Hello Muddah Crop Classes and Schedule

Hello there all you lucky campers! Time has come to announce the class line up and a "loose" schedule of our weekend. I wanted to give you a loose schedule so that you know how to plan any "extra curricular" events you have planned on your own. Please note that the classes are "hard times" and that all others are "soft times" and could change if I need to.

Class registration is starting today. To register for class all you have to do is email me with the classes you want to take and then put a check in the mail for the total amount for the classes to me.

THURSDAY
12 pm-Registration begins
1 pm-Lunch is served
3 pm to ??-CLASS; Knitting 101 with Stacey
6 pm-Mocktail Hour & Appetizers
7 pm-Dinner is served
9 pm-Stampin' Up Make-N-Take

FRIDAY
8 am-Morning Nature Walk
9 am-Breakfast is served
10 am-CLASS; Perpetual Calender with Stacey
1 pm-Lunch is served
2-3:30 pm-CLASS; Camping Layout with Lance from Rusty Pickle
4 pm-Afternoon snack is served
4-7 pm-CLASS; Rustic Journey 2 Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle
7 pm-Dinner is served
9 pm-Ghost Stories and/or Sing-A-Long around the campfire

SATURDAY
8 am-Morning Nature Walk
9 am-Breakfast is served
10 am to 1 pm-CLASS; Panama Jack Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle
1 pm-Lunch is served
2-5 pm-CLASS; Way Cool Pop Star Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle
4 pm-Afternoon Snack is served (we will bring it to you if you are in class!)
6-7:30 pm-CLASS; Jungle Love (you can take a dinner break and finish class up after you eat!) with Lance from Rusty Pickle
7 pm-Dinner is served
9 pm-Talent Show (!!)

SUNDAY
9 am-Breakfast is served
11 am-Group Photo taken by Leisa Rice
1 pm-Lunch is served
5 pm-The party's over....



Knitting 101 with Stacey-$10Thursday, 3pm to ??
Beginner knitters will learn how to slip knot, cast-on, knit/purl and bind-off. You will get a demo during the first part of class, then you will be "let loose" to practice and work on your own. Stacey will be available throughout the weekend to work with you one-on-one to help you hone your knitting skills.
Class kit will include a set of knitting needles, yarn and printed instructions.
Students will need to bring scissors and a pen to take notes.

Perpetual Calendar with Stacey-$25 Friday, 10 am to 1 pm
Create an everlasting calendar using the Echo Park's "Life is Good" line. You will cover boxes and decorate with flowers, bling, die cuts, buttons and more. Each box will attach to the board with a magnet. Inside each box you can tuck a slip of paper with special journaling (prompts included) or a treat. You'll make boxes and month toppers in this class. Students can use their own magnetic frame/board & paints or purchase an upgraded "kit" for $25 that will include crackle paint, foam paint brush, clothespins and the magnetic home decor frame.
Students will need to bring along with the basic supply kit, dry adhesive, liquid adhesive, ruler, glue dots, pop dots & black pen with thin, journaling tip.

Camping Layout with Lance from Rusty Pickle-$17Friday, 2-3:30 pm This fun layout is specially sized for our album orientation and is done in browns, greens, rust and mustard. Great colors to compliment our album. Lance will walk us through a pop up tent and fire pit that is super cool! You will love adding this to our weekend album!
Students are asked to bring along with the basic supply kit some brown distressing ink.

Rustic Journey 2 Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle-$40 Friday, 4-7pm The beautiful chip board album takes "altered" to a whole new level. The pages of the album hold tons of creative tags and Lance will walk you through page after page and trick after trick as you create this travel album that you can use for either photos from your latest travels or your favorite "life moments".
Students are asked to bring to class along with the basic supply kit, wet and dry adhesive, red "wonder" tape and brown and black inks.

Panama Jack Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle-$40 Saturday 10am-1pm Lance tells me that this is one of their most popular classes and it is perfect for us Florida folks. This album is full of really cool scrapbooking flips and folds and pop ups. This is the perfect album for your favorite beach photos or from a recent tropical get away. It is done in blues and browns and even has a pop up tiki hut on one of the pages-a real showstopper!
Students are asked to bring to class along with the basic class kit, brown distressing ink.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErw57gGY3c

Way Cool Pop Star Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle-$40 Saturday 2-5 pm
This has got to be my favorite one! It is so cool...honest! This 12x6 format, ring-bound album with both chipboard and acrylic album pages is done in all black and white with bold graphics and way-cool ayings. With the black and white color scheme you can leave it as is or (like I'll do) add some bright, fun colors! This album is full of the "Lance" touches with pockets & flips. This album would be perfect for a kids, 'tweens or teen album or for an adult "fun" event or friends album. You will be adding your own personal touch through out the album with lots of added embellishments, color and doodling, while creating a practical, yet very "COOL" keepsake. I cannot wait for this one!
Students are asked to bring assorted coloring pens or mediums to class along with a basic class kit.

Jungle Love Mini Album with Lance from Rusty Pickle-$20 Saturday 6-7:30pm (photo in YouTube video below) This mini album is being designed JUST FOR US! I requested a mini album done up in a Valentine's theme using Rusty Pickle's line called Jungle Love and Lance is obliging me! This album will be done in pink, white, black and teal. It is full of fun sayings and all the things we love about the RP style...fun, fun, fun! This little album can hold photos from a special "love-ey" event or just special photos of you and your sweetie(s)!
Students are asked to bring a basic class kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGckiC8LB4

OH! And PS! If you have not figured it out yet, Molly our wonderful masseuse will be on hand ALL WEEKEND doing massages. If you are interested please let me know if you prefer a chair or a table massage! Thanks!

Holiday photos/Project Life

Charles and I lovin' the snow. Well, me a bit more than Charles!
Carol enjoys Christmas dinner.
Charles and Luna catch up on some Internet news by the fire.
Charles marvels at the beauty of the lamp that GL made for him for Christmas. It was made from reclaimed lumber from Woodhouse. It was so beautiful and he cannot wait to put it in his office.
We took the girls with us to the Dickens Festival this year. It is so cute to hear people "ooh" and "aah" when we walk by with little Chihuahuas in dog purses. Of course, Charles is a VERY popular dude and these girls in the horse drawn wagon all had to pet Kiwi.


Chopping down our tree this year...Bird nest in tree that we liked, but we couldn't chop that one down, my manly lumberjack & toting the tree back down the hill with a "tree-wheeler".
I can still manage to open up gifts with two sleeping dogs on my lap.
Luna still gets in a bit of hunting during the winter.
The BIG cash prize that we won in the Chango's Christmas Trivia contest! We got first prize...31 whole dollars!
Cornucopias that the toddlers made when I got to do the craft center one day.
The kid's boots all lined up and ready to go at the preschool.
Charles helps me make cookies for the cookie exchange at church. What a camera ham he is!
The girls visit with Santa at the Mansfield Agway.
Sniff...sniff. Charles broke the Chihuahua night light that I made at one of Corning's glass workshops.
I love it when holiday cards start to arrive.
Getting the wood cut for my raised planting beds. I am already dreaming of spring and when I can work in the earth. Oh joy!
Enjoying a spooky cocktail at a cropping party.
Charles and GL clean the front of the pellet stove in the hopes that it'll blow out more heat.
A cool trick in cleaning my sink...dental cleaning tablets. Works perfectly!
Picidilly Cafeteria. One of my all-time favorite-est places to eat. Boy howdy! I miss that place!
I LOVE snowmen!
Opening my birthday gifts from Charles. OH! I got some pretty earrings and a GREAT book on homesteading. Smart hubby!
Stone Crab claws. The first of the season. Do I need to say any more than, "YUM"!?
This is evidence that the bears come VERY close to our house. Here you see the vent for the stove in our bedroom and the corner has been pulled up by the bears. We are sure that it is naughty bears 'cause there are claw marks all around it & the window next to it and snot marks on the window screens. YIKES!!
The cute sign for the Cricut Swarm in St. Petersburg. What a fun bunch of gals!! I am so blessed to be part of that group, even if it is mostly in spirit.
Ann fell asleep after Christmas supper and her most excellent son, Alex, snuck this photo. Too funny!!
The remains of an egg toss at Tamara & Lisa's Halloween party.
CRAZY Nico and the cool marble race track that we built.
Miss Gail with the Secret Santa gift I gave her. It is a box with a monthly coupon book for "A Year of Sweet Treats". Darlene, the preschool owner, took us all out for a lovely dinner at Lamb's Creek.
The excellent spread of Indian food at the Mansfield "Presblutherian" church downtown. It was a GREAT & YUMMY fundraiser.
The earrings that I made for "The Village People" while I was at the October Swarm.
A turkey parade in our side/back yard.
Goodies for the kiddiewinkies in the Toddler room from all of us grown ups.

Recent Holiday Sweets

Have been baking and having a blast. Have had a couple of requests for the recipes, so here y'all go:

Mocha Nut Balls

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tbsp. instant coffee
1 cup finely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
Confectioner's Sugar

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl combine flour, cocoa and coffee; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cooking sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 14-16 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!! Cool a few minutes on pan. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar and cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen

Fruit Pizza

1 can crescent rolls
Lay flat in pan and bake 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and spread on cooled crust.

Assorted fruits (Mandarin oranges, pineapple, sliced apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi slices, bananas, plums, peaches....)

Arrange fruit on top of cream cheese. Or for a kid's party, lay out the plain "pizzas" and bowls of fruit and let the kids add their own favorites!

Open apology to the citizens of Mansfield...

Hello Citizens of Mansfield and Surrounding Areas,

Please consider this my official letter of apology. I am sorry to say that yesterday marked my first day of actual snow driving. Yes, I have been up here for over a year but for most of that time when the weather was bad I was usually the passenger, not the driver. Now that I have a job I am forced to learn how to do this, and quick!

-I am sorry to those of you who were stuck behind me yesterday as I drove home on Rt. 15 going 30 miles per hour.
-I am sorry to the dude with the New York licence plate who felt it necessary to pass me and four other cars stuck behind me.
-I am sorry to a few of you coming up behind me yesterday and today on Mainsburg Road. Those turns and dips freak me out and going 15 miles per hour is all I can handle right now!
-I am sorry to anyone who gets stuck behind me and my Vibe anytime between now and when I get comfortable driving in snow and ice. I plan on sticking to my 30 miles per hour for awhile.

In Florida they drilled a lovely little driving motto into our heads that I am adopting while driving in snow...."ARRIVE ALIVE"!!

Hey! I really am a good driver. The State of Florida stamped it on my driver's licence...'Safe Driver'. I am really good at driving at higher speeds in heavy traffic on 6-lane highways. I can drive great in tropical downpours. I can drive a go-kart around the track on two wheels! I've driven in LA and in downtown DC-both of which are terrible to drive in. And the DC driving was with a hangover. Heck! I've even driven a 47' yacht through the Bermuda Triangle. I'm pretty sure that I'll get the hang of snow driving.

So please, if you see me out there, be kind. Don't honk or give me the finger. Don't curse me under your breath or call me names. Don't tail-gate me or flash your high beams at me. Just drive patiently behind me and know that I am adjusting as fast as I can!

Viva La Revolution!

I am not normally political on my blog. But I believe that this involves us all...
I got this "Happy Thanksgiving" email from Michael Moore and thought I'd share it with y'all. Whether you like or hate MM. Whether you have lovely health insurance or none. Whether you sit to the left or right of party lines. This is an interesting read. I know that I, for one, am sick of the insurance scams. We are battling with Aetna right now...something stupid with the words "preexisting condition" in them. Jerks! Power and big money corrupts. And insurance companies get their power and money from standing on the backs of folks like me. And you. Well...here you go. Mr. Moore says it better than me:

Last Thoughts Before the Turkey Comes Calling ...a letter from Michael Moore

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Friends,

As I head off for Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a final thought with you about this past week's news regarding the health care executives who sat around that table in Philadelphia four years ago and decided on a course of action to, if need be, "push Michael Moore off a cliff."

Having spent the week reading all their secret documents (and the book "Deadly Spin"), it's clear that there was something far more scary to these companies than me.

They were, in fact, scared of you. They were afraid YOU would end up pushing them over their own greedy cliff.

Yes, they spied on me and my family in the hopes of finding something with which to smear me and my film, "Sicko." Finding nothing (sorry, guys, I live a pretty boring life), they then resorted to the old chestnuts that have been hurled at me by General Motors, the Bush White House, the National Rifle Association and others since my first film 20 years ago, and they essentially boil down to this:

"Don't listen to him! He hates America! He hates our way of life! He's not telling you the truth! He plays fast and loose with it! Patriots, don't waste your good money to see his movie!"

And it's that last message that's at the epicenter of their biggest fear. Back in 2007, these health insurance companies believed that if you strolled inside a theater showing "Sicko", their golden goose would be cooked.

They knew, according to former health care exec and whistleblower Wendell Potter, that the truth was up there on that screen -- and the LAST thing they wanted was for millions of Americans to be exposed to it.

Why? Well, we need look no further than the document containing their own secret directive on how they should deal with the movie:

"[We Must] Prepare for the Worst Case...SiCKO evolves into a sustained populist movement."

There it is. Their biggest fear. Their "worst case" scenario. That YOU, the American public, would rise up against them. I wasn't their worst nightmare -- you were. Their own research and private polling showed that you were getting fed up with how they were screwing you, gouging you, ripping you off, denying you coverage and flat out just kicking you off the insurance. They knew, according to Potter, that they were killing 45,000 of you every year simply by denying you coverage.

We Americans don't like people who kill us. We're the kind of people who will throw billions of dollars and the mightiest military on earth at just one guy because he killed just 2,977 people. What would we do if we discovered who's killing 45,000 of us every year? How fast would we act to sever the head of that beast?

You don't need to answer that question because the executives of the country's health insurance conglomerates already know it -- it's their big "What If", followed by an even bigger "Holy Shit." "What If the millions of average Joes and Janes ever got it together enough to bring us all down, to end our profiting off the misery of others? What If the citizenry one day begin electing representatives who couldn't be bought and who would end our for-profit health insurance racket?" Holy shit, indeed.

Yes, they feared that day more than anything else, and a movie coming out before a big election year with two popular Democrats pushing for some vague version of universal heath care was all that was needed to get Big Insurance to spend millions of dollars to attack me. These corporate kingpins knew they had pushed their luck too far and now they were worried that a movie -- a movie! -- could ignite a "populist movement."

All that money spent smearing me because they thought you would get up from your theater seat and start a revolution.

It's a great compliment to you. They fear the power you have. But that's 'cause they're good at math. They know there will always be more of us than there are of them. And unless they can repeal "one person, one vote," they know they are doomed. In the meantime they will try to maintain the power they have by buying off politicians, dumbing us down, distracting us with Dancing/Ice Skating/Drinking with the Stars and getting us so scared we'll acquiesce to having naked pictures taken of us at airports this Thanksgiving weekend. Over the river and through the body scan, to grandmother's house we go...

So let us give thanks today that the richest 1% begrudgingly know that we are still, on paper at least, in charge. It is, I believe, a glimmer of hope of what we could possibly accomplish in the coming new year.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Michael Moore

Let's grant some holiday wishes!

Wanna do something good over the holidays for some kids who will really need the help? Read on!

Most of you know that I have a big soft spot for children in the foster care system and do what I can to help raise money for one of my favorite charities, Kid's Charity of Tampa Bay. Through my great friends at Whim So Doodle we have participated in luggage drives, school supply drives and help to make the Kid's Krop a grand success in raising all kinds of crazy money for A Kid's Place, a special and unique foster facility in Brandon, FL. Well, this year our goal is to try to grant some holiday wishes of some of the kids who have "aged out" of the system. These are the 18-22 year old young adults who have spent a great deal of time in the foster care system and once they reach age 18, they are sent off into the world with little assistance. Can you imagine not having parents in your life to borrow money from, get advice from, borrow their car, go to in times of trouble...just basic "get through these first years on your own" kind of things? And I'm sure it is especially rough at this time of year to have no one to spend the holidays with or get a gift from? It just makes my heart break.

Some of these kids have asked for the basic stuff like iPods & Docking Stations, Digital Cameras, Jewelry, Bath & Body Sets, CD's, Games, Sports Clothing & Equipment, etc. But some have asked for life essentials like Bedding, Home Goods, Towels and Cleaning Supplies. If you would like to help in any way that you can, there are many options!
1-You can go directly to the Kid's Charity website and donate by using a major credit card.
2-You can purchase a gift card and send to Kid's Charity at the address listed on their website. Please mark it for the age group listed and put it to the attention of Head Elf, Nanci March.
3-You can pick up your items and if you are in the Tampa Bay area, you can drop them off at Whim So Doodle located in downtown St. Petersburg.
4-You can order items on-line and have them shipped directly to Whim So Doodle or to Kid's Charity at either addresses listed on their websites.

The Kid's Charity is a beloved and trusted charity that is VERY dear to my heart!! Whatever is donated to them goes directly to the kids. It doesn't pass go. It doesn't collect $200. It goes directly to the kids, who deserve in every way possible the love and caring we can show them!

Toss Ten Tuesdays

Holy Moly, but I have been a HUGH slacker! Not on the Toss Ten Tuesday project itself, but just about posting updates, photos and inspiration! I have remained on the path and my closets, cupboards and basement call all confirm this! After I had gotten rid of almost all of what needed to be weeded out in the main part of the house and all it's closets, I set my sights on the basement and some of the unopened boxes from the move. I figured if I hadn't opened them in a year, now was a good time to get rid of some more stuff. I was ruthless! It got ugly a few days down in the basement, but I got rid of at least 5 full boxes of stuff. Some books went to our church's fundraiser, some counted cross stitched works are now hanging in the church's nursery and some of the girls at work all have new bottles of nail polish. And of course, the Goodwill drive-through drop off site and I are grand friends!

I would like to tell you all how sorry I am that I have not kept up with posting about all the things I am getting rid of! I know and I've heard from some of y'all that you, too are still hard at work purging-purging-purging. For me, all it takes to get re-motivated is watching an episode of Hoarders. God bless those people, but thank goodness that this show is on the air to help people like me! It is always like a dose of cold water in the face, huh?!

I will share a couple of photos from the last few months that I've been secretly tossing ten! Lemme know how you are doing!


OK, this month might have been cheating a bit, because I tossed (more than) 10 bottles of nail polish. Normally I would count multiples like this as ONE item, but this month I was pretty sick with a cold, so this was as good as I could get! But, I will say this: I have looked at these bottles of OPI nail polish for months cursing myself for buying so many. See, the OPI brand of nail polish, while having a fantastic reputation, is terrible for my nails. The polish itself will wear off on the tips in a matter of hours and then my nails will get snags and tears in them in the days after. Don't know if it is me and my nails alone, but OPI just stinks for me and I continued to buy them because I LOVE their colors. Finally I had enough, piled them all into a container and made all the girls at work happy with a "free nail polish day"!


This month I concentrated on framed art work. Some were pieces were ones that I had hanging in my home a decade ago and I will never want them hanging on my walls again. Some were slightly sentimental and hard to part with, but are not something I will use anymore. Some went to Goodwill and the sentimental ones went to my niece and her sigo for their new home.


In this pile was a couple of lamps that I loved, but I figured that I haven't loved them in over a year, so to Goodwill they went. Also was some stuff for Kayla's room that never made it to the walls. Good bye to some totes (I have WAY too many!), a second blender, some rubber stamps, a really cool eggplant/bird ornament from Regan that I never knew where to hang, a corner shelf, some tubes of paint, a kitchen container that Charles got for something he couldn't remember and misc. stuff from the bathroom.

This "journey" stills feels good. Still feels like I am doing something that is good for my soul. And it has not once yet, never, been something I've regretted. I have not looked back over these photos and thought, "Oh, I wish that I still had that lamp." Or, "Where are those cake pans when I really need them?" Nope. Instead I feel a sense of lightness when I toss my ten things. I feel happy. I enjoy my space and the organization that has deeply rooted itself in my mind and home. And with only one more month in 2010 in which to enjoy Toss Ten Tuesday I am gonna make the most of my December "toss".

What will 2011 bring? I am thinking my next big tackling idea will be "De-Clutter Sunday". Every Sunday I'm gonna devote 1/2 of an hour to just de-cluttering those pesky spots in the house that seem to attract and hold onto junk mail, old keys, "notes to self", things to be filed that never get filed, recipes to be tried, brochures of places to visit, clippings from the Penny Saver, etc. Maybe if I openly devote a year to De-Clutter Sunday, then that too will enmesh itself into my routine and viola, I will be a de-clutterer. Who's with me?!

Rockin' in November

To this southern girl there is nothing quite like rocking on a rocking chair. My love affair with rockin' started on my Great Aunt A's porch. I can remember many hours spent rocking (or swingin') there and for me an hour spent with my hind end parked on some wooden slats are equal for most folks to an hour on a thearapist's couch. Nothing eases my soul more. So it is hard luck for me that I cannot sit on my front porch rocker for so many months of they year without risk of frostbite. I actually look out with yearning to my rockers and wait for sunshine. Well, lo and behold, today we had some good 'ole sunshine and I wasn't long to take advantage of it. I took the dogs out 'cause they'll soon be missing the sunshine too and we just soaked it all in this afternoon. The temprature was around 56 degrees with a very slight breeze, so it was perfect for sitting outside. I was amazed that here we are in mid November in Pennsylvania and here was the perfect day for front porch sittin'! The sun was just above the mountian tops and at it's warmest around 3pm and we sat outside for almost a full hour! It was amazing! The afternoon was mostly quiet with only the sound of the stream, Luna purring on my lap and an occasional truck headed up the road. Bliss!

Couldn't be lovlier...

Today has been just a lovely, good day. And it isn't over yet. I still have 45 minutes until Dancing with the Stars comes on and I can watch some fun ballroom dancing and possibly a shirtless dancer or two! But today has been spent getting ready for my trip to Florida in a couple of days and I always love to pack. I love to get everything organized and arrange it in my suitcases. I know that might seem wierd, but I love making everything fit. I loved Tetris as a teenager, so I think it might just be an oddball thing of mine. But my suitcases are getting full and this makes my husband sad. He has said on more than one evening that he really wants me to stay 'cause he is gonna miss me too much. Aaawww. I've also been finishing up a crafting project. I had this idea for months and I finally had the time and products to work on it. It is my contribution to the October Swarm I'll be going to in Florida. We are all handmaking a little goody for each other and I had an idea in my mind to do, but couldn't find the exact thing I needed, so I had to improvise. I REALLY love it when the improvation turns out better than the original. I took photos, but I cannot post them yet, 'cause I want this to be a surprise and someone could read this that will be getting these lovlies! Maybe later. But the most lovely thing that happened today was when Charlie came home and asked if there was anything he could do to help me get ready. I said, "Sure. You can make supper tonight." Knowing full well that he has NEVER made supper for us. That he HATES to cook and flat out refuses to do it. And that the last time I talked him into it we ate macaroni and chesse that tasted like cheese and paste. So I quit asking. But tonight he took pity on me and said, "OK, what'da want?" I knew that there was a package of this new meat-free "beef" tips in the freezer and that they should be easy to fix, so I picked that with some veggies. Knowing that he could nuke 'em and the food would be edible. So about 1/2 hour later my husband comes down to the basement with a plate of food he is delivering to my craft desk. It looked GREAT! The tips were char-grilled and I asked him how he cooked them? "In the skillet." He said. He must have noticed the shock on my face so he continued, "And I didn't just cook 'em up, I added seasonings!" I took a bite and was confused. It was not only edible, but damn GOOD! I said, "What kind of seasonings did you use?" He said, "You are shocked, aren't you? I'm shocked too. I just thought that I have all these spices at my fingertips and I should use some. So I added blackening spice, soy sauce and seasoned salt." Holy crap. These all go together well and he figured it out on his own. Then he said something that almost brought a tear to my eye. "I also used olive oil AND butter in the pan." That is exactly what I do...I consider it one of my "secrets"...and he must have been paying attention. Well, I set to on that plate. He came back down a few minutes later with my camera and said, "Don't you wanna take a photo?" I was so distracted by the yumminess that I totally forgot that I take photos of monumental occasions and this one was about to pass me by. So here is my supper plate. Half gone.

Now I just don't know if I should ask him to cook supper again on another night or just hold the memory of this evening dear....

Another great find.

I love finding fun and unique stores and this little shop on Market Street in Corning is just that. I found this store when I first moved up here and always make sure to take visiting folks there.
Corning Stitch Works is a collection of all the stuff that I love-vintage fabrics (mixed in with some really cool, new stuff!), vintage bric-a-brac, vintage furnishings and lamps, vintage ribbons and trim and (my favorite) vintage findings. LOTS of vintage stuff! This store is stocked from the floor to the rafters with amazing stuff. The owner (lady who is usually there) is so nice and helpful and is always working on an interesting project. I love to just poke around in there and see what I can find. I usually leave there wishing that I could sew. But using this stuff in crafting projects will have to do.
Recently I was on the hunt for some cool Halloween stuff to put in a goody bag for my Swarm Sisters in Florida, so that was my first stop! I had to take some photos to share. This last photo is my favorite! This is a skirt made from a pattern called "The Study Hall Skirt" (the one on top in the fall colors). The lady there said she made it using 1970's curtain panels and some vintage brown material as trim and inserts. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this skirt!