Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Crows

Crows.

My husband hunts crows.

They are smart little devils.  And mean, too.  But, alas, they have found their way into our home (and you haven't even seen the stuffed ones yet!).

The crow puzzle is Amish made.  It was my Christmas gift to him one year... but he had to put it together.

I'm not big on "grubby" candles, but the smaller one had a crow on it... 'nough said.

I'm trying to stay away from the primitive look and the country look, but there's no getting around that when your main theme is crows.

If you're admiring our paneling... well, that's one project we just haven't tackled yet.  This is an old house... with old fixtures and old carpet and old paneling.  Colored paneling in each room to match the colored carpet.  Boy, aren't we lucky?  This stuff isn't too bad, at least it's neutral.  Same with our master bedroom.  But the blue wood grain paneling to match the blue carpet and the green wood grain paneling to match the green carpet... well, let's just say... those projects can't come too soon!

I purchased the pie safe in California when I lived there.  It has literally traveled across the country with me.  It has a matching 6-foot tall floor clock.  The pie safe used to house our set of china, growing collection of Polish pottery, and a few other dishes.  I am currently re-working it with crocks, cookbooks, and a few other things which have not been discovered yet.

My Mulligan

In the world of golf, a mulligan is a retaken shot on the first tee box, usually due to a previously errant one.

No, I am not a golfer but I'm taking my mulligan shot none-the-less!

I originally started my blog to digitally record my new garden adventures.  I planned to track exactly what I planted (plant by plant, seed by seed), when I planted it, where I planted it, and how it did in it's new home that I had chosen for it.  All complete with weekly progress pictures.

Somewhere along the way, I veered off my initial course... but that's what I do... I digress...

Being a Virgo/Libra, I'm told that I get caught up in the details too often.  It didn't take me long to start putting off my progress blog posts because something wasn't quite right... I didn't have a picture, or I wanted this-and-that to be organized first, or... the list could go on and on!

Procrastinators, unite!

In the meantime, I finally took the leap of starting my own business...

... The Old Park Homestead ...

Why a homestead?  Because I have grand visions of living off the land... becoming a self-sufficient family... gardening, canning, cooking, baking, quilting, knitting, crafting, painting, remodeling... you get the picture.  And, of course, blogging along the way!

Stay tuned for updated posts... as I "go confidently in the direction of my dreams"!

Ten Years Later

September 11, 2001 - September 11, 2011

In loving memory of my step-brother

Edward Veld Rowenhorst

... we will never forget ...

Picket Fence Planter Update

Here's another update on my Picket Fence Planter. At the very least, I am happy they are growing and enjoying our kitchen porch. The trailing variegated vinca is doing nicely and and the white "Snow Crystals" alyssum is flourishing. I will need to rethink the spike plants. I like them and they add interest, but they are distracting in this planter. I am definitely not doing the wax begonias again and the impatiens aren't really doing anything for me. The metal pig watering can was a *must have* addition.

Mr. Toad

Each morning, I sit outside on our small kitchen porch while the dogs run and play in the yard and I revel in God's handiwork as I watch my flowers and veggies grow and bloom.  I tend to each garden spot, flower bed, and planter.

As I was checking on the Hedgehogs & Crocks, I went to remove what I thought was a dead leaf.  As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was a baby toad.  He was no bigger than a quarter!

How he got there, I don't know.  I guess I really don't care... I am just tickled that he is my guest.

Tinted Pentas & Zinnias

I recently downloaded the trial version of Adobe Photoshop CS5 and have been playing with it, trying to learn it as I go along... there is no manual or instructor with a trial version. With the help of AdobeTV and a few tutorial videos (some watched over and over in full screen mode until I finally understood what they were saying), I was able to turn a color picture into black & white and add color tinting just where I wanted it. The text addition was simple, but another thing learned none-the-less.