A Magazine Mention

I recently heard from the magazine, FabShop News.

They said they had mentioned my business,

 American Homestead in their magazine.

They sent me a copy of the magazine and I was 

happy to see American Homestead was included 

in an article about Wool Applique.  I'm so happy 

to see wool applique continues to gain in popularity.

Snow Day!

We had a little snow last night.

I still get excited when snow is forecasted.  I prefer

the beauty of snow to the gray and cold of most Winter

days.  I still feel the excitement of a snowstorm, I guess

that is because I grew up in the snowy Northeast and a

 good snow meant a day off from school.  When I was in 

grammar school all the Moms would be sticking their 

heads out the front door at 7 am to hear if the town 

emergency whistle  was going to sound.  If it did, it 

meant kids were out of school and they better get the 

snowsuits and boots ready and hot chocolate for  later.  I 

can remember staying outside for hours playing in the

snow until my Mom insisted I come in for some hot

soup.  Snow days were so magical because it was like

a free pass to fun.  We were supposed to be in school

working hard but instead we were outside playing with 

our friends.  It was the closest a good kid got to playing

hooky.

I still feel the magic.  Last night we all decided to go to

the local casino late at night after the snow had started.

Kate was working until 10 and we picked her up and 

went to what we call the adult video arcade.  It was

Brennan's first time at a casino since he just turned 21

this year.  None of us are gamblers (thankfully), we 

know we are not going to get rich by putting a few bills 

in the penny slots.  But it was fun to be out on a snowy

night doing something out of the ordinary.  I guess the 

snow was good luck because most of us left with more

than we spent.

Today dawned clear and sunny, the snow looks

glorious!  I probably enjoy it more than anyone

in the family because I work from home and no

longer shovel.  But getting the thrill of feeling like

a kid again ~ priceless!

Goodwool

It was another cold and gray Winter Sunday so

to make things a bit brighter I wanted to do a 

little woolgathering.  I headed to my favorite

thrift store for my treasure hunting.  I have

decided to change the name of my "to go" thrift

shop from Goodwill to Goodwool...

...because for under $15 I got this PILE of

wool that I can cut apart, felt and make into

new creations.

I haven't been woolgathering in months

since the last time I had a box filled with

wool clothing to be felted.

After my Mom's death in September I felt I 

needed a project to get my mind off my grief

and give me plenty to do once I dove into the

project.  My studio needed to be revamped.  So, 

I started by emptying bins and long forgotten 

boxes onto the floor in the middle of the studio

 and I sorted through EVERYTHING,

I had this three piece office desk in our family

room.  Years ago we bought it thinking the desktop

computer would sit in the corner section and each kid

would have a desk on the side where they could do 

their homework and share the computer so they 

could work together to cure all disease and bring about

World Peace.  Of course the kids rarely sat there to do

their homework,  they soon had laptops and worked in 

their rooms.  Mr. Wonderful and I worked at it for 

years but we ended up with laptops and tablets and

phones and realized we'd never have a desktop computer

again.  So, I decided to bring it into my studio to use as

a sewing and storage table.

Craft and wool storage is in this cabinet.

\\

My stitching table and computer desk with wool

felt storage in the corner.

Large cutting/work table, fabric storage,

drawing desk and button shelf in this corner.

There is another corner with more storage 

but that still needs some sorting and organization.

Mia the Wonder Dog hangs out with me all the 

time. I'm looking forward to getting to all the

projects I have sketched out and have floating

around in my mind.

Luminaria Hike

We spent our first evening of 2015 going on

a Luminaria Hike at our local State Park.

We met at the Visitor's Center and said hello to 

all the critters.  I love how this guy has his arm

propped up on the side - just chillin'.

This is a soft shelled turtle, I had never seen one

before.

Tomorrow they have a program where you 

can come to feed the critters ~ Kate wants

us to go.

Then it was time to head out into the cold

to take a walk to a Prehistoric Indian Mound

with a costumed interpreter.  The trail was lined

with luminaria and we were taken back to 1897

when the pioneer family lived on this land.

Afterwards we went back to the Pioneer home.

Volunteers have been hard at work on

the house.

There are many period pieces that have been

donated to furnish the house.

This was the boy's room, I love to see the

old quilts.

A great start to the new year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks - Volume 10

Cover Girl!

My block made the cover of Quiltmaker's

100 Blocks Magazine - Volume 10!  There

she is, second row from the right, second

block from the bottom, named Dutch Treat.

I also submitted a quilt using the block 

and it was chosen to be in the Designer's

Gallery.

Here is my photo of the quilt, I call it

"Going Dutch".

Merry Merry Christmas!

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas

from American Homestead!

Elle's Kitchen: Cape May Mushroom Soup

We have moved into the grays of Winter around

here and to warm up from the chill a lovely soup

is always a great addition to the menu.

Many, many moons ago, Mr. Wonderful and I

got engaged in one of our favorite places ~ Cape

May, NJ.  Cape May is a lovely little seaside 

village located at the southern tip of the New

Jersey peninsula.  When you drive to the very 

end of the state, it looks like you have come to 

the end of the world so it is nicknamed, "End of

the World, NJ".

Cape May is a Victorian jewel.  There had been a 

devastating fire that burned much of the town during

 the Victorian era.  Since it was such a popular vacation

destination, the town was quickly rebuilt and we now 

have a wonderful collection of Victorian architecture

in one small town.  On this visit, we were getting engaged

and we stayed at the Columbia House.  We chose this 

place because we could rent an apartment with a 

kitchen.  Even back then we were cooking on our travels.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound mushrooms

2 mediums onions

2 cloves garlic

1/2 stick butter

3 tablespoons dry white vermouth

5 cups mild chicken stock (reduced sodium)

3 egg yolks

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

salt and pepper

Peel and chop the onions and garlic finely 

and melt the butter in a large pan.  Sweat 

the onions and garlic in the butter while you

chop the mushrooms finely.

Add the mushrooms to the onions and stir them 

around for a few minutes and then add the vermouth.

In another pan bring the chicken stock to the boil

and then pour it into the vegetables.  Simmer for

15 minutes or until the taste of the mushrooms has

really permeated the broth.

Beat the egg yolks with the cream.

Add a few ladles of the soup to the eggs and 

cream to temper them.

Pour the mixture into the soup.  Season to taste.

Depending on the stock you use, you may not need

any more salt.  Heat very slowly, stirring.  Do not 

allow the soup to boil or it will curdle.  When the 

mushrooms are suspended in the soup, serve

immediately.

I made some popovers to go with the soup 

that really formed some prehistoric looking

shapes ~ but they were tasty!

We have been making this soup for decades.

The vermouth adds a nice touch and the soup

isn't gloppy like so many cream of mushroom

soups can be.

I can't remember where I got the recipe, so 

we just refer to it as Cape May Mushroom Soup.

When I make it, it always takes me back to that

kitchen in the Columbia House when we were

filled with the hopes and dreams of our future.

And we are still cooking.  Tomorrow we are 

heading down to Mexico for a few weeks and

we will be cooking.  We have already decided

we can get terracotta dishes down there to 

make  Gambas al Ajillo, but think we better 

bring our own scallop shells to make Coquille

St.Jacques...

Enjoy!