Friends and Neighbors

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."             Ralph Waldo Emerson



Good friends are one of the best things about being human.  Those friends you can talk to once in a blue moon and it's like you've never had a break in the conversation.  Friends who hold you when you cry and don't remind you how bad you look when your eyes are all red and puffy.  Friends who signal you to get the parsley off your front tooth or remind you to check your zipper - they are priceless.  Aren't those friends who gently hand us a breath mint or even a fuzzy cough drop wonderful on days when we don't notice our breath is less than beautiful?

My friend and neighbor, Patti, was kind enough to suggest (in her own sweet, non judgemental way) that I might want to put curtains on my front door.

We (Mr. J&C and I) were so happy to get rid of the double front doors that were here when we moved in.  On cold, windy nights, I could stand in front of those closed front doors and feel the breeze.  We found this Texas Star pattern at Lowes and added the sidelights to fill in the space the second door had occupied. 

The light coming into the house is so wonderful.  Before the change out it was like standing in a closet, once the new door was in, sunlight flooded the room.  The door is on the north side of the house so the extra sunlight adds light but not heat, it is just a thing of beauty. 

Being neighbors, Patti and I enjoy discussing the comings and goings of the neighborhood.  As Jane Austen so cleverly put it, "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?"  Who knows what the neighbors really get up to, but it is fun to speculate.  Rumor has it there's a sweet little lady with a telescope in her front window and she lives on my street.  Patti pointed out to me that if she had a similar door, she would have curtains.  I can see her point.  If the lights are on anyone and everyone can see into our house.  So, I've been pricing curtain rods and curtains.  I'll put up curtains but I'm going for the lacy ones - I love the light and don't want to get rid of that, I'm just looking for a bit more privacy.

I hope Patti is not suggesting curtains because one day she dropped by and saw more than she planned to see...  But then she's my friend, she can be discreet and I trust that no one else knows what goes on at our house... Then again, maybe it is something that Patti does in her own home that has her worried for me?  Hey! We're old friends, I will keep her secrets. We're also neighbors, so naturally I'm wondering what she's been up to...




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Blessed

It is hot and stormy here in Texas today. 

All we've got right now in Fort Worth

are clouds and wind, and a vague promise of rain. 

So, of course, I'm thinking about snow

and one of my favorite Christmas movies,

 "It's A Wonderful Life."  

One of my favorite lines from the movie is

"No man is a failure who has friends." 

I love to see the little things around my house that remind me of my friends.

The friends I've known a long time. 
Found this when I was with Mernie in San Antonio.
 (I bought it for me, because  I think she believes the
first half of the saying is so "Joy" and because I know the last line
 is how I have felt about her for the past twenty years!)

 

The friends who are also family. 
Some of these marbles may actually belong
to my brothers - I kept them in my jewelry box for years. 
The Ball canning jar is from my mom.

The friends who live near by. 
Patti saw these five candle sticks at a garage sale and thought of me. 

The friends I have met through blogging. 
Ann, at Moonbeams & Fireflies had a beautiful post
and pictures of Columbines, I asked if she would sell me some seeds. 
She emailed me and in a month or so she sent me a packet of seeds - complete
with stems - as a gift.  Her blog is beautiful,  I have learned a thing or two from her,
and I have been entertained by her adventures.

And those of you who read my blog, thanks.
I always enjoy your comments - thank you.

You are all pretty wonderful.

I know that I am blessed.

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Vintage Friendship

"Although my neighbors

 are all barbarians,
and you,
you are a thousand

 miles away,
there are always

two cups on my table."
(Tang Dynasty)

That's right, this Vintage Thingy Thursday is all about my Vintage Friendship (I guess that makes it official - I'm vintage).

Bev and Me

Just for the record, my neighbors are great, but they are not my oldest playmate (o.k., she probably thought she was babysitting me in our tea time photo).  

Bev is my mom's youngest sister, she has always been a part of my life - which is pretty amazing because we have spent the last 35 years living on opposite sides of the country and, at times, half a world away from one another.   

When my phone rings and she's on the other end it's a very good thing.  We can talk for hours or just a few minutes and life just seems better. 

Her homes have always seemed sort of magical to me.  When I smell apples and cinnamon I think of Bev, the last time I was in her house it had that wonderful scent.  When I light a candle, I think of her (I've always thought of her as a candleholic, in the nicest possible way, of course). 

We learn so much from our parents and siblings, but it's amazing what we learn from our first friends.  I feel doubly blessed because my friend is a family member (that's right, we're stuck with each other).

Today, about 50 years after this photo was taken, I would still enjoy having a cup of tea with her.  And I bet this time she would let me pour.



Join me at ColoradoLady's Vintage Thingy Thursday (button just the the right) to check out other vintage treasures.

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Lost in Quilting

I seriously like to quilt.  Is there anything better than creating something?  I was reading blogs a week or so back and came across Occupy Your Quilt Room.  Sounded like a great idea.  Take a day and do nothing but quilt then blog about it.  Added bonus:  Link in to Cat Patches  and you have a chance to win prizes any quilter would enjoy receiving.

I chose Wednesday, December 7th.  Husband out of town, all quiet at home.  So I worked - ironing, cutting, sewing, ironing...   BONUS!  I had my favorite old movies playing in the background.  I had a sandwich for lunch, don't remember what time that was (isn't it great when what you're doing has your complete attention?).  Around 8:30 p.m. I got hungry again and wandered into the kitchen.  I started planning my post to describe all the gifts I was making (yes, both of them) and then it dawned on me.

Extreme close up so no one will know what it is.

I can't post pictures because my friends will see what they are getting.  Maybe I'll just do a little something and show bits and pieces.  I went back to the dining room table (my quilt room these days) and realized I was still hungry. 

I walked back into the kitchen glanced at my calendar and noticed "MAKE, BAKE & CREATE @ SHERRI'S 6:30."   I had just missed out on one of my favorite parties of the year.  A gathering of friends to celebrate the season, catch up on each others' lives and have fun.  We even raise money for charity by auctioning off items we've made, baked, created or bought.  This group of friends is special, we've done it for years, it's probably our silliest night of the year and I missed it.

2012 will be my year to get more organized.  Or maybe it's the year I'll put everything on the calendar in my phone and just have it chiming away to remind me when to get up, when to go to bed and what I should be doing in between those activities.


Thanks to Barbara at Cat Patches - for encouraging and inspiring me to make more time to quilt.


And to my friends at OLC Circle - I love you all.  Sorry about missing the party, I hope to see you in May. 


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In a Jam

Saturday morning I gathered up canning jars, lids, and ten pounds of sugar, went to Cindy's house, and we made pepper jam.  We were supervised by her 12 year-old daughter, Mary Payton.  MP used the time to visit with us, study for her mid-terms, and mend a broken Santa.  Besides making pepper jam, Cindy and I used this time to visit - one of the many bonuses of working with a friend.

Beautiful Color:  Use caution when eating - it's still got a bite! 

The first time we did this we used red, yellow and orange bell peppers with the jalapeno peppers.  It gave the jelly a red glow.  This time we used more yellow than orange peppers and no red ones - it made the jelly light and beautiful.  

The jalapeno peppers were sooo hot!
While we were seeding them we had to quit talking
- just for a minute or two! -
 because they were making us cry
(This photo was taken by MP, thank you!).

Ingredients:

17 medium jalapeno peppers, 1 orange bell pepper, 6 yellow bell peppers - finely chopped in the food processor.  We put them in a bowl and mixed them together until we liked the way the colors looked.  We used this for all three batches of jam.

For each batch:
2 3/4 cups finely chopped peppers
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
6 1/2 cups of sugar
1 pouch CERTO

We followed the directions that came with the CERTO, got our jars and lids ready ahead of time and in just over an hour we had our first batch of pepper jam.

We used the Sure Jell CERTO (Liquid Fruit Pectin) to make sure our peppers became jam. 
The instructions and recipes are in these little boxes.

We worked for almost 3 hours and made 3 dozen jars of jam.  Notice that a lot of them are the 4 ounce jars - just right for a little gift. 

I left Cindy and MP and went home to listen for the popping sound of all my jars sealing up.  It was a happy sound. 

This was our second time to make jelly together. It's not that hard, the results are delicious, and if you can get a friend to join in not only will you make jelly or jam, you'll make memories. 

What's cooking in your kitchen?




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