LOST DOG - PLEASE HELP

We have been in the process of adopting a dog from a rescue adoption agency in Nashville for a few weeks now.  We finally got to bring the dog we had chosen home last Thursday.  She is a rescue from a backyard hoarder puppy mill situation in Cheatham County and has had very little contact with humans in her two years.  She is very shy and timid but formed a pretty quick bond with Shaun and I while still showing her timid side.  Shaun had her outside Saturday around noon and she was startled and ran off.  We have looked and looked and hung out fliers and had a search party some from noahsarksociety yesterday morning to help us look.  We have not found her yet.  Please tell whoever you pass this on to to not try and catch her or chase her.  She will only run further as she doesn't answer to any names yet.  Just call and we will at least know what area she has moved to.

 

She is a black and grey ticked Catahoula.  She keeps her tail tucked.  She is likely hiding out somewhere close by.  She has a collar on that is brown with green spots and has a heart shaped tag hanging with the information to noahs ark society... hopefully she still has it on. 

 

Please help in any way that you feel.  I don't have a facebook account but if you do, please repost the following link to get the word out to as many people in our area as possible. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/NoahsArkSociety

 

http://www.noahsarksociety.blogspot.com/2013/04/dog-amber-alert-queenie-is-missing.html

 

 

Thanks so much for any help you can give. 

 

 

 

As you can see she likes to hide and likes small spaces.

 

I was looking very forward to sharing our whole experience with my blog readers but sadly it is not turning out the way we had hoped for our little friend so far. 



Not-So Local Spotlight: Butler's Antiques

My sister Mary Evelyn is a vintage, antique, junk lover such as myself (as  if you didn't know that already!).  She is also a blog frequenter which led her to find out about a certain junk hotspot from a blog called Petticoat Junktion.  The lady who writes this blog raves about her favorite junk store.  It is in Hopkinsville Kentucky which isn't very local for us but still a spotlight and while yard sailing two Fridays ago and having a not so good day of it we gps'd it and decided to make a go. 

 

 It took us a little over an hour to get there and, as we found out, was worth our drive.  When we got there is was obvious we were at the right place.  It took us a bit to even go inside because there was so much furniture outside.  Furniture that needed a new life, and windows, and two trucks that had yet to be unloaded.  We decided to go inside and oh my..... in all my days of junking I have never seen so much stuff crammed packed.  That really isn't a bad thing to say.  You had to be careful touching things because when you did something else would fall over.  It is a true junk store with many, many treasures to be found.  The gentleman who owns it was there along with his sisters and they were all just as pleasant as they could be.  Mr. Butler has been in business there for more than 30 years!

 

We wound up going back outside to find Mr. Butler unloading the trucks and got first dibs on several items including a chair, dressing table with mirror, corner shelf, cabinet and two rusty animal traps.  The pricing is on the very reasonable side too.  Our junky hearts were very satisfied.

 

We had a great time but were on a time limit.  Needless to say.. we will be back!

And since it was a spur of the moment trip I did not have my camera.  Ugh!  I had to take pictures with my flip phone which we know aren't so good. 

 

Butler's Antiques

601 E. 17th St

Hopkinsville, KY 42240

 

 

 

 

I don't think anyone has seen the bottom of this pile of tools since they opened! 

 I was afraid to touch it!

Four Fanciful Things

 

1.  YUM! a bunko pal served the cherry lime kiss wine mix OMG delish!

2. Velcro on my garden gloves is a must.  I had this very pair for 2 years.

3.  Aahhh Aldo Bags... I have had several.  They have great jewelry too.

4.  My beloved Levis.  What would I do without you?

Fluffy Peanut Butter Dip

Now let me tell ya boss... this dip ain't just for parties anymore!  I have proof that you can sit there and eat the whole batch by yourself.  You ain't got to share it with anybody if you don't want to!  Cause I said... that's why.  I actually did make it "for the DC kids" and they tried it at lunch and although it is kid approved... you still don't have to share it.  One of my boys said, looking at a little girl at the table when she was trying the dip "Well.... how does it feel?  Good?"  Sometimes I could just squeeze them I swear.

 

This recipe is actually mine but not mine.  If you are from around here you should recognize that it is a Pampered Chef recipe from Kids in the Kitchen cook book and I am sure other cook books from them.  Just so you don't have to search for it among your recipe books, I typed it up for you.

 

Warning: this will make you run to the store for apples and the like. 

And I hereby declare it healthy because it has yogurt and peanut butter in it and you eat it with fruit.  If you are on a diet you can skip the fruit and just eat it with a spoon! 

See.. there's an answer for everything.  Walk to the mailbox and back after your snack if you are that worried about it for cryin' out loud.

 

 

 

 

Oh yea... I got all "Outlaw" on you with the font and shell butts. 
You have to watch this girl sometimes.   

Checked Out: Vintage Style Cath Kidston

"Checked Out" book for this week is.... drum roll...ddddddddddddddd

 

 

Vintage Style

 

Cath Kidston

 

ca: 1999

 

 

I love Cath Kidston and her designs.  She is like the Martha of the UK and I consider myself lucky that it costs so much to order directly from her... the shipping part anyway.  Which there are products that you can get online at pretty good rates.  I purchased a sticker book from her line that I have used and used and used over the part couple of years.

 

This book is just a good as all the other books by Cath Kidston.  The vintage style and decorating in this book make me drool a little.  OK a lot.  She uses the most fantastic fabrics, most of which are in her line.  I love the cabbage roses and cowboys the best.  Great tips and reading.  I will always recommend her books.

 

Checked Out Rating: 10 as always

 

 

 

 



Livin Like We're On Vacation

A little thing I like to say about my husband and I and the way we live is "We live like we are on vacation" so there's really no point in going anywhere.  We have our farm, the woods, our garden, our pets, our jobs, not to mention... each other.  This past weekend, we made ourselves a "get away" spot in the woods.  A little hide away where we can go to chill or camp or cook... all outside.  A little woodsy nook just for us.  Complete with bugs and all!

 

We gathered big rocks from piles that have been in the woods for... ever.  They were cleared from the fields and stacked by people farming the land here years ago.  I was leery of finding a snake so I wore my gloves.... it made sense then.  Plus I bite my nails so I like to keep unidentified dirt out from under them. 

 

We found out spot and cleared away the leaves.  I actually found my first Morel Mushroom while doing this.  Kicked the head right off of it!  Then I cooked it and we ate it with the quail for supper. 

 

We stacked the rocks in a circle to make our fire pit.  Then we went to a spot where we had a tree fall and got three loads of wood and made our wood wall.  It turned out the wood was too wet and rotten to burn very good that evening.  But the maiden voyage was had.

 

Shaun put out his fire pit cooking gear from his rendezvous days.  All cast iron pretty cool stuff.  Then we put our lawn chairs out and sat and drank us a cold one. 
Life is good here at the hide out!  We plan to vacation here a lot this summer! 
 

Sorry.. I cannot disclose the actual spot of the hide out on our farm...
it wouldn't be a hide out then, now would it?!

 

We plan to have different chairs and maybe wood benches.  As Shaun said "we can't do it all in one day.. that'll take the fun out."

Local Spotlight: Historic Corner House

I have wanted to spotlight the Historic Corner House for a little bit now but haven't gotten up to Crossplains in a while.  I adore the decor.  From antiques to hand made barn wood furniture that the owner's husband makes, to locally made soaps, cards, food and gifts, the Corner House has got it all.  I bought a fantastic bottle of moonshine hot sauce (non-alcoholic... bummer), a bunko gift and some old flash cards with big words on them to sit around.  Their prices are very reasonable and the layout and display of the shop is divine not to mention the super friendly service. 

 

Visit them in person here

 

7810 Highway 25 East

Crossplains, TN

 

and online HERE

 

 

 

Laurie's Nature Walk Essentials

Being the nature lovin' gal that I am, you know I love a good walk in the woods.  But on these walks I am not always alone.  There are some essentials that go along with me on my walk.  If  I am going for a short walk some of these things aren't totally necessary.  If I plan to be in the woods more than thirty minutes the rest are generally in tow.  Here is a guide to show what I usually take with me on a nature walk.

 

 

 

1. My Trek Pole.  My Mother gave me a walking stick like this for my birthday and I have used the fire out of it!  It is adjustable height, has a wrist strap, is spring loaded, and extremely necessary.   I don't care how good you can walk on your own a good crutch is a must when walking through slick creeks, up hills or down hills for that matter.  They are also good for knocking down spider webs in your path.  If you don't have one of these I recommend a good stick broken to the length you need, I have many of these too.
2. Lil' Scissors.  IF you are going out to take trimmings of any kind these are needed.  They fold up so no one gets cut accidentally.  They are handy to have if you are looking for cut flowers or fiddle heads or maybe if you need to threaten a snake.
3. Writing Gear.  Wonderful tools in case you see something that needs detail written down because your short-term memory fails you... like mine.  If you see a bird that you would like to identify later.. write down some specifics.  Or keep the journal to track where you've been on what days and what was blooming for instance.  Or a paper trail in case you get lost... "follow paper and you will find me."
4. Bug Wipes.  Even if it's not the right weather... so you think... no one wants a tick.  Or mosquito bite.  And if you forget to spray down before you leave you have a handy bug wipe with you for yourself or maybe a friend who forgot to spray.
5. Water Boots.  I don't wear mine during the hot summer but all other times I have them on.  I don't worry so much where I step when I off-trail walk or walk through the creek.  Cuteness is not necessary.
6. Hydration.  Duh.
7. Camera with Shoulder Strap.  Most always with me.  I get mad when I forget it unless I don't take it on purpose which happens sometimes then I regret it later.  It doesn't matter what kind of camera you take just make sure you have an easy way to tag it along.
8. Messenger Bag.  I have an old camo bag from Old Navy that I bought at a yard sale that I use.  It has a flap to hold in my finds and a nice area inside to hold my phone, bug wipes, water... you know... the essentials.  Must be light weight and comfortable.  I like it to lay across my torso and rest on my hip or behind.  That is most comfortable to me.  You could choose a backpack but for a normal nature walk it can be too cumbersome to get on and off your back just to put an acorn top in it.

So there... there are the things that I recommend taking along on a nature walk.  Think about what your walk is about when you gather your things.  If you are going bird watching, make sure you have light weight binoculars.  If you don't know where you are... a map.  I also have a couple of zip sandwich bags in case I run across some seeds I would like or a small skull or just whatever.  I am always dragging something in.  Now get out there and have some fun!

 

Links to the loot. The ones that aren't commonly found at Wal-Mart.  1   2     4    5    7    8

 

Old Tray Redo

Afternoon crafting... there's no better way to clear your mind.  Maybe there is... but this is fun too.

 

I bought this old tray at an estate sale in it's yuck oxidized green state.  I cleaned it up somewhat.  The grime didn't really want to go anywhere.  So I decided to throw some chalk paint on it and give it a different look and use.  Still usable as a tray but painting it opened up more uses!  This took about twenty minutes total.  Chalk paint dries pretty fast.

 

 

 



Checked Out: Simple Times

My "Chcked Out" book of the week is:

 

 

Simple Times

Crafts for Poor People

 

By: Amy Sedaris

 

Ca: 2010

 

I have two words for this book... cleverly hysterical.  I loved it!  It has the best crafts.  I have actually rented this book twice from the library.  The first time I kept calling Mary Evelyn to tell her funny stuff that I had read.  And the pictures are fantastic.  This book will get your creative juices flowing as well as have you rolling in the floor laughing.  My most favorite part was the stretching before and after crafting.  Good grief I haven't laughed like that in a while!  But seriously, the crafts are well thought out and most are really easy to do by yourself with kids out of what you have... if you don't mind them playing with tampons and matches that is. 

 

Checked Out Rating: 10 for sure!

 

 



Wild Violet Jelly

I postponed a post to bring you an urgent Spring message.  Wild Violets will not be in bloom for long.  I gathered a couple of cups full over the weekend to make jelly.  Unfortunately, my first attempt didn't turn out.  I almost freaked when the recipe said no sugar.  What The?!?!? Jelly with no sugar??? What a way to ruin a party!  So this morning I found a different recipe online.  It wouldn't let me print it so I had to copy and paste a bunch and while putting it together for myself I thought I would share it with you along with a link from where I got it which was HERE. 

 

Collecting the flowers for this beautiful jelly was so fun and it would be a blast to do with little helpers.  It is an easy and fun way to have kids outside this time of year while giving them something to look for and while teaching them about something that grows wild that can be made into something so sweet to eat.  And that is the thing about Spring... things grow and go so fast that you will miss it if you don't pay attention.  I hope you like it!

 

You should be able to right click and print this recipe.  If not, shoot me an email and I will send it to you.  Love... Laurie

Local Spotlight: Octane

While shopping in historic Crossplains, TN, my sister and I stumbled upon a completely cool and hip t-shirt shop!  I could have spent a lot longer browsing in this shop I tell you.  I wound up buying a cool shirt and felt like I should  spread the word.  I also picked up a couple of postcards.  One of them sums it up like this....

 

HOMEGROWN & HANDPRINTED

NATURALLY ASPIRATED OCTANE INSPIRED CLOTHING

OCTANE shop is a collection of old school octane inspired 1960s-70s rock-n-roll, surf, pedal to the metal, tire screechin', hell on wheels, muscle car, hot rod, monster and retro art tees. 

ALL HAND PRINTED on super soft, slightly fitted, cotton t-shirts. 

Plus find a unique selection of men, women and kids apparel. 

 

Clothing, Accessories, Hats & Beanies, Jewelry, Gifts & Novelties, $5 Tees

 

 

Octaneshop.com

facebook.com/highoctane

 

I have to say that I LOVE my shirt! 



Weekend Adventures

I wanted to share some pictures from the woods that I took this weekend.  I spent around eight hours this weekend in the woods (honestly more)  searching for morels, violets and fiddleheads.  Two of those were easier to come by than one but I am happy with what I did find.  I looked and gathered and wound up with two mushrooms, two cups of violets and one cup of fiddleheads.  We cooked supper over our camp fire Saturday night and that is also when I cooked the fiddleheads which were pretty divine along with the one mushroom that was fit for eating.  The violets became jars of jelly that I am afraid aren't going to set today... we'll see.

Mushroom hunting is fun but can be a tad exhausting.  They are hard to spot, especially when you've not found many where you are looking.  They don't grow in particular spots.  Oh you might think you know what they grow around or what trees they may grow under, so you spot these things and hike up the hills and through the creek only to find they aren't there.  So I wonder if my hunches are true.  But I try to mentally note what the area is made up of when I do find one.  Although I am tired and my body is aching from roaming up and down and all around about 15 acres or more I'm not giving up.  They are here somewhere.  I will try again maybe tomorrow evening and for sure next weekend.

Morel Mushroom

 

Fiddlehead

Violets

Bellwort

This is the first time I have ever seen the Bellworts.  Things flower and then finish flowering so fast in the woods that if you turn around twice you'll miss something.  Last weekend I didn't have my camera when the Trout Lillies were blooming and this weekend they were pretty much done.  I love knowing where all these flowers are in patches of our woods and adore the fact that I can take the time and care enough to venture out to see it all.