Hooray For The Red, White And Blue...

Meet... Uncle Sam.

Many of y'all know I'm a patriotic gal so I made this feller especially for
The Humble Arts one year anniversary celebration.
He is my latest Paperclay creation and will be offered on the site on March 1st.

So please stop by and see how we've spruced up the place for our celebration and check out all the fantastic offerins'!

We'll leave the light on for ya!!

HOLY COW! I ALMOST FORGOT...

Y'all remember when I told ya about the Firewood Folks set I just had to work on?! Well they are finally finished.

Do y'all remember this famous Americana portrait?

They are bein' offered on my Countryfolk Keepsakes website.

We're Sittin' Here Tonight Flippin' Through The Channels...

When we came across the Hollywood movie stars walkin' down the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

Is it just me, or do y'all notice the resemblance?

:> )

Feast Your Peepers On His Peepers...

Here's a sneak peek at my very special offerin' for The Humble Arts one year anniversary bash come March 1st!

I've been workin' on him for weeks so he is very dear to my heart.

If ya haven't yet, hop on over to The Humble Arts and join our email list. If ya do, y'all will automatically qualify for free giveaways! YaY!!!

I Heard The Crash...

I was walkin' down along the towpath when I heard this horrific sound. A sound I would like to forget, but livin' on this patch of state route highway; have heard so many times in the past. So often, our fire department gave us emergency flares to keep on hand in case of future accidents.

I could see in the distance cars startin' to slow down in front of my home. All kinds of worried thoughts ran through my head. I immediately called my hubs on the cell phone but the line was busy. (He was callin' 911) I knew it was bad. When I finally got to the front of my property, this is what I saw.

From what we heard, the man drivin' the SUV (on his side) was transportin' a cancer patient. The young fellers in the other car pulled out in front of him and got T-boned.

I have to say for a small podunk town, our volunteer fire department are the BEST! They arrived within minutes. I commend each and every member for a job well done. Even though three ambulances were called, (thank the good Lord above) everyone survived.

I can't tell y'all how many times these kinds of accidents happen in front of our home and some were not so lucky.

Yeee-Hawww!!! Thanks Goob...

My bestest buddy Cookie of Curds-And-Whey nominated my blog to receive the "You Make My Day" award!

Now I need to start squintin' my eyes and do my best Clint Eastwood impression, "...you've got to ask yourself a question, Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

Let's see now... I'd like to pass this award on to:

TJ ~ Humble Origins
Kat ~ Katerpillars No More
Robin ~ Bird In The Hand Primitives
Jean ~ Bluejean Primitives

Make sure y'all check out these blogs!! They are wonderful!!
Congratulations gals! Y'all deserve it!!

He's So Tired...

of bein' alone, he's so tired of on his own. He's so tired, he has to lie down.

But he's really tired of waitin' for me to give him some hair and stitch up his clothes. He's freezin'!

This mornin' I saw his lil' neked bald self curled up next to the woodstove with Darla.

Poor lil' neked bald feller...

I'll keep ya posted.

Its Presidents Day...

Men of integrity, character and faith.

One started our country,

the other saved it.

If only we still grew 'em like this...

I'm Head Over Heels For...

HEADS. (Y'all though I was goin' to say Tears For Fears, didn't ya?)

I've got so many ideas floatin' around in this noggin of mine, I can't keep up!

The clay head is a new creation I'm workin' on. I love playin' with Paper Clay. Its the next best thing to playin' in the mud.

The two heads are my next Firewood Folks. This is the set I was tellin' ya about. They don't look like much without hair.

But they do kind of look like those Tears For Fears fellers. :> )

Everybody wants to rule the world...

Time to get back to work!

I Went For A Walk Today...

And froze my keister off!

It was so cold, the fish had lil' cardigans on.

Just prior to snappin' this pic two ducks sailed across the creek, one with his wings spread out. In the distance I heard him shout, "I'm on top of the world!" (He must be a DiCaprio fan)

As beautiful as winter is, I am sooooo ready for spring!

Gee, I wonder if Punxsutawney Phil needs to hit the liquor store again... sigh

Its February 14th...

Truthfully, I was never much into Valentine's Day, even in my younger days. It seems so superficial to me.

I don't need 100 bucks worth of roses and a huge box of chocolates to tell me he loves me. The flowers will last all of a week and I might as well glue those chocolates, lil' papers and all right to my inner thighs because that's where they're goin' to end up anyway.

I'm a much more practical gal. Ya know what would be a nice Valentine gift? A houseful of new windows. Now there's a gift! If he really loves me, he won't want to see me danglin' out the window with a bottle of Windex in one hand while tryin' to hang on and wipe with the other. Nothin' says "I love you" more, than double hung tilt-ins.

Sure diamonds are nice but unless I plan on wearin' lots of bling in the produce department at Hannaford Supermarket; I'll pass. Instead, he can do the grocery shoppin' for me for a whole month. Let him drag the cart through the unplowed parkin' lot full of snow as one wheel locks up. Now THAT'S romance for ya!

I don't need a PajamaGram either. Heck, if I had the shape of any of those gals on that TV commercial I wouldn't need pajamas. I'd be prancin' around the house without a stitch on 24/7. But since I don't, I'll take a pair of Hanes sweatpants with matchin' sweatshirt. Preferably in red, seein' it's Valentine's Day and all.

Dinner is always nice, but no real fancy frou-frou restaurants for me. If there's more silverware than your basic fork, spoon and knife on the table; I'll spend more time worryin' which one is the salad fork and I won't enjoy myself. I'm happy anywhere as long as they don't ask me if I'd like to supersize my meal or I have to bus my own table.

Happy Valentine's Day Folks!!!

Lookie Here!!!

Robin of Bird in the Hand Primitives chose me to receive the "Art Prize and Award". Thanks darlin'!!! Y'all are a sweetheart!

This prize has arisen from the daily visits that I dedicate to many blogs which nourish me and enrich me with creativity. In them I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art.

So now I pass the torch to the followin'...

Cookie of Curds-and-Whey
Stace of Tattered'nTorn Prims
TJ of Humble Origins

Sorry, But I Had To Take A Detour...

I was plannin' on startin' my new (top secret)series of Firewood Folks when suddenly, I felt this tremendous urge to work on a completely different set of them.

This new idea kept gnawin' at me. I tried to fight it but it was just too dang strong! Ya see, I kept hearin' these voices... Then I realized the T.V. was on in the other room. But it sure did scare the bejeepers out of me enough to decide to get crackin' on them.

So for now, my neurotic self won't allow me to work on anythin' but this new set.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Happy Birthday Mr. President...

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have."

I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

"Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

"Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow."

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

~Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865

YaY! She Came Today...

I recently won the sweetest paintin' of a sunflower on eBay. It was painted by my good friend Dix of Northdixie Designs. What a talent this gal is!

First I must apologize for outbiddin' another good friend, Sage to win it. I'm sorry darlin', I just had to have her! But we all agree higher bids benefit the artist, which is why we don't mind biddin' against each other.

I carried her around my home and asked her where she'd like to settle down. I had planned on hangin' her in my work room but since I need to get her a frame, she had other plans.

So for now she chose to rest in my kitchen on an ol' antique cupboard. Gee, I hope she doesn't notice the pile of dishes in the sink. Maybe I'd better go point her in another direction.

Thanks again Dix! I love her! :> )

Time To Get Crackin'...

on my next set of Firewood Folks.

I went to the fabric store this weekend to pick out different material for them. Oh how I LOVE to shop for fabric. But its like a sickness!

As I enter the store, I immediately zero in on the perfect fabric. Its some kind of bizarre fabric radar I have.

At first I become like a deer in headlights, unable to move. When I catch my breath, I make a mad dash down the isle. The whole time I'm wheelin' my cart, I pray the gal standin' near it isn't goin' to reach out and grab "my" bolt. But if she does, I think I can take her.

When I finally get both hands on it, I hang on so tight the lady at the cuttin' counter has to practically wrestle it away from me.

Then she asks me the dreaded question, "How much would you like?" As the room starts to spin from the anxiety, I'm thinkin' "Should I buy it all?! If I don't, what if I come back for more and its gone??!! How much a yard is it again?! Do I have a coupon?! Do I have my credit card with me?! Will they take Monopoly money?!

Then as I look over my shoulder, I see that same gal (the one in the isle), eyeballin' "my" fabric from behind...
"I'll take it ALL!" I answer.

As I stroll away from the cuttin' counter, I whistle the Andy Griffith Show theme song.

Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho and a Couple of Tra La La's...

My Wizard of Oz Firewood Folks auctions end this Sunday night on eBay.

Well, I've decided what my next series of Firewood Folks are goin' to be but I'm not tellin' just yet.

I'll get crackin' bright-n-early tomorrow mornin'. So if y'all hear the buzz of a chainsaw, don't worry... It won't be Leatherface, it will only be me.
Or will it?! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Can't Shake Those Winter Blues?

*Sigh*

This time of year can be rough for many folks. One of the keys (for me) to stayin' positive, is laughter. After all, it is the best medicine.

Here are some things I like to do:

Watch a funny movie. Slapstick comedies always make me giggle no matter how silly they are. Airplane's famous one liners like "Surely you can't be serious? "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley." still cracks me up. Or in Caddyshack when Rodney Dangerfield says at a frou frou dinner party, "The last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it." There's no better feelin' than a big ol' belly laugh to the point of tears.

Go for a walk. Doesn't matter whether y'all live in the city or country. Get those bones up and out the door. Y'all may huff and puff for the first few tries, but don't get discouraged. Just keep pluggin' along. I guarantee y'all will feel better lickety-split.

Plan a garden. Again, y'all don't need to live in the country to have one. Even if ya plant herbs in lil' pots on your window sill, it is just as excitin' knowin' you helped make somethin' grow.

Listen to music from when y'all were a young'un and dance, lip sync or air guitar. I personally like to pick up each one of my canine girls and dance around the house with them. (I've been known to do it outside too) Who cares if I've got two left feet and can't dance worth a lick! Darla loves to disco, Hannah is a Skynard fan and Gracie enjoys it when we "moonwalk".
Got any tips y'all want to share? Tell me about 'em!

"You Think I'm Going Where??"

"To the vets?!! Guess again, sister!!"

Sure she's a cute lil' 6 pound Chihuahua, but she turns into Cujo when she goes to the vets to get her nails trimmed.

I experienced this for the very first time. Hubs usually takes her because in the past she's been (as he puts it) a "handful." But I had the honors of escorting her this time.

She started to become possessed when we pulled into the parking lot. She immediately crawled up my shoulders and literally onto my head. I tried to calm her down by talking to her and bribing her with her Nyla-Bone. She was having no part of it and continued to crawl all over me as we sat in the waiting room.

The door opens and a sweet lil' dew drop of a girl says "Gracie?" "That's us." I responded, as we proceeded to walk into the exam room.

I placed her on the exam table. She sat there petrified but was being a good girl. That was until our vet walked in the room... Then all h*ll broke loose! She must have left an impression on him since her last visit because he had a tiny lil' muzzle in his hand along with her chart.

"We just have to slip this on her face,", he says. "WE?! You got a mouse in your pocket, Doc? Sorry, but I'm not on your payroll", I thought to myself. But I knew there was no turning back and I had to get the job done.

So after using a few Greco-Roman wrestling moves on her (I learned while watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship), we finally got the muzzle on. Whew! Now he comes at her with the nail nippers. I saw the look in her eyes... She literally put her front paws up to the sides of her face and whipped it off her head! I swear Houdini couldn't have gotten out of that muzzle faster than she did. If there was a doggie world record, she would have taken the gold.

Round two... We get the muzzle back on her. This time using a double knot, staples, velcro and Gorilla glue. (Nah, I'm just pulling your leg. I didn't use the Gorilla Glue) But we made sure she couldn't get out of it.

He proceeds to try and clip her nails as all three of us "dance" around the exam room. After carving me up like a Thanksgiving turkey with her nails, I said I have had enough. He got all but two and that was good enough for me. As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, I apologized for her wild behavior and paid the bill. I'm surprised he didn't charge me triple for that one.

We get home and she's back to her sweet lil' self, romping around the house and playing with her sisters like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile I'm in the bathroom with the First Aid kit tending to my battle wounds. I even had scratches on my stomach!

When hubs came home from work he pipes up, "How did she do?" After he saw the look on my face he said, "Not so good?" Gee, was my bloodied hands, arms and torso a dead giveaway?

New York Giants Or New England Patriots?

The New York Giants, of course!

But for the record, I must say I don't know a dang gum thing about football. I don't understand the game no matter how many times hubs has tried to explain it to me.

Terms like down, blitz, hail mary, tight end and yardage are all too confusin'. To me "Hail Mary" is a prayer, "yardage" is at the fabric store and a "tight end" is, well... ;> )

But every year, we plant ourselves in front of the T.V. (like millions around the world) and watch the Super Bowl. As long as I know what color "my" team is wearin', I'm fine.

For all you football fans, enjoy your day!! For all you non football fans especially "football widows"... Now's the time to hop online and do some shoppin'. Sweet Revenge!

HOLY SMOKES!! I may not know a thing about football, but that was an AWESOME game!! I was even screamin' at the T.V.! Woo-Hoo!!! Congratulations New York Giants!! YaY!

Will He Or Won't He?

Judgin' by the sleet and freezin' rain we had all day, I'm goin' to go out on a limb and say Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow tomorrow mornin' and we'll have another 6 weeks of winter.

Meanwhile, he'll be back underground layin' in his lil' groundhog tannin' bed, sippin' Alabama Slammers, listenin' to the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" while we're freezin' our rumps off!

Hmmm... I wonder if I can squeeze down that hole?

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama...

PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL UPDATE:
I was right! I knew somethin' was up when I saw him with a fifth of Southern Comfort in one paw and a fifth of Sloe Gin in the other. See ya in 6 weeks Phil. **Sigh**