Mind Travels

Old tintypes and wondering what their lives were like.....
Women that followed their heart's work and succeeded beyond what the time and the people ever could imagine.

Never forgetting where we've been and realizing that we can still move forward.

Knowing that life is to short to waste . Embrace dear friends and family and enjoy goode people that will always touch your life.

My favorite ending of a day is with a cup of hot tea.

Springing Forward!

Spring is on it's way and the sap is running great! A trip to the sap house to visit cousins Mike and Lori is always a herald of Spring in this house. They will be very busy with approximately 1500 tapped trees. Some hobby!

My Red Winged Black Bird has arrived very late and calls for a mate every morning. I love listening to the birds wake up in the wee hours and welcome the sun. Netty and I are both coming out of hibernation and the show acceptances are coming in. We have one that is particularly exciting this year. It is perfect for us and our love of history. We have such a good time visiting each other and both come away inspired. We had such a good time discussing some of our favorite dolls. She has watched me study her way and the way of extreme primitives with a smile and a twinkle of her eye. She still can't believe that I still enjoy all that sewing!

There are so many things we want to do, and so little time! I have a new direction going forward that should open our show possibilities a little more. Every business has to grow and when it is at a point that it will be available to you, I will be announcing it. I have also joined a wonderful online group of ladies with varied talents and expertise in the 18th century. I am having a wonderful time learning so much. I don't have too many idle minutes in the day, but I am trying to spend time learning from these ladies and watching the John Adams series. Thank goodness for "On Demand" viewing. Not only can I watch it when I can, but I can squeeze it in to my schedule a few scenes to a time.

A very special THANK YOU to everyone that has sent prayers, picked up the phone or emailed me as my Father continues to improve. It is indeed a slow go and I am busy with special meals and Dr. appointments. I am very blessed to have so many friends here .

Keeping Traditions

Holidays bring more than families together. Years ago, Father Hal offered the women of his Church, the basement. A place to teach and learn to do Pysanky. The beautiful work is done with beeswax and dye on raw eggs. I took a class from Mrs. Prehoda several Springs ago. I enjoyed the labor intensive work and was quite proud of my dear little egg. Unfortunately, it blew up some time later. I do carry with me a sense of awe at the intricate work these ladies of our community do.

As a young girl, it was always my job to mill tomatoes on Sunday morning before Mass. The pot would simmer away as we all went to Church. My Gram would cook the meat when we got home and add it into the pot. There was much love added to the herbs and stirring that continued all afternoon. If there was a holiday, the sauce and meat would start the same way. The difference would be in the macaroni and the involvement of the whole family. The macaroni would be made from scratch and assembly would take the effort of everyone. My Grandparents are both gone now and at a time when my parents can't continue the traditions of our families, I can. I taught Tim to make the delicate crepes that would be Manicotti. The girls helped with stuffing and rolling them and a fine Easter meal was put together. The best part was watching the smiles and misty eyes of both parents. We haven't had this dish since my Grandmother's passing eight years ago. Our family may be smaller and some are far away, but hearts and memories keep us close. Both family and community.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

A simple Happy St. Paddy's Day to all of you. We celebrated with the traditional feast yesterday, so that Tim could enjoy a family gathering while he was here this weekend. He made us a loaf of Maggie Burnes soda bread and I cooked the corned beef with all the trimmings. We are truly blessed indeed. From all of us here, we wish you a happy, healthy and very safe holiday..... and no , brother Steve, I may be the shortest in the family, but I am not a Leprechaun.

CELEBRATING & GIVING BACK

The Raven's Haven Pattern line turns 5 years old today. There are 113 patterns now. I remember taking a Micro enterprise course given by the county in hopes that it would quiet all my fears about making a living from my art and how to go about it. A leap of faith taken and here I am. I've had wonderful customers touch my life and make even the dreaded chore of getting everything ready for taxes, worth every minute of it. I have never worked such long hard hours and given so much of my heart . I'd do it all over again without a thought. The best way I could think of to celebrate was to give back to all of you. I could not have made it without you. That's where this little guy comes in. Meet Little Creek.

Little Creek was a request from Tim after I made him Rosie the beagle. Tim is a rabbit hunter and Rosie is best team mate. When he asked me to make him a running rabbit, I thought I would go for the long stretch look, but Tim had a different version in mind. We sat one afternoon looking up pictures of rabbits in motion, to get what he had in mind. Because I draw, faster than I can keep up and sew, I have asked friends and new artists to try some of my designs, so that I could see if they needed tweaking. They can then use the design as long as they give designer credit to me. Thank you Doreen Frost, when you first put him on Crow Soup, I had many emails asking if he was a pattern. He was a bit small, so I sent him to be licensed instead. He has done well there, but many who saw him through Doreen, have written and asked if they could make him for themselves. I have taken the best part of both designs and made Little Creek, just for all of you. Little Creek is 8" long and 6" tall. If you would like to use him with Rosie, he will need to be reduced by 50% and you do have permission to do that. The pattern is FREE, and to get it, just send a LSASE to me,

Stacey Mead

PO BOX 165

Granville, NY 12832

I'm a YA YA!!!

Thank you Kat from Katerpillars No More for sharing this wonderful honor with me. And to know I'm a YA YA on top of it! I need to make a hat! There is a great crown idea in the latest Somerset magazine using chicken wire! Now that is me! ...minus all the lace and fancies of course... a crown would be good, perhaps with a chicken bone attached to represent my oneness with the movie. As with all my friends here, Kat is such a gift! If you haven't met her, there is a link to take you to her blog! And I'm off to find some friends to embrace in the spirit of Ya Ya. I can't put my whole list here can I??? hmmm...

June~ from Ruby Junes~ quietly steadfast and always a friend.
Cassie~ from Mockingbird Hill~ A great friend and YaYa in the Rick Club.
Lori~ From Stitches in Tyme(Notforgotten Farm)~ a wonderful spirit and she has the perfect Ya Ya crown already if you visit her blog! I'll have to dig up my picture to share!

Thanks to all of my friends here that touch me in so many ways. Tomorrow will bring the opening of TDIPT and also a celebration. For those who have sent well wishes and prayers to my Dad, he is home, finally but it will be a while before he regains everything. I will only be working part time for now so that I can take care of both parents.

Pulling The Strings A Little Tighter

Most everyone is feeling the grip of the economy lately. Here in Upstate NY, we have felt the pinch for quite a few years now. This was at one time, quite a tourist area. Ski slopes were not that far away for the winter and the nearby lakes have been enjoyed by many throught the summer. The winters haven't been as lengthy or snowy as they once were.Many of the nearby areas built outlet malls to keep the tourists here and are finding that with it, they lost the charm of some very quaint little villages. Now with gas prices and the mortgage crisis, I wonder what will become of places such as this area, where so much industry has gone overseas, and the tourism dollars may be scarce.

The garden will be a little bigger this year, I am sure. Already, we are planning out what to plant. We decided last Fall that we really wanted to spend more time together with the kids. Picnics in the park by Tim's and some in the old cemetaries here are top on our list. Lazy evenings by the pool and an occassional movie at the Drive In are favorites here. We have a area that we make a fire at as often as we can~ the kids all enjoy roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. It is a time for us to talk about our day, voice our hopes and dreams and yes.. even a scarey story is told. Keep it simple...

The area has been seeing some regrowth this past year and should continue ahead. We are all unsure what the nation's economy will do in this area, but we remain possitive. We plan a little more, to waste a lot less. Slow down and enjoy what we have with friends and family. Realize in all of this, that we are rich indeed.