A Rose by Any Other Name...

When we bought this house about eight years ago, this wasn't a rose bush, it was a rose TWIG! We had to put small little pieces of brick around it just so Rick could see it and not run it down when he was mowing the grass.

Look at it now....isn't it gorgeous!

Rick has really babied it. He uses all of the "old time" tricks for roses that he learned from his grandma. They've really worked! The only one I remember has to do with coffee grounds. Rick doesn't drink coffee, so I had to make the sacrifice and drink it so he could have the grounds to put around "his" rose. :-)

They're really beautiful.

BLT Anyone?!?

We're still having water issues in the garden. More rain has turned it to mud again. Here are a few photos to show you how it's progressing!

Here are the green beans and Uncle Gene beans.

They seem to be doing ok in spite of all the water.

Yeah, those tomatoes probably aren't going to make it. We have a few to try and replant, but it's just too muddy to get in there right now.

The lettuce and radishes are doing really well!

Rick thinned the radishes and we harvested our first crop of lettuce this week.

After a little bit of instruction, Brandie did a great job with the lettuce!

(I think she has a green thumb!)

She did 95% of this harvest on her own!

Way to go, Brand!

Pay no attention to her mis-matched ensemble. She picked out her own wardrobe today. :-)

Haleigh wanted to give it a try. She did a great job, too!

Haleigh's favorite part? EATING IT!!!

All it needed was some bacon, tomato, and toast. lol

We shared our lettuce with a my mom and dad, my sister's family, and a family from church. We'll probably be cutting more in a few days. You just can't beat something you've grown yourself!

I'll be linking this post to She Considers. Be sure to stop by Olivia's blog to see how everyone else's garden is coming along!

I Had a Silhouette SD Before Having a Silhouette SD was Cool

I'm writing this post specifically for Tip Junkie. She just got a Silhouette and is wondering what it can do.


It can do a lot. A whole lot.

What is a Silhouette? I call it an "industrial Cricut". Clear as mud? Does "a Cricut on steroids" sound any better?

Let me just show you a few of the many projects I've made with my Silhouette.


One of my favorite things to cut is iron-on vinyl--like the stuff you put on t-shirts. I did 35 of these cheerbows for a local high school's football cheerleaders. It's impossible to tell in this photo, but the dark ribbon is purple, white layered on top of that, then a gold metallic vinyl "SHS" on top. They were GORGEOUS if I do say so myself! More importantly, they loved them!

Below is a close-up of the vinyl ironed on to the white grosgrain ribbon.

Here's a fun one! Travel Tableware for Toddlers that are personalized with a name or an initial make great gifts. (By the way, you can find this at Jan's-n-Stitches.)

This rolling cooler has white iron-on vinyl. This was one of those tricky projects, but I thought it looked fabulous when finished!

So, what can a Silhouette do? The sky's really the limit. I love mine--it was a great investment!

Garden--Version 2011

We've had a shaky start to our garden this year. We had the ground plowed up (doubling our growing space), then it started to rain. And rain. And rain some more.

The lettuce and radishes are in a semi-raised bed. The rain moved the seeds around and we lost quite a bit, but we'll replant lettuce when it cools off this fall.

Rick, Betty (his mom), and the girls have been helping to get the starts into the ground today. They're working on "Uncle Gene beans" here. Uncle Gene beans are like a black and white striped lima bean. I'm sure they have an official name, but that's what we call them because the seeds came from Rick's Uncle Gene! Makes sense, eh?

Brandie was getting really good at getting the bean starts planted.

Haleigh learns the fine art of making the hole.

We, well, Rick and the girls started seeds about six weeks ago in little cups and in some of those starter thingies you find this time of year. (I got them at a garage sale last year for $.25! Score!) They did really well.....until we couldn't get them into the ground because of the rain. Everything started looking a little leggy, but we think they'll all make it!

I'm linking to She Considers. Olivia is hosting "From 2011 Seeds to Harvest Garden Challenge". Go check out how everyone else is doing!

Dollar Store Birdbath

Spring is in the air....finally!
How do I know? Rick's already had to mow the lawn!

In honor of Spring, I made a cute little birdbath out of picnic-y items from Dollar General. The whole thing cost less than $7.00.

Here's how to make one of your very own!

What You'll Need
10" Large Bowl
8" Plate
10" Plate
Ceramic Vase
Another 10" Plate (not pictured)
Small Brick (not pictured)
E-6000 Glue or other industrial-strength adhesive

Start by placing your large bowl upside-down on a flat surface. Pick a place that's well-ventilated where you'll be able to leave it overnight without it being disturbed. I'm working in our garage. Run a line of glue along the bottom rim of the bowl.

Place your smaller plate (right side up!) on top of the bowl. Get it as centered as you can.

Put your larger plate right side DOWN on your flat surface. Along the top of the ceramic vase you'll run some glue. Carefully center your vase on the bottom of the plate.

                                                   Let the 2 parts sit overnight. 

The next day you can glue the bottom of the vase to the top of the smaller plate. Let that sit overnight, too.

This isn't pictured, but I thought the birdbath was too light when it was finished, and I was afraid the wind would keep blowing it over.

To make it heavier I turned the entire thing upside down, placed a piece of broken brick in the bowl, and E-6000ed the second 10" plate onto the rim of the bowl.

After it dried, the brick was secure in the bowl, and the entire birdbath has a good weight on the bottom.

I'm linking at....

Solar Luminaries: "Look, Ma! No Flames!"

I made this safer-than-a-candle-when-you-have-kids-and-cats SOLAR luminary in less than one hour! It's embarassingly easy, so let's get started!

I picked up this plain candy-type jar at one of those warehouse crafty stores. I think it was The Flower Factory in Greenwood, Indiana. You can find them in just about any craft store. If you can't locate one, any jar will work!

Can I just say again how much I love this glass-etching spray paint? (I also used in in this project.) Give it a good coat and let it dry for 15 minutes or so before you decide if it needs more.

By the way, the etching appears as the spray dries. I'd forgotten that bit of information and kept spraying and spraying, waiting for the frosting to appear. In the meantime, the paint was running and dripping on the inside. The great thing about this "paint" is that you can't see the runs and drips when it's dry! Love that!

Here's the jar after it has dried. The picture of the lid is right after I'd sprayed it. See the difference?

This is one of those solar light stakes that you can get from just about any lawn and garden department. This smallish one was just $3.

The bottom stake just twists off, leaving you with the light.

By the way, if you want to try this project out the day you make it, it's a good idea to put the light out in the sun that morning.

Ask me how I know.

Put a small amount of floral clay in the bottom of the jar to hold the light in place. Play-Doh might work if you have some of that. It would harden and make a sturdy base. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it's deep enough to keep the light upright.

Put your light in the jar and replace the lid. Wait for dark and think about how totally cool this little light is!

These would be great for a garden, on your porch, or as luminaries lining your sidewalk at Christmas!

I was thinking of putting one in the bathroom to use as a nightlight, but I'd have to take it outside every day for a sunlight recharge. That's way too much work for me. Just keepin' it real.

I think the next one I make is going to be with a half-gallon canning jar I've been saving for a project like this. Star stickers added prior to spraying the jar might make a nice effect! Or maybe I'll use the Silhouette and cut a monogram out of vinyl!

If you make one, be sure to leave the link in the comments. I'd love to see what you come up with!

I'm linking here:

Vintage Pattern SCORE!

I stopped in to a new-to-me thrift store the other day and--SCORE!!! Vintage patterns for $.29 each!
All of these patterns once belonged to "Ethel", and she wrote her name on each one.

I would have liked to have known Ethel. I think we could have been sewing buddies.

These three patterns for girls' dresses are classic styles, and the Stretch-and-Sew patterns are easily altered.

(By the way, I know these photos aren't the greatest. It's one of my Pet Peeves when, on Ebay or Etsy, sellers don't SCAN their patterns instead of photographing them. Well, I couldn't scan anything right now even if I really wanted to!)

Ahem....

These t-shirts and knit sweaters are also classic in style.

Swimsuits, anyone? What little girl wouldn't look adorable in one of these vintage, yet stylish, suits?

Of the little dresses, this one is tops! The peasant style is back in....style! Stretch-and-Sew patterns were meant to be sewn out of knit fabrics. However, I think I could make this one in a woven and it would still work just fine. I can't wait to try it!

However, this one made the stop all worthwile! I love, love, love these vintage pajamas. The date on the envelope is 1970, and the style just screams "Brady Bunch" at me. I would have been six years old then. Maybe that's why I love this so much--nostalgia.

The sizes range from 4-6 up to 12-14. Again, it's classic! I'm thinking about lengthening the hem and making these for my girls for Christmas--maybe out of a groovy flannel. Or maybe not!