Hillary Courson at Home

Memorial Day Buddy Poppies

Memorial Day is just a few days away and I’ve invited neighbors and friends to have lunch with us to celebrate. Yes! Let the summer entertaining season begin!

These stay in my studio year-round.

The menu is set and decorating has begun. I have boxes of patriotic holiday decorations to festoon the house, pennants and swags, bows and buntings. And lots of American flags to hang and display on tabletops. New and antique, handcrafted and purchased, I love the stars and stripes and red, white and blue color scheme that decorates my home. It shouts, “I am glad to be an American!”

I will be adding something new to my decorating theme this year. Red poppies. While new to my decorating, red poppies have had a century long connection to Memorial Day as a gesture of remembrance to “keep the faith” with the servicemen who died on a battlefield. Neither my or my husband’s immediate family has lost a member to the battlefield so the significance of the poppy simply did not exist in our homes when we were growing up. I am glad to know now the significance of the poppy and want to share it with you.

Poppies for sale at a VFW table 

Today, I think many people make the connection between poppies and Memorial Day because of the presence of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization selling poppies at the entrance of grocery stores.  I am always glad to be greeted by a man or woman wearing an US military uniform or insignia at the door and happy to offer a donation for a bright red poppy with the attached “Buddy Poppy” label. I proudly hang it from my handbag and carry it there until it sadly falls apart or disappears.

The Buddy Poppy has a very interesting and well-documented history but it wasn’t until I started researching my recent purchase of a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) pin that I discovered the indirect relationship of the GAR and the establishment and promotion of Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. In 1868, the GAR set aside May 30th  as a day to honor civil war dead. Decoration Day events flourished soon thereafter in the United States with public parades and ceremonies each year and memorial monuments and gravestones decorated with the plentiful flowers of spring. It wasn’t until World War I and fallen soldiers were buried in battlefield cemeteries that poppies were used to decorate graves.

On one of those WWI cemeteries in northern France, springtime blooms of poppies emerging from the ground inspired a Canadian field hospital doctor to pen this poem after the death of a colleague.

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

That wonderful poem, reprinted numerous times in periodicals during the war, inspired an American YMCA volunteer to pen a response.

We shall keep the Faith

Moina Michael, 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet - to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

 

Encouraged by the positive response to her poem she made paper poppies to share with co-workers. She urged the recipients to wear the poppy as a reminder to honor all who died during the war. 

In 1919 the American Legion was founded to support the United States armed forces that served in Europe during the First World War. At the urging of Miss Michael the National American Legion Convention adopted the use of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy as the United States’ national emblem of remembrance. A French woman visiting that same convention returned home inspired by Miss Michael’s idea of the poppy as a memorial flower. She believed that the Memorial Poppy could be expanded to help the needy. By 1921 Madame Anna Guerin had made arrangements for the first nationwide distribution in America of poppies made by French women, children and war veterans.

"'If Ye Break Faith-We Shall Not Sleep'. Buy Victory Bonds." Poster depicting a lone soldier standing in a field of poppies at a grave. 1918

The popularity of the Memorial Poppy spread around the world. Paper poppy wreaths and swags festooned war monuments and gravestones and bouquets and lapel pins were carried and worn to commemorate special days of remembrance.  By 1922 veterans groups in France, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand made and sold paper poppies as a fund-raiser to support the welfare of their soldiers. Between 1920 and 1924 millions of French-made artificial poppies were sold in America.

In the United States the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization agreed that veterans could benefit from making and selling the red Memorial Poppy. In 1924 American disabled ex-servicemen started making poppies at the Buddy Poppies factory in Pittsburg.  Since then the Buddy Poppy has raised money for the welfare and support of veterans and their dependents.  Nearly 14 million Buddy Poppies are distributed each year in the United States.

British poppy wreaths made by the Poppy Factory, (Menin Gate Memorial in Ypre) 

So this weekend I will be hanging banners and swags and an addition to my theme-a red poppy wreath I fashioned from paper in my studio.

My version of a Memorial Poppy.

I used a Cricut© Giant Flowers cartridge to cut the flower petals but I could easily have hand cut petals to use as well.  I crimped the paper to give them rigidity and interest and I made a stigma and stamens using a button, crepe paper and black cardstock paper. I wrapped a straw wreath with strips of red striped ticking fabric, added the flowers and topped it with a ticking self-bow. I am thrilled with the results and glad to add this very small gesture of remembrance to “keep the faith” with those servicemen who died on the battlefield to my home.

My latest addition to my Memorial Day holiday decorating. A paper poppy wreath!

I look forward to seeing the former servicemen that will offer Buddy Poppies at the grocery this weekend. I will remember the men and women who have given their all so that my family and I may live in freedom in the most wonderful country in the world-the United States of America!

Happy Memorial Day!

 

 

 

 

 

My Fabulous Grand Army of the Republic find!

Several months ago I paused to gaze about in a booth at Renningers Antiques and Farmers & Flea Market in Mt. Dora, Florida. It was the interesting collection of items in a glass case that caught my eye that day.  I inquired from the vendor about both a small, enameled vintage pin and a framed Abraham Lincoln miniature portrait pin. While the vendor was unable to give me any information about the enameled pin it was her very generous offer to significantly improve the asking prices that ultimately led me to add the patriotic pieces to my collection! I happily headed home with my purchases.

Abraham Lincoln image cut from a periodical and framed and now in my collection!

Under better conditions I looked at my favorite “finds” of the day. It appeared that the Lincoln portrait was cut from a newspaper lay on black paper cut to fit and encased in a repurposed celluloid apparel pin. Perhaps it was made by a wearer to mourn the President after his assassination. Despite its’ lack of demonstrative pedigree I gladly placed the Lincoln piece on the mantle among my President’s Day collection and turned my attention to the enameled pin.  The enamel pin had a much more interesting history to tell.

The Grand Army of the Republic pin I purchased at Renningers

At about 2½” long and 1½” at its widest point it is an attractive celluloid encased emblem of the Grand Army of the Republic. Centered is the image of a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) membership badge, ribbon and star medal.  Inspection of the pin indicates that it is incomplete and originally would have had both a chiffon flag (ribbon) attached as well as additional star medal or a celluloid pin with a civil war monument dedication or GAR encampment pictured. In and of itself, it is a great piece to add to my patriotic collection but it is my general lack of knowledge of this organization and the era following the war that has piqued my interest in American history and the civil war era.

This pin is complete and shows multiple ribbons and attached medal proclaining the original wearers participation in a 1904 Annual Encampment  www.civilwarantiqueshop.com 

A quick search on the internet and The Library of Congress’s Humanities and Social Science division Reading Room shows that the GAR quickly became the preeminent Union army veterans organization formed at the close of the Civil War. Membership reached its peak in 1890, when over 400,000 members were reported. By then the GAR had well over seven thousand posts throughout the country, ranging in size from fewer than two-dozen members in small towns, to more than a thousand in some cities. Almost every prominent veteran was enrolled, including five presidents: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley.

While in its early days, the GAR limited its activities to fraternal activities members soon began discussing politics in local gatherings. A growing national interest in pensions for war veterans signaled the beginning of open GAR participation in national politics. The rank and file soon realized the value of presenting a solid front to make demands upon legislators and congressmen.

Other GAR activities would assist in the healing of a divided nation when members spent considerable time asking for funds that would build monuments and memorials as well as preservation of war sites and relics.  

Ribbon to commemorate installation of a  Grand Army of the Republic monument www.scoilgaeilge.org

The GAR's principal legacy to the nation, however, is the annual observance of May 30 as Decoration Day. General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the GAR, requested members of all posts to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers on May 30, 1868. This idea came from his wife, who had seen Confederate graves decorated by Southern women in Virginia. By the next year the observance became well established. Members of local posts in communities throughout the nation visited veterans' graves and decorated them with flowers, and honored the dead with eulogies. The pattern thus set is still followed to the present day. It was only after the First World War, when the aged veterans could no longer conduct observances, that the Civil War character of Decoration Day was replaced by ceremonies for the more recent war dead.

  
A GAR marker and American flag decorate the tombstone of a civil war veteran www.usgwarchives.net

 

This postcard from my collection shows an aged civil-war veteran in full GAR uniform; a double-breasted, dark blue coat with bronze buttons, membership pin on his chest and a black wide-brimmed slouch felt hat and carrying a floral wreath to lay on a war memorial on Decoration Day

I am really enjoying the time spent researching the significance of my GAR pin. I am most intrigued with the organizations' contribution to the commemoration of signifcant civil war events with their contribution of monuments and memorials and the observation of honoring those who gave their all on Decoration Day.  As Memorial Day fast approaches I am especially interested in observance traditions, especially that of the Buddy Poppy that I so gladly purchase each year from a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars at the door of my grocery store. I look forward to sharing what I have learned about the significane this tiny flower.

April 15th. A red-letter day on my calendar!

April 15th.

April 15th. The bane of every tax-paying American.

April 15th. The anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

April 15th. The anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

April 15th. The date of my first Etsy sale! It is a red-letter day on my calendar!

Last evening, after supper I saw in my email inbox a note from Etsy Transactions.  "Yikes! What have i done now?", I wondered. I clicked through to find the most amazing words, "Hi Hillary Courson, Congratulations on your Etsy sale of 4 items to..."  What? I sold something on Etsy!  Yippee!  It was a red letter day on my calendar, indeed!

I’d like to send a huge “Thank You”! to the charming woman who purchased 4 rosettes from my Etsy shop to use as a costume accessory for her son’s school benefit this weekend.  She wrote as part of her “Note from Buyer” that the benefit has a USA 1920’s theme. 

I don't know how she plans to use the rosettes but I let my imagination run a bit this morning and I saw in my mind's eye a game booth where the rosettes are worn by volunteer  "carnival hawkers" encouraging participants to exchange their tokens for the opportunity to play a game of chance.  Or perhaps worn by a volunteer in a booth selling excellent food and drink. With that image in mind I returned to my studio and found a prototype of a "Soda Jerk" hat I made several weeks ago.  

I made that original hat after I purchased a new pair of Craft Fringe Scissors from the Martha Stewart display in a store and found it produced fabulous and tiny cuts.  I cut both orange and black (I always have Halloween in mind!) paper and my favorite patriotic combination of red-white-blue paper into tiny slivers of paper. Such fun and such a mess when I decided to see it I could cut Easter grass for my holiday table! 

Soda Jerk hats fit for a patriotic school benefit!

I didn't end up making  Easter grass but instead, used scrapbooking and crepe paper and cut and fringed and folded and glued until I had a hat that resembled what I thought a soda jerk might wear.  Today, I made four hats in red, white and blue, complete with a star embossed rosette as a finishing touch!  I enclosed those hats in the FexEx box for delivery later this week with a note to the purchaser of the rosettes.  I wrote that I made the hats for her,  my very first customer, as a gift from my studio.  

Rosettes wrapped and ribboned and ready to go!

Now the reality is that when the box arrives on her doorstep, she may open the box,  look at what she has purchased and appove of what she sees. (Whew! I hope so!) What she will not expect is the wrapped gift of hats I have enclosed. Oh, how I hope she will like them too. If when she opens the tissue paper wrapped hats, she is but half as thrilled with my gift to her as I was with the gift she gave me yesterday, then indeed, Wednesday will be a red-letter day all over again on my calendar! 

 

 

 

Political and Patriotic Collectibles and Presidents' Day Rosettes

I enjoy collecting many different vintage items and my collection is ever expanding. Recently, a special part of my collection has served as an inspiration for my contemporary and hand made interpretations of many items I hold most dear; my collection of political and patriotic collectibles.

I look for political and patriotic collectibles on-line and at antique and flea markets like Renninger's in Mt. Dora, Fl.

I have collected vintage political campaign buttons and badges and similar purposed military honor rosettes and cockades (ribbons worn on hats for designating and identifying military personnel). I have researched their historic significance and have studied the methods of their construction. Often handcrafted of ribbon and buttons, they were and still are colorful and bold personal statements of affiliation with political parties, social movements or military battles in America.

 

A beautiful pin that would have been worn by a delegate to a convention.

This Spring I have created a modern-day interpretation of these symbols of individual allegiance with a mixed-media rosette that combines various fibers (paper, glitter, fabric, ribbon etc.) and construction techniques into a miniature collage honoring American national heroes and patriotic themes.

 

President George Washington rosette pin on Etsy

My favorite rosette theme has been those featuring silhouettes of Presidents Washington and Lincoln.  What fun it has been to pull those themes from my collection of Presidents’ Day memorabilia!

 

President Abraham Lincoln Silhouette Rosette pin

I opened an Etsy store in February to retail my work. It has been received with mixed results. The rosettes have been recognized by several Etsy members as a “Favorite” and/or featured to their “Treasury”. According to Etsy, a Treasury is “an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery comprised of lists of items”. These lists may feature items that members select as part of a theme or whatever they happen to like. My items have been featured in treasury lists with a patriotic or Presidents’ Day theme. What an honor to have my work thought well enough to be included in a Treasury!  What a thrill it would have been to have someone actually purchase a rosette! Alas, I can still dream.

I have had great fun making these pins!

While I have received mixed reviews of my work I am still very excited about the opportunity to display my hand work in an e-store venue. I  am working on a variety of  other decorations appropriate for home decorating displays for your patriotic holiday partites and look forward to sharing them with you very soon!

Renningers Extravaganza: My Lincoln Purchase

My Presidents' Day mantle display. I bought the eagle and bunting piece above the mantle at Renningers in January.

I enjoy collecting many different vintage items and am always looking to expand my collection. To that end, I had great success attending Renningers Antiques and Collectors Extravaganza in Mount Dora, Florida this past month. Located on US Highway 441, Renningers is open every weekend with an indoor Antiques Center and a Farmers & Flea Market. Three times a year though (third weekend of January, February and November) Renningers expands to encompass nearly 120 acres of rolling land (that’s a nice way of saying “steep hills and sand”). I was in awe as I saw almost that entire vast space fill with hundreds of vendors and thousands of customers (and their vehicles) last month! For myself, it is a collectors’ dream come true. Imagine field after field, row after row filled with booths and tents, tables and shelves, and boxes and blankets strewn on the ground with every imaginable antique and collectible displayed there. I think my heart just started beating a little faster.

 

The mantle is crowded with George and Martha Washington souvenirs. I love the red-handled cookie cutter!

Last month, I hosted houseguests that either drove non-stop (15+ hours) from Kentucky or flew in from Washington D.C. to attend the January 2012 Extravaganza.  I usually lose sleep in anticipation of each Extravaganza. With a house full of friends with the similar interest of finding antiques and collectibles to add to excitement, we all lost a little sleep!  We each collect a variety of items with very, very little overlap-which is fortunate. Each evening after a long day of shopping we listened carefully to the details shared about our great discoveries and admired and applauded the great finds. It was great fun to have such wonderful people to share the experience with.

 

The mantle is home to a neighborhood of Lincoln cabins. Overflow has moved to the coffee table!

I myself did find wonderful items to add to my collections. One of which will make a wonderful addition to my collection of Presidents’ Day memorabilia, an offshoot of my Abraham Lincoln collection. I grew up in Kentucky and my parents took me at a very young age to see the Lincoln Birthplace Memorial in Hodgenville, KY. I probably left the gift shop that day skipping down the sidewalk to the car with a souvenir in hand. Today, it is my heart that skips a beat when I see that same souvenir, a handmade log cabin that I have come to treasure among my collections.  That cabin sits today centered on the family room fireplace mantle as part of my Presidents’ Day display.

 

The paper hatchet candy holder is in good company.

After the last Christmas decoration is put away I can barely wait to pull out the box that holds this collection. While not as large as my Halloween collection I am no less excited about opening this box.  Among the postcards, axe shaped candy containers, busts of George Washington and Lincoln and other items vying for room on the mantle, that first cabin now sits among a veritable neighborhood of commemorative cabins made of every kind of material.  A favorite giveaway of banks and insurance companies (think Lincoln pennies!), Lincoln cabin still banks (as opposed to mechanical banks) were made from a variety of materials-porcelain, cedar wood, or copper, etc.  I appreciate the variety of size and materials used to make my more recent additions, but I prize that very first acquisition above all.

 

Abraham Lincoln sits and contemplates the war while a hand cut silhouette of Mrs. Zachary Taylor made by my Great-Aunt, Elinor Maloney sits straight in her chair!  Uncle Sam's Hat pincushion was made to commermorate the bicentennial of 1776 and was purchased at Renningers several years ago.

Of course, there are numerous categories of Lincoln souvenirs that commemorate our 16^th president and when I come across them I stop to consider whether that item is a good fit for the mantle display-correction, “will it fit?” is a better question. Not everything does. I generally pass on salt and pepper shakers-they take up too much room. But I jump at plates.  They lean against the wall, taking up very little space and how else will I (one-day) set the most fabulous Presidents’ Day table for a party?  I have 5 plates now. I can serve my immediate family but if I want to invite my mother and sister to the table I have to keep looking for another plate!

 

A construction paper Tricorn hat was made by my oldest daughter in kindergarten. The patriotic paper horn and hand-held noise maker add more color to the display

I did pass on a unique Lincoln piece a few months ago, albeit, most reluctantly.  I discovered a 40” tall brass Lincoln head silhouette sculpture that most certainly was mounted on the wall of a national monument-or at least displayed in a bank lobby. It was fabulous. It showed great patina and was a beautiful likeness of the President. It would indeed have been a great addition to my collection. All I needed was a very sturdy wall with load baring studs to support the 100 plus pounds of bone-crushing sculpture. And $300.00.  Oh well. That fabulous find will one day turn up in someone else’s Lincoln collection!

 

My most favored Lincoln birthplace souvenir sits centered in my display.

On this most recent trip to Renningers though I found a close, second place finisher to the fabulous sculpture I had passed on.  On the second day of the extravaganza, one of my shopping companions pointed out a lovely, 8” tall likeness of the President as a young man. Walking in pants that have become too short for his stature and wearing no shoes he appeared to have just finished building a split rail fence.  Made of what appeared to be bronze and with beautiful patina I was ready to make it the newest addition to my collection until the proprietor of the booth said, “You like Lincoln?  I’ve got some more pieces in the case back there,” pointing to the rear of his booth. There we found what is now the newest addition to my collection. Made of cast iron and a mere 3 pounds, this 11” tall miniature version of what I what a had passed on months before is a much more manageable size and had a much more palatable price, $45.00.  I am very glad to have it. 

 

The newest addition to my Licoln collection. He too sits on the coffee table with my collection of children's books, patriotic toys and overflow cabins.

My new piece has found a place on the coffee table, as the mantle is full.  I will keep this mantle display in place until the Kentucky Derby (first Saturday in May).  Then I will box the cabins and plates and make room to display my Derby hats worn to Churchill Downs Racetrack from years past. But among the display of Derby memorabilia will be proudly displayed, my latest Abraham Lincoln acquisition. He was a Kentucky boy, after all.

 

 

Thanksgiving Day recipes to share! Turkey cookies!

Gingerbread cookies may not immediately come to mind when considering additions to your Thanksgiving Day Feast buffet, but it should when they are shaped and iced to look like Turkeys!

Many years ago I was looking to make more child friendly additions to my Thanksgiving Day dessert buffet. Not every child enjoys a piece of pumpkin or mincemeat pie.  I wanted to create a cookie that would entice big eyes and small appetites.  I knew I could make turkey shaped sugar cookies but decided that mixing multiple tinted icings (brown, black, yellow, orange, etc.) and piping details was more effort than I was willing to extend at the time.  After reconsideration, I decided that if I used the naturally brown tinted dough of a gingerbread cookie dough to make turkeys and iced details using white icing I would accomplish what I was looking for-a child friendly, thanksgiving themed cookie for my dessert buffet. 

A gang of turkeys waiting for icing details

I hesitated when piping the details on the cookies though. Just how do I detail a turkey so that it doesn’t end up looking like a peacock? I turned to an illustrated book in my daughter’s bookcase. It turns out that turkeys have three toes on each foot, wing feathers that drag the ground and a red wattle (that funny, floppy piece of skin that hangs below the beak!).  I tinted a small portion of reserved icing red for a wattle and started piping! I was delighted with the results and now make Turkey Cookies for my Thanksgiving Day dessert buffet every year.

I tint a small portion of icing red for wattles!

I have made gingerbread cookies using both a purchased, box mix and from scratch.  Both options have benefits that make them worth considering. Ease of use of the boxed variety ranks high in my kitchen but it is very hard to beat the great taste and the volume of dough that the made from scratch recipe produces! In fact this recipe makes so many cookies I made Gingerbread Men to freeze now and decorate later for my Christmas cookie trays in December. 

Happy baking! Gobble! Gobble! 

Gingerbread Cookies

Yield: 36-48 cookies

3       cups all purpose flour

1½   teaspoons baking powder

¾      teaspoon baking soda

¼      teaspoon salt

1       tablespoon ground ginger

1¾   teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼     teaspoon ground cloves

6      tablespoons unsalted butter

¾     cup dark brown sugar

1      large egg

½     cup molasses

2      teaspoons vanilla

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.

In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended. Add molasses, vanilla and continue to mix until well blended.

Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Return to room temp before using.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Roll dough to a scant ¼-inch thick. Use additional flour to avoid sticking. Cut out cookies and space cookies 1½-inches apart. Bake 7-10 minutes, longer or firmer cookies. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.

Icing

1    pound confectioners sugar

6-8    tablespoons milk, divided

1    teaspoon vanilla

red concentrated gel

Sift confectioners sugar into a mixing bowl and with beater set on slow speed add milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you have an icing that is smooth and thick.  Stir in vanilla.  

Tint ½ cup of icing with red gel and set aside.  Using a 10-inch decorating bag and a #3 decorating tip apply icing referring to picture for guidance. Use a second bag and tip to apply red icing for wattle. Allow to thoroughly dry before stacking for storage or display.

Thanksgiving Day recipes to share! Pumpkin Cake!

Originally celebrated as a day of feasting and prayer to offer thanks to God for the abundance of the harvest by Pilgrims, modern Thanksgiving Day celebrations in American homes have expanded the festivities to include parades, ball games and strategizing for Black Friday shopping. In our family home, Thanksgiving Day is first and foremost observed by feasting.  Lots of feasting.

Cooking a feast can require a team or at least a multi-generation, multi-family effort to produce. This year my sister, mother and my daughter and myself as well as a favorite neighbor and her daughter will join forces to bring this year’s Thanksgiving feast to the table.

 

12-cup Bundt cake pan holds a cake before being turned out to cool

Planning is key to the overall success of this once a year meal extravaganza. Setting a menu comes after consideration is made for the special requests solicited from our guests and for our families’ “must-have” Thanksgiving Day favorites. Recipe research and list making are key parts of planning as there are very few grocery stores open on Thanksgiving Day for last minute changes or forgotten ingredients!

Research starts with the stacks of cooking magazines saved from year to year and our in-home library of cookbooks. Read and re-read, pages are dog-eared and proposed recipes shared with the ‘team’ in quest of the perfect method of cooking the turkey and sides to offer our guests and family.

Sugar, pumpkin and oil assure it is both moist and flavorful!

 Turkey remains the choice of entrée in our household (over ham or beef) but the method of cooking the bird and selection of the accompanying side dishes offered are always in some state of flux.  Shall we soak the bird in brine or cook it in an oven bag this year? Perhaps we’ll try the new dry brine recommended by a favorite kitchenware store or really venture out of our comfort zone and try a deep fried method to prepare the main course?  Those options can take days or weeks to work through the planning stages before finally finding a place on the set menu for Thanksgiving Day.  There are however, a few recipes that are never considered optional in our family and are indespensable to my family’s happiness. I’d like to share them with you.

Isn’t it funny how planning a special meal can often start with determining what will be served for dessert? As is often the case in our household, dessert planning is key to the overall success of our Thanksgiving Day menu.

A beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving Day dessert buffet

My families’ all time favorite Thanksgiving dessert is a Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Icing.  It is a ‘must-have’ in our family’s feast menu. I promise that if you bake this cake and serve it to your family, you too will have a new, all time favorite addition to you holiday menu. Baked as a bundt cake with icing piled high on top, it is a beautiful addition to a dessert buffet table. The cake crumb is firm and slices cleanly; serving wonderfully on your dessert plate. The sugar, pumpkin and oil assure it is both moist and flavorful. The pecans and the cream cheese are just that; the icing on the cake! Beautiful and delicious! I hope you like it as well as my family does.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese and Pecan Icing

4    Eggs

2    cups sugar

1    cup vegetable oil

2    cups flour

2    teaspoons soda

2    teaspoons cinnamon      

½  teaspoon salt

1    can pumpkin

Preheat oven, 350°

Beat together eggs and sugar until light in color and doubled in volume. Continue to beat and add oil in stream. Stir together dry ingredients and beat thoroughly into egg mixture.  Add pumpkin and stir well.

Pour into greased and floured 12-cup bundt cake pan. Bake for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and turn out of pan to cool. Ice cake when cooled. Keep refrigerated.

Icing

1    3 ounce package, softened cream cheese

½  cup softened butter

1      pound confectioner’s sugar

1    teaspoon vanilla

1    cup broken pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter until soft and smooth. Add sifted sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla and pecans.

 

 

 

 

Flying Lessons, Spreading Our Wings

It is my pleasure to welcome participants in the Summer 2011 Flying Lessons Facebook Group to my blog. What a wonderful and “everything is still so new to me” experience this is for myself and as I have discovered by reading your Facebook posts, just as wonderful and new for you, too.

I want to tell you how I came to be here with you. Although I am not an artist as so many of you are, I have been exposed to fine art all my life and appreciate the time and dedication artists make to perfect their choice of creative medium (sculpture, paint etc.).  What I do is blog. I write about home and decorating, food and entertaining, crafts and “making it my own” projects and antiques and collectibles. I have much to learn and am a very long way from perfecting my creative medium.

Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions book led me to TCC and Kelly Rae Roberts

I started blogging because I picked up a special book this summer while on vacation. It was Amy Barickman’s Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun. I wanted to know more about Amy and that led me to her blog and the mention that she was going to be a speaker at The Creative Connection (TCC) in Minnesota this past September. I found the courage (gulp!) to find my way to Minnesota where I met and spoke to Kelly Rae Roberts (really big gulp!). I told her that I had completed her Flying Lessons E-book series just a few days before and that I initially learned about her E-book while reading her bio on the TCC website. She asked if I was part of the Flying Lessons Facebook Group in attendance at TCC.  While I had registered with the Facebook group weeks before, I regrettably had not been active in our group and missed the opportunity to meet those members. Honestly, I had a blog to start from scratch and there are just so many hours in the day!  But I’m not telling you something you don’t already know!

That sequence of events may have been hard to follow but you should know that I find it oozing divine providence that I am today welcoming the many, many creative women that I read and write to everyday on the Flying Lessons Facebook Group page.

Kelly Rae's book cover

I may be a fledgling social media participant but I am working very hard to spread my wings and soar with you. I have reread Kelly Rae’s entire work since completion of the class in September and am working very hard to follow her advice and comments. Her comments about “Inspiration, Passion, Commitment, + Goals” speak to me personally and I know that I am being nudged to acknowledge them. Once I acknowledged that I had both inspiration and passion that needed a voice I made a commitment to act on it and started setting goals. Then I went to work to meet those goals and I have yet to stop!

My business card that I used to introduce myself to the women I met at TCC

The fact that I wanted to go to TCC and introduce myself there as a blogger forced me to “put (my)self out there if (I) want the universe to come rushing in”. There were lots of decisions to be made. I opened an account with Typepad and bought domain names. I took lots of pictures and started writing and posting. Hello Universe.  I am knocking on your door. Let me in!

I am committed to being myself on my blog and putting my creativity out there for the world to see. I am loving every moment of it, too!  As a result of the announcement of our Blog Hop I made another commitment to take my blog to the next level. To refine it’s appearance, to add to it’s content mix and invite readers to further interact with me.

Kelly Rae signed my copy of her book!

This is the first post on my new website and I think it is a good reflection of who I am right now. I brought to this new site the posts from my previous blog site too.  For the entire month of October I wrote, crafted, cooked and decorated Halloween.  It was a wonderful personal challenge and a goal I am very, very pleased to have successfully met. I hope that you take a few minutes to look at one or two of these posts, add yourself to followers of this blog and sign up for the newsletter.

Kelly Rae Robert's Together Always Paperweight was a gift in the TCC Swag Bag-darling!

I couldn’t be more pleased than to be a part of a group of women whose creative spirits are intertwined in support of each other yet are encouraged to soar as individuals. I thank you so very much for your kind comments of encouragement and want each of you to know that I wish you all the very, very best while we all take flight and soar together.

 

Blog Hop Notes: It is common courtesy to visit each blog hop participant and leave a comment on their blog. It may take several days to visit each blog but persevere! It will be a lot of fun to see how our fellow Flyers soar and spread their wings. Have fun hopping! 

Amaranthine Violet:  http://magic-gypsy.blogspot.com/

Amy Hillenbrand:  http://amyhillenbrand.blogspot.com

Beatriz Peñas B.:  http://beatrizbepe.blogspot.com/

Beth Cougler Blom:   http://sobliss.wordpress.com/

Carmen Patti:  http://carmenpattistudio.com/wordpress/

Carol Bray:  http://theredpaintedcottage.blogspot.com

Christina Fajardo:  http://christinafajardo.blogspot.com/

Cindy Jones Lantier:  http://www.lantier.org

Connie Rawlins :  http://www.dabblinginlife.blogspot.com/

Dana Brock: http://www.dzynbydana.blogspot.com

Deborah Velásquez : http://deborahvelasquez.blogspot.com

Elissa Brown:  http://thefreckledarmy.blogspot.com

Hillary Courson:  http://www.hillarycourson.com

Jacquie Williamson:  http://www.jacquiewilliamson.blogspot.com/

Jane Paynting: http://inkspiredwings.wordpress.com

Janet Forrest: http://tatterednworn.wordpress.com/

Jennifer DeVille:  http://jenniferdeville.com/blog/

Jill Lambert :  http://www.jill-lambert.blogspot.com/

Julie Hamilton:  http://spaark.wordpress.com

Kanchan Mahon:  http://Kanchan-Mahon.blogspot.com/

Karen Claverie:  http://giddyupletsride.blogspot.com

Kari DeSaulnier:  http://karidesi.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Conard : http://newfromoldcreations.blogspot.com/

Kathleen McKinnon:  http://harmonyschoolhouse.com/expressions-blog.html

Kathy May:  http://kathymaydesigns.org

Kelley Miller:  http://www.kelleymillerartworks.blogspot.com/

Kelly Corso:  http://birdinatreecreations.blogspot.com/

Kelly Hoernig:  http://www.kellyhoernig.blogspot.com/

Kim Hyer:  http://www.apaperaddict.com/

Kris Lanae Binsfeld:  http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

Lenore Angela:  http://www.lenoreangela.blogspot.com/

Linda Barutha:  http://lindabaruthadesigns.blogspot.com

Lisa Michele Products:
http://www.lisamicheleproducts.blogspot.com/

Liza Zeni Baker:  http://lizazeni.wordpress.com/

Lynn Richards:  http://alittlebluesky.blogspot.com

Lori Leissner:  http://leissnerart.blogspot.com

Lori Moon:  http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.com

Mary Cottingham:   http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com/

Mary Sterk:  http://justmarydesigns.wordpress.com

Megan Schmitt:  http://www.schmittenwithwords.blogspot.com/

Melanie Douthit:  www.douthitgallery.blogspot.com

Michelle Dwyer:  http://www.magnetisedbylife.com/

Michelle Reynolds:  http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/

Rachél Payne (Rae):  http://collectingyourself.wordpress.com/

Rain Hannah:  http://honeyandollie.com/

Rhiannon Connelly:  http://www.starrybluesky.wordpress.com

Ruth-Mary Smith:  http://patchworkfamilieshub.blogspot.com

Sherry Richert Belul:
http://simplycelebrate.net/cherry-blossom-soup

Shirley Ann:  http://leonardarenaissancewoman.blogspot.com/

Stacey Chadwick
Brown:  http://staceybrownarts.blogspot.com/

Susan M. Walls-Beverly:
http://www.susanscharmingtrinkets.blogspot.com

Teresa Cash-Czech: http://www.asmilemaker.com/

Tina Carlborg:  http://www.tinachicky.blogspot.com/

Tonya Love:  http://passport2creativity.com/

Ursula Smith:  http://www.EasyScraps.com/blog

Zulma Cadena:  http://edustory.wordpress.com/

Mary Cottingham  http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

I look forward to this holiday every year and I start decorative crafting projects as early as July so that I may add new Halloween themed items to my home!

View of the familyroom toward the corner cabinet.

My blog posts during October 2011 have shown you decorating ideas and crafting ideas for you to “make it your own” and add a bit of holiday spirit to your home.

View of familyroom toward the kitchen

While there is always something additional I’d like to do before my party guests walk in the door I am very pleased with my overall efforts this year to bring the spirit of the holiday to my home. I want to share with you some additional photos of my home.

 

The corner cabinet holds a variety of black and orange decorative items

Close up of the raven crepe paper wreath I made this year

An anatomy model dressed in a crepe paper collar

Lots and lots of crepe paper and tissue paper decorations are suspended from the ceiling

View of the fireplace

A view of the foyer. 

It has been my pleasure to share with you these several weeks a peek into my decorative and crafting efforts and I really do hope that you have seen or read something that has inspired you to add a fun, new Halloween decoration to your home!

My Jack o'Lantern has become a molding, insect infested, science experiment on my front porch!  The End!

 

Halloween Party Preparations

Halloween approaches and it is soon time to open my door to greet guests. Friends, family and neighbors will arrive in costume for an evening of trick or treats, food and drink and conversation and laughter.  The last skeleton is in place, the spiders have spun their last web and the candy is in place for the trick or treaters that come to the door. Now that the house is ready I turn back to the kitchen to prepare for my guests.

The stepped back chest of dawers in the foyer holds the candy display for our trick or treaters

Many of my party guests offer to bring a dish to share and ask what they may bring. I ask for appetizers. Often these gifts are items picked up from the deli department at the nearby grocery store. I gladly accept their generous gift at the door, remove the plastic coverings and nestle 7-layer dips and chips in among shrimp and sushi platters.  I have a stack of extra baskets, platters and bowls and a crock that holds a variety of serving utensils to pick from as needed. I have a filled chip basket and cracker tray already in place and replenish them with the bags and boxes that come in the door.

I prefer to use real flatware and roll forks and knives in cloth napkins to ease their pick up in the buffet line. I also use plain white “caterers” dinner plates when serving supper and 8” clear glass plates for appetizers or the dessert buffet. For the “just in case” moment I also keep a selection of plastic forks, knives and paper plates and napkins as back-up.  That little step has saved me great worry that I might run out of place settings should we have a large number of tag along guests come through the door.  Purchasing a new set of disposable food containers and storing tin foil and zip lock bags in the pantry in a basket to be pulled out when the evening comes to an end eases sending food back out the door with my guests. 

Individual cellophane bags with Halloween greetings from the Coursons

I have observed that children and their parents often reverse roles when choosing food in a buffet setting. Once I offered a children’s buffet in the kitchen when we had very small children. The kitchen table had booster seats and highchairs around it and aided parents to seat their children and feed them with supervision. I offered kid-friendly fare (chicken nuggets, fruit and veggies with dip, etc.).  This was laid out on the kitchen counter with child themed and sized plates, cups etc. and a table centerpiece.  Children filled their tummies and then were excused to play with their friends. This arrangement worked out well with one exception. One father was single-handedly wiping out the nugget supply! I suggested, more than once, that he would find more adult-like party fare on the buffet in the dining room, but he didn’t budge! In hindsight, I decided that this father was either simply more comfortable in the company of children rather than adults, which is quite alright and I suppose part of the holiday spirit!

Would you like a candy stick too?

 Now a days, I think children are a bit more sophisticated in their tastes! I see shrimp being eaten by my youngest party guests but I still keep a sheet of chicken strips in the oven for their father’s too. Just in case!

This raven watches over hanging cones filled with sweet treats

From my kitchen I offer an entrée buffet that for an occasion such as a Halloween party or Independence Day includes more casual selection such as sliced pork bar b queue, baked beans and slaw.  I use heated chafing dishes to allow guests to find this food warm and available when they are ready for something heartier than a cheese tray.

 

I'll have one of each, please! Thank you! Happy Halloween!

I spend a large amount of time and resources in preparation of the dessert buffet.  Platters, cake plates and bowls hold as much cake, cookies and candy as the table will hold.  I offer a variety and a lot of it. “More is better” is my motto when it comes to sugar. It also makes for a beautiful and memorable display for my guests to enjoy.  One neighbor takes photos to share with a friend who lives far away and sends me copies-just in case I forgot to take photos!  I am flattered that she considers the scape special enough to capture it, remember it and share it too! She is efinitely included in the guest list for next year! I hope you will join me too!