Snow

I have been working on some black mammy bag holders

I am hoping to get them dressed today.

 We live in south GA and on occasion we will see snow.

Feb 12, 2010 it started snowing just before dark and

these are some of the pictures. We have been living

here 12 years and this is the 2nd time it has snowed.

Have a great day!

New Christmas Annies

 

I just finished these little annies...they are on Etsy.

They were really a lot of fun to make because of

the colors being pinks and light reds and

not the traditional red and green.

Pattern by Sweet Meadows.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

If you are a Black Friday shopper, please take a

few moments to ready these tips to stay safe.

http://justbesafe.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/safety-tips-for-shopping-on-black-friday-day-after-thanksgiving/

What I have been working on

 

Old Road Primitives reindeer pattern

 

Here's some things we have been working on...getting

ready for a 2 day show this weekend...

Thought I would try a different style..the

bottom could hold a gift, be a bag holder or

tissue holder

This is my first time with grundgy candles...it can be

a challenge

Some of my husband's work..I do the staining and painting

Icicles pattern..Old Cupboard Door

 

Until next time....

 

Hope everyone has a very successful craft

show season.

Getting Ready for Craft Shows

 

I have been working almost non-stop for the last 6 weeks

getting ready for craft shows.  I took this picture in the summer

in our back yard and thought it told the story of how tired I am.

In cast you are trying to figure out what he is on...we decided to

build a birdhouse with a plexaglass side so we could watch the birds

and their babies...it has been there almost 2 years and

the birds are not intrested in it..at least the squirrel

is enjoying his nap. He has been working real hard hiding nuts..

we have a lot of 4 pecan trees in the back yard so

he stays busy all year.

 

Until next time.....

Fall and Halloween Decorating

This is a bench my husband made from old wood

and old window. This is at the back door in garage.

 

Scarecrow door in garage

Primitive Welcome banner. I just repainted

the bench using a textured paint..before color

was white

 

                                      

Witch Parking sign

Pumpkin patch...I took a break and did a "me" project

there are 9

This is a bunny pattern from Sweet Meadows that

I made this year at Easter.  I think his little

round tummy is so cute. 

(vest was not included in pattern)

Halloween candy canes I order on Ebay.

I put them through the prim process and found

this jack-o-lantern on line.

I made this little mouse last year

Candy corn I ordered on Ebay

Wax corn ornies..these were made by Sandy

@ Olde Country Cupboard.

I found this old sock in the untility room

and turned it into a pumpkin, with

a twig from the yard.

 

These are pumpkins that I made.. I made the grungy jar with

a spider legs label..Paw Readings and coasters were bought

on Ebay.

This is a wool pillow I bought this

past summer at a Going out of Business Sale 

at a local gift shop.

 

Back door going to garage...he holds a

battery operated tea light

This is a birdhouse I painted..probably about 15

years ago when I was learning to paint...as I type

this, I'm thinking...I am still learning. I am trying

to perfect painted eyes on dolls....it's like the old

saying...practice..practice..practice

I love these guys..they are from a Sweet Meadows

patern. I had some at a craft show last year and

several mothers told their kids.."this is what

happens when you eat too much candy".

I made 2 or these bats last year..there is lots of top stitching

and I added wire so the wings can be posed. The eyes are

suppose to go underneath, but I wanted to see them so I put

them on top.

This is a wire frame and we decorate for the season.

My husband made a stand (not shown) so he

doesn't tip over so easily.  Our neighbor was watching the house

and feeding the animals while we were away..he lived

just across the road.  He saw a car at our house several

times and called the Sheriff's Dept. I wish I could have seen

this...the Deputy wanted to look in the garage...so the

neighbor pressed the button to open the door and as it

came up slowly...this wire man was dressed for Christmas

at that time at the back door...and when the Deputy saw the

bottom of the overalls he pulled his gun and when he

saw it was a snowman...well... my neighbor and the Deputy

 had a good laugh.

Fall display on my mother's old sewing machine

and cabinet. The items in the drawers are just

like she left it.  I have had it for 6 years.

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend...and I hope you

have a very successful craft show season.

Until next time...

Maxie

Pumpkin Cream Cheese

 

I found this recipe on another blog..link is below.

I decided to use butternut squash instead of pumpkin..we

 have an abundance of these from our garden.

First I used a melon ball scoop to remove seeds. It has sharp

edges and really makes the job easy.

 

 

I added about 1/2 inch water to pan..cooked

about 10 minutes...look at that deep orange color..there

are tons of vitamins..1 cup has 150% of vitamin A of the daily

recommended amount and 63 calories and here's the link to learn more.

http://voices.yahoo.com/butternut-squash-low-fat-rich-vitamin-a-419119.html?cat=22 

and best of all I know where it came from...grown without the use of pesticides.

 

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix...I love nutmeg, which

was not in the recipe, so I added a pinch.

 

This is really a quick recipe..less than 15 minutes..

less if you use canned pumpkin... and

you have almost a cup of homemade Pumpkin

Cheese Spread..It's so good I am going to double

the recipe next time.

Butternut squash can be substituted in any recipe that

has pumpkin as an ingredient.

My daughter makes this and serves as a dip with

ginger snap cookies..yummy..she is such a great cook.

 

So here's the recipe and the link to the blog...

 

                                                  Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

                                                 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
                                                 3 tablespoons brown sugar
                                                 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
                                                 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
                                                 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
                                                 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
                                                 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

                            1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
                            2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
                            3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
                            4. Enjoy!

http://www.theoldcupboarddoorblog.com/

Signs of fall, santa,snowman,reindeer

Spider/hurricane lilies are the first sign of fall at our house.

They started blooming a couple weeks ago

Just finished a batch of these..I'm thinking...

should I make a wood base for them to

sit in..they will stand but tip over easy.

pattern by: Olde Country Cupboard

 

Craft shows are now a reality..just around the corner.

We only do 2 shows in the fall..this year went

really fast for us. 

 

Make it a great day!!

 

Life is not about the number of breaths we take..

but the moments that take our breath away.

author...unknown

Datura...Moonflower

This plant is in Tennessee at my sister's house.

She gave me my plant that I posted earlier.

As mentioned in the link below, it is the most romantic

plant you can have in your garden.

This is a beautiful flower...but beware..it's quite poisonous, to people and pets

especially the seeds

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/moonflower/ 

Do you eat grapes

I don't buy grapes that often but I did this week.

When it comes to produce, white vinegar is the most

important item in my kitchen.

I put the grapes in a bowl and poured approx. 1/2 cup

of vinegar (vinegar kills bacteria) over them and then poured the

 same vinegar back into the cup and poured it over them again. The glass

on the left iswhat the vinegar looked like. The second glass is plain water

I poured over the grapes after the vinegar and the glass on the

right is plain water.

What do you think?

Does it change you mind about vinegar?

Do you rinse or wash or your produce?

I also use vinegar on the produce that comes from my

garden if I will be eating it raw.

Whether it is from the store or the garden, you

never know where it has been or

what has been on it.  Broccoli, at our Walmart

is not wrapped...so that doesn't come home with me.

I buy it from another grocery store where it is wrapped.

When I make a salad, I put all my ingredients (lettuce,

broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell pepper- anything

raw) in the salad spinner and pour about 1/2 cup vinegar

and about 2 pints water and swish around with my hand and

spin the water out.  I was surprised..it changes the taste of

the salad..and for the better...tastes really fresh.

Here's a tip for extending the life of cauliflower and broccoli.

Cut into pieces.

Wash in the vinegar solution,same as above, drain (don't rinse

with water)put on clean towel and let it air dry for a little while.

Then put in a zip bag with a dry paper towel. The towel absorbs

the moisture...too much moisture will cause it to spoil.

 It will last 2 weeks and be as fresh as the day you

bought it..and the cauliflower will not get the dark spots.

If you shop in Publix, you already know it is at the top of

the list for being the best. Moving here to South GA over

12 years ago the only grocery stores were Winn Dixie and

Harveys and one more..can't remember the name, it closed a long

 time ago...Publix was a 45 to 60 minute drive fromwhere we lived. 

There was a Walmart which was very small and about 7 years ago we got

a Walmart Supercenter.

Publix opens in a couple weeks and we are so excited.

There's going to be lots of good sales and some competition. 

I did a little more canning

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers and Banana Peppers

                                  I removed 90% of the seeds so they would not be to spicy.

I believe this is a Honeysuckle we planted last year.

Really pretty plant and easy to control.

I hope everyone has a really great weekend.

We will be working Saturday..daughter and son-in-law

moved into a new house..we are part of the clean-up

 crew.. it will be a lot of fun.

Maxie