Farmgirl Follies

Planting to remember

Posted by Farmgirl on August 30, 2009  |  3 Comments

Sweet little ivy pot. I’ve been enjoying two planter baskets for about a week now. The thing with planters is they don’t last unless you repot them. So I spent a couple of hours this afternoon planting English ivy and caladium and philodendron in various containers.

I bought a silver creamer and sugar set at a yard sale last summer. The sugar server seemed just right for the ivy. I carefully removed the small plant from the mixed basket.

What’s good about a dead goldfish? You can use some of the rocks from the fish tank as drainage for an ivy plant! Hey, Goldie’s demise wasn’t deliberate … but the timing couldn’t have been better.

Next, I added several spoonfuls of the pottings oil from the planter basket.

Time for a drink. I pushed the ivy plant into the container, spooned a bit more soil around the edges and gently pressed everything into place. Then I watered my new plant. It’s a sweet little spot of green on my windowsill.

The process intrigued my oldest daughter who determined to create her own sweet spot. We decided her bedroom would be the perfect place for a green and growing plant — as long as her little brother doesn’t get his grubby hands on it!

Feeling blue. She selected a canning jar as her planter, and then in went the gravel.
She is one who did not appreciate the timeliness of Goldie’s demise.

The plant fit nicely and she patted in a few spoonfuls of potting soil.

A healthy drink of water followed.

We made several plantings for ourselves and saved a couple for my sister to plant. The biggest plant was a caladium. It now resides in a 2-gallon crock at my mom’s house.

Small, living, growing reminders of the kindness of others and my grandma’s insatiable love of plants and the natural world.

Ingenuity

Posted by Farmgirl on August 30, 2009  |  No Comments

Kids are adaptable. Turn kids loose at a pig roast in a yard void of toys and they make do.

They find trees for climbing … and please note the boys watching the girls make the first move.

They find holes for exploring … or if you’re my son, holes for sitting in while the others shriek at the spiders crawling all over your lap.

They make quick and loyal friends.

And thanks to a rope: limbo … tug-of-war … and a half-hearted attempt by the older ones to tie up the little kids.

We put a stop to that right quick.

And then we let them eat cake.

It’s great to be a kid!

Home alone

Posted by Farmgirl on August 29, 2009  |  1 Comment

I had the intriguing sensation of being home alone last evening. No husband, no kids … just me, myself, two crazy dogs and the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog.

I made something I never make. Something I crave and enjoy. Something normal people crave and enjoy — but something my family will not eat. I’m sorry, a BLT isn’t the same when it’s a B-L.

What’s not to love? Thick, juicy slices of ripe, red tomato. A very, very thin spread of mayo on lightly toasted wheat bread. Lettuce from my garden. And of course the proverbial bacon.

Did you know they make bacon lip balm? My always hip and haute cousin filled me in. And ladies … apparently it drives men wild.

ANYWAY …

I made myself a deliciuos sandwich with garden-fresh goodness. And pork fat … because Emeril is right: pork fat rules. Then I cozied up in a chair, propped up my feet and indulged in a world of fabulous kid bedrooms, playrooms and activity centers. Not that I ever buy anything from Pottery Barn Kids. But I love looking, just the same. I love the inspiration and ideas.

It was a perfect hour. And then …

… they came home. Back to reality. Because I don’t like it when this one thinks he’s got the whole world, in his hands.

Kitchen considerations

Posted by Farmgirl on August 27, 2009  |  2 Comments

Pondering. I was thinking about my kitchen today. What could I do differently? Is it set up correctly? Is there anything I can change to make my jobs easier?

I got to thinking about open shelving … how much I love it in magazines. How easy and handy they appear. And then I experimented.

No, not that kind of shelving. What I mean was open shelving for my dishes. Why must they hide behind cupboard doors? Wouldn’t it be handy to pull them from the dishwasher or sink and deposit them quickly on a shelf until they’re needed again?

Like this.

Whad’ya think?

I think it’s not bad. It’s handy. But it’s missing something. It’s too predictable. It’s not like these … from Country Living magazine.

Hmmm. Texture behind the dishes. Maybe my shelves need some texture …

I have an idea. I’ll let you know if it works out. It involves old burlap sacks.

For now, though, feast your eyes on these delightful kitchens.

Now there’s an idea. Take some old (or new) lace and tea stain it. Hang it across your windows for a valance. What a cool, economical and primitive idea! Try it … and let me know how it turns out — I’d love to see your photos!

Project: procrastination

Posted by Farmgirl on August 25, 2009  |  2 Comments

I started a new project. One I was determined to finish in a few hours. I had all of the supplies ready. You see, we’re replacing our front doors. They’re ugly — but that’s not why they have to go. They’re dark and no light brightens my entrance — that’s not the reason, either.

These doors do not fit properly in their frame. They are old, slightly warped and you can see sunlight pouring in underneath (and yes, we’ve tried weather strips and insulation products). As you can imagine, sunlight is not the only element pouring in — especially in the dead of winter.

I’d love custom wood doors with wrought iron trim yadda yadda yadda, but I cannot afford such a grand entrance. In fact, doors with a custom color — I wanted black — are also very pricey.

Being the spray paint queen, I determined to create my own doors. I found double French doors on sale at Home Depot. They let in loads of light. The are air tight. They are WHITE.

But don’t faint. I love spray paint. Soon, they will be quite quaint. 

OR SO I THOUGHT.

Bye bye grids. I promptly removed the grids from the back side of the doors, taped off the windows and set to work. I blackened the grids first, then set to work on the doors. A magical transformation in minutes. Easy.

With the help of muscle man, I turned the doors over. So good so far, right? Right?

Wrong. See the grids on this side? They’re attached to the glass. They are also caulked tightly into place. I cannot remove them. I must … sloooowwwlly … paaaainfully … tape all 30 panes of glass because I do not want white grids. I want black grids.

Apparently they don’t make those blue tape corners any more. The folks at Home Depot and Lowe’s told me they’d never heard of such a thing.

BUT I HAVE.

I’VE SEEN COMMERCIALS.

Where are the blue painter’s tape corners? I need them desperately!

Anyway, the project that was to take mere hours has now been dragging on for a week and a half. This afternoon, I finally determined to GETTER DONE. And then I discovered that the dogs chewed up my roll of painter’s tape.

And the procrastination continues. 

Diligence. Persistence. Perseverance.

Posted by Farmgirl on August 25, 2009  |  No Comments

I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of
all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in
a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious.
                                                                               ~Vince Lombardi

Have you done all you can with what you have?

Beauty from above

Posted by Farmgirl on August 25, 2009  |  No Comments

I’m all about simple beauty these days. I think it started when I began carrying my camera with me everywhere. I notice the smallest, tiniest things that add true brilliance to my life.

I’m sorry I didn’t notice them before, but I’ve sworn to notice them now. And when I forget the camera — like when I missed the opportunity to capture the burning of a 36-inch hornets’ nest — I am distraught. Because those images are natural and beautiful.

Like the sky. Some of the most brilliant beauty comes from above … literally.

Could the sky be bluer? Could those clouds be whiter or fluffier?

It was a truly magnificent day.

It was a spectacular day for celebration …

The pure beauty of it began the evening before.

First the sky turned a strange shade of yellow-gray …

Then a few raindrops sprinkled down to the ground.

And then this appeared …

Or should I say … these appeared.

Can you see the second one? It’s faint, but it’s there.

Take time to notice the little things. They are the greatest of all.

Barn no more

Posted by Farmgirl on August 23, 2009  |  3 Comments

Came upon this scene after church today.
A farming family has lost their barn … possibly livestock, hay or
equipment as well. Our thoughts and prayers are with this family.

Always out on a limb

Posted by Farmgirl on August 20, 2009  |  12 Comments

Sara (Reid) Manfull

Aug. 15, 1917  to Aug. 19, 2009 

Loving, dutiful and hard-headed wife to a good man …

Doting mother of two daughters …

 Treasured grandmother to four …

Proud great-grandmother of nine.

She loved them dearly. From the oldest …

… to the youngest.

We love you grandma.

Thanks for everything.

Deception

Posted by Farmgirl on August 18, 2009  |  1 Comment

Awww. Isn’t this just a picture of perfect sibling affection?

The older sister tenderly reads a favorite storybook to the little brother who listens attentively …

… and second sister relaxes and enjoys the entertainment in the company of kindred spirits.

Isn’t that sweet?

Isn’t that what you see?

That’s my reality …

OR NOT.

The truth is … after hearing, “Mommy, I don’t know what to do!” for the umpteenth time in five minutes, I sent oldest outside with a book and told her to wait on the trampoline.

Then I rounded up little brother and tempted him to the trampoline with promises of a new book with John Deere tractors in it.

Then I found middle child who was lounging in her tube humming “la la la” to herself when she was supposed to be practicing the piano, and I banished her to the trampoline to be quiet and listen to the story.

What this photo does not show is that big sister is pouting and reading as quietly and with as little inflection as she can. Little brother keeps begging, “Louder, Abby! Louder!” while kicking middle child in the foot …

… because middle child is inching ever closer to little brother, just to irritate him. But she’s happy she got out of piano practice and she’s getting entertainment without any effort.

And of course, when big sister notices younger sister lounging in a tube that does not belong to her, World War III will break out. Sisters will battle it out in the grass and little brother will probably disrobe and jump on the trampoline oblivious to all angst.

Luckily, the tension is not evident in this photo. Ten years from now I will look at it with a tear in my eye and think, “What precious little angels I raised.” 

Boy, it’s hot.