Tea and an African Violet

This morning I woke up to a surprise! Hubby brought me a tray with a cup of tea, a slice of banana bread and an African Violet. What a way to start my Sunday.   But I was wondering why I was getting such special treatment? Rob said he knows how busy the last couple of weeks have been for me. Not only did I have the usual everyday business and family responsibilities but extra busy from the great response to our weekly Lil' Squirtz "Here's The Deal" wholesale specials. He said, "I needed a little relaxation". What a great guy! I guess I'll take him up on the day of relaxation.  Maybe I can even read a few pages in my book?  I wonder if dinner will be served on a tray also?

Enjoy the day.

mother hen

seafood extravaganza

Soup night was a success! It really was a seafood extravaganza. On the menu was Clam Chowder and Crab Bisque...mmmm mmm. So I've been asked by a few people to share my recipes...and I usually don't until the end of the year. One of the perks of coming is that at the end of the year I put together a cookbook with all the recipes and hand it out at our last Soup Night. But since this month's soups were soooo good...I wanted to share one of them with you!

Now...I don't really like to measure things out. I'm a throw it in and see what happens kind of cook. I think that is what makes cooking fun. So these measurements are not exact and I can't take responsibility for any "mishaps" that might happen along the way!!


Dungeness Crab Bisque
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
6-8 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cups boiling water
4-5 cups milk
couple pinches of ground cloves
salt to taste
garlic
pepper
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 red bell pepper, quartered
3 bay leaves
crab meat - i used probably 1 1/2 lbs. of Dungeness crab meat
~ 1 pint heavy whipping cream
chopped green onions (garnish)

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, make a light roux by stirring butter and flour over medium-high flame until light brown. Add celery & onion. Cook until soft. Add water, milk, cloves, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, bell pepper & bay leaves. Turn down to low! Do not let your milk boil, it will break (I know...because mine did and I had to dump it and start over. total rookie move!) Simmer for an hour or so.

Add cream to your liking. I added a little milk at this point as well, as I do not like really thick soups. Remove bell pepper and bay. Add crab meat. Warm through. Garnish with green onions.

xoxo
baby chick

Dust Galore!

Ok, remember when I said I was in a somewhat "spring cleaning mode"? Well, if you are allergic to dust - don't come a knockin at my house! The TV screen in the living room can barely make it one day without being covered with a thin layer of that stuff called "dust". Ug.

There are lots of reasons we have so much dust. To name a few: a yellow lab by the name of Barley, a big field next to our house, the beautiful valley we live above where the wind whips through and scatters whatever around, a husband who enjoys outside projects (with the yellow lab in tow) and then tracks everything in the house, and yes, then there is the wood stove that we burn everyday all winter long. No wonder we have dust!!

The wildlife seems to thrive around here and I'm not talking about the deer, coyotes, hawks, eagles, wood ducks, other birds, rabbits, and raccoons that come wandering through our yard but the spiders that seem to live in every corner of our home. Oh my gosh, they are a lot of work to keep under control. My husband always tells me that the spiders need a place to live too. I say, "Let them go to my neighbor's house!"

Now that the sun is shining (occasionally) I really see all those webs and dust bunnies. This time of year I become obsessed with cleaning! I'm always sending emails to my friends telling them about new products that I have discovered that are working for me. Looking for new cleaning supplies or utensils seems to keep me motivated. I don't use anything disposable and use mostly "green" cleaning products. Look around; there are some really good products on the market. Or better yet, make your own.

Oh, I forgot to mention the dog hair!!

Who has time to clean? Not me - with a husband, 4 grandkids, a business to run, and most importantly fun to be had, cleaning isn't on the top of my list. There are more important things in life. I'm definitely not a slob, I'm just trying to maintain.

Take a minute to smell the roses.

Enjoy the day.
Mother Hen

Collections - Thimbles!

Collection: A group of objects or works to be seen, studied or kept together. An accumulation

COLLECTIONS:
Part II - Thimbles

Did you know that people who collect thimbles are called digitabulists?

Thimbles come in various sizes, shapes and colors. The tops of thimbles can be rounded, flat, indented, or cut off. Some are very ornate, others very simple. The simple ones are usually the work ones. The more ornate are usually for display. Years ago companies would put their name and/or logo on thimbles for advertisement and give them away. What a great business card! Who would throw a thimble away? - not me. Thimbles are usually made from some sort of metal, leather, plastic, rubber, wood, glass or china. I even saw a thimble in a book that was crocheted. Early thimbles were sometimes made from whale bone, horn or ivory. They have become works of art in their own right.

One of the nice things about collecting thimbles is that they do not take up much space. You can put a lot of thimbles on a shelf! I have mine sitting on various shelves and cupboards throughout my fabric and sewing rooms. In fact, when I went to take some pictures I noticed that I too have a crocheted thimble sitting on a little shelf!

Some people who collect thimbles also collect thimble holders and boxes. I haven't really gotten into collecting those, although I do have a few as you can see in the pictures!

My thimbles come from garage sales, from junk stores, from friends, from antique stores, some even from Avon! I guess I love thimbles because I feel they are a part of me - who I am, my past and my present. My most treasured thimbles came from my mom and my grandma. Grandma Tillie was an amazing seamstress by trade. She designed and sewed the most beautiful clothing. She used a tailor's thimble (the top is cut off and left open). You can see one of Grandma Tillie's in the picture above. When I use one of her thimbles I feel her energy.

Create your own energy.

Enjoy the day.
Mother Hen

food is good...food is life

So for those of you who don't know...I'm mildly obsessed with food. And by mildly...I mean hugely! To give you an idea, I currently have 5 cookbooks and a Cooking Light magazine on my night stand. My favorites right now: EatingWell in Season-The Farmers' Market Cookbook and Tyler Florence / Dinner at my Place.

That's it...no deep novel, no "how to book" on parenting...just good old fashioned cookbooks. I love all facets of food. I love to cook it, to eat it, to look at it, to smell it, and to read and learn about it. I love how it makes you feel and how it makes those around you feel. I believe good food brings warmth and soul to your home.

I come from a family who celebrates with food. It is a part of who we are and a part of our daily activities. Most days we are planning for dinner while eating breakfast! Fortunately for me I married someone who also shares in most of these desires with me, however not to the extent that I do (but really...who does?!). We love to entertain and share our joys with food. It makes our home warm and full of love. We have shared this passion with our children as well. As they know our house is full of celebrations that involve our family and friends...and are always centered around plenty of food.

A few years ago I started a monthly Soup Night for our friends and family. I started because of all our crazy schedules, it just didn't feel like we saw our friends and family as much as we wanted to. I read a story about a woman who began a similar tradition and it really sounded cool. So my husband and I decided to have Soup Nights during every 3rd week of the month. I make two huge pots of soup - different each month - and have them waiting warm on the stove when our guests arrive. It has been something to look forward to each month and our kids have grown to love these nights just as much as we do. This coming Sunday is Soup Night...I'm reminded of this as I write because I must go so I can start searching for my recipes. I'll keep you posted on what I serve and maybe even share with you some recipes.

xoxo from Baby Chick.

George/Georgette has been found!

This time of year I get into my "early spring cleaning" mode. I was cleaning out one of the cupboards in the warehouse when George/Georgette fell out! You ask, who is George/Georgette? When we first started Lil' Squirtz we didn't have any "professional" manikins to use at the trade shows. Before our first show we hurriedly stitched and stuffed George/Georgette - our first manikin was born. Since then we have acquired many "professional" manikins. Until last week George/Georgette was tucked away and forgotten in a cold, dark cupboard. Here he is holding one of our organic blankets while getting some afternoon fresh air. Isn't he funky and adorable - what's not to love about George? I found a nice place in the warehouse for George to live where he can watch over us and enjoy the everyday comings and goings of the business. He seems much happier now, doesn't he? It's nice having George back - he never disagrees with me!

Spring cleaning is in the air. I hope you find a forgotten treasure to love.

Enjoy the day.
Mother Hen

happy heart day

Have a wonderful day with those you love

husbands . wives . daughters . sons . moms . dads . brothers . sisters . friends

Vintage patch shown here from our Lil' Squirtz Vintage Valentine Collection. Available for all those sweet little girls in our lives!