The News From My Mail Box...

It's been a fun vacation visiting Holly. I will be returning home this Thursday. My driver's liscense expires on Friday, which I had forgotten about before I left town....so I now have to go and renew it on Friday, the last possible day to do it!! I would have waited until Friday to come home and driven straight to the court house...but who wants to drive six hours on the interstate through heavy traffic and lonely back roads, then have your picture made and preserved for the next 4 years! Ha....not a good idea!
If you have never shopped at a Hobby Lobby or World Market, you are missing a treat! HL's offer every craft, artist, and decorating need that you can think of and WM's have a little bit of everything from old fashion candies to coffee and wines! You'll love them! See ya soon!

Think about this:
"Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were."~Cherie Carter-Scott

Happy Sunday To You!

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.~ Galatians 6:2 NIV

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."~Brian Tracy

My 50th Birthday!!

Feels like I have been away so long…..I am visiting my daughter, Holly and her husband Richard, in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The day I got to their house, July 17th, we went down town New Orleans to the La Bayou Restaurant on Bourbon St., a favorite place of mine to eat….we had grilled and blackened alligator, jumbo shrimp and muffaletta sandwiches. Yum yum! We were celebrating my 50th birthday before Richard’s flight left for South Carolina the next morning for two weeks of BTM training. (My husband, Jackie could not go with me to LA because he had jury duty!) My big 5-0 birthday was Monday July 20th!! Feels weird saying I’m 50………We also visited the French Market. These pix were taken inside the Central Grocery Company store. Quaint cute little place!
Since then Holly and I have been doing the girly stuff….sewing, eating out, going to all the thrift stores and photographing some old southern plantations. I will share more about those things later.

Good thought to remember:
When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

A good memory is one that can remember the day's blessings and forget the day's troubles when we count our blessings, and make them count.
A friend is a true Blessing!
My Garden Gate
Blessings is for "B"
See more here.

Christmas In July....The Completed Project!

My Christmas in July project continues to completion…(See earlier post). The rest of the story: After I gathered all my Christmas pictures and cut them out (time consuming), I put them in their own unique place with decoupage and covered the whole tray…..the ugly tray that it is! When I got to a pleased point with my project I polished it up a bit and put a finishing coat on it! Now it is ready for Santa! Instructions for use:
1.Place near or under the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.
2.Add fresh cookies, brownies, cold milk, or hot cocoa.
3.Try not to eat the goodies while you are doing this.
4.Send the kiddies to bed and cover their little heads.
5.Get ready for Santa!
6.Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Eggs...........

Why is the word egg spelled with two g's?

Because if you drop one you will still have one left for breakfast!

Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket,

then counting your blessings before they hatch. ~ Ramona Carroll

Recompense~ my reward for hard work in the vegetable garden. Things are really beginning to grow and grow. The peas are full of blooms and we have lots of little tiny tomatoes. I will also pick my first batch of okra today! Yea! I love okra. The cayenne peppers are plentiful for making pepper sauce. It’s such a joy to see your hard work and sweat pay off!

My garden tools...so well worn and used!

My baby bluebirds learned to fly yesterday. When I went out to visit my garden I did not notice Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird making their usual rounds with food. As a matter of fact I did not see them at all. While inspecting my vegetables, I listened.......I could hear baby birds in the woods next to the garden. I knew that sound! It was my babies...and then I heard mom and dad sweetly calling to them. This went on the whole visit in my garden, making me smile...I felt like a proud parent. Today as I went out to pick new squash....it was quiet, a lonesome sound......I can't wait until the next couple moves in and I hope they have lots of children!

I'm leaving Saturday for Lousiana, going to visit my daughter for the next two weeks. Her husband will be out-of-town for some USCG training, so we are going to hit the thrift stores and do some old southern plantation tours. Hope to take lots and lots of pictures!

Blessings to You!

"Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention." ~Greg Anderson
Attention is for "A"
See more here.

Christmas In July Project

Sharing a trash~formation project with you.....Turning an old metal serving tray into a Christmas tray for Santa's milk and cookies. I started with old magazines and books that you can cut up......searched for and cut out small Christmas related pictures.....clip, clip, clip. I then began the tedious task of cutting out the pictures, making each a separate picture...snip, snip, snip! You gotta have good eyes for this and a lot of patience. It's never to early to get started on those Christmas projects and the shopping. I do my shopping all throughout the year using a list of pratical things from which my daughter provides to me for her and her husband. It makes shopping so much easier and you can spread the expense over 10 or so months. It also gives you time to search for the item and get the best price. Be watching for my completed Christmas in July Project. I also sell this item at craft shows.......Happy shopping and crafting!

The Little Mouse~a story

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed this warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.” The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.” So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap…alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house…the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home she still had a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup. So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient: the chicken. But his wife's sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig. But, alas, the farmer’s wife did not get well… she died. So many people came for the funeral that the farmer had to have the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of the people to eat at the funeral luncheon. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
(Author Unknown)
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and you think it doesn’t concern you, remember when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Let your friends and neighbors know how important they are to you.

God Bless you, and have a great day!

Prov 30:5 - "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Old Trunk-formation

I purchased this old trunk at our local rescue mission store. It was in horrible shape. So sad....someone had attempted to paint it, spray paint it....haha. They had also put duct tape over parts of the metal finish to cover sharp edges. To top it all off...it smelled really BAD! Starting with some good old soap and water and a scraper, I began working to transform and save it's life! The inside still had the original paper lining, but it was too far gone and was shredding to pieces. After the clean up, I painted it with several good coats of love and relined the inside bottom and the tray with a old quilt which I purchased...you guessed it...on the Antique Alley Yard sale. I think it turned out beautiful!

JunKitty ~ Trash to Treasure......

This was an old wooden bucket with an ugly design on it...

This was a old wooden tool tray...

This was an old ugly black lunchbox...

This was a discarded wooden wine

gift box...

These are a few of the items I have done. They are junk and all purchased from yard sales or thrift stores...sometimes I am able to obtain them for "free". Recreating something and using it for a different purpose is great...a great form of recycling and I love doing it! Thinking out side the box. I sell these items at local crafts shows and bazaars. Follow me as I continue to share these items and ideas. I will be featuring an on going "Christmas in July" project in segments as I work on and complete the project. Be looking for it.....

Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad,
is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Within The Heart

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart." ~Helen Keller

"Welcome To My Garden"

My new birdhouse....which was purchased on the Antique Alley Yard Sale in May. There is already a family of beautiful blue birds in it. I can hear them chirping while I'm in my Garden.

My Garden spot...behind our house~

My Welcome Gate to my Garden~

"Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof." ~Julie Moir Messervy

Nothing is better than Southern Fried Green Tomatoes....but I have found something mighty close! If you like them fried, you'll love this casserole using green tomatoes. We have a local grocery store that sells green tomatoes all through the year.....I could not bear the thought of picking my own homegrown tomatoes while they are still green. Just can't bring myself to do it! Try this....You'll like it!

Green Tomato Casserole

4 thick French bread slices, torn into small pieces (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 medium green tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
(about 1 1/2 lbs)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 1 ½ quart casserole.
2. Place bread in a food processor and pulse to a coarse texture. Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, mix well.
3. Arrange 1/3 of the tomato slices in the bottom of pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the sugar mixture, 1/3 of the breadcrumbs, and 1/3 cup cheese over tomatoes. Repeat with a second layer. For the third layer, add remaining tomatoes, sugar mixture and breadcrumbs. Dot with butter. Cover with foil.
4. Bake one hour. Uncover and sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup cheese on top. Bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend. Serves 4.

Enjoy! PS....I add a little more sugar to mine! :)

Now here's something you can do on a rainy afternoon.....and your family will thank you for it! It's easy, quick, and the fun part is the eating! And don't forget the pecans.....You gotta have pecans in your brownies! Yum Yum!
Love my vintage pyrex dishes.....1957 Pink Daisy baking dish! This one was purchased on the Antique Alley 502 Mile Yard Sale back in May for.......$5.00. Love it...The yellow handled hand mixer was also found on the yard sale a few years back. You can plan your yard sale trip for next year at: http://www.us11antiquealley.com/ Happy hunting!

July is a month in which we love to show off our patriotism for the country we dearly love.
To our great nation under One True God!

"One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!" ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Interesting tidbit: In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary. Adams and Jefferson were great political rivals who over the course of their lifetime became great personal friends. And Adams' final words before expiring on the Fourth of July: "Jefferson lives!" - not knowing, fittingly enough, that Jefferson had actually passed on just before him.

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive ~ to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love...." ~Marcus Aurelius

This is the beginning of my blogging.....not so sure exactly what I am doing. But as with anything, you have to start somewhere. I hope you enjoy following me through this adventure and viewing some of my photography.