Thursday, July 26, 2012

Garden of Eatin'

A Still Life of Pumpkins and Artichokes



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A friend sent this film to us, and my family had a very enjoyable and inspiring time watching it. This gardener simplifies vegetable gardening and fruit growing, trying to get back to gardening the way God designed it! His methods are simple and I know that other people do this and are quite happy with their soil and produce.
It is rather long, so set aside some time to view it-- you won't be sorry! Well, I take that back: if your home-grown carrots are as puny as mine, you may start crying when you see his carrots.
http://backtoedenfilm.com/
scroll down to see the video.

(note: the gardener talks rather fast, so listen slowly!)

Shelling Peas



Shelling Peas

William Banks...

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Teacup Thursday: Sweet & Simple


Task: summer morning cup of tea.
Tea: Yorkshire Gold, of course:)
Cup: Fine bone china with a sweet pastel bouquet of flowers, and a pink rim.  

The back of the cup.

It is a "Regency" fine bone china cup & saucer, made in England.

Linking to
Teacup Thursday

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Oh Happy Birthday To Meeeeee

Birthdays as a child are always full of anticipation and surprise. I guess that as an adult, I no longer  expect that sort of birthday-- I usually have a list and several requests made up ahead of time, so not only do I have a hint of what I am getting, I'm usually giving the hint.

So I didn't expect that I would be getting this for my birthday, because it wasn't on my list!

It is one of those "love at first sight" sort of things...

The colors, the design, and the old-fashionedness of it charmed me immediately. 

So many details, and so fun to ride too!
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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Forget-me-not


Here is a cup from my tea cup collection that does not serve for every-day tasks. It has recently been used for a tea party with a blue color theme, though.
It was a birthday present a couple of years ago. 

The beautiful forget-me-not clusters on this cup are so old-fashioned! 

The other side of the cup shows the touches of dark pink and purple. 

The cup & saucer are "Royal Standard" bone china.

Five teacups are better than one!

And getting a set of five, pristine, beautiful teacups at a fabulous price is even better!
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Linking to Teacup Thursday

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sweet Peas


Task: sorting papers
Tea: Yorkshire Gold w/ dash of cream
Cup: light pink tinted tea cup, with a white inside and a white saucer, decorated in and out with sweet peas. 

The back of the cup.

The cup has an almost square shape to it. 

The label says "Clarence Bone China, Made in England."
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Linking to Teacup Thursday at
http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Summer of Store-Bought Clothes


Editor's note: I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post-- they just take my money, that's all. 

I'm sure most of my readers have seen these clothing in the stores long before I did, but in case you live up in the hills or out on the farm, and don't get into town too often (or maybe you are like me and would rather make it yourself, and don't shop for clothing), let me alert you to the fact that there are modest, affordable, and pretty clothing to be had NOW!

I know finding decent clothing is difficult for many of you, as I have read comments on other people's blogs about the lack of pretty, modest clothing, or the lack of sewing skills to make them. When you find something just right in the stores (not too low, not too tight, not too short), snap it up because the styles may change next year, and you won't see the likes of these items for another ten years.

These are what I call "classic" styles, for those of us who don't want to follow the fads.
It's been a while since I have purchased ready-made clothing, but as this summer is so busy, I am glad that there is something out there I can buy to replenish my wardrobe until I can sew again.
A note about hem lengths in these photos:  my dress form has become tired of standing up straight and tall, and would rather sink and shirk. Most of these outfits are mid-calf to ankle-length. 
 At a NW store, Bi-Mart, this smocked sundress comes in several colors and prints, and some with an embroidered hem. This is paired with a crocheted bolero from Chadwick's catalog. 

At Costco: very long tiered skirts with many details such as cotton lace and a ruffled hem. These are rayon. 

These come in several colors. Costco also carries these t-shirts with a lace overlay.
The lace helps take the t-shirt up from the "blah" level; it also helps to have a texture so that the shirt doesn't seem so cling-y.


Same skirt with another crocheted sweater from Chadwick's catalog.

Long denim cotton skirt from Chadwick's. (Just pulled it out of the package so it is a bit wrinkled!)

Yoke detail on the skirt.

I went to Walmart to get t-shirts since they were around $4 each.  I noticed the selection varied from store to store in my area. I like these printed t-shirts because if I have to buy t-shirts, at least I can find some that aren't so plain that they look like a t-shirt. I did buy some solid colors, but I prefer the prints.
Walmart had white broom-stick skirts, but they weren't easy to find. They were right in the middle of the clothing dept., so you had to wind your way through all the junk to find them, The great thing about a basic white skirt for summer is that when it has outlived it's usefulness as an outer garment, you can wear it as a petticoat. 
 The printed shirts are nicer than the solid ones for mothers-- just the thing for when junior spills his juice on mom!

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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Pretty Pansy Saucer


When I saw this saucer in a shop display, I knew I needed it at home! Pansies are one of my favorite flowers, and July is my birth month. It doesn't bother me that there is no cup-- actually, I just keep it on display to look at and make me happy!

The label says "Regency English Bone China, Made in England"


Linking to Teacup Thursday at
http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Look About You

As I was going through some photos of a recent drive, I thought some of the scenery we saw fit with the song "America the Beautiful." All of the photos were taken in one day-- we live in a beautiful and varied country!



O beautiful for spacious skies, 

For [almost] amber waves of grain,
 
For purple mountain majesties  
Above the fruited plain! 

America!

America! 
God shed his grace on thee 

 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 

From sea to shining sea!
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Happy Independence Day



vintage graphic from here.