Blessed with a Second Crop

Blessed be the name of the Lord

   A few posts back I wrote of planting 

a second crop in our garden.  

Today I want to give God the glory 

for Blessing it. 

    Just look how pretty the sunflowers are,

 the mustard greens in the background 

are lush and tender, as well as the lettuce,

 the turnips are growing faster 

than I can remember in past gardens,

we have lots of little cucumbers setting on,

 the dill is almost ready,

 and the Pink Half Runner beans 

should be ready in about a week.

Miniature gourds are climbing tomato cages and sunflowers

          and marigolds are starting to bloom.  

      Thanking God for Blessing our second crop.  

We are still enjoying the first crop in our garden, 

             and now God had done it again. 

Latter rains, plenty of sunshine, and cooler temperatures. 

 Hope you are Blessed, wherever you are, Trisha

Paint it Black, Grey & White

Black, Grey, & White

   This week I've been playing around with the paintbrush again.  Pretty much, if  it was sitting around in the garage, it got sprayed with a coat of black paint, and then dry brushed with a grey and white.
   Glad our cat wasn't hanging around in the garage, he might have looked more like a skunk, than a cat.

Serving Tray Makeover

French Country Shelf

Wood Crate, Urn, Hat, & Frames

   I sprayed this large serving tray with black, dry brushed it with grey & white, let dry, and mod podged it with downloaded graphics from Fairy Graphics.  This would be great for a sewing room.








   I sprayed this shelf with black paint, dry brushed it with grey & white, then mod podged it with graphics, from Fairy Graphics.                










  I told you, whatever I found sitting around in the garage got painted.  So the crate, the urn, the hat, and the frames, didn't escape the bristles of my brush.  Ahh!  I did have fun.  Hope you are having fun, and are Blessed this beautiful day, Trisha

Old Butter Churn & Memories of the Good Ole Days

5  Gallon Butter Churn

    We found this old 5 gallon butter churn 

                   at a yard sale today.  This one is a keeper. 

 Sure takes me back to childhood days 

when some days we had so much milk, 

mom and us girls would all churn at the same time. 

 One of us would use a churn like this one, 

one would use an old crank paddle churn, 

and the others would poor milk in gallon jars, 

and shake them on their knees.  

Those were the days when so many families, 

including ours, raised most of our food, 

we raised a garden, chickens, hogs, and a cow.  

   Can't help but think we'd be a lot healthier

 if we raised all our food today, 

 just like in the good ole days.  

                       Blessings wherever you are, Trisha

Baby Hawk

Baby Hawk in the Distance

 

   This morning I had a pleasant surprise, the hawks that have been guarding their nest in the trees you see in the far distant middle of the picture, have hatched their baby, I'm not sure how old it is, but, this is the first time it has been near us.  We've been watching them for many weeks and listening to their piercing calls.  The parents are very large and don't come near the house.  This little guy wasn't a bit shy about being photographed.  I caught a glimpse of him as I came around the corner of the house sitting on the hay fluffer.

Even the Hawk Knows it's Lot in Life

   I followed the baby hawk a little ways out the road and stood under the powerline and took it's picture.  It wasn't the least bit afraid of me.  When I looked up at it, I stood in awe of the beauty of God's creation, for even a baby hawk seems to know it's lot in life, for it seemed to take command of the sky on it's first flight out of the nest.

   Hope you have a Blessed day wherever you are, Trisha

Fodder Shock & Garden Shade

Fodder Shock

   It is a beautiful day in Southeastern Kentucky, today. The mid 50's temperatures this morning has turned into 70's with filtered sun, shinning through the clouds, this noonday.  July, usually holt and smoltery has been a beautiful month this year.
   We planted part of our garden with a second crop of beans, sun flowers, minature gourds, dill, marigolds, and coneflowers,  and needed to clear our small corn patch to plant mustard greens and turnips; so today we shocked the corn to clear the ground.
   We're not rushing Fall, just shocking the corn out of necessity.  Hopefully in a week or so, we will do the rest of our planting.

'Old Shep' Found a Shade

   While we were shocking our corn, our cat, 'Old Shep' rested in the shade of the 'Princess Feathers' I have planted along the edge of the garden.  He wants to be with us, whatever we are doing, but, he always finds a shade.









   How Blessed we are to live in the country, be able to raise a garden, and to have the companionship of and 'Old Shepherd Cat'.  Hope you are Blessed wherever you are, Trisha

Aprons & Sugar Bowl Pin Cushions

Dress Front Apron &/Bonnett

    I've been making aprons the last couple of days, here are pictures of a couple of them.  The one on the right is a floor length granny apron with bonnet.  I hope to get a few more of these made before Fall.  This one is more of a costume type to wear for 'Old Fashioned Days',  festivals, etc.

Short Full Apron

   The little pink apron to the left is a shortie.  My husband says it looks more like a bathing suit.









                 

Sugar Bowl Pin Cushions

    I found a these old sugar bowls at the flea market a few days ago, they didn't have lids, so,  I decided to make pin cushions out of them.  I don't like to see pretty old dishes go to waste, I like the way they turned out.
Hope you are enjoying these warm summer days.  
Blessings, Trisha 

Red Crawdad Chimney

Red Crawdad Chimney

   The lower end of our yard is home to a family of red crawdad.  Though they build these chimneys often, this is the biggest one we've came across, being about 7 or 8 inches across, and about 4 inches high.
   These type of crawdad have been in our yard for years, our hunting dogs used to bay them.  We have had a wetter summer than usual and the crawdad are flourishing.  What little creatures are lurking in your backyard?

Have a Blessed day, wherever you are, Trisha

Retro Suitcase Makeover

Retro Suitcase Makeover

    I've been wanting to try a suitcase makeover for some time.  For this project, I chose a green vintage suitcase, I used a rectangle  cut from 1/4" plywood to support the bottom, I painted it, and the four wood legs green, I attached the legs and plywood to the bottom of the suitcase, with wood bolts and nuts, I then relined, and lightly padded the inside bottom of the suitcase.  I painted the top with white paint, I used Mod Podge to apply a vintage sewing machine graphic, from  Fairy Graphics, then I applied a clearcoat paint to protect the top. 

Lots of Room for Sewing Notions

  

   I was pleased with how it turned out.  This retro suitcase makeover made a useful sewing box, with enough room to hold a large amount of sewing notions.   




Have a Blessed Day wherever you are,
Trisha

Old Linen, Crock, Sifter, & Fur

Linen, Crock, Sifter, & Fur

    This is a most unlikely combination of flea market finds.  An old flour sifter, vintage linen, a crock bowl, and a fur collar, but, when I go out junking, I buy what I like even if it doesn't go together.
   The old sifter is from the 1800's, it had belonged to the great grandmother of a sweet little vendor who is probably in her seventies.
   The old crock bowl belonged to the grandmother of another vendor, who is in his sixties, and is getting ready to move to the Phillipines.
   The linen tablecloth is from the 40's or 50's, no kinship associated with that vendor.  The fur collar came in a box of junk, I don't know where it came from, but, it is a good eyecatcher.  It has been great weather for flea marketing this weekend, lots of good deals everywhere.  Hope you've had a great weekend, wherever you are.  Blessings, Trisha

From a Footstool to a Sewing Box

Wood Sewing Box Makeover

 

   I have been busy making lots of things, but, haven't had time to post pictures of them. This little footstool had a flip lid, so was a perfect candidate for a sewing box makeover.  

   I downloaded the vintage sewing machine graphic from Fairy Graphics, and printed directly onto the material. I did this by applying laminating plastic to the back of my material, and a small piece of card stock taped across the top back with the tape covering the edge of the material in the front. This gave the material enough stability to keep from jamming in the printer.  

   I used upholstery trim to cover my seams where I sewed the printed legal page sized piece, to the other pieces of material to make it large enough to cover the top.  I padded the top with quilt batting, and stapled the material to the back side.  I covered the back side with eyelet, folded the edges and lightly stapled.  

   It became a perfect home for vintage sewing notions, and the padded top worked great for a giant pin cushion. 

Have a Blessed Day, wherever you are, Trisha

Nippon Hatpin Holders

Nippon Hatpin Holders 

     I found these pretty Nippon Hatpin Holders at a local flea market on Saturday.  The two in the back of the picture are Nippon, the one in front is actually a saltshake, but, will be pretty for smaller hatpins. 
   I don't usually buy Nippon because it is so pricey, but, though these were priced at $25.00 each, and the saltshake was priced at $20.00, the vendor graciously made me a price I couldn't refuse.   
   I don't have any hatpins yet, but, I've always wanted to collect them, now I have something pretty to display them in, when I  find them.
  


God Bless you on this beautiful Lord's Day,
Trisha 

Where Mayapple Grew

Yesterday, I talked with someone from my childhood days,
and, I was reminded of things, I hadn't  thought of in awhile.
It was in the early 1960’s, we lived on a small farm in Rockholds Ky.
We had a cow named Phoebe, and lived a mostly quiet life.
Though we lived within a few hundred feet of a major highway,
the farm stretched for what seemed like miles behind our home.

We played in the big woods behind our house and walked through patches of Mayapple, 

standing like tiny umbrellas across the shaded forest floor.
One day our trek through the woods took us a little farther than we were
used to going.  We were within earshot, and clear sight of a railroad track,
we heard a train coming, and ventured a little closer out of curiosity.

Though we had seen trains when we went to town,

 viewing one up close was something we were not used to. 

 This particular day was eventual in it’s own way.  

We didn’t realize it then, but, we were watching history in the making.

We were a couple of hundred feet from the railroad track, 

and watched as the train slowly traveled the long stretch of rail.  

Our eyes widened when we saw the train cars loaded with missiles, 

with armed soldiers, standing along side them.  

We watched for awhile, not knowing exactly what this was about, 

but, decided we should run back to the house and tell mom about it.
We later found out about the Cuban Missile Crisis, then about a year later 

                                     our beloved President, John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
                                            On that warm and quiet day beyond the big woods
                                             where Mayapple grew, we watched history unfold.

2nd. Annual US 25 Yard Sale

2nd.  Annual US 25 Yard Sale

   A new yard sale route to run, or to set up on, is coming up, June 6th. thru 8th.  I usually have to drive a hundred miles or more to run one of these big yard sales.  

   Not this time, this one is within 2 mile of my home.  They had this sale last year in August , but, it wasn't highly advertised, so there wasn't a lot of local participation.  This year looks to be different.  I'm seeing more local tourism groups getting involved trying to get the event advertised.

The Sale will run thru Kentucky along US Hwy.  25.

For more information, search Google, or on Facebook search - 'US 25 Yard Sale'  

I am posting this early to give you something to think about.  If you don't have other plans, check it out.  I hope to, weather permitting and Lord willing, Trisha

This particular flyer reads:

2nd Annual

US 25

(Dixie Highway)

through the entire state of

Kentucky

YARD SALE

June 6-June 8, 2013

VENDORS WANTED!

BOOTH SPACE IS 

AVAILABLE AT VARIOUS

LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT

THE SALE ROUTE ALONG

U.S. 25.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT WHERE TO RENT A 

BOOTH CALL

JUDY WIGGINTON

CITY OF WILLIAMSTOWN

859-824-6351