The Plague of Frogs...

has descended upon my sampler! Holy Moses! I have removed more stitches than the Israelites moved bricks! Well, maybe not that many, but it sure feels like it! It wasn't that I made any counting mistakes, but rather that I wasn't happy with how the colors looked. It took three tries to FINALLY get the color exactly how I pictured it. I must admit, choosing colors can sometimes be a pain in the behind and on occasion, is my LEAST favorite part of designing. I feel very guilty when floss is wasted and ends up as little balls of fuzz in my ort jar instead of small X's neatly stitched into a row.

A sneak peek of "Daniel"

But, it's all worth it when I cross over into the promised land flowing with floss and linen!

It's almost time to release Part 2 of my Sing a Sampler which looks something like this...

I'm not sure what's next on my stitching list. I've designed 5 new samplers since January and it's SO HARD to pick which one I should "breathe life into" next. I'll have to decide soon....

Until then, thanks for dropping by and I hope this snowstorm that's coming in doesn't overstay its welcome.

Diane

Nectar of the gods and a sneak peek too!

Hello again friends!
Yesterday here in N.E. Pennsylvania, we experienced a BEAUTIFUL spring day. Not a cloud in the sky, no wind and SUN, SUN, SUN! Truly a welcomed thing after a long winter, and perfect conditions for spending the day cooking sap. We started the process at 9am by building our cinder block fire pit and starting the fire....

Next we emptied our refrigerator of 11 gallons of sap. We added to that 2 more gallons that we collected off the trees in the early afternoon hours.

As you can see, we use the best technology available to us in our sap collection by hanging recycled milk jugs on the trees. Just slice a small hole in the side and hang it on the spile (that's the metal thingy that gets pounded into the tree that the sap drips out of).

Next we sit around and watch the sap boil...and boil...and boil. We also enjoyed a lunch of baked potatoes with ham and cheese, cooked in the hot coals. YUMMY!

Yes, I know I look a bit redneck in my bib overalls and ski cap, but all fashion rules go out the window when you're making syrup! I swear, we really are making syrup, not moonshine! As you can see, we use 2 pans. The one in front of Colvin is the warming pan. We get a good boil happening there and then bit by bit, we transfer it into the next pan to cook some more. Then something magical happens...

it begins to change color. This means that we're getting closer to syrup. We were outside cooking for about 8 hours. After the sap is mostly evaporated, we then filter it through some muslin clipped to a pot with clothes pins...

Then the pans need to be soaked by melting any available snow into them...

After the fire is out, we retire to the comfort of the indoors and wait for our transition lenses to return to normal. But wait, we're not done quite yet. Now we actually finish it off into syrup on the stove...

Whoever said a watched pot never boils apparently never made maple syrup. The end is now near. After digging around in a kitchen drawer and locating 2 canning lids, it's time to cross the finish line...

That's right. This is what 13 gallons of sap turns into after 9 hours. 2 1/2 pints of pure Pennsylvania maple syrup. It's just that simple! Can you almost taste it?

Now, before your eyes glaze over and you slip into a syrup-induced coma, I've got a sneak peek to share with you. Once again, I've been invited to have a sampler appear in the Halloween issue of Just Cross stitch magazine. Now I just hope the frame arrives soon as I need to get the sampler shipped out this week. Feast your eyes on this and may the curiosity begin....

At the risk of sounding "sappy", I'd like to thank each and every one of you for "sticking" with me. Wishing you a day sweeter than maple syrup!

Diane

Tap Dancing and more!

Hello again dear friends. My, it's been three weeks already since my last post. Time sure flies when you're having fun! As my post title implies, I've been busy tap dancing. But not the "Lawrence Welk" kind that involves fancy footwork. On Feb. 10, Colvin and I tapped several maple trees around our acre of paradise and have 8 1/2 gallons of sap in our refrigerator just waiting to be boiled this Saturday. This week the temperatures will be PERFECT for more sap running, so our gallon total will be closer to 10 or 11 by the end of the week. On Friday night, we'll build a small cinder block fire pit in our driveway and start the LONG boiling process Saturday morning. In the end, we should be left with a quart (plus some) of heavenly sweet pure Pennsylvania maple syrup. It's a lot of work, but SO worth it!

This picture was taken 2 years ago in 2011. We didn't have a sugar season last year as the weather was MUCH TOO WARM for the trees to do the necessary freeze and thaw that makes the sap run.

Besides keeping the sap company, I've been stitching up a storm. Once again, I've been invited to have a sampler appear in the special Halloween issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. I finished it in record time and am now waiting for the frame to arrive. I'll share a sneak peek in a future post. Now, I'm making fabulous progress on a sampler that will be a future release this year. I haven't named it yet, but I think you'll like it. It has lions on it and that's all I'm going to tell you!

CHICKEN UPDATE: In a previous post, I wrote about putting light in the girls coop to help get them laying again. My experiment worked! Two weeks after installing the rope light, we were blessed with an egg! On a good day, we get 2 eggs, which isn't great, but better than nothing! At least I won't have to lower my standards and succumb to BUYING eggs. It's humiliating when you know you have 5 hens in your backyard!

Well, I think I've bored you enough with my country life activities! Thanks for stopping by!

Diane

Let's start at the very beginning...

a very good place to start. 

When you read you begin with A, B, C. 

When you sing you begin with...

Do Re Mi.

And that my dear friends, is the subject of my new 4 part sampler

series that will be released at Nashville in just 2 short weeks!

"Sing a Sampler Series"

The Most "Upscale" Cross Stitch Design yet!

Part 1 of 4

Can You Carry a Tune?

From a very young age, my Mom encouraged me and my sister, Sara to sing. We sang together in church, for Sunday School programs, and when we grew older, we both sang in the high school concert choir. From 10th-12th grade, I was fortunate enough to attend District choir, and in 11th and 12th grade, I made it as far as Regional Choir (which is one step further than Districts.) In order to be considered for these special choir events, one had to audition in this manner: You were taken to a room and before entering, you were told what song to sing and how many stanzas to sing. Upon entering the room, you were not allowed to talk. There were 3 judges in the room, with their backs to you. You were given the starting note with a pitch pipe. And then you sang acapella. You were then judged against all of the other auditioners based on pitch, tone, enunciation, and dynamics. And you thought American Idol was tough!

Singing at these events was quite an experience. If you secured a place in one of these select choirs, you got to travel to the hosting school and stay with a family in that school district for a couple of days. During those days, you practiced. And practiced. And practiced some more. Then as a culmination of all your hard work, a concert was held on Saturday afternoon. The stage was alive with color as each participant wore a choir robe in their school colors. Ours was maroon and white. And I wore it (and my aviator goggles) with pride.

Regional Choir Participants from Montrose High School, circa March 1990. Can you pick me out?

 Believe it or not, this trip down memory lane has something to do with my new 4 part sampler series that will be released at Nashville. Even if you are someone who can't carry a tune in a bucket, take heart, as now you can Sing a Sampler! Here's a sneak peek of what's to come:

Peek of Part 1

Peek of Part 2

 I'll have you (or at least you needle) humming in no time!
Thanks for stopping by the creek. I'm glad you came!
 Diane 

Why Don't Dogs Wear Socks?.....

......because they don't stay on! How do I know? I tried it, that's how.

I felt so bad for Molly and her beautiful speckled tootsies every time we had to go out in this BRUTAL arctic cold that we've been enduring all week. Colvin was concerned, and asked me if I could make Molly some socks. Sure. No big deal. I dug out a pair of worn out wool socks and proceeded to cut them down to fit her feet.

I think it took me less time to make them than it did to get all four on her feet! After victoriously donning Molly's feet with her new footwear, we were ready to brave the cold. We were only 10 feet off the porch before the first one came flying off, and the other 3 followed suit shortly after. **SIGH**. At least she can't wiggle out of the sweater I made for her!

"Mom, does this sweater make me look fat?"

So, no more sock-making for me. Instead, I'm going to channel all of my energy into stitching on my 4 part series sampler. Can't wait to share some peeks with you!

Stay warm!
Diane and barefoot Molly

Let there be light....

in the chicken coop, that is. For those of you who may not know, we are the proud parents of 5 Rhode Island Red hens. In 2011, we bought them as tiny chicks that Colvin raised for his 4-H project. We originally started out with 6, but the neighbors dog made an unwelcome visit one day and decided to have chicken for dinner. As the girls grew, they began laying and eggs were abundant in the land. However, as chicken do, they molted for the first time this past fall. When they molt, eggs become as scarce as hens teeth! After the molting came the darkness of the long winter months. Still no eggs. In case you didn't know, chickens are solar powered. They need 12-14 hours of daylight to trigger them into laying eggs. So, not enough light=no eggs. Until this past weekend.....

This is our A-frame chicken coop that Colvin and I built together. On Saturday, we installed a string of LED rope light under the top ridge board. 100 feet of extension cord, and one timer later, from 4:00am-7:00am, the girls now have light. And now, we wait. Such an egg-citing life we lead here down by the creek!

Thanks for dropping by!
Diane