Love Begets Love: The Tablecloth Project

One of the gifts I received when I graduated from 8th grade was from my Grandma Martha, my Dad’s mother–a hand-crocheted tablecloth. Though I wasn’t exactly thrilled (being a typical teenager then), I packed it away, to be used after marriage…I don’t think I’ve used it but once for its intended purpose.

Martha was 69 years old when she lovingly began crocheting each 3-inch floret–there are 616!–which had to be joined by over 600 more florets, so you can imagine how long she worked on this magnificent piece.

Back at the beginning of November, as I was unpacking Christmas things to make new decorations, I pulled out the tablecloth…and that ‘little voice’ said, “It’s time to wash this and repair it!”–which I did!

Here are some of the repairs I encountered, and mind you, I do not crochet, so I had to carefully join the original loops with some older white thread I had kept–as the tablecloth is now going on 53 years old!

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Finally, this project has come to an end…though I somehow ‘felt’ my Grandma looking over my shoulder, as I struggled to join loops properly.

When I began, it was difficult to figure out what loop went where, but each time I picked up the project again, I got the same feeling of love…that I was doing things the right way.

It was almost as if Grandma was guiding the needle for me, because the task became very easy.

Twice, I laid the tablecloth over my bed, and found even more repairs needed, which should have been frustrating–but were not, you see, because I could picture myself as a child, sitting on her carpet, looking up and watching her pray her rosary and crochet at the same time!  What a multitasker, eh?

In fact, the very first oil painting I did back in 1975 was that very memory!  (Sorry, no image available)

About a week and a half ago, I finished!

The tablecloth is now packed away in a plastic carrier, because it’s too large for my table!

I may hang it at the window, but it will get dusty and dirty, and I really don’t know how many more washings it can take.

What I do know is:  this gift was made out of  love, and when I repaired it, I gained more love, not only for my Grandma, but for all those who persevere and achieve a goal, no matter what their circumstances!

An experiment gone right…

…very right!

Today, I decided to bake bread, something I took up again very recently after a fifteen-or-so year absence.  I planned to make a ‘challah’ (egg bread) because it’s one of my favorites.  Then, I got to thinking, “What if I add…?”…so I did!  I added raw sunflower seeds, chopped raw pecans, chopped raw walnuts, raw sesame seeds and an extra egg for good measure!  Here’s the result:

Nutty Challah, straight from the oven! Oooh, it smelled so good!  The ‘gloss’ comes from a egg yolk ‘wash’, brushed over the dough right before it is put into the oven.  That crochet-work you see was my eighth grade graduation gift from my Slovak grandma, 52 years ago…I’ve been repairing it, so if it looks a bit wrinkly, it’s because I have a lot left to stitch up and haven’t ironed it yet!

I let it cool and took it into the kitchen to slice (I put half in the freezer).

YUM! Beautifully textured, and I simply cannot tell you how marvelous it tastes, warm with a bit of butter!

Why was it an experiment?  I wanted something heartier and healthier, so I just began adding the nuts.  Then I added a couple heaping tablespoons of sesame seed for good measure, thinking they couldn’t hurt!  I thought I may have ‘killed’ the yeast, as I feared the water was too warm, and the dough was very heavy and didn’t really ‘rise’ as I felt it should.

I popped it in the oven and prayed for it to rise!

And, as you see, it DID!  Very nicely!

My “Nutty Challah” was very delicious with the hot and spicy, Spanish-style chicken soup I made yesterday…I’d give you the recipe for the Challah, but I didn’t really measure all these additions, and some subtractions, like ‘less sugar’.

The soup, however, is 2 chicken breasts; 7 small onions, sliced and sauteed in butter until almost caramelized; 3 bay leaves; 3 large carrots, sliced; a half each of green and red pepper, chopped; a cup or so of ‘Romana’ dried beans (similar to Pinto Beans, but smoother and a bit sweeter); a generous sprinkle of ‘Pinto Bean Seasoning’; a generous sprinkle of dried Minced Garlic and dried Crushed Red Pepper; a generous sprinkling of Lemon Pepper and enough filtered water to almost fill a 4 quart pot.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer at least 3 hours, til the beans are soft.  I remove the chicken, chop it into chunks and put it back in.  No salt was added, because the chicken contains quite a bit.

And I didn’t take a photo!  Oh, well…let’s say I ‘owe you one’!  Next time, I shall!