A picture for you of the siberian iris out by the garden fence. I love these little jewels of the garden. They seem to like this spot very much. They bloom much better here than they did by the house. I woke up this morning and realized we only have 8 more days of school (not counting today, today is here and being spent)! Yay! Since I work for the schools that means in just a little less than 2 weeks I will be free to tackle a long list of fun projects I have decided to try to tackle. There should be lots of fun things to show you and tell you. Can't wait!

I just wanted to show everyone the cool old cookbook I found at the youth garage sale Saturday. It is called the American Woman's Cook Book. I believe it was originally printed in the UK because it has some interesting spellings of words and some parts of the book are copyrighted by a company in England. Anyway, it is from 1938 and has some of the most interesting recipes, such as cream cheese salad which amounts to pressing cream cheese through a ricer onto lettuce and adding french dressing. Hmmmm... or the recipe for wedding cake which calls for pounds and pounds of raisins, currants, almonds,and citron, 20 eggs, a cup of black coffee, a cup of molasses and a glass of tart jelly among other things. Yes, that was a wedding cake! Or how about some marshmallow fig cakes? LOL, I don't know how many of the recipes I will try from this book, but it is certainly entertaining to look through and I do see some old fashioned recipes for cookies and cakes that I might try. Just not the wedding cake!

Here is a picture of coconut cream pie that looks tasty. The explanation of the color plates in the book explains that the color photos are courtesy of the Irradiated Evaporated Milk Institute. Yum-O!

New Look.

Now you know what I have done with my rainy day. I have been messing around with the way my blog looks,(again). I can't say this is how it will stay but for now I think I will keep it until I can do some work and know what I really want. This is a huge step for someone who didn't know how to post or add a picture a few months ago! That is all for now, I should go spend some time on my house and with my family. Have a great weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I am sure most of you aren't looking forward to a rainy Memorial day weekend, but I woke up this morning to the sound and scent of a soft rain on the roof and I am loving it!

I find rain so relaxing. We don't have a lot of plans for this weekend that will be ruined by it, and it is supposed to be sunny Monday so I might as well enjoy it and I am.

I am headed over to the church this morning to help with a teen garage sale to benefit a mission trip and then probably to the farmers market. Rain cannot keep me from the flowers! By the way, did you ever notice how a rainy day seems to make colors seem brighter? I ran out and took these pictures of the garden this morning and the colors are amazing. The snowball bush blooming beside the garage just pops in this light. And the clematis is so bright and pretty.

If the rain stops we will work on garden chores (I have a LOT of weeding and planting to catch up on), and I found a tutorial for putting a picture in my blog header and my daughter is going to help me try to figure it out. Hopefully I will have a beautiful header by Monday! Wish me luck.

Monday we have a picnic planned with friends at a lake house. It sounds like the perfect weekend to me. A little rain, a little sunshine and family and friends. Happy Memorial day to everyone, and a big thank you to all our servicemen and women,past and present for their dedication and sacrifice.

I thought I would share some of my interesting "wild" columbine plants with you. These columbine self-sow every year in a crack in the cement in front of our shed. There is no way to dig them up and put them someplace more appropriate or beautiful. There they are every year where the door rakes over them every time we open it! I have never seen these particular columbine in the garden stores. Maybe I should do a search online and see if I can come up with what kind they are.

The really funny thing is that I have bought and planted other types of columbine in my garden beds without much success. They just don't seem to come back very well, but these have been here in the crack of the cement for about 6 years or more. I think they are very pretty, but I would much rather have them in my garden!

A Great Weekend!

Hubby and I had a wonderful time in Lansing this weekend. The Art Fest was fun, I didn't buy anything but we both got lots of inspiration. I saw this cool birdbath full of glass shapes for mosaics. Almost got some but then remembered all the projects already waiting in line at home and passed. Can you see the stars and hearts and moons and flowers in among the regular marbles and round pieces? Earl and I ate out and walked and just reconnected, sometimes we just need us time and this was it.

We also went to a small village of antique stores and poked around. Not much to see in the end but we did get an old Magic Chef cookbook from the 1930's for my brother who runs antiquestoves.com .

The heading under this picture says "Lemon Pie is the Acme of Deliciousness" Isn't that just the funniest?

Sunday we came back home and had lunch with the daughters, went to Shrek 3 (I love those movies!) and then came home and just hung out together. Vicky made dinner for us. A wonderful Asian Barbecue Chicken Salad that she found in Bon Appetit. It was fantastic and she made it so beautiful for me. Victoria is 16 and she seems to be a natural in the kitchen. What a blessing my girls are! In addition I had friends and family calling and dropping in here and there wishing me a happy birthday. Thanks to everyone for making my 49th so memorable! :>)

See you soon!

This weekend is my (Gulp) 49th birthday. There, I admitted it. I have never been one of those people who won't admit to being more than 29 (Keeka!), not that there is anything wrong with that. ;>) I have even considered tacking a few years on to what I tell people, cause I look great for 60! LOL, anyway, somehow approaching 50 has been tough. But hey, I'm not 50, I am 49 this weekend, so my Hubby & I have a big weekend planned. There is an Art Fest in Lansing that we want to go to and we plan on dinner out and just fun together, then we will have a family day with the girls on the actual date (Sunday). I always feel young around my babies! I will be taking my camera along for the fun so I will share it all Monday. Until then, everyone have a great weekend! Can't wait to tell you all about mine!

Grandma

My Grandmother, Ethel, was an artist when it came to homekeeping. She sewed clothes for her family, canned fruits and vegetables that were so pretty you hated to open the jar, except that they tasted so good you just had to! Her house was always in order, her budget made to work no matter the circumstance, and her cooking, oh my! She cooked for the most part without recipes, much to my sorrow, but what recipes she had I have copied down. My grandmother was never wealthy and when she passed away I got her kitchen table and an apron (she always wore an apron) and her stack of feed sack materials. If you click on the picture you can get a closer view of the colors and patterns. I am sure many of you are familiar with feed sacks, they are one of the ways grandma made the budget stretch on the farm. I have many dresses and short sets from when I was little that were made by grandma's loving hands from these materials, and my girls wore them when they were little, they are packed away for the next generation now.

So I have a stack of fabrics that make me think of grandma, who I loved dearly, and jars full of buttons that I loved to sort as a child. My problem is I can't bear to cut the fabric up and use it. I sometimes think of making quilts for my girls out of it, because I believe in using things and not just packing them away, but it seems like such a finite resource and I want to end up with something special. But the truth is I just can't begin to make that first cut. I did sew a few little outfits for my girls when they were little but now the pile is even smaller and I just can't do it.

I see the cutest things that people do with buttons but I guess for now they will stay in a jar on my bookshelf. Every once in a while, my daughters pull them down and go through them, some they have used for a craft or two, but I think they just like looking at them as I did when I was a girl. Anyone out there have the same problem? Do you have something you want to use but don't have the courage to use it up?

Tagged!

I have been tagged by Tiff at Folded Gingham. Wow, that's a new one. Apparently I have to think of seven weird things about myself to tell everyone. I should throw this out to my friends & family, I am sure they could come up with way more than seven things, and much more quickly too! Hmmmm...

1. I paint at least one room in my house every year. There have been a few years I missed but not many, I swear the rooms are getting smaller! And usually it goes something like this, I wake up, look around pull all the furniture to the middle of the floor, go buy paint and have it done by that evening. It helps that I have a small house (that's why I call it a cottage).

2. Not a really weird thing but not the "norm", I home schooled my girls for 5 years and loved it. I wouldn't trade that time with them for anything. I started it about 11 years ago and it was a big step off the beaten path for me, but so worth it.

3. I pick up stuff by the side of the road and re-do it for my house. I thought this was weird until I began reading more blogs and found out how many kindred spirits there are out there.

4. I own chickens, not strange if you live out in the country, but I am not so much out in the country. I don't live in a subdivision, but an older town that has gradually filled with subs and is now very populated. Lets just say I don't know anyone else in the area that has chickens.

5& 6. My husband says the only fault I have is that I don't screw lids down tight when I am done with them. I don't know which is the strange thing, not screwing the lids on tight or my husband thinking I only have one fault. I think that might actually be two things!

7. My oldest daughter says it's weird when I dance around the living room to her music. Can't help it, sometimes the music just takes me and if I can't dance like a weirdo in front of my family then where can I?

Here are the rules...each player starts with 7 random Facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog,you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!Have fun!!!.

I tag...
Daylily Lane
Under A Blue Moon
Because I Said...
My Messy, Thrilling Life
Homespun Living
The Draper House
Lallees Cottage

Hey friends & Family, can you think of any weird things about me?

Look at the pretty stained glass panel I got at Marshalls on Clearance! Happy Mothers day to ME!

Michigan Spring

I thought I would share a little bit of our Michigan spring with everyone. Everything is so green and pink and white! This is a dwarf apple tree that Earl and I planted 24 years ago, never got a decent apple off it in all that time, but isn't it lovely in spring?
Below is a close-up of the blossoms. When I mow the lawn it smells so beautiful out by these trees. The neighbors have two BIG old apple trees right next to ours and it is heavenly to be near them this time of year!

Then of course, we have the lilacs... We have six beautiful lilac bushes scattered over our little 5 acres and every spring around my birthday they give me the most wonderful gift of their blooms! I am able to fill the house with big bunches of lilacs, all I want, and still look out on masses of them.






We also have a lovely gnarley old pear tree. The pears are totally inedible, hard as rocks and there are always masses of them in the fall to clean up, but I just don't mind because to have masses of pears you first have to have masses of blossoms. The tree is beautiful, They don't smell as pretty as the apple blossoms but they are beautiful and the leaves are glossy and turn a deep burgundy in the fall. I enjoy the pear tree no matter what the season.





So much more to show you as spring advances. I can't wait to show you the lavender, the pergola dripping with flowers, the perennials and annuals tucked here and there. Spring in Michigan makes winter in Michigan bearable (almost). :>)

Here is a peek at the glass rooster I am putting in the mail today for my mom for mothers day. She has the hen in this color and when I saw the rooster I just had to get it for her. I can post this because my mom doesnt check my blog, she isnt a computer person, so I am safe!

It is a beautiful rainy day today with thunder and a light rain. Wish I could stay home and putter around the house instead of going to work...but that is what I say when the sun shines too! Good thing I work for the schools so I get the summer off. I have been a stay at home mom too long and now work feels a lot like prison to me. Poor hubby has been supporting us for all these years, I try to make home happy for him to make up for it :>)

Well, off to work and to drop mom's package in the mail. I hope my blog isn't too boring. I don't lead a very fascinating life, work, clean, try to find a little me time. I am at a stage in my life where I can try to change a few bad habits, t.v. - a HUGE time stealer and so easy when I am tired to plunk down and zone out. A few years of that and you realize all the time you could have been doing things that were productive or that would have brought me closer to friends and family. How many more conversations could I have shared with my family? More exercise, more time to read my Bible and grow as a christian and decent human being. Life seems filled with time thieves. A little stolen here and a little there and you barely notice. I suppose the computer could be in that category but I don't usually just sit and surf and I am finding so much inspiration in the blogs I have found. Inspiration to be more creative and more sharing. Anyway, I hope whoever is looking in on my little corner of the world will some day find some inspiration here too. Now off to work (sigh)!

Good Morning, I just thought I would share this picture of a pretty glass bug catcher that the girls put in my Easter basket, I hung it in my east kitchen window where the morning sun makes it glow.

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Happy Birthday to my sweet daughter Lauren! Lauren is 19 today and we have a lot of family fun planned for the day. She shares a birthday with her Uncle Bruce (Happy big 5-0!) so we will be heading over to his party for a while this afternoon. After church we will celebrate at a favorite restaurant and later this after noon will be cake & ice cream at home. The cake is a new recipe, sour cream chocolate cake. YUM! I love you Lauren. You have given your dad and I 19 years of pure joy and love as we watched you grow into the beautiful young woman you are! XXXXXOOOOO

Farmers Market Saturday!

Today was a gorgeous day and I had a great time going to the Farmers Market with a friend. The Famers Mkt. is one of my favorite places to visit. Besides being a total flower addict it always smells so good and has so many beautiful things. Today I bought a pink petunia hanging basket for the pergola, just the beginning of what will be hanging there. I also bought a pink mandevilla that will hopefully climb and cover the pergola. I have never had one before so I am taking my friend, Jan's word for it that it will grow like that.

Aren't these displays just gorgeous? I have a hard time deciding what to get because I want them all!

After the farmers market we headed over to a great subdivision sale, lots of garage sales and cheap goodies. I showed restraint because as I wrote in my last post I am trying to get rid of an overabundance of "treasure" from my own basement. Adding to it would not be wise. I got a cute hooked rug for Laurens room and a little porcelain box with roses for Victoria. Not a lot to tell about but it was such a lovely day just looking was fun. We bought hot dogs from one garage sale and punch and cookies from a little girl who was working the crowd at her mom's sale. I love the smiles you get from the kids when you give them the quarter for that punch! Worth every penny!

Hope you had a great day too!

Good Morning! As you can see I have been tweaking how my blog looks. If there is one thing that never changes with me, it is that I am always changing things around me! Here is a peek at the birdhouse I am making for the front porch. I want to add some finials and flourishes but for the moment it is out there. I am trying to get the stuff in my basement, all those garage sale deals, painted and resold. Too much stuff down there taking up space. Furniture we have used and don't need anymore, a cool dollhouse that I got for free that I have been working on for a couple years (ok, maybe it has been a couple years since i worked on it!) Anyway, I need to make some room and get those projects done!

I found a great blog the other day. It is called My messy thrilling Life and the lady there has some really great devotions every Monday. She is a great writer and is fixing up an old house on her own! You should check it out.

I have been so busy this past week. It seems like there is always some project or chore that needs doing. A friend and I have been trying to schedule some time together for the past 2 weeks and if she doesn't have commitments I do. Do you think that before women worked it was easier to get together? I know women didn't have all the conveniences we do now but I think they maybe did some of their chores together and were able to hang out that way,(quilting anyone?) I wish it were easier to see family and friends more often.

By the way, considering how few friends and family I have told about this blog, my numbers are way up to almost 400 views. That is really cool! So, either my friends & family just cannot get enough of me, (possible but not likely!), there must be some other people checking my blog. So hey, leave me a message, I would love to hear what you think and if you have a blog I can visit too!

Happy May Day!

Well, here it is, the basket I sent to my May Basket partner, Kim. You can't see everything very well so I will describe it for you. The feather pin on the front is old and I thought it went well with the bird theme I used. Inside the basket is a little nest with blue eggs and another little gold bird pin that I found at a second hand store and thought it was adorable. Two heart shaped boxes, one filled with potpourri and the other with charms I made of Kims children that I took off her blog and put between glass and taped and soldered, and a little birdhouse I painted and glittered. I also included a small flower pot I painted. If you click on the picture you usually get a larger view. There is a little set of gift tags that I made too. Kim tells me that her littlest daughter just loved the bubble wrap it was all packed in! LOL! Happy May Day to all of you :>)