Farm Field Primitives

The Cupboards are Here.........

2012-01-25T16:33:00.001-05:00

I was able to sneak in and take a few pictures of the cupboards while the guys were at lunch. They are actually a bit darker than what they appear. I am thinking I really like them. They have to cut the template for the counter top yet. Hopefully that will be done by early next week. Appliances will be here maybe Monday.

Jo Jo is checking out the pantry probably thinking it would be a great place for treats!

The flu bug has been at our house the last couple of weeks. My son was first, then our oldest daughter. Well, yesterday was my turn. Luckily it is short lived, but it sure zaps your energy. Hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling better.

Crock pot meal for tonight is spaghetti. Just browned the burger in the crock pot and added the sauce. I have a hot plate to cook the spaghetti on. It's not smelling too good to me right now. I may just be toast again!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings...........

Melissa

Kitchen Update and an Antique Find

2012-01-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hello. Progress on the remodel has slowed a bit. We are having the drywall done now so only a little bit a night can be done. Hopefully by next Tuesday or Wednesday, we will be able to get it painted. The cupboards are to be in early next week and they will set the lowers and begin putting the laminate wood floor down. Yeah!!!

I took a trip to the antique store last week...needed a break from the noise. And besides, I was looking for something new for the kitchen. I definitely found it. OK, there is a story behind this piece. About 3-4 years ago, my friend, Ann ( A Hole in the Basket Primitives) went to the antique store near Sauder Village. We both saw this but didn't get it because the price was about $80. Fast forward to last week. I went in, looked at it like I have for the past 3-4 years and what???? A new tag was attached and the price was $30!!!! I snatched it up super fast before someone else could get it!! With the cash discount offered, I bought it for a little over $25! I was so excited. So, what is it you ask.....

It is a from France (so the tag said) and it was used to serve rolls or bread. It is about 40" long and 4" wide. I can see it with some filler and votives sitting on our new island.

I jinxed myself with the crock pot recipes....I made a mac and cheese last night that was OK, but not on the make again list. Tonight we are having chicken Parmesan. I found a recipe for it, but thought it would be easier to use the Shake and Bake mix. Place the chicken in the crumb mix, and place them in the bottom of a greased crock pot. Top with mozzarella cheese and a jar of spaghetti sauce. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. Serve with noodles.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful evening!!

Blessings.......

Melissa

Week 2 begins............

2012-01-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

I am bit ahead of schedule today. I was able to go out and get a couple of pictures while everyone was at lunch to show the day's progress so far. Can lights are in and the insulation has been blown into the walls. They are now putting the bat insulation up and the wall board.

I have been trying to upload more pictures, but can't seem to get them today.

Tonight's supper is the old standby of roast, potatoes, and carrots. We are trying a crock pot dessert of layered brownies.

Crock Pot 5 Layer Brownies

1 16 oz package of brownie mix
1/4 melted butter
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup oats

This is for a mini 1.5 quart crock pot. If you use a larger one, you will need to add more topping
ingredients to spread over the entire brownie.

Melt the butter (this can be done in the crock pot while doing other things). Add water, egg, and brownie mix. Stir until no powder is left dry...mix will be quite thick.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Cover with the walnuts, coconut, and oats.

Cover and cook on high if using a small pot, low if using a larger one. Test with a knife after two hours and if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of extra moisture. The edges pull away from the side when done.

The time for a mini crock pot is approximately 4 1/2 hours. You just have to keep checking.

I will let you know how this turns out.....it smells wonderful as it is cooking!!

I'll be back soon with more pictures. I seems much more fun watching it get put back together instead of being torn apart!! Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings.....
Melissa

Day 4................

2012-01-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

The electrician was the only one here today. He will be back Monday along with the crew to insulate the walls and the contractor crew. I was wishing the insulating people would have been here last night to keep the house a bit warmer. There was a strong SW wind blowing and that is the end of the house we are working on. The wall of plastic was moving right along with the draft.It was toasty in the rest of the house though!! It's much better tonight. Thank goodness.

Here is a picture of the floor that is in the entire downstairs of our house except the kitchen and utility room. It is about 2" wide oak laid at an angle. I suppose it could be very pretty, but it just isn't our taste. I'm sure many think we are crazy, but I guess you like what you like.

Last night's supper was another new crock pot recipe. It too was very good. Kinda scary as I am 3 for 3 so far.

Slow Cooker Ground Beef Barbecue

3 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 t pepper

1 T cider vinegar

2 T mustard

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 1/2 cups ketchup

Brown ground beef in skillet, drain grease. Place the cooked meat, onion, garlic, celery, salt, pepper, cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and ketchup into a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Can be used on buns, hot dogs, nachos. I like it better than sloppy joes!!

I'm sure I'll take the next couple of days off since there won't be any construction happening.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

Blessings...........

Melissa

Day 3..............

2012-01-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

As I sit here right now, I am hearing some sort of saw or sander or something making LOTS of noise and probably just as much dust. I keep telling myself it's only for a short time and the outcome will be so worth it! Yesterday, the old floor came up...both layers of old linoleum and probably a sub floor. This was all under the laminate we had put down a few years ago. We should have taken it clear down then, but we didn't. All that is left is the old boards. The contractor thinks the kitchen was added at some point because the studs aren't native timber like the rest of the house. It also doesn't have the oak floor that is in the rest of the house. I will get a picture of that tomorrow since I don't want to go in and look like a goof ball taking a picture of the floor with everyone watching!! Here are the pictures of how it looked last night. Nothing too exciting!!

We do know the utility room was added at some point as well. Maybe they were at the same time. I really wish I knew or could see pictures of what it once was like. It has seen so much change in its almost 100 years. This chunk of concrete was in the middle of the floor in the utility room....would love to know why this is here. Maybe it was an old step??!

The electrician is also here today. We are putting in lots of can lights and outlets above the cupboards. I think we will need sunglasses to go out there. Much better than now where you can't see much of anything!

Okay, last night's Crock Pot meal was a success. Here is the recipe....

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (12 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 T Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the BBQ sauce, salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 on Low.

I drained the sauce off and kept it in another bowl. Then shredded the chicken, put it back in the crock pot and added the sauce. It was less soupy that way.

Well, guess that's it for today. Thanks for following the progress!!

Blessings.....

Melissa

Day 2 Pics.....................

2012-01-11T09:42:00.001-05:00

Here I am on the 3rd day of reconstruction. The wall is out and the support beam has been put in place. Still crazy to think that 3 thick boards turned on their sides placed on top of a few two by fours stacked together takes the weight an entire wall once did. I would not make a very good engineer. This picture is very dark so it's hard to see the beam across the room.

This one is a little better. That wall of plastic has been a sanity saver. There has been dust but not nearly as much as I was expecting. Today they are ripping up the floor in both the kitchen and utility room. Hopefully the sink and washer and dryer will be hooked back up by this evening so I can get caught up again!

Jo Jo had to scope things out last night. Her big concern is that her treat drawer is no longer where it was. It was a squeaky drawer that she could hear from anywhere and would come running to get treats. We are going to have to figure out a new one for her now!

I have been making good use of the crock pot the last couple of nights. Beef stew the first night and last night was Crock pot Enchiladas. They were very good. Thought I would share this recipe.

Crock pot Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef

10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, quartered

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning

1 1/4 cups water

1 (12 oz ) jar chunky salsa

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Brown ground beef in skillet. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer 15 minutes. In medium bowl, stir together the soups and salsa. Add most of the cheese, reserving 3/4 cup for later.

Place a layer of tortillas covering the bottom of slow cooker. Scoop a layer of soup on top and then a layer of hamburger. Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients, ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.

I served it with rice and put the salsa on the side rather than baking it in. Very good. I think I will try it with chicken next time!!

Our daughter did get her license yesterday so now we have two drivers on the road. Crazy how the time just goes by!! Speaking of time, I need to be using my time a bit more wisely I do believe. Our oldest graduates in June and I have soooooooo many scrapbook pages to get working on. I keep thinking the scrapbook fairy will show up if I just leave everything out, but she hasn't shown up yet!! Oh well. Once I get started, I will be OK. I just need a big push first!!

Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by. I will be back soon with more pics and more crock pot recipes....if they are good ones!! Take care.

Blessings.........

Melissa

And so it begins.......

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning. Hope you are all having a great day so far. Just wanted to share a couple of pics of what is going on here at our house. This was my kitchen this past weekend.

Here is my kitchen as of last night!! I can't believe how quickly it goes from cozy and prim to downright ugly and scary!!!

We are removing the wall that you see to make the room larger and to open it up to the family room. The way we have it now is such that you have to make a little jog around the kitchen table on both sides to get through the room. We are doing away with the table and adding the island. This was kind of a tough decision because I love the old kitchen table. We don't have a dining room so we can't just move it there. We agreed that we would get much more use from an island on a day to day basis. We can always pull the table into the family room if we need to.The wall we are removing is a load bearing wall so we are having a beam put in to take the weight. It was a good thing that we removed the wall because a big beam that runs the other direction and ties into the kitchen is resting on a beam that doesn't look to be in the best of condition. I guess things happen for a reason.

Thankfully we have a large enough house that we have moved all of our stuff into the living room. I call it our "hillbilly kitchen". If anyone comes to the front door, they are going to wonder what the heck is going on!!! I am getting good use out of the hot plate, microwave, and crock pot!! We will see how long the novelty of cooking with these last!!

Well, I'm off to take our daughter to her driver's test. Wish us luck!! Have a wonderful day.

Blessings.......

Melissa

2011-12-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!! May this season be one of wonderful memories!!

Blessings.......

Melissa

Christmas decorating......

2011-12-09T18:27:00.000-05:00

Hello!! I hope you all had a good day. Decorating here is done for the year. Much like many of you, I have pared down a lot. It makes is much easier and quicker that way. Here are a few of the settings I have out.

JoJo wasn't up to moving for me so here she is taking a nap on the warm dryer.

Last weekend we headed to Indianapolis to watch the Big 10 football playoff game. We were hopeful that Ohio State would be there, but unfortunately their poor season didn't allow it. We saw a great game between Wisconsin and Michigan State. Wrong team won, but we still had a great time.The game was back and forth and very close. The bands were amazing also. The best part was that it was indoors and warm!! Before the game, we walked around downtown which was all decorated for Christmas. It was so pretty. We were going to eat at Hard Rock Cafe but after waiting forever and seeing people just coming in and being seated before us, we left. My daughter and I agreed it was probably like the Seinfeld episode where they walked out and their name was called. We probably weren't out the door 5 minutes and I'm sure ours was.

I'm not sure why I didn't think to take a picture of this when it was dark. There were lights hanging down and it looked like a tree. The big city is wonderful to visit, but I sure love living in the sticks!!

We are starting a kitchen remodel right after Christmas. It is a smaller kitchen now and we are opening it up to the family room. I've lived through several remodels, but none where we have taken a wall out. Thinking I may have to leave the house when that starts. The utility room is next to the kitchen and we are working on that now.We are having the walls smoothed out and finished since the cupboards are down. The cupboards we are putting in will be the same in each room. Hopefully we can get that room painted and ready to go so they aren't both torn up at once!! I will post lots of pictures when we get going on it!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

Blessings......

Melissa

Giveaway winner!!

2011-11-28T07:56:00.002-05:00

Good morning!! I would like to thank all of you who entered my drawing!! I appreciate the time you spend reading my blog and commenting so much!! I threw all of your names in a bowl and drew out the lucky winner. And here she is........

angiegreeson
Angie said... Please enter me~love your ornies! Happy Thanksgiving!

Angie, please let me know your address and I will get your goodies out to you!! I am pouring today.

Thank you all again!!

Blessing.....

Melissa

Giveaway Reminder.....

2011-11-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that I will be drawing for my giveaway this evening. If you haven't entered yet, please leave a comment on my last post and I will get your name in!! I am giving away some of my blackened beeswax ornies. I have a new snowman that I am pouring today......think I will throw him in also.

I am getting started on the decorating today. Our tree is up with the lights and garland. It is patiently waiting on the ornaments. Maybe the kids can do that later. Seems like every year I rid myself of many decorations. This year will be the same, I'm sure. One thing I love about opening the boxes is getting the surprise of goodies I bought on clearance last year and forgot all about. I found a little tree earlier in my box. So exciting!!

Have a great afternoon!! Blessings.......

Melissa

Happy Thanksgiving......

2011-11-23T07:46:00.002-05:00

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

I just took a little Thanksgiving quiz. I think I must be totally un-American because I only scored a 20%. Yikes!! Should have paid a bit more attention in school!! It only takes a couple of minutes and it's really fun. Give it a shot!

Today I am making a couple of desserts for tomorrow's feasts. The first is peanut butter pie and the second is a new recipe....lemon cheesecake. There is no way that can be bad, right. We spend the day at both parents' homes. This means two meals....no eating today obviously!! I hope that where ever you spend your day and with whomever you spend it with, you have a wonderful day and count the many blessings that are around us all.

To celebrate Thanksgiving and share a little something with others, I am having a little GIVEAWAY. I am offering a set of my blackened beeswax ornies. Probably a mixture of the ones I make. To be entered, you must be a follower and leave a comment on this post. I will draw Sunday night (27th). Good luck!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Blessings.............

Melissa

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T17:30:00.000-04:00

Stopping by to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!! Hope the ghosts and goblins don't get you!!

New update at Early Work Mercantile will be up later tonight. I have lots of new Santas!! Stop by and check out all the wonderful listings!!

Blessings....

Melissa

Fall Decorating & Homecoming

2011-10-08T18:25:00.000-04:00

Good evening!! Finally getting back on after numerous computer issues. Our first laptop decided it was time for the mother board to die. So while we were waiting on a new one to arrive, our second one decided to get a virus!! Things are back up and running!! I was going to post a picture of the crock I told you about. I know I took a pic and put it on the computer, but it is nowhere to be found!! Next time. I just wanted to share some of my fall displays. I still have a tote sitting in the room and after this weekend, it's going to be put away whether it's empty or not. I just pick a thing or two out when I have time and put it somewhere. It's beginning to bug me though!!

My twig tree with my blackened beeswax skull angels and a bowl of mini beeswax pumpkins.

I just found this prim 3 legged stool at the antique store yesterday. It told me it had to go home with me. So here it is!! Love it!

Grr...could not get this picture to flip. Sorry!! Oh, hey. There is the crock!! Forgot is was in this shot. Does anyone know what this would have been used for?

Bought this garland from 'Prarie Heirlooms (http://www.picturetrail.com/prairieheirlooms).

Last night was our Homecoming. This is the first year we have had it during football season. It is usually during basketball. Our oldest, Alex, was chosen as Senior Attendant. It was a beautiful night and she had a blast. Tonight is the dance so more pics will follow.

I couldn't play favorites so here is a picture of Alex and Emily. They both are in the marching band. Alex just had to sit and watch last night though. So proud of both our girls!!

That's all for tonight. The girls are out eating supper with friends and will be back in a bit to get ready for the dance.

Take care. Blessings......

Melissa

New Blackened Beeswax Goods

2011-09-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

Hello. Just wanted to stop by and show you the blackened beeswax ornies I made with my new molds. The first is a set of 12 mini pumpkins. Each measures 1" x 1" and are heavily scented with cinnamon. rolled in spices, and attached to rusty wire for hanging.

The next is a set of 6 prim candy canes. Each of these measures 5" long and again is heavily scented with cinnamon and rolled in spices. I like the grubby texture of these!! They are perfect for your prim trees and even better as package tie ons!

Stop on over to my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/farmfieldprimitives or my selling blog www.farmfieldprimitivegoods.blogspot.com to find out more.

I'm off to work on cleaning up a new crock. My father-in-law just brought it over. He and my hubby bought it from one of our landlords. It is very unique looking. I'll post pics as soon as I get it cleaned up.

Take care.

Blessings...............

Melissa

Some decorating started & some new molds!!

2011-09-14T19:52:00.000-04:00

Good evening. I hope the weather is nicer where you are tonight as it is cold and rainy here. Our son had a golf match after school. It was partly sunny and kinda warm at the beginning, but I am glad that I threw in the extra sweatshirt and umbrella. Started raining halfway through. Yuck!! Came home to roast, potatoes, and carrots that I had put in the oven. I guess it's getting time for all of those comfort foods to start being served. I still prefer the toss something on the grill and grab a salad and fruit supper. Oh, well....time marches on!!

I have started some fall decorating as many of you have also. I decided to start with that empty medicine cabinet that I just refinished. It was nice to have someplace to put many of my small items that I never know what to do with. Sorry they are a bit dark. If I could ever learn to take pics with just the right exposure, I would be a happy camper!!

I did get a few more things out, but I will post some more later. I received two new molds today for my blackened beeswax goods. One is a fall one and the other a Christmas one. I have already poured them and will post them in the next day or two for you to take a look at. I really like them......that's all I'm gonna say about that!!

Hoping the rain stays away for awhile. I have some more furniture refinishing to do and some gardens to clean up. I was planning on doing those things this week, but maybe not!!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Take care!!

Blessings..............

Melissa

Giveaway Winner!!

2011-09-06T08:09:00.000-04:00

Congrats to my giveaway winner..........Robin from The Cranky Crow!!

Since I had so many of you enter, I will send out a few fall wax goodies to my second place draw...........Teresa from DeppenHomestead1862!!

Ladies, just send me your addresses and I will get your goodies out!!

Thanks so much to all who entered. I feel bad that I can't give you all something. I appreciate the time you give in reading my posts and commenting. You are all awesome.

Have a wonderful day.

Blessings..........Melissa

Last Chance!!

2011-09-05T14:43:00.001-04:00

This is your last chance to enter my giveaway. I will be drawing tonight. You get the little kitty and her pumpkins as well as some of my blackened beeswax goodies. You must be a follower and you can comment on the giveaway post. (Down a couple) Good luck.

Blessings.................

Melissa

Picture Trail Gallery

2011-08-30T14:55:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon. Just wanted to pop on quick and let you know that I have created a Picture Trail Gallery. Right now it offers my primitive blackened beeswax items. Hope to add more soon. This Skull Angel ornie is just one of the new additions. Also, don't forget about entering my fall giveaway. You can leave a comment on the previous post to be entered....must be a follower.

Have a great day.

Blessings......Melissa

I'm Back............with a Giveaway!!

2011-08-29T13:50:00.002-04:00

Hello!! Hope you all are doing well. I am finally getting back to blogging after taking a bit of a summer break. Nothing much to report on during that time so I decided to save what I did do up for the fall. It was too nice to be in on the computer anyway!!

I have been stockpiling goodies that are in need of refinishing for quite some time. Here lately the weather has been much cooler so I have taken advantage of it and headed out under the shade tree to do some stripping......furniture, that is!! I started with some old wood work that was in hubby's grandmother's house that we tore down last fall. We needed more trim pieces to redo our bedroom and den. It didn't take too long to strip even with most of the pieces painted. Now I just need to get a bit more stain to match what we have before I can finish that.

Here is my next project. I picked this old medicine cabinet up at a garage sale this summer. I don't know what type of industrial paint they used, but ughhhhh........it was hard to get off. Then the inside back is bead board so that was really hard to do. I was able to get most of it off.....don't look too closely at the corners!! Here is the before......

And the after......I just used tung oil to finish it. I'm pleased with how it turned out. Now I just need to fill it with something. Hmmmmm......not sure what though. Stay tuned.

The crock sitting next to it was purchased recently at an auction. My, oh, my did they have alot of stuff. I will have to show you more of that later too. I just love this little guy, even the crack in the front. The base is a bit wider than the top which makes it really neat too!! I put in some of my volunteer broom corn.

Well, I need to get to work on some fall prims for my update on Early Work Mercantile on Sept. 1st. Most times I have the update ready the night before, so be sure to stop by and see all of the wonderful prim artisans. We are hosting a "Settler's Harvest" during the month!!

Oh, one more thing. I feel the need to have a Giveaway for all of you who didn't "jump ship" on me because of my lack of posting. You must be a follower and please leave a comment on this post for a chance to win this little black kitty and her pumpkins along with some of my blackened beeswax goodies. I will draw the winner on Sept 5th. Since summer is officially over then, it will be time to break out all of the prim items!!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great rest of your day!!

Blessings............. Melissa

Happy Independence Day!!

2011-07-03T13:54:00.000-04:00

Stopping by to wish you all a wonderful Independence Holiday!!! Have fun and be safe!

Blessings.....

Melissa

Early Work Update

2011-07-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

The July 1st Early Work Mercantile updates are now available. Stop on over!!

Flowers & A Trip to the Most Magical Place in the World!!

2011-06-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

Hello. Hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful summer day. It is perfect here....love it!! I am ashamed at how long I have been away from blogging. I feel bad too that I don't leave comments like I should either. So many beautiful blogs to try to keep up on!! We've been busy like the rest of you. It finally quit raining so we (my husband) were able to finish up all of the planting and spraying and and fertilizing. Now we are waiting for the wheat to be ready. Maybe a week or so yet. I've been busy in the flower beds and with a little crafting. It's too nice to be indoors!! Wanted to share some of the flowers with you.

The baby's breath behind the angel is light pink. It doesn't really show up in the picture.

I picked up the neatest thing the other day. They are LED Solar Lids. They fit on a small mouth mason jar. They work like any other solar light and come on at night.

View from our front porch this morning. The corn is so tall and I just love the wheat....it is just so pretty.

JoJo was out scouting this morning and would not turn around for her picture.

We spent last week at Walt Disney World. Being the prim lover that I am, I just had to take pictures inside the Liberty Tavern Inn. First, the food was amazing.....all you can eat. Salad, rolls, mashed potatoes, veggies, ham, roast beef, turkey, and dressing. Dessert too......apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. Yummo!! The kids loved it. Anyway, while sitting waiting to be called, I took lot of pics.

This was my favorite thing. It was sitting right beside the bench I was on. I'm sure I heard it tell me it wanted to come live in Ohio. The kids were teasing me about checking my bag before we left. Oh, if it only would have had a price tag!!!

The kids in front of the castle before the fireworks.

The spectacular fireworks!!!

We had a great time. It was very hot and crowded, although the store workers said it wasn't really that busy. Ugh.....I wouldn't have wanted to be around too many more people!! We stayed at one of the resorts and took the bus to the parks. We averaged 9 miles of walking a day. Whew......good thing, we needed to walk off all that good food. The girls and I decided our favorite ride was the Aerosmith roller coaster at Hollywood Studios. We waited over an hour, but it was soooooo worth it. Great memories and lots of pics to get developed. I'll save that for a rainy day.....might take awhile.

Be sure to stop on over to Early Work Mercantile later tonight and tomorrow to check out all the new listings. Today is also our 21st anniversary. Crazy how time flies isn't it??!!

That's it for today. Seems like I don't post much, but when I do, look out!! Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.

Blessings........

Melissa

"New" Primitive Goodies & Some Spring Flowers

2011-05-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

Good morning!! Hope you are all doing well. It is raining here......again. I think it's been close to 30 of the last 40 days or something that we have had at least a little rain. I am beginning to think I need to look for ark plans. I know so many have it so much worse and I continue to keep them in my prayers. Hubby has almost all of the corn planted and over half of the beans. Won't take long to finish when it does dry out. Again, we are very fortunate in this aspect. There are many not too far from us who haven't started. Oh, the stress of farm life.

I had some running to do last week and stopped at the antique store on my way home. There were a few really primitive items, but boy were they expensive. Darn!! I spotted this butter churn on the last pass through. I looked it over and really liked it, plus it was a really good price. Then I started thinking I really didn't need it so I walked out of the booth and was getting ready to leave. It was then that the piece "spoke" to me. Now, I tell you this because I know all of you primitive lovers know exactly what I mean. It was like I could imagine all of the women and children over the years using that butter churn as part of their everyday routine. Well, now I couldn't just leave it there, right? So back I went and picked it up. So glad I listened to those voices!!

Well, before the butter churn encounter, I was on eBay one day because I was tired of the rain and didn't have the ambition to clean......not a good way to use extra time!! I spotted this child's buggy seat and fell in love. Again, the voices kept telling me stories of all the little ones who sat in this seat going from here to there!! Anyway, I bid. Then I was promptly outbid. So I tried again and for a time thought it was going to be mine. Well, I was gone before the end of the auction but came home with under 5 minutes to go and found myself outbid yet again. I told myself I wasn't going to bid anymore. When does that ever work?? So I raised the bid $1 thinking that was a safe bid because certainly that little bid wouldn't mean much. Well, guess what? That's all it took and it was mine!!! It came yesterday, and I have it sitting on my dryer with some goodies in it. It is such a neat size that I can put it just about anywhere. So moral of the story......don't spend extra time on eBay and don't think a $1 bid won't get you anything!!

In between the rains, I have been able to get some perennials out. This flower bed beside the sidewalk had almost nothing come back up....ugh!! So off I went and picked up a few things. I found a couple of different types of phlox and some white cone flowers. I also found a green cone flower, a burgundy one, and a burgundy black-eyed Susan. I will keep you updated on the progress of this over the summer. It tends to be a dry bed because it faces the west and bakes during the late afternoon. I hope it ends up like the vision in my head!!

This bunny creeps my kids out!! It has pink eyes.

Here are the last of my tulips. I wanted to show them to you because they are black. I think they are so neat.

Here is a close-up so you can see better. They almost look dark purple.

Just a gathering I have put together outside between rain showers. It's all stuff I've had, just rearranged!!

I bought this black eyed Susan vine a couple of weeks ago. I had tried to grow one last year, but didn't have any luck. Now since I have the pot and cage, I can grow them again next year.

I just sent for some Sweet Annie seeds and some ornamental pod corn seeds. I had checked on the pod corn seeds earlier this spring but didn't order then. I had seen it featured in the Spring 2011 A Simple Life Magazine. Since then, the price has gone up $4 a pack.....what, seriously? Plus the shipping. I sure hope the stuff grows. They should be here soon so I can get them planted, along with my pumpkins.

Last weekend was our girls' dance recital. They each performed 4 dances plus the production of Alice in Wonderland. Emily was the 8 of Hearts card and Alex was the Cheshire Cat. They did a wonderful job and now I'm sad that it is over for another year.

One last picture I had to share. Last week on one of the nice weather days, I put the cats outside. I love how JoJo is just relaxing on the swing while Gabby has that look of "Let me inside ............now!!" The funny thing is that Gabby had only been out about a minute. Talk about brave!!

Well, that's all for today. Need to get some work done before heading off to a track meet. Please keep the rain away, please keep the rain away...................

Blessings..........

Melissa

Prom and The Dust is Finally Rolling.........

2011-05-09T13:58:00.000-04:00

Hello!! Hope everyone is doing well. Wanted to share what all has been going on around here for the last couple of weeks. Last weekend was our daughter, Alex's prom. Here she is all ready to head out. I wish I had taken pics of the back of her dress as it was partially laced up and one of her hair. Oh, but I didn't think of those things until after she was gone.

She met up with her friends before the meal for group pictures. Here are their corsages....those little things can get quite pricey around here. Not sure about other places.

And of course we had to get a picture of their shoes. Alex is the one with the purple Converse. She does not like heels and knew right away she wanted these. She will get more good out of these anyway!!

We are finally drying out enough for field work to start. Hubby started at the end of last week and should be half done planting corn today. (Fingers crossed) This was the view from our porch yesterday. Our 12 year old son (almost 13 he reminds me) out working ground. Cracks me up how little he looks. Look at that dust roll. I can't believe it since we have had so much rain. My heart goes out to all of those who have lost so much in the flooding in Illinois where the levies were broken . I can't even imagine what they are going through. I pray for drier weather so other farmers can get into the fields soon.

This was the scene this morning from our porch....hubby planting corn. I just love corn in front of the house!!! Nobody needs to know what goes on around here anyway!!

I picked up a couple of new prim goodies last week at The Bittersweet Cabin. These flowers look so real!!

Cute little luminary. I had it on my back porch until the kitties knocked it over and broke the jar!!! So I guess it will sit on the front porch bench with the crocks.

Not too much else going on. The gloomy weather has taken most of my motivation away. Hopefully now that the sun is shining and it is warming up, I can find it again. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

Blessings.................

Melissa

It Was Like American Pickers.......Almost!!

2011-04-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon!! We are in the middle of another cold, rainy, yucky day. I think the sun must have gone on vacation because it has not been seen in days. Normally by this time of year, DH has at least part of the crops in. This is not the case this year. I think now he is just hoping to get started by May. Keeping fingers crossed. As farmers, we know not to wish for the rain to stop. See, then it stops all together and doesn't come when we need it.

I stopped at my first garage sale last week. It was like an "American Pickers" episode. Tool shed full, wagons sitting out, things everywhere. This is an annual sale but this year it was at least 3 times bigger. I arrived about 30 minutes after is started only to be met by people taking ARMLOADS of goodies out. Darn, it!! My first instinct was to trip them, grad the wares and run!!!! I was a good sport though and told them "looks like you found some neat stuff". Benches, buckets, things to decorate outside were leaving fast. It was one of those instances where I drew a blank at what I wanted to look at because there was soooo much. I made a quick pass around the wagons first to see if anything caught my eye and then off to the tool shed. This box was my first find.

The top has to have been added on at some point. The hinge isn't old. I just love the writing on it. Perfect spot to stash all of my stitching stuff next to the couch!

Next, I found this chair. I think chairs may be an addiction. Shhhh...don't tell. I was going to put it outside but decided to try it inside first. They had several unpainted ones......wish I had picked one of those up to go inside. Darn it!!

These are the last things I picked up. I will use the oil can and door knob for make do bases. The shovel will look cute in a tote outside. Right next to the chicken feeder of course.

There was an old cupboard base that I almost bought. It was in pretty rough shape though. I still should have bought it. Maybe it will be there if he has another sale.

On Friday, I went to a local shop Bittersweet Cabin for an open house. Loved it. Here are a couple of things I came home with.

Isn't he too cute. Love his tail.

This little basket is my favorite. So simple!!

I have come across a new blog I wanted to share. It is The Real Farmwives of America & Friends. It is a collective blog, but each member also has her own blog. Gives some neat perspectives of the modern farm wife. Stop and check it out. They are having a recipe contest now along with Gooseberry Patch. Yummy!!

I also wanted to mention that the new issue of Prims is out. Three of my items have been featured again. There are many beautiful items to be seen.

That is all for today. Thanks for spending some time with me.

Blessings......

Melissa

Spring has Sprung.........Finally!!!

2011-04-11T14:18:00.000-04:00

Spring has finally sprung in NW Ohio!! Yesterday was a toasty 84 degrees and it felt wonderful. I see the warmer weather found many of you as well. Kinda makes you forget all the cold and snow last winter.....almost. It's so nice to see all the flowers that were planted last fall popping up. Here is the first one that I spotted. It looks a bit lonely!

I have noticed many places where I had bulbs planted, have not come up yet. I think I need to take a picture of the flower beds in a couple of weeks to know where I need more planted. I would like to think I could remember where to plant more next fall, but................the memory isn't what it was!!

Last week we had a couple of days that were a bit warmer so my son and I brought out my new toy!! I have been wishing for a little power washer so I could use it on our patio to speed up the cleaning a bit. Well, after quite a while of talking about it, DH brought one home from Lowe's!! It works great!! I have been warned though not to hold the wand too close to things....siding....paint......or I will ruin them. It almost makes cleaning outside fun!!

I took Easter decorations out a couple of weeks ago and sat them on the couch in our living room. There they patiently sat until I decided to set them out.

I found this tin egg at a garage sale last summer for $1. Love it.

Mr. Bunny is next to my cinnamon scented blackened beeswax tarts.

These goodies came a couple of weeks ago from my friend Ann. It was a late birthday present. (Making me feel really guilty b/c her birthday was way back in Nov and I haven't given her anything yet!!) Stop by A Hole In The Basket Primitives and check out her wonderful Blog!! Thanks, Ann.

I need to get some more of this greenery. I just love it.

That's all for today. I am trying to make myself do some more spring cleaning, but I think I need to sit and stitch for a while. My pile of patterns seems to be growing!! Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings............

Melissa

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-30T13:49:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon. I have finally made it back to blogging after what has seemed like forever. It seems I haven't had too much exciting going on to blog about. I did have foot surgery a month ago and since I was sitting and unable to be up, I did catch up on many blogs and had some good quality stitching time. Some of my work will be on Early Work Mercantile on the update April 1.

The kids are home this week so I have begun some spring cleaning. I like to get it done early so when it does get warm, I can get outside. Since my surgery, I am a bit behind. I have only one room done. My son helped me clean his room and the girls have gone through closets.

It is amazing how much stuff accumulates. I know I am definitely a "less is more" person now. We have bags of things to donate. It is a good feeling to pare down, isn't it??

I guess the next spring cleaning job to tackle is JoJo. When she goes outside, her first stop is any dirt spot she can find. Then she proceeds to roll in it until her white fur is brown. When she comes back in, we have to get a wet towel and wipe her down. Boy, she hates that!! I took this picture of her yesterday before we had a chance to clean her off. She looks a bit proud of herself don't you think?? And I wonder why the house doesn't stay clean for long.

Well, off to do some more cleaning. Take care.

Blessings........

Melissa

Hello....

2011-02-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

Hello. Hope you all are having a great day. Just wanted to let you know that I have updated my selling blog with many new spring beeswax items. I have bunnies, bowl fillers, ornies, and eggs. Stop on over and check them out. I hope you had a good Valentine's Day. Hubby bought me these beautiful roses....also bought some for the girls.

For supper, I made manicotti, salad, and garlic bread. We had cream puffs for dessert. If you want some new recipe ideas (who doesn't, right?), check out www.allrecipes.com. They have some really good ones and you can have a recipe sent to you each day. I found all of mine for supper last night there.

Wanted to share a picture of the snowstorm we had a couple of weeks ago. We were only supposed to get an inch. Well, we ended up with over 8". I was out shoveling and decided to try out my new camera. I really like the pictures it takes. Luckily, it has been warmer and most of the snow is gone.....yeah!!

That's all for now. Gotta get some work done.

Blessings.......

Melissa

Where has the time gone????

2011-01-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

Hello!!! I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted. Holidays came and went and things have been busy since. Putting away decorations, getting others out, celebrating my daughter's birthday (#15), trying to get some type of crafting done, and lastly, going on a trip to Jamaica. Hubby and I just returned on Tuesday night. It has been a battle trying to get caught up. I think I'm almost there. Our kids did a great job keeping up on cleaning and laundry for us so it wasn't too bad. The trip was amazing....if you like 80 degree weather. (Who doesn't??) I never wore a jacket the whole time and my toes were loving the feel of flip flops once again!!! Only one teeny flaw in the entire trip.......my new camera that hubby and the kids gave me for Christmas was stolen. I am furious at the fact that someone could do such a thing. Stealing the camera is one thing, stealing the pictures that I had taken another. It upset me so much that so many awesome pics I had taken are gone. I did get a few with my cell phone, but they certainly were not the same. Here is a peaceful shot that might help you get through the yucky winter weather.

Since we were going to be gone, I had not listed any new items to my selling blog. Now that I am back, I have added some blackened beeswax cinnamon scented items. I have both bowl fillers and ornies available. Stop on over and check them out. I am also part of the wonderful site Early Work Mercantile and update my items on the first of each month. There are so many talented artists here!!

That's about all for today. Hopefully I won't be gone so long until next time.

Blessings to all.........

Melissa

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

Wishing all of my friends a very Merry Christmas. I hope your day is filled with love, laughter, and lots of goodies to eat!!

Blessings to all.......

Melissa

Finally Done!!!

2010-12-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally finished my decorating....almost. There is still a pile of "homeless" things sitting out. If I don't find a spot for them tonight, it's back in the box until next year. I do know that when I pack up things this year, I am going to seriously clean house. There are decorations in those boxes that I look at and think I will never use again. Time to move them on to someone who will really love them.

That's it. I hope you all are getting things about all wrapped up for the season so you can take some time to enjoy your family, friends and beautiful decorations around you. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Blessings to all..............

Melissa

Outdoor Decorations & Great News!!

2010-12-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share pics of my outdoor decorating. It all looks so plain without the nice, white blanket of snow many of you are receiving. I guess you will just have to use your imagination!!

I still don't have inside things up yet although I keep trying to plug away at it. We made 2 batches of homemade caramels yesterday. Luckily my kids like to wrap them because I don't. Many more goodies on the list to make.

Great news!! I have been accepted into Early Work Mercantile. I will begin this wonderful journey starting January 1. What a great way to start a new year. Please stop by and visit all of the fabulous artists. They are truly inspiring.

Have a great day.

Blessings to All......

Melissa

JoJo's Festive Touch

2010-12-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

My girls each received a blinking Christmas bracelet from their Grandma. Emily decided JoJo needed a bit of Chrismtas spirit so she put in on her. She has too much fur to see it, but the blinking lights showed up. Doesn't she look so festive.

Have a great day.

Blessings to all........

Melissa

Christmas Tree & Prim Santas

2010-11-30T20:09:00.001-05:00

We have our tree up.....that's about it. We picked it out at a tree farm not too far from here. It is a Frasier fur, and I just love it. Smells so good. I have been working on a few Santas and have a couple of snowmen to tackle yet before getting more decorating done. I have all of the outside things up.....put them up when it was warm. I always panic when December 1 comes around. It hits me every year all that needs to be done in such a short time. Oh, well. I guess I'll do what I can. Be back soon with more pics.

Just one of the prim Santas offered on my selling blog

Blessings to all........

Melissa

Blessings to All

2010-11-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

An early Happy Thanksgiving wish to all of my dear friends. I pray that Thanksgiving Day finds you surrounded by ones you love and more blessings than you can count. Have a wonderful day.

PS.....I found the pattern I was searching for!! It is Parson Brown from Country Stitches. Thanks to all of you who took time to help me out.

Blessingst to all.........

Melissa

Looking for a Pattern

2010-11-21T19:48:00.002-05:00

I have been looking for the designer of a snowman pattern that I know I have seen numerous times. Except for now that I am trying to find it. It is about 15" tall and he has wire on his feet for skates. If you can help me out, I would love it. Thanks.

Melissa

Blackened Beeswax Father Christmas Ornies

2010-11-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

Hello. Just wanted to let you know that I have listed these prim little blackened beeswax Father Christmas ornies on my selling blog. They come in a set of 6. Stop on over and check them out.

Saint Nicks and Reindeer and Snowmen, Oh My!!

2010-11-14T19:02:00.000-05:00

Just some of the new offerings available on my SELLING BLOG. Thanks for stopping by.

Melissa

Selling Blog Update

2010-11-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

Not too much new and exciting to tell about. I just updated a couple of new items on my selling blog. Please stop over and check them out. Have a great weekend.

Melissa

Giveaway Winners!!

2010-10-18T12:25:00.001-04:00

Good morning. Hope you are all doing well. Thanks to all who entered my recent mystery giveaway. I dedided to go the Christmas route already since so many already have their fall goodies out. I really appreciate the time you spend with me. Now on to the business at hand.

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 31

Result:

This means that Tammy from A Primitive Place is my winner. Congrats, Tammy. This is your prize. Just send me your address and I will get it right out.

Since I had so many new followers to both blogs, I decided to have a second drawing for a little somethin' extra. Second place goes to...........

True Random Number Generator

Min:1

Max: 31

Result:

Amy from At Home With Amy. This is your prize. You can send me your address also.

Melissa

Giveaway Reminder

2010-10-16T07:59:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to remind you that you still have today and tomorrow to sign up for my mystery giveaway. I haven't decided if it will be something fall or something Christmas. You will just have to sign up and see. You must be a follower of both this blog and my selling blog to be entered. Please leave a comment on the previous post and let me know you are a follower.

Have a wonderful day.

Melissa

Giveaway Time

2010-10-12T11:06:00.001-04:00

Good morning. Hope you are all doing great. I have decided it is time for another giveaway. This time, however, it has to do with my selling blog. You must be a follower of the selling blog as well as this one to be entered. Please leave a comment on this post letting me know you are a follower of both...contact info also if you don't have a blog of your own. I would hate to have you win and not be able to let you know!!!! Please don't post this on your blogs as I want to reward those of you who faithfully follow me. The drawing will be held Sunday night, October 17. I will post the winner on Monday. I'm not sure what the goodies will be, but I will definitely make it worth your time!! Have a fantastic day.

Melissa

Selling Blog Update

2010-10-09T11:31:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that I have added a couple of new offerings to my selling blog. Stop over and check them out. Going to be a beautiful day here. Football game and harvesting bittersweet. Have a wonderful one!!

Melissa

Lots More Fall

2010-10-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I think I have my fall decorating done......maybe. I wanted to share my pictures of outside along with a couple of updated ones of inside. Again, lots of pics and not too many words. I just love this little primitive bench. I got it awhile ago at the local antique store. It's weathered and sits crooked.....just perfect. This is on our front porch.

This is the broom corn that I planted. All of it grew and I don't have a place for it all. Next year, I won't plant so much!!

My bittersweet waiting patiently for me to harvest. It has either been cold or windy or both cold and windy and I haven't made it out yet. It's on the list for this week. It's supposed to be in the mid 70"s. Yeah!! Notice JoJo in the window.....her favorite spot in the afternoon. Just enough sun to keep her warm and a window open so she doesn't get too hot. What a life!

Front porch.

Found the throw at GW last year for a buck or two. Perfect for outside!!

A couple of the inside pics I either missed last time or rearranged to make them better.

I found the little JOL ornies at JoAnn's. Love them.

Both pumpkins...above and below....came from JoAnn's too. Don't they look so real??

I went to the local antique store yesterday and found these items. The owner thinks this muffin pan may date back to the 1860's. It is just the neatest thing. And the slaw cutter is so little and cute. There was the neatest pie safe there also. Painted grey, prim, just perfect.....except the price. That's why you don't see a picture of it here. I just loved it. I will be perfect for someone, I'm sure.

Lastly, I will leave you with a picture of Bubba (Tim) and I before his football game last week. Notice the dreary day behind us. It didn't get any better. This week's game will be so much nicer. Can't wait.

That's about it for today. I'm cleaning and rearranging the living room today. Also trying to decide what type of curtains I would like to put up. Here is a picture of the windows. I have three sets of these. I have cafe style now with a valence, but am thinking of tobacco cloth curtains.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by.

Melissa

Prims Cover!!

2010-09-29T14:54:00.003-04:00

I just have to share that I just received the newest edition of Prims Magazine. Guess what was on the cover?!! Two of the crafts that I submitted. Thanks so much to T.F.C. Folk Art and Tennessee Ridge Primitives for such awesome designs. I also have a couple of other submissions featured....one is even my own simple design. I feel humbled to be on the cover when I see all of the BEAUTIFUL work done by other artists. Stop by and check out this wonderful publication!!!

http://www.stampington.com/html/prims_autumn10.html

Have a fantastic day!!

Melissa

Fall Decorating

2010-09-27T09:03:00.001-04:00

Good morning everyone. Hope all is well with you. In the time since I last posted, we have started harvest. It has been beautiful weather for it and it looks as if next will be also. So strange to be this far along at the end of September. We have our remodeling all done and I have slowly, and I do mean slowly, getting things back in their places. I still have a partial box of fall goodies to put out, but I thought I would share some of what I have out. This will be a post long on pics and short on words.

I went outside the other night trying to get a picture of the combines in the field because they looked so neat side by side in the dark field. Well, I couldn't get those to turn out, but I snapped a couple of the moon and just loved them. Thought I'd share it instead.

That's it for today. Next time I'll share some outside pics. I have alot of goodies on my selling blog. If you have time, please stop by. Have a wonderful day.

Take care!!

Melissa

Field Corn Bowl Filler

2010-09-08T18:53:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a new item on my selling blog.....field corn bowl filler. It comes straight from our fields to your home as a perfect primitive accent to your fall decorating. Stop over and check it out.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great evening.

Melissa

Remodel......Before & After

2010-09-07T13:43:00.000-04:00

Hello. I seem to be have been caught in the same time warp many of you have. Time has just gone somewhere while I try to get things done. Our remodeling is done......yeah. Now comes the cleaning and moving back......yuck. But after that, the fun decorating part can start just in time for fall goodies to go up. Here are a few before and after pics. It's hard to get a real feel for it because nothing is up and the lighting isn't the greatest. Hopefully I can get better pics up when the decorating is done. For those of you who don't know, we removed the pecan boards from our walls and replaced it with drywall, replaced the window trim and baseboard trim with old trim from DH's grandma's house that is being torn down. This trim now matches the rest of the trim in our house. We also added ceiling lights. The result is a much brighter, more farmhouse look. We are very pleased.

The old corner.

You can get a look at the window trim It is pine and the rest of the house is oak, but color and style wise it is very similar. I love the little corner pieces.

The bow window before....sorry about the glare.

After. It really stands out now. Thinking about some tobacco cloth fabric draped somehow....... Jo Jo's favorite spot!!

Doors between the family and living room. The old ones had bottle end glass in them. This is from the living room view.....the room that was already done with the oak trim.

The after doors. This is from the family room view. I had wanted french doors, but they are bi fold and they didn't recommend full glass as much as they would be used. I was going to have grills also, but they made the panes really little and hard to clean. Darn, now I have to keep the living room straightened up....never had to worry about that with the old glass.

That's all for today. I am supposed to be in washing walls and wood work getting ready to clean carpets. I am also working on some orders so I need to get going. I have added some new fall goodies to my selling blog so stop by if you get the chance. Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by.

Melissa

Garage Sale Find and Corn Niblets

2010-08-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Hope you are having a great day. The temps have cooled down a bit and the windows are open!!! We are getting closer with the remodel being done. The new doors are all done and just need to be hung along with the "new" old floorboard and trim. I'm getting antsy, because the house is in disarray and nothing is being done. Hopefully next week. I guess I can look at it this way.....I don't have too much to clean when there is nothing sitting out!!

I wanted to show you what I found at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago. They sell antiques and have one every year. It's the same place I let the "perfect" cupboard go because I had to go home and think about it. Dumb.......I know!! This is a doll case with missing glass. I like it better that way. I know I'm raising my girls right when one said how neat a crock would look in it!! I just brought it home, cleaned it a bit and put a coat of tung oil on it. The tung oil changed it completely and I love it more than before.

I have added a new offering to my selling blog. It is a set of beeswax corn cob niblet bowl fillers. Stop on over and check them out if you get time. They will look great in your fall displays.

I really need to go and get something accomplised today. It's been one of those ADD days. Maybe after the kids go to school next week, things will get more "normal". Whatever that might be. Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by.

~Melissa~

Busy, Busy and New Offerings

2010-08-09T15:22:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon. It has been a crazy last couple of weeks and I am just now getting around to having time to post. I have been busy making some new offerings for my selling blog. Here is one of them....a Pineberry Lane pattern. Stop on over and see the other items.

We also celebrated our son's 12th birthday. See goof ball Emily in the background!!

We are STILL working on the remodeling. After much debating over colors, I chose to go with tan on all the walls. It took forever to find the color we liked, but decided on Hearth Rug from Menard's. It is a soft color that seems to change as the light hits it. I love it!! We still have all the trim work to have done. They are hanging doors today. I do think the worst of the mess is done. Yeah!!

Next, we had a garage sale last weekend to go with the US 127 sale from Ohio to Alabama. We had many travelers from many different states stop by. It was really fun to hear some of them tell their tales. We were able to get rid of alot of junk....er, treasures. Next year, I'm going to travel to some of them myself!!

Finally, the last thing to keep up busy was a pageant in Columbus last weekend. Our daughter Emily was involved. There were 200 girls in her age group....wow!! She was not a top finalist, but she did earn a 3rd runner up award for the talent portion. We aren't sure how many exactly competed in talent, but think it was around 75 girls. She did an awesome job in the talent and also the rest of the competitions. What an experience for her. We are all so very proud of her.

Emily with Alex and Tim. They were very patient supporters over a very long weekend. Thanks, guys!!

Right before showtime with her Daddy. He was her escort!!

Em and me.

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate your time. I'll be back soon.

Take care.

Melissa

Giveaway Winnings!!!! I LOVE Them!

2010-07-28T13:02:00.000-04:00

Hello!! I just had the mailman stop and the house and drop off a package!!! It is from Kelley from Hook and Needle Kanknchester!!!! I won her giveaway a while back and she sent me such awesome stuff. First is a pile and I do mean pile of great fabrics. She must have known that I was just thinking that I really needed some new ones for the pin keeps I'm making.

Next, was a set of wool strawberries......so neat, a couple of pattern books, and some rusty jingle bells.

And finally, she said there would be a surprise inside. It is my FAVORITE and I LOVE it!!! This cute little punch needle cat pin keep. Thanks so much. You are too generous!!

Here are a couple of pics of our room remodel. The first is the corner with the boards torn off.

The next one is after is was full of insulation......boy that made a big mess. Wow.

This last one shows the dry wall they did yesterday. Some one is coming today to start mudding and finishing it. In the corner I have paper with the navy and tan paint on them. I think I am leaning toward the navy on the fireplace wall. The burgundy I had was too brown and it's hard to match the kitchen's burgundy cupboards without using the same paint. I don't really want to overkill. The only thing I'm not sure of is if I'll like where the walls meet and the color is different. I'm sure I'd get used to it and not even notice after awhile.

Gotta run for now. I need to put the pretty blue tarps down. Thanks for stopping by.

Take care,

Melissa

Remodel......and We Have Lights

2010-07-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

Good morning. The remodeling continues this morning. We have all of the paneling down and are having insulation blow into the outside walls.....I hope there is not as much mess as I think there will be, but won't know until it's done. We have tarps all over to protect the carpet. We resided the outside last year, but the family room was still a bit cold and drafty. Well, we figured out why. Part of the room used to be a sun porch and it has a stone foundation outside, under the bow window. When they took the paneling down, there was no insulation there only plaster next to the stone wall. No wonder it was cold.

We used to hear squirrels rolling walnuts around the ceiling years ago. Another perk of an old house. Anyway, after the paneling was off this is what we found.....

I started counting as I took them out. I told everyone in the room to take a guess at how many. My oldest said 102. I asked her if she was counting because that is exactly how many there were. Wonder how long it took the squirrel to get those there. Kinda funny, but gross too.

I had said in my last post that we were not able to get all of the recessed lights in that we wanted. Well.....we have an awesome contractor who I mentioned the problem to. He crawled into the space between the ceiling and floor through a floor vent to get access for the electricians. He mentioned after the fact that he is claustrophobic. We were running a fan into the hole to keep some air moving. I am so happy we were able to get them all. It just did not look right with them only on one half of the room.

Well, gotta go for now. They are sealing the room off. I'll show you pics on the next post. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

~Melissa~

Starting a Remodel and a Dilemma

2010-07-21T12:36:00.000-04:00

Hello. As I sit here writing this, I can hear drills and smell sawdust. We are starting a remodel job on our old farmhouse today. We are beginning with putting can lights in the family room, and anyone who has ever remodeled an old house already knows this.....expect the unexpected. I don't really like these lights, but it's the only way to get light in here. We were originally going to put more lights in, but the electricians can't get to the area we wanted them because we are not replacing the ceiling. So, no lights there. Next, the others had to be moved over a bit to accommodate the beam in the attic. I am hoping that it all looks good when done. Our room is so dark, and I am tired of lamps everywhere. They are putting them in today and going to wire tomorrow. The contractor is coming tomorrow also to start tearing down the siding on the walls. Now, I have debated this issue for years and I hope I'm making the right decision. We have on the walls right now a pecan siding which is made up of individual pieces . Each piece will need to be taken off and we are then drywalling. We know it's not paneling but it looks like it. Like I said, it is very dark in this room so we are trying to lighten it up. The doors between rooms are being replaced also. We are getting the old baseboard and window trim from DH grandma's house to use in here. It matches the rest of the house as we are trying to get back to the original farmhouse look.

My dilemma is this. The tan (it looks grey in the picture) color in the middle is going on 3 walls in the family room. The fireplace wall I would like an accent color. At first, I wanted burgundy, but my love of blue is trying to take over. I found this navy and now am undecided on what to do. Any thoughts?? I love crocks and we have a blue chair and tan couch to go with the chair you see.

My friend Ann, A Hole in the Basket Primitives, went on a prim shopping trip to Findlay a couple of weeks ago. We scored big time on our Pfaltzgraff Folk Art. We were very civil and split pieces evenly. We also hit a garage sale that had pottery for sale, the antique store, and to our favorite prim shop, Early American Home. Oh, and Hobby Lobby where we found some really pretty fabric. Take a look at all the goodies I found.

Finally, I added some beeswax icicles to my selling blog. I know it's early for Christmas, but I was anxious to try out the mold. Stop by and check them out.

That's all for now. I get to go clean up saw dust.....too bad there isn't enough to put into a pinkeep!!

Thanks for stopping by and stayed tuned for more remodeling pics. Take care.

Melissa

Giveaway Winner!!

2010-07-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon everyone. I just wanted to pop on quick and let you all know the winner of my latest giveaway. Thanks to all who entered and for your sweet comments. You are all great. I put all the entries in my lucky yellow ware bowl and my DD drew out the winner.

And the winner is..........................

Jayne of PrimWyoGirl!!!

Congrats to you. Just email me with your address and I will get your goodies right out.

Melissa

Giveaway Reminder

2010-07-10T07:26:00.000-04:00

Good morning. Yesterday my friend Ann from A Hole in the Basket Primitives and I went on a prim and antique shopping expedition. We decided it has probably been close to 3 years since we have done this.....way too long. Anyway, we had a great time and found lots of goodies. You will have to stay tuned for pics coming. I know she is going to share also, in between work and her boys baseball games. Check her out as well.

I wanted to remind you that you still have today and tomorrow to sign up for my giveaway. I will pick on Sunday night. If you have not left a comment yet, you will need to do it on the previous post so I don't miss you. You must be a follower and US resident. Good luck.

Our girls are headed home today from a mission trip to New Orleans. They have about 1000 miles to go. Please keep the group in your prayers for a safe trip home. We talked to them some and they were having a great time. Can't wait to hear their stories.

Have a great weekend!!

Melissa

Giveaway Time

2010-07-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hello, friends. I finally finished the items for my giveaway this morning. I am feeling in a fall mood---trying to keep cool. Included is a Jacky Lantern doll, a ditty bag, and a blackened beeswax cone tea light holder. To be entered, you must be a follower, a US resident, and leave a comment on this post only. I will be picking a winner on Sunday night July 11. Good luck!!

Happy July 4th!!! Some Patriotic Decorating and Gardens

2010-07-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

Happy July 4th everyone. I hope you are taking advantage of your day of freedom to do something fun!! I wanted to share some of my patriotic decorating and gardens with you today. I found this bench at an antique store and just loved it. The crocks are all cracked ones I've picked up here and there.

Impatiens do really well on our front porch. I made this flag a year or so ago.

I had my grapevine tree inside on the fireplace hearth and decided to put it outside for the summer. I should find something to decorate it with.

I had to put this crock in front of the ladder because the cats would climb it in the middle of the night and I was afraid they would knock it down and scare us to death!!

These are just pics around our front porch. I think all the flowers are finally growing and filling in like I had them pictured years ago when I planted them.

This is along our back sidewalk. We need new mulch....maybe sometime yet this summer??

Here are some more of the treasures I picked up at a garage sale last week. To think....I almost didn't stop. The lantern is definitely hand made and the tin egg mold is my favorite. I also picked up a towel rack. I didn't get a pic of it because I need to see if my dad can do a little gluing and clamping on it first.

I have reached my goal of 250 followers so it is time for a giveaway. Check back later this week for a picture of what I'm giving away plus the chance to sign up. I also just had my 100th post so I am celebrating that also.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful holiday.

Melissa

My Awesome Finds

2010-06-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hi. Just wanted to pop on quick and share my awesome finds from today. I had to go to Lowe's for some barn paint and just took a minute to run into the GW. I have never found my Pfaltzgraff dishes there, but today was different. I went in looking for some wood pieces to redo and was just walking out and there they were. The soup tureen doesn't have a lid, but that's okay. All together for the 16 pieces was $16!! I was so excited.

Then, this afternoon, our girls had a youth group fundraiser at an auction. If you liked lamps, you were in luck. Hundreds of them. They aren't for me, but they had a few jugs and crocks. They put them all together for choice so I thought I would be in trouble. Well, the bidding was over almost as fast as it started and guess what?? I won this beauty. Now, it does have chips and some cracks, but all of those marks just tell a story and add character, right? Besides, I don't think I could afford the perfect ones anyway.

The best news......only $13!!! My pastor who was helping with the fundraiser told me I should feel guilty. Do I?? Heck no!!

Today is also our 20th anniversary and look what DH sent to me. Twenty beautiful roses. Isn't he sweet? Wonder how long I will get a rose for each year? I love the orange and yellow ones...they look like fire.

I have to leave you with this picture of some of our new spring kittens. They kept getting into my flower pots to sleep and ruining the flowers. So, I took a bowl, filled it with dirt, and put it where the pots were. I came out this morning to find them all (5) with momma squeezed into it. Not too comfortable looking, but cute!!

Gotta run for now. Remember, only 5 more followers and I will be having a giveaway. I'm still thinking on what it might be. I'll let you know soon. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Melissa

A Found Treasure and Upcoming Giveaway!!

2010-06-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

Hello!! Hope you all are having a great day. We are having a really nice, although warm day. I'll take it though....beats cold weather. Since my last post way back when, I have been working on cleaning out our attic and organizing for a garage sale. I have taken many things from my "finds" pile and moved them over to the garage sale pile. All the while thinking....why on earth did I buy that?? I'm sure some of you have had the same experience. I am getting much more picky about what I buy to redo. Live and learn I guess. Anyway, while cleaning I came across a bag with something in it. So I pulled it out and found these.

They are pewter votive cups. I kinda forgot that I had them. The price tag was still on them. Are you ready?? Only $1 for them all. They need cleaned up because someone spilled paint on them at some point. Hello, why do you have paint next to pewter??? For those who have pewter pieces, what is the best way to clean them up?

Things are getting busy around here again. Wheat harvest will begin in just a few days and the kids' sweet corn patch is growing like crazy. I need to get out and make a new sign for along the road. The one we have is kinda scary looking. I made it spur of the moment a few years ago and kept forgetting to make a nicer one. So that's what I am working on today. That and cleaning out craft supplies and old fabric to add to the garage sale pile. We are having our sale during the US 127 Garage Sales in August. The northern starting point is West Unity, OH. My hometown. We live about 5 miles south of town and just a little off US 127 so it makes a perfect time to have one. We did well a couple of years ago when we had it. Last year, I decided I wanted to go to the sales instead of having one.

I am getting awfully close to 250 followers. I think when I hit that magic number, I will have a giveaway to celebrate. Don't know yet what the might be, but I'll work on something. Stay tuned and I will let you know when sign up time will be!!

Hubby and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary on Wednesday. Boy time sure does go. Better go get busy. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

What I've Been Up To & Log Cabin Soaps

2010-06-11T18:17:00.000-04:00

Hello. I hope you are all having a great day so far. I should be outside working on some yard work decided to stay inside the the air and share some of what I have been up to. It has been crazy since the kids have been home and everyone adjusts to their summer schedules. I have had a little more time to craft since they are home and some of my daily work has become their chores. (Yeah!!) The first item I have done is this little cupboard I bought at GW. At first, I just painted over it and then sanded. Well.....I don't know what industrial type white paint they used, but it turned out awful!!! So, out came the stripping gel and gloves. I finally got it down to bare wood and then painted, sanded, and stained it. It was worth the extra effort!!

I need to find something else to put into it, but this will work for now. The next project was a set of wooden salad bowls I found last summer at a garage sale. I just painted, sanded, and stained them.

Here is where I put them both. They are on top of an old blanket chest DH bought me before we were married. I have never checked into the markings on the front, but we outbid an antique dealer for it so they must mean something. I wish I could store things in it, but it is very musty!!

The next thing I redid was this little table. I had a large crock in the corner of our kitchen that I wanted to use for a hamper, so when I found this table I knew it would take the crock's place in the kitchen. Here it is before. Notice the same industrial white paint. Again, it had to be stripped before it was painted. I love the 20 gallon crock as a hamper too!!

Here are a few little settings I have around the house for summer.

Lastly, I finally remembered to cut and dry my yarrow this year. I moved it a couple of years ago to a sunnier place, and it really had a lot of blooms this year. I just filled an old crock with it.

I wanted to share a new website with you also. My friend Lori has started making her own soaps. She and her husband live in an old log cabin they moved and reassembled. Please stop over to Log Cabin Soaps and check out all they have to offer.

That's all for tonight. We have our town's parade tomorrow in which both our girls are in. One is marching and the other riding in the royalty float. She had to hand over her title of Jr. Miss last night. She has had a fun year and will miss it. Hopefully after that, I can get out and plant my broom corn and pumpkins. It is very late, but we have had so much rain. The tornadoes you may have heard about last weekend in Ohio were just about 30 minutes from us. There were many homes and a school destroyed, and five people were killed. It is hard when it is somewhere so close. Keep those families in your prayers. I also have some flax stared inside that I want to plant outside. Thought I would give that a shot this year.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

~Melissa~

Bedroom Pics and Chair Redo

2010-05-17T11:42:00.001-04:00

Good morning. I hope you are all doing well. I had intentions of jumping right into getting my work done early today, but somewhere along the way have lost all ambition. It is cold and windy out and more rain is on the way. Ugh.....we have had enough for now. DH, along with the other farmers, need to get into the fields again. We have all of our corn in and about half of the beans. It's a good thing DH started as early as he did. Many don't have anything planted. As farmers, we are always leery of wishing for the rain to stop. Because, it might just stop for the summer. So I guess we deal with what we get.

Last weekend was our DDs' dance recital. Here they are in their jazz outfits. Alex, on the left, danced 5 different dances at all 4 performances while Emily, on the right, danced 4 different dances each time. They were tired girls by Sunday. As always, the recital was amazing and the girls did a tremendous job. All the dancers, preschool through high school definitely give it their all. Now the girls are off for the summer and can't wait to start again in the fall.

After redoing my curtains in the bedroom a couple of weeks ago. I changed a few things around here and there and wanted to share a few pics.

I finally got around to refinishing a little chair I found last summer. It didn't take too long to strip the paint...someone had started it and apparently gave up. I was going to just paint it, but liked the look of the wood with a little stain and tung oil. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Well, I should go and get to work...I can hear the never-ending call of laundry and cleaning. Sure wish I could learn to tune all of that out. Just think how much crafting I could accomplish! Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for taking time to stop by. I truly appreciate it!!!

~Melissa~

New Curtains and Prim Breast Cancer Awareness Hope Doll

2010-05-04T14:11:00.002-04:00

Hello. I hope you are all having a great day. I posted wayyyyyy back last fall about wanting to get some different bedroom curtains. Well, I finally did something about that. After looking everywhere it seems, I decided that plaids, checks and stripes were not for me at this time. I am really into plain, plain, plain. So with that being said, I made my own using osnaburg. I really liked this for several reasons....while I do sew, I can only really sew straight lines. I only sewed the rod pocket and just tore the rest of it to have unfinished edges. The material was way cheap so if I messed up, which I did once, it was not too big of a deal. Remember...measure twice, cut once!! They fit into my plain theme and they are light and airy for summer. I coffee-dyed them to age them and ta-dah.......curtains for only $5 per window. Told you it was cheap!! When I tire of them, I can just use the material for some other prim project. I hung them with a curtain rod although I love the look of hanging from jute. We have all new windows and trim so I couldn't bring myself to nail into it. For a tie back, I just used old wooden clothespins. I pin them back during the day for air and light and unpin at night for privacy. I just love them!!

I have also been working on a doll for my selling blog. A few years ago I had seen a breast cancer awareness doll. I made a couple and decided it was too time intensive for me. I like quick and easy. I came up with this doll and will be listing her on my selling blog. A portion of the proceeds will be set aside and donated to our local Relay for Life teams. I'm sure we all know someone affected by this terrible disease and I hope to try to help out a little bit. Stop over and check her out.

I have also been working on refinishing a little chair. I stripped and stained it over the weekend and now it just sits patiently waiting a coat of sealer. Maybe tonight?? I share when I get it finished. Well, that is all for today. Have a great rest of the day and thanks for taking time to stop by.

~Melissa~

Garden Projects & Beeswax Cone

2010-04-22T11:39:00.001-04:00

Hello, everyone. I hope you are doing well. We are busy around here as the guys are full into planting. The weather has been very cooperative so they are working very hard. I have a new offering today on my selling blog. It is a beeswax cone hanger. It is hand poured blackened beeswax scented with cinnamon and rubbed in spices. It is 4 1/2" tall, has a flat back, and is wrapped in aged cheesecloth with a sprig of sweet Annie. It comes with a battery operated tea light. It will look great on a peg rack or hanging from a cupboard door. Stop by to check it out.

Some of you have seen this before, but I thought I would show it anyway for those who haven't seen it. I made this trellis last spring for my clematis plant. I am proud to say it lasted and just needed the wires tightened a bit this year and it was ready to go. It is rather crude, but that is the great thing about primitive decorating!!

I have been working outside some. So many of my flower beds look so sad....either too many weeds or plants that just don't do well. I thought that I only have 2 years until we start having kids graduate so I better start getting something done. So with that being said.....out came the Roundup. My DH always shudders when I get my sprayer out. I really try to be careful, but sometimes it just doesn't work out too well. I guess in a week we will see the damage or results!! I picked up these tiles at GW for 50 cents each. I wanted to get some stepping stones, but thought I would try these out first.

Here are the results....

Well, that's all for today. Guess I'll go try to get some work done.

Take care!!

Melissa

Prim Daisies

2010-04-14T10:33:00.004-04:00

Good morning. I wanted to let you know that I have a new offering on my selling blog today. It is a bouquet of 3 prim daisies. They are great to put in old crocks or hang on peg racks or cupboards. Stop by to check them out.

I had to share a couple of pics of our cat JoJo. She was in our bow window sunning herself/sleeping in her favorite prim basket. I caught her mid yawn on the first pic and thought it looked like she was smiling. The next one she appears to be thinking the basket never seemed to be this small before. Goofy cat. My friend Ann posted a few days ago about trading places with her cat, Frito. I think I could do the same.

My header pic is driving my crazy lately. No matter what picture I upload, it always makes it huge. I have the shrink to fit button checked and have never had this problem before. Anyone have any suggestions??

I haven't decided on a new light for my laundry room yet. I am leaning toward something a bit smaller than the kitchen light. Just haven't made the decision yet.

It is supposed to be nice again the next couple of days. I'm hoping to get something done outside. Key word.....hoping to.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care.

~Melissa~

New Light....And Advice Needed

2010-04-08T10:09:00.005-04:00

Good morning. Hope you are all doing well today. We have rather drab weather today so I am trying to find some motivation. It has been so nice outside that it's hard to go back to these grey days.

I wanted to share a picture of our new kitchen chandelier. The one that we had came with the house...which we purchased from DH's parents. While it is tin and I like it, it gave very little light in our dark kitchen. It doesn't help that I chose to paint the cupboards cranberry. Here is the before light....

I have been looking at chandeliers for a while trying to pick what I liked best. I need to go with an all tin one because we have another smaller tin ceiling light in the kitchen and tin outlet covers. So here is what I picked.....

It is soooooo bright.....I think I need to get smaller bulbs for the candles. It is so nice to be able to see now. Although the dust on the cupboards really shows up now!!! I also would like to get some berry rings. Now as everyone knows once you make a change in one room.....it often means you need to change another. Oh, the joys of an old home. Anyway, our utility room which is next to our kitchen is also very dark. DH would like me to get a light like this for out there also. My question is....do any of you have lights like this in other rooms besides kitchens/dining areas? I think it would look okay because it is a fairly good sized room with higher ceilings. I would love any advice you could offer. Here is the room so you can see what it looks like...(pardon the litter box!)

I think I am going to get a smaller one for our front foyer also. I found one with similar style for there. I bought these from The Tin Bin. They have beautiful items. Wow!!!

I have finished up a stitchery that I need to decide what to do with as well as a bunch of prim daffodils (a pattern from Tennessee Ridge Primitives). They are my header pic. I love how they turned out!!! Besides that, I have been outside trying to decide what to plant this year. DH put the first few rows of sweet corn out few days ago. Now if the torrential rain we had last night didn't do it in.....I still have all of my wooden makeover projects lined up. No rest for the wicked they say. Speaking of "Wicked", we went to Toledo last week to see the off Broadway performance. It was AMAZING. We would love to go back, but I believe tickets are sold out. That is the first show I've seen like that and I am hooked!!!

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

~Melissa~

Beeswax Bunny

2010-03-31T19:03:00.002-04:00

Hi. I hope you all are enjoying the same beautiful weather we are having. The kids are on spring break this week and it is so nice that they can be outside to enjoy it. Just wanted to let you know that I have a new listing on my selling blog. It is a blackened beeswax bunny. I meant to get it on before this, but you know how things can get. Stop by if you get the chance. I hope to be back soon.

Take care.

~Melissa~

Enjoying the Weather and Selling Blog Update

2010-03-18T10:50:00.002-04:00

Hello. Again it has been way too long since I last posted. This is beginning to be a recurring theme with me. The weather has been so nice here the past few days. I have been doing some outside work and my body can definitely tell it. Wow, I have been sore. Like others have said though, it is a good type of sore since we can finally be outside.

Since I last posted, our oldest DD has turned 16 and she just got her driver's license yesterday. Those of you who have been through this understand how strange and scary it is to watch them drive out of the driveway the first time. Wow!! We were bad parents and left for vacation on her birthday. Here she is the night before with her ice cream cake.

Speaking of vacation....here is DH and myself on the balcony of our room in the Bahamas. We used the self timer on the camera. This was the day we came home....of course it's always beautiful on the day you come home. The day before was so windy and cold we couldn't be out. Overall, we had about 3 good days out of 5. Better than Ohio weather this time of year.

I have also been working on some items for my selling blog. Here they are for you to take a peek at. Stop on over to Farm Field Primitive Goods to find out more info.

Have a great day and I hope you are having good weather too.

Melissa

Birthday Goodies

2010-02-25T12:34:00.004-05:00

Well, hello everyone. It has been a month since I last posted. Wow!! I would like to say in that time I have accomplished so much. Truth is, I haven't done much of anything. A new project here or there and just stuff. Nothing exciting so I didn't feel the need to bore you all.

During my time off, I celebrated a birthday on Sunday the 21st. My DH had a surprise party after a basketball game a couple of nights before with some friends. He pulled it off completely without me knowing anything about it. My kids even kept the secret!! We went out to eat with my parents on Sunday, and I spent the rest of the day relaxing. I had no voice due to this "crud" I've had since Nov. I have been checked for lots of things and at this point, the doctor thinks it is weather related and hopes it will go away once spring comes!!! Keepin' my fingers crossed. DH and I are going to the Bahamas next week so I am hoping sunshine and lots of little umbrella drinks will cure me!!

I wanted to share some of my birthday goodies with you. DH gave me a diamond journey necklace, which is hard to take a pic of while wearing it. You'll have to take my word for it....it's very pretty. This group of things is from my parents. My dad picked out the bunny. Isn't it cute!! The candle is cinnamon spice and the spray pumpkin bread. Yummy!!

These next goodies are from my friend Ann at A Hole in the Basket Primitives. I just love them both. I'm sure her DH made the shelf. Thanks, Kevin!! She found the pattern for the cross stitch at a thrift store. It is the perfect accent for my Pfaltzgraff. Thanks!!!!! This is how good of a friend I am. Because we are both so busy with running children everywhere, I still have not given her the birthday gift I have for her from clear back mid Nov. I'm feeling really guilty!!

Big news tomorrow is our oldest DD's 16th birthday. She is on the far right in the picture above. Wow, has the time just flown. Seems like just yesterday we came home from the hospital with her and were thinking, ok now what??? Happy birthday, Alex. Love you. She has to wait until we get back from our trip to get her license. It probably seems like torture to her!!

Well, that's about all for now. After vacation, I plan to list a few new spring items on my selling blog. Watch out for that. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Melissa

Valentines and A Trip to the Antique Store

2010-01-26T12:04:00.005-05:00

Hello, friends. I hope you are having a good day. It is cold, windy, and snowy here today. Nothing is supposed to stick, thank goodness. I thought I would show you a couple of the things I use to decorate for Valentine's Day. I really don't have much and have made most of these things in the last year. I would like to add a few more things also. My header picture shows the display on our kitchen table. I made the hearts last year and added the little pillow this year using a pattern by Primitive Stitches. I made the stocking a couple of years ago using a pattern from Tennessee Ridge Primitives. I have put it in other places, but this year it greets our back door guests. I finally got around to changing the shelf in the kitchen. I has pretty much been bare since I took Christmas stuff down. I have a little pinkeep I made last year using a pattern by Jenny Hoffman.

I think these little cupboard hanger/pinkeeps are my new addiction. I enjoy making them and just love how they turn out. It is good busy work while waiting on kids.

Yesterday I decided to go to a local antique store. I was really on the lookout for a 20 gallon crock. I have one in our kitchen that is turned upside down for a table, but I would like one to use as a clothes hamper. Ours is about shot and I just can 't bring myself to pay what they want for them. Most of them are not very prim looking or large enough for a family of 5. Anyway....I did see a 15 gallon one that was way out of my range. It can have cracks for what I am needing it for. I guess I will have to keep looking. There were several things that caught my eye. Actually, I think I could have spent over $500 in the first booth alone. I just kept walking. My first treasures were these little tin cookie cutters. They were in two different booths and kind of hidden away. It's strange that I even found them. Must have been my prim ESP calling me to them!! Won't they be perfect for Easter decorating??!

I did see a really cute tin pitcher that I was thinking about. I could just see it displaying fresh flowers. I had to change my mind though when I came across my next treasure. (Maybe next time!!) I have been admiring all of your pics that show one of these and have wanted one for a long time. It's a good thing no one was close to me when I saw it cuz I probably would have knocked them over trying to get it. It was only $22. I thought that was pretty good. So now all I have to do is find a spot for it.

I have finished a couple of bunnies,dolls, and an Easter garland that I will be listing on my selling blog. Stop by to check them out. Here is a peek at Mrs. Hops. I have her in two different dresses.

Have a good evening and thanks for stopping by.

Take care.

~Melissa~

Help a Sick Kitty & Rag Stuffing Help

2010-01-21T10:47:00.009-05:00

Hi. I just came across this story. This is Misty whose owner needs help in paying for a major surgery. I know many of you are cat people like me, so I wanted to make you aware of the situation. I have some money in my paypal account so I helped a little. If you can do the same, I'm sure it will be very much appreciated!! In case the above link doesn't work, here it is again.

http://www.love-and-hisses.com/

I have been working on a few things here and there. Nothing too big and exciting. It seems this time of year is so blah and it is hard to get motivated. I am counting down the days til spring and am enjoying the fact that each day is lasting just a weeee bit longer than the day before.

I have some coffee dyeing to do and I would like to go through some fabric that I know I will never use. I thought about selling some of the bigger pieces. What do those of you who do rag stuffing use? Can you use fabric strips? Any other tips would be great. Thanks.

Have a great day. Take care.

~Melissa~

~Mr. Snow & Giveaway Winner~

2010-01-15T17:19:00.005-05:00

Mr. Snow has made an appearance over at my selling blog. Stop by and visit. Also.........the winner of my one year blogversary giveaway is..................................

Kath from The Olde Weeping Cedar

Thanks to everyone who entered. I wish I could give you all something. Have a great weekend. Kath, just get back to me with your address and I will get your goodies out to you.

~Melissa~

New Pinkeeps on Selling Blog

2010-01-12T11:33:00.003-05:00

Good almost afternoon, everyone. Hope you are having good day so far. I am trying to keep busy as DH is on a plane headed back to the states from his mission trip. It will be good to hear his voice after a week and better yet for him to be safe at home. He is to be in Chicago tonight at 6:00 and then has the 3+ hour drive home. So anyway...back to staying busy. I just finished a couple of pinkeeps and have listed them on my selling blog. Please stop by and check them out if you get time. The link is on the left of this page. Now, back to work.

**Remember my giveaway drawing will be this Friday. If you haven't entered, please post a comment on the birthday post. Thanks** Good luck.

Take care.
~Melissa~

Selling Blog Update and a Hint

2010-01-10T11:30:00.005-05:00

Good morning. It is bright and sunny here today and for a moment you might think it's warm out, but no, not yet!! I wanted to let you know that I have added a new prim doll to my selling blog today. She is a Jackie Schmidt design. Maybe with the holidays over, I can get to making some more things!!

If you haven't yet signed up for my one year giveaway drawing on my last post, make sure to stop by and do so. You need to leave a comment on that post only. Here is the hint....you may see this doll in your mailbox if you win!!

I survived my DD's sleepover. There are just a couple of girls left to be picked up and things will return to normal. I will have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. They played Wii Just Dance forever and just loved it.

Lastly, I wanted to share this picture with you. You cat lovers out there will get a hoot out of it. This is the path they made from the tree to the house the other day after the snowstorm. I pity the poor kitties who were the first to set out!!

Have a great Sunday and I hope you get to do something fun!!

Take Care,

~Melissa~

Busy....Snow on the Way

2010-01-07T10:58:00.009-05:00

Good morning...almost afternoon here from snowy NW Ohio. We are under a winter weather advisory with 3-5 inches of snow until tomorrow. Oh, boy!!!! Not much for you hardy northern types, but enough for us!! The groceries are bought and maybe activities and school will be cancelled so we don't have to go out.

Today is my blogversay. It was one year ago that I started and it has been a wonderful journey. I have learned so much, been so inspired, and found some really awesome friends. I can't believe I have so many followers. Thanks to all of you who drop by either with or without leaving comments. I appreciate it so much. I am going to have a giveaway to honor the occasion. It is such a surprise, I don't even know what it is going to be yet!! You need to be a follower and leave a comment on this post and you will be entered. Please don't post this...I want to reward you loyal followers. Notice I didn't list it in my title. I will have a drawing on the evening of Jan 15. Good luck!!

The last few days have been busy with just stuff. Putting away Christmas and cleaning. Why is there always cleaning??? With the kids back in school, so starts the homework and the running around. They started in the new school Monday. They had mixed feelings about leaving the old school, but this is so nice. DH left Tuesday on a mission trip to Nicaragua with 3 others from our church. I guess things are going well. He can't call from there, but the minister has a laptop he can email from. He will be getting back next Tuesday. Please keep add them to your prayer list for a safe rest of the trip and travel back. Does anyone else seem like their prayer lists keep getting bigger??? I wonder if it is because I'm getting older and that is more important to me or if there is really so much more bad stuff. I keep so many of you all in my prayers as well when you have a need. Please don't be afraid to ask....there are many of us willing to help in anyway we can. Okay...enough of my preaching!!

Tuesday was also our DD Emily's birthday. She turned 14. Wow!! I made her a strawberry cake. Obviously I am not a cake decorator so don't look too closely. She got a couple of new Wii games and a gift card to American Eagle. It's hard to buy so close after Christmas. This way, she can buy some new fun spring things. If that season ever decides to show up! She is having a slumber party with 7 girls Saturday night. She caught me at a weak moment. My DH owes me big time....notice we scheduled it while he is away. What a good wife I am!!!!

Wow, that is not a very good pic of me!! The Santa picture behind Emily was another half off Christmas item I picked up. I think just about everything I bought had an old fashioned Santa on them. I guess that is my new addiction!!! By next year, I will have forgotten about them and be really surprised when I open my Santa box. Can't wait!!!

JoJo was hiding under the footstool watching Emily open her gifts. Maybe she was waiting on one for herself!!

I don't know if it my computer or Blogger, but I am having a terrible time uploading these pics. Ugh....computers are great when they work. I guess I'll go for now. I have a little cleaning to finish, and then I am spending this snowy afternoon crafting.

Take care.

~Melissa~

Post Christmas Goodies

2009-12-29T07:49:00.004-05:00

Good morning. I hope you are all having a good day so far. Things are returning to normal after the holidays...sigh... The season goes so fast it seems we hardly get to enjoy it and it's gone. We had a very good Christmas with Santa being good to everyone.

The day after Christmas, my girls, parents and I went out in search of bargains. One of our favorite places to go is to Findlay, OH. There are two neat shops there. My favorite is Early American Home. Barb is the owner and she is so friendly and helpful. It is an old home decorated with primitive and colonial items. I think I could spend the whole day in there. The other store is the Homestead. It is a 3 story barn rebuilt on the site. It is decked out also. It has more of a mix of items, but it is still very nice. Both were having awesome sales so here is what I picked up for next year's decorating.

Here is a closer look at some of the things in their new home. The lamp at the bottom was a Christmas gift from DH. We had been through Findlay earlier this month and I picked it out then. I just love it. The Christmas CD above is so good. I just love colonial Christmas music. My DH thinks it sounds like funeral music!! To each his own.

I need to head off and get started for the day. We are having a New Year's Eve party/card club and I need to work on the house. I am finally feeling better so I have a lot of catching up to do. Have a wonderful new year and be safe.

~Melissa~

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T08:39:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to stop by and wish you and your family a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Take care.

~Melissa~

White Christmas Snow, Outdoor Pics,& Homecoming

2009-12-19T09:48:00.005-05:00

Good morning. We woke up this morning to a pretty white scene. It appears that at this point we just might have that white Christmas we all think about. It is snowing lightly still and I wish I could stay inside, stitch, bake, read my Mercantile Gatherings magazine, be lazy....but DS has a basketball game we need to head out to. I took my outdoor pics last week, but I had to go do them again this morning because it just looks more festive with the pretty blanket of snow accenting them. Enjoy!!

Last night was our high school's last Homecoming/basketball game to be played in our old school. We are moving into a beautiful new K-12 building right after Christmas. I think it would have been much neater to have had the ceremony in the new school, but some people are way too sentimental about things and they had it last night. Oh, well. Anyway, our oldest DD was sophomore class attendant. I would be amiss if I didn't share some photos of her fun evening.

Well, I'm off to do a little something productive before the basketball game. Maybe I'll have some free time later to do the fun things.

Keep your wonderful Christmas pics coming. I have so enjoyed looking at them and getting inspired. Know that I have seen them but have kept my comment posting to a minimum so I can look at as many as possible. Everything looks great.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

~Melissa~

Just Pics...Lots of Them

2009-12-15T08:15:00.009-05:00

Good morning. I hope you are all doing well. I am still fighting this dumb bronchitis. I went to the doctor again yesterday, and she put me on a steroid to get the lung inflammation down. I'm sure the extra hype it gives me during the day will be beneficial, but it sure gave me fits sleeping last night. I don't do well on little sleep. The grumpy me comes out very quickly. Well, my title said this was just going to be pics so I will keep quiet for now and just share my Christmas pics. I will post my outside decor next time.

Take care!!

Melissa

Caramel and Gourmet Pretzels Recipe

2009-12-09T12:34:00.006-05:00

Good afternoon. I am having to hold onto my computer and everything else for dear life today. We have 20-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph. It is cold and snowy and just plain yucky. I had to take our outdoor cats out to the barn today. Most of them didn't know about the barn. I had to lure them out with food. I haven't seen any of them up here so I hope they are all snug and cozy. They will have to come up to the house for food and water. It's too cold to trek out there to feed them. At least now they know they have somewhere warm to be.

I wanted to share a recipe for homemade caramels that I have been making for years. It has become a kind of expected treat each year. It was even featured in a Gooseberry Patch Christmas cookbook years ago. So far, I have made 3 batches and may have to do another.

Homemade Caramels

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
dash salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in 3 qt heavy saucepan. Add sugar and salt. Stir thoroughly and stir in corn syrup. Mix well and add sweet milk. Stir constantly while cooking over medium heat to firm ball stage--245 degrees Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour into greased 9 x 9 pan. Cool completely, cut into small square and wrap.

It recommends wrapping in wax paper. This works but doesn't always look the nicest if you are giving as gifts. I buy foil candy wrappers from Nashville Wraps. I am sure you can find them in cooking stores as well.

Gourmet Pretzels

Caramel recipe above

1 bag milk chocolate chips

1 bag peanut butter chips

peanuts

2 bags pretzel rods--I break them in half

Chop the chocolate and peanut butter chips and peanuts. I use a food processor and do each separately. Put each in its own bowl. Take equal amounts of each and put into a pie tin or something so you can roll your pretzel in it. Mix together. ( I only mix a little at a time because you can save whatever you don't use for later.) Dip your pretzels in the caramel (I dip the broken end), let excess drip off and roll in your toppings. Place on wax paper to cool. Store in a sealed container.

These are both easy and tasty treats. Enjoy!!

Take care and stay warm!!
~Melissa~

Farm Field Primitives

The Cupboards are Here.........

Kitchen Update and an Antique Find

Week 2 begins............

Day 4................

Day 3..............

Day 2 Pics.....................

And so it begins.......

Christmas decorating......

Giveaway winner!!

Giveaway Reminder.....

Happy Thanksgiving......

Happy Halloween!!

Fall Decorating & Homecoming

New Blackened Beeswax Goods

Some decorating started & some new molds!!

Giveaway Winner!!

Last Chance!!

Picture Trail Gallery

I'm Back............with a Giveaway!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Early Work Update

Flowers & A Trip to the Most Magical Place in the World!!

"New" Primitive Goodies & Some Spring Flowers

Prom and The Dust is Finally Rolling.........

It Was Like American Pickers.......Almost!!

Spring has Sprung.........Finally!!!

Spring Cleaning

Hello....

Where has the time gone????

Merry Christmas!!

Finally Done!!!

Outdoor Decorations & Great News!!

JoJo's Festive Touch

Christmas Tree & Prim Santas

Blessings to All

Looking for a Pattern

Blackened Beeswax Father Christmas Ornies

Saint Nicks and Reindeer and Snowmen, Oh My!!

Selling Blog Update

Giveaway Winners!!

Giveaway Reminder

Giveaway Time

Selling Blog Update

Lots More Fall

Prims Cover!!

Fall Decorating

Field Corn Bowl Filler

Remodel......Before & After

Garage Sale Find and Corn Niblets

Busy, Busy and New Offerings

Giveaway Winnings!!!! I LOVE Them!

Remodel......and We Have Lights

Starting a Remodel and a Dilemma

Giveaway Winner!!

Giveaway Reminder

Giveaway Time

Happy July 4th!!! Some Patriotic Decorating and Gardens

My Awesome Finds

A Found Treasure and Upcoming Giveaway!!

What I've Been Up To & Log Cabin Soaps

Bedroom Pics and Chair Redo

New Curtains and Prim Breast Cancer Awareness Hope Doll

Garden Projects & Beeswax Cone

Prim Daisies

New Light....And Advice Needed

Beeswax Bunny

Enjoying the Weather and Selling Blog Update

Birthday Goodies

Valentines and A Trip to the Antique Store

Help a Sick Kitty & Rag Stuffing Help

~~~Mr. Snow & Giveaway Winner~~~

New Pinkeeps on Selling Blog

Selling Blog Update and a Hint

Busy....Snow on the Way

Post Christmas Goodies

Merry Christmas!!!

White Christmas Snow, Outdoor Pics,& Homecoming

Just Pics...Lots of Them

Caramel and Gourmet Pretzels Recipe

~Mr. Snow & Giveaway Winner~