wanna trade?

I fell in love with this painting 

by the lovely and super-talented artist, Alicia Raney.

It just kinda goes with my style...

Do you think she knew I had this chair?

Anyway, she knew I wanted the painting, 

and she offered to trade it for a quilt.  

She showed me some colors she likes, 

and I took it from there...

I'm using fabrics from Liz Scott's Sugar Pop line

and a pattern inspired by this quilt.

It's almost finished, 

and I hope Alicia likes it!

Cleo Brown

For some reason,
I can never remember to take "before" pictures.

It just seems like
when I get a minute to work on something...
 I just jump right in...
and this one needs a coat of paint...
and while I've got the sander out...
and I might as well do this one, too...
and before I know it...

 I have several "afters,"
and no evidence of what they looked like "before."

Well, I dug this little beauty out of the shed
with thoughts of cleaning, sanding, painting, recovering.

And, then, I saw this...

 Miss Cleo Brown has written her sweet, little name all over it.
That stopped me in my tracks...
forget the paint...
where's my camera?

Needless to say,
there's no way I can cover up her name.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thank you, Miss Cleo for making me slow down,
and take the time to snap a few "befores."

cicadas

I kinda like listening to these guys, 

but do they have to be so 

creepycrawlygrossnastyyuck everywhere?

picking strawberries

Do not be fooled by this picture...

this is what his basket looked like...

because this is what he was doing 

while I was picking strawberries!

CSA Basket #4

Here's our latest share:
romaine
red curly lettuce
spinach
braising mix
another kind of lettuce
swiss chard
green onions
snap peas
strawberries

The farm is now open to the public on Saturdays,
and the market is full of fabulous homemade goodies.
I couldn't resist a loaf of home baked bread,
a jar of pickled green tomatoes, and more mint.
(coming soon:  the perfect mojito)

Mrs. Peggy also did a cooking demonstration
with several of the different greens we've been receiving.
My favorite was this recipe for Parmesan & Garlic Kale Chips,
and I couldn't wait to try it when we got home.
I didn't realize we didn't have any kale in our baskets!
Maybe, Mrs. Peggy will let me come over and cut some this week.
Here's the recipe:

We didn't have a pickup last weekend,
but that didn't stop us from visiting the market.
We got there just in time to snatch the last
honey glazed strawberry shortcake!
 

We also couldn't live without:
lettuce
swiss chard
onions
blueberry muffin
basil
green tomato relish
pickled jalepenos

Thank you, again,
Madison Creek Farm.

we need s'more

I've been waiting to post this 

because I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

I fixed these up for our end-of-the-year teacher gifts!

These super cute labels from domesticatedlady are free!!!

homemade fabric softener

I've had such a good response
from my post on  homemade laundry detergent
that I thought I'd do one
on homemade fabric softener.

You'll have to pay close attention
because it gets complicated.

Wait for it...

That's it....
all you need is vinegar...
1/2 cup per load.

You can add essential oil for fragrance if you want,
but it is not necessary.

OK, so, I know you're skeptical...
believe me, I never thought this would work.
And, I really didn't want to take a chance on
my clothes smelling like vinegar,
so I used it on a load of my husband's clothes first!
(don't tell him about this, either)

It worked!
I was a little worried when I opened the washing machine
and got a little whiff of vinegar,
but it goes away completely in the dryer.
Our clothes are drying faster,
and it helps to clean the washing machine.

Are our clothes Downey soft?
Well, not quite, but close enough for me.
I'll probably still throw a dryer sheet in
with the towels and sheets,
but overall, I'm very satisfied with the results.

The cost...
about 6 cents per load.