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Sunday, February 14, 2016

SMALL AND GREAT SAVINGS

Happy Valentine's Day dear friends!  Hope you are having a nice one!   It's beautiful and sunny here today, but cold.  The thermometer read zero when we woke up. 
But what does that matter  when the sky is such a pretty blue?  It reminds me of those old blue milk glass  candy dishes my grandmother had.  The other day we driving between Port Austin and the next town over when I was overcome with such a sense of serenity.  The snowy fields glistening , the red barns in the distant, the snow tipped pines and that beautiful sky; it was almost too much to take in!

Guess what I'm doing today?  Spring cleaning!   It finally looks like winter and I'm thinking ahead to the next season.   Ran went downstate to help our oldest son build chicken coops for his business and he took Georgie with him.   Which means it's the perfect time to clean and run the vacuum all day.  Corgis are notorious for the dislike of the vacuum cleaner.  I think they are trying to herd them.  Oh my!  Was this ever the year for the cobwebs!  Here's a corner of my spotlessly clean  kitchen bathed in the last of the evening sun:
Now no one better dare cook anything greasy in there for at least a month!


SMALL SAVINGS

This is also the week that the local thrift store starts their big winter clearance.  Most of the clothes were 87 cents!   This is the time that I start to look for interesting fabrics and buttons on clothing and nice sweaters to unravel for the yarn.  I found a very pretty plaid shirt with a zillion buttons on it.  How much  does a card of four  buttons cost these days?  Probably more than 87 cents!  Plus the fabric was 100% cotton and very soft.  I made three handkerchiefs from it and monogrammed them.  Yes, we use handkerchiefs at our house.  You don't think I'd spend money on Kleenexes do you?  So for 87 cents, I got three handkerchiefs and a dozen pretty buttons.
  I also found a sweater made of lambswool and angora to unravel.  Nice thick soft wool in a pretty gray and cream marl.  Should make a dandy pair of slippers and mittens.  BTW, I was very good and didn't buy any clothes for myself.  Didn't even entertain the thought.  I'll go back and check for more buttons and wool, once they knock the prices down to 95%  off, which amounts to about 17 cents a garment.  While I'm there, I always check for 100% linen blouses.  I use them for making samplers, like this one I made for this Valentine's Day.


CRAFTS

Speaking of knitting, while cleaning, I found my pattern for how to knit a ripple afghan.  These are great for using all those bits of skeins left over from other projects.  

Ripple Afghan

Cast on 210 stitches on your longest size 7 circular needles.

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit 6 place a marker then * K2 together three times, Yarn over, Knit 1 six times, Knit 2 together three times*  repeat between the *s 11 times. Place marker. Knit 6.
Row 4:  Purl 6. Knit to the last six stitches (the marker) and Purl 6.

Repeat these 4 rows until you have reached the length you desire, ending in row 1 and 2. Change the colors of yarn as often as you want.  8 rows per color is nice.

Another little project I just finished up this week is this cute little guy:

 The directions on how to make him can be found in How To Sew Little Felt Animals by Sue Quinn.  He's just a trial sample,  I couldn't find cotter pins in the right size.  I discovered that those little brass thingamajigs that you buy at the stationary store to attache several pages together work great in place of the cotter pins.  I hope to make an entire woodland family for my granddaughter for Christmas, but this little guy has some problems, so he'll be staying with us. 


SCRAPBAGS AND BUTTON BOXES

One of the most economical and fun things to do is to start a scrapbag and button box.  Any time you have a piece of clothing that is no longer wearable, rip it apart at the seams, cut out the areas with stains and remove the buttons.  The pretty pieces go into a bag for making patchwork, sewing doll clothes and potholders and making cute little guys like the one above for free.   The ugly and stained stuff goes into another bag for using to clean up spills and in the workshop. ( I don't buy paper towels either)  All the buttons go into a button box.  I don't think we ever bought buttons  when growing up.  My grandmother  gave us her button box and it supplied  us with buttons for over four decades of sewing.   Living through the Great Depression, she knew the meaning of "use it up".  She even meticulously picked out all the stitches and  saved all the zippers and hem binding.  I sort my fabrics into two scrapbags; one for cottons and one for woolens.  Here's my pretty woolens just waiting for me to start a new project. 
My fingers are itching!  BTW, see that pretty Hitchcock style chair circa 1820 that I bought at an auction for $20?  No one knew what a gem it was, except me.  Pays to educate yourself!

FORAGING

The winds were wicked last week.   You could feel them slamming against the house.  Being in direct alignment with the lake, we get some pretty brutal weather as the wind travels across the great expanse of Lake Huron.  But one advantage for us, was that it  downed a lot of branches, some pretty big, including some white pine, which gave us the opportunity to make some white pine salve.  (I'm sorry I called it a tincture last week.  For some reason I always think of salves as tinctures, perhaps because I'm thinking of tin-ctures, something you put in a tin. A tincture is an alcoholic extract of a plant, btw.) Anywho, to make the salve, gather the inner, white bark of a white pine. Place the bark in a pan along with a handful of the needles and pour enough olive oil over just to cover the bark.  Gently warm the oil for around 24 hours or until the white  bark starts to turn a rusty brown color and the pine needles lose their color.   We do this by placing the pan atop our woodstove.  The oil should just be warmed, never simmered or boiled
.   Once the oils from the bark have infused the oil, strain the oil through several layers of cheesecloth.  Now measure your oil and add an equal amount of beeswax, gently warming to melt the beeswax.  Pour into clean jars.  This makes a wonderful antimicrobial ointment.  My husband has serious psoriasis on the palms of his hands of all places.   He's tried everything to get them to heal, but so far this has worked the best.  He applies it to his palms and then puts on cotton gloves overnight while he sleeps.

HOW TO FEED A CROWD CHEAPLY

The other day while shopping I noticed a package of boneless pork chops on sale for $2.09.  It was slightly less than a pound.  Not enough for everyone but a great opportunity to make one of my son's favorite dishes, pork fried rice.   This recipe makes a lot and it tastes just as good as any you'd get in a Chinese restaurant.  The secret is in marinading the pork.  Here's the recipe:

First prepare the pork but cutting it into thin strips.
Next prepare the marinade:

Combine together in a quart sized zip-lock bag:
 1tsp. salt
3 tbsp.  brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
a dash of pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1  tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
and 1 tbsp. or so of hot water, just to thin the marinade a bit.

Add the pork strips and marinade over night.

The next day prepare the rice:

Cook 2 C. of white rice in 4 C. of beef broth until the rice is tender.  You may need to add more water (I also add some of my stealth health in the way of some powder kale, purslane and broccoli)

While the rice is cooling prepare the sauce by combining:
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. honey

Combine and set aside.


Next stir fry the marinated pork in a wok or large frying pan over high heat with a couple tablespoons of oil.   Remove the meat and add vegetables of your choice.  I use what I have on hand, mushrooms, green onions, carrots and celery.  Bean sprouts are great too, if you have some sprouted. Other vegetables that work are peas, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and broccoli.  Use as much and as many vegetables as you want.  The more you add the farther the dish stretches. Stir fry the vegetables until the are cooked but still crisp.  Add the meat back in with the vegetables. Add the rice and heat it through.  Now add the sauce and continue to stir fry until the sauce is incorporated and the rice starts to get crispy in spots. Add salt and pepper to taste.   There you have it! Pork fried rice and did I mention that it tastes better the second day? Make it a big meal by adding some vegetable egg rolls that a posted about a few weeks back.

GREAT SAVINGS

I just saw on YouTube a great way to save over $1400 this year.  It's really pretty simple.  Just get out your calendar and number all the Saturdays of the year, one through 53 (there's 53 Saturdays this year) . Now get out  a coffee tin or other container and  every Saturday put in the dollar amount that corresponds with that Saturday.  You'll have to play catch-up bit that's pretty easy because so far it's only something like $15.  Of course it will be harder to make the deposits when it nears the end of the year, when you have to put in 50 - 53 dollars a week, but by then you should become accustom to saving and are making adjustments to reach your goals.  Just knowing that you have to save $50  a week in December, with Christmas and property taxes coming due, ought to keep you from getting caught up in all the crazy spending that happens that time of the year.  

THRIFTY THINGS WE DID THIS WEEK

Made pine bark salve from a fallen branch
Sewed a little doll from my scrapbag.
Unraveld a thrifted 87 cent sweater for the wool.
Made enough food from $2.00 worth of meat and vegetables that needed using up to last for three meals.
Made handkerchiefs from another 87 cent garment.  Salvaged a dozen buttons.
Found a frame at a thrift store for my sampler for $1.50.
Paid cash at the doctor's office and received a 10% discount.
Didn't celebrate Valentines Day
Got some free pallets for firewood.  Nice hardwood ones that burned for hours.
Got free shipping when ordering some plants from a mail order source.
Basically stayed home and therfore, didn't spend any money.

So that's it for this week!   Hope you all are enjoying the day and have a fun-filled and thrifty week!

Hugs
Jane














41 comments:

  1. So productive! How I wish we had a thrift store like yours! LOL There is seldom anything of use at ours...

    Your doll is adorable. I have a bunny to make for my granddaughter with a knit dress and shawl. Right now, I am looking at the knit gnomes as they are more her size...

    Your button box made me smile! I was wearing a winter headband with a button at the back of the neck. Showing it to my Daddy, I asked, "Do you recognize this button?" He did! It was from his car coat he wore in the mid-1960s! It made us both smile!

    We are eating from the pantry, too! The best meals come from the creativity of using what one has, don't you think??

    Have a marvelous week! Maybe your spring cleaning will act as sympathetic magic and bring some warmer weather! Right now, we have a forecast for a lot of snow and ice... I am ready for sunshine and blue skies, too!

    as ever.. m

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    1. Hi Matty! I have to admit that we can get the best bargains around here. Maybe because there is too much competition.

      That's so neat about the button. I'm saving one from my grandmother's box. It's the pretties mother of pearl with a snowflake carved in it. Been saving it for decades for just the right project.

      I don't know about the best meals, but certainly the cheapest! Ha!

      Snowing here today. Ruined our plans to make a day of it in the big city. Oh well! Still need to do a lot of cleaning. Will write later tonight!

      J

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  2. Hi Jane! My my, spring cleaning already - actually, I've done one tiny thing myself and plan more asap. Your white hutch is gorgeous and shows off those Village pieces beautifully.

    What good things you bought at the thrift store for remaking. Love the hankies and can't wait to see what you make with the raveled yarn.

    Love that the weather blew some pine bark your way. ;) The salve sounds wonderful. I just made lotion bars and beard balm, but it was nighttime and the pics are reaaaally bad. lol

    We love Chinese dishes. I'll be trying your recipe as soon as I can get some Hoisin sauce. Do you have a favorite brand?

    We have ice today. Stay cozy!
    Toni

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    1. Hi Toni! Have to make hat while the sun shines. Georgie's away so I can run the vacuum forever.

      When did have bad pictures ever stop me from posting them? Ha! Probably why I have no followers.

      I use whatever Hoisin sauce is the cheapest. (of course!) We use it in almost all our Chinese foods, it gives it such a flavor boost.

      Hope spring is starting to appear in your neck of the woods!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. Your thrift store sounds great. There aren't any like that here. In fact, they've all gone up in their prices.

    Love the little critter you made.

    Coming here always inspires me. Thank you Jane.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thanks Rainey! I hope your back is doing better. Send some warm weather , please!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  4. It is such a good feeling when things are squeaky clean, isn't it? Your shelf looks lovely. I'm trying to keep islands of order in my house, even during the move, so that we can still have a bit of that peace that comes with order. So, each night, when I'm done sorting/packing, I try to clean off the table, and surrounding counters, and put the filled boxes in a stack to the side, and take all trash out to the garage. We are hauling the donations away as quickly as we can, and burning the trash promptly.

    I love the nice things you were able to get at the thrift store. I love what you do with them even more. I am finding enough materials to keep me busy for many years as I sort. Your scrap basket is lovely. I think I need a scrap barrel! I do a lot of sewing and am going to have to throw some of those scraps away. I did my best at Christmas to use many up on potholders and doll clothes, but I still have a lot, lot, lot. I keep telling myself that I still plan to sew in the future, so will generate more scraps!!!

    Have a great week.

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    1. That's the only way to have any sanity during a move Becky. If you have one room that you can store the boxes in, it's a good idea. One move we kept all the boxes together in the basement.The house was so sparsely furnished, it was easy to keep clean, and the boxes were all in one place, which made packing up the moving van a breeze.

      That's only my wool scrap basket. My cotton one is much larger! A big bin I keep in the attic. I know it's hard to get rid of them, especially since you're not moving because of a joyful reason, but trust me, it gets easier. We were forced to move from a home we loved due to my husband's job being relocated and I was unhappy too. But in the years past, I can see that it was a blessing because there's now way we could have maintained that big old Victorian as we have gotten older. Plus I shudder to think what the heating bill would be these days. Hope you get a lot of packing done this week!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  5. Beautiful snow picture...so fresh! Winter is a great time to spring-clean. Then come spring, when you feel like enjoying the outdoors, your house is finished and you are free to do that! Very nice projects you've completed. ...you must not have a lazy bone in your body! I made a porch chop stir-fry with similar ingredients to yours...the pork chops were on sale a while ago at Costco and were thick, (double the thickness of grocery store pork chops) and were about 75 cents each. We are new fans of pork...even not on sale they are cheap at Costco. Two chops made a meal for two of us here.
    It amazes me that chicken is so expensive. I refused to celebrate Valentine's day...so commercial. I do think it is nice for school children to give out valentines though...it breaks up the winter days...and paper valentines are cheap (or maybe it just brightened up my little life way back...ha) Andrea

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    1. p.s..I'm making your cake recipe right now since I bought buttermilk (real buttermilk..ha) Andrea

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    2. Hi Andrea! Since I don't have a TV, I have to keep busy to keep myself entertained. Ha!

      Pork always seems to be the least expensive and there's so much you can do with it. Have you ever tried making scalloped potatoes with cubed up pork chops? I think it's tastier than ham.

      Hope the cake turns out great for you! I'm so hungry I could chew my leg off! I have two more weeks before my doctor's appointment and am trying to get down to the next 10 pound increment. Not that my dear doctor ever gives me any grief about my weight.

      Happy baking!
      Hugs
      Jane

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    3. Hi again...no I've just used ham in scalloped potatoes. Good idea about the pork! Scalloped potatoes are very tasty....and a whole meal in one dish!

      Well I like reading. I rarely watch a whole movie...I run and read what happens and then that's that. (Impatient me!)

      I've lost a few lbs and I was telling my husband how unfair it is that I have to be so hungry and when I look around it seems other people eat so much. ha. hugs,andrea

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    4. Congratulations on the weight loss Andrea! It does seem unfair. Why couldn't I have been one of those people that has to work hard to put weight on? Ha!

      You do that too (with movies)? That's a relief! I thought I might just have some sort of attention span deficit or something. And another thing, I can't stand the long introductions. I always fast forward through them, when I watch a movie on DVD. I can edit a movie down to a short film.

      J

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    5. Ha...you too! and books...I never read the introduction. Andrea

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    6. My husband is raving over your cake recipe. I just made it and my supper is running late so he had cake first! He said he'd like it even without the frosting I made (I copied your frosting with coconut also). Thanks for that recipe! Andrea

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  6. Your house is lovely! I love your hutch with your pretty dishes. Great job on the spring cleaning. We have snow and ice, so I'm just doing the basics now. :D
    We love stir frys, so thank you for the pork fried rice recipe. I like how I can stretch a little meat to feed all of us. Need to search for your egg roll recipe.
    Interesting about the salves.
    We have the threat of layoffs over our heads right now, so I am going to have to really try to increase our savings. No matter, what the president says, I think our economy is in trouble. :(
    Thank you for sharing your thrifty ways with us.
    Have a great week.

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    1. Thanks Kathy! My husband made the hutch from a still shot I captured on an old movie. It fits perfectly in the little nook by the chimney.

      Sorry to read about the layoffs threat. It's so hard to have all that stress. I agree, I think the economy is in a lot more trouble than the president says. At least we can console ourselves that it's bad everywhere, so we all have a lot of company. What will be, will be, and there's no point in worrying about it, because worry doesn't do a thing except raise you blood pressure. Just do what you can to economize, that's all any of us can do.

      Hope you have a lovely week!
      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. Wow, your husband made the hutch! It is beautiful! I love the wood with the painted top. Of course now, I want to know what movie inspired your hutch. :D

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    3. Thanks Kathy! He's pretty handy. I can show him a picture and he can make it. I like plain country furniture fortunately. The movie is His Double Life and you can watch it for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GO89bpqlOQ
      Have a happy one!
      Jane

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  7. On I do love your blog it's such gentle reading and reinforces the way I strive to live. Here in England our charity shops never have the great prices of your thrift stores in fact I have recently started to see prices that are equal to buying new! I too save buttons, elastic bands, paper etc I often find these little things come in handy, have a good week and look forward to my next " visit " - Tam

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    1. Thank you for the lovely compliment, Tam!

      Isn't it fun when you have those saved items and don't need to go out a buy them? I feel such a connection to my grandparents when I make re-purpose something or figure out how to do without. I wish everyone could discover that being thrifty is fun!

      Hope to see you here again next week!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  8. Spring cleaning isn't allowed until the mud season of spring begins, is it? Just kidding. I surprised my self on Saturday and dusted upstairs and washed the interior of a couple windows and the mirrors. The sun was shining and it really motivated me. We've been in the deepfreeze here for a while but this week is looking up and it will be in the 40's most days. Time to muck out the chicken house a bit when the "compost" isn't frozen to the floor. I've got a friend arriving from WY this week to spend a couple weeks. Can't wait. Planning on doing a lot of visiting and coffee drinking. For our Valentine's day I decided to cook a roast instead of doing steaks. Had the roast in the freezer and steaks are so expensive and usually disappointing taste wise anyway. Hubby and I love a good, 4 hours roast of beef with carrots, squash and for him potatoes. For the kids and grandkids I made a 9x13 pan of fudge. Sent some to our daughter and her family and divided the rest between our son and his family and of course DH had his fair share too. DH's mom started that fudge tradition when our kids were little and I'm carrying it on for her. Not cheap to mail to our out of town family but it's worth it to me that they get in on the tradition. Thanks again for sharing your life with us Jane. Nannie

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    1. Spring cleaning for me, is whenever the dog is out of the house, Nannie. I'll have to redo everything again by the time spring actually arrives, but it is nice to have everything sparkling clean for a while. Wish I could wash my windows though. I'm sick of looking through those dirty things.

      The fudge tradition sounds sweet. Literally! I just sent my grandkids Valentines. My husband wasn't even home for the 14th. Long ways from the days I used to get a dozen roses and a box of candy. I miss all the excitement of receiving Valentine cards. It helped break up the monotony of a very long winter.

      Hope you have a lovely visit with your friend from Wyoming!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  9. Thanks for the inspiration in thrifting! Your little critter is adorable! Love your idea of using garments for hankies. I've only used secondhand fabric and vintage hankies.
    Sorry you didn't celebrate Love day. My children and I took handmade Valentines to the local nursing home for the patients and staff. It was a blast! Everyone awoke to treat bags with gift tags that I made from old playing cards. I had fun. Also found a good deal on some skirt steak for my husband's dinner, delicious. So proud of my husband for making his gift to me simple. A single red rose. I'll use it in potpourri when its through. I share this because no holiday has to be pricey to be nice.
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. Some of those garments are so soft. Leslie. Especially those made from cotton from India. I think the cheaper the better!

      My husband usually serves me my oatmeal in bed on the 14th. Just wasn't home this year. Not that it's a big deal, we can have a nice day together any day, doesn't have to be a certain day on the calendar.

      The roses and candy were from the days I used to have lots of beaus. Life was different back then, when young men courted young ladies. A dozen red roses from a secret admirer wasn't uncommon. It was all very innocent fun.

      Good idea about saving the petals for potpourri. That was so nice of you to remember the folks in the nursing home! I sent some Valentines to some elderly friends and it made their day. It seems in the age of internet, people don't receive very much mail anymore, besides bills. I must remember to do it for all the little holidays that Hallmark thinks up.

      Have a wonderful week!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  10. Your critter is adorable! I love your little sampler too. Where did you find the pattern? The pork sounds yummy- just need some Hoisin sauce.Hugs, Angela

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    1. Hi Angela! Good to hear from you! The little mole pattern comes from the book How To Sew Little Felt Animals by Sue Quinn, you can find the book on Amazon. The sampler is Swan Lake by Blackbird Designs. I used the substitute colors by DMC but it would be prettier with the Gentle Arts floss.Do you cross stitch? I used to do quite a bit of it but my eyes are getting too old for it!

      Whenever a recipe calls for soy sauce I also add some Hoisin sauce, it really adds depth to the flavor. Hope you are having a lovely February
      Hugs
      Jane

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  11. Hi Jane, I do cross stitch a little. I too used to do a lot. I just cannot see anymore to do on linen but I have been using 28 count Monaco which is linen-like but much easier to work with- and I use some strong reading glasses and only work in good daylight! Drat these middle age eyes!Haha! I have NEVER bought hoisin sauce= it is now on my grocery list to try!Thank you!Your snow is beautiful! It has been just wet, wet, wet, and gray here in GA but the sun is out this morning! Yay! Going out to fertilize my pecan trees! Have a lovely day, Angela

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    1. Thanks for the tip on the Monaco, Angela. I've been using waste canvas over the linen lately. I heard that one of my favorite cross stitch companies, Prairie Schooler is retiring. Makes me want to do one of their samplers.

      Spring can't be far away where you live. Must be nice to have a pecan tree! I'm hoping to get more than five hazelnuts this year. Maybe a dozen even! Ha!

      Enjoy the sun!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  12. I've been threatening to learn to make doll clothes and I guess this is the incentive I needed. Lots of shirts I can take apart and use for doll clothes. Thanks for the nudge.

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    1. Making doll clothes is so much fun, Barabra! I only had sons. so I volunteered to make a bunch for my son's kindergarten class one year. Got so much enjoyment out of choosing the fabrics from the scrapbag and using up all those little bits of lace and trimmings. You can use the tiniest of scraps for pockets and hats.

      Hope you are having a nice week!
      Hugs
      Jane

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  13. I love all of your wintery pictures, we have had such a warm winter this year that it feels like I missed winter, so its nice seeing that pretty snow! :) I love that you made handkerchiefs from the shirt, the monogram really adds a nice touch. I also love saving buttons and have a pretty good collection currently, when my kids were younger they loved sorting through all of our random buttons, and they always come in handy for craft projects. Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Hi April! We had a pretty mild winter also. Makes me hopeful for my roses. Sorting buttons is good activity to keep little ones busy. Some of the older ones are truly beautiful. Have a nice week!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  14. dear jane,
    another beautiful post. you find always beautiful things for low in the thriftshop. i wish we had thriftshops like yours in my part of the world.thanks for the recipe...it sounds good.like your handkerchiefs. the sampler is amazing!!!
    have a nice weekend,
    regina

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  15. Hello Regina! I hope my e-mail helped. I'm beginning to believe that we are very fortunate with the local thrift stores around here. Hope you have a lovely week!

    Hugs
    Jane

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  16. Hi Jane, I was so sad to read that you were stopping your posts. :( I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I'm still trying to find a new normal.

    Knitting really relaxes me and I saw this Ripple Afghan pattern you posted. It sounds like it would be lovely. I have quite a few worsted weight skeins of one color that I thought I could use but I'm not sure I have enough. About how many ounces would you say it takes to make one?

    I hope you both are doing well. Email if you want to! Hugs, Lori

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    1. Hi Lori! Sorry to be slow to answer your comment. My mom is in hospice and I has been staying with her. I came home for a while to rest.

      I'd say you'd probably need between 75-100 ounces of yarn, it's hard to say, so much depends upon the yarn's weight and your tension. The beauty of these type of afghans is that you just continue to add on as you have more bits of skeins left over. You can vary the widths of the stripes depending upon the amount of yarn you have. I find they are the prettiest if you have one color that dominates and is used every fifth or so stripe. I use the cheap Red Heart yarn for that.

      Good to hear from you. Hope you are doing well.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  17. Hi Jane..oh I am so very sorry to hear about your mom. I know what you are going through and I will be keeping you and your mom in my prayers. I'm sending you a big hug, I hope you can feel it. Thank you for the yarn info, my goodness you are sweet to answer me with all you are going through. Jane, please take care of yourself as best you can. I'm here if you need me. Hugs, Lori

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    1. Hi LOri! Thank you. My mother and I have a complicated relationship and although this has been a time of physical exhaustion, emotionally, these days are not as bad as they would be for most people losing a parent. It's more of a matter of following the commandment to honor my mother than out of any sort of affection or loyalty, which I can imagine is difficult for most people to understand. So please, don't waste any time feeling bad for me! HUGS!

      I'm afraid I lost your e-mail address, or I would have written this privately to you. But I doubt anyone is reading the comments on this post so long after it was written. Hope your new normal is pleasant as it can be under the circumstances.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  18. I just sent you an email. If you don't get it let me know. Hugs, Lori

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