We are heading into the growing season and the seed catalogues arrive daily in my mail. I look and dream of flowers, trees and vegetables for my farm yard. This year I have a few trees to replace, as some in my yard reached the end of their lives last year. I joined The National Arbor Day Foundation this past winter (www.arborday.org) and ordered 10 shade trees. They will mail the trees to me when the time is right for planting. With my membership I received a handy little tree book with suggestions for trees appropriate for our area, along with tips for proper planting. I all also receive a newsletter a few times a year.

When ordering seeds for my garden I like to keep in mind that plants have companions that do well with one another.

Remember to bathe with and scrape your fingernails along a bar of Morning in the Woods Soap before playing in the dirt to prevent insects from biting, as well as making cleanup easier since the dirt cannot get under nails if you first fill the cavity with soap.

Have fun with your garden

Our son, Jonas, left for England on April second, along with his wife, Julie, and their two little girls, Lily, 3, and Cecelia, 3 months. They will be in London for three months while Jonas does some work there for his employer. Jim and I plan to visit them in May. We have friends in Appletreewick, North Yorkshire as well as in Ireland whom we plan to visit, too. The flight from Chicago to Heathrow, London takes about eight hours. I find that it's a good idea to go without much sleep the night before flying overseas so that I sleep on the plane. It makes the trip go faster for me, as well as helping to prevent jetlag upon arrival, since England is about 6 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time.

This past month I babysat for Lily for a few days while her parents were in Texas for a wedding. When Lily arrived at Gramma Chelle's house she had a serious diaper rash. I used honey on her bottom after washing gently with my Lemon Aloe Soap each time I changed her diaper. She was completely healed in just two days! Her mother was amazed and, of course, Lily was so happy to feel better!

I found an old first communion dress in someone's trash a few years back and I saved it for dress-up play for my granddaughters. While Lily was here we got that old dress out and she had a wonderful time dancing and twirling all over the house. At one point she asked me for high heel shoes to wear with her new outfit. I went to my closet and picked out a pair for her, but when I placed them before her she said,

"Gramma Chelle, they are too big!"

So we went to the computer and looked up "pretend high heel shoes for children" and we found www.adorablekidsdressup.com .

Lily picked out a pair of red sparkly shoes in child's size 12 (just a bit bigger than her size 9 feet, but alot closer than my shoes were!). Now she will get a very special package in the mail!

Easter dinner is a tradition in our home. I like to prepare twice as much food as needed so that everyone can take home leftovers. My grandmother always did this at every holiday.

Gramma would roast a huge turkey for her six children and all of their families, while my great aunt Arlene, who lived upstairs from Gramma, roasted a second turkey. All the mothers brought a dish to pass, again twice as much as needed, along with a stash of tupperware for leftovers. Then, after dinner, everyone helped with clean-up, while packing away enough food for a family meal to take home! Everyone does a little bit of the work, and all have a "free meal" the next day.

Our Easter Sunday dinner table is often decorated with a traditional Easter Tree. I cut a branch from a lilac bush a week before and set it in a vase of water. Then I decorate it with eggs that I have had for over thirty years. When our children were young we poked holes in two ends of the eggs with a needle, then blew out the egg (picture Jim with big cheeks and a very red face). We dyed the eggs, then decorated them with paper and crayons to make chicks, flowers, bunnies, birds & butterflies. Each year I pack them carefully in tissue paper and save them for next time, and each year when I get them out I have wonderful memories of years past.

To dye eggs the old-fashioned way set out several coffee mugs and put 2 tablespoons of vinegar in each. Add 1 teaspoon food coloring to each cup in colors desired. Fill to about 2/3 full with boiling water. Dip hardboiled eggs in cups till desired color is reached.

For variety, color designs on eggs with a white crayon before dipping.

Try dipping halfway into color and then halfway (or all the way) into another. This is a great way to learn about which colors when mixed will make which new colors!

Recently I was filmed during several days of my soap-making process for public access television in Juneau , WI where I live. Over the course of four days Bob Sweeney and his crew set up bright lights and camera to capture several aspects of my work. As I measured out the fats and oils Bob interviewed me, asking questions about what I do and why I do it. He filmed the entire process from start to finish, including the mixing, molding, cutting, trimming, curing, and my mail-order day. Over twenty hours of film was edited to a one hour show which has been aired twice on Juneau's Public Access Station, the second time by special request.

Copies of the hour long show are available by request from me at my cost of $15 each plus $5 shipping and handling.
(The $15 goes to the City of Juneau for their library/public access television fund).

Call: 920-386-2565

Write me at:

• Add peppermint oil (available at most pharmacies) to your wash water when cleaning cupboards for a fresh, clean scent that will repel both insects and mice. Peppermint oil wiped along the doorsills of your home will repel ants as well.

• Remove lime/calcium build-up from saucepans with vinegar. Fill to the top and bring to boil. Let sit an hour, then easily scrub away build-up! Vinegar used in this way will also remove burnt food from your pots and pans.

As always, I enjoy hearing your comments & questions.
Please contact me at or write to me at the address below.