If you have one of those big map books with every hollow, ridge, and lane in the state on its pages, you can find your way down the dirt roads and up 1200 feet to the highest point in the county.
And if you leave at just the right time of late afternoon, you'll get there right before the sun sets.
You had better bundle up, because pure and leafless late November gets chilly on that windy knob.
What a beautiful world.
Yes you *can* put together a delicious feast for fourteen people without stressing! We had a big family dinner here tonight and once again I was gone practically all day bringing Felix home from school. This menu is mostly do-ahead and can't-go-wrong. And the quantities will feed a lot of hungry teenagers.
• Slow-roasted pork loin
• Potatoes au gratin
• Tart gingery slaw
• Sauteed squash
• Roasted garlic focaccia
1. For the meat, I laid two good-sized pork loins in my roasting pan early in the day, squeezed the juice of two limes over them, and dosed them liberally with Cajun seasoning (or any favorite spice mix). These need about three hours in a low over (300 or so). So plan accordingly.
2. The potatoes can be fixed at any time of day and reheated for dinner. Peel and slice about 5 pounds, chop an onion, mince two garlic cloves, and put all into a pot with two cups each of milk and cream and a small palmful of salt. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, then dump into a large pan and bake at 500 for about 20 minutes. Let rest before serving.
3. Slaw: Use two bags of slaw from the produce section, and slice a few radishes, a cucumber, and a red pepper to add. Dress with this: 1/4 cup vinegar or lime juice, 2 T. grainy mustard, a lot of grated ginger, 1/3 c. oil, 2 t. sesame oil, and a bunch of chopped peanuts. Toss it all together, and cover in the fridge for however long until you need it.
4. Just before dinner, or even early in the day, saute your squash or zucchini by slicing thin, putting in a skillet with about 2 T. olive oil and salt and pepper, and cooking covered over a high heat, shaking occasionally. Best when served immediately, but if you're busy no reason you can't do it early and reheat gently.
5. Make or buy some tasty bread.
6. Serve ice cream (or get Bella to make a cake!)
I picked up McCall's 5966 last time I was at Hobby Lobby and saw a sale, in need of something quick and comfy to throw together for Daisy out of stash flannel. She is so very very picky about her clothes and so loathe to wear pants and so in need of a warm dress or two.
What a relief to find that this dress was acceptable. Because it looks like the one Nancy wears to the ball at the end of Enchanted. It does? As long as Daisy thinks so.
Now I don't have to take her to town in her bathing suit.
By the way, it runs huge. I cut out a size 3, with the length of a 5, and I could have gone down to a 2 and probably will next time.
I've met my crewel-work Waterloo: a thrifted piece I can't bring myself to make into a pillow. Because it's so big. And the stitches are so big. And because, although it's funny, it looks good in a funny kind of way on the wall.
So it's going to hang there, at least for a while.
. . . said Giles' Facebook status this morning. 
He grabbed his camera first thing, 
while the chocolate chip pancakes were still on the griddle,
to document all the warm white light, 
and the sweet small critters.
Lucy lurking under the dendrobium orchid. I'm sure she's so glad that Giles is home!
An old friend is down with a horrendous neck problem. She's due for surgery in two and a half weeks, and in the meantime spends all her time lying flat or trying to find a comfortable position in her recliner. She can't drive, work, or fix herself a sandwich.
I went to see her yesterday and though her usual perkiness was understandably somewhat subdued, she still had a little of her twinkle as she described her current fantasy: a pillow that would be very soft on the outside, warm for around her neck, and that smelled of lavender.
That I could do. These are lined with muslin, then cut out of polka dot flannel and the softest salvaged cashmere. Filled half with rice and half with lavender, they smell heavenly. If only they had magical healing properties.
I've had this vintage quilt top in my stash for several years--long enough for the rusty orange and purple combinations to really grow on me. I'm so glad I turned to machine quilting in my later years. It's just not possible to hand-quilt all I want to do.
Put together with a muslin back and a cotton batting, this quilted up quickly. I outlined the stars, and in the plaid blocks I just did free-hand concentric square spirals. They don't really show on the busy front, but make a pleasant pattern on the plain back.
I should have taken my pictures after the run through the washer and dryer--it looked so much quiltier then!
I liked the restrained use of blackberries and the elegant reliance on a perfect crust in this dessert. It's from Nigella, of course.
Perfect crust. I never thought I'd need to use *those* words. My crusts are always tasty, but messy. I'm passing the baton to Bella.
. . . is commenter Abby (9:13 a.m. on November 12), says random number generator. Abby, email me through my side bar with your shipping information, and thank you to everyone who played!
So those long linen dresses at the thrift store? They make up into aprons so easily! I was doing these narrower lined aprons, but now I'm working them up differently. Unlined, but much fuller. Just cut off as much of the bottom of the dress as you want to use, then cut off the button strips (or zippered seam) so that you have most of a skirt, with an unfinished cut up the back (or front, just turn it around) and an unfinished waist. 
The fun part is picking out coordinating fabric to use in a wide binding strip down the back sides. Once that's in place, I choose another fabric for the waistband and attach that as I did in my other linen aprons (see the link above), but I fold pleats in the side fronts of the apron, and into the back, basting in place before sewing the waistband on.
And to tie it all together, I like to do a little applique that brings both fabrics into play, and I am very partial to layered squares. 
This one's going in the shop.
I wanted one of these! Great vintage turquoise and it all comes apart for cleaning and so you can admire the blown-glass insulated vacuum insides. Thank you, thrift store.
This lavender merino sweater suffered from a common Thrifted Sweater Syndrome (indeed, probably what doomed it to the thrift shop in the first place): the sweater bunched into the ribbing at the waist and wrists. Right. No one wants that blousy sweatshirty look going on in their sweater.
Fortunately there's an easy fix. Thread up the machine with matching thread, run a line of straight stitching just inside where you want to cut, then with sharp scissors carefully cut off the offending waistband. Then zigzag over the edge, and you're finished and secure. If you want a little lettuce-edged ruffle, pull back slightly on the sweater as it goes under the needle. If you want a flatter edge (I did here), feed it gently and steadily under.
On to the midriff! The sweater was okay without any further work, but I wanted more interest, and a more shapely middle. Silk embroidery ribbon from the stash, and a regular big-eyed needle. I knotted the ribbon and, working from the side seam in, did a simple running stitch to the center, with plenty of ribbon hanging out. Repeated from the other side. 
Now I can cinch the underbust for a little shaping, or, conversely, pull it all out without any damage to the sweater. No commitment, just some fun!
I may have been shopping for my own stocking here. Maybe. If not I should have been! Everything is gorgeous and inspiringly homey.
So. I may have asked if Feather Your Nest would throw in an extra pair of frivolous rubber gloves for my readers. The world's most beautiful rubber gloves--and all you have to do is leave your name in the comments. I'll draw on Saturday afternoon.
This time, everyone's invited. I'll ship anywhere in the world!
Felix is too busy this month to come home, but he did allow that we could come visit him Saturday to share lunch, then attend his choir concert.
He misses home food so we brought a good picnic--a giant pot of potato-leek soup to heat up on the camp stove, and chicken Caesar salad all around. 
We found a park not far from his school with picnic tables, a view, and beautiful hiking trails. No hiking this time though--it was enough to sit in the sun and look at Felix. 
"I've realized that everything at home is beautiful," he told me while we ate. It is.
So much is.
. . . plenty of thrifted crewelwork, at least. This was a thrift store find stapled around cardboard (aren't they always?) and stuffed into a cheap rickety frame. I could almost feel its sigh of relief as it settled over the curves of stuffing when I finished.
The back is more of the loosely-woven gold silk, with a bright turquoise zipper boldly showing.
Bella made little hand pies for our lunch: cheese, onion, and potato from, of course, Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess.
They were so rich and good, I asked her if there was a whole stick of butter in the pastry. She looked rather offended and said that no, it called for only seven tablespoons.
Easy and beautiful: a hickory stick from the back yard (actually it was tangled in the clothesline, so I achieved two things at once!), and chandelier droplets tied on with fishing line.
Head over to my shop today--remember, all proceeds go straight to bring a little girl home from Ethiopia!
This is not just any basket. First of all, it's entirely handmade by my nephew. Second, it was in the car with us at all times for weeks, with a soft blanket in it, in case we saw a stray kitten.
Now, without any training at all, Lucy knows that she's supposed to sleep there. 
Sometimes things just work out.
I had a little piece of brown linen left over from my dress, and I had a very old Children's Corner pattern, and I had some vintage buttons the color of coffee candies.
A perfect dress for the warm days of fall, especially with red tights and a pink sweater. Sets off Daisy's autumn-fairy qualities, I think.
Clara cashed in a little Christmas trip promised to her last December--a day of foliage, shopping, and dining. I thought I'd handle this one and let the Composer stay home and run things.
We took a winding way through the woods. It's been such a wet autumn, we grabbed the day of sunshine while we had it. Every creek and river and spring was running that clear blue-green.
It's inspiring hanging around a pretty town. Ours is decent and bustling but it's not all about putting on a show. I like a show! This fall's theme appeared to be gourd arrangements in birdbaths, *all* with twisty sticks and sumac heads poking out. I award it the Best Use of Sumac in 2009.
And fallen leaves are always decorative. Every surface and edge softened by brown or rust or rose.
But we didn't just look. We did a little Christmas shopping--I bought several things for my own stocking, so the Composer doesn't have to bother. And boy did we find the perfect thing for Daisy. But that will have to wait.
One of us is a growing girl, and the other one's in training, so we were ready for dinner on the early side. Beautiful salads, fancy steaks, and a shared chocolate souffle while the sun went down in the trees.
I did take an accidental forty-minute detour off the highway on the way home in the dark, but aside from that, we had a Best Day.
Continuing to enjoy these new colors so much--the ochre of the oak leaves outside, the lilac orchids, and the all-mediating warm gray walls.
A lady has promised to make the canvas slipcovers for my couch and chair, but not til Thanksgiving break. I won't feel finished with this room until they are done.
Very sweet, but not too photogenic yet. She very much wants to show her hiney to the camera. Don't ask me why.
Wait, I do know why! She has an extraordinarily long tail, and she wants it documented.
Here Daisy models one of our current hat patterns. This is an easy beret made up in red velvet lined with fine red corduroy (see it in orange wool here). I use the instructions found in Simple Sewing with a French Twist, but the concept is basic and can be found here online. Although I must say, ladies, that if you are going for elegant you are going to have to give the bedazzling step a pass.
All you need is your fabric, a dinner plate, and a saucer. It goes together in a flash; wear it to church the next morning!
Bummer that I didn't see the wad of thread on Daisy's hat before taking the picture.
This was a long-awaited day: Daisy's trip to the pound to pick out her new kitten.
Our dignified tabby, Bossy, died in the spring. Daisy had been asking rather ghoulishly all year if I thought maybe one of the cats would die soon so she could get a *new* kitten. Well, tick disease had its way and she got her wish.
For weeks her heart was set on "afluffywhitePersianwithblueeyes", but surprisingly there weren't any at the animal shelter. Instead there was every kind of kitten that was a gray female. So she chose one of those instead. A dainty tiny cat with white paws and no improper pride.
Bella manfully volunteered to sleep downstairs with the kitty to prevent the squeaky lonely mews. They're tucked up soundly now in Felix's bed with a hot water bottle.
We wanted a lap cat, and I think we got one. And if the sun comes out tomorrow, I'll take her picture.
How about this? Etsy shopkeeper bethgem is donating her October proceeds to Kimmie's adoption too. Anyone else want to join? I'll be running a list of donating shops every Sunday from now til the end of the year. Comment or email me!
She got herself a solo! But she's playing it cool . . . .
I hope I can share a clip of the performance with you all in December!
We are all wearing caps this fall. Daisy started it when my mother knitted her this oversized beret. I guess we all wanted to look that good.
Although for that we're going to need some more leopard-print skirts around here.
Besides the berets (we have two in different multicolor stripes), I've been making up a couple of other simple sewn hat patterns in various wools and cottons. I'll share them next week!
I promised you ruffles; here they are on a brand new housecoat. The pattern actually calls for ruffles to define a faux yoke, but that was definitely too busy for me.
I limited my use of the ruffler to the cuff. Look at this dainty thing! Both edges of the strip are finished, then the ruffle foot is run down the center of the strip, causing a double ruffle. So grand!
And I want to say this: if you have never had the experience of wearing a floor-length garment around the house, you are missing out. It's just fun.
Perhaps the scariest-looking of all the vintage sewing machine attachments, the ruffler is really gentle and good-natured when you get past its gargantuan size, multitude of arms, and its teeth.
Pleated or gathered ruffles make beautiful, frugal trims--no rushing out to buy lace at the last minute. Just pleat up a ruffle in a minute or two! Here's how:
1. Find the arm with a claw on the end. It fits over the bar that sticks out to the right of the needle. Make sure the claw fits around the bar when you attach the foot. Then slowly turn the wheel to make sure the needle is in the right position! My needle must be moved to the center, rather than the left where it usually hangs out. If it stays left, it breaks on the foot.
2. Check out the numbered arc. Here's where you select the kind of pleats you're going to make. Why not start with 6? It's nice and medium.
3. Cut a 3-inch width of fabric and press it in half lengthwise. You're going to feed the raw edge into the ruffler. You'll have a beautiful finished ruffle that needs no hemming. Make it at least 18 inches long for this practice run. And if you measure before and after and figure out how long a strip you need for the real thing.
Now, see that dark flat bar with the little teeth at the back edge? Your fabric must go directly underneath that so that the little pressing-down teeth can grip the fabric and move it into the pleat every six stitches (if you're working on the six). No teeth, no pleat. And DON"T pull the fabric back towards you once it's under there; you'll break the teeth and then where will you be?
What pretty pleats! The ruffler does a pleat every six stitches . . .
Or every twelve, if you scoot the selector over.
And look at what happens when I choose the number one option--a pleat at every stitch! I've set my stitch length to the longest.
I find the pleating to be almost instant gratification. Make a ruffle, baste it on a cuff or other edge, and attach with a strip of bias binding. Finished project pictures tomorrow!
Bella made these yesterday while I was driving Felix back to school. She was going to do them like we usually do doughnuts, in the cast iron Dutch oven on the stovetop. But the farther away I drove the more the thought of her frying doughnuts without me there got me kind of nervous, so I called. "Don't tip all that hot oil over on yourself" I told her. "And don't trust the candy thermometer. I don't think it's accurate. And if the pan catches on fire turn off the burner and put the lid on. And if you burn yourself badly have Clara call 911!"
I got off the phone. Felix said, "Well, I'd be freaking out."
I called her back. "Why don't you just make them in the electric skillet? Just set the control to the right temperature." Bella sounded relieved that I had reverted to my normal state of not worrying.
They came out really, really fine. There's a caramel candy hiding in each of these. Recipe is from Everyday Foods.
