Mountain Musings

The Place Where I Belong

I finally spent my Country Connections gift card from Christmas...there were so many country treasures in that store that I couldn't decide how to spend the money! Now the chore is finding a place to hang the plaque I picked out.

What I wonder is...where's #10 in the list about the South?

The South ~ the place where...

1) Tea is sweet and accents are sweeter.

2) Summer starts in April.

3) Macaroni and Cheese is a vegetable.

4) Front porches are wide and words are long.

5) Pecan pie is a staple.

6) Y'all is the only proper noun.

7) Chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy.

8) Everything is Darlin'.

9) Someone's heart is always being blessed.

10) ?

What would your suggestion be to fill in the last spot?

I think I'd say...the place where I belong.

~Deb

Valentine Central

It's been correspondence crazy-time around here this week...stamps, stickers, addresses, oh, my!

I've always loved letterwriting...but now I do a lot of writing on the computer--making copies on brightly colored paper, stuffing long letters or cards into envelopes with lots of heart stickers, and hoping my friends will receive the snail mail in their mailbox with just as much excitement as I sent it!

Valentine's Day gives me a good excuse to write to friends far and near. But I would tell anyone they don't need an excuse to write to me--just write!

This antique cherry secretary desk belonged to my Aunt Bunny, and now it sits in the corner of my bedroom. I actually don't sit here to write letters although I should...it's a delightful spot to pen a note.

There are several antique milk bottles on the windowsill, a purple mug from my sister that says I {heart} Purple, and Vicki's wonderful knitted bird's nest on the corner of the desk.

Do you spy the antique wooden stamp holder in the center cubby of the desk? It holds rolls of stamps which I don't normally use because I love using colorful commemoratives.

Actually, I didn't purchase these newest LOVE stamps...yet. The last of the Christmas stamps were stuck on these Valentine envelopes...I hope my friends don't mind.

Tomorrow I'll be doing more of the same. Happy Valentine's weekend to you all!

~ Deb

For the Love of Pepper

Last fall when I drove down to visit my sister in South Carolina, we went out to eat at Fatz Cafe...great restaurant with delicious food...and only 5 minutes from her house!

As we were sitting there during the meal, Bet's friend, Sonia, remarked on the pungent, spicy, and great taste of the milled pepper. I'm a real black pepper lover and also noticed how the Fatz pepper added to the taste of our food.

After we returned home to Virginia, I kept wondering how I could find some of that same pepper. Having no idea of the brand, I googled Fatz Cafe to see if there was any mention on their website. No, nothing.

I admit...this was a little out of the ordinary, but I contacted the manager and not only raved over our meal and the delicious pepper but also asked how I could locate some of the same pepper the Fatz Cafe chain uses.

The manager returned my email and simply said that the chain used Monarch brand and that it was his personal favorite. At least now I had a name to google. But after searching, still no Monarch peppercorns.

Yes, I wrote back again and explained the predicament. The next email from the manager said he would Fed-Ex some Monarch peppercorns to me to enjoy as a Christmas present from Fatz to our family.

What great customer service! I love it! (Or else he just wanted to get rid of this crazy woman!)

The above container of black pepper arrived just as promised a couple of days before Christmas. Thank you, Fatz Cafe!

Now I just need to purchase a pepper mill. Any suggestions?

~Deb

Happy Thanksgiving...From Our Home to Yours

It's been busy in the ol' Mountain Musings' kitchen today...we three girls have been cooking up Marinated Carrots, Cranberry Relish, Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Cranberry Orange Bread...just to name a few delicious dishes that we'll contribute to the meal with friends.

We hope your holiday is filled with good family times and full of thanks for all the blessings the Lord has given us all to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Deb

Oooh, Vera!

Isn't she gorgeous?

My generous blogging friend, Vicki, over at 2 Bags Full, is giving away yet another Vera bag! This one is in fall's newest and most popular colors - Suzani.

I love it because it's so colorful! I've not won any of the bags Vicki's given away on her blog in the past, but this one just might have my name on it! Head on over and sign up for it here.

Also because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Vicki is advertising Pinky on her blog.

Susan from the blog Days at Buttermilk Cottage is on a personal mission to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness.  She designed this adorable little lamb and is selling the knitted version, the PDF pattern, and also the kit containing the pattern and yarns to make your own Pinky.

More information here. 

And last, but not least, Vicki is giving away a Twirly Birds Pink Vera bag in the Breast Cancer Awareness pattern if you join her Facebook page. I'm not a facebooker so I can't win this one, but if you are, head over to Vicki's blog and find out what you do.

Winners will be picked on November 4th.

~Deb

Sunday Morning

We're experiencing a beautiful, sunshiny, and slightly breezy morning here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia after Hurricane Irene passed our coast last evening. Unlike others east of us, we only received rain most of Saturday from the storm and never lost power.

Thankfully, Jonathan made it back to Virginia on Friday from a work trip to Kansas before any airline cancellations were in effect in D.C. Whew! PTL!

But, in other news, Tom packed his bags and left Saturday for who-knows-how-long down in the Hampton Roads--Tidewater area to start getting power back on from all the outages caused by the storm--tons of folks are without electricity.

We all here at home are praying for the crews to work efficiently so people can get back to normal and so Dad can come home before the Labor Day weekend begins!

Here's a picture to share...taken this past week at Smith Mountain Lake--the same afternoon of the earthquake here in Virginia. This photo was taken from The Virginia Dare which we were on for an anniversary luncheon cruise. We never felt the earthquake, and thankfully, everyone was safe back here at home.
We continue to pray for the families experiencing the storm this morning. May your Sunday be one of thanking the Lord for His blessings.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. ~ Isaiah 43:2

~ Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY: Monday, June 6

Outside my window...the sun is already up, and the temps promise another very warm day. The mountains seem a bit hazy in the distance, but they are always a joy to see each morning.

I am thinking...that it won't be long before my sister comes to visit with a teacher friend next month. I need to plan some outings and work on meal ideas.

I am thankful for...a good doctor's report for Granny. One hurdle down and one more doctor's visit to go next week.

From the garden shed...I will go out this morning and replace the pansies with some geraniums and begonias in my front porch pots and watering cans. This year I bought pink...pink?! I am not a pink person, but these were only 50 cents--yes, I can like pink for that price.

From the kitchen...the last of the strawberry donuts Sarah made are on the counter--they were a delicious experiment. Later I'll be marinating chicken for the grill tonight.

I am wearing...my very paint-stained navy skirt and top that have become my official work-outside clothes, and, of course, Crocs.

I am going...to clean the laundry room today--which is also the dog's room--while Sarah gives Pepper a bath and a haircut outside.

I am reading...old newspapers. Boring...but it's true--I need to catch up on some articles from March and April!

I am hoping...to get a new birdhouse put up on the fence this week if Jonathan has time to install it for me.

I am hearing...the drone of the fan that runs all night to help us sleep.

One of my favorite things...getting the day's mail and finding fabric packages that have arrived!

A few plans for the rest of the week...having lunch out twice this week with different friends--it should be wonderful fun catching up with them!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Mother's Day ~ 2011

You can find other Daybook entries here.

~ Deb

Thursday Thirteen ~ Thank You x 13!

Well, it's been forever since I participated in a Thursday Thirteen post, but I thought what better way to show you some wonderful blog winnings in 2011 and say "thank you" to my benefactors and link to those bloggers who were so generous! My cup runneth over, truly!

1. Thank you to Shawna over at 1Choice4Quilting for sending me 4 yards of Sunkissed fabric!! I won it! It's beautiful, and I can't wait to decide which pattern to use! Thank you for your generosity, Shawna!

By the way...for anyone interested, Shawna is having another giveaway of 4 yards of fabric--this time it's Happy Flowers, and the deadline to enter is Sunday, April 10.

2. Thank you to Sabrina over at Doodle Quilts. She was giving away a fat quarter bundle of the "Carriage House" collection from Wyndham Fabrics. Wow, it's a big bundle of fabric! I'm not sure yet how I will use it. Thank you, Sabrina!

3. Fabric designer, Sandy Gervais, had a giveaway over at her blog, Pieces From My Heart. Sandy sent me a layer cake of her new fabric line, Lovely  and also a small petit-four pack of the same fabric. Love it! I can't wait to use this and ordered some lovely Lovely yardage from Burgandy Buttons to complete the quilt I'll make.

4. Rose in Australia, who blogs over at Greening the Rose, gave away 4 skeins of beautiful yarn recently. Yes, you guessed it! She mailed it to me!! And, being the generous person that she is, she also sent something to the girls--Hannah was delighted with some handmade paper, and Sarah received a watercolor flower picture for her room. Thank you so much, Rose! We all love our treasures!

Karla Dornacher Book Giveaway!

Karla Dornacher is having a Grand Re-Opening of her bookstore and is giving away two sets of five of her books. If you're not familiar with Karla's Korner and website, take a look here.

So there's 2 WAYS to WIN and  3 WAYS to ENTER...

• 1. Leave a comment over on Karla's blog through April 2nd 
  telling her what your favorite form of creativity is.

• 2. Promote her giveaway on your blog and get 2 EXTRA ENTRIES! Comment again with your blog link where you posted about the giveaway.

• 3. Be a friend on FACEBOOK... one winner will be drawn specifically
  from her FACEBOOK fans.

Hurry! Her winners will be announced on Monday.

~Deb

Mailboxes, Fabric, & Snow...Oh, My!

I love my mailbox!

No, it's not a pretty one with flowers planted around it or covered in ivy, but it's functional. Our locked neighborhood boxes are over a half mile from our house and protect our newspaper, bills, catalogs, packages, and a rare personal letter every now and then. (I love personal letters!)

But sometimes bad things happen to mailboxes!

When the phone rang early Sunday morning, I knew it couldn't be good news. We were told vandals had hit the boxes in the wee hours and had probably taken any mail not picked up.

Tom immediately headed out to check our box and found ours wasn't one of the ones damaged, and our mail was securely inside. That was a huge blessing! New boxes have been ordered, but in the meantime we have to pick up all mail at the post office.

I am so glad and so thankful that I had just retrieved a package from our box that included this beautiful purple fabric. (I love fabric!)

My blogging friend, Diane over at Life Scraps, found out that I've been collecting purple scraps and mailed me some yardage..from Texas! Don't you love the second one from the left--those little red polka-dot mushrooms are beautiful...and she purchased it special and stuck it in the package at the last minute before mailing! Thank you so much, Diane!

In other news, today we're digging out from 8 inches of snow we received yesterday...we couldn't get to the mailbox anyway even if the mail could be delivered. Unfortunately, we can't get to the post office either!

Here's a picture of our garden in winter, and I know I've shown this snowy scene other years and other snows, but I never tire of it. Plus, I wanted to show Granny what she's missing by not being here in January...that little garden shed (aka basket shed) looks mighty lonely down there.

Snowy days when you can't get out and no one else can get in are great sewing days. I'm almost finished with my Postage Stamp quilt top, and this afternoon I'll start on Block 2 for the Block-A-Palooza. Pictures of these projects coming soon.

~Deb