Thanksgiving Pictures and News..

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours went off without a hitch this year....no burnt fingers...or smoke alarm! Our house was full to the brim this year. Just how I like it! Our oldest daughter Devon came with her fiancée and our grandbaby, Kaden. Our middle daughter, Ariel brought her new boyfriend and his roommate. Dad was here and ofcourse our son Taylor, myself and hubby.



This little light of my life is now 18 months old! Look at that huge spoon he was using...and hardly made a mess. What a good little boy he is. No sleep for 12 hours and not a fuss out of him all day. He finally collapsed on me late into the evening. What a doll!!

We watched 'Walle'!! So funny and just a cute movie for the whole family to see. We played 'WII'!! THAT was a ball!! Talk about getting exercise. We laughed till our sides hurt. And finally enjoyed pie with TONS of whipped cream! It was a fabulous holiday and I just know that Mom was there in spirit the whole time.
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I ran around the house taking a few shots before we dragged the Christmas stuff out yesterday. I hope you enjoy them.

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The snow is flying...what a perfect day for Christmas decorating. The tree is up and decorated in all of our new items, bought and handmade. It's beautiful! I'll make sure to take pics for you. Everything else is sitting on the table waiting for their place this year. We lost many to the flooding this Spring...but I did manage to rescue a few of the most important ones. Each is like an old friend that you haven't seen for awhile...they give such a warm feeling when unwrapped. Loads of memories in those boxes. They are my most precious of all items I own. Ornaments my 24 year old daughter made in bible school when she was 4....the one my son made in 1st grade with gobs of glitter and a photo of him in a Santa hat..the wooden Christmas tree one our middle daughter made covered in glue and buttons with a red ribbon on top...and all the ornaments my Mom had given to each child. Those will go to the kids when they have their own family's...with more added from me, to start their own tradition with.

I hope you have fun getting ready for Christmas this year. I know we're all so busy, but take the time to just sit and remember each precious moment this year. The time goes by So fast. It's not the 'things' we take to heaven with us, it's the loving memories that we've spent a lifetime gathering that go with us. :o)

Till next time, hug a family member and tell them you love them.

Thanksgiving Recipe and such....

Well friends....2 days before the big day and I'm ALMOST ready. I'm finishing up the cleaning today which leaves tomorrow free for setting the table and making up a few of the dishes ahead of time.

I thought I'd share our favorite fruit salad recipe with you. I make this at Thanksgiving and Christmas only. And even though I've doubled this recipe as the family has grown...there are never any leftovers! This recipe was given to me by a wonderful friend of mine many moons ago.

24 Hour Fruit Salad

2-11oz cans mandarin oranges(drained)

1-20oz can pineapple chunks(drained)

1-jar Royal Anne cherries(drained)

2-cups seedless grapes cut in half

3-bananas sliced

2-cups mini marshmallows

1-egg(beaten)

4-Tablespoons white vinegar

4-Tablespoons sugar

2-Tablespoons butter

1/2-pint whipped cream

Place all the fruit in a big bowl. In a double boiler combine beaten egg, vinegar, and sugar. Cook till thick. Add butter and let cool. Add whipped cream to the egg mixture till well combined. Add this to the fruit and then stir in marshmallows. Let this stand over night!

I hope you enjoy it and it too becomes a family tradition at your house.

As stated in the last post, we've taken this time off from the website to prepare for Thanksgiving. We, ofcourse are continuing to fill and ship out orders. I'm just not working on any items this week..BUT..after Thanksgiving I'll be hard at it again finishing up some new goods for Christmas and after. So please make sure you peek in from time to time to see the latest.

We hope you and yours have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

You may have noticed that we've drop the price on a few of our items. This is just our way of helping out this season with the economy and seasonal crunch we are all feeling. We just want to help you have a wonderful holiday season this year, and purchase high quality items at an affordable price. The price decrease will be in affect till the 1st of the year. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Thanksgiving time.....soon.

Are we ready yet...you ask with just a week to go?? NOPE!!

With us all being so busy..the house looks like a pack of kindergardeners went through it! Not even kidding. I decided to finish up with the orders and the new goods I've been working on...and then shut everything down to get ready for Thanksgiving. That gives me a week to clean..which I do totally because the day after we always begin our Christmas decorating. So I figure if I do at least one room a day..I'll be done the day before the big day! Both daughters are coming home early to help with the decorating and cooking...so that will be nice. I love having my girls home. We have always gotten along so well..there's tons of giggles and ofcourse the pickin' on each other is high as well.


I have to tell you about these sweet new dolls I've finished! They are my favorite so far this year....cute, sweet and simple looking. the aging took me days. Trying to achieve the look AND feel of an old doll. Soft squishy and cuddly they are perfect!! To tell you the truth, I won't be heart broken if they don't sell. I'll have a wonderful time having them out this season to greet my guests. ;o)


The new Mercury glass ornaments are even better then I thought they'd be! They really look like the old ornaments...and I love the fact they made them the 'ol fashion way as well. The sparkle they have on a tree is awesome...I will definitely have some of them on my tree this year. You should see how beautiful they look with the redware ornaments!!!! OMG!!

So in the next day or 2 I'll share with you a couple of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes...ones that we enjoy every year so you know they are awesome! So get a paper and pencil ready and make sure you stop by soon. Hopefully we can share a bit of our Thanksgiving with you. ;o)

Things I enjoy

If you had asked me 2 years ago if I'd enjoy cleaning out a chicken house...I would have shouted ARE YOU CRAZY! before you'd even finished the sentience.

That was when I was a city girl and I was totally obsessed with CLEAN! Now that I'm a farmgirl.....it's not that hard to get out there and shovel poo. I don't even need a whole container of Lysol wipes to do it. When I first started 2 years ago Iwas nuts about the poo. I'd wear a mask....hubby's coveralls, a hat and gloves..and God forbid any poo got on me. I would be in the shower in a heart beat. Now.....not so much.

Infact I enjoyed cleaning it out yesterday. I went in early evening when the sun was just about down, so the girls where all in sitting on the roosts. It's so nice chatting with them. You may laugh, but they do talk to me. It's a soft coo and some clicks as I talk and sing to them. I've done that from the time they were born, so they do enjoy it. Infact if I say 'sshhhhh' they all quiet down and not a peep comes out of any of them. It's rather cute how well they listen to me.

Anyway, as I'm shoveling out the straw, we were all chatting together and Miss Lucy, she's my half breed and the nosiest one of the bunch, jumps on top of the nesting boxes to get closer to me and as I'm scooping straw, she's picking out my hair. She's such a little stinker that one, and finds this a fun game to play with me. I'll stand up and shoo her away, but when my back is turned, she once again jumps over to me and commences to tug on my hair. It doesn't hurt, and I know she's not doing it to be mean.....I think it's rather endearing of her. After the cleaning is finished, I bring in the fresh bail of straw and grass mix. You should see them then! Each jumps down from the roost and hops around my feet trying to be the first to grab the seed heads out of my hands. They so enjoy getting the house clean. I think their favorite part is making the nesting box just so. It's a sweet sight to see. Each girl has her favorite box(it's true)..she will snuggle herself down into the straw while working her way all the way around in a circle....this goes on till the nest is just right. And by the time she jumps down, the nest is a perfect circle. Already for those beautiful eggs they grace me with.

They say that chickens aren't smart, but I do beg to differ. My chickens play, chase, and miss one another when they are apart. I never thought I'd be so in love with my girls...but I truly am. They definitely make my heart smile every time I'm with them.

That's just a little piece of what makes me happy.....hope you enjoy it.

Celebrating 5 Years

It's our 5 year anniversary! And we'd like to celebrate with you by giving you 10% off your next order! please use 'anniversary' in the voucher box at checkout time! Thank you for 5 wonderful years...we can't wait to see what the next 5 will bring!

Sundays' news...

Since I've decided to accept the fact that Winter has arrived....I decided that it would be best if we did a bit of weather proofing this year. It is an old farmhouse, and the winds do howl somethin' fearse across the fields ....so off to the local home depot I go.

OK...I have to tell you..I found the FUNNEST stuff to play with!! It's insulation in a can. Like cheese in a can, only better! This stuff grows when it's sprayed!! OMG..it's SO fun! I was running around here with a can in each hand finding places to spray. I must admit that if anyone was watching me, they'd have thought I'd taken to much medication. It was so fun....it is a bit contagious though...kind of like when your gilding pine cones..and you can't stop yourself and pretty soon everything in the house is gilded. Yay...kind of like that....

A few words of caution.... It grows. Did I say it grows. AND you can't clean it up till it dries. Ok, that's where it all went wrong. It's rather hard to use the powder room when you have 2 cans glued to your hands. And trying to peel them off isn't a good thing either. It took a little gas, hubby and son to peel them off...and then another hour getting it off my fingers!

Hubby says I can't play with it anymore.....spoil sport.



Other news....I've finished up those Christmas goods I've been working on...and I must admit they did turn out real pretty. Sticking with my handmade ornament theme...I made up some hearts from heavy old sack fabric and stars out of my favorite early faded calico...made some reindeer....SOO sweet. They take so much time though that this will be the only set I make this year. Lets see...what else, oh yes there are stockings and more candy canes. So maybe you can stop by and take a peek when you get a chance.

As for me...I'm off to continue my sock matching.....(the washer eats them you know).....and make fresh bread...which I will be posting the recipe for. So easy and yummy!! And finish decorating the house. Hubby put the TV cabinet together so I had to move furniture around...which in turn made the wall decor obsolete...and so on. It's a never ending circle...but one I do enjoy fixing. It gives me the chance to boss hubby around.....and he deserves it...telling me I can't play with the spray can.. I'll show him who's boss!

So till next time...head off to your local Home Depot...the spray insulation is in with the weather proofing stuff!!

It's doing it again!!

NO it's NOT fog!! If I click my heels together 3 times...can I make it go away?? AAAUUGGGHHH!!



These were taken out our front living room window. Beautiful view...when it's not snowing!
Ofcourse our son is just jumping for joy ...he's wishing we get FEET of the white stuff!! Only because his can ride his snow machine! I DID remind him of the broken collarbone he had last year...he assures me that he will be very careful this year. We'll see about that. He's a walking accident looking for a place to happen. 15 and awkward....are all boys like that?? Anyhoo....if it snows enough for him to even get the machine out...I'm packing my bags and heading South. Find myself a good looking man slave and just live off the land. Well, maybe not all the way on the land. I like my indoor plumbing..and my curling iron. It's kind of hard finding a 120v plug-in in a tree. And don't think I haven't searched...I have but to no avail. Mother nature must have natural curly hair...unlike some of us. You'd think that being a woman, she would have thought about these things when she had her 'let's make a world' powwow with God! JJEEEZZZZ. What was she thinking.....

Other news, still working on the goods today. Between boxing up orders, and doing laundry,(did you know that socks and undies mate in the wash?? They must, because I always end up with more then I put in)....I've been working on finishing them up. Hopefully I'll have them added tomorrow. Besides, it's an terrible day for picture taking.

Well, I'm off to match up socks....and get a loaf of bread on for dinner. Thank goodness for bread machines!! I know it's cheating, and I DO make homemade when I have then time, but when your in a hurry a bread machine is a 'good thing'. (sorry Martha).

Winter Canning..

Girls...if your having a rotten day...may I suggest watching one of my favorite movies..'The electric Horseman'! I just finished seeing it again for the umpteenth time...and it never fails to make my soul smile. AAAhhhh......it is my 2nd favorite though...'The Goodbye Girl' is my MOST favorite movie ever! I guess I'm dating myself with these hay?? LOL No matter..they just don't make movies like that anymore. And besides...I've had a crush on Robert Redford since watching 'Butch Cassidy & the Sundance kid'. Be still my beating heart!! He still has that smile and those eyes. And yes...hubby knows that if Robert ever came a knockin' on my front door to whisk me away..I'd be gone in a second. Wouldn't even gather any belongings.....well..maybe a few. My suck-'em up undies....my push-up bra (if I can find it)..and mascara. Yup. That's all I'd need to run away into the sunset with Robert Redford.


It's that time of year....bushels of apples are for sale at the local gas station. The owners have an orchard a few miles out of town...and these apples are the BEST! Sweet and tart all at the same time. They make the best jelly!

So today I thought I'd share with you an old recipe that I've been making for years now. 'Cake in a Jar'.

This recipe makes 7 pints. Spray your jars very well with Pam Cooking Spray before pouring in Mixture.

2/3 cup shortening
2-2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup nuts
1 teasp. cinnamon
1 teasp. baking soda
1/2 teasp. baking powder
1-1/2 teasp. salt
3 cups flour
2/3 cup water
3 cup peeled & grated apples

Mix together in order given. Pour into warm pint canning jars till 1/2 full. Bake for 45 min. at 325*. Boil lids and place on jars while hot. Use only widemouth pint size jars.
The cake has a 1 year self life.

These cakes make the perfect Christmas gifts! Put in a basket with some canned jelly, pickles and some new hot pads..and you've got yourself a wonderful gift to give.

Now I know this recipe may sound a bit strange to a few of you...but trust me...it is SO good and really simple! I also have a pumpkin recipe that I'll share with you later on down the road. I usually make it around Thanksgiving time, when I'm cooking up fresh pumpkin for the pies. It's easier doing it all at one time.

I'm working on some really cute Christmas goods. Will have them on the website hopefully later today or in the morning tomorrow. I just can't believe it almost here...again.

Get out there and vote America!

Please don't forget to cast your vote today! Everyone counts! lets make America strong again shall we!

Busy little elves...

Well dear friends...it's that time of year again...yup, the only time I get to sit down is to watch my favorite show...'Wife Swap'!! Busy are we this year....finally a year of NO wholesaling!! Thank goodness!! Now don't get me wrong...I loved making goodies for my wholesale gals..but making everything over and over again just wasn't my thing. I want to be creative...and I just wasn't able to do so these past few years. This year however has been so freeing! I've got ideas popping out of my head all the time. It's such a grand feeling when I've got an idea for a little something that I just know will be a big hit!! And the Santa guys that I came up with for The Primitive Gatherings are SOO awesome!!!! Super cute and totally original!! You must head over and see all of them!! The Primitive Gathering

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The weather has been pleasantly warm these past few days...I was even outside cleaning out the flowerbeds in shorts yesterday! Being the beginning of November and in the high 70's!! That's crazy for Iowa....but I'm not complaining. It sure does help my RA when the weather is warm. If you know me at all...you know I hate the cold. It just makes my RA hurt something awful! I've learned to live with my pain everyday..but when that cold hits....sometimes it just takes all my energy to get out of bed. So now I'm seeing a new Dr.....and yet again trying new drugs. IVs this time. On to the hardcore drugs he says. Well it's about time I say since I've had this darn disease for 10 years now. It's taken it's toll on me...my fingers are beginning to look like something out of a horror show. I can't wear rings...or even regular shoes anymore. The slip on clogs are more my style....easy to slip on and off. I'm in pain everyday...the pain killers do help. I asked for a milder one as I hate that 'spaced out' feeling some of the stronger ones where making me feel. So lets keep our fingers crossed that the IVs will do the trick...and I can be a whole new person! I'll keep you updated.....should be seeing him real soon. These darn Dr's...it takes forever to get an appointment to see them. HA! I sure got into the wrong line of work! I guess I should have been a Dr after all! NNNAAAAAA......!!!