playing around...

I stumbled upon this pin today...

Source: clickitupanotch.com via Theresa on Pinterest

which led me to playing around with my camera again.

I haven't been very happy with the way my pictures have been turning out

and so this was a very welcome break in my organizing

and cleaning frenzy.

very welcome.

Thank you Courtney!

favorite fall boots. 

small gourds that I bought at the farmers market on Saturday.

wearing favorite fall boots.

 crazy growth on tree in front yard.

yes, you needed to see that.

I know that I just showed you this 2 posts ago,
but honestly didn't you need to see it

again in a much clearer version?

too early for a white turkey to make its appearance?

o.k. sorry for the dark photo, but there is no window anywhere near this bathroom wall
and I wanted to show you the wire heart that I made
when my brother Pat taught me how to weld.
WELD!
I was entrusted to hold a very hot and dangerous tool people!
that is a huge deal!!!

O.k... hopefully I will remember everything I learned today
and you will be seeing some better photos from me!

love,
Theresa xoxo

weekend update...

My weekend was full.

I spent many hours at my work table

o.k. working at the dining room table because my work table is too messy.

"honesty is always the best policy"

I just heard my mom whisper to me as I wrote that.

(is it really work if you love it so much?)

I hadn't made cuffs in a very long time, but I do love the process so it was a cuff fest @ 612!



All of the photo images are from Land of Nod Studio's

It's an amazing site for some free old photos,

I was especialy drawn to the altered children.

Thank you Deborah!

With the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I was feeling an even stronger than usual sense of patriotism. 

The monument is beautiful.

The stories so heartwrenching.

Our country's finest heroes brought to the light once more.

So because pumpkins are also on my mind and agenda

I came up with one made of ticking with a vintage image of school children transferred on a small flag.

There was also some shopping at the farmer's market....

plus ~  bike riding, grilling, a trip on our riverwalk.

and ofcourse lots and lots of this...

 

are they adorable or what?

I recently found this sign on Pinterest...

Source: flickr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

I really need this in my yard!
They convert from swords to light sabers at a moments notice!

I hope you had an eventful weekend as well.

love,

Theresa xoxo

Project Genesis...

This Project Genesis is a proud one for me...

Meet John...

He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Michigan.

His degree?

Environmental Science with a major in Food Systems.

What does that mean for our world?

It means we have someone who has put his heart and soul into finding a way to make sure our food is healthy.

His dream job will be to find ways to convince cities and the people who live in them to eat food 

that is grown locally and is a sustainable product.

 Could I be more proud of him?

 NO!

He is in this sea of humanity... waiting his turn to stand with his class to be told you are now a graduate of 

U of M...

He will be doing his internship in northern MI. and will be doing research at a Biocenter up there.

Before he moves to WA. to begin his next chapter.

Food is an important topic for John... he loves to eat.

But healthy food is a main ingredient in his diet.

He is a vegan.

He is serious about everyone eating food from their local farmers.

Organic food is a high priority for him.

He doesn't expect everyone to embrace the vegan life.

He just wants all of us to know exactly WHAT is in our food.

Do you read the labels?

Do you try to buy your groceries so that most of your food comes without a label?

These are questions he has asked me.

That is what he will be working toward for you and your family.

He wants to extend our lives by teaching us to care about what we put in our bellies.

He wants to preserve the small farming communities by having us buy our food right from them, not a middle man, not a huge company that dictates to the farmer how to grow our food so that it lasts longer on the shelf.

If your fruit rots after a week, although that would be a bit disappointing to have to throw it out,

it is supposed to rot.

Strawberries are red.

Bananas are yellow.

Tomatoes are red.

Wouldn't it be nice to find them that way at your local grocery store?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know that you and your community provided a way to keep a local farmer in his home, farming his own land just for you?

John said even if you want to eat meat mom, you should know where it was grown.

It doesn't have to be shipped across the country when we have farms right here in our area that can provide the meat for you.  Farms that will open the barn door and let you see your "future dinner" and know that the conditions that it lived in were good.

That it lived a healthy life, NOT a drug induced life, 

so that YOU can live a healthy life, NOT a drug induced life.

Can you imagine the pride a farmer would feel knowing that his family was able to provide the community where they live, wholesome produce?

Our farmers are no longer able to sustain themselves by growing a combination of crops.

They are providing large companies enough corn to make sure that it goes in everything we eat.

It must stop.

 You can see, I have a good teacher.

 Our diet is still not where he would like it to be but we are getting there.

One step at a time and I do pay attention.

Old habits die hard, but they will die.

Just today he was telling Hannah why buying a bottle of water was a waste of money.

He doesn't just stop at telling her that it's because it's really only tap water in a plastic bottle,

 he gives a lesson on how much energy goes into making that bottle and how much energy and pollution is created to bring that bottle to the store.  Only to end up in a landfill.

It is these conversations that he has had with us, that has convinced Hannah and I to become vegetarians.

We are still going strong, and loving it.

so I will take the lessons that he teaches me and do my part to feed this family well,

to stay informed and to know where our food comes from.

I will buy locally whenever I can.

So hurry up summer...

I need our farmers market to open!!!

He is as persuasive as he is handsome,

I wish I could put you all in a room with him for one of the best food lessons you will ever hear.

(since I can't I will do my best to pass along the lessons that he teaches me.)

CONGRATULATIONS JOHN!  

I love you so much. xoxoxoxoxoxxoox

I am linking up late, because I just came home from taking him back to his house in Ann Arbor.

but I didn't want to miss out on the chance to link up to Project Genesis over at Old Grey Mare

Thank you Z for this very important and inspiring party!

Thank you for reading my Proud Mom post!

Theresa xoxo

what else is in the treat bag for my birthday giveaway...

Thank you everyone for the sweet birthday wishes, you really know how to make a girl feel loved, I was smiling all day long!

Yesterday was such a nice day... Duane and I were able to spend most of the day together, pancakes for breakfast, YUM!  Then off to get some of the dinner groceries, which I know sounds really mundane for a birthday outing but it was actually pretty fun.  Our oldest son John surprised me and came home on Tuesday night, him and our oldest daughter, Danielle had it all planned out and she picked him up from the bus station after she got out of school.  This is an important part of the dinner story because now that I am a vegetarian I'm pretty sure Duane was kinda freaking out about making my dinner!  John has been a vegan now for about a year or more and a vegetarian for 4 years now and is a very good cook,  dinner was delicious!

See... if you have to go grocery shopping on your birthday, it should be a happy place!  This is our local fruit market, it's more of a farmers market owned by one family with beautiful flowers, gianormous wheels of cheese and special olives and a meat dept. and some really fabulous homemade pies and one of my favorite parts... the cheapest vegies and fruits in town!  But even better than that on special days (like my birthday) they have this guy...

playing the piano while you shop!  I know right? I mean they did that just for me!  How sweet was that?!!

 Duane was funny, he hadn't been there in a while and they have remodeled and added much of the specialty items since he shopped there and he was like a kid in a candy store, he actually tasted a couple of things, yeah, they were NOT having tastings... get the picture? I found him at one point in front of a huge bin of what looked like dried tobacco and he had convinced an elderly lady to taste the dried hibiscus leaves that they sold for tea!  I was cracking up!  Not only that but Duane talks to just about everyone when we are out (I have to confess, I am not far behind him in that dept.)  so yesterday, I think it was senior citizen day (NOT because it was my birthday)  I kept losing him and when I would find him he would be talking to some couple or other :) 

 I will tell you another confession... that used to drive me crazy, but yesterday, I found it endearing. sappy I know, just keeping it real:)

So we spent the day eating a yummy breakfast, talking, shopping at a healthfood store, that's a story for another day, going to the market and then home where everyone made me feel like a queen!

Duane and John made dinner, Hannah set the table, Cam washed the dishes, and Max and Danielle were the entertainment (they usually are ;)  It was  a wonderful day!  50 is really a beautiful thing!

O.k. I know that's not really why you are here ;)  let's get down to the nitty gritty... you want to see what is going into the treat bag today!

so without further adieu...

I am packing one of the soldered pendants that I showed you a little while ago.  It is a piece of a vintage hanky with a chandy crystal dangling from the bottom! 

along with this...

A burlap rosette.  You know how you just start making something and then you think, hmmmmmm what else can I make this with?  Well, that's how these came about!  I was making some rosettes for something and spotted my burlap ribbon and wondered how it would look as a rosette and waalaa, I love them!  I think it would look so pretty on a mirror, a spring wreath, a package for a special friend.... you can do what you want with it!

Todays treats are the pendant and the burlap rosette :)

If you missed yesterdays post then here is what these are going into...

This drop cloth ruffled tote with a crocheted butchers string strap and bakelite buckle!

So all you have to do to enter the giveaway is

* leave a comment on this post or yesterdays post or BOTH posts to really keep me smiling :) 

*become a follower if you aren't one already...

*and stay tuned for tomorrows treat!

Thank you again for all of the birthday love!

Theresa xoxo

I'm linking up to Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday

and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday