A Little Bit of Pink!

Wedding Mode

2012-01-15T19:40:00.000-05:00

As most of you know I am planning a wedding for my daughter this summer. The wedding will be held in our back yard. I'm starting to think that may not be as good an idea as when Molly suggested it last spring. At any rate....my plan is to get as much of the work done this winter so that I'm not stressing out come summer! I'd like to be able to concentrate on the outdoors this summer and have a lot of the rest of the work finished by then.

It may help that Molly and Matt will be moving from California to about 3 hours from us so if need be (and I'm sure it will come down to that) she can come home and help me!

I don't have plans to make this a wedding blog, but as the MOB I may have a lot to say in the next few months!

This weekend I finished the "Pink Lemonade" sign that will go on the lemonade stand that will be the drink station during the cocktail hour and will be a feature in the garden on that day. Mr. Kay built it in the basement and we won't be dragging it out till closer to the time we will need it, so stay tuned. I'll be selling it at my booth at Street of Shops following the wedding and will be cute for anyone who has children who want to go into the lemonade business!

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T19:28:00.002-05:00

Well it's that time of year.....when I spend a day planning and organizing, etc.making my New Year's Resolutions. This year instead of resolutions I'm calling them "Intentions". I have good intentions for the new year..... and here's what they are:

learn photoshop
eat more veggies, drink more water
plan Molly's wedding.... and have a lovely, fun wedding

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T17:06:00.001-05:00

May all your Christmas's be White!!!

Looking forward to celebrating....church tonight and a breakfast at church in the morning followed by a Christmas worship service. I will have a few hours to get things together for our family Christmas. I've been cooking all day today and I won't finish till much later tonight.

Missing Molly who isn't able to get home for the holidays.

Hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Weekend in California

2011-12-15T20:05:00.003-05:00

My weekend in California was really fun. I am mostly a stay-at-home kind of gal and enjoy the little pleasures in life but last weekend I boarded a plane and flew out to visit Molly in California. We enjoyed a non-stop shopping weekend. By the end of the day I fell into bed and slept soundly every night till morning and that doesn’t usually happen.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to the Vintage MarketPlace. It was such fun for me to look at all the booths and see how they decorate and what they are selling and to compare it to what is selling here in rural Central Pennsylvania. I gotta say, I’m much more in love with the whites and pastels and burlap in So. California than the “country” colors and stuff that sells here in Central Pennsylvania. I am gradually making some converts. The white shabby furniture is really selling at my booth.

I love TJ Maxx so we shopped there on Friday, as well as Marshalls, Home Goods and the Coach store. We don’t have any of the fun stores here! (thank goodness).

Saturday we shopped in LA and I enjoyed “the Grove” and “Farmer’s Market” and then on to Santa Monica so I could see the Pacific Ocean and more shopping. Sunday we went to Temecula, wine country and visited a few winery’s followed by more shopping.

A big thanks to Molly who had the whole weekend planned and to Matt for not complaining about any of the shopping, etc. My suitcase was only 7 lbs. overweight so I stuff seven pounds of stuff into a paper bag and put my purse on top and called it my “carry-on” so I was able to get everything home! If I ever recover financially from this trip I may do it again!

Fun in Southern California

2011-12-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went to visit Molly and Matt in Southern California. Molly had a lot of things planned for us to do but first on my list was the Vintage Marketplace December Show It did not disappoint, the artists were amazing. I loved so much of what I saw. We just don't have good "stuff" like that in Pennsylvania. I got some good ideas for my booth for next fall. I purchased some great pieces while I was there and am enjoying them in my home. Here are some photos that we took.

Look at the windows on this booth....can you imagine what it took to put it together? Wow! I love it.

Another of my favorite pieces that I left there for someone else. This was on a mirror.... how did they do that? Did I mention that the vendors had the best stuff?!!! I may have to plan another trip out there next December.

2011-11-20T19:12:00.001-05:00

I've been really busy at the space I rent at Street of Shops. It seems that I can not keep small furniture in stock. I'm so glad that people are buying my white furniture, but it keeps me busy. This weekend Mr. Kay and I took a Bakers Rack over there. I painted it "Duck Egg Blue", I almost hope the color doesn't appeal to anyone and it stays for awhile. It makes a great display piece.

This weekend I painted another dresser and another display piece to replace the one that sold this week. I painted this display piece "Paris Gray" and did a white dry brush over top of it. I won't care if that sells, I still have another one of those in the basement all I have to do it paint it.

I am working on some picture frames to take over there but it doesn't look like they will get there before Black Friday shopping.

It's time to shift gears and plan for the Thanksgiving meal I'll be preparing and serving later this week.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving. If you plan to shop on Friday remember the antique and junk dealers in the small shops that reuse, recycle and reinvent !!!!

A Perfect Weekend

2011-11-13T20:22:00.001-05:00

I just had a perfect weekend.... Molly came home Friday morning so I finished up my work at the office and came home and hung out with her. We talked about plans for her summer wedding and then cooked and got ready for company for dinner. Very soon my blog will turn into a wedding blog as Molly's wedding will be here before I know it and there is lots to do....

Saturday we were up early and off to Williamsport to TJ Max, Olive Garden for lunch and then Macy's. We ended up at the Susquehanna Valley Mall. I bought a new suitcase for my trip in 18 days and some clothes for Molly among a few other things. She bought a pair of boots that she loves.

Saturday evening she went out to visit friends and this morning we went out for breakfast before she had to leave to fly back. The weekend went by much to fast and I forgot to take photos!!!

Now I need to get into the Thanksgiving mode and start planning the meal, etc.

Productive Weekend

2011-10-24T22:35:00.000-04:00

This weekend I was determined to do some painting and get some projects finished for the shop. Here is a photo of the stuff that I was able to finish or just about finish. I need to make a cushion for the bed I am calling a dog bed. I think that will be really cute when finished. I love the little stool that I repainted and reupholstered. I don't think that will stay at the shop very long.

I also painted a cute little message board that I found at a yard sale on Saturday. I have been selling a lot of those but none as cute as this one with the tulips on it. The doll bed I'll be using to display pillows this weekend at a friend's open house. A small white box will be perfect to put potpourri in at the shop and the other finished project is a kid's chair. It is really sturdy and very nice, I'm keeping it for now.

I've got a couple more projects that aren't ready to show yet..... I love that Annie Sloan paint!!!!

Beaver Fair

2011-10-01T14:47:00.001-04:00

I've been so busy that I haven't taken time to blog.... last week was the Beaver Fair and I entered a couple pillows that I've recently made. I got first prize for each of these as well as "hobby, 5 or more specimens" which also was crazy quilting, I just didn't photograph them.

Anyhow, the large pillow along with another one I finished earlier this week are both over at Street of Shops in my booth for sale. I'm working on another one that will soon join them.

Just finished this one this afternoon.....

Savoring Summer

2011-08-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on my front porch tonight savoring what is left of the summer. I have seen a lot of "back-to-school" sales and at the shop where I rent vendor space I noticed many are decorated for fall already. Fall is definately in the air....as I sit and hold on to the last of summer I can watch the middle school kids practicing for football in the fields across the street from our house. I also hear crickets chirping which also reminds me of the nights getting shorter.

I love the summer and the hot sun beating on my face, I like the smell of a chlorinated pool and not wearing a coat or sweater, I like sitting around a campfire and making s'mores with the kids, I like pulling weeds and the flowers in the gardens. I'm holding on to summer until mid-September when the calendar actually shows that fall has arrived. What will you miss about summer?

Linens

2011-08-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

I spent the afternoon today ironing linens. I have acquired some new pieces that I want to take to my shop this week so yesterday they spent the day soaking and today I starched and ironed everything. I find it very relaxing and enjoyable to look at all the pieces and enjoy the stitching on each one as I iron them.

I also have a lovely old wedding dress from the early 1900s that got ironed as well.

She said Yes to the Dress!

2011-07-26T04:12:00.001-04:00

Friday was a day I was looking forward to for a long time.....we went wedding dress shopping. I knew from our prom dress experiences that wedding dress shopping would be as much, if not more fun. Since prom dress shopping was always fun at Brides Bouquet in Selinsgove, PA, we choose there to look first. And as I expected we didn't have to look any further. With over 200 dress in stock, I knew something was sure to please. Also as I predicted, Molly had photos of about 15 dresses she really liked to show to the woman in charge and we left with something quite different from any of the dresses. Everything looked good on petite little Molly so it was hard to find something that really "wowed" us all (and by all I mean her best friend Amy, Molly and me).

After she tried a few dresses on I saw one that I really liked and told the gal I wanted to see her in that one. I picked the winner! It was what I imagined she would look like on her wedding day.... Right now it's a big secret, but be sure to tune in next August for the posts on the big day.

Photoshop

2011-07-18T21:36:00.001-04:00

I'm taking an online Photoshop class. About 6 years ago I made an effort to learn photo shop. I failed....just could not get the hang of it. Of course back in those days my option was photoshop elements 3 and now the latest version is elements 9. I think there have been quite a few improvements in the various versions. Did I mention that I also have a copy of Elements 5 and tried again about 4 years ago.

I’m working from a free 30 day trial download of photoshop elements 9 and finally found the perfect teacher who is very thorough I’m trying to practice daily and I’ll be purchasing the real copy shortly! My class is for 10 days and she is teaching stuff that I will actually be able to use.

Anyhow, perhaps ya can teach an old dog new tricks afterall!

Not the way to start the weekend!!!

2011-07-08T13:47:00.001-04:00

Just as I was ready to leave to run errands this afternoon a big storm blew in and blew a big branch off our silver maple tree, not the way I wanted to start the weekend. It also blew shingles off our garden shed. I'm guessing Mr. Kay will not be happy to see that job either.

Luckily the branch missed the lamppost and it is still standing. I would bet that the flowers I have planted around it were not as lucky.

Oh well, the storm is over and I'm off to pick up a few things before our women's ministry meets tonight..

I hope the rest of you have a great weekend with no glitches.....

The Big Reveal!

2011-07-04T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here are the photos from my little corner of Street of Shops. Mr. Kay helped me move in on Friday and today we were back to add some more stuff and do some tweaking. A few pieces have sold already and so I had to do some rearranging. I came home and made another banner like the one that sold already. Not sure that I have as much time to work on this stuff as had originally planned, but we'll see how it goes.

Tonight we are staying home. We usually take in fireworks on the 4th but this year we are staying home and I'm enjoying that I don't have to be anywhere and I'm going to watch the Washington DC fireworks and party. Happy 4th of July everyone!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-02T13:26:00.001-04:00

Goodness, How can it be that it is already 4th of July weekend here in Central Pennsylvania! I have been so busy this summer that I haven't even taken time to blog. I hope to change all that since I have lots to blog about!

Last week I havested some lavender. I've got feverfew, peonies and larkspur drying in the attic already. In an effort to keep busy and downsize a bit around here I have decided to become a vendor at Street of Shops in nearby Lewisburg, so I'll have a few dried flowers among my collectibles and miscellaneous items. I want to make soap again but so far just haven't had a free weekend to get out the soap pots and get started on that. And to be perfectly honest the soap kitchen needs some reorganization and cleaning!

Among other things Molly is coming home at the end of the month. She will be getting married the first weekend in August of next summer and so I wanted her to come home about that time this year to look around and decide if we can pull off an August wedding or not. We are seriously considering doing it here at the house with a tent and all, which could be a lot of fun. So this summer I have been busy working outside to see if it will be possible next year to get all the gardening finished by the first weekend in August. So far, I'm doing pretty well.

We are planning on a productive weekend and hopefully by Monday we will be ready to relax and do something fun....I'll keep you posted! Enjoy your holiday!

She said "Yes"

2011-04-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

Exciting news at the Philips house. Molly is home to visit over Easter vacation. They arrived on Friday, we hung out and had supper and when Molly was upstairs getting ready to go out, Matt asked us if he could ask Molly to marry him. The plan was he would do it Saturday night after dinner. She had called lost of freinds from college and high school and they were all going to hang out together. Of course she had no idea that Matt was going to spring the question. The ring was in a ring box tucked inside another box inside of a cake that she was supposed to cut. When the cake wouldn't cut, Matt helped her with it and more or less was poking the cake to open the box....she still had no idea until she saw the small ring box.... the ring is beautiful and she said yes.

And now the pressure is on to lose a few pounds before I'm the mother of the bride.... she is thinking I'll have at least a year.

Daffodils!!!

2011-04-11T14:14:00.000-04:00

It has been a long cold miserable winter but it looks like spring may actually arrive. Today the temperature is 73. I think I heard that it is a first since last October. Anyhow, it is beautiful outside and over my lunch hour I picked a bunch of daffodils for my desk at my office. I love daffodills if for no other reason than they are the first flowers to bloom that are big enough to pick and enjoy indoors!

On my way back to the office I noticed other signs of spring...a neighbor mowing her front yard and windows open at another house. What are the signs of spring in your neck of the woods?

It feels great outside in Central Pennsylvania today!!

Blessings Journal

2011-04-09T20:41:00.001-04:00

Each month I put together a women's ministry event at our church. Today we made a "blessings journal". I read devotions for the ladies about a woman who was going through some tough times in her life and someone gave her a beautiful blank journal that she used daily to write out her blessings. I thought that was a good idea so we made an altered journal that I suggested they use as a "blessings journal" but they can use it for anything they want. There were some cute ones, some of the ladies got creative.

The one I made I will give to a friend and hopefully this week I'll be making another one for me.

Sprinkles!!!

2011-03-24T21:21:00.000-04:00

Last weekend in my travels I saw an old herb shaker bottle that was filled with sprinkles and I immediately thought that I needed one in my kitchen too! Meg and I sort of looked for one as we hit some antique shops but I didn’t see any that I really liked so I came home and found the perfect shaker on ebay! It arrived today and I could hardly wait to fill it with sprinkles and put it next to my salt and pepper shakers and as I anticipated, it is just what the kitchen needed.

The real test will be at Easter when the little Devine boys come for dinner and find that there are sprinkles to go on the ham or anything else they think to be sprinkle worthy!

Spring is about to actually spring!

2011-03-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

Niece Megan called last night and wondered what I was doing today. She came to visit and we made a day of shopping. We started out at the somewhat local green house and got into the mood of spring before hitting the flea markets and antique shops. After smelling the hyacinths and seeing all the lovely blooming bulbs I fought the urge to purchase pansies. It is really to soon here to be planting them out, there is snow in the forecast for this week.

So off to the antique mall. I bought another floral frog and another small white pitcher, Meg found some crates she liked and a cute silver dish and a few other things to hang on her walls. We had a great time and five hours later arrived home.

I can't wait for yard sales to start!

Finally!!!

2011-01-31T21:31:00.000-05:00

Every winter while all the "winter" people are out sled riding, ice skating and skiing I'm sitting next to the fireplace enjoying the atmosphere and breathing in the fragrance of narcissis! I love the smell of them, they are the first flower of the year for me.

This year my narcissis are a bit of a disappointment.... I bought a lot of them and planted some up for my sister and a couple pots full for me but only about half of them are growing. I'm not giving up yet but not real hopeful either... I'll give them a couple more weeks. Here is a photo of the ones that are growing. Hard to believe that just these few flowers scent my whole living room, but they do!

I may get a snow day this week and more time with my narcissis while they are still blooming! The weatherman is calling for ice and snow. I'll work at home if we get the ice they are calling for.

Happy New Year

2011-01-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that I haven't posted since Thanksgiving! Today I finished a small (5x7) wall hanging that I thought I'd share. I've been keeping up with the daily stuff, cooking and cleaning and working but not much else. Finally I went to the dr. and then physical therapy for my aches and pains and I'm now feeling much better, so hopefully I'll soon have the energy to finish some projects around here.

Angry Birds

2010-11-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

Do you have an iphone? On Thanksgiving I noticed my nephew also has an iphone and I asked him what his favorite ap is and he told me he has been playing a lot of "angry birds" and he thought I would like it, so I downloaded it. Five days later and a lot of "angry birds" and I have a full blown case of carpal tunnel syndrom. Every couple years I deal with it, always in my right hand, sometimes I get it from gardening and sometimes being on the computer. This time it is my iphone and I have it from my fingers all the way into my arm.

While I'm complaining I may as well mention that I had a growth thingy removed from my eyelid this afternoon, no pain involved just an inconvenience so far. I seem to be falling apart.

And now the good news we had a nice Thanksgiving, my sister's family and my mother joined us. No Molly this year so no green bean casserole! Here is my table at Thanksgiving.... did I mention the turkey turned out well as did everything else.... I'm hoping today was my last day of eating leftovers!

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

2010-11-19T23:04:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to Martha Stewart radio all week long and am learning about how to brine a turkey, and the correct wine to serve, even games to play following dinner.....somehow I think if I make it through dinner and clean up, I'll hardly be in the mood for games, but you know Martha, she covers all the bases!

Tonight I purchased an actual roasting pan....I've been roasting a turkey for many years without the proper equipment. I may be making turkey for the next 20 years and now I'm prepared. If anyone in my family wants to take over the Thanksgiving dinner preparations they can gladly have my pan! I also got a new crock pot tonight, broke my old one the last time I used it.

I did some grocery shopping today and tomorrow I'll do some cleaning. I hope to have time to organize so I can decide if I have all I need to pull off the meal.

I'm also looking forward to Christmas decorating and if I don't do Black Friday shopping, I may just stay home and decorate!

Happy Fall!

2010-10-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

I do love fall, and if I could just erase the fact that winter is on the way, it could be my favorite season of the year. Anyhow, we have had some really beautiful days here in Central Pennsylvania. In fact, I don’t ever remember an October being this warm and beautiful. Today was warm and windy, I watched the leaves blow to the neighbor’s yard! Unfortunately the neighbors to the West have lots of leaves that blew into our yard so we’ll be raking afterall.

This year instead of carving a pumpkin I put a “P” on mine so that it will last into November (maybe until it’s time for Christmas decorations)

Week 2 project

2010-10-21T22:45:00.000-04:00

This is the project that I did this week for my online class. So far I am enjoying the class and understanding better the progression. I see lovely silk ribbon embroidery and have no idea where to start. So I'm slowly figuring it out. I hope to soon progress to something wearable.... stay tuned!

I am looking forward to the weekend. I have been really busy at work lately and I'm looking forward to some time to relax and not have to think.

Another Project This Week...

2010-10-16T20:24:00.000-04:00

Friday was a very productive day. I wanted to get everything done so I could play on Saturday, and play I did! I finished a star ornament. It is about 7.5 inches long. The worst part was stuffing it. I think I'll try a heart next (easier to stuff). I'd love to spend the day stitching tomorrow and watch football all afternoon, but I have committed to go to a Tastefully Simple party....

I cleaned off the front porch today, everything but the furniture, Mr. Kay says he will take care of that next weekend. I'm sure he will need a reminder.... I also made taco salad and did a mountain of laundry.

Planning to do some stitching this week, I've got stitching for my online class and I'm expecting my round robin block in the mail that will have to be worked on so I'm glad I don't have meetings every night this week....

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!!!!

Cleaning Day!!!

2010-10-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend I have scheduled time to clean, cook and do laundry! I put my first load of laundry in the dryer before I left for work this morning and even took the time to read Sunday's paper..... I've had a couple weeks that were really busy and the house just was not a priority. This weekend that changes and I am looking forward to restoring order to the house. The plan is to spend the afternoon on Friday cleaning. I do not function well in a house that is cluttered with piles of paper or even dishes in the sink or on the counter. I like everything put away before starting a new project.

Also, I want to find time to stitch and I've got to silence the voice that keeps playing in my mind telling me I have to finish the "work" part of my life before I can "play". You would think by now that "voice" would have been silenced but apparently not.....

So, off I go with my cleaning supplies...

Current projects

2010-10-12T06:50:00.000-04:00

I’m taking an online class to learn silk ribbon embroidery, so for the next 6 weeks I’ll be working on projects. I completed an easy one this week, next week’s looks like a challenge….

The white block is for a round robin that I’m involved in. Each month for the next 4 months I’ll be working on a different block and then I send it on to the next person. I was the first one to work on this block. I’ll be sending it off later this week.

Beaver Fair Week

2010-09-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

I live quite close to the Beaver Fair so all this week there will be lots of activity around my house. Yesterday I decided I better add a bit of fall to my front porch so that all the people walking by think that I am somewhat on the ball and have decorated for fall.

I had some orange colored lights that I wanted to put around the door and I’m sure I had a garland of some sort around the lights last year but I couldn’t find it and I broke two of the bulbs on the string of lights and if ya break one, none of them light so instead of enjoying the Penn State game, I went to Michael’s and purchased the necessary items to give a somewhat fallish flair to my front porch.

The orange lights may be a bit over the top. I turned them on last night and I definitely think it is not close enough to Halloween to actually plug them in. But if I keep the porch lights on, it may not be quite so glaringly orange… Yeah, I’m going with that.

Treasurers!!!

2010-09-06T21:18:00.000-04:00

Last week when my sister was here we went to an antique show and flea market. There were all kinds of interesting things there. I bought a few and Lindy bought a few and some we just enjoyed looking at and walked on by. I’m at the point in my life where I have to remind myself that if I don’t have a place to put it, it is best to leave it. I sure would have loved to have the very old shabby white doll bed, but I have no grandchildren so really….what was I going to do with that! Don't ya just love it?

I attached a photo of some of the things I purchased…. A couple old Bobbsey Twins books with colors that excite me….I love to stack old books, a lovely pitcher with roses on it, (I don’t really have a place to put it, right now it is on my mantle) it was pretty enough that I’m sure I’ll find a place for it. I like old metal flower frogs so I added one of those to the collection (I guess three makes a collection, right?). When I took this photo last week I had forgoten to put the shabby picture frame I purchased with the rest of the stuff that I bought. It was made from the trim of an old house. I don’t have anything in it yet but I’m looking for just the right photo to complete it.

Pantry Progress

2010-09-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

I have been dligently working in the pantry for two days now and I'm finally finished with it. I took everything out of it and cleaned it well and removed a lot of items that were either expired or were in the pantry because it is a "catch all". I have cleaned and organized a couple other cupboards today as well. I wish I had stock in the Sterilite Corporation... I invested in quite a few containers to get myself organizzed. Here is the before and after photos.

New Mixer

2010-09-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

I bought this lovely KitchenAid Mixer last week to make some cupcakes, my old mixer I have had for all the 25 years of my marriage. So for no other reason than the old mixer was (gasp) avocado green, I needed a new one. Trouble is, it is bigger than the old mixer and doesn't fit into the space that the old mixer fit so....I have decided that this weekend (and possibly into my holiday on Monday) I will be reorganizing and cleaning the kitchen and even the dreaded pantry! I will find a place for the new mixer and even get the old one ready for a yard sale that we have decided will take place the first weekend in October. I'm sure I will be able to find a lot of treasures that will be yard sale worthy as I go through the cupboards and drawers.

The pantry, if I do muster the energy to clean it out and reorganize it, will be a post of its own...stay tuned!

Visit with my Sister

2010-08-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend my sister came home from CT for a visit. Friday night I made dinner and we had a picnic with her family and my mother and my husband and I. Lindy's oldest son has two boys who are both under 3 years of age, they are a lot of fun.

Saturday my sister Lindy and her daughter Meg and I enjoyed an antique show. The weather was perfect and the vendors had a lot of good stuff. I'll show what I got later this week.

Today we decided to go to the Snyder County Historic Museum. It is a museum with local history and was rather enjoyable. Lindy has to read everything so it takes her a lot longer than it takes me, but she did point out a lot of things I would have missed. We did learn quite a few things that we didn't know about our local history.

We finished off our day trip at the local winery and purchased a couple wines that we liked.

I had a very nice weekend but unfortunately I ate all weekend and didn't count one calorie! I'll be back on the wagon tomorrow, for sure.

Todays photos are from the museum, Lindy and Meg looking at the Civil war display and the gallows that were used back in the early 1900's.

Cupcakes

2010-08-07T21:09:00.001-04:00

My sister posted some of her recent craft projects and asked me what I am working on. I haven't done anything creative in quite awhile, unless you count Thursday night's cupcakes!!! I needed to make cupcakes for a church event and decided to try something somewhat creative with the cupcakes! I divided the batter and colored it and came up with these! The kids liked them.

Evan's 1st Birthday

2010-08-01T22:11:00.000-04:00

Today I spent a relaxing afternoon at a birthday party for my great nephew, Evan who happily turned 1. The party was outside and the weather was great, not to hot or to cool.... My nephew and his wife have a group of friends who all have children....there were 15 lively kids who enjoyed all the water toys and "stuff" that two small children have. Here is a sampling of some of the kids playing on the sliding board.

There was also a kiddie pool that squirted water, a big ball that was some kind of fountain, a water table, swing set, assorted balls and riding toys, something for everyone... All these children were very entertaining and they got along great!

Here is a photo of Evan enjoying the gift I gave him.

Happy Birthday Evan, I hope you have many, many more!!!

Creative Afternoon

2010-07-09T22:13:00.000-04:00

On my list of things to do today was to do something creative. I've been working a lot and not taking time to be creative, no stitching or scrapbooking or anything fun like that.... so today I put it on my list and decided to use some of the larkspur that I dried a couple weeks ago.

Before I started my wreath I spent about an hour cleaning up my work space...I can create so much better when the clutter is put away, so spending the hour cleaning and putting away the accumulated junk in my work room was worth the effort.

First I poked around in the basement and found a wreath base

step 2: I wove some larkspur into the base

step 3: I hot glued some preserved hydrangea to the inside of the base to hide the ends of the larkspur and to help to keep the larkspur anchored.

step 4: I went to the garden and picked some sea lavender and finished it off with a bit of that.

Finally added a ribbon.

Here's Whats Bloomin This Week

2010-06-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

Here's what's bloomin in my garden this week. I've been watering every day, it's hot and dry here in Central PA. I'm posting this mosaic as part of Mary's Mosaic Monday....check out her blog for more wonderful mosaics.

Monarda

2010-06-24T14:14:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite garden flowers this time of year is monarda (didyma) or as it is commonly called in Central Pennsylvania, Bee Balm. The plant is very fragrant, but not in a floral kind of way… it attracts hummingbirds. Another common name for this species is Oswego tea. The Oswego Indians introduced it to our colonists and was used as a tea following the scarcity of English tea after the Boston tea party in 1773.

My favorite way to use it is as a cut flower. It blooms from now till mid July…grouped with larkspur and baby’s breath it makes a great patriotic arrangement on your 4th of July picnic table!

It's Time for Tea

2010-06-15T15:26:00.002-04:00

The spearmint that I use when making tea is out there multiplying in my garden as I write this. If you have any mints in your garden you will understand completely. The plants in the mint family spread by their roots and they can easily take over a bed if you are not careful. I liberally pull mint every summer.... chocolate mint, spearmint, peppermint, applemint and orange mint. My favorite to use in tea is spearmint. Sometimes I use the chocolate mint in fruit salad and the rest of it just grows and spreads. Mints tolerate shade... they make a lovely addition to a summer picnic as a centerpiece that can be added to your ice tea or lemonade as a garnish.

When I make garden tea I mix up a gallon container because it goes fast at our house. I use 3 family sized tea bags and a handfull of mint. I boil about 2 cups of water and then remove it from the stove and add the tea bags and the mint (wash it off first) I also add about a cup of sugar (we like it sweet) and let it steep for about 5 minutes then remove everything from the water and add the tea mixture to a gallon container along with ice and water till the pitcher is full. Refrigerate and serve.

What is your favorite mint and how do you use it?

All Packed and Ready to Go

2010-06-08T14:10:00.002-04:00

Wow! What a month!!! In the last few weeks Molly graduated from college, I hosted a party for about 40 friends and relatives to congratulate her and say good bye as she has chosen to follow her heart to California. We moved all her stuff out of the apartment she has lived in for the past 2 years (I’m still trying to figure out where to go with it all) and yesterday I took her to the airport and said goodbye.

Although we raise our children to be capable, independent people and we want them to experience life and all that it has to offer….only a mother can feel the pain that I am feeling in my heart. I’m sure that I will get used to this and it will all work out in the end. And on the bright side, it’s not like I put her on a covered wagon and will never see her again. However, she is the first person I think of when I want to go shopping or to a movie, etc. so although she says “We’ll skype”, I’m going to be missing her a lot!

Love you and Miss you Molly….See you at Christmas!

My First Pedicure

2010-06-05T11:02:00.003-04:00

Today was my first ever pedicure....these are not my feet, but mine look almost as pretty! I took the day off work to spend with Molly and one of the things she wanted to do before she went to California was get a manicure, so I signed up for my first-ever pedicure.

I have mixed emotions about the pedicure experience. The woman who did it barely spoke English so every time she spoke to me I had to have her repeat it.... I think she may have gotten a little carried away with the cheese grater thingy that they use to remove the dead skin. My left foot feels like she went down to the nerve endings! Also, my chair didn't vibrate which I think may have taken my mind off the cheese grater thing had it been vibrating... and one more thing... I think my feet may be more sensitive than the other ladies having theirs done at the same time as me because when she scrubbed the bottom of my foot I really had to fight my instinct to kick her..... everyone else seemed to be enjoying their pedicure.

On the bright side....my feet look great and I hope to remember to take much better care of them this summer season!

Graduation/Farewell Party

2010-05-23T22:04:00.003-04:00

This weekend we had a graduation and farewell party for Molly. She graduated from college last week and two weeks from Monday she will hop on a plane and move to the Los Angeles area. She is excited and happy to be starting a new adventure in her life. I'm happy for her to be able to experience the city and all the advantages that it has to offer. She will be living with her boyfriend Matt, who we also like....and I think may even be able to handle her!

But it will be bittersweet.... I'll miss her alot and the fun that we have together. We both love to shop and go to the movies and I enjoy hanging out with her. How could you not love this face!

We entertained about forty family and friends Saturday night and the rain that was threatening most of the day more or less held off till most had left. Molly and I made about 8 varieties of cupcakes.

Some of her friends from school came to say their goodbyes.

We all had a good time!

Graduation Day

2010-05-17T05:23:00.003-04:00

After four years of writing those tuition checks, graduation day has finally arrived. It was a picture perfect day for Commencement and the festivities of the day. Al, my 90 year old mother and I made a day of it leaving here before 9 am and not getting home until 7:30 p.m. We went to baccalaureate, had lunch, a photo shoot at her sorority house, commencement and dinner. Susquehanna catered to the elderly and disabled and that made it easy to do with my mother.

Molly actually finished her classes back in December and was hired the beginning of January at Susquehanna where she went to college. She has been working as an Admission's counselor for the past 5 months and enjoying the work there....and in particular, the money that she made while working there.

In two weeks Molly will quit her job at the university and move to the West coast where she will begin a new adventure in her life.

The photo includes the Kappa Delta senior sorority sisters, her pledge class (holding flowers), her roommates (Steph and Nate), her parents, and one with the president of the college.

The Help

2010-05-09T19:22:00.003-04:00

Once a month, Monday night is book club.... we read the book "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a great read to anyone. It is set in the South in 1962, during my lifetime. I didn't realize what a secluded life I have lived north of the Mason Dixon line. I sure missed out on a lot of life and current events during that time.

Next month we will be reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". We will be discussing "The Help" Monday night at 7 pm at the MACC. So if you have read the book, join us for a discussion.

Community Yard Sales!

2010-05-04T15:31:00.001-04:00

This past weekend our town had its annual Community Yard Sales. I really should have been getting rid of stuff, the attic and basement are full.... so full that when Molly decided to move across the country we had to rent a storage unit to store her stuff. We did spend about an hour in the attic on Sunday and got rid of some stuff...and almost have a plan for up there. And I'm not taking another thing to the attic or basement until I get rid of stuff!!!

In the meantime, I have plans for everything I bought at the yard sales this weekend. The pastel rug was $5, I can use it in almost any room in my house....I couldn't resist. The pot I am already using on my front porch and the cute little, white child's chair.... well..... I pulled off the contact paper and am using it on my front porch as a plant stand, but I may just clean it up, paint it and use it somewhere else. I bought a cook book and several plants also.

I spent the rest of the day scrubbing the front and back porch and bringing out some large plants that were in the house all winter. My porch is ready to sit on to watch the baseball games across the street all summer!

Happy May Day

2010-05-02T15:26:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was May Day... Several years ago I made "may baskets" out of some wooden edging. I put a plastic cup inside the container and add flowers. I have given out quite a few of them throughout the years and every year I remember to make one for myself to hang on my door or gate.

This is this year's May basket. Hopefully next year I will plan ahead and spread some May Day cheer to a few more friends.

Cute little Table

2010-04-26T21:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Molly called me and wanted to go to Williamsport to the Olive Garden for lunch and a little shopping. I love the Olive Garden almost as much as she does, so it sounded good to me. I found this cute little table at TJ Maxx. I haven't decided where I want to use it yet but I love the color so I'm sure I'll find a spot. Right now its in the kitchen, but it will probably go to the front porch eventually. Did I mention that I love the color!!!

Found a plant stand that will go to the front porch as soon as the weather warms up and I have a weekend to clean out there. I found a pair of shoes and a cute little purse that will go on the shelf with my collection of evening bags. Molly is trying to save money and so all she got was a purse that she searched all over CT last week to find.

Nesting

2010-04-18T15:30:00.002-04:00

Friday my plan was to do some outside grilling and when I tried to light the grill I was surprised to find some twigs and grass on the grilling rack. I suspected that a bird had gotten into the grill and abandoned his idea of starting a home there. I cleaned out the mess and grilled some hamburgers.

Today I was sitting in my bedroom and noticed a bird trying to get into the gas grill by going through an air hole on the side. I guess the bird had not given up, so I went out and lifted the lid of the grill.....I'll wait till the nesting season is over before closing the lid again.

I remember one summer at camp a bird had built a birds nest in one of the girls bathing suits as it hung on the clothes line. I had a family of birds in a hanging flower basket one summer and learned pretty quick not to purchase anymore hanging baskets until after the nesting season is over... not sure when that is. What is the oddest place you know that a bird has chosen for a home?

Easter Activities

2010-04-04T19:31:00.004-04:00

Today we finally got to meet Molly's boyfriend. This seems to be a serious relationship so it was a big deal for me. The fact that he lives on the West Coast and we are on the East Coast is not my choice for a boyfriend. But.... he seems like a very nice guy and I can see them together. So, I'll just wait and see what happens.

I hid a few eggs for Tucker to find and he enjoyed that....this was obviously not his first Easter Egg hunt, as soon as he found an egg, he opened it to see what was inside it. The photo is of Tucker and his dad, my nephew Tim.

For those who celebrate Easter, I hope you had a nice one and I hope you to0k time to thank your Lord and Savior for sending his son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Happy Easter.

Easter Preparations!

2010-03-31T07:10:00.005-04:00

I'm getting ready for Easter dinner. My 22 year old daughter announced that she is bringing her boyfriend for dinner. Since we have never met him I'm considering this a big deal! So, I'm calling together some of the family to help interrogate him, er I mean provide pleasant dinner conversation.

I love hyacinths at Easter and have yet to get one, so today during my lunch hour I'm running to the greenhouse about 7 miles from work where I know they have some. Since the weather is going to be nice this weekend I'm thinking it would be nice to have the urn planted that is on my front porch....and the porch furniture should be on the porch and, oh golly, I really need to scrub the porch first, not to mention food preparation, grocery shopping, working full time and all the other things that are involved in Easter dinner.

So, the rest of my week will be non-stop busy! Anyone else got big plans for this weekend?

First Day of Spring

2010-03-21T22:14:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of spring and the weather here in PA was beautiful so it put me in the mood for some hyacinths and off I went in search of some. I went to a lovely shop in a town about a half hour from me because every year at about Philadelphia Flower Show time they have a beautiful display of some sort, so instead of a day at the Flower Show, I soak up some spring at the Mifflinburg Farm Home Store (ok, I forget the name of it, but I know where it is). Most of the floor space was taken up by the lovely display and although there were hyacinths blooming in the display, there were none for sale. I thought I'd try another more local shop and forgot to stop on my way home, so this week for sure, I'll be looking for hyacinths again.

Next to the check out was this lovely basket of herbs with a bunny, some cute carrots and Easter Eggs. I loved the display but it cost $60 and since herbs don't do well in low light and it is another month or two until we can actually plant outside I decided to pass and not even try to replicate it in my own basket.

I did some more shopping and had a great day, even met my sister and neice for dinner.

Thinking about....

2010-03-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

another project. This year for Christmas my husband gave me a nice big flat screen plasma TV and I decided to put it in the living room so I can watch it and enjoy the gas fireplace at the same time. Since I have been spending a lot of time in this room all winter I have been thinking about repainting and some changes in there. This past weekend I painted one of the walls and now I'm living with it and looking at it at different times of day to see if I like it. The color I picked is "pink".... that may seem a bit odd to some of you, but then quite a few of my blog readers most likely already have a pink living room and wouldn't find pink to be odd at all.....

I wasn't sure I would like pink with the brick in the fireplace, but I actually think the pink looks just fine with the brick.....what do you think? Here is the pink and the "before" yellow.

Spring is in the Air!

2010-03-07T15:18:00.003-05:00

Today the sun is shining and it is almost warm.... my bulbs have dared to stick their little shoots up! It is supposed to warm up to about 50 this week... I may even wash my car and shave my legs. One of my dogs is wanting to be outside all the time, so that is another pretty convincing sign of spring. I still haven't seen any robins yet but I wouldn't be surprised if this is the week they come back to PA.

What are the signs of spring in your area that you are noticing?

Mosaic Monday!

2010-02-21T19:05:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to show you some of my favorite pillows that I have around my home. Some I made and some I didn't.

To see more mosaics, click on this link....

Last Weeks Project!

2010-02-14T13:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend my project was to paint the shelf in my living room. Since I have moved my TV in the living room near the gas fireplace, I am seeing all kinds of projects that should be done in this room, here is the before and after for the project.

The wooden shelf that my husband made many years ago definately looks better painted white, don't ya think? I added some Valentine's decorations and next weekend I'll change that out for Easter.....Ash Wednesday is Wednesday so I guess it's not to soon to start thinking about Easter and spring.....who isn't looking forward to that this year!

My Thrift shop Fix

2010-01-30T20:23:00.003-05:00

It seemed like ages since I was out thrift store shopping but last Saturday the weather was a brisk sunny day that called me to do something fun, so off to the thrift shops I went! I found a few things that I brought home with me and one of them was a lovely little ironstone tray and a creamer....the sugar bowl was gone but since I have a collection of ironstone pitchers, not having a sugar bowl wasn't a big deal and the tray was cute.... at the next shop I found this sweet arrangement of flowers in a cone made of heavy handcrafted paper. I really like it and she only charged me $1 for it so that was my best buy of the day.

When I came home I put an arrangement of silk roses in the pitcher and displayed the arrangement of flowers on the tray! Just what I needed to brighten up a winter day.

Vintage Book

2010-01-19T19:03:00.002-05:00

My mother was cleaning out some bookshelves today and brought me this lovely vintage book, Meal Planning and Table Service, copyright 1924. She was a home economics teacher before she was married and I'm guessing with the section for teachers that this was her required reading.

I love the color of the cover and after glancing through the book I'm pretty sure I'm going to love the book as well. It has a lot of pencil marks through it where my mother must have been taking notes and at first glance has a lot of practical information. My daughter who just graduated from college is interested in proper etiquette so she might just end up with the book, although the vintage charm will definately be lost on her!

Handkerchief Valance

2010-01-16T19:12:00.003-05:00

My project today was a valance for the living room windows. I have seen handkerchief valances before and since I have a few handkerchiefs I thought I'd like to make one. I tried a couple different methods and decided to gather the handkerchiefs onto a ribbon. If you would like to try it, here's how I did it.

1. I found some ribbon and used it to measure the size of the window. I tied a loop around one end and put it over the end of the curtain rod and stretched the other end to the length I thought I'd like and marked it.

2. I cleaned and pressed the handkerchiefs that I wanted to use and folded them into a triangle and then stitched a running stitch about an inch from the edge so that there would be room to thread the ribbon.

3. I tied the end of the ribbon without the loop onto a crochet hook and threaded it through the casement that I created in number 2.

4. I continued to add enough handkerchiefs onto the ribbon and I slightly gathered them so they all fit onto the ribbon. The vintage handkerchiefs are soft and drape well, they are easily gathered onto the ribbon. You can use even more handkerchiefs and make it fuller if ya want.

If you use my directions, drop me a note and let me know how it turned out.

Book Club

2010-01-12T18:13:00.002-05:00

I think classic literature is lost on me. Last night our book club discussed Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I was the one who actually picked the book because I tried to read it in high school and just couldn't get into it. I was sure, now that I'm in my 50's my taste in literature would have greatly improved and reading a classic like that would give me a somewhat scholarly feeling as I read such a great work in literature. I'm here to report that nothing has changed, although as I struggled through about half of the book, I resorted to finishing it by cheating and reading a chapter by chapter synopsis!

I do enjoy listening to the girls who actually read the books each month discus character development and plot line, etc. and I understand what the book was really about after someone points it out to me, but I have decided that classic literature and most literature in general is right over my head.

Next months selection is " The Lovely Bones".... I'm hoping I am able to read the book and don't run to catch the movie before the next meeting!

New Apron

2010-01-07T21:06:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, I have been looking for aprons to add to my small collection. Well, not really a collection yet, but I've got an empty space next to my pantry and thought aprons hanging there would look nice. So.... I've been looking for some vintage aprons and I have been considering some new aprons that look like vintage aprons but I haven't wanted to spend $40 for the pretty ones I've seen.

I told my mother about my plans for some lovely vintage aprons and she surprised me at Christmas by giving me her "Thanksgiving" apron. I call it her "Thanksgiving" apron because every Thanksgiving she invited all my aunts and uncles and cousins for a Thanksgiving meal and she always wore that apron. Of course she wore it on many other occasions but I do remember her wearing it every Thanksgiving. The "Thanksgiving" apron was lovingly washed and ironed by mother before she wrapped it and now hangs next to my pantry (in the middle) with another apron I found at a flea market. Thanks mom!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T04:07:00.002-05:00

I spent my New Year’s Day taking down Christmas decorations and watching football. Just having a day off work was a treat and staying at home puttering around the house was enjoyable as well. I’m still not finished with the Christmas decorations but hope to finish up by next weekend. I hate to get rid of the lights and the tree, it makes the house feel good, so I think I may just hang on to the “feeling” until next weekend.

I’m ready for a new year and a new decade to begin. I have my menus planned for the first three weeks of the new year and my resolutions are made…. So I’m off to enjoy life!!!!

Class Luncheon

2009-12-29T20:54:00.003-05:00

Some of the girls from my high school graduating class many, many years ago get together every couple months to catch up and reminisce about the good old days. Today the ladies came to my house and everyone brought something. We had soups and salad and deserts and a lovely afternoon together. There were 10 of us today, one of the girls told me not to mention what year we graduated, so I'll just say we are oldie but goodies. Our next luncheon is March 30 at Bread of Life in McAlisterville, it's Martha's birthday!

I found the snowman soup bowls at the dollar store. I'm guessing the reason they ended up at the dollar store is because the "carrot" nose was painted red, they were made in China so I'm guessing that the red -orange thing got lost in the translation somewhere....

It's All Cleaned Up!

2009-12-27T00:16:00.005-05:00

Christmas Eve, a Christmas brunch and then a big Christmas night meal and it’s all cleaned up and all but the last of the dishes that are still in the dish washer have been put away. I was up till 11:30 last night vacuuming and mopping the floors after every one left. My sister brought games this year and they were a big hit….we played trivia, “wheel of fortune” and “family feud”. She even had prizes and an auction with quite nice prizes…. I was fortunate enough to get a Barnes and Nobel gift card and a basket of stuff that included a mug and hot chocolate along with a bag of mini marshmallows. I later “sold” the marshmallows to my nephew for 5 pieces of candy (the bargaining chips) who wanted them for his 18 month old boy who loves marshmallows.

Today's photo is of the brunch I served on Christmas morning, I didn't really get any photos later in the day when we entertained about 12.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post some Christmas photos.... this is my living room. In the winter I watch TV in here because of the fireplace, it's a warm, cozy room. I did my tree in browns and rusts this year but I'm not sure that I like it with the white tree or maybe I'm having a hard time liking such non traditional colors on a Christmas tree.

What does your tree look like? Do you have a particular color that you use to decorate it, or do you use a collection of whatever you have that you have collected throughout the years? I think I need to do more than just one or two trees so that I can use more of the ornaments and stuff I have. hmmmm, if I had another week or two I could probably pull that off....

Shabby Swap

2009-12-18T23:27:00.002-05:00

I am a member of a group of women who like the shabby cottage style of decorating and we did a Secret Santa Swap this year and Trish and I exchanged gifts. This is what she sent me. A plate that will be a perfect accent in my sunroom, I love it and a book that I can't wait to read. I paged through it briefly and can't wait to actually read it. She also sent another little wall hanging that will be perfect in my bathroom...

Trish sent my package from Florida on December 1 and I finally received it today. It didn't look like it had been lost in the bottom of a truck somewhere, the box wasn't beat up or anything, I guess it just found its way onto a slow truck to Pennsylvania. Thanks Trish for everything you sent.... you brightened my day!

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-13T19:58:00.003-05:00

This was the year that I was going to be prepared IN ADVANCE for Christmas and for awhile I was afraid that once again I’d be wrapping gifts on Christmas eve and not sending out Christmas cards but I have rallied this weekend and in spite of about four weeks of distraction including the death of my father, I think I will be prepared. I have finished my decorating this weekend, I have all my gifts wrapped, not all bought yet, but I know what I need and have it all written down and that is half the battle! I also addressed all my cards this weekend and am working on grocery lists of what I need from now till after my Christmas company goes home sometime after Christmas. So, there is no panic yet here…. How about you do you have lots of preparation yet to do or are you ready to focus on the meaning of Christmas?

New Moon

2009-11-21T10:48:00.002-05:00

I am a bit of a closet "Twlight" fan. I read the books in about a month's time and stood in line to watch the movie last night with hundreds of other fans. The movie seemed to follow the book closely and was enjoyable...of course they are never as good as the book, but the movie was pretty good and I even liked the ending....leaving the fans wanting more!

What surprised me was the number of adults in the audience.... a lot more older fans than I ever imagined would be there.

If you read the books and enjoyed them, you won't be disappoointed in the movie although if you are an Edward fan, be prepared... he pales in comparison to the wolves.....just saying

1st Christmas Post of the Season

2009-11-05T22:42:00.003-05:00

This is the year that I will send Christmas cards and I will not be wrapping Christmas gifts on Christmas eve!

That’s right, I’m thinking about all that has to be done before the holidays and I’m getting it organized in my head and on paper and have actually begun to check some items off the “to do” list already.

Yesterday I purchased this picture that I have already hung in the kitchen to replace one that I had of autumn pumpkins. I’ve decided that in an effort to make this easier I am putting away all signs of fall so I will be ready to decorate the day after Thanksgiving (after I get home from shopping). I have always kept all my fall decorations out until after Thanksgiving because I have the Thanksgiving meal at my house. However, Thanksgiving seems to be late this year and so I may go with a different plan.

Ok fellow bloggers, when do you all get out your Christmas decorations? Would the Thanksgiving dinner be ruined by a few signs of Christmas? I’m getting anxious to get the Christmas stuff out, are you?

New Contacts

2009-11-02T20:53:00.002-05:00

I've worn contact lenses since 1970, I started out with hard lenses and then after many years moved onto gas permeable which I have worn until Friday! This past Friday was my introduction to soft lenses. They are so comfortable and I can see much better at night to drive, no glare, so they sound just about perfect and I'm almost wondering why it has taken me so long to get them. There is one small hitch, one big difference between gas perm and soft lenses and that is that I have to put my fingers in my eyes to take them out and I'm having a really hard time with that.

I have acrylic fingernails and that may be part of the problem, I'm afraid I'll tear them, or I don't know, I'm afraid if I get the tips of my fingers in to pull out the lenses that my nails will scratch my eye... I'm not sure what my problem is. Tonight I decided to take them out about 8 p.m. and somehow I managed to move the contact off my eyeball and I lost it in my eye.... of course my first reaction was to panic.....which was not productive at all. Then I called my daughter who works at Lenscrafters and surely has dealt with other uncoordinated customers....her advice was to keep trying and add a bit of saline solution. So I kept at it, and prayed, and finally got it out. My husband suggested that maybe I should have gotten a new pair of glasses instead of soft lenses!

So wish me luck... I'm going to give it another shot tomorrow!

Blogger Block

2009-11-01T23:28:00.002-05:00

I haven’t been blogging lately, but I’ve continued to read all of the blogs I enjoy. I just wasn't feeling the need to blog or didn't have anything to blog about! Last week, or was it the week before? I made soap. I used to make it and sell it but when I got a real job with regular hours and a regular paycheck I stopped making soap. Now I make about 4 pounds about once a year so I have it to give as Christmas gifts. As I was smelling the various fragrance oils that I use for soap making I was thinking I really should do it more often….but my weekends are usually busy and it takes me about 5 hours to make a batch of soap from start to finish so I need a whole day and I don’t usually have a whole day.

Today is the first day of November already and I am hoping that this is the year I am ready for Christmas in time to sit down and enjoy it. I am off to a good start, Molly and I did some Christmas shopping yesterday and I was able to check a couple names off my list. Of course most of what I bought was for her! But she promises to forget about everything she picked out and be surprised come Christmas morning.

Anyone else planning to be organized and ready for Christmas this year and not have to be wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve?

Snowing in October!!!

2009-10-19T15:47:00.003-04:00

Last week before the leaves even have had a chance to turn colors and fall off the trees, we had a winter storm....I'm calling it that because we got a couple inches of snow along with some rain and cold weather. Because the leaves were still on the trees there was a lot of damage to trees everywhere with the heavy snowfall we received. Here is what our front yard looked like after the snow... and tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid-60's.... Welcome to fall in Central Pennsylvania!

Halloween Cat

2009-10-09T11:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I met Molly at the mall for dinner and since I got there early I had time to look around a bit and I found this cute ole black cat dressed up for Halloween, and since they were only $1 (what a great buy!) each, I bought one for Molly's apartment, my neice's apartment and one for me to bring to work. This morning I put my cat on my desk at work. I love the lavender feather!

This weekend my neice and my sister will be spending the weekend with us, more or less....so I'm looking forward to that and since it is the Oktoberfest here in our town, I haven't cooked a thing and don't plan to!

Finished Projects

2009-09-16T21:37:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I posted a couple wall hangings that I finally finshed and listed in my etsy shop. I have quite a few partially finished projects around here! I'm working on getting them listed on my "to do" list. And from there its only a matter of time till I actually get working on them!

Anyone else with projects that aren't completed?

Mosaic Monday

2009-09-13T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today's mosaic is mostly photos from my kitchen.... I like white and I like white pitchers... my collection started with a couple small pitchers. Check out the rest of the mosaics at the Little Red House

Beautiful weather today here in Central PA... I hope you are having beautiful weather where you are too!

Ocean Blue Round Robin

2009-09-07T04:58:00.001-04:00

Six months ago I sent out an empty block to the women in my Ocean Blue Round Robin. Each month the block went to a different home and the woman there worked on the block adding some stitching. My little block traveled from the United States all the way to Australia and New Zealand, it even spent time in Paris! Last week finally the block was returned to me and this is the result. This was my first round robin and I must say I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t wait for a new block to arrive each month to see the stitching on it and now I looking forward to another new round robin to be starting up soon.

More Projects

2009-09-05T07:30:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post my projects from two weeks ago…I painted Molly’s high chair for my nephew Tucker to use when he comes to visit….after he’s done with it, his brother Evan will probably sit in it. I forgot to take the “before” photo so picture a high chair with the finish baked off from being stored in the attic for about 15 years.

The second photo is a sign I made for Molly to put above her laundry area. She has been wanting a sign and every time we went someplace where they might have a “laundry” sign we looked but never found one, so I decided to make her one and she is happy with it….just a simple sign that I painted and then added glitter to. She isn’t much about a shabby look, she is much more into glitter!

Ready for Fall?

2009-08-28T20:31:00.003-04:00

Today it has been cold and damp and miserable all day.... It feels like fall and I am not ready for that at all!!!! I came home from work and made corn bread (with the same recipe they used at Beaver Adams, my elementary school) and chili. That's one of the things I get hungry for when it gets cool...

Is anyone else feeling fall in the air? I stopped by the mall earlier this week and all I saw were dark fall colors and I was looking for summer sales. I think I'll hang on to summer for a while longer, bring on the salads and flip flops!

What signs are you seeing that tells you fall is just around the corner?

Saturday flea market finds

2009-08-23T21:54:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning my sister and her daughter and I went to an antique and craft fair in a nearby town. The first stop for us was a field where the vendors just make a donation to set up, their stuff is usually not as "nice" as in town lining the streets but ya just never know where a treasure might be found. We didn't even arrive until about 11 am, after all the serious buyers were long gone, but there was still some good stuff left! I bought a lovely Johnson Brothers ironstone platter for $3.00 and a porcelain pitcher from Italy for $4, a smaller platter shaped piece with no markings on the back that I will use as a small tray in my bedroom for jewerly or perhaps in the bathroom for soaps. Lots of possibilities for a small white plate that only cost twenty five cents .

The town had lots of people and antique and craft dealers but I didn't make any purchases there....I was specifically looking for some pretty vintage aprons to hang from a peg rack in my laundry room just off the kitchen but I only saw one place with a couple old aprons and none that I wanted to bring home so it turned out to be a pleasant day and not a real expensive one!

Life's Little Luxuries

2009-08-14T06:12:00.002-04:00

One of the little luxuries in life that I have been enjoying for the past few years since I started working is getting my nails done. I have fake nails and I like the fact that I can go every two weeks and have my nails done and they are good till the next time I go. I confess that I chewed my nails until I was 21. I can remember telling myself I was old enough to quit biting them and I quit! So anyhow, I like my fake fingernails and I like a bouquet, or two of fresh flowers in my home. Right now my zinnias look great and I have been picking those from the cutting garden.

What do you enjoy that you consider one of life’s luxuries?

Julie and Julia

2009-08-09T20:09:00.002-04:00

This afternoon Molly and I went to the movies to see Julie and Julia. We got there early and ate some popcorn, chatted and got ready to watch the movie. At one point I turned to her and remarked that she was probably the youngest one there. I guess the people were mostly Julia Child fans.... Anyhow, we really liked the movie, it was very entertaining.... However, there was a very rude man behind us and to the right who talked to his wife throughout the whole movie....more than one person turned around to give him the look, but that didn't seem to phase him in the least! I learned a lot about Julia Child and I'd enjoy her autobiography if she has one. I also enjoy most anything that stars Meryl Streep and this was not a disappointment, she was great as Julia Child. If you are thinking about going to the movie, go.....

Mosaic Monday

2009-08-02T19:36:00.006-04:00

I don't often participate, but I love seeing what everyone else is doing. However I thought I'd share some stitching I have recently completed this week. Click on the photo to get a better view of the stitching if ya want. Go to Mary's blog at The Little Red House to see everyone else's mosaics this week.

Round Robin

2009-07-29T21:39:00.002-04:00

I'm in my first round robin with my stitching group. The challenge is to piece a block only using the color blue. All embellishments have to be in blue as well. Luckily there are various shades of blue that are allowed. There are six people in each group and so that means that there will be six people working on each block. This is the stitching I did on the last block I received. I'm getting anxious because I get one more block to work on and then my original block will come home finished, or nearly finished. I didn't work on it yet, so I will finish it up when it comes home. In the meantime, here is part of the block I just sent on to New Jersey. I did the fan.

To Paint or Not to Paint!!!

2009-07-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, I realize that my sister is anxiously waiting to see the kitchen face lift, however... it's not quite finished. Viewing today's photo you will get the idea. Today I purchased this geranium print. I remembered it from the beginning of the summer, but I remembered it in a black frame and just a single geranium. hmmmm, I'm afraid my mind will not be improving from here on out.

Anyhow, now that I have it hung, do you think it should be a black frame to match the furniture in the kitchen? I'm guessing I'll only use it in the summer and I'll hang something else there later but right now since I have been thinking red in the kitchen, I will be keeping the print, just not sure about changing the frame. What do ya all think?

Strawberry Jam

2009-07-21T10:39:00.001-04:00

I am the administrative assistant at a church. One of the things I like about my job is that people sometimes remember to do something nice for those of us on staff here. Last week one of the ladies from our congregation brought me a jar of freshly made Strawberry Jam. I am really grateful for it since I don't take the time to make jam. I don't usually purchase it either but when someone gives me a jar of homemade jam, I quite enjoy it. So this week I am enjoying the pleasant surprise of a lovely little gift and having freshly homemade strawberry jam on my bagel.

Monday morning when I opened my office door I found this lovely bouquet of flowers waiting for me from another friend. I hope you have a good week where you work too!

Yard Sales

2009-07-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

I used to be an avid yard sale-er but now that I work full time, I really don't have the time that I wish I did to go to yard sales. I did see one in my neighborhood on Friday on my way in to the office and drove past it, then backed up and I'm sure glad I did. I picked up a very pretty little plate and asked the price when she said ten cents I picked up a few more old things that caught my eye and then found some old books that I wanted to stack to vary the height of some objects in the bedroom. Anyhow, I photographed my loot for today. Can you believe when I asked how much, she told me $1. I gave her two and left happy!

Out of Your Comfort Zone

2009-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I participated in the "Out of Your Comfort Zone" challenge at my favorite crazy quilters yahoo group. I'm a newbie stitcher and I just had to complete a block and the challenge was to do something you don't usually do. I have never done any silk ribbon embroidery before so I knew that would have to go into my block. I also have never had a feature patch on a block that I did. I was disappointed it that though, the patch that I bought on etsy was printed on a tightly woven fabric so it was kind of hard to stitch through it. Maybe I needed a smaller needle, not sure what I may have done wrong. Anyhow I didn't get the block finished by the deadline so I'm still working on it, but here it is as I photographed it for the challenge.

Happy Birthday Molly!

2009-07-14T00:02:00.000-04:00

My little girl has grown into such a lovely young lady. She will be turning 22 today and graduating from college in December and who knows what after that. She has a lot of ambition so I am sure she will do well in life.

We will be celebrating with a shopping trip on Wednesday. She is working in Harrisburg doing an internship today and will probably be exhausted. She just arrived home tonight from a weekend in LA and is somewhat jet lagged,add that to the fun filled jam packed weekend and I'm hoping she won't be to tired to shop!

The photo is of her 2nd birthday.

Happy Birthday Molly.... Love ya!

Auction

2009-07-11T21:00:00.004-04:00

Today I cleared my schedule and did something that I enjoy doing, I went to an auction. It was an estate sale and located down the street from where I live. The family lived in the house from 1943 until about 9 years ago and the sale was today. The weather was almost perfect and the sale was held in a big old tent.

There was a lot of depression glass....I don't collect depression glass, nor do I collect slag ware or milk bottles which were all in abundance. There was a lot of primitive stuff but among all that, there were a few treasures....

I love the candelabra that I purchased, it looks great in my turquoise dining room. The large pitcher and glass has a repair and is not perfect. I was not happy to hear the auctioneers announce at the beginning of the auction that they don't have time to inspect the glassware and you buy it as is....so they were not announcing the condition of anything.... I don't like that at all.....I bought the pitcher to put on the floor in the kitchen to fill with hydrangeas or something dried so it's ok that it isn't perfect. My husband put it on top of the china closet in the kitchen when I brought it home and it may stay there for awhile.

For $1 I bought some vintage dresses. One of them is already on my mannequin, they were not in good condition but good enough for Miss Frannie. I got great buys on doilies and dresser scarfs, etc. I was able to get the stuff for $5 a box. Can you believe no one else wanted them!

I love ironstone so I am always on the look out for it; the only ironstone that they had were two large platters. The biggest one is a size I don't have and weighs 8 pounds....can you imagine that platter with a 20 pound turkey on it? I would need to have someone carry it to the dining room for me! They sold them together and I bought them. I'll be using the large one to replace a metal tray I have propped up on the top of a bookshelf. The smaller one will be added to my collection of ironstone platters in the dining room on the shelves above the windows.

So that was my day.... I needed a day to just sit and do nothing! Today was the day.

Babies!

2009-07-09T14:54:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Molly came home so that we could visit the newest baby in the family. My nephew, Tim and his wife, Emily had a baby boy born 13 months to the day after their first child that makes two boys for them. I guess that will be an active household. Molly loves babies so she was excited to go play with Evan. He slept the whole time we were there (that's the kind I like). Anyhow, congratulations to Tim, Emily and Tucker, here's wishing a bright and happy future to Evan.

Photo of Molly and Evan Devine. That reminds me....I want to paint Molly's old high chair white, it was wooden and the finish baked off in the attic so I want to get it prettied up for Tucker (the older of the Devine boys) to use when he comes to visit. So be watching for that project.

Wild Black Raspberries

2009-07-02T06:45:00.000-04:00

Last night Molly text messaged me to let me know she would be coming home to visit today. I had something planned that I knew she would be excited about and sure enough when she said "what can we do?" I was ready with an activity and I suggested that we go pick black raspberries.

From the time she was a little girl we have had a secret black raspberry patch that we can walk to and pick from. We don't get a lot of berries but it has always been an activity that we have done together and have done every year.

The night before on my evening walk with the dogs I discovered that they were ripe and I picked a few and thought to myself that I'd be picking raspberries with the dogs this year. So as it turned out I was as glad as she was that we could pick raspberries together again one more year.

It's Lunch!

2009-06-28T21:42:00.002-04:00

As an avid blog reader I am surprised at the number of women out there who blog about the beautiful food they prepare. I'm not one of them. I've got an idea that the world is divided into two groups of women, those who love to cook and those who cook to survive! I would be a member of the "cook to survive" group on most days.

I do enjoy sitting down to a beautiful table and beautiful food, but believe me the effort is wasted at my house. I have good intentions and have a small garden with lettuce and basil and other veggies growing and today I actually remembered to use them. Just for me, I picked some lettuce and basil and added it to my hamburger roll along with a couple pickles. I used more of the lettuce for a bed to put a dab of potato salad on and then cut up a strawberry to add a bit of color to the plate and I ate in the dining room and felt quite special.

Ok, so if you are not a member of the "love to cook" group, I have a challenge for you to go the extra mile this week with your food presentation and see if your family isn't impressed!

Time for an update

2009-06-23T23:08:00.001-04:00

My computer is not feeling well.... the M fell off and has been glued back on, it seems to be running slow and the battery is about dead. I ordered a newer, faster one and as soon as it comes, about July 2.... I'll be blogging again.

In the meantime since my computer is only working sporadically, blogging is not working well for me... till later....

A New Boyfriend!!!

2009-06-17T21:20:00.004-04:00

Ok, she says he isn't her boyfriend but they have been dating since about January and tonight I finally got to meet him. He graduated from the college Molly goes to in May and is back home looking for a job in Pittsburgh. Anyhow he is visiting with Molly and I met them both for supper before she had to go to her evening class. So I took the opportunity to take a quick photo.

The reason I was in Selinsgrove was to take the dogs to the PetSmart spa. Pardon me if I upgrade it to a spa in my mind, it was over $1oo to get a haircut for two dogs. Rusty did get his teeth brushed and had special shampoo. Here is a photo of Rusty while he was getting clipped. The girl did a great job and they look and smell great! And Stewart relaxing at home.

Mosaic Monday

2009-06-14T22:54:00.002-04:00

I took photos again tonight of what's blooming in my garden in Central Pennsylvaina. I'm guessing these flowers are all pretty famaliar. One of the white ones is wild honeysuckle. Does anyone else have this one? I have a love-hate relationship with it, mostly I hate it because it is so invasive and is everwhere. But right now for a few days it smells heavenly when it is blooming. So today I almost love it. But as soon as the blooming is over I'll be out there with my clippers trying to get rid of it...again!

Cupcake Plate

2009-06-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

This week I took a day off work so that Molly and I could go shopping. We both love TJ Maxx and she loves the Olive Garden We are great together at TJ Maxx she heads off to the clothing and I go to the home goods section and am rarely disappointed with their selection. This week one of my purchases was this cute little cup cake plate. We had a pot luck dinner at our church this week so as soon as I saw the plate I knew what I'd be taking as my contribution!

Campfire!!!

2009-06-07T00:11:00.002-04:00

Molly called me tonight at about 10 to say that she and her friend Anthony and his friend Zach were coming over for a campfire. They included me in the plans and brought marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers to make S'mores. It's been a couple years since we had a campfire in the back yard and I have missed the kids and the campfires. So tonight was great for me! Thanks Molly and Anthony :)

Look What's Blooming!

2009-05-27T11:40:00.002-04:00

Here is another mosaic of what's blooming this week in my garden....mostly iris and some clematis. The peonies are just starting but I probably have enough varieties to do a mosaic of their own.

I had a lovely Memorial Day vacation. My nephew's son turned one and had a big birthday party, that was fun....lots of kids everywhere. My sister and her daughter and my daughter were all here on Sunday, I love catching up with them.

So far, it has been cold and I have put the gardening on hold. I think we are to get rain the rest of the week. I really need to get to a couple more greenhouses and get some flowers in the ground. Maybe later this week.

wii fit-

2009-05-23T07:23:00.003-04:00

I've got a huge pile of mulch in the driveway to be spread, about 3 major projects crying to be worked on, a crazy quilt block to be pieced for an upcoming challenge and I am having trouble focusing on any of it because I bought wii fit this week!

I've been having a lot of fun with it and getting some exercise. Unfortunately, as an overweight-out-of-shape woman who is used to sitting at a desk all day, I may have overdone it a bit....my hip is hurting making it difficult for me to do any gardening or other projects....

So, for today, I'm going to get reacquainted with my kitchen so there is some food on hand for the Memorial Day weekend. I have Monday off and I'm excited about that! I'm hoping to be somewhat productive that day, if I don't decide to play tennis, go bowling or learn yoga poses.