Stuff we're doing

Today, I continued helping Eldest with her vest. We started sewing the pieces together. It took a few hours, and we didn't finish. Partly because we didn't start until the evening. We got to just before attaching the lining and left it for the night. Tomorrow, it should be done. :-) Because this is a far from easy pattern, I did more of the sewing for her. She still needs time to get comfortable with the sewing machine. That's just fine - it takes time to get used to using one.

In other fronts, we made some new literary acquisitions this past weekend. Our public library system had a huge book sale, and I snagged a few. It's a good thing I gave myself a very strict budget! That and I was limited to how much I was willing to carry around, as we had various things to do before heading home.

Here's the list of our new treasures...

Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy our Traditional Skills. This is a book from Reader's Digest, copyright 1981. I've had a chance to go through it, and I just love it! It's got everything! Want to buy land? Build a house or cabin? Make cheese? Weave baskets? Raise livestock? Plant a garden? Dance? Play games? Trap and skin rabbits for food, then tan their skins? Make moccasins? Build a fireplace? Cook? It's all there, and more. What a resource!

Healing Plants: Botanical descriptions of health-giving and medicinal plants, Recipes for making teas, ointments, baths and compresses, Information on cultivating plants. Wow. I think this book wins the "excessive sub-title" competition! I've just glanced through it so far. The first section lists ailments, etc., then the second section lists the plants themselves. It looks to be a very useful book.

Cash from Square Foot Gardening. What I really wanted was to find Square Foot Gardening, but this is close enough. :-D It gives a brief overview on how square foot gardening is done, then goes on to how to run a business with your produce, from finding a market and choosing what to grow, to collecting money, etc.

Clear and Present Danger. I got this one mostly for my husband, who enjoys Tom Clancy books. I also thought it would be interesting to see what differences there are between the book and the movie, which we own.

Body of Lies. This one I chose more for Eldest, though I'll be reading it, too. Part of a series of books from Iris Johansen featuring a forensic sculptor as the main character. We've read the first book with the character and enjoyed it, but weren't as keen on the next one. We'll see how this one pans out.

Timepieces. I spotted this one and just had to grab it for Eldest. She's been in heaven ever since! It traces the history of timepieces, and has wonderful photos of the interior workings of various timepieces. Eldest has a strong preference for old-style timepieces. They are truly works of art.

Standard Spanish Dictionary. I got this because I swear Eldest said she'd wanted a Spanish/English dictionary (she already has several others). Apparently, I was wrong. :-P

Making Memories: Food, Family, Friends and Photographs; Marvelous food for unforgettable occasions with great ideas on how to capture these special moments on film. *L* Another book vying for the "longest sub-title" competition, this one has *two* subtitles! This is a Canadian book, which is cool. It's nice to have a cookbook that has Canada Day themed recipes rather than Fourth of July themed recipes. *L* This is not just a cookbook, though. Skattered throughout the book are hints and tips on how to take photographs (film was still the primary method, though there was a brief mention of digital cameras), and ideas on how to store, present and preserve them. There's also advice on how to host various themed events.

Outdoor Pleasures: Picnics, Parties and Portable Feasts. I had to laugh as I was going through this book! It's got wonderful recipes I can't wait to try - from the ridiculously complex, to the sublimely simple. It is, most definitely, a gourmet cookbook, and that's part of what was so funny. Just as an example, there's a section on tailgate picnics. Now, this is something I'm not familiar with - as I understand it, it's very much a US thing, and closely associated with football games and stadium parking lots. *L* I'd only heard of them a few years back, and I think they're a great idea. They seem like such a fun, relaxed, casual thing to do. Not in this book! First, there's the photo in the introductory page. With the text "Getting down to basics in the trunk of a Rolls Royce: iced Champagne, caviar, and pistachio nuts for nibbling," the photo shows the Champagne, two bottles, in a container with ice, a couple of wine glasses (no, not Champagne flutes), crackers on a plate with caviar, complete with silver caviar spoon, pistachios artistically spilling out of a bag in the back, and a cloth napkin draped over a silver and grey fur coat. !!! Then there's the photos on the next pages, showing people sitting on the ground with their food laid out on a blanket before them, or wandering around the bouquets of flowers, socializing - and all the cars are Mercedes, etc. Not a single tail gate in sight!

Then there's the menus! Check this out. Dishes like Bloody Mary Soup, Saucisson Au Vin, Chicken Tonnato, Lobster Bisque, Marinated London Broil with Bearnaise Sauce, and Garlic Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks.

Or how 'bout their Hunters' Dinner. Photos in the introduction show hunters with their bird dogs on the hunt, including one of a man with several dead birds hanging off of him. The menu? It includes Oysters on the Half Shell, Hazelnut Pasta with Shitake Mushrooms (which really sounds good!), and Pheasant Breasts in Champagne Sauce.

Yeah, we're really roughing it, here! *L* I absolutely love the book and look forward to trying some of the recipes (the ones I can afford to!!!), but it's so pretentious, it makes me giggle the whole way through.

That's the last of them. I wasn't able to find anything for Youngest, though. I just didn't see anything I thought she'd be interested in. I feel kind of bad about that. :-( Maybe next time, I'll be able to bring the kids with me so they can look for their own books. :-)

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