Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails…

… That’s what little boys are made of.

Guess who visited us this past week? Our daughter Jordan, her hubby Luke, and our two grandboys, Jackson and Derik!

Here they are sharing nicely!

Now who could resist mooching these sweet cheeks? We almost wore them out!

Or playing cars with this little guy? (And grabbing a kiss on the go!)

As you can tell, we had a grand week! We had tea parties (yes, little guys do like tea, especially if Oreo’s are involved!)…

and fed the chickens…

and the goat…

and washed and packed eggs…

and swang on swings…

and got sleepy…

… and took naps (I volunteered for nap duty… I think I wear out as quickly as the boys!)

and woke up the next morning to crow with the roosters!

My girl went home to California yesterday afternoon with all three of her guys, and it was quiet here this morning.

A little too quiet.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

We returned home today from Mount Vernon’s Colonial Crafts Fair, and had a wonderful weekend! The weather was much more cooperative than last weekend’s… not a single drop of rain! There were so many wonderful crafts, fun entertainment, talented musicians, and we especially enjoyed the Virginia hospitality!

When we pulled into the driveway, we were greeted by freshly washed clothes hanging on the line, a “Welcome Home!” note on the door, fresh flowers on the table, and new homemade curtains… Somebunny had been busy… and somehow managed to hide those curtains from me as she was sewing them! Thanks Kate!

And… tomorrow at noon, American Folk Art is updating it’s theme! Head on over there to see some pumpkin-inspired folk art!

Hot, Hot Hot… American Folk Art Update!

We are officially having a heat wave here on Delmarva!  We really can’t complain, since we’ve had such a lovely summer, but the past week has been HOT. The stay inside and crank the AC sort of HOT. Which is a perfect opportunity to work on papercuttings. My current work station is sitting on a little kid’s stool at our coffee table…

The air conditioner is in the window six feet behind me, and I alternate between having in on and freezing my back, and having it off and getting HOT. (Note the air conditioner remote control thingie sitting right in the middle of the muddle.) It’s a delicate balance. Just ask my family.

Kate’s little corner of the world is across from me at the other end of the coffee table. She’s working on some cute fall stitchings to put in the store…

Perched between us is a stack of inspiring magazines… we’re currently into self-sufficiency sorts of magazines. Most likely because we know the electric meter is spinning around in furious circles as I flip the AC on and off. Maybe we can come up with a solar-powered air conditioner. Hmmm….

Of interest on this HOT day… today at noon, American Folk Art is updating it’s theme! The theme of the day is Dog Days of Summer, which I think is incredibly appropriate. Pop on over and check it out!

Itty Bitty. And Not So Itty Bitty.

Mini’s are back!!!

We’ve sold mini papercuttings for many years, but we bought the miniature frames unfinished and grain-painted them. They were so tiny that Chris wasn’t sure he wanted to make them. (He’s become quite attached to his fingers, and two inches is just a little too close to tablesaw blades for his liking!) However, the inevitable happened, and our supplier stopped making them a couple of years ago. So we bought all we could and used them sparingly. Last spring, we ran out. It was a sad day.

In a burst of creative energy this summer, Hubby Dear decided he would try making them, and figured out a way to do it safely. Our first batch of mini scherenschnitte, in our very own Itty Bitty frames made right here on the farm is  ready to go…

And a close-up, since they’re hard to see…

They’re slightly smaller than 3″ x 3″ and 3″ x 4″, and are $24 and $26, respectively. The frames are Hills & Valleys or Tiger Stripe, in either Cranberry or Umber. Colors vary slightly… sometimes the reds & blues are switched (except on the flag of course, because that would be not right.) and the larger eagles say America! or Liberty! or Freedom! Three of our favorite words. I think they deserve exclamation points. Especially when written very small.

Something else we did today was to list a couple of early limited edition pieces on Ebay… we re-painted the living room a while back, and some of the things that used to hang on the walls never made it back onto the walls. Actually, very little has been re-hung… I’m really liking the white space. Must be middle age? In the midst of the folk art that didn’t get re-hung were two limited edition pieces from a while back…If you click on their titles, you’ll find the link…

Blessed is the Nation

…and…

God Grants Liberty

They need a good home!

And before I sign out, you’ve got to go take a peek at some Itty Bitty things that aren’t so Itty Bitty anymore… our sweet little Grand Boys! Jordan just put up the cutest pictures, and Nana’s are allowed to brag a bit, aren’t they? And while you’re there, check out Jo’s new photography site! It’s fabulous!

Sunday Drive…and a PEEP! (edit)

Tonight Kate got to take a ride in “Lola”…

… which was built from scratch by a very good buddy of hers! They needed a little push to get her started…

… and two Dads and a Pop-Pop (Pop-Pop’s behind Kate’s head!) were very happy to offer their assistance…

…and off they went! 

Isn’t that the coolest car you’ve ever seen?! Great job Stevie!!! 

And thanks to everyone who commented on the Freebie post! There’s still time to sign up for the drawing! (And I’ll have another papercutting freebie coming soon, so keep checking!) Hope everyone had a wonderful Lord’s Day! 

Monday morning edit: Sometime in the night a Peep hatched! More may be coming…

Cute as a bug in (on?) a rug….

Hello folks! Our daughter Jo just posted a Vimeo of our littlest grandboy Derik… he’s learning to crawl. Forward that is. Look out Jo… soon you’ll have two little men on the move! 

And, check out Jo’s Photography Blog… she’s been creative with her About Me page and in a few other places, using a hand-written note about herself! (Check out her Portfolio Link too! This very biased Mom thinks she’s pretty good!)

Our youngest daughter, Kate, has been busy too. Catching up on some projects that have piled up in the sewing room. I think she’s working her way down to the fabric for our new family room curtains! (Yippee!) 

In other news, I think we’re going to have a very disappointed hen on our hands. Rhodie, a young Rhode Island Red, went broody a month or so ago. She was determined to set, even if there was nothing to set on. After about two weeks of trying to remove her from the empty nesting box, Hubby gathered half a dozen eggs and placed them under her. We really didn’t know if they were fertilized, but figured the odds were high that a least a couple of them were. She’s been setting on them for over three weeks, and no signs of Peeps yet. Poor girl.

I guess that’s about it for interesting tidbits this morning. Except we’re getting ready to head out to watch our extra daughter Sara take a very important walk… to officially graduate high school! Where does the time go? She’s the pretty blonde… and the dynamic duo are on their best behavior in this picture…

This is actually more realistic….

And I only had THREE Gummy Bears!
~ Sara Jane ~ 

Be Still…

Tomorrow is our last planned day for a while… we’re teaching colonial dancing to a whole bunch of fourth graders. Kate and I are looking forward to it, since there is very little planning involved and we basically just show up and have fun with the kids for the day. BUT, after that, there is nothing on our calendars until September!!! I should probably clarify that… there is the normal stuff like family and church and work and gardening and homekeeping, but there are no big “Events” for a good long while. The pages of our lives have had the margins scribbled in for far too long, and I’m looking forward to seeing some white space on our “To-Do” list. Some negative space.

I think I’ll wax philosophical for a bit…

In art, negative space is as important as positive space. Empty space actually adds to the composition of a picture, enhancing, and sometimes even creating the subject!  The picture at the top of this post is a little different than most of my papercuttings. Usually there is lots of “stuff” surrounding the subject, and then a cut border that goes to the edge of the frame, filling up the entire space. The quiet sheep is different than the norm for me… with lots of negative space around him, he seems to “pop” in his frame. Our lives are like that… when they are filled to the brink it’s hard to see the big things, but when we start eliminating things that are filling in our margins, the important things start to stand out. 

Now mind you, I’m not advocating sheer laziness. (Although it’s crossed my mind this Monday morning!) There are still plenty of things I’d like to do this summer, like finally make some jam from my Dad’s gooseberries, help my Hubby get the asparagus bed established, learn botanical drawing, and sew new curtains for the family room. There are even some papercuttings in my head, just waiting to get on paper. I’d just like to ignore the calendar for a while. After all, school’s out, and it’s summer vacation!

P.S. Despite enjoying being home, here’s a peek into our weekend!  We had a ball! (Literally!) It was probably one of the most relaxed balls we’ve ever gone to… probably because I didn’t have any time to worry about getting ready! (Just showed up and had fun with the kids! I think that will be my new strategy!)

 

 

 

Giving…

 

That’s what Moms do.

Setting self aside, they give…

…their time, their resources, their love, their very life…

… in order to teach, build, train, protect, and nurture…

…and provide the next generation of mothers
with a godly example to follow.

And I’m thankful for mine.

And for all the Moms and Grand-Moms in my life.

My Mom has been going through some of my Nana’s things, and found some wonderful treasures that Nana wrote and tucked away. She made copies and shared them with me this Mother’s Day. This one just seemed to fit today.  

Giving is a Happiness

 I know someone who visits friends, a basket at her side,
Replete with portions of her heart, and joy her hands provide.
She’ll bring a freshly minted tea, perhaps a book or two,
And jam she made a summer day, a daffodil she grew.
For giving is a happiness that spreads from just a start,
By someone with a basketful of treasure from the heart.

~Virginia Covey Boshell~

P.S. The Mama bird in the papercutting above not only depicts a mother’s self-sacrificing lover for her children, but something much more profound… Christ’s Atonement on our behalf. No greater love!

 

A Not-So-Square Triangle.

I left my plastic triangle on the dashboard of our mini-van this morning. The mini-van was sitting in the sun. And now, the once flat and very accurate triangle is now an abstract sculpture! Maybe I can sell it on E-Bay!?

We spent the afternoon painting frames, painting papercuttings, and digging in the dirt. Actually Hubby did most of the digging, with Kate coming in a close second. I went out for the grand finale and planted asparagus roots. Chris has been working on some new raised beds for asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries, and nearly has them finished. We’ve planted all sorts neat things this past week… chestnut trees, a mulberry bush, red currents, blueberry bushes, thornless blackberries, sweet cherries, and apricots! Hopefully the farm will have lots of fruits and nuts in years to come! Kate’s working on her end of the garden too… she has peas coming up nicely, just thinned out her broccoli, and the lettuce is looking good! The carrots just went in today. There’s a sort of  ”no man’s land” in the middle of the garden, and Kate and Dad are each advancing their trenches toward each other. I wonder who’ll win? I’ll try to get a picture sometime this week!

And our lilacs are blooming and smell heavenly! However, we usually enjoy them outside… they get a little heady for us indoors. 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth;
but the Word of our God shall stand forever.
~ Isaiah 40:8 ~ 

Grandboy #2…

Our little grandboy Derik got his first taste of peaches the other day, and Jo caught him on video! What a cutie!

Derik’s First Dinner

And just in case you hear me scream, there was a Very Large Spider next to my keyboard, and while I went to find the spider killing stuff he disappeared. Kate was supposed to keep an eye on him, but the piano called to her and she left her post. Can one court martial their own child?