Ione’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

My grandmother has made this recipe for my family often over the years, and now I make it for mine.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup vegetable oil(take it easy when eating this cake, the oil makes it super rich)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 box powdered sugar(about a cup I suppose-jsut add whatever gives a good consistency)
1/3 stick of butter
1 tsp vanilla

Creme butter and cream cheese. I usually let those ingredients sit and warm up a bit first. Mix in the sugar and vanilla.
Spread on the cake when it has cooled to room temperature.

Homemade Marshmallow Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For miniature marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper, spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans lengthwise, leaving about 1-inch between each strip. Sprinkle the tops with enough of the remaining cornstarch and sugar mixture to lightly cover. Let the strips set for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces using a pizza wheel or scissors dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Crystal Garden Recipe

clear container(jar or tupperware)

sponges, clay pot pieces, BBQ briquettes (anything porous)
2 tbsp ammonia
2 tbsp laundry bluing 
2 tbsp salt
small paper cup to mix ingredients
plastic spoon
food coloring (optional)

4 tbsp water

Begin by mixing salt with water, stirring to dissolve as much salt as possible; stir in ammonia and laundry bluing. Pour the mixture on top of the porous substrate(sponge, charcoal, etc) you have chosen in the plastic dish. The porous materials in the dish will not immediately soak up all the liquid. Add a few drops of food coloring on top of the mixture.

Allow the container to sit uncovered overnight. The garden should have formed crystals by the following day. You can continue the growing process by adding 2 more tbsp of salt on the second day. After that, adding a half batch of the whole mixture occasionally(every few weeks). It is important that you remember to pour the liquid into the base of the container ONLY and not on top of the flowers. Otherwise, the already grown crystal flowers will dissolve.

The garden is formed by the salt after the water and ammonia evaporate away. The ammonia helps with quickening the evaporation of the liquid out of the mixture. The laundry bluing helps to shape crystal blooms instead of crystal chunks. The bluing solution is actually a colloidal suspension; it has very small particles that will not dissolve, but are held up and separated by the liquid. As the water evaporates away, the salt forms crystals using the colloidal particles as seed, or nucleus, for growth. The liquid mixture and the salt are pulled away from the bottom of the container up towards the tops of the porous material by capillary action. 

Lemon Sugar Face Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

juice from 1/2 of a lemon

2 Tbs table salt

add sugar until thick but not dry

Instructions:

Apply to damp face and let sit 2-3 minutes, then scrub gently using circular motions. Rinse well with warm water. Leaves skin smooth and soft, and the lemon helps to "brighten” complexion.

Brunch: Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuits Recipe

Here is my family’s favorite breakfast/lunch recipe: my boyfriend is something of a picky eater and he can’t get enough of these, if that says anything!
First, Preheat the stove to 450 and place four pieces of bacon in a cast iron skillet, turning the stovetop burner to medium-low. Now whip up the biscuits! Here is the recipe:
2  c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp. sugar
Mix above ingredients together and add 1/4 c. butter, then mix in 3/4 c. milk. Stir together very well, and shape into 4 round pieces and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.
Meanwhile, back to the bacon: cook until done, then remove from the cast iron pan and replace with eggs. Cook 4 eggs and slice enough cheese for 4 biscuits.
When biscuits are finished, assemble the sandwiches and heat in microwave for 45 seconds. Voila! You won’t regret making this.

Curious George, Jaime’s Style.

Jaime drew Curious George!

Hope

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” Oscar Wilde.

Jaime and Lilly: Mischief of the Day

While cleaning my girls’ room this afternoon, I came across potential contraband: a stockade of crayons, stuffed inside this poor lady puppy’s shoulder. the girls have gotten in trouble the past few days for drawing on the walls, so i guess this is their way of hiding the crayons. Smart kids.

“War presidents are always remembered.”

Nicholas Louk, my love.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

1 c. borax 

1 c. washing soda

1/2 c. salt

Mix well and put in tupperware. Fill the rinse cup with vinegar when running the cycle.

My apologies for fewer articles the past few days, things at our home have been hectic. 

My divorce was final today and I am working hard on an upcoming article regarding an old friend who works in a sideshow. Also, we are planning on moving to the country soon, so there’s the packing and planning and details. 

Three Strange Angels

What is the knocking?
What is the knocking at the door in the night?
It is somebody who wants to do us harm.

No, no, it is the three strange angels.
Admit them, admit them.
D. H. Lawrence.

Days Passing

Me, Jaime, Lilly, and our former Yorkie, Peaches in 2009.

As many of you know, I have had a rough couple of years. Details do not matter, but the lessons I have learned along the way are important. Now I'm going to get cheesy: Live your life like it's the last day you have(I discovered this lesson when my caliber, youngest baby, and I were thrown 15 feet into a ravine outside San Diego, CA: I survived and bought another caliber, then sold it to my ex-husband). Laugh even when you really aren't supposed to(Chewing gum at your great-grandmother's funeral will get you hateful stares from the Amish bishop). Most importantly, love everything and everybody that affects your life, even those who hurt you, because ultimately, it is the pressure on the coal that builds the diamond. 

Crickets

The cricket cries, the year changes. Camaroonian.

My, What a Happy Morning!

Lemon Oil Magic

For those of you with those sliding glass shower doors, saturating a dust cloth with Old English Lemon Oil and wiping down the doors will remove all residue, soap scum, and general gross-ness.

Bathroom Cleaner Recipe

By Henry Clive

Fill a spray bottle 3/4 to the top with water, then add 1/4 cup ammonia and a few drops of dish detergent. This will dissolve soap scum in bathtubs and works as an excellent linoleum cleaner.

Thank you, Mom!

Thank You

"Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one's self?" 

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Thank you to whomever my newest subscriber is. Email me at valleyhomerenewal@gmail.com or leave a comment(you do not have to follow my blog to leave comments) on a topic you would wish to read an article on in the future, and I will set to work researching it for you as a thank-you gift!

Five O'Clock Tea

"And did you get what you wanted from this life even so?"

"I did."

"And what did you want?"

"To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on this earth." 

Raymond Carver.

French Press Infusions

Martha Stewart Article

For those of you with a seldom-used french press, 

here are some homemade and fresh tea infusions you can make with it. 

Place ingredients in a French press, add boiling water, let brew for 5 to 10 minutes, and press the strainer. Don't worry about the quantity of herbs or flowers, any combination will be delicious!

----------

thyme

apple slice(s)

ginger

----------

peppermint

----------

chamomile tea bag

honey

lemon slice

----------

tarragon

orange slice

----------

Enjoy experimenting with un-used tea bags, fruit, and spices. You will surprise yourself with the flow of creativity that subsequently pours from the tea-cup.

Happiness

"To the woman who complained that riches hadn’t made her happy, the Master said “You speak as if luxury and comfort were ingredients of happiness; whereas all you need to be really happy, my dear, is something to be enthusiastic about."

Kat's South of the Border Pickle Recipe

Soak the following in a glass or plastic bowl for four hours:

 2 quarts of sliced and peeled cucumbers 

2 quarts water 

1/2 cup salt

Meanwhile:

2 c. white wine vinegar

3/4 c. sugar

35 grams tamarind pulp(found in the Mexican food section at Walmart)

2 c. water

1 tsp. apple pie spice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cinnamon sticks, each broken into several pieces

Pour all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer the concoction for about 20 minutes, covered, then turn the heat off and let cool to room temperature. When the cucumbers have finished brewing in the salt-water, strain and pack into canning jars. Add a pinch of alum(spice section at Walmart) and pour the cooled concoction evenly into the jars and screw on the tops. Now place into a boiling water bath for 20 minutes, and remove carefully. Do not let breezes catch the jars or they may break. 

Homemade Sour Cream

Recipe:

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c.  buttermilk or white vinegar

In a screw-top jar with lid, combine the heavy cream and buttermilk(or white vinegar). Shake the ingredients up  to thoroughly mix and let stand covered at room temperature for 24 hours until it becomes very thick. You can store your sour cream in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you want to make a lighter sour cream, substitute whole milk for 1/2 cup of the heavy cream.

Cinnamon Ring Pickles: Monday's Cooking Adventure.

CINNAMON RING PICKLES

 2 gal. lg. cucumbers

2 c. pickling salt

8 1/2 qts. water

7 c. vinegar

12 c. sugar

1 tbsp. powdered alum

4 sticks cinnamon

1 tsp. green food color

 Cut un-peeled cucumbers in thirds, crosswise, remove seeds. Slice in 1/2 inch rings (should be 2 gallons). Add salt and 8 quarts water, let stand 5 days. Drain.

Combine 1 cup vinegar, alum, and food coloring in kettle. Add cucumber rings and water to cover. Simmer uncovered 2 hours (or divide rings in 2 parts, simmer 1 with 1/2 teaspoon red food color, the other with 1/2 teaspoon green food color for holidays). Drain.

Make syrup by bringing to a boil 6 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar and cinnamon. Pour over rings, let stand overnight. Drain, reheat syrup and pour over rings. Repeat for 3 days. On third day pack in hot sterilized jars. Pour in boiling syrup. Seal. Makes 9 pints. (Break cinnamon in small pieces.)

Tommy Savitt: Part One

Tommy Savitt's exclusive write-down email with me. Enjoy, everybody!
Tommy Savitt's Expert Advice for Housewives:

Kat: Do you have any tips for keeping a housewife sane? 

Tommy:  Stop cleaning the house all the time. That's what slipcovers are for . Once you wear one of those, nothing gets dirty.

Kat: What is your idea of the perfect housewife?

Tommy: The neighbor's wife.

Kat: Do you view housewives as a sort of high-maintenance domesticated pet?
Tommy:  Yes. A housewife should be everything to her husband. And all you have to do is lie to him about how much you love a*** sex.

Kat:What is one thing a housewife should never do?

Tommy: Don't put cucumbers on your eyes. It doesn't make you look younger. It just makes you look like an old salad.   

Kat: Who was/is your favorite (real or fictional) housewife of all time and why?
Tommy: Betty Rubble from The Flintstones, because she always made herself subservient to Barney until that no-good Wilma would interfere and corrupt her!

Tommy's Housekeeping Hints:

Kat: What is your favorite chore?

Tommy: Telling my girlfriend those dishes aren't going to wash themselves.

Kat: Do you like to cook, and if so, what is your favorite meal to make? 

Tommy: No man should ever cook for his woman because it sends the wrong message that he wants her to eat.

Kat: Do you have any secret family recipes to pass on to my blog? :) 

Tommy: One bowl of Captain Crunch, two glasses of milk, and a tablespoon of sugar makes Yum! This has been passed on to me from my ancestors.

Kat: Have you gone green yet and how have you implemented this into your daily housekeeping/living? 

Tommy: There's no such thing as global warming and that's why I hope the hole in the Ozone layer gets larger. Then finally we'll all be the same color. Burnt.

Tommy: Up Close and Personal:

Kat: What is your favorite beer/alcoholic beverage?

Tommy: The ones that are unattended.(Kat: nice one lol)

Kat: Do you still watch tv, or have you switched to Hulu and Netflix?

Tommy: Why waste time or money on any of that stuff when everything you ever wanted to see is on porno tube ? And it's free!

Kat: What kind of computer do you have?

Tommy: The one in the library.

Kat: What is your favorite book-color-animal?

Tommy:  My favorite books are those Vampire romances. Any woman willing to stay with a guy that lives off her blood won't mind if I stick her with the check. My favorite color is stripper glitter. It always has been since my mother's first take-your-son-to-work day. My favorite animal is a snake. Because when I'm in a pinch he can shed his skin and loan me a condom.

Kat: I see that you have begun a win a date contest; do I have a chance at winning this if it is actually a family meal at my place? ( cricket music) (Oh dear god, please in the name of Vishnu, may The Maestro enjoy a meal of goldfish and captain crunch at our house)
Scroll down or click for part two of the interview :)

Tommy Savitt: Part Two

Kat: One more question: what is your best advice for an upcoming journalist/homemaker/business owner regarding becoming successful?   

Tommy: There's an old adage a wife should be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a w***e in the bedroom. I don't agree. I believe she should be a w***e across the board. Because I'm not a picky eater and who cares if the house is dirty. So, stick with the homemaking stuff because that's all that matters.




Kat: Favorite song and religion: yes or no?  

Tommy: The other day I called out to God and you know who took my call? Vishnu. Even the Almighty  has outsourced. And I said "Vishnu, these women I'm dating aren't as into me as I am". And Vishnu said " Have you tried unplugging them and plugging them back in again?" And ever since then I have been a devout Hindu. And  Whale songs have to be my favorite form of music. I think it's important that whales  get their message out since they're  endangered and at the same time so delicious.

Kat: Oh and one more: what is your favorite home made meal?   

Tommy: My favorite meal is that Jewish fish.... the Goldfish.


My hero, Tommy Savitt. Click to explore his magical and wonderous world of comedy! :)

Chikutan Filter Sticks

Merchant 4 Genius

"Think of Chikutan as the ultimate swizzle stick. This white charcoal is made from Japanese Bamboo. White charcoal is naturally activated through a controlled burning process based on traditional Japanese methods. Use these to stir your beverage and the charcoal will absorb impurities in alcohol, tea or water for a pure taste. In Japan, you will find Chikutan sticks at high-end bars. Before use, rinse sticks under hot water."

Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

Recipe:

1 tbsp. Ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 tbsp. sugar

Stir together and keep in an empty spice jar. This spice can be added to drinks(such as my homemade hard cider) and pumpkin pie recipes. Coffee would taste delicious if you slip this spice into your cup.

Orchid Mantis: Sold Out

No wonder these are sold out....so lovely.

idolomantis diabolica

Click here to buy me one.

Can You Sing With All the Voices of the Mountain?

Horses of Neptune by Walter Crane.

You think you own whatever land you land on 
The earth is just a dead thing you can claim 
But I know every rock and tree and creature 
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name. 

You think the only people who are people 
Are the people who look and think like you 
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger 
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew. 

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon 
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned? 
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain? 
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? 

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest 
Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth 
Come roll in all the riches all around you 
And for once, never wonder what they're worth 
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers 
The heron and the otter are my friends 
And we are all connected to each other, 
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends.

How high does the sycamore grow? 
If you cut it down, then you'll never know 

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon 
For whether we are white or copper-skinned 
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountain 
Need to paint with all the colors of the wind 
You can own the earth and still 
All you'll own is earth until 
You can paint with all the colors of the wind.

Life is About Creating Yourself

"Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself." George Bernard Shaw.

Dendrophylax Lindenii

I am reading Susan Orlean's Book, "The Orchid Thief." This is one of the best books I have ever read. A full review and ponderings regarding rules versus principles will be in a future post. For now, here is the wikipedia article regarding the Dendrophylax lindenii, or Ghost Orchid, and here is a wonderful website that offers plenty of beautiful ghost orchid pictures.

Thumbelina

This story has touched my heart. Here is the story in long form, as written by Hans Christian Anderson, and here is an analysis that was very intuitive to the story's true intent.

baby thumbelina

There was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but she could not obtain her wish. At last she went to a fairy, and said, "I should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one?"

     "Oh, that can be easily managed," said the fairy. "Here is a barleycorn of a different kind to those which grow in the farmer's fields, and which the chickens eat; put it into a flower-pot, and see what will happen."

     "Thank you," said the woman, and she gave the fairy twelve shillings, which was the price of the barleycorn. Then she went home and planted it, and immediately there grew up a large handsome flower, something like a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it were still a bud.

Hatching Thumbelina

     "It is a beautiful flower," said the woman, and she kissed the red and golden-colored leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she could see that it was a real tulip. Within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden. She was scarcely half as long as a thumb, and they gave her the name of "Thumbelina," or Tiny, because she was so small. A walnut-shell, elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was formed of blue violet-leaves, with a rose-leaf for a counterpane. Here she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a table, where the woman had placed a plateful of water. Round this plate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon it floated a large tulip-leaf, which served Tiny for a boat. Here the little maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side, with two oars made of white horse-hair. It really was a very pretty sight. Tiny could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever before been heard.

     One night, while she lay in her pretty bed, a large, ugly, wet toad crept through a broken pane of glass in the window, and leaped right upon the table where Tiny lay sleeping under her rose-leaf quilt. "What a pretty little wife this would make for my son," said the toad, and she took up the walnut-shell in which little Tiny lay asleep, and jumped through the window with it into the garden.

Thumbelina and toads

In the swampy margin of a broad stream in the garden lived the toad, with her son. He was uglier even than his mother, and when he saw the pretty little maiden in her elegant bed, he could only cry, "Croak, croak, croak."

     "Don't speak so loud, or she will wake," said the toad, "and then she might run away, for she is as light as swan's down. We will place her on one of the water-lily leaves out in the stream; it will be like an island to her, she is so light and small, and then she cannot escape; and, while she is away, we will make haste and prepare the state-room under the marsh, in which you are to live when you are married."

     Far out in the stream grew a number of water-lilies, with broad green leaves, which seemed to float on the top of the water. The largest of these leaves appeared farther off than the rest, and the old toad swam out to it with the walnut-shell, in which little Tiny lay still asleep.

     The tiny little creature woke very early in the morning, and began to cry bitterly when she found where she was, for she could see nothing but water on every side of the large green leaf, and no way of reaching the land.

     Meanwhile the old toad was very busy under the marsh, decking her room with rushes and wild yellow flowers, to make it look pretty for her new daughter-in-law. Then she swam out with her ugly son to the leaf on which she had placed poor little Tiny. She wanted to fetch the pretty bed, that she might put it in the bridal chamber to be ready for her. The old toad bowed low to her in the water, and said, "Here is my son, he will be your husband, and you will live happily in the marsh by the stream."

     "Croak, croak, croak," was all her son could say for himself; so the toad took up the elegant little bed, and swam away with it, leaving Tiny all alone on the green leaf, where she sat and wept. She could not bear to think of living with the old toad, and having her ugly son for a husband.

The little fishes, who swam about in the water beneath, had seen the toad, and heard what she said, so they lifted their heads above the water to look at the little maiden. As soon as they caught sight of her, they saw she was very pretty, and it made them very sorry to think that she must go and live with the ugly toads. "No, it must never be!" So they assembled together in the water, round the green stalk which held the leaf on which the little maiden stood, and gnawed it away at the root with their teeth. Then the leaf floated down the stream, carrying Tiny far away out of reach of land.

Thumbelina escapes with help from the butterfly's wings.

     Tiny sailed past many towns, and the little birds in the bushes saw her, and sang, "What a lovely little creature;" so the leaf swam away with her farther and farther, till it brought her to other lands.

     A graceful little white butterfly constantly fluttered round her, and at last alighted on the leaf. Tiny pleased him, and she was glad of it, for now the toad could not possibly reach her, and the country through which she sailed was beautiful, and the sun shone upon the water, till it glittered like liquid gold. She took off her girdle and tied one end of it round the butterfly, and the other end of the ribbon she fastened to the leaf, which now glided on much faster than ever, taking little Tiny with it as she stood.

     Presently a large cockchafer flew by; the moment he caught sight of her, he seized her round her delicate waist with his claws, and flew with her into a tree. The green leaf floated away on the brook, and the butterfly flew with it, for he was fastened to it, and could not get away.

     Oh, how frightened little Tiny felt when the cockchafer flew with her to the tree! But especially was she sorry for the beautiful white butterfly which she had fastened to the leaf, for if he could not free himself he would die of hunger. But the cockchafer did not trouble himself at all about the matter. He seated himself by her side on a large green leaf, gave her some honey from the flowers to eat, and told her she was very pretty, though not in the least like a cockchafer.

     After a time, all the cockchafers turned up their feelers, and said, "She has only two legs! how ugly that looks."

     "She has no feelers," said another. "Her waist is quite slim. Pooh! she is like a human being."

Thumbelina and the cockchafers.

     "Oh! she is ugly," said all the lady cockchafers, although Tiny was very pretty. Then the cockchafer who had run away with her, believed all the others when they said she was ugly, and would have nothing more to say to her, and told her she might go where she liked. Then he flew down with her from the tree, and placed her on a daisy, and she wept at the thought that she was so ugly that even the cockchafers would have nothing to say to her. And all the while she was really the loveliest creature that one could imagine, and as tender and delicate as a beautiful rose-leaf.

     During the whole summer poor little Tiny lived quite alone in the wide forest. She wove herself a bed with blades of grass, and hung it up under a broad leaf, to protect herself from the rain. She sucked the honey from the flowers for food, and drank the dew from their leaves every morning. So passed away the summer and the autumn, and then came the winter - the long, cold winter. All the birds who had sung to her so sweetly were flown away, and the trees and the flowers had withered. The large clover leaf under the shelter of which she had lived, was now rolled together and shrivelled up, nothing remained but a yellow withered stalk. She felt dreadfully cold, for her clothes were torn, and she was herself so frail and delicate, that poor little Tiny was nearly frozen to death.

     It began to snow too; and the snow-flakes, as they fell upon her, were like a whole shovelful falling upon one of us, for we are tall, but she was only an inch high. Then she wrapped herself up in a dry leaf, but it cracked in the middle and could not keep her warm, and she shivered with cold.

Thumbelina and the field mouse.

     Near the wood in which she had been living lay a corn-field, but the corn had been cut a long time; nothing remained but the bare dry stubble standing up out of the frozen ground. It was to her like struggling through a large wood. Oh! how she shivered with the cold.

     She came at last to the door of a field-mouse, who had a little den under the corn-stubble. There dwelt the field-mouse in warmth and comfort, with a whole roomful of corn, a kitchen, and a beautiful dining room. Poor little Tiny stood before the door just like a little beggar-girl, and begged for a small piece of barley-corn, for she had been without a morsel to eat for two days.

     "You poor little creature," said the field-mouse, who was really a good old field-mouse, "come into my warm room and dine with me." She was very pleased with Tiny, so she said, "You are quite welcome to stay with me all the winter, if you like; but you must keep my rooms clean and neat, and tell me stories, for I shall like to hear them very much."

     And Tiny did all the field-mouse asked her, and found herself very comfortable.

     "We shall have a visitor soon," said the field-mouse one day; "my neighbor pays me a visit once a week. He is better off than I am; he has large rooms, and wears a beautiful black velvet coat. If you could only have him for a husband, you would be well provided for indeed. But he is blind, so you must tell him some of your prettiest stories."

     But Tiny did not feel at all interested about this neighbor, for he was a mole. However, he came and paid his visit dressed in his black velvet coat.

     "He is very rich and learned, and his house is twenty times larger than mine," said the field-mouse.

     He was rich and learned, no doubt, but he always spoke slightingly of the sun and the pretty flowers, because he had never seen them. Tiny was obliged to sing to him, "Lady-bird, lady-bird, fly away home," and many other pretty songs. And the mole fell in love with her because she had such a sweet voice; but he said nothing yet, for he was very cautious.

     A short time before, the mole had dug a long passage under the earth, which led from the dwelling of the field-mouse to his own, and here she had permission to walk with Tiny whenever she liked. But he warned them not to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird which lay in the passage. It was a perfect bird, with a beak and feathers, and could not have been dead long, and was lying just where the mole had made his passage. The mole took a piece of phosphorescent wood in his mouth, and it glittered like fire in the dark; then he went before them to light them through the long, dark passage. When they came to the spot where lay the dead bird, the mole pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the earth gave way, so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone into the passage. In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, his beautiful wings pulled close to his sides, his feet and his head drawn up under his feathers; the poor bird had evidently died of the cold. It made little Tiny very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds; all the summer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully. But the mole pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said, "He will sing no more now. How miserable it must be to be born a little bird! I am thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can do nothing but cry, 'Tweet, tweet,' and always die of hunger in the winter."

     "Yes, you may well say that, as a clever man!" exclaimed the field-mouse, "What is the use of his twittering, for when winter comes he must either starve or be frozen to death. Still birds are very high bred."

     Tiny said nothing; but when the two others had turned their backs on the bird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which covered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids. "Perhaps this was the one who sang to me so sweetly in the summer," she said; "and how much pleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird.

     The mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone, and then accompanied the lady home. But during the night Tiny could not sleep; so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of hay; then she carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him; with some down from the flowers which she had found in the field-mouse's room. It was as soft as wool, and she spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might lie warmly in the cold earth.

     "Farewell, you pretty little bird," said she, "farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when all the trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us." Then she laid her head on the bird's breast, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went "thump, thump." It was the bird's heart; he was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life. In autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one happens to linger, the cold seizes it, it becomes frozen, and falls down as if dead; it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it. Tiny trembled very much; she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal larger than herself, - she was only an inch high. But she took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird.

     The next morning she again stole out to see him. He was alive but very weak; he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at Tiny, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern.

     "Thank you, pretty little maiden," said the sick swallow; "I have been so nicely warmed, that I shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine."

     "Oh," said she, "it is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes. Stay in your warm bed; I will take care of you."

     Then she brought the swallow some water in a flower-leaf, and after he had drank, he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a thorn-bush, and could not fly as fast as the others, who were soon far away on their journey to warm countries. Then at last he had fallen to the earth, and could remember no more, nor how he came to be where she had found him.

     The whole winter the swallow remained underground, and Tiny nursed him with care and love. Neither the mole nor the field-mouse knew anything about it, for they did not like swallows. Very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth. Then the swallow bade farewell to Tiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made. The sun shone in upon them so beautifully, that the swallow asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said, and he would fly away with her into the green woods. But Tiny knew it would make the field-mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, "No, I cannot."

     "Farewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty little maiden," said the swallow; and he flew out into the sunshine.

     Tiny looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes. She was very fond of the poor swallow.

     "Tweet, tweet," sang the bird, as he flew out into the green woods, and Tiny felt very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine. The corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the field-mouse had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood to Tiny, who was only an inch in height.

     "You are going to be married, Tiny," said the field-mouse. "My neighbor has asked for you. What good fortune for a poor child like you. Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. They must be both woollen and linen. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole's wife."

     Tiny had to turn the spindle, and the field-mouse hired four spiders, who were to weave day and night. Every evening the mole visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over. Then he would keep his wedding-day with Tiny; but now the heat of the sun was so great that it burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like a stone. As soon as the summer was over, the wedding should take place. But Tiny was not at all pleased; for she did not like the tiresome mole. Every morning when the sun rose, and every evening when it went down, she would creep out at the door, and as the wind blew aside the ears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she thought how beautiful and bright it seemed out there, and wished so much to see her dear swallow again. But he never returned; for by this time he had flown far away into the lovely green forest.

     When autumn arrived, Tiny had her outfit quite ready; and the field-mouse said to her, "In four weeks the wedding must take place."

     Then Tiny wept, and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole.

     "Nonsense," replied the field-mouse. "Now don't be obstinate, or I shall bite you with my white teeth. He is a very handsome mole; the queen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His kitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune."

     So the wedding-day was fixed, on which the mole was to fetch Tiny away to live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm sun, because he did not like it. The poor child was very unhappy at the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun, and as the field-mouse had given her permission to stand at the door, she went to look at it once more.

     "Farewell bright sun," she cried, stretching out her arm towards it; and then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had been cut, and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. "Farewell, farewell," she repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her side. "Greet the little swallow from me, if you should see him again."

Origin.

     "Tweet, tweet," sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up, and there was the swallow himself flying close by. As soon as he spied Tiny, he was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to marry the ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to see the bright sun any more. And as she told him she wept.

     "Cold winter is coming," said the swallow, "and I am going to fly away into warmer countries. Will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and fasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly mole and his gloomy rooms, - far away, over the mountains, into warmer countries, where the sun shines more brightly than here; where it is always summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me, dear little Tiny; you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage."

     "Yes, I will go with you," said Tiny; and she seated herself on the bird's back, with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her girdle to one of his strongest feathers.

     Then the swallow rose in the air, and flew over forest and over sea, high above the highest mountains, covered with eternal snow. Tiny would have been frozen in the cold air, but she crept under the bird's warm feathers, keeping her little head uncovered, so that she might admire the beautiful lands over which they passed.

     At length they reached the warm countries, where the sun shines brightly, and the sky seems so much higher above the earth. Here, on the hedges, and by the wayside, grew purple, green, and white grapes; lemons and oranges hung from trees in the woods; and the air was fragrant with myrtles and orange blossoms. Beautiful children ran along the country lanes, playing with large gay butterflies; and as the swallow flew farther and farther, every place appeared still more lovely.

     At last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by trees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble, built in the olden times. Vines clustered round its lofty pillars, and at the top were many swallows' nests, and one of these was the home of the swallow who carried Tiny.

     "This is my house," said the swallow; "but it would not do for you to live there - you would not be comfortable. You must choose for yourself one of those lovely flowers, and I will put you down upon it, and then you shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy."

     "That will be delightful," she said, and clapped her little hands for joy.

A large marble pillar lay on the ground, which, in falling, had been broken into three pieces. Between these pieces grew the most beautiful large white flowers; so the swallow flew down with Tiny, and placed her on one of the broad leaves. But how surprised she was to see in the middle of the flower, a tiny little man, as white and transparent as if he had been made of crystal! He had a gold crown on his head, and delicate wings at his shoulders, and was not much larger than Tiny herself. He was the angel of the flower; for a tiny man and a tiny woman dwell in every flower; and this was the king of them all.

     "Oh, how beautiful he is!" whispered Tiny to the swallow.

Thumblina and the Gentle Swallow.

     The little prince was at first quite frightened at the bird, who was like a giant, compared to such a delicate little creature as himself; but when he saw Tiny, he was delighted, and thought her the prettiest little maiden he had ever seen. He took the gold crown from his head, and placed it on hers, and asked her name, and if she would be his wife, and queen over all the flowers.

     This certainly was a very different sort of husband to the son of a toad, or the mole, with my black velvet and fur; so she said, "Yes," to the handsome prince. Then all the flowers opened, and out of each came a little lady or a tiny lord, all so pretty it was quite a pleasure to look at them. Each of them brought Tiny a present; but the best gift was a pair of beautiful wings, which had belonged to a large white fly and they fastened them to Tiny's shoulders, so that she might fly from flower to flower. Then there was much rejoicing, and the little swallow who sat above them, in his nest, was asked to sing a wedding song, which he did as well as he could; but in his heart he felt sad for he was very fond of Tiny, and would have liked never to part from her again.

     "You must not be called Tiny any more," said the spirit of the flowers to her. "It is an ugly name, and you are so very pretty. We will call you Maia."

     "Farewell, farewell," said the swallow, with a heavy heart as he left the warm countries to fly back into Denmark. There he had a nest over the window of a house in which dwelt the writer of fairy tales. The swallow sang, "Tweet, tweet," and from his song came the whole story.