Miscellany

There are times when I don't have a lot to say. Marvelous, isn't it?! Anyway, today I thought I'd just share a thing or two and get back to the house work and garden and let you enjoy NOT listening to me so much!

Looking through some clothing catalogs recently I realized the T-shirt is now becoming somewhat dressed and jazzed up a bit. So I took this plain black one and added some black with roses fabric I ruffled and sewed it on. Has anyone else noticed the T's are not so drab and plain anymore? Some have lace and are pleated in front. Just a whole different look. So for me instead of buying a lot of new ones I'm just froufrou-ing up the old ones.

Aren't these decals lovely? I saw them and couldn't resist but now I'm deciding where to put them. They are 7 1/4" x 4 1/2". So where could they go nicely? Any suggestions?

A Huge Giveaway and Random Thoughts

Shelf Reliance is giving away a Harvest 72" food rotation system! Visit the Shelf Reliance blog here to enter. The Harvest 72" is valued at $459.99 and can hold up to 600 cans, making it perfect for a healthy food storage supply. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 26th, so hurry to the blog for your chance to win!

Ladies, this is a fantastic food storage system! I have some of their shelves but this is a huge one. Go enter now.
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Collage of my garden roses 6/2009

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I've been wondering why it is that the politicians are always sorry AFTER they get caught lying about their taxes or some other such lie (take your PICK, chicks!!). It's becoming prevalent in the country today. I don't think I've ever seen one of them admit it BEFORE it was discovered! That's not true sorrow as I know it. Being sorry is what you are before the cameras are in your face. Truly sad.
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At church a while back in our Relief Society, someone asked a question and "Big Mouth" here had to raise her haaaAAAAAaaanddd! I said I was truly a "happy chick" and a positive person and truly felt sorry for the women who don't take the time to get to know me. Yeah, yeah, I've said this before here on th' BLOG, but it was the first time I said it in a class of other women. They laughed. It wasn't funny; I was dead serious!
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And while I'm on a roll today, let's talk about the "parkers" in the parking lots. You know the ones I'm talking about. The monster trucks that could house the state of Wyoming in its cab! Yeah, those ones. And the people in the vans with a handicapped sticker. Okay, you might be handicapped but can't you park those vans properly?!?! Hmmmmm??? I came out the other day and could NOT get in my drivers side door unless the chain saw massacrer cut me in half!! I was there first, too. Puhleeeeeeze. Learn to park those things.
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I usually prepare our meals and just put it right on our plates instead of dirtying more dishes with serving bowls. (Hey, it's just the two of us now, ya know!) Anyway, I always give myself the bigger plate and Love Bunny the smaller one. I also give him bigger portions. BUT it looks even bigger on a smaller plate and he's never caught on. My portions look small on the large plate and he sometimes thinks he's got waaaay more than I have! It's so easy to fool a hubby. He needs to watch how much he eats is why I do this. *Wink*
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It's been years since we've watched a television commercial but I remember one from back in the 60s, 70s and even 80s. It's the one about laundry detergent or fabric softener—can't remember which one OR it might have been the same for both. Remember the woman who is making her bed and the sheets are clean and fresh and she is throwing them up in the air? They billow out and slowly come down on the mattress top all nice and pretty. That's a crock! I've tried that for years and even gave it a try the other day as I was remembering how beautiful it looked with those white sheets coming down so perfectly. Puhleeeeeeeze! It just doesn't happen. Besides I use all cotton sheets and they're wrinkled unless I take the time to iron them. (Secret: I've given that up so I can walk around the house in heels vacuuming! Yep, I'm the poster chick for that one! Hah!)
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"Hang loose" What exactly does that mean? Does it mean being sloppy in my attire with slovenly clothing? If so, I'm hangin' loose I suppose. Or does it mean to take situations not so seriously? I don't know for sure, but I'd bet one thing: none of those people who said "hang loose" ever had a daughter on a date with a guy on a Harley!
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Glammin' Up the Backyard for Pink Saturday

Thank you for visiting today. Be sure and visit Beverly at howsweetthesound for more participants in Pink Saturday.
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Our son and grandsons were here for a couple of days this past week. The 2 on the right are our grandsons, 20 and 11, and the young man on the left, 13, is a "sort of adopted" child. He takes him whenever he and his wife can because his mother isn't a good influence on him and he loves our son and boys. He is treated just like his sons in everything: trips, cruises, punishments and college when he is ready. His mother won't give him up because......well, just because. He is a sweetie though. Keith is doing much better but, of course, he will have to repeat the surgery on his leg that the gang injured when they beat him. He is very optimistic about everything though.

Here is hubs planting 2 grape plants for us. I suggested we use this metal arbor since the clematis' have all, but one, died. He transplanted the clematis. We'll have a lovely place to view from our patio door and have the grapes to eat. The arbor will definitely hold them.

I have looked at every garden and hardware store in town trying to find a window box I thought was pretty enough. There was nothing available and then "POOF" an epiphany! I had two french vintage wire window boxes in the house—one in the living room and one in the family room under the faux mantel. Another "duh" moment for me. *Sigh*.........

Anyway, out it came from the wall and I put it under the window in my office with the faux ferns (I can't grow any other kind). Then...........

We went out to Michaels and Joanns and found some lovely silk peonies and roses and I stuck them in there with the ferns. I absolutely love looking at it from the front of the house and I can see it out my window seat.

The peonies are really very pink. I took this picture just after a rain storm and it was a bit dark but you can see underneath how the water stayed out from the box a bit. (Notice the rock underneath in the above photo.)

Here are the other faux roses and dahlias I purchased today at Michaels and Joanns. They are truly lovely and 60% off!

While I was out there I snapped more photos of the new crop of roses in the rose garden. Aren't they lovely? I have finally succeeded in growing something!

Just absolutely stunning to me, chicks!

Have you ever seen anything as gorgeous as a rose except for a newborn baby? I think not!

Ooooh, I almost forgot to mention th' thumb! This is what happens when hubby and son take me and grandsons target practice at the local shooting range and they neglect to tell me my thumb is in the wrong position on the semi-automatic handgun for the sliiiiIIIIiiiide (slide)! These are 2 Marines who know and taught Marines how to shoot but neglect to tell th' wife and mom. They're just lucky they weren't standing in front of me after I dropped the gun. *Sigh*........it hurts!!!!

And...........*sigh*........the fluorescent ear plugs you wear when shooting???? Well, I tried one pair and they fell out of my ears so I tried the 2nd pair and they got stuck in my ear! I tell ya, it was not a good day for me, bloggerettes. Thank goodness my son is a nurse. Hubs tried to get them out. I finally got the right one out and I couldn't hear out of my right ear. It was strange because it seemed that I could hear out of my right ear through my left ear. Then Keith tried pulling the left one out and he couldn't get a hold on it. He said, "Mom, why did you put them in so far?" I said that they kept falling out. He used his fingernails to grab the very edge and started pulling and boy, did it hurt. Felt like he was sucking my ear drums out! I had to tell him twice to stop as he was pulling. Well, I can hear out of the left ear but the right one is still plugged up badly. I can hear it trying to pop but I've been going around for 3 days "yawning" to pop it but so far nothing. I think I'll give up shooting.........unless it's a hubby and son! Target practice just could be hazardous to their health, ya know. :-)

Wordless Wednesday Signs of Spring

Il Est de Finition

We started out friday evening going out to dinner (nothing and I mean nothing interferes with my going to a restaurant!) and then picking up a trailer we borrowed from a friend to haul the stone for the gardens in our front yard. I thought I'd show you the stone at the nursery and how it contrasts to the other stone.

This is the trailer we used. It took two and a half yards of stone to cover these small garden beds. We both couldn't believe it took that much.

This is some other types we could pick from.

Here is the contrast with another stone next to it. See how pinkish it looks.


The one in the middle here is the one I first wanted because of the cheaper price tag. Then hubby said he liked the pinkish stone better and that it would look great in our yard. Squeeeeeeeeeallll.........I had no intention of arguing with him. He earns the money and I spend it and sometimes I let him spend it on things he wants. We're an equal partner marriage..........uuuuhhhhhhhhh, leaning heavily to my side.

My choice. Errrrr, his choice!! *Wink*
Let me say here and now that I would never ever make it as a hole digger or construction worker. I give them a lot of credit because it is a lot harder to dig a hole than it looks. I started out digging a spot for my rose bush and gave up after hitting wire. I can't imagine any part of construction in this house that would have required wire but here it is in this hole that I assume is trash dumped there during construction. Love Bunny had to take bolt cutters to it that night and then planted the bush for me. You'll see it later in the photos below.

This is where I got before I gave up.

My man can do anything............that I can't!

As you can see from the spots on the concrete it started raining just as we finished saturday afternoon.

I have plans for a window box under my office window.

Planning on putting some cone type baskets on the porch railing also. They'll be faux so I don't kill them by not watering. (Hubby's suggestion!)

This is my daughter's back yard in California. She's coming down this summer and is a garden-aholic. When she comes we plan on doing a similar thing with stone to our back yard. I can't wait!!!

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While down in California in May my daughter gave me this little TV and a security webcam to monitor our front door. Recently Love Bunny installed it in the corner of our front porch. It is really handier than the peephole we have now. I can see from my office who is at the front door without even leaving this chair. Handy dandy little gizmo and I love not having to answer my front door to strangers.

I tried it here in the window seat but couldn't see it very easily due to my JBL Creature speakers.

So I tried it here on top of the shelves but it was a tad too wide for it and a bit shaky.

I put it on the shelves on the other side of my office and it works well here. I can look up at a glance and see who is ringing my doorbell. Total cost: $30.18 for the receiver and the webcam was free. To purchase the cam would be about $45.00. A good deal all the way around I think, even if I had to purchase the cam. Very, very easily installed also.

I can also hear the audio in here so I have the soothing sounds of my front yard fountain and the wind chimes just by turning the volume up or I can have quiet by turning the sound on the little television off. BUT I can also hear if someone is talking while walking on the sidewalk or a car goes by. I keep it low volume.

I sure hope the neighbors don't talk about me! I don't want to know. ;-)