treats for the birds and my neighbor!

today, i made treats for the birds!

i used outdated rice cakes. smashed up old cereal, bird seed, crackers and baby cereal in a big bowl. on one side of the cake, i spread peanut butter. the other thick shortening. then i dipped each side into the bowl of mix. i also spread shortening on the edges of the cakes-- and rolled them (like a tire) in the mixture.

i threaded a quilting needle with heavy green string
and pushed it through the center of the cakes...
and hung them out on the patio!




i stuffed the leftover suet mix into a mesh bag...
the kind oranges come in.
then i pulled on my snow pants,
hat and scarf and walked across the field to our disabled,
sweet neighbor's house
... and hung it outside his kitchen window!
he gave me the thumbs up- through the window!
smile, wink, nod!


brought to you by the letter t.

S

letter S on saturday!

and no...

your eyes aren't blurry...

my camera battery is low.

so, let's see what's going on in the snaps above:

sunless tanning cream: nothing like a little tan to boost my winter mood! i have the best luck with L'Oreal rub on tanner. dry's quick and evenly. available at discounters. walmart.

favorite shoes. okay, you're right... they're not shoes, they're boots. but i love them as if they were shoes. not ugs. can't afford those... but these are just as nice and warm and comfy, too! found at payless shoes.

never, never, never... was i a scarf type person. oh sure, i admired them on other people... but the thought of something being tied around my neck, made me gasp for breath. i received one for christmas, from my cousin robin... i love it. really, i do. i've been wearing it almost everyday... where ever i go. double wrapped. oh, and it's so warm on my neck. i feel lost without it! you can't really tell by the snap... but it goes with everything.

***********************

other news: this weekend, i was suppose to go on a winter camp-out with 25 boy scouts and other parents. i didn't. my son sprained his ankle in homeschool gym class... so instead, this morning, we headed out to camp... in 10 degree weather. to a cabin in the backwoods of horse country. i originally was going to hike and snap... but, instead dropped tommie off for the day. when i went to pick him up, he had fallen on the ice and smacked his head pretty good. baby aspirins are not taking away the pain of his foot or head. i am hoping for a restful night for him. and all of us. smile, wink, nod.

recycled!

letter r: recycled.

we sure do go through a lot of salad bacon bits around here. the kind that you buy in glass bottles like the ones above. i recycle them.. and other cute little glass jars... then when the mood strikes... i have fun embellishing them. painting the outside. slapping stickers on them. you get the idea. next time you feel like tossing your jar out... take a good hard look at it.... what can you do with it?

recently, i picked up this pink and brown striped wool sweater,

in the kids section of goodwill. the kids clothes are all .99 cents. but, me being the tightwad i am... found this to be 1/2 price. .50. recycling is what i had in mind...

last night i hacked and cut it up... into oven mitts, pot holders and eyeglass cases. i'll either sew them up for gifts or try to sell them in my shabby chic booth this summer.

looking at this snap... i realize i have the flower on the wrong side... an oven mitt needs to be right handed. errrrr... unless you're left handed? smile, wink, nod.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

look close... i made the letter Q from a spaghetti noodle!

i haven't done a meme in awhile...

so... here's my very own, made-up version using words that

begin with Q.

(my maiden name begins with the letter Q)

******************

i wish my gardens would never quit flourishing.

i hope the month of march (my least favorite) goes by really quick!

i am quite sure, i'll enjoy a winter camping trip coming up! a 6-mile hike through desolate, rolling woods is on the agenda. note to self: take camera. look for tracks.

snakes of any kind make me quiver.

i'd love to be a mouse and live in

the queen's english countryside castle.

mcdonald's water always quenches my thirst.

something about their water is the best..

no matter which mcdonalds we stop at.

i'm looking forward to sharing pictures

of my quaint collection of vintage aprons!

my friends are have beautiful qualities.

one of my favorite quotes:

he who leaps into the void,

owes no explanation to those

who stand around and watch.

*************************************

you are more then welcome to

cut and paste my Q picture and

use this meme on to your own blog!

smile, wink, nod.

letter p

over the weekend, i found a new purse.

it's a scrumptious valentine's red.

i think it will be perfect to perk up the long dreary days of february in michigan.

i purchased it at a local thrift shop for $2.

it's in new condition... but i did wash and drip dry it.

today, my baby turns 12.

blog's that will make you say....

ooooooh-la-la!

i'm adding them to my sidebar...

you'll be able to always get there through this blog~

or add it to your fav's.

do you have a favorite blog, which you think i'd enjoy?

leave the link in my comments and i'll explore it~

enjoy your saturday night~ smile, wink, nod~

5 orange potatoes

georgia peachez

bonzai aphrodite

N---- newborn and news!

n.... newborn clothes. today, i whipped up a few newborn (to 18 months) onesies and little outfits. i'm getting a little bit of inventory built up and ready to sell at a few upcoming shows. i'm excited, too... because i just signed on for a june show in midland, michigan... where i'll have my very own 10 x 10 booth..... which will be smothered with a shabby chic meets vintage housewife theme. so excited... i can hardly sleep at night.

other news: pizza for dinner, treadmill 2 miles, cleaned basement, played a game of rummy -q, homeschooled - just basics today, showed an apartment (one of our rentals is vacant), worked with mom on her computer, and embellished the cute little outfits, above.

have a peaceful night.. i'm off to read...the grapes of wrath.

M: MAde By mE

in the afternoon yesterday, i whipped up this homemade hot pad/pot holder! it's made from recycled sweaters. get this... i even dyed my own fabric last fall... with grape juice from our wild grapes! this is how the color turned out.... a scrumptious pink! if you could see it in real life... the pink flowers are sort of tye-dyed. very, very cool...

i also made rhinestone eyeglass cases!

i found each case for a dime in goodwill's cheap bin and waddled over to joann fabrics and purchased rhinestones for a dollar... you know i had the 1/2 off coupon in my purse.



this is how they turned out... i'll be selling them at an upcoming spring show at michigan state university.


here's the link for the joann's printable 1/2 off coupon! click here.

here's a coupon for 40% off! click here.



*jamie and sue... thanks for the comments. i'm only on chapter 4 in the grapes of wrath. so far-so good.

L and a LOWES freebie!

L is for literature. can you believe i've never read classic literature? not even in high school. i know... confessing this tells you a little bit about my educational background, doesn't it? i hope you like me anyway. smile, wink, nod.



so, i saw that i should hold no excuses. no blame-game. no crutches. and decided to read john steinbeck's "the grapes of wrath." good classic lit from 1935. or is it 39? so, i started last night....right after i finished the van gogh story "sunflowers." which, was my second historical fiction on van gogh and his very dreary short life. it is a mystery to me.. why he really did shoot himself.



now, how about a free 80-page creative decorating magazine delivered right to your door? it you're like me... you'll feel giddy when it comes in the mail... on a winter day! the sign up is effortless... click below:

LOWES CREATIVE IDEAS FOR HOME AND GARDEN SUBSCRIPTION


happy tuesday night!
p.s. did you notice lowes begin's with L?

letter K and confession day!

letter K day.

hence the snap of the special k cereal.

i must confess. yesterday, i finally received high-speed internet for the first time in my entire life. yeah... so i've been blogging 2 blogs and ebaying and etsying all with dial-up. and, what is life without you tube? can you even begin to imagine how much fun i'm having?


i had superb customer service from at & t yesterday. the poor repairman was here for four hours.... trying to figure out why our dsl wasn't working. 4 hours. i felt like making him lunch... but i didn't. you know... i didn't want him getting the wrong idea or anything. but, i did give him a handful of homemade peanut butter cookies when he left.

while he was working nearby... i thought i'd tackle cleaning my kitchen cupboards. kitchen... begins with k. you must believe me when i tell you... my cupboards are never, ever this organized. in fact, most of the time...things fall out of them when you open the door... brad really likes it when this happens. smile, wink, nod.

how about you? have you felt like organizing, purging things out and making life real simple?

J today!

letter j today. a january-type meme that i made up, because i have nothing pertaining to j happening in my life. just so you know.

j- we're having a bit of sloppy january thaw this weekend. remember those ice wreath's in the previous post? gone. melted.. all that's left of them is string blowing in the wind~

a- amaryllis. i bought my mom a cheap amaryllis at meijers, during the christmas season. the kind you force. i bought one for me, too. mine didn't grow. her's did. so she and i are sharing it. it's been at her house for a few weeks. now she gave it to me to enjoy. nice mom, ugh?

n- no business being on this laptop. i really should be getting around for our homeschool co-op today... but, i work excellent under pressure.

u- under the melted snow... i see evidence of the garlic which i planted in the late fall. green stems about 4 inches long. fresh garlic anyone?

a- i have the best aunts in the whole world! seriously. not a cliche'. my aunt janet and aunt joyce are spectacular role models. they both are loaded with personality, spunk, creativity, kindness, love, and are more hip them me. one aunt, age 74 speeds around in her low-rider bell bottom jeans with bling belt in her pt cruiser and mardi gras beads hanging from her rear view mirror and the other who is 70 recently took a job as a museum curator (she had no previous experience)... and works part time at a hardware... to fill her time. she doesn't need the money... just loves to be social and have a purpose. love these ladies with all my heart!

r- robyn. please keep my good friend robyn and her mom in your prayers. God knows their needs.

y- yowza... i need to wrap this entry up.... i'll be late for my very important date.... homeschool co-op. i don't want to get fired!

for christmas, one of the gifts i gave my mom and her husband was, one complete home cooked meal per month. the other day, mom stopped by to pick this "carry out" bag up from me. it was chicken stir-fry and rice, fresh salads with homegrown sprouts, pineapple and after dinner mints. i had the best fun making it for them.

letter i..... ICE WREATHS!!!!

it's tradition here at my house... to celebrate winter by making ice wreaths!

usually i make nature themed ice wreaths... with pinecones, needles and what not. but this year, i decided to make "life saver colors!" you know... jazz things up a bit... i just added food coloring to the water before freezing it, in the freezer.


i even found a use for "used orange peels," by adding them to the water before freezing ... i think they add a little pizazz to a grey winter day!

it seems like every garage sale i stop at... has bundt type molds.
that's when i pick them up, for squeaky cheap!
i use heavy colored rope to tie them from an old branch i propped on the patio.



each time i look at these outside my window... i smile and think of jumbo life-savers!
i hope you like them, too!

H

handmade and homemade!

(letter h)

handmade:

how sweet is this? handy, too!

my cousin knitted this little mini-tote for me for chirstmas!

i love the charm she attached to it. love the colors'.... both my all-time favorite!

homemade:

one of the christmas gifts, i came up with.... for my hard to buy-for mom and her husband, was a "once-a-month" complete dinner. they both work everyday... and i thought not having to think of "what's for dinner?" would be a welcome gift.... once a month. so, today... i will be in the kitchen whipping up a complete dinner, including dessert (which they don't normally do). i can't tell you what it is... because my mom reads my blog and i want it to be a surprise... how about if i tell you tomorrow? smile, wink, nod!

freebie.....

free sample of hand sanitizer from gold bond ultimate and walmart. i love walmart samples! the sign-up is quick and painless and.... walmart samples always arrive! you won't be wasting your time. click here to fill out the form: free sample!

letter g

hello girlfriends!

my oh my....have i been busy being green, today!

and, happily frugal, too!

see how my dishes sparkle and glow? i made homemade dish-washer detergent!

gosh-oh-golly....what's the secret, you're wondering?

here's my frugilly-earth friendly recipe:

1 part arm and hammer washing soda and 1 part borax. then fill the little rinse cup with white vinegar. that's it... i'm serious.... the dishes came out squeaky clean~ after i realized how fantastic the dishes came out.... i made a big batch to keep under the sink!

next up... i successfully made two breathtaking batches of powedered laundry detergent. why am i using breathtaking as an adjective, here? because... the recipe called for castile soap- which i found on sale in the organic isle at kroger's... and it's almond-scented! it smells luscious.



my brad, figured out that the batches probably cost me about .50 cents each, to make. i'm not sure how many loads i'll get... but i have 1/3 of the bucket above filled~ i doubled the batch.

here's the recipe, below:

this weekend...

i finished the outstanding, new york times bestseller, the red tent. my opinion? although this was historical fiction and does not accurately follow the Bible... i think the author did a stellar job... pulling one line out of the book of genesis and creating a captivating, 300 plus page book about a lady the Bible only mentions once. talk about someone having a brilliant imagination... the author deserves a nod. and lots of them~

smile, wink, nod.

THE LETTER F!

found on friday!

i'm not even into blue. but today... at goodwill.... this vibrant, hand-painted covered dish.... made me gasp! when i lifted the lid... i found the price tag (below) of $1.49.

be still my heart.

it went into the shopping cart!

good friday find! don't you think?

smile, wink, nod.

eleven words that begin with the letter e and my comments!

******************************************

eccentric: if you are.... then i want to be your friend!

early: never... i always run late. always.

educate: there's something to be said about self-education. which is what i am emerged in.

ego: want inner peace? loose your ego!

euchre: love it. love to play fast!

explore: i'd like to explore switzerland or sweden or the english countryside... on a bike, with a picnic basket full of fruit, french bread, cheese and wine... and stack of good books!

eyeshadow: just recently found a smokey brownish-rustish color by clinique... i've been wearing it all the time. sometimes you have to try something new.

euphuism: not something easy for me to understand... but, i won't give up.

encumber: i hope i don't.

eaten: last thing i ate? leftover lasagna and wedge of beer bread... note.... see how bloated my belly is in the picture above?

earrings? big, shiny silver hoops. always. regardless of what i'm wearing. they go with everything.

thanks to my handy desk dictionary for helping me come up with definitions and meanings to such eclectic words. hence, self-education! smile, wink, nod.

dropping in here, mid-day, today... to tell you about a super good deal! click here for a super easy-peasy printable FREE COUPON GOOD FOR ANY 3 oz. or 3.4 oz. travel size downy wrinkle release mist. you didn't here this from me... but there is no coupon limit. even if you don't use it or think you won't... take advantage and donate it to your church, neighbor, sister or someone who may!

oh, and check out this vintage drawer organizer, i found for .25 cents. it is now home to my collection of rainbow colored BIC markers. i just love the retro-ish color, don't you? they just don't make turquoise organizers anymore!

today's letter is C! my favorite spice of ever all time is CUMIN. what would soup be without it? it reminds me of every soup i've ever had a panera bread. i like it so much, that sometimes i just open the lid and smell it. something about it makes me feel cozy warm all over!

crockpot. that begins with c. and that's what i made our dinner in today. the menu? a comfort food... vegetable lasagne and beer bread.

p.s. check out the new items i listed on etsy, today. lots of vintage cowgirl salt and pepper shakers! way too cute. scroll down and find my etsy store on my sidebar.