Weekend Wind Up

On Friday night we were given tickets to see Natalie McMaster and her husband. She is from Cape Bretton. It was an amazing show and David loved every toe tapping minute of it. She had her husband and children 5 and 2 on stage. If you get a chance to see them GO!                                                                                                                     

Husband yelled get your camera I see a blog moment here. He was right this butterfly went from one flower to the next. So very peaceful.

On Sat we saw miss baby she is 7 months now and so smart and fun. She will do something and look right at your face for your expression. She is such a sweetie.
By Sat night David wasn't feeling well and it got worse on Sunday. He goes in for blood tests in the morning. I really don't want to make this blog about his disease but I am worried so much and I am asking for your continued prayers. He needs each one.
A very happy anniversary to My daughter and Son in law! 3 years on Tue!
Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired..... Robert Frost
Have a great week my sweet friends

Weekend Wonders

I have looked for this bowl forever. My grandmother had a bowl just like this she made bread in it every Saturday. I don't know what happened to her bowl. I have so many memories of my Grammie and her bowl. It was love at first sight not a crack or chip in it. And it was under 50.00 a steal according to my friend who was with me that collects yellowware.                                                                            

 She always stored it like this in her little pantry because........

 she always hid goodies underneath. It could be anything. If you were looking for a snack lift the bowl first to see what she had made recently. I think she would be pleased that I have those memories and  this bowl. I do think she would expect me to make bread though.

 My friend came over for coffee on Saturday morning. She brought me a gift from the dump. Really a gift for Miss Baby. These are child size chairs in great shape, they need some cleaning but they are sturdy and wonderful and best of all made in NH. Don't ya just love friends who bring dump gifts? And I have my daughter's old table just perfect!

 After coffee we headed out for a few yard sales. I found this for Miss Baby a porcupine puppet. I washed it and set it on the deck in the sun, it scared my husband half to death when he came home. He thought we had a critter on the deck:0)

 and I found 2 pampered chef knives for 2.00. I have one of these I just love it keeps the knife sharp.

I am working a lot of hours this week,several people on vacation. My sweet daughter made a dinner for one of my long nights. I am very lucky to have such a sweet kid.
We are off to friends for dinner and kayaking tomorrow night. So good night sweet friends.
Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic.....Rosalind Russell

Lamp Shade How To

I had some time to redo a lamp shade I have had for awhile. When I go to a yard sale I always check out the free box. I found this lamp shade in bad shape mildew etc. But I liked the shape of the shade so I took it home for a redo. You will need ribbon or I am using a seam binding I bought at another yard sale for 50 cents and you know I got the glue gun at a yard sale:) but you can use a quick drying glue or you can sew the starter piece to the frame. Just start with removing everything on the frame so you only have the wire frame left.                                                                                                                                    

Then start winding the ribbon or seam binding around and around the frame. I over lapped by each time around by half to avoid any gaps.

 Until you have covered the entire frame I use a spot of glue to end the piece on the inside of the shade so you can't see where it starts or ends. Better right? Well I thought it needed a little something.

 So I added the buttons to the bottom, again you can use glue or sew them in place. And it sits on a lamp I got at the dump and rewired. So total for this floor lamp I have about 3.00 invested.

 I am joining House in the Roses and Met Monday I hope you will take time to visit.
We got to kayak again this weekend and tried a different pond. as we were just getting into the pond I spotted these guys sunning themselves on a nice warm rock, little painted turtles.

I hope your weekend was a good one. The heat finally broke and it was so beautiful today. I have so much to share with you. Amazing dump gifts, yard sale finds, and one thing I have looked for a long time but I will save it for another day. Have a great week my sweet friends. I am closing with a quote to make you think.
In times like these,it helps to recall that there have always been times like these......Paul Harvey

Name Brand Finds

Last weekend yard sale finds. This Coach purse was at a yard sale that was filled with little old lady things and two little old ladies running the sale. I picked it up not sure if it was real checked it over it was 15.00 I asked if they would take less yep 10.00. Home I went and yes it is real and it is basically unused.                                                                                                                                              

 Then at the thrift store I found this beautiful linen pillow sham it is pottery barn it is a beautiful blue green. It needs a good wash and iron with my rose linen spray.

 A friend passed this magazine on, blackberries on the cover and I will be able to end the posts with some smart sayings:0)

 One of the past posts I said I had priscilla curtains and wanted to post a picture of what they were.
They are two panels that are hung on double rods and then crisscrossed. These do not have the fullness I love but they were a dollar. I am on the hunt for more pairs.

 Of course you have to have these wonderful tieback pins!

 Also in a past post I showed pictures of loons and several people said they remember On Golden Pond the movie. Well I live in one of the towns where On Golden Pond was filmed. The lake is really Squam Lake and I would have to win a big lottery to have a home on there. If you have never seen the movie run out and rent a copy.

 

We are in the steamy heat and high humidity which is rare for us. we get warm but usually the humidity is not an issue. Husband is still having some pretty big issues but one day at a time.
now for my words of wisdom...Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What!you,too?I thought I was the only one___C.S.Lewis

Window, Whirligig, And Water

This stained glass window that I got about 15 years ago at an auction has hung on the inside of my screened porch through all kinds of weather. It is hung by chains. It is a great way to give your porch personality and a little privacy if you need it. This picture makes the window colors look a bit washed out. When the sun shine through it is beautiful                                                                                   

I also have a whirligig I think it is fun and a bit of folk art. All of the the propellers are suppose to turn when the wind blows. It is certainly handmade and it lives on my porch year round also.

 We had company this weekend and  had so much fun. We went to a little pond about 5 minutes from our house and paddled around looking at wildlife and enjoying the peace.

 My sister in law and I paddled up to a pair of loons. They were so unconcerned about us they just hung around and let me take pictures of them. They are so big and beautiful and their call is so haunting.

 We stayed on the pond until the sun when behind the trees.

It has been warm and beautiful here a bit hotter today but I will take it better than shoveling snow.
The monster in the water in the last post was just a reflection but it looked to me like a dog's face my husband said over my shoulder "were was that picture taken of the crocodile?" So light will play some pretty amazing tricks. I haven't closed with a quote in some time:
If Noah had been truly wise. He would have swatted those two flies.......H.Castle
Goodnight sweet friends

A Mystery In The Water.

I took a walk around the garden this morning before work and thought I would take you along. We have a very small pond near the porch door. It is very shady. I have tried to plant small plants of interest. This miniature hosta was a church sale find. I love how small and sweet it is perfect for this spot.             

 Oh and look this turtle is going for a swim. It really is an iron turtle that I got at a yard sale for .50. Take a good look in the water do you see any kind of picture in the water? Let me know what you see and I will tell you what I think it looks like. It is a bit spooky.

I love the yellow and pink together here.                                              

 My fairy roses are so abundent this year.

 I have only a couple of yardsale finds from the past weekend. I have wanted a cookbook stand for awhile and found this one and a cook book for the total price 3.00.

  It has been hot here so I have spent the nights reading on the porch. I love when it is all dark and cozy on the porch.

The thunder is rolling around the mountains tonight with a promise of cool clear air. Good night sweet friends.

A Thrifty Guest Room

We were suppose to have house guest this weekend but Husband had a set back and we had to cancel. But before we knew we had to cancel I was cleaning and getting the room ready and realized it is filled with things that were thrifted. This pillow case and beautiful sheet decorated with the most delicate crochet edging while bought at very different times they match like they were made for each other.

 Of course to be comfortable you need 2 pillows each so I added the sweet embroidered pillow cases with a light weight handmade quilt again perfect match.

 The curtains were thrifted, the sheers are not quite that sheer the flash made it look like that. They are really priscilla curtains, the dreamy curtains that you crisscross. I needed a change and found this topper that I loved at a thrift. The lamp on the right was a trifted pair I got that have beautiful cut work shades, the chair was my MIL'S the stool is for their suitcase.

 This is a little pin up lamp on the other side of the bed it would crowd the room to much to have another night stand. Perfect for reading in bed.

 This was my daughters room until she decided to grow up and get married so in her honor I keep her worn out toe shoes in that room. So when she visits she remembers all of the hard work.

 Because she did grow up and is married we get to play with this bundle of joy! She is eating baby food now and I have to leave the room sometimes because she gets so funny and I can't help laughing. When she gets frustrated she growls OMG it is so funny but of course daughter says "Mom! stop laughing" ah the joys of being a grammie.

I hope you had a chance to make the lavender bottles they look great on each pillow in the guestroom.
A very big welcome to my new follower!  I am on the porch enjoying the last of the day have a great week. I am hooking up with house in the roses to show off my guest room and grand baby.

How to Make Lavender Bottles

This is how I make the lavender bottles or some call wands.
You will need the following:
freshly cut lavender I think I have 25-30 stems here.
2 elastics
1 yard of ribbon ( depends on the size of the bottle.)
a pair of scissors

Gather your lavender and have all the heads even don't worry about the bottom at this point. put an elastic around the heads( not to tight it will cut the heads off.)

 Take your stems and bend them backwards over the heads so that it makes  a little cage for the heads of your lavender buds.

 Take your second elastic and put at the bottom of the stems to hold in place. this is where you will trim any stems that are really sticking out at the end and make them semi even.

Take your ribbon and pull it through the stems. Tuck in the raw edge of the ribbon so it can't be seen and then weave the ribbon in and out  among the stems all around the bottle until it is covered tuck the raw edge in at the top to not be seen. I have short lavender so this ribbon was to wide but it is all that I had for now.                                                                                                                                       

 It should look like this at the end.

 after all raw edges of the ribbon are tucked in tie a bow at the bottom to hide the elastic. It will dry and be fragrant for a long time. Great for keeping moths out of wool and great to sit on pillows after making the bed.

I hope I have explained it enough once you start making them you find all kinds of uses for them and it will be hard to stop. Enjoy!