Chap-Aprons

I loved this old Wrangler shirt – now it gets a new life!

OK so apparently I have a new semi-obsession with aprons. That being said, page 8 of the February-March 2011 Mary Jane’s Farm magazine has a photo of an absolutely adorable chap-apron made of light green gingham, with ruffles and a big pocket! TOO cute!!

Being the messy person in the kitchen that I am though, I knew that while those chap-aprons would work super well for me in the garden (covering my knees when I’m down in the dirt!), or just doing housework when I need to carry the phone, a hankie, whatever… but they won’t work at all for me in the kitchen, where I tend to *splash*.

So I decided to make this full-length chap-apron! It WAS a pair of Wranglers that were too big for me (Praise God and Hallelujah!!) finally only 3.5 years after my youngest was born, and a beloved, before-babies Wranglers top that was sadly still a big too snug. Now it’s a double-thickness top with working pockets and a fun, Daisy Duke style rope belt. Or maybe it was the Clampett girl. Whomever!! I like it. The leg straps are attached at both ends so you just step through it, then pull the top over your head (the collar). Aprons have to be pretty quick to get on and off, and real chaps take some snapping/tying etc as I recall from my chap-wearing, ranch-rodeo days! Technically they are more like chinks, as chaps are full-length waist to toe.

OK there are tons of ideas with this, like using that faux-suede fabric for a leather chaps look… fringe!!… (I love fringed chinks! oh my)… a flirtier, cuter cowgirl blouse… but this went along with my reduce-reuse-recycle goal and nothing was purchased for the making of this apron (sorry JoAnn’s Fabrics).

Fun!!

Putting By…

So all Spring, Summer and Fall I garden, garden, garden… and come inside to scrub off the dirt, pull out the canner, and start canning, canning, canning. Well, or freezing, freezing, freezing! Here are some of my summer-in-storage bounties from this season.

Tomato-wise, this year I planted, um, 18 “Celebrity” tomato seedlings, 1 “Mr Stripey” heirloom tomato, one “Pink Brandywine” heirloom (the king of tomatoes), and a couple of cherry tomato plants. So we had, well, ALOT of tomatoes to deal with!! I say “we” as in, the queenly sense. (grin) My Majesty!!!

So rather than lugging boxes of organic diced tomatoes home from Costco this year, “we” will be trotting downstairs to one of my storage areas to pull out a nice cool glass jar filled with red sunshine! I made diced/crushed versions, salsa (both red and green), spaghetti sauce (meatless – add meat later), and tomato paste. Oh, and lest I forget, the dehydrator was running pretty well non-stop as well, and I’ve got jars and ziplocs filled with dehydrated tomato slices, squash circles, and parsley. Recipes will follow on another date, but we really like “sundried” tomatoes with whole wheat pasta and a nice pasta sauce. Mmm.

Wish you could pull up a chair at our kitchen table and enjoy some chips and salsa with us!!

~ The Canning Queen

PS – the funny thing is, 100 years ago EVERYBODY did this. What else did they have time to do?? I love “putting by” but oh my word, it takes alot of work!! My little reserves make any self-respecting housewife’s storage from years back look pitiful. Thank You God for Costco in reserve!! (grin)

Cowgirl in the Kitchen

Mary Beth’s new apron!

What do you make as a gift for two of the best gal friends in the world?? Cowgirl Aprons! Use them in the kitchen or the barn, they feature a pocket (which I find critical in an apron) on the front waist. The best part is that these were “recycled” from cowboy shirts! A couple of hours with a pair of sharp scissors and a sewing machine, and my gal pals have new aprons to keep the molasses off their duds.