Strawberry Season

Greetings sweet people! 

How are you? 

No time to blog really...pant, pant, pant...I've got too many irons in the fire.  

Our beautiful girl child Young Lady comes home tomorrow. 

She has not been to her "Florida" home since last June.  :(

I have seen her since then, but Daddy has not,

so we are going to have a wonderful spring break. 

I have so many kind people in the blogiverse to say hello and pay a visit. 

Thanks for all the kind words and cheerleading

regarding the sneak wedding peek. 

Here is another sneak peek...

Guess what the wedding favor will be? 

Give up? 

Strawberry Jam. 

Since they are in season, we are making it as fast as we can. 

Daddy is helping and I'm so grateful for the extra set of hands, since Allyson isn't here.

Enjoy the berry pictures.  Aren't the colors delicious!!!  I did very little photo editing as I don't have time to sit here and make a beautiful blog or a beautiful blog entry right now 

This is really and truly how bright and lovely they are... 

 

Canning jars are another thing I went "thrift store" on,

as I can get new, clean lids at the store.

Strawberries are my favorite food. 

Favorite.  Food.  Forever...and ever.

Let's dive in and get lost over a bowl of strawberries. 

I love how I can boss my husband around

and get him to help me with anything.  :)

He is such a good man. 

A delicious glorious mess!!!! 

Oh how I love strawberry jam!!!

The best part about working with strawberries for hours at a time: my hands smell like strawberries, no matter how much I wash them.  Soooo sweet to smell your hands and smell strawberries

instead of garlic or onion.   

I can totally live with that. 

YUM!!!

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Find your joy and make it a good day.

Be blessed and Be a Blessing. 

(((((group hugs))))))

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work."

 ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9

Poo says to get on the table and take a nap, but if you hear Daddy coming down the stairs, you should probably jump off and play it cool. 

Thrift Store Wedding Sneak Peek

My life the past year has been spent visiting my favorite thrift stores here in

Tampa, Florida, preparing for

our daughter's wedding.  

What I didn't have in the "family heirloom cabinet",

I've purchased for .50 cents here or $1.00 there. 

The dress, the rings and the boots are all new. 

Everything else has been in the family or was purchased at a thrift store. 

 It's going to be beautiful. 

I can't wait to see all the hard work come together. 

I'll give you some hints:  the wedding colors are Aqua, Red and Brown and the event will be outdoors in the middle of nooooooooooo where north Texas at the end of May. 

I'm going to Texas in another week to help my daughter and son-in-law(2b) finish getting ready.  We've got lots of painting, planting, sewing, fitting, building and planning to do. 

(ETA:  Thank you all for your sweet comments.  I feel so encouraged and excited.  We will be going through a lot of stuff over the next few weeks as we get ready.  I'll share more.  :)  Stay tuned..)

I'm tempted to explain all these pictures to you,

but I think I'll just post them and let your imagination decide the use for now. 

   

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Choose Joy.  :) 

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing

 "But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” ~ Ruth 1:16-17

Poo says get to the blanket first because they won't have the guts to kick you off. 

I'm sharing this post with:

 Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady

Turquoise Lovin at Sweet Little Gals

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at Romantic Home

Go and say Hello.  :)

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I'll do some quick name dropping, in case someone finds this entry through a search engine. 

I would LOVE to give these wonderful people some business as they have all been so good to us. 

1.  The bridesmaid dresses are being made by Amanda Rose Bridal

2.  Meegan Weaver is the photographer.  Here is Meegan's Blog.

3.  The wedding will be at Lone Oak Ranch and Retreat in Gainesville, Texas.  

Waiting for my son...

After all is said and done...

and our children are grown and gone...

have been raised and graduated...

careers,

married off,

etc...

How much of our time as parents was spent

waiting?

And yet, I dare not complain! 

(bite my tongue and God forbid it)

My daughter is a junior in college and will marry her fireman in 2 months. 

During her freshman year at Florida College,

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed her coming home to do laundry. 

Who knew I would miss dirty laundry so much? 

Her dirty laundry was such a comfort and for the first time I could ever remember,

I actually enjoyed doing it. 

Yes, it's true. 

I did my grown daughter's laundry because it smelled soooooo good. 

What's more comforting than the smell of our children???

 

You miss the unmade beds.

You miss the 4 dirty plates in the sink, where now there are only 3. 

You miss their friends being over all the time and the messes they make as they try on 13 different outfits to look good for the boy they liked that week. 

Last Thursday, I sat in the car and waited for my son while he was in his homeschool co-op.  

I've been forbidden (ouch) from thrift store shopping for the rest of the month,

so I brought my quilting along...the almost finished wedding quilt.   

(Can't believe I actually did what my husband told me to do!!  Go me!!)

I sat there and waited for over 2 1/2 hours. 

The radio was my company. 

The windows were rolled down.  

A perfectly warm breeze (not too hot, not too cold) was blowing. 

The citrus trees are blooming in our area so the air smells heavenly now.  It was a peaceful time.
  Waiting. 

 He is 16 and will be gone in 2 years.

  

I don't think I'll miss waiting 2 1/2 hours for my son,

but my heart knows better...

 I'll miss waiting for him terribly. 

  

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Choose Joy.  It's there.  Find it. 

Be blessed and Be a Blessing...

"It is strange that the years teach us patience;

that the shorter our time, the greater our capactiy for waiting." 

~  Elizabeth Taylor

Poo says hide in the grass and practice your pounce. 

You never know when you might need it.   

Weekending

Shannon over at Cozy Home Scenes included my

Green Tomato Relish in her Saturday picks. 

How sweet (and sour) is that???? 

Go visit and say hello to her.  It's a yummy and inspiring blog.

I feel blessed and honored.  It makes you feel good when someone likes your stuff. 

I hope my mother-in-law's recipe blesses you. 

This year, I'm going to grow some extra tomatoes just so I can pick them green,

 instead of waiting until the end of the season

to pick my green tomatoes for frying or making relish. 

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Poo and I are chillin' with Netflix (Friday Night Lights, 2nd Season)

and......

 the last row of the

Grandmother's Flower Garden.

Here is the original post about the Grandmothers Flower Garden, but I'll share more about it soon. 

 There is a nice story behind it. 

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness......

 I'm so close to finishing I could cry. 

Seriously. 

I. Could. Cry.

So what are y'all doin?   

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Have a blessed and joyful weekend. 

((((((group hugs))))))

"Every man has a right to a Saturday night bath."

~ Lyndon B. Johnson

Poo says it's perfectly OK to get cat hair all over the fabric.



Into the Woods......

Into the woods

And down the dell,

The path is straight,

I know it well.

Into the woods,

And who can tell

What's waiting on the journey?

The heart shaped rock is my new favorite thing.  I found it on a rocky beach in New Hampshire last fall walking with my best and sweetest friend Deb.  But my Bluebird Czech wall pocket given to me by my mother-in-law will always be in my top 10 favorite things of my life.  :)  I love Czech birds and would love to have more. 

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Choose Joy.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Poo says find a hand and hold it. 

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Sharing with these sweet blogs:

Home Sweet Home #57 at The Charm of Home

Vintage Inspiration #79 at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage


Show-And-Tell-Friday at Romantic Home


Saturday Nite Special Link Party at Funky Junk Interiors

Cheater Decoupage

ETA:  Heads up peeps...personification and figurative language is used in the post below. 

In case there was a problem... 

If you know what I mean... 

Doh...

About that utilitarian bookshelf in my living room.....

say utilitarian 3 times fast...

It holds larger items that won't fit any where else. 

 I want them within easy reach for the family. 

Things such as photo albums, vinyl and a few family treasures

 I want close so we can see them everyday. 

It's too dark. 

It's been too dark for a long time. 

I don't have the time to mess with it and I can't bring myself to paint it.  

He hasn't "told" me he wants to be painted, either.   

It's a custom made shelf made from salvaged barn wood out of Georgia.

I love him.

He is constant and faithful.

I was quilting. 

You can see the quilt top on the floor.  :) 

I look over and feel bothered, ONCE AGAIN, by the heaviness of this book shelf. 

He is a mess.   

Bless his heart. 

 I'm not being fair.  He works so hard for us. 

I need him to lighten up and not be such a downer. 

Since I won't paint it, I had an idea. 

Why not slap some paper on him, at least in the back ground. 

It can be a nice temporary fix.

 

I have tons of old hymnals. 

I took some Scotch mounting squares, and because I'm so cheap,

I even cut the squares into smaller squares. 

It doesn't take much. 

Just start randomly pinning them up there. 

If you need smaller pieces for edges or corners,

I think ripping the paper looks better than cutting. 

One shelf down, 4 more to go. 

Then for my vignettes, I throw stuff up there and play with it. 

Live with it for a day or two, or a week....  LOL 

I have found my eyes get tired and I have to walk away and clear my palette if you will. 

The next morning you can see things you didn't see before. 

Your treasures will tell you when they want moved or removed. 

It looks a little lighter and fresher without the mess and a big huge commitment of paint or decopage. 

AND IT TOOK ME 20 MINUTES. 

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Choose Joy. 

Be blessed and Be a Blessing!

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." 

~  Anna Quindlen

Maggie leaves Poo in stitches

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Sharing with:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Green Tomato Relish ~ Or Chow Chow

This is a continuation of a previous post. 

Green Tomato Relish Part 1 

Thought maybe I would just go ahead and share the recipe: 

This is my mother-in-law's recipe. 

It tastes good with everything

but my favorite way to eat it is with a spoon.  :) 

I especially like it with fish. 

It looks so pretty in a jar, doesn't it? 

Here is the recipe....
I have cut it in half before and even into 1/4ths when I didn't have enough green tomatoes. 

8 qts. green tomatoes cut into 1/4ths
7 onions
5 hot peppers
2 cups of sugar
1/4 cupt salt
4 cups vinegar

Put in pan.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Put in jars and seal. 

Sharing this with:
Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday (lots of good stuff over here)

Northern Cottage Party Time

Cedar Hill Ranch and the Cowgirl-up-linky-party

Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Ivy and Elephants and What's It Wednesday

Cozy Home Party at Cozy Home Scenes

Rock-n-Share-19 at The Shady Porch
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Choose Joy

Be blessed and be a blessing

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the cafe. Ooh!" ~ Ninny Threadgoode, Fried Green Tomatoes

Poo says find a lap and get petted. 

Green Tomatoes from our Winter Garden

Here is a glimpse of the winter garden we keep in Florida. 

We learned the hard way, summer gardens here are futile with the heat, fungus and bugs. 

 We stick with fall, winter and spring gardening.  :) 

A hard freeze was coming January 3rd of this year.   We had to pick all the tomatoes quickly. 

My husband made the Salsa.

 I made the Green Tomato Relish. 

The Green Tomato Relish

is my mother-in-law's recipe and I had JUST FOUND IT!!! 

I thought it was lost forever. 

Such a blessing to find something you thought was lost.

Visit Little Red House and see all the lovely Mosaics

people create using their gorgeous photography. 

Recipe posted here

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Choose Joy! 

Have a blessed week. 

"If each man could have his own house, a large garden to cultivate and healthy surroundings - then, I thought, there will be for them a better opportunity of a happy family life."
~ George Cadbury

Tasha says go outside and smell things.