Quote of the Day

"Cultivate only the habits that you are willing should master you." ~ Elbert Hubbard

My Backyard

It's been awhile since my last blog. Our internet has been having issues. I'm becoming more aware of just how addicted I am to the internet. I guess it's just as well for now. There's so much to do around here and so little time. As you can see, my work is cut out for me today. I'm hoping to get the elderberries cleaned and turned into jelly and also, hoping to can up the tomatoes. We use a lot of canned tomatoes in the wintertime for soups. It seems like instead of checking my "to do" list off, it just keeps growing. Check out the sunflowers! I just love sunflowers. This is the first year that my sunflowers have really looked like sunflowers. Usually they're puny and stunted. I hope you all have a day full of sunshine.

Thought for Today

"You are what you think about all day long." Robert Schuller

From My Backyard

Pictures from my walk yesterday. As you can see, there's lots of harvesting to do. The elderberries are now ripe and so are the wild grapes. Jelly and wine....yumm.....

This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes

It's time once again to make up a batch of laundry detergent. I have discovered that this saves $$$$ and does a great job at cleaning the clothes. My husband works in grease and grime, so his clothes always put me to the test. But, this stuff works wonders every time. It smells oh so good while
simmering on the stove. It takes me back in time. Here's the recipe:
1 c. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 c. Borax
1/2 bar Fels Naptha
1 canner full of water.
I melt the Fels Naptha in the water. Add the dry powders and allow to simmer until mixture is bubbling. Then, I allow it to set for 24 hours before pouring it into bottles. It will have like a jello consistency to it.

Daily Thought

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
~ Author Unknown

Amazing Clouds

We've had several severe storms the last few days. At least we have a break from the heat. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Texas and Oklahoma whose had to endure temps of one hundred degrees most of the summer.
"Look unto the heavens and see and behold the clouds which are higher than thou." ~ Job 35:5

Thought of the Day

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle

Fresh From the Garden

I gathered some goodies from the garden this weekend. I'm disheartened because the garden has had an "off" year. I usually have a lot more produce than what I have had this summer. On a brighter note, I do have a lot of beautiful turnips. I've never been a big fan of turnips, but this year since I've been eating healthy, I decided to grow a little bit of everything. I'm looking for good turnip recipes. If you know of any, please e-mail me. I will post them on the blog. I also noticed that the elderberries are just about ready to be picked. I will have to keep my eye on them for the next few days. I love elderberry jelly. I am having great results with the gourds I planted. I think it's from the heat we've had that's made them flourish.

Paper Roses

This is another project that I started last week. I usually make my flowers from brown paper bags, but there was a tutorial in this month's Somerset Life magazine, using coffee filters. I just love all of the Stampington magazines! Sometimes when I seem to hit a wall in the creativity department, I just pull out my Stampington magazines and just start leafing through the pages. They are very inspirational!

Ominous Skies

Thankfully the rain that came through last night was just rain. The skies had an eerie look to them before the rain came in. We are very thankful for the rain. We've had a bit of a drought lately.

Brown Paper Bags

During my life without internet last week, I had extra time to do some crafting. I love working with paper. My medium is brown paper bags. Just a few projects that I set in motion. I've made a lot of things with brown paper bags in my lifetime.

New Pieces of Decor

Last summer my parents had a yard sale.  Dad saw me admiring his old toolbox, so he just gave it to me.  At the time, he couldn't figure out just what I was going to do with it.  He also threw in some old rake and shovel pieces.  I was pleased to show him that I put them to good use as I redecorated last week.  

Thought of the Day

Never let yesterday use up today. ~Richard H. Nelson

My Backyard

It's been awhile since I've last posted.  Our internet was down for almost two weeks.  During that time, I became more aware of just how addicted to the internet we are.  We went through IWS.  Internet Withdrawal Syndrome.  I have to say, I got lots more accomplished around the house in those two weeks than I usually do.  Here are a few pictures I took on my walk yesterday.