Lucy Loves the Snow...

Studio View on a Snowy Day

This is the view I saw from the window in my studio while I painted today. It's like sitting in a tree house, looking through the branches. When I walked up to the workshop today it was extremely cold but not snowing yet. I always start to worry about getting back to the house in weather like this. The shop is on flat ground but there is a hill to go down to get back to the house. I have been asking for some steps to be put in for a number of years so that in snowy weather the steps could be cleared and make it easier to get back home. But...you know the story of the shoemaker whose children went shoeless...my carpenter husband, he who can build or fix anything, has never gotten around to it. I believe that he believes that I am surefooted and graceful and should have no problem in the snow or on ice. But after 35 years of marriage you would think he would see me for the klutz I am. I don't need bad weather to make me slip, trip or fall. So dear husband, if you read this, please put a set of steps in your plans of things to do this summer.

Not Just a Craft Show...

I found this old bentwood high chair at the Christmas Craft Show in Perry Hall, Maryland. Sheila Crocken, who runs the show, not only has a variety of hand crafted and gift items but also a whole room of used furniture, housewares and other great old pieces. The high chair does not have its tray but I think it can be pulled up to the table when darlin' Dylan gets a bit older. The chair is oak and I'm debating on having it stripped and refinished, or just cleaning it and painting it another color. It's been sitting in the shop since December so I think I'd better do something with it before Hubbie gets irritated with moving it around the room everytime he needs to use a saw or sander and tosses it out the door.

Springtime in Perry Hall 2010
starts on Friday, March 12th and runs through Sunday, March 28th.

Directions to the Perry Hall Community Hall
From I-95, Take Rt43 west to 1st light, HoneyGo Blvd, make right
Continue to Joppa Rd, make right
Go through traffic circle and make immediate left onto
Gerst Rd Community Hall is on the right.
For info call 410-382-5142

Rain...Wind...and Gutter Goes Flying

I woke up around 4 am to the sound of the wind howling and the rain pounding. Looked at Hubbie who sleeps like he's dead and Lucy curled up between us.
Stumbled down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water, look out the window and see the gutter
hanging off the front of the house. Wake the Husband who tells me he'll take care of it in the morning.
When daylight comes, the wind has already taken care of it...it's laying on the ground.

The ground is soppy and pulled at my shoes as I walked to the shop to start working today. The yard is full of downed branches from the large old oak trees we have surrounding the house. The sky is grey but it's about 55 degrees.

But I did notice a couple of bright spots in this day of gloom. The vinca in a pot by the house is blooming in January and the daffodils are pushing their way up all over the yard. Spring will be here in 54 days.

Here's to Good Women...

How wonderful are the Women of the Family...I have been so fortunate to have amazing women in my life. I was blessed to have my Grandmothers in my life until I was in my forties. My Mother and my Aunts have always been a loving presence. I have a beautiful Sister. We are so different in so many ways, but so alike in others. My brother married a funny, wonderful woman who is a Sister-by-Love. When I married my Husband, I received a the gift of a Mother, a Sister and a bit later, another Sister when Lou's Brother was married. I have an assortment of Nieces who are lovely and talented. I am blessed to have had a best friend who has been in my life for over fifty years. And...then there are my beautiful and amazing Daughters who are my true joy.

Dre is a Frisbee Dog

My first grandchild is this fur baby. He is definitely a Frisbee Dog and our Lucy certainly has not learned a thing about Frisbee catching from him. If you, remember from a previous post, Lucy lets the frisbee roll before grabbing it and even doing it that way, she still hurt her foot and needed to take a trip to the vet. Our Dre boy is really a frisbee dog...

Among Friends Craft Show

Just wanted to let locals know about about the Among Friends Craft Spring Show to be held on March 26-28, 2010. This show is run by a several talented ladies and is well worth visiting. Held in the Odd Fellows Hall on Bradshaw Road, the show is filled with wonderful handcrafted items. The "Ladies" take pride in the quality of items displayed and choose only handcrafted merchandise to be in their show.


Odd Fellows Hall
7801 Bradshaw Road
Upper Falls, MD 21156

Below is the link to their website.

http://amongfriendscrafts.com/firstpage.htm

Sandy Feet Welcome...

This photograph was taken on the Boardwalk in Ocean City over fifty years ago. From left to right...my aunt Joan who is carrying the the umbrella, my Dad, my Mom, my Grandmother Lil
( my father's mother) and my aunt Donna who is holding the metal sand buckets.
The toddler in the wooden stroller ...you guessed it...it's me. My Mom and her sister Joan were born ten years apart and Donna was born ten years after Joan.
Donna and I are more like siblings than aunt and niece.
I just love this old photo...I have so many wonderful memories of family gatherings at the beach. Sandy feet welcome when it's all in the family!

Better late than never I guess..

I've been waiting to put up photographs taken at Meagan and Erik's wedding by photographer Muriel Silva. Meagan told me that I needed to use the photos watermarked by the photographer so I was waiting on those. Today I was told all I needed to do was give credit and a link to the website.

http://www.murielweddings.com/

The ceremony was to take place outside but the weather did not cooperate and it had to be held inside of the barn instead. There are previous posts and pictures in September about the wedding of my beautiful daughter and her darling husband, but I did want to post several of the wonderful photographs from the professional.

Below Meagan dancing with her Father and Erik dancing with his Mother

Meagan and Erik with their high school art teacher, Diana Mand,
who introduced them with they were juniors at Loch Raven High School.

Purple Power...Baltimore Ravens

Everywhere you go in Baltimore this week, you see a purple glow. Baltimore has always been a football town and this week it's showing. Even my darlin' Dylan is showing his colors...not that he appears to be overly enthusiastic about it. Below is a link to photos of the local purple frenzy.

http://wjz.com/slideshows/purple.fashion.ravens.20.1413177.html

But I grew up cheering for the Baltimore Colts. My Dad was such a Colt fan. He had season tickets and never missed a home game. One Sunday every summer we'd pack a picnic lunch and my parents would take my brother, sister and me to a local college where the Colts had their training camp for the Colts Family Day. We got to meet the greats...Johnny Unitas, Gino Marchetti, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, John Mackey, Raymond Berry, Tom Matte and Coach Don Shula. I still have an autograph book that the players signed and my Mom has photos of us with the Colt players. When the Colts lost the Super Bowl, Dad took us all to the airport to welcome the team home. My memory of that is fuzzy but I think it was in the middle of the night when the plane landed. The Baltimore fans were there to cheer for their team.

I think even though my Dad was the biggest Baltimore Colt fan, he would cheering just as hard for the new Baltimore team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG9UFUzciBY

Dylan and the Other Babies

Look at those chubby cheeks...I'm sure when he gets older and looks at this photo he will say, "Geez Mom" but I think his first Christmas picture is just so cute.

We worried about how the other babies would deal with a new kid
but my first grandson Dre just adores his new brother.

Lucy is such a wild child, and we thought she would be so interested in the baby that we would have to worry about her jumping on him and kissing him. But she has surprised us. She always greets him with a sniff but then backs off and shows no interest. Have to wonder when Dylan is running after her how she will react.

Signs of Love

A Haunted House

As I have mentioned before, Lou and I promoted a craft show that traveled the east coast from MA to FL catering to Longaberger basket consultants and their basket loving customers. We also participated for several years in the street fair held in Dresden, Ohio called Dresden Days. If you follow Dresden's Main Street out of town, you travel through a small town called Trinway. Lou and I noticed this large brick house which was in disrepair as we would head to our hotel, and always hoped that someone would take on the task of restoring it. We were surprised to see it featured on Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. You can actually rent the place for a night if you want to go ghost hunting.

Prospect Place or the Trinway Mansion was built in 1856 by abolitionist George Willson Adams and was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Below is the link to the website about the mansion. Be sure to check out the interesting history and ghost hunting stories. There are also many other sites, if you do a search for Prospect Place, with information and pictures.

http://www.prospectplace-dresden.com/

Lucy Update...Big Birthday...Time with the Boy

An update on Lucy Girl...the vet called to let us know the results on Lucy's biopsy. It seems that the lump wasn't a tumor. It was scar tissue from an injury. Lou and I are trying to remember how she could have hit that spot so hard to have caused this. The lump was located on her right side, just where her back right leg meets her body. I guess that really doesn't matter how she did it...I'm just so thankful that it wasn't something worse.

On Saturday night we attended a surprise birthday for Lou's brother Charly, given by his wife Jen and his children. He turned 60 this week. The party was at his daughter's house. This time he didn't have a clue. When his wife threw him a surprise party for his 40th, he somehow found out. So Charly...did Jen do better at keeping it a secret, or is the old brain slowing down? You're only as old as you remember you are.

I spent two days this week watching my darlin' Dylan. It is just so much fun being Mom Mom. We sing together and dance. We read books and play with the new Christmas toys. But what he likes best is his jumpy seat. It hangs on a door frame
and is good for 30 minutes of pure jumping joy.

I'm dragging my feet about getting back to work. I'm finding it hard to make myself go up to the shop. I think this is the hardest part of what I do. I have been filling the orders I've received but not really working on stocking up on merchandise. I'm thinking that we'll be doing more shows this year, but we do need to have lots of product
to make it worth while to set up for a show.

Looks like most of the country is in the deep freeze...so to all, keep those tootsies warm.