~ another drizzle-ley day ~

It is a good thing there are bright pictures that I have taken... since the sun has not been out ~ it is good to see these... the heavy rains have stopped. Thank *U God. We went to see our lil' "O" last nite. The creeks were all overflowing! Unbelieveable how green & lush everything is this summer! I have not had to water the lawn once this summer, very unusual! But I love how beautiful everything looks! These are my sweetpeas, that I have by our basement door. The morning glories love to grow right along with them! Love seeing them everytime I go out to walk. Such a pretty sight that makes me smile... I am soo grateful for that! Hope this makes you smile & it is Friday again! Double smiles... =) =) Have a great & beautiful friday!

Hugs & Blessings, Humble♥

~ some brightness on a rainy day ~

It has been raining/drizzling the past two days here in Ioway! Some areas are reporting record rain falls agin. It is always a scare for alot of the Iowa people who have gone through major flooding just a year ago... Kyle, our son, just sent us a pic of his rain gauge & it had over 7 inches in it since yesterday! We have not had that much, but it has rained alot it seems...

I thought I would send out a cheery pics of my brown-eyed susans this summer. They are always soo bright & pretty. I had a bucket that the bottom rusted out, so just set it around the one plant I have in the one part of my flower bed. Can not throw away a perfectly good bucket just because the bottom is gone! Hope all are having a wonderful week! Can not believe it is almost Friday again!!!

Hugs & Blessings, humble♥

~ my lil' rainman & furry friends ~

Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of our lil' 'o' for the week*end... love the lil' guy soo much!!! on Friday it rained & rained & rained. With doggies I have to let them out. It was a cool rain ~ the kind with no lightning or thunder... (my kind of rain) Yep, I do love rainy days! I had this hooded sweatshirt that was my mom's ( I know she was smiling on us when Owen was wearing it!) I wear it, now, but that day it was for Owen...

I received a wonderful e*mail today from my friend Nellie... about rain. It reminded me of that Friday. Isn't a blessing how we get the messages? How God works in our lives? Just two weeks ago it rained on Friday & today, Friday again ~ we are having rain showers.

How blessed I was to walk in the rain & splash in puddles with my lil' buddy. We laughed & giggled at how high the water was when our feet hit the puddles! As Nellies' e-mail stated we must have needed a washing. It was priceless...!!!

So even tho your day may give you puddles, just splash thru them & dance like a child!

hugs & blessings, humble♥

~ school has started once agin... ~

When I go thru my pics & see how things have grown ~ I am amazed at how fast time flys! It seems like the kids just got out of school for the summer & I just got some plants in. Today the kids in the neighborhood were off for school agin! I am soo enjoying the beautiful sights of my flowers... Another summer... & before we know it ~ it is another summer past... take the time to enjoy your summer day.

hugs & blessings, humble♥

~ PROJECTS EARLIER THIS SUMMER... ~

Somedays I feel like I do not accomplish much... which is very true! Earlier this year we have had some gorgeous weather days... we had a record cool July! So I took advantage of that & painted some of the furniture finds I had from over the years. I think if I am not outside & not seen by the neighbors ~ they call to see if I am ok... gotta love. that! As you can see, also, the purple verbena flower bed just starting to bloom in the backgound, too. I have some more furniture pics to post later as with other things. The pic above is a wool background with all wool appliques. I made it for Kyle & Shanna. (they really liked it!) The colors are more deep & rich than this pic shows... I really enjoy working with wool & painting small furniture & distressing it ~ I am soo blessed to do what I love! To be able to see & do things with my hands ~ those are blessings! For everything I am soo grateful. I hope you get to do something today that you really enjoy! hugs & blessings, humble ♥

~ my treat everyday...~

It sure doesn't seem like it is August... but looking back at my flower pics and seeing their growth ~ summer is going fast! These purple verbena must like this flower bed... I know I sure love seeing them everyday. They draw the butterflies... who stop to say 'hi'! The flowers are soo lovely this year ~ I know I say that every year! I just love seeing my flowers & plants with my treasures mixed in with them. It is my special treat for me & just wanted to share with you m'friends. I have more pics to post later... Have a treat-filled day! hugs & blessings, humble♥

~ my lil' o.k. boy treats jar ~

I think all lil' boys need treats... don't you? This was an old jar I found. It was especially wide at the top, which was even better for grabbing more treats for the little hands to find. I was so excited to find it, because lil' Owen's initials are O.K. for Owen Kinnick... so it had to be, right? It started out as a herring jar. I had these adorable chipboard shapes ~ firetrucks, baseball players, words, etc. I especially loved them, because they had the design on both sides, so when the glue dried, you could see the image on the inside as well! I glued them on with my tacky glue. To the glass jar and the metal lid. After letting them dry I put a coat of mod podge on the top of the chip board pieces to protect them and carefully around each chipboard piece where it met with the glass container to seal them. I did the same on the lid, and sanded in areas to distress it, and to take off wording that the chipboard pieces did not cover. Owen was called 'champ' by my dad, Kyles' grapa, lil' Owens' great-grapa... My dad loved his sweets, as do I, and Kyle & boy o' boy does Owen love his sweets/snacks! Owen loves his own lil' treats jar. Now will have to get a picture of him with his hand in the jar! Have a wonderful Friday & week-end... may it be filled with many sweet treats! hugs & blessings ~ humble♥

~ HOPE ~

This is a pic of my bench earlier in the season, now it is full of mums in bloom, and the brown-eyed susans! I am always in awe of how things grow ~ amazed at how they survive the harsh winters, and relentless heat of summer... "hope" you are having a great Thursday friends... hugs & blessings, humble♥

~ long time no blog... huh? ~

I hope this finds everyone doing well and having a good summer... our computer is not being nice, so have not been on here and will try to post when i can... I have been busy, painting furniture when the weather & my health permits, and am soo grateful for all. This is a new thing I have been working on. Some vintage linens & fabric journals. It incorporates my love for vintage items, linens, hankies, quilt pieces, etc, fabrics, buttons, trims, embellishments & papers, verses, sheet music & old books. Too fun! Will try and post more pics when I can. Have a blessed Friday, my dear friends! hugs & blessings, humble ♥

~ happy may day ~

i want to wish everyone a ' happy may day' ... i love the sweet wood violets i found on my walk. we have had alot of rain ~ so the april showers have brought the may flowers & everything is soo green, lush, & beautiful. i have always loved & am amazed, that no matter how cold, severe the weather ~ the flowers & all of mother nature just can pop out after the winters we have. we are soo blessed to enjoy all of God's beauty once agin. take the time to enjoy the flowers, the birds singing, the fresh aire we breathe ~ thank*u Jesus, for all the lovely blessings. have a wonderful friday m'sweet friends. hugs & blessings, humble♥

Ron & JoAnnA

Easter Loves ♥

i hope everyone had a hoppy Easter!

i know we sure did! could not post without showing my two lil' "o"s ! it was a beautiful day on saturday when we had our Easter last week. owen had soo much fun finding the eggs, as did otis helping him! they are soo cute together.

gitting in a lil "o" kissin' for my Easter!

another post? more dolls?

well, it has been awhile since i have been on here so, i thought i would do yet another post... these three lil' babies were bisque heads & a bisque sailor boy. the two gals i put on bottles. the lil' girl wears a tag saying 'sweet' on it with a crystal type flower on her head. her bow is from a vintage doll i had. vintage laces & trims, on both of the bottles & are filled with vintage beads, glitter, and tinsel. the blue 'mom' tagged bottle wears her blue bling jewels & lace stiffened crown. the lil' sailor boy sits on a vintage alphabet block with the letter 's' and added 'ail' for 'sail' and the other side of the block had the letter 'a' so put 'way' for 'away' so sail away... also added an ol' brass button with an anchor on it, too. these projects i have been working on have been alot of fun. soo different from what i have usually done. so this week, step out of your usual zone & try something new. you never know, u may like it. have a creative, wonderful monday m'dear friends. humble♥heart

~ my purpose doll ~ walk by faith, not by sight ~

joanna had picked a theme for the month ' what is your purpose.' so this is my doll. her base is a door knob wrapped with lace & ribbons with a key & buttons. i added one of moms' hankies & used a piece from her wedding dress, the satin & lace. vintage hardware pieces & jewelry & paper roses were used, too. her lil' arms & the cross are from a china doll piece i accidently dropped & broke, but saved it. it spoke to me to use on her. i love ♥ how that happens. ~ Look to God first ~ He is in control. I looked at my problems first & blamed God. He showed me He permitted these things in my life for a reason. He is a just God who will turn the situation to that which is good & right. my purpose ~ to walk by faith, with a humble heart. ♥

~ where o' where have i been? ~

yep, it has been awhile. hope this finds everyone doing well. have had things going on in my life ~ with my health & family, like everyone else. will mebbe write more about that at another time. prayerfully all will be okay ~ God is in control. i have been still doing joannas' online classes. they have truly been a blessing to me at this time. wonderful therapy. these workshops are amazing. if you git a chance, check them out. the finished artworks ~ bottles, dolls, tattered threads, canvas ~ all the workshops are amazing! such beautiful talents are shown. * this i made in memory of my mom. she loved butterflies so she had this metal butterfly hanging in the window of the farm house with the crystals in it, catching the light. i used it for her wings. added the heart lacey doily & hankie, with other lace pieces & a necklace chain of hers with some charms i added that i knew she loved. 'flutter~bye' for now, mom. love u. miss u. humble♥heart

~ * have you seen this yet?*~

been awhile since i have blogged. so thought i would let you know about this class i am taking. yep, i am gittin' ~ 'techie' on ya. did not even know how to connect to it, what 'ning' was, if i could even handle all the 'techie' stuff. but i signed up & it is amazing. JoAnnA Pierotti is a very talented artist & great teacher. her hubby Mr. Ron did the videos & is there for all the techie questions. i am soo impressed by all the talented people taking the class & the dolls they have already done. every doll is soo lovely & has its' own personality ~ you can see they love what they do by their wonderful dolly creations. the class can be viewed 24/7, in your jammies, do at your own pace. joanna does a great job showing all her 'secrets' & techniques & it is like she is right there. she sometimes talks to her doggies & is a natural. love it. just too cool. it has been a blessing to me & has been wonderful therapy at this point of time. there is still time to sign up, check the link at the side, joanna's art studio, and look at all her wonderful artworks. hope to see ya at class. she is gonna have another one soon with her canvas art. hugs & blessings ~ humble ♥

now... it is ~ baby! it! is! cold! outside!!!

on a previous post i stated it was cold out... well, this morning i had my lil' owen duty & we had 6 to 7 inches of snow wednesday & a blast of frigid air! on the way to see the lil' guy the thermometer was at minus 27 below zero. with the wind chill it was 50 some degrees below zero!!! there were quite a few semis' & cars along the interstate still in the ditches. on the radio, they announced that they called alaska & it was 46 degrees, think i will go there ~ that is a heat wave compared to this. i usually NEVER venture out in this weather, driving wise, i still walk ~ but not as far. it was soo worth it ~ the warm hugs & love from the lil' guy made for a happy warm toasty day! we played & had a wonderful time! always a delight to see my two lil' "o's" play together. i can hardly believe it is almost friday agin. have a great creative friday & week-end. stay warm & cozy, m'friends. hugs & blessings, humble ♥

so warm & cozy

my hubby who was to lay by the bed that owen was in til lil' 'o' fell asleep... guess who fell asleep first? Bill is soo wonderful. i am soo blessed to have him put up with me.

owen on one of his summer visits ~ is he not precious or what? the lil' 'o' toes!!! Sharon of Sweet Repose? ( see side bar to visit her wonderful blog) remember this bed i bought from you? it was white with green paint under neath? well, u know me, had to paint it a dark color & sand it down in spots. I put a bigger wood applique on it, kept the white one that you had on it for a journal or collage perhaps?

this is sylvester 'vester ' the onery cat. ( like Dawn calls it at The Feathered Nest (see side bar to visit her wonderful blog) - cat is giving me the flat eye) ( we call it the evil eye) the one who is soo loveable but the one who is the pain in my backside. he likes to once in awhile leave his tootsie rolls where they do not belong, even tho his litter box is available & clean... he was a stray who came to the door when we lived in northern iowa. over 14 -15 years ago. i opened the door to say 'hi', he walked in & stayed. no one claimed him, now i know why...

another precious shot of my favorite lil' guy. he had just took a tumble & scraped his head. one of many when you are two.

this my phoebe. she was not liked by her mom so i fed her bottles in between her mom allowing her to feed, at my holding so she could feed for a little while. she has always been there, seems to know when i need a fur hug. she loves to find the coziest spot & curl -up. she, like vester, are both teen-agers so they have slowed down a bit. such fur angels they are.

this is another of my 'cupboards' of course that i love. it is a corner one & the drawer is made of one burl of wood. and of course another one of my lil' lites, tucked behind a shutter. i love seeing the old quilts i have 'flea' 'junque' found... i switch them around every once in awhile & have one draped on the couch & chair. so we can enjoy even more. i adore looking at all the small stitches ~ think of all the time involved in such intricate work. it makes me smile at the handi-work & love. soo love the ol'timey & hand-dids. even if i find a bag of scraps i use them on my projects. the journals, a pocket on a santa, ornament, dress for a doll, etc. whatever it looks like it would be. have a warm & cozy week-end m'friends. humble ♥
be sure to check out Sharon at Sweet Repose, she makes such lovely unique necklaces & has a wonderful flair with her photography & words , painting furniture, soaps, candles & alot of great talents!... also check out Dawn at The Feathered Nest, such a sweetie. she makes the most lovely creations & is soo inspiring & encouraging. very beautiful person, with many talents. she did my blog header & has the most beautiful designs featured in magazines! on covers, no less... both love the vintage ol' timey look, too! two very talented ladies that i am blessed to have in my life as friends. both are listed on my side bar. the other ones listed are soo wonderful,too. humble ♥

moving santas to snopeople

some years i put out a mix of both santas' & snopeople but this year just did the santa thing. i have now switched them for the snopeople. this is one of my fave cabinets, love. the color. actually most of my cabinets are my favorites! can you tell i like the ol' gold color/mustardy tones? you can see it on most of my walls in the house. the neat thing about the wall paint color is that, at during the day or evening it takes on different tones, it doesn't always look the same, love that! i grunged & painted the candle stik. i love. the battery candle look lite. they are great for the spots where u need some soft glow & mebbe not a plug-in around. i made some of the snopeople & the bottle. the chimney box with all the trimmings & santa i made, too. speaking of making things ~ check out joanna pierrotti moss hill studio blog. (click on joanna's art on side bar) she makes the greatest things from vintage re*purposed, re♥loved things. ~ things i love doing & seeing, too ~ joanna is having a new year 2009 give away. a bottle with a sweet lil' doll face on it. look at her past blogs & see what she does with baby shoes & check out her studio she used at one time. it is one that i would love to have! have a fun wonderful wednesday friends. humble ♥

fun kitchen lite...

this is another one of my fun lites & this is in my kitchen at Christmas time.( sorry about the pic with the cord showing from lite on top of cabinet. it is usually tucked behind. )i saw it at a shop so had to go 'junquing' for a colander. this one had the wonderful fun design of stars, which i loved. i bent the feet back, turned it upside down, kinda angled it a bit, & put a 'lil lamp/lite under it. at nite the lite shines thru the stars & makes a cool reflection of the design. this makes neat lite for a kitchen, mebbe even as a shade. filled with greenery, pinecones, berries with a battery candle lamp in it. use with flowers, whatever, not only for the holidays if want to. lotsa possiblities for a colander ~ not just for rinsing anymore! hope you find something fun/creative to do ~ blessings & hugs ~ humble♥

~ may 2009 *shine* in His love ~

may all my friends have a wonderful 2009! may His love ~ peace ~ blessings surround you. i wrote in my journal yesterday to listen more, talk less. just be still & know He is God. do what you love & are blessed with. create more & complain less. do something fun everyday & smile & laugh. this is a pic of my table in the great room. i love.love.love. lamps -lites -candles. most of my 'lil lites are on 24/7/365. it always makes me smile to see the glow & this lovely message on this vintage sign. my hopes & prayers for you in 2009 ~ Jesus Never Fails ~ hugs & blessings ~ humble ♥