"Christmas Open House at Curb Market"

I stayed home on Friday and enjoyed the day but Saturday I got up early to go to "Curb Market"! Everything homemade....tables laden with loaves of homemade breads, cakes, candy....Fresh greenery arrangements....ornaments and several Raggedy Annes and Andys and even some sock monkeys!

I saw lots of pretty things but only picked up a few treasures...........


I parked on a side street just as the horse drawn carriage came around the corner with the largest black horse that I've ever seen pulling it. I was parked in front of a Bed and Breakfast with beautiful Christmas decorations on the porch. No camera.......but memories of a simpler time in life. It was magical........scents and sights of the season. Inside the front door I was met with a Christmas tree, the scent of apple cider and Carolers with dulcimers, fiddles, guitars and even a boy with hand bells.....everyone singing Christmas favorites.

When I got home I had an email from Catherine Holman!
I could NOT believe it!
I won her drawing for these beautiful Folk Art Prints!

I was so excited! I would say I was doing the happy dance....except that I was mostly jumping UP and down......and up and DOWN! lol Thanks Catherine......I am THRILLED!
I have been watching her site for the BIG HOLIDAY SALE! Check it out!

"Happy Thanksgiving!"


I am so thankful for my hubby and all of my sweet family
and friends. I'm especially thankful this year for our good health
and happiness. It's been a real help to me this Fall to have creative
blogs to visit, new crafts to try and recipes to make.
Thanks to everyone that makes a difference in my life.
God continues to bless our lives.

Wishing you a special day filled with all of God's blessings!

And enjoy this card.....CLICK HERE!

Ooohhhhh......I love packages in the mail!
It's so much fun to open a package....
even when you know what's inside!
And jen at the fabled needle really does the packages up right! Thanks jen!!!

It's a delight just to open it up and see all the pretty cards and notepads!
I love everything! "SALE"

"Oriental Bittersweet"

We have the most beautiful Autumn vine commonly called Bittersweet,here in the mountains. It is an aggressive plant that is not welcome everywhere but for crafters it makes a fun project. I have wound it around to make a pretty wreath and this year I just put some of the vines on the mantel among candles and pinecones. I love all things natural from the outdoors.

I have a tall basket that I change according to the seasons and I sometimes fill with bittersweet or wrap a vine around the handle.


Oriental bittersweet can be found all along the roadsides here in the Fall but it's hard to spot until the leaves fall off the trees. I spotted this vine in our backyard climbing a tall Oak tree. (and hubby was sweet enough to cut what he could reach!)

~~~~~"Lavender Dreams!"~~~~~~~

The leaves are gone now but here's a picture of my 'girls'
looking outside when the leaves were still at peak!

~~~~~Can anyone SEE?~~~~~~~

Annie and Wendy with their Boyd's Bear dollie!

I received a surprise in the mail today! My friend, Linda from Royal Touch
sent me a sweet little fairy! She is so dainty and pretty.....
with so much detail in her little fairy clothes! I love her!

Linda posted pics of her fairy terrariums a few months ago and I decided
to take the live plants out of one of mine and make a home for my fairies.
I still need to add some flora and fauna but
my sweet little fairies love their special home.

The two fairies were created by the artist Cheri McAfooes and I treasure them!
If you click on the picture below you can see the detail in these fairies!

***HOLIDAY SALE***

I've been visiting the fabled needle for as long as I've had a blog and I've always wanted to order something from jen! Today she announced a BIG HOLIDAY SALE and I knew it was TIME! I ordered "Beth Goes for a Walk" Greeting cards and "Blackbirds" Notepads from her Etsy shop! Aren't they wonderful! I love "buy one get one FREE" sales anyway!

Thanks Jen! You are SO talented! Happy Holidays!

Sometimes you find a blog that changes your life!

We think about food.....and talk about food...... and love making new recipes so I was THRILLED to find this blog, Mennonite Girls Can Cook and start trying some of their recipes. They use wholesome ingredients and give such good instruction!

I made the Stuffed Breast of Chicken last night and it was delicious. We have some smoked Canadian Bacon that we get from our neighbor Rocky and it added so much flavor! I took pictures but they didn't turn out that good so I am sharing my flowers with you today.

I went to the dentist this morning and walked out with a beautiful carnation! How nice! Thanks to my hygienist, Cathy and Dr. Tomlo......I LOVE to go to the dentist!

I went back........to A Day in the Country!
Penny and I saw so many beautiful things when we had lunch there and I live so close......I went back to look at the Christmas things they are putting out.

I just had to have this little red tree and these cute kids! I don't have any other decorations out yet but I know I can find some trees and other things for this scene. It's fun to get started and buy something new this year!

This poor baby didn't have a proper outfit! lol I made this little dress for her and put her in the arms of my sweet Lloyd Middleton curio doll.











I love dolls and it was fun to do a little sewing for this sweet imp! ( I found her at Goodwill for $1 and she needed a home!)

Before there was.....

there was "knitting for monkeys"........ I got my knitting out today to make a dish cloth and pulled out my trusty "How To" book! I've had this since I was a teenager and it's what I have used to teach myself to knit AND crochet! heehee! When I haven't knitted in awhile, I still need a refresher! (And thanks Jeannie for the tutorial over the phone this afternoon!) I only know the basic stitches but my cloth came out nice! lol I got the pattern here......
"knit nutt" blog!






It really was easy!
Even for ME!!!

"A Day in the Country"

I met Penny at "A Day in the Country" for lunch today!
Her blog is Lavender Hill Studio and she is a Mosaic artist. I've been following her blog and admiring her work and realized that we live in the same town!




Here she is modeling one of my latest creations......an apron!





We talked.....and talked......and talked some more!
We found out we had so much in common!

Thanks for a delightful lunch, Penny!

Let's do it again soon!

The perfect Fall movie...

"You've Got Mail" of course!


We watched it tonight and always love the 'colorized' leaves......bouquets of sharpened pencils, smell of scotch tape and the daisies. I have a bouquet of daisies on my bedside table, just like the one in the movie! AAAhhhhh!!

I got the sweetest email from Adriana! I wrote her and told her how much I was enjoying the new cookbook and she wrote back that she remembered me....."Diane Darling, I could never forget you!"....and some other nice things! What a sweetheart she is!

THANK YOU Adriana! You really made my day!

Enjoy this beautiful weekend everyone! It was cool and windy this morning when I went to a "Bizarre Bazaar" at the Historic 7th Avenue District Depot Plaza. It was set up outside, with live music and even a clown with balloons! I found a pretty embroidered tea towel and a turquoise ring that I couldn't live without. FUN FUN FUN!

I met Adriana Trigiani a few years ago when she had written her first book, "Big Stone Gap".
She was delightful....friendly and full of energy! I have been thrilled to see her write many best selling novels now and this delightful cookbook!

A favorite 'new' cookbook!

I am making Savory Taralli tonight to go with a pot of spaghetti and meatballs. It sounds like the perfect compliment! Here's the recipe....

"Savory Taralli”
“Cooking with My Sisters”
by Adriana Trigiani

1/2 packet yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1Tbsp fennel seed
4 cups flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to bubble
Add the rest of the ingredients, except flour, to the yeast mixture.
Add flour and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350.

Take a piece of dough and roll it between your hands, making a pencil like shape,
4 to 5 inches long. Create a circle by joining the ends together and pinching them closed.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool.

To find more recipes, visit her "WEBSITE" !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I voted! Thanks Delaney for the 'button' !!!

I was hoping it would help........

.......well as much as I LOVE to create and as much as I am INSPIRED by beautiful things....I remain a die hard Dallas Cowboy fan! I blame it on raising four sons....and all that entails!

I baked the Sour Cream cookies from the "Cooky Book" but I think they were a little plain.



Maybe they need dipped in chocolate! heehee!

I baked them in time to munch on while watching the Dallas Cowboys get CREAMED! (sour creamed? no pun intended) so I cut some out in the shape of boots! lol

I'm anxious to make the oatmeal cookies next! I love the cooler weather for baking!

This is a precious little doll that is a 'give away' by a sweet lady on this blog!

Check it out! Tonight is the deadline!



http://wolfiesdenandbeyond.blogspot.com/

I was looking through some old cookbooks this morning and here are a few of my favs!


This was my very first cookbook!



When I got married I didn't even know the basics so I needed this! heehee! But I found out that cooking is just being able to follow directions so I actually enjoyed learning over the years and consider myself a "good cooker" now! (a quote from a little boy from long, long ago!)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~And you can't cook without a 'Cooky Book'!!!~~~~~~~~~~~