Is your kitchen the work horse of your house? Is it the place where your family hangs out? Is it the homework station or craft station? Is it the dropping ground for everything from mail to hand tools? Or is your kitchen your hangout, the place where your creativity goes wild? William Hefner On my An Extraordinary Day Facebook page I regularly post kitchen photos. I seem to be a bit obsessed with kitchens lately. Maybe it's because I have a kitchen that mostly works, but isn't my style. Maybe it's because my kitchen is the smallest kitchen I've ever had. Maybe it's … [Read more...]
Copy Cat Challenge ~ with a twist! When DebbieDoos announced the challenge and added..."With a Twist"...she had me!!!! Generally I'm not one who gets into copying something or someone. I like to take the essence and do my own thing. When I read the challenge, I immediately had something in mind. Back in May, Kristi of Addicted 2 Decorating did a series of posts about transforming her community patio into a restful and colorful place to relax. She did a great job. One of the things she did was to create her own Outdoor Rug with Painted Stripes. I'd been thinking that my porch needed a facelift. … [Read more...]
Wash. Dry. Fold. Repeat. Some household tasks are never done. Especially laundry. Photo snapped by my living in the country & loving it friend. Laundry Do you love it or hate it? Not long ago we had some work done in our basement. You may remember my unpleasant experience with the digging machine. When that work was nearly completed I decided that I wanted to throw some paint on the walls in my laundry room. Ahem, closet. The washer and dryer were out of their tiny space and so it seemed that as the cement flooring was drying I should seize the day. Or in this case, … [Read more...]
Earlier this summer, as the ferns were pushing up their lovely fiddleheads I was smitten. When the trees filled out, I discovered that my yard was enveloped in shade. Mostly. Cool, peaceful shade. As I came to realize that flowers were not to be major players in my gardens, my eye was continually drawn to ferns. Especially the giant Ostrich Ferns. When you walk a woodland path, do you find a swath of ferns cool and restful? Is there something about them that rejuvenates your spirit? Don't you wish that you could have that feeling every day? Here are some … [Read more...]
Today we're going to have fun! Fabulous yellow made in the sunshine bright and cheerful fun. For quite sometime I've been reading "Gussy Sews," a fun and uplifting blog written by the very creative and inspiring Maggie, aka Gussy. Once a month Maggie invites her readers to join her and link up for an Inspiration Workshop. This month her prompt is Yellow! Yellow! It's one of my favorite colors! It's sunshine and daisies and daylilies. It's lemons and corn on the cob and summer squash. It's the color of happiness and sunsets. At least it is in my world. Haha! So let's have some fun together as I … [Read more...]
Are you getting excited for the 4th of July? Yes, I am. This week I plan to do a little flag waving. At this point, I still can't find my small American Flags (Which box from the move are they still hiding in?). But we do have Old Glory flying on the front of our house. Today I discovered an old bolt of American Flag ribbon. (A garage sale cast-off!) After staring at it for a few minutes, there were fireworks. Haha, just a little creative thinking going on in my heard. I started playing around with the ribbon and came up with not just one wreath, but TWO!! After all the fun of making the … [Read more...]
Okay, I confess. My heart goes pitter patter whenever I see a collection of red, white, and blue. What about you? Does your heart sing for the all-American colors, too? Better Homes & Gardens Just for fun today, I thought I'd share with you a few ideas that I've been collecting on Pinterest. I may, or may not, have guests coming for the holiday. It's a little tricky when a holiday is right smack dab in the middle of the week. Regardless I'll be ready with all the fun things that I've pinned. That is if I actually get working on … [Read more...]
Not long ago I was walking in my neighborhood when I noticed a ground cover plant that has been a favorite of mine for using in container gardens. I love its variegated leaf and that it fills out nicely, as well as growing long cascading vines, over the summer. When I lived in Michigan I would over-winter it in my garden to have for my containers from year to year. One year it grew like crazy over the winter and I discovered that my container vine was also a fabulous ground cover. Lamiastrum g. 'Variegatum' This spring I had been looking for it in all the local greenhouses and garden shops. I … [Read more...]
Have you always wanted to create a pretty container garden? Why not create one this weekend? Below are 9 steps to help you get started, plus lots of inspiration too! But first.... more inspiration! Nine steps to get the process started. 1. Decide where you want your container garden(s). 2. Notice if that location is sunny, partly sunny, or mostly shadey? 3. Choose a container for your location. Don't skimp on the size...your plants need room to grow. 4. Select … [Read more...]
When you have a busy day of projects around the house and you don't want to fuss in the kitchen...what do you cook? My favorite go-to meal is Ridiculously Easy Roasted Chicken! Served up with yams or sweet potatoes and a veggie....nothing could be simpler and more perfect for a hearty appetite. Longaberger Woven Traditions Pottery is the key ingredient for a sumptuous yet easy meal. Longaberger has been an important part of my life for a long time. I love the baskets and pottery so much that I became a Longaberger Consultant. But, don't worry...I'm not pushy, or selly, or annoying. At least … [Read more...]
Seeing God demonstrate his love for us in nature. If we just look, God has object lessons of his grace and love all around for us to see and experience. Almost exactly 3 years ago to the day, my husband and I were sitting in the office of our executive pastor. We were anticipating some new changes in the structure of the children's ministry. Tim was leading a thriving and growing ministry to children with excellence and grace, and we were anticipating a good meeting. Several minutes later we were told that we (I was Tim's ministry assistant) would no longer be leading the children's … [Read more...]
Was this past weekend your big "get the yard in shape" working weekend? Traditionally Memorial Day {Weekend} is when mulch gets spread, shrubs, and lawns get trimmed, flowers get planted, the pool gets opened, and everyone gets ready for summer outdoor fun. Is that your tradition? We tend to spend plenty of time "playing" in the yard. But, gardening and yard work for our family starts as soon as the weather is spring like, and flower planting begins usually around Mother's Day. This year has been a bit challenging for me, with limited finances, living in a new town, … [Read more...]
