Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Letters and Spray Paint

Several days ago, I showed my blogging buddies the letters that I had scavenged from our neighborhood sign demolition! The letters were originally a bright gold. My first plan was to paint them flat black, but then I saw the hammered copper spray paint at the store. I decided to give it a try. First, I lightly sanded the letters. I sprayed the one on the right with a copper hammered paint directly over the gold. The letter on the left, I painted flat black first, and then I sprayed it with the hammered copper paint. I like both of them. My son opted for the black with hammered copper method for his "B".

Here it is hanging in his bedroom. His bedroom is painted with 2 shades of a denimy blue. First I painted the walls the lighter shade of blue. Then I mixed the darker shade with the glaze. I painted the glaze mixture on the wall a section at a time and then pressed thin paper that I had wadded and wrinkled up onto the wall to remove some of the darker shade. I would not do a whole room with this method again. It made my arms and hands very sore!
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Loyal Commenter Award

Tracey at http://www.tcalamity.blogspot.com/ gave me this award. Thank you so much!


Now I have the honor of passing the award on to 7 "SuperCommenter" blogging buddies.


Nola at http://www.alamo-north.blogspot.com/


Gretchen at http://www.birdnestcottage.typepad.com/


TinaTx at www.stitchingintexas.blogspot.com


Debbie at http://www.d-e-t.blogspot.com/


Francie at http://www.thescentedcottage.blogspot.com/


Laundrybasketcase at http://www.the-linen-cupboard.blogspot.com/


Joy at http://www.joysofhome.blogspot.com/


Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Monday, September 29, 2008

A First Time for Everything--this time its Bread Pudding!

After enjoying my recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I was anxious to try a recipe I found inside for bread pudding.
The photo looked so yummy. It is called "Bread Pudding with Chocolate and Cherries". My thought was how could it not be good with chocolate and cherries. Better yet, cherries soaked in Brandy (or apple juice). I went for the Brandy since I had bought some for soaking cherries in awhile back to make chocolate dipped cherries.
I gathered all the ingredients and got started. Thank you Aretha, Lucy, and Ethel for the eggs!

Well, here it is, my first try at Bread Pudding. It was pretty yummy! A great finish after a supper of Roast, Wild Rice and English peas.

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Pool Party!

Each year our childhood neighbors invite my dad, stepmom, my brothers, myself and our families to a pool party with hotdogs. My brothers and I spent many hours in their pool while growing up! And, yes I know it is "fall", but here in South Texas it is still pretty hot! My stepmom, Barb, my Dad and the neighbors visit while the "youngsters" frolic in the pool. In this instance, my sister-in-law and I are with the youngsters! My nephew, Alec with my 23-year-old son's friend (since 1st grade) Will in the background. The neighbors are also his great-aunt and uncle. My 13-year-old son flipping into the water.
My niece,Hannah, also known as Bug.
My nephews, Devin and Chase.
My nephew, Willie taking a dive.
My sister-in-law, Marie is waiting to "catch" bug, and I am playing with Chase. My baby brother, Brandon, is "playing" with my camera!
Now for the serious business of hotdog grilling. My Dad is getting plenty of advice from my baby brother, Brandon and neighbor, Warren. The food was yummy, and we all had a great time!
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Kids Hanging Out Again!

Here come the kids again! The McDonald's stuff really adds to the decor, huh? The rug is new. My in-laws called to say they wanted to come by and show us something. This was it! They had been shopping for a rug for their dining room, and they found this instead. It was marked down from around $200 to $20. They thought it matched the colors in our living room. It looks wonderful. Aren't we lucky? The kids and their McDonald's stuff don't match the decor! haha!
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Friday, September 26, 2008

Bead Garland--A Decorating Dream!

A local store called "The Market" has these bead garlands in assorted colors. Since it is now fall, they are carrying them in mostly fall colors. I also bought a black and white garland for Halloween. The garlands are on monofilament and are about 5 ft. long.

They have the garland displayed throughout the store in various ways-around candles, over pictures, on lamps etc. . I think I am hooked!

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A few weeks ago, while on our "Girls' Day" of shopping, my niece found this doll. She loves baby dolls. I love this photo of her! I think she's a doll!
Blessings,
Lorilee

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Beautiful Bloom!


I awoke one morning recently to find this beautiful bloom in my backyard. I was told the plant is called a Night Blooming Cereus.
This is one of my favorite vines that is in full bloom this time of year. It is often called Sky Flower or Bengal Clock Vine. It's scientific name is Thunbergia Grandiflora. It is pretty frost tender, but it comes back in the spring and grows VERY quickly. Font sizeFont size

Ya'll Come Back Now!


Lorilee

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Letters to spray paint!

I am on my neighborhood's sign committee. We have been raising money to have the neighborhood sign replaced. This last Saturday, we met and demolished the old dilapidated sign. Several of us saved some of the old letters. They are just plastic molded letters painted gold. I thought they would be fun for trying out some spray painting techniques.

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Monday, September 22, 2008

Kids in my Kitchen!




My house seems to be the neighborhood gathering place. Last Saturday evening, my kitchen was filled with kids. Looking at this photo makes me think I should make a skirt for the coffee machine cart. The boy sitting on the floor is my 13-year-old son!

They were all busy with their cell phones!

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Sunday, September 21, 2008

My new vintage mantel clock!

I was thrilled to win the ebay auction for this clock. It is from 1928 or 1929. It plays Westminster chimes on the hour and a shortened version on the 1/4 and 1/2 and 3/4 hours. I love hearing it! The photo behind it is my Mom's great-grandmother and step-great-grandfather.
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Owlet Trio!

I ran across this photo while browsing through my digital photo album. I thought it would be fitting to share with the approach of Halloween. My brother had this trio living in his deer blind one spring! He had forgotten to close the windows and a mother owl decided it made a nice home! He took me to see them so I could get some photos! He also took some before they had their pretty feathers. I will have to look for those photos! He had to clean out lots of skeletons of owl meals before he could use his blind for deer season!

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Friday, September 19, 2008

Love those feathery fall grasses!

I love the feathery blooms of grasses in the fall. I especially love them when backlit by the setting sun. I plant them in the western corner of my backyard for this reason. This bloom is on Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Zebra'. The foliage is interesting because it has yellow bands on the blades. It is still in its pot because I just found it on clearance for $2 at Lowe's. I bought 2 other grasses, but they are not currently blooming.
This beauty is Melinis nerviglumis 'ruby crystals'. I bought it in June during our trip to Fredericksburg, Texas from the Friendly Natives nursery.

Hopefully, I can get some good photos of my new mantel clock tomorrow afternoon to show everyone. I am enjoying its ticking and chiming every quarter hour.

Ya'll Come Back Now!

Lorilee

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Life gets busy and I've been tagged!

I haven't been able to post for a few days! On Monday, I had to run errands, and then stayed busy into the evening. On Tuesday, my 13-year-old had an out-of-town football game. He only played some of the first quarter because he was "clobbered" by an opposing team member! He was benched the rest of the game with an ice pack. It was nothing serious, and he is back to annoyingly normal today! The photo shows him sitting on the far left with his Paw Paw next to him. (my dad) I have more to share, but I haven't been home long enough in daylight to take the photos I need!

Also, I've been tagged by Tracey at http://www.tcalamity.blogspot.com/ to share 6 strange and quirky things about myself! There is nothing strange and quirky about me. I am perfectly normal in every way!! haha!



1. I live in town in a subdivision, and I have 4 pet chickens-hence the name of my blog. My dad called eggs cackleberries.



2. I have a bathouse with over 100 bats in my backyard. This spring, I had newborns falling out, and I would pick them up, climb a ladder and put them back.



3. I have been learning to clog.



4. I like to eat peanut butter and dill pickle slice sandwiches.



5. I help skin deer and hogs after hunting trips.



6. I can touch the tip of my nose with my tongue.(I'm not sure if I should admit this one.)



Now to tag 6 more bloggers.



Brenda at www.thebrendablog.typepad.com

Denise at www.lookbeyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com

Joanne at www.cottageinthemaking.blogspot.com

Gretchen at www.birdnestcottage.typepad.com

Nola at www.alamo-north.blogspot.com

and www.madamezeldaspastpresentandfuture.blogspot.com

Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Rainy Sunday!



Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Ike made landfall north of us. We didn't even get any rain. I am thankful that we didn't get any of his wind either! I spent much of the day Saturday putting things back! I have just about everything back where it belongs. I decided to clean the windows on the patio and the furniture before returning it to its place. In the evening, my son and I went to Incredible Pizza with my Dad, Stepmom and nephew. Pop and the boys had a bumper car challenge, and we played some games. Pop clobbered me on the deer hunt game! Sadly, I forgot my camera in the rush to get showered and ready after working outside in the heat.


This morning, we are having T-storms courtesy of the cool front! Boy do we need the rains. Yippee, we are expecting highs next week only in the mid 80's! What a treat after high 90's!
What a surprise to come home to discover that I 've been given the Smile Award by Nola of Alamo North http://http//alamo-north.blogspot.com/ . The award was created by Mere at The Babblings of Mere.




The Smile Award
These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back the the awards creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.


Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude.(not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids{Most of the time, I'm trying!}

I am passing on the award to some of my favorite blogs. It was hard to narrow down my list, because I follow many wonderful blogs!

1. Marie at Watch the Wind Blow By for her cheerful postings!
2 Joanne at My Little Cottage in the Making for her posting Please help make Rhonda's Mom smile, that shows a love for one another.
3 Heather at Speckled Egg for Pretty Posies and a flop. Not everything turns out according to our visions, been there!
4. Carolyn at Tumbleweeds and Thyme who must be learning from others by having Pasha and Nic from Russia help out on their farm this summer!
5. Joy at Joys of Home for sharing so many wonderful ideas for me to copy!
6. Gretchen at Bird Nest Cottage because she shows her love of life in her postings.
7. Tracey at tcalamity who has 4 lovely daughters!

Friday, September 12, 2008

In Case Ike drops by!



This is my patio under normal circumstances. Now it is bare! I've been busy with preparations in case Ike decides to drop by! It does look as though he is headed North of us.



This is my patio ready for a visit from Ike. My 13-year-old was too happy with the spray paint! I am thankful to have a nice size "Tuff Shed" in which to store yard and gardening equipement. It is great for all the outdoor furniture, gas grill, and garden decorations.


I have a large drop side wagon that I loaded many of my potted plants into. I pushed it into the shed late this evening. Many plants also went into the house.


Last, but not least, more extra gas and the generator we bought after not having electricity for several days after hurricane Claudette!

Who I Am!

I thought I would share a little about ME today. This is the photo used for our Christmas card in 2007. I am the first one on the left.DUH Next is my husband, David, with his guitar, my then 12-year-old, son Brian, and finally my 22-year-old son, Dustin. We are standing in front of my husband's pride--his Jeep Wrangler. We are all wearing hoodies that my husband ordered for us that have McMullen University printed on them. I have taken a photo and designed our Christmas card on the computer since 1998.






My husband took this photo of me several years ago. We stayed at the Gruene Mansion Inn in Gruene, Texas for a second honeymoon. We had a wonderful time. I am sitting in a wonderful clawfoot tub. We spent the weekend walking the several streets that make up Gruene. Gruene has wonderful little shops and restaurants much like a mini version of Fredericksburg, Texas. It was also Market Days that weekend which gave us even more possibilities for spending money!



This photo was taken of my husband and myself at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas. This will be our tenth year to attend the Festival. I made my dress. I had to look for awhile in the digital album for photos of me that I don't ABHOR to post. I definitely prefer to be behind the camera and not in front of it!
I know I like to be able to visualize a face with the name of the blogger, so I decided to post some photos of myself!
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rockport Hummer/Bird Celebration






Several years ago I attended the Rockport Hummer/Bird Celebration. I am pretty sure it is cancelled this year, pending a visit from Hurricane Ike! Of course, I shopped the vendors and found more goodies than I needed! In the photo, hummers are awaiting their turn to be weighed and banded.


This hummer is being weighed. It is being held in a band used for a larger bird such as some sort of raptor.


The hummer is getting "one for the road" before being set free to continue its journey!
I loved getting to watch this process along with visiting various yards with more hummers than could be counted! It was an awesome experience! I hope to go again someday!
Our school district has cancelled school for Thursday and Friday. I gassed up my Trailblazer and went to Wal-Mart for some groceries after we packed up our rooms at school. Tomorrow, my sons and I will be dragging the generator out of the garden shed and putting it in the garage. We will have to find places for patio furniture,the gas grill, potted plants, bird feeders, bird houses, chimes, and assorted yard ornaments! When my husband returns from work, we will board up the windows. If Ike strengthens to a high Cat 3 or more, we will be heading out to San Antonio. My hubby's employer reserved a room for us there. They will re-route his load of pharmaceuticals to San Antonio and he will take it from San Antonio to Harlingen. I don't want to have to leave, but I also don't want to stay if the weather is too bad! The predictions do not look good for us!
Ya'll Come Back Now! (There is no bad weather in "Blogland")
Lorilee

Monday, September 8, 2008

Something with Sparkle!

I found this vintage pin during our "Girls Day on the Town" shopping. I had actually asked to see a ladybug pin to buy for my niece, Hannah. Her nickname is "Bug". I bought the pin for her (didn't get a photo). When I saw this, I thought it would look SO sweet on a denim jacket! I can't wait for some "jacket" weather! I'll try to post a bit more shopping with Bug soon. Tomorrow is my 13-year-old son's first football game of the season AND my campus' PTO Open House. I hope to watch most of his game before heading out to my campus to be in my classroom to visit with my students' parents. I doubt I'll have time for blogging tomorrow!
Ya'll Come Back Now!
Lorilee

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Girls Day On The Town!




















After our last Girl's Day, my sister-in-law, Marie and I planned to attend the Victoria Master Gardeners Association Fall Plant Sale together. My niece, Hannah, came along this time. We call her Bug! She was thrilled to get to ride in the wagon with her Mom's plants.























After we paid for and loaded our plants, we decided to wander through the VEG (Victoria Educational Gardens) which is designed and maintained by the master gardeners. It is truly beautiful and inspirational. One of Bug's favorite places is the purple house that is used for childrens' tours and educational presentations. I took the photo of Bug looking out the window, and then she is closing the window shutters.




















While in the purple house, we noticed a Monarch butterfly that had recently emerged from its chrysalis.



























I let it crawl onto my hand so we could examine it more closely. Bug was so excited. She has that disgusted look on her face because it just pooped! Having a butterfly poop on me was a first!





















We continued on to explore more of the gardens!



















We saw these gorgeous water lilies in the fountain.



















This Oxeye daisy plant was full of spectacular blooms!





















The clusters of deep purple berries on this bush were a sight to behold. The small sign stated that this was a Jamaican Allspice. The leaves had a spicey scent. I would love to add this to my garden!





















At the far end of the garden we found this armadillo in a predicament! I don't think the gardeners appreciated his nightly visits--and digging!


















The newest pond has several waterfalls and more waterlilies! Bug was more impressed with the huge Koi and this tiny garter snake that wanted some sun!



















We had a great time. The weather was pretty warm, but there was a nice breeze blowing.


We took our plants to a shady place at my house so we could continue with our day. We ate lunch at Johnny Carino's. Yummy Paninis and Italian Creme sodas for the big girls and a pizza and root beer for the Bug!


Coming Soon--Shopping!


Ya'll Come Back Now!


Lorilee

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