Merry Christmas to you all!

From our house and blog to yours, may you have a beautiful Christmas, a wonderful holiday season, and a blessed New Year filled with all good things.
Now then - as a good friend often says - "Let's Paint!"

Peanut Brittle- the EASIEST

Do you like peanut brittle? Do you need a "quickie" for your Christmas celebrations. Here's a great, simple, quick recipe for you- alot better and alot cheaper than the boughten stuff. I just whipped up some for my folks to send for their Christmas and thought you might like the recipe... BTW- it's a microwave recipe.

Peanut Brittle

1 c. peanuts
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1 t. butter

In 1 1/2 qt. casserole, stir together peanuts, sugar, and syrup. Cook 5 min. 30 seconds on high, stirring well after 4 min. Add butter and vanilla. Cook 1 min. longer. Add baking soda, and quickly stir until light and foamy. Immediately (and I do mean immediately) pour onto a lightly buttered baking sheet. Spread out thinly. When cool, break into pieces.

This hardens quickly, so don't "loiter" over pouring it out and spreading it.

I finished the great blue a few days ago, just haven't gotten him posted. Busy with the Christmas rush, wrapping, last minute shopping, etc. Now to get him framed. This fellow really posed for me when we were out in the boat in La.

Carving, Painting, and Christmas Fun

Today was finally spent in the studio again after and absence of over a week due to holiday travel and decorating. The pelican has been sealed and now gessoed. I've begun to work on his legs.


I also spent quite awhile painting on the great blue as well. He is shaping up. Still more to do, but he should be complete with another day or so in the studio if I have enough time, altho with working on the pelican at the same time it slows me down.


It's holiday time again and lest you think I've been slacking off, here is what I've been up to, along with a Thanksgiving trip to visit my aunt in Iowa. I rarely get to spend a holiday with her so we had a lovely time.

I love the tree, but my favorite is my Krinkle Klaus's and my Christmas village, which takes me 2 days to put up. I could leave it up all year if only I didn't have to dust it! It makes me feel soooo nostalgic for the old time Christmas magic.

This is my entire village. I'll post close-ups of parts of it and some of my "special" personal pieces. I don't have one of those expensive sets, I have bought pieces from a number of sets from inexpensive places like K-Mart and JoAnn Fabric over the years. I buy what I like or what is special to my family.

I used to teach yearly at a woodcarving seminar in War Eagel, Arkansas and it was run by a family named "Sutton". So when I found an arts/crafts gallery and the "Sutton" name I had to have it!


Ofcourse I have to have a pet store- gotta buy more chihuahuas!



I used to live in the town of Jordan (note the name on the drugstore), my family owned a Hardware Hank store there (I made it from a candle shop- renamed it and added the Hank face).



My husband is a retired firefighter- gotta have a station and a firetruck!

And my favorite- a woodworkers/woodcarvers shop!

I even found a carver and a fellow sharpening his tools!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season as much as I do. It goes so quickly, only to be followed by - brrrrr..... cold weather. :-(