Spend-a-Buck Farm

Project 365 - Week 7

2010-04-18T10:06:00.003-05:00

Vintage, painted cast iron bowl of apples:

Weathered, decorative gate post:

Rusty Nail:

Pinecone:

Spring buds:

Daffodil:

Peeling paint on our west pasture gate:

All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Project 365 - Week 6

2010-02-16T11:14:00.005-06:00

Project 365 - Week 5

2010-02-09T18:03:00.004-06:00

Crab Claws

Chocolate-covered Orange Peel

Yellow Sweet Peppers

Homemade Linguine with Red Sauce

Doodles

Dr. Pepper

Yucky Phone Cord in our Barn

All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Project 365 - Week 4

2010-01-29T23:52:00.010-06:00

Project 365 - Week 3

2010-01-22T13:42:00.006-06:00

Project 365 - Week 2

2010-01-16T01:08:00.008-06:00

Teachers That Made A Difference in my Life

2010-01-14T01:04:00.009-06:00

I’ve been fortunate to have had three teachers in my K-12 education that had a tremendous impact on me at that time and then throughout my life.

First is Miss Marilyn Lardy who was my 2nd grade teacher. She was young, gorgeous and she drove a blue 1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible. And I will never forget the chrome and fins on that car! Miss Lardy was an excellent teacher and I’ve always talked highly of her. One day I was talking with a parent of one of my students, Mrs. Gilmore, and our conversation turned to former teachers and I mentioned Miss Lardy. Well come to find out Miss Lardy, was one of Mrs. Gilmore’s best friends! OH my goodness, I had never once run into anyone who knew Miss Lardy! And so much time had elapsed since I was in 2nd grade! We had moved umpteen times, I had graduated from college, I was teaching and I had started my own business.

About two months later, school was over for the day and I was walking out of my classroom and there was Miss Lardy looking as glamorous as ever. I saw her immediately and knew exactly who she was. Miss Lardy, now married, had come to see me! All of a sudden I was just a 7-year old child looking up at one of my teachers that I adored! I will never forget that Miss Lardy took the time to come and see me after so many years. I was thrilled and still am!

The second teacher that had an impact on my life is Mr. Doug Pecunier, my 4th Grade teacher. He was so special to me. Growing up I had terrible problems with ear infections which caused a slight hearing loss and I still have problems with auditory phonetics. I just don’t hear slight differences in pronunciation especially concerning consonants. For instance I can’t hear the difference between “pro” and “por”, to me they sound the same. Mr. Pecunier recognized my problem and he was the only teacher to take me aside and work with me and he did this at least once and sometimes twice a week.

As a class we had so much fun and did so many interesting things. We studied world geography and built a miniature desert community and jungle scene in our classroom. We had a reading program that we did in our spare time which consisted of a short story and then taking a small quiz afterwards…I loved it! I was one of the only students to complete the entire reading list.

We moved to Ohio right after the school year ended but I still remember some of the students that were in Mr. Pecunier’s class. David Knight, Brenda Kubick, Bob Besalo, Jim Runyan, and David Low. And I will always remember one of my best friends that year, Maryann Kowloski. I’m not sure if the spelling is correct on Maryann’s last name but I know her father’s name was George and he owned a small grocery store near the corner of Fleming Road and Pierson Road in Flint, MI. There are also several classmates that I can’t remember their full names, Tanya, who I always thought was so intelligent and there was a boy by the last name of Boron, who was Jewish and told us all about Hanukkah. I specifically remember this because it was the first time I ever knew anyone that did not celebrate Christmas!

And last is Mr. Don York, my teacher for US History in my Junior year of High School. I was in the Accelerated Class which I guess means I was smart?? Mr. York taught us many interesting things that year and it was my favorite class. But the most important thing Mr. York did was to teach me how to write a term paper which is why I graduated from college. I was never one to study much but because of the term paper technique that Mr. York taught me I could ACE the term paper and generally the term paper was 1/3 of my grade. Consequently, I never took an academic class that did not require a term paper!

Mr. York’s technique was simple and really was a research and organizing method. And please keep in mind this was way before the Internet, so we had to go to the library for research…but I digress. But instead of taking continuous notes, you wrote down all the quotes and snippets of info, including the source for the footnotes, on 3”by5” cards. Then you put the cards in order and wrote the term paper directly from the cards. I just loved this technique and still use it today.

I think it was a year or so after I graduated from the University of Michigan, I walked into a restaurant for breakfast and I was surprised to see Mr. York, sitting alone at a booth. I walked over to say hello and asked him if I could sit down for a moment. I told him how much I appreciated his term paper method and I thanked him and thanked him and thanked him. Mr. York was rather quiet and just listened as I spoke. There was, and still is, no doubt in my mind that I would never have graduated from college if it had not been for Mr. York.

Being a former teacher myself and having been in the position of having a student thank me for something I taught them years ago, is a very humbling and emotional experience.

The Writer's Challenge, Teachers That Made A Difference in Our Lives...Good or Bad, is hosted by dear, sweet Lori of Family Tree May Contain Nuts. Please visit Family Tree May Contain Nuts to read more interesting stories and snippets of Teacher's that Made a Difference.

All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Project 365 - Week 1

2010-01-08T11:35:00.025-06:00

Photography is relatively new to me and since both my blogs rely heavily on photos I need to improve my skills. Heck I don't even know what aperture means...it's that bad.

I try, I really do. I visit local camera stores and ask questions. I regularly visit photography blogs. I cruise Amazon reading all the camera reviews. But all this knowledge becomes one big blur and nothing seems to sink it.

And since I have two new cameras and don't have a clue how to use them I need motivation. So I've joined Project 365 where we challenge ourselves to take a photo a day for 365 days. Now you may think this is huge challenge and it is. But I already take more then one photo a day. I take at least fifty photos a week for just my food blog. But I never challenge myself to try new things, which means I'm not learning and herein is the problem.

I've thought long and hard about my goals for this Project. I could list lots of interesting things like exploring the macro lens or light reflections on water but I would fail miserably. So I've decided since I'm so confused by just photography terminology I need to keep it simple! Believe me just reading my Camera Manuals is huge for me!

And I already learned a little bit! See my Project 365 Badge, well I made it. Designing is not a problem for me, I've designed logos for years but not on a computer which is a whole different ball game!

BBD's Project 365 Goals:

1. Read my Camera Manuals.
2. Publish at least 7 photos a week under my blog label Project 365.
3. Take my camera with me every time I walk out the door of my home.

Week 1 of BBD's Project 365:

If you are interested in photography there are two groups on Flickr that you might consider joining, Project 365 Flickr Group and Project 365 Food Bloggers Group

All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

A big, BIG BLIZZARD

2009-12-26T20:56:00.005-06:00

Christmas Day we had almost 24 hours of rain and freezing rain which melted most of our existing snow on the ground. It was miserable.

But then on December 26th, the temperature dropped to around 20 degrees and it started snowing and snowing and snowing.

At 4:00 pm I took this picture and measured the snow. We had almost 15" of snow and it was still snowing.

It is now 9:00 pm and it has finally stopped snowing. I'm afraid to measure the snow!

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

My Dogs in the Snow

2009-12-23T01:39:00.007-06:00

Outdoor Wednesday is graciously hosted by Susan of a Southern Daydreamer. Please feel free to visit Susan's blog and see more gorgeous outdoor photographs from around the world.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday -- Yellow Roses Print

2009-12-13T13:59:00.018-06:00

Some of you might not know this but I have a BFA and was a showing artist, painting, drawing, clay, for years. I did major gallery shows mostly in the East and Midwest and a few traveling shows like ArtTrain which is no longer in business. But making the mortgage became a priority and I had to find a more stable income, so my art career took a backseat. Also I worked for a while at a major gallery hanging shows and I also had a business where I installed artwork in private homes and businesses.

The artwork in my home is a mix of modern works by moi and I have a few pieces by art school friends and a mix of landscape and still life prints. The prints must work with the original pieces and our home is Craftsman and although there's quite a mix of styles I can usually get a wall of art to work together quite well, if the pieces are framed correctly.

A few months ago I won a Free Print/Poster Giveaway on Lori's blog, Family Trees May Contain Nuts. And I could choose any photograph I wanted to be blown up to poster size. Dear Lori let me use her photograph of her Yellow Roses, wasn't that sweet! I love this photograph and thought it would be perfect in my Dining Room!

I had to "budget" the framing costs and finally picked up the framed print this week. And now that I have the framed print in my hands it is far to dramatic for my dining room so it's new home will either be in the foyer or living room!

But didn't it turn out gorgeous!

I know some are probably thinking "Where's the mat?". But I rarely ever mat original art or prints. I don't care for matting and think it distracts from the artwork or print. If you do not mat then you must add spacers which keep the piece from rubbing directly on the glass. If the frame works with the piece, matting is not necessary. The Yellow Roses print including frame measures 23" by 22".

And a close-up of the frame.

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

First Snow at Dawn

2009-12-04T10:57:00.003-06:00

Metamorphosis Monday - Death of the Little Barn

2009-11-29T15:51:00.005-06:00

When we bought our property in 2000 there were three structures on the property, the house, a big barn and a large shed-like building which we called the little barn. The little barn was in horrible condition and it literally swayed with the wind. I was hoping that eventually it would just fall down but I knew with our luck it would probably outlast the house!

In July of 2005 we renovated our Big Barn. And since we needed storage for all our furniture during our home renovation which was set to begin in June, 2006, we decided to tear down the dilapidated little barn and build a new small barn.

First we had to demo the little barn which was sort of fun to watch. The guys showed up about 10 am and the little barn was completely gone by noon.

Then the excavating began. Unfortunately I did not take any photos of the new foundation being poured which is always so messy. But the little barn is far enough from the house that even the noise did not bother us.

Next is the rough framing and you can finally see the building start coming together.

Then the roofers came. The first thing roofers do is go to the highest point of a building...look at this guy in the hoodie!

Next step was the siding which was not the correct color when it was delivered. The color was supposed to be a grayish, olive green and what was delivered looked like the color of a Certs Breath Mint! So we had to have the brand new stained siding stained again! Just one of the reasons I really don't like CertainTeed very much. After all the problems with the CertainTeed Siding, I checked all deliveries before I would allow the truck on our property, because once materials are delivered and if the order is incorrect, you are pretty much stuck with the problem.

And here's our finished Little Barn. I had one open bay built just for me and I use it as a pseudo greenhouse and it is working out very well. Plus it's a great place for the kids to store their bikes instead of the garage! The second floor is perfect for a home office and the views from every window are spectacular!

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

My Daybook

2009-11-28T01:19:00.006-06:00

It's early Saturday morning.

Outside my window...it is the beginning of a gorgeous cool late November day. The woodpeckers are very busy at the suet feeder and I can hear my dogs barking at the deer in the forest preserve

I am thinking...how quickly this year has zipped past and I've enjoyed it so much. This summer was the first summer I've been able to relax on our new porch and I took full advantage of it. And I became quite lazy with sleeping in and taking my time getting ready for the day. But now with Christmas looming large, I need to start making my ToDo List so I don't forget anything.

I am thankful for...my friends and family and wish I had been able to spend Thanksgiving with them this year. But with the distance between our homes and other events it was just not possible.

From the kitchen...I have my ingredients for 3 batches of cookies all lined up and ready to go. I joined a new blog event 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Yes, it means I will be posting 12 recipes complete with pictures of my finished cookies for 12 consecutive days. I know it sounds like a lot of cookies and it is, but I will be taking most the cookies to our local police and fire stations and I will enjoy it being cooking baking is one of my favorite things to do.

I am wearing...my soft and very comfortable red flannel PJs

I am creating...a my Christmas List for my husband, complete with photos. He likes me to make it as easy as possible. ;)

I am reading...recipes made with raw sugar

I am hoping...it snows soon so I can start my winter hibernation. I've always enjoyed winter and reserved that time for catching up on my reading. But now I've added to my list which now includes things to keep my home organized like cleaning out closets and drawers.

I am going...to start Christmas shopping this week and try to complete it early

I am hearing...just the tap of my fingers on the keyboard

Around the house...the coffee smells wonderful

One of my favorite things...quiet, productive days

A few plans for the rest of the week...order feed, clean basement, catch up laundry, call my niece, start plans for Christmas and New Years dinners

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...My beautiful Layla

Adapted from A Simple Woman's Daybook.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

"Best in Show" -- Writer's Challenge

2009-11-13T00:02:00.006-06:00

Some may not know this but I was very involved with my dogs in obedience, hiking, carting, herding, therapy and yes I did show one of my females in the breed ring. Looking from the outside the breed ring appears very organized but once you are in the thick of it...well let's just say "it's not what it appears to be". So even though the movie "Best of Show" is pinned as a satire, actually it's very close to reality, although most dog people will never admit it!

The Cast of Characters:

Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest), owns a fly-fishing shop in Pine Nut, NC. Although bloodhounds normally are not a showy dog, Harlan is hoping his Bloodhound, Hubert, will win the title Best of Show. (I've seen one showy Bloodhound at the 2001 Westminster Show, Ch Ridge Runner Unforgettable aka Fanny. And Fanny showed her hiney off and the crowd loved her..what a fun dog!)

From Chicago, married attorneys, anal and uptight Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) have a total melt down from the minute they enter the hotel until their neurotic Weinmaraner, Beatrice, enters the ring. Busy Bee will forever be burned into your memory.

In Fern City, Florida, mild-mannered salesman Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy) and his scintillating wife, Cookie (Catherine O'Hara), are preparing for their trip to NYC with their Norwich Terrier, Winky. On the way to NY they are planning a side trip to visit one of Cookie's former friends.

Home grown NYers, professional dog handler Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgis) and his longtime partner, hair salon owner Stefan Vanderhoof (Michael McKean), are preparing for what they hope is a win for their prized Shih Tzus, Miss Agnes.

Fabulously wealthy and elderly Leslie Ward Cabot (Patrick Cranshaw) and his voluptuous young wife, Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge), owners of two-time Mayflower Best of Show winner, Standard Poodle, Rhapsody In White aka Butch. Sherry Ann is taking no chances on a 3-peat and has hired professional handler Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) to assist in Butch's dominance in the ring.

At the Mayflower Dog Show, there is hurried last minute activity preparing all the details for the big event. And supervising is Mayflower Kennel Club President Dr. Theodore W. Millbank III (Bob Balaban) and the show's chairman, Graham Chissolm (Don Lake). Trevor Beckwith (Jim Piddock) and Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard) are the Mayflower dog show commentators.

Afterwards, the film explores what each character is doing after the competition. Gerry and Cookie returned home to Florida and were overcome with attention after the victory at the Mayflower. They go on to record, in amusingly bad style, songs about dogs. Sherri Ann and Christy have entered into a partnership and publish a magazine for lesbian purebred dog owners called "American Bitch". Harlan fulfills his dreams and becomes a ventriloquist, entertaining sparse crowds with a honky tonk song and dance number. Hamilton and Meg Swan have found a new dog, one that enjoys watching them make love, and are sure it will be a winner. Stefan and Scott are in the process of designing a calendar featuring their Shih Tzu dogs, Agnes and Tyrone, appearing in scenes, with appropriate costume, from famous classic films, such as "Gone with the Wind" and "Casablanca".

The Castle Rock Entertainment production is directed by Christopher Guest and written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. The film is produced by Karen Murphy. Gordon Mark is the executive producer. The film is released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Writer's Challenge, Favorite Movies, is hosted by dear, sweet Lori of Family Tree May Contain Nuts. Please visit Family Tree May Contain Nuts to read some more interesting and fun movie reviews.

I know there are way too many videos for one blog post. But they are so funny, I could not eliminate any of them. Please sit back, relax and take the time to laugh!

Harlan and his bloodhound, Hubert

Starbucks, J. Crew, Meg and Hamilton:

Meg, Hamilton and Beatrice behind the scenes of the Mayflower Dog Show:

Stefan and Scott checking into the hotel:

Stefan and Scott at the butcher shop with Agnes and Tyrone:

A walk down memory lane as Cookie and Jerry tell of how they met:

Cookie, Jerry and Winky behind the scenes at the Mayflower Dog Show:

Sherri Ann and her "husband":

Christie and Sherri Ann explain their new relationship:

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday - The Big Barn

2009-11-01T19:01:00.012-06:00

In 2005 we remodeled the exterior of our big barn. Although the barn was built in 1982, it had not been stained since it was built, doors were falling off the hinges and most of the windows would not open or close. And the siding on the west side of the barn had been nibbled on by horses and was similar to Swiss cheese!

And so we got to it, first replacing the roof and adding new cupolas. When the guys came out to install the cupolas I was a bit nervous seeing them so nonchalantly walking the roof. But they of course shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

The company I ordered the cupolas from is Annapolis Weathervane and Cupolas which is a wonderful company with excellent customer service. Wish I could have spent more money with them.

They asked for some pictures of our cupola installation and you can see some of our installation pictures here and several other wonderful barns as well.

Then we replaced the yucky, peeling tan cedar siding which was badly weathered and partially eaten with new, red cement siding. Jury is still out on the cement siding and I don't think we made a good decision but time will tell.

We also replaced the windows and had custom-made sliding doors installed.

Here's the barn with new roof and cupolas but still with the old siding, windows and doors. Isn't it boring looking with no personality at all.

And here's a our old new barn! I always wanted a red barn and now I've got it! Now this barn has a story to tell and it dominates about 30 acres of land and you can see the color for at least a mile if not more.

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Signs of Fall

2009-10-15T07:01:00.008-05:00

Signs of the Seasons is hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods and please visit Wordless Wednesday for more wonderful and very unique photos.

Writer's Challenge -- A Christmas Carol

2009-10-11T20:18:00.016-05:00

What is one of the nicest things someone has done for you?

I've had many thoughtful people do wonderful, sweet gestures in my life. But one moment meant a great deal to me and it really was not life altering nor spectacular.

About 30 yrs ago, well before I was married, I was going to college and waitressing at night. Since I was putting myself through school every dime was important and I could not spare much for entertainment.

I had waitressed for a while and had many regular customers. One night our weekend cashier, Carol, stopped in the restaurant and asked if it was okay if she and the Activity Director and a few other members from her church had a short meeting at one of my tables. Of course that was fine with me and they ordered coffee and dessert and got down to their meeting. Carol was unaware that the Church Activity Director was one of my regular customers and I used to wait on him and his family every Sunday morning for breakfast!

I could not help but overhear them talking about their Church Caroling Party. Well, I love Christmas Caroling! Believe me I'm not that much of a singer but caroling with a group of people in the crisp Michigan winter air is just something that appeals to me deep within my heart. I love it!

As I was refreshing their coffee I mentioned how much I loved Christmas Caroling and Carol said "Why not join us?" They were planning a Thursday Night Caroling Party and I worked every Thursday and being money was so tight I could not dare take a night off. But no sooner then I said "I have to work on Thursdays", Carol suggested changing the Party to Wednesday instead! I could not believe that the phrase "No problem with me" was heard around the table. I was so excited about the Caroling Party that I even wore a vintage wool, plaid scarf and cap to add a bit of nostaglia to the evening!

It was an absolutely perfect night for caroling, crisp and cold with a gorgeous clear sky and there was a light snow falling. And to top of the wonderful evening, I was invited over to the Reverend's home for Hot Chocolate. When I arrived at the Reverend's home, to my surprise the Hot Chocolate Party actually was an entire dinner buffet beautifully laid out with wonderful Christmas decorations everywhere and blazing fire in the fireplace! It was one of those wonderful evenings that I will never forget and one that I did not want to end!

Amazing what a difference a day makes! :)

The Writer's Challenge, What is one of the nicest things someone has done for you, is hosted by dear, sweet Lori of Family Tree May Contain Nuts. Please visit Family Tree May Contain Nuts to read some more interesting, fun, sincere life stories.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Metamorphosis Monday and Thrifty Treasures - A Skunk and a Tractor

2009-09-20T14:08:00.021-05:00

Well it happened AGAIN, my dogs met up with another skunk. This time my husband let the dogs into the house which means that every single thing the dogs touched, walked on, brushed up against now smells like Pepe Le Pew! Not fun! But I thought I would pass on some of my tricks for rug cleaning.

I generally clean all my rugs at least once a year. I like to steam clean the rugs outside because the rugs dry so much better and you can line all the rugs up one after the other and get the job done quickly. Watch the weather and if you can clean the rugs on a very hot day so that the rugs thoroughly dry before you bring them back into the house.

For small rugs I do drape the rugs over the fence to dry. But for the large, room-size rugs you can just leave the rugs laying on the pavement. The heat from the sun and the radiate heat from the driveway both do a great job to dry the rugs.

Most Steam Cleaners use 2 gallons of liquid at a time. For the cleaning mix I use:

2 gallons of water
1/2 c. steam cleaning detergent
1/4 c. OdoBan
1/4 c. ammonia

The Odo-Ban and the Ammonia will eliminate any odors in the rugs.

Here's another very easy way to remove odors in small areas like your car or a small room. Take any plastic container with a large surface area, I use an old tupperware bowl, fill it with about 2" of ammonia. Sit the container of ammonia in the area you want to deodorize and shut the doors and windows. Leave the container of ammonia in the area for a few days and the ammonia will absorb all the odors. This even works great in larger areas like a garage, but the area must be enclosed so you can shut off any air circulation.

For large areas like a basement, just fill several containers and scatter them around about 1 container for every 20'by20' area. Then completely shut any doors or windows and let the ammonia do it's magic.

I know I didn't believe it either but it worked great when one of my dogs vomited in my car..well actually vomited several times in my car. The ammonia removed every trace of odor in 2 days!

And now for my Thrifty Treasure............

About a month ago I was at a little flea market and I found this darling tractor and cart. It's about 36" long and totally made of wood, even the wheels are wood. And if you turn the steering wheel the front wheels turn too!

How I wish I was a kid again!

I could not resist picking this up for my 2 year old nephew, Joshua! I hope he loves it as much as I do! A huge bargain at $25!

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

And Thrifty Treasures is hosted by Rhoda of Southern Hospitality. Please visit Rhoda's site to find some super treasures all for a bargain price!

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-16T01:05:00.005-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Metamorphosis Monday -- The His of the His/Her Bathrooms!

2009-09-13T16:02:00.019-05:00

Last week for Metamorphosis Monday I showed you my bathroom. We have his/her bathrooms and we do share a walk-in shower. So this week I'd like to show you the other half of the bathroom(s).

Designing my husband's bathroom was not difficult but choosing the colors was not easy and not very much fun.

Mr. Tastebud's is very simple with his decorating needs and plain white sink was the only thing he told me he wanted in his bathroom. So I had to go to other sources for inspiration.

This is my husband's closet. Anyone see any color here? Looks like shades of gray, speckles of light blue with white to me. BORING.

His car is taupe, in fact since we've been married all this cars have been shades of taupe. BORING!

Armed with gray, taupe, wood tones and plain white sink, this is what I did for Mr. Tastebud's bathroom. I choose gray and taupe ceramic tile and had it installed on the diagonal to give it some personality. Also picked a gorgeous dark cherry vanity with a granite top, again shades of gray but with a slight shimmer of silver here and there. And of course, the plain white sink!

I love the vanity! The wood is such a rich, dark cherry and I really do like this granite, although I'm not a granite person! And I love the rug I found. It's not as red as the picture shows, it's really more of a rust with muted taupe tones.

As I explained last week, I had a vintage stained glass window put in the common wall separating our bathrooms. Here's the view from his side.

And two reproduction hat hooks for towels that I found at the flea market $4 each.

And like my bathroom I choose an obscured, beveled glass door to allow more natural light into the bathroom. I love this door!

This is our shared walk-in shower which is all tiled. Since the shower is large, I wanted to do something with the tile and found this wonderful tile mosaic on Ebay. I needed it a specific size which was not a problem for the vendor and believe it or not I had it in my hands within 4 days after ordering and it came from Lebanon!

Now for my flea market finds....

I am unbelievably short on serving utensils and the last month I've found some beauties $1-4 each. I just polished them today and they cleaned up so pretty.

I don't need teaspoons but with the wonderful design both front and back and the gold washed bowl was so gorgeous I just could not pass them up, 10 for $14. The mark is odd 410MMET 43P70K. Any one know what it means? Vendor could not find anything close to it? Possibly Russian?

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

Halloween is coming.............

Metamorphosis Monday and Thrifty Treasures -- My Bathroom

2009-09-06T10:30:00.037-05:00

Well I finally found a rug for my bathroom! I've been avoiding my bathroom because I could not find a rug and even though the bathroom is on our 2nd level the tile floor was cold in the morning!

And since I am showing you my new bathroom rug I thought I would share the rest of my bathroom. When I was designing our remodel/renovation I was not sure if I should have 2 common bathrooms in the main hallway or his/her bathrooms in the master suite. My husband really does not like me using his bathroom because I am sort of messy and my long, brown hair seems to be everywhere! So I did a quick survey when I was at the gym working out and 9 or 10 women voted for his/her bathrooms! It was nice to have someone else make a decision for me.

As soon as I started designing the master suite I ran into a problem. I could not design a layout so the bathrooms were on an exterior wall, which means our his/her bathrooms had no windows. A windowless bathroom did not bother me in the least but my husband wanted his window. I must have tried fifteen different layouts and a bathroom window was just not going to happen. But I did put a window in his bathroom and further down in the post you will see what I did!

I have to explain that taking pictures of a bathroom is difficult and due to the many angles most of my pictures look crooked. Believe me my bathroom is not crooked any where!

Here's my bathroom as you enter and the vanity/sink area. The Bainultra Air Tub which I call my bubble tub is wonderful and I use it at least 3 times a week. I really did not want a tub in my bathroom because I wanted to keep my bath as small as possible, but my husband insisted that I get a massage tub. One of the reasons I was hesitant on the tub was due to my allergies. But the BainUltra tubs circulate air not water so the chance of mildew is very low. I was sold!

And yes that is real brick on the wall above the tub surround. Because of the stained glass window I wanted the surrounding walls to look like the exterior of the building and I love the look of an exposed brick wall.

Because of the size of the tub and I had to put it on an angle to get the 5' tub into my bathroom so the tub deck became a major vocal point. I found the Victorian reproduction botanical tiles and being a horticulturist I could not resist using them in the tub surround.

And to give my husband his window, I found this gorgeous 1800s Stained Glass Window which came from a church in England. The window is installed into the common wall between our 2 bathrooms. Well, it's not an exterior window but it sure gives the impression that there is a window!

And here is the stained glass window at night. The crystals hanging down in the picture are from the small chandelier over the tub.

And in each of our bathrooms I had obscured, beveled glass doors installed just to allow more natural light into our windowless bathrooms. I love these glass doors!

The is the toilet niche. I put half privacy walls in most of our bathrooms to make small niches for the toilet area and I love the look. When we moved in 2000, our new home had older American Standard toilets and 2 new American Standard toilets. The new toilets were horrible to the point where we rarely ever used them. So when we did our remodel we replaced all the toilets with Toto and I can't tell how wonderful the Toto toilets are. This may sound funny, but I love my Toto toilets!

Now for the bargains I found for my bathroom. First of all, I finally found a waste basket! I could not find a waste basket that was any where near the color I wanted. Finally found this ceramic flower pot marked down to $2. Love it!

Next is my marble sink that I found on Ebay for $50! I don't know how I do it but I splash water everywhere when I am using a sink. So I decided to get a large sink for my bathroom. Well, it's not easy to find a large bathroom sink and I was considering installing a small kitchen sink! But then I found this gorgeous marble sink and it had a wonderful vintage look to it. Love it!

I've always had problems with towel racks. I can never hang my towels so that they were neatly hung with all edges matching. So to avoid the towel problem I decided to install towel hooks in all our bathrooms. And I found these wonderful reproduction hat hooks at the flea market for $4 each. I bought all that were available and just had enough for each bathroom to have 2-3 hooks.

Hint to Moms everywhere: If you have trouble with your kids leaving towels on the floor, install hooks and assign one hook per child. Then if the hook is empty and there's a towel on the floor then you know exactly who is not following procedure!

Metamorphosis Monday is hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan's site and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many gracious and highly creative people.

And Thrifty Treasures is hosted by Rhoda of Southern Hospitality. Please visit Rhoda's site to find some super treasures all for a bargain price!

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Wordless Wednesday -- Early Signs of Fall

2009-09-01T15:24:00.010-05:00

Thrifty Treasures --- A little of this and that

2009-08-30T09:40:00.021-05:00

This is my vintage cherry pitter and I found it at a garage sale several years ago. Pitting cherries by hand is not fun but the cherry pitter whittles a tedious process into a few minutes with just a turn of the crank!

The vintage pitter is a simple tool to use. You do need two bowls, one to catch the pits and one bowl to catch the fruit. Just fill the hopper with cherries and then start turning the crank. The cherries move down the shoot and somehow the large disk separates the fruit from the pit. The fruit comes out as the disk turns and the pits continue down the spout and finally are expelled at the end. It's simple and effective and saves hours of time! Whenever I need to pit a large amount of cherries, I'm so glad I have it!

I love vintage linens and have quite a collection. I picked up these small tablecloths are the flea market. All were less then $5 each.

This is my Pincushion Doll and she has sat on my sewing desk for almost 20 years now. I bought her years ago at a small antique shop for $11. She's a little bent and her gown is becoming faded and discolored, but she is very precious to me.

Fall is coming so quickly here in Northern IL. This week we've had chilly, rainy days and cold nights. I'm sorry to see summer go but cooler weather just reminds me of how much fun this fall is going to be!

Thrifty Treasures is hosted by Rhoda of Southern Hospitality. Please visit Rhoda's site to find some super treasures all for a bargain price!

Side Bar: My computer is the shop until tomorrow so it's been a rough few days. I'm now working off my old computer which is so slow and has limited resources. Hopefully, I will pick up my repaired computer on Monday! YES!!

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Outdoor Wednesday -- My Trees

2009-08-25T23:08:00.019-05:00

In 2000 when we were searching for property as soon as we drove up the driveway I knew this was going to be my home. Not because the house was anything special, but because of the gorgeous ancient Oaks.

I love my Oaks!

As you drive up our driveway one of the first things you see is our wonderful grove of White Oaks!! Aren't they gorgeous! My arborist said they were close to 300 years old. Can be imagine what things these trees have experienced, lightning storms, winter blizzards and maybe even some Native American families living near by!

The small oaks on the closest side of the drive are my baby Burr Oaks that I grew from acorns. Aren't they cute and they are doing so well!

And look at the gorgeous shape on this Burr Oak, just so special and perfect!

Burr Oaks grow on the edges of prairie and are a natural fire stop between the prairie fires and the wooded areas. The bark on a Burr Oak can be as much as 3 inches thick and practically fireproof.

This is a small grove of White and Austrian Pines that I planted as a wind stop in our far west pasture. Our west pasture was almost intolerable because of the summer heat and it's amazing how much cooler it is now. The pines were small twigs when I planted them eight years ago and now some are over ten foot tall!

This is my favorite Oak on our property and it's right outside our back door. Isn't it magnificent!

And here's another gorgeous Burr Oak that shades our west entrance to our horse barn. It's a little vulnerable to wind so is slightly bent, but still so beautiful!

Thank you so much for visiting Spend-A-Buck Farm and I hope you enjoyed seeing my trees as much as I enjoy living with them.

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan of A Southern Daydreamer, please visit Susan's site to see more wonderful Outdoor Wednesday adventures.

All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog