Wednesday Pet of the Week

Introducing Elvis! Elvis was turned in by a man who had to move into a senior apartment where they didn't allow pets....he is a German Shephard who needs someone to love him. He will give back so much to the right person...he is trained, intelligent and loves people. He'd make a
great family and companion dog. Isn't he handsome? I love his shiny black fur. You will find him at Sun City K9 Dog Rescue here in Sun City, Ca.

Good news! Little Oliver found his forever home just a few days after I posted his photo.

We got the patio cover almost done. Alan put the rest of the slates on the roof and just has to screw them down. Plus we will put the shade cloth up. We cleaned up the patio last night and all I
need to do is scrub a few paint spots that managed to get on the concrete with a wire brush and some degreaser. Shouldn't be too hard.

He doesn't have any jobs scheduled for today so perhaps if we don't get any calls, he can take a few photos for me....like to show you my first finished apron and the before and after photos of the patio cover.

Our weather has turned..yesterday afternoon it started getting cooler, then the breeze came up. We had to close the windows as it turned chilly. This morning its in the 40s and breezy. So from in the 90s last weekend to a chilly 40 today....

I won a wonderful old pattern book yesterday on Ebay....the book was written by Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Engles Wilder. Rather rare......Rose Wilder Lane was the ghost author of all of Laura Engles Little House books.

Its going to be a fun read and has some wonderful old patterns...I think it was written by in the 60s. Cora let me know about it so thanks, Cora! I feel really blessed to get it for what I could afford...these usually go for quite a bit of money...

Good Tuesday morning! Its supposed to be cooler today, it feels like it will be...the patio cover is almost done...only a few more slats to go....Alan had a job yesterday and it was so hot, he decided to take a day off (from working on the cover)....he has two more jobs today at least...
Our boys decided to go to the beach yesterday...using my car...I was a little leery about the drive as Oceanside is about 45 minutes from here....we checked with our insurance carrier and Donny is covered driving my car...he is a good driver..goes a little faster than I would wish for but it turned out OK. We prayed before they went and they didn't have any problems. He even put some gas in it for me so the boy is growing up. He will be 20 on May 16.
They said they saw helicopters searching the coast line....there had been a fatal shark attack a couple days prior so they were still looking for the shark. Can't keep people out of the water though....
They took a surfboard and a boogie board, and came back sunburned and happy.

Cora from our Glad Tidings Group awarded me this wonderful award...thank you Cora! You are one of my very special friends too....your fellowship, wisdom and humor have uplifted me more than you will know.

Hope you have a blessed day today....its been very warm here yesterday and today. We have the fans going full force.....I've been making sun tea and lemonade, refilling the pitchers constantly as Alan has been working so hard to get the patio cover done...its almost completed...only a few more slates to nail up. Then we will cover it all with shade cloth.
He's been so busy with locksmithing jobs too so he works a little and then goes out to a job....we've been getting checks almost daily from one bank....really nice...can't say enough good things about Wells Fargo....they pay their bills on time...the other bank who owes us almost $3,000 could take some lessons..they haven't paid their January invoices yet!....I am not sure if I should mention their name..but it rhymes with base and starts with CH.....

Two tragic murders happened in our backyard yesterday.....our mama dove had both her newborn chicks killed by a terrorist crow...he raided her nest and took both little downy chicks...so sad...they had just hatched the day before. He also destroyed her nest, the brute....We didn't see it happen but came outside a moment later to watch him enjoying his crime on the back wall with the mama dove watching at a safe distance. Our son wished he had his airsoft gun handy!

Crows are becoming a big problem in the high desert...they are eating the baby desert tortoises who are protected...when they first hatch, their shells are soft. The powers that be are deciding to shoot the crows or poisen them.....they are not naturally found in the high desert...only started appearing in the late 60s....its humans fault actually as the birds follow people for food, in the dumps, etc.

Where is the music?

the Sonific company is stopping the first of May so I went to FineTunes instead...its a little harder to use...but if you go to the bottom, you can start the ragtime and actually they have a nicer selection....do you remember the old Little Rascal music? I put on 3 of those old ragtime tunes.

Friday Morning Coffee

Hello.....we've been so busy trying to finish the patio cover....I haven't been spending much time online....between that, answering the phone, gardening, and taking care of housework...online and crafting have taken a back seat..
I did manage to sew my first apron...its all together except for hand sewing the back waistband down....I think I did a fairly good job for my first one...wasn't too difficult...hopefully I will get a photo posted soon...
I am also trying to organize some "hot spots" in the house...I keep extra boxes, bubble wrap, tissue, etc. in the office closet...it became a real mess so yesterday I spent a few minutes sorting it out..
then in the living room..one corner was full of dumped magazines..so I straightened that out also..threw away quite a few plus organized the rest...
I don't know about you but we get tons of junk mail....it ends up piled on the dining room table....I went through it, put all the "good mail" into a box and the rest went in the trash...
the real hot spot is in the office, I piled up all my craft stuff in a corner..been putting off going through it...
Alan has a job this morning and he had one yesterday....plus he was able to make a good sized deposit into the bank yesterday so all is good....we signed up to get into the yellow pages in two neighboring cities.....so when the phone book comes out in June, we should get more business...we won't be able to get into the other yellow page phone books until next year....its rather expensive just to put a single small ad in so we take it one step at a time....the good thing is we can take it off our taxes next year...
Matt wrote an essay for school yesterday and said he wants to get his locksmith license after he graduates....Alan will probably really need the help by then if business keeps growing...Matt graduates next June. He has been working on and off with his dad and has a natural aptitude for it...he has that kind of mechanical mind...but he may change his mind too...he also is talking about entering the fire service but he could do both.

Has anyone tried the homemade laundry soap recipe? I've been making it for the last month and everyone has noticed how nice their clothes are.....Alan even bought me more Borox yesterday.....I am going to try liquid soap in the recipe sometime and see if it would work.....like to stop the clumping although it doesn't hurt anything..

sorry, not many photos today....I will have some soon....

Wednesday Pet of the Week

Every Wednesday, I post a pet of the week....one of the many dogs that can be found at at the Sun City K9 Dog Rescue......just to let everyone know Giovanna, the miniature Italian greyhound, found a wonderful home as did Nina, the puppy I posted last week...the rescue has been most successful finding loving homes for over 500 dogs in the last year....
they are the only nonkill rescue in the Menifee Valley...

This is Oliver...a mixed breed puppy that was turned in..he is healthy and waiting for his forever home...



the rescue has many young adult and senior dogs also....I think sometimes its better to adopt an older dog as they are past the puppy stage and usually are already housebroken and sometimes trained.....you can also observe their personalities and found the perfect dog for your family.....rescue dogs seem to really appreciate their new homes because no matter how nice the rescue is...its not home....

We worked hard the last weekend and yesterday building an extension on our patio cover.....Alan and Matt build the framework, and all 3 of us, have stained it to match the rest of the patio....its all done but the slates for the roof now....
there is more shade even now and we are excited as it really starting to look like a patio...we all think we will use it a lot more this summer and it will keep the house cooler too...our house faces south so it gets a lot of afternoon sun.....

I started my first apron and just have to put the waistband and ties on....turned out good, I think.....I will post a photo when its done....

Here is a vintage photo I found interesting.

The Hot Chocolate Story

THE HOT CHOCOLATE STORY

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups-porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
"Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...
And then you began eyeing each others cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2008. And enjoy your hot chocolate!

I make these journal jars and cover them with vintage photos, lace, ads, etc. include a tag also that says Remember When...these are for sale in my Etsy shop. The jars have over 100 journaling questions inside.....they are fun to use and help you create a journal to pass down in the family....plus the jars are very decorative...the bottom is covered with soft batting....and is capped with a old doily....directions for using the jar are printed on the back of the tag.....you can also order one directly from this blog...for my blog readers a special price...the jar shown is only
9.99 + actual shipping...if you would like one, please order before May 1st as the
post office is increasing their costs (again) ..for the next week, if you order a jar through the blog...I will throw in a journal to get you started for free! This is non decorated journal but nice with lined sepia tone pages.
sorry, this is just for USA only...

this is the entrance to our rose garden....these are Don Juan climbing roses....this is the 3rd year and we are hoping it will cover the top this year....as you can see, its just loaded with big red roses and they are so fragrant...walking through the arbor you are hit with such a nice scent.....I've been cutting them for the house too.....
I posted the last time that we had visited the house where Alan had forgotten his tools...the view there from the upstairs windows was outstanding...I just had to share a couple of photos Alan took while we stood out on the living room balcony.. The first is looking at Murrieta, Ca with the mountains off in the distance...it was a hazy day...the second is looking down into neighboring homes...



The house is on 5 acres.....in an exclusive neighborhood with many huge homes, as you can see....we were surprised to find out it was selling for what our home would sell for...but it needed quite a bit of work...a good buy for someone who wanted to invest in a lovely area....it did have some problems...the road up to the house was very steep and not in good condition....my car made it fine but the realtors had a hard time with their SUV...the house is surrounded by many dead avocado trees and lots of weeds....on the plus side the road has lovely roses bushes on each side of it...the master bedroom has a huge rock fireplace with French doors leading outside....the fireplace goes through into the living room also and it has windows all around to catch the views...
I am not sure why I am posting about this home but it really impressed me for some reason...probably the views.....and no, we are not thinking of buying it.....

I think I will get my real estate license one day as I just love houses.....when I was little, I had an American brick building set that I loved.....I would build house after house.....I really like to see people buy homes and always congratulation them when they call to get
their new home re keyed.......we struggled for so long to be able to buy our first home and it was a foreclosed condo...which we were able to sell later and buy the home we have now....its our second and probably our last......God has blessed us here and we so appreciate everything thing we have gone through to get to this place in our lives....

Saturday Thoughts

Hi! Our weather has cooled off...good day to work outside.....early this morning, I trimmed one of our front purple fountain grass plants back as it had partially froze and was too big anyway....they don't mind being trimmed back severely and recover quickly....its grass after all.....
Also made Alan some more of his favorite blueberry muffins with steusel topping...
Yesterday, he had forgotten a tool at the last house he re keyed the day before, and invited me to go with him.....the house was in a very exclusive area, high on a hill...with 360 degree views...just breathtaking views of the city of Murrieta, and the mountains....it was an interesting custom built home, not large....on 5 acres...needed quite a bit of repair but as we found out later, had a steal of a price.....I was glad I went..he did find his tool too...plus a hammer that he didn't realize he had left.
Later, we went to one real estate office he does a lot of work for and met some of the realtors I had spoken to over the phone....and we ate at the Subway..
In the evening when everyone was home, we ordered pizza (every Friday in the Vargason house is pizza Friday) and watched a movie....we get Netflix and have been watching
Foyles War...it starts Michael Kitchen and is set during the early part of WWII in the southern coast of England..he is a police inspector...its very good..there are 4 parts....
and yes, I am getting the sewing machine out and starting an apron! I am all adjusted to my new glasses. I had bought some pink thread at Walmart, and discovered they had charged me almost $5.00 for this tiny spool....turned out it was glow in the dark thread...so I took it back...they didn't have any other pink thread....but afterwards, I dug around in my thread drawer and pulled out, not only one large spool but 3 more I didn't know I had! Learned a good lesson....
Here is a photo of purple fountain grass

I like it when it sways in the breeze..very graceful and pretty...

Give the Girl a Name!
Tracy from Itching to B Stitching is having a contest to name her dress form....those who post on their blog get to be in a drawing for one of her
fabulous aprons so here's the post! Get on over there and enjoy the fun!


http://www.itching2bstitching.blogspot.com/

Thursday morning...where does the week go? Been a busy busy week though and we are thankful....I went with Alan yesterday to help him re key two foreclosed houses and then went to Home Depot, got a door and hauled it to the house where he installed it, yesterday afternoon. I came home to see Matt working on his homework as he should be.
He gets two large packets a week to work on and has to turn them in every Thursday...
....afterwards he cleaned his entire room including vaccuming...who is this kid?
Our other older son, Donny, had a friend come over last weekend and together they cleaned his room top to bottom and threw out a small dumpster worth of discarded junk..vaccumed, cleaned and dusted also....WOW!

Just to let everyone know about the dog rescue....all the dogs are checked by a local vet and given shots, and neutered or spayed. So when you get your dog, most of the expense has already been covered...of course, there is a re homing fee.

I am going to re pot one geranium this morning...Alan was moving a large potted geranium on the patio and it broke...so he bought a new pot for it yesterday...actually a nicer pot than the former one. He was moving it to get to the lights on our patio...we replaced the light bulbs with some that repel bugs...they seem to work really well......we were getting so many strange insects and moths hovering around our front porch light at night....kinda creepy ....these bulbs seem to have solved that problem.

Is it just us or is Home Depot getting better customer service? We've never really liked them in the past but went as they have things we've needed.....but the last two times we've gone...we've had excellent service...one of the clerks even went out of his way to get us a large rolling flat cart to haul the door on when we couldn't find one...

I hope today or tomorrow to start actually sewing aprons and all the other neat patterns I have gotten....yesterday I was a little dizzy, headachy and disoriented by the new prescription....I bent over to pick something up, got dizzy and almost lost my footing....but by the evening, I could tell my eyes were getting adjusted.
I stayed up later than I usually do and we watched Poirot: Dumb Witness....we both just love David Suchet.

Happy Wednesday! I got my glasses yesterday! Wow, what a difference! I can actually read fine print now and everything seems so much clearer.....hard to believe what a difference there is....I was so used to my old glasses with scratches...what a blessing it is to see things clearly.....there is a spiritual lesson there also....we get used to our old way of doing things...yet there is so much more God has for us....I pray that the Lord will help us all to get into focus and see things clearly...
Alan has really been working hard this week and its been very profitable.....3 jobs again today also....I am going to help him haul a door over to a customers house as my car is large enough to handle it.....I knew there was a reason we haven't been able to sell the car! He installs doors and does handyman work also which is what he has been doing for one customer who just bought a fixer retirement home....she is a widow and her husband was a handyman like Alan....she is so happy to find someone who
is honest and does a good job. The other locksmiths in town wouldn't even come out to the house to give her an estimate.....he re keyed the house, put in locks on all her windows and some extra dead bolts on her extra room as that will be her office...she's a realtor.....plus replacing a door and some other odd jobs....she has lots of workman doing painting, and landscaping work also...

The weather has turned cool again...we had such a hot weekend....hard to know how to dress.....its overcast this morning and chilly....in the 40s...but is supposed to warm up later...its early yet...Donny already went to work.....

Pet of the Week
every Wednesday I am posting a
rescued dog that needs a home

This is baby Nina...she is about 6-7 weeks old and was rescued outside of a grocery store.....she is a tiny sweetie, healthy and needs a forever home with lots of love......if you are interested in her and live in the Riverside area...please click on the Sun City K9 dog rescue website to find out how you can bring her home.....or contribute for her care......

I got two more apron patterns today in the mail...I wanted a simple full apron for myself...something practical that could be worn every day and just throw in the washer....Alan wants one too! I hope my new glasses will be in this week so I can get started. I tend to go overboard on patterns so will have to exercise some self control and not look at any more......
The second pattern I got is about my speed.....Sewing patterns for Dummies....like I said in my group chat....the first thing my home ec teacher assigned us was an apron..made out of netting....very difficult to sew...it took me a whole semester to finish it with my mom helping....it had a sequined pocket too...I don't know what the teacher was thinking.....plus the old machine we had at home was constantly binding and having problems.......for years after, thinking about machine sewing gave me a headache.....I am a crafter but not much of a machine sewer....Fortunately Alan bought me a lovely little machine that never gives me any problems and is easy to adjust.


I found a nice site with midi files on many classic hymns....including the one I posted yesterday for those who would like to hear the tune...
http://pilgrimspath.org/hymns.html....just scroll down to For the Beauty of the Earth..

Good Morning!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day! It is lovely here today, the sun is shining, the air is light and clear, our garden is flourishing , I just love this time of year and amazed at the simple beauty of flower and tree, birds chirping and bees humming. Its very relaxing to enjoy the sights and sounds of spring. I don't need an expensive vacation...just give me a good cup of coffee and rock in my garden swing...like Martha Stewart always says...Its a good thing....

With all the turmoil and uncertainty in the world today...it is good to get back to simple things..

I often hum a favorite hymn I learned as a child in the Methodist church

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies:
Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light:
Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the church that evermore lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore her pure sacrifice of love:
Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Saturday...a very warm day here..in the 90s...clear and sunny..I went out early this morning and enjoyed our garden.....the strawberry plants are blooming already and we just planted them a few days ago...hope they do well...I've never grown strawberries before but Alan says his family grew them in Iowa....
There are many ladybugs on our citrus trees so I took several and moved them to the rose bushes...lots of aphids for them to feast on....we both really like to use natural means rather than poisons....
Alan just got a locksmith call so he will be heading out...Matt is mowing lawns so the house will be quiet for a few minutes....he mowed our yard yesterday and edged it also...it looks like a park in the back...very green and lush. Alan and Matt are really "into" having a perfect lawn.....some guys are like that...they are always fussing with the sprinklers, fertilizing, etc. but it does look nice.

Still fighting the allergy....my mom always called it hayfever....mornings and evenings are the worst. I've been taking nyquil at night so I can sleep...today has been a little better.
I was going to let everyone know that Nancy is having a giveaway on her blog...she is giving away some very nice tags...these would be great to use on greetings cards...she makes such nice things...just click on her blog link, Inside Nanas Head

I thought this little puppy was darling........this is a lemon crate label...our pink lemonade tree is blooming and setting fruit.....I always thought pink lemonade was something made up but no, there is a actual pink lemonade tree....the fruit is a little different looking than a regular lemon...its the same size but is yellow with green stripes.....here is a photo


These trees are a little hard to find at your gardening center....we were fortunate to find one at ours.....they do well in pots so you who live in colder areas can grow these inside...I know they are available for purchase online if you do a search.. when the fruit is cut, it is a nice pink color inside....the tree can't take freezing temperatures and we almost lost ours last year but its made a good recovery with lots of flowers and some set fruit this year..
Our blood orange tree froze also at the same time, its recovered with lots of foliage but no flowers yet.....we would feel badly if we had to replace it as it was a gift from our former home owners association when we moved...Alan and I were on the board of directors. Blood oranges are orange on the outside like a regular orange but with deep red flesh and sweet.....they are not usually shipped so you may not have seen these in the grocery stores...

They are delicious and look wonderful in a fruit salad.
We've had a problem with aphids but I noticed today that the ladybugs are taking care of them....

You are just one person

I have a little saying under my name in Ebay that says, "you are just one person in the world, but you can be the world to one person.."I'm as guilty as anyone else as to not noticing peoples struggles....once a wise person told me..that everyone was fighting their own battles and to be kind.....this little video has a good message.

The world around us would certainly be a different place if we Christians stopped hiding under the bushel basket and used our light in every day life....
Thank you Kay for sharing this video with me and I hope it inspires others today...

We did more yard work yesterday, and planted more strawberry plants...Alan had a couple of jobs so we did the work in the afternoon...today I have to take Matt over to school this afternoon for his weekly visit with his teachers....every Thursday...
plus he has to go in for Starr testing next week for one day....
Alan got his new glasses yesterday...he ordered his before I did by about 5 days so it won't be long before I will get mine....
got the pattern yesterday for the thread caddy....it looks a little difficult but the pattern is so cute, I will have to try to make one.....takes quite a bit of odds and ends.....

Vegetables and Fruit Bags

You may have read, Nancy made us several vegetable and fruit storage bags...thought I'd let you know how well they work...usually my potatoes tend to sprout if not used within 10 days or two weeks...we like to buy several bags when they are on sale as the guys are meat and potato people....so good storage is important.....
The potatoes haven't sprouted at all and are in wonderful condition some 2-3 weeks after being stored in Nancy's bag.....the oranges we get tend to mold but not now...If you don't already have a storage container for these and other vegies (I'm talking onions ) please consider ordering some of Nancy's bags....these bags are fully lined, washable and can be used for many years....a very good investment for your kitchen..you can find these bags in Nancy's store...
just click on the link under "Making Memories Nana", under favorite sites...
if you scroll down through the posts, I have a photo of ours on our old vintage cabinet...they are decorative too! What's not to like?
Also the soap recipe is wonderful...I made another batch this morning..(like I said we do a lot of wash)... the clothes come out of the dryer feeling so soft and clean..almost as if I had used fabric softener...we have very hard water here....

And I thought that my hair was getting too long! Can you imagine how much time it took to wash and brush that hair? Wow....and how heavy it was? But obviously she was very proud of it....

I didn't post yesterday as we did massive gardening....we have a long retaining wall in our backyard...over 100 ft. with two terraces....on the upper one we planted oleanders the first year but they didn't do very well.....too cold each winter and froze them...we'd cut them back and they would flourish until the next frost. We've been talking about replacing them with something that could take our colder winters.
Being in an inland valley, our weather is different and unique....we have real seasons, although mild by Midwest standards...it does freeze here and we occasionally get snow, although its unusual.

You can see a section of the retaining wall in the photo with an oleander..we have more fruit trees than in that photo too now.

We decided to get some bushes that could take colder temps and fairly maintenance free...we got Korean privet bushes....we planted 16 of them across the back and they grow fast according to the garden center at Home Depot. It was a big job chopping all the oleander out and digging out roots. Our son Matt helped us, Alan dug the new holes and I planted the new bushes.....tiring work but it looks nice now.
After that we were on a roll, and went to our local garden center, Louies...we got a butterfly bush, two tomato plants and some strawberry plants....got those all planted too. We are putting the tomatoes in a barrel on the patio. The strawberry plants went into the lower terrace...

We are thinking about building some raised beds across a section of our yard..its a narrow section about 50 ft. long and 15 ft. wide...we could build about 8-10 raised beds and grow quite a few vegetables....probably have to get a truck load of garden soil brought in....our native soil is poor, mostly decomposed granite with lots of rocks...this is still in the thinking stage at this point.

Many here live on acreage and have mini farms....I would love to do that...as I posted previously this side of Menifee is rural.....we are on the edge of the town and within walking distance are such places....but actually we could have a mini mini farm right here.

I noticed we have new nectarines forming, the pink lemonade tree and the fig tree have tiny fruit also....only our poor orange tree is bare...no flowers or fruit..its been 3 years and nothing....it may be time soon to replace it.

Mama dove is sitting on another clutch of eggs...while I was working with our rose bushes yesterday, I heard from noises from under the large climbing rose bush we have and there were the two babies from her first clutch hiding, peeking out from under the bush to watch me...I was spraying some soap solution on the roses as they have a lot of aphids....they didn't fly away and I was very close....it was a blessing to see their sweet gentle faces...there is a layer of fallen leaves under the bush and they'd found a safe haven there. I might put down some seed for them today...I know doves like sunflower seeds...and we have a bird bath close by for water.

well, better go for today...but as you can see, we've been busy. Its good to get this work done now but our hot summer comes...we don't do much gardening then...just very early morning and evening....even the roses stop blooming when it gets over 100...

The Dani Doll

This a cute prim doll that Penny from Miss Poosties Primitives made and has up for auction...she is making dolls after each one of us in our Glad Tidings Group.....how cool is that? The auction for these dolls will start soon so check it out...
you can find Penny's auctions through her website..http://misspootsiesprimitives.blogspot.com/

Another overcast and gray day.....the mama mourning dove is sitting on another clutch of eggs...her first babies have left the nest already....its cute as they hang around for a few days under our rosebushes and sit on the wall, cooing at their mama....I like their low coo...it sounds peaceful and comforting..we've had a few hummingbirds visit also on their migration up north...
I'd like to plant a butterfly bush somewhere in the yard for the hummers and butterflies.

Yesterday I used a recipe and made our own laundry soap....I was a little skeptical but honestly it does a good job....sure saves a lot of money and our clothes come out clean and fresh smelling....if you are interested in the recipe....you can find it on Lea's blog at Farmhouse Blessings...look under the Frugal Friday post,its very easy to make ....we do a lot of laundry with two active teens...I made a batch and put it in an old laundry soap dispenser I had saved for the purpose.
Now if I can find a way to make soap for the dishwasher, we'll be set!

Saturday morning...its cool and overcast but nothing like what has happened in so much of the country..my heart goes out to all those effected by the bad weather...high winds, hail, flooding....I am not sure if global warming is the culprit but my prayers are with those that are suffering...and the tornado season is just starting....makes one want to live underground!

I got the ceiling fans cleaned and did a lot of dusting....I don't know if it will help our allergies but can't hurt.... Our furnace has an air filtration system and we are supposed to clean the pad every 2 months but haven't lately...another thing to do...
The group Apronista has really taken off and everyone is busy with their apron creations...some lovely creations being made....I have yet to get to mine...I wondered why I was hesitating and I think its because I don't trust these glasses...I should be getting the new ones in 10 days or so..after the cross stitch fiasco, I just don't trust them anymore....they are scratched and cracked so small things are distorted slightly....I can see fine for typing but fine work fails me....I do have one all cut out so it won't take me long when I can see well again...

I won another pattern...this is for a caddy to hold thread and scissors...I thought the chickens were a kick.....so soon as the glasses come, I will have a lot of things to do...aprons, tea cozies and now these...

Another week gone by...hard to believe....been a good week though....we did quite a few jobs this week and got several checks from past work too.....
Not a long post today.....I want to finish cleaning ceiling fans, start on an apron, answer the phone for locksmith calls, and wash floors today.....maybe make some cookies too..plus do my bible study, and take a walk. Spending way too much time on the computer and neglecting other more productive things. I am on a mission to get all the dust out of our house, impossible probably but I am going to try. Think it will make a big difference on how we are all feeling with our sniffles and congestion.
Matt didn't have any problems about the missing homework packet..they just gave him another one....we tracked it down and realized he had left it in a foreclosed house he and Alan had re keyed.....Charter schools are so laid back and relaxed...they don't have to worry so much about discipline and can focus on actual learning. Its great. Our boys have been to several charter schools and its always the same.
The teachers seem less stressed. Everyone smiles. At least that has been our experience.
well, off to do some actual work! If I get the apron finished, I'll post a photo if Under Dog isn't too busy....he's my photographer.....

Good morning, everyone! Hope you have a great Thursday....we've had a lot of jobs in the last two days, thank the Lord....another call this morning also....

Got my eyes checked yesterday and ordered new glasses...I will so thankful to get these and can hardly wait to be able to see a little better..the doctor was very nice and said I look a lot younger than 57....that always makes you feel good! Really need the glasses. I tried to do some cross stitching the other day and it came out a mess.....I did get some nice cotton fabric at Walmart and cut out one apron...its a tiny green flower print with pink centers and for contrast, I got some pink gingham.....should be nice and spring like...I also bought enough yardage of a green buffalo check for a full apron for myself...our kitchen and home is mostly in greens...I have green buffalo check place mats. The tea cozies will have to wait until next month as we are on a budget as far as extras goes and fabric is extra right now...

Our Penny has posted a wonderful giveaway in our Glad Tidings Blog..please sign up for sweet little Belle...an extreme primitive doll...she's a real patriotic gal.. and if you love prim dolls, you'll find her darling....



our Miss Penny is a wonderful primitive artist...please check out her blog and auctions..her granddaughter is a young prim artist too.

I will try to post the Glad Tidings Link but if Blogger doesn't cooperate, the link is on the left side...

Its overcast and gray here today..rained last night..we have to go over to the school this afternoon and Matt needs to turn his homework in....we've searched all over the house, he lost one packet so he's nervous about going in....he's probably have to double up this next week to complete everything....he's doing history right now and really loves it...
My allergies are better....perhaps the rain has helped....I thought it was a cold but now I am sure its allergies..so much dust here, (you are right, Kay)....we live right behind a heavily traffic road so there is a lot of road dust....plus everything is blooming and growing..lots of pollen....
I got the tall ladder in the house and am starting to clean all the ceiling fans...lots of dust accumulates up there and you don't notice it...but it probably rains dust down when they are on....Matt and I did the kitchen one yesterday..plus cleaned the top of the refrigerator and the pot rack..phew! lots of dust..I cleaned them in December so its only been 4 months but I guess that is too long to wait to clean again...

The Curio Cabinet

Here is a photo of our Victorian curio cabinet...I put the canisters across the top and the bread box is below...right now the cooky jar is on the bottom shelf....its such a nice cabinet......the glassed in cupboard has very old handmade glass...inside are my cookbooks, a old cigar box and my mom's little celluloid doll with some skeleton keys scattered about....on either side of the canisters are two of my collection of old oil lamps....
The two homespun bags have potatoes in one and oranges in the other one...Nancy made those for me.....she's going to be listing some some too in her store...there are labels on them saying Taters and Oranges.....the cloth bags keep the vegies and fruit for spoiling for quite a while....not that they last long in our house anyway!

A little late in posting today...decided to get some housework done first....we got the canisters yesterday, they are really nice...really fit well in our kitchen.....have to get them filled and I will take a photo.....the bread box is perfect for storing all the bread we go through every week....I make a lot of sandwiches every day for my boys..

I also got the apron patterns and a tea cozy pattern......Alan says no one fixes pots of tea anymore...is that true?? The tea cozy patterns are really cute, one is a hen, a cat, a puppy, and a pig...



I thought they were cute and practical.....nothing keeps a pot warm like a tea cozy..
I plan on making the hen or cat for us anyway.....and yes, I do make pots of tea on occasion..

I inherited my mom's tea pot and she used to make tea quite often in the fall and winter.....we used to go to the mall where they had a nice tea/coffee shop to buy loose tea...they had the best Earl Grey I've ever tasted....I make sun tea in the summer...Alan likes this tropical tea we get occasionally when we can find it for sun tea......Donny likes sun tea also so we go through big
jars ...I got a huge jar.....think its a restaurant size mayonnaise jar to make it in....it cleans a lot easier than the jars that are made for sun tea....I run it through the dishwasher....

It occurred to me that I haven't been running any vintage photos so here is one