~Reasons You Gotta Love Fall~

Too many reasons to list of why you just GOTTA love fall...but one of my favorite: going to Patterson's Fruit Farm to purchase apples and cider. Just the smells of apple pies, fritters and hot apple cider make it worth the stop. Rosie and I stopped there yesterday and bought Gala apples....one of our favorite for baking,  making sauce or eating.  We hosted good friends Babs and Bob here last nite for dinner and served homemade Apple Crisp made from some of the apples for dessert....and I must say it was a hit....but we ate it all!

We have a little reprieve from work in the studio today.  It will most likely be the last Saturday we can get away from it like this....so it's a welcome pleasure for sure.   So.... a second Apple Crisp is in the oven. Amy and Tom along with Amy's sister and boyfriend are arriving for a lunch of Brats on the Grill.....and along with vanilla ice cream, this will be the perfect dessert.  Can you just smell it???!

Have a glorious Saturday....wherever you are in the world~ Carol and Rosie~

 

~Hello October~

October already.  What happened to June, July, August and September? I really thought life would slow down as we got older.  It hasn't.  The merry-go-round just seems to have taken on a ridiculous speed.   I haven't posted since May.  I just couldn't.  I found myself missing my Mom more than ever.  It made me step back and reflect..... where am I going?  What do I want to do with the days I have left on this earth?  Am I on the path I want to be on?   I DO know that I love what I do, and that is creating designs for my jewelry business:   RoseCreekCottage.  Turning a passion into a career is truly a blessing.  I thank God for it every day.  This is my latest creation in my Remembrance  jewelry,  in honor of my sweet Mom:

So.... Hello October! My favorite part of the year. It brings sweaters and jeans, cool crisp air, picking apples at Patterson's to bake into homemade sauce, crisps and pies. And there's apple cider with cinnamon sticks in the crockpot, this fall's first pot of chili simmering on the stove .....the fall shows (yes....I miss them...sometimes!).  The cooler temperatures and of course....the brilliance of the fall leaves. I love it all.

Rosie and I are in the studio very early again these days, preparing for the upcoming Holiday Season.  Seems we can never be too prepared for what's ahead.  New designs are flooding every cell of my brain...and my hands just can't seem to work fast enough.  Remembering all the blessings....and all the many Angels I have been blessed with resulted in the following design......a collage necklace simply called, "My Angels". There's lots of room for  spouses, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, pets....and angels:

I'm headed off to bed.  Morning comes way too soon these days....and Rosie sits anxiously in the doorway to the studio watching me pour my first cup of coffee WAY too early.  So...sweet dreams~  Carol and Rosie~

~Forget-Me-Nots To Heaven and Back~

My dear Mom has been in heaven a year now. Part of me feels like it was yesterday...and part of me feels like she's been gone for eeons. I miss her. All the time.

It's funny that I miss her so much because with the severity of her dementia she really was gone for years before she died. But I miss her. Especially when I'm not feeling well. I burst into tears for no apparent reason. I want my Mom. Now. Here.

I know that faith tells me she is in a better place. But I find myself looking heavenward and screaming at the top of my lungs, "MOM...PLEASE tell me you're okay. PLEASE. Send me a sign that you see how much you're missed. PLEASE".

I went to church and knelt in front of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for her soul. The tears streamed down my face. I couldn't think let alone pray. I know she was right there. Watching me. 

So for now, I will miss her. I will remember how she loved the forget-me-nots. As little girls (and even now as adults) my sister and I love picking little bouquets of them. They always remind me of my Mom. I remember her standing at the kitchen sink in her apron, peeling carrots when we came home from school. I remember the clothes she made me when we didn't have much money. Beautiful clothes. I remember that when she went grocery-shopping there was enough money to buy 1 piece of fruit for each of us three children. I remember the sweet, juicy peaches. And how I just knew when I ate them that heaven must taste like that. Mom....I remember. I remember all the sacrifices you made for us. Sewing and altering clothes for other people so we'd have money for ballet lessons....piano lessons....for college. I remember what a good mother you were. I miss you so much.

I love you, Mom. To heaven and back. Until we meet again~

xoxoxox

Carol

~Easter 2013~

    ~Happy Easter from all of us at RoseCreekCottage Studios~

GOOD FRIDAY 2013

                                        It is over.

~Holy Thursday Italian Easter Braids~

I can't believe it's Easter Week again. Seems like it was just this time last year. We're busy filling Mother's Day orders in the studio, starting very early in the morning, and stamping away til late at nite.  My "amish angels" came  yesterday. Fannie cleaned the house from top-to-bottom...and Katie and I worked in the studio finishing up bins of orders that went to the post office early this morning. I've known Katie now for 18 years. She's one of my dearest friends. I don't know what I would do without her!

Today I spent some time in the kitchen making the Italian Easter Braids that my grandmother (Nonna), and then my mother, baked at Eastertime. Mom passed away this past May. I'm determined to keep this tradition alive.

Here is the recipe I use.....but please note, you can also use Rhodes Frozen Bread Dough...or their Sweet Bread Dough and get similar results~

Nonna's Italian Easter Braids

1 package Rapid Rise (instant) yeast (about 2-1/4 teaspoons)

1.25 cups milk
pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar

3.5 cups flour (approximate)
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
6 dyed Easter eggs
sprinkles or pearlized sugar

tip: the Easter eggs do not need to be hard boiled. They cook when the bread bakes. I usually just dye the eggs raw without hardboiling them. Saves time. Just be careful they don't crack!

In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter together, just till butter melts. In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, salt, eggs and sugar. Add the warm (not hot - it will kill the yeast) milk and butter. Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook. Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Don't worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore. Knead until smooth with either dough hook attachment or turn out on floured board and knead. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long and, taking two pieces, twist to form a "braid", pinching the ends, and loop into a circle.

Place on two baking sheets sprayed with Pam. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. Brush each bread with beaten egg wash. Put on the sprinkles. In the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg, making an indentation with the egg.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden - about 20 minutes. Cool on rack.
You can eat the eggs, but remember to refrigerate the breads to keep the eggs safe to eat~

Enjoy~

~Happy St. Valentine's Day~

We've been busy in the studio these past few weeks filling Valentine's Day orders which, by now, have arrived at their new homes. Happy Valentine's Day from all of us  to YOU~


Love, Carol, Rosie and all of us at RoseCreekCottage Studios~