Ashes and Soot...

Got the current 8 blocks done. These are the sweetest little 5" blocks. And so easy! (I have been trying to work on my Dear Jane, but those blocks I, mostly, do not enjoy. Maybe they are a bit too much of a challenge.) I was woefully behind on the Ashes and Soot blocks but quickly got caught up in an evening. I am having quite the challenge of finding the softer, dull colors for these blocks. You know how I usually am drawn to the more satuarated colors. I might need to make a set of those, also. Don't tell, but I was able to work some batiks it there. It'll be our little secret.

That end of the kitchen table certainly gets a workout when it is harvest time. Abe is being a goof ball. We were making applesauce to cook down to apple butter. I have such good helpers. Reminds me of when the older children were home and they were my helpers. I really miss them. But I must say that the girls seem to be even more intuitive about what needs to be done. They even clean up the mess! How fun is that? So the apple butter has been simmering in the crockpots for two days and is ready to be canned. I was thinking about how Grandma used to make apple butter over an open fire in a big cast iron pot. What hard work she must have put into it to keep it from scalding. I almost feel guilty. Almost. And what a treat apple butter would have been for her family. It's creamy sweetness spread on one of her biscuits. Now that was an act of love if there ever was one. Yes, a treat indeed. My Daniel has always been a big fan of my apple butter and I am going to be sure to hold a jar back for him. I don't think I'll risk mailing it to him.

Hope you have a great week!