My dear friend Vea invited me (and the other Prairie Hens) over for a Tea Party this week. It was so much fun. That should really happen a lot more often! Big girls need parties too. I am on the quest now for grown up girl parties now.



The party really was quite simple but made us have so much fun. She fixed us lunch with sandwiches, veggies and dip, cookies and Lemon Aid. It was delicious.

The best part of the party was that she and her daughter Natalie had also planned a water party for the kids. They had pools, sprinklers, and food too. They thought the party was all about them. hee hee. I loved it. We had our grown up fun in total peace.

THANK YOU VEA!

I am looking for sponsors for some prizes for my Fall Sassy Apron Swap. If you have an Etsy Store or Website that deals in something related to aprons, kitchen items, flirty fun stuff, or foodie things. I am looking for at least three sponsors. If I get more I might consider running some giveaways here at My Byrd House.

You help me reward my good swappers and You get free advertising here and at the Sassy Apron Swap.

You can contact me at byrhouse1(at)windstream(dot)net or leave a comment with a link back to you please.

Oh, If you are wanting to donate something to give-away here it can be anything to do with home and family and wonderful craftiness.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I have always loved a good bowl of oatmeal and am so thrilled to see so many varieties on the shelves now. I just don't like the sugar they add to the mix. I would rather be in control of that part of it.

A Friend of mine clued me into a great oatmeal mix that you can make from home. It is made with few ingredients that you just might have at home already.


Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
(one serving)

1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/2 water
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
1/2 apple
2 tbsp nuts
Cinnamon to taste

I put the oats in the blender and give them a quick pulse. Then I put the oats, milk, water and salt into my saucepan and heat on Med-high. I stir constantly as I bring it to a boil. Remove from heat when it starts to thicken up. It will thicken more as it cools.
I put the nuts and the apple in the blender or food processor and chop fine. Then stir the nuts and apple into hot oatmeal. I sprinkle with cinnamon and stir it all up and eat it all up.
You can add some honey, brown sugar, sucanant or stevia if you want it sweeter. I like it just the way it is and like it best with a Fuji apple because they are so sweet.

Old Red Barn Quilt...

Old Red Barn is giving away this scrumptious quilt.



Yes giving it away. If you want a chance at it go to her blog and read all the juicy details for yourself. This quilt makes me weak.

Missouri Peach Pie - PPP

Peaches have to be one of my favorite fruits. Thus one of my all time favorite pies is Peach Pie.

On the way home from the Zoo last weekend I found a road side fruit stand with fresh Missouri peaches. I had to have some. We made Jam and saved a few for pie.

Missouri Peach Pie

Pastry for a 2-crust pie

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

5 cups sliced, peeled peaches

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

2 tbsp butter

1. Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and salt.
2. Sprinkle peaches with lemon juice and almond extract.
3. Add sugar-flour mixture to the peaches and mix gently. Pour into a pastry lined 9" pie pan. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust and pinch the edges. Cut vents.
4. Brush the top of the pie with cream and sprinkle with sugar. (this is optional but makes a pretty pie.)
5. Bake at 450 deg F for 40-45 minutes, or until juices are bubbly and the crust is golden.
6. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.

Fall Sassy Apron Swap Time

Yes it is that time again. I have started the sign-ups for the Fall Sassy Apron Swap.

For more information and how to join, go visit the Sassy Apron Swap Blog.

Reunion Fun

OK I have a spare minute this morning to post some of the fun we have been having.

On day one we had some Old World activities for the kids. Each family got the assignment to come up with an activity booth to teach the children something about life in the Middle Ages. It was so much fun. We had Alchemy, Spinning, Heraldry, Shield making, Tunics, and Folk Medicine. Here are some of the photos of the fun we had.


My niece Rebekah is a chemist and she taught the kids about Alchemy. Her booth was always full. She told what basics of chemistry they did know back then. It was so much fun. My sister Mary also was in this booth and she did sun reactive dyes with the kids. I forgot to get a photo of that.

You can see here that she let the kids do experiments. It was really fabulous!


My booth was the Folk Medicine. I am into herbs and so I had several samples of the herbs that they would have used back then and what they used them for and what we use them for today.
They kids loved the fact that the top property of most of the herbs and spices back then was to prevent flatulence. The all giggled. We took some especially fragrant herbs like, mint, lavender, rose petals, and such and made little sachets to wear around our necks. We talked about how most people didn't bath and that you would have these handy to sniff and especially stinky times. They also ward off bugs like lice.


My niece Anna had the kids making Shields. She had lots of information about crests and what the symbols stood for. All the kids had fun painting them. I even noticed many of the adults painting their own that afternoon.

My sister Lil and her husband Doug brought natural fibers and taught the kids how to make yarn with drop spindles.

The kids had so much fun and kept bringing me their bits of string to show me what they made.

My sister Anne (who was in charge of all the activities) and her daughter Rebecca had a booth where the boys could make tunics and the girls made flower garlands for their hair. The boys got to design the front of their tunics with crayon drawings that they ironed in.


The last booth the kids got to go to was Grandma's Nursery Rhymes. Most of our nursery rhymes come from the middle ages and were political statements about their times. The kids had to recite any rhyme they know to her to get a bag of sugared and spiced nuts from her. They were so tasty!

The smart grand kids stuck around and got more nuggets of wisdom from grandma.

My sister Jeanne and her daughter Alisa also had a booth where the kids were making family crests. They are still being finished and are really great but I forgot to take a picture of that.

Here are some more photos of the corsets I made. We have to show off the funness of it all!

I don't know just what Josie was doing that day but she did look impressive.



Jeanne, Alisa and Amanda looking lovely. I have to tell you that I actually made Jeanne's for her last year and she has lost enough weight that she took the back of the corset in 6-8 inches. I am very impressed!


Here is a view of the back of the corsets.


Josie and Jeanne in their loveliness. They made their own skirts.

This one is one of my favorites though. This is little Hannah and it is her 6th birthday today. She is my littlest princess.

Reunion 2008

Since 1999 my family has had a reunion almost every year. The last several have been here in the Midwest so we would be close to my parents. This year is right here.
The theme of the reunion is The Knight's Quest. We all get to dress up in Renaissance festival cloths and play all day.
I contributed to the fun by making corsets for all the women that wanted one.
Here are just a few.

I am off now to George Washington Carver National Monument with the kids. I think we are late. Blogging takes so long.

Pecan Pie

Hurray, I made 2 pies this month so you get another divine pie recipe.




This is one of our family favorites and usually only appears on Thanks Giving Day. However, it was Bryan's birthday this week and I decided to make him pie instead of cake. He loves this pie and really hates rhubarb. He kinda wanted to know why I was making pies that he hates. (because I love them hee hee). So in honor of his birthday I made HIS kind of pie and it is to die for.
Here are my thoughts on pecan pie. I do really like it for the flavor but the traditional pecan pie is so rich, sticky, and sweet that I can't eat more than a bite. This pie does not have corn syrup and other stuff so it is less sticky and sweet. It is rich though and a tiny slice is plenty. (unless you are a big pig and it is your birthday, hee hee). This recipe is actually a chess pie made with eggs, sugar, and flour. I love how the flavors blend together. I will be posting some more chess pies this year. There is a raisin recipe I have that can put you in a sugar coma. I love it!

Pecan Pie or (Heirloom Chess Pie)
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup cream
2 cups chopped nuts

Cream butter.Add sugars and salt.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.Do not over cook.

You can substitute just about any nut in this recipe. My sister Jeanne makes this with black walnuts sometimes. It is so delicious. My favorite Thanks Giving memories are of me, my mom and my sisters sitting at the table after all the guys have passed out. We take a plate and nibble on tiny slices of our favorite pies and talk and laugh a lot. It is really good times.

Ham n' Spinach Crepes

We made up this recipe at Prairie Hen Day today.

Crepes:
2 Cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
1 Tbsp oil
1 pinch salt
Mix well. Let set for about 20-30 minutes and cook in a skillet.

White Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 Cups Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in pan add flour and cook for a minute or two. Add the milk a little at a time and mix well after each addition. It will start off looking like play dough and will thin out with each addition of milk. This way won't give you lumps.

Filling:
Chopped ham
Chopped cooked and drained spinach
Chopped chives
Fresh basil (optional)
Grated cheese (white cheese is best, Swiss, mozzarella, or what ever you have)

To prepare:
Mix half of the white sauce with the ham, chives, and spinach.
Spoon about 2 Tbsp into the center of a crepe, top with cheese. Roll up. Serve with extra white sauce and chives and fresh basil leaves if you have them.

Rhubarb - Orange Custard Pie

I don't know if Rhubarb Pie is an acquired taste but this one is the only recipe I will eat.
This is my mom's recipe and it holds some of my very fondest memories. As a little girl I was allergic to Rhubarb and would break out in hives if I ate it. I knew this would happen but I couldn't resist snitching some of this pie. It is that good. Tangy, sweet, sour, and buttery. It does everything you need a pie to do!
I have been craving this pie for months but there is sadly no Rhubarb to be found right here, not even frozen rhubarb. So my little brother Jon said that he could get some up in central Missouri and that he would bring some when he came again. HE DID! THANK YOU JON! So I made pie.

Mom's Rhubarb - Orange Custard Pie

1 Pie crust
3 eggs separated
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups rhubarb cut in 1/2 inch slices
1/3 cup chopped pecans

• Beat egg whites until stiff; add 1/4 cup sugar gradually, beat well after each addition.
• Add butter and juice concentrate to egg yolks and beat thoroughly. Add remaining 1 cup sugar, flour and salt; beat well.
• Add rhubarb to yolk mixture; stir well. Gently fold in meringue (egg whites). Pour into pastry-lined 9" pie pan. (make high fluted rim) Sprinkle with nuts.
• Bake at 375 deg F 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 deg F and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Cool.

Here is a seal of approval.

My Nephew James couldn't get enough of it. It was good enough to lick the spoon when you are done!

The Zina B Dress

I have been working on this dress off and on for about 6 months now. I keep making changes, hanging it up, coming back to it, adjusting things here and there.
Here is where the dress stands now.

I finally got someone that could model it for me too. It fits me but looks better on Clara. :o)

It is called the Zina B because when my mother saw it for the first time it reminded her of the dress her grandmother Zina B Cannon wore all the time. She said that Zina had it made in several bright cottons and that it also had a white collar. I am thinking of adding that to a future version.
Anyway, here are some more pictures of it. I also made an under dress to keep it modest. hee hee.




Here is one of the earliest versions I worked up last winter.

Spider Friends

My son Joe has been working really hard cleaning up the wood piles in our yard betting ready for my mom's new house.
I have been very worried about what "friends" he might find. There are so many snakes this year and I didn't want him to find any copper heads.

Well this is the friend Joe found.

That is the bottom of a wide mouth pint canning jar. The spider still gives me shivers.

Joe took the camera and took the pictures himself. He took the spider outside to take the pictures and brought back an empty jar. I asked him if he squished it and he looked shocked. Of course not. He took it to the woods and let it go.

Caroline-a in the Lolita

Miss Caroline turns 9 tomorrow. In honor of her birthday I gave her a Lolita apron that I was honored to get to test the pattern. I just love how festive this apron looks. The pattern should be showing up very soon for public sale at Sew Liberated.

Retro Day

Our quilt guild, The Newtonia Battlefield Quilters held a mini retreat today. It was called Retro Day. The theme of the day was projects from the 1930's and 40's.
There was a gorgeous table runner with a wonderful vine and flowers made from 30's fabrics. There was a really fast and simple quilt made from 30's fabrics too. Of course I was too dumb to take pictures.
The other project just so happened to be an apron pattern made from vintage apron from the 1930's taught by yours truly. It was so cute and yes I took pictures. Each lady took her own spin on the apron.

These are four of the sweetest ladies I know. It was so much fun working with them today. There were several others there today too but they didn't get to making the apron.

We also had to bring our finished blocks for this year's raffle quilt that we sell chances for to make money for the guild to fund things like our Project Linus quilts and quilts we give to our community members when there is a need. (several went out with the tornado we had here and we will be making several more to donate.)

Aren't they gorgeous! I am so excited about this year's quilt. I love 30's fabrics.

My Sassy Summer Apron Attempt

Ok I am just squeaking in here with my Summer Sassy Apron for the Swap. It was a bit of a challenge and of course I couldn't just buy a pattern and make an apron. I and to try designing things and that always has fudge factor and I didn't make a muslin mock up this time. (like I ever do).



I had to have something that screamed summer and my partner likes bright colours (hint) and wanted something modern in the fabric. (I used a new line - to me at least).



Sorry but my little lady doesn't have a back so the picture is a little lumpy. I made bias trim out of the yellow to go around the back, pockets, and hem. The ties are short and should reach around my skinny partner.

I posted it at the post office today with global priority (hint) so if you life out of the US and you haven't got your package and you are skinny and like bright colours, this apron just might be yours. Hee Hee.
I hope my partner likes it and that it fits. It is very hard for Chubby Chikas to make things to fit the skinny chickens.

Jill's Sweet Potato Buns

Sorry Jill but the picture was just too funny. I didn't realize you were standing behind the buns when I snapped the picture. Honest.

OK Jill came over to my house and helped watch my kids while I had to run into Neosho with Bryan for an appointment. THANK YOU!!
I told her to make herself at home and that she could cook up anything she wanted to in the fridge. Well that is never a mistake when miss Jill is in your kitchen. She dug up an old favorite cookbook and made me the yummiest buns! She found a baked sweet potato in the fridge and added it to the recipe. It added so much nutrition to the bread and made them such a wonderful golden color.

Jill's Sweet Potato Buns

2 cups milk scalded
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar (could use honey)
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp yeast softened in 1/2 cup warm water
10 or so cups of flour (white, whole wheat or a mix)
1 large baked sweet potato mashed up

1. Mix the milk, butter and sugar to melt the butter. Cool.
2. Add the yeast, eggs, salt, sweet potato and half the flour. Mix well.
3. Add the rest of the flour a bit at a time and kneed in until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Kneed about 1o minutes or so.
4. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel and let rise for about an hour. Punch down.
5. Form into balls and place on a butter pan. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 20 minutes.
6. Bake at 375 Deg F. for about 20-25 minutes It depends on how big your buns are. They may need a bit more time.

May PPP - Cheese Pie

OK so I wanted to do Rhubarb pie this month but I can't get my hands on any Rhubarb so I settled for a cheese pie. It is SO good!



I got the original recipe from my Fabulous Niece Rebecca of Marvelous Pigs in Satin. You MUST check out her blog. I have changed the recipe just a tiny bit but will include the original information.

Rebecca's Cheese Pie
(healthful Cheesecake)

Crust:
1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
Mix together well in a food processor and pat into the bottom of a large pie pan.

Filling:
2 cups yogurt cheese **
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F.
2. Mix Sugar, cheese, sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and yolks well.
3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, add sugar and beat till glossy peaks form.
4. Fold egg whites into filling mixture and pour into pie pan.
5. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes to one hour. Cool and serve.

Sauce

2 cups berries (strawberries or I like raspberries)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp corn starch
Mix in a sauce pan and heat to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Cool and serve.



**
The original recipe called for
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup yogurt

Rebecca said she has also used:
1 1/2 cups cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream

You get yogurt cheese by straining yogurt for a while. I have tried this with store bought yogurt and it didn't really work. I tried it with home made yogurt and it works very quickly. In about an hour hour have nice thick yogurt cheese that looks a lot like Ricotta cheese.

How to you make yogurt??
You heat some milk to 120 deg F. You add a couple of heaping spoonfuls of plain yogurt to it and mix in well. I use 2 quarts of milk at a time and like that.
Then you put it into a small ice chest. I pour boiling hot water in there first and then drain it out. That heats up your box. I put towels around the jar to keep it warmer. Then you let it sit for 12 hour or over night. Then have lovely homemade yogurt to eat. It is a little watery compared to store bought but tastes better and you can strain it for a little while and thicken it up that way.

The Sassy Apron Pattern

I am so proud and excited to announce that my very first apron pattern is finished and ready for sale.

The Sassy Apron Pattern was inspired by a sassy little apron found at a rural Missouri flea market. It was such a happy sweet little apron that I quickly duplicated it and started making several of them.
A local quilt store contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to whip up an apron pattern that they could use for the local chapter of the Sassy Apron Swap right here where I live. So with the help my three of my very talented nieces, I am happy to at last be able to offer up this Sassy little pattern for you.
The pattern will be going on sale this Saturday at my Sexy Apron Day, and My Little Byrd Nest Etsy shops. It will hit the quilt store on Friday.

The Sassy Apron Pattern is on sale for $8.95 (special introductory price) till June 1st.

Apron Angels

Many of you are aware of my Apron Swaps I do. At the end of them I have been asked by some very wonderful participants if Apron Angels were needed to send off aprons to swappers that didn't get an apron for whatever reason.
The term Apron Angels has stuck in my head and after recent events in my community I would like to make a call out to My Apron Angels.
Just over a week ago on May 10th an F5 tornado and a few little ones as well, ripped through my community here in South West Missouri. Many lives were affected. We were fortunate to be unharmed. The tornado that wiped out the little town of Newtonia, missed us by only a mile.
The Monday after the storms I brought some bread and a pink apron to one of my friends hit by the storm. I was touched by how much the apron seemed to mean to her. The event got me thinking and I mentioned it to a couple of my Apronista friends and a plan was hatched.
I decided to make the call out to all my aproning friends around the country (if not globe) to send aprons to the women affected by this tornado. A couple of friends of mine in the community have offered to help distribute the aprons to the people affected.
Some of these women lost everything they had, other have had their live altered drastically and are trying to deal with the chaos that follows this kind of destruction both physically and emotionally.
We would like to send a message of love and encouragement with these aprons.
Aprons my be a simple bit of cloth and ruffle but they carry so much power with them. They are the uniform we choose to wear to serve and protect our loved ones. They are a message from our post and a hope for our future. They have the power to lift our spirits to remind us of happy times.
If you would like to be an Apron Angel and send a message of love and hope to these women, please contact me at byrdhouse1(at)windstream(dot)net. We will collect aprons here for several weeks and get them sent out to people as they come in. It would be nice if you could include a small note for your recipient.
Our goal right now is to collect about 100 aprons. I know there were more than this many affected but it is a start. We can use aprons from size 4-6 to 3-4XL.