Hey, I think we finally got Nana interested in sewing again.
Each of us has a long list of items we want made.
Nana wanted to start with projects she already had started or planned.
Today, she made a pink mattress and pillow for my twin sister, Kaylee. Pink is her favorite color. She has pink and white flannel with butterflies picked out for her fitted sheets. They probably won't be done real soon.
Until she gets our sheets and comforters made we will sleep on top of these mattresses in our sleeping bags. Nana made the sleeping bags too.
She also made a green mattress and pillow for me. I don't have sheet fabric picked out yet.
She makes the mattresses to be 1 inch thick. . But, I think they are thicker than that when she gets the stuffing into them. They're really soft and you sink down into them. They help keep you warm.
When she makes a mattress she measures the area it is to fit into. Then she makes a pattern by using those measurements and adding 1 1/2 inches to the side and end. Example: a mattress to be 12 x 20 inches would be cut out 13 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches. That gives 1 inch for height and 1/4 inch for a seam allowance.
She sews all 4 sides leaving a space open at one end for turning the mattress right side out and for stuffing.
Before she turns the mattress right side out she sets the thickness by folding the side and end seams together at each corner and stitching across them where there is 1/2 inch on each side of the seams. This gives them more definition at the corners.
I think Nana has three more mattresses to make for our family. Then, she will make mattresses for any cousins that want them.
It's a good thing Nana likes to sew.
Do you have dandelions on your property?
Novya has information for us about an edible plant we should be aware of.
If you have dandelions and they haven't been sprayed with a weed killer or fertilizer you have a versatile, edible plant within easy access. Dandelions are available from spring until fall. This makes them easy to find and harvest, at your convenience Their flavor is usually sweeter and milder in the spring when they are more tender.
Dandelions are also available at many farmers markets and some supermarkets.
The entire dandelion can be eaten when raw and most of it can be cooked and eaten.
The flowers and leaves are often used in salads. The flower would make a salad with more color.
The roots can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute or tea. The articles I read say it is delicious. No one in our house drinks coffee so we can't test that theory on anyone here.
The seeds can be ground and used as flour. I can't imagine gathering enough of those little seeds to grind and make enough flour to make anything. Sarafina says it might not be too bad to just get enough flour to thicken gravy or something.
Dandelions are also used for fritters, pickles, wine, jelly and many other foods. All Recipes, Martha Stewart, Cdkitchen and other recipe sites have recipes available.
If you need a great source for zinc, calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin A, B complex, vitamin C, vitamin D or Vitamin K the dandelion would be good for you.
The health benefits are quite interesting too. But, here we're looking for uses as a food.
Sarafina is going to add dandelions to her herb garden next summer. She is excited that Novya found a new plant for her add to her collections of herbs.
We're just dumb boys until they need us.
While the paint was drying Krystal searched out Logan and I to help her take the bench to the rock garden.
That is one well made bench. We are short enough we had to really strain to get it up on the top level of the rock garden. The rocks made it hard to carry to the gazebo base. But, we finally got it placed where she wanted it. As you can see Krystal was supervising.
Once it was in place she had us find Kityee and Katyee and sent them out to see how great it looked on the gazebo base.
They were speechless. It sure wasn't what they expected to see there. Kityee finally managed to say, "Krystal you've outdone yourself, great." Katyee followed with, "Yeah, great."
Krystal was so excited. After the other two girls left, she went into the house and got a bear. She placed him on the bench.
She said she felt bad leaving him all alone out there. But he looked so cute and she thought having him there would help get the new bench and the rock garden noticed by people driving by.
And a note for you guys out there. The buck was in the back yard again today. Logan and I could watch him all day.
Nana says he's a gift from God.
Here is another update on the rock garden.
I love Krystal. She always has surprises for this family. I think sometimes she even surprises herself. This may have been one of those times.
Kityee and Katyee were sitting at the table making plans for the next couple of months. They were saying they didn't know how they could get everything done. Katyee had said, they might have to put the bench out on the gazebo base without painting it.
Krystal overheard and offered to paint it for them. They were very grateful for her help.
She did a beautiful job. She surprised them by painting two table tops, too. Krystal loves to paint and the twins neither one like that kind of project.
The twins told her to come get them when the paint and the sealer were on and dry. Then they would move the bench to the rock garden. They would have to finish the tables later. But, having them painted meant they could put them together as soon as they had a little time.
Krystgal got bored waiting for the paint to dry. It's not good to let Krystal get bored. She got creative. And...........
Good news. I finally found out what the notebook looks like that Kityee is keeping the rock garden plans in. This should help me find it.
It's a beautiful day.
Nana says she knows fall is really here. Not just because of the weather and the shorter days. The deer are spending more time in the back yard.
Yesterday, there was a young buck in the back yard. There was another little deer with him, but, I couldn't get a picture of him. When they heard me opening the kitchen window to get the pictures the little one got scared and ran away.
The buck just ignored me and went right on eating. Then, he lay down under the tree and rested for a while. The kitchen window stuck open and Nana had to make a lot of noise closing it. She said he just laid there because he has been raised coming to our yard.
Today, we had a doe out under the apple trees. She didn't care if I opened the back door and took pictures of her either.
We sometimes have as many at 15 deer at once in the back yard during the winter. Only 1 or 2 at a time during the summer. Nana loves the deer. Reeces even knows not to bark at them.
I want to enlarge some of the pictures to make targets for when Logan and I practice with our rifles. Nana says we can go deer hunting. We just aren't allowed to shoot the ones that come to her yard.
