Have A Blessed & Safe New Year!!!

Just on here for a bit.........
DH and I have been working in the woodshop today! (new furniture pieces!!!)
But, the fire in the shop's wood stove has nearly played out, so we're headed into the house for awhile then off to church for a New Year's fellowship later this evening.....
I'm just hungry sitting here thinkin' bout that pizza we're going to have! Yummmy! LOL!!!
They're going to have a movie too.....but not sure what it will be yet.
Usually they are very good ones.........
We generally stay home with our kids for New Year's Eve or go to church as a family..... :)
I don't really want to be out late....so I'd imagine we'll be back home long before "the ball" drops!

Hope everyone stays safe and has a nice New Year's!
Backwoodsprim

My How They've Grown!!!

Remember several posts back I introduced you to our "new" puppies?
Our older Border Collie dog was "visited" by our neighbor's dog.....and this was
the end result....tee hee.... no pun intended.....o.k. well maybe a little.... :)
ANYHOW!..............they were born near the end of September.

We ended up naming this one MOLLIE:
(She has a very loving and sweet personality)

And this one is SADIE:(She's very rambunctious)
(I like them both alot, but I really am partial to her)
Although, I try not to favor one over the other........

Now look at them!!!

Notice the huge feet on the blonde one!!

She's going to be a really big dog!

Here they are looking like they're in "puppy prison"......

I really dislike having to put them in a pen...but it's for their own safety....

Too many unpleasant things that could happen to them.....they tend to go under the barbed wire fence and keep going!

They are learning what "no" and "come" means...

We let them out and play with them often....and they are hilarious!

They sure do love to explore!

That Sadie keeps her "sniffer" to the ground and is moving so much it's work to get a picture

of her lil' face!

I think they are both really cute!

They have such different personalities....

We noticed that from the beginning of this adventure..... :)

Backwoodsprim's Butterchurn Collection

Good Morning Blogger Friends!
Was looking for something to post so I thought I'd show you one of my favorite collections.....

This is my butterchurn collection:
The one on the far left is a true Dazey churn, the next is one I found on our anniversary day out,
I'm not for sure that it's all original though. It has a really cool "Greek Key" design on the jar,
and I didn't give too much for it, so I think it looks good with the rest of the collection anyhow...
Ironically, I just ran across one on the net that looks just exactly like what I have....thought that was kind of unusual!
The next one, is an electric churn that my DH got me for my b-day this year.....
It is a Sears and Roebuck brand....it actually works!
Although,I haven't tried making butter in it yet! :)
The one on the far right is a Dandy brand churn.....it looks to be original.
I was drawn to the unusual holes in the paddle...thought that was neat!

Just wanted to share this with you all....
Thank you for stopping by to look!

Hope everyone has a safe,healthy and blessed New Year!
Backwoodsprim

Somethin's Cooking!

My DH has been slow smoking pork ribs all this afternoon.....oh,that aroma is WONDERFUL!!!
There's a saying around here if something tastes really good they say, "It would make a rabbit slap a bear!" Well, these sure will!!
They are just about ready to come off the grill. Yeah!!!
He does such a great job of cooking on the smoker grill that he made.....
See the chrome smoke stacks? (they are scrapped from an old semi-truck)

Then there's the chrome winged pig on top (the pig was a gift from our dear friend & neighbor).

It's actually pretty cool looking!

Well, we have one more Christmas Supper to attend this evening at DH's Aunt and Uncle's home. I'm going to go make a big casserole dish of Cheese potatoes with pimentos....they go really well with ribs!!
Guess I'd better get off of here and go get things going in the kitchen!

Just Stopping In......

Hi Blogger Friends!
I trust each of you all had a wonderful Christmas!
We had a really good one.
A wonderful time with family, friends and neighbors.

Christmas Eve was shared with my DH's parents in their home.
Granny fixed a wonderful spread as always.
She's such a wonderful cook!
We had pork tenderloin with dressing, chicken with rice, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, baby lima beans, homemade yeast rolls ( so yummy!!!) and we brought mashed potatoes, and homemade sausage/cheddar balls.
Dessert was lemon cake, coconut cream pie, no bake fruit cake and my DD & DS made homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.....

Christmas morning we had the table set for eleven....
DH's parents joined us four, along with five of our closest friends which are also our neighbors.
We had sausage, bacon, lil' smokies, biscuits, homemade milk gravy, scrambeled eggs, baby tater wedges and pancakes with real maple syrup from PA!!
The kids' and our neighbor's daughter played Guitar Hero and had a blast, the rest of us spent the time with lots of chatting and laughing!
It was a really fun morning!

Later that evening we went to my family's Christmas get together.
We had it at my sister's home this year.
She lives right next door to our parents.
My brother was not feeling well and went home early.....before we even arrived.
He wasn't able to have his two youngest children visit with us on Christmas either.......
I think there were still thirteen of us in my sister's cute lil' home!
Anyhow....we had a good evening.... and way too much food!
We did Mexican, but there was ham and fixins' for sandwiches, I did a pan of chicken enchiladas
and one of beef enchiladas......lots of taco fixins', my sis's yummy layered Picante Dip, and more.
There were all kinds of cookies, candies, Chex mix, and my Daddy made his traditional Jam Cake with Caramel icing....it was really good!
His friend from CT. sent him a Raspberry Pecan Cheesecake!
It was scrumptious!!!

All- in- all, I believe it was a great Christmas!
I was so tired out from it all though....slept a couple of hours in the recliner lastnight....I could not stay awake! Even though I tried to watch t.v. with DH.....I just kept noddin'! zzzzzzzzz!!!
Then I went to bed a few minutes before 10:00 and slept soundly until 8:05 this morning!!
Guess I was more worn out than I thought!!
Hope all is well with everyone and that you all had a blessed Christmas and have a
wonderfully happy & healthy New Year!

Hugs!
Backwoodsprim

New Pictures Added!

Hey blogger friends!
I'm excited to give you all an update that we've added some new shop items that are "FOR SALE" to our Picturetrail photo site..... :)
Please come and visit!

http://www.picturetrail.com/backwoodscountryprims

Keep checking back often there!
We are adding ALOT of new things for purchase at the shop and on the site....many are original one- of- a- kind items and some of limited quantities.
We will also have actual old or antique items also available for purchase as often as we can get them on.......
Stay tuned!!

Thank you for looking!!
Backwoodsprim

Baby It's Cold Outside!!!!

It may be cold outside....but inside it's nice and cozy warm!!
Thanks to our wood stove, my sweetie DH, my FIL and son getting all the firewood in......
Our outside water stove heats our water for our home and provides the heat to both our lil' home and my prim shop! I'm very pleased with how efficient it is !!
During really cold days we put wood in it about twice a day!!
Usually in the morning and about 6:00 p.m and it lasts all night long, waking up to a house that is still warm!

When my two kiddos left out this morning (about 11:00) to do a little Christmas shopping & go to lunch together it was 39 degrees........they just came in and said it was now 29 degrees and falling!!!

It is a bitter cold 29 at that!

Schools were let out early all over today and we are in a Winter Storm Advisory through tomorrow!!!!

I just checked one of the forecasts and they are saying 1/2 or more of ice followed by a possible 2-4 inches of snow......oooooooh!

I know that is not a big deal to you folks up North.....but when it happens in the South people tend to freak!! O.k. they don't tend to freak.......they really do! LOL!!

There won't be a loaf of bread or jug of milk left on the grocery store shelf by days end!!

I'm excited!! I hope it snows and snows and snows!! :)

Don't want anybody to have a hard time because of the weather &

I sure don't want to lose our electricity......'cause I really like,heat,lights & t.v.!!

But I sure like being inside a cozy warm home with my family, doing some baking with both my young'ns while it's coming on down outside.

Our son said all the horses and cows were standing next to the gate wanting that extra food since the weather has gotten colder........I think they know what's coming......or at least that there's going to be a change in the weather.....

Isn't that neat how the good Lord gives the animals the instinct to prepare for things such as colder and snowy weather???

Thanks for all the kind words and compliments in recent posts about our kitchen cabinets....

I'm really enjoying them being finished....

That pretty red color just makes me smile every time I look at them!

You all may not realize that your beautiful homes and photos are alot of my inspiration!!

Yes, I admit it.... I too like Picket (she's so funny and such a neat person) and along with so many others; am a "copy-cat"...... and a "tweaker"..... :)

I'm even proud of it ! LOL!

How does that saying go?

That imitating (copying) is a form of flattery or actually a compliment? :)

I don't believe in stealing someone's idea and saying it's your own....oh no,no,no.....and even though I can't begin to name you one by one......

I do want to say thank you to all that graciously share your lovely photos and great crafting and decorating ideas with the rest of us!

Keep 'em coming!!

Blessings,

Backwoodsprim

After Nearly THREE YEARS....They Are Finished!!!

I can't begin to tell you what a relief and an enormous blessing it is to have our kitchen cabinets finally finished!! Wahooooooo!!!!
I told DH last year that's the only thing I wanted for Christmas was to get them completed....
I asked again this year too...... :)
Thank you to my DH & son....you're the best!!!!

I'll spare you all the intensely frustrating and many times down-right depressing details of trying to re-do them.
It's been so hard and we have hit so many obstacles with the paint not doing well that it's just
unreal.....We have worked at this for nearly three years now......
I cannot believe I'm actually saying this!! Three years???

I would avoid inviting friends over because I was deeply embarrased that they were not finished
and that they looked so terrible each time another attempt was made to paint them.
They had a sprayed on factory finish that was a booger to work with.....then even after sanding and priming them the paint and/or application would flop time after time...... :(
Then the last time they were painted (by an outside source) that job just wasn't up to par either....I am picky.....I do admit.... but even my family agreed with me on this......dust particles and brush strokes abounded. :(

So, my dear sweet husband and son.....sanded and sanded and sanded them until smooth and sprayed the doors with a paint sprayer and after hours of work this week and a huge mess of pinkish dust on everything in my kitchen (we had to sand the frames inside...the doors we took to the woodshop).......
Thank you Lord they are done!!!
I am soooooo incredibly pleased & grateful with the outcome and am now looking forward to having our friends come over!!

This is where we started:
Laminated doors that after 10 years peeled and warped. POO!
Actually,before this photo we had WHITE linoleum (we're in the country mind you and my DH is a diesel mechanic) and the walls were burgundy plaid wallpaper.
Which I liked at the time.....but now I loooooove the vanilla beadboard and putty color trim even more!!!!

We try our very best to be a good steward, to be frugal and do work ourselves......so we replaced the old laminate doors with solid oak doors from a home supply discount store for $5.00 each!!!.....the only catch was you had to take different color finishes to find the sizes you needed, some where stained and some were this pickle finish......after 3 hours of measuring and measuring some more we got all the doors we needed!! Yeah!!
Found out later that was the easy part!!!
Although it looks brighter in the photo this was a very pretty cranberry color. It was one of the first attempts at painting the cabinets.....the paint peeled up within days.....boo hooo.... :(

Picked a slightly different shade this last time.....but I really,REALLY love it!!

I can't even remember exactly how many times we've attempted to get them painted...

Honestly, I think it has been at least four!!
I prayed and prayed for them to turn out right and be something I'd be so proud for people to see.....sometimes I will let customers from our shop in (because the shop doesn't have a bathroom and they need to go or stop shopping and leave)..... :(

So, I would let them in and always have to point out that my calico cabinets were a "work in progress"......yes, for almost THREE years!!

But, Glory Hallelujah! I am so grateful that they are finished!!

We found little architectural metal star knobs for about .50 each at a flea market and I have been saving them for the cabinets......... :)

Their mustardy (new word) lol...color looks soooo great on the deep red cabinet doors and they

match up with the antiqued brass hinges that we recycled from the old ones.....

I think the total cost.....not counting the huge amount of work......cost us about $225.00 for the

doors, primer and paint.....the other two gallons of paint we had.... I've been able to use on things that we make & sell in our prim shop......like noodle/dough boards, furniture, signs, etc....glad to find a use for the other paint instead of it being wasted.....

So my blogger friends........ Here's our finished kitchen! Yeahhhhh!!!

DH framed up windows and we made all of our own trim.....
So what do y'all think?

Besides the fact that I'm crazy for doing all this!!

I'm so proud of them and for what my DH and family has helped me do!

Thanks for looking!

Backwoodsprim

There's A Critter In Our Christmas Tree!!

Well......there is, but it's actually our young kitty "Bailor".
He came to live with us in late May of this year.
He was so small when the kids brought him home that he fit in my son's t-shirt pocket.
They had found him in the barn in a box of baling twine.....
He has discovered that the Christmas tree is a neat place (or so he thought!!) to hide out.
One night while we were all watching t.v., we notice that the tree is moving and the ornaments are shaking!
We heard rustling in the branches and the ornaments tinkling.......
Our DD laughs out hysterically and proclaims to us and the entire road, "THE CAT IS IN THE CHRISTMAS TREE!!!"....... it felt like we were the "Griswold's" there for a moment !!! :)

He just lay in there among the branches.....so unconcerned.....watching us "fruitloops" laugh at him and DD running to get the camera......
Needless to say....... he wrecked the tree and decorations that DD had worked so diligently about putting up.....
Well, he repositioned himself in the branches.....which made the tree become off balance and TIMBER!!!! THAR SHE GOES!!!
It started to tip over and stopped just as the recliner broke it's fall!
Soooooo, we set it back upright and straightened the ornaments......sort of.....and scolded him when he tried to get in there again.......
He was actually a good boy the rest of the evening, but the next morning (early) we heard a big THUD! coming from the living room and the naughty kittyboy had done it again!!!!!!
DH said, "what was that!?"
I didn't even raise my head from the pillow or open my eyes to calmly and softly reply,
"the cat has turned the tree over again" I knew what had happened just from the sound...... :)

However, DD diddn't think it was sooooo funny this time......lol.... :)
She had to remove all the ornaments and basically re-do the whole tree......
(it's her cat we remimded her :) that she so annoyingly INSISTED on bringing home)

Let's just say.......I believe they had a "meeting of the minds" or a "battle of the wills"after that episode!
I don't think he's tried to climb in the tree again......but I had to laugh when I saw him the other night, curled up under the tree sound asleep.....just as if he were saying to DD with his actions....that "I can still get even this close if I want to and you won't whack my ears off my head with that paper you threatened to swat at me with"! LOL !!!

Anybody Own These?

American Farmhouses: Country Style and Design

by Leah Rosch

OR

Jessie Walker's Country Decorating:

by Jessie Walker Hey blogger pals!

Can anyone tell me if they have these books and are they good ones?

I'd also love some ideas on more really good "primitive farmhouse country" decorating books...

Think that's what I may be asking Santa for Christmas........

Need ideas pretty please! :)

What are your favorite country decorator books?

Sorry pics are not that clear.....

Thanks! :)