~I'm Taking a bit of a break~

Good evening everyone. You will find "Be Back Soon" banners in my shops this month for both Simply Primitives & Early Work Mercantile. I have a show coming up June 13th & 14th and ...usually .....I exhaust myself trying to keep up with my online updates & prepare for a show at the same time.......then when the show finally arrives...I'm to tired to enjoy it....AND..I'm not going to do that this year....SO....I will be scarce around here until after June 14th....as I will be working away creating....in my studio...on my front porch.....at my dining room table..wherever the wind my take me.......;)!!!

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Before I go......I wanted to share my Blueberry Rhubarb Crumble recipe with you as many of you have asked for it since I posted the pic the other day...:)...Thank you all so much

Blueberry Rhubarb Crumble

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
2 cups fresh blueberries (You can use frozen...just be sure and thaw them first)
1/4 cup orange juice

Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cut-up

Heat oven to 350°F with oven rack in center. Butter the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix granulated sugar with 1/4 cup of flour and cinnamon in large bowl. Add rhubarb, blueberries, and orange juice and stir until fruit is well coated. Be careful not to break the blueberries. Spoon into prepared pan
Bake 30 minutes or until juices are starting to thicken and bubble.

Topping
Mix remaining 1/2 cup of flour with the brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Crumble over the hot fruit.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes longer or until juices are bubbling and rhubarb is fork-tender. Cool on wire cooling rack.
Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream or Fresh Whipped Cream! Enjoy

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I'll chat with you all soon!!!

:)Doreen

Run by Taylor Swift

This is my all time favorite George Strait song.....and gosh did Taylor do a fantastic job with it! I find this 19 year old........SIMPLY AMAZING!!! This is a live performance..........the entire show..which was a tribute to "George Strait~Artist Of The Decade" was amazing...but I think Taylor's performance was the best one of the night...other than George's that is!



~Okay..enough messing around.......BACK TO WORK FOR ME!!!

~A Long Weekend In Vermont~

~MMMM...Blueberry Rhubard Crumble~

AHHHH...long weekends are so wonderful...especially those with absolutely perfect weather... We planted our vegetable garden...added a few more herbs to the herb garden..put in our pumpkin patch.....planted some flowers....remulched all the gardens...attended two family bbq's...went to a party with friends....and did some haying...:)...it was wonderful.
~The Pumpkin Patch~

~Our Backyard~


~The Garden & The Pumpkin Patch~


~Scallions & Chives...and The bean teepee...just waiting for the beans to sprout up~
~View From The Deck~

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Now....Our Memorial Day was a bit different....although..more than likely....it was a typical Vermonters Memorial Day :).....we worked on The Browe Farm (Mark's sister Steph..and her husband Rick's Farm)......We "hayed it".......mowed....raked...baled and wrapped.


~My handsome husband..grabbing a round bale for wrapping..gosh he always looks so handsome driving a tractor~

~Pa...(Mark's Dad)...wrapping the round bales~

~Mark, grabbing another bale~

~Pa climbing down from the tractor as Mark places another round bale on the wrapper~ ~Mark...again....:)~~Look at the beautiful sky!!!!! The farm is just beyond the trees.....you can see the red barns if you look closely~
~One of the young ins' on The Browe Farm~

~A Perfect Long Vermont Weekend~

Joyous Holiday Weekend To You & Yours

Good morning. Our holiday weekend is starting off with some clouds and a cool breeze...however, they are forecasting 73*...and partly sunny....perfect for garden planting! Actually, a nice rain shower after we've put everything in the ground would be just lovely....as it would save on me having to water! :) We have a very busy weekend ahead...one full of bbq's, planting and gatherings......two bbq's are family affairs and then this evening we have a gathering with friends..... all of which should be lots of fun!

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I snapped a few pictures yesterday while wandering around the yard in the early evening while Mark was mowing the lawn.....

~Some of the goodies I got at our local greenhouse~


~Geraniums I purchased yesterday ...don't they look like roses...I love them, I planted them in the whiskey barrel at the bottom of the driveway~
~ Deep....Deep purple Lilacs....~
~Azalea bush~
~Our view from the bottom of the driveway looking away from the house~
~View from the bottom of the driveway looking toward the house:)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Wishing you all a most joyous & safe holiday weekend!
Doreen

~My Thoughts & Ramblings on Things I Can't Explain~

~Wednesday, May 20th~
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There are many things in life I can't explain........some I ponder on......some I look at in wonder & amazement....without even questioning their reason......and then there are those that I shake my head at..........feeling bewildered and shocked...thinking.....what on earth is wrong with this situation.......what is wrong....with this "person"
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It is this last one...the one I shake my head at....that is on my mind lately. I am a kind person...I never have been.......nor ever will be the kind of person that hurts someone on purpose.....Oh...I know I have hurt people...by my actions or words in my lifetime..but it was never done with a hurtful or malicious intention....That's just not who I am.......

Now...do not misunderstand me ............I am also not one to stand for injustice either..... If I see a wrong doing..... or know of a wrong that's being done to someone..I will speak up in a heartbeat....If someone has done me wrong.......well.....I can be pushed only so far.......then I will speak my mind....and say what needs to be said...THEN...I forgive.....forget....and move on .... 98% of the time.....when someone hurts you......it was unintentional.............they never meant to hurt you.........BUT..what about the other 2% ........that 2% category..that DID mean to hurt you........those that hurt you on purpose....and know exactly what they are doing....this is something I cant explain......



I believe our world is 98% wonderful........yes.....there is bad....there are horrific things done by horrific people.......evil things done by evil people.....and bad things done by bad people........these make up the 2% category!!!!.....

They vary a bit.........this 2% group.....these "2%ers"......some are absolute monsters...some are evil........and some are just plain bad......but ultimately........ they all have one thing in common.......they have no conscience......no morality...no ethics....no trigger that says "Hey..STOP...this is wrong"......How do "those" who reside in this 2% category live with themselves????? This is something I can't explain............

So what do you do.... how do you react..how do you handle & deal with one of those "2%ers".....????? Some would say....it would depend on the particular "2%" individual and their actions...as to the correct course to take......be they monster....be they evil....or just plain bad.........and ...YES.....definitely some of those nasty "2%ers" bear more "Action" than others..BUT...... what about those "just plain bad" "characters"??? What do you do with "them"?????

Well.....as Jane Austen would say..."Bad characters come to bad ends!!!!".........OH..these "2%ers" might "think" they are thriving...but really..........how much time do you think these "2%ers" spend on "thinking".....other than on their next plot to harm others that is....??? I would say....not much at all...IF ANY!!!


But WHY do bad things happen you ask.......why do these "2%ers" exist???? ......well..how would we know good....if there were no bad..........OR.....
Perhaps to remind us ........of just how wonderful our lives are....&.....how very sad "their" lives are.......Perhaps...so we remember..to be ever thankful for the good we have...and for who "WE" are.............But ultimately......This is something I can't explain...............

However....I believe 100%...with all my heart.... without a shred of doubt....... that God exist...... I believe wholeheartedly In KARMA.........& You will always...ALWAYS........"Reap What You Sow"!!!!


This concludes my Wednesday ramblings!!!

~Time For A Change~

As you can see....things are changing around here...I just felt it was time!!!

~Early Work Mercantile & Simply Primitives Offerings & Thank you Steph~

~Greta is preparing for her journey to her new home~ Thank you~
Good Friday afternoon to you! I had such a wonderful time getting Jenna settled into her new home...It's beautiful...and I know that she and Ben are going to be so very happy there. Jenna is thrilled the semester is over...she has just one more year left.. Kurt...he was glad to have the summer off...but he's also a bit sad as it will be a few weeks before he can see Aneesa again :(...they care about each other though..so I know they will make the time to see each other!

GOODNESS...there was a horrible storm up there yesterday with wind gusts of 55-60 mph...the power was out at the college..trees were down..it was an interesting time packing the car in such weather! I'll share photo's sometime soon..my camera is in my suitcase and I've not unpacked as of yet!

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I want to say an enormous THANK YOU to my friend Stephanie of Old World Primitives....for handling everything with Early Work Mercantile while I was away..everything went perfectly..and I was so relieved when I arrived home this afternoon and saw that everything was perfect!!! I was a nervous wreck leaving the site at such a crucial time..it was like leaving my child for the first time..but I need not have worried as I left it in perfect hands! Thank you again Steph!!!

I would also like to thank the fantastic artists on EWM for all their hard work and effort to make Early Work Mercantile such an outstanding site. I am once again amazed at the truly wonderful talent and depth of character all of you have! THANK YOU!

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Now..on to my Early Work Mercantile offerings & my Simply Primitives Offerings;

On Simply Primitives I am offering another one of my
"Weathersfield Sheep"
~SOLD, Thank you Barb~
...this herd continues to be one of my best sellers;
This guy is completely stuffed with sawdust...I was a bit worried about doing that as I wasn't sure he would end up being stiff enough to stand..but he is actually stronger and stiffer than if I had stuffed him with cotton batting and he smells fantastic!

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Early Work Mercantile Offering;

Please meet;

~Greta, A Field Folk Resident~

I just love this gal..she is FULL of personality..I can attest to this..as she is not at all who I expected her to be...my intentions were an olde.....grubby ......white pumpkin witch...but she refused..so I let her guide me as to who she wanted to be....& my "Field Folk Resident" series was born! I'm so glad I listen to my dolls!

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~ I'm off to refill my coffee cup, answer emails and send off a bunch of e-patterns ...then my sweet husband is taking me out to dinner.:) Have a wonderful evening everyone!

~Monday's Happenings~

Good afternoon. I thought I would pop in while I had a few minutes and say hello...as I am waiting on some doll accessories to come out of the oven! I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend and a Mother's Day filled with joy!

Today has been a crazy day..all of the sudden pattern orders have started coming in like crazy...they were slow for a bit..now It seems to be picking up again...I am also trying to finish up my Simply Primitives offering & finish a new doll for Early Work Mercantile. I will be offering only one item on each site from now until after my show in June...I'm so busy with the new site....orders and preparing for the show that I lay awake at night feeling like I should be up getting something done.... then of course..I toss and turn and barely get any sleep...and have to drag myself out of bed in the morning......My mom could shoot me and is always telling me....."you know...you need to relax once in a while"..I do actually relax here and there..it's just for short periods...at odd times...lol. Anyway..I will be relaxing (well sort of) in a couple of days as Wednesday morning I will be going to get Kurt (my sweet boy...at least I will get to have him home for a while longer) as well as help Jenna settle into her new home. I will be gone until late Friday afternoon.
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The lovely little gal in the photo above is who I am working on for Early Work Mercantile...she's not told me what her name is just yet...but she has picked out her clothing..which are actually the items that are in the oven right now....I just LoVe her rosy red cheeks...she and I went round and round about how bright they were...I wanted them toned down a bit...she however just would not have it..she wanted those bright and rosy cheeks...so I had to give in and let her have them...and you know....she was right...they suit her perfectly!

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~Before I go I wanted to share this sweet little picture with you......this is my Christmas wreath from two years ago...It hangs on my front porch...with..as you can see..this sweet little bird house in it...and this year for the first time..tiny little house sparrows have build a nest in the house...I was so thrilled when I saw them out there busily working away..making there home! I never throw my Christmas wreaths out...I keep them and hang them around the yard..they really make very nice nesting areas.


Alright....I had better get back to work..enjoy your day everyone!

~Joyous Mother's Day~

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden. ~Attributed to Claudia Ghandi.

Wishing you all a most wonderful & joyous Mother's Day!

Doreen

~Jenna~

~My Jenna~

....I have found her amazing since the moment she was born........... over 23 years ago........when I was just 19 years old........in the middle of a blizzard....she was two weeks early & weighed just 4lbs, 14oz ......& the healthiest baby in the nursery.......the when she was 6 months old & I handed her a little book to look at.....not realizing it was upside down...she looked at for a second..and turned it right side up!!!!!!!!!!!!! She talked early...oh gracious how she talked....she walked early..started school early...she was the youngest in her Kindergarten class.....the youngest in her class when she graduated...she is so amazing.....I could go on and on..the only thing she hasn't done early is leave home....and I am sooo thankful for that...but now......she has decided..the time has come!!! Jenna and Ben are moving in together......they both have jobs for the summer (as part of their internships for school)..they have rented a beautiful house with another couple from school....she will have a new home..her own home! I knew the moment I met Ben ....things would be different...things would change...when I saw them together...I just knew.......I remember saying to myself.."oh goodness..this is going to be serious"..he is kind and loving and just as bright and fun and brilliant as Jenna is...and he loves my daughter like all mothers want their daughters to be loved!!!!

As a mother...your childrens happiness means EVERYTHING ...and I can not tell you how good it feels to know how happy Jenna is!

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