Sunday, January 27, 2008

Bible Story Theater 2008


Another year of Bible Story Theater, this year celebrating its 30th year at St Pauls UCC in Chicago. This year, it was a review of the past thirty years of productions, called "the wHOLYe Bible". People came from around the country to reprise their roles.


I worked mainly with the "Bookettes". I thought "shopworn chorus girls" in planning their costumes. A wonderful theater person came up with the plan for the sandwichboard Bibles. I had a great millinery shop going with church women making the pillbox hats.


I also worked with the Unclean Spirits. Always fun!


Eve was a John the Baptist groupie, a Beehive. My friend Sharon Sikes made her dress.


The Beehives in rehearsal. We had a parishioner who wore a beehive back in the day help organize the hairdos.


My Seth the Baal worshiper strikes a pose.

Friday, January 11, 2008

fish border



I had this as a stack of blocks for a while, then as the center for another long time until I found this fabulous fish fabric for the border.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

black-eyed peas


Happy New Year!
We are eating Black-eyed Peas for luck on New Years Day.
2 lbs. black eyed peas, soaked in cold water overnight, drained and rinsed well and put into my large crock-pot with 4 of the smallest ham hocks I’ve ever seen from the market. I put in some concoction of herbs and spices Seth came up with in his laboratory. Cover with fresh cold water and cooked on high for about 4 1/2 hours. Remove ham hocks, let cool until you can handle them, remove and discard the rind and bones, return meat to pot along with 2 medium sautéed onions. Stir in a 6 oz can of tomato paste. It needed salt—tasted great—I think the good luck associated with Black-eyed Peas is that you know you’ve eaten, must have felt good in the cold days in the past. I'm lucky my family likes peasant food.

Seth found a stone in his peas--no, mom, I didn't sort them carefully. I told Seth it meant he had extra good luck this year.

My other New Year’s tradition is to clean one or two drawers/cupboards in my kitchen each day in January, putting many extraneous things into the good-will box and broken items in the trash. Where do these extra spoons/utensils come from? I may run them by the neighbors. Also, how come in a household where no one drinks coffee do we gain 6-10 mugs a year?