A Shopping We Will Go...

Welcome to sunny Southern California! 

What a great little get~away from the cold Northwest November! 

A trip to visit family and hunt for vintage treasures to re~stock the shop!

First stop... The Rose Bowl!  Oh I wish I could bring everyone along, it is such fun! 

You never know what you might find...

and the people watching is grand!

We had our little wire shopping carts, but some people were really prepared! 

That rolling cart was packed!

Antiquing truly is a treasure hunt, isn't it?  It has been said that antique hunters and junkers are the original recyclers, and I believe that is true!  I love the idea that I have helped some well worn, much loved item continue on it's journey!  When I feel the soft leather of a pair of tiny button~up baby shoes it is easy to imagine the wiggly little feet that took their first steps so many years ago!  Or give the old school bell a ring~ can't you just see the pigtails flying as the children scurry back into their one room school house?

These 'old things' have made it this far, I am hoping they continue on for another one hundred years!

Now we are back home and looking forward to the holidays!  Just a few days away from Thanksgiving! 

I hope this finds you all well and ready for all the fun ahead! 

Thank you for checking into my little blog, I so appreciate you taking the time!  I hope to see you all soon, and don't forget, Historic Downtown Snohomish is place to be on the day after Thanksgiving...

Santa comes to town, there are carolers on the street corners, and we will be open until 8! 

Skip the mall and have an old fashioned beginning to the holiday experience!

I wish you and yours many blessings as you enjoy the festivities~

Lynda

Now it's November!

                   Time to turn the calendar page to November, the month we celebrate Thanksgiving! 
                     In the hustle of getting ready for the holidays, I try to be thankful for every day. 
                                                             Our blessings are many! 
                                     May I share some grand October moments with you? 
                                            We had a little fall festival at our place.
                             The grand~ones came and we ate chili and carved pumpkins...

Paige just had to take a taste...

Displaying their proud creations...

The crew is ready to Trick or Treat!

The darling little peapod, Jamie...

*************************************************

And now at the shop it is time to decorate for Christmas!  

It is so much fun it is to finally get to start displaying the wonderful things

that have been coming in over the last few months! 

Santa's and Snowmen!

Holiday plates and mugs!

Tea towels and potholders!

As I watch the rain splash on the sidewalk outside the shop, it is easy to imagine white flakes swirling! 

I love to hear "They say it is going to be a hard winter." 

I love that not because I look forward to a hard winter, I really don't. 

I love to hear any "They say..." phrases because it brings my grandma right back here with me. 

She would say that with a multitude of different endings and I would tease, "Who are 'they', Grandma?"  She'd get a little flustered with me and conclude that whoever 'they' were,

they must know what they are talking about:)

So~ all that aside, they do say it is going to be a hard winter,

so I think you should pop into the Speckled Hen and plan a winter project!

 Maybe an adorable hooked Santa? 

We have hand~dyed wool, Beth's original pattern and monk's cloth by the yard...

Wouldn't that be fun? 

And don't forget the wonderful selection of homespuns and calico prints,

it's not to late to stitch up a pretty table runner. 

Or maybe you just need little squares of fabric to top off the jam you made this summer for

Christmas gift baskets.

Christmas Gift Baskets!  Oh my!  Now that is another great idea! 

Put together a basket of great finds for your special friend~

A pretty towel, a spicey candle, maybe a plate of home made cookies with a matching mug.

The Heart that Gives also Gathers~

or so they say!

Blessings to you, I hope to see you soon!

Lynda

Got Wool?

It was a beautiful Autumn Day! 

My friend Debbie and I enjoyed the festivities at the Wool Keepers rug show.

This annual event is held on the 2nd Wednesday in October at the Sons of Norway hall on

 Bothell Everett Highway, right across from Country Village.

It is awesome to have so many talented and creative people gathered to share their art!

  Beth was there with her Wicked Wool... 

I know her original designs and beautiful hand~dyed wool inspired everyone!

I can hardly wait to see the little green pumpkin with the spider on it finished in it's darling dimensional shape!

I am excited to say, the creative vibes will be humming at the Speckled Hen 

 Monday, October 18~

Beth will be on hand from 2 until 7:30 to demonsrate and answer questions.

Bring your current project or plan your next one...

Stay for awhile or stay all day...

Fill your creative well...

We'll have some treats (no tricks!) So mark your calendar and come on in! 

We can hardly wait to see you!

Blessings to you~

Lynda

Rug Hooking!

It's that time of year again...

Harvest Time!

The shop is brimming with all the wonderful tricks and treats! 

I hope you have been enjoying the pretty days as much as I have. 

There is something about that tinge of crispness in the air

that makes me want to make soup and bake all things pumpkin! 

Speaking of pumpkin...

Beth has stocked us up with her delightful, original patterns & kits from her stash of Wicked Wool!

As always, her kits come with the pattern hand~drawn on Monk's Cloth, exquisite instructions and an ample amount of hand~dyed wool.  Doesn't this get you in the mood for a fall project?

For even more inspiration, mark your calendar for this fun annual event:

Fall Rug Show
October 13 from 10 am til 2 pm

The show is held at the Son's of Norway hall on Bothell Everett hiway across from Country Village. 

This event is so fun and inspiring, plus they serve a beautiful lunch as well! 

...and to extend the 'hooking fun', 

 October 18 from 2 ~ 7:30

Beth will visit the shop to show, help and inspire! 

Bring your project and hook a bit, show and tell, or just soak up the creative juice that will be flowing!

We'll be having some in store specials, drawings and treats, so I hope you can come!

RSVP 360~568~9758

Blessings to You!


Lynda

A Creative Safari

     ....and so we set up our little camp in the big forest.  Nestled among the pine trees, along the river joined by the darling little forest friends...
     This little trailer has been in our family for about fifty years.  It has rolled over Stevens Pass countless times and provided shelter for us in most of the little parks along the way.
     This year baby Paige had the honor of being the 5th generation to sleep in this cozy little cabin on wheels.  I am pretty sure my grandma and grandpa were smiling down on us!



My favorite place to be when we are camping is down on the river bank.  I pack my basket full of wool, thread, scissors and such down the trail to my most wonderful work station.  My chair sits in the water along the shallow edge beside a giant stone table.  A bigger rock behind my 'table' offers some shelter from the wind that can whistle down the river and is home to a cute little gray lizard, who sometimes comes to watch me as I work.

These woods and river are such a sacred place for me.  This year as I sit here with my feet in the water working, I am blessed to have the grand babies join us for some good splash time.  When I close my eyes it is my own babies giggling in the sun (it doesn't seem that long ago!)  then too, I have my childhood daydreams of my sisters, brother and I skipping in this icy water. 

Life Is Good!

Now we are home again, relaxed and rejuvenated! 

The shop is full to the brim with all the needful things for fall! 

Hops bunched with Chinese Lanterns, pumpkin candles and these spooky wool candle mats...

Fall is definitely in the air as we mark these September days~

Days grow shorter~

Gather in...

Let the Harvest Time begin!

 Blessings and Hugs to you and yours,

Lynda

Snohomish Shop Hop!

I wish we could have seen this in operation!

(In case you can't tell from the photo, the front wheel has been replaced by an old push mower!) 

This is what I call Northwest Ingenuity!!

Now for the fun stuff!

Snohomish Shop Hop!!

August 19,20,21,22

Orchestrated by Mary of Mary's Quilt and Fabric Center,

you will find eleven participants over the course of the four days. 

Explore old haunts, meet new friends~

Pick up a passport at any of the shops, have it stamped at each place,

turn your full passport in at your last stop for a chance to win one of eleven great prizes! 

(Prizes valued at $25.00)

Participating Businesses Are~

Speckled Hen Country Store

Mary's Quilt & Fabric Center

Uppercase Books

Cabbage Patch Restaurant

Country Yarns

A Chapel on Swans Trail

Westbrook Estate Lavender Farm

Sweet Sue Creations

Lindy's Attic

Pizza Brava

Snohomish UPS Store

Each store will maintain it's own hours and many will be offering unadvertised specials for

Shop~Hoppers!

(Please present passport prior to any purchase.)

Our speckled special for this fun event is....

Free Soy Votive with purchase!

These lovely and super fragrant votives are hand~made by a local family! 

I hope you can "Hop on in" ~ Looking forward to seeing you!!

Blessings to you and yours,

Lynda

A Primitive Place!

It's here!  The magazine we have all been waiting for! 

The premier issue of 'A Primitive Place' just arrived in the shop~

It is all it promised to be and more!

There are pages of  primitive homes to explore, recipes, projects and best of all...

INSPIRATION!

Pop in to get your copy today, it is the perfect accessory for a warm summer day!

And on the home front, we are thrilled to announce the arrival of 'Grand~One' # 5!

Jamison Todd was born on July 23, a good date I think...

The Rooster and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary, too! 

Did we even dream 33 years ago that our family would grow and be so blessed? 

It is truly delightful! 

Jordan spent the weekend with us, (Jack with his other gran) and Brookie joined the fun!  We tooled around with the top down...
happy meals in the back yard, helping in the garden and swimming at the lake.  I like to say having these little one's around is, "More fun than a barrel of monkeys!"

                                                                    And there aren't quite enough raspberries for Miss Paige:)



I thank you for visiting this fun little posting, and I wish you a grand day~

Blessings to you and yours~

Lynda

Treasure Hunting

Saturday morning the rooster and I met my sister~in~law and helpful nephew for a day of treasure hunting!

We hit the street at 6:30 a.m. to dig, reach and and barter for all sorts of wonderful goodies.

The beautiful weather brought out so many folks!  The thrill of the hunt kept us going as we ran into old friends and made some new ones, which is always the best part!  The guys were busy running our finds back to the pickup... thank goodness for cell phones, we called,

 "We are on the corner of 6th street... Help!!"

and here they came to purloin our treasures.

     Green seemed to be the color of the day ~ from the wonderful green lard bucket to the old wheel barrow that just begs to be planted... It is so fun to be on the look~out for things to offer at the Speckled Hen!  I love the idea that things that have had their life and function can be resurrected and find a new purpose.  I have heard it said that antique people are the original recyclers. Not only do I believe that is true, I take it as a compliment... 

                    

We took the back roads home and stopped at this cute little shop in Lakewood. 

Do you LOVE their sign or what??

Anyway, we had a great day, and the treasures are being polished up a bit

and have been finding their way into the shop this week.  They look forward to seeing you...

and so do I!  Until then, enjoy the sunshine, happy summer and

Blessings to you and yours!

Lynda

Sum~sum~summertime!

I hope you are enjoying this taste of summer as much as I am! 

I don't know about you, but I don't think there is anything to compare to summer in our

beautiful Pacific Northwest! 

The mountains are out in all their snow~capped glory, the birds are singing, the breeze is rustling...

Heaven on earth!!

 Here at the shop, we are gearing up for a busy weekend in our historic downtown as the annual Kla~Ha~Ya Days event gets rolling!  There is fun for everyone, with a carnival, a parade, a car show, even a frog jumping contest!  And it looks like this pretty weather is going to hold for us, so it's the perfect time to load up the family and come to Historic Downtown Snohomish!

Live Well * Laugh Often * and visit Snohomish! We'll make you kindly welcome!

Blessings and Joy to you and yours,

Lynda

P.S. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog!  I appreciate it:)

Fabric, fabric, fabric...

I spent the day after the 4th in the cozy little fabric room~

I love to tidy the bolts of cloth, re-wrap and re-tie the smooth cotton...

It gave me a chance to really see each and every bolt and some of our 'old friends' found their way to the sale shelves:)  We all know the wonderful feel of a fine Moda print, now is the time to plan a nice fall project using some of these timeless favorites!

 Isn't this inspiring?   It really takes me back to the first sewing class I ever took.  My mom signed me up at a sewing machine store in Everett. We shopped at   JC Penney on Colby for the material for the jumper I wanted to make. I must have been in 6th or 7th grade because in 8th grade I could choose 'Home Ec' as my elective class and I learned how to make a lovely robe out of bath towels and an apron...:)   in spite of this beginning, I still have an absolute love of textiles and the creative possibilities they offer! 

I hope you plan a trip to the Speckled Hen soon, summer is such a fun time in Snohomish!

And how was your 4th?  Ours was a bit chilly and a little damp, but we gathered for a picnic anyway!  The kids helped dress the scarecrow in her summer frock...

Isn't she sweet?  I wonder if she will keep the deer from the raspberries this year!

And in case you wondered how Kaysie's ice cream cake was received...

Jordan said "YUM!"

And now we are enjoying a taste of summer!  Yippee~ Enjoy the days ahead, and be sure to pop in the shop to say "Hi!" when you are in town! 

The door is open, come on in!!

Friendship's Road

Friendship is a chain of gold,

Shaped in God's all~perfect mold;

Each link a smile, a laugh, a tear,

A grip of the hand, a word of cheer.

As steadfast as the ages roll, binding closer soul to soul;

No matter how far or heavy the load,

Sweet is the journey on Friendship's Road.

*JB Downie

Blessings and friendship to you~

Lynda

Happy Birthday, USA!!

Isn't it hard to believe it is already July?? 

 I feel like I'm still in May and it's time to

plan the menu for the 4th of July picnic! 

The good news is, Jeff Renner says the weather is going to be pretty good~ so Yippee!

The Speckled Rooster and I hung our banners and flags up yesterday. Everything looks so festive and 'summery'. Even my great grandma's out house gets a flag:) Isn't it adorable?

 I can hardly wait for Sunday when the grands will all be here to play in the yard,

and run through the sprinkler! And we must cook up a big pot of corn on the cob!

How 'bout a recipe for a delicious summer dessert? 

 Here is Kaysie's famous ice cream cake~

Ingredients:

1 pkg Oreo cookies (use a food processor to make fine crumbs)
1 half gallon each: vanilla ice cream and chocolate ice cream
1 jar hot fudge
red vines, Reddi whip and blue m&ms

1. Press cookie crumbs in bottom of 9x13 pan.  Freeze 30 minutes.
2. Soften chocolate ice cream, drop in small spoonfuls over crust, smooth & freeze 1 hour.
3. Spread fudge sauce evenly over ice cream.  Freeze 30 minutes.
4. Soften vanilla ice cream, drop in small spoonfuls over fudge sauce, smooth & freeze 8 hours.

Decorate with red vines & reddi whip to make your stripes, leaving a nice 'field' for your  m&m stars.
Keep in freezer until ready to serve, let stand 5~10 minutes before cutting.  Yummy!!

So, again I say Happy Birthday, USA! and sign off with one of my favorite quotes;

"Would to God that we might spend a single day really well."
                * Thomas Kempis (1380~1471)

The shop will be closed on the 4th for picnicking and family fun.  Have a super and safe holiday ~
Blessings to you and yours,
Lynda