Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Weekend Projects....

 I had this old found martin house and 
4 of these plastic gourd birdhouses were
hanging from it.  Well, over this past winter
the old decrepit martin house basically fell apart.
Not at all salvageable, but these were
with a little elbow grease.

 So we cut them free and took them apart.
They were filled with old bird nests and bee/wasp nests.
and LOTS of dirt and moss.
I thought about painting them each a bright color.
But first I googled and found that nature colors 
are best when using for shelter for birds.  And 
after seeing them all cleaned up and put back together
I have to agree.  I like the weathered clean patina better!

 So I found the perfect spot for each....

 to be seen.....

 thru-out our yard....

 and even from my neighbor's kitchen window.
I like to share!

 This is the only picture I could find that shows where they
use to hang in our yard.  Now the shed is being built there.

My husband has been wanting to have a place to plant 
his herbs in our yard.  Last year we had trouble with 
slugs taking their share of bites and basically killing our plants.
So Brad decided they must go up....
so he "found" an old telephone pole and
cut it to the lengths needed and put them in the ground.

 He purchased a couple of faux barrel planters
(real ones are really expensive)
and Wa La....
Herb Garden!

To the left of these planters
is where the shed is being built.
Those are just a few of the projects we did 
this weekend.  We had some really hot temps in the
90's and it made it difficult to do too much outside.
Today is to be about 20 degrees cooler
and a whole lot less humid....
I like that!
Have a delightful day!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day....

Visiting this place yesterday was one of the most emotional
experiences, outside of my Mother's funeral, that I've
ever experienced!  There was something from the moment
that we drove into the entrance that just came over me....

 Maybe it was the sight of our beautiful Flag waving in the wind ....

 So proudly Welcoming you in to experience the beauty....

 or maybe it was the sight of 
row after row of smaller, yet just as compelling smaller
flags waving in the wind at each and every grave....

 section after section
paying tribute to those that gave up
their lives for us and/or spouses who also
paid a price....


 Profoundly sad....
and yet so very Proud....

To have this Flag waving 
not only today, but everyday!

If you've never had a chance to visit a place like this
I highly recommend the experience.

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

 Glad you stopped by for a visit!
On any given Spring, Summer or Fall day
from morning til night
I spend as much time as possible 
right here on my porch.
I've always had a Love for porches
and have been lucky enough to have
them at every Home 
Brad and I have lived in.
Like most porches, this one gets dirty
and needs to be cleaned a couple times a year.
So yesterday while it was somewhat 
cool outside I decide to go at it.

 Just like in my Home when the floor gets dirty
it's got to be cleaned.  This porch is on the North side
of our Home, maybe that's why it gets so bad.

 So I took everything off the porch
except for the for the table and the swing
and literally mopped it using Murphy's Oil Soap.
I even hosed down the walls and was 
~Amazed~
at how much dirt 
~Rolled~
down and off!

 It dried dull in my opinion,
but it looks clean and that's what 
I was looking for.
Now comes the fun part....
putting everything back and making
it inviting!

 I brought the rug out of the basement
and hosed it down yesterday too.
I think I might need a clear bulb in this lamp.
My brother made me the martin house.
We don't get martin's here in the "city"
but I like them and he made me one.
It has 20 "rooms" if a martin ever needs a place to stay!

 and depending where I sat on the porch
is how the light hit.  These pictures were taken 
around 8:30 p.m. tonight.  I like how the sun is
hitting just so in this spot.  

 Looks like my lantern is lit....
(at some point this sign will be hanging on my porch)

 Yep, same time....
no sun to be noticed.  I need to paint my 
wicker, but it was too windy today.
Maybe tomorrow....
maybe!

 I also need to paint this bit of railing....
there's always something when you live in 
an older Home!

 It's just dark enough that the yard lights
are coming on....

 There are lots of weeds to pull here....
Boy they grow fast!

 Our gardens go around our whole
backyard and are outlined in rock
hauled in by Brad and I.  When
we moved here there was maybe 
a 12' area that you could say was
a garden and full of weeds at that.

 Here is the section I posted about a few mornings ago
just in the other direction.  See the table there?
I ran errands today and came Home to a broken
umbrella.  It was breezy when I left, but not enough 
to make me think to put down my umbrellas.  By the time
I got Home....the wind was enough that it blew
my whole table over and snapped my umbrella in half!
:(

Well, I've had a long day and I am now going to
enjoy my clean porch!
Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking up...

Please go check out all the others who did as well!

My New Old Wheelbarrow....

I thought I had a picture of it from the
before stage with flowers in it....

 but, I can not find it!
So I'll show you this picture....

The wood that is left after tearing it apart.
Totally rotted and as you see,
~Mossy~
So I emptied it out and 

 Cleaned it up a bit
And my thoughts have been
going towards Color lately
So I decided to paint it....

 ~Colonial Red~
according to the spray can!
It looks a bit more Red then "colonial"
to me, but I am Happy with the results.

 Brad picked up some treated
1x6x8's
(very important we had this size exactly!)
And after a little nagging nudging
he built a new inside
for me!
Thank you Honey!

 I decided to plant
~Zinnia~ seeds
Bird Nest Cottage am I too late??
I've never planted annuals from seeds before!
I remember growing up and my parents planting their gardens
and putting the seed packets on a stick to mark what they
planted....so I did the same.

 But, I needed more Oomph....
so I added flags....
Just in time for the weekend!

Oh yeah....
and a wreath
Now it's just right!
Hope my little Zinnia's Grow!
Wish me luck!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Good Morning Sunshine....
I'm out and enjoying my coffee and just had to 
get a few pictures of this little spot in our yard
Enjoy!







Hope your Morning is Sunshine~y & Bright!
Please tell me what you're up to today....
I'd Love to hear!
Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, May 21, 2012

It was stuck in my head....

Does that ever happen to you?
You get an idea and 
It gets stuck in your head....
until you do something about it and 
then your happy and can move on!
Right?

 Well, I had the idea to make this old rusty metal birdbath
into a planter for
~Hens & Chicks~
Problem was there was only one place around here
that had Hens & Chicks that weren't in a 
strawberry pot and then they only had one variety.
So I bought it....
I wanted 
Hens & Chicks!!

 So today I met my hubby in the
Big City
for lunch and then off I went
to the 
Big Nursery for
~Hens & Chicks~
I found so many different varieties
so I had to control myself.
Did you know there are 72 different varieties?
That's what the tags say anyway!

 So I brought them home and planted them right away.
In this sunny, most of the day, location in our yard.
The tall green plants are called
~Obedient Plant~
Mine get white flowers on them
and come back every year and they spread
no special attention needed.
There are also daylilies, hosta and right in front
you see Sedum.

 Behind the Obedient Plant I planted
2 Cleome
1 White & 1 Purple
1 Oriental Poppy
and I finally put my
English Daisy 
in it's final resting place....
I think!

So I am excited about my little garden in this planter!
Above the rock I have
Creeping Thyme
next to that is
Aida Hens & Chicks
then the only variety I could find close to me was labeled
Mixed Variety....creative huh!
then something I had in my yard just for texture
then the 3 little ones with the red tips is
Sunset Hens & Chicks
then the cluster on the bottom of the rock is
Glabrum Hens & Chicks
I call it Spider Web because it has a white cottony webbing
in each cluster. And then in the very center is
Yolanda Hens & Chicks
A very pretty blue foliage with wine red bases.

So what do you think?
Do you have Hens & Chicks?

I can't wait to see what happens with this little garden.
I had fun planting it and adding a few little fun touches to
it also.  An old wire flower that lost it's stem, a little birdie that
fell off something I had once and the rock.  
Something to look at and bring the eye up off the ground.
Thanks for stopping by!

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