing with a stomach bug, that over there they call "gastro" {as in "Mom's got gastro".} I'm concerned about my mom and praying for her. I'm terrified that she's giving up because she doesn't think she has anything left to live for.  If only I could live down the street from her and shower her with love and respect.  It's incredibly tough to be a daughter 8,000 miles away.

The highlight of my week was having my pottery friends over for appetisers last night.  We were once "The Wednesday Night Class" {infamous, maybe!}  We all got along so well, that here a few years later, we still enjoy each others' company.  I'd heard our teacher was having a gallery showing and thought how fun to go as a group to cheer him on. One of the gang had a birthday last week so for something desserty I made him the chocolate birthday cake.  Don't get me wrong, I loved having my friends over {we had a fabulous time catching up} but it did spur me into action to clean up some messes and complete some things downstairs that I was working on in tandem with my painter.

I am like that, you know.  At times {more often than I do it} I need self induced prodding, and there's nothing like company to light a fire under my tail.

And bless Irene's heart....she remembered my fetish for Typhoo Decaf tea. Having seen some at Earth Fare, she brought me a box, complete with a bow.  She lived in England for a while.  She truly understands the need for tea.