I don’t mow. And we have a pretty large yard. This picture is only showing a small small portion. And after all the rain last weekend the grass had grown so tall and thick, it doesn’t look the greatest. I really needs to be swept. Anyway, I used to mow when Joe and I first got married but I could never mow to suit him. He would complain every time I tried. He would always tell me I mowed like a farm girl. Well – since I did grow up in the country on 40 acres, I guess I was kind of a farm girl so why would I not mow like one??!! So, there finally came a point where I said I was done. No more mowing for me. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do anyway so I really didn’t mind not doing it. I didn’t like how many hours it took Joe weekly to get it done though. Now through the years we have had various mowers and when we got the John Deer I tried again thinking this mower would be easier for me to handle. Nope – still couldn’t mow to suit Joe. But yesterday, I really wanted to get started on our newest project but the yard needed mowed. We now have a zero-turn mower and I asked if I could try it out. This was definitely a first for me and it took a little practice. I was certainly glad I started up in back where I couldn’t really be seen because I know it had to have been quite a sight but I did, finally, get the hang of it! I mowed until it was time to run to town to pick up Drew while Joe trimmed. When I got home he had the trim done, finished mowing and we had lots of time to get started on the next project. So, maybe I will have to mow the yard once in awhile now. After all Joe didn’t say a word about my mowing like a farm girl! It was nice to have the job done and out of the way. And I kind of enjoyed this zero-turn thing – once I got the hang of it!
We didn’t get as much done on this project as I was hoping but we did get a good start on it. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, we decided we needed to add treated board to the back of this and we could only scrounge up one around here so we had to cover everything up for the night and we’ll start again tonight after we get a board. Now – we live in a very old home – built in 1900 so everything we have to work with is old. Nothing nice and new and easy here! When we bought this place, this was a flower bed full of beautiful red geraniums. It didn’t take long to discover that the cats also liked to use it as a litter box. And since this leads right up to the back door – it was not the ideal placement for a litter box. So, eventually we decided to fill it in with decorative rock.
That worked for awhile, until Drew got old enough to start using it as his personal dirt/rock playground. Needless to say – it was definitely not a pretty sight. We decided to fill it in with landscape blocks and I can set pretties out there or flower pots if I want. Of course nothing is square or even or whatever but I think it’s going to look just fine. I can sweep off the twigs and stuff that fall off the tree, it can no longer be used as a litter box and Drew will have to dig in the dirt somewhere else. And I’m sure it will also be used as it has always been used – a place to sit and relax – only now it will be a nice tidy place to sit and relax!
I ran out to Harper’s Corner, the local Amish greenhouse that opened up last year, to pick up a bag of potting soil. They have potting soil at the best price in town. I love this little greenhouse – they called it Harper’s Corner because they live down the road from Harper’s Corner – the farm where Bill Harper’s lived for years. Now his grandson lives there. Bill was my first 4-H leader and such a great guy. He always had a smile on his face. I think everybody in town knew Bill. It’s the perfect name! I did bring home a 40 pound bad of potting soil but I also came home with this planter. I just couldn’t pass it up – it’s recycled and it’s chicken related and it’s filled with Hens and Chicks. It just had to come home with me!
Old books, old bowls, old bowl and pitcher on an old Hoosier cabinet. The old wooden box on the wall holding my antique sheep – a favorite corner of the dining room!
Old frames are a favorite of mine. And if they aren’t old – a can of paint and some stain will help to make them look that way!
Peace Be Upon Us. A favorite stitched sampler I stitched years ago framed in an old frame found at a favorite antique store in town that has now closed its doors.
Even my stitcheries have to be coffee stained and left wrinkled to look right to me! Add a touch of Sweet Annie to smell good and add that drab touch of perfectness! The frame on the left holds the lyrics of a song called Fading Echoes written by my Great Grandma Houseal. A treasure for sure.
A splash of color in the kitchen. But of course it’s sitting on a doily I stitched and stained for that beautiful prim goodness. These faux lemons smell wonderful! I do have a splash of color here and there!
This is a before picture of the living room. I’m keeping the border. I know wallpaper is out of style but I like this border and I’m not ready to take it down yet. I obviously don’t decorate according to what is in style anyway – nothing in this picture was bought in a big box store or a mall! The pictures were stitched by me and most everything else came from a thrift store, flea market, antique store or online.
The older I get the less I decorate for the holidays. I might be just a tad bit lazy. It’s fun to decorate but not so fun putting everything away again. I do have a few things scattered around the house for Easter this year. My bunnies, my dad’s childhood decorations, and some of my cross stitch pin keeps. After taking the pictures I see that I have more scattered around then I thought I did!
I love this quote – and the fact that it comes from an old sampler makes it mean even more! (Not a good picture but I didn’t want a picture of me in the photo!) One way that I keep saved the memories of my ancestors. My great-grandma’s dressing table. Dresser scarves stitched by my grandma. The glass powder container was my mother-in-law’s and a cigarette case that belonged to my grandfather. And a couple of pictures of my mom when she was little. I love keeping saved the memories of my ancestors by decorating my house with their possessions. These possessions mean so much more to me than anything new I could buy in a store!