Fresh eggs anyone??

This is the absolutely-too-cute-for-words chicken coop that my husband and I want to build in our backyard!

I can't wait for those fresh eggs!

cluck-cluck

Just a thought!

.....an excellent suggestion if I do say so myself!!

:)

I totally copied this from another blog!

I cost about $10 to make....I love to big effect it gives.

Hope you're having a great day :)

Just hangin' out!

Ok, so I couldn't think of anything really fun or cute to write for my title that involved clothes lines......



.....even though clothes lines are cute and fun!!



oh well, maybe creativity will hit me later and I can change it :)

Here is our latest additon!!

I. love. it.

I wasn't sure {even as my sweet husband was building it} just how much I was going to like it.

Would it be too much trouble to take the clothes out?

Would I get bored with all the clipping and hanging?

Is it going to take too long to dry?

blah, blah, blah....you get the picture.

None of those things have been an issue.

It takes the clothes no time to dry {good to know all this Georgia heat is good for somethin'} and I just love looking out of my not-sweltering-hot-from-the-dryer-going-all-day-long-laundry room window and seeing the clothes on the line.

I have to be 100% honest though...... I haven't put any clothes on the line yet.

What?! No clothes on a clothes line??

I know, I know.....but I don't think I ever will.

See, at my crazy house we go through hundreds of bath towels, dish towels, blankets, tablecloths, and washcloths daily. And that doesn't count the bedding that I wash every week. Those are the things that I hang on the line.

Somehow the idea of hanging my unmentionables out in the open for just about eveyone to mention didn't appeal to me.

I end up drying a load of just clothes about every 3 days now instead of 1 or 2 every day.

I can't wait to see if there's a difference in my power bill!!

All that to say....Yay, clothes lines!! I hope yall like the pictures.

I'm thinking of adding just a couple of little touches to the line, and as soon as I do I'll post some pics!!

Hope everyone has a great day!!!! :)

Summer Time!

Welcome summer.....

I've been waiting on ya!!!

This is my cozy, little deck off of my kitchen. It is my favorite spot to read a book. In the evening it's shaded and away from lots of noise. It feels like a little hideaway for me :)

I love how my hydrangea peeks through the deck railing!

(The round table with the checkered tablecloth would be behind me in this picture....along with a wrought iron bench, just in case you were curious!)

What's your favorite summer tradition? I need to start some good ones and I'd love your ideas!

The objects of my affection!

Hello!! Hope everyone is out planting flowers and playing in the sun!

We have certainly been enjoying these nice temperatures :)

We've been finishing up the backyard garden (will post all about that when it's done!), walking to school almost every morning, and of course, sneaking in a few trips to the ice cream shop that is almost dangerously close to our house :)

I have displayed a few new little items that I wanted to show yall!

Ok, I am totally IN LOVE with the Post Box!! I have been keeping an eye out for one since I saw something similar in a magazine a couple of years ago. I found this one on Ebay for a good price! I have some odd fascination with the mail in general. The fact that you can put a little piece of paper in a box beside your house and it can travel all the way around the world for less than a dollar is just amazing to me! I also have a {small} infatuation with all things British.

I love to wonder just what kinds of letters graced this box. Who owned her? Did she sit outside of a charming Cotswald cottage or a chic London apartment? Were there letters of love and adoration placed inside, a message of a mother to a daughter?? I could go on and on...needless to say I'm thrilled!

The only problem is I just can't decide where to put it. Right now there are about 5 different places where it would be perfect, but for now, she'll stay right there!

See that cute green folder?? I just recently got it from {Walmart}....shhhh, don't tell! :)

This loving cup champagne cooler is also from Ebay. I love the way the plant looks in it!

Now Im not quite sure what this is above, but I know it will be beautiful when I get it cleaned up. It has the initials dEk on it. This came from my a new antique/vintage store I've just happily discovered.

Hope you have a great day!!!

We have a winner!!!

Drum roll please.......................

Dan, you won the giveaway!!

Hooray :)

If you will please email me with your mailing address I will send your items right away!

Hope everyone has a beautiful Easter weekend!!

Thanks for all the sweet comments....they are very much appreciated!

G is for GIVEAWAY and Goodwill treasures!!

Are you starting to see it at your house???

We are, and I couldn't be more excited!

Yep, little bits of spring are popping up everywhere.

Before you know it we'll all be playing in our yards and enjoying the warmth all day long(fingers crossed anyway)!!

I just had to show you some of the great treasures I have found at my Goodwill recently!

**The info. about the giveaway is at the bottom of the post....feel free to scroll on down :)**

I loved this little jar. It came with a bright orange top, which made me think it was a juice holder. However, I decided it hold my spring flowers beautifully!!

To the right of the polka dot frame is a small hand embroidered picture. Even though it did not "fit" with the colors in my bedroom, I loved it too much not to put it up. Now that I have it, I actually think it goes perfectly.

I don't know why, but I am a sucker for these juice pitchers with the matching glasses. Nothing says "cottage home" more to me than these. This set was only $5. Now I want the apple one I've seen before!!

Finally, this is just a tiny little print of Dresden dolls. My aunt always had the figurines around and this picture reminds me of family. The size is great. It's so petite that I can pop it anywhere!!

Now....on to the good stuff!!

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I love, love, love giveaways!! So here is a spring one just for you!!!

I thought these just shouted "YAY SPRING!"

Here is a beautiful, little teacup and saucer.

Two cute spring chicks to cheer up your kitchen!

A vintage-inspired Easter decoration!

And, the H-O-M-E banner that you see in the first pic.!! All you have to do is leave me a comment and you're entered, easy-peasy!!

If you want to post about this giveaway on your blog, feel free! Let me know if you do and I'll put your name in 2 more times :o)

The winner will be picked next Wednesday (March 31st)!! Hope everyone has a great week!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!!!

1 camera cord + 1 moment to create something = 1 happy girl!!

Yay, yay, yay!!

I found the camera cord....literally, I found it one minute ago!

Guess where it was???

Right where I left it the last time!! :o)

Who knew?! ha ha ha

I would have promised you that I looked in that spot at least twice...either I didn't, or I did and my brain is not working correctly.

I'd say either one is a solid possibility!

So let's get to it....

I want to show you something that I made today.

I had an old book sitting around and just had to try this. I've seen it done well so many times!

Now, I'm not a big fan of ripping books up (that's just me personally), but I'm a HUGE fan of re-purposing things. The book (which I got for free), was an old copy of "Jo's Boys" by Louisa May Alcott. Several other pages were missing so I knew this would be the perfect test-run item.

I got all my things together....I didn't use the stickers on this particular one, but I do think stickers would be a really cute addition to a banner!

I just used a plain, old Sharpie for the stencil. It worked like a charm!

Those particular stencils came from Hobby Lobby for about $6......I have used them lots of times! I love it when you get your moneys worth out of something!!

Sorry it's sideways.......I still have lots to learn about putting pics on Blogger!

Once I finished all the letters I found some ribbon sitting around and used my scissors to cut little slits in the top of the paper.

I fed the ribbon through and voila!!!

Hope you like it!!

I'm going to post again this weekend and show you some new fun things I've gotten from Goodwill!! I've been hitting the jackpot there lately :o)

Hope y'all have a happy, happy Friday!!

No pictures...but lots of words :o)

Well....the camera cord seems to have won.

I can't find it and apparently it's enjoying its hiding spot way too much to come out.

So since I can't show you any pictures I'll tell you some fun things that have been going on around here!

One of the amazing things about this blog has been the unexpected.

It has been everywhere....unexpected friends, unexpected inspiration, unexpected fun.

So when I received an email about this post, it was quite (well you guessed it) unexpected.

Here is the email:

Katherine Ann,

My name is Susan Jenkins and I am an artist and writer. I am putting together a children’s book for a poem I wrote and I was looking for some inspiration and surfing images on the internet. I stumbled across a photo of what I am assuming must be your daughter with a crown of morning glories on her head. The image just shows the back of her head. This photo would be a great reference for me to use in one of the pages of my book. Even though I when I paint I typically change the image quite a bit, I still wanted to run it by you to see if I could use this pic to work into my painting.

The poem and book is called, “The Mountain Queen”. It is actually a story of my great-grandmother and her life in the Appalachian mountains. She used to weave morning glories to make a crown. I plan to have one of my paintings with a little girl looking out to the distant mountain and I really think this image could work well.

I know that even if I used the photo for reference you most likely would never see it, and even if you did might not recognize that it came from your photo…. But I still just wanted to run this by you. I would be more than happy to provide you with a print of the painting and copy of the book when it is done. I also would be happy to send you the poem if you wish.

Please just let me know if you are okay with me using the photo for my painting.

God bless and I look forward to hearing from you,

Susan Jenkins

www.susanjenkinsart.weebly.com

WOW! Needless to say I was blown away.

How amazing that someone else would find inspiration from my sweet little girls head!!

I am very protective about images of my children being on the internet (which is why I don't usually post their picture). Since this was of the back of her head I couldn't say no.

I immediately emailed Susan back (after checking her out on Google)! She then sent me a copy of the poem as well as the preliminary art work for the book....both are truly beautiful.

I would love to show the artwork to you, but I want to get her permission first....she may want to save it until the book comes out! But take my word for it...she is very talented :o)

...how fun is that!! She really made my week!

I would love to know what is the most unexpected and wonderful thing that has come your way via your blog?? These stories are too fun to keep to yourself!

....In the meantime...off I go on the camera cord hunt again :o)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!!

where would a camera cord hide??

I have so many fun pictures to show you and I can't find my camera cord!!

....I'm on a mission now :o)

Will be posting once I find it!!

Wish me luck....I'm goin' in {he he he}

Spring.... come out, come out wherever you are!

So, you know it's a sad state of affairs when your current post is about wishing for Spring and your last post was about Autumn! Where have I been??? Wow, that was a long and unintended hiatus.

Other than the usual busyness of life, my oldest little girl has been having major sleep issues. It really has put a strain on the family as a whole. Unfortunately sleep is something I cannot function well without.....so I've been in zombie mode a lot.

Oh how I have missed my sweet blogging friends!!

I was a little afraid that I'd log on and all of my buddies would be long gone.....yay for people still being here :o)

So how are YOU?? I want to know the latest from everyone, so expect me to be stopping by your blog soon!

Glory days.....

No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
~John Donne

~Happy Monday sweet friends!!~

Ham & Cheese Croissant Bake

Here's a yummy little dish to warm you right up! It is from my most recent Southern Living (I adore that magazine)!

This is such a great recipe because you make it ahead AND you can have it for breakfast or dinner!!

Get everything ready....croissants, ham, cheese, eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard (ok, so I didn't actually have this), honey, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

First, cut the croissants and place them in the bottom of a greased deep-dish pie plate (10 inch).
I got this little pumpkin one at Kohl's! Top with the chopped ham and grated Swiss cheese.

Next, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Pour the egg mixture in to the pie plate. Make sure it covers all of the croissants.

Cover tightly and chill for 8 to 24 hours.

~The next morning you'll be loving yourself for putting this together!!~Bake this at 325 degrees, covered, for 35 minutes. After that, uncover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes. Let it stand 10 minutes before serving!!

With some fresh fruit and hash browns, this can't be beat ANY time of the day. Hope you enjoy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful, wonderful weekend!!

Ham-and-Cheese Croissant Casserole

3 (5-inch) large croissants
1 (8 oz.) package chopped cooked ham
1 (5 oz.) package shredded Swiss cheese
6 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)

A history lesson, don't worry, it's the fun kind!

My grandmother was known for several things. She was generous, forthright, and well....hmmm, she was quite bossy. That seems a little harsher than I intended....let's say she was an excellent manager :)

She would very willingly, tell anyone anywhere exactly what they were doing right, and, of course, what they weren't.

She grew up in a very wealthy family. Her father and grandfather started several textile mills in Georgia. This was the home she grew up in.


My grandfather always cooked for her because when she was growing up they had a cook in their home. In all her years she never learned how to cook....I guess she never needed to. I never saw her clean or do laundry either....it's funny what you remember.

She and my grandfather were married over 50 years.

50 years!

At times, you were sure they were going to kill each other if they had to live in the same house for one more moment. But I guess after 50 years you're allowed to get on each others nerves every now and then.

We never doubted they loved each other.

I saw my grandparents all the time. They lived in our family's 120 year old farm house right across the street from me. They were always there.

My great-grandfather (grandfather's father) was a gentleman farmer. My grandfather was a dairy farmer for many years.

These are the registry certificates for the cows that he had. My mother still remembers them from their names. I have these framed in my kitchen....I love the feel and the quiet whisper of family they bring.

My grandfather was a navigator on bombers in World War II. His plane was shot down over Germany.

He was a prisoner of war for 18 months. The war ended.......that's how he got to come home.
He said they woke up one morning and there weren't anymore guards...they had all left.

He is on the bottom row, second from the right.

I have things from him and my grandmother all over my home.

This photograph sits at my desk.

That's him again with two of my aunts. I have been told that this picture if from a photo shoot that Southern Living did of the farm house back in the 60's.

All the things you see in that picture, the coffee pot, the cake stand, the silver floral ring, even the Audubon plates in the background are all still around and in use. Each one of the 7 granddaughters now has one of the plates. You can find them on ebay from time to time....(there's one here).

There were always fried pancakes on mornings we would spend the night...and hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream. He was a great cook, he made everything taste so yummy...you know, lots of butter, salt, cream.....

Not sure if you can see this but it's a recipe of my grandfathers that my grandmother wrote out. It's Griffin's Date Nut Cake. I framed it and put it in my kitchen. She had beautiful penmanship...and it has his name on it...I love that.
They passed away less than a year apart.

They have left me with a deep and unique family heritage that I treasure, traditions that will continue, and a sense of self that is unbending.

Roots and wings...

The winner is......

Kim, from Daisy Cottage!!!!

Thanks for the comments :o)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and Kim will you please email me your mailing address?

Wishing you happiness this weekend!

.....I'll tell you all about this photo next week!

From drab to fab!!

I wanted to share my cute, little chair with everyone today....

I am so very excited about her :o)



My super talented friend, Elizabeth, seamstress-extraordinaire, made these slipcovers.
Didn't she do a wonderful job!?!

The chair was a hideous teal green before, and the ottoman was an old and faded plaid.

The striped material is actually bed sheets from the Simply Shabby Chic line at Target. The floral was from a discount fabric shop. They both can be thrown into that washing machine for a quick clean up.


Here is a close up of the skirt she added at the bottom....it just looks cozy doesn't it?!

I would love to have them professionally reupholstered, however it's not in the budget or particularly practical at the moment.

This is my favorite spot in the whole house right now. When you walk in my front door, THIS is the happy chair the greets you!! I love to sit and read a book here after the little ones have gone to bed.

It is a very blustery day here in Georgia, but I hope you are warm and cozy!
Have a wonderful, wonderful week!!

2 for 1

I found this great rug while shopping at Walmart. I am using it in my bathroom. It is the perfect rug because it has the no-skid back, plus it is machine washable.....a must if you have little ones that tend to spill all kinds of crazy things!!

So, do you want to know the very best part about this rug (other than the super affordable price of $18)???? It came with a full year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens!!!!

That's one of my favorite magazines!

The rug had a little card on it that you added your info to, detached and sent on it's way.

Here is the link on the Walmart site...however, it may only be the in-store ones that come with the subscription...sorry, not sure about that!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10880881

Hope you enjoy your weekend!! Please see the below post to find out about a giveaway!!!

I love a giveaway!!!

Here it is!! Fun, fun, fun :o)

....my camera is giving me a tad bit of trouble, but I wanted to go ahead and tell you about the giveaway even though I don't have an actual picture to show you.

It's "Seasons for Sharing" from Gooseberry Patch!!!

I saw this book and loved all the darling ideas in it. There are little inspirations for every season of the year.

It's a fun book for recipes, craft, and gift ideas. They even give you templates to use!!

~The Malt Chocolate Waffle Mix recipe and the fun section for Every Day Celebrations are my very favorite. It almost made me want to keep this, but I know you'll love it.~

Sooo, if you'd like a chance to win this little cutie just leave me a comment below. If you get a chance to mention this giveaway in your blog, let me know, and I'll double your name!

I'll pick a winner next Thursday night, Oct. 29 (because for some reason I just love Thursdays!).

Have a wonderful week!!

P.S. The spacing on this post is a little odd...can't quite seem to make it right...I'll have to work on that!

Hip, hip, hooray for a new layout!!

So...what do you think?? I love the little cottage because it actually looks like our house. Hope you are having a wonderful week! I'm going to be posting a giveaway this weekend. Hope you can stop back by!!!!!

The good ole days!

I wanted to share an ebay store with you that inspires me with every item.

It's called Red House Vintage

http://myworld.ebay.com/redhousevintage/

Here are some of my favorite items of the moment...




I mean really, do I even have to explain why I LOVE these??

I like to imagine what may day would be like in a life where I needed to wear these :o) It's that bit of glamor and refinement that I am drawn to. The last one just looks like a summer day doesn't it?

Honestly, I am quite tempted to buy the black dress and then find somewhere great to go so I can wear it...it's even my size....

I love little finds like this, don't you? If you have a site that just makes your day I'd love to check it out!!