Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!

This past year seemed to fly right on by.

And now here we are to another year..2009!

I met some new blogging friends last year through my blog here, and lots of things have been recorded here on my blog as to what last year was like for me and mine, and I must say it was a nice year.

A brand new year is here though with lots of adventures awaiting.

I want to wish all of you the absolute very best for 2009!

May this new year hold for you(and me too) lots of happiness, new things to discover, and plenty to keep your hands and mind busy. May you meet new friends along the way, and perhaps rekindle old friendships too. But whatever the new year holds for you..may it be a good one for you.

Happy New Year!
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Wanted to share a few pics with my new friend Susan over at "Not Quite June Cleaver"..I tell you..if you have not visited her blog..you are in for a treat..Susan is a hoot..I tell you. We have been chatting with each other..and just put it this way..we are 2 crazy, funny Southern gals when we get to chatting with each other. I always wind up sitting here laughing out loud with tears streaming down my eyes at the tales we can tell each other about our kiddos and everything in between.
http://notquitejunecleaver.wordpress.com/

Anyhow..it seems Susan and I have quite a lot in common..we both like retro/vintage type items... and we both used to make and sell soap...among other things in common. She's a really cool gal and I'm glad to have "met" her through blogging.

Anyhow we were chatting about some retro things we had recently acquired and I wanted to show my retro chickens I got the other day, I had also wanted to show a picture of a farm girl image I have, but I'll have to take a picture of that and post it maybe tomorrow.(It wasn't in my computer picture file anymore..sorry Susan..but I'll post it soon)


Anyhow..here are the little rooster and hen..they are from about 1950's. Real pretty..I think.
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Oh..and something neat..I get to meet a fellow farm gal today..one of the gals that is a member of "Mary Jane's Farm"..she and I and my daughter are scheduled to meet up for coffee later today...how fun!
She is from New York City,and is in the area visiting with her parents... so it will be fun to finally get to meet one of the farm gals.:0)
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Looks to me like my year is already off to a fun start!

Have a great day!...and thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with me.
~The Garden Goose~

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Homeschool Cupboard Clear Out!

Clearing out loads of stuff here gals:

If you home school your children I have quite a few things I am offfering/and more that I'll be clearing out.

Here is the list so far!
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McDougall Littell
The Language of Literature
10th Grade level text book
Condition: Good/Hardcover

Price: $9 includes shipping to you/book is heavy
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Houghton Mifflin Science:Discovery Works/Florida EditionGrade Level-4th GradeCondition:New/Hardcover

Price: $8 includes shipping to you

(will include 2 new educational posters/1 depicts the interior diagram of a Sea Hawk helicopter/the other covers Color and things about how we see color/symbolism,etc.)
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Set of 3 Science related books/workbook set: approx. 1st-2nd grade level
1.A Child's First Library of Learning:Insect World
Condition: New/Hard cover

2. Scott Foresman Science:Discover the Wonder/"Living Off The Land"
(this workbook covers things such as plants,bugs,hydroponics,farming,gardening)
Condition: very good/paperback

3. Workbook set in a plastic enveloped set/includes teacher guide and lesson cards:
Animals that Fly,crawl,jump,and Swim (frogs,caterpillars,more)
What's All The Buzz About(plants/and more)
What is Everything Made of? (solid,liquid,gas)
Condition: very good,like new/paperback
~Price: $8 includes shipping to you
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Newly Added Items:

Webster's New World Children's Dictionary
(1991 edition)
there are a few names written on front inside cover)
but book is in good condition/nice condition/hard back

Price:$3/shipping $4/book is quite heavy
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The Timetables of History: The New Third Revised Edition
The World Famous reference that tells who did what when from 4500BC to the 1990's.
Condition/New: paperback..very thick big book

Price: $4/plus $4 shipping
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Prentice Hall: Third Edition Business Math
(by Cheryl Cleaves,Margie Hobbs,Paul Dudenhefer)
Condition: New/paperbackgrade level: about 9th-12th grade

Price: $4/plus $4 shipping
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Set of 5 Wee Sing Books with cassettes(New/never used)1. Wee Sing and Play2. Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies3. Wee Sing Fun and Folk4. Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplays5. Wee Sing Fun and Folk ( fun songs like: Bought me a hen and the hen pleased me, I fed my hen under yonder tree...)Price: $7 includes shipping to you
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K-3 Science Activities Kit(Carol Poppe/Nancy Van Matre)
(over 100 pages of reproducible directions/awards,worksheets)
Condition: good Grade level: primary/early elementary
Price: $4 includes the shipping to you
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Hands on Nature: Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment with Children (Vermont Institute of Natural Science)
Condition: like new/very good
Price: $6 includes shipping to you

If interested please email me at:
gardengoose at gmail dot com

I accept paypal or check.

Thanks!


I'll be going through at least another bin full of books plus another cupboard..so stay tuned.

Big Book Clear Out- Christian Fiction Books/ALL TAKEN

ALL HAVE FOUND A HOME! THANK YOU! Whew! We are doing major clear out here! That means all the book shelves are getting cleaned out as well!

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o.k. here's what I have:
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***Set of Beverly Lewis Books
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Sanctuary: by Beverly Lewis and David Lewis/hardcover
The Sacrifice/hard cover
The Shunning/paper backThe Postcard/paper back
The Reckoning/paper back
The Crossroad/paper back
-------------All are in excellent condition/like new
Price: $13/includes shipping

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****Set of 2 Jane Kirkpatrick books
A Name of Her Own/hard cover
All Together In One Place/hard coverCondition/excellent/like new

Price: $10/includes shipping to you
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**** Set of 2 / 2 in 1 Lori Wick Books (2 novels in one book)
Book 1:Lori Wick: The Californians:Love Awakens The Heart: Whatever Tomorrow Brings/As Time Goes By(Hard Cover/Condition: Excellent/like new)
Book 2: Lori Wick: The Californians:The One Forever Promise: Sean Donavan/Donavan's Daughter(Hard Cover/Condition/excellent/like new)

Price:$12/includes shipping
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**** Set of 5 books/mixed authors:

1.Deborah Bedford: Blessing(paper back/condition: very good)
2.Wanda E. Brunsetter: Going Home(paper back/condition/excellent/like new)
3.Cindy Woodsnall:When the Heart Cries(paper back/Condition: very nice/like new)
4. Lawanna Blackwell: The Gresham Chronicles/Book 1:The Widow of Larkspur Inn(hard cover/condition: very nice/like new)
5: Virginia Gaffney: The Richmond Chronicles:Carry Me Home(paper back/Condition: good shape/tiny crease on upper right corner/and tiny wear on cover/but other wise looks real nice)


Price: $13/includes shipping
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Please email me at: gardengoose at gmail dot com if interested.

I accept paypal or check.

Thanks!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Retro Christmas

I "LOVE" retro/vintage items!...
just something about them stands out, and has a good bit more charm/character to me than the mass produced items that one can find for a dime a dozen at the big box stores...yep..I have been finding myself a lot more drawn to wanting to decorate/surround myself with lovely items from a "day gone by".
So..what fun it was when my family surprised me for Christmas with some darling retro/vintage finds to add to my collections that I am gathering for our "soon to be" new home!

I am planning on having jadeite aqua/green colored kitchen with lots of red and white accents, but with a 1950's style rooster/chicken theme....so I have been collecting 1950's style roosters/chickens for a little bit now.

Hubby has noticed that fact... and look at what he got for me to add to my collection!
A darling set of large rooster/hen salt and pepper shakers..the rooster is about 7 inches tall and the hen is about 4 1/2 inches tall. They are absolutely gorgeous! (thanks sweety)
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Then my daughter knows that I have a small collection of dog statuettes that I have slowly been adding to here and there, and she found this little guy for me.
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And daughter also found me this gorgeous set of canisters..so cheery!(thanks so much N.)









And..then I treated myself to a few things I had had my eye on as well.
Another set of rooster w/hen
A darling 9 inch tall Jade Fox..isn't she lovely! And a set of chicken
salt shakers with a
covered salt dish

Of course there were some other lovely gifts I received /not everything was "retro".(Special thanks to Mom,Mom and Dad W., Sis "E".,Sis."S"...many thanks and hugs..ya'll know what you did..and I thank you.:0)

So..I had a really lovely Christmas..and now some new to me ..."retro" fun items to use in the "soon to be" new home.

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I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas as well.

~The Garden Goose

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Wishing all of you a lovely Merry Christmas!!

You all...from the readers that "lurk" in the shadows...yes..you..whoever you are...I'd like for you to come out of hiding once in a while and say "howdy"..I don't bite honestly I don't.(grins)

.....and you..the regular reader of my blog who does leave a comment from time to time...and you..the friends I have met in blogland who I have come to know and enjoy chatting with via email, or through visiting your blogs....

"YOU" all mean so very much to me...and I enjoy your visits.YOU are the reason I keep going with this blog, and the reason why I enjoy blogging so much. YOU add the fun to my blog..and I am glad you visit my blog. Thank YOU!

To every single one of YOU... I wish for YOU...yes.. YOU!!... a lovely Merry Christmas!!

xoxo
~The Garden Goose~

Friday, December 19, 2008

More Exciting News...

Well..I had a little surprise brewing in the background for quite a little while that I couldn't tell you all about until I knew for certain what day it would appear in ....Ta-Dah!....drum roll please......

The latest issue of......
"Romantic Country"!!!!
---------------------
I contacted Fifi...yes...Faboulous Fifi
about a product that my husband creates...and..she liked the product...and ...I sent her a sampling of the items for her to create/decorate with them as she wanted to.
...We spoke via email several times about her idea for using the product, based upon something she had seen in France...and she shared with me an image of what the finished item looked like.
So....without further suspense....
Check out "Wilson Graphics" in ......
"Romantic Country"!!!
(THANKS SO MUCH FIFI!!! IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU!!!)

Check out the latest issue of "Romantic Country"..so many lovely ideas for "feathering your nest" , and adding a spark of romance to your surroundings, and absolutely delicious eye candy.
~The Garden Goose~

Friday, December 12, 2008

Some fun things to tell you about...

Hi,

If you have noticed the left hand side bar on my blog..well..I've been doing some "clean up" around here..just a wee bit.
And...drum roll please... I have created another blog (oh no! Garden Goose is NOT going anywhere! so don't worry!) I am just expanding a bit...smiles.

I have created a new blog strictly geared towards gardening.

You'll find it at:
Hop on over and check it out...I have posted a few articles that might be of help to those of you wanting to get started with a garden this Spring.

Stop by and let me know what you think.And by all means.. If you'd like to add my new blog to your blog links..please do..and please let me know if you'd like for me to add your blog to my new blog's blog list...I will be more than happy to do so.

I also am in the processes of creating a new etsy shop...oh I'll still have my Garden Goose Gifts shop..but the new shop will tie in with the new blog..and you will LOVE it too I am sure!..especially if you love to garden in any capacity at all.

Fun, fun! I'll be announcing the grand opening to that shop soon and will post the link here on this blog as well.
---------------------------
So...some new,fun things going on..and..I'm doing pretty good after the oral surgery..still not eating anything real solid exactly...did have some shredded ham yesterday(it was shredded so fine I was able to just mush it against the roof of my mouth and swallow..ha)..and yogurt and jello...I will be glad when I feel comfortable enough to chew...but..I have no pain..yay! and the swelling has gone down.So..I'll be back to normal real soon. No more chipmunk face..ha.
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Hope you all are having a great time getting ready for the Holidays, and family time together.
May you have a great day!
~The Garden Goose~

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Like a chipmunk...

Yep..I feel and look like a chipmunk..or a hamster today.

Went in this morning for a bit of oral surgery.
3 wisdom teeth out..it took all of about 35 minutes, and I was back home within an hour.

Only thing I needed was nitrous oxide and 6 shots of novacaine.
The novacaine certainly lasted a while..and I still have a little bit of numbness here and there..and my surgery started at 9:45 this morning..and at 6:17 I still have a wee bit of numbness yet..but have had to use half of a pain pill as I can feel some of the pain in my jaw.

But I have been taking care of myself today.I piled in the bed and dozed on and off most of the day.
Am thankful that I have an older daughter and a hubby that can help out with everything around here.
But yep..I'm "little Miss chipmunk cheeks" here today...ha.
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Set out 3 of my Christmas village buildings on the buffet in the dining area..not a whole lot of Christmas decor set out this year, as this past Summer we cleared out a lot of items and my artificial tree went in the garage sale along with quite a number of other Christmas decor items..I honestly had way too much in the way of decorations.
So this year I just made it rather simple..and put a pretty fiber optic village scene, and then a small lighted meat deli building that has a pig holding a plate of meat, and then a lighted library building...the smaller children enjoy looking in the windows of the 2 small buildings. The snow village is a fiber optic snow pond scene.
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Hope you all are having fun getting ready for the holidays.
Cooking, cleaning, and everything in between I'm sure.
But I hope you have a grand time of it.
And have lovely moments to share with your family and friends.
-------------------
Have yourself a lovely evening.This little chipmunk is going to take it easy.
~The Garden Goose~

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Art Challenge Entry

The last Art challenge of the year is going on over at "Mind Wide Open" -(see side bar left hand side for link to website.)

and this was the image we were given to work with...(the black and white)
The topic was "Beginnings"
So..I did something very, very simple with the image.

I wanted it to have a bit of color, but still feel "old" So I simply converted to image to sepia, and gave it a bit more "warmth"..and added a little "glow" to the image.

I printed it out onto vinyl, and applied that to a mat board. ...Then Printed out a photo quality blue morpho butterfly image onto vinyl and applied that to the image along with some white lettering. that reads" Everyday is a new beginning..."

This is the result: An 11 by 14 frameable image.

Voting starts on the 8th at the website..so remember to vote for your favorite art work.
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Hope you all are having a good weekend.
May your week be a lovely one.
Thanks for stopping by.
~The Garden Goose!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A Few Recipes to Share...and more...

Came across these interesting recipes in an old cookbook I had..thought I'd share them here.

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Apple Lemonade
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2 1/2 quarts apple juice
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
a few lemon slices
fresh mint leaves

Combine juices and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Chill thoroughly and serve over ice.
Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint.
yeild: 12 glasses
---------------------------------
Strawberry Ice Cream Soda
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1 1/2 cups milk
1 10 oz. package frozen sliced strawberries/partially thawed
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 16 oz bottle club soda/chilled

In a covered blender,at high speed,blend milk and berries for 15 seconds.
Pour into 6 glasses.
Add a scoop of strawberry icecream to each glass.
Slowly add soda, filling almost to top.
Serves: 6
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"Snow cream"
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Pour a tall can of Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk into a bowl.
Add fresh clean snow to the bowl to make a good proper "snow cream" consistency.
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~ Enjoy!~
--------------------------------
Well..I hope that you have had a pleasant week.
My week has gone well. Wednesday I spent a little time at the oral surgeon's office. I have an appointment for this coming Wednesday(the 10th) at 9:45 to have oral surgery..3 wisdom teeth to be removed. ....ouch. Am a wee bit nervous, but the dentist performing the surgery has 35 yrs. experience with this sort of thing. So that is a comfort, and I am told that it should only take 40 minutes. Let's hope that is correct, as I certainly don't want it taking a long time...or any problems/difficulties.
-----------
Saying all this to say that..after Wednesday I will be laying low recuperating. I may miss a few days here with my friends..wahhhh.
But if I feel up to sitting up and typing..I'll be here....if you don't hear from me for a few days... know that it is cause I am piled in the bed getting some rest and trying to get to feeling better.
You all are very special to me and I appreciate your visits to my blog.
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~The Garden Goose~

Friday, December 5, 2008

Sometimes..you just have to treat yourself..."just because"...


Sometimes I feel my "inner child" wanting to show.
You see... some days I just refuse to grow up.

Or maybe it is..now that I'm a "big girl" I can appreciate cute art type dolls, and vintage toys from a while back a bit more...
and recognize that ..."hey..they made some pretty cool things way back then..sturdier things..and just plain cute"

....and I find myself wanting to have a few of them around here and there for my soon to be new home..and simply because..they make me SMILE..yes..they make me smile.
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I have decided that my new home will be filled with things that I like..and things that will make me SMILE.

So once in a while this gal treats herself to something maybe that others would call "totally frivolous"...but hey..like I said.."It makes me Smile"

I feel that our homes and lives should be filled with moments, objects,people,things that bring us joy, laughter..and a little smile every now and again.
I feel that our homes should be filled with things that when we walk by them..we take the time to look at them..and are happy or cheered by their presence.

Of course some things come and go as our tastes change..as we are constantly changing ..but I for one have decided that I aim to surround myself with cheery colors, cheery things that not only make myself smile..but also add a cheery color and bit of whimsy and fun to my home...and that those that would come to visit would be cheered as well.

So..without further ado..looky at what I got.."Just for fun!"

Isn't it adorable?...yep..every now again a gal has to do something.."just because it makes her SMILE"

So..have you done anything lately ..."just because it makes you SMILE?"...if not..What are you waiting for... go have fun!
~The Garden Goose~

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cook Book Clear Out/lots of cook books available

I have been busy clearing out my kitchen...and found that I had more than enough cookbooks for one gal ....
So..
I am offering them here for sale:
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Without further ado..here's the list and pricing(to U.S. addresses only please...I cannot afford the international postage at this time/thanks for understanding):
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1.Weight Watchers : Simply Bueno!:150 simple recipes from America's rich Hispanic Heritage -----$7/plus $3.00 shipping (condition:brand new)Paperback

2. Weight Watchers: In No Time: delicious dishes in 20 minutes or less----------- $7/plus $3.00 shipping (condition: brand new)Paperback

3. Weight Watchers: Turn Around Program Cookbook: 125 easy recipes for both the core and flex plans-----------$7/plus $3.00 shipping (condition: brand new)Paperback

4. Weight Watchers: Grill It!: 150 flex and core plan recipes/sizzling steaks/burgers/salads/pizzas/barbaecued chicken/desserts----------$7 / plus $3.00 shipping (condition: brand new)Paperback

5. College Road Baptist Church Cook Book(Ocala, Fl)-----$5/free shipping (this cookbook was a large church's fund raiser..recipes such as "Camper's Beans", "Buttermilk Pie","Prize Winner Dump Cake"..and more.(condition: good shape)Paperback

6. Campbell's Best Ever Recipes :125th Anniversary Edition(recipes using Campell's Soup)---------
$5/plus $3 shipping (condition: in like new condition with an inscription in front that I have marked out/otherwise book looks brand new) Hardback

7. Good Housekeeping Best Chicken Dishes........$5/plus $4 shipping (book is heavy)
(condition: brand new)Hardback with dust jacket


8. Salsa/ by P.J Birosik --------$5/plus $3.00 shipping (condition: brand new) all kinds of salsa recipes...Paperback

9. Juicing!/by Judi Olstein-------- $2/plus $2 shipping (condition: has a crayon marking on outside cloth cover(my baby got hold of the book and decorated the outside cover only/an inscription also in front...otherwise the inside looks brand new and no tears or any other problem/an excellent book if you can overlook the wee child art on the cover.:0)
(in fact I think the back cover looks like it has a smiley face on it...aww..in faint yellow crayon on a red cover/I figure you can create a "dust jacket" for the cookbook if you wish)Hardback

10. Sugar Busters!: cut sugar to trim fat--------$3/plus $3 shipping
(condition: brand new) Hardback with dust jacket

11. Weight Watchers: Super Foods Cookbook/45 recipes using favorite foods to improve your health-----------$3.50/plus $2 shipping (condition: brand new)Paperback

12. Eat Yourself Thin with Fabulous Desserts/Nancy Moshier,RN----------$4/plus $3 shipping (condition: brand new) Paperback

13: then I have (4) Kraft Food and Family magazines/Winter 2008,Holiday 2006,Fall 2008,Spring 2005/...then there are (2) gooseberry patch small cookbooklets(Fall Favorites, Family Favorite Recipes, and (1) The Country Cooking Recipe Collection: Prize Winning Chicken/
1 Southern Living magazine : November 2008/
1 Cooking Light:November 2008/
1 Weight Watchers Nov/Dec. 2005
----------this entire bundle for shipping of $5 to you (in U.S. only please)

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If interested please email gardengoose at gmail dot com
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~The Garden Goose~

Monday, December 1, 2008

New Issue of Small Town Living Online!!

The new Dec./Jan. 2009 issue is now available!!

Check it out at:

Highlights:
How to Get Rich Quick
Small Town Southern Christmas
Raising Alpacas
Save Money by Making Your Own
Cleaning Supplies
Creative Solutions for Holiday Leftovers
The American Artisans Guide
Where to Shop for Handmade Goods
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Enjoy! and Share with Family and Friends!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Getting a wee bit crafty...and more...

Trust that you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends.

We had a good time.Nice visit with some family members.
Plenty of food and then some..ha.
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I am trying to figure out what to do with about half of a ham left over.
This evening I used some of the ham..chopped up about 2 cups of ham..prepared some pasta noodles, then tossed it all with about 4 tablespoons of artichoke and tomato bruschetta sauce.
It was quite tasty.
I'll have to come up a few more fun and innovative things with what is left.
I'm sure I'll figure it out, and when we finish eating the ham..there will be a big ham bone left to prepare a big pot of bean soup with.
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Well..I wanted to share a few crafty things with you all.
I made a wee something for my husband for Christmas..out of wire.
I wanted to see if I could do this..and I'm actually pleased to say that it turned out pretty nicely.
And was quite easy.
It was a little wire sculpted bird.

To make this wee bird first you take some wire... start by creating the top shape of the birds silhouette first...then when you get to where the tail part should be you create a tail shape ..then come back to where the bottom part of the bird should be..twist about 5 twists of the wire and continue with the underside of the birds body.
When you get back to the beak portion give the wire a good 8-9 twists to form the beak. Crimp the sharp end over with your needle nose pliers.
You should have a flat looking bird body silhouette.
Bend the tail portion up as it should be on a bird..not flat but holding up on the body.
Now you have a general bird ouline but it needs to be "rounded out"
start at the head portion near the beak and start twisting about 4 twists of the wire take the wire over to the opposite side of the bird and twist about 4 turns. Keep working creating a "rib type " look on one side of the birds body..all the way towards the back of the bird..about 6 "ribs"
Press the "ribs" outward.
Turn the bird over and repeat on the opposite side.
You now have a bird shape that looks a bit rounded(has form/not just flat..now your birdy has a "body), minus the feet and wings.
Next you will want to sculpt the wings.
use about 6 inches of wire... fold partly in half..and make it have the shape as a wing would..give it a bit of curve.
Now weave some wire in a zig zag type way over the wing shape, twisting after each zig/zag.
about 6 lines across the wing.
Attach the wing to the top of the bird body by twisting it tightly to the body. Shape the wing out by bending it as a bird wing would look..give it a little curve up and out away from the body.
Repeat on opposite side.
Now for the feet...
get two pieces of wire about 6-8 inches long.
shape into an elongated heart shape with a tiny portion of the wire....pinch the heart shape to look more like bird toes. twist around the foot part.
Do this for each wire piece. Attach end of leg to underneath of bird body by twisting tightly.
Attach an organza ribbon to hang.
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Hope my instructions weren't too difficult to understand.
----------------
Now that I have made one of these I certainly want to make more..and plan on making a few larger ones out of sturdier wire soon.
I used a light weight jewelry type wire for my first one.
-----------
If you create one of these..please let me know..I'd like to see what you have made.
---------------
I'd like to share with you a few things that my crafty daughter has added to her etsy shop at:
A really cute Graduation donkey..this little donkey is created using a pattern from about the 1940's.
My daughter adjusted the pattern and added a diploma and cap.
Too cute!
This is available in her shop for $24
This would make a great graduation gift..or a gift for that person who thinks they..umm "know it all"...ha
-----------------
Next ..she created a really darling purse from her own design.
Appliqued mushrooms on the outside. A darling red polka dot liner, and darling red polka dot accents on the handle.
Really sweet hand bag!
Only $17!
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Then she made a one of a kind apron!With a pattern she designed herself.

This apron is a pretty polka dot green fabric with hot pink accents.

Only $17 !

Isn't it awesome!
Hope you all have a great day!
Thanks for stopping by!
~The Garden Goose~

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!!...and photos of Collin

Hello!


I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
May your day be filled with fun,laughter,family,friends and plenty of things to be thankful for.
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As promised here are a few photos of Collin..he is now 11 months old.

Please forgive the quality of the photos..my camera battery was extremely low.

But you get an idea at least of how handsome our little guy now is.
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Have a terrific evening!
And if you'd like to join me over at the new "Small Town Living" forums!
please stop by at:
It is a new fun place to share about your town,garden,crafts,and more with others that have a love for small town community feel,getting back to basics and things like gardening, crafting,frugal living,and a lot more.(88 members and growing)
Hope to see you there!
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Thanks for stopping by!
~The Garden Goose~

Friday, November 21, 2008

A nice Friday...

Hi gals!

Hope you all have had a nice Friday.
Mine was a good one.
Hubby and I got out for a few hours, ran a couple of errands then did some Christmas shopping.

Yeah..I decided that since I had not been too crafty this year..and I kept drawing blanks on what to make for whom..we decided to go shopping instead.

I did manage to create a few wee homemade things.(yep..few and wee they were ..ha) I mean I really was drawing blanks and wracking my brain about it.

So it's not all 100 percent store bought goods, but anyhow...It was fun deciding what to put in each families gift box.:0)

Now the only thing left is to find a few things for our own crew.
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For one of my hubby's gifts ...I managed to be able to get a great deal from a special mentioned on a recent episode of Oprah. ..yeah..I was able to get that deal from snapfish.com...it turned out awesome and I can't wait for hubby to see it. It really will be great. It was regularly $29.99..the special was a 48 hr. deal where all's you had to pay was shipping of $6.99.(oh gosh that sounds so cheap huh?)

Cool!..yeah I like a good deal...ha
(o.k. sorry to be so secretive, but you know..hubby might happen upon my blog and whoops..figure it out ..so..that's enough about that..ha)

(If you want an idea of what it is, just look for the item on snapfish that starts at $29.99)
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Haven't figured out what to get the kiddos yet..but I'm sure I'll get it figured out.
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So hard to believe that the year has zipped right on by and here we are at nearly Thanksgiving and then right around the corner is Christmas.
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Well..this evening I did mange to get the kitchen pantry all organized.
No more scooting this item over to get to that item and so forth..now I can tell where things are.
As Martha would say.."It's a good thing"..ha

I'm afraid Martha would have freaked if she'd have seen my kitchen pantry before the organization. Shoot even now that it's organized she still might freak..ha. A Martha I am not..even though my family calls me a neat freak and Bree..ha...all's I do is roll my eyes and say "puleeze!"
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Let's see what else is new?
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Oh..we have some exciting news coming up in the upcoming issue of Small Town Living!!!

If you are not on our notification list for when the new issues get published to the website..please do contact me if you'd like to be notified.
(gardengoose at gmail dot com/in the subject line please put :Attn. Small Town Living)
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Well..I think that's about all for today.

Oh..I have got to get a new photo of our fur baby "Collin" up on my blog.
He is almost a year old now..can you believe it??
Oldest daughter and I groomed him yesterday..yeah..he's a right wiggle worm when it comes to grooming..he's not too keen on those clippers ...so it took 3 1/2 hrs from bathing, to drying him off, to clipping and shaving. But..the way I look at it..I managed to save over $40.
So it was worth it..and he looks so handsome now.
I will have to get a picture for sure.
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Have a lovely evening!
Thanks so very much for stopping by!( Please leave a comment letting me know that you stopped by. I love to read your sweet comments.)

~The Garden Goose~

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hi gals..a few recipes to share with you!

My gracious the days have been zippping by on me again..waaah!

I am trying to get a few things cleared out again..Why is it that things like desks, and kitchen drawers and pantries can get messy so quickly?

Gee whiz..
Anyhow..I got my desk cleaned out. Yikes..what a mess. I had tucked catalogs for this, and papers for that in the drawers..and gracious..I wound up with half a garbage bag full of paper.

Too bad we didn't have a fire in the fireplace tonight..I could have really had a good bonfire going..ha.

Next up will be cleaning up and organizing the pantry and kitchen cupboards and tackling some cleaning that has been waiting on me. Wanna come help?..ha
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I've been working on a few wee Christmas items here and there also.Wish I could show you..but..the recipients of said gifts do happen to frequent my blog from time to time..and I can't go spoiling their suprises now can I?
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Wanted to share with you all a couple of recipes that can be used for gift items if you'd like.
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Peanut Butter Fudge
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2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1 (10 oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 tsp. vanilla extract
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In a large saucepan bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil.
Cook over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly. Cook for 5 minutes.Remove from heat.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until smooth textured.
Pour into a greased 9 inch square pan.Cool completely.
Cut into squares. When cooled and cut into squares you can wrap with saran wrap.
Tie a small bow around each little wrapped fudge square to make it look like a mini "package".
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Next up is a bath product recipe:
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Peppermint Bath Salts
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1 cup fine sea salt
2 cup epsom salts
6-8 drops peppermint essential oil
a few drops of red food coloring
Mix all together in a large mixing bowl.
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Put into small jars and make a pretty decorative tag to accompany.
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You can substitute other scents of essential oils. For example:
try an orange scented oil and a few drops of red/yellow food color to create an "Orangesicle Delight" bath salts.
Try Eucalyptus oil, or create a lavender scented bath salt by using lavender oil.
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Have Fun!
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Thanks for stopping by!
~The Garden Goose~

Monday, November 17, 2008

A few more awards..and more...

Gosh I was late on claiming my award from Linda over at http://www.remotetreechanger.blogspot.com/
a "Thank you!" to Linda.


This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.The rules to follow are :1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
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****O.k. though instead of posting to 15 folks..I always, always have a very hard time with this! I am gifting this award to the first 15 of you to comment on this post. Feel free to share it with those that you feel are a good match for it.
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And I am also honored to accept this butterfly award from Cathy Jean at:
http://auntdaisyscottage.blogspot.com/

"Thank you!"
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1. Put the logo on your blog.2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.3. Nominate 10 other blogs for this award.4. Add links to those blogs.5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.6. Give a reason why you consider their blogs cool.
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Again..there are so many blogs out there that I think are downright cool!
If you are a poster and one of the gals found in my blog list here..feel free to share the award with someone else that you find to be "cool".
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So....
has it been cold where you are at?
It has been down right chilly here in the evenings.We had to cover some plants last night, and had some towels that were tossed up over the courtyard fence by the plants. It was funny to see that about half a dozen anole lizards had hidden up under the towels for warmth. Lizards that are cold, are very slow and sluggish lizards. After we wrapped the plants..my oldest daughter moved the lizards back up under the towels and in amongst the plants that were covered so that they'd have a chance. We also get little geckos here..we have been told that they were a local pet shop escape and a pet escape from out at our AFB.
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(lizard photos courtesy of flickr.com creative commons/commercial usage photos)
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O.k. I had a question recently about.."what is a yo-yo"? in regards to my last post about Christmas gift ideas/crafts.
A "yo-yo" is a small piece of fabric that is either a circle shape, a heart shape, or a flower shape. They are pieces of fabric that are gathered with a running stitch to create these shapes.
Years ago they were just done as a round circle shape and were used for such things as table mats, quilts, and so forth.
In recent years the 'yo-yo" has made a comeback and is being used on various craft projects. To embellish t-shirts, purses, hair barrettes, and more... And someone has invented several plastic templates for other shapes(the heart and flowers shapes shown in previous post) So that crafters can expand a bit on their yo-yo creations.It is a fast, easy way to embellish craft projects and to create something fun using up those little colorful scraps of fabric that every crafter seems to have more than their share of.
So..hope that helps a bit on what they are.
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I'll try and post a few more things here and there with ideas for Holiday crafting.
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Have a great evening. Stay warm..and hey..curl up with a cup of tea or cocoa if need be.
Thanks for stopping by!
~The Garden Goose~

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Homemade Christmas Ideas...

Wanted to share a few ideas for Homemade Christmas gifts with you all.

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Idea # 1: Mini yo-yo wall quilts.
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Create yo-yo's using either a heart shaped yo-yo maker, or a flower yo-yo maker available at your local craft/fabric store.
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Idea #2: using the same yo-yo makers create hair barrettes for little girls.
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Idea #3: use a few of the yo-yo's to embellish the packages, or to embellish jar mixes.Or to even make small ornaments by attaching a ribbon hanger.
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Idea #4: use a few of the yo-yo's to embellish floursack tea towels.
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Idea #5: create cute napkin rings by attaching the yo-yo's to a piece of elastic. Make homemade napkins to go with the napkin rings
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EDIBLE GIFTS:
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Idea #1: create yummy caramel/chocolate covered apples.

Create gourmet looking apples by first dipping large apples into caramel, let set up,

... then dip into either white or dark chocolate, let set up, then dip again building up the layers.

Lastly either roll in candy sprinkles or nuts, or chopped candy bars, or chopped heath bits,or m and m's, then drizzle over the top with a little chocolate drizzle. Wrap in cellophane.Embellish with a pretty ribbon. Oooh yummy!
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Idea #2: The usual standby..home made cookies.... but how about changing the packaging this year to perhaps a Chinese take out box for the holder?
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Idea #3: jar mixes and cocoa mixes:
Look online for any of a variety of jar mixes, spice mixes, cocoa mixes. Make darling tags to accomadate.
OTHER
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Idea#1: Bath Salts: combine 2 cups of epsom salts, 1/2 cup coarse sea salt, 3-4 drops essential oil of choice(peppermint is good for the holidays!!) and 2-3 drops food coloring..stir well and package into baggies,or small jars. If packaging into baggies create a nice bag topper label.
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Idea #2: Create memory pillows...(or a family heirloom canvas print) If you have a photo of your children or other photos you'd like to share. Have photos printed onto canvas .
(printing can be done at www.wilsongraphics.net)
Make a cute gingham fabric pillow topper. Sew canvas square into center of pillow fabric(before you sew the squares together) and embellish corners with buttons.
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There you have it..a few more Home made Christmas Gift ideas!
HAVE FUN!!!
~The Garden Goose!