SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

I thought I would share some of my little gatherings of things that I just love looking at.
Nothing more than that to post - just thought you might enjoy too.

Karen

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RAINY THURSDAY

Wish I had some fun pictures to show you today but I'm not into anything creative at the moment.

I had lots of accomplishments already today but nothing really fun!

One thing I did was pack up some Amish Fiction books for a girl on one of the forums I'm on and got them shipped off. And she's sending me one that I need to finish the Trilogy. Now neither of us have to go in search of the book(s). It's such a great idea to share books you already read!!!

I have several series of Amish Fiction books that I would glady send to anyone that wants to read them....and there are many.

If anyone is interested in them I will gladly make a post with the list of what I have and the ones I STILL NEED and maybe you will have one or several and will share. Just let me know.

Then I got two orders packed and shipped as well and then Doug and I went for lunch and then to the grocery store and it's raining and no fun to be outside today so this afternoon it's laundry and answering e-mails.

I was asked by a forum I'm on if I could send a Penny Rug pattern for their Newsletter so I got that going for them.

I'm also trying to get an ad going for Mercantile Gathering Magazine...wow I love that magazine. I thought a summer ad might be what it takes to keep the flow. Advertising at the Holiday time might just put me over the top for keeping up with the sewing so a Summer ad seemed right.

Wohoooo, as I was typing this post I got an e-mail from Country Sampler telling me they will be sending us 6 copies of the May issue that our home will be in! Yippppeeee. Now the waiting game will begin. I sure hope you will all like it - our home is more Traditional Colonial with not so many Primitives around. Not that I don't want them - just don't have the room!

Wondering if it's just me but I'm in a slump. I can't seem to get motivated these past few days. Seems there is no creativity or desire to do anything so I'm hoping it's just the weather. I do think I need some sun!!!!

Remember a couple posts ago with the Lego Birthday gift for Joeseph - well, they were here on Monday and he brought all three of his Power Miner Legos that he built. He wanted Grandpa to see them but Gramps was in Rhode Island.

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BUSY WEEKEND!

Winter has returned to Wisconsin!

It started in the night Saturday night and kept going till almost noon - Spring just isn't happening none too soon around here. Not sure where those birdies are that I heard last week and it's for sure Lola kitty isn't going to be watching them in the bushes through the window for quite some time now.

Today was one of those do nothing important kind of days....do you have them?

Doug is gone till Monday night and I was just floating through the house going from this thing to that thing! But I did finish up my orders and cleaned out my desk and shoveled the courtyard....WHEW!

Yesterday I received my grungy labels and oh I can't wait to get them on some jars - what I'll do with them after that I don't know. I was sitting here wondering to myself where in the world I would display anything else in my kitchen - there are just no places....but hey, I'll get 'em made if nothing else and sell them with some grungy gauze on the tops.

I received 50 out of the 55 in the order so not sure what went on there - but I probably won't use up all of these in my lifetime! lol

SORRY I DIDN'T PUT THE LINK TO WHERE I PURCHASED THESE WONDERFUL LABELS...HERE IT IS: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/blue*cupboard*primitives_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

Today I finished two of the items for my special order - I do hope she will like them.

I'm always concerned when someone says "can you make...."...lol, and she wanted the sheep to be pulling an apple cart - somehow I just can't get apples in the cart because they won't show up with the background. What would green apples look like?

She sent me a large piece of the wallpaper so that helped with color and fortunately I had all of them to work with.

She wanted a chair pad for her small windsor chair - it isn't finished in this photo - it needs grass around the tree trunk and the tufting yet.

And a small runner for a small table

And I finished up a pillow for one of our blogger friends! Hmmmmm, who is that!

Have a great evening and I hope to hear from all of my friends out there!

Karen

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Watering Plants - Buy a Rain Barrel

Water is getting more and more expensive every year, and if you're like I am, you want you plants to be well taken care of. One way to ensure that your plants are getting the moisture they need without breaking the bank is to install a rain barrel. Rain barrels harvest free water that's relatively pure and great for watering garden plants.If you want to know more about the advantages of rain

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Portuguese Recipes

If you read my post about Portuguese food, you may be interested in creating some simple and flavorful Portuguese dishes. I've been busy publishing a few of my Portuguese recipes around the web. One in particular, Portuguese Cod Cakes, uses an interesting ingredient, dry salted cod. You can find this dried fish in the international isle of your grocery store. You rehydrate the fish by pouring off

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TREASURES

Although most of our shopping in Pennsylvania was designated to our business purchases we did find time to purchase a few treasures for ourselves.
In one of our other posts I showed you a couple of them and now we have the others out and displayed.

Doug finally found a resting place for his huge rusty tin Paul Revere Lantern and I’m loving where it where he put it.

We just never had the right thing to balance off the cabinets on the sides of the fireplace but now we do!

Thanks Doug for your good eye!!!!

The pillow is sooooo nice and now I wish I would have purchases more of them to sell - the size is perfect for the bed - I used to have 3-4 smaller pillows now and then but now this one works so much better.

And sitting next to it is my adorable doll I won from Dawn Gunning of THE FORGOTTEN BARN http://dawngunning.blogspot.com/ in one of her Give A-Ways. Isn’t she cute there - a perfect match don’t you think????


One of my passions- coverlets/table squares/throws from Family Heirloom Weavers. The quality of these items is so wonderful and if anyone has any of them I know you would say the same thing.

There are many more of these scattered throughout the house but these at least are all in one place so you can see them here.

And finally I finished up the last of my special order.

The picture shows just the 3 pieces but now they are sewn together with tabs at the top to make one long piece that she will most likely run a dowel through and use it as a hanging although it shows in the photograph that it can be used as a mantel doily or where ever one would choose to display it to hang over the edge spelling out the word 'Welcome'.

I hope those of you who have off today have a wonderful 'Presidents Day' and find lots of fun things to do with your extra day!

Hugs, Karen

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Cajun Spice Blend

Paprika is the base for this smoky Creole spice blend that's hot and very flavorful. Use it to spice up your meats and vegetables. For the best results, use a quality paprika. Many of the imported varieties have either a sweet or pronounced spicy flavor, use a blend or go with the sweet.Better yet, this spring, try planting a variety of paprika peppers and dry them for your own ground paprika

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The History of Portuguese Food - Oh, the Flavor

Portuguese cuisine is simple and wholesome, often using the familiar and delicious trinity of garlic, onion, and olive oil in savory dishes, and the decadence of egg yolks in desserts. I grew up in a Portuguese household, and my love of food and herbs is due, in part, to those early years when there was always soup simmering on the back burner of the gas stove, and bread rising in a big covered

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Growing Fenugreek

Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) is an annual indigenous to the Mediterranean and grown widely in Europe and Asia. It has a long medicinal history, and is recommended for cleansing the chest and lungs in Culpepper's Herbal of 1649.Planting FenugreekFenugreek grows to about two feet (60cm), with yellow/white flowers and long yellow seedpods. It likes full sun and well-drained, neutral to

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Make a Soothing Fenugreek Tea

My favorite cure for occasional tinnitus is fenugreek in a warming tea. It tastes a little like a cross between molasses and maple syrup. To make fenugreek seed tea:Make Fenugreek TeaPour boiling water over one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds.Let steep for five minutes.Discard seedsFenugreek as an Herbal RemedyA native of the Mediterranean, fenugreek's curative properties have been associated with

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GRANDSON'S BIRTHDAY/LEGOS

We finally got up to our grandsons for his birthday....he was 9 on the 2nd but we were in Pennsylvania at the time...if you read the post below you know we were in search of a Lego set for him and finally found the one he wanted.

What a huge smile when he opened it! Makes you glad you went from store to store and town to town to find it.

We also gave him another of his favorites....a loaf of Cinnamon bread from Central Market in downtown Lancaster, PA. Whenever we go out there we bring him home a loaf and he calls it CIRCLE BREAD and has toast every morning until it's gone!

I froze the bread immediately upon coming home so he'd get it fresh. It's in the white bag....see the huge grin when he smelled what it was...oh the aroma is soooo wonderful
(Big sister Emily)

And before we even sat down to eat he had it all put together...he's a whiz at these things!

So he got to open his gifts and then we stayed for a Chili supper and cake.

A fun night had by all.

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Herbal Remedies for Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears that occurs when there is a malfunction in the way inner ear talks to the brain, causing the equivalent of white noise. It can be temporary, intermittent or constant, and can be caused by a buildup of earwax, prolonged exposure to loud noise, cold, flu, tumors, high blood pressure, and overuse of aspirin (or white willow bark). It can be exacerbated by diet too,

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WHATCHA WORKING ON WEDNESDAY

Today is going to be a finish up day I hope!

I have a few orders underway plus a revised item for my website...I changed out the Crow/Star to a Crow with Spring Flowers...and I like it much better.

I am working on a table mat and candle sleeve with the bee hive and bees - not nearly done with them, I just have the hive and bees stitched is all....and the tabs are made. This has been one of my biggest sellers for Spring.

I FINISHED IT!!!!!

I have a customer who sends me patterns and has me give her quotes to make them using my fabrics....it was a challenge at first but has worked out quite well actually. Here is what she sent this time....see below.

I just have to get these items finished plus a mantle/shelf hanging finished so she can have them sometime by the end of the month.

Three stuffed 4.5 inch ornaments with just a back and a front - one design on each.

Here are three different stuffed eggs, and these will be stuffed and have 3 sides but only one side has a design. They are like bowl fillers or put them in gatherings...about 5.5 inches tall

This is a 3 sided egg and I have all the designs stitched on - now I have to machine stitch the large egg which has the three different decorated sides and then stuff it - it's approx 11 inches high and will be about 8 inches round when finished.

Hope you enjoyed my WHATCHA WORKING ON WEDNESDAY and hope to read what all of you have going!

Has anyone tried the Campbells Super Bakes - when we were in PA last week my cousin fixed the Herb Chicken one for us and it was absolutely wonderful.

I was so busy yesterday with sewing so I had purchased one over the weekend and had it for dinner last night - you must try it. It took only a couple minutes to put it all in a baking dish and walla, bake for 35-40 minutes and a meal all in one....TRY IT YOU'LL LIKE IT!

Hugs to all.....

Karen

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HAPPY TUESDAY

Today was one of those days you just didn't want to be inside....it was 65 today and the sun was shining so bright - lots of wind but that's okay because hopefully it would help the warm temps melt the snow some more and while it's very nice it's just a bit too chilly to sit in the screen room (below).

I went out there for just a bit and relaxed on the sofa with the sun shining in while Doug cleaned the messy cans of soda that froze and exploded in the refrigerator out there....such a mess everywhere - glad I had lots of sewing to do...lol



Here's the beautiful 100% wool I purchased in Pennsylvania at $10.99 a yard....I'm hoping to be able to get a nice Penny Rug from it. I want to make a really traditional one with just pennies. It's not Dougs favorite look but hey, who's doing all the sewing anyway......(she said smiling!)


Yesterday was a day of searching for the right Lego set for our grandson Joe who was 9 on the 2nd....he had some specific ones on his list but go figure, everywhere we went they didn't have them. Unknown to us he got the names from the Lego pamphlet that came with some of his Legos, and I guess they didn't have them anymore......so with lots of back and forth phone calls to mom and dad we finally came up with one he would want...POWER MINERS THUNDER DRILLER.
I'm not sure what he'll want next because he has most of these kinds of Legos...he's not into the Bionic ones, mostly the heavy equipment and machine kinds. He and his daddy have some of the huge remote controlled graders, dozers and dump trucks.....but daddy drives a huge earth moving/packing machine so it's in his blood I guess!


Have a wonderful evening and hope to see lots of your bright faces...I'm off to check on everyone's Blogs right now.

Hugs, Karen

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WONDERFUL SUNDAY

Today was one of those days - I accomplished so much in one day and then there are days when I barely get one thing finished.
Between doing laundry, website clean up, cooking a wonderful pot roast dinner and sewing orders it was packed full.

I did get a couple pictures of some of the things we bought in PA - I’m not happy where the blue table is though…it’s not in its final place but had to put it someplace for now. It really looks awful next to the red plaid sofa so maybe this week I can get some spare time to re-organize my den and family room and get things where I want them….and take some final pictures.

I did buy 4 different kinds of wool from a fabric outlet - only $10.99 per yard!!! I'm going to make myself a WOOL PENNY RUG for once!

I really do love the table - it has a bin in the center underneath that I want to put some pretties in…I think a little light would be cute in there too.





I bought a couple Penny style pictures from a great designer - here's a sheep one I just needed...lol


The dress in the hall pegs and the one on the cupboard we got as well - I’m really getting into this homespun and fabric thing for decorating.




I can’t say enough how much I LOVE the new cabinet in the bathroom - been wanting one for sometime but never found the right color. Oh, and I bought Hannah and her dog sitting on top too!


I also bought some Pewter spoons as well - needed some for my spoon board but they are for sale if anyone is in need of them - oh the two forks are for sale too! $20 for each item.


We didn’t take many pictures this time but I did get a picture of one of my favorite places we pass on route 23 on our way to Valley Forge…It’s the Poole Forge Mansion - I finally got to snap a picture and the grounds are just beautiful, especially with the new snow
Isn't this place pretty?
Here’s a little about the Forge…
Nestled into the hillside along the Conestoga creek, sits the once vibrant iron plantation called Poole Forge. The spectacular 1700’s Iron Masters mansion, paymasters house, tenant houses, lime kilns and covered bridge date back to 1859.





TaTa for now!
Karen

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