Our House Today

Sounds like: old-time music (Dave Bing and Ben Townsend's CD)

  Smells like: oranges,

venison stew,

and paste wax.

Looks like: works in progress amidst the Christmas decorations which will not come down until Old Christmas

Feels like: warm and cozy, fire in the fireplace

Tastes like: hot coffee and pumpkin pie left over from the Christmas feast.

What's your house like today?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Baking, Packing, Merry-ing, and Catching Up

The past week was a blur of family, cooking, and cleaning. This week I guess I am reaping my reward for all that activity--a nice head cold. The house is quiet after the weekend busyness, and it's not a bad place to be when one is feeling less than 100%.

So I am nursing it along while still trying to work on the things I need to get done, and also to be well for this weekend's first performances of the Christmas carols program in Virginia and Maryland. Thank goodness for a strong constitution (and a stubborn streak) that keeps me pushing along but still allowing me to get better. The phone was out for almost a week, the internet was iffy for a few days, and the power was off yesterday, all part of life when you live on the edge of technology--the rustic edge.

We've accomplished a lot this week, considering. The outside Christmas lights are up and most of the cards are mailed.

We checked in on both of our booths and took a load of new things to the Marietta location, including lots of Wexford pattern glassware.

I re-grouped some items in the booth already to make a Christmas-y look on this table. The table and 4 woven-seat chairs are only $150--maybe someone will take them home soon!

Larry is finishing up this lovely dresser that he's been refinishing, bringing it back from its near-death experience. It was pretty bad, but look at her now. This will go to our Ravenswood booth in the morning, and will be priced at $250.

I've managed to complete a lot of small painting projects and am about a third of the way finished the tea cart. I have the first coat of paint on it--maybe saying I'm a third of the way is optimistic because there's lots left to do on it before it's finished. I really want to get it done so I can move on to the next thing. I have so many projects backed up in my workroom it's hard to find enough room to work! I hope I can clear up the backlog this winter and have some things ready to go instead of always working to fill empty spots in the booths.

Right now our spaces are all filled, which is good and bad--good because there's no pressure, bad because it means sales of furniture are slow right now. In this business, there are some times of the year when this is true, usually in July/August and November/December. During those months people are either vacationing and focused on outdoor activities rather than home decorating, or they're holiday shopping and not buying for their own homes.



Today is baking day--cookies for the Sisters Cookie Swap and Fruitcake Bake this weekend.

My favorite cookie cookbook

I am not baking fruitcake this year as I still have several left from last year. Fruitcake does not go bad, it just needs to be re-soaked with brandy to keep it moist and fresh. Which is one reason people started making it in the first place; it was a way to preserve fruit and make something that would keep for long periods of time.

It's also packing day, getting ready to be away from home for four days while presenting the Here We Come A-Caroling program and visiting family. It's nice to be able to combine these things because it's a 5-6 hour drive and opportunities to see my Virginia and Maryland family members are infrequent.

And of course, it's a practice day, reviewing my notes and going over the carols for the program. Jeff Seager and I have added several new songs this year which is always exciting. I am especially pleased to be including Christmas Lullaby, a gentle little tune, and There Was a Pig Went Out to Dig, a funny, quite old song that will include some pretty hilarious audience participation.

So, to quote Garrison Keillor, that's all the news that isn't from this corner on a chilly West Virginia morning. I hope all of you are staying well and warm and getting into the spirit of this joyous, peaceful time of year.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Baby's Breath: Simple Beauty

 A friend posted a photo of an old meat grinder used to hold a spray of baby's breath. Inspiration! While at the store the other day I saw a bucket of these tiny white flowers and decided to take some home.

I used some of them in an old silverplate pitcher and put it on the table that used to be my mother's bedside table when I was a girl. Now it is my end table. 

I added a little calla lily candleholder, the white alabaster bookends, a stick I picked up in Lake Erie 2 years ago, and a bronze statuette I bought at a library silent auction about 20 years ago.

While I was at it, I added a couple photos and some fruit to the other small table.

Then I cleaned up the meat grinders and hooked them to the kitchen windowsill.

 I got the little birdhouse the other day at goodwill, and the lucite stems at a yard sale several years back.

 There's a springtime look to it, isn't there? Spring is slowly making its way here, even though we still have snow on the ground and freezing temperatures at night.

At the other end of the big window, I used a little crock I just found at Goodwill to hold a few wood spoons, and added a little cat carved from coal. The cat isn't perfect, has a few chips but that doesn't bother me. I'm not perfect either.

It was nice to make some simple changes; somehow it brightens up the house. A simple bunch of tiny flowers can do a lot for a little.



Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.