Hats Off To The Alpacas

Hello Everyone, 

This post has some firsts. It's the first time I have published on the Journal this year. It is the first time I have ever done a fashion shoot. It's the first time I have not been in back of the camera and in front. Face it, I am usually shooting Poodles or my nail designs. And it is the first time that I have made a contribution to the Style Crone's Hat Attack. 

I have a few hats and have worn them since High School. Most of you all know that I am in my mid 60's so I have been wearing hats for a few decades. Today I am wearing my favorite hat that I have ever owned.

Why is this my favorite? Well, it is 100% Kentuckian Alpaca and made in the USA. As you can see in these photos, I am pretty familiar with Alpacas (But, Herbie, our llama is stealing the scene from the 'Paca Boys).

Now getting back to the hat. It is an Australian Outback hat created by River Hill Ranch. I purchased it at a wool show about two years ago and have worn and worn it. It is the personification of my Wool Woman personality. 

So, since this is a fashion entry I will mention the other stuff. The purse is Nanette Lepore. The scarf was a present from my eldest this Christmas and I couldn't believe how it perfectly matched the gloves. My jeans are Madewell Skinnies. They never fail to look less than great. The jacket is a thrift find. It is Union Made so you know how old it has to be. 

The photographer is my hubby, Michael and the shots were just on our driveway of our farm (Meadowtree) that we have lived on for thirty five years. 

That's it for this post. Have a great 2016. Terri

Of Kelvinators and Chocolate Cookies

Michael and I found ourselves having to get a new fridge. As we were doing our research, I remembered an old Kelvinator cookbook that was given to me an elderly neighbor when I was about fifteen.This book was published in 1930 and I have always loved the artwork in this book and decided it was time to share it. 

I had my heart set on a French door fridge. I was struck by the fact that the early Kelvinators were three door. Look at the thickness of those doors. This fridge had to weigh up there!

I don't quite look like this when I cook! You also get an idea of how much shorter the original fridge's were. My cats would love that!

This is the one recipe that I have made. I have no idea what the white things are in these cookies. It's not mentioned in the recipe although I think the artist must have thought there were nuts in the recipe. I did add nuts and will talk about my adjustments farther down. 

I though this one was funny and had to show it to Michael. It's actually opposite in this house. It seems that I am usually saying, "stay out of the food until everyone gets here".

And now to the chocolate refrigerator cookies. I wanted to try at least one recipe and see how it would hold up after 85 years. Having chocolate bakers squares sitting idly in the fridge, I decided that the chocolate cookies would be a good one to start with.

As mentioned, I did make some changes. The first change was adding about 1/2 cup of slivered almonds. The artwork depicts what looks to be to be some kind of nut and I love almonds and chocolate together so that was the first change. 

Next, I just added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. I took it easy on the vanilla because I wasn't sure how it would taste. The verdict was,"it tastes great", so I will probably add 1 tsp next time. Or I might change it to almond flavoring, who knows?

These cookies are a big hit. They are small and crunchy. They make great dippers for coffee or milk. I don't see why the dough couldn't be frozen and baked whenever you needed it. For 85 years, this recipe holds up. And I think they would still be good without the almonds and vanilla. That was just my preference.

Time for tea and cookies? I am serving them with Russel Wright's American Modern. American Modern didn't come out until 1939 but at least that is still in the same decade (o.k., just barely). I mix green and pink. The tablecloth is something I got from my Mom and have no idea of the date, I like the look with the American Modern dishes.

It's Springtime in Missouri so I decided to add some Irises and Dames Rockets to the table. 

That's it for this round. I hope you enjoyed this post. I certainly had fun putting this one together. It was about time, the poor Journal hasn't been updated since June. Have a wonderful day and let me know if you try out the cookies.

Just A Few Sculptures From The Nelson Atkins Sculpture Garden

A couple of weeks age, Michael and I went to the reception for the unveiling of Robert Morris's Glass Labyrinth. This is also the 25th Anniversary of the Donald J. Hill Sculpture Park. So I thought it might be fun to have a post about just a few sculptures you could see there.

A photo of me taking a picture next to Robert Morris's Glass Labyrinth

A larger photo of the Glass Labyrinth. As long as you keep your eyes on the top railings, you will be O.K. I thought following the tiles would work, but I was wrong.

Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, 1994. The Shuttlecocks were very controversial when they were installed. Now they are a Kansas City icon.

Ferment by Roxy Paine, 2010

Three Bowls, Ursula von Rydingsvard, 1990

Peace On Earth by Jacques Lipschitz, 1969, one of seven bronze castings

The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin. This is one of twenty five  72" Thinkers in the world. It was cast in 1949.

Interior Form by Henry Spencer Moore, 1981. The sculpture garden started out to be a tribute to British sculpture Henry Spencer Moore. There are about 11 of his sculptures in the garden.

So this ends my mini tour. If you want to explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum Of Art, click HERE.