Whew! Who Ever Said Summer Is Lazy?

There's no end to the hustle and bustle around here!  Last week and the week before were tiring, stressful, and full of constant motion.  

This week is a little slower, but still has its busy days.  Like today for instance!  The two youngest boys of my good friends are staying with us.  My boys are so excited to have friends here today... and tomorrow.  It's barely nine o'clock and they're already in the pool.

We got a few 4-H projects finished for the fair.  Still trying to find a project for my oldest son, the craft we tried didn't turn out so well.  He'll be too busy with his friends to worry about it for a day or two.

I'm finishing up my Craft Hope projects and hope to share them later.  For now, I better go check on the kids...

A Break from Posting

What a whirlwind weekend we had!  My boys finished their baseball season with a tournament on Saturday and Sunday.  The heat index was near 100 on Saturday when they lost their first game.  Sunday it was a wee bit cooler and they dug themselves out of the loser's bracket.  They had to play 3 games and lost the last by one point to take 3rd place!  They were very excited and very exhausted.

Well, my house it quite a mess from the constant running.  It needs a major overhaul.  

This is the end of the month, so I have lots of work to do for the church.  

KZ starts football camp tonight and it lasts all week.  (From one sport to another, no break for the weary)

The county fair is coming up in 2 weeks and we have projects to start/finish.

I have one bootie left to complete my pledge to Craft Hope.

This summer is just flying!  I'm going to take a step back this week from posting.  So many other things are taking precedence and I know I won't have much time to focus here.  

Have a great 4th!

Indiana Jones Softie

Remember the Captain Underpants softie? Well, meet Indiana Jones. His face was drawn by one of the boys.


He's holding a whip, though it is hard to tell what it is at this angle. His vest was also hand drawn by the boys. This little guy promoted me to "super cool mom" status for a few minutes.

Tidbits...

I've hijacked hubby's laptop so I can type and keep an eye on the kids in the pool. Here's some tidbits from our day...

Unheard Of: 3 of 4 children slept until 9 am.
Scary: We discovered our smallest bucket calf in terrible condition around noon. She was very weak, slobbering, and fell twice while we were trying to move her to a cooler spot. These things always seem to happen when hubs is no where near home. The second time she stumbled something clicked in my head and I sent Red for the hose. We started drizzling water into her mouth and then wet her head and upper body. It seemed to be enough of a boost that she got up and we found her a cooler spot. After a few minutes she started grazing and drinking water. Now she is fine. We'll be keeping a tight eye on them both... this 100 plus heat isn't good for anyone or thing.
Satisfying: Homemade chocolate chip cookies that I didn't have to make.
Sad: Watching the movie "Seven Pounds."
Happy: Completed booties for Craft Hope, and did some sewing too.
Tiring: The heat. And the early mornings and late nights. This is hay season so hubby works sun up to sun down and comes home beat. It's kind of tough on all of us, but thankfully it doesn't last too long.
Hoping: I can get a new sewing machine and REALLY hoping I can swing a serger too. At least before I'm too feeble to sew any more.
Planning: Christmas presents.
Dreading: An all day ball tournament Saturday in the 100 degree heat.
Wishing: Pizza Hut delivered in the country.
Angry: Stupid DTV conversion.
Thankful: My kids aren't stuck in daycare all summer and I'm not at a job I hate. (Hold on their arguing again, I may edit this later.)
Enjoying: The fact that my kids can argue about anything. They are seriously creative in this area.
Funny: Ok, this one is for you Dad... your grand dog does NOT like the swimming pool. You can call me for the details. : )

The Bird's Nest

After recent storms pummeled through, numerous bird nests were found around the yard. The strong winds and hail were no match for the tiny nests set in the highest limbs.

Clover and I enjoyed investigating each one, similar yet different. These little homes are very well built, not one nest was destroyed. It was just blown out of the tree.

First I found that each nest was made with what the little birds had on hand. Little bits and pieces they found and I can only imagine their thoughts as they worked steadily at the task at hand.

"Oh look, that horse hair will make soft bedding for my eggs. Perfect."
"That net wrapping will make a strong base. That hay will work, too!"
"String, string, what a helpful thing."
"Sticky mud makes perfect glue... some for me and some for you!"

Now I don't know if birds actually have these thoughts, but I can imagine it. I can think of many times when I've found delight in the smallest of things. Having a task I needed to accomplish and with just a little thought and effort, just a little "use what I have attitude" I was able to do more with less.

Looking at these nests, they are simple. They are also very intricate and well made. Birds don't throw a fit about what they have to use. They do their very best with what God provides them. Their workmanship is beautiful. Likewise, shouldn't I try to do my best with what I'm given? Shouldn't I put forth my best effort?

Birds put together these fascinating homes using their beaks and feet. Making many trips. Searching for construction materials that will be just right. They are patient and hard workers. How many times have I grumbled about a job because it seemed daunting? Too many times. How many times, with just a little patience did I learn in the process, become a better person, and realize that God didn't give me more than I could handle... I just didn't want to do it? Again, too many times.

Last, have you ever seen a bird finish her little haven and then fly around squawking to all the other birds? "I'm done, I'm done, isn't it marvelous? Didn't I do a splendid job? Look at me, look at me!"

I doubt that it happens. But I do that sometimes. I finish a task and then expect to be rewarded for it.

We set the little nests on our porch. I don't know how long they will last between the wind and rain. I do know that they will be a reminder of the areas in my life that need some work.

Good Deals Sure Help the Budget

I have the hardest time not letting the food budget get out of control during the summer. I get lazy. And we stay busy. So I'm less inclined to spend free time in the kitchen. However, I'm trying much harder this year. I also can't get over some of the awesome coupons I've received lately!


After coupons: Smuckers toppings $1.00/jar, PB $1.15, Cereal bars $1.35, veggies $.16/can. Also got General Mills cereals for $1.00/box. (not shown)


All these items were FREE! Now how can you beat free hot dogs and sauce, paper towels to clean up the mess, and Cascade rinse to help wash the dishes when your done?

Crafting for a Cause

You've all heard me blab about my various crafts... projects I want to do, things that I need to do, and of course, you've been succumbed to the various "in stage/finished product photos." Thank you for bearing with me and all of the kind comments you send my way. So now, I need you to hang with me just a little longer because I'm so excited about this next project that I think I might bust.

"Craft Hope is a faith-based, love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. It is their hope to combine the love of crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world." They have just started Project #3. This time they have partnered with The Miracle Foundation and are sending handmade blankets, beanies and booties to the Bhawani, Rourkela and Sooch Village childrens homes in India.

I have pledged to make 3 beanies and 3 sets of booties. I had so much fun when I put together these baby gifts. It makes my heart do little flips to know that I can help children in need.


I am using some of the patterns from Crochet from the Heart by Kristin Spurkland. All of her projects come together quickly and all are recommend for charity.

Would you like to participate? Go to Craft Hope and leave your name in the comments section. They will send you an email with the information you need. And in case you are worried... I'll be posting my "in stage" photos as I go! : )

One of Those Days!

This has been quite a day!  I have to admit that I am soooo very tired of the late night/early morning storms.  The hail was so bad this morning that it woke up all four kids.  I could truly do without the lightning.  The last few storms it has hit really close.  Because of all the rain, the roof leaked worse than normal.  We did get shingles bought yesterday, so maybe we can get the roof fixed soon.

The garden was just pelted by hail.  Several plants were broken off.  My grape vines were ripped off the wire that they "grip" as they grow.  That has never happened before.  

Our pool that has only been up a few days... that I had finally gotten the chemicals levels VERY close to where they should be, was full of cedar needles.  I would guess about 1/3 of a tree to be exact.  It tries a mama's patience to explain why we aren't going to swim with prickly cedar needles in the water.

Also for some reason a couple of our kittens died last night.  The kids found them.  And the headless bird in the driveway... and all the cracked blue eggs and empty bird nests in the yard. Sometimes it tries a mama's heart and mind to have to explain why these things happen.

 

I should mention, too, that just when we thought we would have a little extra money... hubby was mowing and shot a rock through his truck window (on the side) and when he turned to look at what happened, he ran over the rain gauge in the yard.  Go ahead and chuckle, I did.  Isn't life just exhausting and crazy some times?

Simple Joy

Over the years I have lost a host of fruit bushes. Three blackberry bushes, 2 cherry, and 2 blueberry quickly come to mind. Sometimes the loss was due to my inability to outsmart Mother Nature, other times it was my lack of correct care, and there has been more than one occasion when my dear fruit bushes have met their young fate at the hands of the man with the Weed Whacker. (You know who you are)

So when we stumbled upon this delicious treasure, I felt a warm sense of accomplishment.


Two pretty purple berries from my bush that was planted last summer. Maybe one day the dear old bush will cater to a bumper crop. But for today, this was a Simple Joy.

Sewing for Me

I know I told you a few weeks ago that I had some sewing projects planned for myself. Amazingly enough, I did finish several and I even like them enough that I might wear them in public!

Remember this? It started as a dress from Simplicity 3835. Then I found a hole right in the center front. So I cut it to shirt length. I really hated it. The neck was so high I felt like I was choking and the armpits were so tight I couldn't move. So... I really went out on a limb! I cut the neck facing lower and took out the front and back gathers. The only gathering is at the shoulders. I also made a placket for the back and used a hook and eye for closure. I honestly can't believe it worked, but it did!

This top is also from Simplicity 3835. It has elastic at the neck, but I left out the elastic at the sleeves. It's really comfy and I like the relaxed look of the bubbly fabric.


This skirt is one I drafted following the directions in Sew What! Skirts. I wanted to use fabric I had on hand to test the pattern. Since I've never drafted one before, I figured the first version wouldn't fit right. I really like how well this worked up. The pattern was so easy and the fabric (given to me, thanks C.S.) was perfect. I added the ruffle at the bottom to add a little feminine detail. I can see using this pattern over and over.
I have a couple more items to share later. Now I think I need to start on some accessories!

Recycling Water

We've had a few hot days here lately. Clover loves to fill up her little pool and take a dip to cool off. How about them goggles?

What I hate is that by the next day the pool is full of grass and bugs and since we caught the dog drinking out of it, there is probably a good dose of dog slobber in it too. So before we put new water in it, the old gets a good use.

We use it to water our garden plants. Clover thinks this is a fun game...shhh, don't tell her that most of us would call it work. She actually watered every single green bean plant in one whole row and thought it was fun! So, my little "super swimmer" gets double the fun with one pool of water and I get the satisfaction that it was money well spent times two!

The Monster Rose Bush

Would you look at this rose bush? It might be hard to tell in the pic, but it spans about 8 foot across! Hubby happened to stumble upon a tiny "tendril" the second year we lived here. We were so excited and we lovingly kept watch over it to ensure that it would have every chance to "grow."

Well, it grew! Yes, I suppose it should be pruned or something... and I have no idea why there is a flower pot and various other random items sitting in front of it. I do know that the bush is very old and has been here for many years. I also know that when it is in full bloom, it is a beauty.


The flowers grow in clusters. Vibrant pink petals put an instant smile on my face. With as pretty as she is, I really should find out how to give her a little shape up.

Where There's a Will...

Every year the kids beg me to give them their own section of garden to plant. This year I really didn't want to, because in the past their "section" has ended up being an overgrown mess. As you can guess, after the initial planting... they find that it isn't so fun to keep up with. Still, I want them to have the satisfaction of growing something of their own...

Red only wanted to plant snow peas. Unfortunately, our main garden stayed too wet to get them in until it was really too hot. Instead we filled a tub with soil and set it in a shaded area. His little plants seem to like it there and it is easy for him to keep up with.

KZ on the other hand was determined that he needed a "real" garden. I obliged and gave him the far corner. He planted corn, zucchini and a pumpkin. It's a lot for a little space, but I think it will be okay. As you can see, he is growing a good strip of grass also. : ) See how carefully he sectioned it off, so I wouldn't forget what was his?
I suppose the real lesson is in the "doing." There's something amazing about setting a tiny seed in the ground and having it grow into a corn plant taller than you are. How can I deny my kids the chance to snatch a pea off the vine and enjoy the sweetness?
This year we here on Hackberry Road will let Better Homes keep their gardens... ours might be a mess by the end of the season, but our fingers got dirty... the treats will be tasty... and the kids will have benefited from the "doing."

My Mother's Day Gifts

Even though it took more time to receive these than expected, it was worth the wait! Both of these books are gorgeous... the pictures are great and both have full size patterns. It will be hard to choose what to try first.

Cracker Barrel Sidewalk Sale

Did you know that Cracker Barrel has sidewalk sales? Neither did I!
When hubby and I went north to see Dave Live... we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel. Everything in their sidewalk sale was 80% off! I didn't find much I couldn't live without except this adorable dress for Clover.

I'm thinking it will be perfect for Easter next year.

The pretty eyelet flowers and detail on the skirt made the price seem crazy!

And the ribbon rosettes on the sash are so springlike. Can you guess what I paid?
No, really... take a guess...
How about $7.00.

A "Grand" Prize Indeed!

Red won the grand prize for a coloring contest sponsored by a local bank. He colored the picture in his art class at school...

His "Grand" prize? A brand new bike! A double blessing for him 1) he had really outgrown his old bike and 2) he has never had a brand new bike before!

"Cool" Savings!

I didn't mean to be gone quite so long. The kids got out of school last Thursday and it seemed that I had a lot of running around going on... a lot that I didn't plan on. I'd hoped to have a nice quiet week of nowhere to go, but that wasn't the case. I did manage to clean up with some great coupons and sales at the grocery stores. At least I can feed hungry kids now!


My coupons came from Kraft Food and Family magazine AND Kraft.com. It seems Kraft has decided to kick off summer in a big way. My problem with most coupons is that by the time the items go on sale, the coupon has expired. That wasn't the case this past week. Our W-mart and local grocer had a great Kraft sale and the coupons offered on Kraft.com were really good ones!

Here are some of the items I scored:
(This is the price I paid after coupon)
Miracle Whip $1.50 for 32 ounces
Kraft Mayo $1.68 for 32 ounces
Hunts Ketchup $.50 for 24 ounces
Lipton ice tea $1.00 for 24 count family size
Ritz crackers $1.50 (I just paid $1.69 at Aldi)
Kraft American cheese slices $1.00 pkg for 16 slices
Cream Cheese $.75 a brick
Oscar Meyer hot dogs $.50 for 16 ounce pkg.
Wheat Thins $1.00 box

My favorites!!!
Breyers ice cream $1.25 container
Cool Whip $.40 an 8 ounce container
Jello $.16 box
Kraft Ranch and Italian dressing $1.03, $1.08, and $.58 each for 16 ounces. (I had 3 different coupons)

I picked up several other types of crackers and then just some of the regular sale stuff at really good prices, too. With all my coupons I saved $46 in one shopping trip!

Some Days are just Awesome!

Today was one of those days!  

The sun was bright and shining.

The mucky yard is drying out.

The garden finally dried, is tilled, and ready for planting!

A nice breeze helped dry 5 loads of laundry on the line.

All 5 loads are folded and put away.

Our mama cat had 3 adorable kittens!

My "free" strawberry plants have berries.

I tried a new recipe for dinner and there was not one complaint.

Hubby was able to mow the dried out mucky yard.

One batch of refrigerator crescent dough, one batch of plain yogurt, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip zucchini bread, banana muffins, 7 packages of cooked turkey breast, one batch of homemade vanilla wafers, 3 quarts of salsa, and one huge bowl of the richest turkey broth you ever saw... that's what I accomplished in the kitchen.

Every dish has been washed.

And I'm tired enough I just might sleep through the night!  Awesome!

It Works!

My oven is fixed! The part came in Friday night and hubby had it installed in no time. For $50 (price of part+shipping) it was worth fixing my 11 year old oven. What a difference! The heating element must have been slowly dying for some time now.


In an effort to use up some freezer stash(shredded zucchini&frozen banana), I baked banana muffins, chocolate chip muffins, and chocolate chip zucchini mini loaves. Most will go back into the freezer as snacks for the kids. School is out Thursday!

I also found 2 gallon bags of frozen tomatoes... mixed with frozen jalapenos and onions, I will soon have a couple quarts of homemade salsa. Homemade yogurt is culturing and I have 2 turkey breasts (from last week's .99/lb sale) in the roaster.

If all goes as planned this week, I hope to have lots of snacks made for the kids. If it goes REALLY well, I will have the fixings for easy summer lunches and quick to fix dinners. Hubby also promised to help me with another huge Aldi stock up. I really can't believe the school year will be over in 4 days... and it won't do me a bit of good to have hungry tummies and nothing yummy to put in them.

Clover's New Attire

I'm finding that my favorite way to sew clothes is to spend an afternoon cutting out several patterns that interest me. When I get time to sew, everything is ready and I can do just that... SEW!
Anyway, I thought it was a great concept. A few months ago I cut out 3 patterns for Clover, 2 skirts and one dress. I wanted to use up some fabric I've had for awhile and try out some new patterns to see how they fit before I used pieces of fabric that I truly love. Well, I must have been in La La Land when I cut out these items. Nothing seemed to correspond with the pattern measurements and for the life of me I couldn't understand why I had cut certain pieces the way I had. One skirt I finally just threw away... it was beyond figuring out. The other two worked after lots of teeth gritting.

I love, love, love this little skirt. I've had the tutorial printed for at least a year. I'm not too excited about the fabric, but I think it is a great pattern. One I will use again for sure.


This dress is McCall's pattern M5370. It was easy enough to sew if you love to gather and gather and gather. It also takes a lot of fabric. There is one other version I will probably try. The bad thing is that this dress is huge. She looks like she has been swallowed by a mass of fabric. I'm guessing it may not fit for at least 2 years! So... this is a jump start on her kindergarten wardrobe. I also finished 2 tops, p.j.'s and a skirt for myself. Will post them as soon as I can get some decent pics.

Baking in the Roaster Oven

So what do you do when the heating element in your oven goes out and you've just made up a money saving 2 week menu that includes a lot of home-baked goodies?


This gal yanked out the honkin' 18 quart Roaster Oven her hubby so wisely bought for her birthday 2 years ago. Even though he rolled his eyes and couldn't believe she really wanted this huge appliance... for her birthday.

I'm loving this baby right now. It roasts, slow cooks, and yes... it bakes! The best attribute is that it doesn't seem to be heating up my kitchen like my oven does. I've heard from other frugalites that a roaster is great to use for cooking outside during the summer. I think I see further experimentation in the near future. For now, we're still eating some yummy goods care of my little Nesco friend.

Mother's Day Gifts

Did you have a great Mother's Day? I have to admit that mine was a little odd this year. Hubby and the kids decided to take me out to dinner Saturday. Little did we know that the area near the restaurant we wanted to go to would be completely blocked off for prom. Then the gift they ordered me, something I'm dying to get, hasn't even been shipped yet. And last, hubby had put together a coffee cake (yes, he makes a pretty good cake) and while it was baking, the oven caught on fire! The heating element had broken in two and now I'm without an oven until the new unit gets here. See I told you it was an odd weekend!

Here is what I made for my mom this year. She took a week long trip to Tennessee to visit her brother. So I thought she might enjoy:

Three new travel bags!

This was by far the hardest! I love the material. It is made from a fat quarter. The first time I've ever sewn something in a cube shape. The corners were really hard. Is there some trick to it? It looks okay from the outside, but I could use some more practice.

This is a simple make-up bag. I would like to make a few more of these.

And I've been saving this material for quite a while. It made a really cute shoulder bag! I used a technique I saw over at Sew Take a Hike to make the rose.

Here's a closer view of the rose.

She was really surprised and said they all came in handy on her trip. I spent most of Friday and a little time on Saturday finishing some projects... or trying to. I had to get some elastic for 2 items. Hopefully, they'll get finished tonight!

Happy *Early* Mother's Day!

My kids had something going on every day this week, so I feel like I have barely been home. Then today... my day to catch up... the kids were unexpectedly out of school. We had some severe storms hit early this morning and due to high water and the severe weather, school was out. It has been a little wild and I haven't gotten any of the posts written that I had hoped to.

So next week I should have lots to show. I've been finishing some projects that have been sitting FOREVER! It feels so great to have them done. I hope to get lots of time to sew again tomorrow. I'm focusing on some clothes for me.

For all you moms out there... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! May you have a great one!

Pirate Pants

My son KZ has a musical tonight. Yes, tonight! He needs a bright and vibrant pirate costume. No hats and no weapons, just the clothing. And I waited until today to work on it. I'm not sure why I set up that kind of pressure for myself. Well, yes I do. Last week was just too busy with work and other things going on that I didn't get it done.

I purchased a red and white striped shirt at the TS for $4. It fit great and was perfect for his top. A long piece of bright blue material tied at this waist will make a sash. The pants are supposed to be knee length and I was stumped on what to do. This is the kid that does NOT have a tub full of hand-me-downs or a lot of extra long pants that I could cut up.

Then I remembered that a lady at church had given me some great pieces of material! I chose this bright blue piece.


Using an existing pair of shorts as a pattern, I have them cut and sewn, just waiting on the elastic. I need him to try them on first just to make sure they are not too long in the inseam. They have tiny HP's on them which I believe are for Harry Potter. Tonight however, it will stand for "Happy Pirate."

Dave Ramsey LIVE!

Hubby and I did something totally unlike us this weekend. We had my parents keep all 4 kiddos and we took a 2 hour jaunt north to see Dave Ramsey LIVE! On the way there I kept thinking, "I bet this will be a wasted day." After all it was a 2 hour drive there, 5 hour seminar, and 2 hours home. Then I told myself that since I had read 3 of his books, just graduated from his FPU course, listened to his radio show and often watched his Fox show online that there couldn't possibly be anything left for the man to say.


I was sooooo wrong! Dave totally kicked my butt. And boy did I need it. I laughed like crazy, was near tears at how petty and unrealistic I had been the last few months, and my money spirit was renewed where I could almost taste the freedom he so honestly talked about.

If that wasn't enough... well, there is nothing quite like sitting amongst 10,000 people all energized to change their lives. People full of hope. There is no way I could possible describe it.

My next few posts are going to hopefully bring my blog back to where I want it to be. My goal with Life on Hackberry Road was to share what works for my family. While others might accomplish more, think differently, or just plain not understand the choices I make: the simple truth is that they are MY choices. The things that work for me. I've been an at-home mom for a long time it seems. Hubby and I have made good choices and bad. We've sacrificed things that others would never dream of giving up. That's all okay. We all have to find our own beat and our own momentum. I have to tell you, right now I'm geared up to do whatever it takes to get the last few debts... home, land, and cattle loans paid off. My other goal is to spend the summer teaching my kids to become independent beings. I'll touch that subject more later.

So while these things seem small in effort, every little bit counts. This is what I am doing today to Live Like No One Else:

2 loaves of bread baked (I've been buying bread the last few months. So lazy and so expensive)
Hung clothes on the line (Yeah for a sunny day)
Made a menu for 2 weeks from what I currently have (I only need a few basic items for baking. I've been moping around about how bad we need groceries... again, more laziness than anything)
Signing my kids up for free to us summer activities (Baseball, cooking class, church camp, summer reading programs)
Hubby and I have agreed to buy nothing that is not in the budget (I have to stay focused on this one)
Red has a track meet today and afterwards is a book fair. I usually spend quite a bit on books, but not this year. The kids have been earning money and my mom gave them a little money specifically for the book fair.
Still thinking ahead to birthdays and Christmas. I'm trying to be creative with Mother's Day and Father's Day this year. FIL has a birthday in June and then my girls are both in August. Lots of time to plan and not overspend.

On a side note, if you get the chance to see Dave Ramsey live it is well worth the money. If you are new to his concepts, take some time to look around his website. It just might give you the kick you need.

Handmade Baby Gifts

I mentioned a while back that we had 4 young ladies in our church that were all having babies within a few weeks of each other. All the babies arrived safe and sound... 3 boys and 1 girl. And with lots of luck, I was able to get handmade gifts put together for all of them.

For the boys I chose to do the same 3 items in different themes. The first was a really cute puppy print. The item on top is a diaper/wipes wristlet. It holds a travel size pack of wipes and about 3 diapers. Just right for a quick trip. I also made a crochet hat (12 months) and cloth shoes (6-12m). The little shoes were so fun to make.

Version #2 Jungle animals

Version #3 Camo

Here's a closer look at the little cloth shoes. These are made from flannel. I made the little girl a crochet hat and matching booties, a diaper/wipes wristlet and 2 coordinating bibs. I forgot to get a picture of her gift. I also went back to link up to the wristlet pattern, but the blog has been closed. Too bad, it was a cute & easy gift. Whew! That's a big project I'm glad to have finished... now on to the next.

A Quick Hello!

This is just a quick hello! I am putting together our church newsletter this week and it is a mess, um I mean, a work in progress. : ) I am eager to get back to more faithful blogging. I have seen so many cute ideas on other blogs. Can't wait until I have some free time to make up a few things. Don't forget Mother's Day is coming up. I have a great idea for my mom... but I'll keep that under wraps for now! I finally finished all of those baby gifts I needed. I'll try to share those tomorrow!

Ahhhh, My Teenager!

Although my 15 year old has barely begun her teenage journey, she is a kiddo that I rarely have to worry about. She is just a good kid! Still, she is a teenager! So when she reaches out in her own way to say "Hey, mom, I no longer believe you know everything, but for the most part you are still okay," I grab onto it as a rare, but loving mother/teenage daughter moment.

For instance, her home ec class has spent the last week cooking. When she commented that she would be making fruit pizza, I oohed and aahed over how good fruit pizza was and how long it had been since I had made one.

So I was quite surprised when she came home with a wad of aluminum foil. Handing it to me she said, "Here, I thought you'd like to have this."

Inside was a huge chunk of fruit pizza. Just as I was feeling elated about how thoughtful it was and that she had truly been thinking of her dear old mom...


she smiled and said, "Don't worry, I ate all I wanted. I'm full, so you can have the rest."

Okay, so it wasn't the perfect moment I was hoping for... but she's a teenager so I will take it! After all, at least she didn't give it to me because it had fallen on the bus floor on the way home.

Horse Backpack

I finally finished a little library bag for Clover. She loves horses and I had a lot of fun putting this together.

The horse bag.

The drawstring handles run through casings at the top.

By pulling both handles at the same time she can easily cinch it closed.

The drawstrings run down the sides and through tabs at the bottom of the bag. So when it is closed tight she can...

wear it like a backpack. Sorry she didn't want to stand still for this shot so it is a little blurry. I think the horse needs some nostrils, but otherwise we both like it a lot!

Ready to Plant!

If it ever stops raining... and it ever dries out from all the rain we've had... I'm ready!

Seeds

Strawberry plants

Stevia, red peppers, yellow peppers (never grown these before)
And a few surprises!!!

My Chocolate mint plant is returning from last year!

Potato plants are growing! Hubby planted almost 40 and every single plant survived the late frost and massive rain!

Trash to Treasure Wheelbarrow

Remember the thrifted wheelbarrow I talked about here? I finally got it finished and am so glad I took a chance on it.

I sanded off the flowers and painted it "Red Spice." After it was good and dry I used a gel stain to darken and age its appearance. Finally, I sanded the edges.


Then I whipped up some gingham strawberries to fill it. Quite a difference don't you think?

Today starts the beginning of city wide yard sales. Since I haven't been out of the house this week and it is a beautiful day, Clover and I are going to take a road trip. This weekend is shaping up to be a slow one compared to last weekend. Thank goodness! I'm still fighting a cruddy cold that seems to be the end result of my illness on Monday. It will be nice to kick back this weekend. I hope you have the opportunity to kick back, too! I'm off... look out yard sales... here I come.