Saturday, May 31, 2008

~*June 1st Updates are Ready*~




.... for The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds. Stop by if you get a chance. I've been busy in the yard and with the kiddo now that Summer is HERE.... but I did manage to get a few ditties done up.

May you have a weekend of sunny smiles!!!!

Betty

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

~*What a Lucky Little Boy!*~



Not one... but TWO! Is the bigger one luckier?



~*Four-leaf Clover*~

Author: Ella Higginson

I know a place where the sun is like gold,
And the cherry blooms burst with snow,
And down underneath is the loveliest nook,
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.

One leaf is for HOPE, and one is for FAITH,
And one is for LOVE, you know,
And GOD put another in for LUCK --
If you search, you will find where they grow.

But you must have HOPE, and you must have FAITH,
You must LOVE and be strong -- and so --
If you work, if you wait, you will find the place
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.


I found the poem here along with some clover facts. Maybe we don't have the Original Shamrocks here.... but you will NEVER catch me telling this little guy that!

T's clover hunting time!

~*Good Day*~

Good Day to ya... my sweet friends! I woke up with lots of creative energy today & have plans to work up a storm..... stitching & hooking. I actually stayed up way too late last night, but it was for a good cause. There are site updates due on June 1st..... The Primitive Gathering and Lemon Poppy Seeds PLUS, on June 9th The Eclectic Artisans webshow! And, because I have an artist's soul.... worked on other creative ideas too.

I put up a new poll..... with something that I have been wondering about for awhile. What do you like best? Olde dates? Which ones? Names and/or initials.... of folks you don't know? Please put in your vote.... and feel free to leave a comment with your personal 2 cents!

Now.... I'm off to be creative... hope you do the same!

Smiles,
Betty

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

~*Daisies*~

On my way to down today.... I noticed the ditches are filled with beautiful, wild daisies... made me think of a doodle. The fat calico kitty is really on the 'prim' side.... but maybe that makes her better. Enjoy!

Friday, May 23, 2008

~*New Pattern Releases!*~

Hello Friends! They are ready! I've gotten most of the computer work done for these.... still need to update my picture trail..... but here they are!

~*1863 Symple Sampler*~
pattern fee is $9.00

~*Blue Tulip & Bunny Sewie Roll*~
pattern fee is $10.00

***as always.... shipping is FREE***


Now.... for something EXTRA! When you purchase a pattern.... I'm giving you this chart as a THANK YOU GIFT!


This is a limited time offer.... from now until June 30th, 2008! The gift is the chart only... and only available with purchases from me (either through snail mail, email, Ebay or Etsy). The chart will not be sold or offered after June 30th.... it will be retired.

Now... you know from reading my blog that this is my year of giving..... so there will be more gifts coming. This is just the latest present. Thank you for your interest & support of my pattern offerings. I have more ideas floating around in my lil'ol brain.... and will be working more up soon!


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I would also like to wish you all a blessed holiday weekend! May you enjoy the upcoming days with your loved ones in sunshine and smiles!

As always.... many smiles to you!

Betty

Thursday, May 22, 2008

~* Tomorrow is Release Day! *~

Hello My Friends! It is official! Tomorrow is pattern release day! There will be two new, primitive, cross stitch patterns available.... along with a freebie offering of THANKS from me! The models are stitched, the charting is done, the photos have been taken.... and they are off to the printers. I'll have them posted here on my blog, Ebay, and Etsy by tomorrow evening.

I would like to thank you all for your kind emails of support. I'm sorry it has taken me longer than planned for this latest release. You have all heard I was stuck in the dirt. The flowers are all planted.... the weeds are now trying to do their thing. But, my stitching had to get moved to the top of the list! Besides.... weeds are flowers too ~ right?

Please stop back by tomorrow to see the newest offerings.

Many warm blossoming smiles to you!

Betty

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

~* Just a Quick Update *~

Hi Friends & Folks!

Today was Trinity's last day of kindergarten.... and the poor kid had to come home early because of an ear infection. Bummer! We made the visit to the doctor & he will be back to GREAT again in 5 days. :) He is very happy that it is now Summer.... and looking forward to swimming (after his ear is better) and t-ball. He is very proud that he passed kindergarten (you know I am too!).... and happy that he will be a big First Grader next year.

Tony did more work on the front porch for the studio. It is looking DARLING! He even hung my metal star. What a keeper he is!!



It was too dark at quiting time last night to work on the roof, but we have some recycled barn tin that he is planning on putting on top. We don't have enough to do the entire roof for the house. So for now, it will only be over the porch.

We found the original wooden screen door in the barn loft. I'll be making a visit to the local farm store for a spring.... so it will have the vintage 'cla-bang' sound when it closes.



I've already made the garden plans for the front of the porch. There is a huge stone that will be moved over to the narrow end of the porch to use as the step. Then I'll be planting a yellow climbing rose on each side of the front (the long side). After the roses, this will be the perfect spot for an herb garden. Of course, I still need to finish painting the house. That will come... in time.

********

Now... more update info for my stitcher friends! I have one of two models finished.... the other will be done by TOMORROW. I PROMISE! Also, I have a third chart worked up to offer as a gift. (more on that soon) The patterns, if all goes well, will be available by Friday. I'll keep you posted.

Many smiles to you,

Betty

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

~* Rug Hooking Challenge *~

Hi Folks! A few months back, I suggested a Hit n' Miss Rug Hooking Challenge to my friends on The Primitive Rug Hookers Group (PRHG on Ebay). Tonight was the finale!

I instructed those that wanted to take part in the challenge pick a shape.... any shape.... and repeat it to make up a design. The rugs had to be a minimum of 10 by 18 inches... and hooked entirely from wooly scraps. We had 12 rugs entered.... all beautiful and very unique!

The winner was Ev (emi1300 on Ebay)! When she sent her photo in, she called her rug 'Scrapbox Fiesta' because it resembled Fiestaware. Ev has a salsa mix HIT!



To see the other Hit n' Miss rugs click here.

Happy Hooking!

Smiles,
Betty

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

~* Angry Hog Causes Construction Delay! *~

How is that for a headline! It is true. Yesterday, my loving husband was hard at work building the front porch for the lil' house (my future studio). When, out of the blue, a big black hog showed up! We may live in the country, but we are not farmers or ranchers.... we really have no clue how to deal with livestock of any kind. We knew though, that this hog couldn't get out in the road. We didn't want it or anyone to get hurt.... we live on a busy road with lots of traffic and semi-trucks. So, I took off in the car to visit the near by farms. Yes, asking everyone I saw the silly question, "Are you missing a pig?" (Well, it is silly to me anyway.... I am a city transplant!) About a mile away, I did find a family that said they were 'probably' missing one. The woman I spoke with said she would send someone over. I took off back to the house. The hog was still in the field behind our home. Over an hour later.... no one showed up to take the hog. We called the sheriff. I did feel a little bad for the officer that took the call though. He was a younger man, maybe pretty new on the job. Can you imagine the flack he must have taken from the other officers? Well, he set about looking for the owner. Shortly after he left, the owner showed up. (The hog belonged to the family I had spoken with.) The owner, a friend of his, and my husband worked for nearly 2 hours to get this hog into the trailer. It was exhausting for them, I'm sure.... but very interesting & a little comical at times too. The harder they worked, the angrier she got.... but they eventually succeeded in herding her onto the trailer. She is now safely back at the farm. Well.... until she decides to take another walk!



I was very happy to see that, for the most part, they kept the hog towards the back of our property.... and away from my flowers.



Tony promised me a front porch for my studio as a birthday present. He felt bad that it wasn't completed by my birthday. Yesterday, he had set a goal to get the framing and the flooring finished. It will be a covered porch and have a railing. The wood he is using is left over from other construction projects and re-used wood from an old boxcar in the back of our property that we are tearing down. (the boxcar is very unsightly now) Because of all the 'hog' excitement.... he stayed up working late last night with flood lights. Tony is a night owl anyway... he was still out there at 11:30 when I went to bed.



I have two little girls, Ima Jean and Katie Jo, that are living in the lil' house right now. Ima Jean supervised the construction from her perch.



Here is the old boxcar ~



The wood from the boxcar is being used on the flooring and the railing. It will be nice & olde looking! ~



Tony met his goal last night. He is such a wonderful, loving husband! I sure do love him! ~

Hard at work, late at night ~



This is how it looks this morning ~



Yesterday was a fun-filled, interesting day. I wonder what today will bring?

Many warm smiles to you all!

:) Betty

Sunday, May 11, 2008

~*A Very Happy Mother's Day to All of You!*~

Hello my friends! I do hope you have all enjoyed a beautiful day full of family & friends... and that all my 'Mom' friends were SPOILED! Today felt extra-special for me. We got together with Tony's side of the family for a delicious lunch at a local lake where my in-laws have been camping all week. So my Mother-in-law could enjoy the day ~ we all did the cooking. One sister-in-law made pork loins, another made baked beans, and yet another made pasta salad. I made my usual chopped salad (An easy salad compliments of my Aunt's instruction.... just chop up a bag of salad along with a few other veggies ~ cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. ~ very fine. Because it is all minced so small, the salad takes on a new flavor. This is a favorite of my Father-in-law.) I also made FROM SCRATCH, a Texas Sheet Cake. Now, remember, I'm not much of a cook..... but this did taste pretty yummy. We all ate & chatted & enjoyed this beautiful Spring afternoon.

When we arrived home, it was time for mowing. In fact, as I type this post it is 9pm & my hubby is back on the mower trying to get a little bit more done before it is too dark. He took a break tonight to fix supper and clean the kitchen! He also gave me a beautiful card & a solar lantern for my flower garden (or gardens... maybe I will move it around from bed to bed). See, I was spoiled! (Oh, he knew I would post about this on my blog. He thought I would use this pic to bribe him. He also told me to say that I am too controlling in my kitchen. I was having a tough time letting him do the dishes.... because it all had to be done my way. LOL)



Trinity helped spoil Mom today too. He drew me a fine piece of artwork. It showed him playing soccer with Chuck E. Cheese. He also helped me mow.... walking along helping push the mower.

While supper was being made, I snapped a few other pics from our yard. Here is a photo of our fish pond.... still in progress. Trinity has been good about feeding his fish on a daily basis. My sweet sister-in-law, Robin, gifted me the water plants. There are iris and lily pads. The lilies are still trying to work themselves to the top of the water. I'm hoping to do a little more work on this garden tomorrow.



We have wild poppies all over the yard. I haven't let Tony mow any of them down & am being rewarded now for my persistence with that. They are blooming beautifully!



Happy Mother's Day... with lots of warm smiles,
Betty

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

~*Feeling Over-Extended, Over-Scheduled, Over-Baked*~

The new graphic on the left was made by Linda Pinda & offered for free on her blog. Isn't it so true? Thank you Linda!

For the last several weeks, I have been feeling over-extended, over-scheduled, and over-baked (a lot like my cooking.... because a cook, I am NOT). I have personal deadlines made for my cross stitch patterns.... that I have not finished YET. I had expected to have them finished weeks ago.... and am still working on the final details. There is a rug that I've been hooking on for well over a month that was due last Sunday. It still sits un-hooked & collecting dust. Trinity is in the final few weeks of kindergarten. That means lots of parties, field trips, and play days ~ that I wouldn't miss for ANYTHING. Then, as you have all seen, there is the gardening. All this on top of cleaning, laundry, and LIFE.

How does one find a happy balance? hummm..... maybe that is the Million Dollar question.

I guess I'm venting.... when I should just get back to work. Right? Ok.... chin up ~ make the best of what I have & the best of what I can do. That is what I will do.

Smiles,
Betty

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

~*Another Year Older*~




Yes, it is true. Sunday was my birthday and I am now another year older.... or as a dear friend said to me ~ another year wiser, happier, and just getting better all the time! We had the big birthday bash here on Sunday with much of our wonderful family. We ate & played all day! I was given many generous gifts.... but the biggest was just having them all here to share time with. The weather was tremendous & made the day even better! Tony and I had spent Saturday dressing up the yard & cleaning house.... even though we were beat by the end of the night, it was all so worth while.

Sunday events ~ We started the day off by gardening. My parents, sister, and cute-as-a-button niece showed up with a truck load of plants. We filled up that vacant spot in the front of our home! Yippee!!! It is looking fabulous now! We even have a Yoshino Flowering Cherry Tree! My Mom works wondering in the garden. She gave us many plants & put them all in the right spot. (My job yesterday was to put down mulch.... I quickly discovered I didn't buy enough. Off to market to get more.) Gardening left us pretty dirty for the rest of the day ~ nothing like having dirt under your finger nails, right? It didn't matter though..... we still had fun!



We had BBQ hamburgers, dogs, and chicken.... along with a wonderful selection of salads. (Have I ever mentioned that my sisters-in-laws and mother-in-law are the best cooks on the prairie?) We had both ice cream cake and strawberry shortcake to end the meal.

Trinity helped me open presents. My family was very generous. (Thank you all of you!)



Then, it was time for go karts!



I'm not sure how many showed up... but the sheriff stopped by. Oops... did we do something wrong? No, he only stopped because he and his son use to race karts. He might even bring him by sometime to race with the guys.

Like I said.... it was a FUN day!

Now, if I can get the dirt out from under my nails...... I WILL be cross stitching this week!

Smiles to you,
Betty

Thursday, May 1, 2008

~*Happy May Day*~



Hello my friends! Happy May Day to you! Oh, I wish I could hang a basket of flowers on your door. One of my fondest childhood memories is May Day. I remember visiting Grandma with my cousin. She would help us make little paper cones & let us pick flowers from the yard to fill them. We then would deliver them to all her neighbors.... hang them on the door knob, ring the bell, and run to hide. Now, I have to be totally honest... I'm not sure what was the most fun ~ the crafting, picking flowers, or hiding after we rang the bell (it was fun to be a sneaky pest). Looking back now, it was all enjoyable.... and the memory is very dear to my heart.

Today is a very windy May Day & we are expecting strong storms tonight. The rain will help my garden grow though.... and maybe get me back in the house to do some stitching! Here are more photographs of my garden....

This is an olde metal box I found in the back pasture. I thought it would be nice to add a splash of color to the corner of our barn. These daisies are so cheerful!



Here is a closer picture of the flowers planted in that olde kitchen sink...



My patch of Sweet Annie is doing wonderful. I'm so proud of this! Last year I purchased a packet of seeds off Ebay & they have flourished! The larger plants are ones that came back from last year & the tiny ones are the ones that have over-seeded. It looks like I will have plenty to dry this year for decorating & crafting.



It is hard to believe that this tiny little thing (only about 1" tall right now) will grow to 10 to 12 feet! This is one of Trinity's massive sunflowers planted along the edge of the barn. After they bloom, they make wonderful bird seed.



I just love Zinnia! They are so super easy to start from seed too!



And lastly..... my favorite thing to say right now "I'm a Backyard gardener!" Here is the front of our home. The tiger lilies have been dug out, stumps from the Rose of Sharon and Yew bushes have been PULLED out, it has been tilled several times, and now is lined with rock (very back-breaking work). My Mom is the Front Yard gardener. She will be here Sunday to help get this all planted up. We are having a big birthday to-do that day.... with planting, go kart racing, and BBQ! It is sure to be a super day!



I've had fun sharing the garden progress with you & will be showing more after Sunday. Again, my friends, Happy May Day!

Have a beautiful, sunny day!

Smiles to you all!

Betty