I love my chalkboard!  At the moment, we are busy getting ready for our Halloween Party.  

Fall crafts on Pinterest~

We've been busy with fall crafts!  Carvable foam pumpkins are always easy and affordable.  This year we not only painted several, but tried a new decorating technique using thumbtacks!  I love this effect!!

We are now picking tons of peppers daily! Well, not exactly "tons" but a whole bunch of them!!  =0)   I love using them in everything from eggs to stir fry.  This year we are freezing a good many of them.  It's a very simple process to prepare them!  All you need to do is the following:

1. slice and remove seeds
2. add peppers to rapidly boiling water for two minutes
3. remove peppers and instantly submerse in ice bath
4. drain, pat dry and place them in freezer bags

That's it!

Check ups and painting and beading, oh my!

Time to get this party started!  Lots of projects to wrap up this week.  I want to be able to have any and all domestic messes cleaned up before the start of the new school year.  We're starting our new year on Aug. 5th, so with that in mind, this week is going to be a wee bit crazy~ Hope everyone has had a great weekend!  I'm going to try and post pictures later today.  =0)

Weekends, Birthdays, and Gardening

Well, we will be celebrating my son's birthday this weekend. His birthday was on the tenth, but it was a matter of getting everyone where they needed to be.  Sometimes it works out that way.  I have a feeling he kind of enjoys it.  Who wouldn't want two birthdays?? We have family coming in from the upstate for the festivities and my daughter will be coming home from camp. I've missed her soooo much.  A week can seem like an eternity when one of your children is away!!  At some point I hope to start some seeds/plants for our Fall garden.  Can you believe we are already thinking of Fall?  The summer is flying by!  Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend  =0)

Stairs Redo

I'm loving the fact that the carpet is slowly, but steadily, disappearing!  My hands are killing me.  Five hours invested at this point, but I'm thinking it will be all worth it!  I am headed to Lowe's to pick out a color for the stain.  Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this project will be finished by tonight...

July 12, 2013

We have traveled from SC to TX and back again!  No rain in Texas, but we came home to what is evidently, monsoon season.  The garden looks so lush and green.

So far this week we have celebrated our son's birthday, looked for treasures at our local haunts, worked on many a craft project, and we're continuing with our remodel here at the house.  Our farmer's market should be jumping this weekend. We may just take a couple of hours and peruse the vendors this Saturday. Busy, would be an understatement, but we like it like that!  =0)

6/24/2013

Oh, what a beautiful morning!  Getting ready to paint a bathroom today.  Actually I'm finishing it up.  I hope to be loading the accessories back in this afternoon.

Just finished watering  the garden and checking on the baby birds.  At the rate they are growing, they will be out of the nest long before Fall.

Time to refill my coffee cup and get to work!

Weekends

Its been a great weekend!  I was able to spend time with the family, work outside and in, shop the Farmers Market, and cook out.  Whew!  The baby birds are finally starting to look like, well, birds.  The garden is doing well.  This past Wednesday, both kids had braces put on.  Yes, busy week, indeed!

I heart gardening!

This afternoon's bounty!  I have to say that I'm highly impressed with what this little raised bed is producing. From the looks of things, we should have A LOT of beans by the weekend. It's funny, once the garden starts producing, I am already planning for next year.  I guess when we start seeing the fruits of our labor ( pun intended!) you automatically become inspired.  

Thrifty

I go through a lot of these!  I hate using one to scrub a pot and then having to toss it in the trash.  On the other hand, I hate reusing something once I've scrubbed the pot.  It's just one of those things~ I thought about this the other day.  Why not cut them into several different sizes?  That way I just use the one I need an toss it when I'm done.  BUT, I won't have to really waste anything!  It's the little things that make me happy.  =0)

I love using fresh herbs from the garden. It's something so easy to do and most are very easy to grow. Always be careful with any of the mints, though. They will quickly take over any garden! I find keeping them in containers is the way to go. Lately we have been experimenting with drying herbs so that we can enjoy them year 'round. The dehydrator my husband bought for me is the gift that keeps on giving!

Gatherings- You know, one of the things a lot of people stress over are "get togethers." Why do we do this? We want to visit with friends and family, celebrate a milestone or birthday, etc. and what should be a time of fellowship (as we say in the South) turns into a series of mini panic attacks over the most simple things. Ah, there's the word..."simple." That's what we should do! Keep it, brace yourselves, simple! People may or may not remember what you served, but you can better believe they will remember how they felt. And that is what is truly important. If you're stressed, so are they. Keep the food and refreshments light during those summer afternoons and enjoy what it's really all about...the fellowship. =0)

Tin Can Luminaries

Tin Can Luminaries

http://pinterest.com/pin/222224562835773246/



This project is so cute and costs....NOTHING!  We used run of the mill vegetable cans, an awl, hammer and gloves.  Of course, you will need either a tea light or candle.  I would recommend placing your luminaries on a dish if you are going to have it lit for any length of time.  The kids loved this and really enjoyed designing them~

Jasmine and Pine: Gardening

Jasmine and Pine: Gardening: This lovely beauty was planted about 7 years ago. At that time, it was only about as long as my arm.  Look at this gorgeous plant now!  I...

I will eventually figure this blogging thing out!  I have decided to go with a different layout. I like the cleaner look, I just need to educate myself how to post things under the proper header.  At least I'm not the only one.  This seems to be a recurring theme in the land of bloggers.  I'm trying to follow my kid's advice and just jump in here and try things.  They keep reassuring me that the computer will not *break.*    =0)

After many years of trying to decide if I could be committed, I finally decided to take the plunge and try my hand at blogging.

A little about myself...
I'm a stay at home mom who loves all things domestic.  I enjoy gardening, cooking, crafting, and shopping.  I feel you can do all the above with a sense of style.  Sounds cliche, but I really do feel that's possible.  I think with a great pair of sunglasses and the right shade of lipstick, you can do anything!  I think in this day and age we are all wanting a slice of the good life, but want to go about it the most frugal way possible.  Inexpensive does not have to equal a lesser quality or a sub par standard for anything.  And let's face it, there's nothing like the empowering feeling of making or accomplishing something yourself!  I love embracing that feeling and being able to share it with others.  I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.   =0)