get it scrapped!: merge title and journaling

short and sweet cuz the gman and i have been getting to bed too late this week.  a great new article up at get it scrapped! on merging the title and journaling.  also check out the one on rainbows; i really liked it!  tgif!

nature in the home: violets

i so enjoyed participating in nature in the home last week and was eager to do it again this week.  the reminder to get out and appreciate nature and bring a tiny bit back in with us is just lovely.  g and i walked to the edge of the property and collected these little beauties from under the cedar trees.  i felt like a little girl again picking the blossoms on my way home from wherever i might have wandered off to . . .

the tiny vases are from my mother.  i thought they were a fitting receptacle for such sweetness.  i remember them on display in her shadowbox that i would dust on occasion as a child.  she must not have liked dusting as these have been packed away since shortly after i left for college i'm guessing.  i love seeing them again and remembering . . .

jbs mercantile: smithsonian

this layout is about my grandpa eck (left in photo) and the shell he discovered that was named after him and resides in the archives of the smithsonian (i shared the story HERE earlier).  the photo of my grandfather is one that my mom let me have in my teens.  it's a random photo taken at a time when i didn't even know him. once i started scrapbooking, i never imagined i'd ever have a call to use the photo, but it really seems fitting with this story.  the photo of the shells i found and downloaded off the internet.  i printed the journaling straight from my blog post and attached it to the back of the "read this" tag stuck behind the second photo.

the layout was created mostly with the april mini-album and antiquarian kits.  i wanted to get some centipede action in, so i decided to go with christy's challenge of making your own kit from leftover bits from past kits plus my challenge to add stamping on text print papers (from my stash).  i love the way it came out.  it has the feel to me of a smithsonian archivist's desk, full of bits and pieces of information and treasures to be cataloged and recorded.

it was really nice to challenge myself to dust off my stamps and actually use them (instead of just letting them continue to collect dust).  i used three of my old rubber stamps on this page.  the label to the left of the shell photo (stamped in jbs ink pad), the swirl on the tag (stamped in jbs speckled egg), and the circle frame behind the right photo (stamped with american crafts gold embossing powder).  

i included lots of bits on this that might not make sense on a page about shells until you pull in the idea of a museum of natural history.  i went with the idea of collections which is where the butterflies and botanicals come in.  i also used the vintage envelope to highlight his extensive travels, the vintage map to spotlight his time in central america, and the little anchors for his high seas adventures.

one last thing (besides the amazing dear lizzy glitter thickers) before i go.  the washi tape.  i swoon.diagonal gold stripes from freckled fawn and grey chevron from jbs.  love and love.

i'm in love . . .

meet edward.  he's a 6.75 horsepower 21 inch self propelled mower who was being put out to pasture from a friend's father's lawn care service.  we decided he had a little life in him yet, so he's come to live with us.  i love him already.  we spent quite a bit of time together this afternoon.  while we were walking along, we chatted about the weather and how good a little outdoor time is for me.  as he was pointing out all the sweet details of my yard, i was reminded of how good life really is.  it's going to be nice having him around.

now if only i could find a man who enjoys cooking and cleaning.  ha!  but seriously, no less than three hardworking men tried to dissuade me from purchasing a push mower for my one little acre.  i am so confused.  do i not need to lose a few pounds?  isn't walking good for that?  now i have not once looked back at a treadmill, track, or neighborhood block with pride and thought to myself, "yeah!  i just walked that!"  but my freshly mown lawn is a different story altogether.  proud as punch at that accomplishment i am.  american society is a bit whacked in places.  i mean, we pay the big bucks to go to gyms and the big bucks to drive little vehicles around our yards when we could save tons of money and kill two proverbial birds with one stone by pushing a mower.  not that i have anything against birds mind you.  but moving on . . .

i would like to mention that the kind man who delivered edward to me made sure the blade was set at the perfect height to preserve my favorite weeds.  viola and her wee friends were unharmed in the mowing of this lawn.

i'm sure my neighbors must think i'm whacked seeing me flop down on my belly with my camera for no apparent reason.  they don't say anything though.  us country folk have a live and let live mentality.

while we were outside enjoying life this afternoon we noticed lots of delights . . .

 g spotted this little charmer.  we think the pansies we planted last fall are reseeding themselves.

i suspect this is the parent plant.  she has gone through selective breeding, but our tiny little guy is reverting back to his natural state.

after waiting and watching and wondering for weeks, we had all but given up hope, but look!  the carrots have sprouted!  woot!  g spotted those too!  he has an eagle eye for green and growing things.

i spent a few minutes with my newest friend, dear columbine.  i have wanted one ever since discovering them in a flower identification guide as a child.  i think florida is not a good place for columbines, but home depot seems to think that tennessee is, so she came home with me on sunday.  i've decided to name her grace.

my toes are dirty and tired, but happy tonight.

chichi looks the way i feel . . . 

 i just want to roll around in all the springtime in the country . . .

thank goodness there is more lawn to be mowed . . .

and tomorrow is another day . . . :)

crocheted sproutling bookmark

this weekend i finally started the pompom garland that i'd intended to start last november.  originally it was going to be red and green for christmas, which morphed into red and pink for valentine's day, then green for st. patrick's day, then black for never (kidding).  finally it is yellow and blue for sunshine and happiness.  i'm going gangbusters and have already made two pompoms.  i'm fast, right?  ha!  g wanted me to add green to it, but i patiently yet firmly explained to him that i was going for a sky motif and green was more an earthy thing.  he still wanted a green pompom, so i ended up crocheting him this little sproutling bookmark.  i had seen one made from silk leaves a while back and cataloged it in my mind for a cute crochet project.  who knew i would actually do it?!  it was quick and easy and i whipped it out before church this morning.

here are the directions.  please bear in mind that i am not a professional crocheter, having only had rudimentary instructions from my mother at the tender age of eight.

supplies:
sugar'n cream 100% cotton yarn, medium weight (4)
26 gauge gold wire
jewel tag
size E crochet hook
plastic darning needle
sewing needle

directions:
chain 60, turn, *slip stitch in second chain from hook, single stitch in next, half stitch in next, double stitch in next three, half stitch in next, single stitch in next, slip stitch in next, on opposite side (of the part you already crocheted), slip stitch (across from last slip stitch), single stitch in next, half stitch in next, double stitch in next three, half stitch in next, single stitch in next, slip stitch in next, chain 1, cut and tie off.*

slip stitch onto original project at base of first leaf, chain 10, turn, repeat from * to * above.

unweave thread  at base of chain to create the sproutling's roots.  use darning needle to weave all other dangling threads into project.

fold wire end over sewing needle then use the sewing needle to weave the wire up through the chain stem and in one leaf.  cut wire, fold ends over, and weave into project.  weave a second small piece of wire on the under sides of both leaves.  cut wire, fold ends over and weave into project.

add jewel tag.  i have written "read" on one side and "grow" on the other.

26 gauge wire is thin and weak, but it was what i happened to have on hand.  if i were to purchase wire exclusively for this project i would most likely choose a slightly heavier gauge and in green if it was available.

g declared his new bookmark "awesome!" and wants another for his librarian.  library day is thursday; i think i can do that!

and lookie at our cucumber sproutlings!  they're about to unfurl their first sets of big plant leaves!  so cute!

menu plan: fajitas IMperfected

does anyone out there have a good recipe for steak fajitas?  or tips on how to cook the steak so it's a little more on the tender side.  i'm getting better, but i'm not quite there yet.  so far, this is what we do:  cook steak, bell pepper, and onion in a bit of olive oil.  add a can of drained rotel.  that's it.  wheee!  see!  i need help!  and i would like to mention here that i do NOT put cheese on my fajitas. ew.  my son has a bit of a cheese addiction.  a squeeze of lime, however, is a nice addition.  it's also delicious on corn on the cob with a dash of sea salt.  mmmmm.

this week's menu:
sunday - chilli's
monday - taco salad
tuesday - country ham, baked potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce
wednesday - church?
thursday - rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob, salad
friday - open
saturday - bisquick mini pies (pinterest)

blogging is a "good thing"

 blue skies and redbuds . . .

swallowtails and cherry blossoms . . .

 does it get any better than this?

we have a new centipede challenge over at jbs mercantile from special guest, julie kirk!  i've mentioned julie here a time or two and have recently pointed out her current "push-up bra approach to blogging" series.  julie's challenge ties in well with her series, of course.  you simply have to create a blog post to "share one good thing that blogging has done for you."  leave a link to your post HERE on our message board and leave a link to your post HERE on julie's blog and you'll be entered to win one of two $25 gift cards to jbs mercantile!  we have lots more challenges too; the more you enter the more chances you have to win.  instructions can be found HERE.

also, even if you don't have the time or inclination to enter, i would encourage you to head over to julie's blog to check out her series on blogging.  she's put in a tremendous amount of work and it shows.  she's a fabulous writer and is using her talents to benefit children through "save the children."  awesome!

and now i must share one good thing that blogging has done for me.  there are, of course, many, many good things that blogging has done for me, but for today i'll go with the lovely sense of community.  we find the blogs that spark our interest and then capture our imagination.  we spur one another on to bigger projects and deeper thoughts.  it's like putting our best work up on the world's refrigerator.  i love that.

how about you?  won't you share?  :)

today was glorious, by the way.