5/08/2010

Special Mom's Day

This is a special Mother's Day for me.
This year, May 9th, would have been my Mother's 88th Birthday. She passed away the week after 911. Of course we all miss her dearly, but, my dad, my 5 siblings and I, and all the rest of our clan, have fond memories of our growing up. It still amazes me that she could cook up a meal for 8 people, and do all the laundry and cleaning that goes along with a family that size! She made the BEST Karo fudge ever, even when we ate it with a spoon! LoL! Most of the time she kept a sense of humor about it all. In later years, at our big Holiday get-togethers, it was always chaotic and loud with all the kids, grandkids,and great grandkids...about 40 of us now, give or take a few. It would be a bit intimidating for the *newbies* in the family! :)

I am realizing that our Moms are never gone, but they live within our hearts forever.
Thank you Mom!
Happy Birthday!

Hope everyone has a lovely Mother's Day!

My Mother Kept A Garden

My Mother kept a garden,
a garden of the heart,
She planted all the good things
that gave my life it's start.
She turned me to the sunshine
and encouraged me to dream,
Fostering and nurturing
the seeds of self-esteem...
And when the winds and rain came,
she protected me enough-
But not too much because she knew
I'd need to stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example
always taught me right from wrong-
Markers for my pathway
that will last a lifetime long.
I am my Mother's garden.
I am her legacy-
And I hope today she feels the love
reflected back from me

Author Unknown


4/22/2010

Earth Day 2010


Happy Earth Day!

It's a beautiful Earth day here in Arkansas. Thought I'd post a few links, some old photos, and neat images, as well as some of the most recent pics taken by my DD.

This is a gorgeous poster from the 30th Earth Day in 2000.
I can hardly believe it's now the 40th Anniversary of this celebration.


Need to know how your lifestyle affects our planet?

Celebrate our earth each and every day!
Here's a History of how Earth Day came about.

This link will show you how to Plant a tree!

What's an Earth Day without P. Allen Smith?
Lots of wonderful gardening info on his site!

This is a scrapbook layout created by my DD. She has more layouts and digital designs on her Blog_Kat Designed.

The Walden Woods Project preserves the land, literature and legacy of the quintessential American author, philosopher, and naturalist,
Henry David Thoreau.

We have a beautiful ornamental crabapple in our yard. The birds love to eat the berries on it.
And below is my very favorite Chocolate Morning Glory vine! Of course, I gotta plant something with Chocolate! :)

Hope y'all have a great earth day each and every day! Do like I did today to conserve energy....Take a NAP!! It's good for the planet! :)

Have a great weekend!
**julie**

4/04/2010

Happy Easter!

Here's hoping everyone is having a wonderful Easter!
We are so very blessed, and the weather couldn't be better.
Off to hunt eggs with the grandbaby later today.
Now, I need to go bake the M&M Easter cookies.
Enjoy your day!
**julie**

3/31/2010

Wren nest!

Spring is really here!!
Monday, we discovered a newly built birds nest right under our noses!

We saw this little wren flying out of it today!!
(This wren photo is from January snowstorm)
Well, it could be the mate of this wren. :)

It caught my eye as I was going in the house from the carport. It's on the top shelf of a big cabinet that I store my glass bottles in before they're painted. DH and I had NO idea what kind of nest it was 'til today. It's pretty big. I don't see how that little wren got some of the bigger sticks in there!

The front of the cabinet has glass doors.
When I took the photos, the nest was empty, of course.
We are hoping that there will be eggs soon!!

It's so exciting to be able to bird-watch so up close. I 'd love to get a pic of the babies when they hatch. Don't want to scare them, tho!
Will keep y'all posted of the progress of our new residents.

Have a great Spring week, Y'all!
**julie**

3/13/2010

Giveaway FUN from Irish Corkie Primitives!

Here's yet another nice giveaway from Amy at Irish Corkies Primitives!
It's a lovely Prim gameboard!
Head on over to Amy's blog to see more!
She has tons of cool signs and more in her Etsy shop, too!
I'm about to go turn the clocks forward and hit the hay, so this is kinda short!
Hope everyone has a great week!
**Julie**

3/08/2010

2 Great Giveaways!

Seems like there are LOTS of giveaways lately!
Maybe the upcoming Spring season is inspiring everyone.

Here are TWO giveaways from JaNae at "Signs of Patriotism."

The first one is a terrific Prim sign.
The second one is a neat military sign.

To enter, just pop on over and post a comment at JaNae's blog , to win one of these super nice items.

JaNae also has an Etsy shop filled with more of her work. Some of the sayings are tooo cute! Find her store HERE

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great week!
**julie**

2/27/2010

Pioneer Loft Giveaway

Happy Saturday, Y'all!

Here's another giveaway that you will love!

Denise of "Pioneer Loft" is having a giveaway.

This sweet quilted candle mat is only ONE of the items!
Click on her link above to see more! :)

A bit about Denise...she's a fellow member of The Old Farmhouse Gathering Team (ofg) on Etsy. She makes beautiful Prim, Cottage, and Shabby Chic style items from her home. Check out her Etsy shop to see more of her wonderful creations!

I am heading over to my Painting desk to get a little bit done. (before the grandbaby gets here!) My favorite color this spring is "Spa Blue" from DecoArt Americana. I think I may even use this gorgeous spring fresh color in the redo of my bathroom. I think we all need some spring!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Hope everyone is staying warm!
**julie**

2/21/2010

Primgal's Giveaway!

Hello all! Gotta show ya this!

If you like Primitive decor, check out this giveaway from Jody, at

It's a super nice wood tissue box all fixed up to look Prim in your Privy!
Well, you could use it anywhere, for that matter! :)
It'd look great on a bedside table, too.
Just click on her blog name above and leave a comment.

Hope everyone is having a nice relaxing Sunday!
**julie**

2/15/2010

OWOH Winners!

Yes, today's the day!
The winners of the One World One Heart giveaway have been chosen.
I used the Random Number Generator to pick 2 bloggers that left comments on my OWOH post.

The first winner of my handpainted bunny softball is Pixie of Pixies Ponderings in Lincolnshire, England !
The 2nd winner of another handpainted softball is Flora of Bone Head Studios in Texas, USA!

Congratulations, ladies!
I hope that you'll enjoy my items.
I'll notify you via email shortly.

Thanks to everyone who participated this year!
All your nice comments meant a lot to me!
I enjoyed visiting all the great blogs. Now I can slow down a bit and RE-visit properly!

I want to give a BIG Thank-You Hug to Lisa Swifka!!
It's been a great pleasure! (I LOVE your top hat, by the way!)
Can hardly wait til next year!

Hope to see y'all then!! Sooner is even better!
Please stop by anytime! :)

Hugs
julie


2/09/2010

One World One Heart

Welcome, welcome, welcome, all!
I'm so happy that you stopped by!
It's the One World, One Heart event for 2010!
There's still time to hop on your Magic Carpet and visit bloggers from all over the world!
Just click on the banner above.
As the time of this posting, there are over 1,100 bloggers participating in the OWOH global happening! Wow! That's a lot!

Please leave your comment , in THIS post, to be eligible to win my giveaway item. Also, it's important to have a link back, or leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.
I will use the Random Number Generator to choose a name on Sunday February 14th. Then on Monday, the 15th, I'll announce the winner.


Here's my item for OWOH.

Yep, it's a handpainted softball.
The cute bunny is based on a design from Renee' Mullins of Plum Purdy.


Kinda difficult to see in the photos, but it all sparkley with Glamour Dust.


Depending on how many comments I receive, I will add a couple more items to give away.
We will just keep that a surprise! ;)

Many, many thanks to Lisa Swifka of "A Whimsical Bohemian" for all her dedication to get us all together, and meet all the wonderful blogging folks worldwide! That's what it's all about!

Happy travels!! Have FUN!
Please stop by anytime!
**julie**

1/30/2010

Let It Snow...Again!

Just doesn't seem like winter unless there's at least one really good snow event. It was coming down in buckets yesterday! Yeay!

Here's a few photos. The first one is a *cistern* that I painted a few years back. The snow was just starting to accumulate. It sits in my front yard year round under the ivy.

Here's our pine trees. There are cacti under them. The super cold temps from a couple weeks ago flattened them out! They always pop back in the spring, tho.
We made up some pine cones with PB and bird seed. This little wren loves it! The pic is through my window, so it's a bit hazy.

These are the metal bands from old wagon wheels. (I think) Yep, we have lotsa stuff like that around! LoL!

Ok, I had to get my hands in the snow at least a little! This is DH's truck window. It had a thick layer of ICE under the snow!

Hope that you enjoyed my snowy pics.
Please stop by tomorrow, or by February 14th, as I will have my giveaway items posted for the OWOH event! (see sidebar for more info)

Thanks! Y'all stay safe and warm!!
***julie***

1/21/2010

OWOH starts Monday!

Hello all!

It's almost here! The annual "One World One Heart" global blog event!
Just click on the banner above, or the one in the sidebar, to get more info.

Last year was my first time to participate. There were over 900 bloggers ,from all over the world, that were involved.
This FUN, international, giveaway event was started by Lisa Swifka of "A Whimsical Bohemian."

I will be finishing up my giveaway item(s) this weekend.
I will post photos of my items sometime on Monday, so check back to post a comment to win my giveaway.

I'm sure there will be a handpainted softball as one of the items. ;)

I can hardly wait to meet new creative bloggers, and visit with participants from years past!

If you have an active blog and a creative spirit, GO, jump, skip, hop and RUN over to Lisa's blog to find out what to do to be a part of this!
You won't want to miss it.

Thanks a bunch!
**julie**