Author: mjkisner

Add Stories to Your Family Tree (repost)

I was reminded about this post from a year ago by Facebook, of all things. It was a nice memory as I’m thinking about our family tree. It might give you some ideas leading up to the Christmas season.

From October, 2022:

I noticed the other day as I walked through Cracker Barrel many reminders that Holiday Season is almost upon us! While the ornaments and decorations are always lovely, this year I noticed a large book being offered as a place to have our older relatives jot down memories and stories about their lives. The pages in the book offered writing prompts to help folks focus their stories like…What was it like for you as a child in such a big family? Or What were your favorite school subjects?

Here are some sample books from Amazon:

Trying to capture the events of a long life are difficult, but with writing prompts like these, many stories can be captured for posterity. If relatives are nearby, younger relatives could offer to do the writing by listening or recording and transcribing the stories.

Books like this are a great idea for relatives who live farther away, but sometimes all we have are little snippets of memories that come up when we’re eating Thanksgiving dinner together.

These memories and stories can really enhance a simple Family Tree diagram.

I demonstrated how to make a simple Family Tree for young children in a previous post last year (see https://marykisner.com/building-a-simple-family-tree/). I’m now suggesting that adding some of these stories will help younger family members understand interesting details of their lives.

I feel fortunate that both my father (Paul Bixby) and my grandfather (John Bixby) were prolific writers and left behind a pretty complete accounting of their growing up years. I’d like to share two stories that could certainly tell my grandchildren a lot about their great grandfathers that they will never meet or met when they were very young and don’t remember them.

Story of the Early Years from John L. Bixby

John Bixby…tall boy in the back row

“I was born on a farm in Aurora Township, Steele County, Minnesota, December 26, 1882. Eventually I had 3 brothers and 2 sisters: Jacob, Lottie, Abraham, Isaac and Gertrude. The winter of 1882-1883 was a severe one with deep snow and blocked roads. That is the reason I arrived one day late for Christmas!

The first 6 years of my life are pretty much a blank as I remember them now, but I must have grown at a tremendous rate for before I was eight years old, I was raking hay with old Nellie (our work horse) and the new self-dump rake. That fall I was plowing with four big horses and the 2-wheel sulky plow.

The years from 1888 to 1893 were spent in school and helping where I could on my father’s 240-acre farm. The school year back then was a 5 or 6-month term mostly during the winter. My father taught two of those winter terms, the first when I was six. During that winter we learned how to read a bit, count, add and subtract and write our names. When father taught, he would rise at 4:30, do a lot of farm chores, eat a hurried breakfast, pile us kids into the wagon or sleigh, pick up several more kids on the way, put his team in a nearby farmer’s barn and be ready to ring the bell at nine.”

A Memory of Tough Love from Grandpa Paul

Paul W. Bixby (1913-2012)

“When I was about eight-years-old I had a calf named Daisy. I had begged Dad to let the new-born Guernsey be mine, and promised to take care of it through the summer until a fall sale would bring dollars to buy my new shoes for school. She was too small to drink from the cattle tank so she was staked out in lush grass near the house. She depended on me for water. Mother had made it very clear that if I were to claim ownership, responsibility for chores also would be mine. Dad had agreed. All was good fun for a while but as the summer weeks passed, other interests lured me. More that once Mother had reminded me to carry water to Daisy.

One morning Mother, Dad and my baby sister Ruth were headed to town and I wanted to go too. It was always fun to go to town with its big grocery store and the Post Office. But going to town meant the chores had to be finished. Daisy couldn’t be left without fresh water.

That morning there had been a note of annoyance in Mom’s call about water. I dallied a bit with the new ‘invention’ I was working on in the shop and in what I thought was plenty of time I dropped my tools and started for the pump with my pail. However, that was when I realized I was too late to finish the chore and still go to town. They left without me!

I was crushed and cried like a baby. I filled the tub properly and sat under a tree to mope and slowly began wondering what Dad might say or do when he returned. When they finally returned, two-year-old Ruthie ran to meet me; Mom said Aunt Clara wondered where I was; Dad glanced at the water in Daisy’s tub and said nothing. Lesson learned…chores before fun!”

Capture Those Shared Stories and Memories

I think one of the most common things to happen when extended families gather over the holidays are the shared stories and memories. Take advantage by encouraging older folks to share these stories with the younger ones. They will never forget those special times.

Whole Wheat Bread Experiments

I have begun the planning for a Christmas gift for my kids and grandkids. I hope to pull together about 25 of my favorite recipes to make each family a notebook (kind of like the recipe box my mother handed down to me!).

It seems my recipes are always a work in progress!

Unfortunately, I can’t just use copies of many of my recipes, because my stand mixer is larger than the ones my kids have and the quantities of things I make…like my oatmeal bread…won’t fit in their mixers. I’m not sure anyone has tried to make Bert’s chocolate chip cookies either…the volume of his single batch is huge!

So, today I pulled out my Oatmeal Bread recipe, an adapted Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Bread recipe and my basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe to see which ingredients needed to be adjusted.

My original Oatmeal Bread recipe made 3 (sometimes 4) loaves; I have an additional recipe that makes 6+ loaves of bread if I use our huge industrial mixer that Bert uses for his yearly cookie marathon.

I reduced the ingredients from the original Oatmeal Bread recipe to about 2/3 so my kids can make it with their smaller mixers. I took notes as I measured out the flour. I also had a handwritten recipe to make Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread using similar procedures, so I tried to show the additional ingredients if whole wheat flour is used.

Then I wanted to compare the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread to the basic Whole Wheat Bread to see if using the oatmeal made a better loaf.

Here is the basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe. It also needed to be reduced, so you can see my notes. Instead of starting with the rolled oats, this basic recipe started by making a sponge with some flour and the yeast mixture.

The key ingredient when making all whole wheat bread is the addition of Vital Wheat Gluten flour. All-purpose flour has more gluten available because of processing. Whole wheat flour is not as processed so adding this extra powdered gluten makes it possible for the slice of bread to stick together and not crumble like a slice of cornbread.

Here is the package of Vital Wheat Gluten flour:

I ended up making two batches of bread…first the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread and then the basic Whole Wheat Bread.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread:

Basic Whole Wheat Bread:

The Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread slice is on the left. The basic Whole Wheat Bread slice is on the right.

They tasted pretty much the same…EXCEPT…the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread on the left had a much lighter, more spongy texture. I think as long as I had rolled oats available, I would choose to make that one.

The next step is to formalize the recipes and instructions so they are ready for the Christmas notebooks! Next, I’ll move on to some of the cookie recipes…including Bert’s Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. The quantities of the ingredients when Bert uses our industrial mixer are huge…I don’t think anyone has tried to make a smaller batch. I’ll see what I can do!

Preserving a Memory of a Child’s Table and Chairs

Any time I start “downsizing” my space (my house, my sewing supplies, outgrown children’s toys, etc.) I realize the problem isn’t letting go of the item, it’s feeling that the story that goes with the item will be lost. That’s one reason sorting through someone else’s stuff is easier than doing our own…we don’t get bogged down in the “story.”

While I was collecting items for the Auxiliary yard sale two weeks ago, my daughter’s mother-in-law (MIL) wanted to donate a small table and two chairs that were made around 1978 by my son-in-law’s grandfather. It had been used by children and grandchildren and was taking up space in her home.

A special note written on the underside of the table held the memory:

This says, “To STEVE & CHRIS WITH LOVE–PAP PAP”

When I brought the table and chairs home to include them in the yard sale, I remembered how special the table was to her. So, while Steve and Chris had a few memories of the table, their mother had special memories that included memories of her father.

I decided to take some pictures of the table, chairs and message before they were sold at the yard sale.

Setting up a Tea Party

Several years ago, I had made some stuffed dogs honoring my daughter’s dog, Otis, and her mother-in-law’s dog, Max. Luckily, I had made a set for myself. The two dogs were best friends and spent time together.

Here is Otis:

and here is Max:

Here are their stuffed dogs:

Setting up the table, chairs and stuffed dogs worked pretty well:

After I took the picture, I added the inscription from the underside of the table and took another picture:

It certainly wasn’t professional-grade but this picture captured the basics. I sent the .jpg photo to Shutterfly and ordered an 8 x 10 and a few 5 x 7’s. Now, the MIL and Steve and Chris have photos that save the memory, without having to save the actual table. I think the photo accomplished what I was hoping would happen…the memory was saved for them. Consider using photographs to capture memories so downsizing is easier!

Follow-up with the Retro Dress and Aprons

Just a quick post to show you the final pictures of the retro 1952 dress and the retro 1940s aprons. The dress was made for my oldest granddaughter (17) in California. She and her family visited this past summer and spent time in several thrift shops and the local antique store looking for “vintage” clothing. We had fun at the fabric store finding patterns for retro clothing…meaning made new but in a vintage style.

Follow-up of the Retro 1952 Dress

We ended up with this pattern.

After she and her family left town, I had the challenge of making the dress with no way to “fit” it to her…I had just her measurements! You can read about the process of making the dress at this link:

https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1952-dress/

Fortunately, the dress fit just fine, but it didn’t “look” like the pattern picture.

I finally figured out the skirt was full, but it just didn’t look full. It needed a gathered slip to give it shape! So, I ordered a slip and mailed it to her. Now, the dress looks like what I imagined…EXCEPT…since she wasn’t here, I couldn’t estimate the length of the slip. I left it alone and mailed it to California. Of course, the slip is about 4″ too long!

However, she loves it! I guess it could be a new fashion statement…with the lace showing. Warning to my son…if she decides she doesn’t want the slip showing, you’ll either have to mail it back to me or cut it off and hem it yourself! (Luckily, he knows how to do that!)

Follow-up of the Retro Aprons

Then, I found a pattern for a set of Retro 1940s aprons.

I knew I wanted to make one like the pinafore apron and possibly the half apron, like the one in green on the pattern. If I made two, then both my granddaughters could bake together! You can read about making these aprons here: https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1940s-apron/

The pinafore apron was a real challenge and the half apron with pockets was much too complicated! (I don’t remember the apron I made in Home Ec. class around 1960 being this complicated.)

I can’t decide if I’m just out of practice in following complex instructions or if clothing construction procedures have been simplified over the years.

The pinafore apron turned out fine:

The half apron (in purple) was hard to photograph and needed to sit above the waist.

Of course, without my granddaughters nearby I couldn’t check the aprons for length. Turns out they were willing to put them on and send me a picture. They said they loved them! Hopefully, the next time they bake cookies they’ll remember to wear them!

That’s the story of Mary making retro clothing so far. Who knows what I might try next?

Revisiting Ideas for a Handmade Christmas

I was reminded (by Facebook no less) of a post I wrote one year ago today. It was a great reminder for me because I’m still making and gifting these items…but since I already posted about each project, I usually don’t post about it again. I’d like to share it here to give you some ideas for a handmade Christmas by giving you the link to the original articles:

https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-1-paper-soap-and-fabric/

and the follow-up post: https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-2-clay/

The first post describes (and links to the original posts) how to make gift bags and boxes by recycling pictures from calendars, guest soaps from melt and pour soap bases and making hot or cold neck wraps from fabric. The second post deals with polymer clay projects. If you’re looking for ideas for a homemade Christmas, give some of these a try. Enjoy!

Every Diet Has a Power Bowl

While I was sorting books for the yard sale last week, I took the time to look through my cookbooks. I realized I had cookbooks with recipes focused on plants, whole-grains, beans and meat. I’ve found good recipes buried in diet cookbooks for vegans, vegetarians and followers of a Keto diet. When I looked across the covers, I tried to figure out why these particular books appealed to me…no matter what foods I’m focused on.

The most recent book I picked up, Keto Power Bowls by Faith Gorsky, finally struck a chord! It seems most of the books on my shelf showcase a recipe in a bowl!

I’m sure the plain white bowls are necessary to display salad or soup in pictures, but I think I’m attracted to the concept of a meal in a bowl. So, whole grain recipes start with rice in the bowl with steamed vegetables on top, while the Keto Bowl starts with lettuce or cauliflower rice with cooked meat, onion and cheese on top.

What always sucks me in is the bowl concept! I love beautiful bowls! Curious, since my dishes are plain white. I’m always checking out handmade earthenware or ceramic bowls at antique stores or thrift shops. Frequently, they are not dishwasher safe. I’ve tried to restrain myself so I’m not stuck with dishes I have to wash by hand.

I finally went online and found some ceramic bowls for salad or pasta that could be fun. This set, from Amazon, made me smile:

These are a little bigger and deeper than the ones that come with my dishes:

Then I was looking at other choices…for soup…and ordered these (also dishwasher safe):

So, no matter what I feel like putting in the bowls, I can guarantee I will smile each time I use them!

Dogwood Trees: From Flowers to Pumpkins

We have a lovely row of Japanese Dogwood trees across our front yard. Most of the year they are like other deciduous trees with leaves in the spring that grow, turn colors and fall off in the fall.

Along about June, these trees have beautiful white flowers that look gorgeous when they all blossom at the same time.

The blossoms last several weeks and the center of each blossom is the seed pod. They continue to grow all summer and by October they turn a bright orange! Looks like little pumpkins all over the tree!

Just to show you the size of the seed pods, I picked a few.

I first thought I could collect a few and use them as decorations around the house…NOPE! Within a day or two they turned an ugly brown.

Bert also discovered when they fall to the ground and he runs the mower around the trees…they become splattering projectiles. What a mess!

Happy October!

Getting Ready for the Yard Sale at the Boalsburg Fire Hall

I’m getting my stuff ready to head to the Boalsburg Fire Hall to set up for the indoor yard sale that will happen tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday, October 6 & 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We’d love to see you there!

Participating in a group yard sale is a little different from doing one on your own. Having a yard sale on your own is a lot of work…just sorting “stuff” throughout the house and taking over your garage can take days or weeks! Then trying to put a price on each item is tough when you can remember how much you paid for items in the first place. You really have to be strong and be ready to let go of your “stuff.”

A yard sale that is also a fundraiser for a group has a few additional activities. Once the items have been collected and priced, everything needs to be transported to a central location…in this case the Fire Hall!

Here’s my car packed with “stuff” …some is mine, most was donated by other family members and friends. Bags are filled with books, games and other “collectibles.”

In addition to the “stuff” to sell, I was tasked with baking cookies to sell. So a few days ago I baked 3 dozen oatmeal-raisin cookies and 4 dozen Snickerdoodles. They are bagged and ready to sell along with chili, soup and hot dogs provided by others.

I will spend the afternoon today at the Fire Hall to unload and set up “stuff.” One thing we learned from previous sales was how much we wished we had background music during the day. I remembered that and packed up my tiny BOSE speaker and will plug it in next to my phone.

My phone can select all the songs on all the albums I have downloaded and “shuffle” them. It should be an interesting mix of songs…from Alan Jackson to Elton John and Backstreet Boys to Enya. Hopefully, with the shuffle, no one artist will be too overwhelming. I’m not sure if the tiny speaker will fill the Fire Hall, but I’ll give it a try!

I really dislike doing a yard sale by myself…just too much work for a few bucks. Maybe when we’re ready to move, we’ll have a “moving sale” and I’ll be more motivated to get rid of “stuff.” Having this sale with the Ladies Auxiliary to the Boalsburg Fire Company is also a lot of work, but it does generate quite a bit of money for our group and always ends up being an enjoyable day with friends!

Yard Sale to Benefit the Boalsburg Fire Company Auxiliary

The Ladies Auxiliary to the Boalsburg Fire Company will hold their indoor flea market/yard sale this Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., October 6 & 7, 2023. Please plan to drop by rain or shine! With everything being held indoors at the Fire Hall you can browse in comfort. This event is held twice a year and is a major fundraiser for our group. We use the funds to keep the kitchen up-to-date and donate much of our profits to the Fire Company. The sale in the fall usually features various Halloween and Christmas items.

If you don’t live nearby, check out the activities of your local Fire Company. There may be similar activities in your area. Most Fire Companies are supported by local volunteers and various fundraisers help with their equipment needs.

This flea market/yard sale offers a table for a fee and local folks can display their own items for sale. The table fees support the work of the Auxiliary. The Auxiliary ladies fill up 3 or 4 tables with donated stuff and that money also supports our work.

I’ve shared pictures of past yard sales in two posts. You can see them here:

https://marykisner.com/flea-market/ and https://marykisner.com/exploring-an-indoor-yard-sale-or-flea-market/

If you’re nearby, we’d love to share this indoor yard sale with you! Sale is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 6 & 7. Rain or shine! Come support the Boalsburg Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary!

Making French Apple Cake

Fall is definitely the time I see many recipes for apple desserts. I often get inspired to try, one more time, an apple pie, an apple crisp or even an apple cobbler. Unfortunately, I have yet to be successful with any of the standard recipes! I have no trouble cutting up the apples, but for some reason my finished products are runny and the toppings are flavor-less. Bert will eat any of my attempts, but it takes the fun out of it when I am unsuccessful…time after time!

Have I got a great apple recipe for you! I found this on www.allrecipes.com called French Apple Cake. This “cake” was easy to put together and made a nice flavorful dessert. Of course, it called for dark rum, so what do you expect!

Most every recipe I download I usually retype and reformat the instructions to be more like the ones in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. When instructions are given in sentence form, I end up either missing an ingredient or combining things in the wrong order. Here is the way I revised the recipe:

The first time I made this cake, I used a round cake pan. It worked, but once the cake was turned out on to a plate it was hard to cover it to put it in the refrigerator. this time I used a Corning-ware casserole dish that had a snap on plastic lid. Worked much better!

If you follow the recipe above, here are some pictures of the process:

Cut up 3 large apples into very small pieces. Keep covered with water until ready to add to the cake.

Melt a stick of butter and mix into the sugars.

When butter and sugars are mixed, add the 2 eggs and flour mixture. Beat until smooth.

Add 3 Tbsp of rum (optional) and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Drain and fold in the apples until evenly mixed and transfer the batter to a buttered pan or casserole. Dust the top with sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan about 30 minutes.

If you used the cake pan, flip it out onto a pan, remove the parchment paper and flip again.

Top with cinnamon and sugar (or powdered sugar).

Check it out! Apples were perfect, cake made it not runny! Success! Next time I’ll leave out the rum, but Bert liked it!

My favorite way to use apples!