School Bells

There have been teacher meetings all week and today is the first day of school for students. And....... I haven't been there. It's the first time in 34 years I'm not swamped with school activities and I'm loving it. Retirement means no more alarm clocks and getting up at 5:30 every morning. I usually get up between 7:30 - 9:30.  I babysit 2 or 3 days a week. Addison has brought a lot of joy into our lives. I had no idea that being a grandparent would be so special. Yes, I miss the interaction with students and other teachers, but I'm also enjoying other interests like reading, sewing, and scrapbooking.

Floor Plan

Several people have expressed an interest in the floor plan of the home we are building. Click here to view the plan. Our plan is reversed. The garage is on the left. We also extended the wall on the great room side by 2 feet. The garage has a four foot extension that will provide a place to store the lawn mower and bikes. We are also having the bonus room built. It has a large walk-in closet and bath.

Here is the builder's rendition of what the front will look like.

Treasure Hunting

My mother is getting ready for a yard sale, and I spotted a few goodies I wanted. I’ve been wanting to make some pinwheels since I spotted the pattern at the Moda Bake Shop. I also wanted to make some fabric eggs Easter. Won’t these look cute in a wooden bowl? I also like white Fenton milk glass. It doesn’t really have that country/primitive feel, but my craft room in the new house will have a more rustic cottage feel, so I thought they might find a home there. I also love crocks, baskets and wooden boxes so they came home with me too.
A few of these treasures were paired with a couple of things I recently painted. On the back patio is the bench I repainted in a cranberry red. It shows up much better than the tan it originally was. A ceramic flowerpot and a crock found a home here.


I’ve had this little pine bench for ages, but it was just stained. I also painted it a cranberry red, then distressed it and add a walnut stain to it.  Thought this old crow looked cute on it.

Little Mother

Addison loves playing with her doll. She likes to pretend she is feeding it. She will make a good mother’s helper when her baby brother arrives in November.

Making Progress

I can’t believe the progress that has been made on our home building project in just one month. The framing is done and windows have been installed. The roofers are doing their part now. The floor plan of this home should serve us well even as we get older. All of the rooms are on one floor except for the bonus room. The bonus room is going to be my craft room.  Yippee!!! The house is nestled in the trees. There is a small tree preserve at the back of our lot and also on the right hand side.

The front porch is going to very peaceful and will offer some nice views once those construction dumpsters are removed.

There will be a deck on the backside of the house. Great views and lots of shade will make this an inviting place to read and relax.

A Facelift

I took advantage of lower temperatures and did a little painting today. Some of these items were finds from a recent thrift store shopping trip.

The bells were purchased after the holidays at Dollar Store for 50 cents a piece. I spotted this idea on the Prim Mart site.I also repainted this bench that sits on my back patio. I’m going to have to get up early tomorrow and give it another coat of paint. It was looking a little drab so I painted it a completely different color. My geraniums are looking a little sad. I’m thinking fall. Hmmm…. maybe I’ll go get some mums.

Stay tuned to see the finished products. 

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

Here's another easy to prepare main dish that's a winner at my house.

6 boneless pork chops
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package (6 ounces) crushed stuffing mix
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling

In a skillet, brown pork chops in oil in medium-high heat. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing according to package directions. Spread pie filling into a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish. Place the pork chops on top; spoon stuffing over chops. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer.

Looking for more recipes? Check out Colleen's blog, And Baby Makes Five for her weekly recipe swap.

A Bit of Tweaking

While doing the weekly house cleaning, there was also a bit of decorating tweaking with some of my latest purchases.

My mom recently gave me some old crocks. One of them found a home on my dining room table along with some fall flowers that I purchased at North Shore Primitives.

One corner of my kitchen counter got an entire redo. The little black shelf and grubby candle were also was purchased at North Shore Primitives. The game board was made by Lisa and not only looks cute, but hides the ugly electric cord. The Pfaltzgraff pitcher was a thrift store find.

On another part of the kitchen counter is another crock filled with old kitchen utensils. I had the tool caddy, but added some berries and fabric that I purchased.

The laundry room also got a little make over. Several old crocks were added and also a water can that use to belong to my mother-in-law. I’m on the hunt now for some vintage detergent soap powder boxes.

Thrift Store Shopping

Who doesn’t like a bargain? Thrift Store shopping is so unpredictable. Sometimes you leave empty handed, but sometimes there are treasures waiting for you.

When I was working, I didn’t seem to ever have the time to thrift shop or redo the items I found, so now that I’m retired this will be a real treat. On my recent shopping excursion I found the a white wicker basket, a picture frame, a black metal plate, a tin bucket, a blue canning jar, and a Pfaltzgraff pitcher that matches the set I own. Of course, I have some ideas for each of these. The canning jar and Pfaltzgraff pitcher have already found a home. The rest will need some spray paint and a little tweaking before they find their place in my home.

Escalloped Apples

This is a family favorite and makes a great side dish.

4 cups apples, sliced and peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons flour

Mix apples with sugar mixture. Place in buttered 3 quart dish. Dot with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Check out Colleen’s blog, And Baby Makes Five to see what recipes others have submitted this week.

Shop Till You Drop

Today a friend and I decided to head to North Shore Primitives for their fall open house. This is one of the best shops in the area for primitive decor. Vickie, the shop owner, has a real knack for artfully displaying her wares. Click on the link to view photos of the store. If you live near central Ohio, then it is worth the trip.

As I was looking around I spotted someone who looked familiar. I thought it might be Lisa from Prims From Above. I introduced myself. My hunch was correct. Lisa was very friendly. She had her hands full of some great finds. I’m sure they will be showing up in future blog posts. Lisa is very talented. She creates signs and game boards for North Shore Primitives. She also has a selling blog called Londonberry Primitives. Check out her blog to see her cozy home and to view her creations.

I had a difficult time deciding what to buy. Since my husband and I are building a house that won’t be completed until December, I decided that I should limit my purchases to small items. After we move, I will definitely make a return trip to look more closely at their furniture pieces. I did purchase a small black primitive shelf, a grubby candle, some fall greenery, and a small checkerboard painted by Lisa. I will have to do some playing around this week to decide where these pieces will end up.

The shopping didn’t end there. We decided to check out the local thrift shop. I’ll be posting about my finds later this weekend.

I’ve Got Mail

I can remember running out to the mailbox as a young child and getting excited when there was a piece of mail addressed to me. Well, today I had that same feeling when I went to the  mailbox and found that my copy of A Primitive Place had arrived. This is the premier issue. It is loaded with gorgeous pictures of primitive/colonial decorated homes. If you haven’t yet subscribed or heard about this new magazine then you must hop on over to A Primitive Place to order yours.  If you’ve never visited this website then you have a treat in store for you. This is one of my most favorite websites. Lots on decorating inspiration can be found here. Their magazine is chock full of ideas too. It will be a magazine I read from cover to cover.

Well, you know what I’ll be doing the next couple of hours.

Crafter’s A.D.D.

I think I must have Crafter’s A.D.D.  I keep skipping from project to project and not much is getting finished. I guess I’m easily sidetracked...

Here are a few things I’m working on.  Hand appliquéd towels make great gifts for any occasion. They are the perfect project to work on while watching television at night. Underneath the towels is a mini quilt; the perfect size for tucking in a basket or crock. On top of the mini-quilt are some yo-yos that will eventually find their place in a wall hanging. This was my first time making yo-yos. What fun!

I also have three tablerunners machine pieced and ready for quilting. I’m a new quilter, so I choose to do just some simple strip piecing on two of them and also used charm squares to make another. The only quilting I’ve done is by hand, but I would really like to quilt these by machine.  I’m a little fearful on getting started. Do any of you quilters have some advice?

The best thing is that all of these projects are made from my stash.

Inspiration on a Steamy, Rainy Day

What's a girl to do on a steamy, rainy day? The rain is much needed, but it certainly hasn't cooled things down here in Ohio. There's a heat advisory even out today. It doesn't take much to convince me to stay inside. I hate these extremely hot, muggy days. I'm looking forward to fall. I decided to spend my day doing some reading and sewing. This afternoon I heard the UPS truck pull up. I poked my head out long enough to gather up the package that had arrived.  Yippee!!! My Judy Condone books arrived. I've seen these advertised in Country Sampler and read about them on other people's blogs. Well, the afternoon was spent looking through the three that I purchased. (It's like potato chips.... I couldn't buy just one.) What wonderful books these are. The pictures are fantastic.  These will be books that will be looked at again and again.  You can purchase these books directly from Judy at http://marshhomesteadantiques.com/