Snowscape at the Greenville Arms 1889 Inn

We finally got a nice covering of snow in our area, probably about a foot or two. It makes the landscape so beautiful and bright.

Here is a photo tour of the grounds that I took the morning after the snow storm.

The front porch - might need something a little warmer than hot chocolate to keep you warm in those chairs!



Snow is piled high, but the roads were clear already in the early morning. The snow plow crews in our area are great.



A decorative fringe of icicles!



Pressed snow anyone? (This is an antique grape press that Mark got from his grandfather.)



The back porch steps might need a little shoveling.



More icicles on the rear of the Main Inn. This area always gets the mother of all icicles because it doesn't get any direct sunlight.



Somewhere under all that snow is our creek.



This is the front of the carriage house.



The sculpture has a nice party hat of snow.



The wishing well. I'll bet some of you are wishing for Spring!



Icicle row behind the carriage house.



The snow was up to my knees. My foot is somewhere down beneath that snow.

Two New Quilts for the Rooms

I just completed the tops for two new quilts for the rooms. This is a Queen and Twin set for one of the 5 rooms that have that bed configuration.

They will now be taken to a local longarm quilter for quilting. When I get them back, I'll need to finish them off with a binding and then they will be ready to add to one of the rooms. I'm deciding between the North Cottage and Room 2.

Snow and Savory Kitchen Adventures

While the East Coast has been getting their share of major snow storms, up here in the Catskills, the snow has been pretty light, comparatively. So we were happy to finally get a nice snow fall to blanket the landscape with a fluffy blanket of the cold stuff.

The dogs love going for walks around the property through the soft snow. They often stick their whole face under the snow to sniff the tantalizing scents underneath - mainly deer tracks!



I love all the shadows created by the trees!

But speaking of tantalizing scents, winter is also the time when we are experimenting with new recipes for the year. One of the recent dishes was a Roast Pork Loin with Pears and Cider.



It was a tasty dish with wonderfully delicate flavors. I just wish I'd had something to sop up all that luscious sauce!

Shopping for Your Sweetheart

Ah, the scent of melting chocolate is wafting through the air at the inn. We have been busy making chocolates to fill the elegant Valentines boxes for the first rush of wholesale orders. We are making caramels, cordials - cherry & apricot, maple creams, and more of our signature gourmet chocolates. The heart boxes can be all dark chocolates, a mix of milk and dark chocolates or all vegan chocolates.



We also have our new "Daily Dose" a full half pound of solid chocolate hearts in a cute little purse box. The hearts are just right for a daily treat of chocolate.

Wee Forest Folk collectable mouse figurines are another popular gift to delight your sweetheart. We have a selection of quite a few in our gift shop and they would be so adorable presented with a box of our Valentines chocolates.



Then while you're at it, why not treat your true love to a weekend getaway! This year Valentines day is on the Friday before the long Presidents Day Weekend. When you stay three nights or more at our inn you always get 10% off of our regular rates. (One night stays are always welcome, too!) Check out our Specials and Packages page on our website for all the cool extras you can add to your visit to make it really memorable.

Winter Ice Sculpture

I always love to see what the weather will do with the little creek that runs through our property. It comes up with the most amazing ice sculptures!

This is the latest creation. It was the result of temperatures that went from 50 degrees and raining to -8 degrees over night. The rushing water was frozen at ever increasing heights to form this magnificent icy waterfall. The photos just don't do it justice.



Another section of the creek had thick sheets of ice, that eventually cracked in the middle as the water levels fell below the ice.



Right now the creek is back to just swiftly flowing water, so the stage is clear and waiting for the next creation!

In the meantime, we are staying warm inside enjoying the heady scent of dark chocolate as we begin making Valentines chocolates!



Our wholesale customers are placing their orders already and our shop will soon switch from Christmas to Valentines.

However, now's your chance to take advantage of our 35% off sale on the Christmas chocolates. Solid chocolate Santa Faces and Figures in organic dark, milk, or vegan chocolate.

New Quilts for the Rooms In the Works

I love the snow and winter weather! Once reason is that snowy days are perfect for staying inside to work on quilts for the guest rooms! Every winter I try to get two to four more quilts finished.

I'm currently working on a Queen/Twin set for one of our rooms that have two beds. These quilts are composed of a 6-inch star that will be within a 12-inch blog. I finished all the stars (48 for the Twin and 72 for the Queen). Then I took them to Room 1 (which has enough space) to layout the stars in order to figure out the placement for all of them. I want to make sure that stars using the same fabric are not right next to each other.

So here is the layout of the stars for the two quilts.

The next step in the process will be to sew the borders on each star to make it into a 12-inch block.

Another task that heats up in the winter is chocolate making! Our Life By Chocolates shop is busy keeping up with the demand for luscious organic dark, milk, and vegan chocolates.

One of our seasonal chocolates, the Orange Cinnamon Truffle, has just been made and is available to order on our website or in our shop. These are melt in your mouth confections that we've brought back by popular demand. Get them while they last!

Gift Shop Update

Are you getting in the holiday shopping spirit yet? I tend to be one of those last minute shoppers who use that last-minute-panic feeling to get in the mood! However, I hate shopping in crowds, so I avoid the malls like the plague. Besides I like to support local shops - like ours at the inn!

Besides the yummy Life By Chocolate goodies, we also have gift items like hand-knit scarves (knit entirely by a local woman - me!) and unique quilted neckties.

We also carry supplies for artists and quilt artists, such as specialty (Aurifil & Superior Glitter) threads, paints, and inks. Our annual year-end sale on these supplies is going on until the end of December - all supplies 35% off!

All of our art quilting related books are 50% off. These make great gifts for the creative people on your list!

And don't forget the tremendously adorable Wee Forest Folk collectables!