Mother and child

On Saturday, my girl got home from the beach. She brought me back a souvenir. It was this picture frame. (Here we are back in 1993. Mother age 25, child age 18 months.) Now instead of being 18 months old, she is 18 years old-and I am telling you-I don't know how it's possible-but that's the way it is, just the same. Now, she has moved into a place of her own-and yesterday was her first day of college.

There are so many things I probably should have done differently when raising this child up! But I have always loved, loved, loved her with all my of heart and I always will-and that is something I will never regret. :)

Do you like my new hummingbird shaped clothespins?

Life's a beach

Don't we wish!!!

(This photo was taken by my girl. I have not been near a beach for a very, very long time!)

Traffic jam!

I got my daughter's camera back. Yeeehawwww!!!

Not java, it's tea!

On my Salada tea bag 'tag lines' this morning:

::Oxymoron: Senate Ethics. (HA-isn't that the truth!)

::A bore is someone, who when asked, will tell you how they are.

Have a beau-tea-ful day!

Yarn wrapped wreath

I had been seeing these yarn wrapped wreaths around the blogosphere and on Flickr. I thought there were really cute and I wanted to try to making one. I followed this tutorial loosely. For example-I used a foam wreath-not a straw wreath-so I didn't need to wrap mine in batting. Also I just used a piece of sheet to hang it with. I embellished mine with three frayed rosettes made with sheets and a sprig of fake berries.

Everything I used was thrifted except for the sprig of berries. It was from one of the arrangements from my father-in-law's funeral.

I think it turned out pretty cute.

Have a lovely day!

Miscellany

So, my child took my her camera with her to the beach this week. I have been using her camera for months. And now-I don't really like my camera so much. It's a lot harder to get a decent shot with the ol' Easyshare-if you know what I mean.

So I decided to look through some of my pics and show you some that never made the cut.

I found an inch worm on my entertainment center a few weeks ago. I had to take a pic, you know, before I released him back to the wild! (PS-the only thing I have the heart to kill are flies!)
I took this shot of some thrifted bobbins back in February. You know I love my notions. With a little editing-I think I like this photo!

Back in January (with my Easyshare-HA) I was going to show you this awesome watermelon rug that my mom crocheted for me back about 15 years ago-but never did. Again-with a little editing-I likey! (PS-I miss and love you snow!!!)
I was out of bread a couple weeks ago (again!) so I decided to make some Irish soda bread and although it doesn't really look it-it was good.
These three maniacs above are my sister and brother-in-law's dogs. This is how they greet you! First is Mok-the favorite-because he's been a sickly dog and because he's a very nice doggie. We call him a lemon sometimes-but love him just the same. Second is the beast known as Bear-he actually is a pretty nice pup-but I like to call him Kujo. Lastly-but not leastly is Checkers. He is Mok's (that's short for Smokey-by the way) father and the oldest and is quite meek. The other two have worn him down! Even though they can be annoying-I love them all and so does Dave, Jodie, Patrick, and Jess.
And finally-here's my wittle pup back a couple months ago. I cartoonized some photos of Rocco (this one by Adam) with the Kodak software I have. (Isn't it cool how that works?) I was thinking about making a children's book about him someday.

Well that's all I got. Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

A first time for everything

Today-for the first time ever-I made tomato juice from fresh tomatoes. I had a bin of tomatoes that my neighbor had given me and also some from our garden. I washed them, cut them, cooked them up, ran them through a potato ricer, added salt, ladled the juice into canning jars, and after they cooled, I stuck them in the fridge. No-I didn't can this juice-I don't have the equipment for that. But this will be fine in the fridge all the longer it will take us to use it. I tasted it and it's delish!

This was soooo easy to do. I see more tomato juice making in my future-perhaps some spaghetti sauce and tomato soup too!

It's slim pickins 'round here!

We ran out of bread a few days ago and today I used the last of the milk in my tea. No bread and no milk and one weird looking egg (discolored or something?-it's not old either!)=no breakfast foods for me. (Hubby isn't around much on weekends, so really, I only have to feed myself.)

You see-I really dislike stopping at the store. I avoid it like the plague. I will finagle ways to get out of going to the store whenever possible. And since my child no longer lives here-(that's right, she's moved out for college) I'm just not too worried about having to have bread and milk in the house. (Although, she would tell you there was never anything here to eat anyhow!) Hubby has been having cheeseburgers with the works (onions, tomatoes, pickles-but no buns or bread), and cucumber and tomato salad for supper. (Hey-that little garden does come in handy.)

Anyhow-this morning I went down to the freezer to make sure there wasn't any bread hidden there and I found a Tastefully Simple cornbread mix that my mom had given me and a packet of Carnation instant milk. So I made the milk (it made 1 quart), and since I had the milk I could make the cornbread (it called for one cup milk and 1/3 cup vegetable oil). I love cornbread and this was delicious. I guess slim pickins aren't so bad, really.

Now-what to have for lunch??? Maybe cereal, since now I have milk? I suppose I'm going to have to visit the store tomorrow-ick!

Look-it's a 'fair'ris wheel

I love my bedroom even more...

because I ordered a new quilt! I loved my old one, but after about 7 years of use-I was getting a little tired of it. It was a great quilt though-it held up very nicely. So I washed and dried my new 'antique chic' quilt and put it on my bed this morning. Love it! (I know-I should have made one- but I was too lazy!)
Aren't the colors pretty???
And although I've shown about every square inch of this home-this is a 'corner' I never have. My 99 cent painting above the door there is from Goodwill. I painted and antiqued the frame. Then I snuck the mounted deer horns that were up there-down to the basement and hung my painting in their place. I don't think Hubby has ever noticed because he's never said anything. Shhhh-don't tell. I want my painting to stay!

I'm a sneaky one, aren't I??

She's dropping her leaves already

Could this mean fall is right around the corner? (Or Ms. Maple is sick? Oh, heavens-I hope not!)

Sorry, summer people-I'm ready for fall.

Relearning crochet

I had been wanting to try my hand(s) at crochet again. I haven't crocheted since before my daughter was born and she's 18, you know! So I picked up some cotton yarn and yesterday-during the sheep show at the fair (yes-I'm becoming one of those people that do their needlework in public)-I had my mom refresh my memory on some stitches, and by the end of the day I had a pretty little dishcloth.

Oh yeah-I crocheted a dish cloth and I liked it! I see more crocheting in my future. :)

Mother Hubbard, I'm not.

The cupboards aren't bare!

Puppy love

I know it doesn't look like it-but this is a puppy.

His name is Rocco and he's five and a half months old. He was at the vet for his puppy shots yesterday and he weighed 73 pounds, oh my!(Looking oh, so pensive up there. And handsome too, I must say!) He's been such a good pup, so far. Hope it lasts. It's kind of hard to believe he barely fits in the camera lens anymore.
Can someone tell me how it's possible to go from this... to this, in four months? I guess time stands still for no man (or pup)!

This is a face only a mother everybody could love.

Happy Friday!!!

Wheat

I was looking around the garden yesterday and I saw this pretty wheat. So along with my pepper, four tomatoes, and three cucumbers, came in some wheat. It's the first time I've brought wheat into the house, but I think it's purty. :)

PS-It's really hard to photograph windows!

Summer sandwich

Summer Sandwich

::Toast two slices of bread

::Spread a touch o' butter on one slice

::Spread Miracle Whip (or mayo) on the other

::Add cucumber slices

::Next, add tomato slices

::Salt and pepper to taste

::Sit back, relax, and enjoy summer on a sandwich

Have a delicious day!

New old hamper

You know, I was just thinking the other day-Laundry basket/hamper thingy-YOU are an eyesore. Your messin' up my purdy, little bedroom with your waterstained fabric and your airing of my dirty laundry.
But, yesterday-Goodwill was good to me again. Yes-I spied this red metal hamper in the center of old dusty headboards, scratched-up end tables, stained chairs, and sad couches.

(Just look at those cute cutouts, and she sits on little feet!)
Someone had slapped some red paint on her (and I mean slapped), but I love her just the same. The piece of vinyl on her lid is split-but I call that character. Now I love my bedroom even more! How many photos can one take of one's new old hamper???
Ummmm-alot!

Have a great day. :)

Handmade Home Project-Complete!

Well-I just completed the last of the 33 projects in the book Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule-better known as Soulemama.

A year ago-I decided to make every project in Handmade Home. I called it the Handmade Home Project.

I really loved this book! I loved that every project in it was very doable and that I could get everything I needed for the projects here at home or at Goodwill. I'm a lover of repurposing, so this book was a really good fit for me.

Doing this little project forced me to make things I normally wouldn't have made. And along the way I learned a thing or two-and it never hurts to practice the ole sewing skills.

Below is a mosaic of all the projects. I think they turned out quite nice.

1. Handmade Home-front, 2. Beach blanket to go, 3. Art and hooks rack, 4. Family sweater hat, 5. Mouse pad, 6. Baby's fringed play mat, 7. Towel rug, 8. Meg's art tray, 9. Maddie's rag rug, 10. Fiber garland, 11. One word banner (No word banner in my case), 12. Doily scarf, 13. Treasure bag, 14. Millie's hot pad, 15. The family heart, 16. Button flower blanket, 17. Handkerchief curtain, 18. Portrait bookmark, 19. Adelaide's pillowcase dress, 20. Cloth diaper, 21. Ezra's letter satchel, 22. Rag Bag, 23. Calvin's papier-mâché bowl, 24. Family art table runner, 25. Broadturn bag, 26. Papa's healing cozy, 27. Quilt strip pillow, 28. Mama's bag, 29. Brandie's book, 30. Cozy wall pockets, 31. Memory tree quilt art, 32. Silky eye pillow, 33. Baby sling, 34. Women's cloth, 35. Handmade Home. The back.

The end-for now.

Baby sling and women's cloth

I just finished the last two projects from Handmade Home!

The one above is the baby sling. Amanda gives the dimensions for a child's play baby sling and that's the one I made. She suggest using a repurposed table cloth or something a little heavier than regular fabric-but since this is for play I just went ahead and used a repurposed sheet. This was quite an easy project.

And lastly, the women's cloth. It's made from a flannel pillow case. You are suppose to enlarge the pattern for this 200 percent-but since I can't do that at home-I just went ahead and traced around a pad to make a pattern.

So there you have it. It's been fun, but I'm done!