Springtime musings

  Here we are in the last week of April.  Time flies by! 

  Like everyone else I have been attempting to get some spring cleaning done.  Made it through the house and working on the garage. Seems to be a bigger job than I thought but I am determined to get it done this year.

 I have a few quilting/ sewing projects I want to accomplish. Also going to work on some new quilts.  

I am learning a new craft in wool applique. A friend from MJF introduced me to it. Now to figure it out.  Fortunately, I went with a small project to start.  

With Spring also comes pollen and allergies.   The last two days have been rough with watery eyes and such.   Benadryl has been my close friend these days.  It is always expected at the change of the seasons so I am prepared.  

Also with this time of year come the critters and ticks. So far, we've had a snake in the basement and I've found a few ticks trying to have a meal of me.  Glad to have avoided that.   I have a shirt that says "life is better in the country", at this time I am not sure I agree with that.  

I hope everyone is enjoying some great weather this beautiful time of year.  Enjoying my lilacs!

Until next time....

  

Cleanup

  I decided today with there being too much snow and wet to go out and about, that I would tackle my craft/ sewing room.  It was a mess in there. I don't know how or why I let things get this way, but it happens.   It is where I store my crafts but also where I keep gifts, Christmas and birthday, so I think it just got away from me.   So today was the day for it.
 My daughter called and with the handy bluetooth and someone to keep me on track I accomplished more than I thought I would.   I cleaned out the things I knew I wasn't going to use and the projects I am no longer interested in starting or finishing.  I have a few of those ufo's. More than I care to admit actually.   I chose which I still wanted to work on and I am purposing to get them done this year. I still have some tweaking to do as I only went through the surface stuff. I will continue to dig deeper to see if I can downsize more and really get this area in shape.  I am an organizer but not so good at de-cluttering so I still plan to go through everything and decide on a specific purpose for it or get rid of it. 
 
I love to make quilts so there are a couple of those on my list to do this year.   I machine stitch my pieces but quilt the whole thing by hand and that takes me a long time.   Not sure how many I will actually get done.  My plan is to put together the pattern with the fabrics I will be using to make them and store it that way. Then I will decide what fabric I will keep in my stash and what I will part with.

The paper crafting is another area I need to work on but I need to have order so one thing at a time. 

I think this is a good plan and a good start to getting these projects done. 

Hope you all have a lovely day.
Until next time!

A woefully long time away

I am ashamed to see how long it has been since I have posted here.  I guess with the popularity of Facebook I have been lax in blogging. 
I will try better this year though I make no guarantees. 

  We just finished redoing our bathroom. When I get the new curtains hung maybe I will get my camera out to get some photos to share. It is a very small bathroom and to some the color may be dull, but we like it. 

 There are so many other things on our to do list. It has gotten incredibly long over time. I do hope that we will conquer some of the projects though.  Always seems to be something else to take up our time.

I do wish all of you a very happy, healthy new year!  Praying each of us will experience God's blessing throughout the year.

Until next time!

It has been way to long since I have written a post. Today I am sharing the link to my friend Mary Ann's blog. She is having a wonderful giveaway and I also thought you might enjoy reading her blog too!    You can find her www.ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com hope you enjoy it!

A Christmas giveaway - the Winner

And the winner is......NancyJo.  I had my granddaughter pick a number between 1-5 since there were 5 comments. She chose number 4.
I will get your book out to you tomorrow morning! Thanks for playing everyone and and I wish you all a most Merry and blessed Christmas!



I have a friend who wrote this great book called "Christmas in the Kennel ".  It is wonderful for children or anyone who loves animals.  I got a copy to have for my grandchildren.
 I thought it would be a great time to give a copy away. So if you are interested just leave  a comment here on my blog and you'll be entered.  What could be simpler than that?
You can find this book on Amazon. I just found out they lowered the price just  in time for gift giving.
I will only have this open until the 16th as I want to get it to the lucky winner in time for Christmas.
Thanks and Good luck!

Finished the Pantry organization.

Here are a few pictures of the end result of my organizing.

Sorry if they are a little blurry. Used my tablet instead of my camera.
Spent some time on Pinterest, a lot of time actually, to get some ideas on what would work best for me.
It feels so good to have everything sorted and clean and organized.  Always much happier when I can get a handle on clutter. It is an ongoing battle but hopefully this start will help me prevail.
Of course, once I get one room done it always prompts to pick another and start.  I feel like I had a productive day.
Going to go rest as I seem to be battling the start of something.  Always begins with a sore throat. So, I'm off to get some lemon and honey tea.

Cleaning and organizing

  It's that time of year again to start cleaning deep down.  I've decided my pantry needs some major cleanout.  Too many things in there. The pantry is quite a large space, at least until it starts getting filled with things.
  It measures 12 ft. X 7 ft. It is 8 ft at high at its low side. Due to it being part of the addition the ceiling slants upward.
  We keep a small refrigerator in there to use for the loads of eggs our hens give us in the summer to sell.  There are also two small chest freezers. One is mine and one my dad brought with him when he moved in. Both are fairly full.  Then there are these fantastic shelves my son made me that go from floor to ceiling on the low end. There are also wire shelves on one wall above the veggie bin and trash/recycle bins.  Under those shelves I have pegboard holding my cast iron pans.  Just inside the doorway which is double door width, but no doors, is a small ladder hanging with my pots, and things.  Wire shelves on the wall above the freezers.
 For the most part things are organized. Shelves have small bins holding things that are not used as often.  Top shelves hold big items, dehydrator, stockpots, paper towels and dishes and vases.  Everything else needs to be sorted and straightened. I found some nice glass jars and chalkboard labels. I also use Tupperware for a few things.  The things that are not put in those containers such as spaghetti sauce jars and packets of things and cans are being reorganized this weekend.  I found some plastic bins for just this purpose.
So that is my plan, but we shall see how it goes. I will try to post pictures once I am done.

Anyone else feeling the fall cleaning bug??

More fun in my mailbox

I have been busy doing my Fall cleaning/ cleaning out.
So my week has been busy. Not getting to post as much as I'd like.

More fun came in my mailbox this week.  I have been addicted to reading Tasha Tudor books.   Will spend some time with a cup of tea and these books this evening.

Have a great day!

Interesting baking day

Thought it would be a great idea to get ahead on some baking for the freezer. So, since my granddaughter spent the night we planned to get some cookies made.
 We managed to get everything put together. Though we had a measurement issue with the baking soda so we had to save what we could and start over.  Just a minor setback but should have given me a clue.  We get the batter mixed up, preheated the oven and loaded up the first pan. That batch didn't come out very well. Cookies sort ran into each other. Added a little flour so the second batch was much better.  Unfortunately halfway through the baking I heard this loud buzzing sound. Looked over at the stove and saw smoke coming through the top burner. Shut the oven off and opened the door and saw the heating element was on fire. So I grabbed the sheet of cookies out and shut the door.  Didn't see anything happening so I opened it back up to find the element had burnt up.
I am grateful it didn't start a fire and hoping once the element is replaced it will be as good as new. I ended up transferring the half done cookies to the little toaster oven to finish. Put the rest of the batter in the fridge till another time.
That was enough excitement for my day.
How was your day?

Apples and more apples

Went out this morning and stopped by a farm a couple miles from our house to pick up these beautiful Stayman apples.
Using up some others I got from them earlier this month to make applesauce.  Loaded up the crockpot this morning and headed down to the basement to get some jars.  We all love homemade applesauce and I use it in my baked goods to make them nice and moist.

Some wonderful mail today

Some fun mail today. Just love Tasha Tudor and finally found a nice copy of Pumpkin Moonshine.  The flowers came from one of our egg customers and I thought they look pretty in the watering can. That came from my dad a couple years ago with mini daffodils in it.

A Productive day

  Today I spent some time in my sewing room.  Some of you know that it has been a very long time since I have been in that room to do any type of crafting, but a friend of mine had shared about some embroideries she was working on and the bug bit me.  I started getting some things prepared for stitching and I managed to get some hand stitching done.  I can't show you what I have made with that yet as it is going to a friend who reads my blog.  :)
   I am planning to visit with my granddaughters soon and thought "I haven't made anything in so long", so I was looking through my patterns and found a matching adult/child apron pattern.  I decided I would look through my stash and see what I could come up with.  This is the finished product and I hope she will enjoy using it when she plays with her little kitchen set or when she helps her Momma do some baking.

I also took a picture of the rose bush that is in full bloom outside my dining room window.  It also just happens to be under our bedroom window. I can look out every morning and enjoy the beautiful sight.  Of course I always have to clip a few to bring in for the table.  This is the most fragrant rose I have ever smelled.

That's all for now.
Until next time!

Thrift shop goodies

So ds and I head out to the thrift store in search of a used vhs player for my dad.
Of course there are always other things to look at while there.
We were fortunate to find a player and hoping it works for a while.
I also found a sweet little vase that I thought would look pretty with daffodils or tulips in it.
What do you think?

We are having a beautiful day here today.  The temps are in the mid 60's and by Sunday our high will be in the 70's.  I am most definitely looking forward to that.    Wishing you all an enjoyable Spring day!

Until next time may God bless you and keep you.                                                                                  

                                          

My flowers are blooming

       I didn't realize how much I enjoyed sunshine until we didn't have any for awhile.
So to take advantage of the sun and the cool breeze we are having I put a load of wash in to hang out later.  Hopefully I will have the sun long enough to get a few loads on the line.

    I took a couple of pictures of my flowers blooming inside and outside.
The daffodils seem to have taken over this little spot just on the edge of the woods.  It just so happens that they are growing where we buried our beloved Ruby, our first Boston terror.  ;-)  But we loved every bit of her terror and now we talk about the stories she brought into our lives.  It has been a long time since she passed but we keep her alive still in our memories of her.
I was happy to see all these flowers covering her.

My violets have finally come into bloom. These were once one and they split into two so I re-potted them. But the smaller of the two doesn't seem to be doing well.  I don't know if I will be able to save it but at least it has a couple of blooms on it.   The glass bottles were a gift from my son on my birthday this year.  I had planned to fill them with bath salts but they look nice on the widow sill so I will           probably just leave them there.                                                                                                      

          I have enjoyed our little visit so until next time may God bless you and keep you.

Spring things

I just love Spring.  This season and Autumn are my favorites I think. Not too hot, not too cold.
And I love all the colors that come with these two seasons.
 Today I thought I share a little of my Spring decor.  I love that I can decorate my Mom's hutch. The fact that it was her's means a lot to me.

I can remember where it was in our house when I was growing up and it just seems like a dear old friend.

Of course Spring puts me on the path to ridding the house of the dust and cobwebs that try to hide from me when I do my cleaning during the winter months. But in the Spring the windows can be opened to let in the clean, fresh air.  I suffer from allergies so my two favorite season do hinder a bit.
So this morning I decided to bring some of the pretties from outside in to brighten things up.

My daughter gave me the table cover embroidered with violets for my birthday a couple of months ago.
And of course I have to have something with ladybugs on it!  :)

I hope you have enjoyed my little visit today.  It is a quick one I know but today is a busy for me here.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time,have a great day!

The winner of my Spring giveaway

The winner of the Spring Fling Giveaway is......

Mary Beth @ smallcityscenes.  

I'll be emailing you for your address Mary Beth.   Hope you enjoy your package of Spring!

Decided after getting Mary Beth's things together to do a second drawing for another package.
The winner of that one is Nancy Jo.    I will be emailing you both.

Thank you to everyone else who joined in the fun, I wish I could send each of you something to celebrate the new season.    

Until next time!

Spring Giveaway

My poor, poor blog has been so neglected of late.   I always aim to do better but life gets in the way and I seem to fall short.

To celebrate Spring which seems to be so long in coming to my house, I am going to have a Spring Fling giveaway.  This will be a quick one and end on the 17th so I can get the package out to the winner by the 1st day of Spring on the 20th!

 To give you a hint as to what will be included in the package. If you like to read or to do hand embroidery then you won't be disappointed! I have also added a few other things to brighten up your Spring.  

If you'd like to be included just leave me a comment and I will put your name in the hat.

Hope you all are enjoying the warmer weather soon!

Until next time!

Moving on

   I am not so faithful to this blog as I had once hoped I would be.
But, being my blog I guess it is my decision how often to write or not.

   Priorities, these are the things we put in a special order in our lives.  My priorities have changed considerably over the past year or so.

When I was young my priorities included  my husband and my children and my household.
As I get older, there is something I don't like about that word,  my priorities have changed.
My children have grown, I got a job and then left said job in the name of priorities.  For this season of life my priorities are different now.  I have grandchildren now but they are not as far up the list as I'd like them.

I have been thinking a lot about the things I want to do but don't.  I need to use the technology I have to further my priorities instead of letting it be a priority.  I need to get back to doing the things I love and spending time with those I want to make a priority in my life.  I am learning all along the way and I am grateful for the journey.  I am thankful for the things God is using in my journey to teach me what I need and don't need in my life.

As I have had opportunity to spend time with my sister over the past year while she was battling cancer, I learned so much about myself. I hope I can take that knowledge and use it to become the woman God wants me to be.  

I hope to make blogging a priority somewhere along the line but I won't promise anything.

Until next time!

My oh My!

Well, I guess it is clear that I am not a very faithful blogger.  Would love to do better but just can't seem to make it a priority.  For you faithful few who follow me I will try to do better.

 Thought I'd share some photos I have of my fall decorations around the house.  The hutch belonged to my mother and I have decided I will decorate it for each season.  The little black chair on the right was her high chair.  :)

 This second one is a bit blurry. I guess my hand was a bit shaky.

Until next time!

Loving Springtime

Well, I see by the date of my last post over a month has past since I have been here.
But life has been busy and so have I.

 I went on a little trip over Mother's day to attend my youngest granddaughter, Emily's, dedication.  I loved spending time with her and her big sister and their parents too of course.   ;)

My sweetheart took me shopping for some plants to spruce up our flower garden.   We purchased a peony, a bleeding heart and a new rose bush.  I also found a fuschia  for hanging.    I had bought some impatiens and geraniums the day before to brighten up the front porch.
Love the effect of all the pretties.

I have been cleaning and de cluttering for some time now to prepare for my dad to come stay with us.  I am looking forward to having him here.  It has helped me to get motivated to get things pared down.  I started quite some time ago but this has helped to get me jump started again.  LOL!

Have a nice beef stew on the stove for supper.  Starting to smell very good in here!

Until next time.....