Edie Wadsworth

Christmas Front Door Wreath

December 9, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 67 Comments

I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. I can’t seem to get anything done. I piddle around with this and that, decorate a little, teach a little, wrap a few gifts, read a little, bake a little and look around and wonder how it’s all possibly gonna get done by Christmas. And what on earth we’re gonna eat for dinner. I’m supposed to be finished reading All the Presidents’ Men by Friday—so I can somewhat intelligently lead a bookclub discussion on the subject—- and I’m currently on chapter 5. Alas.

In a small feat of Christmas decorating victory, I did remove the Halloween pumpkins from front stoop. I also decided that maybe the audiobook version of All the Presidents’ Men was my only hope for possibly finishing—and it’s still seems hopelessly doubtful (it’s 12 hours of audio!).

So as I removed pumpkins and leaves and added holly, magnolia and pine clippings to my front planters, I listened to a convoluted mess of political jibberish about Watergate, trying to keep track of the very long list of characters, and wondering if my brain is just too old and full to work like this anymore.

At least it looks like Christmas from the outside of my house. The inside is still a work in progress. Dinner will likely be from Taco John’s. And maybe with a latte or two, I’ll figure out what G. Gordon Liddy had to do with the Watergate scandal.

Oh and we’re three days behind on our Advent readings. Already.

Ever have those slow-motion days….or weeks?

Please advise.

P.S. I’ve already had a bubble bath.

P.S.S. And a glass of wine.

P.S.S.S. And painted my front door blue.

Post Edit: The color of the door: sunwashed blue by Ralph Lauren.

Lindsay from Living with Lindsay is having a similiar week. Here’s hoping we all recover our creative selves. Until then, click here for some inspiration.

The Lightest Fluffiest Angel Wing Biscuits Ever to FLy Over Southern Skies

December 7, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 44 Comments

I have made it my personal mission in life to per-fect the biscuit. You can’t even graduate from high school in the South until you demonstrate proficiency at biscuit making—-so I’ve been making biscuits a long time. But I just took the recipe that was passed onto me and never questioned it. You’re not supposed to question a long line of Southern biscuit makers.

But…….

What if I want the lightest fluffiest angel wing biscuits ever to fly over southern skies? What then? Well, I scoured the internet—an a few cookbooks—and made a few dozen biscuits—-using various biscuits methods—and I think we have a winner folks. So, put on an apron, roll up the sleeves on your flannel shirt, put on some bluegrass music and let’s make biscuits.

First, you must start with 2 cups of self-rising white lily flour. There shall be no substitutes. It has a lower protein content and says on the front ‘a southern tradition since 1883’. Don’t mess with Texas. Then add 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 t. salt, 1 1/2 t. baking powder (I know, you’re not supposed to need it with sr flour but these are the lightest fluffiest angel wing biscuits ever to fly over southern skies, so just add it).

Now with a pastry blender, cut in 1/4 c. shortening. Or use a whisk if you tend to be hard on pastry blenders.

Now, add 2/3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of buttermilk and stir. The mixture will be very wet.

Add 1 cup of flour into a casserole dish or onto your working surface and then with a medium sized ice cream scoop–or whatever sized biscuits you like—scoop a few scoops onto the flour. Flour your hands and then lightly shape the biscuits—adding flour where there really wet—but shaking off any excess flour. They will be coated with flour on the outside, but the inside of each one will still be quite wet.

Spray a round cake pan with cooking spray and then place the biscuits very snugly into the pan. This step is key. These are southern bisuits so they’re invading each other’s personal space and hugging and back-slapping like crazy. If you’re from the Midwest, where personal space is recognized and respected, this step might be hard for you. But trust me, I made my first batch with biscuit-boundaries—and they were flat and boring. Scooch ’em close together and they’ll sing the hallelujah chorus when they’re done.

Then bake at 425 degrees for 18-23 minutes or until they’re golden brown on top. When you take them out of the oven, they look like this—-like they’re happily snuggled under an afghan watching an SEC football game. Then invert them onto a plate–and then turn them right side up onto another plate. Brush them with butter. And that’s when they start singing the hallelujah chorus. Take a knife and cut them apart and notice how some of them are kinda shaped like angel wings.

Butter them generously and enjoy. And then of course, sneak a bite to the dog that has no doubt when lying at your feet while you make them.

I used Darby’s cinnamon butter, which is most wonderfully delicious and easy. I mistakenly added one more stick of butter than she did but it turned out yummy just the same. I used 3 sticks of softened butter, 1 cup honey, 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 t. cinnamon and beat it well in my electric mixer. You can give it away as gifts—-and she has hers decorated up so cute—or if your 7 year old tastes it and begs to keep it all at home, you can do that too!

Y’all enjoy! Get the pdf file for the recipe here.

Notes from my cookbook:

1. These are so light and fluffy that they may require a fork. These would not be the biscuits that would hold up to a sausage-biscuit sandwich. Unless you use a fork.

2. I will still use my other biscuit recipe when I need more substantial biscuits. These are like biting into a cloud.

3. I will most definitely make my traditional biscuits (that I roll out with a rolling pin) with white lily flour. Also, with any biscuit recipe, if you start out with a very wet dough and don’t over mix/beat/knead, they will be lighter and fluffier. They just won’t have angel wings like this one.

4. I used a recipe from the website Project Foodie and added baking powder to it—after my first batch didn’t rise quite as much as I would have liked. Thank you to their experts for these wonderful tips.

What I love about homeschooling: edition 1

December 4, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 57 Comments

1. Going on field trips with 2 of the most well-behaved and fun-loving girls I know. (The Kingsport Ballet performs the Nutcracker—great performance)

2. The spontaneous holding of hands that still occurs, even at ages 7 and 9.

3. Teaching the girls how to absolutely enjoy an afternoon in an antique store. (it helps when they serve Oreos)

4. Hearing them say, “Mom, you’re gonna love these aprons!”

5. Listening as the oldest tells the youngest, “Daddy would love these birds.”

6. Deciding together that you most certainly must have the vintage ’12 Days of Christmas’ cookie cutters……

……..and the vintage bread box and canister set—and then commence to have a heated discussion about whether the canister set will house varieties of chalk and markers or varieties of flour and cereals.

7. Making the decision that photographs will do just fine when we find things we love but can’t buy.

8. Going to the local Christmas parade

and counting our blessings

that we have been given a special gift—-

of spending long days together with the ones we love—-

and wishing it could stay this way……forever.

Thanks to Grandma Evadne for the beautiful knitted caps that still fit perfectly!

Great Advent Resource

December 3, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 11 Comments

I downloaded this awesome Advent application last year on my iPhone called simply, Advent ’08. It’s a collection of daily readings, prayers, and hymns that correspond to the liturgical reading cycle for the Advent season. One of the things I loved so much about the application last year was the historic christian art that was used with each daily reading and the deep, rich devotional quality to the readings/prayers.

This year, the author/editor of this wonderful compilation is not releasing Advent ’09 as an iphone application but is posting daily advent readings on this advent blog. I think you’ll enjoy it completely. I’ve been reading version ’08 to my kids and then reading the ’09 version on my own.

The introduction to the Advent blog says this:

Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation of the birth of Jesus. Advent is a time of sobriety in the face of His return. The rhythm of American life, especially in the holiday season, seldom leaves time for adequate preparation. Adequate, however, does not imply the amount of time spent, as much as it refers to focus and attention. It is more than just a way to count down the days to Christmas; it is a way to help transform Advent into a journey of faith. It is a way to help prepare for the coming of Jesus to live among us, so that the good news of Christmas morn lingers on long after the packages are opened. It is our hope and prayer that the Holy Spirit would lead you through the Scriptures to a newfound wonder of Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. May the Lord bless you on your journey.

sampling from Advent ’08

God of Love, You made Your home among us. By faith we believe in You and in baptism we have received You and from Your hand we have received grace upon grace. Grant us, by that same grace, Your truth to dwell within our hearts that we may live in Your peace, not as the world understands, but that peace which only You can give. This we are bold to pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

sampling of Advent ’09

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.
O Lord hear my prayer.
And let my cry come to You.
Lord God of heaven and earth who alone is worthy to judge all peoples according to their deeds, have mercy upon us for Christ’s sake! We cannot attain to the standard of Your righteousness as You have revealed it to us in Your Law and through the mouths of Your Prophets. Merciful God hide us beneath the banner of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ and by His blood wash us so that we may be whiter than snow and cleansed from all unrighteousness. Merciful Father You delayed Your final judgement of our sin until in the fullness of Your time our Lord was revealed. According to Your steadfast love towards us You placed the burden of our guilt upon the shoulder’s of Your Son, so that having warned us of the judgment yet to come You have called us not fulfill the requirements of the law ourselves, but to trust in Your Son who has done so on our behalf. For His sake preserve until You yet again bring time to completion and send Your holy angels out to gather the last harvest. Father, You have grafted us onto the Vine, continue to change our hearts we pray, by making us ever new after the fashion of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One Holy God, both in this world and the one that is to come. Amen.

So, go here and be blessed.

Thanks to Rev. Scott Ryll for this rich devotional tool.

All hymns used in the devotional are taken from the Lutheran Service Book and scripture readings are taken from the ESV.

Girls’ Bedroom Metamorphosis and a little Christmas Cheer

November 30, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 81 Comments

This is what I see now when I walk out of my bedroom door. The little girls’ bedroom—freshly painted and freshened up. It makes me wanna dance a jig. Or to quote Pioneer Woman, it ‘makes my skirt fly up’. And it’s every girls’ favorite color: tiffany blue. I know, I know–I’m teaching ’em early. I’m not sure what I love best, the tiffany blue walls, the currant-red beds, or the very large vintage multi-colored lights. Oh, or the vintage butterfly prints. I can’t decide. I love it all.

Here’s what you can do in a week with $150, a wonderful inspiration photo and numerous cups of the best coffee ever. I saw this amazing guest bedroom {first featured in Domino magazine} on the Little Green Notebook blog—and fell in love instantly.

Jenny did a copy cat design of this room, giving tips on how to get the look for much less. And though her tips were extremely helpful, I settled on an even cheaper/less authentic version than her copy cat version. But it turned out beautiful and my girls love their new ‘grown-up’ bedroom. And if you don’t already read Jenny’s blog, you should. You’ll love it and her and you’ll learn stuff.

Domino guest bedroom

I started this project by painting the beds. These are actually bunk beds that I ‘debunked’ many years ago. I also previously painted, distressed and glazed them about 8 years ago.

In the Domino guest room photo, those upholstered beds can be found at Target online—and I LOVE those beds. But alas, painting our existing beds red was not a bad alternative. I chose ‘Currant Red’ from Benjamin Moore and after sanding the beds twice {to remove the previous finish} I painted them in semi-gloss with two coats of paint. I actually used Behr Paint and Primer and just had them look up the Benjamin Moore color in their computer. I adore this paint—it’s thick and luscious and goes on like butt-ah! And as someone who paints things frequently, I say that with a fair amount of personal experience.

I then used this little rub and buff product {from Hobby Lobby} to give them a more antiqued look. I used my fingers to rub it on and then used a damp cloth to wipe most of it off. It’s kind of subtle but I like the beds much better with this addition. The color is called Spanish Copper.

By the way, I painted the beds in the room. I just put butcher paper on the floor underneath them went to work. It’s a little tricky to paint the very bottom of the bed posts but it can be done.

Next, I started on the walls. I chose ‘Robin’s Nest’ from Benjamin Moore and again had the paint mixed at Home Depot using Behr Paint and Primer {did I say thank you to my friend The Nester for this tip? I owe you a debt of gratitude}. This paint goes on so well that it covered in one coat on these walls!! And those letters on the wall that spell GRACIE—-those must stay forever. When I tried removing them, sheetrock began to peel as well—so I just painted right over them—again. My painter Rick—whose number I have on speed dial—helped me with the 20 foot ceilings in this room. And my somewhat-afraid-of-heights-self was thankful.

I then took Jenny’s advice and printed these vintage butterfly prints from Village Printables and framed them in my $6.99 frames from Ross {a lot better than the $625 each for the prints in the Domino room}. They are exactly the perfect complement to this room and it reminds me of the metamorphasis that will all-too-soon take place in these little girls. I want to cherish the days while I have them.

Scooter, our 4 year old Maltese, sleeps with the girls so we found him a coordinating dog bed–which will, I hope, prevent him from rubbing his dirty paws all over these white quilts {Target–shabby chic collection}. The zebra print pillows are also from Target {$14 on sale} and are a fine and enormously cheaper substitute to the beautiful IKAT pillows on the Domino guest room beds ($240 each I think). I also just happened to be moving this winerack—which I’ve been using as a nightstand—out of my bedroom, so I moved it in here because it was just the right size and shape. Any ideas for what we could store in there, aside from wine bottles of course?!

I then finished it off with a beautiful Christmas cactus, some pine garland and the big-bulb Christmas lights.

This room has the softest glow at night and is the perfect spot to snuggle up with some good reading and our Advent devotionals. I have to take turns sitting on each little one’s bed {“you were on her bed last night”} and have to make sure to give each one the same amount of kisses. I will hold on to that as long as possible!

So there it is: the sort of grown up little girls room—where butterfly kisses and tooth fairy visits are still welcome! But pink is not.

I should also mention that moving the beds toward the center of the room has been a huge advantage. The girls can easily make their own beds. And for now, they LOVE the job.

Before After

What I still need to do:

1. Add a brass-type rub onto the side table/winerack.

2. Find a cheap black and white striped rug.

3. Keep Scooter’s grubby paws off those white quilts.

4. Tackle the very messy closet.

5. Find the perfect ‘thing/s’ to store in the winerack.

6. Read a million more pages together—before they get tired of me.

You can see more photos on my flickr photostream.

Thanks a million to Jenny for making this room seem possible for the average mom.

Oh and come visit me at Blissfully Domestic today where I’m posting my sweater stocking tutorial.

I listened to this episode on Issues Etc—on Luther and Calvin and how you know you have true faith–while working on this project. It’s well worth a listen!

p.s. I’m adding this project to Kimba’s DIY day. Visit the most fantastic DIY’ers here.

Advent Begins

November 29, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 10 Comments

Our most gracious God, we pray for your blessings as we begin our Advent journey. Turn our hearts toward You. Forgive us our selfish preoccupations. Quiet us with Your words of comfort and peace and hope. And as we anticipate Your coming in glory, remind us of Your humble ‘comings’—as a baby in a manger, on a donkey into Jerusalem, as our Savior on a cross, in ordinary bread and wine at Your table, in the waters of baptism, and in Your most Holy Word.

Why do you come to us in such lowly means? Because You come in mercy. To restore us and reconcile us to Yourself. To show Your boundless love and compassion for wretched and miserable sinners like us. You come to bring us life and peace and forgiveness.

In our sin, we often take Your ‘coming’ for granted. We fail to receive the instruction of Your Word. We doubt You at the supper. Our hearts are hardened toward You and closed to our neighbor. We beg You to come—to find us, to rescue us from sin and death, to pursue us in our depravity and wandering. O come O come Emmanuel.