Once I've made the twist stem for the top, it will be officially finished, but I just had to share it with you now. It's a tiny bit bigger than my other strawberries, but I love it just the same.
I'll list is up to my Etsy shop this afternoon. Wouldn't it make a lovely gift for a special someone? Wooly Bear, acorn, luscious fall colors. Who could possibly want for more? I'm in love!
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| Jamieson House, Poynette, WI |
I went to this restaurant decades ago. It was a bed and breakfast upstairs and wonderful Victorian restaurant downstairs. I was working in Portage as a paralegal and office manager. My boss' nephew asked me out and took me to this place. Dinner was a pure delight. Everything meal offering was a delight and I never forgot it.
As far as I've been able to tell, Jamieson House has been closed since 2009, however they were featured in an issue of Victoria Magazine around the time Handsome and I were planning our wedding. I saved the article and recipes, and their Devonshire Cream became the dessert for our reception, instead of a wedding cake. We gave our venue the recipe, along with raspberries we'd frozen from our own garden to make into the topping. It was perfect for us, and I still make it from time to time.
When searching for a gluten-free dessert to make for last night's meal, I went back to my own recipe binders, thinking I might make Devonshire Cream. I decided to review the other recipes that were part of that magazine article and found a perfect dessert...Raspberry Torte. No flour whatsoever, so by its ingredient list it was a gluten-free dessert before people even thought about such things.
It was served last night and became an instant hit. Our daughter-in-law said it was her new favorite dessert. Our grandson wondered what I did to make it so moist, and I told him I simply followed the recipe. Because I know there are likely readers who also require (or prefer) gluten-free eating, I'm going to share this recipe with you. If you make it, I hope you'll let me know what you think.
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| Jamieson House Raspberry Torte Recipe. Click on the image to enlarge and save. |
Hi, Everybody!
Not busy that you could see from the road, but a different kind of busy. Important busy.
I've been up to the top of my ears tryin' to be silly to cheer Mom up. It's been a very rough (almost) week for her. She's been runnin' around in her Explorer, and also on the phone a lot more than usual. She's been available to help our nieces with funeral preparations, and spendin' a lot of time keepin' close to her sisters. The brothers are mostly helpin' each other, too. The girls are stickin' together.
Don't get me wrong. She's been keepin' busy, but we're also gettin' to run around outside and havin' cuddle sessions inside. We're also gettin' lots of extra treats from Mom and Dad!
On a happier note, Mom and Dad and the doglets got to pose for our Christmas card on Sunday. The weather was unseasonably warm, so Mom siezed the opportunity to gather our clan for a photograph. Claudette stayed close to watch the shenanigans, but didn't deign to grace us with her presence for the pictures. Crystal didn't want to have anythin' to do with the black dogs, so she stayed well out of sight.
We got a really super image to have made into this year's cards, but when I asked Mom, she told me I couldn't share it with you (yet). You're gonna have to settle for three good lookin' hounds (and Dad). Bella's gettin' a little grey in the face, but you can blame Carly for that. I've got nothin' to do with it!
There's always somethin' goin' on in the yard, so Mom had to be quick to get us all lookin' in the same direction! In the end, she prevailed and we got one frame that's card worthy. She said, "I got it!", so we all bolted into the yard and started playin' around. Another one in the can until next year. Whew! I'm outta here for this week.
I chose a lovely grey/blue canvas fabric for the interior lining, with the credit card pockets a nice, sturdy cork fabric. This one is sold and is in the mail this morning...but I do have one left with the same flap, but natural cork for the body. You can find it in my Etsy shop HERE.
I'll be getting back to my Goldwork Frogs and Autumn Strawberry Sachet this week. As I'll take each stitch, I count all my blessings this Thanksgiving Week. Are you going to be with friends or family on "turkey day"? Are you traveling? I'll tell you my plans, if you tell me yours.
I thought you might be interested to see my process for making my wee goldwork frogs, so I've put together a short video with each step represented in photos. Click HERE to watch. I hope you enjoy it!
My nieces have been busy making arrangements for their mum, and we now have a date. Her Celebration of Life will be December 2nd...the day before my Birthday. They actually asked if that would be a problem for me, and I told them not to give it another thought. Celebrating their mum on that date would be perfect, and I'm absolutely fine with it.
I would usually be in Portage today for our Craft Day - in fact, I was supposed to lead the project this month, but I didn't feel right going out of town while my nieces are still here. I am going out to lunch with my best friend, Lee, though. A "dose of Lee" is just what I need to cheer me up. We have a lot of catching up to do, so we may be there a while.
I'll have my latest project to share with you on Monday, but don't forget to stop in for your weekly scripture verse tomorrow. I hope you have a great weekend.
With deep gratitude for your many kind comments, I'm still working on projects that I'll be able to share in the coming days. Right now, our family is taking care of each other.
I deeply appreciate that you're also taking care of me through all your beautiful messages. I promise to reply to each one soon. While we'll mourn her passing, each day gets a little easier for us, because we know she's no longer suffering.
I've completed the first batch of frogs and they're ready to hop to new homes. I deeply apologize for missing my mailing goal due to current family circumstances, but they will go out today.
Two of these are free-standing frogs, one is a brooch, and the last one is the blue frog scissors fob. I've already started another that will be completely different for Clara, but I'm not going to share that one for a while.
Today, I have to sew up a commission as we all await regular updates from our nieces. My sister is back home and under hospice care. The hospice nurse said it won't be long, and we're doing our best to cope with the news. We're all so glad that she will be in her own bed when she's called home. She wanted that more than anything. In the meantime, I'm keeping my hands and mind occupied, or I'd be constantly crying. My sisters and I are doing our best to support our nieces as they come to terms with the imminent passing of their dear mother. We're fortunate to all have each other to get through this.
I'm off to get my morning cuppa and then I'll be in my studio. I have packaging and posting to do, after which I'll be sewing for a bit. Please hug your loved ones and tell them you care. It can all change in the blink of an eye.
I completed Frog #3 late last night. It's the blue and green one at the bottom of these photographs. I didn't get to start working on him until after 4 pm, but I have a really great excuse. I got a message from Sis to meet her for lunch in town, and we had such a nice meal and visit that I was out later than planned. Once I was back home, I sat down to my needlework frame and got to work.
