I Can Totally Relate To Johnny Paycheck...

Sure they're breathtakin'ly gorgeous but try havin' to rake them up every year. What a job!
I should mention, this particular tree is the smallest of five maples surroundin' our house.

I've gotten to the point where its easier to rake and put them in the back of our pickup truck to haul them out. It still takes about 7 truck loads.

I don't know what in tarnations I'm goin' to do when I get too old to do this!

Maybe I could rent one of those gigantic fans they use on movie sets and blow them onto my neighbor's property. I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

I just don't know if I have a big enough outlet to plug it into.
:> )

Heaven Knows...

I couldn't help but wonder if these numbers at the close of the Dow Jones today was a sign from above???

It could be worse... It could have closed at 666.
Yikes!

My Eyes Adored You...

Feast your peepers! Your eyes will adore them too.
Enjoy!

I'll be snappin' more pics over the next few weeks! I can't wait! I love autumn!!

I've Got Me A Real Good Man...

Yep, its absolutely true!

We will be celebratin' my birthday today with family, so last night hubs baked my cake. Its somethin' he does every year for me. He hasn't conquered a cake from scratch, so he sticks with a Duncan Hines box cake.

I couldn't help but giggle when instead of settin' the oven timer for 30 minutes, he set it for 30 seconds. :> )

Ta-dah! After all was said and done he did a wonderful job! His past "creations" haven't been so esthetically pleasin'. Not only does it look delicious, it was made with lots of love!

Now if I could only get him to scub the john with such enthusiasm, I'd be in my glory!! A gal can dream, can't she?!
:> )

Just My "Subtle" Way...

To remind my fellow Americans to please get your Republican, Democrat or Independent can into the votin' booth on November 4th.
:> )

"To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain."
~Louis L'Amour

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
~John Quincy Adams

"If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves.”"
~Thomas Sowell

"A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
~Theodore Roosevelt

A Real Wild Child...

Whew!! It took every bit of strength I had to get this one dressed and ready.

I tried everythin' to get her out of the pumpkin patch includin' bribin' her with food and cold hard cash but nothin' worked. She just clung to the pumpkin with that lil' smirk on her face.

She put up quite a fight, but finally I had to lasso her out of there.

I decided to name her Wilda which means "untamed". (Ain't that the truth!)

She will be offered on The Humble Arts on October 1st. I may have to tie her down beforehand.

:> )

The First Evenin' Of Autumn...

The leaves are startin' to change.

The geese are headin' south.

As we soak it all in by the outdoor fire.

Ahhhhh... Autumn is my favorite time of year.
:> )

She's Stuck In The Middle...

of my pumpkin patch.

My lumina pumpkinhead cutie ran out the door buck neked and into my garden. Sigh.

She thinks I won't notice her. Hopefully I can wrestle her out of there, get her dressed and ready for The Humble Arts for October 1st.

She may be feisty, but I'm bigger than her.

I'll keep ya posted...
:> )

Ahoy Me Hearties...

Well blow me down! Today, Septembree 19 be talk like a pirate day! Arrrr!

I neregot into th' pirate thin' until I saw Johnny Depp in Pirates o' th' Caribbean. I didna think I could love a man who looks like he hasn't bathed in a year an' wears more eyeliner than me, but aye I do! That sea dog shivers me timbers!

So I want ye t' spend th' tide talkin' t' yer loved ones like this. 'Tis will surely annoy th' heck ou' o' them.

I best be shippin'out ye lily-livered landlubbers!
Time t' get t' stitchin' up me Humble Arts dollie.
Arrrggghhhh! I'll keep ye posted...

Aye, I also want t' thank Brenda of Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe for gi'in' me this Kreativ Blogger award. Aye, me parrot concurs.
Thanks my matey, me truly appreciates it, gar!

I Guess She Just Lost Her Head...

But not for long.

I've been workin' on one more autumn piece for the season. This pumpkinhead gal will be offered on The Humble Arts come October 1st.

I'll keep ya posted...

I Don't Like Ike...

Well, we had some affects from Hurricane Ike the other night. Nothin' at all compared to the folks in Texas but enough to rattle our house. The wind howled through here like ya wouldn't believe! Thankfully we didn't lose power but many folks did.

As you can see my sunflowers don't like Ike.

Especially this now bald one...

Our wood pile doesn't like Ike either.

As I rode my bike down the tow path this mornin', I reckon this tree would agree.

Then there was this one...

As I came upon this large limb blockin' the path I thought, "Why the heck do they name Hurricanes after people? Is it supposed to sound more endearin' even though they wreak havoc where and whatever they touch?!" I would think folks with the names like Katrina, Andrew, Gilbert or Rita are quite insulted. Not to mention insultin' to our former president.

I say call these storms by their true colors! Names like Hurricane B@st@rd, Hurricane Son-of-a-B*tch or Hurricane Sh*thead are quite appropriate, don't ya think? And if it happens to be lower than a Category 2, let's go with Hurricane Lil' P*ss Pot."

I think I'll write The National Hurricane Center and see if they'll jump on the bandwagon with me...

:> )

The Cow Game...

I remember as a young'un when our family would take a Sunday drive or better yet go on vacation, we'd play the Cow Game. We'd travel the roads and the first one to see a cow and blurt out the word "cow" got a point for it.

I guess it was similar to the "Slug Bug Game" (remember?) but no bodily harm was involved.
My sister was bigger than me and had a mean right jab. I never did like that game but she did.
To this day, I still flinch when I see a VW Beetle.

In honor of the Cow Game, I'm workin' on a mama cow and her baby.

"COW!!!"
A point for me...
:> )

I've Got Happy Feet...

I can't stop dancin'!!

That's because I received my amazin' Autumn Secret Swap from my To Dwell In Primitive Thymes sister Patty of Dogpatch Primitives! I've been on Cloud 9 ever since!

When the mailman pulled into our driveway, I literally ran out the door to greet him. My eyes got as big as saucers when I saw the box! I yelled out, "Is that for me??!!" he laughed and said yes. He didn't know what hit him after that. He lay there with stars circlin' his head as the trail of smoke from my heels went back into the house with the gigantic box.

I know this sounds corny as heck, but I really felt like I did as a kid on Christmas mornin'!!! I torn into the box like a monkey on a cupcake.

When I opened it, all this was in there!!!! Holy smokes! I almost had to be resuscitated. Hubs stood there in a white lab coat, paddles in hand ready to yell, "CLEAR!"!

Thankfully the paddles weren't needed and the hyperventilation lasted only for about an hour.

There was all kinds of wonderful gifts in there like fabrics, a chenille pumpkin, candy/chocolate/bubble gum, potpourri & all kinds of fantastic smellin' things! There was an old enamelware coffee pot, gourmet coffees, a cool old strainer, doggie treats for my three canine girls, two terrific Halloween hang tags by another TDIPT sister Susan of Country Crocks AND a beautiful card designed by yet another TDIPT sister Suzanne of Pear Tree Primitives! And did ya see that adorable candy corn garland?!

THEN! Standin' there in all her Americana glory was this FABULOUS pumpkin gal!
ISN'T SHE PERFECT ??!!

Patty, I can't thank you enough! Your generosity and thoughtfulness brought tears to this ol' countryfolk gal's peepers! I will treasure everythin'! Thank you again!!

Woof Woof...

I've got a few pooches finished and decided to offer them on my website.

Now its time to get back to sewin'!

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turnin'...

Back on September 11, 2001 I was workin' for an ophthalmologist. Tuesday was his surgery day so it was just me and his assistant in the office.

I was at my desk doin' some billin' and she was next to me on the phone talkin' to her mama. As I looked out into the waitin' room, I saw an image on the television. As my brain was tryin' to comprehend what I was seein', I heard her say, "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center?!" Just as she spoke those words, I then saw the image of another plane crashin' into the other tower. At the exact moment, we both turned (as if in slow motion) and looked at each other. We were speechless but our expressions spoke louder than any words.

I immediately called my hubs. I needed to hear his voice. That was my only focus at that moment. I was so relieved when I spoke to him.

Then I remember runnin' outside and lookin' up into the beautiful blue sky. What was I lookin' for? Actually it was what I was hopin' NOT to see. That's because we were not far from Griffiss Air Force Base.

As I sat and watched all the news footage, I cried. I still do. The media never showed some of the graphic footage I have seen.

I still cry for the folks trapped inside those towers with no way out.

I still cry for the brave New York police and fire rescue workers who ran into the burnin' towers not knowin' what had happened but knew they had to help thousands inside.

I still cry for the folks who stood on the ledge of those towers and made the decision to jump to their death. The sounds of their bodies hittin' the ground below still haunts me to this day.

I still cry for the folks on those planes, knowin' it would be their last day here on earth.

I still cry because we were targeted because we are Americans. It didn't matter our color, ethnicity, race or religion. I still cry because it could have been any one of us.

The only time I get angry is when I hear folks make comments like, "I'm so tired of hearing about Sept. 11th!" or "Its time to get over September 11th!"

Two of these four horrific tragedies happened in MY state, to MY fellow New Yorkers and to MY fellow Americans. I could never forget and I never will.

ONE
By: Cheryl Sawyer

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building,
We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope
We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno
We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss
We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heros
We become one people.

We are
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people

We are The Power of One.
We are United.
We are America.

If Only I Could Have A Puppy...

I'd call myself so very lucky.

There's more puppies to come...

(I'll keep ya posted)

:> )

Darla Laughs At All My Dog Jokes...

Q: What do you get if you cross a Beatle with an Australian dog?
A: Dingo Starr.

Q: What do you get if you cross a Sheepdog with a Rose?
A: A Collie-Flower.

Q: Why didn’t the dog speak to his foot?
A: Because it’s not polite to talk back to your paw.

Q: What do you call a dog with no legs?
A: It doesn't matter what you call him, he isn't going to come.

:> )

And They Called It (Clay) Puppy Love...

I still need to put a couple coats of paint on these wee pups but I thought I'd give ya a peek at what I'm workin' on. They will be offered on my Countryfolk Keepsakes website.

I'll keep ya posted...
:> )

The ReMatch...

In this corner... Twinkle-Toes Grrrrraaaaacieeeee!
And in this corner... The returning Champion...
Mr. Peeeeanut the Nail Clipperrrrrrrrrrr!

I know, I know, she's as cute as a button... But ya haven't seen the demon possession that takes place when she sees the nail nippers. As soon as she eyeballed them, her head spun around a couple of times as a projectile of pea soup came flyin' at me.

Yep, it was time for Gracie to get her nails trimmed again. I'm sure ya remember the last time. (Refer back to my May 6th post) This time I had a front row seat with my camera in hand, a tub of popcorn and a Big Gulp.

Hubs geared up for the scratch-&-bite-fest. Helmet, long sleeves, football pads, long pants, chest protector, elbow & shin guards, gloves, goalie mask and a cup. Just in case she decided to hit below the belt, she can be ruthless.

Man, she was like lightnin'! She jumped, hopped, slipped and even moon walked to get away from him. The "sport" settin' on my camera wasn't fast enough. She was a 6.9 lb. lil' blur.

Again hubs was as gentle as a lamb but was still sweatin' like a turkey on Thanksgivin' mornin' as they grappled.

I almost threw in the towel, but in the end hubs won the title yet again and Gracie has pretty perfectly pedicured lil' piggies.

The only thing left to do is clean up the pea soup.
:> )

There's So Much To Be Thankful For...

Seven lil' words we seldom hear these days.

We are livin' in a society with entitlement issues and a "me first" mentality. Many expect and demand immediate gratification and take much for granted.

I often wonder if the Pilgrims were alive today, how they would react to their New World. Would they be happy with what they saw or shake their head in disbelief?

Meet.. Elizabeth Tilley. The daughter of John and Joan Tilley and a passenger on the Mayflower.

A crackle technique was used to make her look like an old portrait paintin'. This special gal will be offered on The Humble Art come October 1st.

She is based on Sunnyknoll pattern.

Lookie Here, I'm A Hooker...

A rug hooker that is.

I reckon I will get a lot of hits on my blog from Google searches because of that title!
But there is goin' to be some disappointed folk out there when they see this post.

So I've decided to try my hand at hookin'. Boy, I have no idea what the heck I'm doin', but it sure is fun!

I played it safe and bought a kit for my first time. I found this adorable sunflower pattern on eBay from a gal in MA, her eBay ID is nfld55.
Ummmm... for you folks lookin' for somethin' other than rug hookin', don't bother clickin' on that link. Again, y'all will be disappointed.

Time to get back to hookin'.
Toot, toot... Hey... Beep, beep...
:> )

I'm So happy!! It's September...

Even the Holsteins are happy! Well... Kind of. Ya can't tell but they're happy on the inside.

I'm also happy because I received two awards!!! YaY!!

Patty of Tails from the Dogpatch

Diana of The Primitive Punkin Patch

Linda of Simple Tresures

Sherrie of Symple Tymes

Gina of Cat Nap Inn Primitives

Kelly of Mystical Entities

In my best Sally Field impersonation, "They like me, they REALLY like me!!!"

Thanks again!!!

:> )