BLOGGING SPACE UPDATE

This post will be short as I have tons of work to finish up today to get it in the mail and also laundry, packing and some quick cleaning....ALL IN ONE DAY.

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for a week for Pennsylvania to the Market Square Wholesale Buyers Show and Cash & Carry for over the weekend...then off to Lancaster for the rest of the week for more shopping and visiting relatives there....and more shopping....did I say that before??? lol Soooo, that being said I won't be posting here for over a week...but hopefully I will at least be able to check in and comment on other blogs.

I had many e-mails asking about the black desk in the post below....well, 3 years ago when I started in my business I needed some kind of desk and I wanted it in the main part of the house because we don't have EXTRA rooms here.

So we set off in search of one for over a year looking at so many different styles, colors and NOTHING suited us/me....I wanted/needed certain thing for the functionality of it.

A couple years prior we had our fireplace surround, book cabinets built by this young gentleman and we were so pleased I thought why not ask him if he could build one. From there I drew out the plans/dimensions of what I wanted and presented them to him....got an estimate and WALLA....he did an excellent job.

As you can see it mostly doesn't look like a desk - it's 6 ft. long and acts as a buffet, cabinet and desk....so we have three pieces in one and I got all the interior functions that I was searching for.

I have three drawers on the left, bottom one is for files, then the center door pulls out and then slides into the side and is hidden and when we need to we pull a chair over to sit there, and on the right all the shelves pull out, one for the printer, one for the scanner (which I don't have anymore cuz it's an all in one) and one for supplies.... Didn't he do a great job?

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE...

WHERE I BLOG/WORK

Linda and Janae posted where they enjoy blogging from and their rooms are seperate from the other rooms in their home - mine unfortunately has to be in the main room of our home.

My work/craft room is upstairs and I really don't like being cooped up there away from the main part of the house so I always have my laptop sitting on our desk and when I want to relax while using it I just carry it over to the loveseat across from the desk and also that's where I do my actual stitching of my Penny Rugs as well.

WISHING AGAIN!

I just can’t help myself in the winter dreaming of things past - and this is one of the things….A couple years ago we took our kids on a cruise. I think that was one of our best vacations ever and wish we could repeat it!

We were on Royal Caribbean’s VOYAGER OF THE SEAS for a one week cruise headed for the Western Caribbean - Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Labadee Haiti.

I know the kids had a great time because we barely saw them except at dinner or to go on shore….while we were on the ship they were doing their own thing. We usually split up to do the shore fun because we all had our own ideas of ‘what was fun’. Being younger the kids took part in all the snorkeling, horseback riding, water sports and one of their favorites - ‘Carlos & Charlie’s’.

On one of the islands our middle son purchased an engagement ring and proposed to our now daughter in-law….a very special day for all of us.

So enjoy these warm filled pictures and let it take you to a warmer place like it does me.


Arriving on bus to the ship


At embarkation


In lounge before semi-formal evening

One of the formal evenings

A day on the ship

Brett, Doug and Darren on the cruise lines private island LABADEE, HAITI

And the ever popular Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Our ship at Ocho, Rios embarking passengers to their shore excursions

Our three sons, Doug and daughter in-law on next to last night.
They didn't know I was behind them with the camera...seriously - I guess that's why I think this picture is so special and perfect

Last of the sunset and ships trail

PENNSYLVANIA STAR BARN

I do believe this has to be the most wonderful site in all our travels we have taken over the years...

Last Spring on a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania we stopped and took some pictures of a beautiful old barn.

We have traveled this route for 30 years and seen this wonderful piece of architecture and never gotten off the highway to visit it, but after hearing it will be re-located we thought it was time to visit this wonderful beauty.

Over the years it has taken a hit with wood decay and shoddy upkeep and was due to be demolished if someone didn’t come forward to save it.

Fortunately enough funds have been raised and has been purchased and all buildings will be taken apart board by board, stone by stone, numbered and re-assembled in their new location sometime this year.

Here is the video clip of the announcement and new location http://www.wgal.com/video/16764868/index.html

Go to this site to read about this beautiful piece of architecture. http://www.thestarbarn.com/About_OwnershipHistory.aspx

On February 29, 2000, the Millport Conservancy and Preservation Pennsylvania joined forces and funds to purchase The Star Barn Complex. The two organizations shared common goals in moving to save this endangered property: to preserve The Star Barn complex as a symbol of the region’s agricultural heritage and to insure its future survival by making it a part of the life of the communities that now surround it.

In December, 2007, Agrarian Country, a non-profit corporation from Middletown, Pennsylvania, assumed ownership of The Star Barn. AND SHE WILL BE SAVED!!!

MINI VACATION

Seems I have been missing for a few days!
We have had my brother and his wife here since Wednesday - We go up north to their place for a couple days and trade off with them coming down here a month or so later. It's fun being best friends with your brother and SIL.

Ohhhhh it's sooooo very, very cold here today. When we got up and all of us went to breakfast it was minus 14 degrees! And it seemed no matter where we went for meals these past few days it was COLD in the restaurants - I guess it’s just too hard to regulate the temps with minus temps

I haven’t even had time to check in to see what all my friends have been up to so I have lots to catch up on.

On Wednesday it was Doug’s birthday so we went to a dinner/theater with my brother and SIL. We saw Rock’n In The 50’s part 2...oh what fun.

Besides a wonderful dinner we saw such a great musical performance with all the great songs of the 50’s and again I’m dating myself…lol But there’s nothing more catching than the Rock N Roll songs of the 50’s. There were ballads to Rock A Billy!

Then yesterday we took a drive into Milwaukee to visit the Mitchell Domes…it has been many, many years since we visited them and I was still impressed at the flowers and trees and birds - There are three domes each housing a Tropical and a Dessert zone and one with flowers and that one changes with the holiday and season……but it wasn't open because they were changing over from Christmas to Spring/Easter.

We were happiest in the Tropical Dome with a rain forest atmosphere - for Doug and I it reminded us of our trips to the island of St. Kitts to visit our friends, but for now we were content to walk through this tropical splendor. When you entered the dome you got this wonderful scent of spices and flowers and the humidity was so refreshing on that minus 12 degree day! When you closed your eyes you could just imagine being in the island. Lots of ginger and cinnamon scents.

I only posted a couple pictures and one especially of my favorite tree the TRAVELERS TREE and then the MONEY TREE.

A variety of Orchid

I think this was my favorite - although I didn't get a picture of the tree itself...but I had to giggle at the bottom line....what else is money used for...except to buy ornamental things! lol

This is the TRAVELER'S TREE

The bananas start growing from a pod and coming from the center are long chutes and they turn into the banana. After the tree has produced the fruit and is harvested that branch dies and you cut it off.
This particular banana tree is in the yard of our friends in St. Kitts

Then afterward we went downtown Milwaukee to the Museum and took the rest of the day going through the 4 levels of this wonderful museum. The first part of our stay there was to tour the TITANIC exhibit. You can read about it and see movies about it but to see the actual artifacts that were brought up from the deep is astounding.

Hopefully most of you take advantage of the wonderful entertainment/educational offerings in your community….unfortunately we don’t but will try and change that - after yesterday we decided we need to get out there and support all those wonderful institutions offering so much wonderful entertainment.

Karen

WHERE DO YOU CRAFT?

Many times I've been asked where I craft - well, all over the house actually - but I do all my designing, cutting, placing pieces on the fabric....all the messy preps in the upstairs craft room/office.

It was originally one of our son's bedrooms, then my husbands office/2nd guest bedroom and then when I took over the guest bed got taken down and in I came! lol
But Doug still has the same space he had originally - but I sure did surround him.

And yes, after I'm done cutting, etc, it does look like this - one thing I can't stand is to come back up there to do more work and have piles of cut fabrics, scissors, etc. all over the place. I find things much faster this way.....and I guess I'll admit it...I'm kind of a neat freak but not in a bad way, really! Just like to be organized.

I think that was taught to me in Home-Ec class back in the 60's (yeah, I know....wow, she's old!) but it stuck. Home-Ec back then we were taught the basics of being a good home maker and wife...I think it needs to be that way again...but I digressed didn't I.

So, this is where I do my work....where do you do yours???

See, he still has a space left to work at....I wasn't all that pushy! lol

And the loveseat in the den is where I spend all my sewing time....and I can see the tv from there which is in the family room below....but mostly I don't watch tv.

Hugs,

COLD, COLD DAY

Well today was sooooo cold it was a great day to be inside.

I had lots of orders to work on and also ship a few out. Sometimes I'm sitting so long sewing that I think my butt is going to get as wide as my sofa I sit on...lol

Decided to have a 'comfort food dinner' tonight so I made Stuffed Pork Chops w/gravy, Mashed potatoes, Corn and Pineapple Rings w/Cottage Cheese. Boy it went down just wonderfully.

I browned the two huge chops in my black iron skillet, added one large jar of Heinze Classic Chicken Gravy (from the jar), about 1/4 cup of water and put the whole thing in the oven for about 40 minutes and walla....meat and gravy.

Now the picture is making the whole dinner look blah, but NOT!!!!!!!! You should have tasted it - the gravy after mixing with the meat for that long and simmering in the oven tasted as good or better than homemade....try it!

MARKET FINDS

Well, I didn't find anything fun at Market for myself except a candle and two little decorative table top stands...not sure what in the world I'm going to do with them - if I can't decide, then possibly I will put them on my website (which I think is where they are going to end up!) I just can't find a good place for them. www.kmprimitives.com

But we did get some Easter items - go check out my website in the NEW ITEMS catagory to view....they're cutsie, not prim so I was tentative putting them on my site but this will be just for like Easter and Halloween items, then it will be taken off. I don't want customers to start thinking I'm going away from Prim or Colonial.

I've been on the computer most of the day and now it's time to get off - hope you all had a wonderful day!

This is the gray shelf - fits in a corner and it's almost identical to the cupboard I have it on
And it's SOLD to Becky!!!!!!!!! Thanks Becky, it's on its way!

The red one is a corner one as well but equal on the sides.
Both have a little wood peg to hang something on.

Picked up a few of these Willow Candles too!

I bought 2 of these tin holders for the flicker tea lights to sit in! Aren't they cute?

Hugs,

AND I DID....

Saturday we had the most fun brunch at Doug’s cousins house. One of our cousins is here from Florida so we all got together and had Omelets In A Bag…now I know this sounds yukky but it is delicious.

You take your eggs/milk and either mix in a bowl or mix enough for the group and pour into a baggie, put in any kind of ingredients that you would have in an omelet (except for the cheese), seal bag, place in pot of boiling water for 13-15 minutes. Open the bag and put omelet on plate and then add your cheese on top if desired.

These are just delicious and come out all rolled like an omelet!

Then Sunday Doug and I spent the day putting away all the Christmas decorations and re-arranging all the containers in the storage area and getting the house back together - I can’t believe how big the house looks without all those trees and STUFF sitting around! LOL

Today we had to head out early for Madison for the Market Square Wholesale Cash & Carry show - we found lots of wonderful goodies for Easter and some for our shop. I hope to get some pictures taken of the products so I can get them on my website soon. So that’s my weekend and no pictures to show for it! Sorry. I know we all love pictures don’t we! LoL

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I just won The Lemonade Award from Sharon of PrimThyme.

The Lemonade Award is for blogs that show great attitude and gratitude.Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.

I would love to do this however everyone I have contact with through the blogs deserves this award.

I learn so much and see so much from each and everyone of you so this award goes to each of you….I don’t take awards for my blog - I haven’t done this from the beginning…it’s not because I don’t appreciate it - it’s just that I don’t know how to choose.

Hugs,

WANDERING KITTY

Has anything from the past come to meet you???

Well, it happened to me this past summer so I thought you might like to hear the story and hopefully I can keep it short because I try very hard not to be wordy….but if you really knew me…well, lets just say I’ll try.

I received an e-mail from a girl asking if I’m the same KAREN MARTINSEN who made a ceramic kitty sitting in a baby shoe….well, I didn’t think I would ever have made something like that.

Back in 1974 I was in a ceramics class and made lots of decorative things but they were mostly Colonial items - not cutsy.

I told our boys about it and they said they remembered something like that but were not sure.
I e-mailed her back and told her what I thought and asked if she had pictures…she did….she sent them.

WOW….there was the kitty! AND my signature on the bottom! I don’t sign things in that penmanship anymore but that was mine back then.

She proceeded to tell me she collects anything CATS/KITTY and at a FLEA MARKET IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS she found this kitty and decided to seek out the maker. Can you believe it??? And we live in Wisconsin.

I made this thing in 1974, that was 34 years ago and as any cat IT CERTAINLY DID HAVE 9 LIVES!!!

I just wish I knew the journey this kitty had in those 34 years - how it survived not being broken or cracked/chipped….did it get purchased at one of my rummage sales and sold over and over till it reached Texas? I will never know but I do know my kitty survives….not sure how many more of its 9 lives it has left but I’m certain it will stay where it’s at till time runs out.

Hope you enjoyed my tales of my kitty