Chef's Choice Belgian Waffle Iron Giveaway

 ~ Chef's Choice Classic Belgian Waffle Maker ~

We have a country kitchen. That is to say, no islands, no bar stools , no cute little garages for appliances. We do have the basics: 1914 Acorn seven burner stove with four ovens including warming oven, double sink, coffee pot, refrigerator, six foot table that used to be a fixture in a Giles County Bank, three chairs older than all of us put together, two old vintage rocking chairs,  a fifteen year old bench hand crafted by Daddy, gas log fireplace, one dog bed under the table and two dog crates in front of the fireplace. It's the dog crates that make the kitchen, at least, that's what Dave and I tell each other; it adds that touch that says "home" -smile-.

My kitchen, probably, isn't what CSN Stores had in mind when they contacted me and asked if I'd like to host a giveaway but farmers are only about 2% of the US population, and, I've gotten sorta used to being in the minority. If you're not familiar with CSN, visit their website and prepare to be impressed. Seriously, the company started in 2002 with two employees and one on-line shop. As of today, they are one of the top three on-line US retailers of home and office goods and have more than four hundred employees and two hundred on-line stores! They sell what you need, and want, including what I grew up calling them - waffle irons or, as they are now called, waffle makers.

~ our vintage waffle iron ~

About once or twice a month, I'll make waffles using our vintage waffle iron maker. I'm not quite sure how old it is but it's been in use, at the bare minimum, for at least thirty years. Possibly longer as it could have come down through the family, either Dave's or mine. It still turns out excellent waffles but heats up like the beach in August which is also a good thing as it keeps Sadie the Ridgeback's nose off the counter. For a while anyway.

Would you like the opportunity to win the Chef's Choice International WafflePro Taste/Texture Select Classic Belgian Waffle maker?

You'll receive one entry by visiting CSN and then telling me which of their products you'd most like to take home.

For an additional entry, blog about it and make sure you let me know. 

For every person that comments and says, "_____ sent me", both people will receive two chances to win.

If you follow me, I'll make nice and follow you back.

USA and Canadian bloggers are eligible and contest is open until Monday, 22 March at 9:00 a.m. EST. CSN will mail prize directly to winner and I wish you all well. The new owner of the above waffle maker will be chosen the old fashioned way...names on pieces of paper and then put into a hat and one name drawn by Dave. I'll e-mail you, ask for your snail mail address and then give to CSN. You'll have until Wednesday, 24 March to respond with your contact information or the process begins again on the 24th.

If you win, please blog about your waffles and make us all envious -smile-.

 Blessings ~ waffles ~ prizes ~ bloggers ~ CSN ~ Belgian waffle makers ~

Thanks for visiting Thistle Cove Farm,
Sandra

One World One Heart

~ OWOH 2010 ~

There are some things that simply make January and February better...chocolate, warmth, afternoon naps under toasty throws, a juicy orange. I'm sure you've got your own list and, probably, our lists overlap a tad.

Lisa Swifka is hosting, for the fourth year, One World One Heart and that's something that makes January and February better. The OWOH location has changed to her wonderful blog, A Whimsical Bohemian, and that's a good change. I love wandering around her blog, seeing her art and what's she's doing; she's incredibly talented and there's always inspiration to be found.

The primary purpose of OWOH is for kindred souls to find each other and, I believe, in the finding of each other, to encourage, uplift and, when you find kindred souls, to follow each other. The world is a frosty place but OWOH makes it a warmer place and the world a more comfy place. That's an enviable, but reachable, goal and last year more than nine hundred bloggers from twenty-eight countries took part in OWOH...WOW!

This is my third year and I'm proud to be a member of the OWOH community. It's true that not everyone always plays by Lisa's rules, nor does everyone always say "thank you"...shame on you, your Momma raised you better!...but that's okay. I'm only responsible for myself and my part. There are a few rules to form the OWOH community, to make it, hopefully, a better place for all involved. The event goes to 15 February; a good long time to visit everyone's blogs and see what's being given away.

God willing, at noon, EST, USA on 15 February, I'll announce Thistle Cove Farm blog winners. If something prevents me from making that announcement at noon, it will be made before midnight.

So...here's the giveaway list:

 

~ three emery boards with Frida's image - international

 

~ one mini-art quilt inspirational wall hanging - USA

~ two hand made felted, to be further embellished mug rugs - USA

~ one pair black pearl pierced earrings - international 

~ one pair purple and silver pierced earrings ~ USA

To enter my giveaway, please leave a comment. That's all. You don't have to follow but if you choose to, know you'll always be welcome and appreciated; you don't have to jump through hoops, you don't have to sign up for anything or visit a shop. You don't have to do anything...other than leave a comment and a way to contact you should your name be picked by the random  intgenerator.You have until noon, 15 February to comment. 

Thanks, Lisa, for One World One Heart. Thanks, Visitors, for coming by and hope you're inerested in winning one of my gifts. No matter how cold, snowy, icy, windy it is outside, OWOH makes it toasty warm and inviting inside. Welcome, all!

Until next time,

Blessings ~ Lisa Swifka ~ One World One Heart ~ visitors ~ Frida Kahlo ~ goodies to win ~ giveaways ~

Blog Land

~ every day, a new beginning ~

We're at that awkward time of year, the week between Christmas and New Year's when things are either piling on and we're scurrying like mice trying to finish out year of end projects or we're working on some serious down time. Funny how there never seems to be an in-between yet I'm trying to do both - finish projects and work on down time as well as get ready for my January adventure.

I've not mentioned the studio and haven't because it's seriously gloomy. Boscoe Mancat now lives in the studio, healing from God alone knows what, and he's doing much better. His paw pads have completely healed, his coat is looking better, his eyes are bright but he still acts like the spirit has just plumb gone out from him. He shows no interest, whatsoever, in heading back outside and that's fine with me. I still need to do a bit of housekeeping studio keeping in order to place his food and water dishes and litter pan where he can get to everything but I don't have to keep stepping over them and must be easy to swoop up when the dogs enter the studio. The dogs show a most unseemly interest in not only the cat food but also the litter pan. The studio is only 12x12 so it's going to take some pondering to place everything and still keep the dogs bed in the corner.

~ Thistle Cove Farm studio ~

Earlier this month we had some torrential rain storms and I showed photos of the flooding in the valley. What I didn't show you were photos of the studio when the rain blew so hard it soaked the wall, the rug, materials and other things. I'm still not ready to take photos of the interior, bear with me. sigh.

Enlisting help, the wet rug was pulled up, taken to the barn to dry and then we placed a small heater in the studio so, hopefully, the floor wouldn't warp.

It's best to never become too cocky or overly confident, eh? It all happened again The Very Next Week..."deju vu all over again" as Yogi Berra once said. BTW, if you're not familiar with Yogi Berra, please do visit the link; the man was a true wit as well as being an outstanding baseball player. Yep, torrential rain storm, studio flooding, rug/wall/materials soaked...again..., another rug pulled up and taken to the barn...sigh. So, between the rains and the eye injury, I've not been in the studio the entire month of December. I have, however, been amusing myself, most recently, on the i-net; visiting interesting blogs where people are doing some beautiful work. I've also been reading Somerset Publications, Interweave Press and going through my personal library; the county library has been getting some serious use as well.

It's stinkin' cold here, temps is hovering...and none too well...at about 20 above and the wind chill is flirting with zero, below zero actually. It's almost not worth getting out of bed especially as the bedroom temp was a frosty 47.7 degrees F above zero this morning. But I did crawl out of bed and I've finished morning chores and there are many, many things I should could ought to be doing but I'm going to spread some cheer so, please, visit these blogs. It's only a small sampling so enjoy!


KC Willis, Lipstick Ranch, had a fabulous 2009! She's discovered how much she enjoys teaching, she spreads plenty of joy, she's been published in many publications and made teaching DVD's. She's in Colorado and one of my goals is to take a class from her in her studio; what a blast that's going to be! Visit her, via the link above, and see what she's doing and, as importantly, where you can take a class. The Guardian Angel is her gift to anyone who spreads the news...so go ahead...check it out.

Vicki at Field Trips in Fiber is drawing to a close on her December challenge. Somehow I missed it and just found it today. Brave woman actually posted her 2010 goals! Go thou and do likewise and I'll think about it -grin-!

Jude at Spirit Cloth is always doing beautiful work; it's a visit that will spark your creative juices, to be sure.

I just found Bee Creative and have enjoyed my visits. Each year, she "adopts" a word to explore and then plans her projects with that word in mind. Her word for 2009 was "intersection" while her word for 2010 is "direction". It's an interesting concept, one I'll consider.

Jo, Where Women Create, has a visual stimulating blog and publication. She also has dozens, if not hundreds, of links to other visual stimulating and creative blogs and sites.

Beth's blog, Sew, Mama, Sew! appeals on a variety of levels and to a variety of people. Her Handmade Holidays III had tutorials, recipes and a plethora of give-aways; those daily links will keep me busy for months!

Purl Bee is far more creative than I'll ever be but I enjoy visiting, just the same.


Hand Eye ezine is a wonderful publication; very informative and well written.

K. Baxter Packwood is a serious artist who says, "the quilt is the medium, not the subject!" Hmmm, how interesting, I like it. I like it a lot!

Alicia, at Posie Gets Cozy, has a cheerful blog, full of wonder, smiles and good things to make.

Pam, Pam Warden Art, is a gifted woman whose art makes you h-a-p-p-y! It's worth a visit just to stretch your face.

Jenny Doh, former Editor in Chief and Director of Publishing for the Stampington and Company Publications is starting a new venture called Crescendoh and will certainly set the arts community on its ear. Again. She's one of those women you just know would intimidate the socks right off of you yet is, more than likely, as kind and down to earth as is possible. For certain, she has more energy than Superwoman and I'm looking forward to Crescendoh as well as the new Editor in Chief ??? for all those wonderful Stampington magazines.

Lisa Swifka is hosting One World, One Heart, for the fourth year, and that's always the highlight of any year's beginning. It takes place 25 January to 15 February; this will be my third year of participating and what FUN! There are always new blogs to visit, new things to learn, new people to meet...come and join Lisa and the rest of us; you'll like it, I promise! There are only a few, but necessary guidelines, to, hopefully, prevent unhappiness. Last year I gave away four gifts  and am pretty sure those gifts were received. I believe so 'cause the woman I didn't hear from was the same woman who complained her gift "was late" -smile-. Oh well, it takes all of us to make the world go 'round, eh?

My sidebar, Cozy Visits, has a list of interesting, informative, fun, creative, faith inspiring blogs to visit. In looking at the sidebar, I'm reminded of the babies...and the foals...born in 2009, of the saints gone on before, of jobs lost and jobs gained, of families divided and reunited, of wonderful meals, excellent projects, new homes, marriages, beginnings, endings, trials and tribulations...in short...I'm reminded just how small this ole world truly is. When I count my blessings, each of you are included; when I say my prayers, your name is on the prayer list. Yes. You are.

~ light the candles  ~

These dark, winter days keep your candles lit and the blankets piled on the beds. Stay warm and cozy, make plans and goals but save make time to enjoy the experience of now.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ you ~ me ~ excellent publications ~ fun blogs ~ quilts ~ candles ~ good memories ~ goals ~ plans ~ beginnings ~ endings ~ a new year ~

 

Man Plans, God Laughs

~ the Cove, looking from the head of the valley ~

How many times have you made plans only to have them changed by "circumstances"? Yeah. Me too. This weekend is a case in point. We had plans but early hours found me moaning and groaning, stumbling along the hall, clutching at my left eye and thinking, "Oh No. Here we go again!"

Do you remember the Gary Larson, The Far Side cartoon where the spider, or perhaps insect, is standing beside the big foot, toes pointed upward and the caption read, "I don't know what happened. All of a sudden it was just coming toward me!" Apparently, someone was stuffing their foot into their shoe where a family of spiders or insects...for the life of me, can't remember which...had taken up residence. Their world turned upside down when "this thing", meaning the toes and foot, came at them like a freight train so they did what Nature means for them to do...they bit. YEOUCH! Man plummets like a stone and the little family is safe, again, for the time being. Some of his cartoons may be seen here although I didn't see "mine". Then again, it's all I can do to see this print so there it is.

Early hours, when my eyes opened, all I saw was a Big Foot coming at my left eye and before I could slam my eye s.h.u.t. BAM! that Big Foot was in my eye. YEOUCH! This time we weren't even horsing around, so to speak, we were coming awake, stretching to greet the day. It's been mentioned Sadie is a Large Dog and Large Dogs, generally, have Large Feet. As soon as her foot connected with my eye, I knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, the cornea was scratched. This has happened three times over the years, the most recent being in 2004 when a different dog paw, but same Ridgeback breed, connected with my eye. The first two times were decades ago when I was trying out a pair of hard contact lenses and found out, the painful way, my eyes didn't want to wear contact lenses.

If you've never cut your cornea, count your blessings. If you have, you know the intense, sheer Pain such an injury brings to the forefront of your consciousness. As soon as we were able, Dave took me to the emergency room where --- Thank YOU, Holy God --- we were the second people in the E. R. AND the E. R. doc was a person who spoke English as a first language. Yeah, I know that's not P. C. but it is the truth and I much prefer living by the Golden Rule than living by P. C. The later changes with the whim of a society while the former stands the test of eternity.

Doctor G. confirmed my diagnosis as cut cornea and eyelid then put in some drops for the pain, followed by some soothing antibiotic cream. He asked if I wanted a pain shot with pain pills to take home. I told him, "probably not" and he said, "I'll give you a few minutes to think about it." Lovely, wise man. In about twenty minutes I was asking Dave "find the doctor Right Now and tell him I WANT the pain medicine everything!" About that time, a nurse came into the room and I told her, "My stupid twin has left the building, Please give me pain medication!" I couldn't see and didn't realize it was a different nurse; Dave said she looked startled and he explained what I meant. Lovely, wise woman brought me a shot of something that covered the pain with fluffy white clouds. Ahhhhhh. For someone for whom aspirin is a Major Medication, her stuff was "interesting"...to say the least.

Today I went to my eye doctor and he said my eye has begun healing nicely and I should be fully recovered by this weekend. It's difficult to see, mainly due to the ointment and pain medication drops I use so I've been listening to audio books, thinking about projects and doing sa bit of web surfing until my eyes becomes too weary to bear the load.

Joni, Old Centennial Farmhouse, had a lovely post about various charities. She had blog hopped to Meadowbrook Farm where she read about Compassion International, I think because Meadowbrook Farm had written a post. Please, forgive me if I erred, it's due to vision difficulties. World Vision is another good ministry that reaches to folks simply because it's what Christ would have us do. Like Joni, I've participated in the Samaritan's Purse Shoebox Blessing and love the fact it gives useful gifts, as well as fun gifts, in a shoebox.

Generally, I keep my charitable giving closer to home but this year, Operation Smile keeps coming to me in various ways, so, I'll send "a piece of money", as Dave's Mother used to say, to Operation Smile.

I followed Joni's lead and visited Meadowbrook Farm --- funny aside, my high school was named Meadowbrook, no relation, smile --- and on to My Farmhouse Kitchen were I read of a young entrepreneur raising money for Heifer International. Heifer is another good charity but without a Christian slant. I know that's called non-partisan in political terms but it escapes me what it's called in this instance. I tend to support charities with a Christian focus for what good does it do for a man to gain the world and lose his soul? At any rate, I'm proud of Miss Helen, the young entrepreneur, for selling lemonade and cookies to raise money.

Next was a visit to Flower Patch Farmgirl where I enjoyed her tale of 'husband with camera stalking wife'. I'm almost always the stalker with a camera so it was fun reading her version and visiting a bit with those cute little kidlets.


The Keeping Room has changed her header photo and this one is Beautiful! It was with great sadness I read of the death of her nephew, Michael. My nephew passed away a couple of years ago and while the pain becomes easier to bear, it is never easy; you and yours are tucked into prayer.

Continuing my blog trek, I visited LuLu to enter her give-away.

Sew, Mama, Sew! continues Handmade Holidays III and Giveaway Day! If you have a giveaway, they will post it on their Dec 2 blog entry. It's a cool way to meet and greet in Blogland and I'm joining in. If you're not familiar with Craft Gossip, check them out...lots of great information to be had there. Edward and Lilly, one of my favorites, is having a lovely give-away as well.

Feedsack Fantasy is my kinda gal; she's sending Christmas cards...and to the ACLU no less! What a sweetheart and I'm going to join in! Also, Xerox is sending Thanks to our Troops.

My nephew, Wesley, is in Afghanistan now and I'm knitting Helmet Liners for he and some of his buddies. I found a Patons free instruction pamphlet at Michaels store but there's also a pattern on-line. I picked up a few extra, if you want one and would like to send it to Wesley's unit, let me know and I'll send you a hard copy. If you do knit one for Wesley's unit and want me to include it in my goodie box, send it to me and I'm happy to forward it on to him with a note saying you are the knitter.

David Wilkerson always has a thoughtful entry; well I remember him from his Cross and the Switchblade days in NYC. He ministered to drug addicts in the day when people weren't really quite sure what that meant, exactly, and he also founded World Challenge.

Ann Voskamp always, always touches me with both her pen and her camera. A Holy Experience is just that...holy and an experience. Recently she quoted St. Augustine in Confessions:

"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, every new, late have I loved you!...
Created things kept me from you;
yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.
You called, You shouted, and You broke through my deafness.
You flashed, You shone, and You dispelled my blindness.
You breathed Your fragrance on me: I drew in breath and now I pant for you."

Doesn't that just make you absolutely weak?

There are so many other bloggers I'd like to tell you about but it will have to wait for another time. My eyes are weakening so I must use my medications and then rest my eyes. You are special and your visit is appreciated So Very Much; your comments even more so. God bless you.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ Doctor G. ~ vision ~ pain meds ~ antibiotic ointment ~ St. Augustine ~ helmet liners ~ our troops ~

Ennui and Give-Away

 Lately, there's been a sense of ennui around here. Nothing definite, nothing I can, quite, put my finger upon but, a very real, air of ennui. The dictionary says ennui is "a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom". I am not bored nor do I have a lack of interest; in truth, I have so many interests I tend to be scattered without focus or concentration. As to "satiety", that's not true either except in the idea of being satiated with work. There's always work to be done and I am overwhelmed with work, to the point of being so far behind, I feel I'll never catch up. I owe people yarn samples, have for some time, and am kicking myself to 'just do it!'


Perhaps the ennui stems from the political scene: it seems so overwhelming and unbearable. We, the voters, are so divergent, so contrary in our opinions and beliefs and seem to have a hard core idea of where, how and when the direction this country should be headed. We don't seem to listen anymore, especially our "elected representatives"; they especially seem to be listening solely to WIIFM radio. They only want to know, "What's In It For Me" and no one else matters, especially constituents.
I'm fearful. For us all.

Perhaps the sense of ennui comes from living in a haphazard state. Regardless of what I, or Dave, wanted, our house is still not finished from the water damage of eleven months ago. We're headed into winter with things left undone even though I asked, begged, pleaded and, eventually, demanded the work be accomplished. All for naught but I'm still going to "fix up" like everything has been accomplished to my satisfaction. The dining room will have furniture moved in, hopefully, this week and the drapes and sheers have been hung. I'll unpack those many, many boxes of porcelain, china and "precious goods" that Dave's mother left behind.


Hmmm. Wait a minute. Perhaps that's also a cause of ennui. Dave's mother passed away a year tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if my body is responding to what my mind pushes away. That was a time fraught with overload; she became ill on 3 Nov and passed away on the 19th. A short, furious illness that was caused, essentially, by old age; she was well beyond 95 when she passed away. She died on Wednesday, a few moments before midnight, and was buried on Saturday; that time was full of details, details, details that are now, mostly, forgotten. Not the day though. That Saturday was bitter; the temperature was about 24F, wind chill was around 15F above, snow snugged the ground and sleet split the sky. The only good thing about that week were the people, family and friends who gathered to support, pray and love us through that time.

~ Mrs. Mary Crockett Bowen Bricker ~

Yesterday, we took Boscoe to the vet and there's yet another mystery. He wasn't getting better as quickly as he should have and a vet visit was in order. Dr. Anne hasn't a clue what the underlying cause of his epizootics are but she thinks environmental. She also thinks his immune system has crashed and his paws look like he's been "introduced" to chemicals that have eaten away the top layers. He was full of ear mites and fleas - both signs of a compromised immune system - and she stuffed him full of antibiotics, flea treatment, ear mite treatment and steroids. She thinks he'll pull through, we should know in a week to ten days. Bos is already feeling better; he greeted me this morning as a cat should, by stretching and taking notice of what was going on around him. His appetite is excellent and he's shown an enormous appreciation for the canned tuna we've been feeding him. Bos is eating dry cat food but we felt he could do with some pure protein as well; he agrees. He also thinks he should be allowed to go outside but, not yet, perhaps not ever again.

~ Bos Man ~

In the past week, I've mailed a baby quilt, three hats and a fleece throw to folks; have almost finished the quilt top for my nephew's Christmas gift and have knitted two mobius scarves.  I'm thinking some serious studio time might put me to rights or, at the bare minimum, leave me with something to show for my time. There are several quilts to finish as Christmas gifts, some more knitting, some mini-art quilts and a few other smaller projects. I'm having to plot my time carefully so things will be finished and received by folks by Christmas day.

~ Deer quilt, in hunter's colors, for nephew ~

Two days after Christmas I leave for Tomsk, Siberia where I'll spend time in an orphanage and then go to Moscow where Christmas will be celebrated with Russian Christians on Epiphany, 6 January. I love celebrating Christmastide, more so than just Christmas. It's an entire Season from Advent, 1 Dec., through Epiphany, 6 Jan., and prepares us, Christ's disciples, to look ahead to world missions in light of the Nativity.

In the western world, we've gotten away from the Christmas SEASON and are focused solely on the material aspect of the day - the buying, wrapping, giving and receiving of gifts - and not The Gift that makes the rest possible. Christmas begins what Easter finishes: God's Divine Plan.

One suitcase is being filled with little gifts for both children and adults and it makes me so happy to open it and think of the joy they will bring. The Children's Home, as orphanages are called, houses children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Down's Syndrome and those with physical handicaps. Gifts include small hand lotions, vinyl shopping bags, stuffed toys, balls, packets of flower seeds, bubbles, New Testaments, yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks and whatever else can be found before Christmas. If you'd like to send a little something, let me know and I'll give you my snail mail address. I'll try to blog from the road so pray that and the trip will be a success.


A bucket of walnuts, soaking in water, will be used to dye some naturally colored Thistle Cove Farm yarn. I always enjoy using walnut dye on dark yarn as it gives a richness and depth of color that caresses the light in a way man-made dyes cannot.

~ Nut Bucket ~

  
I visited family this last weekend; we met at Mother and Daddy's cabin in Webster County, WV and rode over to Randolph County to visit my brother. Fairview Farm, his farm, is for sale and is absolutely beautiful! It's about 130 acres, bordered on two sides by National Forest, about 19 miles from Snowshoe, has some pasture, some wooded, all fenced, a pond, outbuildings, two-vehicle garage and much, much more. It's Very Private, with a quarter mile driveway that juts off from a dirt road that juts off from a two-lane, un-lined secondary road.

 Probably, the house and other buildings cannot be seen, photo on right, but this is from the top of the mountain, looking down upon the house.
The house and other buildings are in a small enclave, photo left.

 ~ Fairview Farm ~

 
It's not good, I don't believe, for me to focus upon myself too much; self reflection tends to result in too much belly button gazing and serves to compound what niggling little problems I think I might have. I much prefer to use my blog to focus on the Good Things but, if you've read this entry and said a prayer, please know you have my gratitude. That's one thing I enjoy about blogland - "meeting" other folks and tucking you into prayer as you are brought to mind throughout the day and week and, hopefully, y'all do the same.

If you're interested in having a first edition copy of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From The Sea, leave me a comment and your name will go into the drawing. Please note there is a name and address on the inside cover and that, probably, detracts from the value but it's still a free book, shipping included.

From Gift From The Sea:  
"...I want first of all...to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact - to borrow from the language of the saints - to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible...By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony...I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God..."

I'll take names until midnight Friday; draw will be Saturday and book mailed Monday.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ Advent ~ Christmas ~ Epiphany ~ Christmastide ~ giving ~ spiritual grace ~ dyeing ~

The Place Where Morning Gathers

 ~ the place where morning gathers at Thistle Cove Farm ~

 Are you familiar with Rich Mullins? He was a extremely gifted Christian song writer and musician who passed away in 1997 but left behind a legacy of music and words that are haunting in their beauty and are being sung still today. He played several instruments and was best known for his skill on the hammer dulcimer; you've probably sung his songs in worship services. Sing your Praise to the Lord and Awesome God are two of his songs. His last major work, Canticle of the Plains, was loosely based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

In 1993, he founded the Ragamuffin Band, taking the name from Brennan Manning's book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, written in 1990 where Manning defined ragamuffins as "the burdened, the wobbly and weak-kneed, the inconsistent, unsteady disciples. the smart people who know they are stupid. the honest disciples who admit they are scalawags".

ouch. um. That would be me. Trying hard but, mostly, trying. A practicing Christian because I can't seem to get it right. In fairness though, I'm not that inconsistent because there's one thing I know and that is I'm a child of the Almighty God; it's what keeps me on the straight and narrow, heading forward with eyes upon the Christ prize in heaven. I know there are folks who don't embrace Christianity, nor indeed, any faith. I'm good with that; it's between them and their God but when ya know that ya know that ya know...it's a really great thing!

Back to Rich...he wrote a song...and I'm ashamed to say I can't remember the words...but he's playing the hammer dulcimer and the song is s-w-e-e-p-i-n-g in its grandeur. He starts with the words, "in the place where morning gathers..." and goes on to talk about "those wild Dakota hills", "there's fury in a pheasant's wings...". There are only a few songs that, when driving, I'll chance blowing out the speakers; this is one of them. I'll throw open the moon roof and, I'm telling you...I can feel God. Right there, just above my moon roof, sitting on His throne, tapping His toe, swaying with the music and...this is the part that stings, just a tad...smiling because He's got Rich there in front of Him, singing to his own CD.

Way cool. When I saw sunrise this morning, I thought of Rich playing his hammer dulcimer, singing his heart out and the sheer joy he derived from what he did, when he nailed "it" and knew it. The sheer joy I feel when I listen to his music or the music of The Ragamuffin Band or read the Ragamuffin Gospels and know we're all in this thing called 'life' together; we're all struggling, we're all pressing onward toward a goal of our own choosing.

At the barn, Dandy, scratches his head against the door handle before coming over to say good morning. I love the way the light streams in, casting long shadows against the dirt floor and the old timbers.

Peaches, ruler of the pasture...or at least her pasture and her three "youngins".

I've separated the eight horses into four and four so the two geldings are apart. HayJ, the big'un was beating up on Dandy which wasn't a good thing. Not a-tall.

~ wagon wheel, framing sunrise ~

The gardens have played out but there's still beauty to be found in the leftover flower heads.

 This is one of three suns hanging on the studio; he holds birdseed as an offering to the little ones. This morning I noticed there are three suns hanging on the studio; all different, all with a benevolent smile, each with a different job; it would appear I have a thing for the Son.

~ stacked, creamy thread and yarn ~  

~ pinks and reds ~

 There's no place for the eye to rest without seeing something beautiful and meaningful. Some might think it crowded, cluttered and too busy but, for me, it's restful, peaceful, exciting and invigorating all at once. It's a great place to simply "be".

Boscoe has become my studio cat. Without going into a long story, after we came home from the beach, I found Bos staying at the barn but he's not a barn cat. He's a back porch cat and when I brought him back to the house, he was in pitiful shape. Something has been pounding on poor Bos with regularity and with power. Bos is not a fighter, he's a lover and has always been a cuddlekins. We weren't sure about bringing him into the house...too many kittens and puppies and things would go wilder than usual, so, last night, he was put into the studio with litter box, food and water. The studio has heat and he's been, safely, ensconsed there ever since. He's happy, has been a perfect gentlecat and shows no signs of wanting to leave so he doesn't have to leave; he'll stay until he decides he wants to mosey back outside. In the meantime, he has several perches, this one with a stunning view.


---not sure what's going on with the italics, can't return the font to plain...sorry--


Are you familiar with Stampington and Co.? How about Somerset Studios? The later is published by the former with a slew of terrific, inspiring and inspired magazines including Artful Blogging which is a collection of "visually inspiring on-line journals". In other words, eye candy. Zowie eye candy. A place where like minded folks are gathered to be showcased, to strut their stuff and, perhaps most importantly, to show the rest of us we're not alone in our quest to make things with our hands, our hearts, our minds. To bring beauty, coziness and comfort into our worlds and our homes. To celebrate our a-likeness, to accept our differences, to gather ideas, to be stimulated and to stimulate, to share. I believe it's a quarterly publication; when a new issue comes out, it's my constant companion and goes where I go. Okay, not in the shower but, certainly, in the bath and most definitely to bed. 


Other of their magazines are HandCrafted and Life Images but I've not found either one in the bookstores so I'm going to have to order them both. Seriously. My mental health demands it.


Until next time,


Blessings ~ being able to see the place where morning gathers ~ the barn ~ sunrise ~ Boscoe ~ inspiration before me, in print and on the web ~ Rich Mullins' music ~ ragamuffins, loved by God ~

Bloggers Quilt Festival

~ Crazy Quilt, quilter and date unknown ~

Don't you just love clever people? Park City Girl is hosting a Blogger Quilt Festival and there are, currently, more than four hundred folks participating.

Perhaps some of you remember this quilt, above. Neither Dave nor I remember from whose family it came, perhaps his, perhaps mine. It's a crazy quilt with random materials including wools, cottons, silks and is in fairly good shape. There's no date nor signature so it's a guess as to how old it is but at least several decades, perhaps one hundred years or more. That sounds so old but when I think one hundred years ago would just be 1909, that doesn't sound so old.

~ Aunt Esther's hand made quilt, circa 1930 ~

This quilt was made by Aunt Esther in the 1930's and has seen a bit of use, resulting in a bit of wear. It's no longer used on a bed but hangs on the wall where it can be seen and admired. I want to make a label for it with Aunt Esther's name and date so future generations will know from whence it came. Aunt Esther has made hundreds, perhaps thousands, of quilts in her day; she'll be 92 in January and is still quilting, crocheting, tatting, etc. She makes apple butter in the fall, strawberry jam in the spring, hunts for morels, ramps and lives on her own. I'm going to see her next month and we'll have nice chin wags as we talk over old times and family.

Note to self...start labeling my own quilts! -smile-

~ Turning Twenty quilt watched over by Sam P. Spade, Secret Agent ~

This quilt is a Tricia Cribbs Turning Twenty pattern and one of a couple of dozen I've made. I'm not a fancy quilter but I do hand quilt and enjoy choosing various materials, designs and colors. In this quilt, each block has either hand quilted hearts, the names of Dave's cousin and his wife, their marriage date and a cross. Thus far, I've made quilts for almost everyone in my family and a lot of my friends. It's something I enjoy doing and one of my earliest memories, from age four or five, is of Granddaddy Bennett handing Mom and Daddy a five dollar bill and saying, "Here, take this money and buy the babies each a blanket. Don't let them get cold, keep them warm this winter." Mom would have bought two blankets, one each for my brother and I, and had change left over from that five dollar bill. In Appalachia, then as now, a lot of folks are concerned with needs - food, shelter, clothing - and wants come after. 

I hope folks enjoy receiving one of my quilts or, 'deed, anything I've hand made. It's a labor of love, as you well know if you do hand work, and one of the most defeating emotions is the one when someone looks at their gift, the work of my hands and heart, and says, "oh. thanks." Granted, it's a short list but those few folks will never, ever get anything other than store bought from me again. I don't say that in anger but there are too many people who do appreciate hand made to waste it on folks who would rather have store bought. And that's okay. Not everyone wants hand made, some think it cheap and mean and they would rather have store bought.

I'm not a grand quilter; truth be told, I'm only passable but I follow Mother Teresa's dictates. She said, "None of us can do anything great on our own but we can all do small things with great love." That's why and how I quilt...it's not great but it is done with great love and each quilt is made with prayers for the person who'll receive it. I know they'll sleep warmly and tucked, quite literally, into prayer.

I've read the smallest deed always exceeds the grandest of intentions. That's so true, isn't it? If you've often thought you'd like to learn to quilt or sew or knit or crochet or --- fill in the blank, do it. Don't wait for 'some day'; today is the day, now is the time. What you make doesn't have to be perfect and, in fact, the Amish always make a small "mistake" in their quilts because "only God is perfect". This winter is going to be cold and someone, somewhere could use a bit of colorful happiness, in the form of a quilt or hand knit or crochet hat or scarf or something that's warmly sewn. Do small things with great love; the rewards are out of this world.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ Bloggers Quilt Festival ~ Park City Girl ~ quilts ~ quilters hands ~ small things with great love ~ the work of Your hands ~

Studio Open House

~ Studio issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine ~

Yes, today is Studio Open House per Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. However, Dave and I are traveling home today so won't be able to join intil Monday. As you know, Sunday's are reserved for Sabbath Keeping and not even for such a good time as Studio Open House will I neglect Sabbath Keeping. I'll just have to be, as they say in rural areas, the cow's tail and post on Monday. -smile-

In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers for safe travel.

Until tomorrow,

Blessings ~ Cloth, Paper Scissors ~ Quilting Arts ~ Sabbath ~ Sabbath Keeping ~ safe journey ~

October Beach Moon

~ early evening moon over Surfside Beach ~

It's not quite a full moon but close; I think we're about two, perhaps three, nights away. It does look beautiful, shimmering over the water. There's something about a pregnant moon and ocean that seem to go together. The glimmer of the almost full moon, caught and reflected by the moving ocean, light breaking into millions of prisms that seem to laugh in the semi-darkness. Last night, there was a woman, a serious shell seeker, wearing a head lamp, walking the beach for treasures. I wonder what she found?

We have enjoyed our time away from home and usual responsibilities. It's a blessing and a gift, to have time and money, to leave the farm and re-group, re-new, re-store, re-charge, relax. I've slept late every morning even though I've still gone to bed at about the usual time and my body has appreciated this down time. There is a YMCA here and I've visited three times each week and even took two classes each day on half those visits. There have been strolls on the beach in sun and moon light; this time has been wonderful and I believe both Dave and I are returning home prepared for the work before us.

If you didn't, please visit my last post, God and dog, and click either on that post or here, "God and dog"; after watching, please let me know your thoughts. I thought it was fabulous! I've often wondered about the relationship of the words God and dog; pondered the nearness of one to the other and believe dog is also God's representative but with fur. Haven't you heard about the little child who was crying and Mother said, "Jesus is always with you even when you and I are apart." The little child said, "yes, but sometimes I need Him with skin." That's how I feel about dogs and I say and mean that with the utmost respect. How many times have those of us with dogs, our heads buried into our beloved friends' necks, sobbed our woes unto God? I know I have and found both God and dog to be excellent listeners. Thank you, God, for the tremendous gift of Your creation...especially dogs!

Meanwhile the rest of the world has plugged along, not mindful of our absence -smile-. Cherie, my i-net friend, now living in NC friend has a post on what's happening on the other side of the world. Tremendous rains have caused flooding and loss of life and home in the Philippines , there's been a tsunami in American Samoa and earthquakes in Indonesia; God alone knows if these events are, somehow, related.

Cherie has several posts regarding these events as well as links to relief agencies that are helping on location. Please pray and, if possible, send a few dollars to the organization of your choice. Even before the i-net, the world was a small place with all connected by His love. Now, with instant access to news, the world has shrunk further and for folks who have traveled a bit, those faces no longer look so foreign...here or abroad. Yes, the need is very great, everywhere; give as He directs whether it's prayers, supplies or money. It's all His anyway, He's just letting us use it for a while.

~ moon over Surfside Beach ~

Until next time,

Blessings ~ a warm, dry bed ~ i-net friends ~ restful vacations ~ God ~ dogs ~ treasures in heaven ~

Studio Tour

One of my favorite magazines, Quilting Arts, is having a blog studio tour. I figure this is a great time to show y'all my studio, inquiring minds have...er...inquired -smile-. The Studio Tour takes place 3 October, in the meantime, this is a teaser post.

They say you don't have to get your studio cleaned up. Good thing as mine needs to be vacuumed and the vacuum is broken; wonder if a broom will sweep a rug clean?

If you're not familiar with Cloth, Paper, Scissors or Quilting Arts magazines, you're in for a treat. Both are excellent publications, now owned by Interweave Press the same folks who print Knits, Spin Off, Beads and other textile, fiber related magazines. If you have a studio, go to Cate's blog and sign up; it's going to be rather like a round -blog- robin of studio tours.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ studios ~ excellent magazines ~ blog tours, such Fun! ~ Cate ~

Good Morning, Lord!

~Miss Emma ~

Miss Emma has turned the corner, please God, and we think she's going to make it. She's had a severe respiratory illness, not quite sure but it could have been pneumonia, and she was a sick little kitty for several weeks. Her breathing has softened and we can now hear her purr without the raspy, watery, labored breathing she's struggled with since bringing her home. She's been on a couple of rounds of antibiotics, an immune builder and other meds that seem to, finally, be working!

Someone once said they wanted each day to be the kind of day when they rolled out of bed and said, "Good Morning, Lord!" instead of "Good Lord, it's morning!" Most of my days begin with the former and I'm thankful for that gift. I've read the meaning of Sandra means "helper" and Kay means "happy" so, I suppose that means I'm a happy helper -big smile-. Not always, no, of course not but mostly I am a happy helper.

These beautiful end of summer days are full of getting ready for winter chores, both inside and out. We bought 20 small containers of mums and now I need to get them into the ground. Mums are so cheerful and, when planted with copious amounts of horse manure, will grow sturdily and return to bloom for years.

The house is getting some work as well; Ron and Bill are here today working on our heating system. We had a major hot water heating pipe freeze, burst, thaw last December and many of our copper pipes and heating coils need to be replaced. Ron said if we put that big ole ugly pipe insulation on our inside pipes, as well as our basement pipes, it would help the situation so that's on the to-do list. By the month's end I'll exchange the summer curtains for the winter, insulated drapes and that helps with the heating bills. This is no mean feat as we have close to thirty windows in this big ole farmhouse and almost all of them will need draperies exchanged for curtains. Most of those windows are about nine feet by three feet so that means dragging the ladder from window to window, room to room, meaning...a full day's work.

I'm a cold weather kinda gal and firmly believe in the usefulness of wool - sweaters, vests, socks, shoes and wear all inside the house. There's absolutely no reason to be cold and it's always easier to add another layer. Mom always said, "it's easier to get warm in the winter than cool in the summer. You can always put on another sweater but you can only get so "nekkid" before people start complaining!" That's so true! -smile-

I'm fairly ashamed of the numbers of books I've allowed to pile up. We must have a couple of thousand and a lot of them are leaving this place. Thompson Valley Community Center has started a small lending library and I'm over the moon happy to give them A Lot of books to share 'round. We've been giving away furniture, rugs and other household belongings and people have been fast about putting their names on the "I'll take it" list.

In the course of cleaning, de-cluttering and general organization I've been using and keeping a list of some useful tips. Some of these tips Mama passed along to me, others have been read in the new Country Living Simple Country Wisdom book. This is a nifty little resource book, "501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life" by Susan Wacconer. She's done a bang-up job and I may even have to buy a copy after returning this library copy. Today I'll focus on laundry and tackle other rooms later in the month; the first tip isn't laundry but it's been my focus for a few weeks...aarrgghhh, puppies and kittens!!

*A spray bottle filled with water is Mighty Handy at keeping the animals "honest". Sadie is a True Rhodesian Ridgeback and due to her great size is Very Adapt at counter surfing, stove top stealing, cat food sneaking and the like. The kittens are Very Adapt at shredding curtains and I'm keeping spray bottles up and down stairs so I'm at the ready. I'm thinking I'll put the kittens in the bathroom at night to keep them from playing "Hang Kitty" on my curtains. Thus far, they have shredded two sets and I am now out for blood. Theirs.

*Vinegar and baking soda poured into drains will keep the drains smelling fresh. To keep the washer smelling fresh, occasionally run a small, empty, cold water load with a cup of vinegar.

*Laundry dye magnets placed into the wash will keep clothes from bleeding into each other. These magnets are treated "sheets", similar to dryer sheets and handy as a pocket on a shirt! I'm never without dye magnets for the laundry.

*Adding a cup of white vinegar to the wash prevents lint build-up and cuts the soap residue in clothes.

*When washing jeans or other heavy items, run them through an extra spin cycle to decrease dryer time (if you're not line drying).

*Use a laundry rack to dry clothes. In the winter, especially, drying clothes on a rack will add moisture to the air and decrease electrical costs because you're not using the dryer.

*I never use as much laundry detergent as recommended; it's simply not necessary, especially if I pre-treat stains. The result is I save money and my clothes aren't over soaped resulting in stiffness.

*Wash and dry as many loads as you have dirty. Wash lighter items first, then place in dryer while heavier items are washing; you'll use less electricity because the dryer only has to heat up once.

*For stains, there are laundry sticks or sometimes I'll daub the stained item with dish washing or liquid laundry detergent and then soak it soak in the tub overnight. That will usually remove stains. When whites get dingy add a full cup hydrogen peroxide to a full washload and let it soak for half an hour. That should get things sparkly white again; if not, simply repeat the procedure.

~Storage barn and run-in shelter on the farm ~

I love any view of Thistle Cove Farm and the Cove, especially in the early morning and early evening and, basically, any season. Each season brings its own delights and wonders and, even though the scenery never changes, it's always different.

~ A little country church on the way to White Top Mountain ~

This week I found a new to me blog and have enjoyed reading it. Today, the author said on Free to Be Me something that resonated like a gong striking a bell. "satan didn't take Martha out of the kitchen; he just stole her purpose for being there!" YEOUCH! I'd never considered that I allow, sometimes even Give Permission, to satan for stealing my purpose or stealing my reason. This week I'm putting on my thinking cap to study on this, new to me, idea and see if I can, with the help of God, tilt my life back level, on the straight and narrow course. Are you in?

Until next time,

Blessings ~ clean, fresh laundry ~ well behaved fur babies ~ morning, evening and all the rest of the day ~ a healthy Miss Emma ~ country churches ~ new blogs that speak, deeply, to me ~ barns that still serve useful purposes ~