Pretty in Pink

Gainesville is suddenly dressed in its finest Spring colors.

Red Bud trees are blooming all over town,





as are the Tulip Trees.



The first roses have appeared in the borders around the law school,



and there are many other flowering shrubs and trees near our apartments.

Pencil Holder

Once upon a time, a long time ago (in December), I made a lollypop stand for Blaze's birthday party.



It was made out of a block of styrofoam that was spray painted gold. A paper doll from the Girl Genius on-line comic was glued to the gold block to give it a steampunk look, to go with the theme of the party.

I don't usually use styrofoam in my craft projects, because I don't like the fact that it doesn't biodegrade, but now that we have this piece of styrofoam, I want to keep using it instead of throwing it away.

By simply sticking a pencil in each hole left by the lollypop sticks, Blaze now had a new pencil holder.

Setting a Goal for Myself

I have a long history of starting quilting projects, but taking many years to finish them, if I finish them at all. Two such projects became hopelessly stained before they were done and I gave up in disgust (Blaze left a pen laying on one and the ink leaked out. The other was being stored in the closet and the ceiling developed some kind of leak that left rusty colored stains on the things below the dripping.)

I have decided that I need a new picnic blanket, worthy of the nice picnic basket that I fixed up last year.

The old picnic blanket is one of those projects that took many years to complete. It's a crazy quilt baby quilt that I started when Nika was about a year old, and didn't finish until Blaze was a little over a year old.



We need a blanket that is larger that a baby blanket, and matching the basket would also be a plus.

I have started a crazy quilt blanket using the basket lining fabric and the same fabric I used for the steampunk birthday banners and the crazy quilt Christmas stockings.



To assure that I finish this project in a timely manner, I am giving myself a deadline. The countdown to the first day of Spring that I posted on the sidebar of the blog, is really the countdown to when I want to be finished with this blanket (A countdown to Spring just doesn't have as much meaning in Florida as it does in most of the country. It's 75 degrees right now.)

I better get to work.

Beauty and the Beast

This morning, Blaze and I accompanied the elementary school on a field trip to the Phillips Center of Performing Arts to see a musical version (non-Disney) of Beauty and the Beast.







The kids all really enjoyed it. My favorite quote from one of them, was the little third-grade boy next to me, who, after the play was over, turned to me and said, "I am stunned! Just stunned!"

Blaze was a little uncomfortable during the play, because he had to sit all squished down in his seat for the entire show, or else his big, fluffy head obscured the view of the stage for the boy behind him. He still really liked the music, and has started taking special interest in how lighting and effects are done.

Dried Fruit Scones

2 Cups unbleached white flour

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries for the scone in the picture, but blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or currants would work equally well)

6 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1 Tablespoon cream

sugar for sprinkling on top




Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add dried fruit and stir to coat with flour. Cut in the butter with a fork or pasty blender. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup cream. Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until all of the flour has been dampened. Don't over mix. It's o.k. if the dough is a little sticky.
Place the dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pat it down until it is a 1-inch thick circle. Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges. Move the wedges apart, to give the scones room to rise. Beat the whole egg and remaining cream together and use it to brush the top of each wedge. Sprinkle each wedge with sugar. Bake until the scones are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately

The Olustee Civil War Battle Re-Enactment

Today was the first time that any of us had ever been to a Civil War re-enactment. We drove to the Olustee Battlefield for their annual festival. We arrived a bit late and had to park a mile away from the park entrance, so by the time we got to the battle field, most of the "fighting" was over, but we still had a good time.













DH overheard this conversation between a father and daughter, next to the battle field:

12-year-old: " I don't understand why you wouldn't just kill all the people left on the other side, after a battle."

Kid's Dad: " You mean prisoners?"

12-year-old: "Yeah."

Kid's Dad: "Well, I think that used to be illegal."



















I foolishly did not ask this man's name. If you know it, please post it in the comments.
He made the most incredible, half-scale model of the Civil War submarine, the H. L. Hunley.

Nature Walk

Today, while Blaze was in speech therapy, my camera and I went for a nature walk. I was mostly inspired by the many flocks of geese that were flying overhead on their way North.





There were other birds out in large numbers today, too. I have never seen so many vultures in one place in my life. They seem to prefer the dead trees, which just adds to their creepy appearance.













This turtle and I hung out together for quite awhile. He was a little camera shy at first,



but after a few minutes, he started coming out of his shell.

Simple, Elegant Strawberry Treats

Marzipan Strawberries

1 package marzipan (7 ounces)

1 package strawberry flavored gelatin powder

silvered almonds

green food coloring



Place 8-10 almond slivers in a plastic baggie. Add a drop of green food coloring to the bag and shake the almonds around until they turn green. Pour the green almonds out on a paper towel and let them dry.

Cut the marzipan into 8 equal parts. Roll each of the eight pieces into a strawberry shape. Dampen each "strawberry" with water and then roll in the gelatin powder until it is completely covered. Stick a green almond "stem" in each piece of marzipan.



Let them dry before serving.









Stuffed Strawberries

20 fresh strawberries

8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

3 Tablespoons sour cream

1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, until it is completely blended. Spoon into a pastry bag, fitted with a star tip.

Cut off the stem ( or peduncle) and just enough of the fruit to make a flat side that will allow the strawberry to sit flat with the pointed end facing upwards. Without cutting all the way through, cut a cross into the berry, so that there are 4 connected wedges.

Gently spread the wedges apart and pipe the filling into the center of the cross.