Spreading Holiday Cheer through the Studio

The day after Thanksgiving is always bustling everywhere with holiday preparations and our studio is no different! My dear friend and member of my staff, Beckie, is our resident decorating virtuoso and on Monday she was already busy dressing up our workspaces! She helps everyone embrace the Christmas spirit with the additional touches of light and color. Our tree is up and beautifully lit, we have candles in each window and our wreath is hung invitingly on the front door. Inside the Farmhouse Studio we are fortunate to work on winter and holiday themed artwork throughout the year. It is especially a joy this time of year to spread cheer in our community and prepare for this special season of love, goodwill and spectacular wonders.

Susan

Thanksgiving at Winget Farm

I hope that each of you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family
and friends! Mine was spent on the farm with family – we had a great
gathering and the day was filled with joyous moments. Thursday morning
Al and I visited his mother with our children. We shared breakfast and
were blessed in the time spent in conversation with her. Then, we
returned home to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. Over twenty people
gathered in all, including my mother, two brothers and their wives and
children. I cherish the moments when we can all be together in one
place – we shared a lot of fun and of course, a lot of food! The
children spent time roaming the land on the gator and enjoyed loving
on all of the animals. My young nieces especially loved sharing peanut
butter with my son Mac's pigs, Grace and Henry.

I truly have so much to be thankful for, I'm glad that we have a day
devoted to recognizing our many blessings with those we love. I hope
that each of you had a special day of thanksgiving as well!

Susan

Sunflower Pumpkin Muffins

One of my graphic designers, Audrey, brought in a batch of pumpkin muffins to share with the studio this morning. They were delicious and put me in the mood for all of the wonderful pumpkin treats that are traditionally shared this month as we approach Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin rolls… I could go on and on!Here is the recipe for the muffins to try for yourself:

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. sugar1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon1 egg, beaten
1 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl combine the egg, milk, oil and pumpkin. Pour into flour mixture slowly and stir until moistened. Then stir in the sunflower seeds, careful not to overmix. Spray muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes 12.

Enjoy and I invite you to please share your own pumpkin recipes with us!
Susan

Erin Hills

On our trip to Wisconsin to visit Lang Corporation, Jeannie and I were also fortunate to make a special trip to visit our old friend Bob Lang at his new golf course, Erin Hills. Bob was the previous owner of Lang. He was the first to believe in my art and publish it in the Lang calendars. I am delighted that our friendship has remained strong throughout the years, even though he has now moved onto another venture in his life. And wow, what a venture! I was so excited to finally visit Erin Hills, the golf course he has been working on for so many years. The landscape there is truly breathtaking. Bob's artistic eye is evident in the attention to detail found throughout the course and it's clubhouse. Walking the course was inspiring for my own artistic vision. Visit his website to see for yourself, the photos there are only an introduction to the true beauty of Erin Hills!

http://www.erinhills.com

Susan

Visiting Our Friends at Lang

Recently I made a trip to visit Lang Corporation in Delafield,
Wisconsin with one of my longtime artists and best travel buddies,
Jeannie. We had a great time, catching up with our old friends and
making new ones as well. This is our 26th year with Lang!
Their display room was gorgeous and we had the best time looking at
all of the new products and designs they had for us to view. We also
discussed plans for our 2010 line of calendars, as we are always
designing ahead and looking towards future trends to best please you,
our valued customer! It was a tremendous visit overall.
There are many great calendars and products to come through our
partnership with Lang… so keep your eyes open and be sure to view our
current Lang products by using the "Let's Go Shopping" link on our
website.

Susan