Mother's Day Musings!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

What a fabulous spring morning we have been blessed with in Central Nebraska -- hoping it is the same where you are.  This morning I have none of my little chicks in my nest -- #1 son is in Minnesota, #1 daughter is working her every-other-weekend rotation, #2 son is spending the weekend with his girlfriend and her family in another town (yesterday was girlfriend's birthday) and #2 daughter is babysitting (Keller and his parents are back to Boston for another check-up and daughter is staying with baby sister Kora). The two daughters will both make it here for supper -- in the meantime, I have grandbaby here to help me celebrate a lovely Mother's Day morning. He will help me finish my flower pot planting this afternoon.


Graduation season is in full-swing in Nebraska -- CONGRATULATIONS to both the graduates out there and their parents who helped them along the way. Yesterday I was blessed to spend the afternoon and evening with my #2 daughter. She is such a busy bee that it felt like ages since we had spend a large block of time just visiting -- we had about 5 hours of windshield time as we traveled to and from Omaha to attend the graduation reception of one of her best friends, Rachel. It has been such a blessing to see these 2 young women grow up and blossom.

Jay & Rae met when we first moved to Nebraska in 2006 - they were instant friends. Rae was the daughter of our then Pastor. They moved to Omaha about 3 years ago and that hasn't changed a thing in their friendship except they appreciate the time that they have together so much.

Jay & Rae doing flips in the church basement

Back in November 2010, when Jay's friend committed suicide, Rae came from Omaha - newly licensed driver and icy conditions, she made that 5 hour round trip alone to be with Jay -- I was so grateful to both Rae and her parents.

Hamming it up for the camera

Every summer they made the trip to Missouri for church camp -- what wonderful memories they have of those weeks at camp.

Camp, Summer 2010

Rachel's Graduation May 2012

Now they each move on to a different season in their lives -- knowing they have been blessed with a very special, life-long friendship.

Rachel's Graduation May 2012

New Year Greetings!

I have enjoyed reading everyone's BEST of 2010 posts. This has been an interesting year for us. There have been trials and triumphs and we've seen the hand of our Lord in our lives. My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, then later I celebrated my 50th birthday. We've taken trips and lost some friends and loved ones. As we close 2010, I pray I've learned the lessons that were mine to learn and I look forward to all 2011 will bring us. I have some projects in mind for my home and some things I'd like to do around Faithfulness Farm. Happy New Year!!

Veteran's Day

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

Joanna Fuchs


A special THANK YOU to my Dad (pictured), Father-in-law, Grandfather, Uncles, Brothers-in-law for your service to our great country. For those who sacrificed all, no words are sufficient to express our indebtedness.

Cervical Cancer Awareness & A Prayer Request

Have you entered in for the Mikasa giveaway? Please take a good look at the fabric I chose to make the napkins for this tablescape. Teal is the color of the ribbon for Cervical Cancer Awareness.



A sweet young woman that I work with has a dear sister-in-law, Laura who is in the fight for her life against this dreaded foe. Laura is a young wife and mother. Please add Laura to your prayer list and speak her name to the Father. Thank-you!

50th Anniversary Tables

So many have left the sweetest comments regarding my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration. Thank you! I thought I would share some of our tabletops from the party. We held the party at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho, NM. We used the Rotary Pavilion and it was the most wonderful setting for our celebration.

Each table was dressed in a burgundy cloth and had a plant and well as gold framed photos. The plants were in the cutest buckets that my sister Donna found in San Diego and painted gold and my sister Glenda took care of all the framed pictures.

See this lovely photo of my Grandmother, Ruby Mae Eavenson and my Mom & Uncle Bob. Love that picture!

One of the food tables. The caterer's set the buffet up on the countertop behind this table.

My contribution...the cake!

The memory table which held lots more pictures, the guest book and the lovely memory albums made by sister Glenda.

Sharing at Tablescape Thursday today. Thanks to Susan for hosting this lovely inspiring event each week!

ROOSTER PARTY!

I've compiled this post in advance and will be visiting each and every rooster party post but it will have to wait until I get back from my folk's 50th Anniversary Celebration. Thanks for understanding. I just couldn't miss all the fun!

I am thrilled that the lovely Barb from Bella Vista is again hosting Rooster Party!! Last years event was a blast. Here is my post from last year. Like I explained last year, my personal experience with roosters (the real kind) has not been too terribly pleasant. That said, I still think them terribly handsome fellas but am partial to hens. You'll see I've included hens with my roosters.

Brooster the Rooster is crowing his little heart out!

This lovely vintage rooster came from the Goodwill. He is a little crazed and chippy but I just thought him too cute to not bring home.

He usually resides in the kitchen on my little kitchen shelf. In fact I'd venture to say all my chickens (the house ones anyway) reside either in the kitchen or in my dish closet.





My calendar which has a new rooster for each month of the year...how can it possibly be August already?!

A tablescape from earlier this year.

I just love these plates from the Country Living line at Kmart.

Notice the BIG wire hen in the center of the table. I aquired her at a garage sale. Her color was that rusty, raw wire color but I sprayed her cream. She holds a rack of eggs and usually resides atop the refrigerator.

Such a pretty table. VERY me!

Another tablescape featuring another item from the Country Living line...the toile tablecloth in red....a perfect place for my vintage nesting hen....

and her coopmate!

I found this lovely brown transferware tea pot at Goodwill.

It has spent the summer hanging out on my hutch.

My kitchen Island almost always sports a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook in my hen easel. I just LOVE Gooseberry Patch. This one is a favorite, Recipes for Comfort.

Look closely and what do you see?

And I couldn't help including my latest chicken tablecape...I called this one Funky Orange Chicken Tablescape.

Aren't these just sweet and I think an unexpected treat in orange!



Have fun peeking at everyone's roosters and I am looking forward to checking out all the posts! Thank you Barb for hosting us!

Art in the Park

Today is a perfect summer day...warm, well in the low 90°'s, but not too blistering, a bit breezy without the typical prairie winds we can get this time of year, and ever so slightly cloudy. We're probably in for some thunderstorms later, but for now, it is perfect! To top off the perfect day was a stroll thru the nearby park's annual Art in the Park event.
I have always enjoyed local fairs and festivals and we seek out these types of events...this one takes place within walking distance of our home.

All sorts of artisans were there with their beautiful wares.

This was the henna artist. Very interesting...if I didn't have my parents 50th Anniversary next weekend, I would have been very, very tempted. How long do these last anyway? Wasn't this gal a good sport to allow me to shoot her pix?

This gal made the neatest buttons! Very whimsical!

Sculpture by Sally...Woman of Steel! I loved this booth and don't you just love these bottle trees made from rebar?

This was my FAVORITE piece of art. I just love this painting. So life like and real and the colors were so vibrant. Now the price was a bit out of my league ($3,000) but I did covet it for a bit (although I was not a fan of the frame).

Some beautiful potted bowls.

I love the colors on these.

Hand painted china pins. Oh, the detail in these was gorgeous!

These wooden crosses were really nice....I wish I could remember the name of the company that does these. It was very clever and something about crosses and the carpenter.

Now back to getting ready to leave for vacation on Tuesday. Thanks for the stroll thru the park with me!

Vintage African Violets

When I was a girl, I had a neighborhood friend whose grandmother lived close by. Often in the long summer months I would walk or bike with Cathy to her grandma’s house. She was a lovely lady and always seemed genuinely happy to see us. She also always was good for some cold lemonade or something wonderful from the oven. My unexpressed reason for tagging along on these trips was what each and every windowsill of Cathy’s grandma held….AFRICAN VIOLETS! Oh, I couldn’t get enough of them. They were every imaginable shade of pink and purple and had wonderfully fuzzy leaves. I just was mesmerized by them. My own Mom had house plants, but nothing like these.

Life moved on, Cathy’s family moved, her grandma passed away and I didn’t think of African Violets again for a very long time. Fast forward about 30 years and I met my lovely friend Sharon. The first time I was invited to her home for tea, I noticed the LARGEST African Violet I had ever seen on her table. It instantly brought back memories of those lovely violets that Cathy’s grandma had displayed in her windowsills and I knew that I had to have one.

Now, I couldn’t imagine my home without violets. I just love them and have as many as I can squeeze into my little home. Many varieties are vintage (any plant coming from a plant that is 25 years or older). My daughter gifted me with 2 vintage violets for Mother’s Day. Isn’t she a dear?!



I thought I’d pass along a few tips on keeping African Violets.

LIGHT- Adequate light is most important for abundant bloom. Any window that has strong, bright, light is good. They prefer bright light, but not direct sun. Which window provides this will depend upon climate, season, and your particular home.

WATERING - Use room temperature to slightly warm water, when the soil surface feels "dry to the touch". You may water from the top, from the bottom, or by wicks but be very careful not to get the leaves wet.

FEEDING - Regular fertilizing is needed for maximum growth and blooming. Follow "constant feeding" directions on the container, usually about 1/4 tsp. of dry fertilizer per gallon of water (follow instructions on the package for feeding every time you water). A balanced fertilizer, such as a 15-15-15 or 20-20-20, for example, is best. Feed each watering. My preferred food is Granny’s Bloomers but Miracle Grow also carries a violet mix.

ENVIRONMENT - African violets thrive in the same conditions in which people are comfortable--not too hot nor too cold, with 40-50% humidity.

SOIL - Use a light, "soil-less" mix, consisting of at least 30-50% vermiculite or perlite. When buying a prepackaged mix, don't believe the "violet soil" label! A bag of a good soil mix should feel like a nice, fluffy, soft, pillow. Most commercial mixes are too dense and heavy, and will need to have perlite and/or vermiculite added. The wetter you plan on keeping your plants (such as wicking), the more perlite you will need to add.

POTTING - Most flowering houseplants will need repotting into fresh soil every 6 months or so. When repotting a violet, remove some of the bottom of the root ball and lower into fresh soil to cover the bare trunk ("neck"). Pot into larger pots only when root ball fills pot, never into a pot more than 1/2 the diameter of the plant. Shallow pots are best.

PROPAGATION - Use very light rooting media. For violets, cut the leaf stem at 1/2" to 3/4" and push down into lightly moistened mix. For streptocarpus, remove midrib from leaf, then firmly insert two halves (rib or center-side) down into media, like "slices of bread in a toaster". Leaves can be protected by placing in a clear plastic bag or covered container. Place in moderate light and separate and pot "babies" when they are big enough for you to comfortably handle, usually when 3 small leaves have formed.



Sharing at Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday! Thanks Suzanne for hosting each week!

Happy 4th of July!

Wishes for a Independence Day full of freedom, family & (good) food and Happy 27th Birthday to my oldest, Jacob (my little firecracker)! Be safe!


Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Americana Table Tops for Summer

In a previous post, I promised to show off the top of my old upright grand piano all dressed up for summer. I LOVE red (I know I've said that before) and jump at the chance to add an Americana theme for the summer months.


I've shown off the cloche that is the centerpiece. This display also includes a pair of antique colbalt & milk glass oil lamps that my were bought me for my birthday many years ago when we were living in Longview, WA.

I've included one of my Warren Kimble 'Colonial' salad plates, a small basket and a set of masonary stars.

The tea stained flags are in a vintage blue glass vase with a frog top.

The transferware platter and small bowl are Goodwill finds by Harvest USA and Ridgeways (made in England and I suspect quite old but I haven't researched it).

A couple of the old hymnals I collect.

The top of my secretary/hutch in the dining room. The brown transferware tea pot is by California Pantry and became an instant favorite when it was found at GW. The beakers or mugs were added later. The tall oil lamp was my Great-Grandma's and started me on my way to a collection.

The cloche holds a small basket of ceramic eggs and sits on a wooden box, next to my Grandmother-in-Law's old Daisy churn. We have made a lot of butter in that beauty.

Tea anyone? I love my yellow barn star. It hangs in the dining room year-round.

My old radio, with some vintage goodies and tea stained flags. Recognize those old bottles?


Thanks to Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life and Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday for hosting these wonderful Tuesday events each week!