The Truck That Isn't Anymore

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This is the grain truck that I mentioned in my last post.  They'll never know why it started on fire. Perhaps a rodent had chewed on wires.  My husband had just parked it and went to the basement of the farm house to eat lunch.  Had he not had a phone call from his brother that brought him up out of the basement for a better signal on the cell phone, it could have been much worse.  The truck was parked right by the farm's two fuel tanks.  He and his brother used the tractor to pull the burning truck away from the fuel barrels while they waited for the fire trucks to arrive. 

The "couldas" :: could have ignited the fuel barrels, could have happened when parked for the night inside a shed, could have been full of grain,...

I don't see a lot of point in looking at the "couldas" except to see the blessings.  Funny thing though, if the "couldas" would-a, we still would look to God and praise Him for being there with us. But, maybe through gritted teeth for awhile. :)

Today, very happy for what is.

Salute to Old Timer's Ingenuity

Sweetness!  I went to an auction yesterday and was pretty happy with a couple of the things I brought home.

This table is quite sturdy and bonus!  has a towel bar attached to it that I didn't even see when I bid on it.  I know, so much for close inspection. :)  Which is why I came home with this a few weeks ago.  But, per your advice on that conundrum I am going to marry the cubbyhole piece to this table.  So's the plan, anyway.

Biggest problem is where to put it and what color to paint it.  If it were going in a potting shed, I'd leave it...hhmmmm....that is still an option.  Just need the potting shed. :)

A big **SALute** goes out to the man who cut out these tin gallon cans to make his own drawers/bins.  A woman could have made these, Rosie the Riveter comes to mind since they are full of rivets!  I just love these cans.  

I bought four of them and then had to let two go because the contents brought too much money.  But, I knew the one regular auction goer who bought one of them and asked him if he'd sell me the container.  He says, "You want the container?!"  "You can just have it."  I grinned big.  The other fella who bought the sixth one...well, not too approachable.  

These will probably end up in the barn at the work table doing just what they do best, holding screws, bolts, washers, etc. 

The edges are a bit rough, but isn't the idea great?  Do you think there would be any danger of a spark when you'd take a tin snip to these.? These gallon containers seem to be the ones filled with flammable contents. I think a person would want to really wash them out even before you started cutting. Then wash again.  A grinder could sure smooth up the edges. 

Now, what to do with all of these rivets?!   I'm open to suggestions!

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The farm's grain truck burned up last week just shortly after my husband parked it.I'll post a picture later this week of it.  We are thanking God that it wasn't worse.  Just the cab is gone and explosions were avoided!

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I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and Thrift Share Monday.

Saturday Digest

We had snow/hail with thunder yesterday.  Really cool!

Another window seat project....more to follow.

This is the new "toy" I received for my birthday that I mentioned a few posts back.  If you draw, you may love it!  I'm using it for editing in Photoshop.  Makes my brain work. :) and, hurt. :) That "old dog" adage comes to mind.

The products web page is here. 

**I've ordered wool roving to try my hand at these. Oh my. So pretty.  But even better still, these that Lisa sells. But, currently, sold out. :(

**We get faster internet service on Tuesday.  ~~happy~~dance~~

**Wishing a wonderful weekend!!

Kid Friendly Lent Recipe

Ok, calling this a recipe is really a stretch.  A big stretch.  But, easy it is. Kid friendly it is. And, good it is.

I make these for the kids year round not just during Lent, but now seemed like a good time to share it.

Apple Cheesies

Ingredients:

  tortilla shell

 shredded cheese

apple.

  I like the Monterrey/Colby Jack combo of cheese and also the Mexican blend of cheeses that is made by Kraft and Shurfresh (not taco flavored though).  The sweeter apples are better.

The finer you chop the apple, the less likely it is to fall out of your tortilla shell. :)

Melt in the microwave until cheese is about half melted.  Then roll up.  

That's it.  Served with some fresh vegetables and you have a pretty nice lunch. 

We started making cheesies at home after the kids liked the cheesy burritos at Amigos.  They weren't so keen on the beans that are in the Amigos version so we never put them in at home.  Then one day when I was making cheesies for lunch and cutting up apples to serve with them, my little girl jokingly asked if I was going to put the apple in the cheesy.  I realized that the warm apple would be quite good with the cheese and thanks to Audrey, Apple Cheesies were born.  

Gourmet we're not. :)   But picture grating your own imported cheese and making your own homemade tortillas and you can step it up a bit. LOL!

May your Lenten season be blessed!

Dreams of a Moonlight Garden

As you plan your garden for this year, you might consider white.  

When we first moved into our house one of my flower beds was deemed the "Moonlight Garden"  and I had hopes and dreams of white flowers glowing at dusk and illuminated by the moon.  Well, 15 years later, I still have the dream. :) The soil was poor, my attention to the bed has had a wee bit of competition, but  I still plant white flowers in pots and enjoy those at dusk.

I took the photos in the two mosaics at dusk one night last summer.  They are straight out of the camera with no editing, I think you can tell how they just pop at dusk and if you have bright moonlight, by the moon.

I have also found that light purple plants are gorgeous at dusk.  I remember the bloom of the milkweed plant  and Husker Red Penstemon being amazing as the sun went down.

This web page gives you a list of good plants to use in your moonlight garden

This link: a lot of information on moonlight gardens

This page: videos on a moonlight garden (scroll down)

I would really like to hear your experiences with  moonlight gardening!

Linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday (on a Thursday) 

Tea on Tuesday::Texture Tuesday

It's been awhile since I've joined up with Kimmie for Tea and with Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday.  It's so fun to edit pictures of tea cups!

One of my daughter's gave me this Tazo Rest Rose Tea.  It's so light and delicious!  

The challenge for Texture Tuesday was to use the theme "happiness".  Well, this tea from my daughter in this cup made me happy, so "happiness is a cup of tea in a vintage cup".

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!! 

May you feel the love from above!

Kids' Valentine Project

We had a 4-H meeting last night and since we've been working on learning some simple stitches,  I made up kits for them to practice at home.  **With the help of my husband...since he's still non weight bearing on his foot...I told him cutting out cardboard hearts for his wife shows what a true man he is. :)


Supplies:
food boxes
craft punches
yarn in red and white (or color of choice)
large eyed needle
paper to label the hearts

I thought I'd share the idea if anyone has kids or step it up to fabric and a frame and make it your self.  
**Cut out three hearts from paper board (food boxes with predominantly red and white colors)
**Pre punch the holes with a craft punch.  We used a big one and a little one
**Use a blanket stitch, an overcast stitch, and a running stitch to stitch around the hearts.  If you make big holes, you could just tape around the end of your red yarn and not use a needle.
**Type out labels in the font of your choice or hand letter them.
**Glue to the back side of a big panel cut from a food box.
**Punch holes around the "frame" and do a running stitch with yarn to complete the frame.
**Tie a string around the yarn in the back to hang it.

Links:
Blanket Stitch Tutorial:

http://stitchschool.blogspot.com/2009/12/blanket-stitch.html

Overcast Stitch:

http://diyfashion.about.com/od/easysewing/f/Overcast_Stitch.htm

Running Stitch:

http://www.holiday-crafts-and-creations.com/running-stitch.html

You can certainly step this up with more effort depending on the age of the kids.

I hope you have a nice weekend!  I have a new gadget...a gift from my two of my kids for my birthday, so I'll be fiddling with it this weekend.  More on it later when I have more to tell. :)  I did capture my signature with it though.

Very Simple Hearts.

Inspired by a friend, who was inspired by Dottie Angel...I sewed some simple hearts on a string with my sewing machine.

The hearts are made from book pages.  Sometimes simple is quite nice.

For previous heart/valentine posts: 

Click here for the book heart garland tutorial and

here for wordle valentine cards

and for another Valentine's Day inspired garland, here.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Hello Blue Snow.

I caught my reflection this morning in our kitchen window. Warm and toasty inside superimposed on crisp and cold outside.  The light from the door is our pantry light reflecting in the window and the horizontal spread of light is from our white countertop.  We had about a foot of snow Friday night and although I'm not thrilled with scooping, it is beautiful.

I ran out late this afternoon and with just the last rays of sun, snapped a couple of pictures in the tank garden.

The white balance on my camera is not off.  Everything was so blue.  When my son and I were scooping yesterday, we noticed how you could see the most beautiful blue light in each crevice of snow.  I should have taken the time to get my camera, it really was amazing.

One of the tea cup bird feeders with a little cap of snow.

The late afternoon sun is fleeting and deceptively warm looking, but so inviting.  

And, I Found This Too.

I picked up this door knob also this past weekend.  It is seriously very cool.  I believe a little air compressor action in the edges, some glue under some of the wood veneer that is pulling away, a hook on the back and this beauty will be ready to find a home.  

I decided to fill the jar with some really neat silverware I picked up at the auction on Sunday.

.  Now, I know me and if I come up with a project for the silverware, I'll be hesitant to take it from it's new home! (Good thing I have another stash of silverware, huh?!)

But, these are some of the prettiest pieces I have. This may be the best use for them, to just sit and be enjoyed. :)