on friday.... i gave my two aunts and cousin a

birthday party! my mom and cousin hali came to celebrate, too!

the table was set with tacky

vintage souvenir china laid upon a chenille bedspread--makeshift tablecloth...

we sipped cheap white wine from large mouthed canning jars. and,

our napkins were mismatched hot pads. all in attendance, were required to wear vintage hats from my little collection and very tacky retro aprons. all were such good sports and without hesitation... choose hats and aprons to wear!

we're holding signs that say hi aaron- my cousin in new york university film school. his gramma and mom are back row left. we sent this through facebook-- in hopes to make his day.

what would a party be... without an antique glass urinal to pour your water from?

lunch was a massive garbage salad... with just about everything in it. and beer bread with herbs sprinkled on top. and parmesan cheese.

between the downpour of raindrops.. i picked rhubarb and baked a rhubarb cake in canning jars.... cool-whip and lots of it...was dropped on top! note: aprons in the background!

after the mid-day feast... i planned a garden craft,
which my new friend cassey told me about. we all sat around the chenille covered table, giggled and made glass wind chimes!
on tomorrow's post.. i'll share the instructions and snaps!
smile, wink, nod!

feeling orange!

new orange craft fabric- found at salvation army 1/2 off sale.

i have no plans for this, but it sure is perky!

you are welcome to click on the picture and use it

for your own craft needs or desktop.

i just picked up this book cold tangerines by shauna niequist.

.50 cents at salvation army.

why it ended up on the bottom shelf at salvation army,

is a mystery to me? why didn't the previous

owner keep it? why didn't she give it to a friend?

remarkably real and sweetly written. here's the link to

shauna's cold tangerines website... you can read a few

chapters on-line.

i just received this! can you guess what it is?

yep! it's an orange tree! my mother-in-law

brought it back for me from florida.

orange jell-o.
how can you possibly feel the winter blues with
this looking at you? cheap thrill!

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!

b is for.....

today's letter... b.

b is for:

beans!

brrrrr! it's miserably cold!

back to homeschool lessonsl!

boy scouts in my kitchen making bag lunches for a local homeless shelter!

bbq pork chop dinner with green beans from summer (freezer).

and this market bag and mini bag... made from green bean fabric!

i just love these bags... they were given to me by my sweet friend holly, for a christmas present! isn't she awesome with the sewing machine? both are completely lined with black fabric. thanks friend... you're the best!

mOVie Day!

yesterday, i took tommie to see the new chipmunks flick.

the movie was cute. upbeat, predictable and fun.

although it lacked depth. what was i expecting? afterall, it was the chipmunks!

i really wanted to see sherlock holmes. i adore robert downey jr. and could be enteretained by him if he just read the phone book aloud.

we were pleasantly surprised to run smack-dab into distant relatives/friends, whom we had not seen for quite some time. i love friends like that... the kind where you just pick up where you left off and are very comfortable with. it was nice to share popcorn, again.

last night, i talked my boys into sharing the t.v., and letting me watch "the queen," with helen mirren. it was a short movie. and, very well done. i especially liked the queen in her humble setting at her english countryside estate. if the historical facts were correct... then, i think the movie should have been called, " tony blair saves the monarchy."

i rented it free from the library.

smile, wink, nod.

yesterday, i was invited to work for my cousin robin. she sells amazingly serious bling jewelry and accessories! her company is called, cowgirlz closet... which will be launching it's website in early 2010. watch here for details....

yesterday, was her christmas open house. above: these are just a couple of tables of her inventory....she has tons of it!

in december, we'll be packing up and hitting the road in lansing for a couple of cowboy christmas weekend shows...

she graciously let me set my own shabby chic table up... so i could flip a few retro housewifey type items... how nice is that?

above and below: she makes a lot of her own cowgirl jewelry... exclusively chick-a-dee lee brand.

we had a super day together... and i look forward to pulling on my cowboy boots and turquoise and doing it all over again, in a few weeks! smile, wink, nod.

blessings!

what is this? i don't exactly know. my boy and i, spent the saturday at a mid-michigan antique show! the day in itself, was a wonderful "homeschool" fieldtrip experience. we were both exposed to so many unique treasures from the past!

speaking of treasures from the past... i've recently reconnected with my cousin robin (not really my cousin, but we call each other that... long story!)... anyhow, she is sizzling... on fire with creativity... and invited me to flip a few of my shabby chic items in her cowgirl clozet booth! which she generously sold for me! how nice was that?

do you look for blessings in your day? sometimes i get so busy or so into my own world, that i take things for granted. this past week, i was overwhelmed with kindness that complete strangers and many good friends have shown me!

i thought i'd share a few unbelievable acts of kindness with you...

*i was in a huge hurry friday morning, on our way to homeschool co-op... jumped in the car and noticed i didn't have enough gas to make it there... rushing of course, i pulled into the gas station for some 87 and the pump didn't work... rushed inside... told the clerk and she mentioned it would take a few minutes... panic... i was already late! i grabbed a bottled water, tommie grabbed a package of doughnuts and we paid. when i walked out to pump the 87, another clerk was pumping my gas... "thought i'd help you out in your rush this morning!" she said! how nice was that? this complete stranger, went out and pumped my gas? did i thank her? of course. but even more, i blessed her with a good prayer.

*my dear friend rhonda, made me a birthday pumpkin scone cake! so nice to have after my birthday dinner! my husband didn't have to go out and buy me a sugary walmart cake!!

* my son made me a bracelet out of metal that was laying in the barn. very cool!

* our entire homeschool co-op, sang happy birthday to me! had to be about 100 people or more! either rhonda or lisa w., set this up!

* as i mentioned... my cousin robin offered to haul a rubbermaid tote of shabby chic items to sell in mid-michigan for me... no cost. no obligation. just a quick flip!

*she also made a business connection FOR ME with a lady from alabama... i am praying that the deal goes through and i can work from home for her! we're not talking big money... but something to keep my creative juices flowing.

* i was blessed with the sweetest birthday card from lisa w.'s daughter.... she out-of-the-blue made a keepsake card for me.

tell me about the blessings in your week. they're out there...we just need to be in tune with them! smile, wink, nod.

the great seed swap!

the great seed swap!

i have a few handfuls of antique hollyhock seeds waiting to go to good homes! they are a beautiful pinky-peach and pop every other year! they're not minitures they're at least six feet tall! they do well in a sunny area.

i'd enjoy knowing what you could trade, too! i could especially use poppies or hollyhocks! any color.

if you're interested email me at gethappy@tm.net!

okay, i'm going to brag a little. meet my first and only girl cousin... dr. c., m.d. she's an ob/gyn doctor. voted one of the top 10 best in detroit. she's also a saint. a breast cancer survivor, and has a sense of humor that would make you fall to your knees...trust me! did i mention how creative her mind is? and how wild she can dance at family weddings? all true.

we recently connected to go blueberry picking, talking, catching up on who saw what bird and where, gardening and flowers, books, tasha tudor, a farmhouse in new hampshire, knitting, obama, make-up, our childhood and other odd details of life.

she made a mouth-watering basil bread. and, always one to be generous with everything she has... she gave me the recipe!

since i'm nice like her... i'll share it with you, too:


3 cups self rising flour
3 tablespoon sugar
12 oz. bottle of beer warmed up in the microwave about 2 min.

mix well. add 1/2 c. basil. mix. put it in a cold oven. turn the oven on to 350*. bake for 40-45 min.

we both agreed you could use any kind of herbs. i sprinkled Parmesan cheese on ours. my boys flipped over this. yours will, too. and so will you. smile, wink, nod.

sand candles and one good friend...

first things first! thanks LISA! for fixing my blog comments. once again, i can now receive and read and try to respond to what your write. thank-you, thank-you lisa... i owe you big time!

second things second! my niece, nephews and sister-in-law were in for a couple of days this week... they live in chicago. we always try to do something funky and memorable. you know... the type of stuff they'll remember when they're all 79 years old, sitting around, talking about the good old days, while eating a jello fruit salad at a family reunion. can't you just picture what i mean?

so with this visit, the kids (and me, too!) made candles. i've had this on my to-do list forever. today it came into fruition. this is a really cheap craft. all the kids 11-21 had a blast! i chose to make the bright colored candles above!

thanks to this blogger: that artist woman for her easy directions/instructions and her fab how-to pictures.

on a whim....

on a whim yesterday, tommie and i pulled into a local carrot factory and packaging plant. we watched the workers pull in with dump boxes loaded with freshly picked carrots. the doors of the plant were wide open... so we took that to be an invitation to watch! the employees, were beyond welcoming. and went to get the owner and his wife for us! i don't recall EVER meeting two individuals who were so kind to us. they took us behind the scenes of the packing plant. explained everything imaginable to tommie (not me...because i was wandering around in awe! like bambi in headlights) wouldn't you know, my camera battery died at the start of this tour?? we watched them wash, sort, trim, weigh and pack. then the carrots were packaged into bags and put on pallets, moved to a cooling freezer and then another cooler room...ready to be shipped nationwide and to resturants... and to krogers! the tour ended with the owners ever-so-kind wife letting tommie package his own bag of carrots, seal them and giving him his very own bag! we ended with a peek at the carrot combine/harvester. i'm not sure what i am more impressed with... the kindness of this couple and their very nice employees or the packaging process?

we moved on to a huge onion farm and lettuce farm. but, the workers were all out in the fields... the factory wasn't running--due to picking. it was still exciting to see so many acres of onions and lettuce.

i just love free entertainment! next goal? the pickle factory tour.

daily blessing ...day 3

"DAILY BLESSING...DAY 3"

(sharing the blessings i've received from friends and family last week!)

my doorbell rang unexpectedly last week... i opened it to find my friend robyn, standing there holding a huge bouquet of lavender! in the past, we've talked about different lavender crafts... i am so very happy she remembered and blessed me with this gift! i decided to make lavender soap balls... (the recipe is at the bottom of this post!)

i put a few springs in empty glass juice jars and put them up on our backporch window sills! it's very simple ... and very sweet. thanks robyn...for making my family and i smile!

Lavender Soap Ball Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

2 bars mild, unscented castile or vegetable-based soap (or the equivalent in odds-and-ends)

1/2 cup dried lavender blossoms (available online from many herb companies)

5 drops essential oil of lavender

1/4 cup warm water

1. Using a cheese grater, grate the soap into a large bowl.
2. Add the lavender blossoms to the grated soap.
3. Add the essential oil to the soap mixture, combining thoroughly.
4. Add the warm water and stir.
5. Roll heaping tablespoons of the mix into balls.
6. Place on a cookie sheet and allow to air-dry completely, which will take approximately 2 days.

Holly Hocks, Holly Rocks and herbs!

BLESSINGS!

DAY 2

(things i was blessed with recently, from friends and family!)

i'm loving my hollyhocks.. this is the first time ever, that i've been able to grow them. i could have a field full and never grow tired of looking at them!

i'm finding it hard to believe. i'm not sure why blessings have poured in for me this past week... but each and every day (up until yesterday), i've received very surprising, wonderful, useful and extremely thoughtful gifts...from family and friends! even my friend lisa, who i seldom see, has a prize waiting for me. a big fat thank-you, to ALL of you! you know, i love you all!

my friend holly took a chance and stopped by one evening last week, with this 2 cup pyrex measuring cup in hand. i know, i know... blogging about a simple, basic measuring cup...is sort of dull.. but ummm, if you only knew how much i needed one for soooo long...you'd understand. i put out the word last spring that i was in dire need for one.... i've been using an old tin measuring cup. she actually pulled it off her kitchen shelf and gave me hers! how nice is that? thanks, holl!

after an amazing church service, which is doing a series on dissecting the Lord's Prayer and what each line means... you know...instead of just saying the prayer as fast as you can, i came home and picked a couple fist fulls of mixed herbs. i washed them, patted them dry and stuffed 4 bags full for the freezer. they'll be so welcome in the late fall and winter... i'll use them for seasoning croutons, breads, soups or casseroles.

i was thinking... if you don't have a big variety of herbs yourself...maybe you could have a herb swap. call up a friend or two, have them clip a couple ziplock bag fulls of their herbs... swap and mix them together and freeze! long about january in michigan, fresh herbs are a luxury and very pricey!

Blessings, day one!

BLESSINGS!

"day one"

(what my friends and mom have blessed me with this week!)

looking over my shoulder at the goodness in the world... i've had several days in a row of unexpected blessings! i thought it would be fun to share the nice things in my world and the wonderful people in my little circle!


on tuesday, i was invited to pick currants at my friend rhonda's home. she is the next martha stewart, i swear! and yes, i do swear irl. our visit was too short...but fun and effective and a wonderful summer memory for me! i've never picked currants before.


last winter, she had given me a jar of currant jelly. which brad and i loved. tommie's not a jam or jelly eater. looking at my container full of currants... i knew i'd make a few batches, too. so i did. this has got to be the easiest jelly you could ever make! my sure-gel box didn't have a currant jelly recipe, so i googled. i'll share what i found:

boil the berries until all liquid is out of the skins, strain through a cheese cloth, return 4 cups of juice to pot and add 3 cups of sugar. no need for pectin. the berries have enough natural pectin in them! bring to boil, pour into sterilized jars, skim off foam and seal.

more nice blessings coming in the next few days! how about you, what nice, unexpected thing happened to you this past week?