My Country Porch

Watcha Working on Wednesday

2009-02-11T08:29:00.009-05:00

I hope this post finds everyone doing well and having a great week . My week has been good so far. The weather has just been beautiful, it's going to be 60 today but that's going to end it's suppose to fall back in the 30's and snow. I'm just dying for spring to get here.

I've spent my week cleaning out and starting to pack up my house, well ok alot of it's still packed since this was a temporary place to stay while house hunting. We've been looking since last spring and of course I am looking for an old farmhouse, you think that would be easy living in rural PA.....NOT! So now the hunt is really on but we might end up having to buy something else. We have found one built in 1890 and it's been remodeled but that's ok. The catch is it's a "short sale" and from what we've heard those house's are really hard to get and take alot of time so we're not sure if we want to even look at that one.

Ok onto other things I've made it back to the thrift store, all the cheese plates were gone I couldn't believe it. Isn't it funny how something can be there for weeks and when you decide to buy it it's gone. Oh well guess they weren't meant for me.... I only found 2 items this time, a set of candlesticks $2.49 and a candle box like everyone else has found it was $1.50. So I will spend today working on these.

I spent the day yesterday making grubby soap balls. I was making some for a friend who wanted some for her bathroom, so here is a picture of them, was kinda a hard to get a good picture of them the color doesn't look the same.

I am looking for a place to buy Pip Berries I thought maybe you girls would be able to help me out. I've been looking but it seems like everyone sells them in 2 cup quantities and I would like alot more than that. So I'm looking for someone that is reasonable, does anyone know?

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and don't forget to stop over and see Leslie for Watcha Working on Wednesday

It's Friday & Deja-vu

2009-02-06T08:51:00.007-05:00

Good Morning it's fabulous Friday, its 9am and the sun is shining. It's suppose to be 40 here today and 50 tomorrow and I'm happy, it was below zero yesterday. I am so tired of the cold and snow, 3 ft still in my yard. It's been a long winter this year, we've had 139 inches of snow so far this year, ugh.

I don't really have anything new to post today. I'm still finishing the stars, cheese plate, and the couple of other things that I had picked up. I'm going to go back to the thrift store today and pick up a couple more of those cheese plates, hopefully they are still there.

Last night while I was watching tv instead of reading or stitching (was too tired for any of that) I had decided to browse past issues of the Country Sampler magazine. I did have issues all the way back to 1994 but cleaned out and kept 2003 and on anyhoo the two that I grabbed were November 2003 and Home Tour Edition 2008.

Well while I browsing I thought hey I have just seen that page.............

Yep it's the same room and the same house 5 yrs. apart. Needless to say I was a little disappointed this is my one my favorite magazines. I thought that when I spent the $6.00 for the special edition I was going to be seeing all these homes I've never seen before, now I'm debating if I want to buy the new home edition this year. I guess maybe they should come get to know all you ladies out here in blogland and see your houses they could do a few home editions with homes of photos never seen before (only in blogland). Linda from Behind My Red Door was featured in the new issue has anyone else out here ever been in there. I know of a few I would like to see in there.

Well I guess that's enough venting, I'll go get the day started.

Have a great day :)

Watcha Working on Wednesday

2009-02-04T11:56:00.021-05:00

Good Afternoon!

I took the pictures of my TS finds, couldn't take pictures of everything because I'm using two items as part of my swap I'm working on. I didn't find anything too great but at least I finally found something. So I am working on some of these items today.

I don't really know what to do with this, anyone have any ideas?

I finally got to play with the labels that everyone out in blogland has been using, they have been sitting here for the last 3 weeks.

When I first seen that fabric scrap I saw stars, but then decided to keep half to make two towels to add to the ladder

Well gotta go and get my mess cleaned up and get started on dinner. I will be back later to see what everyone has been up to today. Don't forget to stop over and see Leslie at My Country Home, sorry blogger is giving me a hard time on posting and linking today.
Have a great day!

I'm Still Here!

2009-02-03T09:39:00.004-05:00

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! I can't believe it's February already, that means we are closer to spring (47 days ). Sorry I haven't been posting I had to go out of town with a friend and help her with some family issues.

I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes :) I had lunch with my mom and I kept to the diet and ate salad. Later when hubby came home he insisted we were going out to dinner, I really didn't want to but I did and SURPRISE there was a party for me with all my kids, family and a few friends. It was nice , suddenly the day felt better just being with everyone. Guess what I ate.... Salad, yes again. I didn't even eat a piece of my own birthday cake.. I WAS GOOD!!

I finally found a couple of things at the thrift store and will take pictures of those items today so I can post tomorrow. Janene over at Primitive Lifestyle has been doing thrifty re-do's and I thought it would be fun to join in, others have joined in also, everyone is coming up with some neat ideas. So go on over to Janene's http://janene-primitivelifestyle.blogspot.com/ and check out some her make-overs.

Angie over at http://simplethymeprimitives.blogspot.com/ has a swap going on so go on over and sign up. The deadline to enter the swap is February 7th so you have plenty of time to create or shop!

Oh Lordy! Guess Who's 40!

2009-01-22T08:37:00.006-05:00

ME!

Well today is the big 40 and I haven't been dealing with this birthday very well. I know everyone at some point in their life has that one birthday that they don't want to claim and I guess this must be mine and I don't know why I didn't think it was going to bother me. I was fine until yesterday afternoon and then all of a sudden something in me snapped and all I did was cry the rest of the afternoon and all night. The minute anyone said anything there I was crying like a baby all over again, no crying yet today I think I'm all cried out... I am one those people that no one ever knows when my birthday is and don't like anyone knowing. I guess I've always been shy that way and don't like the extra attention. So I thought maybe this time not being shy about it will be kinda therapeutic. My mom is going to take me out to lunch, I guess I will be having salad. I told everyone that I don't want any cake, don't want to be tempted..

I will be finishing work on some stitching's this morning, some are still Christmas. I'm still new at this I've only done six so far and I haven't really had any problem with it until I got to the berries on this stocking. I have probably taken them out five times already, I just can't seem to get them it's driving me crazy...

I'm in Love!

2009-01-20T08:45:00.005-05:00

I hope this finds everyone doing well! I did it again. Making it almost a week before posting. I don't know how everyone keeps up everyday. Every time I post I tell myself I will do a better job at keeping up but it doesn't seem to work, time just seems to get away

Ok onto what has been happening.... Well I gained the couple of pounds back that I lost, I think it's the medicine I'm on. So I'm going to have to work a little harder, just changing the way I eat isn't going to work. So my dear sweet husband went out this weekend and bought me a exercise bike and a scale. I didn't want the scale, I don't need a scale to know that I need to lose some weight and I've never owned one before. It was fun to play with, it tells you weight, body fat and hydration level ( I don't really understand that part ). The bike isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. When I first rode I told myself 30 min a day well I wasn't on 5 min and I was ready to be done so I made it 20 min(2 miles). I had to peel my butt off the seat, boy did that hurt! And my legs were like jello. Mike wanted to buy a treadmill and I thought the exercise bike would be better, I think I'm going to hurt more with the bike until I get use to it. So my goal is to lose 20 lbs so hopefully it won't be too hard. Don't look at the ugly wallpaper we are temporarily stuck in this place while we hunt for a farmhouse we would like to buy..

I had a few questions about the tomatoes and gardening I would like to answer. This year I'm going to grow the following tomatoes - Brandywine,Mortgage Lifter,Opalka and Rutgers. These are heirlooms and I've never grown them before I picked these out of all the research and reading that I've done.

This year I've ordered all my seeds from Jung's Seed and Burpee's. There are others that are good also it just depends on what you're looking for. Johnny Seeds, Tomato Growers, Heirloom Seeds, Vermont Bean Seed Co, Miller Nurseries. These are the only ones that I've ordered from and have experience with. A great source of information for gardening http://www.gardenweb.com/ they have over a hundred forums in there on everything and anything.

Well that's it for the day I guess I have to go and get something done. I hope you have a great day.

I've got the Bug!

2009-01-14T08:39:00.006-05:00

Good Morning to all my fellow bloggers. I know I haven't posted since last week and that's because I've been sick.. I don't mind getting sick once in awhile, it has it's positives and negatives. The positive side: you have a reason for doing nothing or getting nothing done, can lay around all day, eat less, lose a couple of pounds, maybe have your family feel sorry for you........... The negative side: YOU FEEL MISERABLE! Oh well I'm feeling much better anyhow now I have to catch up with what has been going on with everyone. While I was sick I also had another BUG (you know while I got to lay around doing nothing)
Over the last few weeks all the gardening catalogs have coming in the mail, it just gets me itching for spring. So now I have the garden all planned and the seeds ordered now I'm all excited thinking it's getting closer, kinda of hard sometimes when we have 3 feet of snow and it's 2 degrees outside. Every year the garden seems to get bigger and bigger, this year I tried to keep it small, NOT! This is what I've ordered.

4 types of Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Onions

Green peppers, Yellow Onions

Sweet Corn, Broccoli

Green Beans, Kidney Beans

Carrots, Cantaloupe

Watermelon, Cucumbers

Celery, Potatoes

Wow I was just thinking that's not small, oh well it's great to eat all those fresh veggies.

Well I'm off to see what all you have been up to.

Have a great Day!

Splitting My Pants

2009-01-06T13:35:00.006-05:00

Ok I wasn't going to tell anyone but since everyone has been baring their dieting souls on their blogs I thought it would only be fair and anyhow you could probably use a good laugh....

It all started yesterday with my mom and I going shopping. Ya know what I was shopping for ingredients to make THESE.. Dieter's might want to hide your eyes

My nephew had made these for New Years and it's all I have thought about, like I didn't have plenty of cookies over Christmas... So when my mom called and said she was going shopping I was all for that. She had to go to the grocery store to get food and nuts for her birds so when we were leaving and I was climbing into the car (little car sits low to the ground) that's when it HAPPENED.........

I just sat there not knowing what to think, thinking that this really just didn't happen. But it did oh boy... My mom asks if I'm ready to go to the bulk food store, this is where I buy all my baking stuff, I tell her "no we're going home " she says "no we're not " and I say "Oh ya we are" she has no clue about what happened as we are sitting in the parking lot arguing over where we're going. I tell her about my pants splitting and she tells me to just pull my coat down I will be fine. I let her know that will not work, now she doesn't believe me and wants to see the hole, I think to myself this really isn't happening and the more I move the more it rips, ugh.. You know what the worse part of this whole thing is TELLING MY HUSBAND I knew I was never going to live this one down and believe me everyone in my house had a good laugh all night, I guess it's good to know I can make people happy. That was the only pair of jeans I had left, you got it I'm stuck in my house with no pants to go anywhere I have to lose at least 10lbs to get in the other ones, guess I have no choice or I'll never get to go anywhere. I had to quit my job in July because I was having alot of breathing problems and I smoked (but only outside)and quit that too(still have breathing problems), so I've gained 15lbs during these last few months and was getting upset about it, of course telling my husband no more if I don't put a stop to it now it will just get worse. I know my problem is being home with nothing to do and winter time just makes it worse.

So there you have it! After reading Janene's blog I figured I'd do it for her so I'm with ya girl, WE WILL MAKE IT!!! Oh and by the way I didn't get the stuff for the cookies so I guess we'll just save them for Christmas.

Christmas Vacation is Over

2009-01-03T11:44:00.002-05:00

Wow I can't believe it's been that long since I've posted! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We had a great Christmas. My mom, dad, and brother showed up at 10am so we could have breakfast and open gifts, everyone seemed pleased and happy with what they received, thank god! It seems like every year one of the kids complains because they didn't get what they wanted, like I get what I want. Well the last 3 years it has been my daughter doing the complaining. This year she kept telling me why should she ask for anything she never gets what she wants. I don't know why kids can be this way. I must have past the test at least this year because she never complained once, well not yet anyway. We spent the entire day together ending it after dinner.
That is one of the things that I love about Christmas in our house it's like nothing else exist that day just each other and no one is in a rush to go here or there, life just stops on that day and we are together all day.
New Years is another story. My aunt and Uncle were having a little get together at their house. My family, parents, my cousins and their families which was nice to see everyone. After having the traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner and everything is cleaned up all of a sudden I'm tired and want to go to bed. I tell my mom this is how I know I'm getting old, it's only 9:00 (never going to make it to see the ball drop) and there I sit with a cup of coffee trying to stay awake. I'm not that old yet I'm only 39 (for 19 more days anyway). Ok needless to say I switched from coffee to wine and got to see the ball drop....
Well all is back to normal here for now. Two days before everyone goes back to school and the house is empty they are off spending time with their friends. All the Christmas decorations are put away for another year, except some unfinished projects I still have.
Gotta go get some blog reading done and catch up with what everyone has been up to. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Santa is Finally Done!

2008-12-19T10:54:00.005-05:00

Well I hope everyone is doing well today. It seems alot of us are having that yucky snow and ice storm this morning. I lucked out and didn't have school cancelled, thank goodness, I'm already dreading the 12 days off for Christmas vacation.

Here is one of the twenty projects I have going on. I can't seem to work on just one, depends on my mood and what I feel like doing. I finally got him finished last night, I'm just absolutely in love with him (don't tell my hubby). I was so afraid that I wasn't going to get him finished in time for Christmas, I've never made anything like this before but I really enjoyed it and I'm hooked, now I have to find another doll to make. I have him sitting in the rocking chair in the living room, hubby asked where I was going to put him, he's 40 inches tall, I said we'll have to buy him his own chair. Sorry if the picture is dark I tried moving him all over but the light just stinks today because it's so dark outside.

I have to see if I can get something done today Hope everyone stays warm and safe..

2008-12-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

A Quick Note

2008-12-18T09:21:00.005-05:00

http://primthymesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/prmthymes-give-back-contest-giveaway.html

Sharon over at PrimThyme is having her first giveaway so go on over and tell her what your favorite time of year is but you better hurry you onlt have until December 20.

I know I haven't been here the last few days, I have been busy, busy just like everyone seems to be. I will be back tomorrow to post some photos of some things I have been working on.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Can You Say Fudge

2008-12-13T08:39:00.002-05:00

What a day it was yesterday! Every year I make 10 fudge & cookie trays to give out to some elderly people. So I had decided that when I woke the kids for school at 6am I would get started at least making fudge. I had 10 pans made by 7:30, that's when my mom call's and wants to go shopping, there goes getting anything done today.

I love my mom but after I spend a day with her she has me questioning my own thinking, so I don't usually get any thing done after that.

So while I'm waiting for her to show up I decide to start getting all the cookie ingredients together so it will easier for later and I don't make such a mess. Well we were gone most of the day trying to get her Christmas shopping done so by the time I got home it was time to start dinner. After dinner I started making all the cookies I am making 8 different kind of cookies, double & triple batches of each so I don't even want to think about how many cookies that really is.... Well needless to say I baked for 6 hours last night and will probably be doing that all day today. I'm suppose to deliver all of these tomorrow...

Today is the last day of deer season, Yeah all this hunting stuff can get put away . I know it's only a few times a year but it just like takes over the house, it's everywhere, in every room.
Only my husband Mike and my youngest son Andrew are hunting this year ( 2 out 5 thank goodness) and they haven't had any luck yet, I'm hoping Andrew will get one Mike is just trophy hunting, he wants the big one to mount and hang on the wall.

Well I guess I had better get started on those cookies, I have a santa doll I have been working on and really wanted to get him finished today so we'll see.

Have a great Day!

Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping

2008-12-10T14:53:00.004-05:00

Hello friends! I hope everyone is doing well out there in blog land. Well I've been busy shopping and not for Christmas!

I am a couponer...

It all started 10 years ago when I used to read in the magazine's about women who would get all these groceries for nothing, I'd think yeah right! At that time I was a sahm and we have four children so who wouldn't love to save that kind of money. Well we bought our first computer and there I was for about 4 months searching and reading determined that I could do this. Well I did, the only things that I couldn't get cheap or free were milk and meat.

The deals aren't so great anymore the last few years so I have to be willing to stock up when I do get a deal, I try to get enough to last a year. Some coupons are only plentiful certain times of the year. I really only have Giant Eagle and Rite-Aid to rely on for shopping the other stores are over 20 miles away and have stricter coupon policies so not worth it to even drive to them.

I use to get any items I could even if we didn't use them I figured I would find someone that used or needed it and if not just donate the items but now I only get the things we use. I don't really have room to store the extra and you have to get creative with storage and that's a whole new subject. . I have helped out alot of friend's in time of need when they have hardship's happen and not have money for groceries, which is a great feeling. I had one friend that refused to let me help her, well after 2 months things are bad, shut off notices for utilities, repo notice for car. I told my husband I can't take it anymore, I bagged up about 10 bags of food, headed off to the store, bought some milk, bread, and some meat and went straight to her house and woke her up out of bed, she started crying the second she saw us standing at her door with all the groceries and of I cried but it is such a great feeling to do things like that for other people. Well I could talk about this stuff all day but I don't have alot of time today, I have to finish some more of those unfinished projects.

So this is what I got this week, now remember I don't get this amount of stuff every week it might be two or three weeks before I might get a deal on something else.

80 Knorr Side Dishes - .25 each
40 Lipton Soup - .58 each
40 Lipton Tea .09 each
60 Muir Glen Tomato Paste - free
60 Muir Glen Diced Tomato's & Sauce - free
(I'm thinking I might not have to can tomato's this next summer....)

My total was $46.80
of course this a picture of just some of it, not enough room for all of it.

Well I hope everyone has a great day and thank's for stopping to visit.

2008-12-05T09:40:00.005-05:00

Janene at Primitive Lifestyle is having a giveaway to celebrate her 50th post, head on over and congratulate her.

Little Bit of This and That

2008-12-03T07:53:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I made dinner for all of the family, all went well. We had a very nice day. Well I'm all decorated for Christmas and my shopping is all finished (even all wrapped), I didn't have alot of shopping left because I shop for Christmas through out the year. My husband would like to give out gift cards next year he thinks it would be easier and he says the kids are getting to old, I think that would be nice but then Christmas morning would be no fun. I think I get more excited than the kids, well now I do now that they think they are too old for all this.

Well I got some good/bad news..my son who is 19 announced he is joining the Air Force. I don't think that it is a bad thing his father, grandfather, great grandfathers and uncles have all served. I just think it's the mom in me, it's probably suppose to be natural that I worry and feel that I'm not going to be able to still look out for him having him far away from home. My oldest son moved out last year, only a mile down the road and I was a basket case. I shopped and shopped, made sure he had everything thing that I thought he would need and had his place all set up but he can come here or call me when ever he needs something. But this is different the feeling of helplessness, I know that I'm not going to be able to make sure everything is ok.
After spending the weekend finishing thanksgiving and Christmas I got to do work on some more crafts. I had been slowly working on a centerpiece for the table, I wanted to put a candle light in it but to hard to plug it in with it being on the table, wasn't sure about a battery operated one. Also had thought about a bow out of homespun but still not sure. it's just kinda one of those things that every time you look at it you think of something else to do to it.

I also got to try making grungy candles, I know that they don't look like everyone else's but I was happy with my first time, I really enjoyed that, can't wait to make some more. My husband even likes then he thinks they look neat.

Yesterday I spent all day making cinnamon rolls, don't they look yummy. My kids thought they were real. This is one project that I really enjoyed making.

Well I'm not really sure what I'm going to do today I have a couple of other things to finish up and need to do some cleaning. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Pumpkin Cake,Stitching and Candy Canes

2008-11-25T14:11:00.020-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Well I'm going to post a few things today since I'm behind on everything but I'm determined to be caught up today. It's been a little overwhelming learning the blog thing, making all these crafts and reading everyone's wonderful blogs, oh and keeping up with the house chores...

I'm going to be making Thankgiving dinner for the family this year, I will be spending the morning making the pies and chopping onions and celery for stuffing and doing whatever else I can do ahead of time and hoping to finish another stitching (discovered this from a few new friends) I've finished one and almost done with one, I'm making them into pillows for Christmas. I've also been making the grungy candy canes, I just love these, made 58 of these.

Oh and I had to make a pumpkin cake for all the guys to tide them over til the big day, they just love this and ask me to make it all the time.
Pumpkin Cake

2 cups sugar

11/4 vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups canned pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. I like to use a bundt pan, if you do it will take longer to cook.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can add whatever spices you like, I add 2tsp.allspice and cut the oil in have and use applesauce. I like to frost with cream cheese frosting .

Snow, Snow and more Snow!

2008-11-20T09:26:00.005-05:00

Well woke up this morning to a lake effect snow warnings, they are calling for up to 10 inches by tomorrow afternoon and could have up to 3 ft by the end of the weekend. I know this should be no suprise to me living along Lake Erie, it's just it's too early to be getting all this snow. Hey, maybe that means winter will end early, yah right.....

There are going to be so grumpy men in my house the next few days, my husband and two sons work outside, in fact my son Brandon plows snow so I guess he'll be a busy guy...

I know I've been behind on updating but I've been a busy girl. Have still been doing alot of reading on learning this blog thing, trying to find a picture for my header, not having much luck.

I have some pictures to post (ok not right now just found out batteries are dead, gotta charge them) of the projects that have been keeping me busy the last few days, thanks to all the crafty things that I have found reading everyones blogs.

Well today I have to bake bread for the week, I don't buy bread from the store it is cheaper and healthier this way, also making bread crumbs and stuffing cubes.

New to Blogging

2008-11-12T15:10:00.002-05:00

Ok now that I've figured a few things out I will give this a try. I've always been a subscriber of Country Sampler magazine and had discovered the forums over there looking for things to do since I'm off work for awhile, so last week I discover stitchen and a few projects to do and then I decide to see what this blog thing is about, and have been reading, reading, reading and reading ever since, one leads to 20 more and tons of crafty ideas, all you ladies are really talented, I've always been into country decor but I didn't know I could make all these things and not have to buy them, that's going to be even more fun.....

We are currently looking for a old farmhouse to buy, something I've wanted for a really long time, hopefully by spring. Looks like I might need that bigger house after all with all these projects and ideas I have found. My poor dear hubby is going to be "thrilled " about more projects, no really he's such a good sport and I love him..

2008-11-11T12:46:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say hello and please bare with me on this blog thing. I thought it would be fun to do and I'm not having much luck figuring it all out, the only fun is reading everyone else's and seeing all the cool things you've done .