Pretty Gumdrop Ornaments

THIS IS A RE-POST FROM 2008

 

I've got a table at a small craft show this weekend. I've been making, among other things, ornaments to sell.

Here are steps to making pretty gumdrop ornaments.

Supplies needed: paint (color or your choice), glue, 22 gauge craft wire, egg shape Styrofoam, glitter, paint brushes, toothpicks, serrated knife, small wire cutters

Cutting the Styrofoam with serrated knife.

Cut a short piece of wire, bend in half and twist the bottom ends around each other. Dip in glue and push into rounded top of Styrofoam. This will be the hanger.

Paint bottom of gumdrop and sprinkle with glitter while paint is still wet.

Insert toothpick into bottom of gumdrop and paint the top.

Stick gumdrops into something to dry (I used another piece of Styrofoam) and sprinkle top of gumdrops with glitter (again, while the paint is still wet).

Here are the finished gumdrop ornaments. They look good enough to eat.....but don't!

I also made little gumdrops with the small cut off ends of the Styrofoam. These would be cute hanging on a small kitchen tree. I like the orange best, what's your favorite?

Writing Wednesday

 Cliffhangers!

When I'm writing a story, I try to include cliffhangers at the end of my chapters. 

 In the first book of my trilogy, Where the Stars Grant Wishes, I end my first chapter this way. . .

My clammy fingers fidgeted with the embroidered hanky Ma had given me earlier for something new and  something blue. I gasped. What were my borrowed and old items? Had Ma forgotten? I couldn't get married without them. Restless, my feet stirred beneath my skirt. Should I turn and run or stay?

Does it make you want to read the next chapter to see if she gets cold feet on her wedding day?

Book two, Mama's Memories, is a little different than the first. I reminiscence in it. Or should I say, Lucy (my main character) reminiscences.  

I wasn't sure if it was gonna work or not, buy everyone who has read it says the book is not confusing at all the way I wrote it.

Lucy is pregnant with her 8th child in this book, which takes place in 1924, and she is close to her delivery date. At different times she thinks back to events that has happened in her life since the ending of the first book (Where the Stars Grant Wishes) in 1910.

I end the chapters before she reminiscences with phrases like this.....

"I try to block the memory out of my mind," I said. "We can't go back and change what happened. But I still remember every detail of what  took place  as if it were yesterday . . . 

This is the end of Chapter 1, and hopefully it makes the reader want to read chapter 2 where she reminiscences about the time she overdoses her first baby with laudanum. 

In 1918 the war raged overseas, countries competed with each other for power, and there was so much killing but not in the holler. In the holler I was giving birth to a set of twins . . . 

This is the end of chapter 11 where she leads up to chapter 12 and reminiscences about the birth of her twins, when all along she thought she was only carrying one baby!

And at the end of the book, I, hopefully, make you want to read the third book of my trilogy (which I am currently writing) by saying . . . 

It was time now for my youngins to start their lives and make their own memories and mistakes. I just hoped Jonathan and I had brought them up well and their good memories would outweigh their mistakes and their wishes on stars would always come true.

Only time would tell . . . 

If you haven't read them yet, I hope you consider reading them and write a review. They are also both available on kindle unlimited. Click on the pics below to go to their Amazon page.

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Nuts!

 We've had bags of walnuts sitting in our old laundry room for quite a while. 

We finally got our nut cracker out. . .

and started cracking!

We've got a quart of them so far, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.

They sure are pretty.

I got some out of the freezer today and made German Chocolate Icing for my husband's cake for his birthday.

You can click here to see my YouTube video on making German Chocolate Icing.

 

Watch our you tube video on cracking the walnuts.

Writing Wednesday

 People tell me all the time that they would like to write or they could write if they wanted to.

"Then do it," I tell them. But most never do. Maybe they start but then find out it is harder than they realized.

Don't just talk about writing, or say you will some day when you have time. Time passes and opportunities disappear.

Start writing today. Don't be like Scarlet and say, "I will think about that tomorrow." Tomorrow may never come.

There are many things you can write about. You don't have to start with a novel. Start small. Practice, learn, and grow as a writer. It takes patience, perseverance and passion. Patience is hard for me. I want things now. I started writing some of my books years ago. I'm glad I had the patience to work on them until I was satisfied and happy with the finished product.

Storytelling is an oral form of writing. If you can tell a story you can write a story.

Write tall tales, family traditions (so they won't be forgotten), family recipes and stories to go with them, superstitions, non fiction, nature, lists, love stories, jokes, journals, how-to books, ghost stories, lines for greeting cards, folklore, your family history, short stories, poems, etc.

You see there are many things you can write about. You just have to put pen in hand or fingers on keyboard and take that first big step and start. You might find out that once you begin you can't quit. I've thought about quitting before, but I can't. Another idea comes and I have to write it down.

The difference between a writer and someone who wants to write is that a writer writes and the other one talks about writing.

I like putting down family stories so they won't be forgotten. I want my kids and relatives to know about and remember the past. 

I like writing stories for children.

I started out writing picture books and poems. They were my first love. I eventually started writing longer works. I didn't know I had it in me but I did. I've written two middle grade books (one yet to be published) and two novels. I am now working on my third novel. 

So, my advice to you is just START. 

LEARN the rules.

FIND a writing group to help you grow.

Happy writing!

Posted by Janet Smart 

Writing Wednesday

 Hi everyone.

I used to do a post on this site called Writing Wednesday.

Well, this is Wednesday. I think I will revive the tradition.

My latest writing achievements have been the release of two books recently.

One is just a new version of an older book. My Hum Hum Hummingbirds is now in hardcover - and I love the new cover! I also had to make the book 72 pages in order for them to publish it in a hardcover version.

And the second of my trilogy series is Mama's Memories. It is now out! It takes place in 1924 and Lucy is pregnant with her 8th child. She goes back in time and reminisces about what has happened since the ending of the first book, Where the Stars Grant Wishes, which took place in 1908-1910. 

I am very happy with both books. And I am now working on the third book of this trilogy. It takes place during WWII and at the moment it is called, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.

I was recently at a book signing at our local library and met a young girl who loved to read and write. She was the sweetest girl and said she had just started 8th grade. She purchased my MG book, Duck and Cover, and was excited about reading it. She asked us about our writing journey and said she has entered writing contests before, but hadn't won any yet. We told her to keep writing and to keep entering. Writing is something that gets better with practice. The more you write, the more you learn and the better you get. 

A number of years back my youngest son said that if you were a good writer, you shouldn't have to go back and make changes all the time. I said, "No, that is not the case". Editing is the process of making your writing better. All authors, even the big name ones, do a lot of editing. That's what makes a good story great.

I write a column for the local newspaper. I always try to have it finished before the deadline, because when you sleep on it and look at it again in the morning with fresh eyes, you always find things to change and make better. I don't think I would ever turn anything in without letting it rest and looking at it again with fresh eyes.

 A couple of my favorite quotes are:

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." James Michener

 "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try." Dr. Seuss

My Amazon page.

Posted by Janet Smart 

 

FREEZING CORN

 We braved the muddy garden and went out and picked corn to freeze. The garden has had a rough go this year from all the rain and storms that have passed through our area.

We picked a little over 5 dozen ears. We wanted to freeze 5 dozen and eat the rest for supper.

After shucking them, we cut the corn off the cob with a knife. Our corn (serendipity) is so pretty.

You put one stick of butter, one cup of water and 4 Tablespoons of sugar into your large pot. Turn on the heat, stir to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. 

When the butter has melted, add 10 cups of cut off the cob corn and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Empty into a large container to cool. I sit my containers on those reusable blue ice packs that you use in your lunch box to keep things cold. 

After the corn cools, I put them in freezer bags. I put 2 cups in each one. The 5 dozen ears of corn made 16 containers to put in the freezer.

The corn is delicious frozen this way. We just had a reunion and I brought some to it that I had put up last year, and everyone loved it. Still tasted great!

Just take from the freezer, thaw and heat. No need to add extra butter, only salt if you want to. I don't even add salt to mine.

This and other recipes are in my cookbook, Cooking with Family:  Recipes and Remembrances.

Enjoy making memories in the kitchen!

Beautiful Rose of Sharon

 I love my Rose of Sharon - and so do the bees!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I'll let these pictures speak for themselves. We've had these in our yard for many years and they look more like trees than bushes. 

I hope you enjoy the pics.

Do you have Rose of Sharon in your yard?

PS The hummers also love them!

Catching Up!

 I don't post like I used to. I mainly post on Facebook and You Tube.

We've had a cold winter and a crazy spring. 

This year we've been visited by chipmunks, many birds, beavers, ducks and whippoorwills!

I will post a few pics and links below.

We love our little chipmunk we call Freddy. My son even made him a little picnic table to eat on.

Our robins have been nesting in the strangest places!

And we have been listening to whippoorwills every night. Click here to check them out on my you tube channel. Make sure your sound is turned up. If you want, you can click here and subscribe to my YouTube Channel. It's called Janet Smart-Country Living.

 I've been writing a new book, which will soon be available on Amazon. It is the 2nd in a series. If you like Appalachian fiction, I think you will enjoy these two books. The first one being, Where the Stars Grant Wishes. You can click here and check out by books on my Amazon page. 

We've just finished getting our garden out. We have peas, green beans, corn, squash and tomatoes. Can't wait for fresh veggies from the garden.

We constructed two teepees to plant our green beans around.

I am also helping plan for our high school reunion that will be held in August. My how time flies!

I will try and remember to post more often.

What's been happening in your world?