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Calling all Crafters

October 7, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 36 Comments

Steve’s parents left yesterday and it was a whirlwind of fun; cooking, baking, knitting, and enjoying family time.

I was thrilled to learn to do cables and LOVE this yummy tiffany blue yarn.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

What if we all made an effort toward a more handmade Christmas.

Less stuff, more meaningful.

Not that we could go ‘cold turkey’ because last time I checked, noone was making handmade legos.

But you know what I mean. A little less Walmart, a little more from the heart.

So, to support and encourage us in our quest for more meaningful gifts, I plan to host

12 days of Handmade Christmas-Tutorials

beginning November 1 through November 12

here on my little old blog

with guest posters for 12 days straight.

Sounds like so much fun to me!!

I have been asking some really awesome bloggers/crafters to join me but I have some slots left

so if you want to show us how to make some Christmas-y craft/food/gift/etc

then let me know all about your ideas.

Or if you know someone

who knows someone

who’s really cool and crafty

then by all means

tell a sista.

Y’all may be so good that it turns in 28 days of Handmade Christmas Tutorials!

And why in November?

Because I don’t know about you, but I only have two hands.

And I’m working on some giveaways for that week too.

And I’m making wassail

And singing carols

And in general annoying all the people who hate the mention of Christmas

before Thanksgiving.

Let’s change things up a bit.

How ’bout it?

Happy House Guests and a Recipe

October 5, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

Come on in y’all!

When you’re having company, make an effort to make the entrance of your house inviting.

I love creative tablescapes and this time of year, the possibilities are endless. Natural elements like pumpkins and hay make for visual interest.

And what fun we had sitting around the table when Savannah arrived. We can’t wait to spoil her this week.

The blackbird kept watch over the zucchini tart.

And then Grandma made these gorgeous and delicious apple pies. She’s not only a master knitter but an expert pie maker. Apple pie + zucchini tart= happy house guests.

It was so wonderful having Caiti home too. We have missed her terribly!

Find out what your guests love and plan to make it. Caiti’s favorite: Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake!

Recipe for coffee cake:

1/2 cup butter,softened

8 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces almond paste (or 1 t. almond flavoring)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. salt

1 3/4 cups blueberries tossed in 1 T. flour and 2 T sugar

Lemon Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. heavy cream

1 T. softened butter

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, cream cheese, almond paste and sugar; beat until fluffy. Add eggs and then flour, baking powder and salt. Then fold in blueberries. Bake in a well-greased bundt pan for 35-40 minutes. While it cools, combine ingredients for glaze and stir until smooth. Drizzle over pound cake and enjoy!!

I’m joining Rhoda for a recipe swap. Click here for more deliciousness.

Sunday Grace……..

October 3, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 10 Comments

Because I have company and am learning some great fun things from Steve’s mom (like how to make krumkake and pepper nuts and how to knit cables) and because I have graciously acquired some wonderful new readers (welcome and thank you for reading), I am reposting from my archives (September 28) about my wonderful husband. He was trained well by a mother and father who loved him and taught him many wonderful things—–and now I get to reap the benefits. Thank you Ed and Evadne. I am one lucky girl.

There are so many things to love about this guy. He’s rugged, funny, smart, loves football and fishing and good scotch, can name nearly every tree in nature, reads theology books, can water ski and snow ski like a pro, likes classical music and Pearl Jam, and occasionally loses his temper. He’s edgy like that sometimes…..in a masculine, Jesus-and-the-money-changers sort of a way. He has huge biceps and makes you feel like he’d crush anyone who tried to hurt you…….all the things that make a girl go weak in the knees.

Yesterday, he saw our children and their friends throwing small matchbox cars in the pool. It was right after the Vols got beat so he was already a little ‘frustrated’, let’s say.

He yelled……

they cried……

I was bewildered.

Today, as we pulled into the church parking lot, he put his right hand on my shoulder and gave me a little touch of affection. He asked the girls if they remembered the pool incident and they, of course, did. He told them that he was wrong to lose his temper and asked if we would forgive him. Elea said, “Yes, daddy, I forgive you.” The exchange was powerful. I can’t think of a better way to teach forgiveness to your children. The historic liturgy of the church is beautiful on this subject, and thank God we say and hear these words every Sunday;

“Lord we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean and have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways……Almighty God in His mercy has given His son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins.”

Now, that is comfort. We fail. We screw up. We lose our tempers, get angry. And He stands there waiting…..to forgive. It is a powerful force in any relationship, but especially in families. To forgive and be forgiven, what a gift from God! I am thankful for a man who is passionate enough to get angry and man enough to ask for forgiveness. He also just so happens to able to identify nearly every bird flying overhead and he can wind the bobbin on my sewing machine! I’m starting to feel so inadequate!

Apples to Apples

October 2, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 22 Comments

Is there anything that ushers in fall better than a trip to the apple farm on a cool, crisp autumn day?

So, my friend Tammy and I loaded up our kids and headed for Carver’s Apple Orchard. We had lunch at their restaurant—-with honest to goodness apple fritters (deep fried no less) and fried catfish. I’m really gonna need those fresh apples to keep the doctor away after that lunch!

And I love this huge sign on their wall–showing when certain apples are ready for picking. I may have to go back for a taste of the King David’s.

The apples always help to get rid of those pesky baby teeth!!!

And of course we’ve had to taste every kind that we bought. I like the ambrosias best so far. But the pippins are perfect for cooked apples, which we made last night as a side to our chuck roast and veggies.

And we couldn’t leave without snatching a few pumpkins!

Our plans for the apples include:

apple fritters

apple pie

applesauce

apple cider

apple cake

caramel apples

What do you do with your apples?

Happy Fall!

On Healing and Blogging

September 30, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 16 Comments

“The question is not how much does the youth know when

he has finished his education, but how much does he care. ”

Charlotte Mason

I spent the better part of my twenties pursuing a dream. I slept very little and because of my tendency toward creativity (back then scrapbooking) I finished a lot of scrapbooks in the 90’s. Back then, my classmates called me “Martha”. I think that was due to the inevitable baking frenzy that would ensue when there was a Gross Anatomy test looming. Later, my patients would come to call me Dr. Edie—-kinda like Dr. Laura—-but with a southern drawl and more eye makeup.

I was drawn to medicine for many reasons but often I wonder if it wasn’t my own need for ‘healing’ that kept me going when I felt my head would explode from too much input and too little rest. Turns out, I was right. Those in the healing profession tend to broken albeit highly motivated people. And though I’m not practicing my art at present, I would never trade the gift I was given of taking the Hippocratic Oath and vowing first and foremost to ‘do no harm’. It is a privilege and a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. My patients taught me so much about what it means to truly care for someone else and that we never move past the need to stretch and learn and grow. What a paradox, to find the path to my own healing, in the quest to serve others. But that principle has its’ roots in the One great Healer—without whom there is no life.

Thirteen years of school and training (after high school) will fill your head with more facts than you could ever hope to remember. But what does it do to your heart? This nearly twenty year journey has left its’ mark on me. I am a different person in many ways but as I find myself in this medium of blogging, I find it strikingly familiar. In search of wholeness, we share our stories with each other, laying open our hearts with its’ hurts and wounds, praying that our story will find resonance and be a wellspring of hope and healing to ourselves and to others.

And in my mind, I find myself held by a vow here too—- to first ‘do no harm’. I also find that it’s a ‘privilege and responsibility that I don’t take lightly’. We all have stresses and conflicts and pain but I want this to be a place that will help you in your journey toward healing. It is the least I can do for the joy and inspiration and nourishment that you have brought to my heart.

So, in answer to the most frequent question in my inbox, “Don’t you miss working? How could you give up a career in medicine after working so hard to get it?”

Yes, I miss it. More accurately, I miss them—-the people who trusted me to care for their families. But I’m not sure this is altogether different. It’s all about relationship. And I am so thankful for you and for this online version of a very therapeutic relationship that has been such a source of growth and healing for me. They taught us in medical school that ‘people don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care’. It turns out to be true in most aspects of life.

Thank you for the way you have cared for me and my family. We pray blessings on you in return, from the One who gives perfect life, perfect peace, perfect healing.

Weekend Warriors

September 28, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 16 Comments

One thing we know how to do here at our house is fully take advantage of a rainy weekend. And for those of you who thought our craft studio was gonna be just another pretty place to sit, I give you felted flower pins!!!! The girls and I trudged into Goodwill in the pouring rain and bought every cute wool sweater (make sure they’re 95-100% wool—or they won’t felt) we could find, promptly washed them in hot water (which shrinks them and turns them into felt), and commenced the flower ‘arranging’. We printed some templates from here and then just added our own personal embellishments.

I made this gargantuan black ‘rose’ and could barely move my left arm without hitting it—but it’s so darn cute and very anthropologie-esk. I made the middle portion of the flower by cutting about a 1/2 inch end of the cuff of the sweater (so that you have a small little circle of fabric) and then make a cut so that it forms a single length of fabric and then roll that little piece ‘on’ itself and glue as you go. I used the macdaddy of all craft glues: E6000—which will make your room smell like you’re making something industrial—but it works like a charm. BTW, that cute shirt that I wore under my black dress to church—-Goodwill—$1.50! I know, I know! That’s the bonus of 1/2 price Saturday at Goodwill.

Elea (my 7yo) made her own flower and wore it Sunday as well. She was beaming with pride.

And one thing’s for sure about making flowers this way; the felt is just dreamy. It’s thick and hold’s it’s shape but is just moldable enough. I used fabric scissors to make my cuts but a rotary cutter would work fine, as long as its very sharp. If you’re house is like mine, there’s 72 pairs of scissors and only one that really cuts anything.

I cut the templates out first and then pinned them to the felt to make the cuts in the felt. My cutting skills weren’t perfect but after you add several layers to the flower, the imperfections seem to disappear.

And after we’d ‘felted’ till our hearts were content, we switched gears to needle point. For those of you who love numbers, I re-threaded the needles 427 times. Or so.

Our precious little Studio 8 took a beating. There was floss and wool and thread , and chocolate chip cookie crumbs everywhere.

A bright spot in the room–despite the explosion of crafty-wooly goodness– was the ‘heather’ in the window sill.

When our little fingers were tired and aching, we switched to reading. May I recommend Glen Beck’s new book (which to my delight contains Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in the back)? I love the subtitle: The Case Against an Out of Control Government. Amen to that.

Don’t worry, there was plenty of football too. Did you happen to see the most awesome play by Brett Favre at the end of the Vikings game? It was the perfect ending to a wonderful, somewhat lazy, very crafty weekend.

Oh and pretty please, will you come visit me tomorrow? I’m traveling to a wonderful friend’s blog site to do a guest post and I’d love it if you’d be so kind to say hello to her—she has some delightful ideas for being a gracious hostess—-and to say hello to me—’cause I’ll be a little nervous–hoping to be a gracious guest!! I’ll be at Sandy’s from FourReluctantEntertainers, whom I met her in real life last year at Blissdom. She is as beautiful, talented, and friendly in real life as she appears on her blog. You’re gonna love her too.

Love to you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart for meeting me here every day. You inspire and encourage me in ways you’ll never know. Hugs to you and blessings to your family!

I’m joining Kimba’s DIY day so click here for more fabulous projects!