Vintage Fabric Craft

Y'all, it literally took all of ten minutes for this craft to hit me and be in my hands.  The walls in the older kid room at the DC, if which I have been tossing around names for, need some love!  It's hard to have a happy mix of boy and girl in a room when I have so much girl in me.  This coming from a gal who loves the deer heads on the wall and the rusted screw drivers and animal traps hanging outside by the front and back doors of her home. 

Anyway, I was browsing through a Cath Kidston book and thought of a very vintage fabric in my stash that could really be used!  And I immediately thought of a large barn wood frame that my sister got for me at a yard sale for two bucks.  The frame doesn't have glass nor does it have a back to it... just the frame.  I ran into my craft room, dug out the fabric, the cardboard, the spray glue and went in the other room to retrieve the frame.  In less than ten minutes I was done. 

Snip, snip here and spray glue there.  Here is what I made.

My helper is always there.  He thinks he can craft anything. 

Probably could if he had thumbs.

 Trace the inside opening onto the cardboard then cut it out.

 Making sure to cut the fabric larger than the board that fits the frame to have overlap.

 It is on the cardboard from a TV box.  No this side is not prettier.

 Finished product.  I didn't show the spray glue part.  Not a place for a camera to be.

 No big deal, but a tasty piece of art.

Easy, peasy, Japaneasy.  That was impulsive and fun.

Friend or Foe

We are talking gardens here.  Friend or Foe? How do you know?

Well it's like this.  Our garden looks horrible right now.  It is full of weeds and tiny things blooming that should not be allowed to bloom there.  Things that will drop little seeds that will sprout after the garden has been turned which will hopefully be very soon.  But the truth is, it has just been too wet to till up the garden.  Never-the-less, it will be done this week.  At least the potato patch.

I am going to narrow this down to the one corner of our garden, to show you what is Friend and what is Foe.  I truly should be shot for letting weeds grow around my herbs.  If I had nothing else to do this wouldn't happen right?!?!

It is pretty basic.  If you have herbs in your garden, learn to identify them.  Learn which ones will live through a mild and hard winter.  We had a very mild winter this year in Tennessee, so lucky for me, a bunch of my herbs made it that would not have during a heavy winter.  If you are new to herb gardening then some of this will just be a long learning experience from season to season.

Having herbs is very handy, very healthy, very tasty and can be very rewarding.  Here is a rundown of  your basic garden herbs.  These are on the Friend list.

Basil

wonderful on tomatoes and in pasta sauces

does not make it past a hard freeze in fall

easy to start from seed and will reseed itself in the garden if allowed to bloom

freezes well in ice cubes, dries like a dream for later use

Oregano

 my oregano made it through the mild winter here but has not in previous years

good in tomato-based sauces and on pizza

dries very well for later use

Cilantro

made it through the winter

grows fast and will flower and reseed itself in various places

the seeds will be Coriander - and can themselves be ground and used in dishes

freezes ok, dries well, better used fresh

Thyme

this is the third season for my Thyme plant

I use Thyme in meat dishes, in soups, you name it

dries well and freezes well in cubes

Dill

Dill is easy to grow from seed and will reseed itself in the garden if the seeds are not collected

dries very well

seeds can be used in dishes as well as dried sprigs

Parsley

last year was the first time I had planted parsley in the garden

it made it through the winter just fine and is the thickest little thing

can be used in many dishes as well a garnishment

can be grown easily from seed

Rosemary

very good in dishes and on yeast rolls with butter and salt

this plant made it through the winter but my last one did not and you can tell this one suffered a bit even through the mild winter we had

I've not grown this one from seed, only bought plants

freezes in cubes well

There are many more varieties of herbs, these are just the ones I have experience with.  

Now here are pics of the Foes.  I don't know their names, just their faces.  And as they are pretty, as shown here, in their lovely blooming state, they can be vicious in the garden and must be removed.

So, basically, if it is in your garden and you didn't plant it.... get it out!

It's not a pretty little gift from the plant fairy.  Weeds will take over... kill them.

A Very Good Monday

A bit of clothesline hanging, a bit of shopping for inspiration with my sister, a bit of lunch with good conversation and a bit of working on the day care. 

Sometimes it is best to let the pictures do the talking.  Especially since I am blogging during the season premier of Dancing With The Stars!!!!  This is a good one too!

 Decals: Target

This post is my fave.  I re-used the wooden signs that my Dad made for their chili cook-off booth last year and painted the wooden post on the wall.  I'll have one more sign when I decide what to name one of the rooms that is ----->that-a-way.

 86 and sunny with a slight wind... perfect for laundry to do itself.

 This evening we dug out Shaun's toys.  Bunches of trucks and tractors.  Just precious.

 I haven't a clue how long I have had this handle cover.  I found it in the drawer today and if you use cast iron skillets you MUST get one!  Today.

 Sweet Dottie and her now floppy ear.

Saturday Walk in the Woods

Yesterday morning, after we had breakfast, Shaun told me that so-in-so told him that so-in-so had found a patch of mushrooms in the woods already this year.  I stopped and looked at him in disbelief saying "Morels?? NO Way, it's March."  Yeah... it's March... mid March.  Well this immediately changed my plans for the morning right then and there.  I had to take a look in my secret spot where I found them last year.  Alas, the patch is a lot more sunny this year than last because our woods were logged over the winter and the very tree I found them under was one of the victims which means the mushrooms may not return.  I sat on the stump and just stared at the ground for a moment.  During my acceptance speech to myself of the woods still being beautiful despite the mess that still lies there and the changes therein, I pulled myself up and continued with my walk. 

I didn't find any mushrooms nor did I see the orchids.  But I will remain on the hunt for both.  I did however find a plethora of the following.  Being that it is Spring and St. Patrick's Day, I was concentrating on the green stuff, which I found plenty of.

 This flower, the Trout-Lily, Dogtooth Violet, Erythroium Americanum, is edible.  Actually the bulbs are edible as well as the leaves and shoots.  They grow by our creek in the spring.  We haven't eaten them yet... yet.

 I always call these May Flowers.  I know they have a more proper name. 

 Spring is everywhere.

 Oh.. I saw some brown stuff too.  Maybe these trails were made by...

 these.
 You may cringe now.

And I felt I should have scooped them up and taken them straight to the compost pile.

 Dog tracks in the creek.

I could tell it has been too long since my last creek walk.  My creek legs were not in order as I almost fell several times on the slippery rocks.  You get used to them and how and where to step until summer is here and the slipperiness is gone. 

I did not see any snakes of which I am glad. 

Sunday came and after church I found myself foggy headed not knowing where to focus my energy.  I have been reading The Hunger Games which opened my eyes to nature in one way.  I pulled out my favorite nature book and found myself spending my afternoon pulling dandelion heads to make dandelion wine.  I had to pick three quarts of blossoms.  And I was lucky enough to find that many. 

So the process begins.

A Weekend Full of Thankful

I have had one busy weekend.  I am not one to laze or even let myself relax much. 

Both mornings my feet have hit the floor ready to go. 

On one end a dream is coming closer to reality and on the other end reality looks like a dream.

Thankful for wee things.

 Jenn did I thank you for your stuff?  I have found a use for it all.

 Thankful for the time I had with my girls.

They got a new hosta this weekend. 

Pepper's crocus in a P finally came up but it may be next year

before we see a bloom.  I have tears on my keyboard now.

 Thankful the Lord planted a border to go along with the buttercup border we planted.

 Thankful for bits of sunshine.

 Thankful for my creative mind.

 Thankful for earthworms in my compost pile.

 Thankful for spring.

I am about to embark on a big life change as I step away from a desk. 

Please say a prayer for us. 

Thank you. 

Big Smile.

Another Brak-fast! Cinnamon Toast

Another one of my easy breakfast "go-to" sweet breads, because I don't feel right unless I almost overdose on sugar before I leave the house, is Cinnamon Toast.  This is so easy to do it's just pitiful. 

This recipe is for four pieces of sandwich bread.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a half of a stick of softened butter, that's 1/4 cup, in a small bowl.  To the butter add a small scoop of sugar, not quite 1/4 cup, a splash of vanilla and a shake or two of cinnamon.  Spread butter mixture on only one side of each slice of bread.  Place bread on ungreased cookie sheet, butter side up.  Place in preheated oven and cook for 7 minutes.  After seven minutes, turn the oven off and the broiler on.  Watch toast carefully.  After about three minutes the toast should be done, lightly browned on top.  Take out and enjoy with your eggs and bacon that you cooked while the toast was in the oven... wait.. did I forget to say that you should be multi-tasking during the cook time?  Make use of it Honey... there's only so long before you have to leave for work!  Have a great day!

 Don't be afraid!  Spread it on thick!  You won't be sorry.

 Don't forget... butter side up here.

 Perfectly tanned like Bahama Mamas!

 The bottom.  That butter just soaks to the bottom.  Oh my.

 The top.  Please refrain from licking your screen.  I know it's tempting.