The sisters.....

I am on the left and my sister is on the right. She has a lollypop and I have ugly brown shoes. 

This has been a most unusual year for our family. My mother was one of four sisters. She grew up in Massachusetts. After she graduated from college, she headed off to NYC to work in the children's library of the NY Public Library (the one with the Lions). She met my father and they courted. They were married in 1941. I came along in 1944 and my sister in 1947. We moved to New Jersey and the family in Massachusetts was a destination once or twice a year.

I was the oldest of the nine cousins. Too old to be with the "babies" that the my grandmother favored. And I was too young to be with the grownups.

I loved my aunts. Their humor was pure entertainment. I would listen from the top of the stairs. My giggles would give me away and I would be sent back to bed! 

In 1957 one of my aunts died tragically. Her husband moved away with their two girls. All contact was lost. I have always wondered what happened to the little girl cousins.

 The years have flown by. This spring I received an email from one of my other cousins. One of the missing cousins had contacted her. I was thrilled. We have been in contact.

I have struggled with this post. Questions and emotions are bouncing back and forth. Looking back I have to wonder why they were missing for so long and no attempt was made to love and include them. Their mother was a wonderful woman who loved them very much.

Their story is not mine to tell. I am so glad that they found us. It should have been the other way around.

Welcome Fran and Iris.

Settling in......

Each year it seems to take a little longer to unpack and settle into the cabin. If the weather is not great we spend some time at Jack's house up the road a piece. This year Jack's house has some new appliances in the kitchen!

The gas stove is wonderful. We have been enjoyed cooking on it on rainy nights. I have set up my office in the downstairs bedroom. The sewing machine, computer and printer live there.

I needed roses on the counter. I love the way they look with the vintage Fenton lamp. The calendar for June finally got printed!

I like to take my pictures and use the templates from Shutter Sisters to make calendars. I will try to be much more organized next year. I was unable to find a direct link while writing this. I shall try later.

A fellow blogger Claudia from Mockingbird Hill Cottage made a rabbit called Maggie. You can read about Claudia's Maggie here. I was enthralled - must have been the Liberty fabric for her dress.....

So off I went to Alicia Paulson's site Posie and my kit for Miss Maggie Rabbit arrived last week. I had to wait for some supplies to arrive so I started her wardrobe. I like the concept of the quality kit. I no longer have the "stash" I used to have so to be able to get everything from one source is a blessing.

The knitted garments are blocked and I shall weave the ends in soon.

I chose the kit with the fabric called Betsy. The dress is cut out and ready to stitch.

Hopefully my Maggie will look like this one!

So, that is all for today! We will go back to the little cabin in the woods and I shall knit and read and look at the lake.

Hope you are having a wonderful week.

Happy Birthday Pink Saturday!

How can it be? Another birthday for Pink Saturday. Bev's party was the first one I joined when I first started blogging in 2009. I don't participate as often as I used to but wanted to be sure to be in on this event.

So, I went around the house and peeked at some pictures from the past and made yet another Picasa Album to share.

A quilt for my granddaughter is on her bed

A zinnias bouquet from the Sherman's Farm

A bouquet from the market for a special dinner

China for a special dinner

Zinnia variety I would love to find

Gram Potter's handiwork

Kaffe Fasset's fabric at work 

Playing with pictures

Happy Birthday Pink Saturday!

The storm before the calm.....

We head back up north in a few days. We fly instead of driving so what needs to go with us is shipped. It is a job.

All projects are on the back burner. The coffee mug says it all.

I have set up the den as a staging area.

Boxes like this are packed and sealed.

The studio is almost back in order.

The sewing/craft closet is boxed and labeled. I knew where everything was before but just couldn't move in there.

Projects are lined up in order.

I even cleaned the top of the desk.

So, how about some coffee and my knitting!

What's been going on in my kitchen....

We have taken a new direction in our food preparation and consumption. We are both concerned about what is in our food and where it comes from. Processed foods are slowly disappearing from out diets. Vegetables and fruits are abundant. And we are having fun!

An electric wok made by Breville (I have no affiliation just appreciation of their products) has joined the kitchen staff.

Jack has become the prep chef extraordinaire.

All of this done a little ahead of time quickly becomes a healthy dinner with some left for lunch the next day.

The grill has been put to use all winter.

We par-boiled the sweet potatoes and then grilled them. They were almost better than steak fries!

Fresh salads with homemade vinaigrette are our favorites. I like to garnish the salad with Parmesan crisps. These are easily prepared. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spoon about a tablespoon of cheese onto the paper. Leave some space as they will spread. I use just a little bit more and use the back of the spoon to press the cheese down. Bake for about 6 minutes. Watch carefully! They can be made in various sizes and the time adjusted.

So, that's what been going on in the kitchen around here.

Then there is the knitting. I finished Charlotte's Web.

Have a wonderful day and week.