A Little Creativity for Sale

Before I was bitten by the blogger bug, I made and sold jewelry

on ebay. Well, I still do it occasionally, but not as if it was a full time

job. :) I promised myself that after I had a garage sale last weekend

that I would pull out my trays of charms, chains, bits and pieces and

have a little fun. Over the weekend I did just that.

I've put together 6 long necklaces that are a fun mix of sterling,

stainless steel, and enamel, including new and vintage pieces.

1. Fleur De Lis, the Eiffel Tower, and a reminder to believe that you

can do anything you set your mind to. Hung on a 34"

dark brown genya cord and stainless lever clasp. All of these necklaces are long...they hang almost down to your waist, which seems to be so popular right now.

2. Flowers and butterflies in enamel, mother-of-pearl,

rose quartz, and pearly beads. Pink and pretty.

Stainless lever clasp and 34 " brown genya cord.

3. SOLD! A bit of Holland with a vintage dutch shoe and windmill. The

shoe is quite old and some enamel is worn off. Lapis Luzi stone

and a happy birthday message. If you have a special needs

child and know the inspirational poem Welcome to Holland

by Emily Perl Kingsley, this would be the perfect necklace.

Or if your kids are healthy and you just love Holland,

well that's just even better! ha ha.

34" brown genya cord and stainless lever clasp.

4. SOLD! A nice mix of baubles, black sparkly stones, a large engraved cross, and an open cut heart.

34" black cloth cord and stainless lever clasp.

5. If you like blue, you'll love this mix of fresh water pearls,

St. Christopher Medal, music and a silver ten cent piece artfully

cutout. 34" black velvet ribbon holds a stainless lever clasp.

6. SOLD! for an August birthday girl or mom! A pressed four leaf

clover, a German beer stein ( lid opens) , baby shoe, and

an adorable vintage tag engraved "Daffodil Queen, 1957" 34" brown genya cord and stainless lever clasp.

I thought I'd offer these to my blog friends if anyone is interested

in a purchase. After all, why not sell to friends I know instead of

ebay buyers I've never met. ha ha. OK, I haven't met most of

you, but I feel like I have! :)

Price is $35 each.

Free shipping unless international.

First come, first serve!

♥

Memorial Day

Have a lovely holiday, friends.

And don't forget to remember those

who died protecting our freedoms!

♥

Kitten Update

Meet Dad. I've only seen him around a few times. The first time was

last fall. He was following Mama around like he thought she was cute.

He wasn't an obnoxious tom cat like I expected, though. He was

very sweet and gentle to Mama and just laid there watching her eat.

Once, when he moved slowly in for a bite she batted him on the nose

and he backed off. LOL. She is eating for 5 after all!

You can see where the kittens get their white paws and markings!

Marmalade. Tiger.

Mustache.

Whiskers.

Family meeting. They look like they got in trouble!

Uh Oh, are they in time out?

Dinner is served.

Whiskers stayed with Mom on the porch while I sat and watched

through the screen door. He did run a few times but came

back to finish eating. He looked scared but a little

curious this time, too.

And Mama Cat will come when I call her.

All five are eating kitten chow but I see her bring in a catch several

times a day. Fresh meat must taste better then dry cat food. ha.

♥

Clouds

cloud over Maldivian Island of Meerufenfushi

by ninganut of cloudappreciationsociety.com

*****

Lay in the grass and find animals as

Cumulus puffs linger.

Or imagine God painting wispy

Cirrus Lines with his finger.

Enjoy the cool comfOrting shade

as the StratUs envelopes a sunless sky.

Or open your mouth and catch rainDrops

falling from a NimbuS on high.

This is a Theme Thursday post.

To see more cloud thoughts, click HERE

♥

Random Thoughts From The Last 24 Hours

photo taken 5-25-11 in my little village

1. Beauty is everywhere if you take time to notice. I snapped this picture last evening coming home from an auction. I think they like yellow! It's charming, isn't it? Did you see the tree face? ha.

2. I discovered that a Christmas Cactus will bloom if you set it in a sunny window and stop fussing over it. Yes, blooms in May, but so worth the wait.

3. If you bump the iron with your arm while ironing shirts, you will get an ugly burn! Ice and Vitamin E help a lot.

4. If you get too close to the toilet paper while vacuuming with the hand held attachment, you can suck a good portion off the roll before you can get to the power button! LOL!

5. And speaking of vacuuming, it's better to clean the bird cage before vacuuming underneath it. That way when the parakeets fly around, they don't have as many seed hulls and feathers to fling into the air. Yep, I'm going to remember that next time. :)

6. If you clean your coffee pot with CLR and don't rinse it out well enough, the next pot will practically poison you. And just when the tip of my tongue got feeling back into it! haha.

7. Large hail beating on your house can make you think the windows are going to shatter. The sound can also drowned out the sounds of the tornado siren!

8. 30 days of rain out of the last 34 makes your yard look as lush and green and as overgrown as a jungle!

9. And, if you notice that the price of gasoline has dropped 40 cents in the last week as you drive to work, you better stop and fill up, because you might notice on the way home that it jumped up 30 cents just while you were working!

And what about you? Have any insightful thoughts about your day?

♥

Buttermilk Pancakes

I always thought I made the best buttermilk pancakes!

Topped with real butter and my homemade syrup, they

just couldn't be beat! Or so I thought, until I saw Catalina's recipe!

And now I'm naming her buttermilk pancakes as the best ever!

The ingredients were almost the same but the proportions were

different. I especially liked the way they didn't act like sponges

and soak up all of the syrup. They were thick and fluffy. Yum.

Buttermilk Pancakes

4 c flour

4 t baking powder

2 t baking soda

1/2 and 1 T sugar

1 t salt

4 eggs

4 c buttermilk

1 stick melted butter

2 t vanilla

******

Whisk dry ingredients and wet ingredients in 2 separate bowls.

Then whisk together. Batter will be lumpy.

Proceed on lightly buttered griddle as with any pancakes.

I set mine on 350 degrees. Let get dark golden brown and

dry around the edges before flipping.

Top with butter and syrup. I also tried another hint from Rhonda who said that she makes a big

batch and freezes her pancakes. Catalina's recipe makes 21 large

pancakes (about 5" across) So I made the whole batch and froze

half of them. Thanks, ladies! Sunday brunch will be super easy

and fast this weekend!

♥

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly #12

Because some days you need more than others,

here's big cup of coffee! Read and laugh with me at some of the

crazy things that have been going on here with my five men...

*****

1. Our water heater died last month and we replaced it. A week or so ago, The Mister took his morning shower as I sat in bed drinking my coffee. He got out and said the water was cold! Hmmm. First shower of the morning should be extra hot! As I was finishing up my coffee, he walked out to the hall closet to look at the water heater but the wet floor coming from the kitchen caught his eye! He walked in to find the hot water faucet on full blast and both sinks overflowing onto the floor. The entire floor had an inch of water on it! After some CSI work (haha), we concluded that he had heard Alex get up about an hour before we woke up. Yes, we know who it is through a closed bedroom door by the sounds each boy makes and the way they walk! (Alex shuffles) ha. He must have gotten a drink and left the water running. He's done this before but during the day when we can catch it. He's also known for leaving the freezer or refrigerator door open. Ack! So the water ran for over an hour, drained the tank of all hot water and flooded the kitchen! Too bad it was a few days before my new red boots came in the mail. I could have looked really cute with them and my nightie slopping through that water! lol!
2. Goldenrod is bigger and more potent than ever this year! Huge yellow fields of the stuff! It's a beautiful weed. But I'm SO allergic. Can you double your allergy meds without it killing you? Hope so! I'm doing that plus eye drops and nose spray. And if you have allergies and wear contacts, you know what a yucky combination that is. Oh dear.
3. Mr. Raccoon (he'll have his own post soon) has adopted our family. Yes, it really has become a regular zoo here! He sits in the window box and eats the bird seed. He sits on the back porch and eats the kitten chow. And he guzzles the water in the bowl for Mama Cat. He is tame! He is not scared of us! And he is bold during the day instead of sneaking around in the dark. He looks at us and continues eating when we yell, clap, or go after him with a broom! But one afternoon this week he nuzzled his way up on the porch while the kittens were there. Mama Cat backed off a minute and let him eat as he's about 3 times as big as her but then he got a little too close to one of her babies! She leaped off a bench onto his back and chased him clear out of the yard! Whoa! What a ruckus! Quite fun to watch and too bad I didn't have my camera handy!
4. Taylor is taking May Term at the university. Just one class, but it's a 15 week course condensed into 3 weeks. Intense! He's taking Statistics II. They had a test every 3 days or so and he got a D on the first one. He was so discouraged! He studied his little heart out for the second test and got a 100% A+!! He was so proud of it that he put it on the refrigerator. haha. I teased him that he hasn't wanted a test on the frig since he was in about 5th grade! But it does deserve to be there. :) And that was the really good news of the week!
5. We've had 3 days of sunshine after a month of dark clouds and rain! I don't mind a grey gloomy day as I think they are quite cozy, but it has been wonderful to see the sun. The yard lakes have receded and we are left with lush, green and lots of mosquitoes. lol.

It's always better just to laugh, isn't it? :)

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

♥

Odd

Last Thursday I worked an auction! Sometimes the auctions are

inside a nice building with heat/AC, clean bathrooms and sweet

old ladies bidding on Haviland China. Others are ...well, not.

This particular auction was an odd one. The forecast was for rain,

and I was happy to wear my new raincoat and rubber boots!

The first thing I noticed when I drove up to the barn was

how far away the porta-john was! Not that I want them close

like at THIS auction, but a far trek in the rain and you decide

that you'll stop drinking your thermos of coffee. Just sayin'!

Can you see it way out there?

The second thing I noticed was the people. Rip Van Winkle was there! This man was quite comfortable showing his belly. When he stood in front of me as I was sitting at the registration table, I had a really good view of that belly button. lol. It was all my coworker Julie and I could do to keep a straight face. He came and talked to us several times. Good thing my camera has a nice zoom lens so I could snap a picture from my seat inside the barn when he wasn't looking. :) This table of deer and antelope heads was interesting. I didn't notice the bobcat head for the first hour or two! haha. Ack! Then it went up for auction. Oh, my. Look! It has the skin attached. It sold for $80. No, I didn't bid on it. lol... Nugget would not have liked that laying around the house, I am sure! And you remember my coworker Steve, don't you? No skirts here to try on, although he is wearing red again! This time he's holding a shelf with deer hoofs for hooks. You can hang your hats or guns right on them! ha. And look...Steve's a smart guy! He put on his gloves before handling all of that stuff. And can I just say that I really appreciated having my rubber boots, which were promptly disinfected and hosed down upon reaching home. Well, actually, all of me was with a hot, long shower. haha. Next auction is Wednesday and I can happily report that we are back to our regular inside location with antiques and furniture. If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know!

♥

Acorn to Oak

The theme over at Creative Tuesdays is tree. Since everyone was probably expecting a tree, nest and birds from me, I thought I'd do something a bit different. I've always loved acorns and when I saw this really cool video clip, I knew I wanted to sketch a sprouting oak tree for my entry. This is the work of Neil Bromwell and it's an amazing clip showing the 8 month growth from acorn to oak tree in a time lapsed 3 minutes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

To see more sketches of trees, click HERE!

"Mighty oaks from little acorns grow" David Everett, 1777

♥

Postcard Swap #4

Did you know I was a twin? Well, almost any way. :)

Brian Miller and I have been blog buddies for a few years

now. We've had a few laughs at all the things we have in

common from foods we love, things we done, places

we've worked and opinions we hold. We'd be rich if we

had a dollar for every time we've emailed a "You, too??"

Well, maybe not rich, but you know what I mean. :)

Too bad I'm not a poet like him, though! If you don't

already, go read WaystationOne for some

thought provoking, always entertaining writing.

****

Brian and I have done the postcard swapping thing!

And I need to thank Alan for getting us all started.

He has a wonderful blog, too, so check it out.

If you didn't already know, Brian and his colleagues at

OneStopPoetry recently won The Shorty Awards at NYC. His

postcard is from his trip there. Love Time Square! I've only

been there once, way back in 1983 when some college friends

and I flew in for a 4 day, very fun trip.

You can click on the card

to make it larger if you need to.

I sketched a picture on my postcard to Brian.

I used the photo below as my inspiration

Go check it out HERE! It's worth a laugh or two. :)

Thanks, Brian! This was fun!

♥

Strawberry Preserves

Recipe

1 pound strawberries, chopped in small pieces

1 c sugar

1/4 c water

1 t lemon juice

tiny pinch of cinnamon

Combine all in saucepan and simmer on low heat

for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

I keep a saucer in the freezer while I'm simmering the preserves. That way I can put a spoonful on the saucer to cool it quickly to check for the right thickness. This recipe works well for any fruit.

I've linked up with Lisa at Sweets for a Saturday!

To see more recipes, click HERE!

♥

Have We Met Before?

This one kitten has the most expressive face.

Everytime I look at the photos I've taken he reminds me of

the combination of a Got Milk advertisment and...

Yoda. LOL!

♥

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

But if it doesn't I'm ready for it!

No more working auctions and looking like THIS!

I picked nice bright red. That way, if I blow away in the wind,

my coworkers can find me just a little bit easier! haha!

I'm out on the farm working an auction on Thursday!

And yes, the forecast is calling for cold rain.

A thermos of coffee and I'm ready!

♥

Vanishing Act

Last week after I got home from the grocery

I took this photo. Packed it all in there...just barely!

I hate it when I need something near the back!

Good thing nobody here drinks milk because we

would need a separate refrigerator!

A few things didn't fit like a big bowl of kale for

Nugget and a watermelon.

Now here we are just 6 days later!

Yes, time to go to the grocery again!

Five men can pack the food away!

Well, and one girl, too! :)

♥

Manners

When eating a pile of greens and flowers, you can

eat one nibble at a time....

or you can just stick your face in the pile and go to it! Yum!

♥

William and Kate, Beatrice and Eugenie. Coincidence?

My dear friend Suzanne from Toronto forwarded me

these photos. How did this happen?

How very amazing.

Just too, too funny!

They said it was a true Cinderella story!

I guess they weren't kidding!

♥

Crime Scene Investigation

I've always wanted to be a CSI. But not this way!

I went to fill the window box that doubles as the winter

bird feeder. Uh oh! Lots of grey feathers in it!

And even more on the ground! Blood drops going across the back porch! And dragging smears down the step! Looks like a Mourning Dove! And sure enough, Mr and Mrs Mourning Dove is not a couple anymore, but just one is sitting on the gutter of the roof and looking in the window at me! Mommy Cat! She is a hunter. And she does need to eat to have milk for those babies. It's nature's way. I did buy her some cat food but she sniffed it and turned away. Not that I blame her. lol.... The Mister asked me if Mr. Dove looked to be in 'mourning'. Cute, real cute. Get it? The good news is that the kitties are growing. Took these shots while sitting at my desk and watching them in the neighbors yard last night. Marmalade and No 'Stash were having great fun. Mom was with them but I didn't see Tiger or Milk Mustache anywhere this time. ♥

Postcard Swap #3 Pat Hatt

I've swapped postcards with my good friend, Pat in Nova Scotia!

Here's the one I received from him this week.

You can click to enlarge, or I've typed his message below...

I thought you might enjoy this sight that is rarely seen From my home at bush number three, which is ever so green. As many different birds fly over my way Some, such as the one in the Porta Pottie, even stay. He has so many feathers in his behind That brown stuff on the seat you might find. So practice your hovering just in case you ever have to go near my place. Daily races between #24 and a train continually take place across my plain. As I know you and the triplets will enjoy that but they are scary to the cat. On this day you can also see Cassie was hunting something yum. It was funny watching her shake her bum. Now that I've answered the postcard call, have a nice spring, summer and fall!

Pat and the cat.

P.S. Yes, my bush has a crack and that's a Let's Face It Fact!

Well, Pat is a clever guy and even though I'm old enough to be his mother (shhh!) We get along just fine. He came to my blog a few months ago rhyming up a storm and with some kind of magnet strength, he pulled me right into that rhyming addiction! One thing we have in common is the uncanny way we remember little tid bits of information about people...their favorite color or food, little details that they share in passing. And wow, Pat's really good at it! The first time he came to my blog as 'rhymetime24' I thought he was a Jeff Gordon fan. lol. Turns out, he just meant he rhymes 24 hours a day. haha. But he remembered that and added the 24 car to the postcard. Along with that, he remembered my boys love trains, that I love birds; and that I hate portajohns and refuse to sit in public restrooms, doing a silly hovering act instead. I like cat's too, and one of his felines, Cassie, is featured there ready to pounce on something.

When Pat first knew that there was a postcard swap going on, he said we were crazy as we really didn't know who the other person was and that they could be a virus-laden spammer or axe murderer. And when I teasingly asked for his address, he replied that it was Bush #3 in Nova Scotia. haha. Well, look how far he's come! I guess he finally decided that I really am just a sweet midwestern mom and not into identity theft or anything! :) The joke about Bush #3 stuck and in "Pat fashion", he's included quite the interesting topiary there in the center. Gee, Pat, can't you put a pair of boxers on that thing? lol...

Pat has posted my card to him, so go check out the sketch I did for him HERE.

And while you're there, click on his Face It Facts and get your blog or business advertised. He gets over a million hits to that website per month! It's only a one time $10 cost and your add is there forever. He gives you lots of face time, too, on Twitter, etc. So it's a great deal. Not to mention the chance to win $100,000. So make sure you check that out!

Thanks, Pat~ this postcard swap was lots of fun!

And thanks to Alan for starting us all on the great Twitter for Gentlefolk. :)

♥