It started on New Year’s Day when we planted the grapevine:
The results were pretty good for a new vine. We were pleasantly surprised to get a couple of bunches of grapes.
Then came the orchids - she read lots of books about orchids and spoke to a friend who was into orchids about them. The friend “donated” five orchids to the cause:
So far, they haven’t been that impressive - no blooms yet.
Smocking was something that she wanted to do because we have two girls that need to be dressed in beautiful clothes:
The results have been beautiful.
…and to further the smocking endeavor, she purchased a smocking pleater - it's kind of a scary looking device.
Finally after 15 years of feeble (and infrequent) attempts [Benita’s words], she has begun sewing and enjoying it. She has made several dresses for the girls and some baby outfits for a friend of hers.
The best thing (from this husband’s point of view) has been the grain mill and the freshly milled flour we get from it. A friend of Benita's lent her DVDs from The Bread Beckers, Inc. that explains the nutritional benefits of whole wheat. I did not personally watch the videos because I was a little skeptical of all the fuss about fresh milled flour. I haven’t been to the doctor or had any blood work done to see if there has been any benefit to my chemistry, but I have tasted the results. The bread is incredible; muffins, rolls and flatbreads are great also, but the bread is wonderful. We have also gotten supplies and cookware from Pleasant Hill Grain
Please see other blog posts for info about soap making. Benita started this habit, but I have kept it up.
1 comment:
Hello. Thank you for your pictures of the smock gathering machine that your wife uses. My grandmother has the same machine and needs a "book" or manual on how to use the machine. I know this is a special request but we have not found any more information about this machine here in Texas. Thank you. We appreciate any information. Jason jason_qra@yahoo.com
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