junkin at goodwill

what good luck i had today at the local goodwill.
i collect wexford glass and found 8 water goblets.
a daisy candle ring for spring. it will be here before we know it.
picture frames for the girls to decorate. a mirror and a few other picture frames.
the battat doll was a nice surprise. Merry Christmas to me. i have never found an 18 inch doll in the goodwill.she has her original clothes but no shoes.she has had a haircut but it was a good one.

wool picture

i made this in 2007.wool felt on screen

memories

i don't know why this picture brings back childhood memories. it is the doll i think. she looks like a hoyer doll.
the day is getting closer and there is still much to do.

new picture

the top picture is of the front of the porch.
it was very cold but beautiful.

2008 fresh tree

i finally got the fresh tree decorated. poor thing was sitting there naked for 2 weeks.
it smells wonderful. this tree is decorated with a collection of hand made and vintage glass. it also has the bubble lights.

festival of trees

i helped a friend set up her beenie baby tree.
there are more trees on my webshots pages.
http://community.webshots.com/user/nana5111

moon close to the earth

i was told the moon is the closest now that it will be for over 50 years. some day i will have a better camera for night pictures.
it was so very bright and beautiful.

a partridge in a pear tree

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out
of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

snack mix.

this is a really good snack mix too.
3 cups rice chex cereal
3 cups corn chex cereal
3 cups cheerios
16 oz. jar dry roasted peanuts
12 oz pkg. m & m's
1 1/2 #'s white chocolate(almond bark)
measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl
melt white choc.,pour over dry mixture and blend well. pour onto cookie sheets to dry. break apart and store in covered container.

snack mix/peanut clusters

this is the best snack mix recipe.
6 cups bugles
6 cups nacho bugles
4 cups cheese its
3 cups mini pretzels
2 cups crispix cereal
2 cups cashews or mixed nuts
1 small pkg fish crackers
2 pkgs ranch dressing.
3/4 cup popcorn oil
put all in large roaster- stir.
sprinkle the dry dressing mix over all- stir. drizzle the popcorn oil on a little at a time stirring to coat mix. bake covered at 250 for 40-45 min stirring every 10 min.

tree entry

i entered one of my trees for the challenge on a yahoo group.it is no.4
all decorationgs on the tree except the roping are hand made. this tree is in the entry.
i did not have the rest of my trees up so i did not have a picture of our fresh tree to enter.
here is a place to vote.
http://www.scutterbear.com/index.cfm?content=140&Menu=34

susie mcmahon

this is a doll maker extrodinare.i do wish i could take a class from her.

www.susiemcmahondolls.blogspot.com

felt faces

i bought myself a christmas present off e-bay. what a fun time i will have after christmas designing a new body pattern.

more decorating pictures.

i have many trees. a few stay decorated and are just put in a large closet. lots of small trees. favorites are the vintage tisel trees and wreaths that are on the shelves above the coffee bar.
the other picture is the entry.the santa and elves i made years ago. they sit on an old school desk.

christmas decorating/baking/gifts

well i've started the christmas decorating. i am never done.the weeks fly by and the things i plan on getting done don't seem to get done. there are pictures on my webshots pages of the decorating i have done so far.the sled is tom's childhood sled.i painted it a couple of years ago.this stands by the front door.the shalk of wild grasses i gathered for the fall decorations but could not throw it out so i added a bow.the front porch decoratinons is pretty primative.
http://community.webshots.com/user/nana5111
sunday after church we delivered 2 of the christmas plates. i wanted our friends to be able to use the gifts for this holiday.they are easy gifts to do.the plates i have been gathering since fall gluing them onto chunky candle holders.these will also make a great bird feeder after christmas.
there are more to deliver but they will have baked goods on them.
yesterday i made a batch of pumpkin bread and a batch of pumpkin muffins.
i had purchased a real pumpkin to make the table center piece for the festival of tables. i didn't use it and hated to throw it away so i cooked it up and used fresh pumpkin in the bread and muffins. oh my what a difference it makes in flavor and texture.of course there are already missing muffins.oh so good warm.

mimi kirchner dolls and pin cushions

oh my goodness i found a site that i really love. the black doll and the tea cup pin cushions are wonderful.
i will have to try making some of the tea cups. thanks for the inspiration mimi.
http://mimikirchner.com/blog/

a special birthday

today is our sydney's birthday. she is 9 today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYDNEY!!!

beautiful snow in Iowa

I love the snow. we had our first measurable snow on sunday. it was beautiful. we drove through a couple of parks and took pictures. the pictures are color but they look black and white.
i will add a winter snow album to my web shots pages.
http://community.webshots.com/user/nana5111