Random things…

Last September the big hail storm we had destroyed my homemade umbrella, there were multiple holes and tears in it so I drug it up to the sewing room and mended it.  Probably a dozen holes in it and a big three corner tear.  I zig zagged it back together and added two rows of gross grain ribbon to help hold it together another year.

I made it from a drop cloth last summer, you can go here to see that post!  I washed it and bleached it after I patched it and it washed very well and is brighter.

Several years ago I taught a quilting class at church.  Fred was the only guy at both the classes and he took it all very seriously!  Most of the participants finished theirs slowly, and just a few weeks ago Fred brought his to me to send to my Aunt Marge to be quilted.

  Marge even commented on what a nice job he had done! Fred made a queen size quilt and a wall hanging from the leftovers!  It needs binding now and he will be done with it!

I bought this hernia-inducing concrete birdbath at an auction a few weeks ago.  $10!  I have always wanted one, but wanted one that wouldn’t tip over or be as likely to break.  This one fits the bill perfectly!

I’m steadily taking off the mosaic pieces and am planning to do something with flat marbles in shades of blues and greens.  Probably will keep the base white, but thinking about a turquoise color for the bowl part.  Any ideas on how that would look??

This container on my deck had all perennials planted last year and they survived and it is a beautiful collection of dianthus, and mums and some ornamental grass and creeping jenny.  Love that it didn’t cost anything!

I can identify, what can I say?  (found this on instagram)

Love this too!  (also found on instagram, not sure how to credit it there)

I was in Boonville with my boyfriend this past weekend  (yes, it is so exciting to say I have a boyfriend… for the past 3 months we have been hanging out and it has been a blast!) and we were wandering the downtown area and found this great little shop. 

Tons of neat planters, and all things recycled, upcycled but in a great way!

Ladders hanging from the ceiling holding all sorts of things, planters made from old metal washpans and dishes, ladders with old enamel dishes attached to each step to plant with flowers.  I asked the lady if I could take some pictures and she said yes, but then I saw a sign saying, no pictures! I put the phone away and stopped but this place is jammed with great things and reasonably priced too!  Stop by if you are ever there in Boonville, she makes all the furniture herself from upcycled wood. 

I might be linking up to some of these great parties! 

Mr. Milo Puggles

He goes by many names around our house…Milo…

Mr. Puggles…the Pugster…Milopotamus.  He photobombs every picture I take!

We got him last December from a nice lady who wanted to spend more time out of state and who didn’t think she was doing the little guy justice because she was gone so much.

He quickly wormed his way into our hearts with his snorting

and snoring and sneezing self.  He burrows under the covers and can destroy a made bed in a matter of a few minutes.

He gets along with most things and people although this morning he chewed my eyeglasses into 4 separate pieces, not counting the nose pads which he must have swallowed because I never found them.

He has these dark liquid brown eyes that melt me.  And he knows they melt me. 

One day last week we went into the pet store to get his toenails trimmed (I tried it once, took me 30 min to get him restrained and then once I turned on the Pedi-Paws he shot away from me.  I never tried it again.) and he peed on every single rack I let him get close to.  It took four of them to get his toenails trimmed, they took him into the back room so no one could see through the glass the torture he put them through!

This time he was so good that we decided to get a treat afterwards.  He had his first ice cream cone and I have never seen him sit more still! 

He was such a happy dog, he grumbled his way through the ice cream cone (I did take a few bites at the beginning). 

He licked and smiled and slurped all the way home. 

When you pet him and rub him he just melts!  Tongue hanging out, slack jawed melting!!

His girlfriend Bella lives across the street from us and she is a gentle giant.  They play and chase each other around the yard for hours.  My poor little Milo Pug is so out of breath and wheezes and coughs after a play date!

Bella is so gentle with Milo, even though Milo nips at her ankles and trips her all the time.  They are both in that puppy stage, so they are both really clumsy and playful.

Sunshine makes him sleepy…

Milo has one white paw and is a full bred pug but he isn’t registered.  That kind of stuff doesn’t matter to me.

He is such a sweetheart!

You can follow Milo’s adventures on Instagram…his name is MrMiloPuggles

Summering up the Deck 2013

So last year I posted about summering up my deck...this year is no different.  I started many of the plants myself from seeds and used things I had and repainted or recycled or reused things. 

I love to make an outdoor room outside with comfortable seating and pretty things to look at and touch.  A place comforting and welcoming to make you want to stay a while.  An escape area…

Love me some beautiful begonias! I love angel wing begonias the most…and they are so easy to grow!

I spray painted this old wooden bench to perk it up a bit.  I had previously lacquered it with a clear finish, but that was peeling off.  So out came the power washer and the lacquer peeled right away. It looks a bit like old barn wood now, I didn’t completely cover the wood so it shows through.

The sounds of water running into the fish pond are very relaxing and the pond makes a great place for the pets to drink from all summer.

The weather is so unpredictable as spring weather is…these two pictures were taken within 15 minutes of each other!

I love these blue chairs from Target.  I just had never wanted to pay for $20 each (on sale) for them.  So, I was at an auction last week and purchased these for $2.50 each!!  They were dirty so I power washed them and they look brand new!

The metal glider is still in decent shape so I didn’t even have to repaint it this year…

This white bench (I paid $32 for it) from the same auction…it was one of the reasons I went to the auction.  I love the style and thought it would look great on my deck!  The cement garden balls look great there.

My house from the hammock…

The hammock is a great place to relax after a stressful day.

The hydrangea came back this year. I was very happy to see that!

This has been so far one of my favorite planters this year.  It is a giant flat pot that was given to me…actually I received two of them.

I set the pot on a stump in the yard close to the hammock.

I added some petunias, geraniums, creeping jenny, and tall foxtail grass.

And the great news is the curly willow survived the winter. 

I try to add pops of color to every container I plant.

My cats or dog are always photo bombing my shots!

The blue bench looks great too! 

I planted this old wooden tool box with dianthus and some ground cover…

The umbrella that I made last year was torn up in the hail storm last September; it had multiple holes and tears in it from the giant hail. So I repaired it and sewed some grossgrain ribbon around it to hold it together…funny, but I love the way it looks and I can get another years worth of shade. 

The umbrella adds a lot of shade…

It still looks pretty good.

I bought another $3 umbrella at the auction but don’t have a stand yet, so it’s not up yet.

I love seashells….

The garden frog keeps watch…

Another bargain from the same auction…a Weber grill in great shape for $12.50!  Looks like it was used very little…we have used it every weekend so since I bought it!

Everyone in the family seems to be enjoying getting outside more and hanging out on the deck!

I might be linking to these great parties!