Hot Chocolatey Mornings...

Doesn't Fall mornings remind you of Pooh?Oh,it's a hot chocolatey morning,it's just cool enough to where you want to stay snuggled under the covers and not get up.But,I ofcourse will have coffee with pumpkinspice creamor.Actually,my grandson and daughter are watching Pooh this morning,so I'm in a cozy pooh mood.
"Well," said Pooh, "it's the middle of the night, which is a good time for going to sleep. And to-morrow morning we'll have some honey for breakfast. Do Tiggers like honey?" "They like everything," said Tigger cheerfully. "Then if they like going to sleep on the floor, I'll go back to bed," said Pooh, "and we'll do things in the morning.Good night." And he got back into bed and went fast asleep.

We always put some cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar in some milk, heat it up in a cup, makes the best cocoa.  Just experiment with how much of each to taste.  

More Mount Vernon pics...

This is the huge tree in backyard of the house with the Potomac River in the background.

This is the weather vane on top of Mount Vernon,it's the dove of peace.

Mount Vernon

We went to Mount Vernon Sunday and I can't tell you how awesome it was to walk up the stairs and hold the handrail that most of our founding fathers walked up.I stood there,looked down toward the front door and it was amazing to think how many of them walked through that door and stood where I was standing,touching that handrail as they walked up.It was all beautiful and the smell of the english boxwood bush is the colonial smell that always hits me when I go in these places.They sell small ones and ofcourse I had to have one.I have to replant it outside,but my whole room smells like that scent just from the one little one.It's the size of a house plant.Here is a virtual tour of inside the mansion: http://www.mountvernon.org/virtual/index.cfm/ss/2/

Down in the Hollar...

As a child we lived with our grandparents,down in the hollar.You had to drive forever and a day off the main road on a dirt road till you got to the end,which took you down in the hollar to Grandma's.At the top of the driveway you drove down,then up aways to the house,now this was a long driveway,My grandparents had these goats,which for some unknown reason didn't like my brother and I.I was 5,he was 2.They ate anything and everything.
I really think because we were little,we were an easy food source,we were always running from those crazy goats.In front of the house,there was the driveway from which you drove down a hill,then up.One day,we were doing our usual,running from the goats and jumped in an old car my grandparents had since time began.These crazy goats were jumping up to the windows trying to get us,we were screaming,somehow,now I don't know how to this day,my brother did something in the floor of the drivers side,(I was screaming and hitting the windows for these kid-starved goats to leave.I felt the car slowly moving,at the time,I can't remember if I was so happy to get away from those goats,or scared that the car was moving.It started going a little faster,a little more fast,then faster till we got down to where the road started to go back up out of the hollar and we stopped.I know our eyes had to be big as saucers.My grandparents were running down to the car,we were perfectly safe,but after that the goats were put back in their own area with a more unexcapeable gate.I do remember whenever I looked thier way after that,they would always be staring,with a "One day I'm gonna get ya"look in thier eye.

It's late,I'm tired,but...

I just wanted to throw this in a minute.Blondie,a sweet little southern woman,friend from prim and rustic,has a great blog,as in all my favorite friends list.It's on my list as vintage prims.I just read some of her blog and was cracking up laughing,so I'm going to tell some of my southern childhood tales in the next few days.Keep a watch for it.So often we think,oh if I could go back to my childhood,some things would be so sweet,but to think what I have now,I wouldn't go back for long.But,as in most of us we can share some funny and wonderful childhood memories.So I will.

Beeswax drip candles

I am so glad it's almost the weekend,I get to go to Michael's Saturday for supplies.I need more beeswax.I really want to make beeswax drip candles.

Melt the beeswax in a coffeecan that is in another pan with water in it,NEVER ever melt wax directly over a burner,it can catch fire.

When the beeswax is melted,have 6 twelve inch pieces of wick.You will be dipping a twelve inch, (folded in half) piece of wick to get two candles on the two ends.Dip the wick in melted wax three times, letting it drip and cool a little in between each dip. 

The first time it will barely look like the wick has any wax coating.Dip quickly to ensure even distribution of the wax. If you leave the wick in the wax too long, the early layers will melt back into the pool.Have a large dowel rested up across something close by to hang the candles over.

Dip each pair in turn, placing them on the dowel to cool after a double dip in the wax. After each of these early dips, straighten the wicks by hand, or roll them on a counter, as they will naturally curl and bend.

Cover the floor with newspaper,there will be plenty of drips.Periodically trim the bottom of your candles to remove the little “nipple” that develops from the drips to ensure that you are dipping the entire candle.Continue dipping each pair, topping up the container as necessary to keep the level of wax right up to the brim, otherwise your candles will be much wider at the bottom than at the top.

You can also just get molds from Michaels or online and make them in that. 

Christmas tins coming...

I love to buy Christmas cookie tins,especially those danish butter cookies at Walmart and Target in the Christmas section.I use tins that I buy for putting craft things in.You can also use them in making a little holiday basket or in pretty bag for someone,just put in a cookie tin $3,a holiday combo dishtowel,washcloth,potholder and a box of celestial tea or cocoa and coffeecup,what fun.

Dyeing tags...

Today I did 1/2 my hang tags coffee/vanilla/cinnamon and 1/2 tea/vanilla/cinnamon dyed .I have rectangle and round ones w/metal around the tag.I want to rust the metal ring that goes on the little round tags.My hands smell like cinnamon and vanilla,my kitchen has a permanent cinnamon smell,I'm a cinnamon freak!My husband was heating up a piece of pizza yesterday,why can't he must use the microwave,anyway when he took the pizza out of the oven,he said it smelled more like cinnamon.LOL

Orange or Lemon Pomanders...

Just take an orange or lemon,push some whole cloves all around it.If you can't get it through easily,prick with toothpick first.Mix up a little cinnamon,whole cloves,allspice or any of these spices,dip the spice mix all over the orange after putting in the cloves,smells great and helps to preserve it.I squeeze mine just a wee bit,so the spices can go in the holes a little and will cover the orange.Just stick in a bowl to dry out,takes a number of weeks to dry out,but smells awesome.P.S.Why pay $6 a bottle for cloves?Go to the spanish section in the grocery store and in the spices section,little bags for $1,plus star anise,chamoline flowers,all cheap.

Jingle Bells..

Okay,so what I'm finding,out of my rusting is that bleach does take the finish off of the pins and bells,then the vinegar/salt mixture helps rusting.When I mixed them all three,that was good.But yesterday I put the bells in vinegar/salt/peroxide mix overnight and that seemed to work the best.The bleach ate some of the pins away,but the peroxide seems to put a chemical reaction that really turned the metal another color,darkened them.