Okay~ I'm ready to tackle wallpapering myself!

I've got a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee and two shortbread chocolate chip cookies. What else does one need??!!!



Ummmm... Maybe some knowledge on how to wallpaper???

Nah! That's what YouTube videos are for. ((giggle))

If I'm not back in 24 hours...
Call the paramedics.
((hee-hee))

Wish me luck!

:> )

At last...

I have found a floral wallpaper I will commit to. ((giggle))





Even though it's quite gloomy outside and the lighting is bad, this wallpaper is perfect! It's a beautiful cabbage roses wallpaper with a beige background that looks like it belongs in this old, country farmhouse.
Also since I'm only doing one wall, I want it to be more visual. That other paper I was looking at just didn't do it.

But best of all... The price. It's almost half of the other one I was looking at! Heck, it's a no brainer.
" ♪ Because you know I'm all about that price, 'Bout that price... ♫ "

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. ((hee hee))

Happy Tuesday, all.

:> )

Happy Presidents' Day!

No, it's not President Washington's actual birthday today. But it's the day we as a nation celebrate it. The third Monday in the month of February.

So for me, today is a day to reflect on some of our greatest presidents...





and some of our not so greatest presidents.

Ummm...
**Insert photos here**

Hopefully, our next president will be added to the first category and not the second.
**fingers, toes and eyes crossed**


Technically according to the then-used Julian calendar, President Washington was born on February 11, 1731.
But in 1752, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732. In turn making him younger. A year younger? Hey, I'd take it!



♥
Well hello there, handsome.
I'll be celebrating your birthday on the 22nd.
♥

Teach American history.

:> )

It's Valentine's Day...

Sorry... But I really like the last one. Shhhh... ((giggle))

However you spend today, enjoy it!!


P.S.
It was 24 degrees below zero this morning!!
YIKES!!!

Man, I could have used a union suit for Valentine's Day... with hearts on it.
How romantic!


:> )

Yes...

It really is THAT cold outside today.

Stay warm and keep your furbabies inside.

Happy Saturday, all.

:> )

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

He was born on February 12th 1809 in Hardin County Kentucky and died April 15th 1865 at the age of fifty six.

His home state is Illinois and he ran a store in New Salem.

His party was Republican and he was president for four years from 1861-1865, when he was assassinated.

Abraham had four children, Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Lincoln, Willie Lincoln, Tad Lincoln. Only Robert Todd Lincoln survived into adulthood.

Lincoln was fond of pets, and owned horses, cats, dogs and a turkey. Even though he was strong, a talented wrestler, and proficient with an axe, he disliked killing and harming animals, even for food.

His birth mother died from milk sickness. (A rare disease caused by consuming dairy or meat products from cattle that have eaten any of various poisonous weeds.) His father remarried. Abraham was very close to his step mother.

He had deep depression, even though he would frequently tell stories and jokes to friends and family.

On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy. It was the crowning achievement of his administration. The original autograph was lost in the Chicago fire of 1871. Surviving photographs of the document show it primarily in Lincoln's own hand.

He never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue. This he stated most movingly in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

One week before his death, had a dream of someone crying in the White House, when he found the room; he looked in and asked who had passed away. The man in the room said the President. When he looked in the coffin it was his own face he saw.

He was the first president to be assassinated. It happened on Good Friday, April 14th 1865 at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. The assassin was John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South by murdering the president.

"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names - liberty and tyranny."

~Abraham Lincoln Address at Sanitary Fair, Baltimore, Maryland (April 18, 1864)



♥

Having one of those days? Need a smile?

You're welcome.

:> )

Transition ideas...

Man, how I love Pinterest and Houzz. You can get so many visuals. Both sites are so very helpful.







Just love this next one! What a great space to dine. All that beautiful natural light.



Okay. No more posts for today. I promise.

Or do I???
Bwah-ha-ha!!

:> )

Pining for the old, pine floorboards...

I've been kicking around another idea. I really need to refinish the old pine floorboards in the original part of this old farmhouse. I'm also dying to remove the sub floor(s) in the dining room to expose the original pine floorboards. But (I think) it's a platform sub floor that transitions from the kitchen to the dining room. In turn, making a step down into the keeping room.

The first transition...
Since the kitchen as it is now wasn't original to this old farmhouse, the opening between these two rooms was originally an outside wall. Ya follow me?


To show what I mean, here's Stella my runway model.
"Stella is wearing a lovely little black and white number..."



The second transition has about a 4" step up. Or down. Depending on your direction. **wink**

I'm sure there's a reason this was done. When looking up at the pine floorboards from the basement they look like they are in great shape! But again, there must be a reason why they added a platform sub floor.

Unless they preferred to have the step in a narrower doorway and not in the kitchen opening. Who knows?!



So should I tear into it like a monkey on a cupcake and remove everything to expose the floorboards?
My heart is telling me one thing while my head is telling me something else.
If all goes well, the step up would be going into the wider opening in the kitchen instead. I can handle that.

But I'll also have to remove the old barn siding and pray I can remove it all without destroying it.
I love the look and want it back up on the walls.



Then there's my beloved Americana flag wall. Approx. 4" of drywall would be exposed. I guess the best fix for that would be 6" baseboard molding. Which I would love! But it wouldn't match the rest of the house.



This is what I was obsessing thinking about as I practically inhaled pizza and chicken wings during the Super Bowl.
For the record I am not a football fan. Nope. Not at all. Neither is my sweet hubs.
The Super Bowl is an excuse for me to indulge in pizza and chicken wings and not feel guilty about it. It's the only football game I watch all year. Shhhh... No one needs to know that.
But I was squeezin' for Carolina.

As far as the commercials go... I'm not interested in those either. No cursing or tomato throwing, please. These are my opinions.

Actually, many of the ones I saw were too weird for me. (Too weird even for me? That's saying a lot.)
Did you see the PayPal one?! Yikes! Or Puppy-Monkey-Baby. My hubs response was "WT(fill in the blank) was that??!! I had no clue. So I couldn't give him an answer.

Thoughts on the halftime show... Again, no cursing or tomato throwing please. These are my opinions.

Coldplay? Isn't he Mr. Gweneth Paltrow? Sorry, I wasn't feelin' it.
Bruno Mars? Loved him! He's got the "old-timey" funk sound and moves down! Fantastic!
Beyonce? I do believe she has a wee one who will look up to her as a role model. She might want to put some pants on.

Lady Gaga did a beautiful job on our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.



Loved those shoes of hers, too.

Anyway, I know some of you who read this blog also has an old home. So I wondered if anyone else had an issue like ours?

Happy Monday, all!!

:> )

How do you spend your Saturdays?

I spent mine moving furniture around yet again. Strictly out of boredom, I'm sure of it.

I have an antique, small, petite platform rocker I can't bring myself to let go of. Not sure why either. I've kept it upstairs for almost a year now but felt it needed to come back down and put... somewhere. I think it's safe to say I need an "old furniture intervention."



It's just so sweet and I love the fabric on it. The problem is, it's not practical seating at all. That statement coming from a woman who has practically no practical seating in her home. ((giggle))



Truth be told that old, red glider on the left is THE most comfortable seat in the house. Between that glider and the wood stove, it will put you in a cozy, trance-like state during the winter months.



Poor Stella. She is desperately hoping her cast iron look alike will throw her little, rubber, green ball. Sorry, Stella. It's not gonna happen.

Have I mentioned how much I love this sweet, little girl??!! Look at that precious face!



Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!

:> )

TONIGHT on Early Work Mercantile...

Here's a peek at my February offerings!

Folk Art Dutch Hare



He's baaaaaackk!
Finnjamin the Amphibian



Little Hortense the Heart-Head



Just click on the banner below to go directly to my selling page.




Hope to see you there!!

:> )

Another Wallpaper Pretty...

Unfortunately I am SOL as far as that one particular floral wallpaper design I was looking for goes. I contacted many companies and came up with nothing. Oh well...

But one of the companies did give me some links to other floral designs I might be interested in. Out of all of them, I took a real shine to only one.

It is a sweet, rose trail design. In my eyes, perfect for an old, 1800's farmhouse.







The sample arrived today. So I grabbed my blue painters tape and camera and proceeded to run up the stairs to our bedroom with the sample.

Oooooh, I think this could be the one...



As I mentioned I only want to wallpaper one wall. Which happens to be the wall in these photos.



The only thing I'm not digging is some of the leaves (although match my wall color perfectly), have a sheen to them. I'm not a shiny kind of gal and prefer the wallpaper to be a matte finish.



Maybe I'll just have to get over the "shiny" leaves.



Well, that's it for now. I have to get back to my 6.5 lbs little, furry patient. ♥

Happy Wednesday, all.

:> )

Doggy Déjà vu...

Our poor, little old timer Gracie. She was acting a little odd on Sunday. Make that odder than normal. Chihuahuas in general are adorable, strange, little dogs.



When I picked her up and looked her over, I noticed a bump near her butt that wasn't there in the morning. I immediately knew what was going on. The dreaded infected anal gland. If any of you have ever had that happen to your furbaby, you can no doubt feel her pain. Man, I felt so bad for her!

I showed my sweet hubs and we both agreed we didn't want her to wait another day for normal vet office hours. We thought it best to bring her in for a Sunday evening emergency visit.

Now let me put this into perspective. Gracie does not do well at the vet's office. Ever. Period.
She may be a tiny 6.5 lbs, but she gets some kind of crazy, canine Incredible Hulk strength. I can't explain it. But I have witnessed it first hand once. Only once.

If you'd like to read about my vet visit with her back in 2008, I posted about it.
CLICK HERE for that crazy story and enjoy.

When my sweet hubs asked me to go along for the ride (she also does not do well in the car), the look on my face answered his question.

So off to the vet my sweet hubs and Gracie did go. About 45 minutes later, I see them pull in the driveway. I ran outside to see how it went. "Well???" I asked, "How did she do??"

He started to laugh as he scrolled through a few photos on his phone showing me this...



Her new nickname is Gracie "Lector." (Remember the movie Silence of the Lambs?)

Yep, it was Doggy Déjà vu all over again! Needless to say, Gracie didn't disappoint and did a 2008 repeat performance... The Houdini move and all!

My sweet hubs said the vet techs couldn't believe how she whipped that muzzle off her face with her front paws.
Eventually my sweet hubs got it back on her face and the vet was able to drain and clean out her little, butt gland.

I can only imagine how painful that was and still is. But it had to be done. She's still ticked at my sweet hubs for bringing her there.

So I've been giving her lots of extra love and attention. Stella isn't dealing very well with that.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Remember to keep an eye on those butt glands.
Not yours. Your dog's.

:> )

Here I go again...

I'm back on a wallpaper mission.

I think it was about 8 or 9 months ago I mentioned trying to find a certain wallpaper pattern I had in our bedroom at our old house. It was a beautiful antique rose pattern. I contacted just about every wallpaper company. But came up snake eyes. They no longer made it.

As I'm sitting here today still congested and feeling like cr*pola as the lake effect snowstorm is pounding our area, I've been spending time on Pinterest. My oh my how I LOVE Pinterest!!



Well, I found another floral pattern that I am completely smitten with and must find! But I have no idea how to find out who makes this pattern. Heck, or if they even make it anymore!

Here it is.



Now if your not the antique floral wallpaper kind, don't answer the next question. But if you are...

Isn't that wallpaper beautiful??!!!

I'll bet my sweet hubs will be "thrilled" with floral wallpaper in the bedroom again. For the record, it's been almost 16 years since we've had floral wallpaper. It's time! Besides, I only want to do one wall. I think he'll survive.

Happy Tuesday, all.

P.S.
If anyone has any info on this wallpaper, PLEASE be so kind as to let me know. I'll be much obliged.

:> )

Man, am I stubborn...

I was determined to make my "bakery" sign.

So I sneezed and coughed all over, but I got it done.
YaY **ACHOO** me!! ((giggle))
Like I said, I'm stubborn.



It didn't come out too bad either. Especially since I could barely keep my watery peepers open.

Awwww, thanks for the get well wishes. ♥
It's just a really annoying sinus/head cold. I'll be fine and back to my ol' self next week.


Hey Jinxie, here's my Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe. It's pretty basic and old school. But it'll cure whatever ails you!



To make the stock.
Toss into stew pot the following:
whole chicken fryer
3 celery stalks
3 whole carrots (Don't peel)
2 whole onions
4 chicken boullion cubes
Parsley flakes
S&P to taste
Fill pot with water and cover.



Low simmer all of the above for 2 hours. During those 2 hours, I skim off some of the chicken fat.

This next part is a little time consuming:
Remove onions, celery stalks and carrots.
Remove chicken from pot and pull meat off the bones.
Place the meat back into stew pot.

Add:
3 chopped celery stalks
3 chopped carrots (don't peel)
I like to add more parsley flakes.

Cover and simmer for another hour.

Cook up some Polish Kluski noodles. Or noodles of your choice. But trust me. The kluskis are the way to go.



There you have it! I've always made my chicken soup this way. As did my mother and grandmother.

If I could take it intravenously, I would!

Happy Saturday, all.

:> )

Now it's my turn...

I spent all last week taking care of my sweet hubs as he battled a bad cold. The poor thing. He looked and felt like h-e double hockey sticks. So I made him a big pot of chicken soup to help ease his misery.
It's seems every January he catches some kind of cootie.

When I woke up this morning feeling like h-e double hockey sticks I knew it was time to make yet another pot of chicken soup. Man, I thought I was in the clear, too! Drat!

Ummm... To all my dear vegan friends, please divert your eyes now!



So I will wallow in my cootie misery (and chicken soup) as I think about all the things I should be doing. But don't have the energy to do them.

On a happier note... I will spend my time watching The Three Stooges movie. Yeah, I know it's been out for a few years. What can I say? I'm a late bloomer.



If you are not a Stooges fan, this movie is not for you. But if you most "soiently" are...

You must see it!
I swear, Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos and Will Sasso channeled their inner Three Stooges. They definitely nailed it.

Silly, slapstick humor is the best medicine. That and chicken soup.

See you in the funny papers.

:> )

Today in United States History...

In 1790 President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address to the assembled Congress in New York City.



Teach.

♥