Honey Whole Wheat Rolls

I've done quite a bit of baking in recent weeks, but haven't had (or taken) the time to post about it. Lately, we've really been enjoying my homemade honey whole wheat bread dough made into rolls instead of loaves.

Since there are generally just two of us for meals here, except on weekends when we often have dinner guests, I've been finding that making individual serving sizes for bread instead of large loaves work better for us. These rolls freeze well, and we can just pull a few out of the freezer when we need want them with a meal...whereas the large sandwich-sized loaves tend to get dry after they've been sliced.

I posted the recipe for this dough here, and just adjusted the baking time to about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Quick Update

I'm sorry that it's been so long again since my last post. It's been a busy summer so far, and I'm not sure when it's going to slow down.

In short, we've torn off our old back deck, which was rotting in places due to poor initial construction (long before our time). So, since our house is nearly 30 years old now (I've been here for about 9 of those years), it was well past time to replace the back deck. My husband has done all of the really hard physical labor, but I've helped out as much as I can. So that's part of our busy schedule these days, whenever we're not working our regular jobs.

I've also had free-lance editing work to do in addition to my full-time job at the ministry. I'm editing a doctoral dissertation for a worship pastor who is going for his doctoral degree in musicology. And I just started working with a retired dentist who wants help with his personal testimony in written form so that he can share it with his children and grandchildren, and give the Lord all the glory for how He has worked in this man's life...Both are really fun projects, and the extra income is a huge blessing to us, but they're very time consuming, as expected.

Also, we've had company and time up north at my father's house, and then with the warmer months around here, there are always garden and yard-related tasks. Because we only have a few short months here when it's not cold, we really take advantage of the time we do have to plant and get all we can out of our gardens.

And finally, I've been desperately trying to make time for my sewing projects. I finished a dress, which I hope to blog about soon, and I've started a sleeveless summer top...which I'd better finish quick or it will need to wait in my closet for next year's warm summer weather.

Thanks for visiting, despite my tardiness in posting an update again. I hope that you're all having a lovely summer season, with many opportunities to enjoy God's creation outdoors.

A new, tiny purse for me!

I keep forgetting to post about my new affection with little purses. Traditionally, I have been drawn to large purses and tote bags, roomy enough for not just the necessities, but also a knitting, crochet, or other craft project. But in April, our ministry had a big national conference, and I knew that I would want a tiny purse to carry so that I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a safe place to store a big purse.

So I dug through my patterns and found a nice little purse, one that I probably wouldn’t have ever made if it hadn’t been for the upcoming conference. Then, I immediately thought of an old black canvas bag that I had been saving, thinking that the fabric might be useful for something. The bag used to have vinyl handles, but they didn’t last long at all. So I cut off the handles and cut up the bag, and it made a very sweet, practical, tiny purse, and two tiny little accessory pouches (to replace the larger ones that I use in almost every other purse that I own currently).

The project was quick and fun, and I’ve been enjoying my little purse ever since then. So now I’m contemplating other tiny purses. It’s so nice to have something light and small when I’m shopping and when I head out the door to the office…I still bring my crafts along with me to work on over lunch hours, but my sock projects, at least, are small enough to fit into the bag with my laptop.

Turning old jeans into fun sewing projects

I found a great bag sale at a local church the first weekend of May—everything I could fit into a grocery bag for only $3. I came away with some lovely tablecloths and fabric, some pretty glassware, seashells, a basket, and a big pile of old jeans....just what I needed for my next sewing project.

My clever sister has been making cute tote bags and pillows for graduation gifts using denim from old jeans for a few years now. Since her kids are 18 and 22, she’s had quite a few graduation parties to attend. I haven’t had that many, but I did need a good idea for a graduation gift this year for the son of my supervisor at the ministry. So my sister thoughtfully took time to email me the dimensions and instructions for her patchwork denim pillows. I made a slight adjustment by adding a pocket to one side of the pillow, using a saved pocket from the back of one of the pairs of jeans.

It went together quickly, and I think it will be a useful and fun present. But then I had a bunch of jean scraps left over, because I had purchased several pairs at the church sale. So I’ve been cutting more squares with the thought that I would like to make them into a queen-sized quilt for our bedroom. It will take a while to cut and assemble enough of these two blocks to cover a queen-sized bed, but I know that it will be fun to make and use, and it will probably be the most durable quilt in our home. I plan to back it with a light-blue 100-percent cotton flannel sheet, and I’ll probably tie it to finish it.

A Spring Hike

My Sweetie and I took a hike through a local park reserve recently. I love days like this. We walked and talked, and we even sang a little bit...

This is my Father's world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and around me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my Father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world

the birds their carols raise

The morning light, the lily white

Declare their Maker's praise

This is my Father's world

he shines in all that's fair

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass

He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems off so strong

God is the Ruler yet

This is my Father's world

the battle is not done

Jesus who died shall be satisfied

and earth and heaven be one.

Forced Bulbs Blooming

I'm a little slow in posting this picture, but it's still worth putting up on this site, I think. These bloomed over the week coming up to Mother's Day weekend, and I was thrilled to see them because I've never tried forcing bulbs before.

Late last fall, when bulbs were on deep discount at Wal-Mart, I bought three packages of bulbs for this little experiment. Two were daffodils, and one was a large variety of hyacinth. The daffodils didn't bloom, but every one of the hyacinth did.

I planted them in shallow pots with soil, covering them only as much as they would be covered if planted in the soil outside. Then I watered them and enclosed the entire pot in a zippered plastic bag and put them in the bag of the refrigerator for several months. When the shoots are 1-2 inches in height, take the pot out of the fridge and put them in a sunny place. They'll continue to grow and eventually bloom.

What a treat to my winter-starved eyes earlier this month! And I still enjoy this photo, even though my spring tulips have come and gone. Now I wait for the irises and lilies to bloom...Thank you, Lord, for the spring!

Appliqued One-sies

Another baby gift I made recently was a set of five appliqued One-sies. They were so fun to make and to give!

I found all of the applique patterns free on various sites on the web. If you just google "free applique patterns," you'll find a treasure trove of ideas.

I used Heat and Bond to create each applique, and zigzag stitches on my sewing machine to secure them.

More Socks!

I’ve definitely been bitten by the sock making bug. I’m on my third pair of adult-sized socks, and I’m just about ready to start another pair of baby socks.

The blue baby socks, shown here with a matching hat (something that I actually made without a pattern), are for another baby shower coming up. They were really fun to make, so quick and so cute! I’m going to use the same pattern to make baby socks and a hat using the leftover yarn from my new pair of adult-sized socks...provided there's enough yarn leftover as there was with the blue sock yarn.

After the next baby socks and hat set, I’m thinking of another pair of adult socks, this time using some wonderful silk yarn that I found earlier this month at a yard sale. My dear friend at the office had suggested that morning at work that we head out over lunch to check out the neighborhood yard sales. We had such a fun time together and found some really great things and amazing prices. I’m already hoping that we’ll be able to do that again another year! The silk yarn is on a big spindle because it was originally purchased for a weaving class. The woman selling the yarn had a big box with several large spindles of yarn and interesting fibers. She was selling the whole box for $3, but I knew that I wouldn’t need everything there. So she suggested $0.75 per spindle for each of the three spindles that I found and wanted to buy--one silk, one wool, and one cotton.

They’re all shades of peach-y type colors, tending quite a bit toward what I would call “neutrals.” I haven’t decided yet how to use the wool, but I’m thinking of washcloths perhaps for the cotton, and I knew right away that the silk would be fun to try for socks...Can you imagine wearing silk socks? I wonder how it will work for knitting?