The repurposed fence, Fall cleanup & Elusive find

We have had such beautiful weather of late and the cool comfortable weather looks like it will be staying awhile. Perfect for cleaning out the garden & getting some projects finished.

Last year I was able to get free & old privacy fencing to re purpose. Although it is not much of a change in it's use, I am rather happy to now have it as a Picket Fence around my garden. We are just now getting around to finishing up the white paint job. As you can see, we are still working our way towards the back. It's not perfect but it is for my own pleasure and viewing. Just another bonus of living where we have no side or back neighbors.  As for the rabbits, the bottom portion of the fencing inside will get chicken wire stapled all the way around.

This shot was taken first thing in the morning before I straightened the gate & began making the thyme & Rosemary bed which will go along the front , both sides of the gate.

 I am laying landscaper cloth over the ground with the plants coming through a small hole which will have black mulch laid on top & a plastic edging border to keep out the grass. It seems to creep in fast so I got creative & decided this would also enhance it's appearance- Note that the ground is uneven all around the garden so my fencing is not straight. I can deal with that by adding the front border of woody herbs.

I reduced my garden in half to now a 20 feet X 34 feet. This next year will be the first of doing intensive planting. I will NOT be defeated again.

After weed whacking the garden down to the ground, I tilled it over & have been sifting out the roots by hand. It has been so pleasurable to work in the garden after such disappointment this year. As I sat in this very spot, the sound of Root Beer crowing, the breeze flowing through  the trees, the sounds of nature echoing around me & my dog laying on a her favorite river rock... was a moment of such peace I wish to enjoy forever. It was in that moment and in so many I have had of late, I knew. I am home. For the first time ever I truly feel I have found Home.

So much left to do such as painting the inside of the garden fence and finishing the grape arbor/pagoda as well as the cement stucco compost Bin & rebuilding a proper stone Bonfire pit for The Captain. That man loves his weekend fires sitting under the same star pattern he looked upon in his childhood, just a few blocks away. I am slowly gathering the materials so it may not be until Spring for that one. The old will have to do for the rest of this season.

Oh! The Thrift store find I spoke of last. Well to understand the thrill you must know the tale. I have searched high & low for so many years trying to collect glass kitchen items that no longer come in glass but are plastic or metal. One of each kind for each of my girls. My daughters, my future daughter in law & for my most cherished Sister in law Marine. I inherited a glass canning funnel from The Captains grandma & cherish it immensely. I really did not think it would be almost 6 years before I would spot one in the thrift store but when I did..I truly GRABBED for it. Carrying it around in my purse before checking out so afraid it would break due to the adrenaline rush I received.

Silly, ay? Yeah. but thats just a part of who I am. It's the little things...

This one will go to my sister in law. This amazing woman who shares so much of the same interests & quirks with me. I joke with my baby brother that he married someone like his sister.  He could not have given me a better gift then to have this woman as my sister. So she gets my $2.50 rare & elusive find. Lucky girl. {I say that in jest but know she will appreciate it}. Just 4 more to go {Thankfully I have about 10 years before needing the next one for the rest of my girls}.

Sweetest dreams,

~Tammie

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Terra cotta hen, Antique tea cups & DIY plate stand

Many Years ago, I fell in love with terra cotta chicken. The Captains Nan  had 2 Terra cotta hen's {one named Henrietta which The captain has childhood stories of}. I have hunted for one in the same look & size which has proven a bit fruitless. These hens are so charming & captivating even a non chicken owner would love. I have seen a few painted or formed with clay but none satisfied the look of hen I desired. Then while looking to add to our array of Antique tea cups, I spotted her. Sitting upon a shelf as though she were calling out "I'm over here!". The look I was after, maybe half the size then I originally wanted but beautiful in form.

I have yet to decide on what shall be grown in the strawberry pot design. Most likely an herb I can snip from often for use in the kitchen. It's funny how one can look and look, forget about it for a while then that something just pops up out of nowhere. I did find a few tea cups for adding to our collection. Yes, we do use them. What delight would there be to not enjoy it's intended purpose of a hot cup of herbal tea? Such things are fragile to which I do not withhold our children from using. Accidents do & have happened but never a harsh word or scorn is used. I am sure their upset of the incident is enough to remind them of the fragile state and always share "You did not mean for it to break. No tears honey. We will find another to enjoy".  

They look forward to their afternoon tea time{in place of an after school snack} which can cause a bit of upset should something prevent them from it's time. As of late, a peppermint Chamomile blend seems to be the favorite.

 I am sure most if not all of you have seen cake platters made from antique plates. Tiered or not. Another moment that browsing in thrift stores brings unexpected finds. I would like to share the inspiration one can find from a simple trip to thrift stores such as The Salvation Army or GoodWill. I spotted this lovely wide candle holder {made from Yankee Candle co.} and this rustic blush color plate{from World Market} during such a trip. Total cost $1.98 for the pieces.

Very simple to make with superb results. I used Quick Grip All purpose Permanent Adhesive{water &  weather proof} for putting them together. Place the pedestal of your choice onto the underside bottom of the plate, eye centering at first.Measure to be sure it is the same distance from the edges all around before gluing. Let it dry over night and it's done.

Perfect for cakes, finger foods & of course to place that glass dome of which has no bottom.{I am still on the hunt to find a larger dome from the thrift store. As I have mentioned with many things you seek with purpose, C'est la vie... Such is life.

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

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That secret road trip, thrifting find, poultry update

As I mentioned previously, we made a trip to view some land. The land turned out to not be for us. There is a 1/2 acre flat area about 50 feet higher then the other 6 1/2 acres. The lower acreage flooded last year which does not make me feel good. Having a barn with poultry, goats, and cattle down there to chance is not what we want. We LOVED the area and am determined that is where we will buy. Land is cheap there, which means we can have our 10 acres (or more), the big 4 bedroom house, a nice barn and a decent greenhouse and not have to struggle. The realtor had her friend (who lived a mile down the road and had a hottie for a husband) meet us at the property. She was better able to tell us about the community, the school and even better first hand about the property. They drive by it every day. That is how we found out that last year, the entire bottom acreage flooded at least 1/2 a foot deep. We will continue to work with this realtor in our search. We are determined to buy before winter in that school district.

Stopped off at the thrift store for some kitchen towels- they alsway have those great waffle cloth kind for 50 cents- and I never leave without a look in the kitchen aisle. I keep my eyes open for big stainless steel bowls, possible cheese mold items, vintage picnic supplies or great old fashioned but in great shape kitchen ware. i am still looking for those old wooden box bottomed coffee grinders. I did spot one today but they priced it at $8. Just too pricey in my opinion for something that may not work. but I did find a great partner to my old picnic basket- which needs to have a few repairs on the edges.
A vintage jug thermos! The tag was in mint condition till the soapy water washed over it. DARN! Oh well, at least the jug is in mint condition inside and out. Just look at that aluminum handle. Not a speck of rust or discoloration. The lid untwists to reveal a small cup inside. Lift off the cup and the rim is wide enough for a soup ladle! Perfect for those fall outing picnics and I want to bring along some soup- some like that wild rice and sausage recipe I made last fall.
This just gives me another excuse to make another one of those picnic cloth sets-complete with a bib for Frog. One set with green, yellow, and tan colors to match my picnic set above.
The Muscovy ducklings are growing fast. There are 2 that are half the size of the other 14. Yes, that would be 16 total since another duck in my care has drowned in 4 inches of water... Poor thing must have got in and could not find its way out before the cold night came. So I moved the pool to a spot where it is on a slope . It puts the water in half while the other half is dry. They have steps to get in and out just to be safe.
Since we did the road trip this last weekend, I had to clean out the goat cabin, weed a 1/4 of the garden- since it has been wet for 2 weeks increasing their size like steroids, and visit the feed store for Chicken food. Those broilers are not at the size they should be by now. its my fault. I did not want a bunch of dead chickens due to all that eating, so I thought if I slowed them down some, it would increase their vitality and keep deaths at a minimum. Wrong. We are still down to 9 out of 15. So it goes to show, next time I will let them suck up all the food they want and not feel guilty. But D***, they eat alot despite my rationing. They are scheduled to go to freezer camp on the 20th. I hope I do not have to bump it up a few weeks. I want some fresh chicken for the captains birthday. Which is no longer a toga party. Too many people will be out of town, so maybe next year.
Enough rambling. Off to bed with you!
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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