Summer is Here!!

Well summer is here at my house since at the moment I have 2 small critter cages on my kitchen table...one with a baby snake in it and one with an injured baby bird in it....Oh, the joy of boys!!!  I really dont mind either one since I am an animal person, but on my kitchen table....C'mon boys..take 'em outside!!  I just set a tent up in the backyard for them, so hopefully they will take them out there. 

We had a great trip to Hershey. I had a pass to get 8 people in for free, so we loaded up my van with 8 people and headed to PA.  My daughter had 2 of her friends go and the boys had one of their friends, so I wasnt going to be stuck with 6 kids alone so luckily one of the girls mom went along with me. We went up a day ahead so we could do the factory tour and do a little sightseeing....all in all everyone had a great time!!  Here is picture of my youngest with the 5 pound hershey bar that I wouldnt buy because of the $30 price tag (and waaaayyy too many calories)

I have been doing entirely too much shopping lately, but I figure that is what my stimulus check was for right.....here are some of my recent purchases:

I LOVE this piggy bank, it was horribly dirty and I was worried it was stained, but it was only .33 since so I figured I wouldnt be losing much if it didnt clean up, but with those Mr. Clean Miracle Erasers it came out great!!

I have always wanted one of these but never came across one in my travels.  I spotted this one on pinkpomegranate.net and just had to have it, and it was a steal...at least in my opinion. I think she still has one more left too.  Now, I just need to find one with a christmas theme.

These have the Napco stickers on them and are numbered.  I got them both on the same day at two different yardsales....it was fate!  I am not good at judging what something is made of, but I believe they are bisque. 

Arent they just so cute!!  They are almost 4 weeks old and starting to get playful, the kids are having a ball with them, they are going to be sad when they are gone.

Now, I am a little late on posting this (As usual), but the winner of the two books is Whinendine!!  Be sure to check back for next months giveaway!!  Have a great weekend!

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Schools Out!

Well, school is officially out because Monday is Fun Day, where the school is going to be set up like a carnival.  I am hoping they move everything indoors with the exception of the water balloons because we are in the middle of a heat wave with 100 degree days.....and guess what.....we dont have airconditioning!!  Which is commom for old houses in the north, we have window units, but I just dont like the noise, so I guess I will be Shopping to stay cool!!!  We have had some wild weather here lately, last wednesday we had severe storms and tornados, just as the kids were getting on the buses the tornado came through and they shuffled them back into school until everything had passed.  Of course they bigger kids thought that was just "cool".  Then Thursday schools were closed due to power outages from the storms.

The heat couldnt keep me away from yardsales though.  This Saturday we went to a yardsale at a old barn that is on a catholic retreat and run by nuns and priests.  They only have sales a few times a year but they really need to do something with the barn.  I was down in one of the stalls where the christmas stuff was and there was a lady upstairs attempting to sweep the floor above me.  There are 3 inch cracks between all the boards so as she is sweeping, all the dirt is coming down on me, plus my boys were up there running around hollering through the floor to me of things they had found.   When we came out of there they boys were filthy.  But I did find some good things:

The little angels are stamped Japan, the hat box isnt old, but I thought it would be pretty to hold some supplies.  I had to clean up the little beaded doll,she was rather dusty and the crochet dress needs a good soaking.

Still trying toget my teeny tiny kitchen in order, these are few things I have picked up in the last few weeks here and there.  There will be lots of red!!

Last week was a good week for thrifty buys....I LOVE all of this stuff, especially the angel.

I should hang my head in shame over this picture, but I am working on getting it in order.  I have ADD I think, I get something in my head, pull out the supplies to work on it, get halfway through it...then think of another project and pull out supplies for that one and get half way through, so I have about 5 projects half way done and supplies for about 50 projects pulled out!!

And last is the June Giveaway......2 really nice books, one is Retro Barbecue and the other is Entertaining with Longaberger Celebrating the Seasons....lots of good recipes, decorating & crafting ideas, etc.  just leave a comment to win.  I will pick a winner on Monday June 16.  We are heading to hershey park this coming weekend, I am hoping to cure my chocolate addiction by taking a tour of the factory, you sometimes you smell the stuff being made and it just turns your stomach, but I have a feeling it will have the opposite affect on me and I will be toting home a 10 pound Hershey Chocolate Bar as a souvenir of my travels!!  LOL

 

 

 

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No crafting at my house

Thats right, I have not been able to play with sequins, glue, glitter, styrofoam, etc. for some time now, so sad for me.  But, I have ordered quite a bit of supplies so that is gonna change.  I have been busy getting things around the house done before the kids get out of school, and as of today, we are down to 9 days.  The kids and I usually spend the summer traveling to PA, VA, WV, Eastern Shore of Maryland and then one big family trip, but with the price of gas this year, I think we will be staying close to home once we get back from our big family trip to Florida.  Just so you dont think I have been sitting on the couch eating peanut m&m's and tootie rolls (my favorites) and watching "Days of Our Lives", here is what I have been up to:

We opened the pool up and yes the water is quite chilly, but the kids and the dog dont seem to care.  I have given up on trying to keep the dog out, he will run through the fields, get hot and run up the hill and jump in the pool.  It puts alot of sand in the pool, so we are going to have to vacuum a little more than usual this summer.  Plus, once he is done swimming, he likes to come lay in the kitchen, which he then opens the screen door and lets millions of flies in, that is my summer project....to teach him to close the screen door once he is in. You wont catch me in the pool until the water temp. is up to at least 82 degrees, no cold water for me!!

We have had quite a bit of rain and flooding here in Southern Maryland, so once our fields soaked in all that water I was ready to plant.  So far we have in about 40 tomatoes plants, 4 rows of sweet corn and 2 rows of sunflowers.  The sunflowers are just to look at and cut for flowers in the summer.  I still need to get squash and cucumbers planted.  With the price of food going up the way it is I really wish I could plant Eggo Waffles, Syrup and Cheerios.....the main foods my kids seem to live off of these days!

And I wish we grew these, but my husband says they are too much trouble.  Anyway, its fun to go the berry farm to pick them.  I have been picking about 3 flats a week, and nope, I dont make anything with them.  We just sit down with a 5 gallon bucket of Cool-Whip and eat until we are gorged.  I took my kids this last time and it only took us about 10 minutes with the 4 of us picking (plus they think its fun).  Now, for the best picture of all...................

Dont you just LOVE new puppies (excuse my daughters bad manicure).  We have 5 new puppies, 3 black and 2 brown.  Betsy has already named a girl Belle and the boys are still arguing over names...typical.....BUT, we are not keeping them and they dont want to hear those words.  They will have fun playing with them for the next 6 weeks and I am sure I will be out there rolling around with them and smelling puppy breath, the next best thing to smelling a real baby!!

Hopefully things will start settling down and I can catch up on reading blogs and all that fun stuff, I feel out of the loop and dont know whats happening out there.  I still have Mays give-away sitting here on my desk, but I promise it will be added to Junes give-away.  Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather.

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Just Rambling

So, its going to be a nice 80 degrees today and I decided to wash some bedspreads and etc, then decided to mop the upstairs floors.  Well in the hallway up there is a grate in the floor, it was used when my husbands parents had a wood stove in the basement and that was their only heat....it would rise up through these floor grates. Anyway, it get pretty dirty with the kids and dog trampling over it all the time.  And they can never just step over it, they HAVE to walk on it.  I lift the grate up and vacuum it off and sit it to the side and told myself "now remember that the grate is out and dont step there"  Here is where the alzheimers sets in and not 30 seconds later as I was mopping I backed up and stepped into the hole.  Now if you had of been here you would have been laughing at me because I had one leg hanging through the floor & ceiling and it was dangling down in the living room.  I now have 2 huge bruises and bumps on my legs.  Plus I have to tell my husband that the bottom part of the grate needs to be fixed since I stretched the springs out way beyond repair.

Okay, this was an impulse buy.  The lady was going to throw it away and told me to take it for $2.  She said she bought it at a school auction a long time ago and it was used in the kindergarten room as a coat rack. It has been well loved and does show signs of being abused by 5 year olds, but I couldnt let her throw him away.  I'm just not sure what to do with him.  Also, see that field behind him.  He is in my front yard, then there is the dirt road and then that field.  My neighbors have been plowing their fields for planting thier produce (as we have too), but it creates so much DUST!!!  The house, cars, windows, are covered in dust, but I guess its all worth it in the end when we are eating BLT's, Corn-on-the-cob, cucumbers and watermelons!!

I know it is no where near christmas but the ornaments I make are pretty time consuming so I only get about 2 a week made and therefore start working on them in the summer so that I have enough for the craft fairs.  But they are so much fun to make and I think these colors could stay out all year long.  My kids love the aqua one the best. 

Tummy's growling....time to eat lunch!!  P.S.  Thanks Karla, glad you liked last months giveaway.  I am currently getting Mays together now, so check back!

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Saturday Yardsale finds

The boys have started their baseball games and of course they are EVERY Saturday!!!  Which can really mess up yardsaling.  This weekends game was at 11:30, but we had to be at the bowling alley at 9am to get their awards since bowling season is over.  SO, I woke the kids up at 7am and we were out the door at 7:45am.  I wanted to hit a few yardsales along the way.  We stopped at about 3 on the way and then stopped at the church thrift store on the way to the ballfield.  Luckily they love going to yardsales, so its not a big chore to get them up and going.   Plus, they got alot of goodies too...youngest son got a gameboy advance for $5 (didnt need one but it was such a bargain, now we have spares), and of course they always clean up on DVD's!!  I came home with quite a bit of stuff, but here is the best stuff:

I am not sure of the age of these dolls, but they look old.  The little one on the right is marked "TOMY", and you wind her up and she crawls.  The one on the left has arms and legs that move up and down and her eyes open and close.  They need a little cleaning though. 

The little alarm clock on the left is also marked "TOMY" and when you wind him up he rolls sideways, the bell rings and his minute and hour hands roll around.  The furry bear I think has glass eyes and has a sticker on him that says "West Germany".  I got the dolls and these 2 items from a lady who "had no idea where they came from", she just found them in her stuff when she was cleaning.  I am not even sure what I am going to do with any of it, but she left me have all if it for $1.

And more cookbooks for .25. I really dont need anymore of these, but I just cant resist them, especially when they have all the old clippings and handwritten recipes in them.  Plus, maybe that Junior Cookbook will get the kids cooking and I can sit and relax while they mess up the kitchen beyond repair...on second thought, I will cook!!

And last I wanted to show these towels I got from Angie of Norththreads.  I purchased the two little pot holders a while back and loved them so much that I asked her if she cold make me a set of tea towels to match.  I think they turned out PERFECT, and I love the rickrack trim.  They look great in my kitchen.  She has an etsy account under Norththreads and is also on Flickr....go check out her goodies.

Gonna be a rainy day, so I am heading to BJ's to get my weekly case of waffles, 2 pound jug of syrup, 3 gallons of milk...etc.....cant wait to see the bill..LOL..

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Sunday Show N Tell & Giveaway Winner

Just a quick pop in to join the Show N Tell Sunday Bling and to announce the April Giveaway Winner. We have a big group of us going to see the play "Hotbed Hotel" and then to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, so I am pressed for time (as I sit here typing with my wet hair). I have just a small collection of old jewelry, but lots of Vintage Raggedy Ann jewelry so I included a few pictures of them.  I couldnt get all the pictures of the Raggedy Ann jewelry because some of it is diplayed on a wall and the pictures looked horrible.  Here are my pictures:

This is some of my mom and grandmas jewelry that they have given me.

I LOVE the pink beaded pin and earrings, which I picked up at a yardsale for a few dollars and the colored rhinestone earrings I got a few weeks ago at the church for .50. Bargains are so much fun!!!

My favorite Christmas piece, even the little kids in my sons class love to look at it and play with it when I wear it at christmas.

I never wear the Raggedy Ann jewelry but I just love it and have a few pieces from my childhood.

Disney charm bracelets.  The Winnie The Pooh and Mary Poppins are mine from when I was a kid, the rest I have found at thrift stores, and the one at the top is the one I bought at Disney and each time I go back I get a few more charms.

Hope you enjoyed my little collection, when I get home tonight I will visit the other blogs to see check out their collections.  AND, the winner of the April Giveaway was Karla of SugarBearDesigns.  Congratulations!!

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April Giveaway

Well, it seems like forever since I have updated my blog.  Once I got my computer fixed (and bought a laptop as well, just in case), my TV blew up, so it was back to the big electronics store to spend my tax refund!!  Mostly I have been busy with my parents.  My dad had surgery on his knee cap so he is unable to drive for a few weeks and I have had to tote my mom back & forth to dialysis, getting groceries, cleaning their house, cutting their grass, etc....plus trying to keep my own house in order.  They are both in their 80's so they need help with things as is.  But another week and my dad should be back to driving and running errands. OH...Daughtry just came on the radio....gosh that voice, I could just melt, between him and Steve Perry from Journey, I could just disolve when I hear them sing~~~..okay, back to reality!!

I have a few pictures of things I have purchased recently and also I have just a small giveaway this month, but I love the little box it comes in, so "ON with the pictures.  I bought this paper mache bunny from Jenny of Everyday is a Holiday, it came wrapped so pretty and even her business card is to die for.  I am still in the middle of cleaning house, so once that is done, I have to find the perfect spot to display it.  I envy her talent to paint like she does, just amazing.  I can hardly draw a stick figure, its just not there.

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And this pretty wrapping paper from Sadie Lou's shop Nickel Candy.  One of them has a cloth-like texture to it, really neato!!  I think I am going to use it to make my bags with matching tags.  She has alot of really cute supplies in her shop, and it goes fast, I have missed out on a few things I have wanted because I was busy with something and figured I could come back later to get it and "POOF", its gone!!

And now, here is the April Giveaway.  Inside the cute little pink & white polka dot suitcase is a small mint vanilla candle (smells so good), 2 pink tissue paper carnations, angel made out of a doily, small pink roses, round scalloped tags, felt flower cut-outs, old pink flower sequins, 8 old greeting cards (great images for tags), and 4 sheets of stationary from the 70's, its really GROOVY!!.  Just leave a comment and I will enter your name to win.  Will pick the winner on Friday.  Good Luck.  It's going to be 72 today so I am off to wash sheets to hang on the line and get the weeds out of my front flower bed.

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