Custom Order for Ann Barnard

Ann I took photos of the finished letters please take a look and let me know if these meet your requirements. If they do please email me from here or from Etsy, and I will list the product as a custom order for you, I will let you know when I list so that you can purchase. Please click on the photos and they will zoom for a close up of the letters.

If you don't like something please let me know. Thanks

Rosalee my sister in law

Roey and Max (her husband) have two homes they face each other on the same street, well one is a home and the other is a house that they bought eons ago. Out of state family members sometimes park themselves there when there is a family get together. For the most part the house has been empty, Roey has had many ideas on what to do with the place, rent it out, B&B, Tea Room. Well it now hosts a monthly craft day. And by the sounds of it, was a gourmet craft day, who wouldn't want to join in and create? I was invited but my sister visit conflicted with her dates. I need to go and have fun in PA with Roey and the gang!!

Roey wrote:

Had a great time on Monday's Craft Day. We started out across the street with breakfast and a morning of crafting. Even Hailey did some painting of little pumpkins that her mommy got for her. We then left our crafts on the table and walked across the street to our house where the table was set for lunch. Cheese Broccoli soup, Vegetable soup, chicken salad, very thinly sliced roast beef, and a wonderful salad of spinach, mixed greens, feta cheese, pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds with balsamic dressing .... THEN, back over across the street to continue crafting/stitching and dessert with tea. Great day .... missed you being there. Plan to do it again the first part of Dec. So much fun and so much gossip and exchanging of ideas!!

Have to include a photo of her son in law with her grandson fishin'

Managed to wade through October

Loads of ups and downs this month. One of the worst ones though was the fact that at the last minute my sister had to cancel her trip here to visit me. I think we both needed each others company. Thank goodness we have the phone, so lovely to hear her voice and also receive wise advice.

I completed three paintings one is for a very old friend that I need to pop off in the mail, now that I have the correct address. The other two I've put into the shop, but really what I am doing is creating a batch of paintings and next year I hope to persuade a gallery to do a show, or at least enter a group show. That's my goal for right now.


Magnolia Leaves & Dying Blossom
Arc a Dia
Glmanaich (gaelic) Gloamin' (lower scots)




I just started on a fourth painting, but need to wait for my Dick Blick order to arrive, which is supposed to be the middle of this coming week.

Storm in a Teacup


I did make my first market bag! Most of the fabric was purchased years ago while on one of those shopping sprees with my sister Agnes. All the fabric has been lurking in drawers which apparently must have been under lock and key, well what happened was we remodelled the back guest room and I refound the fabric, and thought, it's time to do something. I'm quite pleased with my loca'vore creation.

Abundance and rain comin'

Picked veggies popped out by our mailbox for anyone who drove by to gather and take home. A good day to share. Heirloom tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Throw in fresh Lemon Verbena and Rosemary. Glorious aroma. We are supposed to get rain by Tuesday, like 4 inches I can't remember what rain smells like. But I shall enjoy this, and maybe a naked dance in the rain will be in order .... just like my Daddy did, he said it didn't hurt and felt good .... who knows.

I bought some lovely lamb shanks and slow cooked them, the flavour is to die for. I did call Natalie and ask her about mashed potatoes though. I've been getting tummy aches for weeks and was beginning to think I had an ulcer or something worse. But I switched to Lactaid free milk. Natalie told me that the lactaid stuff tasted the same as regular. She was right, I did add a tiny bit of sea salt for flavour, but the surprise was that the potatoes were richer and thicker than when using regular milk. They turned out well. Thank you Nat.

Lamb Shanks with Black Olives
4 lamb shanks, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp sweet paprika, 1 large jar pre-made tomato sauce, 3 chopped carrots, 2 tsp sugar, 1 c red wine, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, 1 c black olives pitted, 2 tbsp fresh mint, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fresh mint to garnish.

Heat oil in large pan, brown all sides over medium heat about 10 mins. total. Transfer to plate and hold.

Add oinions and garlic, cook, stirring often for 5 minutes or so till soft. Stir in paprika and cook 1 min. Add tomato sauce, carrots, sugar, wine, cinnamon and rosemary bring to boil.

Transfer veggie mixture to slow cooker, add lamb. Cover, cook for 8 hours on low setting. Carefully remove oil/fat around 7 hours. I don't like alot of fat on food and lamb sometimes can be too much.

Add olives, lemon juice to cooker, recover and continue cooking for additional 30 mins. Remove rosemary sprigs and cinnamon. Serve with mashed tatters and sprinkle on the mint.

Well the rain isn't here yet, we spent the good part of the day getting all the bits and bobs around the garden into the building that used to be my studio. I don't know what the heck I have been doing but there seems to be a whole lot of stuff that wasn't there the beginning part of Spring. I planted peas and stuck up a trellis for them to climb now I call that positive thinking, the peas were from the pods that I grew this spring, and are now recycled back into the earth.

I also picked as many Dahlias as I could the rain will only batter them down, and the winds are picking up. So the kitchen is full of blooms. Gorgeous colours from the garden. Almost all the veggies out by the mail box have wandered away to other kitchens, although today when I walked BeBe for her business my neighbour Ted had a stand outside his home, and I now am the proud owner of the most wonderful looking peppers and japanese eggplants. I need to get a couple of those pepper plants next Spring from Sawmill Creek farm. They are delicious and the pale green is beautiful.





I also set up a website for a friend Joel Wilkinson, he's on the Butte County Art Walk for the month of October his work is truly awesome. I took some photos yesterday of the engraving wheels and dropped them into the tri-fold I designed for him as well as business cards. Still need to get titles for his glasswork and of course prices on the website but so far he and Cheryl are happy with my efforts to help.

What You Think Is What You Get

I really enjoy the daily OM email every morning. Although according to Mr. Rooney an email has all the charm of a freight train, for the most part I agree. I need to write more just like my mother in law, I treasure her letters and they always bring a smile to my face.

The Law of Attraction

The law of attraction is surprisingly simple: Like attracts like. It becomes a bit more complicated when it comes to training our minds to think in ways that will bring what we desire into our lives. The term "self-fulfilling prophecy" describes the same law. This well-known term explains that we create the circumstances our mind dwells upon, whether positive or negative. So our goal is to practice consistent presence of mind to make sure our thoughts are always directed toward the positive and that which we want to create.

A key to the process is the word "frequency." This is true for two reasons: 1) The frequency you use when you passionately dwell upon or revisit a thought, dream, desire or goal provides the energy your musings need for creation; and 2) just like a radio station broadcasts on a certain frequency, like the radio you must be "tuned in" to receive it. This means preparing for the arrival of your dream on every possible level - material, physical, and spiritual. You don't have to know how it will come into your life, just trust that it will. Your job is to lay the groundwork, follow any leads you can find, and prepare for its arrival. This can mean cleaning out your garage to make space for a new car, taking a tour of a model home to get the feel of it in order to feed your fantasies, or thinking of what you want in a mate and then living up to that list yourself.

Just like with any skill, the law of attraction must be practiced. We must decide what makes us feel abundant, and use our imagination to create the feeling. It isn't enough to just want something; you must use the power of your thoughts to attract it. A series of choices is what brings us everything in our lives right now, every moment. When we know the direction we want our choices to take us, it is as if we've placed an order with the universe. Then we can await its arrival with joyful anticipation. If we find ways to experience our dreams right now, we make creating joy a treasure hunt in which the seeking is just as much fun as the finding.

12 Things I need to remember for the season

Getting Back to Wellness
Seven Quick Fixes To Feel Better

The signals our bodies use to tell us we need to cleanse ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally are multifaceted and often mirror symptoms we associate with illness. If we heed these signs, we not only feel better quickly but also stave off poor health before it can start. These quick fixes for common ailments can get you started.

1. Applying pressure to the acupressure point between the thumb and forefinger can release blockages causing pain, tension, and fatigue. You can relieve a headache naturally by squeezing for 20 seconds and releasing for 10 seconds, without letting go, four times.

2. To breathe freely, irrigate your nasal passages with a neti pot (looks like a small water can for the nose) and warm salt water. As you clear and soothe the sinuses, congestion associated with allergies or infection will gradually disappear.

3. Apple cider vinegar is a powerful purifying and detoxifying agent. Soaking for 20 minutes in a warm bath infused with two cups of apple cider vinegar pulls toxins from the body and can clear blocked energy.

4. The foods you eat can have a profound impact on your outlook and mood. Eating a small yet satisfying meal rich in complex carbohydrates can lift your spirit and help you let go of feelings of anger, irritability, and depression.

5. Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing because concentrating on the breath enables you to refocus your attention inward. You can ground yourself and regain your usual calm by taking a series of deep belly breaths as you visualize your feet growing roots that stretch miles down into the earth.

6. Though tuning out can seem counterproductive, a few minutes spent lost in daydreams or listening to soothing music can help you see your circumstances from a new angle when you feel frustrated.

7. If you feel ill health coming on, brew a wellness elixir. Simmer three sliced lemons, one teaspoon freshly grated ginger, one clove freshly minced garlic, and one quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper in five cups water until the lemons are soft and pale. Strain a portion into a mug and add honey by tablespoons until you can tolerate the taste. Drinking this potent mixture of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal ingredients three times each day can ensure your symptoms never progress into a full-blown illness.

Fight Allergies Naturally

Do the signs of spring send you into seclusion? Do fresh flowers force you to flee? Does green grass make you grumble?

Depending on which data you choose to believe, seasonal allergies affect anywhere between 20 and 30 percent of the U.S. population. Those itchy, sneezy, wheezy feelings start in early spring, when the flowers start coming out. Just as the flowers start to fall, the grass begins to release pollen, and the misery continues through late July. Allergy-sufferers then enjoy a small respite until August, when ragweed rears its nasty head.

Here are a few home remedy to help you clear the air:

• Apple cider vinegar – Drinking about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in an 8 oz. glass of water once every day, either all year, or just during allergy season, can help to slow the production of the histamines that create allergic reactions.

• Local honey – Eating honey made by local bees can help alleviates allergy symptoms
because it is made from the same plants causing the allergic reaction. Taking in a small amount of the allergen works just like a vaccine, helping your immune system build antibodies against it.

• Lime – Half a lime into a glass of lukewarm water and sweetened with a teaspoon of honey flushes the system of toxins from allergens. Drink this mixture once daily, first thing in the morning.

• Chamomile tea – Recognized throughout the world as a natural antihistamine, one or two daily cups of chamomile tea, sweetened with honey, can provide immunity toward many common allergens.

• Garlic – Another good natural antihistamine is garlic. Incorporating it into meals will not only help fight allergy symptoms, it also adds a flavor boost to many popular dishes.

Every day I try

I try to make a small difference in life around me. Today was excellent. I took dinner to Lovetta my little old neighbour across the street. So sweet, she confided that this week she took a quarter mile off her daily walk with her doggies, and last week she resigned as a Sunday School teacher which she had been doing for the last 50 years. She said too much stress preparing for the lessons. She has a timing every morning just after 5:30 her front porch light flicks on (Gary put a motion detector by her front door a few years ago) and she comes out to get her newspaper. I know all is well her front porch light gently awakes me every day.