Sewing Pictures!

Several weeks I posted that I was working on some sewing projects. It took me about two weeks to get two blouses and one skirt made; every time I had plans to sew something would come up, so I had to find time to sew. Today I'm posting some pictures of how the projects turned out.

Here is one of the blouses I made and the skirt!!! The skirt is a Khaki colored corduroy and will be perfect for winter! I absolutely LOVE this pattern as it is full but not A-Line. It has a yoke for a waist which I like much better than a A-Line waist. The pattern is Simplicity #9825 and I used view D www.simplicity.com There are no slits or "kick pleats" to enable you to walk as the skirt is full enough to walk or run in! As an added bonus, it is so easy to make and would be a great project for a beginner!

This is one of the blouses'. They both are the same design with the exception of the collar. I did a normal collar on the yellow blouse. This blouse was made out of linen/polyester (I think) and it is so comfortable! I especially like the "stand up collar"-do they call them Johnny collars'?- and have wanted one for quite some time!! This blouse was very easy to make.... once Momma got my problem figured out!!! This was the first time putting in sleeves by myself and I'm pretty happy with how the turned out! The yellow blouse is rayon and it was rather slippery at times, but it looks fine!! The pattern is a Butterick (Fast and Easy) #B5034 and I used view A for both blouses, although I did use the collar from view D. I didn't have any problems doing that. www.butterick.com

I thought I would close with a goofy picture! Mom was in the mood to fix my hair (the boys' hair isn't long enough for her to put up in buns or pigtails!!) so I fiddled with the camera! If you want to know who this is, leave me a comment and I'll post the name!

Something From the Past

My Mom loves things from the past. She enjoys looking through the old ladies magazines to see how they lived, dressed, and acted back then! She has passed on a love for the old things to me, although I don't collect as avidly as she does! Several weekends ago Momma managed to talk Daddy, Trevor, and I into visiting the "Collectors Antique Mall" in Donald's. This place is huge with plenty of old books, clothes, and furniture to put her in "hog heaven"!!! This visit, Mom really did hit the jackpot!!!

She found this German made Child's Tea Set from the early 1900's !!! It was priced at $125, marked down to $49.95, and finally marked down to $14.95!!! We weren't really sure if this was for real, so she trooped back up to the front desk to find out!! Yes, it was really $14.95!

I hope you can see the designs... They have what I consider a "nursery rhyme" theme to them as I think of nursery rhymes when I see them. Here the Tea Pot, Cream, and Sugar are pictured. The sugar pot appears to have been dropped which made us wonder if that why the price was marked down. All the Designs are very clear and bright, and seem to be very well taken care of!

There are six cups and three saucers. Two cups have this design. The girl is carrying the kitten in her arms here.

There are six dessert plates of which three are in this design. Here, the children are trying to keep the dog away while they get the kitten down.

There are four cups with this design; a girl feeding the ducks.

Three more dessert plates with this design. I'm not really sure what's going on in this design; it's almost as if something has happened, but I'm not sure.

Mom was so excited to find this!! See, she started giving the Franco children Tea parties each time the came over; they actually became quite the highlight for her and the kids. She would make them tea and put some frosting on graham crackers for their crumpets. Tea parties have been non-existent since we moved, but I feel that they will begin again as soon as the Franco's drop in!!

"A Time to Sow......

...and a Time to Reap". I am currently reaping what I sowed early this spring! As I have mentioned before, I planted several things from seed this spring and now I'm collecting seeds from them! It's so rewarding to be able to save what I've worked at growing!!

This is the Hummingbird Vine that I grew from seed. As you can see it's climbing all over the "arbor" that Tristan built for me out of cedar trees! The Hummingbirds are very attracted to it which is why one of the reasons that I planted it.

The Marigolds have put on quite a show this summer and have gotten so big!! They crowd the path is several areas. Once the flowers dry and the pods turn brown, they are ready to harvest. You can also harvest them when the pods are still green (flower has to be dried up though) and let them sit for several days before taking the seeds out.

My Love In a Puff is still growing like crazy and I really need to give it a "haircut". This is what the pods look like when they are ready to harvest. There are 3 little "ball" seeds inside; sometimes not all the seeds are developed enough or they seem to have mold- I don't save those. I have an over abundance of these seeds right now and am beginning to wonder why I'm saving them!!! I know that next spring, this plant will get a good amount of room plus a HUGE trellis to climb on!! I've learned my lesson!

After the red flowers are done blooming, they leave behind seed pods. When these turn brown you know they're ready to harvest! This will be a staple in next years garden!

This is my garden basket. Every afternoon I take it out with a dog leash, a pair of "clippers", and a good supply of marigolds to work on "de-seeding" (the bowl behind the basket is full of marigold seeds.)! I just finished up taking care of a whole basket of marigold seeds so I will be using it to carry echinacea heads, more Love In A Puff, and of course the ever present marigolds!! So..... how are your gardens producing???

What's your Opinion?

Sweet Tea is a dinner table staple at my house. There has been more than one time when I've forgotten to put it on, or we've been out of the main ingredients (sugar or tea bags), and the boys have been very disappointed! There is something about a cold glass of Sweet Tea to go with your meal that makes it extra special.

Isn't this a neat tin??? I have no idea where my Mom got it, but there is a possibility that it came from her Grandmother. She seemed to pass "neat stuff" on to my Mom. We store out "Family Sized Tea Bags" in it as it makes the cupboard look neater and cheerier!!
We use 4 Tetley Family sized Tea bags along with adding 2 "flavor teas". Our favorite flavor at the moment is Lipton's Green Tea that has Orange, Passion fruit, and Jasmine in it. Ohhhhhhhhh, is it ever good.

First off we put a cup of sugar (ok, add a little more!!) in a gallon container. Then add water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then add your 4 tea bags and your 2 flavor bags (if desired). Put the lid on and place in the refrigerator. If you start around 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning it will be ready to serve come dinner time!!! Steeping the tea like this eliminates the caffeine that can keep children and adults up! Oh, don't forget to serve it with ice!!

Some Pictures

I've been wanting to post these pictures on here for quite some time, and I think now is the time to do it. Enjoy!

This guy is in my garden allot..... well, I'll admit that I don't know if it's him I keep seeing!

He was really enjoying my Butterfly Bush! I really like this picture!

Please pardon the background. I can't exactly ask the object to "hold that pose" while I go move what ever is behind him. If you look closely at the butterfly you'll see a tear on the right wing. It was torn almost up to the black vein, but was still able to fly! Amazing!

Just beautiful!

"The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork....." So true... This verse runs through my mind every time I see the wildlife in my garden. His creation declares his glory in a majestic way.

At Our House..

Living "way out in the country" we don't have to worry about unexpected guests. If by chance you did decide to drop in one day, this is what you might find.........

Driving up, this is what you would see at the back porch. Yes, that really is a hose that's running INTO the house!!!
If you were invited in........ notice tarp AND hose!!! What on earth is going on here???????
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Now I understand! Yes, the hose was the only "economical and efficient way" that Sayre could come up with to fill his fish tank. He had caught several crawdads' at the creek and was making a new home for them.

Cleaning up. Everything was put back the way he found it!!! I must admit that Momma wasn't at home during this whole process. I'm not sure what she would've said, but I'm fairly certain that she would've laughed at us!! Ahhhh.... life is good!

The "Dog Days" of Summer

The Dog Days of summer have arrived!! Last week was a scorcher with the high for each day being around 104 degrees at 3:00 or 4:00!!Yes, you are reading that thermometer right!! It really does say that it's 104 degrees!!! It got much hotter than that though.... it read 107 toward the end of last week. Needless to say the indoors held much appeal to us!!!

Sayre really knows how to relax!! He was engrossed in a book all last week, and we often found him in this kind of a position, reading!! Just add an ice cold glass of lemonade and he was set!!

The "Dog Days of Summer" aren't just for dogs you know!!! Cats' get overheated too!!!

Isn't he just to cute???? He loves to have his drinks with ice!!! (ed. note: we have somehow lost all the "plugs" to Sawyers sippy cups. Hence he gets wet allot!!! :o)

Not all of us are happy during the dog days of summer!

A Recipe

One of my brothers favorite things for me to make during the summer is Homemade Salsa. Collin enjoys it so much that he eats it on anything!!! I made it once again on Saturday and I hit the all time HIGH on Salsa making!! EVERYONE loved it!!! Since it brings so much joy to our family, I thought I would share it with you!!

"Martha's Easy Salsa"-
1 can diced tomato's with chili's
1 can diced tomato's
Onion
Lemon Juice
Cilantro
combine in a large bowl and let chill in refrigerator till ready to serve.
This salsa is rather runny so you can drain some of the juice off of the tomato's. I drained maybe half a can off each and it was perfect!! The salsa tends to be rather hot too...... :o)
Enjoy!

One Way We Spend an Evening

We had excitement at our place yesterday evening!!! Around 6:00 Collin came running in and asks "Ashley, do you want to come help round some cows up that are on Murray Creek?" Of course I did!!! So off we went and we had a blast! Before I forget let me tell you about Murray Creek. Murray Creek is the name of a county road that just so happens to be dirt and is just down from our house. It runs through hunt club land and has no houses on it. There are two sets of ruts running down it that people get stuck in. Needless to say, it is not a road that is very often travelled by people living around here. It's a great attraction to Dirt Bikes, 4-wheelers, my brothers, and other off road equipment.

"Who Me???? You've got to be kidding. I'm NOT moooving"- This was one of the first cows we met and it was enjoying the kudzu a little to much.

This is the first bunch of cows that we herded in the gate. The calf on the right had been separated from his momma and was hungry. It kept trying to nurse as we were moving them.

"What's going on??? Why are you going over there?"-Thankfully, these cows were still inside their fence!! We were taking the loose ones to a field directly across from them. It was neat to hear them "talk" to each other. There was also a lame goat in with them that had horns that went two separate directions! Talk about interesting!

I like how the trees have grown over the road! The cows weren't hard to move as they were scared of us. All we had to do was walk behind them and make sure they didn't wander off.

This was the last set of cows for the evening. They really did walk in single file line for the majority of the time!! I am so glad that Collin came in and asked me to "help" them! What little herding I did was very fun!!! I guess Momma can get her cow now since us kids are experienced in herding them!! Till next time......

A Great Idea!

Have you ever wondered what to do with all those extra vegetables that your garden produces?? What about start a vegetable stand?? Sayre has become our young entrepreneur and has started a stand of his own!!

He made the sign from scrap wood in the barn and then asked me to write what vegetables he was selling on it. He particularly asked that I write in bold letters. We live on a straight stretch of road and customers can easily see the sign.
I think his arragement of the vegetables is very appealing. (note: he had just sold most of the squash which is why that basket is rather bare!)

Doesn't this look appealing??? I was very impressed!!

On Friday afternoon we had a "mechanic" set up shop in the ditch right in front of the stand. Collin had just recieved a clutch for his go-cart and the boys were in the midst of trying to get the go-cart running again.

Sawyer and Tristan taking it easy while Collin works with the chain.

This is what people see as they drive past!! Well, the dogs aren't normally there. We have a Teakwood plant not to far down the road, and Sayre's been getting several steady customers from there. This is a great way to share what you've grown with others who might not have the time or space for a garden. It's been neat to see people enjoying your veggies so much that they come back for more!!!

Proverbs Thirty-One.....

Proverbs 31

For Young Girls

1. A virtuos girl is hard to find.

2. She is industrious with her hands. She makes things for herself and for other peole and is helpful at home without having to be asked.

3. She does not complain about her duties but does them with a cheerful heart, being careful not to build up resentment.

4. On her face is an expression of contentment and goodness.

5. She is not always whining and complaining or objecting.

6. She co-operates with her mother and does not contradict godly authorities.

7. You can not put a price on her worth, and she is called a real jewel by her family.

8. Her family loves and trusts her, and one of her is worth 10 more.

9. Her appearance is uplifting and others are happy to be around her because her clothes are beautiful, freshly laundered, and pressed. Her hair is clean and shiny and she is well groomed. She can probably be compared to some kind of flower, or "a summer day".

10. The words of her mouth are sweet also, filled with gratefulness, compliments, encouragement, and idealism. Her home is a beter place because of her.

11. She looks for ways to gain more knowledge about being a better person and home maker, and receives teaching gladly. Her friends call her unselfish and pure, and her parents tell others of her dedication at home.

12. Many daughters have done good things, but you are exceptional.

Written by

"Lady Lydia" Sherman

My Mom handed this out at one of our "Maiden of Virtues Study" about a year ago and I found my copy yesterday. I thought you might like to read it. It's a challenge to me as I know I have not attained much of anything that it lists. With the Lord as my guide I do hope to attain it.

Of Ducks and Hummingbirds

I have been busy working on some sewing projects that have managed to stretch out longer than they should have. By all rights I should have been done with them by the first of this week, but that just hasn't happened. Despite sewing, other duties, and soap I have managed to have a little bit of FUN!! Here are some of the hysterical and neat highlights from this week!!

Meet "Ferdy the Birdy" (that's what I call him)~ this duck was given to us about 3 or 4 weeks ago and has turned into a very interesting "pet"- that is, if you want to call him a "pet".

You may be asking "why on earth are you telling us about a DUCK????" The answer to that is found in his personality. I'm sure everyone has seen the movie "Babe"..... do you remember the duck that crowed?? This duck has that ducks' personality except that it doesn't crow (thankfully!!). We think that ducks' name was Ferdinand, hence I dubbed it "Ferdy the Birdy".

The duck has been coming up to the house recently and it gets interesting with four dogs and a duck around! Thankfully two of the dogs are laid back enough to not chase it and actually seem to like it, one dog is penned up, and the other dog would chase it if we didn't watch him!!! Ferdy doesn't seem to be to bothered by any of it! It's absolutely hysterical to watch him come running up to the back porch or watch him chase someone back down to the pond!! He bites at anything he thinks has the slightest chances of being edible! It's definately not dull around here!!

Ferdy was taken away from his mother when he was very young and when we put him down at the "pond" it took him a day or two to get into the water. He now loves the water and anyone that happens to spend time fishing..... he bit into his first fishing hook earlier this week. Ferdy is a great asset as he brings much laughter and activity with him where ever he is!!

The Hummingbirds have seemed to have multiplied in number during the past several weeks. Momma, Sayre, and I have counted at least six coming to my feeder!!

I LOVE this picture!!!

Taking a very quick break.

These birds are absolutely beautiful. Each time I see them I am reminded of how God created everything with each little detail in mind. These bird are a perfect example of His creativity and majesty. Just watch them hover and dart about sometime! They are incredible!!!