Heirlooms

My beautiful mother in the late 1960s. This photo was
taken by my father, who was the first person from whom
I learned anything about photography. Mom and
Dad have already passed on many family heirlooms
to me and they help me learn the stories behind them.



I've posted a number of times over the past couple years (see my old blog for pre-Autumn 2010) about family heirlooms, those fancy things around my house that have been passed down to me from generations past. In 2011 I plan to post a bit more on items you haven't yet seen (largely because many are in storage). This will give me a chance to see them again, inspect them for damage, and catalog information about them so that when I pass them on someday to my son, my nieces (because, let's face it, some of this stuff will probably be too girly for the boy), and any grandchildren or grandnieces and grandnephews they may produce, I won't have forgotten where the world they came from.

Little is more irksome to me than to have a photo with unidentified people in it or an object with a murky history. It pains me when stories are lost to time and neglect. So I'm going to do my part to try to tell the stories of the important objects in my family.

In 2011 you can expect to see somehwat regular posts  about antique and vintage quilts, tableware, jewelry, furniture, books, photos, and other objects. A lot of these things don't fit my decorating scheme so they are boxed up or in the backs of cupboards. But some of them live with us, and some are used daily.

As you read these posts, I encourage you to think about your own family heirlooms and to tell us about them in the comments section. Perhaps you'll be inspired to post about some of them on your own blog. But consider making an effort in 2011 to remember the stories of those objects that are important to you simply because they came from someone you love. And don't forget to pass those stories on to the next generation. If you don't tell them, no one will.

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Ten Years Ago . . .

Ten years ago I married my best friend. We had been dating since I was 15, engaged since I was 18, and just a few days before I turned 21, we were married at Messiah Lutheran Church in Bay City, Michigan, by my pastor, Rev. Andreas Teich, and his pastor, Rev. Ed Pedley. The ceremony was attended by immediate family, aunts and uncles, a few close cousins, and friends. It was small and understated. It was during a blizzard. But though the snow flew outside, and though some of the guests were probably cursing us for getting married between Christmas and New Year's, we were very happy to make our vows before God to love, cherish, and care for each other.

I have heard many people say that marriage is hard work, that it takes a conscious effort to make it last. In my own experience thus far, I have not found that to be true. Though we may occasionally disagree or get on each other's nerves now and again, I have never had to work at loving my husband. I married my best friend and he remains my best friend. I am sure that the next ten years will bring with them new challenges as we raise our son, but with our mutual faith as our strong foundation and our loving acts toward one another second nature, I believe that the next ten years will be just as good as the last ten.

A couple of my close friends got married in 2010. Andrew and Tina, I wish you and your spouses, Onyi and Ben, the kind of happiness and companionship Zach and I have had. It hasn't been hard work. It has been pure joy.

And this, folks, is what pure joy looks like (photo editing credit goes to my creatively twisted husband).

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5 Personal Goals for 2011

Some people think it's silly to make New Year's resolutions because they almost never take. I for one do think it's worth looking in the mirror once in awhile and assessing what you see. I'm not talking just about physically (though in my case I do see some room for improvement) but about the intangible things in your life. Are you a procrastinator? Are you a slob? Are you too often unintentional about life? I can answer yes to all of these questions. So, shall I just drift through the next year without working on those personal qualities about myself that annoy me? Or should I try to improve?

Well, I'm not making any New Year's resolutions for 2011, but I am making a few goals for the next year. No, goals and resolutions are not the same thing. I can resolve to stop procrastinating, or I can make one concrete goal to finish something that has been languishing undone because of my procrastination. I can resolve to be healthier, or I can make one concrete goal about exercise.

See the difference? And while I'm at it, I'm going to throw in a couple goals that have nothing to do with self-improvement but that I will just enjoy because of the challenge and the reward. So here are my top five goals for 2011, in no particular order.

1. Finish that quilt! Yes, I really must finish quilting my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul quilt by the time it's warm enough to paint the bedroom and have the windows open. Seriously. I mean, I started it about this time last year.

2. Draft an original dress pattern. I have a great book I got for Christmas that shows how to draft original patterns. My goal is to do so (and make the dress) by the end of the year. But before I can do that I need to . . .

3. Lose 25 pounds. I did it last year from January to April, so I think I can get rid of the next 25 by Easter. Part of my exercise strategy will be to . . .

4. Do C25k. Go from Couch Potato to 5k runner in 9 weeks. I have the running plan. I just have to execute it!

5. Create and tend my new kitchen garden. The areas are mostly cleared out. Just need lumber, seeds, and thawed ground. So I'm thinking I can start working on the hardscaping in March if it's not too cold and snowy. (By that time I should be able to run a 5k too!)

That's enough for yearly goals for now. Of course there are many other things I intend to do during the year (more clothes sewing, making Roman shades for the dining room, start making my own fresh bread, etc.), but these are my priorities as far as health, home, and crafting.

What are you going to do in 2011?

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Jackpot!

A few months ago, one of my husband's many cousins told me that she had come across a number of vintage patterns in my size (incredibly) at an estate sale. She also had buttons and notions galore and wondered if I might want them. Yes! Need you ask? Today the package arrived, a deceptively small box (she must be a phenomenal packer) that was bursting with all the vintage goodies you see below.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

The patterns (dresses, aprons, a slip, a robe, and men's pajamas) range from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, with most falling in the 1950s. There are scads of buttons (sets, not individuals), zippers, seam binding, hem tape, piping, trims, hooks and eyes, and even a delicate (organza, perhaps?) collar that I would think is from the 1930s. Needless to say I was absolutely thrilled to paw through it all and my mind is reeling with ideas for next year's sewing.

Oh, and are you ready for this? Don't faint, now. Those patterns, all of them together, as a group, cost just $1.

Thank you, Deborah!!!

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An Unexpected Gift

I have found the secret to thoroughly enjoying company during festive occasions: a clogged kitchen sink drain. Now, now, before you go rushing off to judge me as slightly touched in the head, let me explain.

On Christmas Eve I noticed that the drain was clogged (due, I'm sure at least in part, to my food preparations, namely of the breakfast casserole for Christmas morning and the ten eggshells I stupidly put down the disposal). That evening we (the pastor, the boy, and the pastor's mother and father) ate hors d'oeuvres off paper plates and served things in their packaging rather than artfully displaying them on pretty glass dishes. After all, my mother-in-law and I mused, we're not trying to impress anyone!

Once the in-laws went home and the boy was in bed, Zach and I exchanged gifts and relaxed in the living room and got to bed late. "We'll fix the drain in the morning," we decided. After all, my parents weren't coming until 10am for brunch.

Of course, as plumbing problems tend to be, the issue was harder to resolve than we thought it would be, and so the drain remained clogged for all of Christmas day. Because of this, my mother, who cannot stop herself from cleaning up and doing dishes if any are there waiting to be done, was forced to sit and relax for once during Christmastime. She couldn't help with anything. I'm an out-of-sight-out-of-mind type of person when it comes to dishes, so I wasn't bothered by not being able to do them. It only bothered me the next day when I couldn't find a knife to cut something.

We spent the entire day lounging by the roaring fire, chatting, petting the dogs, watching Calvin enjoy his presents, and just . . . relaxing. No dishes, no cleaners, no paper towels, no soap suds, no near collisions in my tiny kitchen. Just rest. It was so wonderful.

The issue is fixed now and the dishwasher has been run and other items have been handwashed, but the house is still sort of a mess from Christmas. I'll allow for a week of messiness between Christmas and New Year's because I know in the back of my mind that come the first week of January all the decorations will be stored away and I will be in full New Year cleaning mode and it will all work itself out by Martin Luther King Day.

And now, we're off to celebrate Christmas three more times, our 10th wedding anniversary, New Year's, and my birthday. Christmas Day is just the beginning. Happy Holidays, indeed.

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Cause for Celebration

Duccio, Nativity panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington 1308-11

 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." —Isaiah 7:14

The Feast of the Nativity of Christ icon

 "Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you." —Zechariah 2:10-11

Martin Schongauer's The Nativity, Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen, Berlin

“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” —Luke 1:30-33

Nativity of Jesus fresco by Giotto

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” —Luke 2:8-11

Natitvity, Lorenzo Costa, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, France

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.'" —Luke 2:25-32

Nativity by Hans Memling

May you find peace and joy this Christmas knowing that God came into the world that He created to seek and save the lost. He did not come only for those living at that time. He came for you and me. And that is certainly cause for celebration.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

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A Christmas Stole for the Pastor, etc.

A little scrap red cotton left over from stockings, some gold lamé and gold ribbon picked up at Jo-Ann's, and a bit of double-stick facing and voila.

I backed it with natural muslin leftover from my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul quilt (still languishing in the sunroom). Cheap and fast. And I managed to finish it a few days ahead of the Christmas Eve service. In case you can't tell from the picture, on the one side is the star and on the other is the creche with a little head and a halo around it.

We're finally able to dress the boy in some hand-me-down Christmasy sweaters, which I love.

And last week we went to his "Christmas program," which, because it's a daycare populated largely with babies and toddlers, amounted to a lot of parents holding their babies and singing (because obviously babies can't sing). Calvin's class was old enough to sing, but most of them stood glassy-eyed in front of the crowd, which had about twice as many people as could fit in the venue. Calvin's expression here is just how I felt about the whole thing as well.

Once we got out of that crowded room we got to ride a "train" that was pulled by a tractor dressed up to look like an engine and the whole thing was covered with Christmas lights, so that was fun (though it was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit that night).

Tonight we are caroling to shut-ins and after that I have no other commitments (besides work). We've had a very busy few weeks with parties, dinners, volunteering, choir stuff, and programs. I, for one, can't wait until Friday when we can slow down and focus. And, as always, I look forward to January when I can clean up, put away, return decorations to the attic, and feel the sense of renewal and freshness I always get from January.

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Portraits of a Party

Here's a bit of evidence from the little soiree last night of my attempts to get a little better at portraits. Thanks to Zach for taking a few pictures of me; since I'm always taking photos it seems I'm not in many.


The woman of honor - Kristin Kluck



Kristin's husband Ted smoking Djarums with the boys in the garage.



A photo taken by Zach and doctored in Photoshop by me. Hard to get
good focus without a flash in mood lighting, so applying a couple effects can
make the blurriness seem almost purposeful.





Zach, unaware that he's modeling for me.
I like that this altered photo reminds me a bit of
the coloring of early 1960s ads.



Ted & Zach - Budding Media Moguls



Our new friend Brad, looking very much like a
Greek sculpture in this portrait (at least to me).

I have to tell you, I have never been involved in any occasion
that included more toasting than this shindig.



Strictly speaking, this is not a portrait.
However, how could I not take a picture of Kristin's saucy stockings?

A grand time was had by all as we ate Kristin's awesome food, laughed at the witty banter, and hung out with friends old and new. Oh, and I finally got a chance to wear this dress.

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Abandoned Bison Barn

During the recent explorations at Fenner Nature Center my friend and I came upon a fenced-in field with an old abandoned barn/shed and a big apparatus for holding hay bales for feed. My friend Dave, who has lived in the Lansing area all his life said that Fenner used to keep bison there. During the last recession in the 1980s they had to give them up because of lack of funding. The old barn made for some interesting photos and gave us a chance to get out of the biting wind for a few minutes.

These are some interesting wasps' nests that resemble a pan flute. These are made by female Organ Pipe Mud Dauber wasps, which are shiny, all-black wasps. They stuff the tubes with paralyzed spiders then lay their eggs in the tube. The developing larvae will eat the spiders.



This wasps' nest, found under a neighboring rafter, was likely made by the Common Mud Dauber wasp, which similarly stuffs paralyzed spiders in the chambers for their larvae.



This is where the bison were fed hay.


That's the last of my Fenner photos from Monday. I'm hoping that the next time I post it will be about the Christmas stole for my husband, as I really need to get busy on it. But then, I do have a little party I'm attending Thursday night with friends, and that may warrant a post. After all, it's the release party for my friend Kristin's first book, Saucy Broad: A Culinary Manifesto of Hope! As someone who has eaten her cooking a lot I can attest to her skill as a cook and as a deviser of great recipes. I highly recommend the book. You can order here.

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Beauty in Color

Not only is snow lovely in black and white, it is beautiful in full color, which really amounts to blue, gray-blue, browns, and white—one of my favorite color combinations (see: my living room).

All of these photos (and the ones from yesterday) were taken at Fenner Nature Center in Lansing, Michigan. I have to thank my friend Dave who, upon reading on Facebook that I was homebound and yearning to go take pictures at Fenner, generously offered to pick me up. Here he is taking some photos of his own.

We've agreed that the ultimate dream job would be a photojournalist for National Geographic, and we're currently scheming about getting our spouses to agree to a trip out to Yellowstone some winter so we can take pictures. His historic preservationist wife Valerie and my lover-of-all-things-big-city husband Zachary will have to find something to occupy their time. Not sure what those city-slickers will do out there, but I'm sure there are some buildings they could hunker down in while Dave and I stalk grizzlies and bison.

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Beauty in Black and White

Those of you out there who hate snow apparently don't do anything besides drive in it. Get some boots on, layer up your clothing, and get off-road. You might be surprised just how much you come to love it.

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