Farmhouse Christmas Tour

Old Man Winter has taken residence at the farm.

Our days are frosty, snow flurry, blowy, wintery cold.

Our nights are icy cold.

Inside the farmhouse it is warm and cozy,

with holiday decor galore,

and the aroma of countless batches of cookies.

Won't you come inside for some hot tea and cookies?

I have been having fun playing with royal icing...

bringing snowflakes

and gingerbread boys to life.

The 12 foot great room tree is adorned with snowmen

and woodland critters.

This year we have the joy of seeing Christmas

through the eyes of a little one.

Our grandson Tyler is mesmerized by the lights.

Snowmen have moved into the great room

to escape the wintry chill outside.

A lucky few found a place on the hearth

beside the roaring fire.

The master bedroom made an overnight transition,

from this....

to this....

with Santa profiles and a tree in front of the window.

A few favorite whimsical Santas complete the

holiday transformation.

The Victorian guest room has a tiny tree

decorated with mercury glass balls

and homemade glittery ornaments.

Love those vintage graphics combined with glitter.

Butterflies with German glass glitter were

a quick and easy project.

This piece of furniture was crafted from

pieces of old furniture,

repurposed into a coat rack/blanket chest.

Mercury glass ornaments and baubles...

A glilttery banner of tin stars proclaims

"Winter Welcome"

A tree in the loft continues the Woodland Christmas theme
with owls and bears, cardinals, pinecones
and Buffalo check garland.

The kitchen and dining room are decked in snowflakes
and icicles.

On the tree...

And in the air....

With all this snow, we've ended up with more snowmen.

Fresh greensand mini lights in an antique crate on the dining table...

So now you see what I've been up to these past two weeks.

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Celebrating Autumn

It seems that every season that comes along
becomes

"my favorite time of year".

Autumn is no exception.

It is my favorite time of year!

Brisk weather, falling leaves, and shorter days

inspire me to turn my attention

from my gardens and farm

back into my home.

The Jack-o-lanterns are back in the attic,

but autumn decor remains

to brighten the house for Thanksgiving.

I had to add this little snowman, however....

just as a reminder that Christmas is right around the corner!

And, Christmas is my favorite time of year.

A pumpkin candle helps to give the kitchen

a warm, homey glow....

while a batch of chili cooks in the crockpot.

A mug of hot tea,

and I am ready to settle in for the evening.

A roaring fire beckons me to sit and reflect on the day.

There is no better place, when cold winds blow,

than to sit by a warm fire, with a mug of tea,

or a bowl of hot chili.

Happy Autumn!

Weekend Getaway

Hubb and I left the farm this weekend.

Only for 24 hours, but it was great.

We drove to northern PA,

to our friends lake house.

We hiked and visited,

ate way too much,

slept in...

escaped

(not that we ever need to escape the farm)

and relaxed.

I wanted to share pictures from our hike.

The glen at Moosic Lake...

I played around with the settings on my camera.

I started with this waterfall on an automatic setting...

Then I set my camera down on a rock

(no tripod with me)

 and

slowed down the shutter speed....

I would love to take a course in photography....

perhaps this winter,

while work on the farm slows down.

I have so very much to learn!

Masquerade

Oh how I love masquerade parties!

Don't you?

Isn't it fun to assume a new identity?

If I were going to a masquerade ball, 

I would dress as an Enchanted Owl Queen,

and wear this mask...

I felt the urge to create something this afternoon.

So, I printed out a mask template from

A Fanciful Twist

(one of my favorite blogs!...please visit it!)

I printed the mask onto heavy card stock,

backed it with velvet,

trimmed it with bias binding,

and added feathers....

Lots and lots of feathers.

The blue feathers came from my friend Linda,

from Kentucky.

The black and white spotted feathers came

from my beloved guinea fowl.

What do you think....

would this make a good Enchanted Owl mask?

Now to donne my royal gown and mask 

and dance by the light of the moon!

Online Friends

I have been very fortunate over the past few years to meet

some truly amazing women online.

My first experiences came from an online forum,

Mary Jane's Farm.

There I came to know many women from all over the country....

women with common interests....many of them farm girls,

many of them aspiring farm girls.

It was during this time that I entered the world of blogging.

In blogland I met even more amazing women.

Last summer I had the opportunity to visit an online friend

in Washington state.

She opened her home to me and treated me like family.

I stayed with "Katmom" Grace for a week, and together we attended

MaryJane's Farm Farmfair 2009.

Grace and I continue to stay in touch.

Last year I started emailing a friend from my blogs, 

named Linda.

Linda lives in Kentucky.

Happily, when I went to Kentucky last month, 

I had the good fortune of meeting Linda in person

and spending a morning with her.

When we parted, she left me with the most special gift...

a basket of goodies.

Ritz for the goats, Quaker Oatmeal squares for the horses,

jelly beans and books and fabric for me.

I was so very touched.

Kindred spirits....

that's what I think of my online friends.

We share stories of our lives and our families,

along with the ups and downs of life.

These are gals who would be so much fun

 to spend time with on a regular basis...

antiquing, tea parties, crafting and sewing groups 

would be part of my world

if these gals were closer.

Over the past several years I have received
wonderful tokens of friendship in my mailbox.

Each day, when I sign onto my computer

there are emails and comments from my online "friends".

Maybe you are one of them.

What I want you all to know is how much your correspondence 

and comments mean to me.  

They are always a very bright spot in my day.

Thank you for your friendship!

Yesterday I had a chance to sew an apron for myself...

something I never do.

This apron is one that I am keeping...

the first one in years....

the rest have gone to new homes all over the country.

This one is special.

This one reminds me of the blessing of friendship.

The fabric for this apron was gifted to me...

The French chicken side from Linda.

The "I'd rather be sewing" side from Grace.

Wearing this apron when I am in my kitchen

will remind me of how lucky I am to have met

such special women....

women who I would never have met if not online.

We live in a world that has become impersonal.

It is wonderful to be "touched" by so many inspiring women,

who willingly open their arms and their hearts in friendship.

To all of you....

Thank you for touching my life!

WSF Benefit Auction

This coming Friday night is the annual fundraiser

for the World Surgical Foundation.

This is the group that sponsored our 

medical mission trip to Haiti.

They asked me to make a couple of aprons 

for a benefit auction.

This always makes me a bit nervous...

wondering if my aprons are nice enough for

a benefit such as this.

I am auctioning my Hydrangea Pinny

and also this reversible chef's apron.

I love the dark brown and aqua combination

with polka dot pleated ruffle, pockets, and ties.

It will be fun to see how much money each apron brings.

Preserving Summer's Goodness

My cold cellar is filled with jars and jars of summer's goodness.

This year's garden was the best ever.

I am guessing that the garden boxes made all the difference.

Who knows.

The garden sure has kept me busy....

and has kept me out of the sewing room.

Yesterday marked the last day of food preservation,

and today I start to sew again!

Frost is right around the corner

and so is the demise of the garden.

I picked the last of the peppers,

hot and sweet.

I cleaned them...

removing stems and seeds

(took me about 3 hours).

This is truly a labor of love,

as I was crying, sneezing, coughing and nearly peeing myself 

from the hot pepper vapors!

Next I chopped the peppers finely...

still sneezing, crying, coughing.

I have learned that wearing latex gloves

keeps one from spreading this hotness onto 

other parts of the body that are even more unpleasant!

Into the kettle with vinegar, salt and sugar.

I use half the amount of sugar that I do vinegar,

and add anywhere from a tsp. to a tbsp. of salt.

Then I bring the mixture to a boil, 

pour into sterilized canning jars,

and process in a water bath.

Hot and sweet pepper relish...

Yummy!

We use it on everything...

it is our favorite condiment.

Next I sliced Asian pears and apples.

(I had to cover my red eyes from cleaning peppers.)

Placed the slices in a dehydrator....

Dried fruit slices make a nutritious and delicious snack!

And now, off to my sewing room...

so many projects to do...

so little time!