LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED/NO LONGER ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON THIS POST/WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON FEB.12TH>>>THANK YOU!!!!

Woohoo! Here I am again joining in this awesome blog land event! Oh what fun!A chance to share and meet new bloggers, and more!
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This event lasts from Jan 19th until Feb.12th. (yes, I'll be taking a wee bit of a break from my regular blogging to be involved in this event.
But ..oh what fun.
Drawing winners will be announced on Feb.13th.
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Sooooo....what do I have to share with you?
Oooh..this is fun!
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I will be awarding 3 prizes!
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Please let me know into which hat you'd like your name added to.
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1. Your choice of 3 of the digital back issues of "Small Town Living Magazine"
at: http://www.stliving.net/ving.net

(***you can also visit us at our online forums to get a chance to meet other folks interested in gardening/backyard chicken raising/sustainability, and more at: http://www.smalltownliving.ning.com/
we'd love to have some of you join in and a chance to "meet" you)




2. A set of 10/ full color/ 6 inch butterfly decals to decorate with( designs were recently featured in "Romantic Country")... of your choice from Wilson Graphics/check them out and get a head start on the ones you'd choose:
http://www.smalltownliving.ning.com/









3. Your choice of 6 digital images to use for collage/altered art from "Garden Goose Gifts":
http://www.smalltownliving.ning.com/


Simply leave me a comment on this post with a way to contact you/and please let me know which prize you are interested in.
Good Luck!
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And feel free to look around my blog.And..don't forget to visit with the other blogs participating in this fun event.
So very nice to have you visit!
~The Garden Goose~
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p.s. after you leave here hop on over and check out http://itsaboutannie.blogspot.com/ for her darling give away.

A Southern Gal Remembers...

I grew up in South Florida.. in a wee little town that to this day if you blink your eyes as you are driving along, you would probably miss it.

Growing up in a small town had its perks I tell you.

We didn't have a lot of cultural events to attend in our area, so we had to create our own fun, or..wait until the Fair came to town!

Oh yes..then we'd have something to really look forward to.

Well..I was about 12, and my 2 sisters were about 9 when this particular event took place...Grab a cup of tea and set yourself down for a minute and I'll tell it like it was...

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My dad used to work in the groves at a really big orange grove in South Florida..his job was to run a back hoe all day long helping to clear out the canals along the trees and edges of the grove.

Many times he'd bring home some rather unique creatures for us kids to be able to raise..and well..this particular day was absolutely no exception.

Dad came home in the evenings from work at about 5:30/6 p.m. every evening and we kids would run to greet him, never knowing what surprise he might have for us.

This day was no different really(or so we thought)

... as he told us 3 girls to gather around onto the living room floor.

He told me to get in the middle of the other two girls(as I was the oldest, and was to be the one to open "the surprise")

and for all of us to set his lunch box in the middle of us, and to get our faces really, really close to the lunch box.

His lunch box was one of those big black ones that held quite a bit. (dad's was known to carry an RC cola and a moon pie ..by the way)

So there we 3 girls were all stretched out on the floor, excited as anything..with our faces as close to this big black lunch box as we could get

...and dad said to me..."o.k. now Tina Michelle...open that there box verrry slowly now..you don't want what I brought home for you girls getting away now"

So ..I slowly lifted the lid and there staring back at us 3 girls ....were 6 pairs of the biggest eyes you have ever seen!And then.... they leapt out at us!

You should have heard us girls screeching like banshees as we fled for the nearest exit!

One girl headed towards the front door, one headed down the hallway, and one of us headed lickety split for the back door.

Until it dawned on us.... yes indeedy! there those big bull frogs were a hopping around the living room, one landed on the kitchen table, another on the floor near the table..and the other just sat there in the lunch box looking around

...that yes!....

dad had just brought home frogs for the County Fair's frog race event!

Well..me..I wasn't brave enough to go handling those icky slimey things...but my 2 sisters got over the squeamies and found a bird cage to house those big frogs in.

(yes, they were that big...big swamp frogs actually)

And away to the fair we went a couple of days later.

One of the frogs wound up winning the trophy for the frog race..and since my granny had a crafts booth at the fair, we would sit with her during fair time as she sold her wares.

We had the frogs with us in the bird cage, and you should have seen how many people wanted to buy those "prize winning frogs"

Course some of the folks wanted to take them home and fry them up in a frying pan..cause after all they was "good eatin'"

...but my dad refused to sell them to anyone that declared that they wanted to fry them in a pan.

So..eventually a man came along that wanted to take them to raise in his pond as stock so that he could eventually have enough frogs to have frog leg fixin's.

So after he promised dad that he would not be eating those particular frogs..dad sold them to him for about $15.

So..yes..we had a bit of "country culture" back then..plenty of laughs and plenty of fun.... and hey...frog legs anyone???

~The Garden Goose~

Would you please do me a favor..??

Would you please do me a favor and take a moment out of your busy day to pray for this sweet lady?
http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!

A story for you...and more...

Well..I have posted a story for you all over on the collaborative blog I have called "Country Mouse/City Mouse"...see the left hand side bar and click on the little mouse ...it will take you over to the blog that I create along with "the city mouse"..(smiles)
I think you all will enjoy this particular story.
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And do feel free to link to the blog, and to share it with your friends.
Of course as you all know by now...the Garden Goose blog...is my "home base" blog..and it isn't going anywhere..I just am a gal that keeps busy with a few things here and there..
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Well..shiver me timbers..but it has been COLD! here in North Florida..and it is supposed to get down near the mid 20's in a couple of days. My gracious I do not for the life of me know how you folks in the northern climates can handle the cold. ..yes..I'm a Floridian through and through..and I tell you I wimp out when it drops below 50 around here.
I guess it is a good thing that my family and I have opted to stay in Florida after all for our home.
I am afraid I'd turn into a popsicle elsewhere..big wimp that I am.
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I hope that everyone's new year is off to a nice productive, and happy start.
My... but I have been a wee bit busy around here as well.
I managed to enter the "Mind Wide Open" challenge..how I found the time?....well..I managed to squeeze it in somehow....and I'm glad I did..I enjoy a nice art challenge from time to time.
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Then I have been busy clearing out items from my house..yes..still!...and packing and cleaning/sorting things out in prep for getting the house on the market soon.
Yes..it does seem like this has taken a while..but..a lot of it is all packed now..and I am starting to see a much bigger light at the end of the tunnel.
And I've been gathering things together for a big garage sale.
I have to wait until the weather warms up a bit..I don't think folks would want to venture out into the cold and shiver their way through looking at all the items I have. So..hopefully soon we'll have a nice sunshiney Saturday coming up, and I can then gleefully greet all the garage sale folks with a smile(of course you know I jest..as I would much, much rather go to a garage sale ...any day..than to haggle prices with folks that quibble over paying a quarter versus a dime for something..ha)..but I'll of course put on my happy "customer service with a smile" face and "let the show begin"...real soon.
(did I ever tell you I was an actress in a former life?...haha...hee hee)(o.k...o.k...not really..but..that's beside the point)
Hey..anything to unpack this stuff and avoid moving it all..right??
I can put on a "happy saleslady" face for a day or two..surely I can.
Wanna come join me..I'll pay ya in cookies.(ahh darn...what's that you say????..oh... uh-huh..I hear ya...you'd rather go to garage sales too huh?...well..gee a whole lot of fun you are!!!) Gee......ahh well ..it was worth a try.....enjoy garage saling...and don't forget to try to quibble over the quarter items...try to talk em' down to a dime you know.....ha.
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I'll be having my garage sale here soon though..wish me luck please.
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Oh..and if you have kids..join in the drawing below..it's almost time to draw a few names out of the hat.
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Thanks for stopping by..have a grand day!
~The Garden Goose~

Time for a "Wee" give away..times 5 ..that is.

Yes, it is time for a give away here at "The Garden Goose"!

This time..it is all about the "wee folk"..yes..your children or grand children.

I have 5 brand new copies of the "Wee Sing" books with cassettes.

I will be awarding to 5 different individuals.

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I have

2 copies of "Wee Sing Fun and Folk"

1 copy of "Wee Sing and Play"

1 copy of "Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplays"

1 copy of "Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies"

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Leave a comment telling me what the funniest thing your child or grandchild has ever said.A way to contact you would be most helpful..so if youdo not have a blog please leave an email contact. (Open to U.S. residents only please)

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I will draw 5 names randomly on January 17th.

(I do not know which tape/book you will receive..but that is half the fun..It will be a surprise..but do know that these books/cassettes have approx. 1 hr. each of fun songs for children, and they are sure to enjoy them)

~The Garden Goose~

A recipe to share..a Collaborative Work..and more..

Buttermilk Pie

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1/2 (15 oz.package) refrigerated pie crusts

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornmeal

5 large eggs,lightly beaten

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pineapple crushed/drained well

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tsp. lemon rind/grated fine

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp.vanilla extract

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Arrange pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate. Crimping edges under.

Combine sugar and cornmeal in a large bowl.Stir in eggs and buttermilk. Combine well.

Stir in the pineapple and next 5 ingredients.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until pie is set and top is light brown.

Serve warm,at room temp., or cover and chill.

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And...I'd like to mention a little something I am involved with...

A collaborative work...

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Have you noticed the left hand side bar of my blog?

Please stop by the new blog that I am involved in called "The Country Mouse/City Mouse"

Follow the journey of a gal from the country, and one from the city... as they share their journey towards a more self sustainable/green lifestyle.

http://www.country-mouse-city-mouse.blogspot.com/

Zan- my city friend, and I will share things that we are learning about on our journey towards having a more simpler/self sustainable,green life style.

We'll share about art, recipes, gardening and everything in between.

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On another note...

I can honestly say now..that the packing/sorting/clearing out in my home is going rather well and a lot of progress has been made..I think I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel shining rather brightly now. A few more days worth of packing/sorting ahead of me, but I have made quite the dent in the task.

Next up will be tackling the yard...after we have a large garage sale here that is.

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I managed to squeeze in some fun art time recently, and joined in on this month's art challenge over at "Mind Wide Open"(see left hand side bar)

I created a fun covered box using a recycled peanut container.

Funny the things we can convert into art isn't it? But I had fun creating and recycling at the same time.

Stop by the art site and see all the other lovely creations this month.

And don't forget to vote for your favorite!

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Hoping you all have a most lovely week!

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to smile today!

~The Garden Goose~

Waaahhh..another good one goes away..(insert sad face)

Darn it! ..one of my fave magazines has hit bottom and is no more..waaah

Where are we going to find cool decorating ideas now?And I was "supposed" to have a subscription to this until 2010..waaah.

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Here's the latest scoop.

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January 08, 2009 2:10 PM
Meredith closes Country Home, lays off 250
Moves some departments from New York to Des Moines, Iowa.

Meredith Corp. on Thursday laid off 250 more employees, shut down Country Home magazine and relocated some creative functions to its Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters from New York. The moves by Meredith, publisher of magazines including Ladies' Home Journal and Better Homes & Gardens, follow cuts last June in which the company axed 60 full-timers and eliminated another 60 open positions.
Steep decline in ad pages"The recessionary economy has impacted both publishing and broadcasting advertising, which accounts for approximately 60% of our revenue stream," President-CEO Steve Lacy said in a statement after employees had been told the grim news. "Trends indicate a continuing soft economy into calendar 2009 as well."
Country Home's paid and verified circulation had held steady at nearly 1.3 million copies, but the recent meltdown in the housing markets savaged its ad-page sales. They sank 25% last year, according to the Media Industry Newsletter. Its 40 employees were counted among the 250 left jobless today. The cuts were across all departments. Before Thursday’s cuts, Meredith's corporate fact sheet said the company employs more than 3,500 people.
Web site to go darkIts Web site, CountryHome.com, will go dark along when the print edition shuts down after the March issue. The magazine began as a special-interest publication, evolving into a regular subscription title in 1984.
Country Home is only the latest magazine to quit print amid recessionary pressure and mounting challenges from new media.

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Aaah..well..Life does go on..but there goes some nice "eye candy" out the window. :0( and some pretty nice decorating ideas too.

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At least there are still some very nice one's around like: "Romantic Country"..and a few others...as far as home decor magazines go.

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~The Garden Goose~

A little birdy told me...

A little birdy told me...that there is a darling giveaway going on at this blog for a sweet,sweet cross stitched mini pillow by artist Diane Knott:

http://dianeknottsmusings.blogspot.com/

Lovely talent here..and such a beautiful bird themed item.

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Of course I love birds and my current kitchen used to be bird themed... and in the soon to be new home..I plan to create a small "me space" where I can have a little corner somewhere in my new house just for "me" where I can create art,and work on my photography,etc..and..my plans are to have it..yes."bird themed".

So..yes..I am crossing my fingers about this little drawing..and now that I've told you about it..my chances are even slimmer..ahh well...ha.

It is lovely though isn't it?

And of course I wanted to share a few photos of some real birds from my yard
~Have a lovely day!

~The Garden Goose~

Kumquat Marmalade...Art Challenge Entry..and more..

So..last night I made some yummy "Kumquat Marmalade"

I took about 4 lbs of fresh sliced, de-seeded kumquats/with the stem end sliced off.

Added about 1 cup sugar per 1 lb. of fruit.Added juice of 1 fresh lemon.

Let it all cook down until the fruit starts having a transparent look on some of the peeling, and the sugary syrup starts to thicken.

I then put the hot mixture into my blender and lightly chopped it. Then back into the pot to cook about 8 minutes more. Then into clean hot jars. Yummy! So good on toast.(***you can actually do the same thing with navel oranges or other oranges....slice the fruit thin and include the juice of a lemon..no need to use pectin..the fruit is tart enough)

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I am joining in the art challenge over at "Mind Wide Open" again this month. (See left hand side bar)

And we were given an image of a ballerina ..and the theme of "Forever"

So..I created this covered box using a recycled peanut container that peanuts had come in at Christmas time.. I added several small copies of the image(created into decal stickers) to the side and plenty of lace and ribbon.

I like how it turned out.

Voting for the art creations starts on Jan.8th.

So..if you like my little creation..please stop by the site "Mind Wide Open" (link to site is on left hand side of my blog here) and vote for the art that you like.

Thanks!

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Well...the packing, cleaning,clearing out still continues here. I got a new set of curtains hung up in both the kitchen and the master bathroom..thanks to my seamstress daughter.(Thanks! N.) and they look nice. Bright sunshiney yellow in the kitchen, and a pale soft minty green in the maaster bathroom.

Then this evening I plan on going through a few of the "under the bed storage containers" that are up under the master bed..and going through what I have already packed in there, and determining if I can indeed thin out even more items from out of those.

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"Collin" dog is all clean and smelling pretty this afternoon too..it was so funny..he was a wee overdue for a bath..but isn't it funny when a dog gets smelly, and they know it is bathtime..they'd rather stay stinky than endure a bath it seems? Well..most times Collin just loves bath time, but I was a few days behind on it this time around and he was in definite need of a bath...and so off to the bathroom we headed and the minute he spied the bath tub this time around..he went into full skid mode..crouched down low and literally skid himself across the floor..it was so funny. So..yep..I had to pick him up and put him in the tub(23 lbs of mini schnauzer/wiggling being defiant mini schnauzer at that..ha)..but after he started getting clean he enjoyed it. His favorite time with bath time is afterwards when I hold him and he can burrow his nose into the towel..he is so silly.Most times he loves bath time..so I am going to definitely have to remember not to get a few days behind on bath time for him..ha.

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I am crossing, and double crossing my fingers here...I had several packets of old flower and melon seed up under my kitchen cabinet in a container. Well both packets of seed were 6 yrs old ,and I thought surely they would not grow being so out of date..one packet was "Collective Farm Woman" melon..so I put those seeds on a damp paper towel and set it all into a plastic ziplock bag.

Yes..they have all started to sprout! And I will be potting those up really soon.

~ Then I had a packet of a few seeds called poinciana/ "Pride of Barbados..the seeds were for a dwarf variety that blooms pink..well I thought surely those won't start to sprout because they had to be nicked and soaked..but I went ahead and nicked the seeds with a knife and set them into a cup to soak for about 3 days. I started noticing the outer layer starting to get softer on the outside of the seeds so I potted the seed into a moist soil, and set the containers in my windowsill and kept them watered. I actually was going to toss the seeds out yesterday because I had seen no change on the surface of the soil, but decided to poke my finger into the dirt and feel for the seeds when lo and behold there up under the soil was long pieces of tiny white plantlet starting to stick out of the seed..So I adjusted the seeds in the soil a little so that they could poke up through the soil..now..I am in the anxious waiting/hoping that they survive mode as this particular plant/tree is hard to come by here.(generally found in Miami, Bahamas, and Key West areas, and of course Barbados area).

So..I am really, really hoping that this particular plant will grow from seed well for me and actually survive. I was so tickled to see the seed had sprouted.

We shall see.

The thing about growing things from seed sometimes is it is so easy for seedlings to get dried out.

So...I am on pins and needles with this one.

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Well..that's all of the news here today.

Hope you all are having a lovely week thus far!

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose~

Can there be two of me?..and more...

I've been busy, busy trying to get things done around here. Packing, sorting,and more..to where I have wondered what it would be like to have 2 of me here helping to get things accomplished..ha.
Naww..that would probably be a scary thing huh?..LOL
Aww well..things will get done..bit by bit..and I will see the light at the end of the tunnel with getting things ready.
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Well..I finally managed to get a wee picture of the life sized farm girl with cow image on canvas that I am wanting to incorporate into our kitchen decor at a new home.
My husband had printed out a copy for a store in Idaho(life sized)..I do not know if the store owner used it in their shop, but then he printed a second copy(life sized) for me.
(I had bought the vintage print on ebay months ago)
Anyhow..so..I'll try to incorporate this image into my retro kitchen at the new place.
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Today I was busy packing up some of hubby's books and managed to get an entire book shelf cleared off, then yesterday i went through all of the home school items and packed up what I was going to keep and moved the cupboard out into storage.


Then I'll be cleaning out a big antique wardrobe and moving that into storage too.
Work, work and more work to do.
So..yes..I've thought that 2 of me would definitely be able to get things done quicker..but ahh well..ha.
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I did manage to find a home for all of the Christian fiction books..woohoo..yay!
That was nice.
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Oh, and the narcissus in the pot in my yard have already bloomed this year..actually they were blooming right around Thanksgiving..ha..poor confused flowers. But aren't they pretty?
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Tomorrow I plan on making some kumquat marmalade from the kumquats the neighbor had given me..when he brought them over they were a little green..so they have kept pretty well..but tomorrow I'll cook them down and make some marmalade out of them.Yum! Wonder where I can find a good kumquat tree for the new place? Guess I'll have to wait until I get moved to start looking for things like that. But I definitely would like to have a variety of fruit..like cherry, kumquat, and peach,plum and so forth..yes..like a little fruit orchard.Wouldn't that be fun just to walk out in my own backyard and have my own produce market right there?....yep..that would be nice!
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Oh...a great big "thank you!" to all of the recent comments! I see a few new "faces" here..and that is absolutely awesome!


Yes..I'll get my rear end in gear and add you gals to my "blog friends" list, and I hope that you will return the favor.
Please forgive me if it takes me a few days though...but I will definitely try to get things updated around here.
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May you all have a super week! Thanks for stopping by!


~The Garden Goose~