Photo Friday!

The forsythia has almost finished blooming here. We have only one of these in the yard. My husband looks for these to bloom every spring, because that means the shad are running and it's time to go fishing!

I saw these damsel flies (I think that's what these are) being.... um.... super friendly with each other. They were on the door to my husband's office building on Wednesday!

Our wood pile. I just love the lines....

My ipod... playing some old school Morrissey!

My younger daughter trying to find Richmond on a free map we got in the mail!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Thrifty Thursday!

My affection for Pyrex is in close competition with my adoration of sugars and creamers. I am trying to limit my collecting to solid colors with white accents. I have been lucky enough to find orange, celery green, and now this yellow set! At a buck a piece, I had to bring them home. :) Maybe I could find all the colors of the rainbow? I'm sure my mom will read this and shake her head.... although she has a creamer collection that is quite impressive!

I found these two pieces at Class and Trash. The owner of the "booth" was there, which was kind of neat! She actually had lots of Pyrex pieces, including the cracker jar, but these were the only ones I brought home.

Have you found any lovelies this week? I'd love to hear about them!

Manic Monday! Works in progress...

We had a backyard visitor this afternoon... no doubt to check out the garden for later this summer! I planted some sugar snap peas last week. She (I think it's a she... my husband says the bucks have all just shed their antlers) pretty much kept to the woods.

So, I've made a little progress with my ottoman project, but not much! I purchased the wood for the seating, and I have to let my husband cut that for me. I got the first coat of stain on the base. I need to sand and apply a second coat. I don't admit to having the first clue about what I'm doing here. We'll just see what happens!

And I also started an embroidery project. I fell in love with this piece tagged on Pinterest, and I had to try a version for myself. I like how it's going so far!

I hope everyone has had a great start to the week!

Photo Friday! Relaxing :)

That's my younger daughter enjoying the newest addition to our backyard.... a new hammock! We got it for a steal last year from Cabella's, but my husband and I struggled to decide where to put it. He finally found just the right spot.

I came home from work the other evening, looked out the window, and found her in the hammock. I grabbed the camera quick! I had the 50mm on the camera, and I really wish I'd had a longer lens. I didn't want to miss the shot, though. I got 2 chances before she realized I was there :)

Any plans for the weekend? My older daughter has an art piece on display in our county's Arts and Sciences festival, so we are going to go see that. That's all I know for sure! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thrifty Thursday! More Pyrex!

Yay! More thrift store finds! I found the divided dish on Saturday at Goodwill, and I found the 1.5 quart white bowl at another Goodwill yesterday. The Goodwill I went to yesterday is in the same shopping center as Joann's, so I bought the foam, buttons, and batting I need to proceed with my ottoman project! I also found some fun remnants, including 2 pieces of headliner fabric, which I will need if I adapt a purse for a camera bag using this tutorial over at Tatertots and Jello. I haven't found a bag yet, though! Have you found any lovelies this week?

Manic Monday! Ottoman (I hope!)

So the other weekend I made an impulse decision to buy this bench base at an estate sale. It was only $2, so I figured if I didn't do much with it, it wasn't a big loss. I remembered later that I actually bought fabric to cover an ottoman around the holiday season... another impulse buy at Garden Ridge. Ours sells fabric remnants, and this one was 3 yards for $6. I'm hoping my husband can cut a base from one of the many pieces of plywood he has stockpiled in our garage! I have stain, but I still need to get foam, batting, and maybe some piping and buttons. I'll need some help with the sewing, too.... hopefully I can recruit one of my friends or relatives who sews to help me get over my fear of the sewing machine all over again! I posted this partially because now I will have to follow through with this project. I still have lots of work to do.... wish me luck!

Photo Friday! Babies...

Baby tomato plants, that is! I have several varieties... my favorite is the Black Krim, which is a yummy, purplish fruit with a super yummy, smoky flavor. I took these pics a couple of weeks ago when the seeds were just starting. I guess you could call them children now... they have graduated from the "nursery" in my dining room to the garage under grow lights. Hopefully by May 15th, they will be ready to go in the ground! I have other seedlings started, too, including some annual herbs, marigolds, and various peppers. I have some cukes that I started, but plan to keep those in a separate area out of my raised beds. Too many squash bugs last year! Anyone else starting seeds this year?