Kensington Cottage

Pinterest Monday #13

2012-02-06T11:39:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! I'm a little late with this today, but here are a few things I found on Pinterest while holding Little Monkey last week. My "want to try" list is now enormous!

First, this darling skirt from Simple Simon & Co. I know my Monkey would look darling in it. There is a full and great tutorial.

This next one is a unique quilt, that I would really love to make. I think it would be great as a throw or as a baby quilt. You can buy the pattern at kjrnet.

I love this scarf! It is so frilly and femminine. You can find the pattern at Redheart Yarns.

I want to try my hand at these little owls, but if it is beyond my abilities, then I am going to call on my MIL, she is great at these kinds of things! You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Last but not least, this is the quilt I want to make for Little Monkey's bedroom. I have a bunch of reproduction 1930's prints in a rainbow of colors. I am really, really looking forward to making this! I don't know where this one came from, othere than Pinterest, but there are instructions for this same quilt pattern all over the net.

I hope you all have a great week, later this week I will show you all some fun I had with leather scraps.

Melissa

Rag Quilt

2012-02-01T11:54:00.000-05:00

Well, this is a week later than I planned. Last week it was a sick kid that kept me from finishing, this week, it is my own sick kid that kept me from finishing. Let me tell you, there is nothing that makes you feel more helpless than when your child is very sick and you cannot do anything but call the doc in the middle of the night. Of course, then you find out that you are doing all you can, and the doc says to bring them in in the morning. I felt bad, after all it was 1:30 AM when I called, but I was glad in the end that I did. Anyhow, now that you know all my excuses, here is the quilt I made and promised to show you a week and a half ago.

I think I've mentioned a few times that I have two new nieces. For my newest niece, my sister requested that I make her a rag quilt. Lois (the middle sister) went through my stash and picked out some fabrics, then added to them with some of her own. The thing I love about a rag quilt, is that it is always so soft and cozy, it makes you want to curl up and enjoy the comfort.

I love how colorful this quilt is. Little Josephine will not lack for bright colorful patterns to help her little eyes grow strong!!

I love how it turned out! This is probably one of the easiest quilts to make, if you are interested in making one just Google Rag Quilts and you will find lots of different ways to make them. These are so great to snuggle with on a cold day. I made one for my Little Monkey and she still sleeps with it almost every night, it is still warm and cozy and "snuzzly" as she says.

Melissa

Pinterest Monday #12

2012-01-30T08:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome back to another edition of Pinterest Monday! Here are my picks.

First up is the this pretty painted foam mat from shannonberrey.com. My daughter would love this!! I can see painting this on a jute rug, or her playroom floor, so pretty!

I think these little owls from You Go Girl are so cute! I can totally see these on a mobile in a baby room.

I love the message on this pillow, its a reminder that I need! This is from Bleubird Vintage.

Last, I really love this apron! It looks so girly, and pretty. This is from Sew Liberated.

I hope you enjoyed these favorites!
Melissa

What Am I Striving To Be?

2012-01-24T06:38:00.004-05:00

Today's post is going to be a little out of my norm. I have a humorous story, some sad news, and some musings of mine. Bear with me!

from last week's ice/snow storm

First, last Monday my Great Aunt died. I was not particularly close to her, not because I didn't like her, or didn't want to know her, but because she had estranged herself from the family years ago. I found out that the viewing would be Friday night and decided to go to hopefully be an encouragement to my cousin and her son. We got there just as they were leaving, and spent a little time with the family. Afterward, I felt obligated to actually go in the viewing room. Now, let me take a moment here to tell you that I really dislike open caskets, and viewings. When this Aunts husband died I was 10 or 11 and my grandma made my sisters and I walk past and look at him. I do not remember my uncle alive only dead. (now you might be asking where my parents were when all this happened, they were in Maui for thier 15th anniversary. I don't begrudge them at all.) Anyway, back to my story. I asked Hubby to keep Little Monkey outside the room, I didn't think she needed to see a dead person she had never known. Well, my Little Monkey is a rather precoscious almost 4 year old. While Hubby was reading the guest book, and I was walking up to view the body, she poked her head around the corner and took a peek. I then heard her ask Hubby "why is that old lady laying in that fancy bed?" (do you know how hard it is not to laugh in a funeral home? It is so inappropriate to laugh!) Hubby stifled his laughter and gently told her that the "old lady" was mommies Aunt and that she had died. When people die they sometimes put them in fancy "beds" like that. Little Monkey looked again, nodded and said huh. Then she commented that my Aunt had lots of pretty flowers and that was the end of it, or so I thought.

After this, we were on our way to meet Hubby for dinner, when we had this conversation.

LM: Mommy I like that fancy bed the old lady was in.
Me: Thats good.
LM: Mommy how come they put her in a fancy bed?
Me: Because she died, and sometimes when you die they put you in a fancy bed, its called a coffin.
LM: How come she died?
Me: (I tried to explain death to her, but she's 4! after a couple unsuccessful tries here is what I said.)
You remember when your gold fish died?
LM: Yes, it died and we flushed it down the toilet. Oh, are they going to flush her down the toilet too?
Me: (again trying hard not to laugh!) No honey, they put dead people in the coffin then bury it in the ground in a cemetary.
LM: I see.
After that she changed the subject. I am always amazed at the toddler mind, it never fails to make me laugh. Hope you all got a chuckle out it as well. I did learn that LM is not at the point in life where death affects her.

So, on to my musings. With my aunt dying, I have heard lots of different people tell me what she was like, what they knew of her, etc. I remember her as the benevolent older aunt. She was the aunt who gave good birthday presents, or if she gave you money she gave you $40 instead of the $20 you might usually get. She invited me over one weekend, I was probably 14 or 15, and took me to her favorite mall, the Galleria in SoCal. She ended up taking me on a mini shopping spree. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed being with her. She also took care of my Great Grandma (her mother in law). She made sure she was in a good retirement home, and when the time came for further care she moved her into a very nice place, and paid for a fair amount of it as well. She took the time to visit grandma often, and have meals with her. Those are my memories, as a child and teenager.

Others remember someone very different. There were not a lot of nice things said about her. As I said earlier she had estranged herself from family and friends, she had let bitterness rule her life. She was even estranged from one of her daughters. This makes me very sad. It is sad to me that at the end of her life, when family should perhaps be most important, that she drove them away.

So, this has made me look at myself and ask myself some questions. If I were to die tomorrow, how would I be remembered? Would people be sorry to see me go, or would I be a footnote in the newspaper that was virtually ignored?

Will I be remembered as mean, cruel, harsh, a gossip, a fair weather friend, stingy, angry, bitter, jealous, a bad mom, an indifferent mom, a thorn in my husbands side,a complainer, (the list could go on)?

Or will I be remembered as kind, loving, a good mom, a good friend, a jewel in my husbands crown, giving, patient, respectful, joful, happy, couragous? Above all, will I be remembere as loving my God, and being a good testimony for Him?

That second list is what I want to be, what I attain to be. I am not perfect, and sadly at times I am more like the first list. But I am working towards becoming the woman God would have me be. I know I will fail, but I will continue to strive to be the woman He wants me to be. When I die I want to be remembered for good, I don't want to be remembered as a bitter woman who clung to my bitteness at the expense of my loved ones and friends.

I saw a quote on Pinterest the other day, it is so very true. "You are not your mistakes." Everyday is a fresh new day with no mistakes. If you mess up, you get another chance. I like that, I am so grateful and thankful to God that each day is new, and I have a chance to be a better wife/mother each day.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings, sometimes it just good to "get something down on paper".
Melissa

Pinterest Monday # 11

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to another new week! Here are my favorites from Pinterest.

I really love this Yard Stick Buffet redo by Corner House. This lady is so talented and has some awesome projects!!

Such a great idea! I see these old camera's at junk stores all the time, I think I just might have to try this one! This one comes from Instructables.

I love this scarf from Victorian Bird on etsy.com. This is a great idea for those scarves that are too short to knot or twist up.

This is a great idea for wrapping gifts for guys. I am always at loss as to how to wrap a guy gift and make it look nice, without buying wrapping paper. Plus, kids would have a blast making something like this! This idea comes from LEMONcake wardROBE.

I wish I could do these sparkle lights in Little Monkey's bedroom, she would love this!! However, I don't think Hubby would like it too well, and she would end up trying to play with them instead!

shine.yahoo.com

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites this week!!
Melissa

My Memories Giveaway at The Junk House!

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hi All!
Just wanted to let you all know about a great giveaway going on over at The Junk House! They are giving away My Memories Digital Scrapbooking software! I don't know about you, but I love to scrapbook, however I don't have the time anymore. This would be WAY faster, and I could still get that fun look. Hop on over and check out the giveaway!
Melissa

Date Salad Recipe

2012-01-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!! I hope your week is going great! Today I thought I would step out of my norm and share a recipe with you all. Now I cannot claim this one as mine, my friend A made this a few weeks ago for about 80 of us. She said she had it at a restraunt recently and loved it! I must admit, it is awesome!!

So, lets assemble our ingredients. I don't really have quantities, its just how ever much you want.
Green leaf and red romain lettuce, I chopped mine, its just quicker than tearing, but its your choice.
Then you'll want to chop up some cucumber, Zima tomatoes (in season now at your local Kroger and Sam's Club), fresh dates, and my own addition to this salad, green onion.

Toss all that on your bed of lettuce, then add some crumbled feta cheese, and pine nuts. Now, if you don't have pine nuts, cause they are kinda pricey, you can use salted sunflower seeds or even pecans.
Add a bit of Balsamic dressing, toss and enjoy!

Date Salad

Green leaf lettuce
Red Romain lettuce
green onion
Fresh Dates (btw, these have a seed in the middle, and yes they have to be refrigerated after opening)
Cucumber
Zima tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Pine nuts (or salted sunflower seeds)
Balsamic dressing

Ceci's Blasamic Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
fresh ground sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Mix all well and serve. This can be used with any type oil and vinegar, if you use a sweet vinegar you may want to use less honey.

Hope you all will try this, I promise it is great!! I also think a bit of bacon would be great on it too, but then bacon makes everything good right?
Melissa

Pinterest Monday #10

2012-01-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorites from Pinterest! Hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!

First up are these fabulous heels from wanelo.com. This would be a great way to hide scuffs on your favorite pair of shoes, and I just love the look the lace gives a plain pair of shoes!

I would really like to make this quilt!! It is so pretty, and I can see it in my family room!! I am going to order the insturctions and see if I have enough fabric. This comes from Busy Bee Quilting Designs.

Victory Garden

Love the simplicity of this Union Jack pillow from Sweet Tea and Linen.

I think of all the wreaths I have seen on the internet, this one is quite possibly my favorite. You would have to have a big wall to put it on, possibly a really tall one, but it is awesome! This comes from Hammers and High Heels. This is made from silver chargers, platters, and plates.

Now this wreath, is unusual. I don't like succulents as a rule, I know I'm weird. However, I love this wreath idea, and I just might have to see if I can give it a try. Maybe I have some friends who will let me cut thier plants up, then again, maybe not. :) Still its a great little wreath, I love that it will grow, and be beautiful year round. This is from Prudent Baby.

Well, that's all the inspiration I have for you today! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Melissa

Guest Bathroom Reveal

2012-01-13T08:41:00.002-05:00

A lot of the reason this project is done is because of Hubby. He decided to finish up a few things on the "honey do" list. He touched up paint, hung a mirror, and even cleaned up his mess, while I cleaned the rest of the house!

Now, if you tuned in on Wednesday, then you heard all about this shelf and its decor, I love it! I love how it combines vintage and antique with classy and kid friendly. That's what I was going for in this bathroom, I wanted something that looked classy, but was also kid friend cause this is Little Monkey's bathroom as well.

Wish the picture was better, but its a small room and it was hard to get a good pic of the mirror without it washing out.

Mirror detail, itsn't it awesome!!

This mirror came about when Hubby got the frame for $2 at an auction!! I loved the frame, all I did to it was put a clear coat of polyacrylic on it to keep the chippy paint from chipping off! We took it down to a local glass company and had the mirror beveled and installed. They did a great job. So, the final price on that was a little more than I was wanting to spend, I would have done without the beveling, but Hubby wanted it, our total was $82. Not terrible for a nice mirror.

The flower arrangement is still not a favorite of mine, but until I come up with something better it is staying.

This sign and the iron work above it came from Hobby Lobby, both 50% off, love that place!!!

I got the shower curtain at Target, and the hooks from a friends yard sale. They go perfectly with the handles on the faucet, so Hubby loves them!
That is our guest bathroom. I love how it turned out, and I will probably tweek a few things here and there at times, but over all, it is staying! Because of the mirror my total spent was a little more than planned, but its a great mirror, and when we checked at Lowe's, we would have spent about the same amount so I guess it was okay. My total for the bathroom $115, that includes the shower curtain, and hangers, shelf and decor, metal art from HL, and mirror, the rest of the decor I either had or it was given to me.
I hope you all have a great weekend! Next week I will have a quilt to show you, and some great inspiration from Pinterest of course!
Melissa

Linking to:
Frugal Fridays @ The Shabby Nest

A Numbered Shelf, Art, Decor, for Under $10

2012-01-11T06:09:00.001-05:00

This little project took a long time, not because it was hard, but because it kept being put on the back burner. However, Hubby and I finished it! It was fun, because we worked on it together, and we both love how it turned out.

I used DecoArt Acrylic paint, basic red and black. To get the red a little darker I added a few drops of black. After the paint, it got a couple coats of clear polyacrylic. Hubby added the hooks, some we had gotten ages ago on clearance from Lowe's, we paid about $.75 each. The shelf top is made of a scrap piece of sassafrass wood that was left over from building our house. That too got a clear coat of polyacrylic.

The clock is vintage, and funny enough has glow in the dark numbers! It also still works, as long as you keep winding it up. I paid $1 at a junk store, and got that clock and one other.

This bird art is something you have seen all over, particularly on Pinterest. I used an old book I had that was falling apart, a little Mod Podge, and then printed out a picture I like and traced it onto my page covered canvas. I also used DecoArt black acrylic paint on this. The M used to be hot pink, it also got a coat of paint, and I found it in the $1 section at Target, on clearance, for only $.50.

So, this little project cost less than $10! That is a cost I can live with! My Little Monkey loves this, she can hang up her towels on her own, and she can count the numbers.
Come back on Friday and I will show you the full bathroom reveal!
Melisa

Linking to:
Polly Want a Crafter Monday
Craft Catwalk @ Embellishing Life

Pinterest #9

2012-01-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

Welcome Back to Pinterest Mondays! Sorry for skipping out on you all for the last two weeks, I've been finishing projects, and doing a little relaxing, and some traveling. For today I have some fun Pinterest finds that I am thinking of using for my Little Monkey's room. Her room is ready for an update, from baby to little girl. Hope you enjoy!

First up is a hot air baloon. This is something my Little Monkey is crazy about, she has a hot air baloon shirt that is getting too small, but she refuses to give it up. I know she would love having a couple of these in her room!

http://www.momtastic.com/diy/171037-diy-hot-air-balloon-lantern

Next is a super cute pillow from Cluck Cluck Sew, let me just say that this lady is so awesome! She creates the best quilts, and projects. I am loving this Sprocket pillow for LM's room, her bed is going to have a nine patch quilt made out of 1930's vintage reproduction fabrics, so I think the pillow will go well!

http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2011/03/tutorial-sprocket-pillows.html

I think this little giraff could be a cute addition to the bed as well. This comes from Vogue, via Flamingo Toes.

Yet another super cute pillow, tho the pattern is a bit more complicated, so I am not sure I will attempt it.

http://www.everydayartbyeda.com/blog.html

Yet another great pillow, do you see a theme here? Little Monkey's bed needs something to spruce it up, and make it more feminine.

This room from ohdeedoh is one of my inspirations, such a cute girly room, and yet not baby, it something to grow into and easily update as the girls get older.

Here is another source of inspiration, this one from Houzz.

traditional kids design

One last pillow for you, this comes from Mandy Lynn Photography. I like the organic feel, from the linen, and the splash of color.

http://blog.mandylynne.com/?paged=5

I hope you all have enjoyed my inspiration! I am hoping to finish up a few projects this month, then start on Little Monkey's bedroom. Hopefully it won't take too long! I am really excited to start on her room, but I know if I do I won't finish the other stuff that is waiting.
Have a great week!
Melissa

Quilts.....

2011-12-23T06:18:00.001-05:00

I don't know that I have every mentioned it, but my mom is a quilter. Its kind of funny, growing up she made a lot of our clothing. She also sewed for weddings. Now, all she does is quilt, she actually doesn't like to sew clothing! Who knew? Anyhow, while I was visiting her I noticed that she had several quilts in the works, so snuck a few pictures! I know some are gifts, so I won't tell who they are for.

This first one is a wall hanging, oh, and since she already knows about it, this is for my sister's baby room.

All the fabrics are reproduction vintage prints, I love how they all come together! So cheery and colorful!

This quilt is going to be a baby blanket for a friend who had a little boy. This one is pieced and ready for quilting, but it has not been quilted yet.

This next one is still in the piecing process. It will be a nice throw for someone! Mom uses the back of a vinyl table cloth to help her lay out a quilt and see if she likes how it is fitting together.

This last quilt was made for my middle sister. This will be her crib quilt. I love all the vibrant colors, and Mom really did an awesome job on the quilting!!

A close up of the center fabric

The back

front

Well, I hope you enjoyed that little tour of projects from my Mom! She really does love to make quilts, she always has a few going and she has lots that she wants to make! I hope I get to show you some more sometime!
Melissa

On The Road Again.....

2011-12-21T07:22:00.000-05:00

I know, I dissapeared on you all again! Well I had a good reason!! A few weeks ago I found out there was a chance I might be able to see my parents for a brief weekend visit. All I had to do was find a ride to Oklahoma. Since I had two different friends who were driving their RV's out I was able to find a ride.

This was our ride! It was very comfortable. We had 11 people, 6 adults and 5 kids. I have to say I really enjoyed the drive, we were able to move around as needed, and the kids played well together. We took a northern route on the way out, I was able to see the Arch for the first time. I definitely would like to visit St. Louis sometime, it looks like a neat city! Once we got to Oklahoma, my Little Monkey and I jumped right into my mom's car and headed to Texas. Now, this was not the original plan, mom and dad were going to come to OK for a wedding and we would have the weekend together. Then my dad hurt his back and instead we went to Texas for 3 days. We spent Thursday with my family, and had a nice family dinner.

Friday I spent part of the day with my middle sister Lois and her kids shopping at Ikea. I really wish we had an Ikea closer than 1 1/2 hours away. There were so many things I "needed"!! I ended up buying curtains for Little Monkey's room, and an orange throw for my living room.

Of course, after all that we HAD to go to here for lunch.

Now if you have never been to In-n-Out before you wouldn't understand the craze. I grew up in SoCal where In-n-Out is a staple. They have great burgers and fries, and awesome shakes! We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch!

Saturday we spent the day at the Ft Worth Science Museum with my youngest sister and her family. It was so much fun!! I really, really enjoyed the visit. It is great for kids, there is so much hands on! Here are a few pictures of the time.

This is a display of all the cattle brands in Texas. They hang from the ceiling, its pretty awesome!

Antique quilt made by Florida Lewis in the mid 1800's

Child sized grocery store where the kids can shop and scan items. Great fun for them!! They also had a nursery with an ambulance, computers, a trolley car, and so much more that the kids could touch and play with.

Sunday morning we got up early, and left by 10 for Oklahoma again. This time my youngest sister April and her husband took us back. We had about 2 hours to visit in OK and then it was back in the motor home for us! We got home Monday night. It was a great trip, I would totally do it again! We spent a lot of time in a vehicle, but at least we got to see my whole family. It had been a year since I last saw my dad and youngest sister, so even though he wasn't feeling well, it was good to spend time with him. I also finally got to meet my little niece, and after today I will have one more! I wish I could have stayed to meet her, but such is life!!

I hope you all had a great week!
Melissa

Pinterest Monday #8

2011-12-12T06:27:00.000-05:00

I hope your weekend was as enjoyable and relaxing as mine! Friday night we had about 35 ladies and kids at our house for some visiting, snacking, and fun! I really enjoyed having everyone and hope I can do it again sometime! Saturday we ended up spending part of the day with Hubby's younger sister and her family, something we hadn't done in a while. Sunday, well, Little Monkey and I did something we have never done! We stayed in our warm jammies till noon! We relaxed, and I did some sewing. It was a very nice day! So, on to my favorites from Pinterest!

I really love this! It would be so adorable in a boys bedroom!! Too bad I don't have any boys. This comes from etsy.com via Pinterest.

This next one is definitely something I need in my family room, it would be so perfect! This comes from http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/theoldlampshed/product/vintage-map-handmade-lampshade-large via Pinterest.

This quilt from The Secret Life of Mrs Meatloaf is gorgeous!!

This came from askashe on Pinterest. I think that often in this world of ours we think someone doesn't love us because they don't act the way we think they should, or they don't do the things we want them to, or say what we think should be said. Its good to remember that love is not about you. Its about someone else loving you, the way they can love you, not the way you think they should. Remember Love suffers long, and is kind, Love envies not, is not conceited, Love thinks no evil, Love rejoices in truth, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes and endures all things, Love never fails. If we strive to live this daily in our lives, there would be a lot less broken homes, and a lot more happy people.

I hope you all have a great week!
Melissa

Farmer's Market and Dusty Nettles..

2011-12-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a great weekend! I sure did!! Saturday I spent the day selling wares at the local farmers market! It was a lot of fun and I met a great lady who I am going to introduce you to shortly!

There were about 10 vendors at the Orange County Farmer's Market. We had trees, and greenery, fresh baked yeast breads, quick breads and muffins, jams and jellies, pickles, potatoes, squash, eggs, wreaths, alpaca yarns and scarves, pillows, paintings, and more! I brought my flower hair clip/pins and headbands as well as some vintage items and tools Hubby wanted to sell. Here is a picture of my two tables.

I did pretty good for the day, and I will probably go back again in the spring. The market is open year round, in the winter time they move inside the old train depot.

I met another vendor Saturday, her name is Maria Pace. She also has a blog and an etsy store! I have to say I really enjoyed talking with her, she was so bubbly and happy. Maria is a watercolorist, and she turns her watercolors into fabric using Spoonflower. She then makes pillows and blankets, and other things out of the fabric. She has some really beautiful designs! Here are a few pictures.

I got this picture from Maria's blog! This is what it looked like early in the morning, my pictures are at the end of the day.

Marie's newest watercolor, turned beautiful fabric!

Here is a photo of a recently sold place mat that Maria had for sale in her etsy store, I LOVE it!

Last but not least, here is a link to Maria's Spoonflower page. I hope you will stop in and visit and tell her I sent you!
Melissa

Pinterest Monday #7

2011-12-05T07:20:00.000-05:00

Today is all about maps. If you've been hanging around here for very long, you might have figured out that I LOVE all things maps. So, here are some favorites from Pinterest.

A flower made of maps, love it! Wish I could figure out where to use it. This is from etsy.com.

This is just, well all things maps! Love it! This comes from psimadethis.com.

Have you taken the vacation of a lifetime recently? Want to memorialize it in some way? Well bluemossgirls.blogspot.com has some great ideas, like this one!

I like unique vessels, so this idea from junkgardengirl.blogspot.com is right up my ally!

This site has some great free printables of maps and other goodies, maybemej.blogspot.com.

This baby room is a great idea as well! This comes from sidebysideblog.blogspot.com.

I love this ceiling, if I could do it in my house, I would! This comes from Rachel Pops.

I love this chair make over, so cute and it would be great in my family room! This comes from roddyandginger.blogspot.com.

Sigh, love this, enough said. This is from weheartit.com.

This is something I would like to try, I have a globe that is damaged, and making it into a light would be awesome in my family room! This comes from catherinehug.de.

Hope you all enjoyed our world tour as much as I did!
Melisa

A Good Reminder..

2011-11-30T06:52:00.001-05:00

I came across this quote a month or so ago. I think it is so true. I think that for many of us, when we marry we think it is supposed to be like the fairy tales, and when it is isn't we are crushed. This is a much more realistic perspective and a good reminder.
I should have my old computer up and running next week so I can get all my pictures off of it and start showing you all some completed projects! I hope you'll stop back by!
Melissa

Pinterest Monday #6

2011-11-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I hope you all had a great weekend! We did! Started things off right on Thursday by sleeping in a bit, then heading to Papa and Granny C's house for a wonderful late lunch! There was so much food! We put a hurtin' on thats for sure! Thursday night Hubby and a friend decided to go hang out at Best Buy, they opened at midnight after all. From there they stopped at 4 other stores and got home around 8 am. Meanwhile, Little Monkey and myslelf got a halfway decent nights sleep before we headed to Khol's, got there at 6 a.m., after the rush, and we were gone by 9:30. I got everything I was looking for, which was awesome, and I saved twice what I spent! I love seeing receipts like that!! The rest of Friday was spent relaxing and napping. Saturday I got my whole house picked up and somewhat clean, as well as washed all the laundry. We also did lots of outside work, the weather was amazing! It was 70 degrees on Saturday!! That is unheard of here in Central VA!! Well, I hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did! Here are my favorites from Pinterest.

This first one is something you have probably seen all over lately, but I love the simplicity. This book shelf is made from old wooden apple crates! A great idea if ever I saw one! This is from cgi.ebay.com.au.

I love this orange tub! If I had a spot for an old tub like this, I would put it in my house! Hubby, being a plumber, comes across these old babies regularly, I'm so tempted to tell him to bring one home so I can paint it all cute and put flowers in it. I haven't had the nerve....yet. This comes from designsponge.com.

In my someday dream home, I have a laundry room with something like this in it. This is from southernliving.com.

If I could find a spot, I would put this in Little Monkey's bedroom, she loves dress up! This comes from theadventuresofroryandjess.blogspot.com.

I love this necklace! I wish I could figure out how to make it. I guess maybe I just need to buy it, after all, this comes from etsy.com.

That's all today!
Melissa

Happy Thanksgiving, and a Happy Black Friday to all!

2011-11-25T06:34:00.001-05:00

To all a Happy Thanksgiving, may your hearts and tummy's be full, may you be thankful for all your blessings, and may you have safety in your travels this weekend.
Melissa

Something Grand......

2011-11-23T11:02:00.001-05:00

Something grand happened recently! A friend of mine, Mrs. H (the one who makes great woven rugs) started selling her rugs at Michie Tavern, in Charlottesville, VA. The buyer for the Tavern asked her to pass on her name and number to any friends who make things. So, last Thursday I met with Ms. Labry and she placed an order for 24 flower clip/pins and any headbands I could get done!!! I am so excited! You can see their website here.

individual flowers, some with vintage buttons

For those of you planning a trip to the area, Michie Tavern is a must! They serve tavern fare from 11-4 each day, and let me tell you, the food is really good! There are four shops, all sell locally made, and made in Virginia items. The Tavern is also close to Monticello, and Ash Lawn Highland, both great places to visit! You might remember this post, about our recent trip there after apple picking!

headband made with cotton, wool felt, vintage buttons and vintage rhinestone accents

made with satin, knit, vintage lace, vintage buttons, rhinestones and pearl accent

made with knit, cotton, tulle, pearls, and vintage lace accent

made with felt, wool felt, knit, cotton, and velvet ribbon, vintage buttons

made with vintage lace, knit, satin, and pearl accents

made with cotton, canvas, vintage lace, and vintage buttons

The really exciting part for me? Miche Tavern has placed another order for 24 satin flowers, and 24 headbands due in April!! I will be busy making headbands starting in January, they take quite a bit of time to make, but they are so fun!
Hope you all have a great week!!
Melissa

Pinterest Monday # 5

2011-11-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Well, I don't have my computer back yet, but my hubby was nice enough to let me borrow his notebook computer so I am sort of back in business. For this week, I'll be showing you my favorites from Pinterest.

This on totally made me laugh! When my daughter was crawling I think I might have resorted to this! This comes to us from dailydawdle.com.

This next one also made me laugh! We have a friend who recently found out she is having twins! When I saw this I thought of her! This is from toysrus.com.

This one goes with my love of "funky junk". Old mason jar lids meet wreath. This is from 3.bp.blogspot.com.

This is one I have to try! You inject lemons with food coloring then use them in fun drinks and decorating. This comes from http://vi.sualize.us/tag/unexpected/.

Hope you all enjoyed these finds!
Melissa

The Computer Went Boom...

2011-10-27T13:49:00.000-04:00

Well folks, last night my poor computer bit the dust. At least I think it did. I am taking it to the repair man tomorrow to see what he says. I am hoping to at least get all my pictures off of it. I do back them up, but I haven't since August. Bummer. Anyway, all that means that you won't be hearing from me for a while, not sure when I will get the computer back, or if it will be working. Hope to be back soon!
Melissa

Pinterest Monday #4

2011-10-24T07:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone! Well, I am ready to get back on track. My grandmother has been here for 10 days, and we really, really enjoyed her visit. However, after having her and 2 other families in the last 10 days I gotta admit I am ready to get back to my usual routine!! So, here are my favorites from Pinterest. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

This dress is made from Daddy's button up dress shirt. I have to try this. I already called my mom and requested my dad's old shirts, he buys them long so they should work for my Little Monkey who is overly tall already! :-)

etsy.com

I love this onsie, I have lots of nephews, and I wish I had seen this when they were all babies! I do have one who is a baby, so I may have to give it a try.


linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com

I love this doily rug, don't know where I'd put it, but it is great!

shropshirescrappersuz.blogspot.com

I really love this chime made of old stuff. Its my kinda style! I think maybe my front porch needs one of these.

flickr.com

This last idea is also totally me! Though, I won't show this to my hubby because he would want to find some way to include it in our house, and it wouldn't work. I still love it!

google.com

I hope you all enjoyed my favorite Pinterest finds! Come back Wednesday and I will have some really darling (I think) onsies I embellished for my sisters baby girls!

Melissa

Baby Week, Do Need and Don't Need

2011-10-21T08:19:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Well, this is the final day of all things baby. Today I want to talk about things you do and don't need. Baby stores will tell you that you can't live without everything. Well, you don't need a whole lot. But they don't really want you to know that. So, lets get started.

There are some obvious things, like a car seat, diapers, etc. We're not talking about those today, we're talking about extras.

First up, strollers. You don't have to have a fancy stroller with all the bells and whistles like this one from Joovey ($229.00). (I happen to love this stroller, but it is not a must.)

Instead you could use something more inexpensive, yet still very nice, this stroller is made so all you have to do is add your infant car seat and you are ready to go. This is the Graco SnugRider, $64.99 at Baby's R Us.

High chairs are next on my list. They are nice to have, but not 100% necessary. If you want a low cost, space saving alternative, I suggest a Bumbo. They are great when kids are learning to sit up, and great when they are older as well. I have to say, for myself, it was my favorite baby item. They can be purchased with a tray that makes them great as a feeding chair. ($38 tray $9)

Another alternative is a space saving high chair, which is something I have. My daughter was a chunky monkey so she didn't fit in the Bumbo when she got older. ($69)

Wipe Warmer's are on my don't list. They are not only unnecessary, they are a pain in the neck to use. Plus, when you are out shopping in the winter, your wipes are not going to be warm, they will be really cold. ($29)

Changing tables. This is one of those things that you need, yet don't. I don't think you need a traditional changing table like this one. ($134.99)

Instead I suggest finding a dresser (Craigslist is great) and adding a changing pad to the top of the dresser.
I spent 20 minutes on Craigslist and found three dressers for under $40. A little paint, and some elbow grease and you could have yourself a cute dresser/changing table combo. This way, you have a dual purpose piece of furniture. If you don't want that, you can always change the baby on a blanket on the floor.

Here are three items that are not necessary, but that you might find helpful if you have a baby that likes to be entertained. I have to admit I had all three and I liked them for various reasons and at different stages.

price ranges from $20-$75

prices from $30-$79

price: $79-$129

Now, a note about all of this. You do NOT have to buy any of it brand new. Look on Craigslist, or in the want ads in your area. Look for consignment shops or sales like JBF or Here Wee Grow Again, or Wee Cycle, you can get great prices at sales like this. Ask your friends who have kids, find out where they get their deals.
I hope you found this helpful. If I missed something, let me know!
Melissa

Baby Week, Day 3

2011-10-20T10:18:00.000-04:00

I have a few more baby rooms to show you today! All of these come from Pinterest.

charmhome.blogspot.com

Isn't this room awesome? I know, only if you just love orange like I do. But, this would be an easy do it yourself room, really it would! Lets start with the rug, you could find an inexpensive rug and paint a design on it yourself. The baby bedding, again, could be made very easily, if you don't sew, find a friend who does. The mobile is something that would be pretty easy to make as well. The art on the wall, its all free printables. So, you could do this room pretty inexpensively, it would just take some work!

cape27blog.com

Here is another very simple baby room. Again, you could make the bedding pretty easily. For the art, use old frames you have and repaint them to suit your color scheme. You can use scrap book paper or fabric to create the letter, or words of your choice for the frames. The shelves could be made or purchased fairly cheaply.

I really love this room! The colors are my kind of colors. This is a great idea for a small room. Place the crib in the closet, and you still have storage above the bed if you need it. Where to put the kids cloths? Find an old wardrobe or a dresser for their cloths, shoes, etc. The bunting, again very easy to make. Some ribbon or twine, and old doilys you could probably do it without sewing as well. For the Art: again, you can find free printables on line, they also used a wooden embroidery hoop with cute fabric, and an old baby dress. This is simple and easy to do.

sidebysideblog.blogspot.com

I think this might be my favorite room, if you have been around KC long you know I love all things maps! This could be done on your own, with an over head projector (either the fancy new ones you connect to your computer or you could go old school too.) Paint the outline on the wall, and you might even be able to get vinyl letters for the capitols. The thing I love about this room, is that the decor is the world wall, there isn't a lot of decorative items. This is another example of how paint and a little elbow grease can really make a room.

When it comes to decorating your baby room, keep this in mind. 1: your baby will never know if you decorated the room or not, and they don't really care. 2: try to use colors and themes your child can grow into. They are not a baby forever, and you don't want to be repainting and decorating a year or two later. There are so many things you can make on your own for much cheaper. Not sure how? Just look on line and I guarantee that you will find a tutorial! You can't do it? I used to say the same thing, you don't know until you try!
Melissa

Baby Week, Day 2

2011-10-19T07:13:00.001-04:00

Continuing with our baby theme this week, here are some more great baby rooms from Pinterest.

This first one comes to us from ohdeedoh.com via Pinterets. I love their use of an old barn door!

I love the colors here, this comes from decorpad.com via Pinterest.

Say hello to simple!! This baby room is darling, yet so simple and spare. This comes from chiccheapnursery.com via Pinterest.

I love the colors in this next room, so bright and cheerful! Again simple! This comes from gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via Pinterest.

This last one is again, oh so simple! This is from pregnant.thebump.com via Pinterest.

I hope you all enjoyed these super cute baby rooms! I love them, and after seeing these, I am itching to update Little Monkey's bedroom!

Stay tuned for more, and at the conclusion of the week, the things you really need, and don't need for baby!

Melissa

Monday's Pinterest Finds #4

2011-10-17T06:22:00.000-04:00

Today I have baby room decor for you. Nope, this isn't an announcement, no baby for me. But I have seen some really cute ideas, and yeah most of what you will see is girl stuff, cause I have a girl and that's what I tend to notice. For the next week or so I will be showing different baby rooms I've found, and sharing with you a few tips I've learned about what you do and don't need for your baby and for your baby room. I have several friends who are getting ready to be first time parents and the question of how much to decorate the baby room has come up many times. I hope you enjoy this week!

Is this not the cutest simple idea? I love the fabric in the embroidery hoops, it add interest and a pop of color and it is so easy to do. This comes from aedriel.blogspot.com via Pinterest.

I love the flowers and tree, and just the whole look of this room! This comes from Pinterest

This is yet another darling baby room that is so simple, I love it. The colors are great, even if they are not "my" colors. This comes from petitelemon.com via Pinterest.

I love the colors in this next picture, it is so bright and airy. This comes from gallery.projectnursery.com via Pinterest.

This last one is one of my favorites. It could work for a boy or a girl, or an older child as well. The original pinner said that at the persons baby shower everyone was to bring a letter. Then some had scrap book paper added, some were painted, etc, and all were put on the wall in the baby room. I really love this! It comes from gallery.projectnursery.com via Pinterest.

There are some wonderful ideas in these pictures, things that you can do very cheaply, and do yourself! I hope you all enjoyed them!

Melissa

Preschool Curriculum Giveaway

2011-10-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

Are you like me, trying to figure out how to teach pre school to toddler? I am continually scrambling for something to teach Little Monkey. She wants to learn, and I want her to, I just don't know how to do things that are not beyond her years, or that are entertaining enough. Enter this giveaway from Take It From Me. They are giving away a Whole Child Creative Curriculum. They do the planning for you, and it is so cheap too! But right now if you head on over to Take It From Me you can enter to win a free month of preschool curriculum! Sounds good to me!
Melissa

A Change of Plans....

2011-10-14T09:17:00.000-04:00

Well this isn't what I planned to show you all today, but my tutorial needs a bit of polishing! Plus, my grandma got in last night, so we will be having lots of fun and I won't get much work done! She is one amazing lady, Grandma will be 83 next week, she just drove across the country by herself! This what she calls her grandma trip. We grandkids are spread out all over the country so she takes two months and visits all of us. She started in SoCal, where she lives, then stopped in Arizona and Colorado to visit cousins. Now she is here in Virginia to visit me, and next week my cousin from North Carolina will be coming up to visit as well. When she leaves here she will make stops in Georgia, Florida, and Texas before heading back home to California. I hope that when I am 83 I have the stamina and go gettedness (is that a word?) that she has!
So, without further ado, here are some great Pinterest finds for you all today!

Isn't this headboard awesome? I love it! It comes to us from thecolorsofmymind.tumblr.com via Pinterest.

Isn't this totally cute? I love this! I know what you are thinking, where on earth can I find these? Make friends with your neighborhood plumber. My hubby (the plumber) finds these all the time, he is always replacing them or just finds them. This came from kitchendinner.com via Pinterest.

Don't you love this spring stools? I do, I wish I could find something like this for my kitchen bar.
This comes from housebeautiful.com via Pinterest.

I also really love this light fixture, you can find it on etsy.com.

I never cease to be amazed at how creative people are. Hope you all enjoyed these!
Melissa

A Quick Birthday Gift....

2011-10-12T09:33:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we had a very late surprise party/luncheon for my sis in law Angela. She turned 30 in August, but was trying to have a baby and wasn't feeling her best. The little munchkin decided to wait two more weeks to come! Now that she is feeling a bit better and more her old self, we decided it was time for a party! We had great fun! We all brought fun lunch stuff, chicken salad on cloud biscuits, super thinly sliced Virginia Ham on cloud biscuits (YUM), mini PB & J and PB&H (for the kids), creamy chicken taquitos, fruit salad, and chips. Needless to say we ate well! For dessert, Angela's favorite, white cake with sour cream chocolate frosting, and tres leches. Both were very yummy. There was lots of laughter and talking, there were 10 of us, plus kiddlets, so it was a noisy place, we had a great time!

I had planned to make a knock off of these Pottery Barn pillows for Angela's gift, but between consignment sales, company, and well..life in general I hadn't found the time.

So instead I made this.

She loves antique keys, and has her living room decorated with them. This was a really quick project, a tutorial will follow another day!

She also like burlap, so I wrapped the gift in a burlap bag I won in a giveaway from Luxe Boulevard earlier this year. I finished it with a bit of antique lace and one of my fabric flower hair clips.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!!
Melissa

Parties I'm Linking To:
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
What's Up Wednesday @ Sew Woodsy
Crafty Saturday @ To Sew With Love
Craft Catwalk @ Embellishing Life
Craft Party @ Polly Want A Crafter

Monday's Pinterest Finds #2

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

So, I've decided that Monday's are going to be my Pinterst Find days. There are so many great ideas out there!

Lets Start with Paint Me A Picture and her super cute yarn wreath. I love how she used flowers, and that mini embroidery hoop!

Source: Pinterst

The next wonderful idea comes from AsULikeIt on etsy.com. This one is near and dear because I grew up in California, but it would be neat no matter what state it was.

Source: etsy.com

It seems I never have a gift wrap bow when I need one, so when I saw this idea from For The Love, I knew I had bookmark this one!

source: For The Love

Next is a beautiful and vintagey winter wreath from Two Junk Chix via Pinterest.

source: Two Junk Chix

The last idea, which is awesome I think, would be a lot of fun to do with your kids. It is a penny topped desk, from Apartment Therapy via Pinterest.

Source: Pinterest

Hope you all enjoyed my Pinterest favorites! Come back next Monday for more!
Melissa

Old Ladders...So Many Possiblities

2011-10-05T11:41:00.000-04:00

I have two small projects in the works, but neither are finished yet. So, I thought I would show you a few awesome uses for old ladders that I found on Pinterest. I have an old painters ladder, and I have been trying to decide what to do with it, I love these ideas, but not sure they would work in my house.

This first ladder comes from Lovintage Finds on Pinterest.

If I had a big enough bathroom, this would be great, but all three bathrooms in our house are too small for this work, still it is a great idea! I also love the wire storage baskets!

Next we have an old used as a shelf for pictures, I think this might be my favorite idea! This originally came from Les cadres font le mur on Pinterest .

This could possibly work in my house, but I'm still not quite sure.
I love this idea, using a ladder as a laundry rack, but again, wouldn't work in my house, still a great idea!

Decorare by A F

I really love this idea from theoldpaintedcottage.blogspot.com via Pinterest. I know my hubby still has a few old small pulleys, but I'm not sure if he will part with them!

This is awesome, but again, I don't have tall enough ceilings to support decor like this. This comes from curbly.com via Pinterest.

Then there's this great way to display quilts, I really love this idea! This came from funkyjunksisters.blogspot.com via Pinterest.

I also really love this idea from Remember by Jessica Charlton via Pinterest. This could work, we are thinking about changing out our light fixture in the dinning room, so we'll see, this could work. It would also be great for a party!

I love the simplicity of this next picture, this is how I have been thinking of using the ladder. This comes from hammersandhighheels.blogspot.com via Pinterest.

I love the colorful mix here, this comes from bhg.com via Pinterest.

This last idea would be awesome in Little Monkey's room, however she doesn't have a wall that it would work on. Our house is a story and a half, so the upstairs walls are short. Still, I love the idea! This comes from Boy's Room by Emily Witcher via Pinterest.

Hope you all enjoyed these different ideas for old ladders. Now if you find one, you will have an inkling of what can be done!
Melissa

Pinterest Finds

2011-10-03T09:00:00.003-04:00

So, I've been checking out Pinterest. Yeah, you all got me hooked. What can I say, I love to see what other people are working on. I'm not particularly original, but I am decent at copying, or taking someone else's idea and giving it my own tweak. So, I thought I'd show you a few things that jumped out at me last week.

I love this pom pom idea from Craftaholics Anonymous via Pinterest. When I saw it I started having all kinds of ideas for Little Monkey's room. I want to make it more little girl, and not baby, she's making that transition now, and she is not particularly happy with her Raggedy Anne room. These pom pom's would be a cute addition.

Source: Craftaholics Anonymous

Next I found this awesome idea for creating your own canvas art using doily Rub-ons from Hambly Screen Prints via Pinterest. Oh, and there is a great tutorial for making your own.

Source Hambly Screen Prints

This simple necklace tutorial comes from Tiny Sparkly Things via Pinterest.

source: Tiny Sparkly Things

My last favorite for last week, was this embroidery hoop decor, which I am going to recreate in my own way for my sister's baby room. I know what you are thinking A, what in the world? Trust me, it will work, and it will be so cute! This comes from Imperfectly Beautiful via Pinterest.

Source: Imperfectlly Beautiful

I hope you all enjoyed these great ideas!
Melissa

Win an Ipad2!!

2011-10-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hey all, if you are interested in having an iPad2, check out this giveaway over at This Lil' Piglet.

I hope you'll go check it out!
Melissa

Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-09-29T08:19:00.000-04:00

I am off to work at the consignment sale today, but thought I would share a wonderful recipe with you real quick before I leave.

This recipe comes from Our Best Bites. If you've never discovered them, you are missing out! Our Best Bites is written by two mom's, and most of their recipes are quick, and easy, and usually use ingredients you have on hand.

Source: Our Best Bites

Doesn't that look totally wonderful? Let me tell you, the secret is the lime juice you add at the end! I did make two changes, one, add some fresh corn which added a sweet note that was really good with it, and I just sauted some plain old chicken breasts in olive oil instead of doing the chicken the way they say, oh, and I added a bit of cumin. So, click here for that awesome recipe, and sooo many more!
Melissa

Fall Fun!

2011-09-27T12:18:00.001-04:00

Saturday we found ourselves with an unexpectedly free day. No plans, nothing that needed to be done (at least not urgently), so we decided to do something fun! After seeing this post over at Cass House about going to a local orchard to pick apples, I thought we should give it a try. We also had a gift certificate to Michie Tavern, which happens to be right next door to the orchard, so this worked great!

We went to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville. It was a cloudy morning, but perfect, not too hot. I think one of the best things about this orchard is the views. It sits right on top of a mountain, on one side you have a view of Charlottesville, on the other, farm land and forest. It is really beautiful!

Here is a view of the apple barn. This is where they have their store, here you can find homemade apple cider donuts, hot and cold apple cider for $.50 a cup, all types of canned goods made from produce they grow, bird houses made from gourds, and of course, fresh picked apples, pumpkins, and squash. Next to the apple barn they have a restraunt.

We decided to pick a few apples, just a few. Well, hubby had a little too much fun with the apple picker. (a pole with a wire cage and bag on the end so you can get the apples in the top of the tree) We ended up with a whole bushel of Jonagold apples. Let me tell you, they are so good!! Hubby had so much fun with the picker, he picked for other people too! We had fun to say the least!

We also took a hay wagon ride around the orchard, which Little Monkey absolutely loved! I took some pictures of her with some pumpkins, and a cut out of an apple with a worm in it. It was a really fun time, and we want to go back!!

After we finished at the orchard, we went to Michie Tavern for lunch. Michie Tavern is a fun experience, especially if you like history. It is from the 1700's, and now serves traditional tavern fare from 11-4 each day. They also have a gift store, Clothier where they sell period clothing and quilts, and other hand made items,

the Metal Smith where they sell all things metal, most of it made locally, and the last store is the General store, which used to be an old grain mill. They sell all kinds of goodies, and they still have some of the old mill works on display.

It was so fun just to be out and enjoy the fall weather with my family! I am looking forward to more days like this. Fall is my favorite season!
Melissa

27,700.....

2011-09-22T07:21:00.000-04:00

27,700 that is the number of items consigned this week at our semi annual Here WEE Grow Again consignment sale. Tuesday I spent the day volunteering at the sale. It is so much fun! You are working with other moms, and you are all in a similar place in life. Plus, you get to preview all the great things that come in! I took a few pictures about half way through the day, and let me tell you, by the time I left, the building was bursting! There was so much stuff it is amazing!

We'll start with the toys. There were over 2,000 toys consigned, 2,000!! That is a crazy amount of toys!

Next we have the strollers, and other baby equipment.

Then there is the furniture and large toy items

Finally, the cloths.

I hope all of you who are local to Central Virginia will come out and get some great deals! The sale starts on Saturday the 24th, and will close Sunday 25th , reopen on Monday 26th and will run through Saturday October 1st. The last Friday is 50% off and the final day, the 1st is 75% off. So come on out and get some great deals for your kids!
Melissa

Family visit

2011-09-08T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm off to pick up my mum and sis and nephews today!! We are so excited! Little Monkey woke up at 4:30 this morning, and she immediately asked is it time to go get Grammy and Lolo? Lets just say she went to back to bed. I'm going to leave early so I can get in some shopping at Hobby Lobby and Home Goods! I sure wish we had those stores here, although I would probably spend too much at both places if we did!
Well, you won't be hearing from me again till next week sometime, and then I will have a few projects to show you. A few things we finally finished up!
Hope you'll stop back by,
Melissa

Are We Anymore "Green" Now?

2011-09-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

There is a blog that I love to read, it is simply called Home. The lady who writes it, Jackie, takes wonderful trips all over and I love to see her pictures. She recently wrote this post, which I found very funny, but also very thought provoking. I hope you will enjoy it, and think it as well.

In the line at the supermarket, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own carrier bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologised to him and explained that ' We didn't have the green thing back in my day '. The cashier responded ' That's our problem today.....YOUR generation did not care enough to save OUR environment'.
He was right ........

OUR GENERATION DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING IN OUR DAY.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soft drinks bottles and beer bottles to the shop or off-licence. They sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized, refilled and re-used so that it could use the same bottles again and again.........so, they really were recycled..........

BUT, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING IN OUR DAY.

We walked to the local shops and didn't climb into a 300 horsepower machine every time we had to go to the supermarket.

We bought fruit and veg loose .......... and washed them at home. We didn't have to throw away bins full of plastic, foam and paper packaging and need huge recycling plants fed by monster lorries all day, everyday..........but, he was right..........

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING IN OUR DAY.

Back then, we washed our babies nappies because we didn't have disposable ones and we washed up as we didn't have dishwashers.

We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts .......... wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.

Children got hand me down ( mostly hand made and hand knitted ) clothes from their brothers and sisters, not always brand new clothing, shipped from the other side of the planet. But, he was right ..........

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING BACK IN OUR DAY.

Back then, shops repaired things with funny things called spare parts .......... we didn't need to throw whole items away because a small part failed. Back then, we had one TV and one radio in the house .......... not a television in every room and, the television had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of Wales.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the post, we used lots of newspaper to cushion it, not bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to mow the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.
We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a brightly lit, air conditioned gym to run on treadmills that operate on electricity and then drink millions of bottles of that special water from those plastic bottles but, he's right ..........

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING BACK THEN.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a plastic cup or a plastic bottle every time we wanted a drink of water.
We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new plastic pen and ..........

.......... we replaced the blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole plastic razor just because the blade became blunt, but..........

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING BACK THEN.

Back then, people took the bus and children rode their bikes to school or walked, instead of turning their parents into a 24 hour taxi service.
We had one electrical socket in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power dozens of appliances..........and, we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal, beamed from satellites 2,000 miles in outer space, to find our way, but then ..........

WHO WOULD WANT TO LIVE IN A TIME WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE THE GREEN THING ?

DON'T FORGET TO RECYCLE WILL YOU ?

images 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 : via Brown Dress with white spots, image 2, 6 : We Heart It, images 3, 4, 17 : Crush Cul De Sac, image 15 : Ahhhlala, , image 16 : by Claire, image 7 : Vintage Rose Collection, image 11 : Lucyina Moodie, image 13 : The Telegraph,

Did you find this as interesting as I did? Reading this made me ashamed of my generation. It is so sad to me that so many "young" people have so little respect for older people and the things they did. We are so spoiled today. We have become a society of people who have to have instant gratification. We have to have everything yesterday, and it has to be cheap, and high quality, and so on. There is something to be said for doing things the "old"way. Don't get me wrong, I love my dishwasher, and my front loading washing machine, but I also love to line dry my cloths. I think there is a happy medium, and maybe we do need to look at how things were done by our grandparents if we are so concerned with having a "green" life. What do you think?

Melissa

No Body's Friend

2011-09-02T06:29:00.000-04:00

My sister shared this a few weeks ago, and it was a good reminder for me.

No body's Friend

My name is gossip.
I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted the more I am believed.
My victims are helpless.
They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name or face.
To track me down is impossible.
The harder you try the more elusive I become.
I am no body's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation it's never the same.
I topple governments and wreck marriages.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion.
Even my name hisses.
I am called Gossip.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Melissa

A Vacation with Irene.......

2011-09-01T07:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we didn't really vacation with Irene, we came home a few hours before she hit. But.....anyway, let me start at the beginning. A few weeks ago the phone rang, it was a telemarketer for a time share company, offering us all kinds of stuff if we would just listen to a 90 minute presentation. If at this point you are already getting that "yeah right " feeling, you are right. However, we decided that it would be worth it for a free vacation.

source: tripadvisor.com

Thursday night we headed down to Williamsburg, VA for some fun! Our hotel was okay, nothing great, but not bad. The beds were comfortable, and the ac worked great, so that was all that mattered. We arrived at the time share office for our 9:30 appointment and were told we would be driven by our sales person. She took us to where a tree used to stand that George Washington used to sit under and think. It might have been half interesting if the tree was there, but it fell during Hurricane Isabel, and now there is a tiny one foot tall tree there. She took us to a couple other innocuous places, then she started on her sales pitch. By this time, Little Monkey is bored, and wants to talk to she keeps interupting the sales lady. The sales lady kept losing her momentum. She finally decided we should skip the talk. After driving around for over an hour, she finally took us to the resort. Here we got a short tour of the amenities, and then another sales pitch, then we toured the condos, then she brought in the big guns. Hubby had already told her we were not interested in buying, it was just too much money, and not our kind of thing. The big boss sales guy came over and tried to offer us a lower price. We told him no, and then he proceeded to tell us that we needed to change our lifestyle and make vacations more important. After listening to him demean my husband for 15 minutes, I stepped in and told him it was not something we could afford because we wanted to have more children. He told me that is always the case, and we could pass this on to our kids. I told him not if you don't have them. He then assured me that lots of babies are conceived on great vacations. By this time I was almost boiling over, I politely told him that I needed medical intervention to get pregnant and that was why we had to save our money. He told me that it was more important to have a "vacation plan" than it was to save for kids, that I could have kids anytime. To say that I was a little offended and angry at this man was putting it mildly. At that point, my husband told the guy we were not interested at all and we were ready to leave. We were driven back to our starting point and had to talk to another guy, who wanted to do a survey and then give us our prizes. We told him how the guy treated us, and then he made us a really low offer, of course. We told him thank you but no. We were given a Visa gift card, and a voucher for 4 days 3 nights in Orlando, which is good for a year. I don't know if it was worth it, but we'll see if we can get the Orlando trip or not. So, that was not a great start to the day. It improved quickly.

After a quick late lunch, we were off to Jamestown Settlement. Now, for those who care, the Settlement is a reproduction of the original Jamestown Colony. It is great fun, and kids love it! It was relatively inexpensive, $15 for adults, children under 5 were free (I think it was under 5). There is a Powhatan Indian village, which is set up just how they lived.

This lady was weaving a basket. She made the bag on her shoulder, and one that you can just see behind her. She told me it took her about 4 months to make one.

Next you come to the ships. These are exact reproductions of the three ships the colonists came over from England on. It is amazing just how small they really are. You can go inside the ships, and there are re-enactors who will tell you what life was like on the ships, needless to say, it didn't sound fun to me.

source:historyisfun.org

The next spot of interest, the fort. This is where the colonists lived, inside a fort with walls made of pointed timber planks. Their homes were made from an adobe like substance, and large timbers. They all had thatched roofs. They are tiny, not even cottage sized. More along the size of a large storage shed.

There is a blacksmith, a cooper, a barrel maker, and many others that are fun to talk to. They even had armor for the kids to try on, of course Little Monkey wouldn't do that, instead she got mommy and daddy to do it. Don't we look funny?

They also have an indoor Gallery. This has artifacts taken from the Jamestown archeological site, as well as info, and interactive displays that the kids will enjoy. Here are a few pictures from the Gallery.

After we left Jamestown, Little Monkey really wanted to go to the beach. By this time they had closed the tunnels leading to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and we were told that the bridge coming back was closed to one lane, meaning we could go to Virginia Beach, but it would take hours to get back. We decided to stop at a small beach on the James River, about 3-5 miles from the the Settlement. It was called Archers Point, another historical spot.

It was so perfect for Little Monkey. The water was brackish, meaning salt and fresh water merge there. It was close to where the James, Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay all merge together. There were pretty rocks and seashells to collect, and tiny waves to splash in.

There were only a few other people there, and they were mostly just relaxing watching the clouds roll in. The water was so warm, and we had lots of fun for the hour or so we spent there.

After, we rushed back to our hotel and cleaned up, then headed to Colonial Williamsburg for dinner. We made reservations at Chownings Tavern. This was great! It is not something we would normally do, because it was not cheap. However, the experience was so worth it! There was a lady who played the fiddle, and a man who played the guitar and sang.

It was all period music, from the 1600's, and when the guy sang, he used accents of people of the time, it was so authentic. We really enjoyed the "show" before our dinner came. This place was so kid friendly, they had the usual hamburger, hot dogs etc for kids, and authentic tavern food for the adults. I got the braised beef short ribs in au jus sauce with veggies and tavern potatoes. All I can say, that meat was so tender it was like melted butter. Seriously!

Even thought it was getting late, we decided to drive around Williamsburg for a while, and then get some good fudge. We saw a few places getting ready for Irene.

Then a couple of funny messages to her as well.

Then we stopped at The Trading Post for homemade fudge. It is sooooo good. We got it the last time we were there, and decided we had to go back. They have unique flavors, like Watermellon, which I have to admit I thought was gross, and they also had root beer flavor, which was really good.

Saturday morning we woke up to rain and wind and thunder and decided we would head home. We had planned to stay through Sunday, but the storm was going to be too bad. We left around 9:30, and headed to Richmond for a stop at Hobby Lobby, always a favorite, and Home Depot. By the time we had lunch at Johnny Rockets, which was a blast, the power was flickering, and the wind was crazy strong. The closer we go to home, the better the storm got. We ended up only having light rain, and a fair amount of wind in our area. I am thankful for that!

So, that was a really long story about our weekend. I hope you all didn't mind! Will I do a time share thing again for a free vacation? Not real soon, but yeah, I probably will again.
Melissa

An Earthquake in Virginia?

2011-08-24T07:48:00.000-04:00

Yep, you've all probably heard by now, we did have an earthquake here in Central Virginia. The epicenter, in Mineral is about 40 minutes away from my house. We were shopping in Charlottesville, in Old Navy at the time. People's reactions were kind of funny. Well, first let me explain, I grew up in Southern California, so earthquakes are nothing new to me. The reason it was funny to me, most people were just confused. They thought it was a big plane or helicopter going over. My hubby looked at me and said thats weird, and I said no its an earthquake. I picked Little Monkey up and walked quickly for the front of the store. Hubby thought I was panicking, not so. I just don't trust the buildings back here, they are not made for earthquakes. Most people had started walking to the front, some were sitting on the floor looking bewildered. After wards we all looked at each other shrugged and went back to our shopping.
The quake measured 5.8, which is relatively minor. Truly it is, I promise. As the day wore on, I have to say I started to get a bit irritated at people. So many were FREAKING OUT about the fact that they took the North Anna nuclear power plant off line. Like there was a problem. I kept hearing people say things like, "well they say its fine, but that's what they said in Japan too." I am sorry, but that is just stupid. There is an even larger nuclear power plant in California, and every time they have a quake, they take it off line, just in case. There has never been a problem. All nuclear power plants are built to the same specifications in the US so they can with stand an earthquake, fire, etc, without too many problems. Just in case you didn't hear, there were no problems at the North Anna plant.
Several friends of mine live in Mineral, and from what I've heard the damage is pretty minor. There is one old plantation home that has some significant damage, which is sad. However, it is to be expected. There are so many old homes and buildings that were built in the 16, 17, and 1800's around here, and they just were not made to stand up to an earthquake.
I am very glad that no one was injured, so far I have not even heard of any injuries. On the sort of plus side, the students of the Louisa County School district are excited, school has been cancelled until after Labor Day. One school was damaged, and they don't really know if it is structurally sound yet. The kids think its great since they are only one week into school. I think they have forgotten that this will mean school will go longer, but lets not tell them just yet. (smiles)
Melissa

We Have a Winner!!!

2011-08-23T08:47:00.000-04:00

The Winner of the Blogtastic Extravaganza giveaway is.......

Michele P. who said, " while the gift cards are nice, I love the Craftsman tool bag!"

Congratulations Michele! I have sent you an email, and hope to hear from you soon.

For those who didn't win, stay tuned, we will be doing another giveaway next month!

Melissa

My Blogtastic Extravaganza Giveaway!!!

2011-08-21T23:59:00.000-04:00

Well it is finally here! The Blogtastic Extravaganza! There are lots and lots of blogs participating, I hope you will visit them all! Just go to the bottom of this post and you will see links to all of the participating blogs!
So, what will you be getting from Kensington Cottage? Well lets take a look and see!

You will receive all of this! A pink Craftsman Tool Tote!

Three cans of Krylon spray paint, two of my favorite colors, Ocean Breeze Blue and Watermelon, and basic Black.

A cottage inspired Jewelry Tree.

An oatmeal colored Canvas pillow with satin flowers. You choose the colors of the flowers, and the placement of the flowers.

Sample only!

Two fabric flower clip/pins, again, you choose the color.

AND.....one $10 gift card to Amazon.com, one $10 gift card to Target, and last but not least, one $15 gift card to Lowes.

The total value of this prize package? $120!!!

Here are the Rules:

Mandatory Entry: Just leave a comment telling me which item you like best!!

Extra Entries leave comments for each:

-Become a follower (2 entries)
-Blog, tweet, or Facebook and leave a link (1 entry for each)
-Visit other participating Blogtastic Extravaganza blogs and let me know who you visited leave 1 comment for each (up to 5 comments)

The Giveaway will end on August 21 at Midnight! I hope you all enjoy this!
Melissa

Fabric Flower Headband Tutorial

2011-08-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hello! I am Melissa from Kensington Cottage. For those of you who don't know me, I am a stay at home mom of 1 (so far) who loves crafting, and junking. I love to spend my weekends going to yard sales and especially to auctions finding all kinds of vintage goodies for next to nothing! I also love to sew, especially for my daughter. My daughter, who I call Little Monkey, loves fancy hair things, which got me started making fabric flowers clips, and now headbands. I recently opened an etsy store, where I sell fabric flowers, as well as vintage items, I hope you wills top in and take a peek! Today's tutorial will be a fabric flower elastic headband. They are very easy to make, and can be as simple or fancy as you want them to be. So, lets get started.

You will need:
Fabric (I prefer to use different types of fabric so you have different textures)
Felt to match your fabric
Sewing machine OR Needle and thread
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue
1/4-1/2 inch elastic or ready made elastic headband
Optional: pearls, rhinestones, beads, ribbon embelleshments

First, you will want to choose the style of flower you want. There is no wrong style. If you need ideas you can go here or here or here for a complete list of flower tutorials. I chose to use a folded flower like this for the center.

Next, I decided I wanted mine to be a bit whimsical, and airy looking, so I made some flowers out of a sparkly netting. To do this, cut a piece of netting that is one inch wide and about 24 inches long. You will then want to use a gathering stitch, either on your sewing machine or by hand. You want the longest stitch on your machine, if you are doing it by hand, you want your stitches to be about a 1/4 inch long. When you are done, simply pull one string and forced the fabric away from where you are pulling the string. It should look like this.

Next, you want to put a little hot glue along where your thread is, working in 1 inch increments. Be very careful, the glue is very hot, and it will burn you!! You want to roll the netting in on itself until you have a "flower" that looks something like this.

Now, you will want to cut a piece of felt about 4-6 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. This will be the base of your headband. You will attach all the flowers to this, so make sure it is big enough. Place your large flower in the center, or off center if you prefer, there is no wrong way. Then we will start filling in with smaller flowers. Just play with the placement till you like what you see.
Here is what we have now.

I want a little contrast, so I am going to add some dark brown "rose buds" next. To do this I used an old knit skirt, and cut a 1 inch strip about 18-24 inches long. Start by running a bead of glue along about a 1/2 inch of fabric. Roll the fabric so you have a nice tight center. Then you are going to give the fabric a twist. Like this,

Then add a dot of glue and press the fabric to it. You will then make another twist, followed by another dot of glue. Continue this until the rose bud gets to the size you want. It should look like this when it is finished.

I have a love of all things vintage and antique, so when I spotted a stash of antique lace a month ago, I had to have it. I decided that they would make great flowers, and I was right! So now I am going to use some lace to make a flower. Its very simple, its easiest to use the same method as we did for the netting flowers, however, you may want to loosely gather the lace, depending on the thickness and style, it might look better, you'll just have to play with it.
NOTE: When working with lace, particularly lace that is crocheted or woven, you will want to use Fray Check on any cut ends to keep them from unraveling. You can find this at your local fabric or craft store. It is also great for holes in clothing! Here is what my lace flower looks like.

My last flower is a satin flower with burnt edges. You can find the tutorial here.

So, now I have it all laid out the way I want it, it looks like this.

Once you have your flowers placed where you want them, its time to glue them down to the large piece of felt. Now you can add any embellishments you want. I love pearls, since they give these a vintage feel, but you can use what you want, just experiment with it till you like it.
Next you want to trim all the excess felt away from your flowers. The back should look like this.

Now you need your elastic, or ready made elastic headband. If you are doing your own, it is very simple. Measure the head of the person who will wear this headband, cut the elastic about a 1/2 inch smaller, unless they like the elastic tight. Next you will need a sewing machine, use a zig zag stitch and bring the two pieces of elastic together like this.

Then stitch across the two, you will want to adjust your stitch length to its widest setting, when you get to the bottom, back stitch to the top, repeat this twice. This will keep the elastic together and won't come apart.

Now you want to cut a piece of felt, the same color as your backing, about an 1 1/2 inch wide and using a zig zag stitch you want to sew your elastic to that felt piece, this can be done with a sewing machine, or by hand.

Now, run a bead of glue down each side of the felt, not touching the elastic, then attach to the felt on the back of your flowers.

Now you are done! Here is the finished product.

Here are a couple of other types you can do.

Now, if you are not interested in making your own, you can buy the one we made today, as well as a couple of others in my etsy store!

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I do! Lets give Krista a big Thank You for letting me join you today!
Melissa

I'm Still Here! Just Workin'

2011-08-16T11:05:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd pop in to let you all know I am still here! I have been a busy girl!! I've been cleaning and reorganizing, and recovering, and painting, the list goes on!

Here is a sneak peek at two of the things I've been working on, neither is finished, but they will be by the end of the week!

I've almost completed my first recovering project! It took 5 hours, and a bit of frustration, and lots of thankfulness that a friend let me borrow her pneumatic staple gun!

Next, some of you may remember that I started this little project back in December...,yep that December the one that was 8 months ago? I needed Hubby to cut a piece of wood for the top and he never got a round to it till Saturday. Why didn't I do it myself? Cause I have strict instructions not to touch the table saw. It does kind of scare me anyway.

I need to give it a coat of poly and add the hooks and this one will be done! Then I just have to get Hubby to hang it up!

I hope you will come by tomorrow, I am going to be taking part in the Blogtastic Extravaganza and will be giving away a bit of this and that. I have a great Craftsman tool bag that you all are going to love!
Melissa

Blackberry Peach Cobbler

2011-08-04T09:26:00.000-04:00

So, since this week seems to be everything Peach, I thought I'd share a recipe with you. This is for a Peach and Blackberry Cobbler, it was oh so yummy!! This comes from the first cook book I ever bought, I was 16 at the time. Its called Great American Home Baking, it is a really good book for baking breads and pastry, and other desserts, main dishes, not so much!

Peach-Blackberry Cobbler

30 Minutes Preparation, 15-20 minutes baking

Makes 6 servings.

3 Tbls granulated sugar
3 Tbls cornstarch
3 Large, fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped, (about 3 cups) (I added 4)
1/3 cup water
2 cups fresh blackberries

Topping

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup milk

Preheat over to 400 degrees. In a large sauce pan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in peaches and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 minutes. Stir in blackberries. Spoon filling evenly into a 10 inch baking dish.

To prepare topping, in a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut chilled butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add milk all at once to well, tossing with a fork until dry ingredients are just moistened and a dough forms. On a floured surface, knead dough for 1 minute. Roll dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. Using a 2 3/4 inch cookie cutter, cut out 6 biscuits. Arrange biscuits on top of filling. Bake Cobbler until biscuits are golden and filling bubbles, 15-20 minutes. Transfer baking dish to a wire rack to cool slightly.

NOTE: If peaches and berries are not in season, use frozen fruit. Thaw and drain before using.

This was really good, a bit tart though because of the berries. If it was served with vanilla ice cream it would be perfect. We had it with a vanilla sauce a friend made for her chocolate ganache, it was awesome! Hope you will try it sometime!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Now that I am done with peaches, it is time to clean my kitchen really, really good! Also, time to give the floors a good mopping!
Melissa

Tips for Peaches

2011-08-03T08:16:00.000-04:00

It is Peach time! I love this time of year. The peaches are so yummy and they make my house smell so good.

I have an antique canning book that my Grandma gave me when I got interested in home canning. It had a tip that I have missed in past years! When working with peaches, nectarines, apples, and other fruits there is always the problem of browning. Most people use a little lemon juice, or Fruit Fresh powder to keep this from happening. While neither product is expensive, they are not always on hand. However, salt is always on hand. Fill a large bowl half full of water, and add 1-2 tsp of salt. Make sure the salt dissolves completely. Then as you peal and cut your peaches, just drop them in the bowl. This mix will keep them from browning, and it doesn't make your peaches taste salty.

Another great canning tip that I found online this weekend, Remaking your jam or jelly. Yes, you can save that runny jam or jelly. This comes from the Iowa State University.

HOW TO REMAKE SOFT JAM OR JELLY

REMAKE COOKED JAM OR JELLY

IF POWDERED PECTIN WAS USED:

Measure soft jelly into 1 quart container, set aside.

Mix together in pan: 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water

2 TBSP. bottled lemon juice 4 tsp. powdered pectin

Bring to a boil while stirring. Add 1 quart of soft jelly; bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring

constantly. Boil hard 1/2 minute. Remove from heat, quickly skim foam off jelly, and fill sterilized jars,

leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust new lids and process in boiling water bath.

IF LIQUID PECTIN WAS USED:

Mix these three things together in a small dish and set aside:

3/4 cup sugar, 2 TBSP. bottled lemon juice, 2 TBSP. liquid pectin.

Bring 1 quart soft jelly to a boil over high heat, while stirring. Remove from heat and quickly add the 3

ingredients in the bowl. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for l minute. Quickly

skim off foam and fill sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust new lids and process in boiling water

bath.

IF NO PECTIN WAS ADDED:

For each quart of jelly, add 2 TBSP. bottled lemon juice. Heat to boiling and boil for 3-4 minutes. Use

one of the following tests to determine jelly stage:

TEMPERATURE TEST: Use a jelly or candy thermometer and boil until mixture reaches 220 degrees.

SHEET OR SPOON TEST: Dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling jelly mixture. Raise the spoon

about 12 inches above the pan, out of the steam. Turn the spoon so the liquid runs off the side. The jelly is

done when the syrup forms two drops that flow together and sheet (or hang off) the edge of the spoon.

Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam. Fill sterile jars with jelly, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath.

REMAKE SOFT FREEZER JAM OR JELLY --- NO COOK:

Remaking instructions vary depending on the brand of pectin used in making the no-cook jam or jelly.

Consumer service representatives at General Foods offer the following advice:

CERTO No-cook Jam or Jelly Remake Instructions: Measure the unsuccessful jam or jelly, and place in a

bowl. For each cup of soft jam or jelly, add the following: 3 TBSP. sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice.

Stir vigorously for 3 minutes. Then add: 1 1/2 tsp. Certo for each cup of jam/jelly. Stir vigorously for

another 3 minutes. Pour into clean containers and proceed according to package directions for no-cook

products.

SURE JELL No Cook Jam or Jelly Remake Instructions: Make a Pectin Mixture as follows:

1 box Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin

3/4 Cup cold water

Mix together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard 2

minutes, and then set aside while you proceed with the following steps:

Measure the unsuccessful jam or jelly. For each cup of jam/jelly, add 2 TBSP. sugar. Stir

vigorously for 3 minutes. Then add 1 TBSP. of pectin mixture for each cup of jam/jelly and stir vigorously

for another 3 minutes. Pour into clean containers and proceed according to instructions for no-cook

products.

SURE JELL LIGHT No cook Jam or Jelly Remake Instructions:

Make a Pectin Mixture as follows:

1 box Sure-Jell Light Fruit Pectin

1 1/2 Cup cold water.

Mix together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard 2

minutes, and then set aside while you proceed with the following steps:

Measure the unsuccessful jam or jelly. For each cup of jam/jelly, add 2 TBSP. sugar. Stir vigorously for 3

minutes. Then add 1 TBSP. of pectin mixture for each cup of jam/jelly and stir vigorously for another 3

minutes. Pour into clean containers and proceed according to instructions for no-cook products.

PROBLEM: FERMENTS DURING THE ROOM TEMPERATURE STANDING TIME
During extremely hot weather, no-cook jams or jellies often begin to ferment. This happens because of the
presence of yeasts on the fruit and the available sugar in the product. While fermentation doesn't make the
product unsafe, it does alter the flavor. To reduce the chance of fermentation, let the no-cook jam or jelly
stand at room temperature for 3 or 4 hours, then refrigerate it for the remainder of the standing time. Freeze
after a total of about 24 hours.
REF: Missouri Food and Nutrition Newsletter 8/89
Prepared by Iowa State University FAMILIES EXTENSION ANSWER LINE 1-800-262-3804

I hope these tips are as helpful to you as they were to me! I have finished 2 of my 3 bushels! I have 39 quarts of peaches canned, 17 pints of peach jam, and 12 1/2 pints of blackberry peach jam. What am going to to with the last bushel? I will probably can at least half of it, which will give me about 12-14 more quarts, and the rest I will slice and freeze. I am also hoping to make a blackberry peach cobbler tomorrow, so that will use a few as well. I am ready to be done, my kitchen is a complete disaster!
Melissa

Weekend Finds #7 and Tons of Fun!!

2011-08-01T10:02:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a fun weekend this was! After not having my car for just over a week, I was more than ready to get out and find some deals!
Our weekend fun started on Friday, we picked my car up early, and Hubby treated us to donuts for breakfast too. Little Monkey loved that! We came home to clean up and get ready for the day and noticed a rather large pile of trash next door. Since Friday is trash day, I decided to inspect it quickly before it was gone! Boy did I find some good stuff!!! Our neighbors are moving, sad to say. They have been the best neighbors for the last 5 years, we are sorry to see them go!
Little Monkey and I combed over the pile of stuff and brought all this home.

I also pulled out 5 rolls of home decor fabric and gave that to a friend. She makes all kinds of stuff with it, hand woven rugs, bread cloths, jar cap covers, pillows, etc. My neighbor saw us digging, and told me there was a pile of cloths in the moving van that were going to Goodwill, and I should go through it and see if I find anything I like. Here's what I brought home.

There were 2 leather jackets in all this!

After our trash digging, we went to Goodwill and found all this.

Not all of it is for Little Monkey, some of it is for her cousins, and one dress is for a friend. This was Little Monkey's Goodwill find.

She was so funny! She saw this little dresser (?) and said "Mommy this is so cute, it would be so perfect for all my dolly cloths!! I could keep them all picked up if I had this!" Do you see the manipulation here? This is the kind that makes me laugh. She was right of course, it is perfect for doll cloths, and it will also fit in her play house. So....yeah, she got it. I want to repaint it to match her kitchen , yes I am still working on it, but she loves it as is. Since it will be in the play house, I can live with that.

Next up, we went to Yoder's Country Market in Madison, VA. Little Monkey's Aunt K works there, so it is always fun to visit. On this visit we were here to meet a peach delivery! Yep, is that time again! This year I ordered 3 bushels of peaches! I know, I am thinking I might be crazy.
When the peaches arrived, they were all packed in antique wooden bushel boxes. We had to transfer them to our own boxes. Normally not a big deal, on Friday however it was 105 degrees!!! With the humidity the real feel temp was 110. Let me tell you, it was HOT! Here are a few pics of the process.

Don't they look fabulous?!!

For those who are wondering, the people who brought the peaches are Mennonite, not Amish. Yoder's Market is also run by a Mennonite family, they are very sweet people. They also have a bunch of animals at Yoder's. Chickens, peacocks, turkeys, guinea hens, dove, quail, and goats. Little Monkey had so much fun looking at the animals. She even got to pet a nanny goat!

LM thought this was the funniest chicken ever!

the nanny goat

After the picking up our peaches and some canning supplies, we headed to deliver one bushel to a friend and stopped at a local "hang out" for home grown veggies! This is a small park in the middle of town where people can set up tables and sell their produce any day of the week. I picked up these yummy goodies.

That large yellow tomato was big enough to make 4 sandwhiches! It was SO good!

After all this, LM and Mommy were tuckered out! We came home and LM napped while I picked up and tried to find some energy!

Saturday we went to Papa and Granny C's house and picked blackberries! Well, I picked. Little Monkey picked a handful and then decided it would be more fun to go inside and talk to Papa and Granny. While she entertained them I picked about 3 or 4 quarts. The best part, these are thornless berries, so it is much nicer to pick them!

A portion of the blackberry rows. There are 2 rows, don't know how long they are, but its a lot of berries!

We came home and made Peach Blackberry Jam, Peach Jam, and canned 7 quarts of peaches. Little Monkey was a big helper! She loves to help me load the dishwasher, so she helped put the jars in, and then helped stir jam, and put peaches in the jars. It was great fun!

Unfortunately, I finished the last batch of jam at 2:30 a.m. After doing a bit of clean up, I finally got in bed around 3. Won't be making that mistake again! Sunday LM was up at 7:05 a.m. and she had a very grumpy mommy. I don't do well on less than 5 hours sleep. Thankfully, we all got naps on Sunday afternoon. Mommy included! I rarely nap, but I was so tired, I slept for 3 hours! I was the last to wake up, I couldn't believe it!! Needless to say, my attitude was much improved after the nap. I did try not to be grumpy, but apparently I failed because LM told me I must have had a good nap because I was happy now. Leave it to kids to tell you the truth!

I hope you all had a great weekend as well! Thanks for stopping in for a "chat".
Melissa

Would You Buy It?

2011-07-27T15:06:00.001-04:00

So, I am wondering, would you buy this?

This is a necklace made from Swarovski Crystals, old washers, spacers, very thin nuts, and an old numbered tag, maybe for an animal or a locker? The tag has some oxidation on it that turned it green in places, I love the patina it gives.
So, would you buy it for $18? I am joining Junker Newbie in Would You Buy It Wednesday!

Just found out some exciting news last night! My mom and my sister and her two boys are coming for a visit in a few weeks!!!! I can't wait! I haven't seen them since December 31st, last year! My sister hasn't been here in almost 3 years, plus she has never been to my new house! This is great motivation for me to get a whole bunch of projects done! Hopefully I'll have lots to show you soon!
Melissa

County Fair Fun!

2011-07-25T07:03:00.000-04:00

Saturday we took Little Monkey to the Orange County Fair! Orange County, Virginia that is, not California! It was so much fun! It was incredibly hot and humid!! We only stayed about 3 hours, which was more than enough.

We saw cows, lots of cows.

Goats,

pigs,

Pure Bliss right?

ducks,

and camels!

We took a ride on a real Conestoga Wagon! Just like what they used on the Oregon Trail! It was pulled by a team of oxen, that were huge!! It was a lot of fun, Little Monkey loved it!

The oxen were named Calvin and Hobbes! they were very friendly, they even shook "hands" with LM!

It was a really fun trip to the fair!
Melissa

The Light at the End.......

2011-07-21T09:39:00.000-04:00

Here is another peek at the gallery wall project for my living room! I am almost done! Yay!!! It feels like it has been going on forever now.

Mom, if you're reading this, you can have the couch back! :-)

the starfish and coral are not permanent yet, still deciding if I will use them or not.

I only have 5 frames left to finish glazing and sealing, then I will need to add the chicken wire. Maybe it will get finished today, that is the goal!

I have to say, I am loving Deco Art paints right now! All the paint for this project, except the yellow, is from Deco Art! They have so many great colors, and if the color isn't quite right, it is so easy to mix them. I did that to get the blue I wanted, as well as to darken the red a bit. It also mixes well with Valspar glaze mix. I think my new favorite Deco Art paint is the Burnt Orange, it is such a great color! I know I will be using it again!
Melissa

A Small Rant, and Saturday fun!

2011-07-20T09:15:00.001-04:00

First let me apologize, this is going to be a slight rant.

Okay, so yesterday Hubby took Little Monkey and me to town to run a few errands. (my car is at the mechanic, so it was nice of him to pick us up!) Since it was sooo hot and humid, a stop at 7-11 was required for slurpee's all around. They were really good by the way!

As we step outside the store we were assaulted by incredibly loud obnoxious music coming from an uninhabited black Honda, that of course was running so that the loud music could be heard a block away. The car was parked right next to ours. We were parked about 25 feet from the door of the store, in the time it took us to walk to our car, and get in and shut the doors, we heard the most offensive "song" I have ever heard. In maybe 30 seconds, we heard numerous foul words, talk of taking a gun and shooting someone in the head, or maybe just throwing them off a bridge cause that might be more fun, and some rather disgusting language about a girlfriend. To say that I was incredibly upset about my 3 year old hearing all of this filth, would be putting it mildly!! I was seriously considering going in the store and giving the young man who owned the car a big piece of my mind. I probably would have if hubby hadn't stopped me.

So for those who love to blare their incredibly offensive music, I say this to you:

1. Please have some respect for those around you, and keep your offensive music to yourself.
2. turn down the volume, and maybe you won't have to wear hearing aids by the time you are 30
3. Think about the fact that there are children around who don't need to hear that filth!

Okay, now that that is out of my system, let me tell you I really am working on a project, it is taking much longer than I thought it would! The end is in sight, so hopefully you'll get to see it soon.

In the mean time, here are some pictures from a nice relaxing walk hubby and I took on Saturday while LM was at her Aunts house!

These are all from the University of Virginia. If you've seen any pictures of Virginia on line, most likely you have seen pictures of the Rotunda and The Lawn. What most don't know, until they visit, sometimes more than once, is that there are "secret gardens" behind the lawn. Most of the buildings on The Lawn are for first year student houseing, behind those houses, are these fabulous gardens that are ensconced with brick serpentine walls. Awesome!

The Rotunda, from the end of the Lawn

taken from the back of one of the secret gardens

This garden came complete with a sweet old collie!

the student housing

some pretty lilies in one of the gardens

this garden was terraced, 3 levels, it was probably the nicest, and prettiest of all the ones we saw.

this was the residence with the tiered gardens

It was such a fun 2 hours, we ate Baskin Robbins ice cream, and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather!
Hope you all have a great week!
Melissa

Sneak Peek At.......

2011-07-15T17:41:00.000-04:00

I've been working on another project, this one is for my living room. A few weeks ago I saw this idea , it was like a light bulb went off! I finally knew what I wanted to do for my living room. This frame will be the center piece for a gallery wall.
Here is how it started its life, minus the very ugly slightly abstract "painting" of a bull and fighter.

I decided to paint the frames the colors that are in my curtains, this one got a coat of burnt umber (orange) and then glazed with a mix of glaze, brown paint, and a bit of black to darken it. I finished it off with a coat of polyacrylic.

The chicken wire came from a friend, and I really, really wanted rusty wire, but then hubby told me that it doesn't really rust. So, I did the next best thing, pulled out a can of hammered copper spray paint. Now I have my somewhat rusty look.

So far I think I have 10 frames, and I still have two to go. I am up to $12 cost so far for all of it! Love that price! Hopefully it will be done next week. It takes a while to hot glue the chicken wire in place.
Have a great weekend!!
Melissa
Parties I'm Linking to:
Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions

Weekend Finds #6

2011-07-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

So, I just watched Little Monkey and her 6 year old cousin K DEVOUR a medium pizza all by themselves!! I have no clue where they put 4 pieces of pizza each! They are both skinny little sticks, seriously, how do they do that? Anyway, on to the finds!

Three weekends ago there was an auction 3 doors down from us, rather convenient right? It totally was! We went down on Thursday and Friday evenings while they were setting up to preview the items. There were a million tools, so hubby was into that, I was perusing the housewares section, you know where they put the "junk". The old dishes, towels, photo frames, mixers, etc. I happened to spot a stack that looked kinda familiar. Do they look familiar to you?

If you guessed antique feed sacks you would be right! They were stuffed under one of those non slip mats you use for large area rugs. I knew right then that I was going to try to win those! When we showed up Saturday morning we found out they were running two auctions at the same time. I stayed at the house wares, and there were only a hand full of people there. I got 23 feed sacks for $4!!!! Right after I got them a lady came running over, and asked if they had sold them yet. Everyone pointed at me, and she came over and asked what I paid for them. When I told her she was shocked, and bummed. Then she told me she had come prepared to pay $20 or $30 for them, I just smiled and didn't have the heart to tell her I would have too! It would have made for an interesting bidding war! Here are a few of the best sacks.

The next weekend we worked at home, but then went to a couple of our favorite antique/junk stores and I found this needle point for $5

and this necklace for $14. I love the necklace! I don't really know if it is vintage or not, and I honestly don't care, I just loved how it looks!

This past Saturday I had promised Little Monkey that we would go to Aunt S's house to swim with her cousins, so I was not planning on junking at all! Of course that was before we drove past the flea market and I spotted a little something. Hanging up on a wall was this:

A hand pieced quilt top! I paid $15 for this, and I think that is a pretty great deal! It won't cost much to finish it, and I do want to finish it. I think it will be a winter project, we'll see! Where will I use it? No idea! It may become a picnic blanket, or it may be resold. I just thought the colors were really great together!
Well, that is all for the recent finds! I hope you all are having a productive week! I know I am! I am working on a little something for my living room, I hope to have it done by the weekend, but it may take longer.
Have a great week!
Melissa

Look Where I Am Today!!!

2011-07-04T07:24:00.000-04:00

Today I am doing my very first guest post!! So, while I am not "here" today, you can find me over at While He Was Napping! I hope you will stop in, I have a great tutorial on how to make your own fabric flower headband.
So, hop on over and check it out!
Melissa

New Items....

2011-06-29T13:13:00.000-04:00

I've finally (I know its been forever) added some new items to my etsy store!

Blue and white fabric flower headband for a toddler/child.

A vintage inspired yellow and brown headband for a child or adult

Another vintage inspired headband, this one fits an infant or toddler.

I hope you'll drop into Kensington Cottage to see more!
Melissa

Homemade -vs- Brand Name Detergent?

2011-06-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

I found this article on Fox News last week. It got me to wondering a few things, so I am asking you.
Is homemade laundry detergent cheaper? Does it work as well as the Brand name? I am a Tide girl, so I gonna need some convincing. Also, I have an HE washer, does this homemade soap work well in the HE? Please tell me!!

Melissa

How to Make Simple and Cheap Detergents
by Brandon Ballenger
Saturday, June 11, 2011

provided by
MoneyTalksNews-MultiLogo.jpg

Ever wonder why there are so many dish soap commercials? Maybe the companies who make this stuff are trying to hide the fact it's really simple -- and cheap -- to make your own.

According to the latest government data, Americans spend an average of $659 a year on housekeeping supplies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which provides that figure, also says the average American earns about $787/week -- which means many people are spending most of (if not more than) a week's pay every year on dish soap, laundry detergent, and other cleaning products.

If that sounds crazy, here's a better idea: Make your own.

Recipes for cleaning products are as numerous as recipes for dinner. Here are just a few to help with dishes, clothes and more.

Dishwasher Detergent

Here's a simple recipe for dishwasher soap:

• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of baking soda
• ¼ cup of table salt
• 2 packets (half an ounce) of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid

You can try to save even more by buying ingredients in bulk, but another idea is to find smaller and much cheaper boxes at your local dollar store: a good idea to since you'll want to try a small amount at first to see if you like the results. The amounts listed above are good for 16 loads -- one tablespoon each -- so even small batches will last a while.

Other recipes online vary: For example, we found one that suggested combining only borax and baking soda, 1 tablespoon each per load. Another suggested adding a little citrus essential oil to make it smell nice: We didn't try that one, however, because we had difficulty finding inexpensive citrus oil online. Then there's this recipe, which goes in a different direction altogether:

• 2 bars of shredded Octagon soap
• 1 cup of baking soda
• ¼ cup of washing soda
• ¼ cup of lemon juice

This one calls for melting the shredded soap in five quarts of water and then mixing in the other ingredients. If that sounds a little like the recipe for laundry detergent we wrote about last year, that's because it is.

Laundry Detergent

Speaking of laundry detergent, that's easy, too. You'll need:

• 4 cups of water
• ⅓ bar of cheap soap, grated
• ½ cup washing soda (not baking soda)
• ½ cup of Borax (20 Mule Team)
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing
• 3 gallons of water

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry detergent.

Other Cleaning Products

If you like the results of your homemade concoctions on clothes and dishes, why stop there? The next time you're at the store, instead of picking up a bottle of some expensive cleanser, grab these six items and make your own cleaning supplies:

• Vinegar. It may smell a little weird, but vinegar can handle everything from dishes to laundry and even weeds. We've written about the wonders of vinegar before.

• Baking soda. Eliminates odors and helps with stains, and also works as a natural method of pest control -- ants hate it.

• Borax. This mineral salt beats bleach as a toilet cleaner and is also useful for scrubbing walls. And as you see in the recipes above, works with laundry, too.

• Fels-Naptha soap. This one's actually made by one of those big cleaning companies: Dial. They recommend it for "pre-treating" stains. In other words, "use this in addition to a bunch of our other expensive products, like Purex!" But you can turn the tables by using it as part of a recipe for your own laundry detergent, and they can keep the Purex.

• Rubbing alcohol. Works as a disinfectant and is also a great glass cleaner. It also gets grime off plastic and metal surfaces like patio furniture or bathroom fixtures.

• Lemon juice. This cuts through dish grease and is an ingredient for homemade furniture polish -- but it's not the easiest thing to preserve long-term.

If making your own cleaning products sounds a little extreme, there are still simple ways to save. The best? Buying generics. And if you insist on using name brands, at least clip those coupons -- but only the ones worth your time.

Sad News...

2011-06-24T12:39:00.000-04:00

Today I am reminded how quickly our lives can change. This morning my sister called to tell me that a dear friend had died last night. He was only a couple years younger than me, and I have known him since we were small children. He was a wonderful guy, the type who is friends with everyone. He did not care if you were popular or not, he was just your friend. Someone commented to me that they always appreciated that he even tried to befriend the "wall flowers". That's just the kind of guy he was. He always had a hug for you, and a ready smile. He will be very missed, but we do know that he is with our Heavenly Father. Not long after I heard the news, this song ran through my head, it is from Selah.

Soon we'll come to the end of life's journey
And perhaps we'll never meet anymore
Till we gather in heaven's bright city
Far away on that beautiful shore

If we never meet again this side of heaven
As we struggle through this world and its strife
There's another meeting place somewhere in heaven
By the beautiful river of life

Where the charming roses bloom forever
And separations come no more
If we never meet again this side of heaven
I will meet you on that beautiful shore

I am looking forward to that day!! I know I will see my friend on that beautiful shore!
Melissa

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint giveaway at Lucky 7!!

2011-06-22T14:17:00.001-04:00

Hey all, have you heard of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint? No, well then you need to head over to Lucky 7 Designs and check out her giveaway, they'll tell you all about it! Here is what they are giving away!

Hope you'll go enter!
Melissa

Goodwill Finds

2011-06-22T10:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I am way behind this week! It was a really fun really busy weekend, it started Friday night with an impromptu family dinner with some of hubby's family. I was making a turkey, and since it was 22 pounds, we decided we needed help eating it! We had a great evening!! Saturday I took Little Monkey swimming at her aunt's house. It was the first time since she was an infant, she did so great!! Scared at first of course, but after about 15 minutes she was telling me to go away! She had on armies (those little floats you can put on their arms), and a foam noodle. She floated around and kicked and had a grand time! After we took the kiddos, LM, and her 3 cousins, to a Taco Bell/KFC that had a play area for lunch and wore them out even more! After we finished with lunch I went to Goodwill and found some goodies, some of these came from a trip to a different Goodwill on Thursday as well.

Not all these cloths are for LM, the infant stuff is for her soon to be born little girl cousin!

I also go this basket of stuff. The embroidery hoops were only $.45 each! They are going to be part of a gift for my sister for her new baby room. Hopefully I'll get to work on them soon!

Sunday was another busy, but fun day for us! The weekend just kept on going, it was great! Oh, a funny little story for you. We have several friends who are expecting babies soon, Little Monkey also has 3 aunts that are expecting. When we came home Sunday night we had a conversation that went something like this.

Little Monkey is in the bath "cleaning up".
LM: Mommy, I have a baby in my tummy.
Me: Oh really? Who told you that?
LM: M and G (her little friends) told me.?
Me: okay.
LM: We are all mommies, so that means we have babies in our tummies.
I love the logic of three year old's! This made me laugh, she has been telling me she has a baby in her tummy each day, and of course asking me if I have one too. I had to try to explain that not every mommy has a baby in her tummy, and that I don't. She doesn't quite get it yet. :)
Melissa

Lavender and other Herbs

2011-06-17T10:27:00.000-04:00

To borrow a favorite phrase from our local talk radio host, "Happy Friday all y'all!" Whew, I am glad this week is almost over! Its just been too busy! I've gotten almost nothing done all week, my house is a wreck! However, I am rectifying that today! I am up, I have had a healthy fruit and protein packed smoothie for breakfast. The dishwasher is running, the washer and dryer are running, a turkey is in the oven, the trash out (almost forgot it was trash day, again), I am on a roll! Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and show you a little something I've been working on outside. I could have had it done much sooner, but I usually only get to work on it in little blocks of time, and well, I HATE working outside when it is 90+, its just too hot for me. So, without further ado, here it is!

Last year I planted 6 lavender plants against our house. Four survived the winter, and hubby accidentally hacking one with the weed eater! I would eventually like to have lavender all the way down the side of the house, but for now I have 8 lavender plants, and various herbs. The herbs were supposed to go here, oh and by the way, this is what that lavender bed looked like before I spent an entire (yes the whole thing, well, okay okay only about 5 hours) Saturday working on pulling out weeds.

See my poor spider wart covered with wild morning glories?

Can I just take a minute to say that I hate wild morning glories? Really I do. I know some of you are thinking "how can you hate such a pretty flower?" Wild morning glories are impossible to kill!! You pull them out, and if you don't get every single piece of the roots, another one will come up. You can pull them, and hours later they are back. Seriously! Okay, well maybe not hours, but a day or two later, you will find more popping up. Anyway....

The lavender that survived, plus one I replanted.

As you can see the bed fore the herbs was not ready, but as usual I jumped the gun and bought the plants, so I put them in the lavender bed. I have 4 types of thyme, sage, and oregano, 2 types of rosemary (hoping one will survive the winter!), 1 basil, 1 fennel, and 2 parsley plants. I really love to cook with fresh herbs. Especially a roasted turkey or chicken with fresh herbs! Yummy!

I added the gravel because lavender don't like water to sit on their roots, they can rot very easily. Most herbs also don't like tons of water, the gravel helps disperse the water, and also helps keep it from evaporating as fast. I am hoping the gravel will also discourage the weeds, but I have my doubts.
It does feel good to one flower bed done! Let me tell you, when your yard is a blank slate, it is hard to figure out what you want to do!
Hope you all are having a great Friday! See you on Monday!
Melissa

The Menace!!!

2011-06-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

So, what do this:

these,

and the female version of this person,

have in common?

THIS!!!!

Yep, you've already guessed it. Little Monkey decided to help herself to my sewing scissors. She then proceeded to cut up the brand new Gymboree skirt that Grandma had bought for her just days before. I haven't even removed the tag yet!!! Needless to say, her name was MUD. When I found it, I was completely irritated, frustrated, and plain old exasperated! I mean, what on earth possessed her to ~~pick up~~ get into my sewing desk for scissors and cut up a new skirt? I don't know. It still irks me every time I look at it. I just cannot believe she did it.

All that said, I think I can salvage it. It was too long, so I think, (think being the operative word) that I can pullout the stitches on the middle ruffle, and then cut the lower ruffle just above the decorative stitching. I can then create a new middle ruffle out of the lining, which is made out of the same fabric, and then reattach the bottom ruffle. The skirt will be shorter for sure, but should still be fine. I just didn't want to have to do this much work!! Ah well, as my dad would say, "don't sweat the small stuff, cause its all small stuff!" In the grand scheme of things, this is a small thing!
Hope you are having a happy Wednesday!
Melissa

Fun In The Blue Ridge and Two Giveaway WINNERS!!!

2011-06-14T08:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I am now sort of caught up, maybe. I spent yesterday picking up, and doing laundry. Seriously, how is it that your house can just be destroyed when you are not even there? It drives me crazy!! Anyhow, Sunday we went to the mountains to escape the heat! We are fortunate to live about 30 minutes from the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was beautiful up there, flowers were blooming, everything is green and lush, and the wildlife is abundant! A bunch of us met up there to do a hike, have dinner, and do a little singing as well.

We pretty much hung out at the back of the crowd, with a few others who had small kids.

The hike was first up, it was the South River hike for anyone interested, and it is interesting. You know the old saying "what goes down must come up"? Well, that was never more true! The hike is supposed to end up at a look out over a waterfall. The whole way to the waterfall is down hill, and the whole way back....yep up hill. It wasn't terribly hard, just made me realize just how out of shape I am! Hubby ended up carrying Little Monkey most of the way, she fell right at the start, and that was it for her. She still had fun, and enjoyed seeing the waterfall, her first, as well as playing in the river.

The Waterfall!

Another pretty spot in the river.

Back to the wildlife, unfortunately we came across a Timber Rattler. Not my favorite kind of snake let me tell you. This was actually the second snake, the other was just as scared of us, and took off, I think it was an Eastern King snake, which is harmless.

Later, while we were eating dinner a White Tailed deer wandered through the picnic area. They are rather abundant in Virginia, and you can see them everyday, but it was still neat. A few friends had wandered farther up the highway and got to see a Black bear! Wish I could have seen that, Little Monkey would have loved it! After a dinner of grilled chicken sandwiches, and veggies, chips and dip, we sang some choruses until it started to rain! We all quickly gathered our stuff and took off! It was a great evening, even though the knats were awful! I mean awful! Even bug spray didn't work for them. Oh well, it was still great fun!

Now, on to our winners! The winner of the Handmade Dress giveaway is Nellana!
The winner of the Summer Daze giveaway is Shawna of A Very Dandoislion Life! I have sent you both emails.
I hope you all have a great week!
Melissa

Summer Daze Giveawa Day 6 (My Day!!)

2011-06-11T09:26:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the final day of Summer Daze Giveaways, hosted by While He Was Napping! It’s been a fantastic week of amazing giveaways! Each day, from June 6-11, three new giveaways will open. Giveaways will be open for four days, so make sure you get your entries in before they close. You will need to visit the host blog to enter. Entry requirements vary per host. Make sure you get your entries into all the other giveaways, most of them are still open!

Today's giveaways are courtesy of:

Yeah! Today is my day for a giveaway! Are you all ready? I thought so! Here is what you can win:
You will get a burlap wreath, a burlap covered cork board, a yellow flower clip/pin combo, an antique lace flower clip/pin combo, and .....a $15 Target gift card!

You will also get 6 fabric flower push pins for your memo board, your choice of color.

and....last but not least, you will also get a blue Ball mason jar with zinc lid!
Read to the end for the rules!
Don't forget to check out the other giveaways that start today!

Jayna @ Rock N Regalia has another great hair accessory for this summer. This one is perfection with a nautical theme. Who wouldn’t want to wear this adorable statement piece?

Tanya @ Sew Many Dreams has the perfect accessory for every diaper bag! A shopping cart cover! If you’ve ever watched in horror as your precious little one moved toward that cart handle, mouth agape and tongue just itching to taste that germ-ridden surface, you know that this would be a life-saver. One or two licks of the bacteria-infested handle may not be life or death, but it sure would make mommy a little less squeamish and grossed out!

These giveaways will close on Wednesday, June 14, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for all of these fantastic prizes.

If you haven’t entered these giveaways from yesterday, head over and do that now too!

Stephanie @ Luxe Boulevard has some more pretties for your sun-bleached tresses. These great fabric rosettes are perfect with their array of colors, lending to a fun and fancy-free look. The perfect look for a warm summer day.

Emily @ Insanity Rules isn’t just celebrating summer! With her year-round, seasonal word frames you can add some decor that will be perfect, no matter what the weather may be.

Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims will help you get the perfect piece of stylish jewelry for the season. With a $20 gift certificate to Your Girlish Whims, her Etsy shop, you’ll have the perfect excuse to indulge in the some pearls. It is June, after all.

Rules:
1. Follow me and leave me a comment. (1 entry)
2. Follow Jayna @ Rock n' Regalia (1 entry)
3. Follow Tanya @ Sew Many Dreams (1 entry)
4. Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway (2 entries)
5. Tell me what you will do with your Target gift card (1 entry)
6. Enter my surprise giveaway from The Handmade Dress (3 entries)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure to leave your email address if it is not in your profile.
Melissa

Summer Daze Giveaway Day 5!!

2011-06-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

***Don't forget to enter my surprise giveaway from The Handmade Dress!***

FRIDAY’S GIVEAWAYS:
Stephanie @ Luxe Boulevard has some more pretties for your sun-bleached tresses. These great fabric rosettes are perfect with their array of colors, lending to a fun and fancy-free look. The perfect look for a warm summer day.

Emily @ Insanity Rules isn’t just celebrating summer! With her year-round, seasonal word frames you can add some decor that will be perfect, no matter what the weather may be.

Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims will help you get the perfect piece of stylish jewelry for the season. With a $20 gift certificate to Your Girlish Whims, her Etsy shop, you’ll have the perfect excuse to indulge in the some pearls. It is June, after all.

These giveaways will close on Tuesday, June 13, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for all of these fantastic prizes. And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

If you haven’t entered these giveaways from yesterday, head over and do that now too!

Natalie @ Nat Mac's Knick Knacks has an incredible summer tote bag that would be perfect for a trip to the beach, the zoo, or even the park. The flower embellishment gives the perfect whimsical finishing touch to an already pleasant afternoon in the summer sun.

Suze @ Time Well Spent is giving away a personalized name plaque and hair bow holder. Perfect for all those cute, summery hair accessories!

Brenda @ A Creative Nest has a darling custom made, hand crocheted dress that encompasses all that is summer. With a flower embellishment giving it a sweet, girly touch.

Hope you all are enjoying the Summer Daze Giveaway series! I know I am!
Melissa

Summer Daze Giveaway Day 4!!

2011-06-09T09:04:00.000-04:00

***Don't forget to check out my surprise giveaway from The Handmade Dress!***

Welcome to the Summer Daze Giveaways, hosted by While He Was Napping! It’s a fantastic week of amazing giveaways! Each day, from June 6-11, three new giveaways will open. Giveaways will be open for four days, so make sure you get your entries in before they close. You will need to visit the host blog to enter. Entry requirements vary per host.

Today's giveaways are courtesy of:

Natalie @ Nat Mac's Knick Knacks has an incredible summer tote bag that would be perfect for a trip to the beach, the zoo, or even the park. The flower embellishment gives the perfect whimsical finishing touch to an already pleasant afternoon in the summer sun.

Suze @ Time Well Spent is giving away a personalized name plaque and hair bow holder. Perfect for all those cute, summery hair accessories!

Brenda @ A Creative Nest has a darling custom made, hand crocheted dress that encompasses all that is summer. With a flower embellishment giving it a sweet, girly touch.

These giveaways will close on Monday, June 12, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for all of these fantastic prizes. And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

If you haven’t entered these giveaways from yesterday, head over and do that now too!

Bethany @ Sweet Bee Buzzings has an awesome little goody package for your kiddos. If you’ve got any road trips planned this summer, this is definitely the giveaway for you! Prize is complete with a cute little color books and crayons!

Kim @ Kim's Kandy Kreations has a sweet treat for you. One dozen delicious, personalized whirly pops to be exact. Head over and get your name in for these cute, sweet, handmade delights.

Krista @ While He Was Napping has a set of two handcrafted, personalized luggage tags and a summer subway art tote bag. Perfect for the best part of summer: Vacation! These tags are one of a kind and easy to spot. No more waiting and hoping that bag really is yours. The tote is perfect for day trips and the distressed look lends a hand to a relaxed summer outing.

Summer Daze Giveaway Day 3!!

2011-06-08T08:54:00.000-04:00

***Don't forget to enter my surprise giveaway from The Handmade Dress***

Today's giveaways are courtesy of:

Bethany @ Sweet Bee Buzzings has an awesome little goody package for your kiddos. If you’ve got any road trips planned this summer, this is definitely the giveaway for you! Prize is complete with a cute little color books and crayons!

Kim @ Kim's Kandy Kreations has a sweet treat for you. One dozen delicious, personalized whirly pops to be exact. Head over and get your name in for these cute, sweet, handmade delights.

Krista @ While He Was Napping has a set of two handcrafted, personalized luggage tags and a summer subway art tote bag. Perfect for the best part of summer: Vacation! These tags are one of a kind and easy to spot. No more waiting and hoping that bag really is yours. The tote is perfect for day trips and the distressed look lends a hand to a relaxed summer outing.

These giveaways will close on Sunday, June 12, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for both of these fantastic prizes. And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

If you haven’t entered these giveaways from yesterday, head over and do that now!

Ashley @ Ashley Creations has an adorable little hair clip up for grabs. The colors are amazing and perfect for summer! It’s like lime sorbet, raspberries and lemonade.

Kelly @ Make It Sparkly Mama has a whimsical, single strand bracelet that you can personalize. Customizable with birthstones or crystals of your choice. This bracelet features oval alphabet beads. It is personalized with 6 Swarovski birthstone crystals on each strand.

Shawna @ A Very Dandoislion Life has some more cute hair clips! These are gorgeous! And the colors are divine. These would be so easy to dress up or dress down. Perfect for that summer BBQ, cocktail party or wedding.

Summer Daze Giveaway Day 2!!

2011-06-07T09:07:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Summer Daze Giveaways, hosted by While He Was Napping! It’s a fantastic week of amazing giveaways! Each day, from June 6-11, three new giveaways will open. Giveaways will be open for four days, so make sure you get your entries in before they close. You will need to visit the host blog to enter. Entry requirements vary per host.

Let's get this party started! Today's giveaways are courtesy of:

Ashley @ Ashley Creations has this adorable little hair clip up for grabs. The colors are amazing and perfect for summer! It’s like lime sorbet, raspberries and lemonade. What little princess wouldn’t want this?

Kelly @ Make It Sparkly Mama has a whimsical, single strand bracelet that you can personalize. Customizable with birthstones or crystals of your choice. This bracelet features oval alphabet beads. It is personalized with 6 Swarovski birthstone crystals on each strand.

Shawna @ A Very Dandoislion Life has some more cute hair clips! How gorgeous are these babies? And the colors are divine. These would be so easy to dress up or dress down. Perfect for that summer BBQ, cocktail party or wedding.

These giveaways will close on Saturday, June 11, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for both of these fantastic prizes. And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

If you haven’t entered these giveaways from yesterday, head over and do that now!

Mindie @ Bacon Time With the Hungry, Hungry Hypo. She has a wonderful fabric rosette bracelet and matching summer scarf up for grabs! The bracelet has an adjustable stainless steel band with "follow your dreams" engraved on both sides. A single pearl adorns the bracelet for a light, yet sophisticated feel.

And Delina @ Dew This has a super cool, year round countdown calendar kit. Choose your preferred holiday (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Easter), spend a little quality time with your crafty self and get your countdown on.

Also, don't forget to enter my surprise giveaway from The Handmade Dress!! Its open till Monday so hurry and enter!

Melissa

Summer Daze Giveaway Day 1

2011-06-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Summer Daze Giveaways, hosted by While He Was Napping! It'll be a fantastic week of amazing giveaways! What better way to get all ready for summer than with a chance at some really cool, free stuff?! Each day, from June 6-11, three new giveaways will open. Giveaways will be open for four days, so make sure you get your entries in before they close. You will need to visit the host blog to enter. Entry requirements vary per host.

Let's get this party started! Today's giveaways are courtesy of:

Mindie @ Bacon Time With the Hungry, Hungry Hypo. She has a wonderful fabric rosette bracelet and matching summer scarf up for grabs! The bracelet has an adjustable stainless steel band with "follow your dreams" engraved on both sides. A single pearl adorns the bracelet for a light, yet sophisticated feel.

And Delina @ Dew This has a super cool, year round countdown calendar kit. Choose your preferred holiday (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Easter), spend a little quality time with your crafty self and get your countdown on.

These giveaways will close on Friday, June 10, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for both of these fantastic prizes. And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

View Original Post at http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-daze-giveaway-day-1.html#ixzz1OV3GSezA

The Handmade Dress Review and GIVEAWAY!

2011-06-06T09:00:00.004-04:00

The week before last, Little Monkey had a friend over, we'll call her Little G. They had a grand time playing dress up, and playing "house" and all those other things little girls do. While they were playing I was cleaning and going through my fabric stash. Of course the girls had to come check out the fabric and were oohing and ahhing over different pieces. I asked if they would like to have matching dresses, well of course they did!

We picked out a fabric I had just bought at Joann's a couple weeks before, I was glad I had gone ahead and bought 2 yards! I then decided to try out a new pattern. In February I was checking out Etsy stores looking for simple patterns for little girl dresses, I came across an etsy store called The Handmade Dress. The shop owner, Samantha Caffee, has some darling dress patterns for sale! I chose two, but have only made one so far. I chose the Miss Madelyn dress for the girls. Here is a photo from the dress pattern, and the description on the etsy listing.

This is sweet little peasant style dress with options for a contrasting waistband or apron. There are instructions for making an apron or you can use up your stash of vintage hankies or tea towels! What a beautiful way to use Grandmas hankies!

Size 5- 10 years

The bird embroidery design is included!

First let me say that this is a pattern that a beginner could make. The directions are clear, and easy to follow. For those who are experienced seamstress' you can make this dress in about 2 hours from start to finish. The one thing I really loved about this pattern, it is true to size. I made my daughter a 4 and it fit perfectly without taking it in or letting it out. The only adjustment I made for her was to add 3 inches to the hem because I wanted the dress to be well below her knee. Little Monkey is very tall for her age, so this is normal for me!
The dress for Little G was a size 2, and it fit perfectly as well, except that I did not measure the elastic for the arms correctly, so they were tight, that was all my fault! I did add length to Little G's dress as well, just because I wanted it below the knee, I added about 2 inches. I will definitely be making this dress again!!
Here is a picture of one of the dresses I made, sorry I don't have them both, I forgot to take a picture of Little G's dress before I gave it to her!

I really love this fabric! It was so fun for the dress pattern. I also made the girls matching headbands out of the left over fabric as well as a piece of antique lace.

Here are a couple of other dress patterns also available at The Handmade Dress.

Miss Alice Pattern (this is the other one I bought, but haven't tried yet)

Miss Lily pattern

Miss Skirt Pattern

Now that you have scene how great The Handmade Dress is you want some patterns of your own right? Well, you can always go buy your own here, or you can enter our giveaway and win one free pattern for yourself!!

How can you win? (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.)
(This is open to everyone, US, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, Etc.)

1. Become a follower of Kensington Cottage and leave me a comment. (1 entry)
2. Become a follower of The Handmade Dress, and leave me a comment. (1 entry)
3. Go to The Handmade Dress etsy store and tell me which pattern you would love to have.(1 entry)
4. Blog about this giveaway, or place it in your sidebar and leave me a comment with a link. (2 entries)

That's all there is to it! Oh, make sure you leave me your email address too! The giveaway will end Midnight Sunday night and the winner will be announced on Monday!
Melissa

Blog Buttons

2011-06-03T17:14:00.001-04:00

Did you happen to notice my sidebar? I have a button!! Let me tell you, I am a complete dunce when it comes to html code, I have no earthly idea what that even stands for! But, I wanted a button, and after trying several tutorials finally found one that worked great! It was so easy! I found it at Musings of a Housewife. She has the code all ready for, and tells you how to plug your info in and everything!

I hope this can help you too!
Melissa

PS. Check back Monday for an surprise giveaway!

He Made Me

2011-06-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

I found this the other day on Saved By Love Creations. I found it so true and beautiful. I hope you do to.

He Made Me

I made her…she is different. She is unique.

With love I formed her in her mother’s womb.

I fashioned her with great joy.

I remember with great pleasure the day I created her.

I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh

And the silly things she says and does.

She brings me great pleasure. This is how I made her.

I made her pretty and not beautiful.

I wanted her to search out her heart and learn that

it would be ME in her that would make her beautiful…

And it would be Me that would draw others to her.

I made her in such a way that she would need me.

I made her a little more lonesome than she would like to be…

Only because I need for her to learn and depend on Me.

I know her heart. I know that if I had not made her like this,

She would go her own chosen way

And forget Me…her Creator.

Because I love her,I have seen her broken heart…

and the tears she cried alone.

I have cried with her and had a broken heart too.

Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone…

Only because she would not hold my hand.

So many lessons she’s learned the hard way

because she would not listen to My voice.

So many times I have sat back and sadly

watched her go her merry way alone…

Only to watch her return to my arms,

sad and broken.

And now she is Mine again.

I made her,and I bought her…

Because I love her.

I have to reshape and remold her

To renew her to what I planned for her to be.

It has not been easy for her or for Me.

I want her to be conformed to My image.

This high goal I have set for her…

Because I love her.

-Author Unknown

Summer Daze Sneak Peek

2011-06-01T11:05:00.000-04:00

I bet you all thought I had dropped off the face of the earth! Not so, we had a very busy week, and weekend, and I spent yesterday recovering and doing laundry. (why is it that the laundry was done by Saturday, and yet I have an even bigger pile by Tuesday?) So now that I am all caught up (insert sarcastic laugh here) I thought it was time to let you all know about an upcoming giveaway!

Have you heard of the Summer Daze Giveaway contest? No!! Well let me tell you all about it. Starting on Monday and continuing until Saturday there will be 2-3 blogs doing a giveaway each day. Each giveaway is open for 3 days, so you want to make sure you enter it right away! There are going to be some really awesome prizes, I can't wait to see them all!
For today, I thought I would show you a sneak peek at part of my giveaway package, I still have at least 3 things to add to it!!

What is included here? A burlap wreath, burlap covered cork board, antique lace flower pin/clip combo, yellow rose flower pin/clip combo, and a $15 Target gift card!!

Now, I know some of you are thinking, I love this stuff, but it is just not me, so I wouldn't enter the giveaway. Stop right there! You can still enter, maybe you have a friend who would totally love the wreath, or the memo board, you can give it to them as a gift and keep that things that are "you". That's one of the great things about giveaways, besides, you might get it and decide that you love it and it goes just fine with your house too!

I hope you will stop back in next week and enter the giveaways. Each day I will post the giveaways that start that day, and let you know if the others are ending soon. I hope you will help us make this a great giveaway contest!
Melissa

Help, I'm Clueless!!

2011-05-27T08:27:00.001-04:00

I'm clueless when it comes to HTML!! I have been trying and trying to make a button for this blog, and I just cannot figure it out. I found this great tutorial by Krista at While He Was Napping, it has step by step instructions for all of it. I followed them exactly! I got my picture, put my name on it, and then followed the directions to upload it to Photobucket. At that point, it worked great. I added the code to my blog, and had an enormous button. Krista told me how to resize it, and tried it again. Now all I get is a message that says this content removed by Photobucket, or I get nothing at all!! Can any of you help? I would like to get the button working because next week I will be joining the Summer Daze giveaway contest. I have a great (at least I think so) giveaway for you all and I can't wait to show it! Just a few more days!

If you have any suggestions for my HTML problem, I would be grateful!!
Melissa