A Song for Dog Lovers

Beware!!!!

It's the Blueberry Monster!

A Conversation

Princess Pink:  Where's that picture?

Me:  It's at Aunt X and Uncle Y's wedding.

Princess Pink:  Who's the baby?

Me:  Wild Thing.

Princess Pink:  Where am I?

Me:  That was before you were born.

Wild Thing:  Yeah, you hadn't been knit yet.

Psalm 139:13-14  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Lookie What I Found at the Thrift Store

I love a bargain, but I am pretty lazy about bargain shopping.  I am not a much of a coupon shopper because there really aren't that many coupons for things that I use.  I don't live close enough to a CVS to make it worth my time.  I don't go to yard sales because I don't want to get up that early.  I do however enjoy thrift stores, and I consider myself somewhat of an expert.

My usual thrift store route starts in a larger town with the GoodWill.  I consider Good Will a rookie's thrift store because many of the items are overpriced and can be bought new for slightly more.  Sometimes I will get lucky.  I got a Little Tykes play kitchen for $8 when the Crafter was two.  The next stop is at the Habitat for Humanity Store in my neighboring town.  I found a corner cabinet once for $75.  It now holds our TV in the living room.  I'm still looking for the elusive perfect couch, so I had to stop. 

My last stop is the PTA Thrift Shop.  It is the best thrift store ever.  Almost all of our clothing (except for socks and underwear of course) comes from this shop.  I could spend many a paragraph recounting finds like the Eddie Baur jeans for 75 cents, the set of 10 Avent bottles for $2, or the full set of A Beka readers for $3. 

But this is my greatest thrift store triumph.  I am confident that this will never be topped.  This is what I got for $10.

 Undampened Spirits by Jack Terry

I just thought it was a nice picture for the living room.  The frame was nice and the price was right.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the artist on the internet.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that the canvas print was worth $495 without the frame!  I am still in shock.  I was figuring that the picture was worth around $150 considering the quality of the framing.  I would have never guessed that it was worth so much. 

Trip to Horne Creek Farm

Horne Creek Farm

This is one of the most fun historical sites we have ever visited.   It is a living history farm that was in operation around 1900.  Nothing that appears in history books happened here.  There were no very famous visitors.  Why do we love this place?  You can touch almost everything and nothing is roped off.  We spent the entire day there and played farm.  The Crafter made out a chore list for the whole family except for Princess Pink.  She was visiting Grandma.

Front of the Farm House


Dinner Bell


Wild Thing in His Room


Making Bread and Butter


Cooking and Hauling Wood


Grinding Corn


The Sheep 


The Mule
This is an older picture.  The mule has since died.


Time to Eat


Relaxing with a Game of Chinese Checkers

Artist Carl Warner

We discovered these landscapes a few weeks ago.

Look closely.  Notice anything unusual?  Every item in these works of art is edible.  We have had great fun looking at these landscapes and trying to figure out how the pictures were made.  For example, the mountains are bread and the sea is salmon. 

Carl Warner is a photographer based in London.  He is know for his "foodscapes", and you can see his work in many food ads.  Check out these sites.  There is duplication among the sites, but each one has a few unique images.  We especially enjoy the meat landscapes.

http://freshpics.blogspot.com/2008/03/amazing-foodscapes-by-carl-warner.html

http://www.moillusions.com/2008/06/carl-warners-food-landscapes-or.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/3519419/Foodscapes-amazing-food-art-by-Carl-Warner.html

The Crafter is particularly inspired, but I haven't given her permission to buy large amounts of produce to create a forest.

Goodbye Sweetie...Hello Princess Pink

This post is way overdue.  For some time now, the Crafter has been after me to change Sweetie's blog name.  The main reason is that she's not as sweet as she used to be.  My youngest daughter has a fiery temper and a well devoloped stubborn streak. 

I chose Sweetie's blog name shortly after her second birthday.  She was going through a phase where she called EVERYONE "Sweetie".   The checkout clerk and the bug man were not immune.   She picked up the phrase in her Sunday School class.  Her teacher always said "Bye Sweetie" when she left each week. 

The Crafter and I thought long and hard about what name should replace Sweetie.  We decided on Princess Pink.  Her favorite color is pink.  She must wear pink each day even if it's only her underwear.  She eats off a pink plate whenever possible.  Right now as I type, she is crying that we don't have a pink blow pop for her dessert.  She will have to settle for purple.

Her other interests currently include playing dress-up, coloring, and playing with her babies.

Princess Pink with her pink babies

History Project

I finally found the camera cable.  Now my pictures are out of the camera and in the computer.

This is a history project the Crafter did in April.   It was from Chapter 10 of The Story of the World volume 3 on Japan.  The Zen Garden was supposed to be rectangular, but we couldn't find anything suitable at the time.  Both gardens were made in styrofoam plates.

Zen Garden



Bonsai Garden

Memorial Day--Lest we forget

Unlearned Lesson
Memorial Day
Of every year
The little valiant
Flags appear
On every fallen
Soldier's grave--
Symbol of what
Each died to save.
And we who see
And still have breath--
Are we no wiser
For their death?

~Dorothy Brown Thompson~

What have I been doing?

Let's see.  It has been almost a month since I touched this blog.  During that time...

• The Crafter did her annual testing.  She scored in the 99th percentile.  I'm one proud mama.
• I had to distance myself and my children from a close friend of the family because of an untreated mental illness.  I cannot go into any more detail.  It is a situation that continues to be painful for all involved and requires much prayer.
• My sister and brother-in-law were both ordained as ministers.
• I planted peas, broccoli (didn't grow), and mint.
• We picked strawberries and made pies.
• The children made May baskets and delivered them to the neighbors.
• I discovered Pandora.
• Wild Thing had a checkup.  He needs to have his eyes checked.  I hope he doesn't need glasses.
• I received a weed whacker for an early Mother's Day gift.  Now if I could just crank the thing.
• My family took me to a Celtic Festival for Mother's Day.  Bagpipes rock!
• I finished the semester at the college.  That took up most of my computer time.
• The Crafter finished up her year at CYT.  We signed up for next year.
• And of course, we kept doing school.

Pictures are coming once I find the cable that goes with the camera.