Courting Quilt

When William and I were dating we would use a green quilt to curl up with when we were watching TV that Grandma Jolley had made. A few years after we were married Grandma gave us the "Courting Quilt" as a Christmas gift. Over the years the flannel became worn and frayed. I decided to pick it apart and put on a new back. I needed to tie in the same places because some of the old tie holes were very prominent. The ties were closer together than I would have done them. I can usually tie a quilt in 1/2 a day but this one took me 24 hours (including eating, sleeping and walking, but that was it!) Here it is as I am taking it off the frames.

Snow Day!

This is what greeted us Friday morning. I like it when the snow falls on the lawn but not on the streets and sidewalks! It is mostly gone now but the mountain tops are white.

Happy Birthday, William

Here are the Empty Nester's having dinner to celebrate William's birthday. Dinner was lasagna, garlic bread, green salad and grape juice from Righteous Vineyards (Robert and Cheryl's grapes). William prefers pies so we had banana cream, apple and cherry. Happy 52nd Birthday!

Give Thanks - I'm Done

Here is the end product. I am finished!

Applesauce

Friday and Saturday were applesauce days! We thought we had about 10 bushels of apples but after putting up the applesauce I think we had more than that. I started Friday morning, William joined me after work and Heather and Ryan arrived Friday night. We did 31 quarts that day. I was awake when William went to work Saturday morning so I just got up and started cutting apples at 5:00 am on Saturday. Ryan started cutting apples with me after he and Heather woke up. Heather made our breakfast, set up the movie for us, and did anything we asked her to do while we cut and cut and cut the apples. After the apples were quartered we steamed them. Then the softened apples were put into the saucer and sauced.


Heather added the sugar and cinnamon then the applesauce was put into the bottles, sealed and processed.


Towards the end of the cutting, my hands were hurting. My left hand was especially sore. As we were cleaning up I noticed a blister in the middle of my hand where the paring knife had been rubbing. I have never gotten a blister before while canning. But then I have never cut so many apples in such a short time in my life!! You can see how red my hands are. And they also have the canning look where the juices get into every crack and crevice in your hand and turn brown.



Here is the final product minus the 20 quarts that Heather and Ryan took home. I used a few pint jars to give to Kristine and Grandpa.