Landscaping, book review and "before and after"

 It was a gorgeous day yesterday with sunshine, blue skies and temps in the 70's.  I was trying to take a picture of a cardinal singing his little heart out but when I got the camera focused  he was gone!  A few minutes later there were several female cardinals that showed up and they were wondering where he went too! 

Here's a little part of my big landscaping project.........

 Those are lilies coming up.  I just laid cardboard and newspaper around them and I had a couple bags of mulch  leftover from last year so I do a little at a time else the paper blows away.

Here is my rosemary and oregano that doesn't die out in the Winter and do I love that!  I've got it in an old metal wash tub with a Southern exposure which I think really helps.  The sun heats that metal up and keeps the roots and soil warm in the Winter.  I used to have the same luck when I planted next to the dryer vent!

I bought this planter full of bulbs at Wal-Mart for $10.00 and it had some purple crocus and  another  purple flower that has since died out...maybe it was grape hyacinth and of course the daffodils.  Little did I know there were tulips too!  What a nice surprise when they opened up!  That was a great deal as I got 5 different types of bulbs and 5 of each type that I can replant.  I couldn't have bought the bulbs that cheap!

The regular hyacinths are so heavy with bloom they're falling over.  I had them in the house for a bit and my whole family room smelled like them.

Below is the book I just finished.  It was published in 1949, the year I was born and is a collection of essays that were published in a magazine or newspaper back then.  It's divided by the seasons and fascinated me because it was when I was alive!  Although some of the essays were about his childhood the photos were current and that's what blew me away!  Some of his memories jogged some of my own.  It wasn't a novel or a thriller but along with the photos I found it very enjoyable.  I learned about how they made dried apples and  apple pies from them and he explained "shovel sledding" like in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" and many other interesting tidbits from the past.  I love farm life especially back then before pesticides and insecticides and corporate farming.  Those really were "the good old days"!  

This picture reminds me of where I grew up although I think the author was from the East as they talked of sugar maple season.

and this one.........I  miss the trees how they used to be everywhere and along the fence lines...now they get rid of all the trees so as not to waste one bit of land for planting.  I think they're greedier now or they just have to compete too hard to make a dollar.

Below really reminds me of how I spent my Summers.  Perish the thought that video games would have been around back then....I would've missed out on so much! 

See the kerosene lamp?  Many rural areas didn't have electricity even then.....yes, I'm old! LOL!  It took many years for the people living in small towns and rural areas to catch up to the big cities.  I can remember in high school, in the late 1960's that my Aunt and Uncle who I spent my Summers with, were just then getting rotary dial phones.  They had party lines and operators and you had to crank the handle to get the operator to come on and place your call for you.  The operators were much more than operators though.  They could confirm weather warnings, deny or substantiate rumors and even help you find out where your child was.  Party lines were not very private but it sure kept people connected whether they wanted to be or not~

The picture below reminds me of my Uncle's meat market except instead of sitting out front the farmers would be in the back where  my Uncle sat up on a high stool with a big counter in front of him making his bologna.  He ground his own meat and added the spices and smoked it himself in a smoker out back.  I could watch him stuff it for hours and in those days I think it was real "gut" they used for the casing.  Meanwhile, the farmers would sit around the cast iron wood stove back there and talk farming and I would hang on their every word!    

Okay, enough walking down memory lane....I have a before and after...a couple, as a matter of fact.  I ordered a sample packet of milk paint as I've been wanting to try it and here's the results.........

BEFORE

 

AFTER

 I used milk paint from Miss Mustard Seed and I have not waxed it yet so it looks pretty chalky.  She also said you didn't have to use a blender to mix it but I definitely will next time!  The little basket was just one of those cheap baskets you see at garage sales but now it looks like a miniature clothes basket and I'm thinking it would look cute with some tiny little clothes folded up in it and sitting on a shelf in my laundry room.  The shelf needs a second coat but you get the idea.  Milk paint is a powder you dissolve in warm water and it only lasts a few days so you don't want to mix more than you'll use.  Since I'm just experimenting and had sample packets I chose little items.  Milk paint was used on many items, inside and out, "back in the day".  This color is Luckett's Green.  I did the clothespin so I can write the name of the color on it...my own version of a paint chip! LOL!  I didn't have enough paint for the picture frame as you always need 2 coats of milk paint.  Stay tuned for the next color experiment and have a great evening!

Sock KAL is over and I didn't even know it! LOL!

A day late and a dollar short!  But I did finish my second pair of socks and now I am onto my 3rd pair using DPN's not Magic Loop.  I ordered the tutorial from Stacy  at Very Pink.  I took my first sock knitting tutorial from her on Magic Loop and made 2 pair so she's a great teacher if she can teach me!  You buy the pattern but then there are videos on You Tube that go along with it.  I highly recommend her if you are trying to learn all by yourself.  She's on Ravelry also.

 I spent the afternoon buying the patterns I needed, printing them off and putting them in plastic sleeves.  These are Jill Draper's Hudson Valley Winter Socks.....LOVE!  I was going to take her class on Creative Bug which is a really neat site where they offer classes in everything by great designers and teachers BUT they wanted $17.00 to sign up for a class without subscribing for a year but then when I went to sign up it went to $25.00 for a single class and then they would automatically bill me each month unless I canceled!  I DON'T THINK SO!   Oprah tried to do that to me also by automatically resubscribing me each year and I said "absolutely not"!  So, I bought her pattern instead and decided to take the DPN tutorial first and then I would tackle Jill's pattern.  The thing I liked about these socks is that the toe and heel are separate because they wear out first and this way you can knit a new heel and/or toe instead of getting rid of the whole sock.  Brilliant, I tell you, brilliant!

  I also needed supplies so I went to purchase some DPN's (double pointed needles) and I knew the sizes I needed but when I went to Knitpicks to order they had different lengths too!  Now I was befuddled!  So, I called them and had a nice conversation with a woman who answered my questions.  But I still need  to place the order.  At the same time, I was wondering about yarns and weights and if I could substitute some of the yarns I have instead of buying more.  Well, Knitpicks had that too.....it was a link to the Craft and Yarn Council  where I printed off 2 charts; one on yarn care symbols and the other on yarn weights.

I dug out my magazine on yarn edgings for towels that I was going to try and I thought I had to poke holes and do a blanket stitch first but not so.  These are crocheted and then hand sewn onto the towels.  I really wanted to learn how to do pillowcase edgings so I think I will go do that instead.  I know with the pillowcases you do poke a hole and do the blanket stitch first.

So, thanks to Pinterest and You Go Girl (who has 4 marvelous tutorials from making the pillowcase all the way through to crocheting the edging on) I think I'm good to go now!  Isn't hers gorgeous? 

And last but not least.........my kitchen chair pads which call for yet another size of DPN knitting needles 

 And then there's the material for the pillowcases.........I think I better go get a job! LOL!

Now, off to order supplies...thank goodness the internet never closes! LOL!  Have a great night and a great day tomorrow!

OM'Gosh........I am tired!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!  I did even though I cooked and washed walls my reward was a good meal at the end of the day!  No, not jelly beans although they're mighty tasty!  I picked this little blue dish up at the Dollar store on Saturday and it was really only a $1.00 and it's plastic but you'd never know it if you didn't touch it.  It's just like the glass ones.....how can you go wrong for "a buck"?

 Plus, I needed a handy place for my jelly beans!

 It was a dark and rainy morning but then the sun came out and it was beautiful on Easter.  The girls were all watching their favorite t.v. station.........WILDLIFE......outside our door! LOL!

 Thank goodness the sun came out so the Easter Brunch wasn't canceled..............

 Meanwhile, Mom was hard at work moving furniture, washing walls and spackling and finally got some paint on them today....I told you I was slow!  Can you even tell the difference?  I'm going from a mint green to a "Creamy Buttermilk".  Trust me...those walls hadn't been painted since the house was built 40 some years ago, I think.  Mud would have made them look better....I couldn't fail!
This was just after washing and spackling.........

This is after painting............see in the right hand corner you can tell the difference

This picture shows it better where I stopped until I rearrange the furniture so I can get the rest of the one wall....only 3 more to go and then of course the rest of the house!  AHHHHH!!!!!

Actually I don't mind painting and I'm darn good at it if I do say so myself.  I never even tape and not one drop on floor or woodwork.  I'm dynamite with a 2" sash brush!  It's just boring work.  I could not do it for a living unless I listened to books on tape or something.
Here was my reward at the end of the day with a few side dishes of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and custard pie.  This was Pioneer Woman's (Ree Drummond ) ham glaze and it was a winner!  I'll post on my recipe page...later....I am REALLY tired! LOL!

I thank everyone who has been SO kind and left comments...I live for them!  I will try and get around to all of you tonight and tomorrow in between "wall duty"! LOL!  Have a great evening!

The neighbors had a party!

I wasn't invited and they weren't even home!!!  These were some of the earliest guests to arrive....vultures!  Their name says it all as they started feasting without waiting for the others to arrive.

 I think it was the first time this little one had ever seen a vulture and his Mother obviously hadn't taught him it's not polite to stare.

Pretty soon other guests started arriving.......

And then the feasting started in earnest although by then the vultures had already filled themselves up...on either a rabbit or a squirrel.  I couldn't really tell.  But they don't kill anything....they're very patient and wait until something dies or is killed by something or someone else.

 Time for a family photo or rather a family of one as the others couldn't stop stuffing their mouths long enough to pose!

I was surprised the pictures turned out as good as they did as I was taking them from inside the house.

It was bread making day too (least you think all I do is stand around all day taking animal photos ,although I can see why you might think that). 

I also made a custard pie and it is SO good and SO easy!  I used to make this years ago and lost the recipe.  I think originally it was on the side of the Bisquick box although I remember there being coconut in it but it was the same technique and super simple and items you probably already have in your house without going to the store!  Love those kind of recipes!  I used to get people calling me saying they were an hour away and did I mind if they stopped?  AHHHHH!  Around here there is nothing open after 8:00 p.m. and that's usually when people would arrive from the North....just driving through....yeah right!  So, I learned to always have some items on hand to whip up something fast and good.   This is SUPER fast and SUPER good! 

 This particular recipe is called:

 Magic Crust Custard Pie

1/4 Cup butter

4 eggs

3/4 Cup sugar

1 pinch of salt

2 Cups of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 Cup flour

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds.  Pour into a buttered pie pan/dish.  Make sure it's your largest one because I tried one of mine and it overflowed!  Yes, there was a mess.  If you have a deep dish use that one or if necessary a casserole dish will work.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  The flour settles to the bottom and makes its own crust and the top is crunchy.  It's great while it's still warm or chilled....either way it's a "keeper"!  I wish all my recipes were "magic" recipes like this one! 

Happy Easter Eve to all and to all a good night!

I can't stand it anymore!!!

My bedroom walls are what I'm referring too.  I painted the ceiling last year and was getting ready to paint the walls when I had some unexpected company and had to put everything away and then I got busy with other things but as I stated above..........I Can't Stand It Anymore!!!!!  I had to go to the vet and pick up Nitty's "pricey" food....they're so nice there.  They felt so bad about how expensive it is that they gave me a free pet candle!  The vet says he's complained to Hill's Science Diet all the time about the cost but to no avail.  I'm researching to see if I can find a less expensive alternative as I'm not sure I can really afford this although Nitty is doing great! 

Anyway, I spent last night on Pinterest and also on Miss Mustard Seed and was so inspired that I bought paint today to paint my bedroom!  Because I want to sell my house I was just going to focus on cleaning and clearing and organizing and not get involved in major renovations. I've already updated all HVAC, new roof, new washer and dryer...all the majors.  But meanwhile, I have to live here and I really believe in living joyfully  in the moment as none of us knows what lies ahead.  I also had a very "foretelling" dream  last night and when I realized what it truly meant it was like a light bulb that went off in my head.  I also got some divine inspiration which I will share down the road.   Soooooo...needless to say I went to Wal-Mart, since I was close by at the vet, and bought paint and supplies and an Easter ham with all the ingredients for my side dishes and dessert.
 Here's the color, Creamy Buttermilk and that says it all.  It's Glidden flat latex and although I love color I will be adding color in other ways and then whoever buys my house will have a neutral background to deal with and I'll have a freshly painted room to enjoy meanwhile. 

 I don't know if you can tell from this picture but the walls are a pale green and the carpeting is too so it is really ugly blah.  I guess some people want their bedrooms like that so it's calm for sleeping but me....I want sunny, happy, and joyful and this color is just not doing it for me! LOL!  Plus, it's old and dirty and needs a fresh coat.  You can see where I painted the ceiling and brought it down a bit onto the wall.  

 

 The weather was great today for being out and about, sunny and high 60's but now comes the Spring rains starting tonight through Monday.  We need the rain so I'm not complaining. For Easter, I'll be cooking up a "storm" literally with the weather and also painting my bedroom.  LOL!  I'll be doing one wall at a time since I use that room and tonight I will probably wash and spackle that one wall and paint it tomorrow and then hopefully be done with the entire room by the end of the Easter weekend.  

 I also finished a book for my Embarrassment of Riches Book Challenge of which I am way behind in! 

 This is the 4th in the series of mysteries by Maggie Sefton.  I love her books as they involve a cozy yarn shop and a wonderful group of friends.  She always has a great mystery plot and she's a good writer.  The kind of book you look forward to crawling in bed with at the end of the day.  It takes place in Fort Collins, Colorado and is based on a real shop there that the author frequents.  I'm going to try and see if they have a website.

So, there's my plans for the Easter weekend....what are yours? 

WIP Wednesday and full moon antics!

 

The full moon has been playing with my electronics!  As in PC and Satellite!  The satellite's been out since Saturday and the PC is having "hot flashes" and may burn out sooner or later....I'm praying it will be later!  It just shuts down when it gets too warm....great!  I have many WIP's but they're not all needlework.  

This is all I've been working on lately as Spring Cleaning has taken me over right now.  This is the body of a chicken I am knitting.  I have also finished the base and the beak but they didn't make it into this picture.  It's a fun project and a free pattern on Rowan Yarn's website  It looks like a little hat for an infant so far.  IT's really fun working on a small little project for a change.

Here's that moon I was talking about........it was so gorgeous the other night how could I stay mad at it? 

I also recieved another lovely card and gift from Tammy at T's Daily Treasures  

I have no idea what I did to deserve such thoughtfulness but I'll take it!  She will be receiving something as soon as I get it made! LOL!  A lovely card with a handwritten note, a crocheted snowflake in glittery yarn just like a real snowflake, a photo of crocheted snowflakes of all different types and a sparkly handmade tag with a snowflake on it.  I think it was to commemerate the snow that we've been getting which is now gone.  I love snow!  Thank you Tammy!  You are such a sweetheart! 

I have projects to finish and projects to start and visiting to do!  I hope all your WIP's are coming along no matter what they are!  Happy Wednesday! 

YOP Update

Okay, I am finally going to give full disclosure on my complete list of projects.  I tried just copying it in here but that did not work!  So, I will commence typing.....

Projects Finished:
1.  Crocheted potholders -  I've made about 4 or 5 of these and I had just one on my list but they're so nice and thick that I continually make them in between other projects.
2.  Crocheted Granny Stripe table runner 
3.  2 Crocheted Rock Covers
4.  1 pair of knitted socks but I've made 2 now.  This will be ongoing as I want to learn different types and styles.  There will be lots of socks on next year's YOP list!
5.  Knitted Cotton Bath Mat
6.  Set of 3 Knitted Dish Towels

WIP's
1.  Blackberry Salad Crocheted blanket

No measurable progress.......yet

1.  Everyday Crocheted Edgings by Susan Lowman - I had to order the magazine for this one and I have it.  I really wanted to edge pillowcases but I wanted to make the pillowcases first which I don't even have the material for yet.  I do have some items I may practice on but I went around in circles about yarns, weights, and wash ability and shrinkage as these will be edgings attached to items that will be washed so I didn't want to go to all that work and have the crocheted edging shrink on me.  Oh, what a tangled web...literally!  I am thinking I will just try some regular acrylic I have on hand to start with so hopefully I can get going on this one.
2.  Pinata Bag - I haven't even downloaded the pattern on this one yet.
3.   Cherry Jam - This pattern is in a book I have to order still.  I want to use it for shelf edging eventually.  I LOVE cherries!
4.  Seeing Stars Blanket  I love this Spud and Chloe pattern and I want to make it in their sweater yarn but I would have to win the lottery first to afford their yarn in that quantity!  Any less expensive yarn out there that is equivalent?
5.  Stripey Spring Crocheted Rug - Again, here I go with my washable, durable, other colors and non-shrinkable  demands!
6.  Babette Blanket - LOVE!!!!! (Sung in an operatic voice by a true alto).  I adore this blanket and it would be a great stash-buster but I don't really have one yet but I'm working on it!  In fact, looking around I have baskets of yarn everywhere!  What was I thinking?  I have STASH!!!!!  Yay!!!!   Yippee!!!!!
7.   Tornado Twist Crocheted Cowl - Okay, now I am running into logic problems with some of these projects....I figured it would cost me upwards of $60.00 - $75.00 to make this as suggested.  I buy my clothes at the thrift store so why would I wear an expensive cowl?  Plus, I am a practical gal...I wanted a cowl to keep my neck warm but not be restrictive like turtlenecks.  Do you have to be wealthy to do this?  I must have not been paying attention during that announcement!  I know there's very good and valid reasons for buying "pure" fibers but this is exactly why so many of us use acrylics.....we can have our yarn and still buy food! LOL!  This is a lot of the reason I have slowed down on my projects.  I will definitely make next year's list with cost in mind.
8.Situpons  -  I have the pattern but I don't have any Super Bulky yarn yet.   I wanted to make one to see if they would make good chair pads and if so I would make them for my kitchen chairs.  They could also be used for place mats or candle mats.  I thought of using DK weight that I have but I'm afraid they wouldn't be "cushy" enough.

That's it folks!  MY YOP list in full disclosure!  Now, below are the actual things I worked on this week...none of which were on my list for YOP but fun none the less!
 My little cape for  Miss Maggie (she's a stuffed bunny, or will be when I get done....No, not a REAL stuffed bunny....a fabric one you silly!)   These pics are re-posts from the other day when I forgot about Sunday YOP update...so forgive me if you're a "regular" to my blog and have seen these before.  I don't mind saying I was mighty pleased with the outcome!   It was so much fun to knit too...I could do this kind of knitting forever!

 I also found a free pattern at Rowan for these cute chickens which I started making for Easter and Spring you know.....I had to do something since I totally made nothing Christmasy or for Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day for that matter!   I think I am finally getting the hang of this "knitting" thing and really starting to enjoy it....I've even stopped gritting my teeth and biting my lip while knitting! LOL!

Plus, I read Mason-Dixon Knitting from cover to cover and want to make the entire book!  You'll see lots of their projects on my list next year!  I have to get their other book too!  Yikes Batman!  Is there anything else out there I should know about before next year's list rolls around?
And take a look at these beauties!  Not only is it a great sock pattern but will ya look at that yarn????  I am over the moon for it and will hunt it down until it is mine!

 

If anyone has any information leading to the apprehension obtaining of this yarn you are obliged to notify me IMMEDIATELY!  The pattern is Hudson Valley Winter Socks by Jill Draper on Ravelry but those pictures don't show this color yarn.  I love this pattern because the toe and heel are separate since they are the first parts to wear out and you can actually knit new ones for them if they do!  Genius!  Of course I have no idea how that is done but I'm figuring by the time I make them and they wear out I'll have plenty of time to figure it out.  So, there you have it.....true confessions of a YOP'er who fell off the wagon but hopefully will get back on before next week!  TTYS!  Have a great week!