Oh Bother!

As Winnie the Pooh would put it...

I really don't understand the ins and outs of Blogger. Maybe you have even noticed this. It's probably time for me to update the look of my blog and do those other necessary housekeeping tasks that I just ignore for the most part. It seems enough for me to manage to get pictures taken and posts written, let alone keep up with technical details related to how this all works. I was rather distressed to read the following this afternoon when I went into my dashboard:

"Starting the week of January 11, we'll [meaning Blogger-km] remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we'll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Goggle account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they'll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers." 

Though I'm not understanding the reasons for the change, I quite understand that it will happen without my say-so. The way to follow blogs changed once before and I didn't comprehend it. I just adapted. I do wish Blogger would detail how this change will improve our experience. I quite doubt it will be a positive change for those who have to create a new account. I am distressed because I know there may be some of my readers who will be affected by this change and I hope you can manage it without too much frustration. I sincerely appreciate all of my readers. I hope you'll stick with me.

A Peek Inside - Recipe Book

Miss Abigail received this recipe book for her hope chest in September for her birthday. It is the third recipe book that our club published and I think it is my favorite. There are some really good recipes in here. Abigail didn't have a stable copy yet for her hope chest. I have bought these cookbooks by the stack to use as wedding gifts and if I needed one and didn't have any at the house, I have been known to rob Abby's hope chest and then replace it again with the next purchase. Our good friend Peggy took care of this problem by presenting Abigail with a sweetly inscribed copy, especially intended for the hope chest. Thank you Peggy for circumventing my proclivities.

Peggy has contributed several items to the hope chest, and I think there is something from all the ladies Abby grew up with in there now. I love that Abigail will use these items and remember these wonderful women all through her life. They have been exceptional examples of the term homemaker.

This recipe for Pita Bread Pizza helped Abigail win her first 4-H contest. She was just nine years old and competing officially in 4-H for the first time. There is certainly a lot of water under the 4-H bridge. What a fun memory.

Hope Chest Christmas

Miss Abigail received two major gifts for her hope chest this year for Christmas - dishes and flatware. Some months ago, Abby and I went window shopping to see if we could find dishes and silverware that she liked. The parameters were simple. She had to like the patterns (she likes classic looking patterns.) They needed to be of high quality and they needed to be affordable. We went to several stores just to look and we found a flatware pattern that she liked right away - Oneida's "Camlyn" pattern. Abigail likes the contrast between the brushed finish and the shiny. I was happy with Oneida's quality and availability. We looked and looked at dishes. Abigail wanted a neutral color and thought white would work. She liked the idea of Corelle partly because that is what is in my cupboard and because these dishes are so sturdy and lightweight. But the white is very plain and the current patterns just didn't appeal as much. Then we saw these wonderful embossed Corelle dishes in Kohl's and she thought they were just the ticket, but they are so much more expensive than the regular Corelle. We kept looking and found them in Bed, Bath and Beyond as well - equally expensive. So we've just kept looking for all these months and never found anything else that she likes as well. Earlier in December I went shopping for Christmas and lo, and behold Target had this Corelle in stock and it was on sale for a very nice price. Hooray! They also had the Onieda "Camlyn" pattern and it was also on sale. Thankfully, I've been saving money for quite some time for just this purchase and was so pleased to get both the dishes and the flatware for much less than I thought I would have to pay. Thank heaven for tender mercies.

 

These crystal tumblers were Abigail's hope chest birthday gift this year. She likes the idea of these tumblers as a kind of compromise between everyday sturdy glasses (plastic perhaps) and the fine crystal goblets she has from her grandmother. Both the embossed Corelle and the flatware are fancy enough for dressed up dinners, yet simple enough for everyday. Abigail can also buy additional patterns of Corelle from the open stock to mix and match if she wanted to create a different look or theme. The crystal tumblers really dress up the place setting.

So, there are two very big items crossed of the list. I'm pleased to have that purchase made.

Christmas Eve in Santa Fe

Miss Abigail and I send happy Christmas greetings! Because we had no company this year, our little family took advantage of the traditions of past years and strolled up Canyon Road in Santa Fe. Most of the art galleries that line that well known street stay open late on Christmas Eve. They decorate with beautiful lights and luminarias, and some even have little bonfires. It is a fun tradition though very crowded these days. Then we walked further downtown to see the lights on the Plaza and listen to the bells from St. Francis Cathedral. It was a truly nice evening. Tonight is New Year's Eve and we also wish you the happiest New Year!

P.S.

BTW - I have GREAT NEWS! I finally (as of this morning) have the internet at our home. Hooray! I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be connected at the house. It will hopefully make posting to this blog much much easier. Yea!!

Afternoon Tea - A Birthday Party for Miss Abigail

Miss Abigail and I hosted an afternoon tea for our club ladies in honor of Abigail's birthday. It was so fun and turned out so well. Of course, not being a tea drinker myself, I enlisted the help of our good friend Isobel, who handled the all important tea. Isobel brewed several kinds, including a local herbal tea. Abigail and I had only to make the sandwiches and goodies. There was an important reason why I wanted to host the tea. Long-time readers might remember that one of our good friends gave Abigail a beautiful tea set for her hope chest. Three years have gone by and we have never "baptized" the tea set. There seems to be so many rules about having a tea, but the one very important lesson that I've learned from being with friends over tea is that it really, truly isn't about the tea. It is, above all, completely about the friends. But the rest of it is kind of fun too.

I really wanted Miss Abigail to learn what was involved in hosting a tea party, in particular one that includes those who don't drink tea as well as those who do. Pat's gift of the tea set was such a sincere wish for Abigail to enjoy this kind of party that I wanted to help Abigail get past that first intimidating experience. I don't want the tea set to languish in her hope chest as a sort of "sacred object," too pretty and so intimidating to actually use. Plus, I thought it would be nice to attach a memory to it as well. Now when she uses the set again, she will remember as well the wonderful women who have taught her to enjoy taking tea. It was a fabulous day and we all had a lovely time. We only wished for Pat to be there too. Alas.

Yellow Ruffled Towels

I recently made these cotton plain weave hand towels for a kitchen set that has been almost finished for a few years now. I have several sets for the kitchen that just need embellished hand towels or the apron sewn or crocheted dishcloths to match or a set of hot pads that are not crocheted! (I'm thinking Abigail might want a little variety in her kitchen linen drawer.) There is always a reason the final set isn't finished. Maybe I can't find a cotton yarn to match the rest of the set, or I can't think of a good way to fancy up the terry hand towel.

Take the yellow, blue and green set, for example. I had purchased the fabric for these towels quite a while ago because it was the perfect color to match the set and it was 100% cotton and it was just begging to be made into towels. You know how that is! Abigail embroidered one of a set of two dishtowels for the county fair a few years ago, but hasn't been interested in finishing the second one. The apron for this set is now sewn, but it still needs a pocket. I have planned to do one in filet crochet, similar to an apron my grandmother made for my hope chest, but I've needed to design the pattern and that just gets put off. So it goes.

I've decided to be disciplined. (Hah! We'll see how if that works.) I've made a list of all the unfinished items languishing in the kitchen sets that are otherwise finished. Naturally, this list is in my hope chest planning book! I am dutifully working on these projects before other, more mentally inspiring projects and methodically crossing things off as I finish them. This process has been good for me because, in some cases, I've just decided to eliminate items that I had planned for certain sets. The number of kitchen linens has become such a joke between my husband and Miss Abigail, that I think I can just call some of the sets finished.

I think I'm making good progress on the list. These towels are now crossed off the list. Now, if I can just turn my head when I see cute ideas on Pinterest or lovely fabric or darling tea towels...

Link: Article - "Hope Chests"

I wanted to let you all know about a delightful blog post about making a hope chest. In a blog celebration of the anniversary of the LDS document "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Jill Wright has written a very thoughtful article and has helpfully included a nice list of suggestions of what to include in a hope chest. Her article is very warm and encouraging. You'll come away feeling that this project isn't as hard as it might seem. If you have ever wondered how to get started, or feel even a bit discouraged or daunted, don't miss Jill's post on "Hope Chests"!