The "Tricks" on Me and the "Treats" on Her!

"But my God shall supply all your need......"

Philippians 4:19

While visiting over at Blissful Elements the other day I came across a piece of art that Kris did and I knew it would be a perfect gift for someone on my Christmas list. I contacted her to see if it was for sale but sadly it was not. So I had an idea that if she would let me use her graphic that I could make a creation of my own for the gift. So I asked her if I could use her graphic and the sweetheart sent me not one but two! Well, I felt a little like a dope at this point when I read down further in her blog that this graphic was a part of a CD that she sells! I was a little embarrassed at asking her for its use and not sure what to do, so I decided that I would contact her again and send her a nice little thank you gift for her generosity. She said that it was not necessary but how about we do a Halloween Swap and I readily agreed.

I have to tell you that the "trick" was on me at this point. Oh dear, I don't do Halloween crafts and decor and I didn't have any or at least many supplies to use for such a project. I should have thought of that before I said OK! She told me a few things she would send in the swap and I panicked, what was I going to send in return?

I found myself scrambling around my studio space digging in cupboards and bins for anything that resembled this holiday's colors. I found a bag of feathers that had a few orange and black ones in it. I did have some card stock, some bits of yarn, ribbon, and trims, and some tissue paper and little brown bags that I often use to make up quick gift bags. I also remembered a graphics program I have that would provide me with some images to use.

I tell her a few of the items that I will send along with some surprise goodies, ( I must confess even I did not know at this point what the "surprise" goodies would be, they would be a surprise for me too!). So I set off on my crafting journey with what little I had to work with still feeling I needed something more. I paid a visit to my mail box, (I do this for procrastination purposes, it's quite the hike out to the road and back and helps to clear the cobwebs from my brain). Divine intervention had smiled upon me. What to my wondering eyes should appear but a package of complimentary scrapbook items in the theme of Halloween cheer!

I fairly floated back up the drive counting my blessings that I now had what I needed to do what I said I would. I left procrastination at the door mat where I wiped my feet and tripped lightly down the hall to the task at hand and I feel it was a success because what I needed was supplied when I needed it. While working on the promised projects, I was thinking how this little crafting adventure was just another life lesson for me.

I often feel totally unequipped for a task that I have made a commitment to when I don't feel I have the ability or supplies to carry it out, yet I know it is the right thing for me to do. I might have bits and pieces of ability, talent, skills, or knowledge, but it is not quite enough for the task at hand. This can cause me to lapse into procrastination mode. I forget that I am relying upon my own abilities and trying to scramble around and supply my own needs when I have a divine supplier ready, willing, and able to give me what I need at the moment I need it. This always takes me by surprise just like the supplies in my mail box, they were not there until I had a need. These supplies not only met my current need but they were a blessing to someone else.

I continued on my crafting journey and found it fulfilling, fun, and satisfying, with a dose of excitement building up at being able to gift someone else with my divine supplies. This is how it works, the more we lean on Him and the less we rely on ourselves and our abilities the more joy the journey takes on. When we are out of our comfort zone, as I was with this project, it is often the time we soar and find great fulfillment, satisfaction, and yes even fun in what we are doing.

Don't peek Kris, the "treat" is on you, below are the blessing I wish to bestow upon you, enjoy!

Dear readers, I wish to bless you also, so here is the recipe I sent Kris and the instructions for the little pumpkin sweet treats, enjoy!

CREAMY PUMPKIN FUDGE:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoons salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 package (12 ounces) vanilla baking chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I prefer pecans)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil over 2 sides of pan; grease foil. Butter sides of a heavy saucepan. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat; boil 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows and chip, stir until melted. pour into prepared pan. Chill until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.Yields: about 4 dozen pieces of fudge (4 gifts)

PUMPKIN SWEETS:

For these little pumpkin sweets you will need:

Mini Reeses Peanut-butter cups

Orange crepe paper

Green and brown chenille stems

Cut crepe paper into 5-inch squares. In the center of each square place a mini peanut-butter cup and turn another on upside down on top of it. Gather the crepe paper up around the candy and twist. Use a brown chenille stem and twist around gathered paper at the top to form a stem and clip excess away. Using 1/2 of a green chenille stem, twirl it around a small object like a bamboo skewer, dowel, paintbrush handle, etc. to create curls. Twist curls around brown stem base to create a vine effect.

Wishing each of you dear readers joy for your journey, divine supply for your needs each day, a renewed excitement for you calling, satisfaction and fulfillment in that call, and a renewed sense of fun as you become a blessing to those around you.

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

Photos: Halloween swap goodie for Kris: Gift bags, tags, and tissue paper; Recipe for Pumpkin fudge to enclose in the bags; a Halloween themed quilted pop-up ATC and envelope, Halloween cards and envelopes, some tags, and some little pumpkin sweet treats, all enclosed in a black box.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, A Flea Marketing I Did Go!

"Je I'ai tonjours dit et senti, la v'eritable jouissance ne se de'crit point."

"I have always said and felt that true enjoyment can not be described."
Rousseau - Confessions VIII

I did a little Flea Market shopping yesterday as I had a free afternoon. I love Flea Marketing, it gives me a pleasure I cannot describe to go poking around in old stuff. I prefer old things to new things. I like the character, history, and often the uniqueness of the things I find and use. My mother-in-law, who is now deceased, never understood this about me, she used to say, "Been there, had that, and hated it!" She only bought new things with the one exception of a glassware collection of green Fostoria and pressed glass. I have one of her cups and saucers from her collection and it sits by its flea market companions and they get along quite nicely. Every time I look at it or use it I think of her fondly. Yes, I am one of those people who uses my stuff! My little Flea Market foray was inspired by a visit to Chez Fifi the other day. If you have ever met Fifi you know she is the queen of bling and her chosen palette includes what else, but pink!, with lots of aqua, and metallic finishes, topped off with glittering jewels and glamorous luster. You must visit her and see what she is doing with her non-traditional Autumnal decor. I took a cue from Fifi and decided to ditch the dark rich colors, which I do love and to look for some things for my dining nook to use for Autumn decor that would keep within a softer color scheme rather than the rich strong traditional Autumn colors which don't work so well in my home. I also wanted to keep the decor within a floral scheme mixed in with traditional elements. So I set off with an open mind where at my first stop I found the inspiration piece for my little nook, this pair of vintage drapes for $3.75. Since I only have one very large window, the one pair are perfect for flanking the sides.I loved the soft colors and that they are floral. I want to use the harvest gold, acidic green, butter yellow, and soft peachy pumpkin color for my Autumn palette. One drape has a small vertical slit across it close to the bottom. I will visit the fabric store tomorrow and hope to find a piece of velvet and some trim to sew across the bottom of the curtains and I may make a center valance to put between the panels.

Another find I got were these little pumpkin mugs and leaf saucers. I got all eight plus a big o'l ugly ceramic tray for $2.35. (I begged the lady to keep the tray but she laughed and said, "No deal! It's a conversation piece anywayThe strange thing is that I don't usually go for theme type items but I really liked these and they matched the soft peachy pumpkin color in the drapes. I can imagine serving a warm rich creamy Pumpkin Soup or a Pumpkin Custard in these or maybe a cup of coffee flavored with pumpkin Pie Coffee Creamer (this spicy mix would make a great gift!) or better yet a spicy Pumpkin Pie Latte topped off with whipped cream and sprinkle of spices, yum! (See recipes at the end of this post, enjoy!) Maybe they will hold little pumpkin scented votive candles and illumine each place setting or they may hold little bouquet's of mums and a place card for each setting. Who knows, the possibilities are endless. This brings me to my number one Flea Marketing rule, I rarely buy an item unless I can think of three uses for it, I also rarely come home without an item (I can get really creative if I really want something!)
These little pumpkin cups and leaf shaped saucers also came with a story and I like a good story. These were made by the booth owner's Grandmother. When her Grandmother was 89 years old and she decided to take a ceramics class and these were a part of the things she made in the class. She passed away recently and she had an over abundance of these type items. The family had taken all they wanted and the rest were being sold. The granddaughter told me that her Grandmother was a spry little lady with a quick wit and an intense interest in trying new things. So they seemed special to me that they were made by the hands of sweet dear little lady who took an active interest in life and learning.
I also purchased this little sewing box for $3.50. I have a couple of these in different colors and I like to use them in my studio space and bedroom for storage. This one is a little lumpy and bumpy and a bit saggy with age (aren't we all!) but still useful. I may use this one as part of my Autumnal table as a base for a center piece.I got this wooden wall box with all its cute little cubbies for $8.00! I love the color and each cubby is the perfect size for holding CD's. I plan to use it in my studio space for holding my photo CD's and to display some of my handmade mini books or maybe in my writing cottage for displaying some of my shells and photos from my travels, I'll see where it fits best.
I picked up these darling little spoons and their wooden holder for $3.00, (hate the holder so I think I will paint it), that I plan to use them as jam spoons when serving brunch.













And last but not least I got this little vintage oval framed cupid photo.

She has a copyright date of 1897, by M. B. Parkinson at the bottom of the picture. This is one of a set entitled, "Cupid Awake and Asleep" and is in mint condition. The frame is a wood effect painted metal frame measuring 8.5 c.m. x 6.5 c.m. The print is in the sought after sepia tones with cheeks and hair hand tinted, under the original wavy glass.

Little is known about M. B. Parkinson, a New York photographer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He formed the Parkinson Art Co. in the early 20th century and a few years later sold the rights for the "Cupid Awake and Asleep" to Taber Printing Company.
The model for this photo was Josephine Anderson, the daughter of one of his friends. She was four years old when this photo was taken and she modeled for him for many years. Some of the photos are in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. The later prints of Josephine are also very sought after collectibles. She died in the 1970's.

Isn't she a doll! She was a purchase of heart. Here is where my number one Flea Marketing rule fails, when the heart gets involved. I saw her and she immediately won my heart, after all is that not her job? I have no idea where she will reside but I knew she was mine! She was a bargain at $4.95! Now that I know she is part of a set I will pursue reuniting her with her little sleeping companion.

I hope you enjoyed my bargains, I will post pictures of the before and after dinning nook when I get it finished this weekend. My original intent after finding the drapes was finding eight salad plates in the drapery colors to use in a mix and match table setting along with my some of my off white dishes, and possibly some place mats, napkins, or a table cloth. I guess this means another shopping spree!

RECIPES:

SIMPLE PUMPKIN SOUP
1/2 cup onion
3 Tablespoons butter
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or fat free half and half

Chop the onion and gently brown with butter in a pan. Put mashed pumpkin with onion in a sauce pan. Add salt, sugar, nutmeg, and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth and heat thoroughly, but do not boil. To serve pour into a tureen and add the cream. Makes 4 to 6 small servings


PUMPKIN CUSTARD
2 cups pumpkin or cooked yams
2 eggs
1/4 cup Bisquick
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 large can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey

Assemble ingredients in electric blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into custard cups that will fit into a large baking pan. Fill bottom of baking pan with 1/2 to 1 inch of hot water and bake at 350 degrees until a knife inserted in the center of the fullest one comes out clean. This will take in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. Cool. This can be served with a rich milk or is delicious with a side of vanilla ice cream.


PUMPKIN PIE COFFEE CREAMER
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon all spice
1 cup non-dairy creamer

Combine all ingredients well and store in an airtight container.

This mix can be packaged and would make a great gift. I have sealed it in small zip bags and put it in small burlap bags that I stitched up and tied the top off with a bit of raffia and a silk autumn flower, and using a simple pre-made tag from the office supply store and a rubber stamp to create a sweet and spicy treat for adults at Halloween.


PUMPKIN PIE LATTE RECIPE
1 Tablespoon canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup strong coffee or 1/4 cup espresso

In sauce pan, heat milk and pumpkin until steaming. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Put mixture in blender and blend for 15 to 20 seconds until thick and foamy. Pour into tall glass and add coffee or espresso. Add a dollop of whipped cream and top with a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or ground nutmeg and savor the flavor! Makes 1 serving.

Thank You!

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which

springs from the soul; and the heart of man

knoweth none more fragrant."

Hosea Ballou - MS. Sermons

WOW! That is all I have to say as I have been rendered speechless and this NEVER happens to me! I am honored, humbled, and awed over the welcoming response I have had to the blogging community. It is with sincerest gratitude that I thank you for making me feel welcome but more than that I am honored by your gift of time. Every time we visit one another we are giving the gift of time. We live in such a busy world with packed schedules and our time is often a precious commodity. I can think of no better way to gift our time than to spend it with others building relationships, thank you for gifting me with yours.

Warmest Regards,

Miss Sandy

No Comments allowed for this post, thank you.

PHOTO: A Wildflower Bouquet made for a friend's daughter's wedding (1 of 22!)

Hannah Time, Part 2

I now had my Grandmother name, I am Hannah!

1 Samuel 1:27 was my answer,

"For this child I have prayed, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him."

I then wrote my beautiful boy a poem or a lifetime prayer and explanation of how I became his Hannah. I tucked these words away until his first birthday approached and then pulled them out and complied them in a scrapbook along with various photos of his first year of life and gave them to him as a gift. This is my legacy to my beloved boy:

"Some day, dear grandson, you may read these words in my journal. Please know that they are divinely inspired as I thought upon you while holding you snuggled in my arms. You were, are, and always will be wrapped in great love. What I want for you more than anything else in this life is to know the love of God, to make right choices in life, and to grow up to be a good man who knows, loves, and serves God. You are only eight weeks old as I pen these words. I have yet to pick out my "Grandmother" name.

Today as I reread what was written many months ago I have decided to be your Hannah. It may seem strange to some that I have not chosen a typical term of endearment. I do not care that this is unconventional or what others think, nor should you. Always remember that it is God's opinion of us that matters the most. It came to me as I was writing this that I did have much in common with Hannah. Dear Grandson, I prayed for you before you ever came into being. 1 Samuel 1:27 says, "For this child I have prayed, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him." You are an answered prayer, our gift from God, and I AM your Hannah. My heart greatly rejoices in the Lord that He has lent you to us. I pray this poem will be a warm blanket for your life - covering and comforting you for all your ordained days. May these words warm you with love. May they wrap around you and shield you from the harshness this life sometimes has to offer. May they enfold you in a gentle embrace that reminds you of your Hannah's hugs. I love you, my beautiful boy. God made you, Jesus loves you, and I love you too!

Gorgeous Grandson's Prayer:

A man this child will be some day,

Oh Father, how I feel the need to pray!

In Scripture there is a time and place,

For every thing upon earth's face.

Can this sweet one be,

Divinely watched over by Thee?

And Father, please guard him well,

Teach him Your Word to tell.

Help him when he does not feel strong,

Correct and teach him right from wrong.

Fill his dreams and direct his days,

To be full of prayer and praise!

Make him a mighty man of valor,

Who divinely follows Your plans each day and hour.

Make him quick to understand,

Bless him with kind, giving, and helpful hands.

Let him faithfully study and learn Your Word,

Applying and obeying all he has heard.

Oh Father, let him be a man of prayer,

Turning to You for his every need and care.

Bless him with wisdom beyond his years,

Quiet his heart and calm his fears.

Help him to run this life's race,

At his own God-driven pace.

May he be quick to listen, learn, and grasp,

All that You teach him, all that You ask.

`O Lord, let him always readily obey,

Help him to act without delay.

Bless him to be a man after Your own heart,

From Your teachings may he never depart.

Lord, bless and keep him by Your grace,

May his life bring You great joy and a smile to Your face.

This is the story of who Hannah is, with whom and how she loves to spend her time!
Blessings,
Miss Sandy AKA Hannah

Photo: Page from a vintage soft paged baby book

Hannah Time!

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow,

For babies grow up we have learned to our sorrow,

So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep

For I'm rocking my baby for babies don't keep!"

Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Dear Readers, there will be no more Give Away peeks until sometime next week. This weekend I will be putting in a little Hannah time. You may be wondering who is this Hannah and how does she and with whom does she spend her time. I am Hannah, this is my Grandmother name, and I will be spending time with gorgeous grandson this weekend! He is so adorable at 16 months old and he is coming for his first overnight visit to Hannah's house. His mommy and daddy are celebrating their 6th Wedding Anniversary and I get the baby!

I remember well the day we got the news that we were going to be grandparents, I was thrilled beyond measure. Let me rewind a little bit here. Previously my daughter-in-love and number one son came over to talk to us. Unbeknown to us they had been trying to conceive for a year and there was a possibility that due to an illness and its treatment when daughter-in-love was very young that she may never be able to have a child or her chances may have been greatly reduced. Bewildered by this news we put matters in the only place you can put such matters and that was in the hands of the Creator. We began to pray as a family for a child.

Fast forward several months later, daughter-in-love is scheduled to try the fertility route, her appointment is set, and we anxiously await the outcome. She never made the appointment because there was no need to, our prayers were answered, we were having a baby! Her pregnancy and birth were both ideal.

Now when we found out this news I found out some bewildering news at the same time, you have to have Grandmother name! Did you know that it is all the rage to have a "designer" Grandmother name? Every single person I encountered asked two questions, "When is the baby due?" and "What will you be called?" I was just puzzled by this second question, didn't they just call you something when they could speak? I never really gave it much thought until then, in my family all the grandmothers were called "Granny + whatever their last name was" and that is how you kept them straight. Was this incorrect? Had I been doing it wrong all these years? Had I in some way done a great disservice to my beloved grandmothers by not giving them unique and designer names? I thought I'd better look into this matter.

Did you know that there are Oma's, Nonnie's, Nannie's, Nan's, Nana's, Gigi's, G'ma's, Tutu's, Granna's, Ya-Ya's, Mimi's, Nonna's, Mawmaw's, Grammie's, and Baba's out there? The list must be endless if you were to include foreign words for grandmother, the ones I just listed are from people I actually know, can you just imagine what must be out there? I was a little bewildered by it all and the closer the due date got the more pressured I was feeling to make a choice. Here were some of my top choices: teasingly I thought of "Grandsandy", doesn't that just sound like the matriarch of a family (must have been on a little power trip when I thought of that one). I am always doing silly stuff and refer to myself as a silly goose, so just having returned from a trip to Hawaii and seeing signs all over the place to watch out for the Nene, (goose or geese), I thought of "Mother Nene", (Mother Goose). Then I thought I might like "Mimi", sounded sweet and easy to say but discarded it because it was too close to mama. Here I hit a road block and began sweating bullets, this was about to be a tragedy in epic proportions, the baby was just going to look at me and never know who I was because the poor little dear would have no way to identify me!

Well, as babies have a tendency of doing, he came and I still had no name. Six months into the Grandmother journey and still I had no name ( I was beginning to feel like that old song about being a horse with no name wandering in the desert!). Well desperate times call for desperate measures, we made a list of names on slips of paper and put them in a pencil holder and let gorgeous grandson dip his little hand inside and clutch a slip and choose for himself. Problem was I let my daughter write out the names and I don't remember exactly what crazy version of Grandmother she picked but I decided that was not going be it!

So I decided to do what I should have done in the first place and pray and wait and let the name be revealed to me and it was, through my own writing in a journal entry I had made when gorgeous grandson was six weeks old. Divine inspiration there is nothing like it! I came across this entry as I was (still am) sifting through eleven years worth of writing trying to organize it in some manner when I read the following entry and it dawned on me in that moment who I was:

"Father, thank you for the time I got to spend with gorgeous grandson yesterday. Thank You for letting me be rewarded with joy at seeing his smile and for hearing him coo. Thank You that he is whole, healthy, and happy. Thank You for the way he feels in my arms or snuggled curled up sleeping with his little head resting on my shoulder, his soft baby breath brushing my cheek. I love hearing his tiny contented sighs.

As I held him yesterday I just felt such an urge to pray for him. I just held him, breathing in his sweet baby scent and exhaling praises and petitions to heaven for his character, his behavior, his soul, and his service to the kingdom of God. It was such a sweet and holy moment. It was as if we were in the very presence of God and angels. I prayed for health and protection, as well as divine correction in his life.

The sweet Holy Spirit and the heavenly hosts stood quite near us filling us with divine and wonderful love. I spoke blessings upon him and affirmed him with my love as well as telling him how precious he was to God. It was the best and most holy thing I could have done with my day. For this child I prayed. Thank You, Father, for the opportunity."

I was Hannah! I remembered the Scripture prayer that I continually prayed for my daughter-in-love to conceive, Hannah's prayer! Hannah was a woman who for years had desperately wanted a child, she felt tormented at seeing others with children. She petitioned the Lord to open her womb as she was becoming bitter and depressed over her inability to conceive. She wept and prayed and asked the Lord Almighty to look upon her misery and to remember her and to give her a son. She kept on praying, she prayed in her heart silently moving her lips admitting that she was a woman who was deeply troubled over her barrenness. She poured her soul out the the Lord, she prayed out her anguish and grief, and she walked away from the encounter no longer downcast. Hannah had surrendered her desire for a child into the only hands that could make a difference. I think in my heart that at that moment of surrender Hannah had come to terms with her condition and accepted whatever the outcome would be. We had to do the same in our family knowing the physical limitations and circumstances we may never have had a biological grandchild. Our results could have been very different and for many they are. My heart goes out to those who still struggle with infertility but I hope in some small way this story will offer a little hope or at least a path to peace for what we have no control over. Hannah made a choice when she walked away after petitioning the Lord, to be bitter or to be better. She chose to be better, Scripture says that when she walked away "her countenance was lifted." I pray those who may be struggling with this heart wrenching situation will choose "better" and be guarded from the poison of bitterness. May the Lord grant you your petition or at the very least peace.

I am choosing to pause in this post, as there is more to this story, out of reverence, compassion, and a need to stop and pray for those who need a "Hannah" miracle in their life.

To be continued....Part 2

On My Knees,
Miss Sandy

Photo: Hannah's hand blessing gorgeous grandson

More Give Away "Goodies"

A SUMMER LUNCHEON

Daisy Dip

Marigold Madness

Dandelion Souffle'

Tossed Leaves

Putty Fours

Iced Rainspout Tea

Suggested Menu from Mud Pies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow

Well, yesterday I tucked my babies, my Mother Goose ATC's, into their little envelope beds, wrapped them tight, and sent them on their way to Lenna over at Creative Swaps for adoption. Here is a peek at their little "blanket" envelopes and the next sneak peek at the "goodies" for the Give Away.

These little Fairy Tale creations were so fun to make and so childlike that they brought another wonderful book memory from my childhood. Saturday afternoons were greatly anticipated by me. I knew as soon as Mother and I completed chores that we would head to the public library. I remember when I got my first library card with my very own name on it! The only problem for me was that they assigned books limits according to age and when I got my first card I could only check out three books, now this was an utter tragedy for an early reader such as I was. Then at long last came the anticipated day - I was finally old enough to upgrade my card and I could get ten whole books!

I would just spend hours browsing all those books, reading all the titles and touching the spines. I loved the smell of all those books and the quiet rustle of pages turning, I even loved the stern Librarian who shushed you for the slighted infraction. Bless her heart she was most patient with my constant inquiries and she helped me decide on that tenth book oh so many times. She too was a great story reader and I loved it when she did story time once a month. I thought she must be the luckiest person in world to live in the library. Well, I thought she lived there, because I overheard her say one time, in what I now realize was just a snip of conversation, that, "Yes, she lived here." I think she meant in that city NOT in the library. I did wonder at the time where she slept and I envied her bedtime reading choices.

I think I must have held the record for the most renewed book by the same child in the entire library system. It was entitled: "Mud Pies and Other Recipes" by Marjorie Winslow. This book was my introduction to the world of cooking. It was no ordinary cookbook, it was a magical cookbook to an only child who often only had her dolls to play with, it was a cookbook for dolls!

Here, I ask you to indulge me, I can't possibly leave out a word of the introduction about this delightful treasure that kept me happily occupied much to Mother's relief. This is the description on the book jacket: "This is an outdoor cookbook. Not many supermarkets are as well stocked as a forest or a sand dune or a back yard . The sea makes a nice sink and so does a puddle at the end of a hose. Recipes are included for such delicacies as Tossed Leaves, Bark Sandwich, Daisy Dip, and Honeysuckle Wine. Very young homemakers are instructed to take pains in preparation and serve with a flourish. All dolls who love the sweet feel of seaweed on the tongue and the crunch of pine needles will be welcome guests."

The Foreword continues, "This is a cookbook for dolls. It is written for kind climates and summertime. It is an outdoor cookbook, because dolls dote on mud, when properly prepared.....You can use a tree stump for a counter.....For a stove there is the sun, or a flat stone. And ovens are everywhere. You'll find them under bushes, in sandboxes or behind trees.....Doll cookery is not a very exacting art. The time it takes to cook a casserole depends upon how long your dolls are able to sit at the table without falling over. And if a recipe calls for something, you can use a measuring cup or a tea cup or a buttercup. It doesn't much matter. What does matter is that you select the best ingredients available, set a fine table, and serve with style."
This darling little book had recipes for Appetizers, Soups, Salads and Sandwiches, Main Dishes, Pastries and Desserts, Beverages, and even Suggested Menus. THIS is where I learned to become a gourmet mud pie cook! The recipes are hilarious, my two favorites were Seesaw Salad and Dolly Pops (a rare delicacy when in season). Please humor me once more as I simply must give you these recipes.







SEESAW SALAD:
First you have to follow the recipe for TOSSED LEAVES: Gather enough green leaves to fill a big bowl. Sprinkle with white sand and freshly ground dust, season with minced grass, moisten with a few squirts of water from a squirt gun, add a pinch of crushed dried leaves, a fist full of pine needles and any red or blue berries from a bush you can find, and toss in some little pine cones. Sprinkle all over with a generous amount of sawdust, then turn the hose nozzle to a fine spray and wave it twice over the bowl. Arrange yourself on a seesaw with the bowl in front of you and a friend at the other end. Toss the salad this way as long as it is fun, or until well blended. Serve on large plates. (This just makes me laugh at the memories it conjures up! Can you believe I actually asked my step-dad to saw something one time just so I could have some saw dust for this recipe?)

DOLLY POPS
Pick a dandelion from the lawn carefully, so as not to disturb the fluff. Hand it to your doll and tell her to lick. (I tried this one myself one time and spit fluff for an hour afterward!)

Once I got my grubby little hands (and trust me this mud pie business is a grubby little business) on this book I was hooked into becoming the hostess with the mostest! (Yes, my two dear friends P.H. & S.B., THIS is where I learned my Martha Stewart skills!) Mother took me to a local five and dime store called Sterling's and bought me a little tin set of doll sized bake ware. Now I had a real oven, no bush for me, we had a charcoal barbecue grill with a half hood and adjustable rack and it was on wheels. I'd just haul that thing all over the backyard to the sunniest spot and that was my oven. I became very adept at substituting ingredients and my mud pies and mini muffins were always decorated with flowers, berries, and leaves.

I also had a little set of fabulous dishes that were white plastic with little pink roses on them that I used to set my table with. They were one of those huge box sets with all the extra goodies like silver plastic forks, knives and spoons, plates, cups, saucers, sugar bowl, creamer, and tea pot and tea tray, plus it served six! There were always fresh flowers(weeds) for my table and mother would on occasion let me cut some of her roses or gardenias. My grandmother gave me some old embroidered linens and beautiful floral hankies for table cloths and napkins. I occupied myself for literally hours on end with this carefully propped up cookbook.
I secretly wanted to soil it because I was warned continually that if I ruined the book we would have to buy it and I wanted to own it in the worst way, but alas, I was always a compliant and obedient child who had been taught to take care of things, especially if they were not your things. The much coveted book remained unsoiled and sadly I out grew the allure of it, until last year. I can't say exactly what made me think of this book at the time but I decided to try and track a copy down for myself and I found one, a first edition, with the same exact cover I remembered from my childhood. I ordered it and it sits atop a shelf on my writing desk facing forward where it makes me smile just to see it.

Now you may wonder how all this rambling down memory lane relates to the GIVE AWAY, well, this brings me to the next two items to go into the "goodie" box. In honor of happy memories, things that make me smile, and recapturing that childlike feeling and exuberance over something as simple as mud I am including in the box a new reprinted copy of this delightful volume. I wish it could be a hardbound original like mine but alas hubby might have heart failure if I purchase two such pricey items, but I guarantee it will make you smile and that is the true gift I want to be included in the box - a smile when you need one! Just pull out this little volume and read the ridiculous recipes or better yet, when no one is looking try one for yourself and recapture that joyful, playful, childlike spirit that we grownups so often forget we still have within us. If you feel silly slip slappin' in the mud alone, maybe you have a child in your life to share this little volume with, if not then just go out and borrow one and make some mother love you all the more for a little free time.

The second item for the "goodie" box is in loving memory of my beloved pink and white plastic china set. I found these darling little rose embellished butter pats in a bag of strange stuff, said bag was a steal at 50 cents! I scurried to the counter hoping the sticker still said 50 cents and not five dollars, yep, I was right, score! Would these not be great for serving mini cup cakes on or perhaps a favorite fancy chocolate or how about a gourmet cookie? Maybe you have a special little someone in your life that might enjoy a mini tea treat on these or you could just display them and let them remind you that it is OK to indulge on occasion, to allow yourself to have fun, laugh, and to not take this gift we have called life too seriously.Most of all I want these little gifts to be about what Scripture says is "good medicine"- having a merry heart. I can think of no hearts that are more merry than those of children. Having a merry heart means being joyful, offering fun, being festive, cheerful, and lively. Marjorie Winslow knew how to foster these things in her little daughters hearts by teaching them creative play. Can't you just imagine the exuberant giggles of glee as two little girls, along with their mother, created "gourmet" recipes in the backyard? These young homemakers "were instructed to take pains in preparation and serve with a flourish." To have a joyful heart we have to take pains in preparing our hearts to be joyful, which really is a choice. My prayer for you dear readers is that you would give joy in good measure to those around you and that in return it will be given back to you in good measure, pressed down, stirred together with fun, festivity, cheerfulness, liveliness, and overflowing, served with a flourish!

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

P.S. To sign up for the Give Away just leave your name in the comments section and see full details here. You may be wondering how I will select a winner, I am keeping a running list of those who sign up under the comments section of each Give Away post. I assign a number in the order of the date and time the comment was left and will use a random number generator to choose the winner. Number assignments will be posted on October 27, 2007 in a special post.

Photos: My 1st Edition copy of Mud Pies and Other Recipes; 2-7 ATC Envelopes; 8 Mud Pies, and yes I made them myself! 9 Dolly enjoying her mud pie; 10 Reprint of Mud Pies and Other Recipes for Give Away; 11 Vintage Butter Pats for Give Away; 12 Dolly and her guest enjoying cupcakes