Wednesday, April 8, 2015
A Wilson Snipe
This is a very different Spring for us. We usually have Spring floods from melting snow cover and rains. Some parts of the United States had a lot of snow and moisture this winter, while other parts have drought conditions. We are somewhere in between overall, but far less moisture than we are used to. Because of the change in our landscape, we are seeing some birds we seldom see. One of these is called a Wilson's Snipe. I originally thought I was seeing an American Woodcock because of the long beak and other similar features. I posted a photo on a nature group and was corrected. I was told it was a Wilson's Snipe. I didn't even know a snipe was a real bird. When I grew up a snipe hunt was a term that was used to send someone on a wild goose chase for something impossible to find. My husband remembers his older brother sending him on a few snipe hunts until eventually he caught on. I should have known if a wild goose was real, so was a snipe. The snipes blend in with the brown grass and mud in the marsh. When I got out the binoculars, I noticed there were several poking their long beaks down in the mud. I imagine they were finding insect larvae and worms. It was nice to learn something new this year.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Potatoes with Helpful Hints
The recipe I am posting today is for potatoes made in the slow cooker. These potatoes can be used as a side dish or with some added ham or vegetables as a main dish.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Potatoes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 pounds red potatoes, cubed*
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg. powdered ranch dressing mix
Line the slow cooker with aluminum foil** and spray with cooking spray. Leave enough foil to fold over the top.
Put a layer of potatoes evenly on the foil, top with 1/3 cup cheese, sprinkle with some ranch seasoning and bacon. Repeat this two times more, leaving 1/2 cup of cheese for later.
Fold the foil over the potatoes and cook for 8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and put the cover back on for a couple minutes until the cheese melts.
* I imagine southern style frozen hash browns would work for this step and the cooking time would be a lot less. I actually needed more cooking time. I used the 3 to 4 hours on high method, and my potatoes were still slightly crunchy. They were very firm raw red potatoes and needed extra time.
My method for making the cubes was using one of my favorite gadgets. It is the Vidalia Chop Wizard. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2012/12/a-day-of-recovery.html
**The next hint I have is for lining the slow cooker. For most things I use the liner bags. It saves washing the baked on food from the slow cooker.
However, this recipe said to line the slow cooker with foil, so that is what I did. A good trick for lining a pan with foil is to first turn the pan upside down and form the foil around it. It works for a crock pot insert or a cake pan. The hard part about lining a pan with foil is to get the corners to fit without ripping the foil. This eliminates that problem.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Potatoes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 pounds red potatoes, cubed*
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg. powdered ranch dressing mix
Line the slow cooker with aluminum foil** and spray with cooking spray. Leave enough foil to fold over the top.
Put a layer of potatoes evenly on the foil, top with 1/3 cup cheese, sprinkle with some ranch seasoning and bacon. Repeat this two times more, leaving 1/2 cup of cheese for later.
Fold the foil over the potatoes and cook for 8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and put the cover back on for a couple minutes until the cheese melts.
* I imagine southern style frozen hash browns would work for this step and the cooking time would be a lot less. I actually needed more cooking time. I used the 3 to 4 hours on high method, and my potatoes were still slightly crunchy. They were very firm raw red potatoes and needed extra time.
My method for making the cubes was using one of my favorite gadgets. It is the Vidalia Chop Wizard. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2012/12/a-day-of-recovery.html
 |
| Slice the washed red potatoes into 1/2 inch slices. |
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| Place slice on vidalia using the larger insert. |
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| Results are uniform cubes of raw potato made in minutes. |
**The next hint I have is for lining the slow cooker. For most things I use the liner bags. It saves washing the baked on food from the slow cooker.
However, this recipe said to line the slow cooker with foil, so that is what I did. A good trick for lining a pan with foil is to first turn the pan upside down and form the foil around it. It works for a crock pot insert or a cake pan. The hard part about lining a pan with foil is to get the corners to fit without ripping the foil. This eliminates that problem.
 | |
| I'm showing this with a cake pan, but it also works for a crock pot. |
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| Turn pan upside down and form the foil around the pan. |
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| Take the foil off the pan, turn over and it fits perfectly even in the corners. |
Sunday, April 5, 2015
The Lost Ring
Happy Easter to all. For some of you this is a very important religious holiday. For others it is all about the Easter Bunny. Whatever is important to you, I wish you a meaningful day.
This weekend was meaningful to me in a way I didn't expect. On Good Friday we were busy. We went to several grocery stores to pick up items for our family brunch. We usually go out to eat with my dad on Fridays, so we took him on our shopping trip. We didn't go to our usual places, but decided to try Kentucky Fried Chicken because basically it was the only game in town. Well, not really, but it was convenient. It wasn't a complete success for dad, but my husband and I liked it for a change.
When we arrived home with the groceries, we put them away and then my husband went outside to split some logs. He was outside for several hours. That evening as we were sitting watching TV, my husband noticed he was missing his wedding ring.
I couldn't believe it. Some days we don't leave the house, but that day we were in several places. It was almost dark when he discovered it, so there was no looking around the yard. I did look in the car and on the garage floor, but nothing showed up. The next morning, we didn't have time to look. We were having brunch with our daughters, their families and my daughter's mother and father in law. Again after we arrived home, my husband went outside to work a little. He barely looked for the ring because it could have been in the trash bag at KFC, or it could have been in the grocery store.
I went about my business. At some point in the afternoon, I went out to feed the birds and retrieve the camera card from the trail camera. As I was walking in the house, Mike was raking around the bushes near the house. He held up his hand and there was his ring on the second finger of his left hand. He quietly said "I found it". That's his personality. I would have jumped up and down and ran to show him. He figured I would notice eventually.
He had remembered loading the wheelbarrow with debris. Some of the big pieces were put in the burning barrel, but the excess got dumped at the edge of hill going down to the marsh. To avoid erosion, we put excess debris and leaves on the hill.
He looked in the burning barrel but didn't see the ring. Then he pushed the wheelbarrow to the the dumping spot. He looked down and low and behold. THE RING! He couldn't believe his eyes, and I couldn't believe he found it.
While cleaning up after splitting wood, he reached into his pocket to get out his knife. Since his phone was on his belt, getting into the pocket was a tight squeeze. This may have caused the ring to slip off and fall off without him noticing. Then later while raking up the debris, the ring ended up in the wheelbarrow and dumped on the hill. Hopefully that will never happen again. He lost another ring his mom bought him in Green Lake five or six years ago. That ring was never found, we thought this one was gone forever as well.
On a superficial note, a second miracle occurred for us yesterday. We were born and raised in Wisconsin so it is logical that we are Wisconsin Badger sport fans. Last night, Wisconsin beat undefeated Kentucky in the semifinal NCAA Men's Basketball game allowing them to play Duke for the National Championship. It was a good day.
This weekend was meaningful to me in a way I didn't expect. On Good Friday we were busy. We went to several grocery stores to pick up items for our family brunch. We usually go out to eat with my dad on Fridays, so we took him on our shopping trip. We didn't go to our usual places, but decided to try Kentucky Fried Chicken because basically it was the only game in town. Well, not really, but it was convenient. It wasn't a complete success for dad, but my husband and I liked it for a change.
When we arrived home with the groceries, we put them away and then my husband went outside to split some logs. He was outside for several hours. That evening as we were sitting watching TV, my husband noticed he was missing his wedding ring.
 |
| He has been wearing this ring since 8/24/68. |
I couldn't believe it. Some days we don't leave the house, but that day we were in several places. It was almost dark when he discovered it, so there was no looking around the yard. I did look in the car and on the garage floor, but nothing showed up. The next morning, we didn't have time to look. We were having brunch with our daughters, their families and my daughter's mother and father in law. Again after we arrived home, my husband went outside to work a little. He barely looked for the ring because it could have been in the trash bag at KFC, or it could have been in the grocery store.
I went about my business. At some point in the afternoon, I went out to feed the birds and retrieve the camera card from the trail camera. As I was walking in the house, Mike was raking around the bushes near the house. He held up his hand and there was his ring on the second finger of his left hand. He quietly said "I found it". That's his personality. I would have jumped up and down and ran to show him. He figured I would notice eventually.
He had remembered loading the wheelbarrow with debris. Some of the big pieces were put in the burning barrel, but the excess got dumped at the edge of hill going down to the marsh. To avoid erosion, we put excess debris and leaves on the hill.
 |
| This is the pile of leaves and small branches that get dumped on the hill. |
He looked in the burning barrel but didn't see the ring. Then he pushed the wheelbarrow to the the dumping spot. He looked down and low and behold. THE RING! He couldn't believe his eyes, and I couldn't believe he found it.
While cleaning up after splitting wood, he reached into his pocket to get out his knife. Since his phone was on his belt, getting into the pocket was a tight squeeze. This may have caused the ring to slip off and fall off without him noticing. Then later while raking up the debris, the ring ended up in the wheelbarrow and dumped on the hill. Hopefully that will never happen again. He lost another ring his mom bought him in Green Lake five or six years ago. That ring was never found, we thought this one was gone forever as well.
On a superficial note, a second miracle occurred for us yesterday. We were born and raised in Wisconsin so it is logical that we are Wisconsin Badger sport fans. Last night, Wisconsin beat undefeated Kentucky in the semifinal NCAA Men's Basketball game allowing them to play Duke for the National Championship. It was a good day.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Lester Schwartz Sculptures Discovered
Last weekend we learned about making maple syrup. I wrote about it in a blog. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2015/03/a-maple-syrup-tour.html
What I didn't include is what else I learned that day. As we drove onto the property for the tour, I noticed several metal sculptures in the landscape. I had seen these from the road for many years, but I never took the time to find out about them. Apparently this was the home and property of Lester Schwartz, and it was his daughter and her husband who created the informative maple syrup tour.
I learned that Les Schwartz founded the art department at Ripon College and was a famous artist. He was the Artist in Residence at Ripon College for many years. At his home, near Green Lake Wisconsin, he built large scale sculptures made from scrap metal. His sculptures were inspired by his travels and his love for the circus. He named the sculpture garden "Gloria Hills" after his late wife. Lester died in 2006 and the park is no longer open to visitors. Hopefully some of these sculptures can be preserved and moved to a park, to the Town Square in Green Lake or better yet, to the Ripon College campus. Moving them may be a huge project, but they should be available for people to see on a regular basis.
Here is a link with more information about Lester Schwartz:
http://www.wisconsinart.org/archives/artist/lester-o-schwartz/profile-150.aspx
I don't know the name or history of these sculptures but they were very interesting.
What I didn't include is what else I learned that day. As we drove onto the property for the tour, I noticed several metal sculptures in the landscape. I had seen these from the road for many years, but I never took the time to find out about them. Apparently this was the home and property of Lester Schwartz, and it was his daughter and her husband who created the informative maple syrup tour.
I learned that Les Schwartz founded the art department at Ripon College and was a famous artist. He was the Artist in Residence at Ripon College for many years. At his home, near Green Lake Wisconsin, he built large scale sculptures made from scrap metal. His sculptures were inspired by his travels and his love for the circus. He named the sculpture garden "Gloria Hills" after his late wife. Lester died in 2006 and the park is no longer open to visitors. Hopefully some of these sculptures can be preserved and moved to a park, to the Town Square in Green Lake or better yet, to the Ripon College campus. Moving them may be a huge project, but they should be available for people to see on a regular basis.
Here is a link with more information about Lester Schwartz:
http://www.wisconsinart.org/archives/artist/lester-o-schwartz/profile-150.aspx
I don't know the name or history of these sculptures but they were very interesting.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Piper Saves The Day
We have a little grand dog. Her name is Piper Ann, and she is a cockapoo. I have written this story before, but will mention it again. She got her name because when my daughter was expecting her second child, ultrasound photos said she was probably having a girl. Probably is an important word because five years ago yesterday our fourth grandson was born. They had chosen a girl name but not a boy name. For a few hours our grandson was nameless. They finally agreed on naming him Ewan. It seemed to fit with his brother's name which is Dylan. Since they liked the girls name Piper, that is what they named their girl dog.
Piper is a spunky little thing. She is extremely smart but can be a bit naughty at times. Many times when my daughter gets home from work, her bedroom door is open and Piper is lounging on the bed. She can go into a purse and gently remove a mint or tissues without disturbing anything else. She loves tissues. We took care of her this weekend, and she can remove one tissue from the box without disturbing the box or any other tissues. We tie her out on a long tie out when she is with us because she can find all kinds of things in the woods. We also don't want to be responsible for her getting away from us. She is the only dog we have had who can untangle herself from trees or bushes. They have tried to train her not to open doors or steal items, but today it was a good thing she didn't pay attention.
My daughter lives in the country now. She has had an unbelievable number of Asian Beetles (or as my grandson says Ancient Beetles). She will vacuum for a half hour and ten minutes later there are fifty more on the window sills. She finally had enough even though spraying for them was not what she wanted to do. She hired an exterminator who came to their house and sprayed today. He went out on a balcony they have so he could reach some of the window sills on the second floor. When he tried to come in, the door was locked. He knocked and knocked until my daughter heard him and opened the door. While she was upstairs, he wanted to show her where some of the beetles were gathering. As soon as they went back out, the door slammed shut. There she was, locked out on a balcony with a strange man. She was thinking about what to do and who to call, when she heard Piper. She called to her and told her to come. Yup, the dog opened the door for them. The man called her a Hero Dog. So in this case, Piper's stealth skills came in very handy. You never know when you might need a dog that can pick a lock.
Piper is a spunky little thing. She is extremely smart but can be a bit naughty at times. Many times when my daughter gets home from work, her bedroom door is open and Piper is lounging on the bed. She can go into a purse and gently remove a mint or tissues without disturbing anything else. She loves tissues. We took care of her this weekend, and she can remove one tissue from the box without disturbing the box or any other tissues. We tie her out on a long tie out when she is with us because she can find all kinds of things in the woods. We also don't want to be responsible for her getting away from us. She is the only dog we have had who can untangle herself from trees or bushes. They have tried to train her not to open doors or steal items, but today it was a good thing she didn't pay attention.
My daughter lives in the country now. She has had an unbelievable number of Asian Beetles (or as my grandson says Ancient Beetles). She will vacuum for a half hour and ten minutes later there are fifty more on the window sills. She finally had enough even though spraying for them was not what she wanted to do. She hired an exterminator who came to their house and sprayed today. He went out on a balcony they have so he could reach some of the window sills on the second floor. When he tried to come in, the door was locked. He knocked and knocked until my daughter heard him and opened the door. While she was upstairs, he wanted to show her where some of the beetles were gathering. As soon as they went back out, the door slammed shut. There she was, locked out on a balcony with a strange man. She was thinking about what to do and who to call, when she heard Piper. She called to her and told her to come. Yup, the dog opened the door for them. The man called her a Hero Dog. So in this case, Piper's stealth skills came in very handy. You never know when you might need a dog that can pick a lock.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Peanut Butter Granola
My husband and dad eat a lot of oatmeal in the morning. I know how good oatmeal is for a person, but some days I just can't eat another bowl. That is why I make granola using oatmeal. I still get the oatmeal but in another form. I have made variations of the same recipe for years. I blogged about it two years ago. Here it is in case you missed it. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/04/granola.html
Recently I made a new favorite. It is super easy. I added powdered peanut butter to the recipe. If you haven't tried PB2 powdered peanut butter, you should. It has 85% less fat calories. You just measure out some powder and add water. Mix it up and use it as you would any peanut butter. I add it to recipes instead of protein powder.
Easy Granola
6 cups oats (either quick cooking or regular)
5 cups flake cereal (corn flakes, wheaties, rice krispies)
1 cup wheat germ or bran or oat bran
1/4 cup powdered peanut butter (more or less to taste)
1 cup pecans (anything will work like walnuts, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 t. salt
Mix together these wet ingredients:
3/4 cup oil
1 cup (honey, maple syrup or agave)
1 T. vanilla
In a big bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Heat the wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix it up so everything is coated.
Pour on a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan and bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Stir every 30-45 minutes so the edges don't get too brown. At the end press down the granola, turn off the oven and let it cool completely in the oven. This will give you chunky granola, but you can break it up however you like it.
I added a few mini chocolate chips to the cooled granola. I like the chocolate and peanut butter taste. You could add coconut, cinnamon, dried fruit or anything else you have on hand.
Recently I made a new favorite. It is super easy. I added powdered peanut butter to the recipe. If you haven't tried PB2 powdered peanut butter, you should. It has 85% less fat calories. You just measure out some powder and add water. Mix it up and use it as you would any peanut butter. I add it to recipes instead of protein powder.
Easy Granola
6 cups oats (either quick cooking or regular)
5 cups flake cereal (corn flakes, wheaties, rice krispies)
1 cup wheat germ or bran or oat bran
1/4 cup powdered peanut butter (more or less to taste)
1 cup pecans (anything will work like walnuts, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 t. salt
Mix together these wet ingredients:
3/4 cup oil
1 cup (honey, maple syrup or agave)
1 T. vanilla
In a big bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Heat the wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix it up so everything is coated.
Pour on a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan and bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Stir every 30-45 minutes so the edges don't get too brown. At the end press down the granola, turn off the oven and let it cool completely in the oven. This will give you chunky granola, but you can break it up however you like it.
I added a few mini chocolate chips to the cooled granola. I like the chocolate and peanut butter taste. You could add coconut, cinnamon, dried fruit or anything else you have on hand.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
A Maple Syrup Tour
Today is Saturday, March 28th, 2015. It was a cold frosty morning here in Wisconsin. My daughter called to see if we were doing anything special. She had signed up for an activity called "Tap into Sweetness: Maple Syrup Tour". It was one of many events sponsored by the Green Team. The Green Team is a partnership of many organizations in the Green Lake Wisconsin area such as the Green Lake Association, Green Lake Conservancy, the Green Lake Sanitary District, and the Green Lake School District.. They introduce special,
unusual, and unknown natural and historical features of the Green Lake
area through the special talents of their volunteers. These are free,
family-friendly events. This is the first time we participated, but looking at the calendar of events, it won't be the last. http://www.greenlakeassociation.com/glaw/index.php/calendar-of-events/
It was a bit frosty when we arrived at the sight this morning, but the sun was bright in the sky and it was perfect weather.
We were given a brief explanation of how to make maple syrup. I have written in a previous blog about one of my childhood memories about making maple syrup.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2015/03/making-maple-syrup-old-fashioned-way.html
It was fun to see the process again in person. Rather than hang sap buckets from the trees, they use a tap connected to a hose. The sap runs out of the tree, and into a covered bucket. This way the bucket is solid on the ground when it gets heavy and debris can't get into the sap.
After the information and a question and answer session, we started the walk into the woods.
When everyone arrived, we learned more about the process. We learned that the weather is what determines whether or not the sap will run. It has to freeze at night and warm up during the day. When the weather stays at freezing the sap will not run and vice versa, if the days and nights warm to above freezing the sap won't run. Today should be an excellent day because it was very cold last night and today it is in the 40's. When the buckets are full, they are emptied into a stainless steel holding tank.
They use a hydrometer to determine the density of the syrup to determine when the proper thickness is achieved. As it is boiled and the water is evaporated, it is tested for the exact thickness. There is niter in the product that has to be strained out.
We were given maple cookies and maple candy to sample, but before long it was time to leave the woods. Grandpa and Ewan headed down the path. He told grandpa he wanted a Micky Mouse pancake, so guess what we did. We went to breakfast. These are the days memories are made of.
It was a bit frosty when we arrived at the sight this morning, but the sun was bright in the sky and it was perfect weather.
 |
| Our daughter Heather and grandson Ewan waiting to start the tour. |
We were given a brief explanation of how to make maple syrup. I have written in a previous blog about one of my childhood memories about making maple syrup.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2015/03/making-maple-syrup-old-fashioned-way.html
It was fun to see the process again in person. Rather than hang sap buckets from the trees, they use a tap connected to a hose. The sap runs out of the tree, and into a covered bucket. This way the bucket is solid on the ground when it gets heavy and debris can't get into the sap.
 |
| A sample of a tap and tube. |
 | ||
| The sap is clear. This much sap makes the little 2 oz. leaf shaped container of syrup. |
After the information and a question and answer session, we started the walk into the woods.
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| Following the leaders, the sugar shack signs and the sap buckets scattered in the woods. |
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| Finally off in the distance, we could see the steam from the boiling syrup. |
When everyone arrived, we learned more about the process. We learned that the weather is what determines whether or not the sap will run. It has to freeze at night and warm up during the day. When the weather stays at freezing the sap will not run and vice versa, if the days and nights warm to above freezing the sap won't run. Today should be an excellent day because it was very cold last night and today it is in the 40's. When the buckets are full, they are emptied into a stainless steel holding tank.
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| This is the large holding tank. |
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| The sap is poured into the evaporator and is boiled. |
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| A Hydrometer |
They use a hydrometer to determine the density of the syrup to determine when the proper thickness is achieved. As it is boiled and the water is evaporated, it is tested for the exact thickness. There is niter in the product that has to be strained out.
 |
| You can see the Niter settled in the bottom. |
We were given maple cookies and maple candy to sample, but before long it was time to leave the woods. Grandpa and Ewan headed down the path. He told grandpa he wanted a Micky Mouse pancake, so guess what we did. We went to breakfast. These are the days memories are made of.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Free Child's Robe Pattern
In a few days our youngest grandson will be five years old. Where did the time go? All of a sudden he turned from a baby to a little man. I have been picking up a few items for his birthday. He loves office supplies, just like his mother. When she was young, nothing made her happier than a ream of paper, a stapler, a roll of tape and some markers.
So that is what I bought him, more paper and markers. Then last week I stayed with him for a few hours until his parents got home. He mentioned that he wants a robe. I asked his mom, and she said for some reason he really wants a robe. I thought that would be fun to add to his gifts. I started searching for one. I had no luck in any of the stores available to me. I found a little princess robe but nothing for a boy. I looked online and found a couple boy's robes, but they cost $39 plus shipping. He is worth it, but the way he is growing, it probably wouldn't fit him for very long. As I was searching online, I came across a wonderful website called mellysews. It has free sewing patterns. They had a free child's robe pattern. http://mellysews.com/2013/10/sleepy-robe-free-robe-pattern.html I thought I have plenty of time, I will just make him one.
This Mellysews website allows you to print off all the pattern pieces. This robe pattern had 14 pages to print. Then you match up the letters and circles printed on the pieces.
It was so easy. I just matched up the letters and taped the pages together. Then I trimmed the pages for the size I wanted. I also printed out the instruction page with step by step instructions for sewing the robe.
Next I had to buy some material. That doesn't sound like a big task, but where I live there are not any fabric stores nearby. Recently a Joann Fabrics store opened in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but that was a 45 minute drive. I ended up at the dreaded Walmart. I hate to admit that because some of my friends would not step foot in that store. I have to go there because it is the closest general merchandise store within a half hour. I found a wonderful light weight fleece for $2.94 a yard. I bought a little extra, so the robe took 1 ¼ yards and cost $3.68. That is a far cry from $45 to $50. I laid out the fabric on my dining room table and cut it out.
Everything was going very smoothly until I took out my sewing machine. My Sears Kenmore sewing machine is over 40 years old. It has never given me any problems. I store it in the laundry room because I don't use it that often. I went down to retrieve the machine. As I was bringing it up to my dining room table, I dropped the foot pedal. It broke in half. All I could think was my grandson's robe was now going to cost the price of a new sewing machine plus $3.68. Somehow at that point $39 plus shipping didn't seem so much. As I had nothing to lose, I got out the super glue and duct tape. I proceeded to glue the foot pedal back together.
I waited for a couple hours, held my breath and plugged it in. It worked. Everything was going great, until I got to the inside band. I switched to a stretchy overcast stitch. The tension went wacky. I had another panic moment. I walked away for a while to regroup. When I returned, I rethreaded the machine and walla it was working again. The inside band isn't perfect but it's good enough.
I think he will like it. He doesn't read my blog so it will still be a surprise. I will write about his party after it happens, and I will have him model his new robe.
Update: He loves his new robe.
So that is what I bought him, more paper and markers. Then last week I stayed with him for a few hours until his parents got home. He mentioned that he wants a robe. I asked his mom, and she said for some reason he really wants a robe. I thought that would be fun to add to his gifts. I started searching for one. I had no luck in any of the stores available to me. I found a little princess robe but nothing for a boy. I looked online and found a couple boy's robes, but they cost $39 plus shipping. He is worth it, but the way he is growing, it probably wouldn't fit him for very long. As I was searching online, I came across a wonderful website called mellysews. It has free sewing patterns. They had a free child's robe pattern. http://mellysews.com/2013/10/sleepy-robe-free-robe-pattern.html I thought I have plenty of time, I will just make him one.
This Mellysews website allows you to print off all the pattern pieces. This robe pattern had 14 pages to print. Then you match up the letters and circles printed on the pieces.
Next I had to buy some material. That doesn't sound like a big task, but where I live there are not any fabric stores nearby. Recently a Joann Fabrics store opened in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but that was a 45 minute drive. I ended up at the dreaded Walmart. I hate to admit that because some of my friends would not step foot in that store. I have to go there because it is the closest general merchandise store within a half hour. I found a wonderful light weight fleece for $2.94 a yard. I bought a little extra, so the robe took 1 ¼ yards and cost $3.68. That is a far cry from $45 to $50. I laid out the fabric on my dining room table and cut it out.
Everything was going very smoothly until I took out my sewing machine. My Sears Kenmore sewing machine is over 40 years old. It has never given me any problems. I store it in the laundry room because I don't use it that often. I went down to retrieve the machine. As I was bringing it up to my dining room table, I dropped the foot pedal. It broke in half. All I could think was my grandson's robe was now going to cost the price of a new sewing machine plus $3.68. Somehow at that point $39 plus shipping didn't seem so much. As I had nothing to lose, I got out the super glue and duct tape. I proceeded to glue the foot pedal back together.
 |
| All I could find is the camo tape we used for a geocaching container. |
I waited for a couple hours, held my breath and plugged it in. It worked. Everything was going great, until I got to the inside band. I switched to a stretchy overcast stitch. The tension went wacky. I had another panic moment. I walked away for a while to regroup. When I returned, I rethreaded the machine and walla it was working again. The inside band isn't perfect but it's good enough.
 |
| Finished robe. I don't know why my table looks green. |
I think he will like it. He doesn't read my blog so it will still be a surprise. I will write about his party after it happens, and I will have him model his new robe.
Update: He loves his new robe.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Maple Syrup Cake
Last week I wrote about making maple syrup. http://www.thecabincountess.com/2015/03/making-maple-syrup-old-fashioned-way.html
As I mentioned, my cousin shared information about how they make the syrup. She also included this recipe. I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be very sweet, but it was just right. The frosting is quite sweet, but the recipe makes just enough frosting for a thin layer. If you like the taste of maple syrup, this cake is a keeper. The recipe says it can be made in layers, 9 x 13 or a jelly roll pan. I used the 9 x 13, but I think making bars in a jelly roll pan would be the best. Next time that is what I will do.
Maple Syrup Cake
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter(softened)
3 cups flour
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. each of baking powder, baking soda and salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup water
Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add flour, maple syrup, other dry ingredients, eggs and water.
Beat until just mixed, then on high for two minutes.
Pour into pans. Three 9 inch round pans, a 9 x 13 or a jelly roll 10 x 15 pan.
Grease or spray with cooking spray
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
Icing:
1/2 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
enough maple syrup to get spreading consistency (about 2-4 Tbs.)
Beat until light and fluffy.
If you like more frosting, you can double this recipe.
As I mentioned, my cousin shared information about how they make the syrup. She also included this recipe. I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be very sweet, but it was just right. The frosting is quite sweet, but the recipe makes just enough frosting for a thin layer. If you like the taste of maple syrup, this cake is a keeper. The recipe says it can be made in layers, 9 x 13 or a jelly roll pan. I used the 9 x 13, but I think making bars in a jelly roll pan would be the best. Next time that is what I will do.
Maple Syrup Cake
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter(softened)
3 cups flour
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. each of baking powder, baking soda and salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup water
Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add flour, maple syrup, other dry ingredients, eggs and water.
Beat until just mixed, then on high for two minutes.
Pour into pans. Three 9 inch round pans, a 9 x 13 or a jelly roll 10 x 15 pan.
Grease or spray with cooking spray
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
Icing:
1/2 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
enough maple syrup to get spreading consistency (about 2-4 Tbs.)
Beat until light and fluffy.
If you like more frosting, you can double this recipe.
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