Friday, November 28, 2014

Being thankful...

This Thanksgiving was a small affair; Amanda, Bryan, Leah and me.  Family, nothing like it.  I tried a new pie crust recipe that was easy to mix but a bear to roll out and stay in one piece to move from the the counter to the pie pan.  The reason I made this recipe was it made enough for 4 pie crusts and I had 2 pecan and 2 pumpkin pies to make.  This recipe used a small amount of vinegar in the mix, which I had never read before.  The recipe was from website I have used recipes from that always tasted excellent.  After cutting into 2 of the pies, my family decided that I should not throw away this recipe but keep it cause the crusts were so flaky.
I had to use canned pumpkin for 1 of the pies, I only had 1 pkg. of frozen Cushaw pumpkin in my freezer.  For those of you that do not know, Cushaw squash is the only pumpkin filling my Grandma and Mom used.  It is an old fashion squash that is white and green striped.  It makes the best pies!  Not many farmers grow it anymore.  I had to go clear to Marietta to find some at a roadside market.  My sister, Sandi saved me some seeds and this summer I am growing my own, may take up my whole back yard but on the bright side I won't have to mow so much grass.

On another thought I have the best son-in-law.  Bryan helped me hang a piece of art my Mom crocheted for me.  It it a table top piece and I had it framed with archival glass.  My Grandma and Mom crocheted with thread and made some really beautiful pieces from doilies to table tops to actual table cloths.  My Grandma had a table cloth that she would bring out on Holidays.  I remember it was used on my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.  Bryan with the help of Amanda hung my art in my dinning room.
Thank you Mommy for this beautiful handmade piece of art that I treasure so much.  My Mom always crocheted the pineapple motif. I always told my Mom that once she died this form of crocheting in the family would die too.  She always told me that I could take it up and with practice would be able to do it.  I crochet loose and when I have tried to do this kind of work it does not look like this.  I will keep trying.

Yes, this Thanksgiving brought back a lot of memories and also brought to mind all that I have to be thankful for.  First and foremost family.  Friends.  My Lord and Savior. Many blessings; a home, warmth, health, job, enough money, food, and the list could go on forever.  Yes, God is good.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

Fall and country roads...

on my way to Creative Camp it was raining and then the sun would come out or rain would be coming down and to the West would be sunshine or the other way around...here is a picture I took while traveling...

Creative Camp - 2014

Went to Creative Camp this past October.  Finally learned how to make a sweatshirt into a jacket.  I have been wanting to learn that for some time.  I still have not finished mine, hopefully before Christmas even if it is a Fall jacket.  Also learned how to make domino jewelry with alcohol ink - pretty amazing.  Also made a leather key fob, and also made a basket (that is not done yet either).  So here follows some pictures.  Sandi taught a mason jar painting class - Shabby Chic Jars.  Here is after we set up for her class, and some jars done in her class by her students.
here is the start of my jacket...
my domino necklace and pin...
Key fob and bookmark...
Sandi's zipper pin...
other zipper pins...
Sandi's slate painting...only partially done.
My wool drying basket, that still needs finished...
Here is the building where we spent 2 nights and a look at the dorm room we stayed in...
This is a yearly event down in Mineral Wells, WV at the 4H camp.  There is such a variety of classes from how to make homemade noodles to quilting to weaving to scrap booking to card making to how to make laundry detergent to ornaments to genealogy to Christmas decorations to bird houses to tin men to basket weaving and the list goes on.  I love this weekend and time to be with family and friends.  I love all the different crafts to make and learn.  I thank God for all the people He gave creativeness to. 









Leaves, Leaves and more Leaves and then the difference a day makes...

Well Fall is I guess finally over, at least all the leaves have finally fallen.  I raked leaves 2 weekends - 3 hours on a Saturday and then the following weekend another 2 hours on Sunday after church.  There were a lot of leaves....
While I was raking on Sunday afternoon there were little pellets of snow, just every once in a while.  Then on Monday morning after waking up and looking out I took this 2 pictures below...
We got maybe 5 inches, nothing like the 6 feet of snow in the Buffalo area of New York.  It was such a pretty snow - sticking to the branches of trees and the pine trees looked like Winter wonderland.  God is sometimes so magical in the way He paints the world.