pinning words of faith, hope and love...

You know what the beauty of pinterest is?

...the vast amount of inspiration!

I am a novice to the whole pinning thing,

really the only thing I have figured out how to do is to repin

but that's o.k. for now because there is so much to oogle over at the pinterest site alone!

It really, really makes me want to  do all kinds of fun things to my house!

My favorite boards though, are the word boards... you know, quotes and clever sayings,

the kind that make me say awwwww and especially the ones that make me think.

A few nights ago I was reading all of the good ones that I came across to the family and Duane said we need to have some of those around the house. 

So today I obliged his request and wrote one of my favorite on the ENORMOUS chalkboard that Danielle helped me carry in from the barn.

This is chalkboard love people...

I found this chalkboard a couple of years ago thinking that I would sell it.

I can't.

really.

I love it too much.

It's got the best little wheel like gears that keep it stable,

Today I hung a metal cone full of chalk on the wheel.

I was told it came from a school nearby, I'm not sure about that, but who cares?

It is fabulous!

So when I started seeing all of the inspirational quotes that my family needed to read on a daily basis,

I decided to rescue this beauty from the barn.

You see, because of its size and the fact that this old victorian has more doors than walls

well, I just couldn't get it to fit.

Today I made it fit!

I am still trying to figure out the manual mode on the camera so please bear with me!

I hung a ruffle of burlap ribbon that I poked little lights through for a bit of the light that I

took away by covering up the door.

It is a door to the porch and only one of the 5, yes I said 5 doors in this room!

That wall alone has 2 doorways! 

We didn't use the door but I did take away a window.

You know what?

I don't care!

We can fill our minds and hearts with some of the best notes that we will leave eachother

on the chalkboard and look out the other door to see the sunshine!

I can't wait to add more sayings to my

"words to live by" pinterest board!

here are a few of my favorites...

Source: madesweet.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Source: makingitlovely.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Do you remember this song?

My mom used to sing this to us when I was little. 

 I have to tell you that as I read it and sang it and heard her voice I missed her more than ever.

you would have loved her...

Source: google.com.au via Theresa on Pinterest

Source: gardenofsimple.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Source: lovelife.typepad.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Do you pinterest?  Do you think it's the great time sucker upper that I'm pretty sure it could be?

I have to give myself time limits but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

pin away!

love,

Theresa xoxo

ducks, flowers, and the three musketeers hold a sale...

It has been quite an eventful Sunday here @ 612

Duane and I were starting out our morning with  a nice Sunday breakfast

outside on the dock table

and Duane stepped in the house for a minute when I heard a THUMP

and saw that  the cause of the noise was a momma Wood Duck

under the tree about 50 feet or so away.

That thump was followed by 5 more tiny thumps

as I watched in amazement her babies fall from the tree like acorns!

I ran in to get Duane and my camera and came out to find 8 more little ducklings had fallen out of the tree!

It was the craziest and sweetest sight!

I tried to get some quick pics but the momma wasn't impressed with  my paparazi like moves and led her little ones to the bank of the river in a hurry.

I came in and did a bit of research and found out that they are wood ducks and that wood ducks are one of the only ducks to nest in trees.  They live in the cavity of a tree that is near water. 

I am hoping that they make their way back up here so we can see them again.

Our river bank is not easily visible from the yard, but maybe we will go down and visit them soon.

I don't want to upset the momma though, she really didn't want anything to do with me.

can you imagine that ;-)

Then Max and his buddies (we call them the 3 Musketeers) threw together a yard sale and lemonade stand to sell off some of the "extras" in their ever growing stockpile of goods.

now tell me...

wouldn't you buy a weapon or teddy bear from these three?

They have quite a collection of 'extra' nerf guns

and then they threw in books and teddy bears for good measure!

They ended up selling lemonade but alas we are still stuck with the extra toys.

They had fun, it was a good little project and they said they would try  it again

if I put together a sale.

too cute.

I thought I would show you how things are growing around here...

a dear friend of mine made the barn bird house for me.

Thank you Gary! xoxo

I am going to make a confession here people...

I am not a gardener, I don't even play one on t.v. I have been lucky enough to grow certain plants, but the truth of the matter is that I don't know what they are.  Take this crazy, pretty and almost unkillable bright pink/purple lovely.  It will grow in rocks I swear.

A few years ago a friend was downsizing her garden and so was selling perrinials by the box.

You brought a shovel and a box and you could fill it for under $10.00!!!

That is how I got quite a few of the flowers for the garden but I can't tell you what they are.

really, don't ask cuz then I will just make up a name and you will never be able to find them at your nursery!

(o.k. just kidding)

I do not know what these yellow ones are either, can anybody out there clue me in?

They grow like crazy too and I have had to thin them out and I started new little gardens with them.

ahhhhh lavender...



Oh look, here comes Hannah's cat Babes...

and our faithful dog Jazz.

I am happy to report that the dresser garden seems to be flourishing!

One last, albeit blurry look at the momma duck just as she was headed down to the river.

Whew... what a Sunday!

love,

Theresa xoxo

so many muffins and not enough mooses...

this is the story of a girl  who, as you have been told, flies by the seat of her pants

 and usually that leads to the whole

if you give a moose a muffin thing...

here's the scoop. poop.

(just thought I'd throw in a little saying that I say to the kids)

Yesterday I was minding my own business wiping God knows what off of the kitchen wall, when I thought

'do you really want to wipe these blue walls one more time without painting them white?'

"nope", I said.

so I finished wiping said walls and then headed down to the dungeon  basement and retrieved any paint

can with the color white, off white, country white, ivory, well you get the picture.

I then mixed every can in a bucket and gave it a good stir.

waa laa enough paint for the kitchen

and no need to get out of jammies

and no need to spend a dime.

(good thing too, cuz that dime has already been spent!)

I just love aprons, don't you? 

 The scale holds our banana supply... as you can see the monkeys have been hungry!

the fruit bowl is empty too... time for a trip to the farm market.

So now I needed new kitchen curtains.
Off to the stash of white material...

This morning as I was reaching into my bag for my good scissors, the ones I don't like to share with the kids because you never know what they will cut up with them, I found some of the fabric circles I made last week to make some new flowers with.

Carol over @ The Polka Dot Closet shared this tutorial for these and well

they are swoon worthy.

Thank you Carol!!!


I had made the melted flowers before but well these just were too pretty to pass up.

You know where this is going, right?

I got a bit distracted, and well if I could cover the whole window with these then I could tell you that I made the curtains.

but I made flowers instead!

Then I checked my etsy to see that I have a couple of new flower orders for the big fluffy ones so I am still in flower mode and not yet curtain mode.

In the mean time, because I painted the walls things needed to be rearranged.

Less stuff going back in... you're welcome Babe.

ofcourse the soldering tool box had to stay, you never know when I'm going to be inspired!

here's a first... I'm taking pics of my trash can for you now!!!
We've had this for a while now, but I don't think I've ever shown it to you.
gotta love a giant crock. I made the lid for it by cutting a circle out of some scrap wood and then painted it black and put a metal handle on it.
waa laa.

scaling back. more white, a bit of grey...

thank you JDA.

simple living.

ahhh that's better.

let me tell you, with me around, those moose have no worries about their muffin supply!!!

Who knows what I'll come up with tomorrow when I attempt once more to make the curtains!

Thanks for stopping by!

love,
Theresa xoxo

linking up to:

White Wednesday

Transformation Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

summer and the livin is easy...

oh picnik... where have you been all my life?

enjoy your day!

love,

Theresa xoxo

my secret hideaway...

this is our little side porch, not that it is hidden from all of the outside world, but generally speaking nobody really pays that much attention to it and so I can sit here unnoticed.

 why do I want to go unnoticed you ask?

because this is the perfect place for an early cup of coffee, or a evening retreat.

in my jammies.

you know when you live in town it's kinda frowned upon to be outside in your jammies.

I'll let you in on a secret, I'm in them right now as I write this post!

Ofcourse they are not ooh la la jammies,

no. they are a pair of Duanes flannel bottoms and a Michigan hoodie.

sexy, yes?

We are on the other porch with the curtains, so I am in the chair with the most curtain coverage and we both have our computers on our laps, him writing his school paper and me visiting with you.

He has 11 months to go until he is finished with his MBA.

WOO HOO!!

It has been a rough road but he is a determined guy and I am so proud of him for going after it.

I know I couldn't wouldn't do it.

He is writing papers and studying constantly.

really.

no, I mean it.

I don't have that kind of attention span.

really.

no, I mean it.

If I was writing a paper like the accounting paper he wrote this week, my head my explode.

So I let him do that and I wrapped our chandy cord in burlap.

wanna see?

Plus I did the tedious task of cleaning all of the crystals with vinegar.

bugs are gross.

Why do they want to reside in my chandelier?

I didn't start out the day with the idea that I was going to make a new cord cover for it.

Then 2 of the lights blew, when you add those to the two that had already blown well, I needed to change some light bulbs.  As I was changing the light bulbs I was appalled at how dirty the light actually was.

I should be ashamed to tell you this, but I trust that we will still be friends even if my chandy is gross.

I digress...

As I was cleaning the light with vinegar, I took a closer inspection of the cord cover that I made about 5 years ago.

gross.

What to do?

give it a new look!

I used the burlap ribbon from Michaels that I had gotten a while back for a different project that right now, I cannot exactly remember what it was.
 I started at the top and safety pinned

(yes I really used a safety pin... I was in a creative hurry what can I say)

a corner of the ribbon to the top chain and then went round and round the chain.

Then at the bottom,

are you ready for this?

I put a dab of hot glue on the ribbon to hold it in place.

I did mention the creative hurry I was in right?

Plus I needed to know that I would like it.

GASP!

How could I question the very thought of not liking burlap?

...still friends now?  :)

As promised here is the new candle for the back patio

the match to it is hanging as the light for the curtained porch and I have thought that this one would look cool somewhere in the house but not having found the right spot in 6 years I decided it needed to be used outside.

I glued tiny tart pans to the candle (light)  holders because although short taper candles fit, they weren't getting enough oxygen to stay lit.  So the tart pans hold little votives. fabulous!

It looks so sweet out back.

Glad I saved it.

Do you hear me Hoarders Annoymous?

I saved it and then I used it!!!

(sorry I had to get that out of my system)

it hangs right next to the comfy couch.

yet another secret hideaway!

Thanks for the visit!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking up with:

White Wednesday

Wow us Wednesday

Link Party @ Tea Rose Home

Tranformation Thursday

Open House Party

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Show and Tell Friday

p.s. Is blogger just messing with me or is it driving all of you crazy too?

It has removed my entire sidebar!  Everything but my posts is missing, maybe I should just be happy the posts are still there and that I can keep up with you through my dashboard.

smile on the face.

eenie meenie minie moe ~ pick a subject and away we go....

My post today will reflect the way my brain is working...

a million thoughts and no end in sight!

thought #1

first of all here is that dresser garden I told you about ~

would I do it again? yes.

 would I do it differently? yes.



what I learned...

1. do not try to paint wood with a veneer and then fill it with dirt and water.

it will buckle, ugh.

2. make sure it is level BEFORE you put the dirt in it. ugh.

3. edit, edit, edit.

You know how it goes, way too excited to make a real plan.

I mean that's the way it goes for me,

not implying that you all are flying by the seat of your pants too,

but please humor me and tell me that you do!

As I looked at the dresser all by itself against the barn,

I thought to myself...

too lonely.

So I put a piece of wood on top and planted the tomatoes and basil in different containers

and put them on top.

It still looked lonely

so I added the planters with the blueberry bushes that I managed not to kill last year.

The wheel barrow is full of hens and chicks and

I can't remember that spring flower that you see in there. 

It was planted by birds.

gotta love our birds. :)

and ofcourse it needed a chalkboard with instructions!

So here is the low down on the dresser.

You only plant in the front and you put a false back on the drawers so that you don't fill it all the way with dirt... that way it's a little lighter.

Not much fits in there, so that is why only the lettuce and a mint plant and one cinnamon basil is in there.

oh yeah, and some marigolds to help keep the critters out.

we really need to paint our barn.

now I went and put a garden in the way...

think that was an accident?

subconciously...

 yes.

thought # 2

a while back I won a giveaway from Linda over at Itsy Bits and Pieces.  Novica let me choose an item from the vast amount of goodies they carry.  I picked this gorgeous hand beaded necklace and I just love it.

Then I won Z's giveaway over at Old Grey Mare for a pair of Heather French earrings.

I chose the gold/green pair because I thought they would match the necklace.

I was right!

and may I say... they are beautiful! 



it is really hard to take a picture of yourself.

especially when you won earrings because you said you were a lobe model!

I had a reputation to live up to!  ;)

I mean there was no hair and make up artist in sight.

no one to fix me up and make me presentable but I had to show you these

and say

Thank You Linda and Suzan!!!

I love them so very much!

I wore them yesterday and my neighbor told me I looked sparkly!

sparkly is good!!!

thought #3

You need to see the art gallery in front of my house.

Hannah is the artist in residence...

love her queen bee!

Max made a ninja.

nope not just a ninja
a ninja zombie!

Yesterday all of the neighborhood kids got in on the art work, our sidewalk is full of beauty!

today it was just Boo and she left everyone who comes to our front door a special message.

too sweet.

So there you have it.

I am actually sparing you 999,997 of the thoughts running through my mind.

you can thank me now!!!

I do have a few things to show you next time,

I made a new cover (think burlap) for our dining room chandy chain, and I made a new candle for the patio, and I hung a bird cage planter from the pine tree,

whew.

see what I mean?

a million thoughts and no end in sight!

Thanks for stopping by!

love,

Theresa xoxo