Patriot Day 2009

May we all pause for a moment today to remember those who died on that horrible day eight years ago, both soldiers and civilians. May we also honor those who continue to serve their fellow Americans whether they be in our hometowns or in a distant desert. May we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for us by living lives worthy of their sacrifice.

And may we never forget that regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic class, or political preference, we Americans are all in this together. May our words and our deeds reflect a belief that in working together we can become a stronger nation and just perhaps, build a better world. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Ode to Summer

Today I am participating in Wordless Wednesday. To see more photos visit our hostess Heather at http://simplyheathersblog.blogspot.com/. Enjoy.

On the Road Again

Hello. I am sorry I have not been out and about in blogland much lately. I probably won't be for a few more days either. We are in the process of moving the rest of our stuff from the Ozarks to the prairie. I'll tell you about it when we finally get it all home and unpacked.

Unfortunately the tractor in the photo is not ours, so it won't be coming with us. I'm not sure who it actually belongs to. It was just sitting in the field of our home back in the Ozarks. Our landlord said a friend of his just left it there one day and never came back for it. I wish it was mine though!

Blessings to you.

Vintage Roosters Gone Wild

Today I am participating in the Rooster Party being hosted by Barb of Bella Vista at http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com/ . I should probably inform you before we begin that this is a coed farm, so you are going to see some hens mixed in with the roosters.

Let's start our tour in the dining room. Here is the fellow that started all this rooster craziness. Originally he belonged to my maternal grandmother. I loved him so much that eventually he made his way to my house and has been very happy here ever since. I don't have many things that belonged to my grandmother, so Mister Rooster is very special to me. That is why I couldn't let him be lonely, so I had to start collecting more roosters.

Here are a few of Mister Rooster's little buddies. These were all picked up at garage sales or thrift stores through the years. You can tell by their chips and cracks that they are vintage, and I don't mind a little imperfection.

Grandma's rooster has some fancier friends he can look up to as well. This piece came from Hobby Lobby (on clearance of course).

I even found a set of 4 Warren Kimble rooster plates and a matching cream pitcher at Goodwill.

Just last week, my husband spotted this Metlox Poppy Trail rooster bowl at the thrift store. I couldn't pass it up at only 99 cents!

I bought these prints at the thrift store. I still can hardly believe they were only $3.50 each.

This rooster banner welcomes you into our kitchen.

When my rooster hand soap dispenser broke, I put a stopper into the hole because I just couldn't bear to part with it and it's darling crackled finish.

I located this rooster and hen hanging rack at a salvage store. It was originally designed to hang a valance on, but I thought it would be lots more fun to hang my vintage metal and wood treasures from it.

That is all the roosters roosting inside, but you can't leave until you see this rooster sign out by the corn field. Isn't it cute!

Now roosters may be popular and stylish, but on this farm there is only one chicken who rules the roost, my sweet little red hen. Bossy little Sister tells all of us what to do.

Drop back by the farm soon and we will visit some of the other animals. Have a blessed weekend.

It's here (Fall came in a box this year)

When I went to the post office recently, I discovered that there was a package waiting for me. Once I saw the return address, I was so excited. I knew it was the fall gathering I had won from the giveaway by Old Annie Primitives at http://oldeannieprimitives.blogspot.com/. This was an important moment for me since this was the first time I had ever won anything on the internet.

I didn't open the box immediately though. I waited until my husband got home so he could enjoy the moment with me. Practically as soon as he was in the door though, I started ripping that box open. As soon as I opened the top of the box a heavenly scent greeted my nose. It smelled like fall had been captured in a box and was now being delivered to my door. The spices Annie used on this are wonderful. Now I was really excited. I opened the other end and slid out my prize. I just could not believe how beautiful it was! This gathering has all my favorite autumn items like leaves, and berries, and even pumpkins, and they are all in those luscious colors of fall.

My husband even said, "Wow, that looks like something you would have bought for yourself." He was right, but this was even better, it was a gift!

The new fall gathering arrived at just the right time too. It is definitely beginning to feel like autumn here. The temperatures are falling and the crops in the fields are turning golden. I have my apples, pumpkins, and mums sitting around the house to welcome the season, and now I have my gorgeous gathering as well. Thanks Annie. I think my prize is wonderful.

A hole in my drawers and a makeover

That photo is a little peek at my makeover. But the story actually begins a few years back. Old houses are notorious for not having enough closet space. Our little house in the Ozarks (the one we lived in before moving to the prairie) was especially short on storage. I knew as soon as we moved into that house that we needed to find another chest of drawers for the master bedroom. I, of course, started my search at a thrift store. It was love at first sight. I spotted the chest practically the moment I stepped into the store. It was a 3 drawer, white, antique chest of drawers with chippy paint, and beautiful, curvy legs. I am a sucker for sexy legs, so I was immediately smitten. I had a smile on my face the whole way home.

When I got home I realized that my affection for those beautiful drawers might have made me underestimate what it was going to take to repair this piece of furniture. You see, there was a hole in the bottom drawer. I am not talking about a pencil sized hole, or a shoe box sized one. No, half of the bottom drawer was actually missing. I just assumed we could fix it.

I showed my husband my purchase when he got home. He laughed, right out loud, a lot. He explained that he did not have the right tools to fix the chest, and buying the tools he needed would probably cost more than just buying another chest!

I knew I was on my own with this problem now, so I just shoved a piece of cardboard over the hole. It worked at first. Since it was summer then, I just put my sweaters in the broken drawer knowing that I wouldn’t be opening the drawer much. Then gravity set in. The cardboard began to sag. Eventually the saggy cardboard jammed the drawer, and you couldn’t open it. You had to remove the drawer above the broken one, and then reach through the hole to get what you wanted. Then you had to put the other drawer back in. Finally even I had to admit that this wasn’t very practical, so I donated the chest back to the thrift store so someone with the “right tools” could fix it.

Now I had to go chest shopping again. This time I was more practical. I looked for something that had functional drawers rather than just buying for beauty. I ended up with a ho hum, ordinary, 4 drawer, boxy chest which had no sexy legs whatsoever. It is sturdy, and it does keep the clothes contained fairy well, so we moved it with us when we came to the prairie. I have never been happy with it though. That is why I decided to give it a makeover while my husband was gone. I knew that if it turned out badly I could just get rid of the evidence while he was gone.

You see, I have never done a (successful) makeover on a large piece of furniture before. I have redone some shelves and picture frames, etc., but nothing this substantial. This was my first major project.

Here is the chest of drawers before I began. You can see from this side view that it just your basic wooden chest of drawers.

My first step was to sand the piece using my little electric sander.
Next I gave it three coats of paint. I used a brush for the first two coats, and I was pretty sloppy. I actually wanted to see some of the brush strokes because I like the rough look. I used a sponge brush for the third paint job because I wanted to be sure I had good coverage for the final coat. The paint color is something in between cream and sand. I let that set overnight to dry.

Here it is in the morning before I started again.

Next I sanded the chest again. Then I brushed walnut stain all over it using a sponge brush. That turned out darker than I wanted so…..

I brushed white stain on top of that.

I didn’t brush the lighter stain over the drawer edges of the knobs though, because I wanted to keep them the darker color.

Finally this project was done. Now the chest of drawers looks like it was abused by dozens of little hands for decades, then rolled in the dirt in the barn. Perfect. That is just the look I wanted.

There are a couple of morals to this ridiculous story. The first lesson is to be sure you are not tempted by a set of sexy legs. Your clothes will fall through a giant hole in a drawer. The second lesson is to not be afraid to try painting a piece of furniture you dislike. You might be surprised at how well it turns out, because if I can do a makeover, anyone can. (It also helps to do this while hubby is away, so any major mistakes can become charitable donations.)

Have a great weekend, and I hope you get started on that long awaited project. Blessings to you.

A Year in the Life of the Prairie

It appears that my husband may actually be living with me again. Yesterday he signed a contract with his employer stating that they intend to keep him at their nearby facility for awhile now. That means we will remain out on the prairie for the time being. If I was a betting person, I would wager we won't be here any longer than another year though, because the company is preparing to open a new, huge facility in another part of the United States within the next 12 months.

I am going to try to enjoy the time I have left on the prairie as much as possible though. Today I thought I would show you some more of what we have experienced living here in the last year.

Autumn will come to the prairie again soon. The nights will grow longer and the daytime shorter. The fields will turn golden. Then the harvest will begin.

Winter will arrive suddenly with the howl of a prairie blizzard rattling the windows and pounding on the doors. Then silence will follow in the stillness of the snow covered fields.

Spring is so very slow to arrive on the prairie. The skies open up and gray, dreary rain replaces the snow. The fields turn into acres of black, muddy, muck. Just when you think you can't take the drabness anymore, tiny hints of green appear in the yards and along the roadside. Then one day a gentle breeze blows in the new season and the flowers return. Planting begins.

Summer is my favorite season on the prairie. It is spectacular. Everything is alive again. The land is green as far as the eye can see. The corn grows tall and strong. The breeze blows, and the birds sing their sweetest songs.

A year on the prairie is filled with extremes. There is sweltering heat in summer and frigid cold in winter. There is unceasing rain in the spring and golden sunshine in the fall. Life is ever changing here, yet every season is beautiful in its' own way. You just have to stop for a moment and enjoy what surrounds you. Blessings to you.