We survived… and more is coming!

Hello folks! We survived the Blizzard of 2010… and more snow is headed our way this week! Goodness! I mean, this is Slower Lower Delaware, and we’re just plain not prepared for this much white stuff! I’m not complaining, because I really don’t mind being shut in… I can putter around to my heart’s content. However, I can say that I’m completely satisfied with snowfall this Winter.

We ended up not losing power, though it did blink a bit and threaten to go off. Lots of folks around us are without power, though, including Hubby’s parents… theirs just came back on as I was typing this post! We were fortunate to have only lost a piece of fascia (had to ask Hubby how to spell that!) from under the roof edge… and that made an awful sound in the middle of the night! And there’s a huge “avalanche waiting to happen” hanging over our front porch, bending down the guttering. But considering the could-have-beens, we made out well. And it turns out we didn’t have to cook anything on the woodstove. but we did anyway. Tonight is Kate’s famous Split Pea Soup. Yum.

Here’s what it looked like out the front door, mid-blizzard…

We had our own little snowy swimming pool in the front garden!

Before I sign out, I just wanted to post about a Give-away on a talented papercutting friend’s blog… Pop over to Sharyn Sowell’s blog and say hello for me!

And stay warm!

The making of a blizzard.

Well folks, we’re getting some snow! Again! This storm has everyone in alarm, and I must say it’s prompted several trips to the grocery store for us, as well as the piling of firewood on the porch, and the filling of pots with water. Just in case. As of 10 p.m. tonight, we’re officially grounded. The Governor said so. Which is okay, since home is a nice place to be. Especially when the weather outside is frightful!

Hopefully the electric will stay on and phones & internet will stay up. If not, we’ve got plenty of books to read aloud and Scrabble and Monopoly and lots of candles and kerosene lamps and a woodstove. And gals that know how to cook on a woodstove. Gals that secretly long for the opportunity to test out their backwoods survival skills in a real life  (but not life threatening) situation. That would be Kate and me. We’ve got a whole shelf of Foxfire books and the Reader’s Digest Back to Basics guide, so we’re ready. We are SO ready.

And in the spirit of frostiness, here’s the beginnings of a Snowy Story. It may take a while to finish.

It’s a blustery day!

Another Winter Storm in Delaware! We usually get very wet snow, since we’re pretty close to the ocean, but this is dry and fluffy snow, and it’s blowing like a blizzard! Kate has requested we make some Snow Cream, so we’ll give that a whirl later today!

Our poor kitty was not happy when I opened the door for her to go outside. After pondering the situation for a moment, she took about three steps into the snow, and then turned around and came back inside! She then tried to see if the weather was any better out the front door, but alas, the atmospheric conditions were the same. So she headed back upstairs to hibernate.

We spent the blustery morning getting things ready for the post office, and then Hubby and Kate headed out to brave the frozen tundra. Our week has been somewhat eventful, and has included an ER trip. Half of Tuesday and all of Wednesday were spent hanging out at the hospital. Good news is all is okay!

Anyway, we didn’t get to post new pictures to our Current Designs Page earlier this week, so that’s next on my agenda this morning! We have a new frame color that looks really pretty with the wintery Snow Folk! If you get a chance, check it out!

Feeling Flaky.

Things have been a little “flaky” around here lately! It takes just the right amount of frosty weather and just the right amount of baking myself by the woodstove to get in the snowman mood. It takes trips to the library for inspiration. Sometimes it even takes some hands-on research. But the Snow Folk of 2010 are finally ready, and are submitting themselves to the framing process. This year, they’re generously giving their hearts away… and are perfect for Valentine’s Day! Keep an eye on our Currently for Sale Page as we add them the next few days.

American Folk Art updates today at noon…
I Give You My Heart

The view from here…

We’re just beginning to get back into the swing of things here… new designs are in the work, winter classes are coming up, and Hubby spent the day in the barn making frames. I’m back looking at the view I see for many hours a day…

It’s a nice view, but it’s definitely not a “looking up” sort of view! I’ve listened to quite a few movies, and I’ve missed quite a bit of scenery while riding in the mini-van. (Yep, it is possible to papercut in a car… you just need well-trained family members to warn you of upcoming bumps, curves, and railroad tracks!) I’m not sure why it took so long to figure out what to “do” while papercutting busied my hands until I was browsing through the library a few weeks ago…

Books on Tape.

Actually, they’re on CD. Now why didn’t I think of that sooner? Our very first book is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I’m ashamed to say, as a retired homeschool Mom, that I’ve never actually read the book. Watched the movies umpteen gillion times. Read aloud a bazillion other classic books, but never Jane Austen. Assigned it to my high schoolers, but never read it myself. We’re over halfway through (yes… it has drawn Kate downstairs and away from her treadle sewing machine… and Hubby has drifted in from the shop…) and I have to say that…

… the real book is way better than the movies.

Well, of course it is.

So my very late New Year’s Resolution is to listen to every Jane Austen Book On Tape in our library system. I think I can keep that one.

January is always a time to re-organize and spruce up things a bit around the house, and I was very excited to hang the curtains my Dad (and Mom too!) bought me for Christmas! I saw these beautiful lace curtains a while back, but was a little too frugal to splurge for them. Mom & Dad were shopping before Christmas, and Mom showed them to Dad… and he bought them on the spot! (I think that’s the very first time he’s ever bought curtains!) Boy, was I completely and totally surprised! They look just like papercuttings…

And when I do look up from my lap desk,
I get to enjoy a new “view from here!”

Aren’t they pretty under the valances Kate made us this fall?

Papercutting Classes coming up…

Hi folks! I spent most of the morning getting invitations in the mail for this winter’s papercutting classes! More will go out tomorrow, since I’ve not quite bonded with our new printer yet and the printing process is taking a little longer than I expected. But… just in case I don’t have you on my local mailing list, and you’re able to come for a class…

We’re going to be making a Haus Segen! (That’s Pennsylvania German for “house blessing!”) Class participants can choose from several designs, cut them out using scissors and craft knives, and paint them with watercolor. If you prefer, you can leave them with us to be framed in a handmade grain-painted frame, or take them home to put in your own standard-size frame. Sizes will range from 4″ x 6″ to 8″ x 10″… and you can make more than one if you work quickly!

We had such a great time with the classes last year, and are really looking forward to this year’s projects! See you soon!

Oh! And a proud daughter moment… my Mom & Dad’s house was chosen to be in Judy Condon’s latest book!

And the winner is…

When we returned home from our annual New Year’s Eve get-together last night, Hubby and I checked the blog, and jotted down everyone’s name on pink memo sheets…

And folded them up…

And shuffled them around… a lot…

And Hubby got the honor of picking one out of the pile…

And the winner is…

Happy New Year, Joanne, and to all our other dear friends!

Christmas-ing…

Hello folks! It’s been quite a week so far! Industrious, with a few mishaps, but all in all a good week.

I think we have all the orders out the door and on their way to their destinations! If we’ve forgotten anyone… well… we hope we haven’t forgotten anyone!

In the mishap department, our dear printer/ scanner/ copier/ fax/ all-in-one/ Jane of All Trades/ my right hand gal/ very important piece of equipment is deceased. Hubby performed an autopsy… well, he actually attempted to fix it, but pronounced it dead once it was completely taken apart. It was quite an impressive operation, with lots of wires and screws and electronic looking things hanging out everywhere.

Also in the mishap department, our dear computer is acting very strangely. We’re not sure if she’s in mourning for the printer, or if it’s something more serious, but if we disappear from the internet for a short while, SOMETHING has happened.

And the washer made a funny noise. Which made Hubby start singing our theme song…

Honey, don’t kick it, Promise I’ll fix it,
Long with ’bout a million other things…
…Just another day in paradise.

However, Christmas preparations are coming along nicely! We should have the glitter and cookie dough cleaned up by Christmas morning.

We got the picture frames out of the way just in time to make some cookies. Kate made the Ginger Cremes first (recipe below!), and accidentally added an extra cup of flour to the doubled recipe. So we doubled the recipe again, left out a cup of flour, and mixed the two batches together. Then I made the chocolate chip dough… two giant batches… and left out the baking soda and salt. This was discovered because the first two trays of cookies were looking rather flat. So we managed to stir in the missing ingredients and said a prayer that it would work. The next two trays came out just fine, and the chickens will get flat chocolate chip cookies for Christmas!

And Somebody got a really neat early Christmas present from her Sweetheart! It was a little too big to wrap…

And, we thought we’d share an old family recipe… these are everyone’s favorites around here!

Ginger Creams

Dissolve 2 teaspoons baking soda in 1 cup hot water, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup sugar, and an egg. Add 1 cup molasses and the soda & water mixture.

Sift together 4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon each of Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Ground Cloves. Add to the wet ingredients, and drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes in a 400 degree oven. When cool, frost thinly with vanilla icing.

As the oven and baking sheets heat up, they seem to bake quicker… sometimes as fast as four minutes… so keep an eye on them. The cookies should look like little ginger cakes, and should spring back and not fall when you press on the top of them.

Merry Christmas!

Home alone… but not lonely!

Today has been a quiet-stay-at-home-day for me. They’re getting more rare all the time! So far, I’ve accomplished laundry, framed & packed pictures to go in the mail, cut out angels, had breakfast & lunch, and am contemplating taking a nap. I’ve enjoyed the solitude, but I’ve been entertained a bit by a couple of our critters. Since there’s not much else exciting happening, I thought you might enjoy seeing the antics at my back door…

Oreo, our Jellicle Cat, playing “I Want In, I Want Out.”

This is her favorite game. Between innings and outings, she looks like this:

The game has taken a rather frantic turn the past few days, because Oreo tends to get a little nervous when things on her back porch change. The most recent change is that Mr. Stubbs, one of our roosters, has decided the back porch is a great place to hang out. And crow. (Stubbs has a deep, rich baritone crow.) He has found that if he crows loud enough and long enough I will find a bit of bread to toss out to him. I think he’d come in, if I left the door open!

The other night, he decided to bed down right next to the art room door…

Now THAT gives a whole new meaning to “grilled chicken!” Don’t worry… Hubby bundled him off to the hen house when we discovered him!

Even our dull moments aren’t dull around here. And so, I guess I’m headed for the couch to close my eyes for a few minutes.

As soon as I let the cat in.

P.S. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the last post for a chance to win a FREE PAPERCUTTING!

An “At Home Craft Fair”… and a FREEBIE!!!!

Hello folks! We’ve finished up the last of our Fall and Christmas shows, and have finally gotten the entire stock of papercuttings up on the website! There are several pages (5 total!) of papercuttings, from large to small, so if you’re in need of a last minute hand-made gift let us know! We figured this is sort of like a craft fair you don’t need to leave home for, so until Christmas we’re offering…

FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS $50 & OVER!

And, we have a special “Scratch & Dent” Bloggy Give-Away!  This sweet papercutting met with a framing accident… somehow our utility knife flew into the air, and landed “point down” on the edge of the mat that this was mounted on. It was really quite impressive. So, Hubby trimmed it a bit and made a frame that hides the little “ding” under the left edge. Or at least it almost hides it… you can see it if you turn the frame sideways and peek under the edge. So, we have another pretty piece to give away on the blog! If you’d like to be included in the drawing, just leave a comment on this post and make sure I have your e-mail! We’ll choose a winner on New Year’s Eve, to be announced on January 1st !

Harmony
10″ x 10″ Framed Size

We’re finishing up the last of our 2009 orders this week, and will be taking a much needed break until early in 2010! I might even get a chance to blog a bit more and visit with our internet friends… I’ve missed you all!