Clearing through the attic last week, I found a treasure. When my girls were little I used to make their clothes. Whatever material was left was cut into patches to make simple quilts. I found a bag of these patches, wrinkled but otherwise perfect. I ironed them and sewed them together into a quilt. I showed it to my daughters this weekend and it brought back such nice memories for all of us. My middle daughter is the most sentimental of my 3 so I’ll do some hand quilting on this and have it done for her by Christmas.
I’ve been wanting to make my own cheese so I started with an easy one..cream cheese. It was just a matter of getting the milk to the right temperature, adding the culture and letting it sit until the whey separated. Then I set it to drain. It came out delicious.
Now that gardening season is over, I’ve been putting aside time to take walks. There’s woods, fields and streams right outside my door and this time of year is especially beautiful.
I’m mad at myself for not taking better care of my car. It’s 9 years old and the road treatments for snow have created a big rust problem. I should have rinsed it down and parked it out of the elements but I never did. Soon I’ll be traveling a lot to help my daughter take care of her baby since she has to go back to work. I was hoping to trade in my jeep and get something newer but the rust has devalued it. Lesson learned. The money part is a problem but what bothers me most is that I didn’t care properly for something that I was lucky to have. Poor stewardship. To me , that says there’s a lack of gratitude. Not a good thing. I started this blog for the opportunity to stay focused and thankful for all the wonderful things in this world and in my life. It’s been so great to see, read, learn things and make blog friends from all over the world. Thank you all!
hmm, quilts and cheese, the perfect combination! and what a lovely story, your daugther will be so happy come Christmas. Sorry to hear about your car…xo Johanna
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Thanks, Johanna! The car is my own fault. Just a car anyway and a good reminder to myself
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I have material scraps. Hmmm… I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make cream cheese. Sounds yummy. How much have I squandered because I didn’t properly care for it? I hate to think. Thanks for the reminder that part of gratitude is showing respect.
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I’m thinking of making a cheesecake today. The car in itself is just a thing. I’m pretty much over it and will figure something out and hopefully learn something from this. Respect! Good point!
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One thing you can do for the jeep even if you are still planning to get rid of it at some point, is (if it is a Diesel engine) get the bio Oil filters installed so you can run it on fast food oil instead of actual fossil fuels (you can still use Diesel for when you run out of Biofuel) this will help you save money and obviously the environment and you can always have the filters re-installed on your new replacement!
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That’s cool, Jeff. I hadn’t heard of this. This doesn’t have a diesel engine but my husband’s car does. You offer so much great information. thanks!
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Sad about your car – love your blog and how you touch us readers with your photos and words. Thank you,
Sarah in Belgium
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Thanks so much, Sarah!
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What a lovely quilt – and a reminder of all of those lovingly handmade clothes.
I have always been hard on my children when they don’t take care of their things. I knew it irritated me no end, but I never stopped to think why. Your (and Judy’s) explanation of it is so perfect; it shows a lack of gratitude and respect. Very well put, thank you.
Now I want to make cheese.
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Thanks, Jodie. I want to learn more about cheese making too. From what I’ve read, it seems easy and there’s lots of ways to get creative with it. Feta cheese next, I think.
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I would love to learn how to make cream cheese. How did you go about it? where do you buy cultures and how do you know how much to use?
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Cream cheese was so simple. it was a matter of adding culture to milk until it congealed and the whey separated and then straining it through a towel for several hours. I bought the culture at Cultures for Health and it came with complete instructions.
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Dear Cynthia…Thanks for the link. I went to their website and was blown away at all the goodies they have. I will definitely be ordering from them soon. I have always wanted to try my hand at making cheese.
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That’s a shame about the car – it reminds me of living near the beach (which is almost as bad for cars as the road salt). I am grateful that the climate here is mild enough to not have to do that…I see photos of the terrible plant damage along the roadsides in New England, and it’s not something I am envious of!
The quilt looks lovely – it reminds me of some of the heirlooms that have been passed along through my family
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I love family heirlooms. Especially the handmade things.
I wonder what other kind of damage the road treatments are causing here. They don’t just use plain salt any more .Cars are one thing but all that runoff has got to be impacting the environment. Sometimes is overwhelming to think of all the things we bombard ourselves and our world with
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It does not sound like you to neglect anything but I understand as a woman; cars are just things that take you from A to B. 🙂 Great shot of the jeep though.
Sewing is not my strong suit so I admire you for being so creative and clever.
Your cheese makes me want to make some 🙂
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Lol, Mary! I do neglect things. Sometimes I get caught up in a project or a creative pursuit and everything falls to the wayside. I’m with you on the car thing. I just want something simple and durable that gets me where I need to go. Most cars all look alike to me and I could care less about fancy features or status symbols. I don’t even really like to drive very much
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Cynthia,
I have taken care of my Explorer, but there is no garage here at the shop. The Explorer is a 2004 and it is rusting around one wheel well. A friend told me to paint the rust with Rustoleum Rust Reformer after sanding the spot lightly (I used a tiny wire cup brush on a dremel tool) and washing the area. I love that stuff. I’m using it on all the rusty metal things I sell in the shop and beneath the primer on the steel window frames here. I ordered it from Pep Boys. If you decide to try it, experiment on something else first, so you know how it acts. At least it stops it.
Your pal,
Ginene
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Now Ginene..YOU are someone I really admire as a truly wonderful steward. You have so much knowledge, take meticulous care and do things properly. Not only do you care for your own things but you preserve and restore so many beautiful things and send them back out into the world. Very special, what you do and how you do it!
Thank you for the information.
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Well, you just made my day with your lovely compliment. Thank you, Cynthia. ~Ginene
P.S. No matter what we do or where we put our vehicles…they rust. I was just thinking, you know how rust is rather appreciated today? To bad that rusty cars aren’t a trend! Maybe we could start that!
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A great find and a wonderful use for it, Cynthia
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Thanks, Derrick!
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Ah, Cynthia, sadly we all need those reminders, I know I do! I do hope you are able to get something sorted out so that you can still reliably help your daughter. The cream cheese sounds great and I am thinking that it would be cheaper way to get lactofree cream cheese for my two! The quilt is beautiful, such a lovely idea. x
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Yes, what a lovely quilt. As for taking care of things…in an ideal world we would have plenty of time to keep everything spic ‘n span. But especially as we age, choices must be made, and we must find some kind of balance between our creative endeavors and our daily tasks, which would include cleaning the salt from the car. I struggle with this all the time, but I realize that the house, the yard, and even the car are never going to be cared for as well as I would like if I am going to make time for writing and photography. On another subject…have a wonderful time caring for that darling baby.
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Thanks, Sharon! Things have a way of working out… usually not the way we think they should, lol.
Good thinking about the cheese. Foods that address dietary restrictions can be so prohibitively expensive and often taste terrible. I find it is always better and cheaper to make my own.
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You are so right. That balance has always been a challenge for me. I’ve always gotten caught up in creative things and lose all sense of time and everything else. On the other hand, part of me craves cleanliness, routine and order. Things never seem to be quite the way I would like to have them, especially all at the same time, lol.
Thanks!!
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I know. Same here. Two Virgos in a pod? 😉
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Sorry to hear about the car troubles!
The cheese looks amazing and I really want to try it out myself. I’ve made mozzarella before which sounds similar: add an acid and rennet then just hit the right temperatures.
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Thanks, Daniel.
I want to try the mozzarella and also feta … then I’d like to progress to the harder cheeses. It is surprisingly simple!
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You’re amazing, now you’re making cheese. Where does all that energy come from?
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I can relate. My truck, tractor and utility vehicle, all 12 years old, are beaten up badly thanks my occasional carelessness over the years. I’ve taken a lot of life out of them I’m afraid and couldn’t afford to replace them all now if I had to. Wish I’d been more careful, but I’m trying to really baby them now. 🙂
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Hi Cynthia, I have nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award. Please don’t feel you have to do it as I know time is precious but I wanted you to know how much I enjoy your blog. You can find my post here
https://creativityandfamily.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/where-do-i-start/
Sharon x
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Thank you, Sharon! I enjoy yours so much too. You have so many great ideas and your family seems so cozy and nice. Also, I get motivated to stay on task with my Christmas gift projects, lol.
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Thanks Cynthia, I am finding it rather too easy to get sidetracked from my Christmas gift projects!! x
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Pretty quilt! Oh, and by the way… I have a garage for my new car and it sits in the driveway. Shame on me too.
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Thanks.. lol. Mine is in the driveway now, covered in leaves and rain.
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Nice catching up with you– beautiful posts.
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The quilt is really lovely, and it has so many special memories interwoven. And, you have spurred me on to try making cream cheese – thank you. 🙂
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Cynthia, would you mind if I ask you, how much have you done with the quilt by now? Christmas is right at the corner now. Would you show us how it looks? I can imagine it must beautiful with those colorful pitches you found at the attic. I believe if just by putting them together is a masterpiece itself . Doesn’t matter design or not!
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