Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2019 i Country Woman

Q: What’s your best keep-clean tip for mud season? I place newspapers on the floor to catch all the plops of mud and residue. Once the boots are on a drying mat, I roll up the newspapers and throw them out. It’s an easy, inexpensive fix on rainy days. JOY DETERDING CAMBRIDGE, NEBRASKA I ordered a clear vinyl runner for the hallway with floor mats on either end to trap dirt. Another tip is to let the mud dry and then get it with an electric carpet sweeper. Finally, we keep “paw towels” by the front and back doors and try to catch our dog before she runs back into the house for her treat. SHELBY OPPERMANN MECHANICSVILLE, MARYLAND Make note of any low spots in your yard that tend…

Cue the crocuses and send in the songbirds. Spring is just around the corner, so throw a seed-starting party as the perfect way to celebrate with other gardeners. There, you’ll build budding friendships or cultivate connections—and jump-start your garden. Welcome guests with gifts An inexpensive pair of pretty garden gloves and a DIY floral crown set the tone. Form floral wire into a circle, wrap with floral tape, and tape on fresh or faux flowers and greenery. Adorn with ribbon, if desired. Set out the basics Provide containers appropriate for starting seeds—peat pots, plastic seedling flats or paper egg cartons. Add sterile seed-starting mix, large spoons, a spray water bottle and plenty of newspaper to cover the workspace. Fill a basket with seed packets from which guests can choose. Vegetables…

Slow-Cooked Lasagna Soup I have modified this recipe so I can prep it the night before and put it in the slow cooker in the morning. My colleagues love it. —SHARON GERST NORTH LIBERTY, IA PREP: 35 MIN. COOK: 5 HOURS + STANDING MAKES: 8 SERVINGS 1 pkg. (19½ oz.) Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed 1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 carton (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 cans (14½oz. each) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes 2 cans (8 oz. each) no-salt-added tomato sauce 2 tsp. Italian seasoning 6 lasagna noodles, broken into 1-in. pieces 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach 1 cup cubed or shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Shredded Parmesan cheese and minced fresh basil, optional 1. In…

Sitting atop the smaller of our tractors with my husband, Will, on the snow-covered ground below, I feel the full force of my terror. Resentful at having been pulled from my cozy desk out into the snow—farm emergencies have no respect for the tranquility of Sunday mornings, it seems—I’m consumed with anxiety. My tractor, small and open, is positioned on our steep driveway in front of the larger tractor that’s stuck in a hardened snowbank and pitched at the top of a deep ravine at the driveway’s edge. Will needs me to drive the small tractor uphill while pulling the big tractor with a chain. We are a team, but I’ve spent less and less time with machinery over the years. Cattle herding is still in my job description, but…

1 Inspired by our April/May 2018 cover, Diana Johnson of Lima, Ohio, made these sweet little fairy gardens in a set of canning jar lids. 2 Circle of Friends member Melody Richardson of Middlesex, Vermont, made this simple terrarium with succulents anchored in votive candleholders. She loves being able to change out the display depending on the holiday or season. For now, it’s a welcome breath of spring. 3 Cindy Eaton of Nokomis, Florida, was working on her family history when she found her mother’s 4-H mementos and created this clever display for the ribbons, which date from 1949 to 1956.…

Like most worthwhile projects, the idea behind our family’s Bunkhouse started small. We needed time, passion and good old-fashioned elbow grease to convert our vision into something tangible. With creative plans and bodies able and ready, that idea manifested into a labor of love. My great-grandparents purchased our family farm in 1923, and they chose a pristine plot. Occupying 175 acres of prime Wisconsin earth, the farm had it all: a meandering stream that’s home to healthy trout; hardwood forests; views of the Mississippi River Valley; abundant wildlife; and large swaths of highly tillable black soil. It offered a chance for their American dreams to grow. They were dairy farmers living the good life in what they refer to as “God’s country.” My parents renovated the original farmhouse, adding another…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Plastic wrap Masking tape Air-drying clay Decorative twine Rag Bamboo or barbecue skewer Alphabet stamp set DIRECTIONS 1. Cover the work surface with plastic wrap and tape down the edges. 2. Tear off a small amount of clay and roll it into a ¾-in.-diameter ball. 3. Flatten the ball on the plastic into an even, smooth round disk about 1/8 in. thick. (For longer plant names, make the disk into more of an oval shape.) If the clay starts to dry out and small cracks form around the edges of the disks, use a damp rag to gently smooth them over. 4. Use a bamboo skewer to make a hole about 1/3 in. from the top edge of the disk. 5. Press the plant name into the…

My pieces of history were tucked in various places in my home, like my mother’s worn high school class ring in a box with the note she left for me: “For Doreen who never got a class ring.” I had saved seashells and coins from countries I visited. There was a piece of the Berlin Wall, given to me by an exchange student the year it came down. I had costume jewelry—a couple of necklaces, some dress pins, a hair comb—given to me by my grandmothers. I’d also tucked away an inkwell and a wedding ring box from generations before me. None of it had any real value, but I thought of the original owners every time I came across the items. I had recipes written in the hand of…

1 Making Friends with Frosty We live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so we have to make at least one snowman a year. Tyler, 6, was having a blast. JERIANN TRUITT DAGGETT, MICHIGAN 2 Peddlin’ On No matter the season, my son Nicholas will find a way to do what he wants, like when he had his heart set on riding his bike. It was bitterly cold and there were snow and ice obstacles to maneuver around, but his face still beamed with pure joy. CASEY OLSON MENOMONIE, WISCONSIN 3 Say ‘Apple!’ My son Griffin created quite a heartfelt display out of apples during a recent family outing. KATIE HOUGHTON PERU, MAINE 4 Some Bunny to Love We love it when it snows and the kids have the day…

With pinking shears, cut two pieces of a pretty floral fabric into equally sized shapes—for this, squares, rectangles and hearts all work well. Cut a coordinating 1x6-in.-strip of fabric for the handle. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and make a decorative zigzag stitch down the length with a sewing machine. In a coordinating fabric, cut a heart smaller than the pocket pieces and sew with a zigzag stitch onto the front of one pocket piece. Stitch the handle onto the outside of that piece. Line up the matching piece with the front one, pattern facing out, and stitch a ¼-in. seam along three sides, leaving the top open. Write a prayer or inspirational message on a piece of paper, tuck it in the pocket and send to a friend.…

In the small community of Mountain View, North Carolina, 15 to 20 people gather twice a week to crochet. Some of them make wheelchair shawls and lap afghans for the elderly, others craft “fiddle blankets” and palm protectors for Alzheimer’s patients, and still more crochet tiny hats for premature babies in neonatal intensive care units. Whether at the grocery store that makes space for them on Friday afternoons or a nursing home on Monday nights, this group of committed friends meets to create a variety of useful items, only to give them away. Just three people attended the first meeting of the Catawba Crafters, but the group has grown considerably since its inception in 2013, thanks to its founders’ passion for helping others. Jo Boone and her mother, Earlene Propst,…

HANDCRAFTED MEMORIES BY KELLI LYNN WOODEND BROOKLYN, NEW YORK I was born and raised in a small Kentucky town, but now live quite a different life in a Brooklyn brownstone with my husband. When I moved here 10 years ago, I brought very little with me: a suitcase, a couple of books and my cherished Appalachian dulcimer. I made this dulcimer from scratch when I was a student at Berea College in Kentucky, a school that encourages its students to study and explore Appalachian skills. Dulcimers, stringed instruments not well known outside the Appalachian region, are an important part of traditional music there. Music has always been a part of my family. My grandmother Ree-Ree played piano and my grandpa Tams played guitar and harmonica. Ree-Ree’s sister Frankie played an…

BANNER DAY THIS SWEET AND SIMPLE VALENTINE ACCENT HITS A HIGH NOTE. WHAT YOU’LL NEED Vintage sheet music Scrapbook paper Glitter glue Ribbon Small decorative flowers Scissors Hole punch Adhesive tape roller Hot glue gun DIRECTIONS 1. Cut sheet music to 4x6-in. rectangles, cutting enough for the desired length of the finished banner. Stack a few together and notch out a triangle from the bottom. Repeat for all rectangles. 2. Use hole punch to cut holes at each top corner of the flags. Cut out heart shapes from scrapbook paper to fit on flags. Attach hearts with tape adhesive. 3. Apply glitter glue around the edge of each heart. Thread ribbon through flag holes. Hot-glue decorative floral elements near each hole punch. FRAMED IN A MELODY REMEMBER THE DAY—AND THE…

I felt a tug on my jacket and knelt down. “I have to tell you a secret,” the child, a kindergartner named Jeremy, whispered. He admitted that he was afraid of elderly people. I assured him that the folks we were going to visit were kind. The rest of my students were lined up outside the assisted-living center. It was Valentine’s Day and they each held a book with a homemade card inside. Our two-room country school was taking part in a program called Kindness Counts, and visiting the center was our culminating activity. Each kid had chosen a valentine book and practiced reading it. “Who remembers our rules?” I asked. A hand went up. “Read slowly and loudly.” “If you need help, raise your hand. And have fun!” Jeremy…

“Let me call you back,” said my husband, Bob. “We have company.” It was Super Bowl Sunday and I was nestled blissfully into a recliner, contemplating my team’s chances. Wind blew against the windows and orange light from the fire danced around the room. But Bob’s signoff snapped me back to the moment. Company? I hadn’t heard the door. “Who’s here?” I asked. Bob, a man you might be able to rattle if you hit him with a tire iron, pointed to the carpet and said, calmly, “Snake.” Now, in my opinion, nothing about snakes should be approached calmly. I’m all for screaming, flailing, pleas to the Almighty and speed. Height is good, too. Once, I hovered above the ground for a solid two minutes while a friend dispatched a…