Merry Christmas to all!

Coming to Simply Primitives tonight

This Holiday Ho Ho Ho Crow will be available on Simply Primitives this evening. He's my last Holiday creation for the year.

I am now officially able to pack up my sewing and tuck it away til after Christmas. Whew!

Now it's time to get busy decorating and baking for the big day!

Happy Holidays to all!

She's making the trek to Ebay

Since it's the holidays, and time is of the essence, days are numbered, and bills must be paid, this gal is going on to Ebay tonight. She's available on TDIPT Mercantile as of right now, but unfortunately, no takers for her, and there is no time for her to sit and wait for just the right person to come along for her.

So, I gave her a new "do" and I will list her on Ebay tonight w/ a Buy it Now, at a lower price. She's so lovely, and if I could afford to do so, I would love to keep her, as I love everything about this Peace on Earth Angel!

I hope she'll find someone who can't live without her!

New for TDIPT Mercantile

Tonight the Merc is updating, and here's a peek at one of my offerings!~

Hope to see you there!

Ho Ho Ho!!!.....

Be on the lookout!

Here's my newest Santa, and he's comin to ebay tonight!

He'll be on a 5 day auction with a buy it now option.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Wishing you and yours a very

Safe and Happy

~Thanksgiving!~

~ Thankful ~

My newest creation is up for auction on ebay.

We really do have so very much to be Thankful for ;)

Thanks for stopping by :)

The Sweetest Vampire

Little Zoey....ready to go Trick or Treating

Finally...something for ebay!

Here's my new guy, and he can be found on ebay. He's a blue eyed Santa in traditional reds.

I've really been dragging my feet, and have felt so unispired lately, but I am hoping to turn the corner and have plenty of Holiday Handmades to offer this season!
Please be sure to visit TDIPT Mercantile this Saturday night for our big Open House premier, as I will have a new holiday creation to offer there, as will the other TDIPT artists, and of course we are having a HUGE giveaway to celebrate and kick off the season!

Thanks for stopping by :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

TDIPT Mercantile will be celebrating it's annual Holiday Open House during the month of November!

We hope you'll join us, as we'll have holiday offerings galore from our talented artists, as well as a generous giveway!

See you there in November.

New for TDIPT Mercantile

Yep, that's right....you can now find my offerings on TDIPT Mercantile on the 1st of the month.

This month I have a Pilgrim Make-do up for consideration.

I hope you'll stop by and take a peek at her, along w/ all of the other wonderful creations now available from fellow TDIPT artists!

Coming to the Mercantile

I'll be updating my TDIPT Mercantile page tonight along w/ the other artists from the 15th of the month!

Here's a peek at my offerings.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another great TDIPT swap!

We're once again smack-dab in the middle of another TDIPT Swap. We decided that for our annual Autumn swap we would keep it at a modest level, and not get too carried away w/ the giving, as we tend to do with each one. It was difficult, but for the most part we all managed to stay within our limit which was, a handmade (2, if small), and a $15.00 monetary limit.

Anyway.....Janelle AKA little sister's dolls drew names this time around, and I was lucky enough to get her as my swap partner!

She made me this adorable and very colorful Witch sittin atop her big ol pumpkin!

She sent along a yummy smelling Paula Dean candle, a bread dipping set, and Americana Hanger, and some candy.....Black Licorice (which I told her I love), and some Orange Jewels

Also, 2 cards, one handmade, and the other w/ a doggie on the front, and a very sweet message inside!

Thank you Janelle, I love my box of goodies!

Be sure to check out some of the other TDIPT members blogs to see more! The TDIPT girls are not only extremely talented, they are amazingly generous! The swaps are always over the top, and you'll want to see them all!

For the Vegetarian in you!

Vegetarian Tacos

Here it is, a veggie taco that combines the best of summer produce, that you can pull together in about 20 minutes or less. You can use summer squash, green chiles, tomatoes, and jalapeños from the garden. You can improvise with the vegetables, a little fresh corn would work great added in, or some cooked beans as well. Fresh chiles, and you could always just add some salsa or jalapeño pickles to taste. The key to the overall taste is the addition at the end of cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese that is salty and crumbly, much like Greek feta. Remember, unless you have just made your tortillas fresh from scratch, packaged corn tortillas need to be heated and softened first, before being used for tacos

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 cup of roughly chopped zucchini or summer squash (1-2 zucchini or squash, depending on the size)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 large fresh mild green chile (Anaheim or Hatch), seeds and stem discarded, chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeds and stem discarded, minced (or more, if you desire more heat)
Salt
1 small to medium tomato, chopped
4 corn tortillas
4 slices cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (a salty, crumbly cheese, you can substitute feta)
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped (okay to include the stems, if small)

1 Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, garlic, green chiles, and jalapeño to the pan. Sprinkle with salt. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil in the pan. Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, until they are all lightly browned. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, lower the heat to low. Let gently cook for several minutes while you are preparing the tortillas.

You are going to want to heat up the tortillas first, first to soften them, and then to melt the cheese.

Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a large cast iron frying pan, on medium high. Add a tortilla to the pan, moving it around a bit, and turning it over, so that it spreads around the oil. Let the tortilla heat until it develops little bubbles of air pockets. Then place a piece of cheese on one side of the tortilla, and use a metal spatula to fold the other side of the tortilla over the cheese. Heat until cheese is melted, then remove from pan. Note that if you have a big enough pan, you can have one tortilla folded over while you have another tortilla doing its initial heating.

Open the tacos and spoon some of the cooked veggie filling into them. Sprinkle on chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 tacos. Serves 2.

*you can use flour tortillas as well*

Mmm Mmmm, it just might be what's for dinner around ehre today :)

Coming soon......

The members of TDIPT are having a funniest pet contest on our TDIPT blog.

The fun begins on September 6th, so be sure to check out all the pics on our blog, and vote for TDIPT's funniest!

New Offerings

My 2 new Harvest-Thyme offerings......

A witch door hanger on Simply Primitives

and a Handsome Pumpkinhead on my selling blog

Thanks for stopping by!

Vick: Welcome to Pennsylvania! You've Come to the Right Place

I received this email today. It's from a wonderful gal who lives in Tipton Pennsylvania. She's the founder of Dogs Deserve Better, and not only has she worked for years to get laws passed for more humane treatment of dogs in the US, she has devoted her life to making such changes and is responsible for saving many dogs from a life of hell on the end of a chain. No state has been tougher for her than her own. You can read her words below, and you can visit the website by clicking here.
Myself, I was sick to see a team take Vick. To me his name is MUDD!





Greetings!

Well, it's official. Vick is now an Eagle; he's coming to Pennsylvania.

(I'd like to call it Pennsyltucky, but I get in trouble from the Kentucky folks. I understand, Kentuckians---I wouldn't want Pennsylvania dragging me down either, but doesn't it just have a fun ring to it? You could use it too!)



Come on up, Vick, we've got our welcome mat out for ya'!



While some here in Pennsylvania may be astounded that we care so little about our animals as to put the welcome mat out for Mike Vick, I don't join them in their astoundyism. (Yeah, I know it's not a word, but I like it.)



How could I?



Pennsylvania has been making headlines in the last few years as, amongst other things, the puppymill capitol of the East and the state where abusive puppymillers, backyard breeders, and dog chainers are running rampant, killing and neglecting dogs, and prosecuting activists who videotape the cruelty and then help the animals. The abusers are never even brought to trial.



Anti-chaining legislation in Pennsylvania, now in it's third session, still languishes in committee, whereas in Georgia there are now at least 14 counties with very strong anti-tethering laws in place. Vick, you got out just in time; seems they were about to stop tolerating you there!



But don't worry, Vick, we're your people! Come on up, the water's warm!



Pennsylvania has chosen abusers over animals every day of the week and twice on Football Sunday.

The Philadelphia Eagle Powers that Be decided to bring Vick here despite angry protests and boycotts of their programs and sponsors---having obviously felt bringing him here was well worth any 'temporary discomfort.

''Temporary discomfort' being blogs such as this, articles by animal advocates and organizations, and protests by groups who manage to round up enough bodies to make somewhat of an impression on media folk.



We are told by 'real' sports columnists to "just go away and be quiet," "your actions won't get you anywhere," and "stop behaving like children" because we have the nerve to boycott, protest, and make facebook groups against the Eagles and their actions in bringing Vick to Pennsylvania.



We are told, in disdain no less, that "our actions just bring down the cause of animal advocacy. If we just wrote a gentle letter and 'used this for the next occasion' that we would be better off. Just let Vick play now, slink off to our corners, and admit defeat. Be good little children, for Christ's sake."



I was once told that the difference between France and America is that in France they fear their people, and in America we fear our government.

It's time America started fearing it's people too! Social movements are not brought to fruition by people staying at home and shutting their mouths. They are created by momentum, unison, and righteous action to overthrow unrighteous behaviors.

Someday, and someday soon, enough people will be boycotting the Eagles or their ilk long enough and hard enough to take them out. And then columnists who tell us to step back and be good little girls and boys will be eating their words.



Someday, and someday soon, enough people will be demanding justice for animals that the correct people will be prosecuted, and prosecuted well and hard, for committing crimes against those who depend on us for their very existence.



And someday, and someday soon, enough people will be standing firm around advocates who film cruelty and take actions for animals that the powers that be will find they are no longer the ones in power.



The thought of that day brings a smile to my face.



So people, go for it! Protest! Boycott! Create petitions! And most importantly, create change.



For that day is coming, and soon.

---Tamira Ci Thayne, founder, Dogs Deserve Better

Happy Birthday Mom!

It is so hard for me to believe that my mom is 80 years old. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was a little girl and she would sing to me. I can just about hear her singing "oh the moon shines tonight on little redwing", she would sing it to me when I was in the bathtub, so she could get my hair rinsed good after washing. I'll never forget the calming effect it had on me.

We had pizza, cake and ice cream for her birthday. She wasn't feeling well....she broke 4 ribs when she fell last week, and just came home from the hospital yesterday. She's weak and frail, and we are hoping this will pass once she has time to heal. I'm thankful to be able to celebrate another of her birthdays with her.

I love you mom :)

August on the Mercantile

This month TDIPT is celebrating all things Autumn.

For this fun theme, I've made a Pumpkinhead named Percy

and a Witch named Hazel (sister to Eloise). Hazel will be hopping on her broom and flying south to take up residency with a fellow TDIPT sister :) I sure hope she likes her!

Be sure to visit the Merc for some of the very finest handmades you'll find anywhere!

TDIPT Presents.....A Candy Corn Carnival....

On EBAY all this week!

The artists of TDIPT will be offering everything Candy Corn all week on Ebay, so be sure to check us out!



Here's one of my offerings

Thanks for stopping by :)

Eloise

My offering for Simply Primitives for August 1st. :)

Thrilled & Deeeee-lighted!

We have a saying in TDIPT.....

"Ain't no swap like a TDIPT Swap", and we say it with good reason!

I'm telling you, the gals always have their game faces on, and seem to put their best creative foot forward for these special events!

We've just about completed our Mid-summer Swap, and w/ this one, it was sorta last minute...something to take us through the summer and give us our swap fix until our big Autumn Swap.

We decided that we would keep it simple (yeah, right...no such thing in the land of TDIPT), and stick to one handmade item. We were partnered up, then able to request what type of handmade we would like to have from the other, be it Halloween, Christmas, or just a favorite subject. We also agreed to send just the handmade...nothing else, no added extras, but between you, me and the fencepost, many found it difficult to stick to such strict regulations, and opted to send along a little extra, but we all agreed we would keep it to ourselves and not tell the world, so I won't :)

As I'm sure you can tell by jsut looking at the pictures, I was lucky enough to be paired up w/ Tonya of Back Porch Pickins, and when she drew my name I knew immediately what I would ask her to make for me, and she was happy to oblige!

I asked for one of her sweet Uncle Sams.....and boy did she deliver! I was thrilled when the box arrived, and felt like a kid on Christmas morning! Her packaging was beautiful, and she pays as much attention to the detail of wrapping as she does to creating her beautiful dolls!

Thanks so very much Tonya, I love my Uncle Sam, and will cherish him forever!

Be sure to check out the blogs of other TDIPT members to see all the lovely handmades that were exchanged amongst us!

OK.....bring on the next swap, we can hardly WAIT! We have new members, and they are eager to join in the fun too! It's always fun to watch, but even more so to participate!

The Joys of Summer

Cobbler Anyone?

I love summer, it's my very favorite season here in Michigan. I love the warm temps, sunny days, and the long hours of daylight.

One of the things I love and appreciate most is the wonderful fresh produce grown right here in the state, and available to us during the summer months.... from sweet corn, to tomatoes, to zuchinni. Fresh grown produce is the best!

We even have an area in Michigan called the Fruit Belt, known for all the fresh fruit that's grown here and comes into season during our wonderful summer months. We've got cherries, cantaloupe, peaches, berries of all kinds.... strawberries, blueberries, and of course yummy raspberries.

My sister grows her own red raspberies, and she was nice enough to let me pick while she is away on a mini-vakay.

The season for the raspberries is winding down, but there are still plenty of these sweet and luscious berries to be had!

I was able to pick enough in one day to enjoy some plain, and also to make a yummy cobbler.

This particular recipe has a rich buttery dough, and is best served w/ a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream!

2 -cups Fresh Fruit

Sugar ( I used about 1/2 cup on my berries)

Sprinkle fruit w/ sugar, and stir gently, and let set til it makes it's own juice.

While that's setting, you can make the dough for the cobbler.

1 cup baking mix

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

Melt the butter, and pour into an 8" by 8" baking pan.

Mix the baking mix, baking powder and sugar together, add the milk and mix w/ a fork til, combined. Batter will be thin

Pour batter on top of the butter, and spoon fruit w/ juice on top of that.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

Let cool, and top with fresh whipped cream or even better, a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream!

Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm, I can't wait for Michigan Peaches to come into season in about a month!

A 23 hour "Getaway"?

..well, that's what we called it, but by the time all was said and done, it was more like one big BLUR!!

By the time preparations were made to have someone here to take care of the dogs, and make sure the teenager wasn't left home alone, I was mentally exhausted (b/c of course as mom's we have to worry worry worry about everything), then off to the grocery store to be sure they had food, and make sure the house is clean, b/c you know how they say be sure to have clean undies on and a clean house just incase anything happens while you're gone. Well, anyway, I was almost too pooped to participate!

It was a good thing our destination was only 1 1/4 hours away!

Believe me, Chicago was mighty tempting, as like Port Huron, it is right on the Lake (Lake Michigan), but we had our reservations made for a night at the Thomas Edison Inn in Port Huron, an old port town, just across the river from Sarnia Canada.

The hotel is located right on the St. Clair river, where it opens up into Lake Huron, with gorgeous views of the river, lake and the beautiful Blue Water Bridge to Canada.

We had a 3rd floor room which offered a view of the River, Lake and of course the Bridge, right from our balcony.


We were a bit disappointed that it was cloudy, and even some drizzle, as the water looks gray, and not nearly as beautiful as when the sun is shining and it gives it a breathtaking turquoise blue hue! It's no wonder they call it the Blue Water Bridge!

I took this pic from our balcony, it's the patio that sets off the hotel restaurant. It was early morning, so no umbrellas set up on the tables yet.

On the American side of the river/lake, both American and Canadian flags wave proudly

as do they on the Canadian side as well.

Hub and I picked up some Cajin Deep Fried peanuts at the party store, and this little fella must have been able to smell them, b/c of all the balconies at the hotel...he ended up on ours, peeking into our screen, so I put a few peanuts out there for him, hoping he didn't mind a little bit of spice.

and I guess he didn't mind all that spicy seasoning, as he kept coming back for more and more!

It was such fun to watch him hold the peanuts and lick the seasoning off, before running off with them.

All and all, it was nice to get away, and I did appreciate it, and enjoyed myself, but just one more day away sure would have put the icing on the cake!

It's been a long time....

been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lone-ly time!

Up until last night I had not listed anything on Ebay since last Christmas, and while I was doing my listing, it all came back to me as to why! UGH......it took me forever, and trying to get a gallery pic, and such, was workin up my blood pressure,and those terrible thoughts of tossing the puter right out the window to the left of me were re-surfacing, and in a BIG way!

Finally after much frustration, and a few hours work, I was able to hit the button, and low and behold....I had a listing, my first of the year!

My lil Punkin girl, w/ her soft muted colors will be on ebay until Sunday night when she ends at 10:45 EDT.

New For Simply Primitives

Here's my Patriotic Santa...he'll be available on Simply Primitives for July 1st!

Giveaway at Patti's place!

Patti of Winding Vine Wanderings is having a luscious giveaway on her blog to celebrate her one year blogging, as well as a year at TDIPT! She is giving away a few of her ~to die for~ handmades, and for one of them, you have to give your best guess as to how many strawberries (in weight) she got this year from her Strawberry patch ( her berries pictured above)

What fun!

So head over and give it your best guess, and sign up to win one her lovely offerings!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My Dad would be turning 85 years old today on this Flag Day.

He died way to early, and suddenly, of a heart attack at age 57.

He thought he was just feeling ill, and went on to work his normal Tuesday night midnight shift at Ford Motor Company. It would be his last shift, and he wouldn't finish it. He didn't know he was in the midst of a fatal heart attack, as the symptoms of nausea and shortness of breath were easy for him to dismiss, and he did. He went on to work, hoping to feel better, but only became sicker, and by the time he made his way down the the Nurses station, it was too late.

We didn't get the chance to say good bye......I had intended to call him that evening, but put it off til tomorrow. I ended up being restless that night and couldn't sleep. I woke up and went into my daughters room (who was just a baby) and slept on the floor. I had such a feeling of uneasiness. I finally fell to sleep when the phone rang w/ that fateful news in the middle of the night. The devastating news that would forever change my life. I had intended to call my Dad that evening....but put it off. I regret it to this day.

If you've got something to say to someone you love and care about.....please, please don't put it off. There may not be tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Dad. I wish you could have lived long enough to see your grandchildren. I know you would have gotten so much joy from them, and you would have been so important to them, and to me.

I'm so excited.....

and I just can't hide it!

TDIPT Blog is celebrating their 100th post! And no celebration would be complete without prizes to show appreciation to those who follow not only the TDIPT blog, but are faithful patrons of our Mercantile!

Head over quick and get your name entered in to win one of the lovely handmade gifts donated by TDIPT artists.

Also....be sure to check out the Mercantile tomorrrow evening when we update with Part 2 of our A Day at the Fair theme!

My newest offering

She's available on my selling blog

Memorial Day

Today while you enjoy your picnic or backyard BBQ with family and friends, please take a moment to realize the true meaning of this holiday, and remember those who have sacrificed to keep America the

~Land of the Free ~

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day, and thank you to our soldiers.