pretty and handy...

i like my things

to look pretty and to be handy,

and in that particular order!

~~~

i like to have my dishsoap handy

because i use it so often,

and in a pretty bottle

so i smile when i see it!

~~~

so i use

a vintage glass syrup bottle

to keep my dishsoap in!

~~~

handy and pretty!

~~~

that's what i like!

~~~

i have another
pretty and vintage
syrup bottle
in the laundry room!
~~~
they're a good thing!
~~~
i think martha would agree!
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you a pretty handy dandy day!
peggy

learning grateful...

several years ago

i heard sarah van breathnach

discussing her then new book

"simple abundance."

~~~

i listened to her speak

about being grateful

and how it changes your life.

~~~

i was intrigued

and interested

in being more grateful

in my life.

~~~

shortly after,

i bought her book.

i can truly say

this is one of the books

that have changed my life!

i've read and re-read

this book.

~~~

"simple abundance"

is written as

daily readings

and each month focusing

on a particular principle

relevant to living

a simply abundant life,

~~~

one of sarah van breathnach's

suggestions is to

keep a gratitude journal.

this gratitude journal

is a journal

in which you daily list

5 things for which

you are grateful for.

~~~~

big things,

little things,

whatever you are grateful for that day.

~~~

some days

it is easy

to list 5 things (or more!)

that you are grateful for.

other days...

well...

some days really sssssssss...

stink,

and on those days,

it just isn't as easy

to be grateful.

listing 5 things that you are grateful

on a day that really stinks

isn't easy,

but it is possible.

~~~

i believe being grateful,

especially on days that really stink

is learned.

~~~

learned.

~~~

i believe i've learned

to be grateful

on good days

and on days that really stink.

and i believe

being grateful

every day,

has changed my life.

~~~

~~~~~

~~~

~

what are you grateful for today?

peggy

what fun...

there was an old witch,

believe it if you can!

she tapped on the windows

and she ran, ran, ran!

she ran helter skelter

with her toes in the air,

corncobs flying from

the old witch's hair!

swish goes the broomstick.

meow goes the cat.

plop goes the hoptoad

sitting on her hat.

"whee!" chuckles i

what fun!

what fun!

halloween nite

when the witches run!
~~~

i learned this halloween song

in sixth grade

from mrs. kaufman,

our music teacher.

~~~

i loved it then

and i love it now!

~~~

i don't think

there's a halloween

that goes by

that i don't sing this song!

growing up,

my brothers got tired

of my sister and i singing it,

especially out of season!

~~~

i've sung it to my daughter

and this year i sang it

to my 2 grandsons!

and next year i'll have

a new grandson to sing it to!

~~~

what fun!

what fun!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a halloween

full of fun!

peggy

happy and sappy...

i love halloween!

~~~

the orange and black,

the jack-o-lanterns,

the candy,

the happy part

of happy halloween!
~~~

i love jack-o-lanterns

that are silly...

~~~ and smiling!

~~~

everyone

should be smiling

and having fun

on halloween!

~~~

the jack-o-lanterns,

the witches,

the ghosts

the goblins...

everyone!

~~~

i love halloween

when it's

full of fun

and full of candy!

~~~

that's what

i love halloween to be!

~~~

like i said yesterday,

i love sappy and sweet!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a happy, sappy, and sweet

halloween!

peggy

judging a book by it's cover...

i love to read!

~~~

i just read

"saving ceecee honeycutt"

by beth hoffman

(her first novel)

and i would highly recommend it!

~~~

this sad and sweet novel

is about a young girl (ceecee)

who moves to the south

to live with an older aunt

after her mother dies.

~~~

i loved it

you'll love it too!

~~~

now

i've started to read

"home to holly springs"

by jan karon.

~~~

have you read the mitford series

by jan karon~

the father tim series?

~~~

i love, love, love

this series!

love it!

sappy and sweet,

just how i'd like my life to be!

~~~

"home to holly springs"

takes us to where

father tim grew up.

~~~

i love to read

but i don't make time to read

so it takes me forever to read a book,

which tends to be hard on a book,

at least my books!

~~~

i have this book in hardcover

and i know i'll keep it forever

so i don't want to

bend, rip, and tear the dustcover.

(yes, i'm a little (some would say a lot!) anal!)

so...

(finally to the point)

i made a bookjacket for my book!

~~~

i used a piece of scrap wool

and cut the bookjacket

(using the book as my pattern)

the heighth of the book

around the front and the back

of the book,

(moving the book from the back

to the spine

to the front as i cut)

adding a few extra inches

on each end

of the width

to jacket the book.

~~~

i pinned the extra inches

on each end in place

and sewed them

to make the jacket.

~~~

easy peasy!

~~~

the p (for peggy)

is entirely decorative

and is cut from

another scrap of wool.

the button finishes it off!

~~~

and now i have a bookjacket

that will keep my book,

cozy and warm

and as good as new,

as i haul it here and there,

until i finish the story

of father tim's childhood home!

~~~~~

~~~

~

happy reading!

peggy

thrifted autumn...

as i've said before,

i loooove autumn!

~~~

and i love decorating

for autumn!

~~~

i especially love decorating

with finds

from antique and thrift shops.

~~~

most of what i own

and most of what i buy

is from antique and thrift shops!

~~~

i love this old mirror!

it's a recent local antique shop find.

it hangs over another mirror

with a beautiful bevelled edge,

and is another

thrift shop find.

~~~

i love old mirrors,

especially when

some of their silver is missing.

i love the light

that mirrors reflect

and i love to hang them

in every room!

~~~

this old, mossy green dresser
sits below the mirrors,
holding more of my favorite
antique and thrifted autumn finds.
~~~
the creamy crocheted
pillow and doily
are from antique shops,
the candle lite from a thrift shop,
and the glass leaf dish
from our local thrift shop.
the mccoy basket bowl
is a gift from a friend,
purchased at an antique shop.
~~~
these stitchings are another
recent thrift shop find.

~~~
i love finding handmade items
at antique and thrift shops.
i love and appreciate
the time and effort
that goes into any handmade piece.
~~~
i love autumn and
thrifted autumn
is the best!
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you thrifted autumn finds...
peggy

peaches and cream...

peaches and cream...

another one of

my favorite summertime treats!

~~~
i look forward

to peach season

and am always excited

to buy my crate

of faye alberta peaches!

~~~

i will only buy

faye alberta peaches!

~~~

they are the best!

~~~

i use my crate of peaches

to eat

as peaches and cream

and

to make jam.

~~~

peach jam,

for me,

looks and tastes of summer,

and warms me

as i enjoy it's summer-ness with toast

on cold winter mornings.

~~~

for now,

it's still summer

and i'll keep enjoying

my peaches and cream!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you your favorite summertime treats!

peggy

mornings...

i love mornings!

~~~

i love to wake up

to sunshine streaming into

my bedroom windows

along with a cool summer breeze

and

to the birds singing me their

morning song.

~~~

this morning was one of

those mornings i absolutely love!

~~~

i love that

i can have my coffee and toast

and enjoy some quiet time

all to myself.

~~~

i love breakfast!

~~~

i love toast with jam

and coffee.

~~~

my homemade bread...

my homemade jam...

and the first-cup-of-the-pot coffee!

~~~

it doesn't get any better than this...

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a good morning!

peggy

ferns...

ferns...

i love ferns!

~~~

i love how they unfurl

as they come out of the ground

and then extend

to their full height.

~~~

i love their color.

~~~

green...

just green.

~~~

i love the fronds.

~~~

i love that ferns

are so graceful

and blow so beautifully

in the wind.

~~~

i love that ferns are so

old-fashioned

and that old houses

always have ferns around them.

~~~

i also love to see

ferns on porches.

~~~

ferns have been around forever

and i love that about them.

~~~

beauty,

grace,

and longevity.

~~~

ferns have it all...

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you beauty, grace, and longevity...

peggy

bee dreams...

ever since i read this book,

the secret life of bees

by sue monk kidd,

i've wanted to have bees!

~~~

this book isn't about bees.

the women in this book raise bees

and that's where the bee references comes from.

the book,

simply stated,

is the story

of a young girl

finding a family.

~~~

read this book!

~~~

and then read it again!

~~~

i did!

~~~

the movie was out

a couple years ago

and it was great,

but the book,

is better.

~~~

at least for me,

the book is

always, always better!

always!

~~~

it is sooo good!

~~~

a good summer book...

~~~

and now i love bees!

~~~

amy gave me this honey pot.

it's old and has bees on it.

what's not to love?
~~~

these are some of the hives

i drive by frequently.

aren't they so pretty and colorful?
~~~

i'm pretty sure we need a couple

of these beauties

in our back yard!

my husband isn't as sure...

~~~

i love 'em!

~~~
"honeybees depend not only
on physical contact with the colony,
but also require
its social companionship and support.
isolate a honeybee
from her sisters and she will soon die."
~~~
the queen must die: and other affairs of bees and men
~~~
taken from
the secret life of bees
~~~
see,
bees are just like us...
we need our sisters
(gramas, aunts, moms, sisters, girlfriends)
just like bees need their sisters!
~~~
maybe that's why i love em!
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you a day with sisters...
peggy

rock love...

i loooove rocks!

love 'em!

~~~

i'm always looking

for an interesting

or unusual rock!

~~~

i must have learned this

from my dad.

he likes rocks too.

he brings them home

and shows them to me when i visit.

sometimes he keeps them

and sometimes he gives them to me!

mostly i get them!

(which makes my mom happy!)

~~~

if you look closely

you can see a heart

on the top of this rock!

~~~

see it?

~~~

i love my new rock!

it's my favorite!

~~~

i'll put my newest rock

in one of my flower beds

in the company of

all my other favorites!

~~~

thanx dad!

~~~~~

~~~

~

hug your pet rock today!

peggy

little house on the prairie

i live on the prairie and i grew up watching "little house on the prairie." i also grew up with the whole "little house..." book series. i have been to the laura ingalls wilder museum in desmet, south dakota and was in one of the houses they lived in. it was interesting to see some of their actual possessions! i was able to meet the illustrator (garth williams) for the book series. i was also able to stand under some of the cottonwoods pa planted! these trees are near a field where locals perform a pageant based on one of the books from the "little house..." series at dusk on weekends thruout the summer. it is an incredible experience!

today i've been outside working around the yard, getting ready for winter. in between doing those chores and some chores around the house, i've been watching, you guessed it, little house!!! it has been on all day on the hallmark channel! i looooove the hallmark channel!!!
it started with several of the programs from the series i watched as a kid, starring michael landon and melissa gilbert. and now the "little house on the prairie" movie hallmark made is on! i'm a happy prairie girl!!!

between the beautiful day outside and "little house..." inside, it has been an incredible day! life is good! it doesn't get much better than this! the day could only be made better with popcorn!

and that's coming later! hope you're having as an incredible day as i am!