Russian Tea

 

 

Russian Tea

 

This cinnamon and clove spiced tea is one of my favorite winter recipes.  I have no idea where my mother got this recipe - likely the newspaper but we have had it at least 50 years.  Every year, as soon as cold weather arrived, Mother would make this tasty drink.

 

No instant tea and certainly none of that awful bottled lemon juice here.  Everything is fresh and what a difference it makes!

 

Here is what you will need:

 

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

26 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

 

Simmer the above 4 ingredients in a saucepan for 20-30 minutes.  Keep the pan covered.  I just removed the lid for the photo.

 

 

 

 



Squeeze and strain the juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon into a large pitcher (I am doubling the recipe so you see more fruit here).

 



 

Brew one quart of tea. 

 

 

Add to the fruit juices.  Strain the spice mixture into the tea and juice mixture, discarding the spices.  Stir and enjoy!

 



 

I almost always double this recipe, keeping it in the refrigerator to warm up one delicious cup at a time.

 



Of course,  you can make a tasty instant mix, using instant tea, Tang and other ingredients

 ( I don't have a recipe for this).

One of my students gave me this cute cupcake container filled with the instant tea mix for Christmas.  I have enjoyed it at home and at school.

 

 

If you haven't tried the brewed tea variety, the fast approaching winter vortex will give you the perfect reason to stir up a batch.

 

Enjoy and stay warm!

 



Feller's Fig Tree - New Life

 

Feller's Fig Tree

 

 

2013 was truly a year of new life for the Jetton family.

 

There was no shopping for this family on Black Friday!  Instead, we gathered in Easley, SC for the first time in several years.  A new generation began for our family this year with the birth of four new babies.  Four in one year! 

 

On their way to SC, my two children and their spouses stopped at their paternal grandparents' home and took cuttings from the fig tree beside their side porch door.  The tree was mature when I first met the family 45 year ago.

 

My daughter-in-law has always admired that tree and loves figs as well.  She thought that everyone might like to have a cutting and watched several videos on rooting fig trees.

 

My son, the oldest grandchild, always called his grandfather Feller, hence the name of the tree.  That is not the species name!

 

Each family received two "sticks" , wrapped with a moistened paper towel in a Ziploc bag.



 

Next, we just watched for roots to appear, opening the bag once or twice a day to let in a little fresh air.

 

 

January 19

Houston, we have roots!  These could have been planted sooner.

 

These two pots were in my craft closet.  They have good drainage so they are perfect.

 

Caroline helped add the gravel to the bottom of the pots.

 

 

And she helped with the planting.  Such a little gardener.

 

 

I covered each pot with a Ziploc bag to create a little greenhouse.  Hopefully in a few months, these will be ready to transplant  into larger pots outdoors and into the ground later on.

 

My parents-in-law are both gone now and the home will undoubtedly be sold in the near future.  These trees will be special to all of us.  Hopefully one day, each of the babies will take cuttings from these new growths to start their own trees.  New life, all from Feller's tree.

 

And speaking of new life, here are the four babies at Thanksgiving:

 

2014 will be a busy year, as we watch these babies and the fig trees grow.

Happy New Year!



It's Fall Ya'll!

It's Fall Y'all!

 

 

Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  Yes, I love Christmas but nothing beats the beauty of fall days.  Temperatures and humidity are lower.  There is a crispness in the air.  The brilliant reds, golds and oranges of the leaves is such a beautiful contrast to the clear blue sky.  Each year, I can hardly wait for the weekend after Labor Day, because that is when I begin to bring out the pumpkins!  First, I decorate indoors.  Then, around the first of October, it is off to the pumpkin patch ( or the grocery store) to purchase pumpkins for my outdoor décor.

I don't really decorate for Halloween but often we carve a simple jack 'o lantern. Here, my cat Sam is inspecting daughter Lauren's progress.  Notice he is already dressed in his costume!

 

 

 Who can resist the beauty of an arrangement of fall colors on the dining table?

My casual dining area, with woven wicker chargers and autumn napkins.  I have even found a way to incorporate my favorite polka dots with the vase!

 

Breakfast on the kitchen island is more stylish with the addition of a simple vase of flowers.

 

This beautiful display is in the narthex of Myers Park United Methodist Church. 

 

Elegant and simple.  This display is located in a local retirement community.  Wonderful way to incorporate silver into autumn décor.

 



This week, my daughter and son-in-law closed on their new house.  The last few days have been full of activity, with moving, delivery of new furnishings and appliances and installation of window coverings.  I helped out for two days and took along some pumpkins and pansies to adorn their new front porch.

 

 

Chris and Lauren took a short break from unpacking to let me snap this photo!

 

I also presented them with these cute velveteen pumpkins and chevron painted burlap runner for their dining room table.

 

Back at home, these pumpkins and gourds decorate the black wrought iron bench in  front of my house.

 

 

My favorite polka dots again.  Soon these pots will be filled with pansies.

 

This is a pumpkin purchased from Michael's.  I added multiple strips of ribbon for a festive indoor decoration.

 

Finally, the top of the entertainment center.  This is where my fall decorating begins each year.

 

Happy Fall!

Fabric Baskets

 

Fabric Baskets

 

 



It has been 2 months since my last post!  Life has been busy but now it is time to catch up.  Let's see if I can even remember how to do this!!

2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year for our family.  Four new babies in our extended family in 8 months! 

For each of the babies, I am creating a fabric basket, using colors and designs specific to each baby's nursery.  I used a fabric basket design from Sew4Home to get the basic dimensions.   If  you have not visited Sew4Home, you should.  There are patterns and ideas for everything.

 

Pictured above is the Easter basket that I made for my sweet grandbaby Caroline.  Instead of two short side handles that  you will see in the other baskets, I made one long handle, added ears, face, tail and her name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above is the basket for my niece who lives in Florida.  It is the most like the original pattern from Sew4Home.  This baby's nursery has an animal theme, with pinks.  It was fun to fill the basket with items for the baby, including some burp cloths that I made.  Wrap in clear cellophane and tie with a fun bow made from fabric scraps for a great presentation!

 

 

 Next was the basket for my nephew and his wife, whose little girl was born  on her Great Uncle David's birthday!  Their nursery has an owl theme, with brown, orange, lime green and turquoise.

 

I designed the owl using their colors and some "happy" fabrics. It is machine appliqued to the chevron basket fabric. 

 

 A print of tiny owls lines the basket.

 

 

Wrapped and ready to go!

 

These baskets are also great for birthdays.  For hostess gifts, make a smaller version and fill with some cute cocktail napkins, some delicious cheese, seasonal coffee flavors or specialty vinegars and olive oil.

 

Keep a few of these baskets on hand and you will always have something for those unexpected occasions when you need a little gift.

A great way to use up small amounts of fabric as well.

 

I hope you will enjoy making these as much as I do.

 

 

 

 

 

It's A Wrap!

 

 

It's all about presentation.  You can make any gift look fun and festive.  Here is one of my favorite looks for wrapping a cheesecake.  The one in these photos happens to be a Christmas gift but the ribbon is easily coordinated to highlight any season or flavor cheesecake.

 



 Each Christmas, I bake 4 or 5 Amoretto Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes for gifts.  I place each cake on a holiday plate or platter, which is also part of the gift.  Then the fun begins!
The platter with cheesecake is positioned in a large cellophane gift bag.  To keep the bag from settling onto the top of the cheesecake, I place two or three "birthday" candles in the center of the cake.  You can barely see them in the photo above - they are white.

An assortment of ribbons to be used for the bow.

The base of the bow will be 6 or 8 loops of a selected ribbon.

On top of the base loops, add 6"-8" lengths of a variety of coordinating ribbons.  The top ribbon will be the "ho ho ho."

Stacked ribbons, ready to be tied together.

Finished bow.

 Yummy look and taste!  Who wouldn't want to receive a gift like this?

Rooms to Runways

Summer break was supposed to be a time to catch up with my posts but that didn't happen!  On May 2, Debbie and I , along with our students, staged Rooms to Runways, a fashion show featuring redesigned and upcycled chairs and apparel items inspired by the chair designs.  It was a lot of work but, in the end, well worth the effort.



I was the commentator for the event so do not have many photos from the evening.  Included here are just a few highlights.

The Cowgirl Chair in progress

Student Shelby creating her Cowgirl Chair inspired dress from rescued jeans.
There was an underskirt of white tulle.

Spirit Chairs in progress.

 

 

The completed Hippie Chair



 

We printed programs on cardstock and used donated paint sticks from Lowe's to make fans.  Originally the event was to have been held outdoors, in the school courtyard.  Questionable weather forced us indoors but the fans still came in handy.

 

 Sydney in her Travel Chair inspired romper and Justice in her Spirit Chair inspired dress.  The bodice of the dress is a restyled T shirt.

 

 

 Wish you could see the back of Julissa's black dress!  And isn't the chevron dress cute on Lauren?

 

 

My father-in-law died in 2010 at the age of 93.  As we have cleaned out his house, lots of things have been discovered.  Some people would dismiss most of the stuff as trash, but there have been treasures as well.  I snagged two old suitcases, one of which was in very bad shape.  Take a look at it now:

 My son calls this a Caroline chair!  Grandbaby Caroline is just the right height to enjoy sitting here for story time. The teddy bear and vest were my son's when he was a little one. The  legs of the chair still need to be stained and some reinforcing must be accomplished to make the back stay at the desired angle.  Repurposing a loved one's belongings is a great way to remember them.  Most of the chairs were sold at silent auction but this one is staying with me.

 

Alas, it is now August 14.  I will report to school tomorrow to get my room set up before the first official teacher workday on August 19.  The summer break has passed so quickly!