Prim Speak!!

Can you imagine how time consuming it was for printers of yesterday to use these wooden letters to print newspapers, etc? I can't!! These letters are now great primitive antiques. I have collected them for a while, but they have become increasingly difficult to find. Also, they have risen in price from around 50 cents to $4 - $6. I love to mix the styles of print and and different sizes to create really prim looking words and phrases. "Ks" are the hardest to find, in my experience. My collection has grown and I now have enough to spell "Christmas", "Ho Ho Ho", "Hooked Rugs" (twice), "Woolens" and "Boo"! I'm sure I could come up with a few more words as well.

In recent years, a large importer has taken the antique printer's letters and turned them into a very lucrative tool with which to generate sales! She is "capitalizing" on these letters. (Sorry about the horrible pun...I couldn't resist!!)

Today was perfect! I sat outside in the shade with a glass of iced tea (sweet) and read. It was great. Have a wonderful week!

New Visitor to My Backyard!

I'm sorry for the pathetic picture, but I had to hurry before he flew away, and I had to work through a window with a screen! This is the first time that I've seen an Indigo Bunting at my feeder, so I was excited to get a picture of him. They are such a beautiful blue. He came to the feeder several times today, so I'm really hoping he will become a regular sight around here (and maybe bring his family and friends!) The bright yellow goldfinches have been coming regularly also. They are such cheerful birds!

The flower beds are finally blooming brightly with the many varieties of Spiderwort that we have planted. They are easy to grow in our area and are really beautiful on overcast rainy days like those we have been having. They just seem to glow.

Olivia's preschool graduation was a lot of fun. She was so excited and felt so grown up when she received flowers. She and Allison attend a Christian preschool, and the program was very cute. I found a great gift for Olivia (actually two great gifts). One was a very colorful hopscotch game. It had butterflies and lady bugs in the design along with pretty flowers and numbers. It goes together like a jigsaw puzzle and is made of thick cushioned vinyl. Since the large pieces lock together, the kids can jump on the numbers without slipping. I also found a New Testament Bible that looks like a little purse. It is pink and white and has a strap/handle to carry it. The envelope-style flap snaps in front to protect the Bible pages. She loves anything "girlie" so it was a hit. I also bought one for Allison so that they would have matching Bibles for Sunday School.

I have finally started a new rug! I drew the design on the linen today and hope to start hooking it soon. I am in the process of deciding which wools to use, so hopefully it will come together smoothly and quickly!

Have a great weekend!

Wish List

Do you have a wish list of things you would love to own one day? I have seen several things that I have on my "someday wish list". New living room furniture, a brick or stone herb garden in my back yard, a sunroom, a zero turn radius riding lawn mower!! Above are two examples of wonderful Shaker baskets that I would love to find (and be able to afford!!) I love pretty much anything made by the Shaker craftsmen of the past, but for some reason, these baskets speak to me. Their simple design is so beautiful. These examples were for sale on an auction site and went for far more than I could afford, but I'm hoping to run across one reasonably priced somewhere. Think it will ever happen? Maybe not, but I guess it doesn't hurt to dream!

Today was perfectly beautiful with bright sunny skies and upper 60's temperatures. I spent most of the afternoon outside swinging in our big rustic log swing. The cats (3 of them) decided to sit with (on) me and sleep in the sun! I did manage to get out from under them for a while and pulled a few weeds out of my neglected flower beds. We have had more rain this spring than I ever remember having before. We still have not been able to plant our garden (squishy soil.) I have tomato plants and lots of seed packets ready to go if we can just get 3 days in a row without drenching rain. The weeds and grass love it!

I found a blog today that I just LOVE!! It is called "Between Naps on the Porch". I have listed it in my favorite blogs, so please check it out. You MUST click on the post about her sleeping porch and be sure to click on the extra pictures on the right. It is fabulous! I will definitely be going back to see more. Her house looks great...even if it isn't primitive. :0)

Tuesday night we are going to Olivia's Preschool Graduation. She is so excited. They will be wearing little caps and gowns and marching in. They also have a program they are doing, so I'm sure it will be adorable. I hope you have a great week!

Useful Little Things

These little trunks have been stacked in my living room for quite a few years. I accumulated them over a several year span from different places. The one on the bottom was given to me by my sister Jan. She and her husband love to visit antique shops and are great at decorating their home. They really are perfect for each other! Anyway, back to the trunks! Don't you just love the versatility of antiques in country decorating? It's great with children and grandchildren because everything is already timeworn and dinged up! This stack of trunks looks great and they also are great for storing things. I have seasonal decorations stored inside. I also have some small items that I rotate in and out of my rooms stored in them. The two larger trunks in my living room (see former posts) hold magazines, books, and other seasonal items. They are also favorite places for Olivia and Allison to color in their coloring books or to make things from Play Doh. Oh, don't we all just love Play Doh! I usually find little crumbs of it for at least a week after the girls have been here for a visit.

I was thinking today about work. So many people are being laid-off from jobs right now. My husband is going to be off again next month for a week and then more in July and August. It makes a mess of the budget! I was trying to come up with ways to make money from home. If you look online for ideas, you can find all kinds of schemes, but I worry that they are just that....schemes that don't work! Earlier in my life, I wanted to be a writer, and I sometimes get the urge to try my hand at writing children's books. I have thought about characters to develop and plots for the stories, but I can't seem to take it to the next step and just DO IT!

What kinds of jobs have you held in your life? In my past I have done secretarial work at an insurance company, for a Social Security Office, and for an educational film company. I have worked for a crafts manufacturer and at its retail store. Another job was telemarketing (I only called businesses - not homes!) Once I worked at an antiques shop/coffee shop which turned out to be mostly waiting tables. I have worked for a woman who taught folk art painting, and have done home craft shows. I have sold Longaberger baskets. I was also a rural mail carrier (where I gained a great deal of respect for how hard postal employees work!) I have done typing from my home. My favorite job was working at a great primitives shop...I think I spent more than I made, though!! The last job I had (prior to babysitting my grandchildren) was to teach rug hooking and I had an online rug hooking business. I LOVED it, but it got to be too much to do while watching my granddaughter. Designing and making up rug kits takes a LOT of time! I also decorated and sold wreaths and other prim items on the website.

I would love to hear about the jobs you've had that you loved (or hated). If you feel so inclined, please tell me in a comment to this post. It would be fun to find out the kinds of jobs you all have had!

Prize Package Finally Reaches Gayle!!

I received an email from Gayle (she won the "Guess the Number of Worms" contest) and the prize package FINALLY arrived 10 days after it was mailed First Class. I don't know what happened with the USPS, but they took plenty of time to get it there!! Above is a picture of most of the prize. Included were a yellow redware star, a hand hooked key chain, the Polly Minick's "Rug Hooking Book of Days" and a stack of wool. I did also include two rusty wire garlands, one with tiny stars and the other with tiny hearts (not in picture). She seemed very pleased with the prize and I'm happy about that. I hope to see a rug you create using some of the wools, Gayle! Congratulations on winning!

I spent most of today with two of my sisters and my Mom. We went out to eat at Mom's favorite place and then went to a local nursery to buy flowers to plant. We got some pink double impatiens, some of the yellow-green sweet potato vines (LOVE THOSE), some purple petunias that were edged in white (really pretty), some pink petunias, and also a Limelight hydrangea bush for in front of her house. We then went to her house and planted a window box, three pots, and the hydrangea bush!! It was fun being together, and Mom is happy with the way everything looks!

Tomorrow is Olivia and Allison's last soccer game for the summer, so Mom and my sister are coming to that, too. (Then softball starts....busy summer!) I think we are all going out to eat tomorrow evening (our whole family) for Mother's Day. It will be nice. I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day with your families. Until next time.

Garden in a Bowl

I had some leftover moss from the moss terrarium (see last post) that I made this week, so I decided to do something else with it. This clay bowl was collecting dust in the garage all winter, so I washed it off and using the same methods as the terrarium, I planted a moss container garden!

As you can see, Rusty decided to "help" plant the moss. He was better at digging it up than planting, however!

Today was in the upper 70's and partly sunny, so I took advantage of it and planted a lilac bush and a viburnum. I also weeded some of the flower beds and decided that some changes need to be made. Grass has always been a problem in my flowers and it sometimes wins a battle or two. I think some re-planting is in order, so I'm going to try to come up with a plan to update a few areas. The garden pond needs some sprucing up, too! We have lived in our house for 29 years, so we are at the point where lots of things need some TLC.

My rug hooking has been stalled for the past few weeks. I had a couple of projects that I wanted to start, but for various reasons didn't get going on them. I would like to begin a larger rug and then another pillow, I think. Have a great rest of the week!

Make a Cool Moss Terrarium!

Here is a new moss terrarium that I made this week. It was easy and looks great! First, of course, find and empty container to fill. I found this one at Hobby Lobby for half price (yaaaay), and it was a nice size. You can make it in an open container also. A large somewhat shallow bowl would be perfect, too!

I went to a local nursery and found some different types of live moss. When you call to ask if they carry moss, specify "live" or they will say, "Sure, we have Spanish moss and sphagnum moss--not what you want! The types I found were Irish Moss and Scottish Moss. I also found a different kind growing on the north side of the barn, so I put a little of it in the terrarium, too. If you dig your own, make sure to look at the soil on the roots to check for bugs.

In the bottom of your container, place some rocks for drainage. I found some river rocks and some small black stones. You can layer these if you like. It looks great to see the layers from the outside of the jar. On top of that put some good potting soil or mix.

Then, add your different mosses. I broke the moss apart somewhat to make different sizes and shapes. Mixing different colors makes it more interesting, too. After I planted the mosses, I added some of the more interesting rocks between the mosses to make it like a garden or mossy hillside. You could get really creative here and add miniature decorative garden items (mushrooms, garden tools, baskets, birds, etc.) After you get it just the way you want it, then water it and enjoy! If you cover the container, you won't need to water it as often.

I placed mine in a north window, so it will get indirect light. Moss generally grows naturally in shady places, so I wouldn't put it in the hot sun. It was easy and fun to make!

40 Days and 40 Nights?!!!

Maybe this is the end of the rain for a while??? The farmers have been unable to get into the fields to do any work this spring. Here it is the first week in May and there are puddles everywhere. The Canada geese have plenty of water to swim in around here...in open fields! My husband keeps trying to mow, but the squishy ground prevents that in several areas, and since we have three acres of grass...you can see the problem! At least the sun is shining right now and it is warm today. Beautiful.

The birds have been out and about more lately. Bird seed costs more than our food, though, so they may have to search on their own sometimes, too!! I love to watch the different birds in the back yard. We see lots of different species now that our trees have gotten taller, and it's a lot more interesting. It would be a very dull world without the colorful and cheerful songbirds.

We have seen some other visitors around too. A rather portly squirrel has been getting into the bird feeder, and this this little fellow showed up under the deck. Our numerous cats outside seem to curb the rabbit population anymore, but we have seen a pretty stout opossum up on the deck at night...looking for a morsel of cat food to eat. We have also seen evidence of deer in the yard. I flipped on the front porch light one night and surprised a raccoon with his front paws up on the step ready to visit the front porch. Visiting creatures make life more interesting and fun and sometimes challenging to keep them from destroying plants, etc. in the yard. Hope you are enjoying a beautiful Spring day as we are here. Have a great weekend!