Sweet Annie!!!!

If you, like me, love the smell, texture and look of Sweet Annie, then you can never have enough!  Which is why I grow my own.  Sweet Annie is easy to grow and can get very tall.  I harvest mine when the seeds form, the leaves will appear to be replaced with tiny golden balls. 
I've cut a huge bunch this morning, it is now all in containers filled with glycerin and water.
If you choose to air dry your Sweet Annie, it will eventually fade to a brownish color and will be dry and shatter easily....making a nice mess.
By preserving in the glycerin, it retains a green color and a "softness".  And best part is, it still smells wonderful!
I mix 3 parts of water with 1 part of glycerin in a glass container and immerse the freshly cut stems.  Don't overcrowd the stems.  In approx. 1 week, I remove the sweet annie and if there is anymore water in the container, I allow the cut ends to dry.
Purchasing glycerin can be costly if you are not drying ALOT of sweet annie.  However, if you want to give it a whirl, you can purchase a small bottle in Walmart for under $5.00 in the first aid section.
Right now, I have many glass containers of sweet annie scattered around my house, preserving away!!

October 2013 update:

I found this site with info on preserving so check this out as well!!!!!:

http://www.gardenguides.com/100493-preserve-sweet-annie.html

And yet another pattern!

Ever since I made "Dot", I've had repeated requests for her pattern.  Well, now I have the pattern available.
It's a very easy doll to make, and quick too.  Easy doll, easy dress, easy hairstyle.  Who doesn't like quick and easy!??
I've also done this "attached head" differently.  You'll like this new way, it's much neater looking on the back on the doll head.  There's also a pattern for the tiny crow.
Now, the best part , this pattern is just $8.50 + shipping and there's even a pair of buttons included for her  dotty eyes!

Want to order, simply email me or purchase from ebay:    sweetmeadowsfarm@yahoo.com

A mountain of pumpkins

I've got quite the pile of pumpkins here for my show.  They are in pattern form, I'm calling this one "Farmers Field Pumpkins".  There are several styles of pumpkins in this pattern as well as different stem options.  Some of these stems look so real, some of just plain old sticks!

There are little patty-pan pumpkins, I actually grew real pumpkins that look like these.
Then we have a few different sizes of these next pumpkins.  I first designed this style of pumpkin for a past scarecrow pattern and now I have them in sizes.

And then there's my fave ones, they took quite a bit of "wrangling" to get the sections just right.  I have this style in 2 sizes.

 

I have different options for color, fabric, etc. as well as instructions to make those real looking stems, staining too.  Believe it or not, they make up pretty quick!  I like to put some of these with my dolls for sale.  The patty-pans are great for little dolls.
Farmers Field Pumpkins is $10.50 + shipping.

My Lil Prim shop

Well, I tried to take pics of my shop but after a couple the camera died.  Figures, so if I remember to charge it up I'll get more inside.  This is on one side of my shop, this is the view we have that is right across the road from the front of my house which is where the shop is.  We have a very small barn and my husband renovated half of it for my shop while he has his woodshop on the other side.  It is really very pretty here, if only the winters weren't so cold and snowy.

I decorated the front of my shop for fall and around the sign but I don't have pics of the sign.

Got one shot inside, facing the cash register, I'll try to get more when I get a chance or remember to take my camera in with me. 

Currently we are open weekends only  until Christmas.  Then we close until April.

Speaking of Christmas, our Christmas Open House will be November 19 thru 21.  If you plan to be in the northeast area of Pennsylvania, be sure to stop in and say Hi!  Or take a nice drive!

About that Morning Glory fiberfil.....

....I know so many are trying to purchase it without having to remortgage your home!  You can purchase it at the moment from Amazon for $12.99 per 5 lb. box.  AND, if you spend $25.00, shipping is free.  Well 2 boxes will get you free shipping.  BUT, here's even better news, buy 4 boxes and pay for only 3 with free shipping to boot!  Can't beat that deal.  But of course there's always a catch.....shipping is in 3 to 5 weeks.  So, if you can wait that long and just use *gulp* "the other stuff", then it seems to be a nice deal.  Now, I don't know how long this deal will go on so maybe you want to act fast....or not.  HeeHee, I'm just passing along info that might be helpful to someone!

By the way, I use "the other stuffing".  I actually prefer "the other stuffing"!!!!
Have a wonderful Sunday.

This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Fall Tour

God really blessed us this summer in our garden.  We shall eat well this winter, freezer is full, shelves are filled with canned goods.  The weather is still holding up nicely so the bean plants are rebounding as well as the zucchini and yellow squash.  We are still picking okra, escarole, swiss chard, cabbage and tomatoes....TONS of tomatoes ripening now.  

But it's time for pulling in the fall harvest.  I've taken a few pics, I didn't get a pic of the haul of pumpkins but I did get a pic of a GIANT pumpkin that grew outside the garden fence in the weeds.  This thing will have to be moved with a dolly or by several men.  You cannot tell from the pic but it is huge. 

Our sunflowers are absolutely beautiful and in many colors.  They have hidden the garden fence.  You can barely make out the prim garden gate.

This year I planted swan gourds for the first time.  Most are about 2 feet long. 

We also have a nice crop of butternet and spaghetti squash.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Ugh.....Grrrrr.....Bleah!

Yeah...that's how I feel.  My hubby had surgery a week and a half ago and life has been hectic to put it mildly.  Pretty much everything here fell on my shoulders.  I feel buried, unsettled, scatter-brained, and overwhelmed.  Top it all off with a 3-day migraine.

Now, here's something positive to come from this!  My hubby is feeling much better, he has about 2 months of recovery before he goes back to work though.  My migraines seem to have subsided today...WHOOHOO!
AND, I now appreciate my husband sooooo much more as I realize exactly how much he actually does around here!!

So if you've emailed and are awaiting a response, not to worry, I WILL get to you.  If  you are trying to order, I WILL get back to you. 

I have a show in 3 weeks, then it's home to prepare for our Christmas Open House at our lil prim shop here.  So much to do, so little time, eh?!

I made a wheelbarrow FULL of pumpkins, I'll snag a pick for ya shortly!  Hope you are all enjoying the fall weather, I hate to see summer leave but now that it has, I'm in full-on-fall mode.  If we could just skip winter.............................................

Heads are gonna roll........

....seriously.  I've decided to sell some heads.....lol.  Actually, I am going to offer the sewn and stuffed heads, along with enough fabric to complete the body too for my new pattern.  Some folks have trouble with "rounding" the heads so I've done the work for you.  If you bought the new pattern, or are considering purchasing and you are intimidated by the round head, then this is for you!

Should have heads available in the next few days, stay tuned!  I won't be making the bodies, only the heads.

Yippee!

My hubby's surgery went pretty well and he is doing nicely.  Alot of pain though :(
I do thank everyone for the prayers, God is good!

Well, with Mr. SweetMeadows out of commission for awhile, everything falls on me.  I have to do the canning, feed the animals, pick veggies, etc., etc.
That doesn't leave alot of time for sewing but I do have a couple nekkid dollies waiting for clothing.  Hope to finish them soon.

Tonight I canned salsa.  It'll be a nice reminder in the winter of the tomatoes that were so fresh this summer!  Tomorrow I must pick beans and probably can some jalapenos and maybe some pepper relish.  Our shelves are becoming quite full, the freezer already is full.

The two new patterns are ready to go so if you would like to order, simply shoot me an email.  They are $10.50 each and if you buy both, shipping is absolutely free!
Have a great evening!!!

Maureen