A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS...

I'd like to do a random post today about a few of my favourite things (besides my family) around my home......this is my mom's china and glassware.....she loved her china.....it's called "Blossom Time" and is very delicate. She had quite a collection of glassware, which is "Cornflower" pattern. When mom passed away, I inherited these....this particular china will some day belong to my oldest daughter.










See this bride and groom? This was on the top of my parents wedding cake...they also had 4 others, (it was a two tier cake) and I was able to find 3, which are randomly placed in the cabinet. I found them in various places of my parents home, when I was cleaning it out. Funny, I had never thought about what they were from until I looked at their wedding photos.


I also want to show you a few of her pieces that I have placed on top of the china cabinet. (Ignore the dust!!). The china cup and saucer with the lady on the front is over 100 years old. I always liked this when it was in mom's house.





Hope you enjoyed my little post today.


Marion

A VERY EARLY MORNING...

Good morning! I have been up since 4:45!! Oldest DD needed to get up at that time so that she could get ready for work, so I made sure she was up (moms always worry about thing like that, don't they?) and then I could not get back to sleep, so I just stayed up, had breakfast, did a bit of cross-stitching, browsed the newspapers online, etc.....

As I was sitting here, I wondered what I could show you today...and then I thought of it! The Tin Man! I purchased this Tin Man at a Farmers/craft Market last month. LESLIE, are you reading this???!! It is probably not that hard to make, but I knew that I would never attempt it, so I bought it. I don't think I will keep him in this little garden though, I think soon I will move him to the back yard...we'll see.

I don't know what today will bring. I had not planned on going into town, but my daughter just called and she needs something, so I will venture in there as soon as it becomes a reasonable hour of the morning to be out doing errands!

Tonight I am hoping for a BBQ. DH always does the BBQing, so that's even better!

Have a great day everyone!!
Hugs
Marion (edited to add I had problems with the blog and couldn't publish the post until now)

SECOND POST OF THE DAY AND I WANT OPINIONS!!

Okay, I'm posting these photos, asking your advice......ignore the walls, if you will, they will be re-done over the next year. We live in a large mobile home (with a full basement) and when I designed the walls/colour scheme I wasn't thinking ahead....we are going to paint over this vinyl wallpaper stuff...as soon as we figure out a good way to do it!.....My question to you all is...I want some "prim" window treatments...I can sew them, I just want opinions on what would look good. My kitchen main colour will still be blue....and in the hallway....probably also blue......what would you do with these windows?????

Okay, this is a white curtain, on a white door, with white vinyl wallpaper....can we say TOO MUCH WHITE!! When we paint this hallway, it will be a beige colour probably, but I want some exciting window topper...I was thinking homespun?? Tell me...what would YOU do for a window covering??

This is the big window in our kitchen. These walls will probably have a blue tone to them of some kind...not sure...but blue is my colour in the kitchen....what would you do with this window? These curtains do not fit correctly and I'm just plain sick of them. Do I just do a topper? Do I ditch the mini blind? Do I do a topper and a bottom, or what?? This window is my biggest challenge...so any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

This is the other window in our kitchen...what would you do here? Again..it's has to be blue of some kind.This is our back door, just off the kitchen, so it would have to kind of match the kitchen. The curtains are on the top and midway down....the glass goes from top to bottom. I might also add that I do like the sun shining in here, so I don't want one long window covering on this door.

Thanks for all your help!

Marion

LAST MINUTE DETAILS.....

I am down to the final stages of packing. I am doing it for my youngest, my son, my DH and myself, plus the food, things we will need for the tent trailer..etc...I don't "think" I have forgotten anything. My oldest DD will do her own packing, as she really won't be there long.

I am really looking forward to the family reunion on Saturday. It is supposed to be a wonderful sunny day, so that helps. My dad's brother will be there...he is the last surviving member of that generation. He is 88, and you would think he was 60. He's amazing...but then so was my dad. We should have around 40 people there...and there will be hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, fruit and veggies and ice cream for dessert! Yum!!

I also hope to get to visit my good friend Betty. I have not seen her new trailer since she bought it and moved it....it's about another 40 miles from where I will be staying, but the youngest two and I will make that trip probably on Sunday afternoon.

There is also a possibility of getting together with a few other friends.....and that would be just great! I see them all too little these days....

I hope to take the youngest two to a neighbouring town and tour around there (it's on the water and beautiful)...and get some lunch and maybe ice cream for dessert.

Ofcourse the kids will want to drive by my parents home. All of my children miss the town I grew up in, and my parents lived in SO much. They talk of it often, but it would have been a mistake to move there after my parents deaths. I explain to them that they have the wonderful memories BECAUSE of my parents and it would not be the same without them around. They will always have the wonderful memories of the fun times they had with my parents...I am forever grateful for that. They had fabulous grandparents.

So anyway, back to the packing....just how much "stuff" do you need for a few days??? LOL I am not a light packer...better to be safe than sorry!!

Have a great few days my friends...I will miss your blogs...but I will have the catching up on reading your posts when I return! I hope to have lots of fun stories and photos to share as well.

Hugs
Marion

IT'S HOT OUTSIDE!!

Summer has officially arrived to my area! All the days of saying it wasn't summer like weather....have passed. The kids and I have been enjoying the pool and the deck, and going for ice cream cones in the evening.

I have also been trying to get things organized for this weekend. We are taking our tent trailer and heading to the area I grew up in...(see photo at top of blog).....we will be spending a few days at my cousins cottages (two of them)......and on Saturday we are having a family (cousins and families) reunion. We had one last year, and plan on doing so each summer. It's lots of fun. ON Sunday, my husband, our dog and our oldest daughter (who has to work) will head back here....the plan is that the two youngest and myself will stay on in the tent trailer. I want to get some long overdue visiting in.....cousins on the other side of the family and aunts......so it should be a nice time. We are also taking their bikes, as there are lots of wonderful areas to bike.

Yesterday, bright and early, I took my son and my youngest to get their hair cut. My daughter decided that she wanted bangs....like the girl on "Camp Rock". It really does look very nice on her. Then we went to Build a Bear. She had some coupons and a gift certificate and a bit of Birthday money so, she bought "Mitchie" (a name from Camp Rock...theme going here..LOL) and is thrilled! The doll is one she found in the Thrift Store...she's very cute too. I apologize for the glow in my dog's eyes.....she always seems to have "glowing" eyes!!

On Sunday I was admiring my Hostas.....a short while later, still on the back deck...I turned around AND.....UGH! Not one, not two, but THREE deer had eaten my plants!!!!!! Then they had the nerve to look at me taking their photo and seemed to be saying " Do you mind???"....They soon ran back into the woods.......I hope they enjoyed their lunch!!*&*

Today is another scorcher of a day.....I have no plans to leave the yard...I have alot I want to get done around here before it gets TOO hot.

Have a great day everyone!

Hugs

Marion

WHATCHA WORKING ON WEDNESDAY..ON THURSDAY!!

Leslie over at http://sweets-mycountryhome.blogspot.com/ , has this going on Wednesdays, I'm a day late, but better than never!! Leslie.....you are rubbing off on me big time! LOL I had this ugly stand that I bought at a yard sale for $5.00 a few years ago, and it served it's purpose, but I hated it!

I wanted something to hold my light for when I cross-stitch in the evenings, or sew, in the den...anyway, I intended to donate this to the Thrift Shop, but needed to get something to replace it first...then it donned on me! Paint it!! So I did!! I'm really liking it!

I don't like how the photo turned out, but I am not going back up to the den to take a new photo at the moment...LOL, so for now this will have to do. I'm very happy with it.

Also, on a side note...our pool is finally up!! We usually have it set up before now, but weather just wasn't cooperating, so we waited. Sara and I were in tonight...it was very refreshing!!!

Have a great evening everyone!

Marion

MY OH MY!!!

Time flies by SO fast!!! This past week has been incredibly busy, and I think we are adjusting to school being out for the summer as well...it will all fall into a routine shortly ( I hope!!).

I want to share some photos that I had promised earlier........

On Wednesday, my daughter had her Birthday party early...she won't actually turn 11 until this coming week. BUT, she wanted a sleepover, so 3 girls came home with her on the bus, and one got dropped off....three stayed all night.....one left at 9pm. They had a Hannah Montana party! LOL We had Hannah Montana Balloons,

We had Hannah Montana napkins and plates, we had Hannah Montana presents....and we had an.........ELMO dairy queen cake!!!LOL Yes, DD also loves Elmo!!




Yesterday I took her shopping to spend her Birthday money, which is what she wanted from us, and also she got money from two friends...we had a blast! This is her in her Hannah Montana jacket and purse...the jacket she got from her best friend for a birthday present...notice a theme here...LOL















We left early...went for breakfast and hit the mall as it opened. She got some great bargains at The Disney Store (who can resist 4o percent off the sale price, especially if it is High School Musical!)...this is what she purchased there...

.....and she went to all her other favourite stores....here is is at home with some of her loot!!





Today proves to be a quiet one so far, and I do hope it stays that way!! I plan on enjoying some strawberries which are just coming into season here...and a favourite of all of ours!!



And to end, we now are officially into summer vacation, and since the kids got out of school on Friday...it has RAINED!! We do not even have out easy set pool up yet!!! Summer weather....where are you????

Take care everyone and have a great Sunday!!
Marion

MY SECOND POST OF THE DAY...

A little "lighter" in topic than the previous one, but please take time to read it as well and comment....I'd love to hear if you are a "what if"person. LOL

I'd like to share a little bit of my yard with you today.....even though it is gloomy out, I decided to go take a couple of photos. (Excuse the long grass...it's been too wet to mow).

The first one is the back yard...I am slowly getting a few plants planted that like shade.....this area will be perfect for a lawn swing some day (I like to dream that it will anyway!)



Next...this is a crane that is just up the road from us.....they are putting in a modular home today....kind of neat....just saw the first half of the house go by. Once the kids get home we will drive by and see what it looks like.


Next is a shot of some of my lillies. This particular small bunch is important to me. Two years ago when I sold my parents home...and after all of the furniture had been moved, my son and I were walking through the house. I had a thought.....I wonder if I could take a lilly transplant and see if it would grow at my house! My mom and dad had lillies in their backyard....however, I had to do this so it wouldn't look like they were dug up...so my son found a bucket and managed to dig up a small lilly that had a root...he said that was all we could get without it being noticeable...so we settled for that....last year it grew a bit more...this year it's looking very healthy....so a little of my parents yard is growing in mine.



Have a great afternoon everyone!
Marion

TGIF!!

HANNAH MONTANA AND GREEN GRASS....

Great combination, eh?

Today I have a couple of things I want to share...I have been working on a small project for youngest DD, who will have a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus based room. I made her a lamp shade. I took a plain shade, covered it in photos, put a sparkley glaze over it, a finish, and some pink fuzzy yarn and a beaded fringe..and voila! I like it, so does she....now I need to find her a lamp to put it on!! Wouldn't you know it....I was clearing out the storage closet a few weeks ago and donated two end lamps that I had many years ago...one of those would have been perfect! I will check a couple of thrift stores before I actually look in Wal-mart....I know she wants to make it her own style, so I'd like a cheap second hand one that we can fool around with.

The second thing I want to share today is photos of our back yard! At the end of last summer, this yard was full of trees and overgrown brush. We had basically not done anything with the land....anyways, we had a problem with our septic field and were told we had to replace it.....the guy that actually replaced it did this type of work, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, we got him to clear the back yard, except for a few of the nice hardwood trees....around October we planted grass seed, some took, but we replanted seed in the early spring, and this is the result...we are by far not done with the back yard, but it looks so nice now! I took these photos from the deck. Also, I am showing you the basement entrance and the walkway on the side. I am very proud of our house...it is a mobile (mini home) that we had designed for our needs and full basement underneath...it is unique an unusual, and is basically now a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house.....

KITCHEN!

Well, I tried to get some shots of the kitchen, the way the sun was shining, I didn't get all the angles...so I'll try another time. 1. The first photo is looking at the side wall from the dining room...that's my grandmother's china cabinet beside the microwave.
2.This is the back wall, my antique sewing machine and another smaller china cabinet from my dad's side of the family.
3. Looking from the back door into the kitchen.
4. I am now standing at the back wall by the sewing machine..looking towards the cupboards.
5. This is the small wall between the kitchen and the dining room/den.

Marion

HERE A CHICK THERE A CHICK.....

Oldest DD got this last Easter from her boyfriend and she brought it out for a decoration this year....everytime I hear it, it makes me laugh...it sings and dances and it's hilarious...ofcourse the fact that it's only around for Easter helps...if I had to listen to it EVERY day it would be annoying.

A GOOD MORNING....

As soon as everyone got up, the kids opened their baskets and then searched for eggs...DH and I made a late breakfast, which was delicious, and I think for future reference, this is the way for us to go. The rest of the day we can munch, have a salad, whatever. Oldest DD and boyfriend have gone to a movie and youngest DD and DS are outside enjoying the sunshine, cold temps and flurries in the air!

The rest of the day...I have NO plans!! Oh and by the way, I'm not sure what was up with the strange face youngest DD made when I took her photo...she usually loves to pose! LOL

Marion

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

The eggs are hidden, the coffee is brewing, the kids are sleeping....LOL....I'm the only one up at the moment! It is snowing here yet again!!! Anyway, must get a few sips of my coffee before the household wakes up!

EASTER BASKETS

Here are the Easter Baskets as promised. I'm happy with how they turned out!

FRIDAY NIGHT THOUGHTS....

Okay, so the kids had no school yesterday because of the ice storm, today we were all home, plus oldest DD had a friend here......I'm going a little stir crazy!! I am hoping (fingers and toes crossed) that I can get out of here tomorrow morning before anyone else is up....I'm heading for a tea, then to my favourite second hand shop to browse....Wal-mart for a couple of "decorations" for the Easter baskets and to pick up an Easter treat for the dog......take a nice country drive to my favourite little grocery store...then home!! Think this is possible??? I sure hope so. One thing that may hold me back is the fact that my new car only has summer tires on and we are still experiencing some winter weather......but the forecast sounds favourable.

At some point tomorrow DH is supposed to paint the ceiling in the kids bathroom. This is in dire need of getting done, so I hope he finishes it tomorrow....our big plans for later in the spring is to paint our bedroom and put laminate floors in it. I have a colour picked out for the walls....oldest DD refered to it as "pee on the wall"....LOL...but I love it! I can't wait to get that all done.

I'm just randomly blogging at this point, so I think I will end for now. I told youngest we'd watch a movie tonight....so I'll get her inside to watch it.

Have a good evening everyone!!

Marion

GETTING BEARS READY FOR EASTER!

My youngest is very into Build-A-Bears and has been for a couple of years, so for different occasions she has gotten either a Build-A-Bear, or gift card to there. I also have purchased clothes for her at the store and on Ebay....those bears are better dressed than me! LOL
Today Sara asked me if we could dress her bears (I realize they aren't all bears, but it's Build-A-Bear animals)for Easter, so we did, placed them on my bed for a photo shoot and they are now back on her bed.

Remembering and another post for Katy..

Katy, I do think at times that you are a younger version of me....LOL...we have much in common, just that I am older than you...I loved your drawings....and here is one that I did a few years ago for my mom. It is of my grandmother's house...and I remember it well. It was a wonderful country home to visit in my childhood. One thing that sticks in my mind is the big jar of buttons my gram had in her pantry...I often wonder what happened to that. Anyway, I am blessed to have a few things from this home in mine....my grandparents livingroom set, which is now 100 years old, and is in our family room......I also have her china cabinet and a swivel wooden chair from a "pump organ" that I remember "trying" to play...LOL...as for the chair...I would sit on it and turn it until the seat almost flew off......good memories...anyway, back to the origional post.....I drew this photo for my mom and had it framed about a year ago. My mom used to tell me stories of her and one of her brothers climbing out the window over the back porch and sliding down into a snow bank many times.....

KATY, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU......

Katy, in the coming days, look for more posts here about my sewing room, and some updated photos....the dolls on the ledge in my sewing room is a collection started by my mom almost 20 years ago. She gave me an "Anne of Green Gables" porcelain doll and over the years added to my collection. It was easy for her to do this...she was in the beginning stages of alzheimers and couldn't make decisions..and never knew what to get me for Christmas, or my Birthday, or Mother's Day....a doll was an easy choice. I have dolls not seen in this photo and my mom didn't give me all of these, but I cherish the ones she did.

The other photo is my youngest DD in her flannel nightgown with a matching one for her doll....December 2006...I sewed this for her.

Marion

NALA THE BORDER COLLIE......

This is our 10 year old border collie mix...Nala...or as we call her "Nallie".
No matter what, I cannot get this dog's eyes to be normal!!!LOL

THREE'S A CHARM??

Okay, so twice today I had an entry typed and photos uploaded and the computer logged me off!!! I am on the laptop so I don't have my photos to upload, so that will have to wait until another post.

A relatively quiet week here....yesterday DS turned 14, so we had cake last night. He got his present early (a couple of weeks ago)....a dirt bike. His dream...LOL

Today the kids finished up school for spring break. Not sure what we will do, or where we will go, as oldest DD is working at the pool next week...supervising, since there are no swim classes to teach.

Youngest DD just left for a sleepover up the road, DS is at his friend's house for a while and oldest DD is working....what to do...what to do....LOL

Anyway, let's see if I can get this posted before any incidents.

Marion