Christmas week

My goodness it is almost here!!  5 days until Christmas!! 
It was a difficult weekend for me as I sure miss my little shadow Fred.  Hubby and I burried him under a big pine tree in the yard where he can watch everything goin on.  He loved to sit and just watch people come and go to the farmstand and he sat and watched the birds, never bothered any of them either.  So he is probably layin around kitty heaven enjoyin everything roud him.

My mom and I went to a fiber/yarn store and bought some great different kinds of wool and fibers to make a couple of scarves for gifts and a couple for sale.   This one is called Dark Espresso bean.   IT has some alpaca wool, the smokey grey color, some awesome dark brown/ivory and black fun fringey kind of yarn, some bamboo fiber yarn, and some great wool white and grey yarns all mixed in.  This one is FOR SALE!!   $22.00 plus travel expenses, it is a long long one for wrapping and it is so soft and cozy it will be sure to keep your neck nice and warm not to mention quite fashionable!!   Long fringes have been stitched in at the bottoms, 77 in long from fringe to fringe, the fringeys are 10in long.  This is also 8 inwide all handcrocheted in different stitches for a fun one of a kind scarf.

Meet Lizzy

Lizzie our newest addtion who is just a kitten was left on our doorstep a couple of weeks ago is really being more of a little lover than ever.  She was right by Fred that mornin and really clung to him as if to know something bad was happening to him.  We came home one night and heard cryin and low and behold there was a little black kitten on our porch who was friendly and same as Fred walked in the house when I opened to door and quickly became one of the family!!  She is very very affectionate and so sweet!!

AND>>>>>>>>>>> here are some pics from the house I told yall about nearby.   LOOK at the house in backround from the snowman!! IT shows just how tall he is and quite impressive!!   They have xmas music playing around and it just makes ya smile!! and say WOW!!

Love the little caroling snowmen!!

The next pics are some I quickly snapped at our sale the other night in Douglas at Everyday People's Cafe!!  We had so much fun and really enjoyed all the friends we havent seeen in awhile stop on by and chit chat!!

Wendy a new friend of mine! yes!! that is a squirrel on her back!! LOL She's quite a gal!! 

My friend Ruth and I had to split a table which is fine by me she and I did quite a few shows together this fall and I really enjoy being with her!!  She makes and sells homemade ALL natural herbal products!! awesome awesome balms, and herbal tea mixes.  I can say I have used her healing balm, her cold care balm and her sore muscle balm now and they really really make a difference!! But i LOVE LOVE LOVE the sweet sleep balm infused with lavender for one herb!!  Love to cuddle in bed and smell lavender!

some more pics of items that were available for purchase.

Lovin these recycled wool mittens!! so nice and warm!!

So that is about it for today I have to get busy and finish making the orders and then get to making up the cookie trays to deliver this week.

I will take lots of pics of everything I am doing as I am makin a couple of gifts for family that are new and uinque and fun.   The boys are gettin excited to as we told them we met SANTA this past weekend and told him they have all been very good and he is gonna bring lots of presents for them in only 5 days!! WOO HOO!! and it is suppossed to start snowing tomorrrow!!**** yeah!~ hope so!!

Have a wonderful monday!!

HUGS

Darlene

  ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Wild wed

Well another wild day almost over.   I started out the day by finishing up printing lables out, hauling some wood up to the wood barrell for the furnace, baked some new cookies, finished my gift to ME!! LOL, had to go get my feed order, pick up some ingredients,  get prescriptions and unload the feed.  WHEW!!!!!!!! and I worked on some new alphabet tile necklaces for tomorrow nights sale.  Everyday Peoples Cafe in Douglas has another artist/craft sale tomorrow night, it is the last one of the season. 

so onto the new cookies!!  These are so good~  I will share this recipe with yall!!    Mocha dipped wands.   After making the dough I put it in a pastry bag fitted wtih a med size star tip. 

The dough is sticky and thick.

 Each wand is piped out about 3-4 inches long, when piping this dough try to make it on the thick side since they will be dipped in chocolate. 

bake so they are nice and dark golden brown (trust me bake them long enough as I learned this if they arent crispy enough they will break apart when dipping)

Opps I couldnt move this pic down it is of my cranberry orange pecan cakes with a buttercream frosting.

Take a minute to toast your ground hazelnuts!! it makes all the difference in the taste of nuts.   I shelled my hazelnuts and put them thru my hand grater using the large holed grater.

After baking dip 3/4 of the way up the cookie wand then quickly dip in the nuts and let cool on wax paper. 

 I also made a few sweet tater casseroles with a brown sugar butter pecan streusel topping.

I love this blue thick fiber yarn, it has a bit of brown thru it.  This is becoming a scarf.

Here is my present to ME!!  LOL a new scarf.  I have a new winter jacket that is chocolate brown (told ya I am a chocoholic!!!) any wanted a nice warm scarf.  My mom taught me to crochet when I was a kid so after a bit of refreshing class from her I made this scarf.  I love all the fibers and fun yarns out there so am on a new mission to make scarves!! LOL   We found some great alpaca fibered yarn, some brushed bamboo fibers, and some great colors too!! they also had some wonderfully soft and thick wool yarns.  My mom is makin a scarf with grey, black, and a multi colored fiber yarn too.  

 After makin the scarf I then tied on alot of fun long ends on it for fun!! 

So that was my day I have to take pics of the new alphabet letter necklaces yet but am gettin ready to make supper.  Breakfast tonight!! we have some spiral ham so I thought I would make a nice omlet or maybe a hash brown bake with the ham and eggs and plenty of cheeses!! 

Have a wonderful wed night!! Survivor tonight!! YEAH YIPPEE!! 

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Craft show pics

WOW!! IF you are near kalamazoo MI you HAVE TO go to the nature center if you havent been there before!!  We had the all local art fair yesterday there and it was absolutely wonderful!   They have tons of things to see and to learn!~  I just cant believe we have never been there and we only live an hour away!!  The show was awesome and I am really sorry but I dont have many pics to post from there as once we opened Ruth and I were busy and I couldnt get away to snap em.   I do however have alot of pics from the art show we did in Douglas at the Everyday People's cafe there the other night and we will be there again this coming thrus night from 5-9pm for another holiday shopping event!! 

This gal does absolutely beautiful needle felting!  Just look at the detail in this lamb.

Here are a few of her ornies.

AWESOME jewelry  Cymbre makes using vintage finds and antiques.  She has some gorgeous glass bead earings that were glass buttons at one time.

Cymbre is a new friend of mine and just a sweetie!! and very very creative!!

   I so enjoyed being next to her and the crazy thing is she did South Haven market and the artists market and I really never took the opportunity to go and meet her just said hey and how are ya. 

This is another new creatin friend (the blonde facing the other way) anyway she does some very cool jewelry and fabric treasures.

some awesome jewelry

Dona makes these hand embroydered pillows and framed prints.  She does fabulous work and makes awesome homemade spicy mustard!  it is delicious!

More of Dona's work.

Oh and there she is on the right side of the bar.  and this is our litle snack counter, we had to spread out onto the bar as this table was overflowing with goodies to enjoy!

I didnt get to meet the gal that makes these awesome birdhouses but arent they just too cool with all the driftwood pieces.

Oh and this is Jeff's wonderful works!! I met him last week and I can say another new friend here! He lives just a few miles from us and also right next door to my dear friend Ruth.   His pottery is just amazing! Love that round blue striped bowl.  He is one cool and very very very sweet guy!! 

And Michelle whom I just met also makes these amazing recycled wool mittens and bags and quilts!~!  Look at that brown bag isnt it too cool!   I love her mitten and scarf sets they will surely warm up your hands on these cold winter days!!

A closeup of her bags. 

More of Wendy's very cool crafts.  She does make all the clay buttons on these too.  This one says wish upon a star.

And I made some of these boxes up of mixed cookies.

Shortbread assortment.

I have to say I feel truly blesses to have met soooooooooooo many nice, talented and creative people the past few weeks!!   So much fun and so much talent in our little towns here all these people live within 15 mins of us and we wouldnt have ever known if not for these wonderful art/craft shopping events around.  LOVE IT!!   Hubby and I have  like 900  some tasks that really need to be done today and the list keeps growing plus I have to get to the health food store County Life out here and replenish ingredients today and gee too many things to do in a short amount of time!!  LOL oh well best thing is I get to spend the entire day with him!  and my boys too! 

Also markets are this week so I have to get to the kitchen and bake, cookies for our trays and also for markets.  Guess I will be busy busy this week!!  I did sell just about all those little glass ornies I made so I really need to do a few more for the sale on thurs night again at Everyday People's Cafe in Douglas.    So I really really really need to get off the puter and get to making things!  

Hope yall have a blessed sunday and I will be back tomorrow!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~