New blog!

Scoot on over to my new blog and see the progress of our vacation home. Actually I just liked the name of the new blog and had to come up with some reason to use it!! You can find me at http://www.shabbylittleshack.blogspot.com/ . I hope you enjoy watching the progress. Let me know if I get too boring.

Take care,

Becky

Let's all try this!

I borrowed this from Bethany at bethanyspreciousinfants. I think we could all gain from this if we remember to follow this every day. I really needed to read # 18 ;-)


1.. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk,smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant
.2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy alock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the followingstatement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat lessfood that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries,wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energyvampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or thingsyou cannot control. Instead invest your energy in thepositive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinnerlike a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no ideawhat their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'Infive years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Yourfriends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the followingstatements: I am thankful for __________.Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. Please share this with everyone you care about.

I know I haven't been blogging in a looooong time. The truth is my life is reallllly boring right now and I have nothing going on that would be of interest to any of you. Yawn, Yawn.

Just kidding. I am actually hard at work on my newest project for the dollhouse. A vintage shabby china cabinet that is almost finished as we speak, just a little tweaking to do. Pics will be up soon on my new blog that I have started for the "dollhouse" as I have been calling it. The dollhouse is actually, for you new guys that have not been following me, is our mobile home that we have purchased to put near the lake. You keep watching for pics now!! http://www.shabbylittleshack.blogspot.com/

I am off for now. I am going to attend a housewarming shower for Kerri this afternoon. Kerri is the girl who is living in the dollhouse/shabby little shack wannabe (hahaha) at this time and is getting ready to move in her beautiful new home!!! I am so happy for her and her family. (No Kerri I am not calling your mobile a shack, at least not til I shabby it up some, heehee!) Maybe I can get some pics of her new home today and she will allow me to post them!!!!

Have a wonderful day! God bless you all!
Your blogging friend,
Becky

I miss you guys

I really do. I have been so busy that I have neglected my blogging buddies. I have also neglected other things such as my house, my farm, my husband......etc....etc.... but we won't go there ;o)

I am really liking my job now. It is really a lot to learn. The computer is not hard at all but one of those things where you have no clue where to go until the right time comes and then someone has to show you and then you really get it cause it is really user friendly to a point. Have I really confused you yet? The electronic medical records are what I am talking about. You don't use certain templates until you have that type of patient present to the clinic. Anywho It is falling into place and is a great place to work.

I still wish I could stay at home but the way the world is today I am fortunate to have a really good job. I am trying to convince myself of that anyway. hehehe

A really good job that helps me feed my habit of antiquing that is. I went to my favorite antique store today, Vintage Rose Antiques, and purchased some real goodies. An antique china cupboard for the dollhouse, a chenille bedspread, chenille shower curtain (too cool), a couple matching rose plates and an antique double size metal ice tray (we don't have an ice maker in the dollhouse fridge). I'll get some pics real soon I hope. Of course she had sooooooo many things that I need. Yes that I NEED!!!!! Good thing I love my job!!!

I had a wonderful time yesterday with my girls out shopping for fabric and of course we had to hit our favorite Mexican restaraunt for lunch. I really love spending time with them. We have so much fun together and our sides and heads always hurt after a day together from all the laughing......it is worth it though. GOOD THERAPY!!!!

Hopping right along!!

Well it's been three full days at the new job. I really like it so far. The job isn't hard at all but it is different. The entire office is computerized and that's not new to me but the system is and I am getting the jist but not quite there yet.

I really like the people that I work with. One of the nurses and I used to work together in the ER but I didn't know that she was at this office til I started there. The other nurse worked at the ER right before I went there. So I feel like I am following them around town!! Great bunch of front office staff too. They are all really young and really make me feel old!!!! They have such drama in their lives that seems so traumatic to them at this young age and it is right funny to sit back and watch. Boy if only they knew............ teh hee

I have done really really good with the transition of going back to work. I really hope I don't get bored until I am out of debt though.

I have worked the past three days on zero sleep too. Danny and I got into a patch of chiggers on Sunday afternoon clearing our land and OMG are they itching. I have taken everything in site put any and everything on them and it is only a temporary relief from the intense itching. The new Dr that I work for didn't have anything new to had except the tincture of time!! I am really expecting to sleep tonight. Please!!!

I will keep you posted and post pictures when I get back to work on my decorating. I have a lot of unfinished business!!!!!

Hugs to all and a goodnight wish!!

Becky

Had to dust off my old nursing cap!!

Well here I go again! Back in the working world as of tomorrow morning at 8:30. I finally got the call that took me weeks to recieve. I had given up on this position and then out of the blue my phone rings.

I really wanted this position because if I have to go back to work, I do not want to be working weekends. This position is Mon- Fri and mostly Mon- Thurs in a DR's office so I will have my weekend free to play at the lake in my little dollhouse.

It is really going to hurt going back to work. I have been so spoiled for several months now. No I didn't sleep in. I did not take long afternoon naps, maybe a tiny cat nap occasionally but rarely. No I did not shop all day, as you can read in previous post I actually became a homebody. I did however become a housewife for the first time in my 32 year marriage. I was too young to know how the last time that I was not working and once I started working I didn't go without a job more than a day or two until this little break that I have had.

If you looked at my house right now you would laugh at the above statement about me being a housewife now too!!! You also will really have to look around and think about what I have done with my time for all these months. Danny and I know what I have done though!! Lots of painting, started lots of new projects that aren't finished, lots of cooking, lots of cleaning (at times), and a whole lot of what ever anyone had for me to do and what I wanted to do!! I can honestly say that this has by far been my favorite summer ever!! I have had more fun with Danny and the girls and grandpunks than I could have ever imagined prior to quiting work. (here come the tears)

I did learn how to make homemade bread. I never really mastered homemade cinnamon rolls though. LOL I learned from Sage how to make out a cleaning schedule to keep my house clean, that I will be utilizing starting next week. Most of all believe it or not I learned how to save money and to manage it. We did so much better when I took over all the money management, only because I had time to do it and if we didn't make ends meet I would have to find a job.

Of course I just told you that I start work tomorrow but it is to pay for our home near the lake. I plan to have it paid off in 10 months or less and then put every penny we can scrounge up on our home mortgage and pay it off in a couple years or less, buy a pontoon boat and quit work again. Don't let my new employer see this OK ;O) hehehe

If we continue the way we have been with money it is a very feasible plan. Maybe at that time Danny can realize that he doesn't have to work two jobs either!! He has always worked a fulltime job and had his business on the side and will probably have a very hard time deciding which one he wants to give up when that time comes. He is truely a workaholic. He did like having me at home but it will be for the best to get this second home/vacation/weekend home paid for and all the work done while we are still young enough to enjoy it, right?

I do not plan to hang up my blogging hat now but it may start to collect dust every now and again. Especially with our weekends being filled to the brim at the dollhouse. I bet he would throw up he heard me call it the "Dollhouse". hahaha

So everyone please pray for me and wish me luck as I go back out into that crazy old world out there!!!

Hugs to all my blogging friends!!!

Becky

{{{{I posted this and the song that popped up on my blog was Kid Rock's "All Summer Long". I broke down in tears. Ya know I was really fortunate to have the entire summer at home though. I have to suck it up and go to work tomorrow with my chin held high and no tears and work really hard so that I can have many more entire summers at home!! }}}}

Let the games begin!

Well now the object of the game is to get this home moved to the next county over!! After the nice little family that are living there move out anyway!! This was a drive by shot and I was also the driver! Pretty good huh?
Finally the machine has a newly repaired engine as of this morning and it is on it's way to my land to start clearing it!! YES!!!
The first little piece of underbrush is moved. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

giggle giggle.....

This boy thinks he's hot stuff with his big ole toys. Yep, I am sure his life would be so much easier if he just accidentaly pushed me into a brush pile ;o)
Maybe he is hot stuff. I am surely liking this place more and more. The driveway will cut around toward to the left and the home will be secluded by a lot of big trees, ya know a "private retreat" is what we are after.

It was 11 Am before we got the dozer to the land and we left at 6 PM with a pile of land cleared and the driveway roughed in. We will be back on Saturday to try and finish so we can move the mobile home in when it is ready. I am sooooo excited. It is really looking great. Pictures really don't capture the lay of the land and the beauty but it is really looking good.

Ok Enough of the boring construction shots right?

Goings on around here on the farm!

I have not cried so much over drying my goat off that I haven't been able to cope with life. I promise I haven't even though it has been rough on me. The fact is that I have just been so busy. Doing what I am not sure and neither is my hubby!! Just stuff.

Stuff like family reunions and boating excursions and job hunting! I hate job hunting. Of course you wouldn't think that I hated it if you knew me better but I really do. I have landed (apparently landed) a job though. Fulltime M-F in a Dr's office in Blacksburg. I could throw a rock and hit Va Tech from the office. It seems that I had given up on hearing back about this position and the manager thought I knew that it was mine......miscommunication from the get go......... that might not be a good sign!!

Otherwise all is well here on the farm and around in my life. I'll update better with pictures and such soon.

Becky

Second post of the day, but it's a sad one :(

Well you see I love mozarella cheese! Or any kinda cheese that is! You will not believe me but I will tell you any way.....I made it myself!!
Yep!! I sure did!! After about 3 attempts at cheesemaking at home I finally figured it out!!
Look at that curd setting!!
Oh My I really could get a good stretch out of this batch too!!
Just look at that cheese!! My grandpunks Colton and Emma were here and they said it was "The best cheese they ever had." Well there ya go, straight from the bruttaly honest mouths of babes!! So I guess in this family I get the "Cheesemaker of the year" award ;o)

They were right it is yummy. Perfectly wonderful.

Now the sad sad sad sad sad part........... you see this cheese comes from my fresh goats milk and my dear Saphira is drying up...sob sob sob....crying here let me tell ya.........Her production suddenly dropped off to about a pint a day and then yesterday down to about a cup total so I didn't even milk her this morning as to go ahead reluctantly and let her finish it off. It is really hard for me to do because we have bonded so much. I loooooove the milk too. And I just learned how to make cheese too. I will probably forget how to do it come spring time when I have Saphira and Violet freshened and I have milk yet again coming out of my ears!!

Honey I guess I will get to the beach this fall afterall!! He said we couldn't go anywhere cause I had a goat to milk. I'll tell ya a little secret but don't tell him ......... I would rather forgo the beach to be able to have all that good fresh milk again!!

I do have enough milk in the fridge to make a batch of fresh mozarella tomorrow morning to take to our family reunion tomorrow and see if I can WOW some of my folks!! I am sure that my Italian cousins will like it ;)

My new bad habit!

Ok Girls. Here it is! My new bad habit is getting the best of me and it is time to come clean. Is there a program to dry up the habit of collecting silverware? If so I need it. I need help badly! But I mean just look at that beautiful pattern! This is a place setting from my 67 piece service for 12 of W.M. Rogers Silverplated flatware in the Leilani pattern from the 40's.
OMG!! It even came with a terrific chest!! I am so spoiled! It didn't even smell vintage!! It had no smell at all!!
This my little girlfriends is another service for 8 that is silverplated from W.M. Rogers also and the pattern is "Desire". Here you see it all polished up and glistening. Now you want to guess how long it will stay that way?
It has a beutiful little rose on each piece!
And last but not least, a brand new service for 12 of Colin Rowie stainless flatware. Whew! No polishing needed!! You can click on the above pics for a close-up and then you will understand why I am hooked!!

All this new flatware came from ebay at a terrific price. I tell ya, a woman would be crazy to pay a really big price for something that is going to give her so much work to do. I never thought I would utter the words "I have been polishing my silver." hehehe

Now I have to tell you that the person who got me "Hooked" or "Addicted" to this new habit is Cindy over at http://wwwcutepinkstuffcom.blogspot.com/ ......yep it's all her fault.......I told her about it too!! If only I had a farmhouse table like hers with the drawers to store all this new flatware it would be better!!! You go Cindy!! I love ya!!

Check out that Waverly Leaf Platter (TJ Maxx) with the mozarrella cheese and homegrown German Pinks Heirloom tomatoes. Are you hungry yet? Well then come on over there's a plenty!! I might even find a clean fork to eat it with!!

Oh Happy days!!

"If it ain't completely broke, don't fix it"

That's my dearest husbands motto.

However there usually comes a time that I finally end up getting my way ;o)

After 7 years of begging for a new toilet and hearing the chant over and over, I am finally yet again getting my way. I know you think he got his way with this cause it was on his time but no my little ladies don't even think along those lines. If he did totally get his way the lid to this toilet would be duck taped down to avoid use and we would resort to using the other one forever!!

Yes it finally died. I mean a complete and very slow progressing, I might add, death. It's cousin in the other room has the same illness and yes ladies I have begged to no avail for it to get some relief for it's misery too. Now I have been married to this dude for a long time and I know where my boundaries are!! I know when my girls read this they will be ROFL ing!! Because they know me and if I truly felt the need to replace the toilets I would have already went and purchased a new one and just set it in the middle of the bathroom til he got it in!! LOL

Now girls, I would have already done this but I needed to spend my money at the antique and thrift stores.Sorry honey but I did not see any new American Standard toilets any where that I have been lately! hehehe

Last night I was doing some research on new toilets. I know it doesn't take much to entertain me!! I picked out the perfect throne at Home Depot and was telling dearest about it features and mentioned the fact that I would have to buy the toilet seat seperately......

dh: "Just use the old one."

me: "OMG! What do you mean? It is broke too."

dh: "Well if you didn't use the throne as a recliner it may not break the seat!"

me: "Well if you would buy me a recliner I wouldn't have to sit on the throne to read my Romantic Home magazines!!"

dh: chuckle chuckle

So my friends it's off to the Home Depot for a beautiful new toilet that actually works!

Well at least I will be off to do that tomorrow cause I am cleaning really hard this morning and getting ready to start the dreaded redo of my foyer. Dreaded it is cause every piece of furniture in there has to be painted along with the walls. New curtains to be made. New wall decor and EVERYTHING from top to bottom. Whew I think I need a break already. I sure do need a recliner!! Does Rachael Ashwell make a shabby chic recliner?

You gals have a great day!!

Becky

Playing catch-up after a little R&R on the lake again!!

Oh My Goodness!! Isn't this a great picture! Morgan playing Mother Hen to Colton as they were heading to the water at Fairystone State Park! After a little while they were everywhere and very hard to keep up with!
This little lady is Princess Haley! Now isn't she a doll! She was very clingy to her mother for a long time cause she was scared of the water and then about 30 minutes before she had to leave she really decided that she liked it! I didn't post the pics of me floating around in the little yellow rubber ducky float that we took for her!!!!!
OK So is this a left over 60's hippy chic or Elvis's girlfriend, who know's? As you can see my hair is at a length that while cruising around on the boat my hair will beat holes in my face so I got creative and decided to make a bandana headband, which worked but the girls thought it needed Morgans "Yellow Elvis Glasses" to go with it!! Crazy girls!! They actually let me out in public looking like this!!
More pics of the Olympic Diver! Robin caught this angle with her camera. I am sure this is the shot that will be on the Wheaties box one day!! I mean perfect form!! This is my kinda diving cause when her little belly hits the water her head does not go under. How does she do it? Would it have anything to do with my weight? I mean when I dive...excuse me belly flop or fall in....I drink half the lake and of course my hair is wet!!
I love this picture!!!! I think it really captures the beauty and peacefulness of the lake on a summer evening around 6:30. The water was perfect and the air was warm and gentle and we all had a great time!!

The first 2 pics were Friday's little romp on the lake with the girls!! No boating that day! Haley is Leslie's best friend Kerri's daughter. Kerri is the one who is building that beautiful new house and letting me have her dollhouse!! Isn't that nice of her? Haley's brother, Jarrett, is there too but I missed posting his pic so I'll get it next time! I am really glad they joined us. We had a really good time and lots of really good food!!!

At the lake with us also was my niece Cynthia and her dd Sarah and ds Jared whom we haven't seen in like forever. Cynthia and I go way back. We were best friends before I met my dh, her uncle. I of course, met him thru her. Now I see him all the time and almost never see her. Something is wrong with this picture, cause she is way more fun to be around than he is!!!! LOL!!

So anyway I am now back to doing housework and making some more blueberry jelly and putting up beets today. We also have our first mess of corn today!! YUMMY!!

On a more serious note. I interviewed yesterday for my job and I know it went really well. I go back tomorrow to interview with the Dr herself and then I will know by Friday if I have it or not. The problem is, I am not so sure that I want it now and I don't know why. There was just something wierd about it but I can not put my finger on it. I was really excited to go for the interview and I really liked the manager and the office layout and atmosphere and the whole bit. I think maybe I am scared because the manager changed my appointment time 3 times and then I was supposed to interview with the Dr yesterday but the manager decided that I would have to come back tomorrow and then after that if the Dr liked me she would then overnight me an application (she was going off of my resume) and schedule another day to come back in to go over the application and then come back for a drug test and then come back to discuss benefits!!

OMG Why so many trips? I asked if there was anyway that I could take an application home with me yesterday and she said "Good idea. I'll get you one now." and she did. I will take it back tomorrow when I see the Dr but I am not really getting too excited about this whole process. The office is owned by HCA and is a great company but I am not sure about this whole process.

She did tell me that we were looking at at least 3 weeks out before I start if I do get the position. That's OK with me. I am not even sure I will take it if it is offered now. She did tell me that I was by far the best candidate and they have been interviewing for over a month. huh? I am not sure what they are looking for in me??

A lazy Sunday evening on the lake

Look Mom! No Hands! Or life jackets!

Well here are my little fish just floating around on thier backs all in perfect order enjoying the warm weather and the shady area near the boat dock to Fairystone Lake. We had to stop there on the way to Philpott because Robin's car broke down. The kids could not wait until we got to the lake with the boat so they took a quick and relaxing dip here!! We would have just put our boat in here but you cannot have a gasoline engine on this lake. This area is directly across the lake from Fairystone Park where a slew of us girls and kiddos will be on Friday for another romp before school starts back.
Oh My little princesses are enjoying the spin around the lake now aren't they. You wouldn't think they had a care in the world. (these little tootsies belong to the little fishes mothers, however you would think that thier mothers had fins the way the little buggers can swim)
A Fish Called Emma!! (5 years old)
She is very serious about her new found sport! Olympic diving!
All wet and ready to take home her gold!!

It is amazing to watch these kids just suddenly know how to swim. I learned how to swim at Fairystone Park many years ago, my girls learned there and for the most part that is where these kiddos have been, outside of thier backyard pools. It is looking as if thier PaPa Danny is going to be learning there too. We hope so anyway!! He is not afraid of the water at all. A few good afternoons on the water should take care of that!!

On a more serious note. I have decided to look for a job. Did I just put that into words for all the world to see? I mean really did I? What must I be thinking?

Well I am thinking that since the bulldozer is tore down in my driveway and obtained a diagnoses of "really sick" that I don't want to deplete our savings just to buy me a dollhouse to put at the lake and repair the engine in the dozer. So on Monday I shot out my resume to a Dr's office close by and within 30 minutes I had an interview setup for this Thurs. Then she called and changed it til today at 10 AM and since it is 10:24 right now you can guess that I did not make it either. No I didn't back out, I really want my dollhouse, she called this morning and said her child was sick so it is again scheduled for Monday!

It will be really hard going back to work after so many months off but I will be fine. Monday thru Friday and no call, no nights and weekends!! I do not have to work but I want too many things and I don't expect him to really have to take care of my every need/want. Not for a few months or maybe a year anyway!! Pray that the dozer is back together soon because my land is next in line to be cleared for my dollhouse!!

I'm The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA

Do you guys remember that song? I had Donna Fargo's record and 8 track tape, in later years a cassette and now I have the same CD. She made a lot of money off of me because of that song!! I have played that song over and over and over thru the years to celebrate different things in my life that either happened to me, I accomplished or I obtained. Some of those celebrations were: my marraige, the birth of all my offspring, graduation from nursing school with honors. Those are the big ones. Then there has been so many many others times that God has been so good to me and I will play that song in my head.

Well I have been singing it for the past few days now because we have purchased a fabulous mobile home for our little retreat near the lake!!! A friend of ours has been living in this home for 6 years and is building a new house and she has been so gracious to let us have first choice on her mobile.

I am so excited about this house. You see we have a nice 7' X 17' (when opened) pop-up camper sitting there now. No electricity, no water, and we use a porta-potty concealed behind 2 big tarps tied to trees for privacy. Get the picture!! Now we can really camp in style. 14' X 70' with 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room ... LAUNDRY ROOM, 2 big decks and the best part........it comes completely furnished right down to the beds. All of this for a really great price! Only a couple grand more than we paid for the itty bitty popup a few years ago.

One of the beds that she is leaving is a beautiful full size 4 poster bed that will soon be white to look just like Stanley Furnitures "Isabella Poster Bed" that I have been drooling over for many months since I started my new "romantic cottage shabby chic look" ;) .......Robin has given me the set of bunk beds that she has had stored in our garage for many years now for another bedroom. The bunk beds are already white and it has a trundle bed also. I will have plenty of room for all the kiddos to come and spend the weekend with us there!! Then there is a twin bed for the other bedroom too!!

I have to stay focused now and not get too crazy too soon because my friends have to finish their new house first. So in a couple months I will have my little dollhouse that I have always wanted!! I have to frill it up enough so the boys won't be so inclined to stay the night there to keep from driving home after a long night of hunting!! Trust me that has already been mentioned because my husband and his friends coonhunt all around the lake!! Do you think they will like to crawl in to a white 4 poster bed with Laura Ashley sheets, pink with roses? Of course they will!!

OK so now you know the little things in life that make me happy. Hand me down furniture that I can paint is right up there near the top of my list!

Gotta get busy and finish all my painting and decorating and sewing for this home first. Or do I ? Now really do we ever really "get finished" ? I don't think so. What would there be to do with our time if we got finished?

I hope you all have a really great day!

My Daughter Leslie!

This is my baby girl Leslie hanging clothes on her new clothesline that her hubby built her for her birthday last week! Look at her tree farm!!
This is her garden. She has been really busy making pickles!
The back view of her place!
Emma playing in the clothes! Look at that great big barn. It really should be on my property!
This is Colton striking a pose!

Travis did a great job on the clothesline now didn't he? She is really enjoying it too!

Leslie is really busy this week with Bible School at her church! I am so proud of her! Both my girls really make me proud!

Vintage China? Who Knew??

These just happened to be upstairs in my garage for 7 years now and in my attic at our other house for about 7 years too. Can you believe that as much as I love dishes I let that happen?
There are 53 pieces! Look at that sugar bowl. Isn't she "Sweet"?
This set is so vintage it is possibly older than me! These were made in Japan between 1940 and 1968. (could be younger by a hair than me ;) and they were sold by Sears. They are Harmony House "Platinum Garland".

My parents house burned down many years ago now and a neighbor of their's gave them this set. Of course they recieved many sets of dishes from many friends and neighbors and my Mom said that she wasn't really into anything this fancy and decided to give them to me. Well I am not sure what kinda mood I was in but I really thought they were just about the ugliest dishes at the time I had ever seen!! Yuck! So off to the attic they went and it wasn't until we were preparing for our recent yardsale that I actually got a good look at them and decided that they were in fact not ugly but very beautiful indeed!!



It could have been the fact that I had always decorated my house in some sort of Country theme and this new Romantic Chic Theme has mellowed me out and Femmed me up a little!! It could have been the fact that at both houses I could not get to them because of having only a ladder to reach them and trust me this ole gal doesn't do ladders very well at all. But more than likely the reason was that in the basket in which they were given to me were these HORRIBLE SILVER METALLIC 1980"s placemats that were covering up the beauty of these dishes. Grant you the platinum trim probably looked pretty good with the silver in the 80's but it gagged me for years!!



The lady who gave these to my parents was an old maid school teacher that taught my Father, brother and I in elementary school and then she was the librarian for both my children in elementary school!! Ms. Julia Laprade. The only spanking that I ever got or almost got in school was from her! She swatted a really big thick paddle at me and missed my rear and it the metal on the side of the desk seat and you coulda heard it ring for miles!!! She even laughed afterwards when all the other classmates were laughing at her!!


As far as I know she is still living, I will have to check on that one. I am sure she would be happy that I am enjoying her china so much and I haven't even had a meal on them yet!!


This quest for new dishes has came because we are in the beginning stages of purchasing a great mobile home for our land near the lake. 3 bedrooms and 2 baths sure beats the heck out of a pop-up camper right??? So of course being the little "nester " that I am (bred into me from my Mom!) I have to make plans for such stuff as what kinda dishes will be in my cabinets and what kinda bedding and towels and the list goes on and on and on. The really great thing is that I already have enough of every household item there is to furnish 3 homes!!

The dishes above can be purchased from Replacements.com for an extreme fee per piece, such as $17.99 per plate ......but .....drum roll please......I just found 27 more pieces on ebay for $19.99 so I will have a 16 place setting!! Applause!!! Applause!!!

I hope you all have had a great weekend!!
Hugs to all,
Becky

My shabby chic pillows

I have spent the last several hours in my sewing room. Oh boy did that feel good or what? I made this little button tufted number out of matierial cut from a thrift store sham purchased for 25 cents. I couldn't resist the roses.
This bigger ruffled number is also recycled from an antique chenille bedspread. The rose fabric was new from Joanne Fabrics. I am sooooo happy with this one. I purchased the bedspread at an antique store for $10 knowing that I could use it for pillows but it turned out better than I thought. I have enough medallions to make many more pillows and lots of solid chennille too.
Back of the chenille pillow.
I wish the spread would have worked on one of my beds but I think this way it will work on all 3 of them just fine! I started working on the guest bedroom today. I have the new old white chenille bedspreads cleaned and on the beds and a little more decorating started but no pics until it's finished.

I will let you in on a little secret though. The pics above are of one of the beds in the room, the full size solid walnut bed that my dearest groom made me on our first Christmas 32 years ago. I am absolutely positively sure that it won't turn white in my lifetime. Robin had borrowed it for her guestroom when she first bought her house and it took a few months for her father to find out and he made me get it back immediately!! We have a whole building full of walnut lumber (and cherry and some oak also) drying now for many many years so he can make me a dresser to go with it but I guess it hasn't dried out enough!!!

Recipe for the pickles

Becky's Sweet Pickles

Syrup:

1 quart white vinegar

1 cup water

5 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons pickling spice

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Thinly slice small to medium sized cucumbers and place in large enamel pot. Cover with a brine mixture of 2 quarts cold water and 1 cup salt enough to cover the cucumbers. Let set for 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse lightly with cold water. Prepare syrup and cover the slices. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Fill jars with pickles and seal with a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

You will have to guess at how many cucumbers you will need to make a batch. I had 9 pints of pickles and had at least a pint and 1/2 of syrup left over that I refrigerated for use today with more cukes. This was using one recipe of syrup but it took 2 batches of the brine to cover them.

Leslie made a GREAT sweet sandwich pickle last year that had brown sugar in it. We really loved them but I didn't have all the ingredients on hand yesterday so I decided that I would use the things that I like in pickles and make my own recipe. I think I might add some garlic to the next batch.

While I was making these I had the food network on the TV and Emeril was making a very similar pickle so I felt like I was on the right track anyway!!! Go Emeril!!

Happy pickling!!

Becky

Fun Weekend on the lake!

As promised earlier today here are the pics of Robin and Eric on the tube! Morgan you should really be proud of your mother cause she actually got off the boat!!
These cool cats are my nephews Brad and his precious little Brady. Brady is getting a little brother in another month!! Mom had to sit this trip out but Nana and Papa and some others were there with us on their pontoon boat!!
It was really hard to read Robin's expressions. Sometimes she looked as if she was laughing and sometimes mad or scared. We weren't sure if we should stop or keep going so we chose to keep going for a really good while!!
Scared? Who could tell??
Not sure what to make of this one either. I missed the best shot which was when we decided to cut the fun and slowed the boat to a stop. When you stop this tube with two people in it it will sink quickly and the look of surprise on Robin's face was priceless as she went down on a sinking tube!! Eric knew it would happen as did we but we all forgot to enlighten her to the fact!!! She actually was game for another trip around the lake and that time when the boat stopped Eric gave her a BIG push out before it sank and she went under anyway!! I don't think we broke her cause she was having too much fun.

Last year we had Leslie and Travis on the tube but I did not have this handy little digital camera at the time. We needed a video camera for that trip cause of Leslie's giggling all around the lake that could be heard all over the county. It was surely contagious and priceless!! We will get them back out somehow this summer!!

Becky's Sweet Pickle Recipe

I found these beauties in my garden and I am thrilled! Haven't had Cukes for homemade pickles for several years, but I might make up for it this year!!
I didn't have enough for a really big batch of 14 Day Pickles so I studied my cook books and online recipes for a good while and then decided to make my own recipe. Yes I know that is very risky!! Danny just walked in and saw a small bowl of them on the table that wouldn't fit in the jars, and he said they were great!! So I guess it worked.
I made 9 pints and my kitchen is full of that wonderful popping sound that is music to any canner's ears!! I have also froze 13 bags of squash and picked another bucket full to freeze later!!
I had to act like a housewife today, ya know back to the real world, after the wild and crazy weekend we had on the lake. The pic above is my darling on the tube, no I am not driving the boat, Brad our nephew is. We met up with them on Sunday for a lot of fun.

This is SIL Eric skiing! He and Robin went down with us on Sunday but they had to leave early so she could go to work that night. We stayed til 8PM!!!

I have to post the pics of the 2 of them on the tube. Really cute!!!

Ok so I'm off to eat supper.....home raised fried chicken, fresh half runner green beans, squash and macaroni salad.....pickles on the side ;)

til later!!
Becky

This little Hoosier followed me home today!

Oh Yes he sure did! He was calling for me from a couple counties over for 2 days now. He spotted me while shopping for the enamel table top that I adopted and he was sure that I would give him a good home. Oh how I wanted him to come with me that day but you know how the adoption process is. You have to go thru the home inspections and financial specs and make sure that both parties agree on the entire process.

Well we were both in agreement, somewhat anyway. I agreed to give him the best homelife possible, a warm and dry place to stay and the cleanings needed. He agreed to pay the fees for the adoption!!

A pretty good team don't ya think?

Now isn't he cuuuuute? He is only 24" wide!! I have never seen a Hoosier that small. Of course I am not sure if it is really a Hoosier or not but it is definitely a Hoosier type.

Do you see the white and black enamel pitcher on top? Well it had to follow me home today too. Along with 2 pots that are old but never used with the new sticker inside of both and a slew of other B&W enamelware to debue soon.

Boy is my house trashed right now, tooooo much antiquing this week. I promise I will do better next week. We are boating and camping at the lake for the next 2 days. I need to be home working on my decorating though!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!