a thank you to my many fine feathered little friends....

Dennis made this bird feeder a few months ago - it is actually a feeder built on top of a planter and hung from the eaves....

....a couple of months ago he planted it out with million-bells - a cute, purple, trailing, sort of mini-petunia that he knows I love.....

Then he filled it with bird seed - millet, sunflower seeds, etc.
Those birdies loved it - flinging seed here and there.
Including into the planter.

a little water....a little "fertilizer".....


wait for it......

Thank you sweet birds for your contribution to the most amazing planter I have ever seen....

Stay tuned to see the marvelous new designs I have come up with for the Remnants of the Past Antique Show....last minute inspirations!

We're counting down the days....

an apple a day...

I just love fall - and one of the reasons is because I happen to love apples - and apple-pickin'!

Our friends Carolee and Darrell Winrich asked us to go to Greenbluff, Washington to pick apples last weekend. We hadn't been for a couple of years so we jumped at the chance to try some new varieties of apples - you know, something other than Fuji or Gala? So off we went, and ended up at Harvest House in the heart of Greenbluff.

We watched the hayrides pass by as we chose a row to pick from and went at it..... We were encouraged to taste as we picked and this one was my favorite:

Swiss Gourmet

It was great to eat, yes, but how good would it be in an apple crisp??? Hmmmm.....

After we had picked, paid for and packed up our treasures, we had a lovely lunch while listening to a terrific swing band play - 5 guys who could play ANYTHING! I asked for String of Pearls and they delivered..

It was a lovely day, and it inspired me to get out an old apple crisp recipe that had been a favorite of mine for years.....


Easy Apple Crisp

8-10 cooking apples - sliced, peeled, cored
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
Spray 9x13 baking dish with PAM. Place sliced apples in dish. Melt butter in a large microwave-proof bowl. Add flour and sugar - mix thoroughly. Crumble on top of apples - bake 350 for 45 minutes.

Those apples served me well, and boy was it delicious!
I encourage you to try this easy recipe - and to find an orchard to try some new varieties of apples - you won't be disappointed!

Now I'd better put the fork down and get back to work....Remnants of the Past is exactly TWO WEEKS from today!
Thanks for visiting...
Pammy

the latest from (my friend) Susan Branch...

Almost two years ago I was asked to work with Susan Branch Studios to come up with a jewelry line using Susan's cute and colorful artwork. The result was a line of pendants and charms that were sold both in her store and online.

Last summer we worked on a 2008 limited edition ornament that was my favorite Susan Branch graphic so far.....

...and this years is just as wonderful! We just finished it and it was recently unveiled on her website - I thought I would share it with you as well.
Drum roll pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzze........

TA DA!!!!!

This is the 2009 ornament from Susan Branch - adorable, yes?! I made it with two 2" round glass bevels, Susan's fabulous artwork, tinned it with silver solder, and she hung it from a red gingham ribbon. CUTE! Once these are gone - they're gone for good so you'd better act fast!

So make sure you check out Susan's web shop, and if you don't already get her newsletter, you are missing out on a whole lot of fun...

Better go back up to the attic....Remnants of the Past is right around the corner.....
Thanks for stopping by!
Pammy

another wonderful day at the Vintage Barn....

This past Saturday we participated once again in the Vintage Barn Antique Show in Rathdrum, Idaho - what a marvelous show it is! Here is another glimpse into the fun we had. we again started with a word of prayer....
what a great way to begin!


Dennis created some fabulous new chalkboards, shelves and windows...









my soldered jewelry

just love this old rake used to show off some of my designs...

Space #35 - our little corner of the Vintage Barn Show!
I received a call Friday evening from my friend Marilyn - she said a group of friends were coming out to the Vintage Barn the next day. You see, one of the gals had just retired, so they were going to celebrate by going to the antique show and then out to lunch. But knowing Marilyn, there had to be a fun surprise - so she asked me to participate in a scavenger hunt in honor of the retiree! She dropped by my house Friday night with a card that held a clue (to their next destination) and asked me to set aside a special crown. The next day she and the group of friends came to the show - Marla had been given a clue to look for a lot of music notes, so....into our booth she came - she looked at all my crowns, cones and jewelry and said to me, "do you happen to have something for Marla?" Well indeed I did, and so I handed her the card and the crown...

Now where was I????? Oh yes, there was a Farm Market...

Many of our friends from the July show were back....

Arlene from HeartRocksHome with her aprons and wonderful journals

Virginia from The Rusty Bird (with her wonderful nests)

Pam from Homestead Mercantile had her fabulous crowns in the Farmer's Market this time around

And we made some new friends too....
Here's Shari French with her Southern Charm...
That's Shari's mother, Georgiana Linde at 7 years old in the picture - a child of a cotton sharecropper, she never made it past the ninth grade. She died in childbirth when Shari was three. In Shari's own words, "How strange to have that just one generation up?" Shari makes the most beautiful jewelry and owns Jalapeno's Mexican restaurant with her husband in Sandpoint - we plan on visiting them soon!

Lastly, there were yummy baked goods there again made by a group of Mennonite women - I bought 2 pies and they were delicious!

Am I the only one who finds this interesting....???? (worlds colliding...)

That's it for the Vintage Barn for this year! Next stop...Remnants of the Past Antique Show - October 10 - California here I come!!!!
For more info on this beautiful event.....

September 5, 1997...the day the earth stood still.

Twelve years ago two amazing women left their homes on earth and were rejoicing with the Lord together in heaven. One was known around the world as someone who lived a life that exemplified service and love to those less fortunate, and who said: "Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." Mother Teresa was a bright light into a very dark world.

The other woman was not world famous, but to those who knew her she was a shining example of that very same philosophy. My mom, Nancy Meeker, ("Nanny" to her kids and grandchildren) lost her battle with ALS within hours of Mother Teresa's passing. Two great woman - two great losses.

a watercolor done by artist Frank Stanley Herring - Nanny at age 12

Nanny was quite remarkable - born in 1925, she was raised in New Jersey and was a 1946 graduate of Vassar College. It was a time she would often speak of with a great deal of happiness. The first part of her life was devoted to us, her family, as well as to her community. After we moved to Santa Barbara in 1971, she went to work as Office Manager to Hatch & Parent Law Offices.

"Nancy had much to do with the culture of Hatch and Parent, the caring for each other. Her influence made us ladies and gentlemen and responsible human beings at a time when our profession was turning the other way."
She retired after 20 years to go back to school. At the age of 63 she received her M.A. in Counseling Psychology and went on to be licensed as a M.F.C.C.

She worked as a counselor at Family Service Agency - ironically she counseled the group, Children of Aging Parents, lending support to adults who were struggling with their roles as caregivers to their parents. She left after five years when she was joyously reunited with Bill Meeker, a friend from her college days. They were married in 1994 and moved back east - I never saw her happier...... Unfortunately less than three short years after her wedding, Nanny was diagnosed with ALS - Lou Gherig's disease. One thing I haven't mentioned so far is that my mom was a gifted and published writer. Her final piece was a journal she wrote about her struggle with this disease - she pecked it out with one little finger on a laptop over the course of seven months - it was published after her death in a book called Journeys with ALS by David Feigenbaum, which can still be found on Amazon today....
"Close relationships, giving and receiving love have always been of the highest priority for me and now I am floating in a sea of love."

One of the most profound testimonies of who my mother was is this: after she could no longer speak, lift her arms, walk, or even swallow - a nurse named Kate came to help Bill on a regular basis. She fell head-over-heals in love with my mom, bringing her young daughter to visit and even arranged to have her big band style singing group come to her home for a private concert. Kate never heard her speak, but saw in my mother's eyes a love that was beyond words.

"I think perhaps the miracle has been the serenity of spirit that I have been given. I consider it a precious gift from God. If I am being used for a higher purpose and if people see a light in me, I hope they recognize the source."

Nancy Lohrke Meeker, "Journeys with ALS"

We did.

Nanny also said in her journal that it was difficult to think she would dim in people's memories.

That will never happen....

I love you mom,

Pammy

ps: I'd like to give a shout out to my sister Kate Bennett who wrote my mom's tribute for the newspaper - without that beautiful piece I could not have written this post.