Sunday, April 29, 2012

A Sneak Peek At My Latest Firewood Folks...

available tomorrow night on TDIPT Mercantile!

Photobucket

I also created another Primitive Canada Goose!
**honk**honk**
Fly on over to my Countryfolk Keepsakes selling site to see him.Photobucket

I'll see you over there!!
:> )

Thursday, April 26, 2012

"Do not go where the path may lead...

Photobucket
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
~Waldo Emerson

Enjoy nature.
:> )

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

It's Firewood Folks Storybook Time..

YaY!!!
Hmmm... I wonder who they could be??
Photobucket
I'll give you a few hints.
One has an extremely hairy "relative" and the other plays croquet.
They will be offered on TDIPT Mercantile come May 1st.

:> )

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Ahhhh, comfort food...

Photobucket
If you're looking for a health conscious recipe, move along to the next blog, there's nothing to see here.
But if you're not, continue reading.
((giggle))
Who wouldn't love a delicious bowl of beef stew on a cold, dreary day?

This Paula Deen recipe is one of my many favorites of hers.

Old-Time Beef Stew
Ingredients
2 pounds stew beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.
Then slather some butter on a slice of homemade bread and enjoy!
NOTE: I tweak it a bit. I double the water and add more cornstarch. I add potatoes and peas. I also chop up the garlic and toss it in.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to put on a pair of stretchy sweat pants. After strapping on the feed bag and digging into this, I'm gonna need 'em.
**burp**

:> )

Monday, April 23, 2012

Smiling is infectious...

Photobucket
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.

(I bet you're smiling right now)
Happy Monday everyone!!
:> )

Friday, April 20, 2012

Uh-oh. I had an A.D.D. moment...

As I was baking some chocolate chip cookies this afternoon,

Photobucket
my brain wandered and I thought to myself, "You should take a peek and see what kind of sub floor is under that blue carpeting. But just pull back a tiny corner..."

Photobucket

Ooops.
((giggle))

Oh man, I can hear my hubs now. As he walks through the door and our furbabies greet him, he'll ask them, "What is your CRAZY mother up to now?!
Maybe with a little luck I can blind him with those tantalizing chocolate chip cookies and he won't notice.
:> )

Happy Friday...

Photobucket


Have a terrific weekend, everyone!!

Remember to enjoy the sunshine!

If you don't have any sunshine in your parts... make your own.

:> )

Thursday, April 19, 2012

These are so sweet...

you might get a toothache.



Photobucket



Photobucket



Photobucket


I stitched them up and am offering them on my selling site.
Just click on the "Other Needfuls" button below.

Photobucket


:> )


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

He's goin' swingin'...

He's gonna swing in the crowd.


Photobucket


And he'll be clingin',
And floatin' high as a cloud.


Photobucket


Rest in peace, Mr. Clark.
Thank you for the memories.
We'll miss you.

Are "Smart Phones" Really Making Us Smarter...

Photobucket


Photobucket


I experienced this at a Dunkin Donuts.
Photobucket


Photobucket


If this wasn't so sad and true, it would be funny.
Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


My personal favorite...
Photobucket


I may be one of only a handful of people who chooses not to own a cell phone or smart phone.


Call me old fashioned but I'd rather stick with two tin cans and a string.
((giggle))

:> )

Monday, April 16, 2012

Thanks, Steve...

As I mentioned a month ago, Steve the Chipmunk is back.


He's been very busy. I've counted a total of 11 holes he's dug in our lawn and that's just on the south side of our home.


He's also made a hole in our barn...


Photobucket


Under our split rails...


Photobucket


This one he even laid a little "support beam" across the top. He must be watching Mike Holmes on Sunday nights.


Photobucket


But the biggest hole he made is under our living room picture window. Oh and I don't mean in the ground under our picture window. I mean directly under our picture window where the window meets the brick.


When I walked out on our front porch a week ago, there was Steve. As he looked over at me, he nonchalantly jumped up onto the old vintage bin I have under the picture window. He then sprung off like Spider Man and landed vertically on the brick under the picture window. He shimmied up a few inches then disappeared below the window and into the brick!


After the shock of what I just saw wore off, I heard myself say aloud, "Why that little b*st*rd!" I then walked over to the window and took a look. Sure enough, there was the hole. For now, hubs slapped some mortar in there to keep him out.


We know this old farmhouse is in need of new windows and now thanks to Steve we have to start with the living room picture window. Since this is an unexpected and costly expense, he owes us big time!
I hope he knows how to lay down vinyl plank flooring.

Happy Monday everyone!
:> )

Saturday, April 14, 2012

"To character and success, two things,

Photobucket


contradictory as they may seem, must go together-humble dependence and manly independence; humble dependence on God and manly reliance on self."
~William Wordsworth


Thursday, April 12, 2012

I did some shopping...

Nope, not clothes shopping.
I did some home improvement shopping!


Yippee!!


Okay, I think I've got everything I'm going to need to finally get rid of the infamous blue carpeting in the den.
I'm not sure what this sub floor is going to look like once I tear it up. But I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of prep work to make sure it's in good shape for the vinyl planks to adhere.


Photobucket


Just for sh*ts and giggles I laid some of the planks down to see how they'll look.


Photobucket


Darla is impressed.


Photobucket


The closest Lowes I went to was sold out of the flooring. Before hoofing it to another Lowes, I asked the kid to call to make sure they had some in stock.


Man, at $4.15 a gallon for gas, I wasn't about to travel to another Lowes if they didn't have any. Which brings another question to mind. Why is no one complaining about gas prices now like they did back in 2008? Not a peep. Does everyone have memory loss? (I digress)


Anyhoo,I'm not sure when I'm going to tackle this project.


At the moment we have an issue with our living room picture window and Steve the Chipmunk. He has become our very own furry Dennis the Menace. I should have known something was up when I saw him running around in a striped shirt and overalls.


I'll keep you posted.
:> )

"A pessimist sees...

Photobucket


only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them." ~Leonard Louis Levinson


I'm a cloud walker.
How about you??
:> )


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Am I one of those crazy people...

who wishes their dog a happy birthday and puts a ton of photos of that dog on their blog??

Yes, I most certainly am!!!
((giggle))


Happy 12th Birthday to my beloved Darla!!!
YaY!


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Seven years ago, she welcomed her new baby sister with open paws.


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


We brought Darla home first, then Hannah a week later.


Photobucket


Photobucket


They were like two peas in a pod and were never apart.
Hannah was the brains, Darla the brawn.


Photobucket


She really misses her sister now. When Hannah got sick last year, Darla literally stayed by her side right up until we had to say goodbye to her.


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


She is so awesome!!
:> )


Photobucket


Two months ago I was worried she wouldn't make it to her 12th birthday. But she has come a long way.
Hopefully the good Lord above will give me a few more years with her. I'll cherish whatever time He gives me.


Monday, April 9, 2012

I did a Lowes and Home Depot run this weekend...

Oh my! I LOVE these stores!
I become completely hypnotized as soon as I pull into the parking lot.


"Oooooh... Look at all the shiny things!"


Photobucket


My mission was to check out the the vinyl floor planks I want to put down in our den. Not only do they sell them by the box, they sell them individually. So I grabbed a few in two of the three colors they offered. But it was slim pickins. Seems everyone is buying this stuff.


Here's "Gunstock."
Nice color, but dark. With the old barn siding on the walls, I feel it will be too dark for the room.
It's hard to see in these photos, but they are textured.


Photobucket


Here's "Golden Oak." It's a similar color to the original old 1800's pine plank flooring in the living and dining room.
It will also lighten up the room and make it appear larger.
A nice braided rug would look terrific.


Photobucket


Not only did my hubs agree with me on the lighter color, (Quick, somebody catch me! I'm going to faint!)
**thud**
George gave a nod to the lighter color too.


Photobucket


I'll be counting down the days until the blue carpeting is gone!!


Photobucket


YaY!!
:> )