Tricks and Treats

We started our Halloween night by taking our son, a.k.a. Mr. Bones, to the town square where the merchants were giving out goodies....


There were lots of wonderful costumes to behold~ like this person in the Chewbacca outfit that looked for all the world like the real Chewie!Even the family pets got in to the spirit of things. I just loved this precious little Pomeranian, but she wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a good photo, too many sugary treats I suppose. When I am an old woman, I am going to have a little pooch just like this. I will dress her up like a little princess everyday and carry her around in her own special pooch purse and I will call her
Frou Frou :-) Forgive me, I digress....

After making our way around the square, we went to my Aunt and Uncle's for a Halloween cook-out and then on to the door to door trick or treating. The haul was quite impressive.....

Of course my son was not the only one to receive treats yesterday. I got my own little Halloween goodie package from Ms. Peggy at Hidden Haven Homestead. She was so thoughtful to send me a Birthday gift of some of her fabulous Goat's Milk soaps. Thank you Peggy!! You were very generous!



If you are looking for gifts for someone, or yourself, I highly recommend the Hidden Haven soaps and lotions... they are wonderful!!


And of course we all get a little treat tonight! An extra hour of sleep ~ Don't forget to set your clocks back..... ~Rhonda

Photo courtesy of Country Living

Happy Halloween

May your day be filled with ghoulishly sweet treats~Rhonda.

Final Harvest

This weekend my sweet little garden helper and I, gathered the last of
the summer garden's bounty ~

The late crop of raspberries was a nice surprise, although, not all of these luscious little berries will not get the chance to ripen completely....there is a freeze warning for tonight.

I planted my sweet potatoes late this year, so they are small....too small for baking, but just right for roasting! The little orange peppers are supposed to be bell peppers.....hummm, I guess they got crossed with the jalapeno plant, at least they taste sweet :-) I will use the seeds in the dried okra pods for planting next year.
We also collected some green bell peppers to freeze and use through out the winter, and a few green tomatoes that I will pass along to my mother because she enjoys fried green tomatoes and I do not!

I left some of my beans on the vine to dry. I will use these as seeds next Spring.

And a last delicate pink rose bud. I think I will snip it and bring it inside so that its petals don't get burned by the frost.

Today is a stay indoors, puttery kind of day. The temps are in the 40's the wind is whipping around at 20 miles and hour and I am about to start a pot of homemade veggie soup to simmering for supper. By the time my son and hubby get in, the whole house will beckon them to come in from the cold and enjoy the comfort of home:-)

Hope you all have a cozy, puttery day as well~ Rhonda

A thrifting we will go, a thrifting we will go....

...high-ho, the derry-o, a thrifting we will go.



I spent my birthday hopping from one Goodwill/Thrift store to another:-)

It was glorious~ wandering through isles of discarded items. I felt like I was on the Island of Misfit Toys....examining one little quirky treasure after another, each hoping some kind soul will take them home, clean, mend and love them.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how someone could part with this precious little Homer Laughlin bowl, with its delicate floral bouquet and thin red rim. I gladly laid down the $1.51 required to remove it from the island, and when I got it home I gave it a warm bath and filled it with tart little Winesap apples. I think it is happy atop the linen chest, surrounded by new friends....

One of which is my Little Green Vase. I think the yellow dahlias are perfect for it, don't you agree?

I also purchased a project. You know what I mean.... you've got some decorating desire you've been mulling over in the back of your mind and as the idea begins to take on a definite shape, you start to look for objects to fit the bill. Then one day, it happens, you look around and~ Eureka!~ there it is!! Of course, in its current state is rarely the way you envisioned it, but you say to yourself, "It's PERFECT! All I have to do is....."

Now, sure, I realize you could just go out and by exactly what you are looking for, but, really now, where's the fun in that?

I have been wanting a white distressed farm table and chairs.

Yes, I think this will do nicely:-)

Sooooo, I better finish my second cup of coffee and get to it!

I wish you all a day filled with satisfying projects~Rhonda

Another Year Older....

It's time for cake and candles ~42~ to be exact. Today is my birthday:-)In honor of the occasion, and because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, I bought myself a little present.....

A beautiful little green vase, handmade by Farmgirl Julie! If you haven't had a chance to view her creations, just click on the link and check them out.

Don't you think it will look perfect filled with yellow dahlias. As soon as it gets light, I think I will go and pick some....

Hope your day feels like a celebration~

Rhonda

Find a Happy Place

When life comes at me full force and one calamity seems to follow on the heels of another, I start to replay the words of wisdom spoken by the animated starfish ~Peach~ from Finding Nemo. As trouble literally came knocking in the form of~DARLA!~ and the world was shaking all around her she cried out,..."Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a HAPPY PLACE!"

This weekend my family and I found a happy place, camping in the great outdoors of one of our lovely State Parks.

While the scenery was definitely serene~

What made the trip all the more special was being able to spend four days of uninterrupted time with the people who I hold most dear.

I am so grateful to belong to a very close knit family. I draw a sense of support and acceptance from them that I find no where else. We wash away the stress of hectic times with the occasional sob session and rounds of laughter that leave or sides aching and our eyes watery.

So while the trip allowed me to "disconnect" and convene with nature, the real source of renewal came from the chance to reconnect with the key parts of my foundation, the ones who have guided me and accompanied me along my path of life, the constant in any uncertainty. The happiest place I know....My Family.

One Down...

Yesterday, Hubby's friend came over and cut the tree out of the chicken run.

Thanks, Mr. Jason!!!

Gratefully, both coops were spared:-))))

All that is left to do now is rebuild the run area.... Sounds simple enough, huh?

Take a deep breath, count my blessings ~including a big "Praise the Lord" for a generous prescription of Naproxen~ and start again.

Hope your next few days are not nearly as physically demanding as mine are going to be;-) Rhonda