family | Apron Memories

#JUSTDOIT

On November 20, 2019 By EllynAnne In Blog

When I created Tie One On Day fourteen years ago, I had hopes its essence – that giving from the heart made someone else’s day brighter – would be embraced worldwide. And if ever there were a need for a worldwide hug, it’s now.

A few weeks ago, our little Temple in Pueblo, Colorado, was the proposed target of Nazi hatred. Thankfully, the FBI and local police thwarted his plan. Tho’ the attack did not take place, the idea of such violence against our Jewish community left us shaken. Friends from around America reached out, and in doing so, made us feel safe and loved. That’s kindness.

Thinking kind thoughts is empathizing. Acting on empathy is kindness. #JUSTDOIT

I like most people and enjoy showing them as much, especially with a delivery of a homemade food.

My first Tie One On Day delivery was to an artist. Upon attending a pop up art exhibit by neon artist Scott Young (find him and his talent on instagram @scottyoungstudio), I was immediately caught up in the excitement of his work and his genuine niceness. It was his description of a hectic schedule through the end of the year that led me to one thought: this man needs the sustenance of a hearty soup. Yes, that’s how I think.

A reusable wrapping of cloth and a handwritten note are tenants of Tie One On Day

The bean soup recipe I use is easily made in a crock pot. Freezing the soup and delivering in a container that does not need returning is always a good idea. Here we are at the pop-up. That we’re both smiling is the win-win of Tie One On Day, for the giver and recipient. #JUSTDOIT

Delivering in person is a Tie One On Day bonus

Following the thwarted attack, a neighbor to one of our children gave our Jewish community a gift that required more than the requisite thank you note. For them, I baked Pecan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls…from the latest cookbook by my friend, Eliza Cross.

Whether store-bought or home-baked, a pretty plate will be used later and serve as a reminder of thoughtfulness

Because the delivery was on a Thursday, I chose this days of the week toweling. The note expressing gratitude was tucked beneath.

The rolls were first covered with plastic wrap to prevent sticking

Kindness is taught, not by talking but by example. Accompanying me on her first Tie One On Day delivery, my granddaughter.

There is no age too young to begin teaching kindness

Gestures of kindness during the month of November are especially relevant. With all my heart, thank you for making Tie One On Day a part of your Thanksgiving tradition.

Gratefully, EllynAnne

KINDNESS MATTERS

On November 2, 2018 By EllynAnne In Blog

According to Oprah, “Kindness matters.” Her sentiment is ever so timely, especially in light of recent events to the contrary.

Despite the turmoil, kindness does abound!

To lift spirits, be encouraged, and find inspiration, join in celebrating the 13^th annual Tie One On Day!

Leave a comment at the end of this posting

sharing how you will participate in this year’s Tie One On Day.

Thanksgiving is a holiday of sharing, recollection and traditions, and the apron symbolizes these concepts.

Please join in and tie one on…an apron, of course! and make a difference in someone’s life with a gesture of kindness.

TIE ONE ON … GIVE FROM THE HEART … THEN GIVE THANKS

Gratefully, EllynAnne

The Apron Book And Their Stories

On December 20, 2017 By EllynAnne In Blog

I am so fortunate to have a space in our home dedicated to just my apron world. With southern and western window exposure, the room light filled year around. Seven years ago I painted it a perfect deep yellow, and even on the chilliest days, with the sun and yellow walls, it feels warm and cozy.

But for sporadic attempts to keep the space tidy, it represents my habit of not putting anything away. Peruse a magazine source, find inspiration, and set it down; years of such a practice, and not to wonder the result.

The habitual habit of never putting things back in their place

What finally motivated an epic tidying was not my conscience nor Prince Charming’s eye rolling, but that all the pieces had fallen into place for promotional activity in conjunction with The Apron Book. With the support of the publisher, Andrews McMeel, Beth flew from her home to mine, where we were joined by Tracy Wahl, the producer of my 2006 NPR All Things Considered segment.

I had but days to “make it work.” Without an idea of how to begin, I just did. Loathe to hide away the collections I so love being surrounded by, I chose a selection to display. The remainder went into cupboards and bins and suitcases, hidden by the quilt and oil cloth covering tables. So I’d know at a glance what was in each storage point, I hung clues on the doors: a child’s apron designated children’s books and games; an apron with a tea towel embroidered with a lady reading a cookbook = cupboard of cookbooks; a vintage sewing manual….and so on. A selection of sewing patterns is lined up in a child’s valise, a picnic basket holds vintage black and white snapshots, pamphlets on food, etiquette and household tips peek out of perfectly sized make up cases. I was on a roll! And the end result is amazing and wonderful and joyous.

Organizing the collections seemed impossible, until the tactic began to make visual sense

Using pieces of my collections to hold like collectibles brought order to the room

The computer screen is tucked beneath the table until its needed

The filming of Beth and me chatting aprons was the gift of Dustin Hodges, a professional in the field and a best friend.

A happy hug after chatting for an hour about our apron journeys in cute aprons and fabulous heels

The next morning, Beth, Tracy and I discussed The Apron Book and why the apron remains relevant in the modern landscape of women’s choices. That discussion is a podcast, which you can listen to HERE:

Contribute your written apron story and pictures at apronmemories.com/stories
Share your apron story recordings and videos at facebook.com/apronmemories
#theapronbook on Instagram & Twitter

This collage is a pictorial summary of our gathering. So many smiles, hugs, tears and love, as the best journeys are.

A summary collage shares the smiles, hugs, tears and love

Find us throughout social media! And join the movement of apron love by tying one on…an apron, of course!

Gratefully, EllynAnne

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

TOODay & RAKfoundation #capturekindness

On November 23, 2017 By EllynAnne In Blog

Tie One On Day 2017 provided much reflection, as a means of honoring #nancyzieman and celebrating our recognition by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and its #capturekindness campaign.

Showcased by the RAKFoundation Week 2 challenge: Be Kind to Family, I considered the definition of family to include those we spend time with who support our endeavors.

Using that expanded definition of family, my TOODay 2017 recipients included two women I look forward to seeing at the gym, Roxanne and Karla. For almost 2 years, we’ve met four days a week at class, the commitment to attendance partially based on encouraging one another in our fitness goals. What better way to celebrate this sense of family than with cake! Taking a hint from the RAKfoundation website, personal notes expressed my appreciation of their friendship.

#capturekindness and TOODay 2017 with cake and a handwritten notes

Throughout the week, I continued to #capturekindness with deliveries of individual slices of pie, complete with napkins and forks for instant yummy indulging, to those whose paths

#capturekindness & TOODay deliveries of individual slices of pie

I cross who unfailingly greet me with a smile.

For Thanksgiving dinner, we’re gathering at the home of our son and daughter-in-law, who are hosting the evening with two full tables of family and friends. An undertaking that’s been days in the making of cooking and baking, we’re arriving with a TOODay #capturekindness offering – a lunch of hearty soup and freshly baked bread to nourish the host and hostess through an afternoon of final food preparation.

A TOODay #capturekindness delivery of nourishment to our Thanksgiving host and hostess

May your Thanksgiving #capturekindness and celebrate a bounty of family and friendships!

Gratefully, EllynAnne

Tie One On Day Kindness Catch-Up!

On November 16, 2017 By EllynAnne In Blog

Despite the recent events to the contrary, acts of kindness abound! To lift spirits, be encouraged, and find inspiration by others,

1. Visit the Tie One On Day page on EllynAnne’s website and honor #NancyZieman

2. Enter the Bernina USA / Tie One On Day apron event and giveaway

3. Join the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s #CaptureKindness Campaign

visit apronmemories.com to participate and enter the TOODay 2017 Giveaways!

TIME IS A-DWINDLING to participate in the 12th annual TOODay!

Tie One On Day’s loving sponsors are tied together by the belief that through kindness there will be change.

To bring attention to TOODay and encourage participation, sponsors Bernina USA, MikWright, Colonial Patterns, Heirloomed Collection , Amy Barickman/Indygo Junction, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Sarah Stitham-Workday Wear, author Paul Samuel Dolman, author Sherry Gore, Nails magazine, Union Stitch and Design, author Jill O’Connor, The Vintage Apron, Taste of Home, Schmetz Needles, Country Woman Magazine, American Sewing Guild, Cultivar Wine/Caspar Estate, and SewNews provide giveaways of their products, which are divided among four (4) randomly selected winners. Twelve years of TOODay giveaways = lots of very surprised and happy folks. To put your name in the giveaway hat, CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND ENTRY!

And this:

Gratefully, EllynAnne

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #2 – Judith Olson Gregory

On October 7, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #2 – Installation artist Judith Olson Gregory was seeking an object through which to explore the word ‘Grace’, when she received an apron that ultimately inspired an exhibit.

Contribute your written apron story and pictures at www.apronmemories.com/stories
Share your apron story recordings and videos at https://www.facebook.com/apronmemories/
#theapronbook on Instagram & Twitter

Listen:

» Right-click and download here (9.92MB / 4mins 9secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

THE APRON BOOK: Podcast #1 – Apron Memories

On September 27, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

New: THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #1 – Author EllynAnne Geisel, foreword contributor Beth Livesay and producer/interviewer Tracy Wahl, formerly of npr, chat about their connection to aprons, the continuing relevance of aprons in today’s world, and connecting to the past while moving forward.

Enjoy listening to the podcast!

» Right-click and download here (31.3MB / 27mins 47secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Pre-Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

Setting the Table

On April 9, 2014 By EllynAnne In Blog

The Seder is a meal of ritual. While there can be some playing around with the menu, sacrosanct are the serving of matzo ball soup and the absence of flour in any recipe.

Never a fan of the matzo ball, I handed off this part of the meal for many years to a friend’s mother, who was delighted to bring her specialty to the table. Sadly, Sibi died and with her went the BEST matzo ball soup in the world, this according to my family. Sibi’s replacement soup provider arrives with two pots still bubbling from her stove, as well as her own ladle. Such preparedness is my own little prayer answered.

Baking a flourless dessert is, thankfully, not the hassle of years ago.

This recipe from Country Living magazine is my go-to. It’s a cake so delicious as to deserve an appearance more than once a year.

Chocolate-Almond Torte

Special equipment – a spring form cake pan

2 sticks unsalted butter cut into small pieces

9 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped

6 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup superfine sugar

½ cup fined ground almonds

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10” spring form cake pan.

· In a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until smooth. Set bowl aside to cool.

· In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually pour melted chocolate mixture into egg mixture, stirring constantly. Now, fold in the almonds. Set bowl aside.

· In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined.

· Pour this mixture into the spring form pan and bake for 35 minutes. (torte will be very moist in the middle).

· Cool in the pan about 1 hour. Then undo spring form. Now you have the torte on the pan bottom. Slide a spatula (or long piece of dental floss) to loosen the torte from the bottom. Then use the spatula to push/slide the torte onto a serving plate.

In a corner of the dining room is the dessert table. The torte offers a wonderful landscape for a plop of whipped cream with a sprinkle of blackberries and raspberries.

For those who believe fruit is dessert – a peach compote with a side of macaroon. Fresh mint is a pretty topper for both desserts.

With the meal in hand, I can revel in setting the table with an heirloom embroidered cloth, not of my own inheritance, but of a purchase at a second hand store. Cast off by one family, it is a part of my family’s holiday table.

Such beauty reminds me of the importance of remembering those who once graced our tables at holidays and how filling their seats with new families and friends is a testament to their memories…like a good matzo ball, gone but never forgotten.

Whether searching for the Passover matzo or a golden Easter egg, may this year’s holiday be beautifully blessed.

xx EllynAnne

A Giveaway and a Take-Away Apron

On November 26, 2013 By EllynAnne In Blog

Tis the eve of the 4th and final fabulous Wednesday giveaway, with sponsors Cultivar, Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking, American Sewing Guild, Stampington & Company, Emily Ellyn Retro Rad Chef, Simplicity and MyMemories providing a caboodle of giftees to one winner. Sponsors sign on to be a part of Tie One On Day because they support giving from the heart through a gesture of kindness to one in need.

Sponsors giveaways are the loveliest and you need only have entered once to be eligible for this final drawing. If you’ve yet to enter, do so HERE.

As an apron collector with hundreds to choose from for tying on or wrapping a baked good for TOOD delivery, I’m not sure what led me to put everything on the back burner and sew an apron, but so I did.

What I came up with is such an easy project, I decided to create kits for guests to sew their own aprons before settling in around the Thanksgiving table!

For the children, cut the towel in half or in quarters (use pinking shears to avoid messy edges or let it fray au natural) and cut the ties to 12”. Adult assistance is necessary for avoiding needle pricks, but having band aids available for the big and small is a good idea.

While everyone is busy sewing, final preparations in the kitchen can be handled without well-intentioned interruptions.

This take-away apron will be a nice reminder of our gathering. I’m already thinking of next year’s kit – what a new and fun tradition!

xx EllynAnne