Thankful

Welcome to my Thanksgiving table. My favorite holiday of the year.... hands down, no question. Where we actually set aside a day to be thankful for what we have and reflect on those good things in our life. This has been a rough year for our family with the loss of a sister-in-law well before her time and the illnesses of both of our mothers. Somehow on Thanksgiving you still feel thankful for what is good, you know that you can cope with anything if you have family around you and of course enjoy a really good meal. These are my cherished "Tom Turkey" plates. The story about these goes like this. I really really loved these plates and my mother offered up a deal: Whoever would host Thanksgiving would get to keep the plates. I couldn't get my hand up fast enough and have been hosting this holiday ever since. I have become quite proficient over the years (not to be too braggy about it) and always add in some new dishes along with the tried and true traditional favorites.

My Thanksgiving mantle with a new red and white cloth that I found at the thrift store. I just love red and white.

Holiday centerpieces of mums, votives and mixed nuts. Cheap and easy.

I used a brown sugar and spicey mustard glaze on the turkeys this year and they came out spectacularly brown and really good with a sweet crunchy skin. I always cook two smaller turkeys (around 12 lbs each) instead of one large one. They are more tender and there are more drumsticks to share!

Roasted vegetable medley of sweet potato, parsnips and carrots

homemade rolls.... my favorite right out of the oven.

This was new this year from the Stonewall Farm Kitchen cookbook: roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta and a balsamic glaze... yummy!

I can't believe I didn't get pictures of the desserts but they were good.... trust me.

Hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving celebration and that your holiday was wonderful...

Loribeth

Looking like Snow in November

I am busy getting ready for my open studio tour at the end of November. Every year I say I am going to get all this done in the summer and not rush around but it never seems to work out that way. Here are some deflated snow people in progress. I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this vintage popcorn chenille bedspread. I am almost at the end of it but it has yielded a nice population of snow people!And all finished....

Here are this year's troupe of Snow People posing for their photo op... they are quite cooperative.

I made a snow lady this year and I love her pink cashmere neck ruffle.

This guy reminds me of an old college sports fan. Making his wool felt top hat took me longer than I thought it would.

I like the way his head turned out... they all end up with their own personality. His neck ruffle is made from a vintage crepe paper Hawaiian lei.

Lobster Fest!

Here is the upside of a down economy: Apparently there is a glut of lobsters on the market and when I heard that on the news I ran right out to my local grocery and got these babies for $3.99 per pound!!!! I restrained myself and bought just three...two for the following yummy recipe below and one for lunch. Lobster for lunch on a Tuesday... that's what I call livin!

This recipe was given to me by a good friend and fellow artisan Barbara. She always serves it at our Artisan potluck dinners and it is always a big hit. It's rich and delicious.

Lobster Mac & Cheese


14 ounces small macaroni
4 TBLSP. chopped onion
salt & pepper
6 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 cups thin white sauce (see below)
meat (tails and claws) from two cooked lobsters (can also use the equivilent of frozen lobster)
2 TBLSP butter

Heat oven to 375. Cook mac as directed on box. Place half the mac in ungreased 9x13 casserole. Sprinkle with half the onion, lobster & cheese, repeat. Pour white sauce over casserole. Dot with butter. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 15 minutes longer.

White sauce
For each cup of sauce:

1 TBLSP. butter
1 TBLSP. flour
salt
pepper
1 cup milk or 1/2 & 1/2 (I used the half and half)
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt & pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth & bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Halloween Corners of my Home

Greetings and hope you are all ready to celebrate a spooky Halloween. I thought it would be fun to give you a peek at how I've decorated one room for the holiday. Here is my dining room mantle with some of my favorite Halloween icons. My black crow who is really rather friendly but a terrible thief... he likes brightly colored ribbons for his nest.

Tomorrow night we will have a group of giggly teenage girls for a sleep-over party. They will watch scary movies and feast on the candies in these little witches broom favors. Thanks to Martha for that idea. I cut all the sticks last week and left them in a little pile on the porch and a sneaky golden retriever (who we all know and love) thought they were her hors d'oeuvres.... had to cut a whole new batch!

My dining room with those ladderback chairs that we bought before we were married. I think I am going to paint them black. I do love that mantle though. I think it was built in the 1950's even though our house dates back to 1849. I painted the brick which used to be bright red. There have been many alterations to this old house.

This paper witch was made last year from a project by the talented Sandra Evertson.

My Halloween owl (another Martha decoration). It looks great all lit up at night!

Everyone needs their own shrunken head in a jar. Have yourself a Happy Halloween!

It's Party Time!

Maminka Girl would like to thank you for visiting her blog... and a special thank you to Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist for hosting this wonderful blog party! This Pumpkin Gentleman is dressed in his finest tweeds and silk bowtie to welcome you. This little "Lady of Fate" wishes to tell your Halloween fortune. Her skills are as amazing as her gold hoop earrings. Her skirts hold a wealth of information.

What does the future hold for you.... ?

Step into my house. The wind is blowing, the leaves are flying and the curtains are fluttering in the breeze.

Pay no mind to my friends on the roof. They keep watch for any mischief.

Come, my dears into my cozy living room and all will be revealed in my crystal ball.

The Lady of Fate can see your future and she sees that you will have a very....

Happy Halloween!

Some behind the scenes work in progress. The "house" was actually a CD case on sale at Michaels for only $2.50.

A little paint....

A little vintage flocked wallpaper makes a fabulous carpet.

Some decorations for the walls and slightly tattered curtains adorn the windows

Some spooky friends to haunt the roof. A crystal ball made from an old Christmas ball ornament and placed on a wooden spool and knob which were painted black. The upholstered chair came from the few remaining furniture pieces out of my childhood dollhouse. The lady of fate was handpainted by me and her skirt made from very old book pages. Her blouse is made from vintage wallpaper.

This pumpkin gentleman was made by me several years ago. He used to have a lovely wife but she was sold...sadly for him. I couldn't bear to part with him after he lost his wife so he lives with me now and comes out every Halloween. Maybe he'll remarry one day....

Happy Halloween everyone and thanks for visiting! I had a great time at my first ever blog party and can't wait to see all the other wonderful blogs.

Loribeth

This Week's Projects

Here is a batch of cute fabric luggage tags that I made this week. I was looking for something relatively quick and easy to make that I could sell on my artisan tour and through the shop. This is a fun way to use small bits of fabric and you will definitely be able to spot your baggage at the airport!

Here is my latest version of a market tote. I have been slowly parting with my bits of vintage fabric by making these. It is fun to combine all the different pieces of textiles that I own.

Autumn Scenes

I had the great pleasure of visiting our local apple orchard during the most glorious fall day recently. It is located at the top of a hill overlooking the Connecticut River valley and the hills of Vermont. I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world and days like this really make me appreciate it even more. This apple tree laden with fruit has a least three varities of apples!

Love ghourds... can never get enough of them.

Here is my front doorstep. I use my french garden cart all year round to contain whatever is appropriate to the season. I just recently planted these mums before it gets too frosty so they will come back next year if I am lucky. The little iron pot holder works well to hold pumpkins too!

I made these legs last year and they were a bit hit with the neighborhood. I got the idea from this wonderful blog. Her ideas are always so inspirational.

This is the setting for a most delightful 50th birthday party that we recently attended for my friend Sharyn's hubby. She had the best day for weather and the nicest crowd of folks... and of course great food! I ate too much but it was worth it. That cute little red barn is her studio. Sharyn is a wonderful potter who is in my local artisan group.

This was all set up for a game of checkers... there were lots of kids at the party and I thought this was a wonderful idea.

My good friend Carol with one of her signature dishes: Zebra Cheesecake. She is a heavenly cook and always a welcome guest at a potluck!

Here is a little witch that I just finished made from a beautiful black and white toile sateen fabric. I've had a small piece of this for a while and was waiting for just the right project. Her neck ruffle is fashioned from a vintage lei. I love the faded colors.