i'm taking it fairly well.

ok - enough with the drama....i'm turning over a new leaf (remind me of that)....no more complaining....(remind me of that)...

no school today - ice

no school tomorrow - snow and ice?

i ran out of oil saturday morning....hubby got jugs and ran off to the gas station to buy a 'temporary' fix until today...i had NO idea it was 'propane' and that you can just go buy it from the gas station in an emergency situation! and if you add some kerosene to that your heater burns cleaner...who would've thought?

called the oil company to come by today (they ALWAYS are so prompt), but they said they couldn't get out, their truck is stuck...and they weren't even sure if they could be out tomorrow either...hubby taking jugs again to the gas station to pour into our tank....

ho hum....i found myself standing at the stove today...a bag of potato chips open next to a bag of hershey's...reading a people magazine...what a picture of my indecisiveness....

and poor elizabeth - i really really like her....

but i am working hard in the studio this week doing woodwork so i can ship out many boards to you this week...and i am enjoying every minute of that....and thinking of a new design to take my mind off of things for tomorrow....so tomorrow, snow, sleet, ice....not shaking me up a bit....

if you are 'in need' of game boards, here is my link: www.dallisongameboards.com

he's my sunshine...

he also goes by sweet potato and sweet potato pie.... i overheard him the other day telling a friend that if his mom says his full name, he's in real real trouble...
as he excitedly jumped in the car yesterday after school there wasn't a second before the story began..."i won a contest today - i hung a spoon from my nose for 7 1/2 minutes! the teacher said she was impressed and is going to give me a certificate at the end of the year"!.... that was his day, a total of 6 1/2 hours summed up in the 7 1/2 minute event.

today is a snow day, shocking isn't it?

and my guess is this penguin is 10, his name is eli...and he just heard that he's having another 'snow day'.




to browse boards and keep me sane painting this winter, here's my link:

http://www.dallisongameboards.com/

i'm hustling...thank you!

your purchase and interest of the new piece 'still unnamed' have been overwhelming. and then, like a domino effect, came even more orders for pieces that you are wanting to decorate with....do we already have spring fever? it's feeling like it for me...i've been sprucing things up, moving things around and surfing the internet for the perfect duvet cover....paint chips are hanging here and there....in a way this will be a good thing...having everything picked out before spring leaps in - and then i can jump right on it....

school was delayed yesterday, due to flooding.

school is delayed today, due to a bit a snow.

'they' are saying we will have an 'old fashioned' snow starting on thursday through the weekend....i'm not sure why they are mincing words, trying to make it sound like something we should look forward to...but maybe they have lost their minds like most of us here...

i'm happy though - painting away - in a warm studio - my wood is piled higher than 6 feet now....and i'm enjoying the beauty of my hyacinths pushing up through the potted dirt, lending a wonderful fragrance to each room...

if you would like to browse game boards, here's my link: www.dallisongameboards.com

ohhhh game boards!

i wanted to share some photos of homes with you showing off their wonderful displays! i thank you all for sharing these with me - it really is fun to see your homes, colors and collections - it also gives me an idea of how they look in so many settings...so thanks for taking the time to share them with me, it really does mean so much to me...

if you need any inspiration on colors and designs, please see my website: www.dallisongameboards.com

a new design...

(an update: only 11 are still available - thanks you guys!!)

finally...a new design is here! this is a piece that i've wanted to do for more than a year and i'm happy to say that i'm already happy with the 'almost' finished piece...

the original i'm dating 1880-1930....for i'm having to guess here by the colors that were used...my 'adaptation' is on the drying racks and as soon as i'm done i'll add a picture...but until then, here is the original piece...

i have added black lines in place of the white lines - i do like the white lines, but i just have to have some black to make it me....and that also pulls in the dark molding that i traditionally use...

there will only be 20 available - as you know i'm limiting all future designs so that i have more 'open creative' time to doodle in the studio...

it is 19" x 19" so will work if you have a collection - and is $220.00 + shipping...

the piece goes unnamed at this time....it hasn't come to me by naming itself, maybe next week....

but it was a very difficult piece...the design is simple to the eye, but the freehand sizing of the circles and the added freehand painting was honestly very difficult, even for a painter...my guess is it took at least 4 hours of constant painting - much more than any of the other pieces that i've done in the past...another good reason to have a 'small edition' on this piece...!

if you would like to browse other designs, here's the link: www.dallisongameboards.com

i'm free, i'm freeeee!

after an exciting excape with eli and hubby on friday...i am once again, out on my own...the driveway has just been plowed and it looks like i will be able to get out tomorrow...

come dance with me....

Akon's - Freedom

cabin fever - goodbye!

i'm free, i'm free....hubby is taking me out today (yes i know, sounds pitiful doesn't it?) he mentioned doing that or just killing me....

i'm heading out with him and eli first thing this morning...! all i can think of is rainbows and sunshine...doesn't matter what happens today, snow, ice, who cares? for i'm free, i'm freeeeee...

ahhhh....i'm doomed

i'm doomed in all of this white stuff...i'd show you some more photos if i could ever find that wire that goes from my camera to the computer...so you could all feel sorry for me...for i am having a pity party, and you are all invited...

my big outing, and not on a daily basis, is to hike up to the mailbox...

and it is quite the outing....for there is nearly, if not, 2 feet of snow piled up, with nice coatings of ice here and there in between the snowfalls or on top...there is a trick to it, so i almost never fall and slide...one hard stomping foot in front of the other, plowing down through the layers - the tricky part is the old footsteps before me are all covered in so as you plop down as hard as you can you hit the side of an old frozen footstep, and there goes your balance...

the mailman doesn't come through, sleet or snow, rain and wind, or however that saying goes...he seems to come 'whenever'...so you can imagine my disappointment when the box which is now dangling on it's edge (due to a truck hitting it in one direction, and the plow hitting it in another) is empty...because we all know the box is NEVER empty...

we have accomplished some things after the ice storm - the half of the tree is now safely off of our roof...we will be splitting wood pretty soon, as soon as we can get a break in the weather....and will have enough wood for probably a couple of years to say the least...




hubby surprised me today by bringing home a snow plow from work to clear out the driveway...but due to the unknown determination to be trapped for the rest of my life in this house (which was once a home), the plow slid backwards down the driveway...he made the long walk up to let me know: there was just no way....no way i was going to be free to ever leave again... what i wanted to do was throw myself down on the floor kicking and screaming like a mad woman screaming out things like: i will never stay here, you can't make me, i'm leaving and going to florida, and i don't care if i have to walk - but instead i just looked at him and smiled and said i'm so sorry you went to all of that trouble...do you think he noticed it to be a smile of a woman going mad?

i'm tired of coffee, of my new fluffy christmas robe that he gave me...i'm tired of bad hair days and no school....i'm just tired of the whole mess...

but as i dig through my photos, here is a shot of eli being 'mummified' at school....does bring a smile to your face doesn't it? ahh tomorrow just might be a bit better.....

ok, i've had it....

it really does take a lot to russle my bussle, so to speak....but enough is enough for this winter...i sit back and can nearly smell the salty breeze in my mind drifting off of the gulf of mexico...when you live up here, well, you just don't complain to other people up here, kind of like we are all in the same boat (i wish it were a boat)....we just deal with it... but to give you the follow up of my two weeks off, christmas started with no power, that means no heat, for days and days....we ran out of wood after just a day...stole from our loving neighbors, carrying logs up by sled...spent way TOO much time by candlelight, it has now lost it's mystery to me...

things that won't happen again? i won't run out of wood, for tons of trees are coming down all over our yard and we have plenty of chopping to do this summer; i will not live my life by candlelight, i will have kerosene lamps...and i won't attempt to even drive up or down the driveway for fear of an oncoming ditch...there were no new designs crafted as i anticipated, and there seems to be no back to school days...for it seems the ice will be going on and on....

my dad sent me this video...pretty much life as the way it is i would say today...i have to think ho hum for winter doesn't start here until february...it's 9 degrees today, oh yippee...





bring me some cheer and order a piece for your home, it will bring me purpose, joy and some comfort in this most uncomfortable time:

www.dallisongameboards.com

i'm closed...

yep - now don't get me wrong - just a break, a much needed break to spend with my family, clean out some cupboards gone awry and work on some new designs....

but i'm probably signing off for a couple of weeks - so do have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate, Christmas, Hanukkah, or just the bliss of the season...take care of yourselves....

in the meantime i'm going out to play in that white stuff - prediction of 2-3 feet of snow going on - and of course we are enjoying no school snow days!

here is a video that made me laugh and laugh - certainly shows the point that boys will be boys - no matter the age - which i'm always mumbling under my breath at home - there is some 'language', so beware....

i just love christmas lights....

ok, i admit it....i'm an all white light person - it just says winter to me....but my favorite house in the neighborhood is right around the turn - they use those 'old old' color bulbs and they have just one strand that they string haphazardly along the front of the house...believe me when i say haphazardly - but as i drive by it makes me smile, the house is full of kids of all ages, and their lights are just, well, fitting...

sit back and have some fun with christmas lights....(thanks dad!)

ahhhh....december

december is finally here....so many wonderful things to look forward to; secret stockading of presents for those i love, cookie parties, brunches, concerts, decorating....oh my....it's kind of making me nervous thinking about it....

but as i sit here on the computer tending to my morning fire in the studio; i'm calmed....i woke up this morning and the house was so cold that it wasn't even registering on the thermastat...burrr....but as i started my fire this morning the ashes were still warm from the night, so i was comforted...

reading all reports about the upcoming winter; even dad's....it seems that we are in for the biggest winter/hardest - in over 100 years...there have been sightings of the 'black squirrel'...oh dear...and the man in the next town over - (who is really the closest to predicting)...says, yep, it's going to be a bad one...

here is an article from the Jefferson Post, next town over...:

Joe Mullis doesn’t rely on televised weather forecasts or even the Farmer’s Almanac to tell him what Mother Nature has planned for the upcoming winter. He claims he already knows. In fact, it seems as if Mullis can tell up to four months in advance what each winter will bring to the High Country. He can determine the number of snows and severity of the winter before the first frost touches a blade of grass or the first cold snap grips the mountain counties.

What is his secret? A time tested calculation that he has practiced since he acquired the art from through oral tradition.“What we do and still do is something you might call a lost art or a dying art. We go by the way the Indians and old mountain people did. The real mountain people did. They were farmers who depended on nature to show them what each winter would be like,” Mullis said. “Mom has done it, grandma has done, and her grandma did it and so on. It’s something everyone did because they depended on it for their crops and livestock.

”His method is very simple. For each fog in August, Mullis drops a single bean into a canning jar. A larger fog denotes a big bean or a “big snow”, one that measures four inches or more of the white stuff. A lighter fog or bean represents a “little snow”, which provides just enough snow to cover the ground. At the end of August, Mullis counts the total number of beans, both large and small, to determine the total number of snows for the upcoming winter.

Mullis, an avid outdoorsman, also relies on a combination of other signs from nature to discern what Mother Nature is trying to tell him. In the months preceding each winter, Mullis examines the shape and thickness of the fall foliage. He analyzes the thickness of animal fur and even meticulously examines the thickness of blades of grass and how it lays. Insect and avian activity can also clue Mullis in to what he and others can expect.“Nature is always trying to tell us something. We just have to take the time to listen,” he said.

Some may scoff at Mullis’s method but it is hard to argue with results. In decades of prognosticating, he claims to have erred only twice. Both times he missed the number of correct snows by just one bean. Although Mullis is shooting well over 90 percent in forecasting winter weather, he is hoping that his streak will hit a dry spell with this year’s forecast.

After counting the beans from this past August, Mullis was shocked to discover 17 beans rolling around in the bottom of his counting jar. Nine of which were large beans and eight were smaller ones. “That’s the most beans we’ve had in a jar in years and years,” Mullis said.

While observing the local wildlife, Mullis discovered another ominous sign of both a bleak and harsh winter: a black squirrel. He has never seen a black squirrel before this year. This fall was actually the first time his 86-year-old mother, who follows the same guidelines as Mullis does in weather forecasting, has seen a black squirrel as well. Black squirrel sightings, Mullis explained, are synonymous for devastatingly harsh winters, unlike anything Ashe County has seen in the past century. “It’s the kind the Indians called the winter of sorrows,” Mullis said. “It’s going to come a little later than usual but it is going to stay long into spring. Spring is going to be a long time coming.”

Although Mullis has yet to experience a “black squirrel winter” he has learned through tradition and folk lore that one occurs once every hundred years. “I’ve heard that during the last one we had people nearly starved to death because food was so scarce and the winter was so hard,” Mullis explained.

being that most of our snow comes in february and march and often times april i have plenty of time still to stock up the shelves, freezer and buy more and more wood....

for games to play while you stay warm, here's my link: www.dallisongameboards.com

oh my...thanksgiving

my favorite holiday of the year is thanksgiving...but it also makes me sad that i'm not going to my parents house to celebrate - recipes passed on generation to generation are pulled out onto the table, tablecloths and candles set the special mood...oh how i do miss that....

our thanksgiving is traditional in food - but sometimes it is lacking the prettiness that i was raised around...for we have more of an open house party atmosphere, come when you can, as you are and bring anybody with you...part of this is because we live in a resort town, so not everyone has the day off so we just wing it...also we have a lot of friends that will be working on thanksgiving, delaying their celebration until the weekend when they finally will make it home...so they will be dropping in from time to time for a plate of yummy food....so all is welcome - whenever you come is fine by us....

and i'm starting to think about 'where' we will eat, for our teeny tiny house sits a table for 4 - so i will be thinking on that over the next couple of days - time to be creative...i won't stress out though, for it's a time to be with friends and family and to count our blessings...and i will never ever be close to being perfect, so i'll have fun instead...

but here is what will be cooked by eli and i:

succulent wonderful turkey

spiral ham

mom's pineapple casserole - out of this world - and you can only have a bit or you will get sick

pat's corn souffle - all the way from iowa

misty's cornbread stuffing

white stuffing

green bean casserole - yes you know the one

mashed potatoes and gravy

mashed sweet potato casserole - tastes just like pie

whipped fruit salad

fresh cranberries

jello - for that picky one

and that's all i've come up with so far...but i will add a couple more vegy dishes that aren't on the sweet side...i always like to try something new...and i will have plenty of victims to try them on...

i will make a dash for the pie to our local baker - long ago ordered for it is far better than what i can make

the party starts at 11:00 until 11:00 - so do drop by if you can...

have a wonderful thanksgiving - i hope everything goes as perfectly as you intend...

loved this....thanks dad!

my dad sent this to me - i thought it was great....ahhhhh true love.... Wolverton Mountain by Claude King

i'm not leaving the mountain....again....ever

and i mean it this time...

as you know i received a ticket 29 days ago last time i went down the mountain...the ticket was for nothing exciting, just an expired tag...(note for 12 days)....so i did what i should've done 12 days before that, and took care of that tag...

now the state trooper had told me if i come back "down" to the courthouse to show them that i got my sticker, they will drop the charges...hmmmm....i hadn't heard of dropping court costs before, only the ticket amount, which was only $25.00.

so weeks later as i'm worrying about having to go back 'down' the mountain, what seems like our entire sheriff's department was taking a break at the gas station...i walked in waving my ticket (can you imagine what was going through their minds...)....and told them what the state trooper had said; and explained that I had never heard of waving court costs ($130), and that for $25 of savings i'd rather stay home, save gas and work...

they assured me that i do indeed need to go down....can i read between their words, you bet...

so my time was up and instead of my going down today and having the drama that i always seem to suffer hubby volunteered to take me on down...sure himself that i may not find my way back home...so as we are heading down hubby gets a call from a friend saying - you do know they are closing the road today, right? and no we didn't - for they close the mountain from 12-2:00 ...yes you heard me right....they close the road on certain days to dynamite to widen the road....oh no, we are going to have to really hustle...

so we do find the courthouse which is highly intimidating....but first we find the downtown town square, hubby said, it's a small town, it's in the square (he seems real sure of himself)....so there it is, flat smack in the middle of downtown....as we are walking up to the courthouse i see on the door a sign that says museum...hmmmm....where did they move that courthouse? so me being me asked some people walking down the street, obviously from a small town too, so they are eager to help you, nearly volunteering to drive you themselves, and to our surprise one of them was head of the tourist board there, so we took his directions and off we went...

when i saw the courthouse i said to hubby - this can't be right, is this a prison?, this is far to big and scary, what is this? as my panic settles in i consider that this might indeed be full of nothing but horribly bad people all under this big roof...i was right...all i know is that i wasn't in kansas anymore...

the hint was when we went in and were greeted by a guard sending us through the metal detector and searching my bag...ewwww...and as i was walking through i saw the sign in large print ' No Knives...and we will not hold them for you so don't ask"....we did ask for directions however to where the DA's office was....he said, 'well you have to go up two floors, and then you will go through a mob of people, it's up there"....oh my....as we entered the doors, a mob of horribly bad people had taken over the entire hallway and there was hardly room to walk through to find our little sign - DA, this way....i'm just sure they were all gang members, killers and anything that could be worse than that...

as i followed the hall over the the DA's office i was feeling much better, it was empty....i went to the window and showed the woman my sticker info., and she happily said - ok, i will enter it into the system and drop the charge... well, how sweet was that? that was it, for $155 i thought? well honestly, i did learn my lesson - i will never ever have that tag expire again on my car for the punishment was horrible enough for me to have gone through all that i did...worry for 29 days, thinking of all of that $ lost for making a mistake, the (i'm certain), near death experience from all of those gangsters....yes, i learned my lesson....

i will never ever leave the mountain again....i will never ever get a ticket again....i will never ever walk into a room of gang members...i will always be good from here on out...always...




unless i'm going to new york, chicago, dallas or home to see my mom and dad...I mean it!

i love cello...

as far back as i can remember, the cello has been my favorite wood instrument...there is something so moving, dream like about the sounds that flow from it's strings and body....i found this on youtube as i was surfing for cello music...i think he's amazing....

adam hurst...

thank you Early Homes...

boy was i surprised when i received my copy of "Early Homes" in the mail this morning....did nobody go out and get the mail yesterday? did this treasure sit in the box all night through the storm? yes....so when i saw that the box was full i laid out my soaking wet mail on the table to go through...and to my surprise was the latest copy of the magazine with a little note attached - see page 64...

so as i flipped through the beautiful layouts my eyes settled on the photo of my game boards listed in their design center....what a nice surprise when something sweet is being done behind the scenes and you have not a clue until it's done...

"early homes" is a beautiful magazine that comes out with treasures biannually as a focus edition - sister of "old house interiors".... their focus is on the period 1700-1850, which my game boards fit in perfectly with... this special edition is THE magazine that focuses on product sources, so a great surprise to me...

if you would like to browse my collectible collection: http://www.dallisongameboards.com/

thinking of gift making?

it's that time of year when we want to cuddle by the fire, read a good book, watch an old movie and usually working on one thing or another that we are making as a gift...i have a scarf that i began a year ago, determined to give eli last year for christmas...yes i know....but i'm really really determined to finish it this year....

i stumbled upon these inexpensive ideas from 'design sponge' for things you can make to give or to decorate your own home with....we are talking nearly free with what you already have around the house...and of course you can modify these all you want to put your own spin on them...

above are little crochet cozy's - i know you can whip these up in no time...think of all the endless possibilities for these...you can use a small candle holder in them, or antique bottle to hold some water, and wallah - it's done...and i'm still in the teacher's gift time of my life, what a sweet thought this would be...

the above is as challenging as you want to make it...i've listed the instructions below...there are two ways you can do this, one for people like me - wrap some wire around the neck of the bottle, stick a nail in the wall, and you are done....or for others who want it to be perfect - here you go...

"Total cost for this project (if you don’t count the cost of the wine, because, well, you get to enjoy that in other ways) was under $5 per vase.

You will need (per vase):- (1) Empty wine bottle of your choice- (1) Top plate connector/ceiling flanges (3/8″ size)- (1) 1″ split ring hanger- (2) screws to fit and hold the top plate connector (you may also want drywall anchors if you are not mounting directly into studs or another material)- (1) piece of 3/8″ threaded rod, cut into 2 1/2″ pieces.- 1/2″ double sided foam mounting tape (optional – if your bottle’s neck is smaller than 1″, like ours were)- Silk flowers of your choice.

1.

With a hack saw, cut your threaded rod down to size. Ours were about 2 1/2″ long, as we didn’t want our bottles hanging out too far from the walls. If you are hanging multiple bottles, just be sure you cut your pieces to equal sizes.

2.

Position the top-plate connector on your wall, and mark the holes where the screws will go. Pre-drill the holes, insert any necessary drywall anchors, and then attach the plate to the wall.

3.

Screw in your cut rod pieces, and then your split ring hanger.

4.

If your wine bottle has a narrow neck (the 1″ split ring is loose around it and doesn’t fit snugly), apply a layer or two (as needed) of foam mounting tape to the neck of the bottle where it will be held by the split ring. Remove the backing from the other side of the tape, position the bottle in the split ring, and tighten the screws to secure in place. Pop in your flowers and voila!
Notes: We had quite a time finding the proper hardware. I think we went to a total of 3 Lowes around the city before we found them in stock and in the right size. Some stores had them in the Plumbing section, others had them in the Electrical. We’ve seen the connector piece called both a Top Plate Connector and a Ceiling Flange, who knows what it is actually called. The hardware (except for the threaded rod) comes in either copper or zinc (silver) finish, so you can choose whichever would best match your decor (or break out the spray paint)."

www.dallisongameboards.com

what would i do without music...

every morning i turn on the music...whether it's from the 80's, 90's or new artists i've stumbled upon...one of my 'not necessary' expenses is to Napster, my link to all music, every genre, new and old...i stumbled upon this artist this morning, which i think i could listen to over and over again...

missy higgins is not only a singer, musician but also a songwriter...personally i love a singer that is a songwriter too, for it's a poet to me singing their story...they have my utmost respect...as you all know by now, my son is a musician of many instruments, and a songwriter too...he was also blessed with 'perfect pitch', and it saddens me that he doesn't sing out loud, proud as a bird would...how many artists would be envious of this gift that he has? but, he states clearly, "not a singer"...but i can still hope...

missy higgins -

"Passionate and sincere, Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is a welcome relief in a music landscape littered with disposable pop. The 24-year-old Melbourne native has enjoyed phenomenal success in her homeland, and a growing fan base in the U.S., in spite of, or perhaps because she shuns the usual synthetic packaging and tabloid tackiness. Instead she's adopted a more timeless approach, relying on her undeniable songs and unforgettable live performances to forge a genuine connection with her audience."

oh how i love november...

there is something about november that always makes me feel, well, at home....it's when the chill in the air is pretty constant, the down comforters are in full use looking like plumped whip cream; calling me in to nestle, to get warm for the night...

the leaves now have fallen, so the landscape is ruggedly beautiful as nature turns to it's own sleep...i begin to think of the holidays, pulling out recipes from magazines to be put on my pile of 'good intentions', and hiding a gift here and there for somebody that i love...

warmed apple cider and hot chocolate go hand in hand with my constant mugs of coffee throughout the day...friends drop in to warm themselves up with coffee and conversation, hubby's warm and comforting dinners by the candles as the sun now sets so early end the day perfectly...

it is a wonderful time to start my fire in the stove, turn on some music and savor the thoughts of what will come, and what will be while i'm painting...

the most perfect time of year...

to warm your eyes: www.dallisongameboards.com