Made in Cherry - 4th of July style!

As soon as I saw the Made in Cherry quilt design, I knew it would be perfect for my in-laws.  They love 4th of July more than any other holiday - I swear, it is bigger than Christmas to them.  I think it is because all three of their sons and their sons' families converge on their lake house for 3 - 4 days and just hang out.  It is definitely more relaxed than Christmas when we are all rushing around from place to place trying to keep the kids from imploding from all the Santa-mania.

The lake house is a special place no matter when you go.  It is in the north Georgia mountains and the lake itself is fed by mountain water so it is the clearest, deepest green you can imagine.  You can actually see the bottom of the lake from the dock.  It is a place full of fun memories.

The house is beautiful but not fancy.  I don't have to worry about the dogs or the kids coming in wet from the lake and I don't have to constantly shout at them to pick up their stuff (thank goodness because I would go hoarse from all the shouting).  The house radiates the love that my in-laws have for it and their family.

But I digress - as usual.  This quilt pattern is one very large star and I thought it would look perfect in red, white, and blue.  So I chose totally random prints in those colors and put them together in what I hope will be a nice birthday gift for my in-laws.  Hopefully such a nice gift that they will overlook the fact that it is late.

I love the rockets and the bikes.  Fireworks and playtime, just what summer is all about.

This is a beast of a quilt, 80 x 80.  Just compare the size to those little legs in the background and you will get what I  mean.  Now to get it quilted and bound before my in-law's next birthday.  Wish me luck!

And here is a shot of our family from the lake.  Just because.

May summer get here soon!

A happy discovery . . .

Every year starting in 3rd grade, the kids have to do a large project for school.  (The school's requirement, not mine:))  In 5th grade they have to study their family's immigration history - when did the first family member come to this country, what was it like for them, what are some interesting things about the country from which the family came.

Since my mother came to the United States from England, Ella chose to tell my mother's story and to research England.  (More about the story later, it is pretty funny.)  Part of the project also required her to find a recipe for a traditional english food and make it for the class.  

Ella didn't want to do scones because that's what most people do for England (love that she wants to be original!).  Plus, I can't cook scones to save my life.  The whole cutting butter thing throws me off.  

So I dug out the cookbook my grandmother bought for me on one of our trips to England to visit her.  Ella started to look through it and out fell several small pieces of paper with handwritten recipes on them.  I had completely forgotten that my Nana had written the recipes down for me as good ones for the novice cook to have in her repertoire!  What a wonderful discovery!  

Ella decided to make banana tea loaf from this recipe:

     

How cool to cook from her English great-grandmother's handwritten recipe!  With some conversions here and there (gas mark 4 is 350 degrees and bicarbonate is baking soda) and some adjustments (the sugar is a dry 3 ounce measurement plus a cup), we worked it out and Ella cooked it.  And let me tell you, it is wonderful!  Much better than the banana bread I normally make!  The addition of the lemon is something I never would have thought of but really brings a depth to the taste.  The only change I might make is the amount of sugar makes it very sweet so you really don't need the over-ripe bananas that banana bread usually requires.  

Even though we were separated by an ocean, we saw my grandparents frequently.  My Nana and I were very close and I always loved spending time with her and my Mom.  I felt lucky to be able to experience a relationship with three generations of my family.  

This is a picture of Nana and me is from the early 80's (which you could probably tell from my awesome hairstyle.)  Now my Mom and my Nana are both gone and I miss them terribly.  Which makes it even more special that a fourth generation is getting to know Nana through her recipe.  Love that!