Week 7 of Donna Downey's 48 Weeks Painting Class ~ Be Who You Are No Matter What Others Think~

              Hello and a BIG GOOD-MORNING here from North Carolina. We have finally been getting rain and it has been a beautiful thing, the tomatoes are really filling out and the squash are growing. Everything is looking terrific. It is a humid 71 degrees this morning as we had rain and winds last night. Dusty's graduation is today from the 5th grade......6TH GRADE HERE HE COMES! Can you hardly believe it??? He will be 11 this July and for all my Cricut buddies from when we were all on the message boards back then in 2006 on up until they opened the craft room platform.....I left although we have all remained friends since then on Facebook, etc.....Instagram.....so they have seen him and Cooper grow up. So last night around 6ish we left for the Chesapeake Square Mall so Dusty could go and get new graduation shoes and clothes. He also needed glasses for his future because its so BRIGHT!

              Here  it is now I am back to typing this post it was quite the exciting day with the graduation and Skylar being here for the event. Dusty even got invited to a graduation pool party tonight, which when I got there it was so nice they had pizza, the cutest graduation cupcakes with little grad hats, chips and drinks all the super yummy party foods. It rained and rained off and on today and tonight....the tiny house festival is tomorrow from 9-5 and 10-6 on Sunday and Colten will be at Smithfield. I shipped out orders of soaps and packaged up several orders for pick up tomorrow. Skylar and I collected the eggs in the rain, it was pouring and when we were finished she said " I don't like that" hahaha it was messy, rain water running everywhere and so much mud and clay.....just too darn untidy for a Princess.

              Now on to the painting this one and the tree from week 5 have to be my most favorite so far. Week 8 is finished too now! On a roll.....it takes days even a week or more to complete for me. I have to do each step in baby steps. Get a bit done do the chores, when I come in for lunch I do another quick step, etc., it has been a wonderful amazing process.

look finally I got a pic without a doggie photo-bombing the pic.....lol!!!!! 

the depth of color and layers.......

Love 

She is so beautiful, as this page I have named "Be who you are no matter what others think about you" #enoughsaid 

So much color it just makes me so happy looking at this painting. I so quite enjoyed the entire lesson.

This really has to be my favorite I tell you I can't stop looking at this one. Check Donna Downey out she is absolutely so much fun and inspiration for all of us. 

If you would like to see the rest of the paintings from the other weeks and lessons

Go here

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6 

I now am going to close for the night, 3:30 am comes really early and we have to be ready and set up in the OBX by around 8:30 and we are two hours away. 

Enjoy your weekend to the fullest!!!!! 

Remember BE YOU!!! 

Cyber Hugs,

Dawn Gallop 

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Week 6 of Donna Downey's 48 Weeks Painting Class ~Down at the Poppy Fields~

        Hello again and can you hardly believe so quick for me to make a new blog post??? I mean like WOW.....I am so n a roll....however it will soon be tomato season which they will just all about be ready all the same time....as to the looks of it. The tomatoes are doing wonderful and we just received
a lot of rain.....SO YEAH THANKFUL!!! I have been picking okra, onions, three cherry tomatoes, squash, Swiss chard, and green peppers galore, sweet banana peppers, and the malabar spinach, Despite the dry times we actually have a successful start this year.  It is 11:41 pm and as I type this Skylar is laying beside me sleeping so soundly with the faint sounds of snoring. Bruce is sleeping and the dogs are beside me curled up for the night. All the boys are sleeping soundly awaiting yet only two days until the end of this school year. Since I suffer from severe back pain, I have had to stop and rest a bit here lately from all the laborious work. Well after many years have gone by I decided to return to my class I purchased in what I believe to be December of 2013. Here it is 2019, so Don't ya think its time to finish the class???? Yep I agree. So here I am finished up Week 6 of the 48 weeks by Donna Downey you can see the class here......48 Weeks I have certainly enjoyed myself. Donna makes you feel like you are right there in her studio and you just paint!!!! No worries of the blank page, just paint! I had never actually painted a poppy before until this class.....I just like to plant them, photograph them, and visually enjoy them....well now its paint them.  Jewelee wouldn't move out of the picture so you see her feet and belly.

The colors #love 

Enjoyed the whole process 

                                                    so much texture and depth the piece

Beautiful

Reminds me of our poppies in the fields of wildflowers 

Can't you just see them dancing in the gentle breeze

the sun shining on them 

the honeybees flowing by ever so gracefully and carrying pollen on their legs 

more texture 

Today one of dear customers whom has been coming and buying from us since the beginning days of the farmers market. He worked night shift and would stop by after work. Well since then he no longer at the job and is not able to stop by the farmers market anymore so he just comes to the farm to get his honey, pickles, goat cheese, soaps, salves, eggs, chickens, pretty much something of everything I make plus he gets thing for his family. He is an older gentleman and tells us of the stories of his grandma and grandpa and how they farmed and made things. His mom is 94 and still cooking pies and cakes but lives in Florida so he doesn't get to enjoy the sweets of her baking. I used to make him all the recipes he requested but these days I am not baking as much just mostly for my own family now. One can only do so much and with all we have going on baking is not one of the many things I did in my past. Well I better go to bed.....now so I can get up early and begin the day with milking goats....which Skylar says she is doing tomorrow.....haha she will be still asleep.

go here

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

This weekend Colten will be at Smithfield and we will be at The Tiny House Festival in the OBX. I am excited a tiny house festival can I hear a YES!!!  I can't wait to look around in them....

Have a great rest of the week and if I don't make it back to blog again before the weekend have a good weekend.

                                                                             Dawn Gallop

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Week 5 of the Class taught by Donna Downey’s 48 weeks journaling class ~Moonlight Night in the Fields~

           Hello everyone and Happy Sunday, we had a very long day yesterday at Dare Days but a wonderful one. We left the house at 4 am with some of the morning chores done before we left. Going to bed at 11 ish since we wanted to get to bed early. I fell asleep instantly as we worked hard to get ready before the big day putting even extra long hours to prepare for Dare Days. Since this was our fifth year there we knew what our customers wanted and tried to be prepared for the requests they had. However I didn’t meet them all. I didn’t get the Deodorant’s done, the among other items. Since I have been making some of these products since 2003 and selling my soaps in the early years as Eure Station Soaps as we lived in Eure from 1994-2008 and sold our old land in 2012. It is always nice to get the regular items made but sometimes I just don’t get them done since there is so many duties to complete.

             Yesterday was an awesome day! Well let me tell you about the morning at the Dare Days..... we are not rookies by NO means for the outdoors and when it comes to a vendor yeah we got that covered knowing the do’s and don’t s for the outside vendor book for dummies yep thumbs up I read the book and got the t-shirt damnit! Well yesterday was a challenge I mean pushing me into a severe anxiety Attack. The wind was so fierce that we immediately had to take down the tents. The wind gusts were well in the 30’s if not more,  it poured down raining and we were at the end between two buildings which created a wind tunnel. Customers would even stop and say “ wow you guys won’t get hot it’s like a fan here “. Your hair would literally blow straight out (as the wind tunnel came for the water and behind us) my hat blew off so did others walking by, I saw a many a fold chasing their hats down the street. We threw tarps on all the tables product was safe we stood there holding down racks and helping others. Rain was coming by the buckets so much it filled the tops of tents in no time. When we took the tents down we had to get a policeman to help hold the tent for safety reasons so that we could take the weights off to close it up. One of my favorite jewelry friends she just packed up we helped the best we could while trying to keep our fort under control. Bruce cleared our wagon out so she could use it to take her things to her car. I pulled the wagon to her car and felt so bad for her and was to the point....... I GIVE UP! I just kept saying “you can do this” chant so I could remind myself I needed to be here and I know my customers wanted to see us. Despite the extreme conditions of the morning, the sun shone and all was saved. The anxiety attack eased off and some of the regular customers started showing up and all was forgotten of the morning harsh weather adventures. I thought of my jewelry friend and was so sorry she had to depart and miss all folks buying her amazing jewelry pieces. Plus she got a new laser machine and was so excited to share her new pieces she created. I am hoping her next show makes up for this total washout. One of my other buddies even brought me back one of my soap savers that was floating down the street in the downpour.

                Now talking about the painting....... lol 😂 the reason for post. I just had to tell ya about that new undertaking. Well in 2014 I bought this class, something keeps telling me I bought it as a Christmas present but honestly I can’t remember exactly what or if I did or just a self indulgence. Any-who I bought it and got the Moleskin which was not exactly the same size others had bought, and the certainly doesn't matter what you use. I am guessing apparently I couldn’t get the big Moleskin but I did get the big landscape one. Which I now adore. It was a perfect choice. Well the last time I worked on the 48 weeks journal was technically last year but not on the 48 weeks. I did a watercolor on two pages. I don’t know how far this book will go but luckily they still sell them. I can’t tell you how much I loved this painting that it’s certainly one of my favorites.

If you would like to know how it was created you will need to join Donna Downey in the class at 48 weeks class

I have enjoyed all the classes so far I have completed 

The tree painting is by far my favorite 

note the texture......which I love! 

Sophia was so interested in getting here nose into everything I do, my right had doggie!!! 

loving the high grass 

The minute I finished I SnapChat "d it 

The whole painting I am in love with.....thanks to Donna for sharing so much and making us all feel like we are sitting/standing right in the studio with ya!!

Love that old book print 

I wish I was laying under the tree now 

If you would like to see more of the paintings from the rest of my book up to Week 5 

go here

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

I will be bringing week 6 soon so please stay tuned. I am now up to week 8 on my class.....YAY!!! 

Have a great week. We will be at the Tiny House Festival this weekend in the OuterBanks with all our goodies. 

Colten will be at Smithfield Virginia 

Happy Creating, 

Dawn Gallop

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Dare Days Tomorrow June 1, 2019 and The Hat from Ghana

Hello and certainly A HUGE HELLO to SUMMER! Just wanted to let everyone know we will be at the Dare Days in Manteo North Carolina tomorrow from 9-6pm it is a rain or shine show. However not in thunderstorms....so lets hope no thunderstorms. Colten will be at the Virginia Beach Shore drive market.  He has never been there but they have asked us to come for weeks now so I thought he could go try it. We are NOT going to be at Smithfield tomorrow. I can't wait to get back to Smithfield I have missed everyone so much. I have seen some of our market family at other events, so that is always nice like a little family visit. Its after nine now just sat down to get this blog written....I always have big plans to get the posts made and tell ya the stories of the day....but I have been painting and making jewelry at night or reading my books. I do that  from 12-1am then up at 4:30am but I seriously need that creative artistic outlet. It is mostly around 11 fish we are coming back from the USDA kitchen......in the dark (because for some reason Colten forgets we are still over there and tuns all the lights off) I call him to remind him Hey bud we are coming back can ya turn the lights on please.  Remember we are in the country so no street lights a 1/2 mile off the road and if your lucky you have the moon and stars. 

Now let me tell ya about the hat well its a great little story I was at the Chesapeake Jubilee for a show which was soooo HOT and sunny you felt like an egg on a top of scorching car hood in July. This is no joke and we are beyond used to the heat.....we were at the end with full sun all day DIRECT beating down since it was on the side. I couldn't have product on that side at all....needless to say you get the idea. I only paid for one space so one table. Well no one else was on the spots not behind us either they must of complained IDK. Well we it was time to pack up the lady I had been talking to during the show from Washington DC says to me "I want to give you this hat for your farm, it is from Ghana", well I was like really......I was so thankful and really have been enjoying the hat...I gave her a large jar of honey for her and hubby and young son to enjoy. What a Wonderful gift. I felt so special and so thankful she thought of me and reached out to me. Thanks so much to my new friend from DC. Perfect hat for the farm for sure! 

The goats loved the hat....these are some of our Oberhasli goats 

She's giving me love 

Sweet goat 

Mmmmm Daisy says if ya don't have a snack to share I'm not even coming over

Oh Daisy says you do have a snack on your head....they have been so fascinated by the hat. 

Well if your not going to let me have some I don't want to talk...

Yep this thermometer is on my back porch in the shade not even in the sun and look and for goodness its only May.......June 1 is tomorrow. 

When we went to the vintage market this is what I bought and then got the flowers from Lowe's its been so beautiful on my back porch. 

Every Sunday if we don't have a show I make pancakes or french toast well this weekend Dusty requested the chocolate chip pancakes....DONE! My son in law Garrett says my pancakes fall from heaven....so now that's what everyone says. I have been picking blueberries off my bushes and omg they are so very sweet and delicious......jam? 

You can see the post here about the blueberries  I no longer use the Bisquick I just make them from scratch but at the time when the five you're boys were much littler it was easier on me. 

All we use is cast iron and so this is the griddle...we use NO Teflon at all we don't even have cookers with it. I completely eliminated everything we had with after watching this documentary 

https://thedevilweknow.com

We only use stainless steel and cast iron (which we have had the cast iron for many years now) and I have had stainless steel forever like my Paul Revere set I got for my wedding. I still have them....LOL! A great set! 

Pickles are all ready.....its official I actually have all kinds right now....YAY! 

Remember tomorrow we are Dare Days from 9-6pm....

we picked up Dustys glasses today and he looks AWESOME!!!! 

He looks so good, am I right! 

HAVE AN SPECTACULAR WEEKEND!!! 

Cheers,

Dawn 

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Poppies In Full Bloom Here at #9 Farms

Hello everyone I wanted to make a quick post tonight before the market tomorrow. Its been so hot and dry here the poor corn looks like brown two foot tall dried stalks.....it is really scary..... I have a serious headache tonight. The kitchen while canning gets sooooo HOT its insane.... plus with the gas stove....the sauna has nothing on that. My poppies have really enjoyed the dry heat and have really out shined themselves this year. The whole wildflower field is loaded with them.

I have been seriously out of the loop this week....its just TOO BUSY for me to even do anything....I keep telling Bruce this is too much for me. Everyone thinks I am some kinda superwomen when all I am is totally EXHAUSTED. Do not get me wrong I enjoy the things I do I just need help....but anyway for those who have been thinking I am ignoring them of just plain Mia... I am just working around the clock with doing the best I can to keep up with demands.

Skylar graduated from Kindergarten. Dusty is having to get glasses. Many cases of the Mead is ready for us to pick up...we will be seeing John tomorrow for the pickup...excited about that too! The Magnolia Market starts on Tuesdays in downtown Manteo this coming Tuesday May 28.

Wanted to make this short....
Tomorrow we will be at Smithfield Farmers Market from 9-12
and Bruce will be at the Women's Club in the OBX at the Thomas Baum Center from 9-4.

I made a
YouTube video today so forgive me for the delays in posting things...I really have not even had the time to take pics....I made several jams this week too.....YUM! a

Have a great weekend and with the start of summer the HEAT we have been having is a sure sign the summer will be a HOT one!
Take Care,
Dawn Gallop

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