Holiday Vendor Fair...

It's going to be a busy next seven days! I've been invited to participate as a vendor at the Touchmark Retirement Community Holiday Vendor Fair.  This year's date is Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 10 am until 2 pm. 

Of course, I have stock to take with me, but I'm going to whip up a few other items to add to my offerings that I think might be good gift ideas. So starting this weekend, I'll be preparing fabrics and notions to do some intense production sewing. 

I'll have everything finished no later than Thursday, so I can set up the inventory in my Square account for my point-of-sale checkout. Then, Friday I'll pack up the Explorer so I can drive up the valley to Appleton first thing in the morning on Saturday.

I'll share images of my offerings as I prepare everything, and I'm surely going to take photos of my booth as soon as I finish my set up. I'm really looking forward to it!

Here's the information again in case you're local and would like to attend. Stop in and say hi if you're in the area!

 

 

The Day After...

 

It's the day after Thanksgiving. Many will be rushing out to shop for great gift-giving bargains for Christmas, but that's never been my thing. Usually, I'd spend this time relaxing, or engaging in creative pursuits. 

 

Last night, there was a request for a cashier to work to help someone who had a family emergency. This ol' workhorse answered the bell. I'll be at work from 10-4 today instead of working this evening.

 

 

It was just Handsome and me yesterday, so I joyfully prepped and cooked in the kitchen all afternoon. We stuffed our turkey and popped it into our Nesco™ roaster. While that was cooking away, I made an apple pie with streusel topping and then a mini onion pie as a side dish. 

When everything was nearly ready, I boiled the potatoes Handsome had prepared, along with cooking peas for another side. Once the potatoes were mashed, I pulled out the completed pies and turkey, and we were enjoying our Thanksgiving meal in no time.

This was only a ten pound bird, but there's plenty of leftover meat for sandwiches, etc. We realized that I forgot to make my homemade cranberry sauce, so I'll do that when I get home from work. I'm probably going to take much of the turkey and cut it up (along with carrots, celery, onions, and peas) to make homemade turkey soup to pressure can. That way we'll be able to enjoy something hot and hearty this winter.

We did catch up with all our loved ones yesterday, and have plans for tomorrow with Son #1 and his family. For now, I'm going to get ready for work so I'm not late. I'll be bundling up today, as it's cold and windy. We got a dusting of snow last night, but we realize winter is here in earnest now. Time to get out the long johns! 

If you're busy traveling away or back home from a holiday trip, please stay safe. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving...

 

An Avian Architect...

Baltimore Oriole Nest

Look at the wonderful gift from last season's Baltimore orioles! Handsome and I were working in the yard to winterize the place before the rough weather sets in and I saw this dangling from a low branch of one of the trees between the farmhouse and the north field. Now that the tree has dropped all its leaves, the nest was visible.

It's the most perfectly constructed pouch to protect, hatch, and grow wee birds to fledglings. When I dragged Handsome over to the tree to point it out to him, he said he'd been ducking it most of the summer when he was cutting grass (and he never told me?!). No matter. It was completely intact, and I wanted to keep it that way. 

I ran and got my clippers and removed the section of branch to keep the nest intact and undisturbed. (I don't believe they return to the same nest every year, so no harm removing this one.) It now hangs in our dining room, close to a Baltimore Oriole carving I've had for years. 

You may notice the bracket it's attached to. Yes. It's acorns and oak leaves. I found it in an antique shop and you know I had to have it. Sometimes I hang a potted plant from it, and sometimes it's just empty to enjoy its shape. Now, it is the anchor for this lovely nest. Two lucky finds in one place. squeeee!

Girl Time...

We baked cookies, made hot cocoa mix, homemade pizza for dinner, and lots of time reminiscing about family and good times. This was a precious day and overnight with my eldest niece/goddaughter and her daughter. It doesn't happen often, so that makes the time shared even more valuable. 

I'm on my way out this morning, but when I return from work, my sister, Di will be here for another overnight. I'm also tickled about the time I can be with her, as she usually reserves the overnights for her own kids and grands when she's in Wisconsin. We were able to carve out a little sister time, and I'll make the most of it. 

I really have so much gratitude for each and every day Handsome and I have together, and adding cherished family members to the mix is a true bonus. I'll say it again...

Happy Thanksgiving Week To You and Yours,

From Everyone at Liljegren's Hickory Hill Farm 

Progress Worth Sharing...

I've finally accomplished enough stitching on the bluebird in flight to be able to share it with you. Sunday was a real needle dancing day, and after about six hours, this is where I finished for the day.

The female is more dull in color than the male, so I chose less vivid colors, even as I went with a saturated look. The white on her abdomen is padding I haven't covered yet. That's next. I'll work on the wings after that.

Here's a closeup with my finger to give you a size reference. I've managed to cover about 1.5" of my bird so far. I know. Things always look larger on the internet. lol

My niece and her daughter are coming today for an overnight with their aunty and uncle. We're planning a baking day (their request), and then we'll have homemade pizza tonight. My great-niece will even be able to make her very own personal pizza like I used to do with her mama. You're likely to get kitchen photos (and a posed one or two) tomorrow. 

They should be here any minute, so I'm going to get our projects set up. I hope you have a great day as we begin Thanksgiving week in the United States. We have so much to be grateful for in our home this year. I'll see you tomorrow!

Sunday Scripture...

Psalm 100:4

Saturday Silliness...

Steve's Done It again. lol

Baking Day...

Baking Day at Hickory Hill Farm

It was a very productive day. Handsome took this photograph before the cinnamon rolls were cool. I frosted them about a half hour later.

No. We won't eat all this ourselves. We share bread with Andy and Shelly next door, and the rest of the loaves freeze well until we need it. We'll only keep four of the cinnamon rolls. One batch goes up the hill with bread, and the two trays in front are sold. The rolls are for a couple burgers tonight, and the rest will freeze, too.

We did get a lot of blowing snow yesterday, so it really was nice to stay indoors and warm. The "barn" girls (yeah. Not so much anymore.) didn't want a thing to do with the white stuff. They chose to stay indoors, but as we have no Labrador litter box, the big girls went outside. Bella greeted the snow like an old friend. She ran around like a puppersnapper. Carly, on the other paw, just wanted to do her business and get back inside. That's okay. Handsome didn't want to hang around outside either.

I'm delivering cinnamon rolls to Fond du Lac this morning, doing a little grocery shopping, and dropping off baked treats for our dear neighbors. Once back home, I'll stitch some more on the bluebirds until it's time to put in my three hours at work. I'm not going to share my needlework until I get more done than I have so far. Probably Monday.

Happy Friday, y'all!

It Was A Very Great Day...

Back Row: (l-r) Tom, Dick, Cal, Me, Dan, Sheree, Bruce and Julie. Front Row: Max, Brad, Mary, Deb N. Deb. B and Janet

After running errands (and my hair appointment), I met up with classmates for our November dinner gathering. We had a total of fifteen this time, with one missing from the photograph. I was so happy to see more couples join us, too. The more, the merrier, I say!

We had our photo taken, and chose our next date, hugged and wished each other Happy Thanksgiving before breaking up for another month.  It really was lovely.

 

This is what my hair looked as I was getting ready to leave to run errands. Thanks to Handsome, we have recorded the longest my hair has been since 2016, when we first moved to Florida. I began the "growing" process in January of this year.

When I got to Wendi's salon, we had a discussion about my current time requirements to wash and style, as well as the issue I have with curls. My sister, Jan has very curly hair, and she'd been giving me tips, but it all required time I'd rather spend in other ways. Having had an all-encompassing walk around the issue, I came to a decision...

For anyone who didn't think there were natural curls in this head of hair, I present Exhibit One. This was freshly washed and had no style agents. Just my hair (which you can see, still has plenty of the dark hair I inherited from Dad). Wendi worked in increments, in case I changed my mind, but really the decision was locked in and by this point, there was no turning back.

After Wendi was finished, I stood up and turned around to thank her and see what the back looked like. Three people in the waiting area all immediately complimented me! I knew I'd made the right decision, and I really couldn't stop smiling. Ahhhh, Vanity. Thy name is woman. sigh

I wanted to take a photograph before I got back home after dinner. It would have been dark by then, so I chose instead the highly stylized, car interior shot for you. Short and sassy again. I'm one happy gal.

Baking today. Bread and cinnamon rolls are on the agenda. It's a perfect day for it, as we'll be getting our first snow, likely to fall all day. It will be nice and warm in the farmhouse, and the smell of bread will fill the air. And I swear, before this day is over, I'm going to get some stitching in, too!

Another Day Without Needlework...

Do you feel the same way? I think I've shared my term for this before, but just in case, I refer to my need to create as my creative imperative. When I'm not working on something - needlework, knitting, sewing - I feel that there's something missing. I really can't wait to get back to it.

I'm feeling a bit like that right now. I haven't been able to work on my birds for nearly a week, and today is spoken for as well. I'm heading out soon to run a few errands before my hair appointment. Then at 3, I'll be meeting classmates for our monthly gathering. I'll be back home by 5, but once the sun goes down, I've lost my best light for sitting in front of the dining room windows, with my frame and magnifying lamp. I may try to sit down for a little while, but it's usually more taxing on my eyes to rely solely on lamplight.

I'm going to earmark tomorrow as my stitching day, and see whether or not I'm able to put on my desire into action. I'll let you know.

Tomorrow, of course, I'll be sharing our group classmate photo. You'll be able to see what I finally decided about my hair. I still haven't made up my mind. Can you even believe it? I'll see you again tomorrow!

Now I know...

Here, all along, I thought this was a Christmas cactus. As it's coming into full bloom right now, I guess it's actually a Thanksgiving variety! I watered it a few days ago, and only just noticed that it was blooming. (That's the reason for the nighttime shot taken before I wrote this post.) It's going to be magnificent by next week!

I'm working today, and the weather is supposed to be wretched...cold and rainy. I think November has finally caught up with us here in Wisconsin. Handsome actually gave our lawn the final cutting for this year yesterday! One of the "memories" I shared on Facebook yesterday was photos of the snow (November 18th five years ago), with opossum tracks heading toward the compass barn. I guess we're due for the white stuff after all.

Tomorrow is hair appointment day (at noon), and then dinner with my classmates again. Hard to believe it's that time already. The big debate around here is whether or not to keep my hair growing long, or go back to my sassy cut. It seems a little odd to think about chopping it all off just as winter hits, but most days with this longer "do", I'm paying much more attention to my appearance than I actually care to. It's nearly down to my shoulders now, and my biggest concern is that it makes me look like an old woman. My sisters say it doesn't, and I should keep it growing out. Handsome, my goddaughter and Mum think I look better with it short. I guess I won't actually decide until I'm sitting in Wendi's chair at the salon. 

For now, I'd better get going so I'm not late for work. I'm hoping the six/seven hours goes by quickly today. Once the weather turns, I admit that I prefer to be tucked in and cozy at home. 

TTFN! (Ta Ta For Now!)

Rework...

Opened one of my bottles of syrup last week (I made homemade waffles) to find that it wasn't "syrup-y". Sadly, it was more the consistency water. After much contemplation, I realized that I miscalculated one of the ingredients - cane sugar. Whoever thought that school math skills were unimportant, never wanted to bake, cook, or can. Math skills are crucial here, and I messed up. sigh

It's a good thing I always write down my ratios for each batch. So, I sat down and recalculated what I needed in excess of what I used. I used the carpenter rule, "Measure twice, cut once", calculating and recalculating, in this case.

Guess what I'll be doing today? Yup. I'm going to fix my error. I'll be recooking my syrup, adding what I missed the first time until it transforms from watery to syrupy. That takes additional ingredients, and about thirty minutes on the stovetop. Then, I'll rebottle it.

Just a good reminder that when it comes to measuring, getting it right is important. It saves time and more importantly, it saves effort.

Sunday Scripture...

Luke 12:34

 Grateful for family and friends.

Saturday Silliness...

I don't know why these Steve the Otter memes tickle me so, but they sure do. I hope you enjoy your Saturday giggle as much as I do.

Keeping My Mind and Heart Busy...

Hickory Hill Farm Hickory Syrup

I spent yesterday in the kitchen making hickory syrup! It takes all day for me to brew and bottle a batch, so I made a larger batch this time. In the end, there were a total of fourteen 12 ounce bottles. I shot this photograph just before it got dark here (just before 5 pm).

I have an order shipping today to my BFF in Georgia for her and her husband's bed and breakfast operation. She uses it to create a lovely granola. She and her two sisters developed the recipe, which I've yet to taste. I'll have to bring that up with her!

I'm going to label, cello-seal, wrap and package her order to ship, and once it's in the mailbox, I'm going to sit down and start working on my bluebird until about an hour before I have to go in for my short Friday shift at work. I consider it a little needle dancing "practice" before I spend the weekend stitching on it.

My sister, Lyn

Today marks one year that we've been without you. One year since you went home to be with the Lord. One year that your girls have had to learn about life without your daily chats, frequent visits, and warm hugs. I'm putting this out into the universe, knowing you'll already know these things. All of us miss you deeply. Until we see you again, rest well, my sister. We love you.

Female In Flight...

As I take a little break from the stitching, I can still contemplate how I'll proceed when I can finally hold a needle again. (The bandaid really gets in the way.) 

I went online and pulled a few more photographs of female bluebirds (one more in flight) so I could get more accurate colors for her plumage. The stack on the left and in the middle are the likely colorways. The three on the right are possibilities, if used sparingly. You already know I'm not afraid to remove something I've already stitched if it's not right.

My thumb is actually doing much better today. The cut isn't real deep, but I want to make sure I don't leave unwanted DNA on my project. I'll be cautious and give it another couple days to completely heal. I plan to be back at the frame by the weekend.

Gratitude...

 

Bum Thumb...

I injured myself yesterday. Cleaning a sharp knife, I made the tactical error of running my cloth down the sharp side of the blade. I know. Rookie error. gaaahhh! I was cutting meat to prep for pressure canning, so I stopped long enough to clean the wound, assess that it wasn't bad enough to require stitches, bandage it, and then slip a kitchen glove over it so I could continue the task.

I rechecked it when the job was done, and it was already starting the healing process. Thankfully, it wasn't a bad wound. Only bad enough that it will be a few days before I can work at the needlework frame again. 

So, I guess I'll be bottling hickory syrup tomorrow, and pressure canning the meat before I'll be working on my bluebirds again. It could be worse. At least I won't be losing my thumb. (Bad joke. lol)

November ATCs...

Brynwood Needleworks - November Artist Trading Cards - Fabric Theme

I created my November Artist Trading Cards for the Handmade Treasures Exchange, hosted by my sister, Jan. This month's theme was Fabric. Last week I was stumped over what I wanted to do because, well, I'm a fabric hound, and there are just so many ways I could have gone with this challenge. 

In the end, I decided to keep it relatively simple, as I needed to create ten of them. If I were only swapping with one other partner, I would probably have gone in a more elaborate direction. As it was, I think my choices in fabric made them appear more elaborate.

You'll notice that I fussy cut the wings on each of the butterflies so they'd be mirror image. I also have two that are the same. One for my sister and one for me.

So, I assembled the butterflies using my sewing machine, but did add a hand stitched element in a single flower. As I completed the last one, I found myself hoping that next month's challenge isn't butterflies or insects! Of course, if it is, I'm sure I can come up with another insect I can use. (I'm guessing it might be a Christmas theme, but that's only speculation.)

I'll get these in the mail in the next day, and then they'll be winging their way to new homes. I'm anxious to see what the others create this month, too! I'll probably wait until I receive all of them to share, rather than parade them out as they arrive.

I'll be getting back to my bluebirds later this week. I have an order for hickory syrup to bottle and ship, and a few other things I'd like to work on in the studio. I haven't decided which days will be dedicated to what yet, so your guess is as good as mine. I'll keep you posted. 

Sunday Scripture...

2 Chronicles 7:14

 

Mulling Things Over...

This month's theme for Jan's ATC Swap is "Fabric". Have you ever had so many choices that it ended up paralyzing you? You couldn't make a decision? That's where I am right now. Should I quilt my next ATC? Should I do some stitching on it or save that for a later exchange?

This is what I pulled out an started thinking about. I could use this fabric as the ground for anything else I do. Or should I piece fabrics together into a small ATC-sized mini quilt? Should I add needlework to it? Right now I'm completely stymied.

I could make ten small garment cards. Do you remember the one I did for the Blissful ATC Swap so many years ago. Here. I'll refresh your memory...

This one was actually secured to the cardstock I used for the card. If you'd like to see more photos and the inspiration, click HERE. Maybe I should make a simpler garment for this month's theme? Maybe something in flannel to go with the season? See? Now I'm off in a different direction completely! In the imagined words of Scarlet O'hara, "Whatever shall I do?"

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions to help me trim down my criteria? I'm always happy for the input. Otherwise, you know I'll keep on thinking about this for a while until something hits me between the eyes. Just to be safe, don't plan to stand behind me for a while.

Let The Extended Birthday Festivities Begin...

Look what came on the "Wells Fargo Wagon" for me yesterday! When my mixer decided to swan dive off my pantry countertop, I went to KitchenAid's website to explore. While there, I set up an account and signed up for emails for special sales, etc. The first email I got was for 10% off my first purchase. I set that email aside for possible future use.

Last week, I got an email with a big sale on the heavy duty machines. I showed it to Handsome and we discussed the state of my current machine. I used it last week, and there are a few more issues I discovered. The problem is, I've tried and can't find anyone who is licensed to work on them, and KitchenAid customer service told me they don't even make parts for it. That means that if it needs a part, I'm out of luck. While it still works, I can't use the splash guard because of the lift malfunction, and my dough hook was destroyed in the accident. He told me to order a new machine to take advantage of the great sale price, and I said it could be my Birthday/Christmas gift for this year. 

So, I went back to KitchenAid's website. The big sale was a $230 reduction in the base price, and I could still use my 10% off coupon! It was a deal worth taking.

When it arrived yesterday, I unboxed everything and set it up on the counter next to Old Faithful. My previous machine had a 5 quart mixing bowl. This one is 7 quarts.

My previous machine came with three attachments - the flat blade, the whisk and the dough hook (which broke in the fall), and I had ordered the attachment with the soft blades for scraping the bowl about a year ago. My pour guard is a two-piece part.

The new machine came with the elliptical whisk, a soft blade, a dough hook, a flat blade for mixing eggs, etc., plus a pastry blade. They also tossed a bowl scraper in the box. Best of all, my pasta maker attachment, my grinder attachment, and one other all fit the driver in the head of the machine. Also upgraded in the newer model is a nice grip on the bowl lifter lever. You can see and compare them in the photograph. This machine has a heavy duty motor, and I chose a basic "Marshmallow" color (timeless), rather than choose a trendy color that may later date it. The finish is almost pearlized.

I washed up all the accessories and assembled the bowl and pour guard. They're now situated on the pantry counter - with a KitchenAid non-slip mat under it. I took Old Faithful and carefully packaged her up in the box the new one came in. I'm still going to try to get her looked at to see if we can fix what ails her. If so, then I'll gift this to someone who can use it (Handsome's idea). While I'm a happily generous sort, letting her go will still be difficult. Then again, I'll be using the new one - also a gift from my sweetheart - and that will ease the anxiety of parting with the machine that's served so well for the past 37 years.

So, you know what that means, right? The Birthday celebrating has officially commenced for this year! I'll let you know the official closing date. (I'm such a spoiled brat.) 

I haven't used the mixer just yet. Handsome is a little under the weather, so I'm not going to tease him by making his favorites when he can't enjoy them. I think the first thing I'll make in the mixer will be some sort of bread or dessert, though. He can't wait. He's nearly as excited as I am to see it in action. Now, what shall I call her? Ideas anyone?