Where Have I Been?

I love this photo of my son Matthew and his bride Suzie. This is a self-portrait they took of themselves at sunset in our beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. Photo credit: Matthew/Suzie Guerrant

Hello, dear readers. You may wonder where I've been these past two weeks. Staying close to my Puffs tissues (in the cheery polka dot box) and my latest purchase - the Neti pot! (More about that later.) For some reason, I went into a horrible allergy/asthma attack which necessitated REAL drugs. My DH decided we needed an air purifier - I am allergic to dogs after all - and a vaporizer/ mister with meds. I was so hoping for a Merry Maids intervention! I've really missed blogging!

I'm finally on the mend and will hopefully post pix soon of the progress I've made in the studio.

'Til then, take care, stay warm and stay well! Love, PEACE and Blessings - Ellen. xoxoxox

Digital Photos on Silk

The original digital sunrise shot.

The photo I took of the printed silk - indoors, no flash.

The photo of the silk print my DH took in natural light with his Nikon D80.

Last but not least, newlyweds Suzie and Matthew take a romp in the Atlantic Ocean.

Epiphany usually marks a deadline for me. I want the Christmas tree to be out of the house and all decorations stored away, and I want to be squirreled away in the studio hard at work.

I have wanted to change the focus of my work for quite some time, to incorporate more digital images, photography and surface design.

I kept looking at the sunrise shot used on my last blog entry. It was taken at Emerald Isle the morning of our son's wedding. As the morning light filled the sky, I reflected on our son's life, the incredibly overwhelming odds he'd faced, and the fact that he was alive and well and actually being married. To say my heart was full is an understatment.

This morning, using Jacquard Inkjet Printing Silk and my Epson Stylus Photo RX500, I printed images of several shots I'd taken as the sun came up Nov. 11, 2006. Not only did the prints come out perfectly but had the added surprise of a color change. The silk prints have a wonderful rosy pink glow instead of the original yellow sun! Why? I do not know, but am guessing it occurred because the yellow ink cartridge was quite low.

This project was so much fun and super easy for my first attempt. I've been debating purchasing a new printer and will seriously check the ones with formats larger than 8 1/2 x 11. I'm open to suggestions, so please comment on my blog.

Shown above are the original shot, two silk prints which really are identical. One was photographed indoors, the other outside today when it was very foggy. Also shown is the packaging for the silk fabric sheets used. Each comes with a paper backing and can also be purchased on 10' rolls. I purchased mine from Dharma Trading Company in San Rafael CA. They can also be ordered from Dharma Trading on line.

Jacquard Inkjet Silk Printing Sheets. The package comes in packs of ten 8 1/2 x 11 sheets
Item # JAC9702 www.jacquardproducts.com 1.800.442.0455

It's a New Day, a New Year

Sunrise on the Outer Banks - Emerald Isle, North Carolina

I no longer make resolutions. I set goals, both long and short term. Having a structured to do list in my mind helps me stay on track. I'm a big list maker, but not a big list sharer. We can waste a lot of time telling people what we're going to do, while others are off doing it. The ultimate quilt artist, Nancy Crow, has just one word pinned to her design wall. It is: FOCUS!

I recently ran across a manila envelope of my report cards from kindergarten through high school. Reading my teachers' comments was both enlightening and disarming. The strong points I had as a 5-year old have stuck with me, while some of my less-than-desirable traits also remain. I'm still struggling with too many irons in the fire - known today as grasshopper brain.

Although I have many projects going at once, I do finish them. Discipline demands I complete my last two big quilts, both for people I love dearly, early this year. Then I'll tackle all these ideas running through my head.

My goal has never been to make lots and lots of quilts. I want to make fewer quilts which mean more. It's all about the journey for me.

New Years Day in the South

Before I moved to North Carolina, I hadn't heard of the traditional southern New Year's Day foods. Early on, I noticed shoppers in the grocery who were buying almost identical things for their January 1st meal: ham, collard greens and fresh black-eyed peas. The shoppers got a chuckle out of my not knowing what the large green leafed vegetable or the little peas were or how to prepare them. After they had given me a short lesson on the how-to's for greens and the peas, I'm sure they walked away saying knowingly to one another, "Well bless her heart."

Many southerners, including my husband, believe eating these foods on New Years Day will bring good fortune for the coming year. Black-eyed peas are symbolic of little coins, collard greens are the greenbacks, both signs of wealth, while cornbread indicates gold. Some believe pork is eaten because the pig can only look forward, not back.

Our dinner was a tad different this year, as we had hopping john instead of just black-eyed peas, and rolls instead of cornbread. (Our favorite cornbread recipe calls for buttermilk and none was to be found.) We enjoyed pork chops as we'd just had ham for Christmas.

My DH found a recipe for hopping john in Charleston Receipts, a book we bought there on our honeymoon nearly 36 years ago. I love this quaint book because stories are included with many of the recipes.

Charleston Receipts is full of old southern stories and recipes.

It is where we found this recipe for Hopping John.

Our meal included pork, sweet potatoes, collard greens, hopping john and rolls.

If I were still living in the midwest, you know this meal would have been topped off by coffee and a decent piece of pie - preferably coconut cream.

At Year's End

Instead of greeting the new year by partying, we're spending a quiet evening at home. My husband is a little under the weather, so is resting on the sofa with Numa at his side. I've been in an appropriately reflective mood as 2008 draws near.

We've been blessed with good health and good friends in 2007. I have so many, many things for which I am grateful. Just a few of them are:

1. My family - the most precious thing in the world.

Ellen, Bill, Matthew, Suzie, Numa and Darby. Christmas 2006.

2. That we're all relatively healthy.

3. That the kids are so happy together.

Matthew and Suzie

4. That they have jobs, a pay check and benefits.

5. That Suzie's brother Rob arrived safely home from Afghanistan.

A very tired Rob arrived home in August.

6. For the three new babies in our families - Addison, Gideon and Wesley. Every baby is a gift from God.

7. That I have three amazingly supportive sisters who love me.

Sue, Sharon, Patty and Me - 1967

8. For the great good fortune of finding members of our family who have been separated from us for decades. Our lives have been so enriched by meeting and getting to know so many relatives who are such a rich part of our heritage.

9. Peace Moravian Church, our minister The Rev. Dr. James Doss and our amazing church family.

10. That we are so blessed in the things which really matter.

My greatest hope for the New Year is P E A C E!

Love and blessings to all.

Foster Parents' Report

I wrote last summer about Numa, the black Lab we are keeping temporarily for our son and daughter-in-law. Numa is still with us, but we haven't become attached at all. Just because she and I have started to dress alike doesn't mean a thing. We can give her up anytime she needs to go home. Really..... we can.

Christmas with the Kids

Sweet Basils - a favorite new restaurant in Greensboro NC.

Bill and I drove to Greensboro Wednesday to celebrate a delayed Christmas with our son Matthew and his wife Suzie. Suzie's brother Rob, safely home from Afghanistan, joined us.

Our first night we all enjoyed a lovely dinner at a new restaurant the kids wanted to try. Located in a transformed old house, the just opened Sweet Basils serves all organic food in an innovative New Orleans/Charleston style. We thought it was divine!

A dark bread with peppered goat cheese in olive oil was served prior to the first course of baby spinach salad with pecans and raspberry vinaigrette. As an entree, Suzie, Bill and I chose crab cakes with black bean mashed potatoes and creamed greens. Matthew and Robbie enjoyed shrimp and grits with sherry - a southern classic. Happily full to the brim, we declined even a peek at the dessert menu!

After a good night's sleep we awoke to find Matthew and Suzie preparing a gourmet breakfast of pecan waffles with banana butter syrup, ham, scrambled eggs, OJ and Cafe Du Monde. Oh My! Truly delicious. And it gave them a chance to try Matthew's new Cuisinart waffle iron!

We lounged and visited while the kids played on an ancient NES (Nintendo) Suzie's brothers had bestowed upon her. Suzie and I took a break to indulge our favorite passion, thrift store shopping. We were thrilled and yet disappointed (who knows what treasures we missed early in the day?) to find Carolina Thrift was having a 50% off sale. Suz scored a classic turntable for Matthew, who has a growing collection of vintage vinyl

For dinner (yes, we were eating again), we were treated to a very healthy dinner of baby spinach salad with pecorino cheese and pecans, couscous with tiny sweet peppers, whole steamed green beans and grilled salmon. Yummylicious!!!

Our lovely spinach salad.

Matthew serving up a plate.


A beautiful presentation.

Rob, Suzie and Matthew relax after a scrumptious dinner.
Black Lab Numa snuggles close to Rob.

We had a marvelous two days with the kids. Being around them is such a joy. As always, it was difficult to leave. I delay saying goodbye by watching those I'm leaving until they are out of sight and then holding the vision in my heart all the way home.

A Moravian Christmas

The many pointed Moravian Star is reflected in the window.

My husband's mother's family has been Moravian for hundreds of years. When we met, I had no concept of who and what the Moravians were, as there is just one Moravian church in my home state of Illinois. But I have come to love and embrace the beliefs of the oldest protestant faith: In essentials unity, in non-essentials charity, in all things love.

We spent Christmas Eve serving two of the three Lovefeasts at our church, Peace Moravian. There was no better place to be.

Dieners (the German word for one who serves) observe the service.

A Moravian Lovefeast is a shared meal, signifying union and equality, of a sweet bun and cocoa or coffee. The service concludes with worshipers being given a lovefeast candle - a beeswax taper wrapped in fluted red crepe paper. One by one the candles are lit as the church lights dim. As Joy to the World is sung, candles are raised high. It is a beautiful and moving sight.

Seen through an outside window, costumed Dieners stand ready to serve the Lovefeast buns.

The Moravian Lovefeasts are a popular Christmas Eve tradition in Charlotte.

A young boy, holding a Lovefeast candle, seems struck by the beauty of the service.

All photos: Bill Guerrant

A Tree at the Corner

The wonderful farmers' market at the bottom of our street becomes a Christmas tree lot in December. It is so great to have a source for fresh North Carolina frazier fir trees so near. My favorite image is the lighted Happy Holidays display. If you click on the photo and look closely, you can see the pointed top of the Bank of America building under the second P in happy. We are fortunate to live just 3 minutes from uptown.

Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Christmas at Our House

After 35 years in the same house, we've finally decided we like our Christmas tree best in the entryway. There is ample space for a tall, chubby tree with lots of room for many of our vintage ornaments including treasured German ones from my husband's grandmother's home in Old Salem. This year we added lots of American flags in honor of our daughter-in-law's baby brother who was serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan.


Our little goose feather tree is authentic. I literally found it while hitting yard sales years ago. The young man who was cleaning out his grandmother's house had discarded it along with other old things he'd placed on the curb. He obviously thought only the newer things had value.

Big Bird on Steroids

This incredible Amish rug has served as a welcome mat for our home for 15 years.


I love the plethora of colors!

I found this amazing rug when my sister Patty and I traveled to the Pennsylvania Amish country several years ago. I fell in love with it instantly while my sister was incredulous, asking "Wait - you're actually BUYING that?!?"

Its presence on our front portico never fails to bring comments from visitors. Everyone wants to know where I found it. Most are surprised that it is Amish. My husband dubbed it "Big Bird on Steroids."



This detail shot gives a glimpse of how the rug was made. Dozens of band-aid shapes were cut from polyester double knit, overlapped and stitched in rows to a backing.

Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Baking for a Good Cause

Our church, Peace Moravian, held its annual bazaar Saturday. Top selling items are always the hand-made Moravian chicken pies - dozens of which sold out early - and the famous Moravian cookies and sugar cake. I wanted to contribute something to the cause, so baked nearly ten dozen chocolate chip cookies. It was such a great feeling to deliver most of them to the bazaar.


A double batch of cookie dough mixed and ready to go.


Oh my - that's a lot of cookies!



Six plates of chocolate chip cookies packaged for delivery.