August 2005
Dear Friends,

We’ve just had a delightful month of July with visits from grandchildren, and other relatives. Sometimes it takes visitors to get us out of our “nose-to-the-grindstone” work routine, lay the work aside and go enjoy the pool, the beach, or some other joys of summer. I hope you and your family also take some time for rest and some summer fun.

Getting children to eat vegetables can sometimes be a challenge! I developed my “Granny’s Magic Sauce” and told two of our grandsons that it makes all veggies taste wonderful and really helps them go down. To add to the fun, I poured the sauce into a small creamer in the shape of a duck. One of my FCH girls gave it to me a few years ago (thank you, Gracie!) and the boys were delighted to pour the Magic Sauce through the duck’s mouth and onto their veggies!

Granny’s Magic Sauce is simply Ranch dressing thinned with a little milk until it is easy to pour. That’s it! It worked like a charm. The boys admitted that it did, indeed, make their veggies taste better and they had great fun using the little duck creamer. When they asked what was in the Magic Sauce, I told them it was my special “secret” recipe, adding to the intrigue and their curiosity to try it!

Look for cute creamers in kitchen stores, and country stores such as Cracker Barrel. Usually they are in the shape of a cow, but any shape of creamer adds charm to the table. If your children don’t like Ranch dressing, consider other flavors they do like, perhaps sweet & sour sauce, or pizza sauce. It just might help them eat more veggies.

Speaking of vegetables, zucchini is plentiful now. Here’s a quick & tasty way to prepare it:

Zucchini Rounds – Wash a large zucchini and pat dry. Slice into round slices about ¼” thick. Lay slices flat on a foil-lined broiler pan or cookie sheet. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the top of each slice, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil 5 – 8 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. I make these in my toaster oven so I don’t heat up the entire kitchen. If your broiler doesn’t work well, I’m sure you could bake them at 450 degrees and that should work well, too. These make a nutritious appetizer, too. Don’t like mayonnaise? Spread a little Ranch dressing on the zucchini rounds instead.

I enjoyed sewing stuffed animals when my 14-year-old cousin visited this summer. When we finished our animals, we wanted to dress them! Just in time, I came across 18” doll clothes patterns from my friend, JoAnn Gagnon at Bunkhouse Sewing. I have mentioned JoAnn’s outstanding sewing books before: “Stitches & Pins” for beginning girls, “Pins & Needles” for intermediate girls, “Buckles & Bobbins” for boys, quilt patterns, cloth doll patterns, sewing supplies, kits and so much more! The doll clothes patterns match the outfits in the books, so the girls can make matching outfits for themselves and their dolls – and use up the fabric leftover from their own clothes! What a terrific idea! There are doll clothes patterns for each of the sewing books.

JoAnn points out that sewing doll clothes is more difficult than sewing larger clothing, and that is something I find many mothers do not realize. So often, girls want to sew for their dolls; indeed, I remember doing the same thing when I was young. But it is more difficult to sew tiny little curves and seams, turn them right side out, etc. I recommend beginning with the “Stitches & Pins” book and doing some of the projects in that book and, when your daughter is more experienced and confident with sewing, then try the doll clothes. The book begins with a simple pillowcase, then moves on to a book cover, drawstring laundry bag, an apron, small quilt, and various garments. Along the way, JoAnn teaches all the important sewing skills you need. All 14 projects are well illustrated so even if you don’t sew, you can learn along with your daughter.

I encourage you to take a look at JoAnn’s website, www.bunkhousesewing.com. Whether you want a sewing curriculum, doll clothes patterns, or sewing supplies, you’re sure to find what you need there. You can also reach JoAnn at 1-800-337-8845.

Next month, as schooling resumes for many, I’ll have some tips for teaching girls skills they need to learn besides cooking and sewing. There is so much a girl needs to learn and practice in order to become a successful homemaker one day. If you haven’t had your daughter start a homemaking notebook, I hope this year you’ll have her dedicate a 3-ring binder to keeping recipes, sewing tips, homemaking hints, etc. Imagine how useful she will find that to be in years to come!

Until next time ~

Yours in Him,

 

Copyright, 2005, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

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