Call It What You Want...

The Stay-Making Tutorial, Part 4: Cording

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:57:19 GMT

Cording the stays is a rather repetitive process (I hope that sewing all those channels prepared you for this), so settle in with a good DVD or Netflix or audiobook or something that will keep your hands free. You already gathered your supplies, but just in case:

You're ready to continue?
Your back is already corded, as are your waist channels. It doesn't matter where you start.
For channels like your center channels along the busk, do it just as you did for the backs. However, because of the busk facing, it may be impossible to get all that length on the loop turner. The solution is to poke a hole with your awl through two of the four layers at about the midpoint. Cut your cording the full length (doubled, of course). Insert your loop turner through the hole at the midpoint and slide it through so the hook end comes out the bottom. Grasp the cording and pull it through to the midpoint, so the loop end of the cording now comes out the hole you made at the middle. Now remove the loop from your turner, and insert your turner at the TOP end of the channel. Slide it through the channel to that midpoint hole you made before (you might need to use your awl to open it again) and poke the hook end out that hole. Hook the loop end back over the hook again, making sure the hook closes on the cording, and pull it back into the channel and up to the top. Now you should have the whole channel corded. It doesn't matter if a little peeks out at that midpoint spot.

For the side cording, do as before on the waist: Poke a hole with the awl.

Insert loop turner in channel...

... until the end pokes out the other end. Hook the cording into the hook ...

... and pull it through, leaving a little tail at one end, and a little loop at the other.

For channels that don't have an "open" end, just use the awl to poke holes at both ends. The beauty of using an awl is that it doesn't actually tear the fabric, but just spreads the weave so that you can put the cording through. After you've finished, the holes "close up" and hold the cording in place. Unless your channels are absolutely gigantic, the cording is there to stay. Don't believe me? Give one of those loose ends a gentle tug. You have to pull pretty hard to pull them out.

(The top ends of these diagonals can be a challenge with the gore pieces in there. Just be aware of where they are. Sometimes I slide the loop turner into place and then make the hole to "pop" it out.)

Under bust channels, more of the same....

On the lower abdomen channels, you have two curved channels on each side. Just insert your loop turner and pretend it's straight. It works.

What are you watching or listening to while you cord this? I have corded at soccer and baseball practices, too, as well as in the car, but if you do it in a moving vehicle, please put the protective cap on the awl any time it's not being used, and put it back in your bag every time you finish poking a hole.

When all the cording is finished, your stays suddenly look amazing. The texture is really something to take in...

Congratulations! This is beautiful! Great job!

Next post: binding, shoulder straps, grommets and finishing.

The Stay-Making Tutorial, Part 3 1/2: Attaching the Backs to the Front

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:54:00 GMT

This will be a short one... but gives you a sneak preview into cording the stays.

Before you attach the backs to the fronts, you need to insert the cording to the WAIST channels. To do so, assemble your cording supplies: cording (I use 16-ply cotton office twine!), the loop turner pictured in post #2, an awl, and your scissors.

First, lay your cording the length of the waist channel from the edge of the busk casing to the side. Double the cording so you have a loop at one end and two raw ends at the other when cut. Each channel will, in effect, have TWO strands of cording in it, with a loop at one end.

Using your awl, poke a hole in the LINING side of the front, just beyond the busk casing and the cording channel beside it. Make the hole you poke large enough to insert the end of your loop turner. If you can get that part in, you can pull the cording through.

Then, insert the loop turner into the channel.

Push it all the way through the channel until the entire curved end extends out the edge. Put the looped end of the cording through the curved end, and allow the little "hook" to flip up, clasping the cord inside.

Pull the loop turner and cording through the channel, gently tugging it free through the awl-hole you punched earlier.

Leave the loops -- they won't pull back out of the channels.
Cord all four waist channels -- two on each side of the busk. Now you're ready to attach the backs to the front.

To attach the backs to the front, I wander a bit afield from the original instructions. In this case, I'm not working toward an exact reproduction of the original but instead ease of construction.

Place the back piece and the front piece together, LINING ("wrong") SIDES TOGETHER. (Remember, the slits for the back boning are on the inside -- "wrong" -- side of the back pieces!) Fold back the front "outside" piece and pin it out of the way for later. You will be sewing THREE layers together. (If your cording channels come too close to the edges, just trim them back so you can fold that front piece out of the way.)

Sew this seam with a 1/2" seam allowance. Please try to keep that top layer out of the way!

Press this seam TOWARD the FRONT, then pin the top layer (which had been pinned out of the way) over the seam, folding the raw edge under, to create a finished edge. Topstitch as near to the edge as possible without going over. Repeat for the other back piece.

Now your fronts and backs are attached and you're ready to CORD this thing.

I like to cord the back panels first. All the cording in the back is the same length, so cutting it is easy. The challenge with the back pieces is often that the length of the panel is longer than your loop turner. Really pack it on tightly and you should be able to get the turner all the way through.

Pull the cording through each channel. Get something interesting on TV or Netflix because this is going to take a while and not a lot of brain power. (May I suggest Cranford? No, wait. Too many tears.)

Once the cording is in, the panel will look wrinkly. That's okay. Leave the ends loopy and loose -- you'll trim them when you're all done.

The next post will cord the front, apply binding, make the shoulder straps, and finish. It will be GREAT!

The Stay-Making Tutorial, Part 3: The Back

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:17:10 GMT

When we last left, we had assembled the front lining of the stays by inserting gores, then sewn the front to the front lining. Unfortunately, it seems only one post was visible to all of you, so please see post #2, in case you missed it. In this post, we will put together the back pieces and attach them to the front.

The back pieces are two large rectangles, cut on the fold. You have two facings that you cut along with those for the front busk channel; these are for the back stay channel (to strengthen the area so the boning doesn't rub through). Place the facing inside the unfolded back piece and baste it in, top and bottom.

Please note that in this example, a completed set of stays (above) shows the placement of the facing. We have unfolded the back piece (fold near the center of photo indicates the folded edge, which is where the grommets will go later). The facing may go all the way to the edge, giving the grommets more fabric to grip. The width shown is the absolute minimum needed.

Once the facings are basted, there's nothing else to add to the back pieces. It's now time to start sewing in the channels for the cording.

The first line is sewn a channel-width from the folded edge. I use the settings demonstrated in the previous post, with my sewing machine needle in the flush right position and the stitch width set at the maximum setting. I then line up my fabric with the edge lined up with the presser foot for a 3/16" channel.

Sew in two channels for the lacing edge of your stays. Then skip over about 1/2" for the grommet strip. This is where you'll place the grommets. (We'll talk about them in the "finishing" section.) Remember if you're leaving your needle in the flush-right position to line up the last stitching line a little further over than the 4/8" line on your plate.

(leaving the needle in flush-right seemed to work for me this time as my machine is in need of servicing.)

You now need three more channels for cording that go between your grommets and your boning. Continue as you were.
(By the way, these are all detailed in the original instructions.)

You are likely to be using 1/2" boning, so your channel will need to measure 5/8" to make sure you can slide the boning in successfully. Be very attentive to this width for the entire length of the back. You don't want to have to re-do it. (Though it's not the end of the world. Done it more than once.)

When you've finished this channel, test it with the boning you plan to use, just to be sure.

Now finish sewing three more sets of channels at the back. Repeat with the other back piece.

Your two back pieces will be mirror images. Oops, they're the same? That's okay. Flip one over. Problem solved.

Next, mark the slit for the boning. Remember, this is the SECOND wide channel away from the fold. Use a pencil or marking pen to mark across the channel, about an inch up from the bottom. This leaves room for trimming, binding, and so the boning doesn't regularly slip out.

The best way to cut this slit is with a seam ripper -- a sharp one. Insert it at one edge of the channel and slit across. I usually cut through the back and the facing (two layers). Make sure you don't cut through ALL the layers -- this is the INSIDE side of your back piece. P.S. When you're marking this slit, make sure you have a right back and a left back piece!

(Using scissors is hard to get started and hard to stop. The seam ripper really is your friend. Just punch it back through at the opposite edge of the slit and you won't overcut.)

Sew around the edge of this slit with a buttonhole stitch to finish it. Make sure that if you cut through the lining and the facing, that you sew them together into the buttonhole.

To insert the boning, put it in the hole, slide it up, and make sure the bottom end fits in as well.

I love the strength and flexibility of the spiral steel boning. I buy mine from corsetmaking.com and have been very happy with the service I have received.

Sometimes that last end is a little hard to wiggle into place. Make sure it fits in!

The boning will fit into the channel. Once the binding is on, it won't slip out the bottom, top, OR hole. (Now take the boning out and put it away until you're finished.)

Your back pieces are finished, and we'll attach the backs to the front.

A Not-so-Short Tutorial on Making Stays, Part 1: The Lining

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:44:35 GMT

The season has begun, and I am sewing like a madwoman. We have some 8-10 women in Prairietown alone who need stays (the 1836 version of a corset) and I'm the gal to do it.
I have been at this for a few years now, and I've developed a few shortcuts and techniques to make stay-making less fussy and as easy as possible. These tips are for the Past Patterns Corded Stay by Saundra Ros Altman, which is a wonderful set of stays to wear in 1836 Prairietown. Some of the original instructions are a little tricky to understand or are perfect for the exact reproduction, but there are quite a few shortcuts that can make it easier, if not an exact replica of the original.
Begin with the pattern. If you work at Conner Prairie, get it from Historic Clothing. Past Patterns provides us with the necessary patterns for our clothing construction. Determine the size by measuring yourself or having someone measure you. The key measurements are the bust (fullest part), waist, hip, and back length. Another measurement I take is from the mid-shoulder blade to the front edge of the armpit. This will help you make your shoulder strap the correct length. Do NOT fudge these measurements!! -- though it is definitely okay to pull them snug. People with more "padding" have a "squish factor" that needs to be taken into account.

Cut out your pattern pieces according to size. If you have a very full bust, you can adjust the pattern by cutting your bust gore pieces longer and cutting the slashes for the gores a bit deeper. This gives more room for the bust so it's not all perched on top. In addition, cut four strips: two approx. 3 to 3-1/2 inches wide and two 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide, the length of the body. These are facings for the actual boning channels, and are not in the pattern.

The narrow facings go in the back piece, about a half-inch in from the folded edge.
In this photo, we have opened out one back piece (the creased fold is the center back) and placed it atop a finished set of stays to see where the facing goes. Baste it in place. Do the same with the other back piece.

It is tempting to start in, cutting and shaping, but there are a few steps you should take to ensure success later in this project.
First, if you have them, use pinking shears to cut out all the pieces of your stays. You'll end up covered in little teeny tiny pieces of unraveled fabric, but the coutil we use for the stays unravels very easily.
If you do not use pinking shears, your next step is to zig-zag stitch around all your edges with your sewing machine. This takes time but is well worth the effort in your pieces staying whole as you work with them.
I generally double-up the gores (almost always the bust gores; sometimes the hip gores). If you're zigzagging the edges, go ahead and put together the two gores that will go together -- this will save you time later.

Also, transfer all marks from the pattern onto your fabric pieces. Seam allowances don't really need drawn on (if you can remember them) but put on the cutting lines for the bust and hip gores, the arm hole, the center busk, and the busk hole.
I use the special disappearing fabric marker for all my markings. This washes out with plain water when you're finished and doesn't get on other things -- tables, clothing, etc. -- though the edges of some of my straight-edges are suspiciously blue.
It is perfectly okay to make the markings on one half of each front piece and then cut through both layers, but be sure to mark the front and the lining separately (because cutting through all four layers is hard).
You will begin working on the lining piece. Set aside the actual front for later.

Go ahead and cut the slashes for the bust and hip gores and the arm hole. If you're using pinking shears, you can just cut them. If you're using straight scissors, the pattern instructions have you stay-stitch along each slash before cutting it; this is a really good idea. Once again, the unraveling will cause heartache.

As you can see, I have cut the slashes for both the hips and bust at the same time. If you are hesitant, by all means, just do one set at a time.
I recommend starting with the hip gores.
This is where the provided directions become a bit confusing, but I offer a shortcut that will make you much happier.
(Is your iron on full heat and full steam? If not, go turn it on and make sure it's full. This will help a lot.)
Lay your lining piece on your ironing board. (My photos have me ironing left-handed, so you may need to face your piece the opposite direction. Or not. I'm very confused.) Open the first slash slightly.

Begin to gently turn the cut edges under approximately a quarter inch (no measuring necessary, just make sure the edges are turned completely under for the entire length of the slash). Press this edge under, so you have a folded edge on top.
Repeat for the other side of the slash so both edges are folded under and pressed. The steam from your iron will help a lot -- coutil is very stout and needs some persuasion.
Your finished pressed gore slash will have no cut edges showing as they are now pressed under.

Do this with all four of your hip slashes.
To put the hip gore into place, put the triangular hip gore piece under the slash. Pin one edge onto the gore -- if you've marked the seam allowances, you can put the folded edge right on those seam allowances. If not, place the first pressed edge about half an inch from the edge of the gore, and then "open out" the slash into a triangular shape approximating the shape of the gore.

Pin through the lining piece and gore, with the gore placed under the lining. If the person who is wearing the stays has wider hips, make the triangle larger, with more of the gore exposed. If she is narrower in the hips, you can "close" the gap a little.
Pin through all layers except the ironing board cover.

The finished pinned gore looks like this.
Wait. Folding under the edge? I'm not sure I can do that. I'm not that precise.
That's okay. Just flip it over and press the edges where you can see them.

This is what the back side looks like before you put the gores on. See the lack of unraveling? Pinking shears, folks.

This is the back, with the gores pinned in. (Still pin it in from the front.)
And here it is, ready for sewing.

You will sew on this, the "right" side of the fabric (which, incidentally, will end up being the "inside" of the stays -- the side closest to your body. The gores will end up sandwiched between the front and the lining).

Begin at one edge of the gore. With your needle centered for this stitch (you can set it to one side, if you wish), you will want to sew as near to the pressed edge without going over the edge of the gore. Sew up one side of the gore to the point, then, with the needle lowered and presser foot lifted, pivot the fabric so you can sew back down the other side of the triangle. This topstitching would not be the period-appropriate way to sew stays (no sewing machines, remember), but makes quick work of sewing in the gores.

When you have all four hip gores in place, it's time to repeat the process with the bust gores. Once again, if the wearer has a more ample bust, you will want to open out the gores a little wider; one with a smaller bust will want narrower openings.

With the bust gores, you can hold open the slash for ironing.

Press all four bust gore slashes open.

Place two bust gores together (if you zigzagged them, they already are) and treat them as one when pinning them into the opening.

It is okay if this doesn't lay completely flat, but you do want all your edges to be smooth and without puckers.

You can pin all your gores at once before stitching them in, or do two at a time, or even one at a time. The fewer pins in place in your working project, the fewer opportunities to gash yourself on them as you sew. Or so I hear.

Once the gores are sewn in, you are going to mark your center front and align one of the wider facing strips at the center front. Pin it so its center is aligned with the lining piece center, on the "wrong" side of the lining piece (the side which will be "inside" the sandwich). You may choose to baste down the center through both layers -- I usually use a needle and thread and hand-baste very long stitches, usually with colored thread so I don't forget it's there.

Mark on the front of the lining, the lines that will go on either side of the busk. This may be done by centering the busk vertically on that center basting stitch, then making lines on either side of the busk piece, remembering not to make them too close to the edge, or you'll have trouble sliding the wood into the casing when it's finished. (1/8 inch ease should be enough.)

Then, using the pattern placement or 1 1/2 inches as your guide, draw in the busk opening. This can be cut open and then hand-sewn (buttonhole stitch), but I use my machine zigzag stitch. I set it to the buttonhole stitch settings (about 4 on width and .75 on length) and align the needle with the edge of my line, not yet cut.

(The second set of lines were too wide for the busk. I later wiped them off.)
Zigzag along this line, pivoting at the end (just over the edge of the busk line) to turn, the back toward the starting point.
When you have completed this very large buttonhole, you can slit along the line, being careful not to cut through any stitches. I use my seam-ripper to make the neatest slice.

With this, you have finished the lining piece of your stays. The next post will see the front piece attached.

Cake + Waffles? Yes Please!

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:17:03 GMT

About a year ago I got sucked into the wonder that is Pinterest. Browsing the boards, there are so many amazing ideas, and so there I go pinning things that I will never do...

Until now.

Yesterday I finally caved in and made the decadent snack I'd seen on so many people's boards: Cake batter waffles.

The concept is simple: one boxed cake mix, prepared as instructed on the box, cooked in turn on the waffle iron. The boys were eager to help (momentarily):

They then disappeared, and I failed to photograph the blobs of cake batter seeping out of the waffle iron from pouring too much on. Or the beautiful cake-waffles that came out of said waffle iron as they lined up on my wire cooking rack.
I did, however, manage to photograph boys with their cake waffle and ice cream tacos.

They were really, really good.

The boys thought so too.

So. Next time you have a boxed cake mix, a waffle iron, and a little time on your hands, make Cake Batter Waffles. Yum!

Note: They are soft. Very soft. And they get puffy and try to escape from the waffle iron in waffle blobs. But they are ooooh sooooo gooooood.

The Night I Missed Seeing a Bad Photo of Myself on National TV

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:21:32 GMT

The whole thing started in May. Well, sooner, but for that I'd have to scroll back and see when I first posted a photo of one of my kids to my blog.
But in mid-May 2012, l started getting a bunch of really weird emails from my web server from my blog -- referral to a particular post from another website. I figured it was spam. I moved the 600 referral notices to my spam folder. More came. It was weird.
No. I did not go to the website. I had no idea what it was. Probably a spammer trying to get to me. I have had weird referrals and stuff to my blog from companies selling, er, enhancement drugs and whatnot. I just file those away in the spam folder.

A few days later, I received this email:
"Hi Jenny,

I'm not sure anyone has contacted you with this information. There's been a scam artist using your little boy's pictures and claiming he's her own child.

http://warriorelihoax.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/i-found-the-real-eli/

I'm really sorry to tell you this. I'm the one who has been writing the site and I forgot to let you know about it.

If you have any questions or anything or want more information, please let me know.

Taryn Wright"

Weird, to be sure. That address was the link that had been on all the referrals. And there is was. And it was weird. An adorable (and slightly pitiful) photo from my blog, of Adam somewhere between bouts of tears, only being portrayed as a child with cancer. Yikes! Weird! And this lady has busted the crazy person who was behind it.

Moving on, I dismissed this as a weird but strange incident. What else do you do? I like having a blog and I guess that is the risk, though I DO NOT APPROVE SO DON'T GO USING MY PHOTOS FOR YOUR PURPOSES, THANKS. But my mom reads my blog, and I sort of figured she was about the only one. And besides, I was powerless to do anything about it.

In September, I got another strange email -- this one from my brother. Now my brother's emails are often strange (we come from a strange family, after all), but this one was something I knew about.

"Hey, Jenny,

I got this e-mail today - I don't know if it's legit or scam. If you want to follow up, that's your call.

Brian

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Druckerman, Shana
Date: Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Subject: ABC News, 20/20 - question?
To: "brian's email address" <>

Hello Pastor Brian,

Please excuse a kind of random email, but I'm trying to reach out to a family member (I believe) named Jenny Sherrill. She writes a blog called "Call It What You Want."

I couldn't find proper contact information on her website, and so I thought I'd try to see if I could reach her through you.

I am working on a story for ABC News about an alleged internet hoax and I believe one, if not more, of her personal photos was used by someone else under false pretenses. Perhaps she's already aware of this whole thing, as I believe a number of people have been contacted in one way or another.

As part of my research, I wanted to reach out to every parent I could find whose photos were used and I was hoping Jenny might be willing to have a quick chat by phone. If you're comfortable passing this along, I would really appreciate the help.

I am best reached at this email address or on my cell phone ---------. I will also be reachable at my office tomorrow and Thursday at -----------.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best,
Shana"

Interesting. So I sat on it for a little bit, then emailed this lady back saying I wasn't sure what I could do to help, that Taryn seemed to have covered it all. I posted on Facebook, asking my friends, "What would YOU do if a 20/20 producer contacted you?"
I wasn't really sure what my input would do to advance the story, or if putting us out there would bring out the creepers...
Then the other brother made the comment that people really are victimized by these sort of creeps on the internet, those who claim to be something that they are not. (He also comment that Brian was the correct brother for her to have contacted, and that if she'd contacted HIM, he'd have knitted a really delightful story of his own that would have put the hoaxer to shame for being so mundane and non-dramatic. But that's beside the point.)
I decided to give this producer a call. We chatted a bit. I described a couple of the photos Taryn had used on her website, photos of this poor "child with cancer", "Warrior Eli", that were actually Adam.
"I have those photos on my desk right now," she said. "That is so weird. I am looking at photos of your son here in New York."

The perpetrator of the hoax, a woman in Ohio, had sent photos of Adam in a "care package" to someone who was following "Eli's" cancer battle, along with "Warrior Eli" bracelets and pictures "Eli" had colored.

Those two photos -- the baby with the giraffe? the boy with the hat? -- Both Adam. (Also not a 4-year-old, as portrayed, but when he was between 9 and 18 months.)

I agreed to send this producer some current photos of Adam -- and his family -- to show that he is actually a normal and healthy child and to help the viewers connect the fact that these aren't just "stock photos" borrowed from some business but real, actual people whose likenesses have been used to elicit something false from others. In the case of the perpetrator of this hoax, she apparently just enjoyed weaving a complex and dramatic story -- one that spanned 10 years or more and had much tragedy and sorrow. (Had she not chosen to "kill off" the "mother" of this family, she might not have been uncovered, but a dramatic Mother's Day vehicular crash that left the "mother" dead and a baby born by emergency surgery had set off the hoax alarms in the mind of Taryn, the Chicago woman who uncovered the hoax.) But why not let people send money to help this poor family? Why not accept gifts from others? She had taken advantage of the kindness of others -- she had preyed on the sensitivity of followers of this tragic story and made them feel like fools.

The segment was slated to air in October. Then it was bumped for more "current" topics. I set my computer to record 20/20. The show got bumped again. I stopped hearing from Shana, the producer.

This morning, I got up to three messages in my Facebook inbox.
From Emily: "Were you just on 20/20? I swear there was a picture of you and the boy on 20/20."
From Linda: "Natalie just saw your 20/20 show. It was on tonight. She was freaking out."
From Natalie (Linda's neighbor): "I just saw your picture on a 20/20 special about fb scams! I took a picture of the picture . Isn't this you?" and the photo at the top of this blog.

When I checked my emails from yesterday, there was a note from Shana, but I'd missed it because Tim was using the computer to work on Mark's Pinewood Derby car (making stickers -- NASCAR cars need stickers).

Fortunately, I have been recording 20/20 all along, so we have the segment (which was short, and near the end of the show) to watch and save for later.
It's also available online at http://abcnews.go.com/2020.

And now you know how I missed my photo on national TV. (Oh, and I used a not-so-great photo of myself because 1) I am not vain and 2) It was from the same day as the photo of little Adam with the giraffe.)

The Most Delicious Chicken Ever

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:31:59 GMT

Today I made the most perfect roast chicken ever, and I would like to share it with the world. Oh, it was heavenly. Mark said it was the best chicken I ever cooked. Adam is still sitting at the table refusing to eat it, but I don't really care. It was that good.

I started with Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken from the Food Network's website and then made a few changes for my liking.

1 -- 6 1/2 pound organic, farm-raised, Conner Prairie chicken
Kosher salt
Pepper
Thyme (I have ground thyme; the recipe wanted fresh, but you use what you've got)
1 lemon, cut in half
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 onion, cut in wedges
4 carrots, cut in 2-inch chunks
2 potatoes, cut in 2- to 3-inch chunks
2 stalks celery, each chopped in half
Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, both halves of lemon, and the celery. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Toss the onions, carrots, and potatoes with salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil, then spread around the bottom of a roasting pan (I used a Pampered Chef rectangular stoneware baker). Place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

I made an extremely rich gravy by draining the drippings into a saucepan and whisking in about 2 Tbsp. flour into it over medium heat, whisking until thickened.

This was delicious. Wish I could eat more but it might kill me.

Delicious.

Let the Music Play

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 18:20:31 GMT

A Brass Choir accompanied our church choir this Easter morning (the 8:45 service was the place to be for this musical joy), and I enjoyed each song the trumpet, tuba, French horn and trombone added to our music. Of course.
On the way home, we discussed which instrument the boys would like to play when they get older. In working to steer Mark away from, "I don't want to play any instrument" or "I want to play the traffic cone" we wandered into the territory of large, low brass.
Baritone
Tuba
Euphonium
and, at last...
SOUSAPHONE.

"I like the sousaphone best," Mark said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because it's named..."
My mind jumped ahead in dread as I would have to explain the difference between SOUSA and SEUSS-A.
"... after a famous composer, John Philip Sousa," he said proudly.

And with that, I kneel in honor at the feet of Mrs. Saddler, Mark's music teacher.

Adam Packs

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:59:04 GMT

"We're going to have to work on a little packing," I told the boys. "I'll go check the weather report and then we'll start packing."
Adam ran upstairs while Mark followed behind me and read over my shoulder.
A few minutes later, Adam came running downstairs, lugging his little suitcase.
"Look at this, mom!" he said.
"What do you have?" I asked.
"My suitcase! I packed!"

I thought I'd better go see what the little dude had packed, just in case he'd overlooked something he might need.

Inventory packed:
2 pairs underwear
4 pairs socks -- three black and one red
1 pair shorts
1 pair long pants (sweats)
3 short-sleeve shirts
2 long-sleeve shirts
1 pair short pants/sleeves pajamas
1 pair long pants/sleeves pajamas
1 random short-sleeve pajama shirt
1 random long-sleeve pajama shirt
1 random pair of long pajama pants
1 random pair of short pajama pants

Not bad, but a little tweaking needs to be done before we're entirely ready to go. But it was a commendable effort.

Through the Bible in a Year

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:59:33 GMT

Last year, my friend and boss Adam Bouse moved away from Indiana to join the staff at YouVersion, an online Bible-reading program operated through LifeChurch.tv, a megachurch out of Oklahoma City that has its presence, well, all over. That's about the extent of my knowledge of the organization he left us at the Prairie to serve. (Funny, also, because he was my second supervisor in a row that had left to go into ministry. Giggle.)

(Sarah and I reading together the last two verses of Revelation, finishing our program together.)

YouVersion offers many, many Bible reading plans online that have been put together throughout the years by many different organizations. There are short-term reading plans. There are Lenten reading plans, Advent reading plans, and, yes, year-long reading plans. Want to commit to reading the Bible in a year? You can read it straight through, cover-to-cover. You can read it following the "One Year Bible" plan, that has you read a little from the Old Testament, a little from the New Testament, a little from Psalms and a little from Proverbs. You can read in a plan that begins at the beginning of Old and New testaments and jumps back and forth between. Or you can read the "chronological" plan, which has you read the Bible in the order that scholars feel the events took place. This is the plan I chose, and my friend Sarah joined with me.

So, obviously, you start in Genesis. Somewhere during Genesis, you find Job. Job, my friends, is a LONG book. Of course, as my moms' Bible study group studied the book of Job, yes, this was already most evident. It is a long book. The next interesting place is when you get to read Kings and Chronicles together. Makes sense, since the events are mirrored. I think it makes a lot more sense, because you don't have to scratch your head and ask yourself, hmm, didn't I already read this? Yes, you did, and when you read them back-to-back, you follow the stories better.

The Psalms are sprinkled throughout the Old Testament, as some of them are Davidic, and some are written after the Exile, and so on. This is a neat way to do it. Read about David and Bathsheba and Nathan's confrontation, then read Psalm 51: Have mercy on me, oh God. Yeah. I knew the story already, but it has great impact reading those pieces together. Ditto with others of David's psalms. Ditto with something like Psalm 37, after the exile.

The Gospels are tightly interwoven, with many stories playing out two, three, or four times. The book of Acts is interspersed with the letters written during Paul's travels. It was particularly interesting to read of Paul's travels to a particular region, to read of what happened there (thank you, Luke, for the details), and then to read Paul's letter back to that church later. Once someone commented to me that if you had to consider the context Paul's writings were written in, you weren't really reading in faith. I think that when you read with context what Paul wrote, it gives much greater understanding to the text, the time, and the message. (Because seriously, was Paul a misogynist, or were there some women in some of the churches who really caused some trouble? I think it's the latter.)
A year-long commitment can be hard. A lot of life gets in the way. YouVersion's plans are on the internet, but if you're away from your computer or internet access for a few days, it's easy to get behind. And while getting behind on a year-long plan is less fatal than getting behind on a "read the Bible through during Lent" plan, it still adds a little extra challenge. There were a few days where I had a LOT of reading to do in order to catch up, and yes, I may have let it go for a few days during vacations and busy times also. However, the name of the game is accountability, and that's where Sarah came in. Did I mention that Sarah was reading too? And she was reading the same plan as I was. So when she got behind, she kicked in to make sure that she didn't get behind me, and when I got behind, I had to step it up as well. That's how accountability works.

Today is the last day of the year. At noon (just a couple hours from now), Sarah and I are meeting at the local coffee shop to read Revelation 22 together to wrap up our Biblical journey. I have a favorite Bible that I have marked up and had friends mark up with me since I got it 20 years ago, and I'm taking it with me for Sarah to sign on the last page of the New Testament.

What reading plan do I start tomorrow?
Check YouVersion.com to see what's available and make your suggestions below.

The Thankful Tree

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:49:51 GMT

Last year was the first year for a Thankful Tree.
Basically, we drew a tree trunk and branches on paper and then, throughout November, decorated it with leaves on which we wrote what we're thankful for. Mostly the boys are the writers, but there are a few leaves written by parents and grandparents that slip in. This year, both boys were able to write their own thankful leaves, which was a wonderful improvement on any previous Thankful activities!

There were quite a few "trains", "trucks" and other vehicles, and Adam frequently added "Yayyyyyy!" to his leaves. I found the entire thing adorable, and every time they asked to make Thankful Leaves, I encouraged them to do so.
A few translations are in order, I'm sure.
* At the center top, below the empty space, there is a leaf that says "Kramol!" Directly to its right, is a leaf that says "Cramol!" First, they are both pronounced "CAR-mul". The one on the left is the town, and the one on the right is the dip (caramel, of course), says Adam, the author of both. (I love his spelling.)
* Mark's leaves are all very legible, and, yes, at the bottom, there are two that say "trains". There might be more. Please, Mark, a little variety, if you please...
* Third from the bottom, on the trunk, is "Dr. Mason", the children's pediatrician. That's a ghost between the "Dr." and the "Mason". He is saying "Boo!" I'm not sure why. (Ask Adam.)
* At the bottom right is MY thankful leaf, from heroic Adam finding my wedding ring after it being lost for more than a year! I should have included more color or made it a bigger leaf, but that was a pretty big one for me!!!

I love the Thankful Tree. Someday the tree might be prettier -- maybe I'll cut it out of construction paper and mount it on a poster board or something -- but for now, we had a very thankful month.

See you next Thanksgiving with another Thankful Tree.