Mother Nature's Palette

Have you ever wanted to look inside Mother Nature's crayon box?  A box filled with brilliant yellows

And the richest crimson 

and her ability to shade and blend colors

Have you ever wanted to carry your fiber box outside and match your fibers with the colors inside Mother Nature's crayon box?

Mother Nature, she always chooses just the right shade and color

Liberty Hill and Hillside Samplings

In 2006 Carolyn (Liberty Hill) and Lesley (Hillside Samplings) put their heads together and painted  a wall box and designed a sewing roll.

So clever how Lesley took many of the elements from the hand painted wall box and incorporated them into the sewing roll.  (The inside of the sewing roll shows the rolling hills, the sheep on the hill, the red house and the tall trees)

The outside border of the painted wall box is painted black, the inside cover of the sewing roll is outlined with black stitches.

The wall box has a deer leaping from one rolling hill to another, the sewing roll has this handsome deer enjoying a stroll.

Inside of the sewing roll--a nice place for needles and the deer is a pocket.

Shhh, we are not going to talk about the wall box being painted in 2006, stitched in 2011 and finished in 2012.  Does everyone remember I am s l o w?  This is one of those pieces which brings a smile to my face each time I see it.

Important Day

Just like Grandparents John Palmer and Sarah Miranda show your true colors and vote.


On August 24, 1920, Tennessee became the perfect 36!  It became the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote in America.

It was the War of the Roses--those in favor of giving women the right to vote wore a yellow rose on their lapel; those who were against giving women the right to vote wore a red rose.

It was Harry Burn, the youngest member of the legislature who cast the deciding vote.  Despite the red rose Harry wore on his lapel, he voted for the bill.  Harry was asked to explain his vote.  He responded:  "it is true, I am wearing a red rose on my lapel, what you cannot see is the telegram inside my breast pocket from my Mother urging me to do the right thing and vote for passage of the amendment." 

 

Pumpkin Spice Roll

For the record:  AppleJack always chooses vegetables over desserts!  Can you believe this?  Also for the record:  Pumpkin Spice Roll is not heart healthy.  It is seldom, rare, almost never when AppleJack asks me to make dessert, pumpkin spice roll is the exception.  Mother started making this recipe several years ago
for the Thanksgiving season and her family fell in love with this baked delight.  In fact, her most requested dish at Thanksgiving is Pumpkin Spice Roll. 

Pumpkin Spice Roll

Cake Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Filling Ingredients
1 cup confectioners sugar
6 ounces of cream cheese
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat eggs with an electric mixer on high speed for five minutes until thick and lemon colored
2. While eggs are beating, combine the granulated sugar, cooked pumpkin and lemon juice
3. Gradually add the sugar/pumpkin mixture to the egg mixture.  Set aside
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt
5. Gently fold the dry flour mixture into the egg/pumpkin mixture
6. Spread batter evenly into a greased and floured 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan
7. Spread the nuts evenly over the batter
8. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched near center
9. Immediately loosen edge of cake from pan and turn cake out onto a towel sprinkled with confectioners sugar.  Roll up towel and cake, starting from one of the cake's short sides.
10. Cool on a rack. Unroll cake; remove towel, spread cake with filling

Even if you don't like pumpkin, give this recipe a try--you will be surprised! 

 

Respecting Mother Nature

Grandmother Bessie grew up in The Great Smokey Mountains.  Grandfather Issac delivered the U.S. mail in the mountains.  My Grandparents had great respect for nature.  Below are photos of Mt. LeConte taken from the High on LeConte blog of the effect of Super Storm Sandy on the mountains.



It started snowing on October 29



When it stopped snowing there was 3 feet of snow and drifts as high as 4 feet!  (yes, 3 feet of snow in Tennessee in October!)



While beautiful, hiking in these condtions is very dangerous!



Can you image delivering the mail on horseback in these conditions?  Grandmother Bessie would share stories with me about Grandfather Issac and his mail route in the mountains.  In the winter, it was common for Grandfather to return home with his clothing frozen to the saddle and stirups. 

Accounting

Grandmother Bessie had a way with words.  As a child/youth/adult she would often say to me:  "you need to account for yourself."  Translation:  "Where have you been and what have you been doing?"

1. A looming work deadline which has been consuming much of  my time and energy.
2. Weaning myself from diet carbonated caffeine colas (man those caffeine withdrawal headaches are killers!)
3. Raking leaves
4. Planting pansies and spring bulbs
5. Baking pumpkin roll--a special request from AppleJack
6. First shopping trip to The Gathering
7. Appointments for health issues
8. Volunteer at Room in the Inn
9.  Holiday bags for the women at CCA
10. Trips to LNS to carry framing and selecting fibers for the next best project
11. Research for new digital camera--any suggestions?
12. Beginning stitches on My Lydia sampler  (to little progress to share at this time)
13. Checking on Sister C in Delaware (she weathered Super Storm Sandy with no incidents--very thankful)
14. Surfing the web to catch glimpses of new quilt fabric (aka Jo Morton)
15. Shopping for wedding gift

Hopefully, Grandmother Bessie would approve that I have used my time wisely.

Tailgate Antiques

Today, my partner in crime aka Carmen and I went to the Tailgate Antiques Show at the Hendersonville Expo Center.  The exhibitors/dealers have beautiful rooms set up with antique furniture, rugs, quilts, samplers, etc. We attend these shows to get our creative juices flowing, to learn about antiques and drool.

Aplogizies for the hanging side ways photo--I was taking photos with my new cell phone and my cell phone and I are still in the getting acquainted phase of our relationship. 

Ken and Sue Zippel from Country Corner Antiques were two of the nicest people.  They specalize in antique samplers!  We spent lots of time drooling in this booth looking at Adam and Eve samplers.  Samplers stitched on 45 ct linen, samplers with quirky angels. 

Next weekend is The Gathering.  This is a new to us event.  Hopefully, my cell phone and I will be in a more cooperative relationship by next Saturday.