TONIGHT on Early Work Mercantile...

Boy!! I've been busier than a rooster in a hen house creating new offerings!

Folk Art Great Horned Owl...




Hallowee-ones...
Aren't they fun??!!




Give Thanks...



Just click on the Early Work Mercantile banner below to go directly to my page.



Hope to see you there!!

:> )

My guilty pleasure while creating...

Every once in a blue moon (or as of late, blood moon) I indulge in a tasty treat (I know is really bad for me) while I work on my folk art.



Sure, it will cause me arthritic pain and inflammation tomorrow. But it was worth every "enriched" flour, high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40 bite!

Oh and if you look really hard you have a tiny, sneak peek at one of my offerings for Early work Mercantile tomorrow night!!

Sorry, frosted cherry P*p Tart not included.
See you tomorrow night!!

:> )

Hats are a great way to...

do subtle Halloween decorating.



Man, I have got to get a Ben Franklin wig for this tricorn hat!



Ooooooh!!! I could have a blast doing Founding Fathers pumpkins!!

Hmmm...

:> )

It's "Happy Dance" time...

Enjoy.

:> )

Tomorrow may be the official start to autumn...

But it started today at the ol' Countryfolk homestead and here's how you can tell.



I lit the first fire of the season and these two little fart blossoms didn't move an inch! Truthfully, I can't blame them. You become completely paralyzed from the "toastiness" when you're next to one.

Man, it was such a picture perfect autumn day, I decided to bake an apple pie.
There is nothing like walking out your door, picking apples off your apple tree and using them in a homemade pie.

Just because my surroundings are picture perfect, doesn't make me the same.
When I bake or cook, I make a huge mess and dirty every dish, utensil, bowl and pot within a 10 foot radius. If Martha Stewart was to walk into my kitchen when I'm cooking, I'd need to use a defibrillator on her.



Also, the visual of my pie crust is umm... something to be desired.
It looks like I made it blindfolded and with my feet.

But I'm fine with that because I know it's going to taste delicious no matter hideous it looks.
We'll just have to eat it in the dark. ((giggle))


Happy Tuesday, all.

:> )

Subtle Halloween...

When we lived in the burbs we'd get 300-350 kids on Halloween night. So I would go all out and decorate both inside and outside.

I would wear something silly when I answered the door too. Heck, I had more fun than some of the kids.

Unfortunately, we have no Trick or Treaters out here in the sticks. That is one thing I dislike about country living. Oh well...

So I've dwindled my Halloween decor down. Some are handmade by dear friends and some are store bought. But what I have continues to makes me smile.

Here are just a few...













I never tire of the Groucho Marx nose, glasses, eyebrows and stache. I crack up wherever I put them.



When I was a little kid, my mom put a small, plastic witch out every Halloween. I can't remember a Halloween when I didn't see her. I used to like to twirl her little legs around.
Then I got older, moved out and forgot all about her.

After my mom's passing, my sister and I had to clean out her home.
I opened up the large bin marked "Halloween" and started to go through it.

At the bottom of the bin, there she was!! Worn, but still intact. As I picked her up I can't even describe the flood of emotions I had. I am so very grateful my sister didn't mind me keeping her.



She will continue her yearly Halloween flight right here where she belongs at the ol' Countryfolk homestead.

♥

The expression "everything but the kitchen sink..."

isn't going to work.

Actually, it's more like "nothing but the kitchen sink."
Since at the moment I have nothing but the kitchen sink.
See...



I am very pleased I went with a cast iron sink. I think it will look terrific with the Soapstone Sequoia and my white cabinets.



This thing weighs a freakin' ton!

Man, you should have seen me trying to slide it around my kitchen floor. I'm pretty sure a couple of curse words slipped out.



Heck, I even splurged on the sink thing-a-ma-jig insert.
But seriously, 60 bucks for a sink rack??

Knowing my frugality, you can only imagine how difficult it was for me to hit that "add to cart" button.
((giggle))



But I did.

Happy Saturday, all.

:> )

Countdown to a new countertop...

Well the guy came yesterday to make a template for our countertop. Yippee!!!

Unfortunately a farmhouse built in 1861 is far from square. So when the countertop was updated back some 35 years ago, they literally cut into a section of wall to make the countertop fit. Boo* Hiss
But the guy was confident they can work miracles and said it will fit properly.

I'm trying to save myself a few pennies ( 30,000 to be exact) by doing the countertop removal myself. Although I'm not looking forward to what I'm going to find once we er I mean "I" rip into it. (I haven't broke that news to my sweet hubs yet)

My heart is hoping to find another original copy of the Declaration of Independence.
But my gut is telling me it will be more like petrified mice turds instead.



Oh well, a gal can dream.
((giggle))

Have a terrific weekend, all!!

:> )

Guess what today is?

It's Constitution Day."

You didn't know that?
Well, you do now.

Please read it and teach...



♥

It's beginning...

My favorite time of year.

Remember...
Enjoy nature.

:> )

I'll bet you a dollar I can make you smile...

Ready??!!



Notice the painted toenails too.

So you can go ahead and pop that ol' George Washington in the mail tomorrow.

Boy, this is better odds than the lottery!
((giggle))

Happy Sunday, all.

:> )

They were...

husbands, wives, mothers,



fathers, daughters, sons,



sisters, brothers, grandmas,



grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins.



They were someone's family.

They were someone's best friend.






Never Forget.

I've finally made a decision...

and I'm going with Formica's Soapstone Sequoia! Woo hoo!!
Since I wanted a finished edge around my peninsula, I had to go with their "ideal edge." I prefer the ogee over the bullnose.



When I used the Countertop Transformations kit a few years back, I bought a nice stainless steel sink and pretty bridge faucet. But I'm thinking it'll be too much grey and stainless.



In our first home I had an original, 1930's, massive (with drainboards) porcelain cast iron sink. Even though I occasionally broke a glass in there, I LOVED it!!!

It was similar to this one...




Since I don't have the room nor the $$ for such a wonderful monstrosity, I'm eyeballing a new white porcelain cast iron single bowl kitchen sink. I'll still keep my bridge faucet and clean her up a bit. She'll shine up like a new penny.
(I love that faucet)



I think it will look nice. Now I just have to wait...

Which is something I'm not very good at.
Wish me luck!!

:> )

"I thank you God for...

this most amazing day,



for the leaping greenly spirits of trees,



and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural,



which is infinite, which is yes."
~e.e. cummings



Me too.
♥


:> )

It has happened a second time in 15 years...

After cleaning the spare bedroom last night, I flicked on the hallway light and started to head down the stairs.

As I took my first step, I froze in complete fear!! I'm guessing by the look on my face you would have thought I saw the devil himself!

Knowing my sweet hubs was sitting on the sofa watching television in the living room below, I tried to speak. But all that came out of my mouth was "Hamana-hamana-hamana..."
Then as I'm watching it try to climb down another stair I scream, "THERE'S A MOUSE!!!!"

My sweet hubs gets up and says, "Where??"
RIGHT THERE!! RIGHT THERE!! as I point wildly!!
When he finally sees it he says, "Awwww.... He's just a little sh*t."

Really??!!! Just a little sh*t?! REALLY??!! I'm pretty sure that "little sh*t" wants to lunge at me and go for my jugular!!

As I see it start to move again deciding if it should come back up the stairs or go down, I begin to babble and panic even more!!
"Where am I going to go??!! Where am I going to go??!!" OMG, I can't run in the bathroom or bedrooms because there are lots of gaps in these old farmhouse doors and he'll get me!! I just know it!!



It is then my sweet hubs decides to try and grab him with one of the dogs' blankie that was on the sofa. Speaking of which neither one of my girls came to my rescue. Hmpf! Sure they barked when they heard me scream. But that was about it. They must have been too comfortable on my chair (that I never get to sit on) to be bothered with me.
Thanks for nothin', girls!!

Anyway, I then hear my sweet hubs. "Oooops! C'mere little guy... D*mn it!! Where'd ya go?? C'mon! Where are ya?? There you are! C'mere...
Got him!!"

He then opened the front door and gently placed him on the porch and watched him scurry off.

Now that I've had 24 hours to think about it...
Sure he was only a wee inch and a half long and sure he was probably a baby and more terrified than I was and sure he was so tiny he could barely make it down a step and yes, I may have overreacted just a bit. But if it ever happens again...
I will absolutely react the same way.

This is only the second time we've had a mouse in our actual living quarters. We usually have them in the attic and I never see them. Hubs takes care of "mouse duty." Like I always say, I love and adore nature. But not inside my house.

I guess I should consider myself lucky. Only 2 in 15 years? That's not bad for a farmhouse that's 154 years old.


Oh. One more thing. When I walked out onto the front porch this morning, there was a teeny, weeny, yellow, sticky note stuck about a half inch up from the bottom of the door.

It read, "I'LL BE BACK!"

:> )

I'd like to drop a few lbs...

I also like to find humor in it.











That last one just might work.

;> )

Have a terrific weekend, all!!

Backsplash Countertop vs. No Backsplash Countertop...

I have a backsplash countertop. But if I go through with getting a new countertop, I do not want one. I plan to bring the beadboard under the cabinets right down to the new countertop.

Since my cooktop is in my peninsula, I really have no need for a countertop backsplash except for one area...

Behind the sink. I really need something waterproof behind there.
Sure I could blame my sweet hubs and say he splashes water all over. But that wouldn't be the whole truth. That is because I am the biggest culprit when it comes to splashing water. (Did I just type that out loud?)



Sorry. These are older, pre tin tile ceiling photos.



The other problem is it's only 4" high.



So I'm thinking about placing listello tiles underneath the lower window casing. I would also continue it the length of the window casing. Then have the beadboard on each side of it.

Does that make sense? Or am I cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?

Truth be told, I am not a tile kind of gal. Especially... **Okay. No cursing or tomato throwing** subway tile. I know it's all the rage and most kitchens and/or bathrooms have it. So I am probably the only woman in the world who isn't a fan of it.

But I have my reason. **Okay. Now all my fellow New Yorkers who live in NYC please close your eyes and do not read the next two sentences** As a young girl my first trip to the Big Apple was in the 1970's during their MASSIVE garbage strike.
The sights... The odors... The rats... It was absolutely disgusting and I never forgot it.
Unfortunately, that's what subway tile reminds me of. Crazy, but true.

THEN when I laid my peepers on this gal's backsplash, I fell in love with those listello tiles!



Just beautiful! Look at that sweet, beading tile!



If anyone wants to throw in their two cents about their kitchen backsplash or has any backsplash ideas, please do so.


P.S.
Have I told anyone I have no idea how to tile???

Oh well... I'll have to learn the hard way.

:> )