~T2T Day for Me~

Welcome everyone!
The weather here is finally back in the higher 50's today and they said on the news that we didn't get the frost that was to start at midnight... so happy for those that had plants that could be burned or ruined.
I'm healing but not fast enough for me, it's been a week today and I've noticed that I don't have the pain that I used to feel on the inside of my knee anymore, it was like a toothache that just would not go away. I know I'm on it to much but I just can't help it, I found out that I'm the type that would rather be up and around then just sitting. I sure hope this won't hurt it, especially when I go to the doctor's Friday.
Today I took three stacking boxes that I had bought at the fleamarket for $2.00 last year and painted them to go in my bathroom(I'm trying to get it fixed so that I can take pictures for you) they were a creme with navy pattern on top, made out of a thin wood. I first painted them a Buttermilk shade then let dry, then black over top, when it was dry I then sanded each box, I thinned some brown paint and painted them all over again with that. I think they turned out really neat, so instead of putting them away for a garage sale I redid them and now have something new for my bathroom!!!
I'm slowly but surely replacing the navy in my home with black, it's been alot of fun doing it too, looking at something and trying to imagine what it would look like black. I can't wait to start going to the fleamarket and garage sales because I think it's going to be alot of fun this year..... seeing something and wondering how it would look black. Last year at a garage sale I found a white nightstand for $15.00 and painted it black for my bedroom, this year I did a headboard, I just need to get a new quilt for in there so that I can take pictures for you to see how everything looks together.
So is everyone doing the same as me trying to get everything done in order to enjoy the summer that is coming soon? Have a great day!

~I Can't Take Sitting Still Anymore~

Hey everyone,
So glad to be back and thanks so much for the prayers and comments, my knee is doing better but I know I will need PT, I just have to wait till this Friday when I go to the doctor's when I have to start and by the way I had a torn cartleige which was never going to get better but I just kept putting it off until I know longer could.

I'm going crazy not being able to do anything, about the only things I can do is fold clothes and load the dishwasher.....I know it's nice but after a while it gets to be old, myself I'd rather be doing something then just sitting there. So since it's raining and only 56 outside and I'm so tired of TV I could scream..... I decided to do the cupboard I bought for $5.00 at the fleamarket. It's the first for me to distress something and really didn't realize how hard it is to figure out where there would have been wear and tear . Finally I just decided to go for it, it needs a coat of something but otherwise I like how it turned out, there is an extra shelf that goes in the top but the guy who sold it to me said that he had lost the pegs, I painted that black too and I'll make a sign but haven't thought of what words I'll put on it yet. My camera picks up everything so it looks so much better than what the camera is showing. I really can't decide whether to hang it in my bedroom or the bathroom, which is coming along great, just amazing what a can of paint, Pergo floor, and new vanity and mirror/medicene will do to update a 1983 bath into one of today's look. I can't wait to show you pictures of my vanity sink, I just love it.... I want to wait and show you when it is all done and decorated. Also my bedroom, I'm still tossing it around in my head about dyeing a quilt and shams that I got at the fleamarket last year for $12.00, it's not an antique or anything like that, just a department store type and I also have on hand a bottle of Tan Rit dye. Now on the label of the bottle it says for about 2lbs of fabric, the quilt isn't heavy at all but I sure don't know how much a quilt and two shams weigh.LOL I guess I should just go ahead and do it....that's the only thing with remodeling you put all the $$$ in the fixtures and there is few left to decorate with but my new friend Leslie of http://sweets-mycountryhome.blogspot.com/ has taught me to look around at what I do have and make it into what I'd really like to have. So that is what I'm trying to do...the guest room will have all patriotic in it which includes a good quilt and the new, bigger bedroom is painted a Golden Dune and has the black headboard so I need a new quilt to go in there and I want something different then the Barnred, navy and white. I think the tan will give it a tea dyed look and tone it down some. I'll let you know how it turns out! Have a Blessed Day!

~I'll Be Back Soon~

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that I had my left knee scoped on the 23rd and I'm just now feeling a little better, I had to have it scoped because I was limping and throwing my whole body out of wack. It's painful but I hope all worth it, I will be back ASP, the pills they give you for pain really screw up your thinking and motor skills so as soon as I'm able I'll be back.

~Patriotic to Prim Black~

Hi everyone!
It's a pretty nice day here in PA , right now the sun is out and everything looks so bright, so glad to finally know that the sun will be shining again!!!
Yesterday I was busy painting everything black, headboard, cupboard I found at the flea market, picture frames and then at the last minute I thought of my wastbasket for the bathroom,which isn't really a wastebasket, the lady said it was one of those French things for flowers. I thought it would be great for a wastebasket. I had bought it years ago at the Country Store and since I'm changing my colors I thought it would look really good painted black and I think it came out good, looks brand new to me and only took a few minutes! I can't wait to have everything put back in it's place then I'll have to do my spring cleaning because there is dust everywhere from DH sanding the walls. Right now the only thing in the bath is the bathtub LOL, the walls need a second coat of paint and the new vanity and mirror put in, so hopefully it will be done by this weekend. Then after we get done in here we will be out and about in the yard, the grass needs cut for the first time and windows need washed house hosed down then later we will open the pool and do the porch in the back. We try to get everything done before the last week in May so we can enjoy the boating season, we live close to the Monongahela River and do love our mini vacations on the Mon.
Well, I have to go to the library and to the Dollar Store, I'll be back here tomorrow! Have a wonderful day!

~You Make My Day Award~

I've been given a wonderful award from Debra at http://pilgrimsandpioneers.blogspot.com/ I'm really honored since I've only had a blog for a very short time and I'll tell you something it has helped me so much in learning what I can do with this computer, I'd still not know what I know now if I hadn't started this blog!!! So this award has really been a boost to my self esteem... okay these are the rules for the You Make My Day Award: You are to present it to those whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by emailing or posting a comment on their blog so they can pass the award on. I pass the You Make My Day Award to: Pam http://goldieloowoodworks.blogspot.com/

Cindy http://www.hesshomesteadhappenings.blogspot.com/

Sandy http://fortheloveofprims.blogspot.com/

I hope you all participate because it is really and honor to be thought of in such a way. Thanks Debra.

~Pics of Barbera's Country Store Finds~

Good Morning Everyone,
Well, I got back last night and yes I'm happy to be home, I watched them for 5 days and it sure was an experience, as I said before in my last post it brought back alot of memories and now I know why God gives them only to the young. smile, I thank Him though for the time he gave me...all those hugs and kisses were all worth it.
Ok.... I promised to show you the prim stuff I found at "Barbera's Country Store"located in Greensburg, PA. I love going in there and to my knowledge it seems that everything is made from the United States of course I could be wrong I'm not an expert but you can usually tell when the items are from China. When I first glanced at this little, clay pot I thought it was redware, I've been getting interested in it here lately, but here it is just an ordinary clay pot painted to look like redware. I thought it was really amazing, I can't tell what color of paints were used but maybe you can and can comment to me what you think they may be. Boy, I can see all types of clay items painted like this.....how about the saucers that you can buy to go under the pots to catch the water? Wouldn't they be great painted as redware plates all lined up on a shelf for way less than half the price? Now I will say that the pot is smooth, seems they have sanded it, then the writing is sort of raised not flat onto it, if that makes any sense!!! I've also included a picture of it sitting on a braided, black and tan candlemat, isn't it sweet? Bought it too! I have them both sitting on a cheeseboard that was a blonde wood, I had won it at a jewelery party, I painted it barnred then black and distressed it....all for free!!! To the right of it is a tealight holder, that was a Christmas present from my friend, Lori, from St.Louis, it has a cutout star on the top and the rest is a rounded,screen, just love it and I've had it all over my house. In the blue bowel, from Ebay, is a Crow sampler that I bought the pattern from on Ebay, this is her email...rbhyatt@sboglobal.net just in case you would like to contact her......... What really caught my eye was this sign, loved the border on it and thought it would look great in my newly painted bedroom, I have it on top of the knobs of the painted cupboard doors so you could see it better. The camera is giving a green tinge to the paint but there is no green in it, sort of a golden, tan color very hard to explain, anyway I love it and know that the black, painted furniture that I'm puttng in there will go great.
Today I'm going to paint a pine headboard black and maybe if I have enough paint I'll do the cupboard that I bought at the fleamarket last Sunday I can't decide if I should put it in the bedroom or the newly done bath! It's supposed to be nice this coming Sunday, beautiful weather for fleamarketing but I've decided not to go, I have enough to do around here and maybe we will clean off the back porch and put my swing up!
There is so much to do to get ready for this great weather we are having, can't wait to buy some flowers to put in my flower beds, I love the pink impatients but so do the deer that live around us, I'll go to bed seeing my pots over flowing with flowers and wake up to nothing but stubs.LOL I don't get to upset about it, I feel blessed to get to see them and their babies so close, last year a mother deer had two little ones and she would bring them around and let them play. I actually got to watch the little ones race each other...then the mother raised her head and made a noise, they both came running back to her and off they went thur the woods..... see, even fawns have to listen to their mama.smile
Well, I better get a move on around here the towels in the dryer are done and I've stripped the beds, I can't believe the clothes that I have to wash....I guess doing a load a day does work because there is just Stush and I here. Everything is so dusty from him sanding the bathroom. He is putting Paygo in the bath, hubby's idea not mine, see....they can come up with some good decorating ideas once in a while!!! Have a great weekend, enjoy the weather I know I will, Oh that reminds me I have a good sized birdfeeder that my daughter bought me for Christmas that needs put up on a pole and also my breadboard for my stove that he promised to do for me.......maybe I should just wait until the bathroom is done before I remind him.LOL

~I'm Babysitting~

I'm watching my two grandaughters while my daughter and her hubby are in Cancaun for her work, they'll be home Thursday evening. So far so good.....except the little one came down with a cold so I didn't send her to preschool because all they would be doing is wipeing her nose. smile Got the oldest on the bus for school at 8:25 and told her we would go to McDonalds when she got home at 4:00.
This experience has brought back alot of bittersweet memories for me, I was young when I had my four: 18 when I had my first and 29 when I had my last so I guess you could say I grew up with them. Looking back I wouldn't change a thing about it because I did have a sense of responsibility even at the age of 18 and they all grew up to be professionals, so I give myself a pat on the back for bringing up four good kids.smile
I know in my last post I promised to show a pic of the prim stuff I bought at the country store, I'll have to do that maybe Friday until then I'll be watching these two and going to socker practise the next three days, I'm watching them at my daughters home and I sure do miss my DH, he stopped down yesterday and brought Buster so I did get to see him for a little bit.
Well, I'm off to read some of my favorite blogs while Samantha is playing by me while I type this, I don't know how you young sahm's do your blogs but believe me my hat is off to you. Bless you!

~Things I've Made~

I thought I would share some prim stuff that I have made and just love and kept.... considering all the garage sales I've had!!! The first is a prarie doll I made back about 12 years ago when I think it wasn't very popular to make them so prim looking, I can't even remember where I got the pattern, I think it was in a magazine for free. I made her out of muslin then stained her with stain that you would use for wood, her face is pencil drawn on and her hair is lambs wool stiched on with black DMC floss. ( Sorry...I tried to tag the items in this picture but it just wouldn't work for me) Her dress was from a fat quater that I had picked up at Jo Ann Fabric which I tea dyed, didn't even know back then of coffee dyeing, it was a creme backround with blue stripes. She turned out so prim and she feels like she is made out of leather because of the stain! She has moved with me at least 4 times I'd never get rid of her, she is just always around and very versitale when decorating because she goes in any room I have her in.
On the mantel I have a sampler that I made my second grandaughter Alexandra, her name is at the bottom of it, I've made all 3 of my grandaughters a sampler so they will have something of me when I'm not around anymore. This one here I mounted with rusty nails that I found in my hubs garage and mounted onto a breadboard that I found at a yard sale. Turned out neat I think and I'm sure somehow , someway it will be passed down thur the years!
Also on the mantel is a small, black framed one to the left of the breadboard, it is sitting on a little black bench. It has an old ticking backround with the words Prim Blessings stitched on it.
I guess what I'm trying to convince myself is if I really like and want something enough I should just make it, it would save me some $$$ and I could be creative at the same time. I believe that until I come upon a country store and see all the neat things in there then I just can't resist.sigh Like yesterday.......went to Barbera's Country store and walked out of there with some prim things, I'll take pics and show you them soon.

~Home Sweet Home~

Hi everyone....come on in! I've enjoyed Leslie's post "My Country Home and Katy's "Country Blossom" so much that I decided to join in on what makes our homes a sanctuary.
At one time in my life I had four little ones running around, 11, 9, 5, and a 10lb. newborn. I was just to busy what with all I had to do as a sahm, cooking, cleaning and the laundry to be a perfectionest, it wasn't until they were all grown and gone that I became one. Oh the joy I would feel when I opened my kitchen cabinet and see pretty blue dishes and blue matching glasses even had matching tea towels! Vacuming the carpet and hours later still see the marks that the sweeper made. Then I met Stush and married him after being on my own for about ten years, I moved into his home and I know I probably drove him nuts.LOL Until one day I really had to take a look at myself and remember that the only one perfect is God, not me or anyone else. I've really relaxed about my home since that day, sure I still like it clean but I don't get upset anymore when he tracks dirt in from the garage after all it only takes a few seconds to clean it up. I'd rather have laughter in my home then tension....
I have to watch what fragrances in candles I buy because certain ones make me sick at my stomach, so far I've found that the Yankee candles agree with me but haven't tried the the flowery ones yet. Right now I have a Macintosh tart in my punched, tin, star tart warmer and it smells so good. My favorite Yankee candle is Macintosh Peach it smells so good too but they didn't have it at the Hallmark store .
I love to decorate, right now DH is painting the bedroom and I have to make supper so I'll talk to you again soon, why don't you think about how you make your home a sanctuary I bet you will be surprised at all the things you do to make it so comfy and prim.

~Sunday Fleamarket~

Hi everyone, it's a beautiful morning here in Pennsylvania, the sun is out and it just says "Spring"! Sunday was nice too but a little chilly the morning I went, I've been going to this one fleamarket for about 20 years and always manage to find something. I love driving there too because it's all country along the way and in the summer there is usually yard sales along the road which I try to stop at as many as I can and not spend all my cash before I even get to the fleamarket.LOL
The fleamarket was in full swing by the time I got there but not as many outside that I thought there would be, they have a large building full of people selling fruit and vegetables, books, baked goods and my favorite the man that sells pepperoni and pizzas! I always buy a pizza for my youngest he had been going to the fleamarket with me since he was 3 or 4 (now 28) and he loves those pizzas. I found a parking space real quick and proceded to the first table it always seems like I'm contending with other women when I get out of my car, everyone's walking real fast to get there and get the neat "stuff"first.LOL Well, they got there first this time because I'm limping from a knee injury, which I have to get scoped on the 25th, my first find was something I've always wanted a reproduction candle mold for only $2.00 so neat and it is now on my mantel.
I found a table that had old photos, I love looking thur these long lost relatives especially the baby ones. I came across this picture of three ladies and a man, the women all have bonnets on and the man a hat and they look like they are sitting and leaning against a split rail fence. On the back of the picture it says " Lottie Wise & friends " I was disappointed that there wasn't a date, why wouldn't Lottie put the date? I paid $3.00 for it. I picked up a blue ball jar for $3.00 also, I'm starting to collect them again. I think the neatest thing I found though was this glass door hanging cupboard, I stopped and looked at it thinking I could paint it black and distess it but thought "Oh, he probably wants at least $15.00 for it" so I started to walk away when I stopped and thought "No..... it will be gone when I come back" I asked him how much and when he said $5.00 I snatched it up!!!LoL I will be painting it black and I think I'll put the photo inside on the shelf.
All in all it was a good day, I thought I'd treat myself since the next day was my birthday! We celebrated Saturday by going to the "Habachi" a Japanese resturant in McMurry. All my kids wore there except Chris, he had to work and my "little girls" . Today is my DH' s birthday and I have already made him a cake this morning.
What a great weekend it was, weather was good, food was good!!! Oh, and also a special gift from my bestest friend, Lori, she sent me a book that I have wanted for a long time "Of Hearth and Home" by Judy Condon, it is just full of prim pictures. You can only buy this book from her and I know she sells them on ebay and you can reach her on her website marshhomestead@comcast.net I hope she doesn't mind this plug about her book LoL but I think it is just wonderful and plan on getting her 1st and 2nd one too!
Have a great day and I hope it is sunny where you are too.

~Idea from Country Sampler~

I got this idea from the Country Sampler special issue on page 48, of course my chair is slipcovered and not near as nice as the one in the magazine but I thought it would be fun to try and it only took a few minutes. I took some homespun and tucked it all around the cushion, the slipcover hampered me a little by not being able to really tuck it in tight but I think it turned out neat. Now this chair is in a room that I call the Keeping Room, my husband even calls it that now... LOL and no ones sits in it so it doesn't get all messed up like it would if you sat there all the time, changed the look of the room too and gave it "spring" look that all we prim lovers are looking for this time of year. Let me know how you like it okay? Oh, the pillow, I couldn't resist, I bought at my favorite store in Belle Vernon "The Country Store", the words Old Crow are stamped on a piece of khakie, I think I spelled that right, and the crow and red star are felt, just a neat prim pillow. I hope you all had a great weekend, I know I did and I'll tell you why tomorrow!

~Easter Show~

Everyone was here for Easter dinner and my grandaughters decided to put on a show for us. They had got into my stepdaughter Jennifer's dance customes, amazing what getups they came up with.LOL They danced for us and had a good old time, they are l to r: Samantha 3, Alex 4 and Sydney 6. When I was younger I never ever thought I'd like being a grandmother but boy have they changed my mind.smile The oldest Sydney, was born a week before my mom passed away and she has a little place in my heart because she helped heal the hurt.
I was going to post about a makeover I did but when I went to take a picture the batteries went in my camara so I have to wait for my son Chris to get them for me. He's a manager at Best Buy and always picks me up things I need.
I'm also cleaning my bedroom, taking out the winter clothes and putting them in plastic containers then bringing out the spring and summer clothes. I dislike doing this but I know it needs done, I'm also moving my bed, I'm angleing it in the corner just want more room in there.
Well, I better get going..... that bedroom needs to get finished and I know no one else will do it but me!!!

~Creative Day~

Yesterday I wanted to do something creative but I knew it had to be easy so as not to discourage me. I decided to paint (which I haven't did in a long time) when my eye focused in on a little, yellow pot of daffadills that I have on my kitchen windowsill I can't remember if I bought at Jo Ann Fabric or the Dollar Store, I bring it out every spring. As you can see on the one picture ....so sorry they aren't in order....it is a bright yellow and it just doesn't go with the colors in my kitchen so I needed to prim it up.LOL I took Lamp Black and painted it, let dry then took mustard paint and sponged some on, after it dryed I knew the mustard paint was also to bright, ( reminded me of a Steeler football item) then I remembered I had some Brunt Sienna and applied that to tone it down. I think it turned out really good and looks much better then the original, don't you? By the way the finished pot is the top picture, I promise to get the hang of posting pictures one day, It didn't take me anytime to do and made me feel like I accomplished something.... in other words it made me feel good!
Tomorrow I'll post another easy makeover that I did which took all of a few minutes to do!!!