A Visit With Mrs T

2015-03-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated my blog is so very long! As always, life goes on and things don't get done as I planned. We have had so many changes and things happen with our family and our lives.

We lost our beloved Dudley on October 28, 2014. We miss him so very much! He now sits on our shelf in our living room with his blanket, leash and collar. Some people will say, "he was just a dog" or "he was only a pet". If you have never had a pet, then you don't know what you are missing! He was ~~like~~ one of our children. Here are pictures of him. Charlie (cat) was hiding in the flowers and Dudley found her. He had such a great personality!

We now have another Beagle. Her name is Chloe.

She has made herself right at home. Do you think she is comfortable? She has cuddled up right next to my grandson, Cayden. She has warmed right up to our other animals and they to her as well. She is a wonderful dog but has a whole different personality than Dudley had. Each animal is different and special in their own way. We love her and she is now a part of our family. :)

Have you lost a special animal and how did you deal with the loss? Did you get another animal?
I cried lots of tears with the loss of Dudley. Every time I turned around, I expected him to be there as he was always right under my feet.
We did get another dog as you see above, Chloe. Suzie our basset hound just seemed so lost without Dudley, so we decided to get another dog so she wouldn't be so lonely. We loved our beagle very much, so decided to get another one. Chloe and Suzie have become friends/sisters and we have a new family member. She and Charlie have become used to each other as well. I am home all the time and our animals keep me company as well as letting me know when someone comes near our home. Sometimes our neighbors chickens visit our yard and I hear about it as the dogs bark up a storm.

Here are some of them visiting our other neighbors yard and our dogs let us know about that as well. I don't mind them visiting, but I do worry about them getting hit by a car as they have to cross the street to come to visit. There are usually about 7 to 9 of them that come over. So far, all has been fine and hope it stays that way.

Thanks for visiting! Make it a great day! :) Mrs. T

My Garden Cart

2013-01-15T14:18:00.001-08:00

Today I am going to share with you my cart that was given to me by the same people we received the chicken coop/playhouse materials from.

I love this cart! There is just something about it that I can’t put into words (because I am not a wordy kind of person :)), that made me want to fix it up and use it for serving outside meals or whatever else there is a need for.

These were the before pictures of it. The paint was peeling and had areas that needed to be filled in with wood putty. The top was also broken.

I sanded it down, filled in areas with wood putty and sanded some more. I had to replace a couple of boards on the top and put in new screws. I painted it white and with my cricut machine, I cut out designs from different colors of vinyl and put them on the cart. I added a couple of coats of clear sealer to it, then painted the tires a copper color.

This is just another thing that I was able to recycle/upcycle and I am pretty happy with my cart!
If you had this cart, would you have done something different? I would love to hear others ideas!

Make it a great day!
Mrs T

The Play House!

2013-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

You know the playhouse that I have mentioned several times in my posts??? Well here it is!!

The first 3 pictures were taken after it was finished. The last picture shows how it looks now. The front benches have been removed and replaced with a couple of little chairs and a footstool. We also extended the porch so there is more room for chairs.

It has a loft in the front and back so if the kids want to sleep out in the summer time they are able to. There is room below for them to play. We received a few things from Craigslist that we are planning on turning into a fridge, stove, etc. play set. Haven’t gotten that far! There is a bench on the back wall and the wall has a port hole that the kids can open and look out. The wall was taken from an old houseboat that was being demolished. In fact a lot of this came from the houseboat or wood from the chicken coop/greenhouse projects.

The picture below shows how it looked this fall. We added a walkway made of logs cut to walk on. We also added a ground cover around the wood that hopefully will come up this year. We put two bushes in the front of the walkway and flower boxes on the front porch wall. Flowers were also planted around the playhouse along with more grass. Hopefully we will be able to get the play set done this summer as well as put some chalkboard paint on a couple of the walls so the kids can draw on them.

Almost everything we made the playhouse with was recycled. Do you have a project you want to do but don’t have the materials to do it? We have found many things on Freecycle or Craigslist and sometimes just in someone's yard with a free sign on it. It pays to recycle/upcycle as it keeps things out of the landfill as well as gives you something you can use.

Have a great day!

Mrs. T

List of 101 things to do in 1001 days! Update!

2013-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

I went back and looked at my list or 101 things to do in 1001 days. I did accomplish a few things but never finished the list and don’t expect to. I will try to accomplish some more of the things I listed though.

These are the things I have completed and I am actually proud that I got these things done.

6 Make a list of all family and friends Birthdays and Anniversaries - I just actually finished this a couple of days ago on a web calendar that will send me reminders. Technology can be good!

8 Take one photo a day for a month - That wasn’t too hard as I photographed our animals, the weather, flowers, family, items I made, etc..

9 Open an Etsy or other online account to sell things I make . - I opened an account with Meylah back in March of 2012. I had 4 items left on my site and none sold, so today I took the items down and may look into Etsy.

13 Pay it Forward - That is my secret! Wish everyone would pay it forward and this world would be such a nicer place to live in. A few years ago I was at the coffee stand getting coffee and when I went to pay for it, the girl told me that the person before me bought my coffee and to just pay it forward. That was one of the nicest things someone has done who didn’t even know me. It made me feel good and when I pay it forward it makes me feel good too! Have you watched the movie, “Pay It Forward”? It came out in 2000 . “In this gentle drama from director Mimi Leder, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) responds to a school assignment with a plan to help three people who will, in turn, help three more, and so on, in an ever-widening circle. But Trevor touches more people than he expected, including his abused mother (Helen Hunt), his physically and emotionally scarred teacher (Kevin Spacey) and a journalist (Jay Mohr) who's investigating the plan.” If you haven’t seen it, it is worth watching!!

20 Build a playhouse for the grandchildren (hopefully my kids will help me or I can help them) ha-ha - The playhouse is done, has been done for quite awhile. I still am going to try to get a post done on it. I am really happy with how it turned out. My sons, son in law and husband all had a hand in building it.

33 Surprise someone with an unexpected gift. – I actually made a scarf for our post lady. She always looked so cold when she was delivering the mail. I decided one day to make a scarf and surprise her with it when she opened the mail box. She left a note in the mail box thanking me and telling me she loved it. That made my day!

49 Take a photo of a place through all four seasons. - I took photos of our pear tree through all 4 seasons. May have to post pictures of those soon.

43 Have a sleepover with my grandchildren. – Had a sleepover with 3 of our grandsons, ages 3, 9 and 12 years. I always look forward to seeing them!! The 3 year old has lots of energy and it didn’t take long before he wore me out. It was a good thing Papa (grandpa) was here to help! Papa took him with him to the garbage dump so he could see the trucks. He loves garbage trucks and buses.

53 Find something positive about each day. – There is always something that is positive about each day even if I am having a bad day. I am just thankful to wake up each day. Thankful for my husband as he is wonderful and is always there for me! Thankful for our children and grandchildren, they are my world! Thankful for Dudley, Suzie and Charlie, our animals that keep me company during the day. (UPDATE: Our wonderful dog Dudley crossed rainbow bridge on October 28, 2015. We miss him so very much! He was ~~like~~ one of our children.) Thankful when I can get out of bed, when I have better days than others and can get things accomplished. I could go on and on. I have learned and am still learning to adjust to a lot of things and am learning to look at the good and think positive.

There is one other thing that I didn’t have on my list because I never thought I would do it. We have a pear tree that gets lots of pears on it and last year I froze some of them. We gave lots away too. A couple of the gals we gave them to came back this year for more. They told me how to can them an easy way. My dear husband went out a purchased a canning setup and helped me peal lots of pears as well as some apples my friend/neighbor gave to us. We canned them!!

We used frozen apple juice that we made as directed on can. After sterilizing the jars, we put pears and apples in separate jars, added apple juice and added cinnamon sticks to some of the jars. We put them in a hot bath of water in the canner and left them there as directed. I was so excited when I heard the noise they made as they were sealing. Everyone of them sealed and they are so good! If only I had known how easy it was many years ago, we would have had more home canned food. I think this was one of my greatest accomplishments !! If you have never tried canning because you were worried about the outcome, you may want to try it. I may try canning something else now…would love to do tomatoes but that is another big step for me as I don’t think they would be as easy.

This is what I accomplished in 2011. Did you make a list or have you made a list for the New Year of things you accomplished or would like to accomplish? Do you have a bucket list? I have still yet to make one of those…ha-ha I do have an ongoing list of things I would like to do, mostly consists of sewing or craft things. I just keep adding to it , so I am sure it will never all get done. I would love to hear about your accomplishments and lists!

Have a great day!

Mrs. T

A New Year and Some of my Craft & Sewing Projects

2013-01-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I have posted. It is a New Year and I am going to try my best to post to my blog as often as I can.

I also want to thank everyone who stayed with me, subscribed to my blog, came to visit my site and posted comments on my blog!

I want to show you some items I made several years ago. I put them on Listia and auctioned them off. I have put a lot of items on there and auctioned them off. It doesn’t cost money. You earn credits and bid on items with your credits. Some things I made and some things are just items I no longer needed or wanted. I was able to get a lot of gifts for my family for Christmas and Birthdays by using Listia.

This Valentines box started out with a wood box I purchased from Michaels.I started out by taking the latches off and painting the inside. I then covered it with scrapbook paper, added 3D stickers and ribbons. I cut out some cardstock to look like small file folder inserts and covered them with paper, stickers and ribbons. I left room for a picture or a place for someone to write something.

This little beauty also started out with a wood box. I removed the latches and painted the inside. I drilled two holes in each side of the box near the top of the bottom part of the box. I also drilled holes in the front, top and bottom portions to attach a bead and elastic to hold the box closed.. I then got out my polymer clay and mixed some black and white together, rolled it out smooth and glued it onto the box. I made a little pocket for the front and glued it on as well. I baked it in my oven till it was hard, let it cool and then I sprayed it with a couple coats of clear spray. I glued ribbon around the top and bottom, made a bead out of polymer clay for the front of it and attached black elastic to hook the button. I added ribbons on each side for the handles which I attached with some brads that looked like screw heads. I never got around to using it so after sitting in my cupboard for a couple of years, I decided it needed to go to someone who would use it. I posted it on Listia and auctioned it off.

This purse is another I never got around to using so it was auctioned as well. I had some jeans that weren’t suitable for wearing any longer, so I cut them off to the length shown. I made some triangles out of a bandana and sewed onto the bottom, made handles out of a bandana and a tie that I put through the loops on the top of the jeans. I also made a lining for the purse. I got out some red beads from my stash and sewed them around the outside of the pockets. I also put a wood horseshoe and a wood horse on the back pockets.

These 2 purses/bags were just an idea in the making. I started out by doing some scrappy quilting, then decided to make them into purses/bags. I lined both of them and they went to auction as well.

Most of the items I make start out as an idea and usually end up as something entirely different than I envisioned. I seldom use patterns and even if I do, the items still usually don’t end up like the pattern. I normally just start something and work on it until I get something I like. If I don’t like it, then it gets recycled.

I take one day at a time and do what I can and hopefully accomplish something. I am going to try really hard to work on my blog and maybe you will come back to visit me. Would love to hear from you!

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year with lots of good things happening in your lives!!

Have a great day!!

Mrs. T

I Am Still Here!!

2012-02-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have missing for a while! Life just seems to get in the way at times and I have been trying to get some sewing and craft projects done. Also, my hard drive died that was a terabyte and almost full. It had many of my projects on it that I was going to post along with many family pictures, my sewing, scrapbooking and craft items. I had transferred all my data from another hard drive to this one and hadn't backed it up yet as it was fairly new. I am really upset about it!! I will know better next time, but it doesn't help me recover all my lost data! So, if you have anything on your hard drives and you don't want to take a chance at losing it, back it up right away!

I have to start over with my projects and information, so I may be MIA again for awhile.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! Mrs. T

Taco Soup

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

My friend gave me a recipe for Taco Soup a verrrry long time ago. I had never had it before and when I came across the recipe a few days ago, I thought I would make it. It was delicious!

I put it over tortilla chips and put grated cheddar cheese on top.

Maybe you have already tried Taco Soup, but if you haven't, you really should!

Do you want the recipe? Sure you do...and I will give it to you.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey

1 cup chopped onions

1 16 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

8 oz canned tomato sauce

2 cups water

2 14.5 oz cans peeled and diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 cup shredded, cheddar or monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Cook the ground meat until browned, drain

Place the ground meat, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chilis and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on low for 8 hours.

Ladle into individual serving bowls (over tortilla chips) or serve with flour tortillas. Top each with 1/8 cup 8 shredded cheese and a tablespoon of sour cream.

Serves 8

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!

Mrs. T

Update on Charlie

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had told you about Charlie, http://avisitwithmrst.blogspot.com/2011/06/dayzero-and-charlie.html who had adopted us last summer. What I didn't tell you was that when Charlie came to us, she had a tumor.

I tried doctoring her up while I waited for someone to clam her. No one ever came, so I finally talked my husband into taking her to the veterinarian (he is was not a big cat fan)! After a very expensive trip to the vet, he told me I now owned a cat. We had never had a cat before, but she must have known she came to the right house!

Here she sits at the door with Suzie, waiting for someone to open the door and let them in. When she first came in the house, she didn't like the dogs at all. They had never been around cats and I think they were trying to figure out what she was and why she was at their house.

The dogs and cat (and dad too!) must have been playing hide and seek...Dudley and my husband found her!

My husband can't have a snack without all eyes and noses on him!

Charlie and my husband...ha, he said he didn't like cats! They have become good pals now. He even came home from the store with a collar for her, with a bell on it. I asked him why the bell. He said so he would know where she was at. He can't say he doesn't love Charlie!

I thought when my kids left home that my house would stay cleaner and I wouldn't have anyone to pick up after anymore. I didn't figure that my dogs and cat would take their place. I was out of the room for awhile and when I came back in, this is what I found. Guess the dogs and Charlie were having a camp out. Dudley is on the floor with a blanket and pillow, Suzie is on the couch with a blanket and pillow and Charlie is laying on the back of the couch. She is feeling right at home! Kids...uh I mean pets....Gotta Love Em!

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!
Mrs. T

No Pears Wasted Here!

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

We Have A Large Pear Tree In Our Backyard And I Didn't Want The Pears To Go To Waste, (Or My Dogs Eating All Of Them). As You Can See Suzie Is There In The First Picture Eating A Pear. She And Dudley Like The Pears Too Much! I Even Caught Them Getting Into A Bag Of Them That I Had Sat On The Floor To Give To One Of Our Children. I Guess They Wanted A Snack! I Really Like Pears Too And Wanted Some Way To Preserve Them.

I Have Never Learned How To Can And I Don't Have A Dehydrator, But I Found Out That I Could Actually Freeze Pears.

Want To Know How?

Wash And Peel Pears, Cut Them In Half Or Quarters And Core.

Add 1/2 Teaspoon Ascorbic Acid (I Used "Fruit Fresh") Per Quart To Avoid Discoloration (Optional). Seal And Freeze. Oh, And Make Sure You Write "Pears" And The Date On Them. If You Are Anything Like Me (You Probably Aren't) You Will Forget What Is In The Package Or How Long It Has Been In The Freezer.

I Pealed And Pealed And Pealed And In The End I Froze About 20 Packages Of Pears. I Used My Seal A Meal And It Worked Great!!
I Had So Many Pears And I Really Didn't Want To Peal A Ton More (My Arm Was Getting A Little Tired). Some Of My Children Had Already Taken Some And Another One Took Two Boxes Of Them. A Couple Of Ladies Came To Pick Up The Leftover Wood From This Project Http://Avisitwithmrst.Blogspot.Com/2011/10/Shedchicken-Coop.Html That I Had Posted On Craigslist. I Gave Them Some Too! No Pears Wasted Here!!

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!
Mrs. T

Paw Prints To Scarf!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Look what I made in less than 1 hour!

I have made several of these now, in all different colors. It is approximately 33" long and has pockets on each side. If you live in a part of the country that gets really cold then this is perfect for that time of the year and it is just the right length so that you can put your hands in the pockets comfortably to keep them warm.

Want to know how you can make one too?

I used fleece fabric for this one, but you can use whatever fabric you want to. I have made some out of wool and a lightweight micro suede fabric and also made some without the pockets using brocade and challis fabrics for a designer look.

This one I made so it is reversible, white on one side and paw prints on the other side. I don't have a pattern so made my own.

Cut 2 pieces 34" x 7" of each color and 2 pieces, one of each color 9" x 14".

Take one of each of your long pieces and put right sides together. Sew down the long sides.

Take your smaller pieces and put right sides together. Find the middle of the 14" side (7") and draw a line down the center with an erasable pen or chalk.

Go to your machine and with the fabric pieces still together, put your sewing foot along the edge of the line and sew down the side (do not sew on the line), then turn around and do the same on the other side. You should now have a seam on each side of the line you drew.

Now cut down the line, you should have 2 pieces with 2 different colors on each piece when opened up.

Turn over the top of each piece to make a 1/2 inch hem. If you have fabrics that will ravel then turn over 2 times but only 1/4 inch each time.

Now take each of your smaller pieces and put them on each end of the longer pieces, right sides up. (If you want to mix it up a little, you can switch the colors around. I chose to have the paw prints on the same side and the white on the same sides). Sew across the bottom (ends) of each one.

Lay the pockets flat and sew up the middle (from bottom to top of pockets) in the seam.

Put the other side of the long pieces together (the opposite sides of where the pockets are) and sew across the ends.

Now you should have one long piece. Fold in half length wise making sure the sides of the pockets line up.

(You should probably pin together so they stay in place). Now sew around the outside edges. Stop near the middle and leave a gap, about the size that you hand will fit through.

Finish sewing the rest of the outer edge.

Put your hand in where you left the gap and turn right side out, making sure a pocket is on each side. I use a knitting needle and push the corners out at the ends.

You can either hand sew the gap closed or as I did on this one, topstitch all the way around.

If you would like, you can take extra fabric and make 2 small rice bags which can be heated in the microwave. Then put them in the pockets and this will keep your hands extra warm. Do this at your own risk though! I have never had any problems and have made many.

If you make one, I would love to see it!

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or feel free to email me.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!

Mrs. T

The Shed/Chicken Coop

2011-10-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Remember This Picture From Yesterday?

This Shed/Chicken Coop Has Been Recycled Into 2 Projects. Remember I Said I Have Been Wanting Chickens?

We Have This Small Deck In Our Backyard And My Husband Suggested We Build A Chicken Coop On It.

My Son Picked Up Some Pallets And We Used Some Of Them For The Walls Of The Chicken Coop. Not Very Professional, But It Worked, And It Really Is Sturdy!

We Used Some Of The Wood For The Additions To The Inside Of The Coop. There Are 14 Slots For Chickens To Lay Eggs; They Came With The Shed/Chicken Coop.

We Used The Metal Roofing From The Shed/Chicken Coop For The Roof And The Sides Of Our Chicken Coop. We Had Fencing Left From Another Project That We Used To Put Around The Chicken Coop. We Are Planning To Let Them Out At Times To Roam The Yard.

Above Picture Is Charlie Our Cat, She Is Waiting To See The Chickens For The First Time. Here Are Dudley And Suzie Letting Them Know They Want Them To Come Out And Play!

And Here They Are….Meet Salt And Peppa!!

I Was Thinking About The Names Molly And Henrietta, But My Husband Wanted Their Names To Be Salt And Peppa. He Runs Around And Picks Up All My Recycling/Upcycling Projects And Our Chickens So I Thought He Should Have His Way! And The Names Fit, Don’t You Think!!

We Got Our Chickens For Free On Craigslist. The Woman Also Gave Us A Heated Water Dish, A Heat Lamp And Some Chicken Feed. She Was Going To Give Us A Smaller Chicken Coop Too, But My Husband And Son Couldn’t Lift It, So It Was Left Behind. I Had Told My Son Earlier That I Wanted It So I Could Get A Rooster And Then I Could Put A Hen With It And Hopefully We Could Have Baby Chicks. My Husband Told Me I Couldn’t Have A Rooster. (Do You Think That He Just Told Me They Couldn't Lift It So That So I Wouldn’t Get One? :) lol) The Woman He Got The Chickens From Said The Chickens Seldom Lay Eggs…Well It Has Been A Couple Of Weeks And Still No Eggs, So Am Thinking They May Be Done With The Laying Days. That Is Ok Though, We Just Wanted To See How Raising Chickens Was Going To Be, How Our Dogs And Cat Would React To Having Them Around And How We Do With Them Over The Winter. If All Goes Well, We Will Get Some Chicks Come March. Unless Of Course, If Anyone Has Any Extra Chickens That Lay Eggs And They Want To Get Rid Of Them, I Will Gladly Take Them Off Your Hands If You Live Close By. I Think I Should Have Been Raised On A Farm!!

I’ll Be Back Soon To Tell You About The Other Project That We Built With The Recycled Shed/Chicken Coop.

Thanks For Visiting! Have A Great Day!
Mrs. T

Scored With Yet Another Craigslist Find

2011-10-26T01:40:00.000-07:00

Mrs. T Here, Time Just Seems To Get Away From Me. Now That The Cold Weather Is Coming Our Way, I May Get More Blogging Done...Hopefully.
My Family And I Had So Many Projects Going On Over The Summer, Some Rather Big. We Didn't Get Them All Completed But Came Very Close.
I Am Going To Tell You About One, Maybe Two Of The Projects, But First I Want To Show You Some Of The Flowers From My Yard.

Here Are My Peonies And Some Of My Roses

And Some More Of My Roses And Some Other Flowers (I Forgot The Name Of Them). Several Of My Rosebushes Are Still In Bloom And Look So Pretty.

And Here Are My Dianthus And My Tree (Can't Remember The Name

Of It Either) Don't You Just Love ~~It When My Memory Fails?~~ Flowers?
I Really Love Flowers And Have Them In Many Areas Of My Yard.

Now On To The Project Or Two...Take A Look At This Picture?

And This One?

There Was An Ad On Craigslist For A 10' X 12' Greenhouse And A Shed/Chicken Coop For Free. Yes I Said Free! The Only Condition Was That The Person Who Got Them Had To Take Them Down. Well, With All My Wisdom, Yes I Said "My Wisdom"...My Family Might Think Otherwise... I Emailed The Person And He Called Me And Told Me If I Would Take Them Both, I Could Have Them. Of Course I Wanted Them Both!...I Had Been Wanting To Get Some Chickens And Had Always Wanted A Greenhouse. And I Love To Recycle/Up-Cycle So Things Stay Out Of The Landfills.

I Called My Youngest Son, Shayne, And He And I Went To The Location And Took Down The Greenhouse. He Did Almost All Of The Work..I Supervised..

Here Is A Picture Of It In The Process Of Being Put Up On Our Property.

Here It Is All Finished. There Were Several Hands Putting This Up, Thanks To My Sons, Shayne And Cameron And My Son-In-Law Tom And My Wonderful Husband Who Tolerates All The Projects I Keep Coming Up With!

Inside The Greenhouse Were Some Great Cedar Potting Benches That Go All The Way Around The Greenhouse In A U Shape...He Gave Those To Me As Well. I Also Received A Garden Cart From The Man and His Wife. I Don't Have A Picture Of It Right Now, But Am Planning On Sanding It Down And Repainting It Next Summer.

I Have Some Green Peppers And Tomatoes In The Green House Right Now.

This Is My Garden Area...I Call It My Secret Garden. It Is A Work In Progress. The Greenhouse Sits Across From My Garden Shed Now. When We Moved Into Our Home In March Of 2009, This Area Was Covered In Really High Weeds. We Planted Grass And Have Been Working On It Each Summer. I Have Planted Blueberry And Raspberry Bushes, Along With Strawberries And Rhubarb. I Plant Vegetables Each Year Too. I Also Have Mint Planted Along One Side Of The Garden Shed And Also Have Some Flowers Planted In Various Places. We Have A Pear Tree In Our Backyard, And Have Planted 2 Cherry Trees, A Peach Tree And An Apple Tree. I Ran Over The Apple Tree With A Cart That I Was Pulling Behind Our Riding Lawnmower, So No More Apple Tree.

Here Is My Turtle Bench. I Collect Turtles And My Oldest Son, Eli Got This For Me As A Gift.

Here Are Some Radishes, Green Peppers And Strawberries (Don't they look delicious?) From My Garden. I Evidently Didn’t Take Pictures Of My Other Vegetables. Do You Have A Garden? What Do You Plant? Since I Have Never Had A Greenhouse, Do You Have Any Pointers For Me On How To Get The Best Use Out Of It?

I Will Be Back Tomorrow To Tell You About The Shed/Chicken Coop.

Have a great day!

Mrs T

Hanes Goes Pink

2011-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Many Of Us Have Been Affected By Cancer In Some Way Or Another, Whether Knowing Someone Or Knowing Of Someone Who Has Or Had Cancer, Be It Family, Friend, Co-Worker, Neighbor, The Grocery Store Clerk Or Maybe Even Yourself.
Did You Know That Every Two Minutes, A Woman Is Diagnosed With Breast Cancer In America? Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Can Increase A Woman's Survival Rate By 98%.
Hanes Has Come Up With A New Facebook Application For Breast Cancer Awareness.
You Can Personalize And Send A FREE Virtual Comfort Package To Friends And Family. For Each Package You Send, Hanes Will Donate $1 To The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (Up To $25,000) To Promote Early Cancer Detection And Provide Mammograms For Those In Need! So, If You Send Just 10 People A Virtual Comfort Package That Is $10 That Hanes Will Donate To The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. If We Can Keep This Going, Then The Donations Will Add Up In No Time. You Can Customize The Comfort Package With Photos, Videos, Recipes, T-Shirt Designs, Music And Messages.
Please Follow This Link To The Hanes Pink Tab On Facebook To Send Your Virtual Comfort Package: http://on.fb.me/HanesPink
The Hanes Pink Tab Also Contains Videos Of Hanes Employees Who Have Been Affected By Breast Cancer As Well As The “Words Of Comfort Wall” Where You Can Post A Message Of Hope And Encouragement In Support Of Breast Cancer Awareness.
Want To Design Your Own T-Shirt?
For Every Hanes Pink T-Shirt That You Design And Buy, Hanes Will Donate 10% Of The Retail Price To National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

DISCLOSURE: I Participated In This Campaign As A Member Of One2One Network And Am Eligible For A Prize Drawing. All Opinions Stated In The Post Are My Own.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! Mrs. T

A Craigslist Find

2011-09-15T19:42:00.001-07:00

I tend to look on Craigslist, Freecycle and sometimes down the street for things that I can use in some way or another. I love to re-make, re-cycle and create. When I find something I want, I ask my husband or one of my sons (or sometimes one of my daughters) if they will pick it up for me. Their usual question is "What do you need that for?" You would think by now that they would quit asking me that!
I found this desk and my husband took me to get it, sight unseen. I usually never get anything that I don't see a picture of first, especially since we went about 50 miles round trip. I usually don't leave my house or at least not my yard, but I needed to get out, so it was well worth it for me.

This is a picture of the before condition. The top had writing on it and the paint was peeling off. I picked it up from a man that said he used it when he was in grade school...so am thinking that it is probably about 30 or more years old.

The back right side leg was also broken (didn't get a picture of it), but I made a pattern from another piece on the desk and cut a new one. I then glued it on and put some screws in to hold it on.
The drawer knobs were either falling off or were loose. I removed the knobs and sanded the drawers and desk. I sprayed primer on it and repainted it blue with black knobs. I sent my husband to get the paint and thought it did a good job of picking the color.

Here is an after picture.

And here is another one.

What a difference some sanding and a coat of paint will do! I have to say that I really love how it turned out!

I am entering this project in Crafting with the Stars. Please go check it out!

Thanks for Visiting and Come Back Soon!

Mrs T

A Tour Of My Home

2011-07-01T21:18:00.001-07:00

So happy you stopped by to visit!
Come on in and I will give you a tour of my home.
We have lived in our home for over 2 years and the entire house was painted this gold color. It's not that I don't like it, but there was just too much of it!

My sons painted the bedrooms and bathrooms before we moved in, but the rest of the house was left this gold color, because we couldn't come up with a color we wanted. We looked and looked and looked at paint colors and finally....came up with "almond oil" and "cabin red". I wasn't too sure about the red, but Mr T...well, he said it will look good. I have never met a man that wanted so much input on how a home was decorated! But, he is and he comes up with some good ideas!! Gotta Love Him!!! I do!
Ok, here is a glimpse of the new color.

It is much darker. At the end of the hallway is a closet that was our pantry. I really wanted a pantry that was closer to the kitchen....so me and all my wisdom..(smile) decided to turn that closet into a partial coat closet and partial shelves to hold bathroom items, etc. The other closet, it became our pantry and it is near the kitchen! Yea!

See the door...the one that says pantry? I really wanted to cut some vinyl on my cricut machine ...so what better way than to dress up this door. I am not sure it will stay there, but for the time being, when my kids come over to cook (smile) they will know that the pantry is in another location.

See the shelves on the wall? I saw these when surfing the internet and thought I had to have some too!

My son Shayne came over and made these for me. Was really easy to make with some 1x4's and a 1x2. He made a decorative edge with the router on the front edge. These pictures are the unfinished project.

And...here they are painted! Now you have to keep in mind....we are not professionals.

Here is the hallway finished.

That is our entryway in the background there...and....

here...and my son, Shayne, (who is sitting way up on top of the ladder and me being mom....was worried the whole time he was up there, that he would fall) who did a lot of work...along with my daughter, Alicia. I had a vision of what I wanted...or at least of what I thought I wanted....I just am not able to do a lot of the things I used to do...so my children came to help me...or should I say I helped them!

Here is the entry way after it was painted (am still trying to decide what to do with the door)...and Shayne made the shelves with the coat hooks underneath so we could hang our coats up inside the door, since I used part of the coat closet in the hallway for shelves.

This shelf, I made awhile back to store lids that go to my dishes in. I had turned it the opposite way and it sat on my counter (it was painted black). I put wallpaper on the inside and outside, put a board underneath and more coat hooks, so when guests come by, they now have a place to hang their coats.

This is what It looked like before I wallpapered it...I painted it with leftover almond oil paint. I didn't like it, so then came the wallpaper.

Here is the front view...and

And a side view.
Update on the above shelves...changed them again...didn't like the above after all said and done.

So here is the new shelf with cloth baskets to put things in. I am going to put my childrens names on them. Sometimes I have things for them to take with them (things I am giving to them, things they have left at my house, etc), so now there is a place to put those things.

Here is our fireplace wall before

And after, before it was painted. My son, Shayne built a mantel behind the stove.

After it was painted.

This is our south facing wall, before.

And our south facing wall, after.

Our dining room wall and slider door, before

Dining room wall, after..had to add some more vinyl art, silverware.

Sliding glass door, after.

Living room wall and window, before

Living room wall and window, after

Next time I will show you a different room....gotta keep going!
Thank you for stopping by!
Mrs T

DayZero and Charlie

2011-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted for awhile...life just seems to get in the way or I get sidetracked with other blogs. I have found so many interesting blogs that I enjoy reading, and one blog leads to another and so on.
I found this website while surfing the internet called DayZero, 101 things to do in 1001 days. Seems like I live by lists now days, so what is one more. :) Website is here: http://www.dayzeroproject.com if you want to make a list for yourself.
Here is part of my list:

1 Write a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days! (Am still working on this.)

2 Write a list of things that make me happy

4 Go one month without eating fast food

5 Eat no sweets for a week

6 Make a list of all family and friends Birthdays and Anniversaries

7 Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days is over

8 Take one photo a day for a month

9 Open an Etsy or other online account to sell things I make

10 Finish quilt that has been put away for years

11 Donate to Locks of Love again

12 Inspire someone to make a 101/1001 list

13 Pay it Forward

14 Try a new recipe every week for 3 months

15 Make a family cookbook

16 Redecorate guest bedroom

19 Do something fun with the deck around the pool: paint, stencil or ?

20 Build a playhouse for the grandchildren (hopefully my kids will help me or I can help them)

21 Post on my blog at least 3 times a week

22 Build a birdhouse

23 Make and bury a time capsule

24 Declutter my house

25 Eat dinner by candlelight

26 Make a piece of clothing for myself (done)

27 Create an inspiration board

28 Take a trip to Pennsylvania

30 Go on a road trip with my husband

31 Write on 20 creative writing prompts. http://creativewritingprompts.com/

32 Have a picinc

33 Surprise someone with an unexpected gift

34 Eliminate all clothing that does not currently fit

35 Remake at least 10 pieces of clothing

36 Learn 25 new words

37 Back up all digital photos

38 Clean out my inbox

39 Go on a road trip with no preset destination in mind

40 Design a website

41 Adopt a stray pet. This wasn't on my list but added to it when a stray cat came along and we adopted each other...(Done)

43 Have a sleepover with my grandchildren

44 Make a wish at 11:11 on November 11, 2011

45 Plant sunflowers

46 Make birthday cards for children and grandchildren

47 Write a will

48 Spring clean and donate or chuck out

49 Take a photo of a place through all four seasons (2 done)

50 Travel somewhere by train

51 Take a picture of myself for every 10 lbs lost

53 Find something positive about each day

54 Organize and decorate exercise room

55 Have a date night with my husband at least every other week

56 Design a tattoo

This list is not in any particular order and I am still working on the rest of the 101 things to complete.

Item # 41...Okay, now about the cat..He, (I think it is a he) came to our house and was here for a few weeks..I thought he was the neighbors cat, but found out he wasn't. I checked out some places, like craigslist, etc and nobody seems to have lost him. My neighbor had been watching him and told me he has adopted me. He was so skinny, you could see his bones. She bought food and brought over for him as she didn't think dog food was good for him. ha (I fed him dog food, as I have two dogs and at that time no cats). I figured it was better than nothing and he was hungry! I asked my husband (who is not a cat lover) to bring one of the dog houses out front to the deck, I put a blanket in it and the cats food and water. He now has a home and we have adopted each other. Meet Charlie!!

Now, how could you not Love this cat!!

Update on Charlie...I have been told that Charlie is a SHE...but her name is still going to be Charlie!!

Thanks for Visiting and Come Back Soon!

Mrs T

A Pillow for Alicia

2011-04-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

My daughter Alicia's birthday was March 2nd, so I was a little late on getting her gift to her. She had mentioned that she needed pillows, so her being the cat person she is, (she like has 100 cats, well, maybe not 100 but probably 6 or 7 or ?), I thought I would make her a pillow with cats, to add to her collection of live cats.
I started making one with a stencil and it didn't turn out to my liking so I tossed it. I didn't take a picture of it either...oh well.
I got out my handy dandy cricut machine (which I love!!), used some cotton fabric that I cut to 12" x 12", ironed on some interfacing to the back of it, opened up a picture of these cats on my computer and put a marker in the cricut and this is what it drew (kind of funky, whimsical cats, don't ya think?) :

I added some black cotton fabric for a border, added another piece of black fabric for the back and put a pillow inside and this is what it looks like:

Happy Late Birthday Alicia!!!

I really, really, really want to win this EPIC Makeover!!!

2011-04-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am new to this blogging thing, but Mandi from Vintage Revivals ( I love your blog) and (your blog is the first thing I am blogging about!!!!) is having this contest for a makeover of a room that is in desperate need of it.

Ok, I would never ever in a million years show these rooms to anyone, at least not how they look now, but for a chance for Mandi to come to my house and give me an EPIC Makeover…well, I am going to show you…..are you readdddddy???

I have two rooms, one is the bedroom and one is the dressing room/office….because the current bedroom is too small to have dressers, etc in it, we use two rooms. Mandi, you can decide which room should be re-made. Or maybe the wall between the closets could come out to open it up??

The dressing room/office, pitiful, don’t you think??

On to the actual bedroom…..

This is Susie, she really thinks mom and dad need a room makeover!!!

Not very romantic, huh??? I would really like to have a room that is comfortable to sleep in and that is, well….maybe a little more romantic….Mandi, won’t you please come and visit??? I live in Washington State but am about ¼ mile from the Idaho border….You could see two states in one visit…