2011 out

Our trip to Maine was a highlight of our year for me. I look back on hopes I had for the year at it's beginning, and foremost was Jack's health as he battles cancer. We are blessed with new medication and so can plan future time together. After that biggie, I promised myself I would concentrate on painting more, and have done that! It is a rich pleasure, a celebration of the beauty God has spread before us. (And a plea for it's preservation.) I also hoped I would at last work on my silver jewelry and mend some and make some to replace lost pieces. That happened too! What did not happen was the loss of at least 10 pounds. Sorry about that! So with these thoughts, I am planning to do more in the next year, about organizing and mending doll clothes and bodies, and of course still spend serious study time on art. I put dolls very much on a back burner in 2011, as I find it hard to ride more than one hobby horse at a time with concentration. I seem to do one thing at a time. I wish each of my friends good luck as we all try to balance our needs and interests. Consider how fortunate we are to have too many interests and never have to face being bored! With 3 great grandchildren now as well as lots of grands, Jack and I have full lives indeed. Happy New year everyone! E

Answering a question in comments, yes this photo was made at Ogunquit.

Aunt Beulah's chocolates recipe

Within our family, called Aunt BuBu's choclolates. This is the easiest and best chocolate candy we know. Only four ingredients to gather:

I pound, now 4 boxes of Baker's semi sweet chocolate squares, one can of eagle brand sweetened condensed milk, almost 2 cups of pecons broken up, and a good dash of salt, not too much.

Cut the chocolate up fine so it will melt easily in a saucepan over on the stove. Add milk, and dash of salt. Stirring constantly with a plastic spatula or such that keeps it from sticking, melt the milk and salt and chocolate, stirring quickly till smooth. Then add pecons and very quickly dab it out on an aluminum foil covered surface like my big drawing board. It will start to set up immediately, so two pair of hands are good at this stage. Then we carry the board full of candy to a cooler unused part of the house and leave it a couple of hours to finish setting up. Store in a covered glass jar or tin, and do not refrigerate. Will last well up to 2 weeks so is a good mailer. Let me know how it comes out for you! Edyth

Papier mache dolls mostly

These are not mine, but are from another doll family. Note the artist made Father Christmas figure. This woodland Santa is very gnome like. His head is formed of paper clay I believe. As always I hope you will click on each picture to see it larger. E

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.

The punch bowl has a favorite simple combination, of one part Asti Spumonti one part white grape juice, one part Canada Dry Gingerale. You can leave out the Asti for a nice family drink. I put the ice in a side bowl so as not to dilute the punch. Chill the rest before hand.

Thank you for the nice comments several of you have left. The blue transfer print Staffordshire and the large Staffordshire cows were part of Jack's Mother's collection. The blue and white Delft in the red corner cupboard is something Jack and I have collected over time.

The fireplace is covered by our wide screen TV. The fire here is a DVD of a flickering fire, It was almost too much for our camera, I won't picture this again.

Fall Color in December

It is fall in my back yard finally in mid December. Inside it is nearly Christmas, with the proper cooking and decorating going on and music playing to help all that! E

Note cards from my art work

Among the projects I am in the middle of, are a half drawn apron pattern for dolls, and a pile of note cards I am printing and cutting and packaging to sell. This year I have some from my fraktur drawings, some from my Pemaquid Light house painting, as well as the the set of little 18th century wooden dolls.

I can't believe how the dining room table looks! We are in the midst of Christmas decorating, with all the beautiful fruit and greenery bought some years back from County Gatherings in San Antonio. We put this up everywhere and then closer to Christmas I add in gorgeous magnolia leaves from the yard, Magnolia Grandiflora and Little Gem Magnolias. We brought them through the hottest driest summer in my life time, by carrying bath water and kitchen rinse water in buckets ouside to the thirsty trees. We are grateful for an inch and a tenth of rain this last week end. It was general and much of Texas got it, some more some less. Hope those friends nearby all got part of this Blessing! Edyth