Christmas Clearance Sale...

As mentioned in my last post, I have a few Christmas items leftover that I'd really rather sell at a discount than finding storage space for nine months.  If you are interested in any of these items, just leave a comment or send me an email and I'll get back to you ....Paypal accepted to jehess4@sbcglobal.net ....and sorry, I can ship only within the US at this time. 

Candle bundles.... set/5...was $4.95  NOW $3.50 each plus shipping

Red Primitive Gift Box.....was $14.95.....NOW $10.95 plus shipping

This was the year for stockings....

Wool Felt Stockings.... was $19.95.......NOW $14.95 plus shipping

Wool Winter Friends Penny Rug.....was $29.95.....NOW 21.95 plus shipping

And a couple of fall items...

Punchneedle Scarecrow on bucket hanger..... was $24.95 ..... NOW $19.95 plus shipping

Gourd Pillow

Squirrel Pillow

Sugar Corn Pillow

was $11.95 ....... NOW $6.95 each plus shipping

So that's it....again, if you are interested, please  leave a comment here or send me an email... jehess4@sbcglobal.net

Enjoy your evening!

I meant to post before Christmas, but with last minute shopping, errands and baking, I simply didn't get to it, so I do hope that you and yours had a most blessed Christmas.

I was up WAY too early this morning, so I got the laundry underway then decided after everybody was out the door for work, that I would take down the Christmas tree and all the decorations, even though it's earlier than what I normally do it.

It's taken me practically all day, but it is now finished and everything back into it's place....or a new place.  I find this is a good time to do any rearranging just to give things a fresh look.

While out running errands yesterday, I stopped at the mercantile to pick up my fall/Christmas leftovers.

I'm really not wanting to store them for this next year so I think I will be listing a Christmas clearance.  I hope to get a start on that tomorrow....so check back!  Aside from that, I need to catch up with the alterations work and I really want to finish the counted cross stitch I started several weeks ago, that I hoped to get done for a Christmas gift.  I guess it will just have to be a birthday gift and remind myself to start on handmade Christmas gifts for 2012 much earlier than I did for 2011.

Enjoy your evening! 

 I'll be curled up in my little corner of the sofa stitchin'!



Christmas Is Coming!

And we've been busy, busy!

Besides the fudge and peanut clusters made last week, we've been mixing up cookie dough....

Sugar cookie and chocolate chip, both made with splenda...and molasses cookie dough....

We'll be making these up over the next day or two! 

And.....

Peanut Butter Fudge

2/3 cup canned milk (evaporated)

2 cups sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I like chunky)

7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook milk and sugar to soft ball stage...(I actually cook mine to JUST a SMIDGE over)

Remove from heat; add peanut butter and marshmallow creme.  Stir in vanilla.

Pour into a 9"x 9" buttered pan.  (You see that I've lined my pan with parchment buttering the two sides not covered with the paper...lifts right out of the pan)

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

******************

I finally got to some Christmas shopping over the weekend so it looks like pressie wrapping this afternoon!

Hope you are having a great week!

Enjoy your day!

Monday...

Where did the weekend go?  For that matter, where is the month of December going?!

Christmas is now less than two weeks away?

I'm nowhere near ready.

While I have some handmade gifts well underway, I've not done much in the way of shopping. 

No baking or candy making yet.

The trees and most of the decorations are up, however, the lighted garland that should be hanging on the front porch railing is still sitting in its tote in the attic.

I don't know if that will happen or not.
 John and I did take a little time on Saturday for a walk through the woods behind the house, checking out a couple of trees that had been taken down in a storm a few months back.  I think there's enough in those two trees to get us through a good part of winter.
Then I found a little cedar tree to cut to put in this little old car at our back door.
Now that I have it there, I want to ditch the artificial wreath on the old sled and replace it with some fresh cedar.  Hmm, that would require another walk through the woods.

When we got back, we walked out to the horse pasture to check the horses and the pond....
The whole while being followed by our newest little fur baby, Thumper, who you see here not showing any fear from the horses or mules.

A busy day ahead, stitching on some stockings, a cross stitch sampler and I might even try to sneak in some peanut clusters sometime today, as they can be disguised in containers and put in the freezer. 

Out of sight.  Out of mind.

Right?

Enjoy your day!

Wednesday Ramblin'...

Yesterday morning, we woke to our first snowfall for the year.  A reported 1.3" for our first snow, obviously a tracking snow, on the 6th of December.

Does this mean we will get only 6 snows for this winter? Hmm...the low number sounds good, but if that holds true, how heavy could  those 6 snowfalls be?

Monday night, we finally lit the fireplace.  

Salem has already staked claim to the kitchen hearth....he's there in the lower right corner, he just kinda blends in with the dark brick!

Nothin' more cozy than sitting quietly in the living room with the warmth & glow of Christmas tree lights and a crackling fire in the fireplace.

I had to do a little baking yesterday.  A friend asked me to make her 4 dozen cookies for her church exchange so I decided to go with these.  They're a sand tart cookie aka pecan sandie, but rather than coat with powdered sugar, I dipped the tops in chocolate!  They look so yummy that I'm going to make another batch today for our church women's gathering this evening!  And.....I thought I'd share the recipe with you today.....

SAND TARTS

1 cup butter

4 heaping tablespoons powered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well. ( I mix in a food processor)

Roll into small balls the size of a walnut. (I use the smallest pampered chef ice cream scoop, level)

Place on  a parchment paper lined baking sheet.   (I then flatten with bottom of glass)

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes...slightly golden on bottom or around edges.

Roll in powdered sugar with still warm then again when cooled.

Using the pc ice cream scoop, this will make 48 cookies.

If you would like them dipped with chocolate, I just melted 1 pkg of chocolate chips in the microwave, stirred to smooth, tilt the bowl to get the chocolate on the side of bowl to just dip the top of the cookie.

If you'd like, sprinkle with topping of your choice! 

Let set in single layer on cookie sheets and set in refrigerator to allow for chocolate to set.

Enjoy!

Quiet Sunday....

It's a quiet afternoon here in my little corner of the world.

I went to church this morning and the usual stop at the grocery store afterwards.

 I overslept this morning and didn't get my required amount of coffee so I'm making up for that now!

I finally got a few minutes to sit down and thumb through this latest issue of

Where Women Create

'Inspiring work spaces of extraordinary women'

And inspiring it is!

To read about and see the work spaces of SO many creative women...

where they've been, where they are now....what inspires them...

With each article come tips of their  trade and favorite quotes...

There was one in this latest issue among the pages of

Allison Tyler Jones that really caught my attention and I want to share it with you...

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that

I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, 'I used

everything you gave me.'" 

--Erma Bombeck

Something to think about.....