Art Re-Do

Back in the day... I was living in Kansas and not making just a whole lot of money.  So I saved and saved and came up with the $120 to buy this "amazing" framed print that I knew could transform the entire look of my apartment.  I present one of the only things that hasn't been tossed into the Goodwill pile each time I've moved...

{I couldn't get it rotated - sorry}

And of course the frame was "hunter green"

{I forgot to take the pic before I sanded the frame but you can still see the green on the inside}

Sooo...  I got the great idea to sand down the frame, re-stain it, and cover one of the old mats with upholstery fabric.

Remeber... if you already have all the "ingredients" it didn't cost a dime!

Ta Da-

Looks pretty good hanging over the new table - eh?

Blessings-B

Show & Tell

STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING!

You need to go to Knock Off Wood!

Tons of furniture plans!  Did I say tons?  I meant tons of tons! 

I. LOVE. THIS. BLOG.

Here's what I started on a few weeks ago and just now got stained and varnished.

Super simple. 

 Took me around 2 hours to put together and cost around $35. 

Could have been much cheaper depending on your choice of wood.

If you get the Pottery Barn catalogs, you'll recognize this console.

Now go!  Can't wait to see what you all make this weekend. 

{*CAUTION:  Be prepared to spend a few hours on this site*}

Blessings-B

First Born

The first calf of the season came right on time... 15 days early!  This was totally unexpected.  He's alive and so are his brother and sister.  This IS miraculous seeing as how the mud is deeper than they are tall. 

M called me the morning of the blessed affair asking {which he does every year}, "Tell me again why do we do this?"  And this is why...

Not fond of the calf - rather be asleep in the pick up.

Done with helping - too much water to play in.

Dad, thanks for working so hard to keep your kids (wife,too) so happy!

Blessings-B

A Saturday Morning in the Barn

Introducing...

"Billy The Calf" -

and a cast of misfit farm kids

This is #1's first year in 4-H and this is his first experience showing cattle!  He and Dad picked this calf out of our own calf crop.  Mom's a little concerned that he might be a bit large come August but Dad says "nahhhh".

#1's our animal lover and takes this job quite seriously.

Enter the barn boy:

We admire his effort to chip in.  However, banging the shovel on every surface surrounding this scared-to-death-tied-up-calf wasn't necessarily a good thing.  It worked out.  He was proud and Billy calmed down after a short 20 minutes.

Wonder if he realizes he'll have to put all that straw back where it was when calving starts?  Scratch that - everyone but him will have to put that straw back where it was come calving season.

Enter the cheerleaders:

Two of the three sisters are good for some labor if promised a lunch in town. 

{Number 3 sister was asleep in the pickup - nine months old and still can't pull her own weight.}

"You look like a little mennonite girl"

"No, I don't"

"Yes, you do"

"I'll fix it!"

"How bout now?"

Blessings-B

Chirp

Will spring EVER come? 

It was almost 30 today!! #1 and #2 helped Dad work cattle this morning and #3 and #4 played outside for a little while.

This kid could live in the sandbox.  You leave him there in the morning and he would still be there at supper time.  He NEEDS spring to come.  His haven is under 3 feet of snow - he'll settle for mud and ice for now.

This week while #5's been sick, I took the opportunity to finally put away the rest of the winter stuff and get out a few signs of spring. 

I needed something for the top of the hutch in the mudroom...

A BIRDHOUSE!

# 1 & # 2 helped me build this little beauty this afternoon.  It's by no means perfect.  We used scrap barn wood and sanded of the visible bird poop!

And now the WOW factor-

Look at these cute little lights.  Can you even see them?

They look like branches with rice lights on the ends.  I stuck 'em in a fake ivy bush.  

I think it looks quite homey!

I got them at one of my many favorite quilt shops.  Let me know if anyone needs some.  $24 each - I think.

*Country Decor Tip - Put indoor decorative lights on timers*

Ever wonder what to do with that large glass jar you have sitting in the garage/attic/shop/shed/barn?  Put dog bones in it!  That's if you have a dog, of course!

Have a great weekend!

Blessings-B

Mom Tip #252

Anyone out there working on "Timed Math Facts"?  To state the obvious my poor, poor, time-pressured son is required to take basic addition and subtraction tests with different time limits.  This week he came home with a sort of contract saying that he is committing himself to studying 10 minutes each night so that he can reach his goal of getting 85 addition problems correct in 4 minutes and 65 subtraction problems correct in an additional 4 minutes.  Follow all of that? 

{SIDEBAR:  He is quite awesome at math but the whole timed thing is not his cup of tea!}

I can only go through flashcards so many times.  He knows these "math facts"... who can we turn to to help fine tune these skills? 

GOOGLE!!  That's it - GOOGLE! 

I typed in "math skills" and I found this website.

It's FABULOUS! 

Thousands upon thousands of math drill worksheets!! 

He's gonna hate me tonight but I'M much too competitive to allow this mission to be impossible!!

Happy Homework!

Blessings-B

Dessert Anyone?

Here's the easiest and quickest dessert you will ever make!  I'm putting this in the file labeled

"Food You Take To The Field". 

The recipe can be doubled to feed an entire harvest/planting crew (10-15 people).

Super Simple Apple Crisp

½ c butter

1 – 17.5 oz package oatmeal cookie mix

2 – 21 oz cans apple pie filling

½ tsp ground cloves

Place apple pie filling in ungreased 9x9 or 8x8 pan. Sprinkle ground cloves over filling. Melt the stick of butter and mix with the oatmeal cookie mix. Spread this on top of the pie filling. Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes or until the sides are bubbling.

Blessings-B