On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
A Good Lenten Meal
For the next six weeks, this will be our lunch on Friday – salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, and scalloped tomatoes
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
A Good Lenten Meal
For the next six weeks, this will be our lunch on Friday – salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, and scalloped tomatoes
When I was growing up in the 1940s, my favorite aunt was my mother’s sister, Mabel. Her two children, 9 and 6 years younger than I, were my favorite cousins. They were the babies of the family and I loved watching them grow up.
Every year on Washington’s Birthday, February 22, we had a holiday from school and went to Mabel’s house to celebrate her little girl’s birthday which fell on February 23. Mabel would have a cake purchased at the grocery store and decorated with the little hard sugar flowers and letters to spell out Happy Birthday, Carol Ann.
Carol Ann, Third Grade
Yesterday, for the first time in over 60 years, I enjoyed a birthday lunch with my cousins. My daughter and I invited them to meet us at the Cracker Barrel where we lingered for a couple of hours reminiscing. As it turned out, it appeared to be a party for me because of all of the gifts Carol brought. She has been an antique dealer for years and chose some special items from her personal collection that she thought I would like….
A tiny nesting hen covered dish…
A Jadeite hobnail bowl with handles…

A Snowbabies ornament, a Bakelite Scottie button, and a notebook dated 1939, filled with handwritten recipes.
In addition, she brought a stack of greeting cards that my family had sent to them in the 1940s and 50s ….
All of the things I love the most.
After all these years, they’re still my favorite cousins. Happy Birthday, Carol.
Back on October 3, 2011, I joined a Jacob’s Ladder Quilt-along hosted by
http://imperamagna.blogspot.com/2011/09/ladies-start-your-engines_28.html
I explained in my post how I had started out to make a sofa topper but received a cute mini-quilt rack and decided to make a piece to fit it. The original blocks were to be 9 inches finished and the mini-quilt blocks were 2-1/4 inches.
I used the original 9 inch block to make a backing.
The blocks were a devil to make and join in such a small size, but I have finished the quilt and in spite of a lot of “iffy” places, I like it. The finished size is 10-1/2 x 12-1/2 inches.
The quilt-along is continuing with plenty of time to join and make something in the very pretty Jacob’s Ladder pattern.
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
The recipe for this chicken and artichoke dish is adapted from a recipe in a favorite cookbook, Southern Sideboards, published in 1978. It makes a nice luncheon dish when my daughters and I get together.
POULET D’ARTICHOKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Oil a 9×9 inch baking dish
Drain artichoke hearts and arrange in an oiled 9×9 inch baking dish. Spread cooked chicken on top.
In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.
In a small skillet, melt butter and toss bread cubes to coat.
Place cubes on top of chicken mixture. Bake uncovered @ 350 for 25 minutes.
4 to 6 servings
With the dreary weather we often get in February in southwestern Ohio, I’m happy to put up the cheery Valentine decorations that I’ve accumulated through the years. The little red and white enamelware plate was from a set I had as a child over 70 years ago.
Most of the items were handmade by members of the family: decorative painting on wooden pieces….
….some are quilted, appliquéd, crocheted.
Two pieces call to mind Valentine’s Day in the 1940s and my grade school parties.
The story of our Valentine’s Day celebrations at old Raschig School in the 1940s and a Valentine wall hanging are here…
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
Because I don’t mind a chip hidden in the back, I have a bargain-priced Roseville console.
Karen at Sew Many Ways has a a great tutorial for a heart bookmark that is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2012/01/tool-time-tuesdayfabric-heart-bookmark.html
These literally take minutes to cut and sew. The only change I made was to trim the seams and do some decorative top-stitching. I made these to enclose with my Valentines to the family this year.
Red fabric is good for Valentine’s Day but I couldn’t resist making one in an animal print for a daughter who loves it.
The back has a little pocket which slips over the bottom corner of a book page to keep your place.
To accompany the bookmark and to help explain how to use it, I looked through my collection of vintage cards for something with a book and came up with this one.
I scanned it and added the caption, “A Valentine Bookmark just for you”. The bookmark was slipped onto the bottom edge…
….and I wrote a personal message on the back of the card.
I think this will be a nice surprise as I continue the tradition of sending Valentines to special people.
This Valentine was sent to my mother by her first grade teacher in 1923