Look what I won!!!!!!

 Shannon, over at Cozy Home Scenes, had a drawing a few weeks ago and I entered and won a brand new Rubbermaid 2 bin recycler!  Can you believe it?  It arrived yesterday in a huge box but it was all put together...."no assembly required" .

It has 2 bins.........

The bottom tips forward and has a rim that snaps down and locks the bag in place.  

The top has a handle that allows it to be detached from the unit and carried like a basket.

 I guess I can get rid of my ugly cardboard boxes now! 

Thank you Shannon!  She's got another drawing right now that ends tonight.  It's for  Making Memories Digital Scrapbook Software.  Hope you all have a Fortunate Friday!

It's all about C O L O R............

It's getting B I G G E R and B R I G H T E R  and it fits in my newly finished basket.  I made the handles for it yesterday.  I love my basket and will probably make many more as I have 2 projects in there!  I think I will call it the Amazing Rainbow Basket and write up my first tutorial ever!    There may not be pictures of stitches but there will be a clear and easy  pattern to follow as the one I started with wasn't so I had to strike out on my own.

There's lots of color outside too............

I know this is blurry but there's a sweet brown butterfly with red veins and blue front.....GORGEOUS creature....obviously this picture does not do it justice!

and of course my trusty sidekicks Nitty and Annie (alias Mutt and Jeff) who refuse to face the camera!  I hope you all have a colorful Thursday! 

Wishful Wednesday.....wishing I had some energy! LOL!

It's been a lazy day.  I think I wore myself out yesterday...that's me...every other day I have energy.  But I've been doing mundane tasks too which I'm sure you're not interested in hearing about.  I did manage to finally get the notebooks for my patterns and lists I told you about last week.   I got these for a little over $2 at the Dollar General.  I didn't want the "class schedule" on the front but I noticed it was in a plastic sleeve so I removed it.  Then I got to thinking that I could replace it with something prettier....hmmmm.   So I dug through my scrapbooking papers and found these.

I'm not even a scrap booker but the pretty papers begged me to buy them....I'd find a use for them later and I did!  Not only was there the plastic sleeve on the front but there was one on the back too.  I trimmed 2 matching sheets of paper for each notebook and VOILA!

Much prettier now aren't they?  Then I got on the PC and printed off labels for the spines of the notebooks. 

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what to use to glue the paper onto the plastic.  I thought I had some E6000 craft glue but I couldn't find it.  Does anyone know what will work to glue paper to plastic?  Can you tell I don't craft too much?  I'm trying though!  Or should I use something else to label the spines with?  Any info would be appreciated.  I have one notebook for book lists.  Here's an example of Marion Chesney from Wikepedia.  She's M.C.Beaton and writes an English mystery series staring Agatha Raisin.  It lists a brief biography, all her books separated by series and all her series in order.  I do this with all series books that I want to read.   I also have an ongoing list of books I want to read.

One for crochet instructions..........

and one for knitting patterns.............

 

As you can see, without labels they're going to be hard to distinguish so I'll need to get labels affixed somehow.  I have a label maker but I don't care for the looks of it but if necessary that's what I'll use.

Hope you had a more productive day than me!  I'm going to try and do some baking this evening but we'll see who wins out; my tiredness or my sweet tooth! LOL!  Happy Wednesday! 

Monday's meanderings and into Tuesday.........off to a good start, I think

The basket is done except for the handles which I'll do tonight probably.  Hopefully this will be big enough to hold my "current" crocheting project and yarns and handy enough to cart from room to room when I  need to.  Now I  just have the ripple as a big project and I can start a little one.   I learned that 2 big projects going at the same time does not give you a sense of accomplishment for a L O N G  time! LOL!  So, one big project and then little ones to fill that "satisfaction space" in between.

I'm blogging later because I discovered I need to get out early in the morning when it's cool and I have the energy to do the work outside.  I need to get my top priorities done first as there is always time to fit in the little tasks later.    I weeded some more, fetched more rocks from the "woods" and laid more mulch.

 I also emptied the weeds and plants from 2 big pots that I had.  One had dirt in it but the other one I had emptied.  They're so big that I didn't want to use dirt to fill the whole thing so I threw in plastic pots that I had saved to take up some space.  And yes...I eat a lot of yogurt. 

 

Below are the day lilies I removed from the one pot.  they are all root bound and you will see that once upon a time I used plastic bags and styrofoam peanuts to fill up some of the pot.  I would not suggest that as I am always finding those darn peanuts around the yard from repotting.  I have to sift through and find them and it's a pain.  The plastic containers are a much better idea and whoever gave it to me...thank you!  After filling the bottom with plastic I filled it with dirt I had on hand.  I keep a plastic garbage can in the garage and when a plant dies or it's the end of the season for the annuals in containers I dump the dirt into it.  I reuse it in my plantings and usually layer fresh soil on top if necessary and/or fertilize.  If you've noticed, "soil" at the store for containers is pretty pricey!

  

These are the day lilies I took out of the pot....as you can see they "stand alone" they are so root bound!  And there are my peanuts and plastic bags in among the roots.

 I planted both pots with these sweet white and purple striped petunias.  They're a little "tuckered out" from being uprooted and transplanted but I'm sure they will perk up and fill out the pots and hopefully hang over the edge and drape down a bit.  

  So, there's my 2 pots filled with petunias flanking my sidewalk or rather nature path....Ha! Ha!

Some of my rubber mulch washed down the driveway during that "frog strangler" we had the other night.  Does it ever end?  I guess I'll have to "corral"  it there somehow but not so someone trips over it.  Miles to go before I sleep........... 

 Hope you're having a good Tuesday!

Moving right along............like a slug that is!

Saturday was a very productive day and since I post the Sunday Spin on Sunday's I thought today I would show you what I accomplished Saturday....especially in light of the fact that yesterday I barely got anything done! LOL!  But it was R n' R day after all.
Saturday I got out early since it has been so hot here.  I got more weeding, mulching, and rock laying done.  In case I haven't told you, I am making a curved path to my front door.  I thought this would be less expensive than hiring a cement contractor to build a sidewalk but I'm beginning to wonder!?!?  Between the labor, time it's taking and the price of the rubber mulch I'm not so sure anymore.

  Below is/was my birdbath but when I picked it up off the base to go clean it......

This is what happened................

I guess I should have brought it in over the Winter.  It probably got water in it and then froze....what was I thinking?  Obviously I just wasn't!  Oh well, I put a cement circle on top of the base and I think I'll get a trailing, flowering plant to set there.  As for the "pieces" above...anyone have any ideas what I could do with them?  You know me...I can't throw them out.  I was thinking either crack them into pieces for a mosaic or I could use the middle part as a trivet and the outer part as a collar around some plant in the garden.   
I think I mentioned that I've been trying to work outside each day for 1 hour and then inside for 1 hour on projects that aren't just daily or weekly maintenance.  So, after my 1 hour outside I came in and did some thorough cleaning of my family room for an hour.  While cleaning I watched the pre-derby activities on the telly.  By now I had closed the windows and turned on the ac since it was hovering around 88 and humid.

 

I dusted, vacuumed, and put lots of stuff away that was covering about every surface in this room.  I threw away some and took all the "fireplace" equipment out to the porch for the summer and leftover logs back out to the woodpile outside.  The picture above on the wall is old sheet music that is framed and the song title is "If You Saw All That I Saw in Arkansas".....I found it in the back area of an old hardware store.  I love it!

This is my "craft" bookcase.....I know.....with all these books you'd think my whole house would be homemade! LOL!  The bookcase I got at a junk store for $12 which I thought was good for a bookcase...in fact everything in my house is "used" not new....I need to paint the book case but so far I haven't done it....another one for the grass catcher list.

W hen the ac is on I light my candles.  I told you when it gets hot in the South, I treat it just like Winter in the North except for no fire in the fireplace...LOL!

And then it was time for the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby!  No mint julep or fancy hor'deurves but this suits me just fine!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Sunday Spin.......and not the political type either!

Good morning!  I want to share a very special and talented group with you today.  These gals are diva's in the blogosphere.  First is a young, stay at home Mom who does things with fabric that are so gorgeous.  She is Maureen Cracknell  of Maureen Cracknell Handmade.    She does marvelous things with fabric and also features new internet fabric shops that are carrying the latest quality fabrics and designers. And did I mention  she likes color?

She's so creative and  has her own shop on her website and makes many custom items like her famous "crowns" and pillows.......or even a crown pillow

 

 One of her latest projects were some beautiful aprons she made for the women of Haiti.  How she manages a family, webshop, children, blog and then make for charity too is amazing but she does!  There are directions on her website on how to make Aprons for Haiti and where to send them etc. if you're interested.

 Maureen also has drawings for fabric weekly on her site from her many sponsors.  If you're looking to make an income from your blog this woman would be a great role model!  On top of that she replies to your comments.....as busy as she is she finds the time.  She is not only extremely talented but kind and selfless too.   Thanks for being YOU, Maureen and continued success in all you do!

Next on our Sunday drive is Posie Gets Cozy  which is Alicia Paulson a woman who "likes to create things" and create she does!  She and her husband, a corgi and 2 cats live in Portland, Oregon and have the coziest home and lifestyle.  She knits and crochets beautifully............

 

She abounds with great ideas for making the most mundane tasks special and meaningful...........below she took pictures of their favorite recipes and then affixed them to the back of the recipe card and then laminated them for posterity....just the very favorite ones.  I need to do that!  She made it special and insured they were the right size cards and found a special box to hold them.....she turned it into a meaningful ritual which is part of the secret to "living in the moment". We need more people like Alicia to show us the way.

Speaking of.....here is one of her beautiful meals.........

Like I said, Alicia Paulson is well-known and I certainly didn't do her justice in these few pictures.  She has the most beautiful embroidery in either a downloadable pdf or a kit you can purchase.  Also, a great tote and a crocheted baby blanket.  Trust me.....you will adore her blog....I do!

Moving along down the road now we run into Susan from  Homeroad   Susan is a teacher, mother of 4 girls and wife and an unbelievable DIY'er!  She's amazing!!  I swear, this gal could take a roll of toilet paper and turn it into something pretty and practical.  She makes me tired just looking at all she accomplishes!  But at the same time she is truly inspiring and motivating!  When money is tight for people she shows us that you can make beauty out of the humblest materials.  Take a look........before........

and after............Woo Hoo...would you look at that?  I barely recognized it!  Didn't I tell you this woman is AMAZING?!?!?!

She makes me speechless with her talent and that takes a lot!  Those of you who know me will agree! LOL!

Stop by and visit these divas of the blogging community and I'm sure you will be overwhelmed with inspiration and happiness as I am every time I visit them!

Have a wonderful, restful and renewing Sunday.  Thank you all for your comments...they mean so much to me!  I have met some wonderful people through this blog and I hope to meet many more.