Birds, Ponies, Chemises, Friends & Toffee Bars

Second Post of the Day

(Like that title? Much better than the usual "Mish Mosh" or "Hodge Podge," right? LOL)

First, I can now confirm that there ARE two baby barn swallows in the nest cup over our front porch.

Here they are, sitting on the edge of the nest and just about ready to fledge. The parents were swooping in and out with food, and at one point I saw all four at once, confirming the presence of the second baby. I suspect they will be leaving the nest soon.

I will really miss watching them.

I've begun sunning the PAF I found during my BreyerFest virtual "CHIN" shopping (a local antique store.) 

There is just a hint of pink on its muzzle, so I've covered it with masking tape to protect the color from fading.

Currently the outside temperatures are moderate so I feel comfortable letting it sit outside and get some sun.

An alarm on my phone is set to go off every two hours to remind me to go outside and check on it, turn it, etc. I think this little foal will look nice when done!

Sewing for The Feast of the Hunters' Moon has begun and the first chemise has been completed.

The ends of the sleeves are pleated when the cuffs are added. (An option would be to gather them, but I prefer the look of pleats.)

I love how pleats look on the finished garment, but pleating two sleeves takes up almost every one of my favorite pins. (Not to worry, I have nine pincushions and more pins if I need them; I just prefer these.)

I love the look of sleeve buttons in the cuffs, too.

Today's sewing plan is to complete another chemise and then either cut out some pockets or to start working on the green cloak that is cut out and prepped.

"I know it's very short notice, but I'm going to be in town tomorrow. Could I stop by around 2:00 for a quick visit?"

When your bestie (who moved away two years ago) sends you that kind of text, you rearrange your schedule and reply, "YES!!

Lisa and I had the best time being together again, and I baked her some toffee bars to nibble on as she drove home.

Here's the recipe:

Toffee Bars 

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg yolk 

2 c. flour

2 c. chocolate chips (approx.)

chopped almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, brown sugar, and egg yolk. (Do not use the egg white - it will change the consistency of the bars.) Beat in the flour.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper - my choice.) Pat the dough evenly into the pan. Bake 20 minutes until firm and golden brown.

Turn off oven and pull the pan out of oven. Immediately top with the chocolate chips, sprinkling them evenly over the top of the bars.  Put the pan back into the oven (leave the door ajar) for 3 - 5 minutes until the chocolate chips are softened. (They will look shiny.) Pull the pan out again and spread the softened chocolate chips over the bars and if you wish, sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Cool, cut, and eat!

Enjoy, and stay 'tooned!

In Memory of My Hobby Bestie: Kathy Bateman

Second Post of the Day

This post was originally published February 19, 2024. Rest in peace, dear friend.

A Hobby Bestie - Kathy Bateman

I've written before that in our "lean years" (when we had six kids at home and I was a stay at home mama), I did paper routes to earn extra money for our family. Craig and I shared an early morning vending box route and then I had an afternoon neighborhood route that I did by bicycle. 

One of the places I delivered to was an apartment complex of townhomes, and the manager subscribed to the paper. I had stopped by her home one afternoon and as we were chatting on her porch, I spied a shelf FULL of model horses just inside her door. Of course, I asked her about them and she invited me in to see her collection.

My jaw dropped when I saw what she had. And as you might imagine, thus began a lifelong friendship with my hobby bestie, Kathy Bateman.

Kat wasn't aware of the formal hobby but I introduced her to it and soon she was doing some amazing things.

A talented tack maker, she created this piece for Kay Biberstein in the early 1990s. (Photo by Kay.)

We began attending live shows together  - she'd stop by my home at 5 in the morning, we'd put my tubs into her truck next to hers, and off we'd go for a day of fun, talking all the way to Indy and back. We had so much fun!

Kathy quickly began having a lot of success and we soon we were on our way together to the very first NAN.

The inaugural NAN was quite different from what it is now - it was smaller but the competition was still fierce.

Kat's live show success continued on at NAN. (Sorry for the picture quality - these pictures are in an album and getting fragile, so I photographed them without taking them out.)

We met up there with another long time hobby friend of mine, Beth Dickinson. (Beth and I met in the early 1970s when we were teenage pen pals), 

 

and we spent time together at NAN and then at BreyerFest.

Kat and I went to several BreyerFests together. (Stephanie Clift, Kat, and Beth.)

She and I even put on three live shows - Lincoln Land I, Lincoln Land II, and Lincoln Land III in Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. Those days were so much fun and Kat became one of my dearest friends. 

Fast forward to today - Kat is retired and she and her husband live in Tennessee and summer at the "wee house" in the North Carolina mountains. I moved back to Indiana and my days of hopping on my bike and heading to Kat's home are long gone. But we have stayed in touch through email and social media despite the passage of nearly thirty years.

Tomorrow we will take a look at what's currently in Kat's model horse collection. (You might want to have a napkin handy; it's drool worthy!)

Stay 'tooned!