Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Planting and Spring things!

The weather has been beautiful in our area of NC. I wanted a new look for our front porch. I took a trip to our local habitat for humanity and found some nice baskets priced from $1-$2 each. What a bargain! I was on a mission and had some great ideas in mind! 

I then headed over to Lowes home improvement to look for some new flowers and plants to decorate our porch. I was pleasantly surprised to find they had a clearance section with plants clearanced at just a dollar each!
I bought pretty petunias, inpatients, and some other plants with yellow flowers. Yes, they were looking pretty sad and wilted, but I thought with a little extra love, and for that price, they were worth taking a chance on getting them! I also stopped at dollar general and purchased packets of different kinds of seeds to plant. 
I then came home and lined each basket with pieces of black plastic trash bags That I had cut up, and added potting soil in each one. 
I really wanted to use baskets on my porch verses using pots. I wanted a country look and feel. Pots can be pretty pricy when you want to have a lot of them too! 
I was having such a wonderful time planting all my new finds. I did have to leave the front porch a couple of times for Momma wren though! She is back for her third year in a row with five eggs just waiting to be hatched! She doesn't like me in her way when she flies by and wants to go to her nest! Once she goes in and is sitting on those eggs, she is content . I did snap a picture of the eggs once again for this year when she wasn't around. :) also, this is the basket she makes her nest in every year. It's on our porch hanging up with purple flowers in it :)

As most of you know I do love taking pictures a lot. I take pride in my photos, and think some of them come out quite well. It has been brought to my attention recently that some of my photos have been used without my permission. I suppose that's a chance I take by putting them out there on the net. I think I may have to watermark the ones I feel mean the most to me to prevent this from happening again. I don't mind it so much if someone asks to use a photo first, but for me to see my photo somewhere and not give me credit as the photographer, well, that's just wrong. It is taking what is not yours!

Back to my flowers.... I have been so excited with all my baskets filled with plants, flowers, and seeds, and even more excited to see some of my seeds are starting to sprout! Yippie!!! :)
I have so much more to do... Next up, I
Will be planting sunflower seeds out back. I'm not so sure about this red clay dirt we have here for planting in the ground though. We shall see what happens!
Here are pictures of my baskets and our porch, I'm so pleased for sure!
I love our home. It truly is a wonderful place to live, so filled with love!
Also some other pictures I snapped :)













While visiting the habitat for humanity restore, I also came across something really special. It makes me feel sad when I find things like this, but also happy because I am the one who found it, and rescued this item. This is an old piece of linen that is 24" square. Someone lovingly hand embroidered this piece of fabric with white work and a bit of red work. Great time, work, and I am sure love went into making this piece. Perhaps it was a table scarf? The piece is torn here and there, but it still doesn't detract from its beauty. I always try my best to rescue these pieces. I often wonder about the person who did the stitch work, what she may have been thinking while she was working on each piece I find. Did she ever think her items would be discarded to good will? Most needleworkers I know do not get rid of their work unless of course it is a gift. Often things are discarded when the needleworker passes away, their home is cleared out, and their work is not as meaningful to generations that came after them. I often think about my work and hope that my pieces will be treasured when I am long gone. I will continue to keep my eye out for pieces discarded, for they will always have a place in my home and heart!




On and ending note... I am still working on our anniversary sampler, little bits at a time. I did stitch a bit more, a flower and stem... Not much, but have been so busy with enjoying the beautiful weather, the lake, and time with family, church, and friends. 


Blessings to you!
Louise xx






















Friday, March 18, 2016

Friday bits

The weather is finally turning to spring in our little town. It is so wonderful to see all the beautiful blooming trees as I drive around now. 
I snapped a couple of pictures to share:



I was busy baking for the Lenten soup luncheon I volunteer for at the church, along with Saint Patrick's day baking for our family. I made wonderful loaves of Irish Soda bread, an annual tradition in our home!

The Deacon of our Parish surprised each of the volunteers with a ladybug planter with zinnia flowers for volunteering!

I've been stitching a bit more on our anniversary sampler, "love never fails" by Barbara Ana Designs


I have joined the blanket and shawl ministry at our church. I am very excited about this! I know the women will be able to teach me so much more than I already know with crochet. 

I have made my first hat for donation!
My husband starting working on a project at home, a wonderful project! I won't post about it until it's done though. I am pretty excited about it!
That's all the news for now... Just some little bits!
Wishing you all a blessed weekend,
Louise xx





Saturday, March 21, 2015

Ornament finish and March Ramblings...


I finished up my ornament for March. I am trying to keep on track with stitching one a month for the year. This is from the Just Cross Stitch ornament issue 1999. It is called Christmas Basket by Theron Traditions. I just love this design!

Looks like Spring has sprung in our part of NC!

Seeing these flowers gave me the inspiration to finish stitching "May Flower Basket" by Blackbird Designs :)

I also finished up my Patty Dovecoat sampler! This was a SAL in a Facebook group I belong to..

I went to a stitchers gathering in Rock Hill SC. It was so much fun! We shopped at A Stitch and Frame Shop. I wanted to buy everything! I did pick up two charts, The Irish Blessing by Erica Michaels and Time and Season Sampler by Moira Blackburn. Cannot wait to start stitching these!

Here are Bonnie's Belles!
I am in there also :)
I am in the back with the blue scarf!
With Saint Patrick's Day, I did lots of baking and cooking!
I also have been volunteering at the church on Wednesdays preparing the soup lunch for after mass.
Here are my Irish Soda Breads...

Our meal of corned beef and cabbage.. A tradition in our home!

I also made Irish potato pancakes, also known as "Boxty"

I baked some delicious shortbread too :)


We took a trip to GA and met our Sons wonderful girlfriend! We just absolutely love her to pieces!! They have been dating for a while now and we are looking forward to seeing what God's plans are for the two of them. They look so cute together! We attended mass at Our Lady Star Of The Sea. It was wonderful!

Pretty daffodils from my neighbor and friend Suzan! Picked right from her own yard. Love them!


She also knows how much I love my tea, she stitched and framed this little design for me :)

With the warmer weather, Charleston has been enjoying himself sunning on our back porch. One spoiled bunny, and rightly so! :)

I tried out my new bread machine.. Had to return the other one as it didn't work. It really makes a nice loaf of bread!


Now looking forward to Easter! I have my new running shoes on! :)
(No I don't really run) ;)

Wishing you all a blessed day! 
Louise xx

















Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Spring Things!

Ok, well, it's not really feeling like Spring weather in my town, but by next week it should be a lot warmer (I hope!)
I have been stitching up cute little Easter designs  :)
I found the design free at Primitive Bettys. Thank you Betty for such sweet designs!
Here is what I have stitched:

I then sewed them into pretty little door hangers, complete with lavender ribbons!
I then painted some pots with pretty purple flowers...can you see where I am going with this??
Oh yes, I love purple!!
I filled the pots with a little bit of chocolates, marigold seeds, purple nail polish, and purple peeps!
I then wrapped all the goodies up, complete with lavender ribbons and a cutout "egg" shaped tag for names... so pretty...for very special teachers!
I picked up some hydrangeas at the grocery...aren't they beautiful....
I stopped in to Tractor Supply to pick up food, hay, and treats for this special guy...remember him? Our "Charleston" Bunny rabbit! He is getting ready for the special day...
While at Tractor Supply, guess what I stumbled across? I nearly screamed I was so excited!! Yes, little things make me happy...
aren't they PRECIOUS!!! :)
Some of them even had little black spots on their fuzzy yellow fur!
Baby Chickens!!!
Sooo, SOOOO CUTE!!
I wanted to kiss each and every one of them :)

Well, there are signs of Spring popping up all over..I am starting to see the trees blooming with flower buds.
What a wonderful time of year!
Look at the size of this strawberry I found in the package from the store..
its' HUGE!


I hope you are all doing well and looking forward to this very Blessed Season of Easter.
Blessings to all of you,










Betsy by Sheepish Designs

A finish! Betsy by Sheepish Designs. Stitched on 32 count Mad Hatters Tea Towel linen with called for DMC threads 2/2. 🩷Louise