...'Momma always said~'

My Mother has always said "If you get a chance to go, you should!  Never stay home just to do housework.'  She has always had a Clean/Neat house, and at 82 she's still 'GOING' strong!  I guess the same goes for yard/garden work...

...after vacationing for a week, The Gardens were doing just fine!!

...FANCY!??

Just back from a brief  'holiday' with 'The Girls (+1 hubbie)'.

Beautiful... Relaxing...Layed Back...

EVERYTHING a 'Vacation' (as opposed to a 'Trip') should be!  I even sunburned my wrist, as I wasn't wearing my wristwatch.

Needless to say, females 're-kindling' (while '+1' fished...) led to some interesting conversations (okay, maybe a 'bit' of alcohol was involved...).  After talking with some other 'native-vacationers', one member our group described the acquaintances as 'FANCY!'.  This led to in indepth conversation as to what she meant.  We all started inputting our own definitions of 'FANCY'.  What is YOUR definition of 'FANCY'???????

So, now I'm home and unpacked...
NO, this isn't the luggage I packed to go,

...this is EXTRA CARGO I picked up as we were ending our vacation.

All packed and leaving the lake, on our way out of town at 11am, we caught glimpse of a Church setting up a yard sale - WOO-HOO!!  The PERFECT ending to a PERFECT week!!

I think it is a Really good thing that we were on a bit of a time-crunch, as well as space in the CAR being limited!! 



I think I managed to make our stop worth-while (wink!wink!)! A couple of retro 1/2 Aprons, Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Souvenir dishtowel, vintage Dr. bag, Rope fish boat-bumper, Wolf Sculpture Owl, Alexandria Bay Souvenir plate, Austin Prod. chalk sculpture, Blue Mountain Pottery Mug, France Fridge Beverage glass Jar, Tupperware burger, Rubens pitcher, 3metalFrog business card holder (?), WearEver Aluminum Teapot, Mardi Gras mask, 2 'Terms of..' towels (golf & fishing), and a whole bag of Canadian vintage recipe books/manuals/advertising!!  Nothing was priced individually, they just looked at the pile and quoted a price.  These items averaged out to .40¢ each!!

**I Forgot to mention those incredible 'child' skis that I saved in-the-nick-of-time, as they were being tossed into a truck ~ enroute to The Dump!?!

We've been having a ball going through and researching all of these CANADIAN finds!!

Now...

 back home...

trying to play 'catch-up'!

Up early to gather some RIPE berries before 'The Rains' that we are supposed to have for the next 4days!  Managed to get 6quarts - and did you know that if you stain your hands 'mulberry purple', that 'red raspberry' stains GLOW??

and then the rains set it.



PERFECT time to make a Mulberry Pie...
and dream of 
'FANCY dinners at The Lake'...

...and 'FANCY' sunrises...

...and my Favorite 'FANCY' turquoise Boathouse...

...and 'FANCY' sunsets.

... And another one's done!

A morning of play - with my FAVORITE find being a TINY pair of Leo Ward BIRDS for a whole Quarter!

   ...and then an afternoon of yard work - Several flower beds stillll need attention, but the berries are Finally done!

Do you remember what they looked like before?

Yes- so now you can see why it took so long, and I am SO HAPPY!!

...one fire at a time

Do you ever feel like you are sooooo far behind.... On EVERYTHING???

We skipped 'the saling' this weekend, in favor of SPRING GARDENING!  

The Berry Beds were LONG OVERDUE!!

...One fire out.

Then there were those bookcases that I mentioned in a previous post ~ 

One down, One to go...

Painted, positioned and stocked!!

...another fire under control.

It hasn't been ALL PRODUCTIVITY for me though!

An old friend recently called, he had cleaned out his storage unit and come across 'some jewelry', his Mom used to 'sell' at a NYC flea market back in the Late 70's- early80's.  He knew I liked to craft with 'junk' - did I want any of it??

Silly Question.

There was well Over 250+ pieces!!

Most of it by 'Jeffrey Lawrence' for Lawrence-Bentley.

I've been trying to research a bit - not much luck...

It is sort of what I imagine Pier1 in India would stock!!

THAT'S IT for TODAY - hope to be back soon with something more interesting to show you!!

...somethings are better left 'UN-PINNED'!!

Come on, fess up - I know that I'm not the only guilty one.  Spending Way-Too-Many hours, drooling over Pinterest!  Sure, I 'claim' that it is research.  Keeping on the pulse of the latest trends, what will sell, etc... ((HA!))

Sweet little Mushrooms/Toadstools as first seen on Monkeybox


MANY of them I have 'actually' gotten a "round tuit" and TRIED -
Some with FANTASTIC results!
Some were miserable FAILURES!!
others, just 'eh, not MY style, but I got TOO Far in not to finish'...

First time using a recently inherited iron skillet to make another pin - CLAFOUTI!!

Well, one was a keeper, and one was a 'What was I thinking?!'

Have you figured it out yet???

Yep.
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. The Berry Clafouti,
~BUT~
Shroomies with Polka dots - as adorable as they may be,
Have NO PLACE in MY GARDEN and they GOTTA GO!!!
Better luck next time PINTEREST!

...sorry sales, step aside ~

IT'S MULBERRY TIME!!

First harvest from our tiny tree yielded TWO large industrial metal mixing bowls F.U.L.L.!!  (Yes, we did end up giving half away!).  There is LOTS more to come, too!

*For those not familiar with Mulberries, they are simple to harvest, just lay a large sheet down under a branch and shake - the ripe ones drop off!  Move sheet, Repeat...  Move sheet, Repeat... NO THORNS!!  Just have to sort and cull the 'droppings'.*

It has always been a struggle to beat the birds, squirrels and rain ~ but this year we learned that there are others who are also VERY FOND of the little morsels!

We watched this lady for about 40 minutes - J with his Canon, I with the spotlight - as she happily munched on the dropped berries we had left behind!

...sunshiny Monday ~ kinda.

Lovely weekend, spent transporting my parents for a 'long-weekend visit' to my brother's family and their newly built home AND of course a celebration of Father's Day! 

 While there, we even managed to sneak out for a few garage sales Saturday morning...

VERA 2013 silk #16 ($1)

VERA 2013 silk #17 ($1)

 Upon return on Sunday night, I felt refreshed, and inspired as only a 'change in scenery' can do for the soul...

 This morning, 'THE RAINS' stopped for a period and the sun actually shone!!!  The gardens are in a stage of pure bliss...

...just one side of our lawn border of roses...

...quantities of mulberries, the likes of which I have never before seen on our 'little' tree!

The 'Wine & HERB BED' with it's New Wine Bottle Tree (compliments of My Dad's handiwork!!~THANKS DAD!)

...and for dinner tonight we had Grilled Chix w/ a side of Garden stir fry Bok Choy & Scapes!!

...and now it is raining again.

...Yummy Cobbler.

Looking for something 'special' for Sunday? (psst: it's Mom's Day, just in case you forgot!!)  here is a quicky that I just stumbled upon that I thought I would share.

This dessert speaks of SUMMAH TIME, spur-of-the-moment gatherings to me,  something to whip up quick-n-easy!!   These ingredients are usually handy...

Frozen berries, dry cake mix, and 1 can of sprite.

Yummy Cobbler.

 It sounds so easy - and it is good and weight watcher friendly!

 Ingredients:
Two 12-oz bags fro...zen mixed berries (good way to use up some of last Summer's berries from the freezer!)
1 box white cake mix (no pudding)
1 can of diet 7-up or sierra mist (clear soda pop)

Instructions: Place frozen fruit in a 9x13 baking dish. Add dry cake mix over the top. Pour soda slowly over cake mix. DO NOT stir the cake mix and the pop - this will give you a 'crust'. If you stir the two, you will have a cake like topping.

Bake 350 deg for 45-50 min.

You may be able to use frozen peaches instead of mixed berries.

Serves 16

Weight Watchers: 4 PointsPlus

...the ERRIES of July!

March may have it's 'IDES', but July has it's 'ERRIES'...

and as any of you that know me at all realize, berries are a PASSION of mine!!! Mulberries! Raspberries! Blackberries! Wild Black Caps! ... Our backyard has them all, and July is Prime Season for stained fingers 8-)

So, my main consumption since the 4th of July has been picking berries... and eating berries... and washing berries... and eating berries... and baking... and eating... and freezing... and eating... and preserving... and, well you get the idea! It is such a short period of time, I just can't get enough of these little darlings!! Each evening after it cools off I go out to pick until dusk, then just sit on the porch and eat until my hearts content - Mmmm it doesn't get much better than nice, fresh raspberries... still warm from the sun 8-). (Yeh, some vanilla ice cream would be nice, but that would involve getting up and going in the house ~ TOO.MUCH.WORK!!). Oh, I have modified a Rhubarb Bar recipe to include Wild BlackCaps that is out of this world!!

TWO of my favorite church rummage sales were held Saturday morning ~ HaPpY DaNcE ~

Texas Ware Confetti Bowl .75¢ in flecks of aqua/brown (did you see in the first photo how wonderfully it is working with my berries?!), 2 Vernon-Ware Tickled Pink berry bowls, and an 8Cup NIB Krona Stainless Steel Measuring Pot w/ Cover $2. ! I think my mind is still in the kitchen and dreaming of those berries - what do you think?

I NEVER buy tablecloths (unless they are VERA!)... but I couldn't resist the BRITE colors and GREAT GRAPHICS of this CALIFORNIA state cloth! It does have one light stain that you can see between S & W on the compass, but it is really light, and other than that it is crisp and Perfect - did I do okay for $1. ??

A paper mache' PAMPLONA MEXICO bracelet in bright cheery colors .50¢ and a box of 9 vintage ornaments. The ornaments were just plain balls that I normally would have passed on, but it was such an odd grouping of colors together - (1) shiny silver, (1) shiny gold, (1) shiny red, (1) turquoise, (3) frosted pink, (1) frosted purple, (1) matte olive green that they had to come home with me. DON'T ASK.

...and a CLASSIC VERA!

2011 #18

$1.00

Now I see the local Market Stands are starting to have baskets of these beautiful little

'ERRIES'...

(another of my favorites!)

*Have you ever put these little beauties in your freezer (whole, but washed & de-stemmed), then on a HOT, STEAMY day popped one in your mouth ~ straight from the freezer ~ whole ?

YUM!!!

...FOUR for The 4th!...

Just returned from our annual FOUR state (NY...VT...NH...ME) journey to the coast...

For several days we stayed in the heart of NH. While DH photographed those silly cars going around and around in circles (aka NASCAR), I mapquested a garage sale route and set out on foot with my trusty plarn bag in tow to conquer the lovely town of Concord.

My top FOUR saling finds include a set of six stemmed depression cordial glasses, a hand-made beaded necklace (which came complete with the background story!! - all for .50¢), VERA scarf ($1., 2010 #18), HAEGER ($1., 2010 #18)

Anyone who is trying to cut back on their saling purchases should start walking to sales! It is a definite motivator when it comes to that final decision as to whether you should buy something or not!! - YOU HAVE TO CARRY IT all the way back to wherever you have walked from!!! On this particular Saturday morning, my furthest point was about 3mi. from our hotel room (+PLUS+ all the zig-zagging along the way to hit sales on miscellaneous side streets!!). It is an awesome way to see a city though!

The down side of walking, is that you REALLY have to M.O.V.E. it, to hit as many sales as you would like to before they start to close. I found that since it was such a hot day, a LOT of them had closed early and just put all of their stuff out by the curb with a big FREE sign on it... (hey, I had walked all this way, I wasn't going to be put off!) Top FOUR free finds... Woodpecker lawn/tree decoy, GEORGES BRIARD hot plate, 4 B/W cloth table runner, NIB Cookie Press w/Cookie Cookbook, bags & bags of STERLING and cool jewelry (okay, so maybe that's more than 'FOUR'...)

From NH it was off to the Maine coast.... ~sigh~ 8-)

(Sorry... no 'saling' or 'stuff' photos! Hope this will suffice...)

We were up at FOUR am with the Fishermen to walk on the beach, watch the sunrise and pick up sand dollars.

~~~HOME AGAIN... HOME AGAIN~~~

to many things making my 'happy list', but here are 'FOUR' (in no particular order!!)

Happy Mail awaiting me - THANKS Chris!

Sweater Clip 2010 #11

Putting the 'new' copper waterer in our garden and testing it. Yes, I did buy that at a sale in NH (so you KNOW how badly I wanted it if I was willing to carry it!!) The next time you need a good laugh - conjur the image of this 5' copper sprinkler with a 4' hose attached being carried down the city streets by a 'bag lady' on mission - what a site I must have been!!!!


Lettuce is full grown and YUMMY!! Squash is in blossom too!



The birds left some berries for me - OH, does it get much better?!

Holiday weekends in our area don't usually yield too many sales, but Friday morning I did spot a couple, and this is what FOUR quarters got me...

50's metal shelf, white HAEGER pot w/ sticker (.25¢, 2010 #19) and an atomic pottery ashtray.


HOPE EVERYONE FINDS A WAY TO CELEBRATE THIS FOURTH!