Christmas in July

This souns like a fun idea, the whole town has specials in the shop and people serve Christmas cookies and have treats for the shoppers. Except if it is in the 80"s and you need to bake these cookies. Hot and humid and yes tommorrow starts Montellos Christmas in July.
I had put alot of thought into what I could do in the shop. Bring out the Christmas so those visiting only once this year had a chance to shop, make a few great sale items and the best.....Paint Santas
Painting Santa is a real project when the last thing you feel like is chilly and snow. The shops ari is on the fritz and santa is coming along slowly. Not, one Santa on an old ironing board but three. In the morning , refreshed and hopefully cooler I will add the finishing touches to them, break out the cookies and against my better judgement put on a Christmas cd. Personalized gingerbread families are ready and I dug out the pine scented candles for that Christmas feel. I will have to let you know if it works as well as we had planned.
I am finishing up a few more sweaters for the trip to Josephines Paper Box in Watertown, it will be nice to have another location to sell them out of. They have done fairly well on etsy so I hope they do in this shop as well.

This mornings events

I started out the day with a fest meeting, no major changes made, but good input. Then I met with my advisor from the UW who brought with him three student working on tourism in our area. We had a great talk and they will share their report and suggestions for our area when it is done. I have two Santas based and hopefully will get the details done as Christmas in July starts here on Saturday.

I am hoping to get some market bags sewn and a few small stoking stuffer type ideas all worked out and packaged. I will come back with photos if this all comes together,\\

I am here so long becuase my house has been over run with family and the only peace and quiet I get is at the shop early in the morning or in the evening. I paint to remain sane some days it seems. kids, grandkids, pets oh my.......

Christmas in July

I know when the thermometer reads 80 it is hard to think Christmas but.... that is exactly what I am up to here. I am painting Santas and getting the sweaters and caps all tagged and ready to go. Gingerbread families are drying and ready for finishing touches,
   I have a couple gift ideas and a neat way to decorate not just at Christmas but in your kitchen year round. GINGERBREAD.  simple yet adorable.
First if you have little ones, you can trace gingerbreadmen onto brown craft paper for ornaments and let them decorate with markers and a little white glitter for a sugary effect. Brown craft foam also works very well. Just trace a cookie cutter. make garlands cards, oh so many cute items for one pattern.
  Not feeling in the mood yet?  simmer a pot on the stove with a little ginger and nutmeg, maybe a dash of cinnamon and your house will smell like the holidays while you are busy working.
  My personalized gingerbread family has been a great gift idea now for a few years, the babysitter, grandma, friends and even yourself. Each little cookie wears the name of a family member.. Extra cookies are always available.  Gingerbread ornaments for your tree or use as gift tags that the recipient can use over and over again.

Make these ornaments and gifts with your kids, they will remember the naking years after the gift is gone.   

Life gives us lemons

For the most part I think I am a very nice person.  I help others, am active in my community, love my family and then out of the blue someone comes and sucks the fun right out of everything.

At our little group meeeting yesterday I was told I said something which was very untrue, from there came a few ugly emails and now I could spit nails.

As I sit back and go over events in my mind I see I should have gotten away from all this buzz months ago and did'nt ....silly me

I have eaten 2 candy bars, chocolate, they did'nt help, I am on the fourth cup of coffee and that has only made me have to take more breaks.

Why are people so two faced, by this time in my life I thought all that would be a thing of the past. not so! In business, sometimes people are not what they seem. It is a shame because how much nicer would it be and easier to just take everyone at face value.
What have I learned..
listen to your gut
get everything in writing
share nothing
no one does anything nice for no reason

Funny but I have taught the kids just the opposite.

This incident has really got me bummed and I wish I could find a way to just push it out of my mind instead of steaming over all the trash talk. I will go back and paint another window and try to push all this aside before I go home to those two adorable lieele guys who are now my permanent house guests!

Life takes a turn

Just when we think we have all of our ducks in a row,  life steps in.  That is just what happened this week when out of the blue I was hit with a bout of diverticulitis.  To top that off two little whirlwinds moved into my house.

This is JJ, at 2 1/2 and is Gramma's little helper, he helps pull weeds ( they were actually cosmos) sets the table and loves to vacumn.

This is FREDDIE  ( Carsen ) he just turned one and is not quite walking, but in the blink of an eye he can be on any piece of furniture in the living room.

So, with a few days off sick I came up with a new sweater to add to Etsy and take to Josephine's when it opens in August.

We are very fond of Dinosaur Train on PBS so this is just perfect for the little guys. Boys and girls can both wear this one, and in any color combination!

Here is just a hat.  Dinosaur hat with some sweats would make a good Halloween cosatume alternative!

So I have been busy, even while I am on the mend, with help from my two special guys.

Memory Lane Friday Post 4th of July

4th of July was a BIG deal at our house. A family with 5 kids a Gramma and two great parents.Yes, it was Independance Day but around our house it was Freddies Birthday also.  Freddie is my younger brother and for years he thought that big family BBQ and evening fireworks were for him. His birthday is July 11.. but we had cake and presented were handed out, so it was easy now to see how he might of thought he was the Man of the day. We had a big swimming pool in the backyard and spent the day between our house and next door. There our neighbor Rose would BBQ and we'd open the gate between our yards and we would share the food, fun and later in the day FIREWORKS. There right on our lawn , after a day of swimming and getting together with dad's Aunts and Uncles, our Aunts and Uncles, cousins in all sizes, and just family friends, we would spread the blanket , grab some lawn chairs and watch as Dad and Big Bill next door put on a beautiful display. The ooohs and ahhhs would last for what seemed like hours as kids. So now when I think of 4th of July I smile... a big happy family, watermelon, bbq, swimming and that snuggle at dusk while you watched the sky light up.  You know , nothing would make me happier than to be able to have all those people right on my front lawn. Some are gone, like Dad and his Aunts and Uncles, Gram too. Freddie and Mom are in Florida, Jeff is in Indiana with his family, Tammy is in Ohio with kids in Florida, texas and ohio and Markie is in Florida with kids in Chicago and  Tennessee.  So I guess I send this memorie out to all of them.... MISS YOU all BUNCHES and wish you were here! But, since you can't be I will try to ensure my Grandkids gfet some memories of their own to hold on to !  Happy 4th



View 7701 S Long Ave in a larger map

That circle in the grass, was my crabapple tree. There are new sidewalks and our yard looks so much smaller. But there it is our corner house where 5 kids grew up happy healthy and loved... maybe we didn't say it but like was GOOD

Fridays thoughts......

The weather is just beautiful here today. Sunny and not to warm. The campers can be seen pulling into town, in fact last night was very busy with folks checking in. The waterfall IS back on and hopefully all the problems are behind us.
I can in early to get the shop all spruced up before the visitors arrive. Signs needed to be hung and the baby room needed some rearranging. All done now and I can finish my sweater and check out some blogs on the Friday Follow.
I planned the weekend to count in out of town visitors and I hope with me away the grass is being mowed and the little chores done. With any luck I can come home bake and enjoy some time on the patio.
I ahve been writing out a few of my favorite patterns to sell on Etsy and now it is down to the photos and finishing touches. Last week I taught a class on the hooded baby sweater and it went very well. I hope people enjoy them as much as I do.

I contacted Emmy Fink from Madison's channel 57 BUZZED into Madison and she has agreed to come out and once again do a story about Father marquette days.  She is so nice and funny...my Grandson Mike just loves her.

10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.

On a bloghop I came across Mama's Losin' It and this , and thought it would be fun for today!
Write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.


1. watching the grandbabies sleep... the expressions as they dream, the pure innocence
2.coffee made when I wake up...call me bad but without coffee I am in for a BAD day no matter what
3.The sound of GRAMMA coming from the kids, I just hope I am as good a Gramma as my Gram was for me!
4.a phone call from Becky, my 4yr old granddaughter.. she is off in Chicago and calls me to discuss cooking, I am almost certain she will be a baker when she grows up.
5.baking.. the smell off oatmeal cookies can make anyone smile
6.a brownie, big and fudgy.. sometimes it just takes chocolate and in large quantities
7 watching the birds in my yard..how peaceful, no thinking just enjoying
8.sitting by the lake and remembering Dad, remembering much simpler times when someone made everything just right
9 a hug.. doesnt matter who it is from a HUG is great
10  time to chat with friends....alone  no phone ringing, no kids calling

now you try it link up with Mama Kat

Trying to think Christmas

In Montello we hold a Christmas in July each year. This means that right about now, I need to start painting Santas and getting things ready for that weekend. I must say though, it is very hard to think Santa when it is 80 degrees outside and sunny. Not only for that weekend but we have some tourists, who are only here one week a year and they like to pick things up during their stay. So, for the next few days I need to limit my computer time and paint.
  In the evening I crochet to fill the shop and now am busy getting a supply ready to take to Josephine's Paper Box in Watertown. The owner, my Aunt, will be opening in a new location in August and I am so happy to be one of her consigners.
  I am also working on writing up a few of my patterns to sell on Etsy. I personally have bought so many cute patterns from there, it is amazing what you can find in those Etsy shops. I recently helped my MOM set up a shop, I havent checked back to see if she has listed anything yet, but what a nice and easy way to get your crafts out for people to see and buy.  Handmade is a growing section of the market, nothing says YOU CARE like a handmade gift.
Here are a couple of my latest additions.