CROWN GIVEAWAY!

Remember my post awhile back where I made these crowns out of peat pots?
Well...they have just been sitting around in my Etsy store so I decided to give
one away!

You could choose this aqua one...

or maybe white is more your style??

or you may be a pink foofy person...whatever your style there is one sure to please.

There are four ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post

2. Blog about it or put it on your blog sidebar and leave a separate comment

3. Add a link on facebook and a comment telling me you did so.

4. Become a new follower of my blog and leave a separate comment as well.

Entries will end August 4th and I will pick a winner on August 5th

{hubby and my 35th wedding anniversary!}

Enjoy and celebrate life!!

PLEASE NOTE: If these would happen to sell off my Etsy site before the
 giveaway ends, I will make the winner another one just as pretty as these 
are.  Thank you!

So stinkin' cute! {and signs for sale}

Can you say CUTE?????? My little granddaughter Keira captured by her daddy
or mommy. Not sure at this point which one because I swiped it off of facebook.
Grandparents have a right to do that you know! lol  I think I see a model in the
making!! :)

On another quick note it appears that Artisan fair that I was going to be in
is not going to happen after all so I am listing a few signs in my Etsy store.

My  mom is doing better each day. She is walking without the walker now
and is also fixing some light meals. My sister was here this past week and
we did some cleaning and helped cook along with anything else that
needed to be done. Please continue to pray that God will totally heal her
and that she will be dancing on the table soon!! ha!

One lonely little photo...

...that is all I have for you today and it was a challenge to get this one up. lol.

I have been making a few signs for the Artisan fair in August that I am going to
be in.  We put up a few new fences this year and a couple of them were a bit too
tall so we trimmed them off. Had to do something EASY and creative with the
wood so this is it so far.

Mom is doing well and my sister came up from PA to help out this week and that
is a huge blessing!! I must go and get busy again so until later...

Just a little grass fire

This is what happens when hubby sets fire to the trash and then goes back in the house
and watches TV.

It just wound it's way all over...here and there and everywhere.

Very thankful we have a hydrant close by or this could have had very different results.

yes we know we are in a drought, but we did get some rain...

I had spent most of the day at my parents house to sit with my mom while my dad ran a few
errands.  I left to come home about 5 pm and returned home to this mess.

I guess it shows how tired I was because even driving in the driveway I did not notice that the
yard was on fire!! I noticed smoke and thought *ahhh hubby finally burned the accumulated
trash*. I pulled into the garage and when I got out of the car to walk in the house I realized
it wasn't the trash but the yard! EEK!!  Hubby said there wasn't even the slightest breeze
when he lit it...things sure happen fast.

 So thankful I got home when I did or we may have been homeless today or at the least
lost our outbuildings. Dad and mom had told me I should stay for supper and help them
eat their food that others have brought in for them {or dinner depending on where
 you are from}, but I just wanted to get this tired body home and I am so thankful I did.

{mom came home Friday and is doing well, but please continue to pray. Thank you
so much for all your good wishes and prayers. I can't even begin to respond to each
of you individually}

It's been a long week...

We got home from the hospital Monday night and not very long afterwards

got a message to get back over to the hospital as they were going to transfer

my mom to Lutheran hospital in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. (1.5 hours away) and

possibly do surgery yet that night... so we hurried back and waited.

This weeks theme seems to be *waiting*...maybe God is trying to teach

us patience.  They eventually got her on her way, but in the meantime had

 told us that the surgery would not happen until the next day after all.

I don't know about you, but around here when it rains it pours!

Our car was having problems so hubby had driven it to work to

stop by the shop and find out what was wrong with it.

That meant that I had to wait until hubs got home to get back

over to the hospital before they loaded mom up for her 1.5 hour ride

to the hospital.  The next morning bright and early (5 ish am) dad

picked us both up and we headed to Lutheran confident that

mom would have her surgery and all would be right with the

world.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Unbeknownst to us God had other plans. We waited and waited and

waited some more. They finally got her down to pre-op where we

waited even longer. We were absolutely blown away when the doctors

nurse finally came in {after several hours of waiting} and told us that

there would be no surgery today because there had been a *brown out*

and the operating rooms were running on generator power.  Can you

believe it?? So back up to her room she goes. By now she is in severe

pain again and starving because of pain meds and food stopped for

surgery. So twice we thought the surgery was going to happen and

it didn't. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When we finally got home from the hospital that evening , I had to jump

 in the car again and hubby in his truck so we could drive another  half

 hour away and drop off the car at the shop to be fixed with an estimate

of $300.

Mom made it through the night {not without horrible pain though}

 and yesterday morning they whisked her off to pre-op at 10 am. 

The nurses were saying  operation at NOON...yes!!

Bear in mind that my mom had been flat on her back since early

 Saturday morning and when not drugged up still in a great deal of pain.

We waited...and waited...and waited some more.We took turns sitting

with her and it made for another very long day.

{shop called my cell while we were sitting there waiting and said estimate was

 revised to $700-$1000...not what I wanted to hear ,but what can you do}

 Finally about 3:40 pm they actually took her to surgery. {I am leaving out a

 lot of details or this would be a thousand page book!}

The surgery only took a little over an hour and the ER doc had told

 us horror stories of an 8 hour surgery and loss of blood ...too risky at

 her age etc. etc. so that was amazing in itself.  We finally were able to see

 her last night a couple hours post op and she was doing  well.  When she

 got back in her room, She said if she would have been able, she would

have gotten up and danced on the table! lol.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She is to come home today and I think it will take quite some time to

fully recover, but God is good!

I was so blessed to open the curtain to her pre-op room yesterday

to see my oldest son holding her hand and praying with her while

the tears rolled gently down her cheeks. I am so thankful to have

children that care and who serve our amazing God!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I called mom this morning and finally got ahold of her after many ,many tries.

I had to end up calling the nurses station and talking to her. Told her I had

tried and tried to call my moms room , but no one was answering. She said

she would go check and see why she was not answering her phone.

She soon came back on the line and said she would put my call through to

moms room.  Mom answered the phone and I told her I had tried to call several

 times and it just rang and rang. I just about died laughing when she said, "your dad

 and I heard a phone ringing several times and thought it was in another room".

She said it was setting right behind her and one of them even made a

comment about someone getting a lot of calls and not answering their

phone!!!!!  so so funny!!

It has been an exhausting week, but God is good! Please continue to pray

for her full recovery and thank you for all your thoughts and prayers thus

 far!!

Free stickers! {and update on mom}

Remember my sticker giveaway a few weeks ago? These are mine. I have 250 of these things so
I can just about paper the walls with them if I choose to. They are the size of a business card.
I love how they turned out.

Update on my mom:

The doctor was in to see her this morning with the results of the MRI. If she wants any
kind of life at all there is no choice , but to have surgery.  She has a herniated disc.
This is how he explained it to her:

Take a bunch of blocks and stack them up with a washer in between each one.
Then wrap tape around them. For a bulging disc the washer bulges out, with
a herniated disc the tape blows!  Great word picture! Please keep praying.
Not sure when surgery will be and it more than likely be in Ft. Wayne,
Indiana. God has already answered prayer letting her have a good day
yesterday and so far today. I am constantly amazed at His goodness!!

I pleaded with God today...{update}

to take away  my mothers pain...

to bring healing to her body...

peace to her mind...

and comfort through it all.



She has served You faithfully

throughout her whole life

with her whole heart.

She loves You so very much

and she puts her trust in You

so please God...


EMS was called early this morning to take my lovely mother to the hospital
because of unbearable pain from sciatica. She is home now and is taking very
potent drugs to ease the unbearable pain. They say it is too risky to operate.
Probably caused from a bulging/herniated disc in her spine.

Today was her grandsons wedding...my sisters baby of the family
 and she so wanted to be there.
{him and his fiance are pictured above with mom and dad}

I think there is a reason why our car had problems and we decided not
to go to PA for the wedding or we would not have been here for mom and
 dad today when they needed us. God works in mysterious ways and
I know His ways are always best...but I am still pleading with Him.
Would you please pray with me?

UPDATE{sunday morning}: the EMS was called again last night to
 transport my mom back to the hospital because of so much pain. 
Please pray that God will give the doctors wisdom. Thank you so 
much for all your prayers!! It means so much to me and our family!!

The beauty of aged silver

I don't know about you ,but I am in love with aged silver and have been for quite
some time. Shh...don't tell hubby because he might get a tad jealous. :)

I took my bff out for her birthday lunch yesterday and while in a local town
I picked up these gorgeous spoons at a new little store that we found called
The Bees Knees.
50 cents each or 3 for $1.00!! I was instantly smitten and started digging through
the pile. I almost yelled when I found three spoons with crowns on them.
Can you say L.O.V.E. ??? 

I often wonder what stories they could tell us? Wouldn't it be amazing to be able
to look into the past and see how and where these were used?

So much beauty...yes I picked out the neatest ones. :)

Do you love old silver as much as I do?

I think I just may have to go back soon and dig around some more!

Have a beautiful weekend ahead and go out and celebrate life!!

Fun white finds and creations

It has been awhile since I posted some of my finds so I wanted to share them with you today.

I am still in love with vintage clock faces and almost anything that has numbers on it. I
 found this vintage french white dial in Leslie's french booth at an antique mall up by
where my daughter lives. Off of a phone possibly?? I also purchased the black clock 
face there as well.

Quite the frame...don't you agree? I think it is cast iron. I will figure out something to
do with it soon. I already have some ideas. 50 cents at the Goodwill. Best buy in
a long time at that store. They are usually very picked over.

I found this white shelf at an antique mall for a great price. I have been looking for a
vintage shelf for just the right spot.  This one will not work there , but I couldn't pass it
up! I will figure out where to put it soon!  lol

I snatched these vintage white pots right up when I saw them. I love anything that
has to do with gardening and especially when the item is white. :)

I have been working on some items for the Artisan Fair that I will be in when August rolls around.
I found a very large stash of these heavy duty blank cards at the Goodwill also and I am having
fun rubber stamping images onto them.

I have also used some of them to wrap with vintage lace to sell as well.

I always love to  embellish candles and have been making a few of these for the sale.

Now, I realize the above candles are not white, but wanted to share them anyways.
I found them at Target on clearance. These are the only two I could find and I went
 to several Targets in search for more, but alas...none to be found.

I just HAD to show you my beautiful white impatiens hanging in a basket on my
new fence outside the back door. They are doing wonderful this year. 

Happy White Wednesday to each and every one of you who take the time to visit me.
{I know I am rather early for that this week *smile*}
I can't always reciprocate, but I try to visit as often as I can.
Celebrate life!!

The book that started it all and the SURPRISE!

This is the book that started it all. When I saw this in the store, I came home and ordered one online
 {much cheaper that way} and the planning began.

Just a little heads up...these photos are all out of order. Blogger has been giving me fits
so it is what it is today.

After all the festivities grandpa made cotton candy and my youngest son made snow cones.
Like I said in an earlier post we sure sugared up the kids!! :)

At the end of the party we let the guys join us too!! Maybe they could have been elves ? lol

Did I tell you our neighbors stopped by the night before and asked us if we needed more tents?
They thought we were having a wedding! :)

Remember in an earlier post I told you we had a huge surprise right as the fairy party ended?? I
think some fairy flitting about must have told the ice cream man that there was a party on this road.

We could NOT believe it when we were sitting around outside, heard music and here comes
 the ice cream truck!! You have to understand we live in the boonies and we haven't seen one
 in years. It was such a perfect end to a fairy party and grandpa paid so that was even
 better. *smile*

Ainsley sure enjoyed her ice cream. We took her outfit off a little too late, but I
went in the house and ran it under water and thankfully it came right out in a jiffy.

Not the best photo with all the sun and shadows, but Keira loves her jewels. :)

Did I show this photo before? Oh my...I am thinking that I did. I am losing track of what I posed and what
I didn't. lol. 

The night BEFORE the party after I had it all set up and had to take it down because of an impending
storm.

If I knew how to edit myself out I would have , but I don't possess those skills. ha! I look like
I have been drug through a knothole backwards, but I did want you to see all the others. It
was hard work running around after all those fairies trying to get phots. At one point I told my
daughter-in-law that I couldn't keep up and she said, "I know we need wings too"...:)

FUN, FUN day that ended all too soon, but wonderful memories were made!!
{Check out my previous three posts if you haven't already}