Sunday, December 5, 2010

CHRISTMAS IN OUR COUNTRY HOME














FIRST TIME IN 47 YEARS THAT WE HAVE AN ARTIFICIAL TREE. I`M NOT SURE I LIKE THIS OR NOT. NO ONE HAS SEEN IT YET SO I AM ANXIOUS TO SEE THEIR REACTION. I `M SURE ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS WILL SAY "MOM"! WHY? BELIEVE ME NEXT YEAR IT WILL BE A BEAUTIFUL SPRUCE CHRISTMAS TREE AGAIN. CHRISTMAS IS A TIME FOR ME TO REFLECT ON HOW BLESSED MY HUSBAND AND I ARE TO HAVE THIS WONDERFUL FAMILY THE LORD HAS GIVEN US! 4 DAUGHTER, 4 SON-IN-LAWS, 1 SON AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW , 14 GRANDKIDS , A NEW GREAT GRANDSON AND MEGAN( MARRIED TO OUR OLDEST GRANDSON). WE DON`T ALL GET TOGETHER VERY OFTEN BECAUSE OF DISTANCE BUT WE STILL HAVE A LARGE FAMILY AROUND US AND GETTING TOGETHER MAKES MY DAY! I LOVE FAMILY GATHERINGS AND I GUESS I GET IT FROM MY MOTHER. SHE HAD CHRISTMAS DINNER AT THEIR HOME EVERY CHRISTMAS FOR ALL HER MARRIED LIFE, OVER 50 YEARS! SHE COOKED IT ALL FOR MANY YEARS.FOR MANY YEARS ALL WE DID AS HER CHILDREN IS BRING THE PIES AND PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE BUT IN LATER YEARS AS THE FAMILIES GREW(UP TO 45 PEOPLE) WE DID START HELPING WITH THE MEAL,(WE HAD TO HAVE MORE TURKEYS!) BUT SHE NEVER ASKED. MY FATHER ALWAYS HAD TO HAVE A CHICKEN COOKING ON THE STOVE TOP ALONG WITH THE TURKEY. MY MOTHER ALWAYS CAME THROUGH FOR HIM. WOULDN`T OF HAD IT ANY OTHER WAY. AS SOME OF HER 26 GRANDKIDS GOT OLDER THEY WOULD GO TO HER HOUSE AND HELP SET UP TABLES AND DISHES THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.SHE WOULD GET OUT ALL HER CHINA DISHES. MAMMMA(AS WE CALLED HER) WOULD BORROW CHAIRS FROM THE CHURCH SHE ATTENDED ALL HER ACTIVE LIFE. WE WERE WALL TO WALL PEOPLE BUT WE ALL HAD A CHAIR TO SIT ON---ALL 35-45 FAMILY MEMBERS! WE FILLED DOWNSTAIRS AND UPSTAIRS IN THEIR OLD 18TH CENTURY COLONIAL HOME. CHILDREN WERE RUNNING UP AND DOWN STAIRS, ADULTS TALKING AND HELPING WITH GETTING THE FOOD ON THE TABLES BUT BEFORE WE HAD DINNER WE DID THE CHRISTMAS TREE. "MAMMA" BOUGHT GIFTS FOR EVERYONE THAT WAS THERE. PRESENTS SURROUNDED THE CHRISTMAS TREE. SHE WOULD START RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS AND BUY ALL YEAR SO SHE WOULD BE READY FOR HER DAY. WRAPPED THEM BEAUTIFULLY , TAKING PRIDE IN HER BOWS. DID THIS WORK ALL BY HERSELF. GOD HAD BLESSED HER WITH ENERGY THAT SUFFICED HER ALMOST HER 83 YEARS! THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS OF HER LIFE SHE HAD TO SIT ONCE IN A WHILE WHILE WORKING ON A CHURCH SUPPER. THAT WAS HARD FOR HER EVEN THOUGH SHE NEVER TALKED OR COMPLAINED ABOUT THE FACT SHE WAS SLOWING DOWN. MY MOTHER LEFT WITH ME A LEGACY THAT FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE. I WISH I HAD TOLD HER THAT BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY SO QUICKLY. SHE MADE CHRISTMAS ALIVE WITH ITS TRUE MEANING---IT WASN`T JUST THE GIFTS, IT WAS BEING TOGETHER, BEING FAMILY! AT CHRISTMAS TIME MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER AND FATHER ARE VERY NEAR TO ME. IT WAS A SPECIAL TIME WITH THEM! HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WARM AND WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
KITCHEN-We built this island and bench from an existing dry sink. We added leftover l8" boards for the top and they lift up so we can use the storage underneath. I distressed and stenciled a pineapple on the middle board.

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
An overall view of our primitive kitchen. We just love the new room added in the background. It serves so much more purposes and has added so much more room when our family of 24 gets together. I`m proud of my husband and all he did on the new room and also his ideas. He was GREAT!

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
KITCHEN- I DISTRESSED THE CUPBOARDS AND WE MADE THIS ISLAND FROM OUR LEFT OVER WIDE BOARDS AND ATTACHED THEM TO A DRY SINK THAT I DISTRESSED.

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
New Room Ceiling- We used 8x8 and 3x8 new beams and distressed them so they fit with the rest of the house.

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
Our Americana Bathroom.

MY 1860 FARMHHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHHOUSE
We closed up fireplace to install a woodstove in o ur cellar ye ars ago. Someday I hope to re-open this fireplace to its original state.This fireplace is in our bedroom.

MY 1820 FARMHOUSE

MY 1820 FARMHOUSE
Our Bedroom

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
This is an attempt at a Mural I always wanted to try and do. It is from a Carol Endres Folk Art Collection. I certaintly didn`t paint it as good as she can but I love her art and made an attempt. It was fun.This mural is on a wall in my kitchen.

OUR 1860 FARMHOUSE

OUR 1860 FARMHOUSE
Its hard to take a picture of a hallway so this is somewhat like its looks. The walls are a darker mustard sponge painting that I did. We removed old paint on the banister and stairtreds. What a job that was! The banister is all handcarved and quite beautiful.

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
This is an extension of our kitchen. A new room added a couple of years ago.

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE

MY 1860 FARMHOUSE
This is in the new room we added on to the Kitchen. We left this wall partly original as you can see from the top of the photo. I painted the bottom half a pewter color and also painted the picture you see. It was an opening into the attached shed and we decided to leave it like a window as it was , adding the old shutters that came with the house and putting a shelf partly across the wall above it. You can see my sign that is waiting for its home over the doors of my new shop we are working on to be opened this Fall.

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE
CARDINAL ENJOYING THE SUN AND THE SEEDS

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE
HERE ARE A COUPLE DEER IN OUR BACKYARD LOOKING FOR A LUNCH. THEY DO FIND THE APPLES UNDER THE SNOW. IT IS SO MUCH FUN WATCHING THEM PAW AND DIG FOR THEM. WE ARE SO GLAD THAT WE HAVE NATURAL FOOD FOR THEM TO HELP THEM THROUGH THE WINTER.

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE

OUR BACKYARD WILDLIFE
RED CARDINAL AT OUR BIRD FEEDER

Mallard ducks in our backyard!

Mallard ducks in our backyard!
These Mallard Ducks came into our backyard to eat leftover deer food. The male duck seemed to be watching for danger while his mate pecked away enjoying her feast. When he felt there was no danger he joined in. When they decided they had enough to eat they headed back to the stream that runs in the back of our property and swam back up stream. They have been back several times this spring. We also have Turkeys coming through but that is not unusual.

TOM TURKEYS

TOM TURKEYS
This is a tom turkey that wandered through our home backyard. They come through frequently.

TOM TURKEYS

TOM TURKEYS
This is another one of the three that came through. Isn`t he kind of pretty?

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP
THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN LAST MEMORIAL WEEK-END . WE WERE GETTING BREAKFAST READY FOR EVERYONE. AS YOU CAN SEE THE MEN ARE VERY BUSY. LOOKING FORWARD FOR THIS MEMORIAL WEEK-END.

LITTLE ANNIE

LITTLE ANNIE
Little Annie is an original by me Lizziesraggs. She has been painted and distressed . Has needle felted hair, painted face and legs. Grunged with my grungy mess. Just waiting to be loved. Click on picture to be able to purchase LITTLE ANNIE. Thanks!

fabric boxes

fabric boxes
my vintage fabric box I am trying something new in these boxes. They are a lot of fun to make and hopefully somebody will like them as much as I do. You can see them on my website : www.lizziesraggs.com Let me know what you think.

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP
MY HUBBY FLY FISHING

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP

UP NORTH AT OUR CAMP
THIS IS A VIEW WHEN WE ARE FISHING ON 1ST WEST BRANCH POND. ISN`T IT BEAUTIFUL?

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP
BRIAN COOKING HOT DOGS AFTER HE DUG UNTIL HE FOUND THE FIRE PIT.

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP
BRIAN SHOVELING OUT A PATH TO THE OUTHOUSE AT OUR CAMP UP NORTH

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP

WINTER UP NORTH AT CAMP
SUSAN SHOVELING OFF THE ROOF OF OUR CAMP.
Its hard to believe that it is already the middle of February. Time has a way of disappearing like a blink of the eye! I guess the older you get the faster it goes. Since we are still in winter lets have some more snow! Our snow around Maine is going very fast. Since we do snowmobile some and have a camp further north in Maine where usually snowmobiling is great we are all praying for those white flakes. Vacation week is the time we go with our grandkids and their parents. We have such a great time. In the meantime I am making new things for my website lizziesraggs and thinking Spring creations. Hard to get in that mood but I`m trying. Hope to hear from you and share what your all doing to get through this season.

lizzies raggs open house 2009

lizzies raggs open house 2009
christmas open house