A Lazy Sunday Blessing

Last night it began to snow lightly and this morning we woke up to this beautiful sight! I must admit that I love snow and that some people think I'm nuts. I ran outside in my p.j.'s to get these photos. Thanks goodness for a privacy fence.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Christmas movies and being rather lazy. I did get my Christmas trees put up, but still have to decorate them. I just love days like this!

We Have a Winner!

Our contest winner for the three prints "giveaway" is Diane from Lavender Dreams! She guessed the exact number of guests that we would have for Thanksgiving dinner! We had 27 sweet family members and friends over and we had a wonderful time. Diane, please email me with your address and I'll get these in the mail to you.

Since I'm exhausted from eating way too much over the past two days, I'm going to simply lounge around today and get rested up. Here is the latest painting that I've added to my eBay auctions. This Fruitcake Cupcake painting has glitter on the white snowy frosting, but it doesn't show up in the photos.

Thanksgiving Print Giveaway and Christmas Sale

The above three prints will be given away on Saturday morning, November 30th. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me how many people are coming to my home for Thanksgiving dinner. Sorry, but family or friends who are invited to this dinner are excluded from this contest because it would be cheating. I will be taking a head count and will let you know on Saturday how many guests we had.

Also, starting on Thanksgiving day, November 27th, I will be having a sale for my prints in my Etsy and eBay stores offering "Buy Three Prints and Get One Free." This sale will run through Christmas Day, December 25th. After you purchase three prints in one of these stores you will need to email me with the name of the free print you want me to include with your order. My email address is in the right sidebar of this blog.

Wishing all my blog readers a "Wonderful Thanksgiving" to you and your family!

Log Cabin Christmas Folk Art Painting

Tonight I listed this little painting on eBay. I've had several requests lately for a log cabin scene which is right up my alley since I've always wanted to live in a log cabin. I just love the pioneer spirit that went into these buildings and the primitive charm. One of my favorite bloggers, Shelley, has a blog about building a log cabin. You should hop on over to her blog, Building a Log Cabin, quickly because she is having a giveaway that ends at 11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22nd. She is giving away a beautiful loaf of Cranberry Pecan Bread made at a place called Zingerman's located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Every year on Christmas Eve Mr. Henson drags home a tree through the snow. As he walks through the forest he is reminded of all time spent cutting trees to make their cozy little cabin. Dragging it up on the porch he wraps it with some canvas before taking it through the door. As he anchors it in the tree stand, his wife directs him until it's perfectly straight. The smell of evergreen fills the air along with the scent of Christmas cookies baking in the oven. Mrs. Henson lights the candles on the tree as everyone gathers round to sing "O Holy Night".

Let it Snow and Sweet Potato Casserole

"Owl Creek Print"

Mr Hadley closed the Owl Creek Mill early and let his employees go home. After a hearty meal prepared and served by his sweet wife, Lucy, he retired to read the paper by the fireplace. Lucy decided to finish the sweater she had been knitting for the past month for her grandson for Christmas. Laying her knitting aside, she reached for the granny square afghan to cover her sleeping husband and gently removes his glasses. This evening ritual is a comfort to her soul as she continues her knitting knowing her husband has provided for their daily needs.

Here is one of the dishes that Lucy served her husband that evening. It's one of his favorites!

"Sweet Potato Casserole"

3 Cups mashed sweet potatoes (3 cans if your lazy like me!)

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Teas. salt

1/2 Stick butter

1 Cup milk

1/2 Teas. vanilla

Mix all above ingredients and pour in a casserole dish or cake pan.

1 Cup brown sugar

1 Cup chopped pecans

1/2 Cup flour

1/2 Teas. vanilla

1/2 Stick softened butter

Mix all together & sprinkle on top of the sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. You'll get a big kiss from the hubby if you serve him this yummy crunchy dish; just ask Lucy!

"On a Cold Winter Evening Print"

Frosty stands ready to greet Christmas Carolers who will be arriving from the village church on this cold winter evening. Every year the Kieffer family hosts the carolers in their home for hot spiced cider and cookies. It is a night of celebration with lots of singing around the old grand piano with Mrs. Kieffer, the church pianist, at the keyboard. A full moon shines brightly lighting the way home as the evening ends.

"Oh Christmas Tree Print"

Frank, the mayor of Richmond, owns the Hungry Mule Cafe where he and his wife Ellie make the most wonderful food in the county. His sister Letha owns the Blue Moon Trading Company and has been dating Hank from the hardware store for 5 years. They are going to be married in front of the Christmas tree in the center of town on Christmas Eve and everyone is invited. This will be the biggest event of the year and people were beginning to think it would never happen. Everyone has done an extra special job of spiffing up the town with evergreen and red bows to help them celebrate this momentous occasion!

New Cupcake Painting and Christmas Print

"Johnnie's One Stop Shop" folk art print was added to my Etsy and eBay stores today. This is the photo featured in my blog header. I had so much fun painting this last year and have to admit that it's probably my favorite. It is always so much fun to start a new painting with new ideas spilling out quicker than I can paint them. Christmas has always been my favorite because I love adding all the special decorations and drizzling snow on everything like frosting. I remember as a child the large colorful lights strung on the trees and houses and really enjoyed adding them to this old general store.

Johnnie's is the "One Stop Shop" in the small town of Melville. It houses a general store, post office, gas station, and gossip corner. Johnnie O'Brien is also the town's mayor, head of the decorating committee, and the postmaster. He and his wife Clarissa live in a farmhouse just a hop skip and a jump, (with snow shoes on) from the little store. Thelma Clemens has sent her husband Frank Jr. to pick up a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread from the store. He has not been seen since before sunset and she is sure that he and Johnnie have gotten involved in a checkers tournament. Thelma can see his old blue pickup parked in front of the store from her window. Looks like she'll have to put the oldest child Betty Lou in charge of the other children as she heads out to corral him back home.

I finished this "Christmas Cupcake" painting today and also added it to my eBay auctions.

Decorate your home for Christmas with this colorful cupcake painting. A yellow tree shaped cupcake is topped with green butter cream frosting. Fluffy white frosting is applied to give the appearance of freshly fallen snow and colorful ornaments top it off. Black "Christmas" letters are dripping with white snow.

Decorating My Blog For Christmas

I've been trying hard to get my blog all spruced up for a new "Christmas" look. I tried to figure out on Photoshop how to make my header have falling snow. My version of Photoshop is old and I evidently can't do that. I then went to www.picturetrail.com and made a cute little blinky of this picture with falling snow. It looks cute, but I can't figure out how to insert it as my header. You should be able to see it in the sidebar. It's times like this that I wish I were more computer savvy. On top of being computer illiterate, my computer is running as slow as molasses. I'm still cheerful though because this is my favorite time of year! I just love the holidays. Keeping watching because I'll keep tweeking my blog until I am happy with it's new Christmas touches.

Below is a new print that I've added to eBay and Etsy shops. My links are in the sidebar. You may have noticed that I've closed my MySpace page and my Yessy shop. I'm trying to simply my life and prefer to do just a few things well instead of halfway doing several.

Now, for a real shocker. Yesterday while driving to Independence, MO look at what I saw!

Can you believe those prices! I live about 45 minutes away and it's 20 cents higher. Thought some of you might enjoy this since the news keeps saying that the average is still above $2.00.

Silver Lake Christmas Folk Art Painting

My husband and I worked the election polls for the first time this week. I will hopefully recover soon. Ha! I almost fell asleep in the middle of a painting today.

I just want to share a couple of very cute "Trick or Treaters" who showed up at my door on Halloween. Cutie Pie and Cinderella are my nieces, Kira and Gabby. I love taking pictures of all the adorable faces that come begging for candy!

I've been pretty busy with some custom orders and have gotten behind on listing some new paintings on eBay. Tonight I listed "Silver Lake Christmas" on eBay.

Mrs. Purvis asked her husband when he finished his third cup of coffee to bring up her big boxes of Christmas decorations. While she decorated the tree inside the house, he spent the day hanging a large wreath on the front of the house and draping garland across the front of their fence that faces the lake. Their grandchildren and the rest of the family will be arriving this evening. They love to hear the children giggle with delight when they see the beautiful decorations. Mrs. Purvis and her daughter Ellen and her granddaughters, April, May, and June, always spend the following day making gingerbread houses and cookies. They frost some of the gingerbread cookies with royal icing and let it harden so they can hang them on the tree with all the other handmade ornaments that have been cherished over the years.