HOMEMADE HUMMINGBIRD AND GRAPEVINE DECORATING!

H is for: Homemade Hummingbirds! Yesterday, I helped my good neighbor with his garage sale. Hard to believe, it was June 11th, and I sat with my winter coat on... To pass the time, I hand stitched the felted birds above. I think I'll use them at Christmastime... I'll attach them to packages. Oh, and the best part? They're made from recycled wool sweaters.


H also means hanging these grapevine balls! I picked up a boxful at a garage sale- they were a quarter each and still had the store tags on them.

I thought it would be super cool to hang them from my favorite tree in our yard.... when you exit our driveway... you drive right underneath them! For me, that's fun! Our ladder didn't reach...but, that didn't stop me! I pulled out Brad's pick-up, threw the ladder in the back and climbed up!

This is how it looks when you drive underneath! Varoooooom!

Now... I feel like playing along with the "Friday Fill-In"... I really love these, because they make you "think!" My answers are in black...

Ready?

Okay, me too.

FRIDAY FILL IN's:

I GREW UP THINKING.... EVERYONE LIVED AS GOOD AS I DID. BIG, BEAUTIFUL HOME, WONDERFUL PARENTS, GOOD FAMILY, GOOD FOOD, WONDERFUL VACATIONS, EXCELLENT CHILDHOOD!

LISA AT CORNERSTONE HOMESCHOOLING (SEE MY SIDEBAR) WAS THE LAST WEBSITE I WAS AT BEFORE COMING HERE.

WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE ME A COMMENT? IT'S EASY. IT ENCOURAGES ME TO KEEP BLOGGING, JUST TAKES A SECOND.

READING, HOT SHOWERS, CANDLES, AND SEWING HELPS ME RELAX.

THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL IRIS'S YOU GAVE ME MOM! THEY'RE BREATHTAKING.

GOSSIPING GROUPS OF WOMEN ARE VERY OFF-PUTTING TO ME.

AND AS FOR THE WEEKEND... TONIGHT I'M WATCHING THE RED WINGS...ALL BY MYSELF! TOMMIE IS AT A SLEEP-OVER WITH SEVERAL FRIENDS, BRAD'S NOT HOME AND THE DOG IS SLEEPING. YAHOO! GO WINGS! TOMORROW I'M BEYOND THRILLED TO BE ATTENDING MY COUSIN'S GRADUATION PARTY! I AM SO PROUD OF HER, THAT THE BUTTONS ARE POPPING OFF MY SHIRT! SHE HAS STEERED CLEAR OF PEER PRESSURE, DOESN'T DRINK, PARTY OR DO DRUGS...SHE HAS HELD A JOB AND WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL FOR A YEAR AND SHE'S BEEN RANKED THE NUMBER ONE AND TWO BARREL RACER IN OUR STATE. PLUS, SHE'S CUTE AS A JELLY BEAN! AND SUNDAY I PLAN TO GO TO CHURCH, HOPE TO BIKE THE TRAIL 10 MILES AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE?

Find your sparkle!

G stands for things in my GARDEN! Like this shabby chic scarecrow I made yesterday! I found the form in the attic of our milkhouse... the face and hat were painted in country hues, which I was tired of... so, I pulled out my summer paints and freshened it up! The apron is a precious mint green gingham...and one I picked up last week at a church yard sale for .25 cents. The rest of the clothes came from my closet!

I've never been had much success with growing peas here... no idea why... but this year the seem to be doing swell. I built this twig and twine trellis for them to grow on! The triangle twig trellis, were purchased at a local garden center. I'm really hoping the pea's pop!

Good thought for the day: find your sparkle!

(Jamie, I'm glad you're feeling a bit perkier!)

friends, ferns, flavored vinegars and freebie's!

Today's letter of the day..."F!"

As in....making flavored vinegar with flowers! Just clip a few handfuls of chive flowers, wash them well, pat dry and pack loosely in a jar. I added a bit of garlic, oregano and rosemary...then funneled white wine vinegar into each jar. Sealed the jars and set them in my dark pantry. In a week or so, I'll mix it with good olive oil for garden salads!

F is for FRIENDS! After running a few morning errands today, imagine my surprise when I pulled in and found this little package, sitting on a tray with other kitchen goodies (recipe cards, notepads, etc.) waiting for me by my garage AND all tied up in sweet ivory muslin, tied with a black polka-dotted ribbon! Inside, were fresh eggs! My good friend Rhonda had stopped by and went out of her way with this act of kindness. Which made me smile all day!

F is for transplanting FERNS!

I stopped at a garage sale today... they were selling perennials. Can you believe I don't have a single fern? Well, I do now.

F is for FREEBIE'S!!

free sun-maid raisin cookbooks!

aveeno shampoo/conditioner!

EGGS, EMBROIDERY, EASY-GARDEN-PROJECT!

E is for eggs! This planter- a lady's head- lives year round in my garden. Growing flowers in it is next to impossible. This Spring, I stuffed a nest full of chicken eggs in it!

E is for embroidery projects! I found this cotton napkin at a yard sale for just a dime and had a good idea of what I could create with it! Below... "a sweet looking cupcake!"

E is for easy-garden-decorating! Just wash out a tin can, drill two holes in the sides, thread twine or raffia through it, fill it with water, pick a handful of wild flowers and hang it from a tree! I plan to make more of these throughout the summer. So easy. So cheap. So recycle-ish. Really cute, too!

E is for another easy felted wool project! Just buy a wool sweater, felt it and stitch it into something of your choice! Making this daisy pillow was a sinch! It took me all of an hour to do... I really, really like quick projects!

Tuesday thought of the day: Life is an occasion...rise to it!

D IS FOR DISHES AND DAISY'S!

Last Friday, I went to a church yard sale! I found a box of vintage-retro plates in a box for $4.75. My friend Holly, originally told me about this idea a couple of years ago...she thought I'd love it- and I do! I was reminded again, when I visited the Shabby Chic May Fair... where I noticed the idea of using vintage plates as a flower bed border. Some of the plates are from the 50's... the "vacation collector's plate!" You know the kind... tacky. From Arizona, New York and Washington D.C. But, I adore them! And, they make my little herb garden quite interesting!

Needless to say, I scooped up the plates, came right home and started planning how I would display them! What I think makes this idea clever is that I've only paid a quarter a plate. Oh sure, anyone can do this if you spend the dough...but to actually find interesting plates at just a quarter a pop.... well, now we're on to something!!

Another cheery decorating idea.... a shallow bowlful of daisy heads floating in green food coloring! The fields and sideroads are alive with these wildflowers.... you can decorate so easily with them! I urge you to pick a bouquet and stick them in a tin can! It will perk you up. That is, if you need perking up. smile, wink, nod.

C is for.....

C is for: crafts! I found this little, round, neon green, gingham tin at the quarter store... yep just a quarter. I came home, cleaned it up and slapped a sticker on it...I'm not sure what I will use it for...but it is cheerful and will be fun to use. The sticker and the stickers below, came from the wallpaper border section at Dollar Tree.


What's a girl to do with so many empty bacon bit jars? I painted the lids and slapped more Dollar Tree stickers on the front... I made homemade orange tea mix for one, goldfish and turtle food are home to the polka dotted jars...the others are waiting patiently to be filled!

C also stands for today's awesome Church service on consumerism! The man in the plaid shirt on the far left...just lost his 15 year old daughter in a car accident. My heart breaks for him and I pray for him and admire his strength. He's had a tough Spring. I just want to hug him.

C stands for a big patch of Comfrey! I have done nothing with this herb, except feed it to our rabbits and put it in bouquets like the picture below! It's interesting in a bouquet of iris' don't you think?

p.s. I finished the book, The Persian Pickle Club...it was excellent. My friend Lisa W., you will be so very proud of me...I've set a goal for myself to read 15 books by the end of summer. Next up... Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake. Brad, Tommie and I did another 10 mile stretch on our bikes. It felt good...especially since I've ate way too many bbq potato chips this weekend. A hot shower is calling me...and so is my new book. Oh...I failed to mention ... at the shabby chic fair, they had a table of free books. This was one of them. So tell me...what book is in your hands this week?

B is for..........

B is for: baby birds! Tommie has been tagging along with his Uncle Dave at night...helping with the bee population! While called out last week, to capture a colony from a home who didn't want to spray.... he and his Uncle found this rugged nest with two Mourning Doves inside!

I've never ever saw a baby Mourning Dove! This is pretty special for me!


We're also over-the-moon, because we have a family of brown thrashers nesting in our field. I can't seem to get a snap...they fly too fast! Their song is very unique and no doubt...gives them away! They run around our field like road runners! Very cool! They even have been known to peck and draw blood at animals and humans if you tamper with their nest.

We are landlords now, to a bee box housing (estimated by my brother-in-law) 2,000 bees. This bee box has a home at the back of our property. If I had to make my living as a beekeeper, I'd starve. Understanding the process, is something this blond brain just can't grasp. I try, really I do...but I just don't get it. Brad does, of course. Tommie is darn proud of himself, because he's learning a lot from his Uncle... things that I don't know and can't seem to grasp.

I need to hurry along now, I'm having a garage sale with my mom and need to get over to her home.

"a"

it sure is nice to be back on-line. it was even better to deal with a local computer repair company, who was honest, fast and had wonderful customer service and only charged me $35. instead of the quote of $100. i didn't think i'd enjoy my time away from this 9 year old laptop. but, i did. i almost read an entire book, "the persian pickle club," and i started a .10 embroider sampler. pictures...later.

that said, i've decided to challenge my creative juices and for the next 26 days do an "A-B-C" blog. snapping pictures around my home and in my life that begin with the letter of the day. Hence, the asparagus above and below. up for the challenge on your blog? leave a comment so i can follow you!


on saturday i bought two large bags of asparagus. clipped off the rough edges, washed them really good and stuck them in a freezer bags... i was able to get 15 bags. and, look forward to enjoying them this fall and winter.

allium: bursts of allium are popping up throughout my flower gardens. (above)

sweet annie: if you've never smelled this herb... put it on your to-do list. it's just heavenly. just heavenly.

this morning, i'm extending my hand and inviting al gore to visit my world. it's june 4th and for the second morning in a row, we have had a killer frost here in michigan. i've spent two days in a row at 6 am, in wellingtons and brad's winter coat, in my pajama's and bed head.. in my field, watering the frost from our vegetables. i felt like a modern day caroline ingalls (little house on the prairie). i should complain. but, i won't... the joy in my gardens at this hour was surreal. seems like every bird imaginable was talking to me. the morning dew on my iris and daisies are just beautiful and the sunshine through the apple trees is something you just can't buy. my coffee mug, sitting in the grass, even tasted better. noticing all the lichen on every tree in the yard, made me smile...since lichen is a sign of "good air-little pollution" so, mr. gore, if our world is in a critical state of global warming... i invite you to join me in watering the frost of my celery and swiss chard. brad even has an old barn coat you could wear. and, even if i don't have designer coffee...i do make a pretty mean cup of instant coffee. smile, wink, nod.

OUT OF IT.

my
computer
is
in
the
repair
shop!
should take
4-6 days!!
i'm using the
library's
internet service.

please keep checking in...
i'll be back soon.

smile, wink, nod!

daisy cupcakes, summer gift basket and happy vases!

on friday, we celebrated birthday's in our family. i was in charge of bringing the birthday cake. instead, i opted to bake and make lemon cupcakes, topped with real garden daisies from our field... daisies are non-toxic, however...none of us ate them-they were more for an inexpensive, pretty look.

i was happy to make and give "summer themed baskets." i bet you're trying to figure out what's i stuffed in the basket? things like: a new beach towel, 2 summer reading novels, lemonade, orange jell-o, tinted moisturizer, tangerine body lotion, an orange candle, rachel ray's current magazine, birdhouse gourds, homemade felted potholder, lime green polka dotted rubber cleaning gloves, a vintage springtime apron, canning labels, fuze raspberry water, and note cards. you might think i spent a lot.... i did not. most things were free (lemonade, jell-o) and other things i've picked up throughout the year...for very cheap. i'm happy because my family enjoys previously owned stuff! it makes shopping much more fun!

i'm not sure if you remember, but i picked up these apple juice bottles at goodwill... i filled them with water and added food coloring and plunked a daisy in each jar. they're happy sitting on my window sill. and i'm happy when i see them. smile, wink, nod.

mr. obama... you've got nothing on me!

with all the talk of government motors bankruptcy, the nail-biting atmosphere here in michigan, the looming, glooming wonder about the north korean missile attack and kim dae jung's 5 million man army and wondering why obama and michelle had to fly to new york for a night on the town- her... in a knock-out-wow dress on "we the people's" money.. when most blue collar and yes, white collar families around michigan are eating grilled cheese sandwich's and canned fruit cocktail-off brand, i could go on and on. but why?

instead, i'll tell you about the shabby chic may fair, i went to yesterday. it was so very awesome! i know, i'm sounding like a drama queen here.. but, i am serious... i stood there alone shaking my head, hyper ventilating, wiping the drool from my chin and tears of joy from my cheeks. okay..maybe not all that...but the adrenalin rush running thru my veins and my heart rate could definitely be felt.

my mom and her friend shirley called to tell me about it. "drop what you're doing and come!" so, i did. i was happy to be going alone... tommie had the opportunity to spend time on a job site with brad.. where the amish have been hired to build a barn..in local horse country. so, that experience for him (and my husband) was also priceless.

okay, back to me and my day.

in between the sprinkles of rain...which only added to the atmosphere, i meandered around and around and around. walking in circles. i hoped nobody noticed. but i think a few people did. the prices were OUT OF THIS WORLD... not high-end at ALL. very, very, very affordable. which made me weep. i wanted to take pictures of everything..not to copy, but to blog...but i didn't. i didn't want to get in trouble.. but, i did take the snap above from my car.

i saw: countless vintage-shabby chic aprons...hanging on lines from tree to tree, i found beat up flower boxes made from old wooden junk and roughed up metal containers, dishes starting at .50 cents, penny rugs, primitive rug hooking, herb gardens, flower pots, vintage books, amazing homemade oriole feeders, banged up trellis's with moon flowers winding their way up, felted wool EVERYTHING, beat up picture frames, kitchen utensils, arbors made from vintage doors, and too much more to mention.

i walked through the event three times. each time seeing something different.

i was over-the-moon to have found sweet annie for $2. each. and came home with a couple of clumps. i stood at the booth, with my eyes crossed smelling the very fragrant smell. i must of looked like a little freak, because when i looked up, a nice looking man said to me, "you must like it."

i also came away with two silver serving utensils..just beautiful, for $2. each.

on the way home, i stopped and bought 14 lbs of asparagus to freeze. $14.

mr. obama and michelle... i bet my day was much better then yours! you see, i've done manhattan, i've done the broadway plays, i've lived it up in the city, i've stood with a bird's eye view at the empire state building,...don't get me wrong... i love new york immensely.

but...

it doesn't hold a candle to the day i had. and, the bbq chicken (free bbq sauce from kraft with my double coupon) with asparagus and homemade potato fries, served with my $2. silver spoon. and, the table conversation about my boys seeing an amish barn being built....

i look down at my hands trying to wrap up this entry..i notice evidence of yesterday's garden dirt under my nails...smiling...i must sign off and head to my red neck church...where nobody cares what you look like..they're just damn glad you're there.

mr. obama...if you want to change america, then i extend my hand to you... and invite you to see how my little world works.

smile, wink, nod.

and the beat goes on.....

Shabby chic birthday gifts and party favors!

Check out these party favors I made tonight... they're for a family party I'm attending tomorrow! I took a yellow bandanna from Wal-mart ($1), made 4 batches of Lemon Poppy Seed cookie dough up, wrapped the dough in wax paper and foil and then tied the bandanna around it. The baking instructions are attached to a little homemade card. They are freezable, too!

I had a great time painting up more birdhouse gourds... for birthday presents! I found them unfinished at a local nursery for $4. a piece. So, tell me when is your birthday? And, I'll make one for you! smile, wink, nod.

From the wool sweaters I've been collecting and felting...I made a few crazy potholders up. See why I shop at thrift stores? I'm a cheap gift-giver!

I made the one below, today while at the doctor's office with my father-in-law. I was nominated to go with him to get the test results from his brain scan. My mother-in-law has a difficult time comprehending medical stuff, plus she was frightened to find out the results. And, is very intimidated by the medical world...The scan showed normal activity, no tumors but he has had quite a few mini-strokes and has been put on medication to eliminate future strokes. I'm glad.

I went to Redbox tonight, and we're currently watching Mall Cop. Not my choice...but my boys. It is quite funny... pre-teen humor with adult twists. Brad is making popcorn as we speak.

Yellow on Wednesday!

WEDNESDAY:

THINGS AT MY HOUSE THAT ARE YELLOW!

We've spent the better part of the last few days primping, plotting and planting the gardens. We planted the usual things that every greenhouse in Michigan has. And, darn happy to report... we did find a few new things to try: sweet potatoes, mustard greens, orange thyme, cinnamon basil and tarragon. What's with the bottles above you're wondering? That's the BEST homemade spray we've found to keep the bunnies, deer, wood chucks, etc. away!

The recipe:

1 egg, 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 c. hot sauce, 1 tsp. veg. oil, 1 tsp. liquid dish soap, 1 quart of water. Blend in a blender and put in a spray bottle...store in the refrigerator. Spray after each rain and after planting.

In early Spring, I found this bag of 12 bright yellow glad's at Dollar General for $2.50. What would August in Michigan be, without glads?


Brad tilled up a plot for potatoes...we keep them far away from our real garden...the Colorado Potato Beetle..is such a pest to our other vegetables... anyone out there know how we can get rid of the swarm? Without using harsh chemicals? If so, leave me a comment and help me.


This time of year, our fields are packed full of these sweet little buttercups! My flowers are like long lost friends...who have been gone for a year!

Where has this been all of my life? Yeah, that's right...Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. I haven't been using bleach for the past couple of years... too toxic for this girl! Some of our whites (okay most of them) needed perked up...especially Tommie socks! I remembered I had a box of this in the pantry... I use it when I make the homemade laundry soap... read the back, gave it a shot and WOW! I had amazing results....without the bleach! Arm and Hammer Soda is my new friend! smile, wink, nod.

p.s. Here's a couple of YELLOW songs to leave you with...hum along with me:

THEY CALL ME MELLOW YELLOW.... OH YEAH! THEY CALL ME MELLOW YELLOW.... does anyone know the rest?

and

WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE, YELLOW SUBMARINE, YELLOW SUBMARINE....

now... go about your day and try to get the irritating lyrics out of your head!