It's Christmas Eve...

one of my favorite days of the year.  I have a lot of wonderful memories and thought this would be a good time to share another "Moccasin Holler Memoir".

A Moccasin Holler Christmas

     There was electricity in the air.  Every kid in the Marston grade school was lined up and down the sidewalk in front of the school.  We could see our breath in the air but we were too excited to be cold.  This was the day Santa Claus came to school.  I’m tellin’ you, the longer we stood the more excited we got...wait, are those bells?   Do you hear bells jingling?  And music, do you hear that?  “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane…”  He’s gonna be comin’ round the corner any minute.

     Oh, it is magnificent…all the reindeer, with Rudolph in front, pulling the sleigh.  Okay, so they aren’t the real reindeer, but that’s because the real ones are at the North Pole.  They can’t be travelin’ all over now.  If they did they would be too tired to pull Santa and that big ole’ sleigh around the world on Christmas Eve.   So, its fine with us that the Pepsi truck is pullin’ the sleigh.

      Santa looks so grand in his bright red suit.  And, I have to admit he is the only fellow I have ever seen with cheeks that rosey.  He sure is jolly, too.  He laughs the whole time he is going by.  His bag is full of candy that he throws out to all us kids.  Most of us are being really nice about letting each other catch some of the candy.  After all, Santa’s right there watchin’ and it’s still not too late to be put on the list with the bad boys and girls.

     We watch as he travels out of sight.  Santa has gone on to see all the rest of the boys and girls in the other towns.  Although we wish he could have stayed longer at our school, it is okay because we know that it won’t be too long until Christmas Eve.  Of course, we all have plans to stay awake that night and try to get another glimpse of him when he comes to our house.

     That visit from Santa was the beginning of the Christmas season for us and there were lots of things to look forward to.  We would always make decorations to take home.  I’ll never forget one in particular.  The teacher asked all of us that had gumball trees to gather up some of those round, prickly things and bring them to school.  I couldn’t imagine what we would do with them but I gathered up a sack full and I finally found out what the holes in them were for.  We stuck a toothpick in each hole, the teacher sprayed them gold and silver and we sprinkled glitter all over them and they were absolutely beautiful.  I knew Mama was going to love this treasure and I couldn’t wait to take it home and hang it on our tree.

     My sister, brother and I always got a little antsy waiting for the 15^th of December.  That was the earliest that Mama would let us get a tree.  She said it was because those trees dried out really fast and if we got one any earlier it would burn the house done.  I never really knew who would set it on fire but Mama must have had someone in mind because we never, ever got our tree before 15^th and it always seemed like it would take forever for that day to arrive.

       Those trips when we would all go to town to pick out the tree were wonderful.  But, the trip I liked best was the one we made on Christmas “Eve eve” night.  This was the only time I can remember going into town at night.  It would take my breath when we turned onto Main Street.  The streetlights were adorned with decorations and the glow of the Christmas lights made things seem almost magical.  Daddy would go to do his shopping and the store clerks would usually have some candy for the kids.  The sidewalks were filled with people, all enjoying the spirit of the holiday.

     Finally, Christmas Eve would arrive.   Early in the evening we would head to Granny and Papa’s to exchange gifts and then head home.  All the way home I watched the night sky trying to see Santa and his reindeer.  I’m pretty sure I spotted them a couple of times.  For the longest time I worried about Santa.  We didn’t have a fireplace.  Instead, we had a coal oil heater and you could see the flames thru the window in the tiny door on the front of it.  It would be hard enough for Santa to get down our skinny chimney but how did he get through those flames and squeeze out that little door?  Magic!!!  Yep, that’s what Mama told me…magic.  And, she was right.  Because, even though we could never stay awake and catch him in the act, Santa always brought us gifts and filled our stockings with oranges, apples, nuts and candy.

    Waking up on Christmas morning we would find that Santa might not have brought exactly what we asked for but we always loved what he did leave…I mean, it was magic…how could you not love the gift you were given. 

    I wish you could see me now…I’m grinnin’ from ear to ear because I know the magic is still alive.  How do I know?  I just took a trip back to a special time and I “Believe”

       

  Wishing each and everyone of you a Magical Christmas of you own.

Puppy Love

We have a humongous puppy (10 months old...115 lbs.) and he just loves other animals...kitties, chickens, etc.  Well, he brought home a puppy!!  Looks like it's 6-8 wks old, solid black lab, a real cutey.  We have tried to find the owners without success.

He loved his new puppy.  They cuddled up to sleep, played together, shared their meals.  Then Mike brought the puppy inside and, even though you can't drag Brut inside, it made him jealous.  He would have nothing to do with it when we took it back out.  Then, we couldn't find the puppy this morning.  Mike started looking for him and finally found him down in the woods.  Apparently, in a jealous rage, Brut carried him off! LOL  Fortunately, they made up before it got dark and are all cuddled up under the heat lamp!!

There is more to the story...I'll share that later along with pics.

Hugs,
Judy

Don't you love roses??

Well, see that pretty button in the upper right hand corner with the rose on it? Click on it quick because there is a great giveaway going on.  It is for an absolutely beautiful afghan!!

Okay, I'm not anything if not honest, so I have to let you know how much telling all of you about this give away hurt...I mean, after all, it lessens my chances to win.  But, telling you is one of the things I had to do to enter.  So, now I want every one of you to do the same...let's get the word out about this giveaway.

Now, how's everyone been?  I'm doing okay...been kinda puny and in sort of a funk.  Sorry I haven't been around.  Truthfully, I haven't been doing much of anything but going to work, coming home, eating supper and going to bed.  Yep, I am officially becoming a fuddy-duddy!!  There, I said it, I not proud of it but, like I said, I am honest! LOL

Thanks for checking in...I'll be back soon...gotta a giveaway of my own in mind. :-)

A Give-Away that you do not want to miss!!!

     The Old Farmhouse Gathering is a talented, professional group of artisans who create everything from Primitive to Shabby Chic.  We now have over 200 members in the group and over 5000 items listed on Etsy.  Just click on the picture to see all the great items handmade by the Old Farmhouse artists.  

      Many of the artists at the Old Farmhouse Gathering 
Etsy group have put together this magnificent give-away to celebrate the fall season.  I don't want to ruin the suspense, so I'm not going to tell you the names of all the artists involved in the give-away. I will tell you that the beautiful basket was donated by Rose Clawson of "Baskets by Rose" and that the total value of the give-away is over $155.00!!
I you know you don't want to miss this...all you have to do is
                           "CLICK HERE TO ENTER"

Gourds...Cleaning & More

     Before I begin my gourd cleaning tutorial, I want to tell you a little about them.  I have been working with gourds since the mid 80's and they are still one of my favorite painting surfaces.
     The gourd is in the pumpkin family and some are edible.  Unlike a pumpkin, a gourd will dry and the surface will be wood like.  When asked how long a dried gourd will last, my husband always says it lacks two days lasting forever...don't ask, you have to know Mike!
     Gourds are native to Africa and the bottle gourd is thought to be the oldest plant domesticated by humans.  Gourds have been used as musical instruments, masks, pipes, canteens, sponges, water jugs, flower pots and the list goes on.  Of course, my favorite use is decorative...you gotta love a gourd Santa.
     Gourd seeds should be planted in the early spring after any threat of frost.  The plant looks much like a pumpkin or squash vine.  A gourd loves sunshine, water and good drainage.  When the vine and leaves begin drying out it is about time for harvest.  Check the vines for moisture because they can look brown on the outside and still have moisture on the inside.  To insure the gourd is ready for picking, you should wait until the stem on which the gourd is attached is hard or brittle and dry.
     Green gourds should never be stored inside your home to dry because of the many types of mold that grow on them during the drying process.  The gourd will dry quickest if it can get air and sunshine.  It will also dry stored in a shed or even left out in the field.    Several types of mold grow on the gourd making it look like it is decaying.  So, don't throw your drying gourd away because it is black and nasty looking...that's just the gourd doin' it's thang!

     I am cleaning egg gourds for this tutorial because the size will be easy to work with. You will use the same process to clean all sizes.  See the nasty mold I was talking about?  Even that white color you see on the gourds is mold!
     Cover the gourds with a solution of  hot water and bleach.  Approximately 1/4 cup of bleach per gallon of water will do...I am very specific in my application, I add the amount of water I want then pour in the bleach till it smells good and bleachie!   (If it is a sunny, hot summer day, you can tie your wet gourds inside a plastic bag along with wet towels and set in direct sunlight instead of using this soaking process.)

     While soaking cover the gourds with an "old" towel, making sure it is wet.  If you are cleaning bigger gourds you will probably need to weigh them down so that as much of the gourd is under water as possible. 

     I let the gourds soak for at least an hour then check them to see how soft the mold has become and how easily it will come off.  When soaked long enough you should be able to just wipe some of the mold off.  The gourd will have to be scrubbed to remove all the mold.

      Use something like those green Scotch pads or a copper Choreboy...I don't use steel wool because particles of steel can actually imbed in the surface of the gourd and rust, causing it to turn brown. I found the blue scrubber I am using at Wal-Mart in the broom aisle.  It originally had a white handle and is more coarse that the Scotch pads.  Scrub off as much mold as you can.

     Remember that white mold, it can be ornery!  You may also need to use a knife to remove some of the more stubborn spots.  Rinse the gourds after all the mold has been removed. I add a little bleach to my rinse water...you could say I'm a little paranoid when it comes to the mold!!  Now, they are ready to lay out to dry.  Make sure gourds are completely dry before using.  They can be put in the oven on low to speed up the process.  Be sure and keep an eye on them, gourds do burn.
    Voila, the gourds are pretty, clean...

and now the real fun can begin.

Vintage Halloween Images...

Just right click, save and enjoy!!

Ain't it purdy!!!

I just love my new graphics...Kim of Sugar Creek Hollow made them for me and I think they are great. Thank you, Kim, you did a wonderful job!! Now, I need to get to work and get some stuff added.

I am also excited about my plans for tomorrow...I am headed to the gourd farm.



Now, I need your help. I am thinking of ways to make my blog more enjoyable and informational for you such as "how to's", freebies, give-aways, etc. I would love to hear what you would like to see or do. Since I will have gourds that need to be cleaned I thought I would give a step by step in how this is done...how does that sound for my first "happening" on the blog?

I really do want to hear your ideas and look forward to your comments.