Blink.....

She's 14. Where is that little baby I held so close and rocked to sleep? The scraped knees, the melted ice cream she wore.....has grown up in a blink. Not all the way, thank goodness, although she would tell you otherwise. She is my boy-crazy girl that is ALL girl~ all that glitters.

I wasn't prepared...not at all. After her surgery in March, she was tutored at home and then there was summer vacation. Two days after school started, we met Greg, Bailey's boyfriend. He's funny and smiles a lot. A good balance to a more serious Bailey. They seem to have a good friendship, but Homecoming? A date? So soon??? Bailey was very matter-of-fact as to what kind of dress that she wanted and where to get it. She wanted something strapless or a halter look to it. It had to be long too. Within 30 minutes she had found it (much to my surprise) I asked her if it bothered her that it showed her back and her scar. It didn't bother her in the least and she let me know that it was just a scar. I told her that she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was the outside. She's not quite understanding that, but she will. You see,Bailey has Asperger's Syndrome. An Autistic spectrum disorder. She is wired a bit differently and it can be difficult for her socially. I'm very proud of her, she's had many struggles in her 14 years....but look at her shine!

Beginnings

Netty and I have been doing a lot of reminiscing lately. Time and art moves on for artists and we are constantly exploring and changing. I've always given Netty credit not only for showing me the world of primitive dolls, but encouraging me to find my way in whatever direction or media captured me. She's always been there for me and a trusting soul. She told me several weeks ago that I had made my own way (with my dolls and patterns) years ago. It made my heart smile to hear those words from my beloved friend.

Jessie, was nearly 3 years old the first year that Netty asked me to her home with some work for me. I would draw and sculpt for Netty. Now Jess has just turned 12 but it seems like just yesterday that Netty and I would work and fine tune images for chalk ware. I only worked that one year with her and had not sculpted until this summer. I have had the time of my life designing dolls. Netty has continued her chalk ware journey with her own images along with her papers and wax. The fun and magic of The Good Wives is that we don't know what the other is working on. Netty knows I will have dolls and I know that she will have papers and castings. When we get to the show and start setting up, it is the most wonderful time looking at each others pieces and simply enjoying the artist that each one is.

I do still get the urge to sculpt and have wanted to explore chalk ware. I grew up surrounded by the world of ceramics. I have done a bit of sculpting and learning of the chalk ware process to feed my artistic soul. It's fun, but it comes behind family and the world of patterns and design. I thought I would share a peek of the mold making process. It will take a lot more exploring and learning and that is what makes it fun. I am circling back to some of my old beginnings and they are now new. Life is pretty neat like that.

Perhaps now is a great time to click on Netty's link to the left. There you can see Netty's fine website and enjoy her work. I am particulalry fond of her chalkware witch shoes~ she never ceases to amaze me. They are a must have!

Fall Whispers

It's here already... slowly creeping in like the the foggy dew that you can see settled in the valleys very early in the morning. It's the cooler mornings turning crisp, the smell of leaves, woodsmoke from stoves early in the morning and late at night....it is also the smell of apples. Today, we will head up North to my home from the Comfort Cottage. The apples have been ready now for a couple weeksnow, but we usually wait for a frost to pick them. With that comes a favorite dessert, the recipe, a gift from a wonderful friend. Jean worked with me at a store. She is a farmer's wife and she has worked the farm along side her husband and sons. They are of hearty farming stock; warm and friendly people. With calloused hands and twinkling eyes, Jean would bring us goodies for our break at the store. We were often amazed at that ,for we knew that she was up before the sun to help with milking and feeding her family along with other chores. She is a wonderful cook and her joy is baking. She would often share with me that she wished that she had been a baker. This recipe shows Jean at her best. It is served with what they call a sweet gravy. Try it, I'm sure it will become a fall favorite and tradition for you as well. Thank you Jean for sharing your love of baking and recipes with all of us at the store. The store is no longer there, but your warm smile and kind ways stay with me as a favorite along with this recipe.

Apple Dessert with Sweet Gravy

Fill a buttered baking dish 1/2 full of sliced apples. Pour some cinnamon sugar over top of apples, In bowl mix 1 cup of flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp soft butter and 1/2 cup water. Pour over top of apples. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until done. Serve warm with sweet gravy on top. Serves 4.

Sweet Gravy

2 sticks margarine 1 cup flour
2 cups water 1 cup sugar
nutmeg to taste

In sauce pan melt margarine, add flour and sugar, mix well. Add water, stir and cook until thick. Remove from heat and add nutmeg. Serve over apple dessert or other desserts. Best if served warm.

Summer's Goodbye Song~

Summer has quietly gone and now Fall whispers in the air. The leaves are at about 25% color here. The mornings have been foggy and you can smell the wonderful smell of leaves. What I wouldn't give for a candle that would have such a wonderful scent! The picture was taken about 3 weeks ago. Bailey,Jess and Rosie wanted to join in the picture with the sunflowers at peak. Now they are gone, our way of giving thanks to our wonderful birds and animals that keep us company at the Cottage. I have much to share and catch up with in the coming days...to include a wonderful apple recipe. It's a bit different, and received from a dear woman that continues to work and farm alongside her husband and sons... and enjoys time with her grand babies. It will be sure to please....

http://www.avagraceangelsunaware.com/

Take a moment will you, or better yet, make yourself a cup of tea and follow the link to Ava Grace. The auction went live yesterday and will continue until the 22nd. There are many pages of heartfelt donations that artists put their love into for dear Ava. For you, it is a chance to help and receive something special. You can also make a donation without bidding. Take a moment...make a difference.

For Ava~

God Bless America

Hear Ye....Hear Ye!!!!

http://www.yeoldhagshaunt.com/
Meet mean ole Francine.......................
And Duncan, with his prize winning pumpkin..........
And my personal favorite, Eleanor Higgins.

It's time!!! I'm very pleased and excited to be a part of this magazine. As most of you know, I sell my patterns online, but a finished piece 0nline is very rare. Finished pieces are usually available through the couple shows I do a year or the few stores that I sell my work in. The pattern design and licensing keep me very busy along with my home and family life. I decided this summer that I wanted to do an online magazine and mentioned it on the hag's forum, a couple weeks later Donna ( of Cameo Moon) had a surprise for us...the rest is history. When Donna told us that she had a surprise, she meant it! What a fabulous idea. Halloween is my favorite time of year and for those of you that know me, you know my passion for 1700-1800's Graven Art. Such a goode opportunity from a wonderful friend. Special thanks go to Verlene Brooks for doing all of the work to get this magazine up for Donna~ she has made Donna's dream come true and given us an opportunity to further ours in creativity.~~~ On a special note, I shall return here on the 17th when I finish the show at Eagle Mills. It has been very busy with patterns and getting ready for the show~ Thank all of you so much for your patience with the pattern orders. While the days here are always full ones, I look forward to enjoying my favorite time of year......you can smell the leaves already here!

Miss Maddie's Wee Family

Life circles continually and touches our lives. Jessie's wee little mouse, Ty (he had the same hairdo as Ty Pennington) passed quickly in July with no warning. Off we went to the pet store because Jess is is all about her animals. I decided that 2 mice would be ok...as long as they were the same sex. Silly me~ Maddie had babies a month later. They are 3 weeks old today, eyes opened and running all over. The top mouse is Elvis with his white belt. The middle mouse is Cody and the tiny little brown mouse on the bottom is Hershey. I think Hershey will be staying with us along with Miss Maddie. Some of the others do have homes now. Finding homes for 7 mice is a challange! It was great to see wee new little lives and welcome them , but as new lives begin...others pass. I received word on Tuesday that my longtime friend Mark, had lost his battle with cancer. He was my age. He was from the Seattle area but his heart was was in Upstate NY and it was his dream to move back here. We had many talks over the years of life, death and spirituality. He is home now and without pain. I have taken time to reflect and honor the special friend and gift that was him. He's near always..I just know it.

Kevin McKrell

Meet Kevin McKrell and the Hard Road Ceilidh Band. Kevin recently changed his band to a more traditional sound. This is a favorite song of ours that he wrote and is very popular here. You can hear the pipes practicing in the background before competition. Sorry it was a bit shaky!!

Tagged again~~that tickles!!

it's true...it's true I've been tagged again. This time the name game. This is how it goes~

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ok, drum roll please~

1. A is for antiques which within hold stories told.




2. N is for nice to everyone no matter young or old.




3. N repeated is for nimble here; nimble of hands , but not of feet, I fear.

Thank you Cassie and Angie for tagging me~ I've had to be away a bit longer than expected, but I have lots of lovely posts to share! Now....who to tag? Carole, June and Sandy! I hope you have as much fun with it as I!

A Hike Through History

This past Sunday was spent with family doing what has become a yearly hike. Just outside of Albany and not far from Altamont is Thatcher Park. The park has a wonderful hike along it's limestone cliffs. The history here dates back to the late 1500's. The trail is called the Indian Ladder trail and it was used by the Mohawk/Iroquois Indians to reach Henry Hudson's Trading Post.

In 1777, Jacob Salsbury, a spy during the Burgoyne Invasion was found hiding in the caves along here. The Battle of Bemis Heights, is the 2nd Battle of Saratoga. It was the second and last major engagement in the Battle of Saratoga. Burgoyne's expedition had failed in its attempt to gather supplies, previously at the Battle of Bennington in August. Burgoyne later surrendered at the final Battle of Saratoga.

Finally, the Helderberg War, was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York during the early 19th century. Dutch settlers were brought here by Patroons. They paid heavy rents until they freed themselves. It began with the death of Stephan Van Rensselaer III in 1839. Stephen, was a landowner and a patroon of the region at the time. The patroons owned all the land on which the tenants in the Hudson Valley lived. They used feudal leases to maintain control of the region. This Anti-Rent War led to the creation of the Antirenter Party and influenced New York politics from 1846 to 1851.

This weekend, it was a wonderful hike of about 3 1/2 miles and A LOT of stairs. The history makes it even more interesting to think that you are walking the same path as so many of our ancestors. The limestone cliffs are as beautiful as the view across the valley to the Adirondacks and Green Mountains. If only I had worn my heels, I probably could have seen Granville!

A Simple Wish....Answered

In '96 I saw my dream come true. Our little family moved up on the hill into a little house near woodlands, with a view of the Green Mountains. There was a little brook that babbled in the back yard during the spring and we saw rabbits,turkeys, deer and even a moose. As a girl I would read Mother Earth magazines while other girls read teen magazines. I had grown up living with my Grandparents between the moves that are part of a military family. I learned how to cook and can because, in an Italian family, the kitchen is the heart and everyone pitches in. I took all of this with me up on the hill, with visions of a small vegetable garden and a wonderful yard perfect for flowers.

Five years later I came down the hill. Dreams shattered, a broken marriage and wondering if I was making the right decision for all of us. The girls would come with me and we would live 10 miles away with my parents, both of which had serious health issues and needed me. As I drove down the hill and I could see from the main road, the only flowers that I was allowed to plant. My beloved sunflowers and burgundy Hollyhocks. I left that day with tears in my eyes and a wish that someday I would have at least the hollyhocks to I would know that everything was going to be OK, I would be on the right path.

This Spring Tim watched as a plant grew in an odd place. It was growing in a crack of concrete as one walked out the back door and onto the stone patio. A bird must have dropped a seed he said.. at first he was sure it was a pumpkin, but nixed that within a couple weeks. He decided to wait and see what it was~ "probably, I'm waiting on a weed." During the spring Tim made some big changes in the patio area. I was planting sunflowers. They are a symbol to me, of giving back by feeding the birds and the squirrels.

The plant by the door continued to grow and suddenly I knew.. it was a hollyhock! "Amazing!", I thought , the neighbor had yellow ones, and surely that was it! As you can see, it wasn't yellow. The pictures came out a little brighter, but they are indeed burgundy. I have gone around the neighborhood and haven't seen any hollyhocks except for the yellow ones. I know now that all is answered. I made the right decisions and my path is the right one for my daughters and I. He answered and I knew He was listening that day.

Looking Forward

So much to share with all of you! I decided to wait until Crow Soup opened and share all the goode happenings here at once. First and most importantly is a little angel banner off to the left of the blog. It may be little, but it is of utmost importance. A posted link will take you to see a wee angel that needs our help. I'm very honored to be a part of this auction that holds the biggest of hearts and prayers for this little one!

Next is the above banner. I have been a part of this forum since it's beginning and I can't tell you how much I enjoy the ladies there. Thank you Donna of Cameo Moon! It is her vision and dream to start an online magazine for those that love Halloween. Artist, Verlene Brooks will be making this happen. As most of you know, I just sell my patterns over the Internet, except for a rare occasion. My finished goods go to select stores and trade shows, other than a small local show. That keeps me quite busy in itself, but this called to me and I'm excited to be a part of it all. Please visit on September 10th.

Life is full of goode things and goode news. As some of you know, Netty and I did a couple of local shows last year. After several years of The Gallery and Trade Shows, we wanted to come back home a bit. The big shows are very big and amazing, but also exhausting. The local shows were very well received and we will do more. In September, we will be at the Eagle Mills Show in Broadalbin, NY. http://www.eaglemillsfun.com/cidermill/ This is perfect! Several had asked us about doing this show and we listened. The show coordinator, Sandy is very tough about making sure that the work is all artist made. Exactly what we were looking for. Netty and I will be there on the 15th & 16th from 9-5. Unfortunately we won't have enough inventory to sell on both weekends, but perhaps next year. If you are near, please do stop by and say hello~ we love to see you. As dates approach for other shows, I will post the information here. It is really goode to be back, I must say.

Tag~ I'm It!

Now who would do such a nice thing??? Angie Kuether of Love The Prim Look. Angie's Link is on my page. She is certainly one of the nicest people that I know on here and is dear to me. I think she has one of the biggest hearts I know! Sigh.. but alas, I can't tag her back. And so as the morning continues 5-7 of the nicest and dearest Goode wifes you shall see~~

1. Katie of Home Keeping Hearts ~ it's like you always know what is my heart on so many things!
2. Emily Franz~ of Hootin'Annies and also Blonde and Blithe. You have so much fun just being YOU and are never afraid to embrace it all!
3. Cassie~ of Mockingbird Hill~ A very new friend but how I enjoy the lively spirit that is you! You always make me smile and what could be nicer?
4. Lauren~ of Alice Lands~ A very nice friend and a wonderful artist. You are my eyecandy in all that you create! A new friend too and so very nice. The joy of nice friends is welcoming new and sharing all the goode with old and new!
5. Christe', Netty, Kat , June, Jane, Cheryl & Emily ~ Although you have already been tagged or don't have blogs, I do want you to see that you ARE the nicest ladies I know.

I am very much honored to know all of these ladies~I hope I have not forgotten anyone! The banner and the tag have given goode reason to let each of you know that you do touch my life and I enjoy each and every one of you. Not only for who you are but for all that you do. You rock!

Thank you Angie and a high five back at ya!

psssst~

"Pssst" whispered Mr. Mouse to his beloved Ms. Mousie, "The Goode Wife is fast at work making the models for the new Crow Soup magazine on the 15th. It is said that she will share not only goode patterns but some goode news as well."

"ahh" replied Ms. Mousie ,"how exciting!"

"In the meantime my dear, perhaps a bit of heart shaped cheese to help pass the time away....", whispered Mr. Mouse.

All Goode Things

I wanted to share with everyone a little more about what I do and what I love. I have been selling my art for over 30 years now. These are a few of my favorite things~.The Graphics will all be available soon as notepads. Drawing is my very first love of all the arts.I also love very old tintypes and enlarge them. This is Francine, one of my favorite paper people that surround me as I work at the Goode Comfort Cottage. The chalk ware is from various sculptings that I did for Netty. She is always kind enough to share a piece with me. I didn't have any of my chalk ware with me to photograph, but I will do that for you soon. And finally, a bit of what I do here in the evenings to relax right before the stars appear. Knit! There are so many wonderful yarns and ribbons, and I decided to try making a simple scarf from a beautiful ribbon I found. As the sun sets here, we light the candles outside and enjoy the beauty of the flower gardens. There are areas strung with fairy lights and little candle lanterns so that perhaps if we are very, very quiet... we will spot the fairies coming out to dance. I am very blessed to have so much Goode!

Berry Booty!

Best Berry Cobbler

1C margarine, 1/3 C Milk room temp
1C sugar, 2 C berries
1 C water, 1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 C flour, 2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder

melt 1/2 cup margarine in baking dish. heat sugar & water until sugar melts, set aside. mix flour, salt and baking powder in bowl, cut 1/2 cup margarine into flour mixture, add milk. turn out onto floured surface knead slightly. roll out to 11" x 9" size, 1/4 " thick. spread berries onto dough, sprinkle cinnamon on top of berries roll and slice. place in pan on top of melted butter and pour sugar syrup around slices, crust will absorb syrup. bake 45 minutes at 350F sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on top bake an additional 15 minutes, will thicken as it cools.

I wanted to share this recipe with all of you. You can use any berry and mixed berries are wonderful. I've been up at my Parent's home for a couple days to help them out and we decided tonight to go visit my Aunt Iva and Doc. They live just over the border in Vermont. They own Liebig's Strawberries and have been growing strawberries along with other fruits and vegetables for over 40 years. In our family, once you reached age 12, you worked in the strawberry fields during the summer. It was my first summer job and I've worked nearly every stage of the strawberry operation and picked nearly every fruit. I worked there even when I was pregnant with Bailey. As Doc would say...."its a family business".

I took my Dad and Jessie tonight to pick blueberries.. there are rows and rows just bursting with the best fruit in the world! In June, there are 50 miles of strawberries. They also have 12 miles of raspberries and 10 miles of blueberries. Jess hasn't picked blueberries in a couple years, but tonight she realized just what hot and hard work it is in the summer. We only picked for an hour, but she had a difficult time thinking about picking every day for hours. This was the way that I earned my money every summer to buy my school clothes. I know she has a new found respect hiding under her wish for a piece of warm cobbler later this evening.

Peggy Sue Got Married

She married Brutus , the rooster and now they have a start on their family! It is with great joy that Bailey and Jessie introduce "Miss July" She's a couple weeks old now and enjoying her star status.....well, we hope that it's a "her".

A Word of Thanks~

To not acknowledge the outpouring from so many of you would be remiss of me. Some of you posted on the blog , others picked up the phone, and amazingly so very many of you filled my inbox with mail! I want all of you to know, that you do very much touch my heart! I did not realize that when I spoke out, I was speaking for so many. I also did not realize just how many of you knew the truth and have watched this for years. I am truly blessed to have so many dear to me! I do continue to pray that the two who started this whole thing, conduct themselves in a more positive and honest manner. I'm sure with their talents they will reap wonderful rewards. There is nothing better than goode friends and goode Karma!