YUMMY!!!

Umm, is it ok to keep posting what I do around here, even when it's not "primitive"??  Maybe instead of posting every day, I should wait and only post on the days I actually work on the house?
Well, I only did a little painting today.  Instead, I and my dear little daughter (!!!), did something we had been talking about for awhile ~~ we made caramel!!  Wow, right?!!  It's an Amish recipe....I love the Amish way of life because it's so close to living the way that makes me happiest, and very primitive! ^-^

ANYWAY -- the recipe is from scratch, and calls for butter, sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and molasses.....

I have never made candy before, but I thought I knew mostly what to expect....WRONG!!
It had to boil until it reached 250, I figured that would probably take 15 minutes or so.....WRONG!!

 It took 2 1/2 hours!!!  It actually worked out well, because since we kept thinking "it won't be much longer", we stirred and checked the temperature alot, so it never burned or separated, or got too high (which could make it hard caramel).

Here it is, cooling off.....

It was actually fun, and we have come up with other candies we want to make now, and have some ideas about what to add to this caramel - like dip it in melted chocolate, push nuts into it, etc.  I don't know if the picture shows, but that's alot of caramel!!  Tomorrow, I'll add a picture of all the pieces when I cut it up.

It tastes really good, but it has a heavier taste than caramels I've eaten before, probably because of the molasses - no corn syrup was used in THIS candy!

I felt close to the Colonial housewives who made candy like this for their families!  I guess that makes this a "primitive" post after all!! ^-^

Some Excitement!

Well, we've had some new excitement since this morning.....it seems a little Carolina Wren has decided to build a nest in a little spot in the eaves of our porch ceiling!  I guess he's been at it a little while, because there's quite a large pile of twigs and leaves up there....

At first, he was alone.....

 

Then I saw 3 other birds outside of the porch, on the steps and railing!  They were all hopping around and chirping together - it was so cute!!  Then I guess his mate started helping....

I'm sorry the picture is so blurry, but they move so quick, I don't think I was holding it steady enough!  Here are two more pictures of them coming and going....so sweet!

I hope they stay!!  Of course, it's going to be tricky for a couple of weeks if they do, because we use our porch ALOT (in case you couldn't tell from all the "stuff" out there), and I won't want to disturb them.  But I read they raise their babies from 10-14 days, then they are off on their own, so it's not any real kind of hardship for us!  And I'd feel better about them being safe here, not like the nest in the barn a few years ago that a snake got to....that was AWFUL!  I was very upset by that, and I know no snakes will get them here.  But it could also be a decoy nest - wrens are know to do that, to build a nest that they don't use to throw off predators.  So, we shall see!! ^-^

NOW I remember.....!!

First the strawberries (which need to be picked again), now this......

I forgot how much work it was to have fresh food from the garden!!  Every one of those lettuce leaves had my fingers on them - they had to be picked, then washed (one at a time), then cut up to be served.  That is how it is all summer long, with the broccoli, then cucumbers, then beans and finally tomatoes!  That is all after the lettuce for salads, of course!!  The spinach and lettuce is the most tedious, because dirt gets all over them, and will stick to the leaves if you don't RUB it off.  But it's SOOOO worth it -- look at that mound of deliciousness!!  It was great to have tasty salad again!  We have to enjoy it in the spring, because it doesn't grow in summer - no way down here!  It's way too hot!!  I could try it in the fall, but last year I was so (happily) swamped with tomatoes and beans that I had no time to think about anything else in the garden!!  This year, if they all survive and produce, I have more than double the tomato plants!  Haha!!

So after my post yesterday, it rained AGAIN last night!  This is what I found today next to the garden.....

That bucket is half full .....WOW!!  I like to keep the rainwater, and use it on my plants a day or two later.  They love the rainwater.  Somehow, it's different.....go figure!

I was dusting a little today, and looking at some of my treasures.  I don't have much, especially compared to the women I've seen on A Primitive Place and in the picture trails, but I do have quite a few special things to me!  It's fun, because I forget what I have and then am pleasantly surprised when I see them again!!  I guess I should dust more often, right?  LOL (whatever!)
Many of the items are set aside, waiting for me to finish the spot I want them in.  I don't have great instincts about displaying things, but seeing everyone's displays online helps me decide what to do with MY things.  I also get to see things I want to have, too!  Well, most of them I will have to design and build myself (with Brian's help)....I've seen wonderful wall boxes, and cabinets and tables.  OH!  And I've seen front door boxes, that people hang on their doors (instead of a wreath) and fill them with greenery and dried flowers that spray out -- I love them!!  I've GOT to make one for my front door!
Here's one.....

Wow - isn't that awesome!!!?  I just LOVE that!! ^-^

FOILED AGAIN!!!

I almost HAD him!!  We got home from grocery shopping, made a huge lunch for all of us, and he started on our bedroom door trim - that was going to be first, because he's needed to finish that up for about 5 weekends....doesn't bode well for me, I know.  I went to the garden and planted more little tomato plants, so I wouldn't hover around him, "pressuring" him (heaven forbid!).  He ran into a little door frame problem, but decided not to worry about it now, finished up, grabbed the first piece of ceiling trim - MY ceiling trim (YAY!!!) - and then......it started raining.  Wait, raining is the wrong word...."pouring" is a better description.  POURING!!!  That stopped him in his tracks, because he needs to walk to the barn (workshop) and back with the trim pieces to cut and angle them for the wall.  NOOOOO!!!!

**Sigh!!  Oh well, I can wait one more weekend, right!?  I have plenty to do around here, without the trim!  Now, today, here is what I'm looking at.....

Rain, rain, Go Away!!!

No, I guess I don't mean that!  I do like the clouds and rain when I plant new plants, and it keeps me from having to water for an hour up there!!  But it's been raining for almost 24 hours now, I think that's enough!  I left a bucket outside, and there is more than 2 inches of rainwater in it -- I'm good with that!  The forecast says it will rain on and off until tomorrow morning, I guess today will be an indoor day.....that's ok, I like those!! ^-^

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

I want to send out Happy Mother's Day wishes to my mom, and grandmother, Pat and my dearest sisters.....this is the first year we are ALL moms together!!!!!!  I love you!!!!!

HOW....???

Ok, HOW do you get your husband to do something he's not interested in doing???  Sheesh!!

We have been busy today working outside - which did need to be done.  I planted more tomatoes, and watered, then picked MORE strawberries (I'm working on a second gallon bag of them!!).  My dearest was working on cutting the weeds around the yard and garden - I think I know why my rose bush died.  Now it's going into Sunday, and my ceiling trim is not up yet.  I was informed that he "doesn't feel like working inside anymore"....uhmm, but it isn't finished yet...  All this time, I've been taking the blame for "Not Finishing" projects and rooms, but I'm starting to see that it's not always ME!  I am really going to push for tomorrow, but it's the last day of the weekend so he might really not want to work on that - there's a chance, though!  **Sigh!!

So.....My Garden....Oh, the joy of it!!

And I think it's time to make a salad!.....

Oh, yes, that's going to be tomorrow!!
And my fingers are crossed about getting this trim up....we'll just see....!

Nothing Much Today

Well, I didn't do much around the house today....I planted 8 pea plants, I painted the closet door frame (not the door, I want to change it to wood boards), we went out to eat with the kids (FUN!!).  Tomorrow will be more focused on What To Do: I want more wood boards, I need more wood putty, I want to get a paint sample of a grayish color -- I know there's more, but I can't really think of it all right now.  I AM going to have Brian put up the ceiling trim....OH, I can't wait!!

The heat has been gone for a few days now, and it rained alot the day-before-last, and the tomato plants in the garden have doubled in size!  Rain really makes plants happy, I don't know why!!  Maybe they just know they aren't supposed to be sprayed with water from inside the earth?  Whatever it is, it always amazes me! LOL
I am going to plant the rest of the tomato plants tomorrow, too - there are so many!  I am thinking of cutting up all the empty cardboard boxes I have and putting them down in the garden, under the mulch (instead of the newspaper).....maybe that will help with the weeds that never go away!

I asked for advice on A Primitive Place forums yesterday about my blue shelf I made....

I am just not satisfied with it, it looks DUMB to me, FAKE.  I was feeling very discouraged and ready to pry it all apart and make a different one, but everyone on there said they liked it, so maybe it's just me.  I guess now I'll keep it and put it in the spot I made it for, and then see what I think.  I am so happy to have that forum to post my doubts on!  I have terrible instincts, and those ladies are brilliant!!

Tedious Paint Jobs!

I painted more today - there is so much of it to do, and like my title says, it's the tiny, tedious painting that's left now!  Here is what I accomplished today.....

Now that's done....time to do the next door frame!  Oh, there are several!!  It's tedious because I have to paint carefully around the wall and on this frame, carefully along the edge where the kitchen color takes over.....

It looks great though, even better than the picture captures it!

And now it's the weekend again -- YAY!!!  I have all 10 pieces of trim sanded, putty applied where needed, and painted with several coats....they are ready for Brian to put along the ceiling!!  Oh, I can't wait for that, wait until you see how good it looks!  It will be COMPLETE!!

OH!!!  I bought my first colonial reproduction portrait!  I love it!!

 I think this was first painted a long time ago, and this is a copy of that painting.  I love these pictures, there are many colonial era portraits, and I love the style.  I've always planned on photocopying my own from books or the internet, but this was a very do-able purchase at $6!! 

More updates tomorrow!!!! ^-^

I'm Painting Again!!

I'm getting going on the ceiling trim!!!

I drove myself crazy with the paint color (like always), I had to go back to Lowe's to have them re-adjust it once, and now I'm just painting with it - no more looking at it!! LOL  Here is a pack of 8ft 1x3s....they are the cheap ones, so some of them are rough and shaped wrong.  I sanded them all first, except one that needed to be planed.  I've also used tons of wood putty!  Haha!!  Anything to save some money, right!?

That's the board AFTER Brian planed it - it looks perfect!!  I might plane all of the new ones I get!!
The rest of the boards have two coats of paint on them.....

You know what this means.....

Putting up ceiling trim this weekend!!!!!! ^-^  YIPPEEE!!!!!!

The more I walk around the family room and hallway, the more I love the new walls.  They are so cozy and clean looking - I'm so happy to cover up all the mismatched paint and stencils and cut-out sheet rock.  I really feel like this is going to be completely done this time (door trim and paint, and wood floor, too), instead of stopping part way through!  I can move my furniture around and put out my special things I'm saving, too - quilts, stoneware, boxes, candles, etc.  Then I'll have to work on keeping things clean!!

Uh-oh!!!  LOL

Oh, BLAH.....

I have spent all day long feeling out-of-it....kind of bored (or boring!), and not motivated to do anything.  I hate feeling like this, because I have plenty TO do, but my brain just wants to take a break and have a veg-out day!  So I spent most of the day on the phone or on my computer.  I organized my online pictures from my old camera -- it's funny, the pictures went back to 2009, but there weren't that many of them!  That was during the time that Brian was out of work for 2 years, and there wasn't anything to want to take pictures OF!!  Boy, talk about a "Blah" feeling....that lasted a year and a half!!  I can't believe I survived that, actually; although, my heart and brain do bear the scars.  I'll probably never completely get over that.  It was amazing really -- whenever we were just about to really implode and lose everything, some type of side-job would come up, and he'd make enough money to save us!  It was God's grace, I have NO doubt about that.  I was very close to God everyday, clutching on to Him with all my might!  And then a miracle happened: he got a real job, the only job available in the county, I bet!!  He had just been unable to walk for 4 weeks, because of a knee infection, and had been walking for about 3 days when he was called to go to an interview - the FIRST interview he was called about in 2 years!!  Imagine that!!!!

It was God-ordained, I'm sure of that.  It was too much of a coincidence to BE a coincidence.  And I am so grateful to God for providing all that time, and never leaving me alone to deal with that - I always felt like He was near me (even if I didn't understand why He couldn't just solve everything right away!).

So today, I forced myself to paint the hallway corner that Brian put up yesterday (tiny pieces), but that was IT!  I clicked my way through ebay, looking at the portraits, saving all my favorites.....there were lots of "favorites"!! Hahaha!
I also made an appointment with the dentist about a cavity I have on my eye tooth, right in my smile! (grrr!)  I always get nervous about fillings, I hate the dentist and I'm so afraid one of these times they will hurt something and tell me it has to be pulled.....I want ALL my teeth!  So now I have to dread that until tomorrow....*sigh!
Well, at least it will be over with tomorrow, right?!

I also bought some fertilizer for beans, so I'll be starting those at the end of this week.  Today, I didn't have to turn on my A/C!  I almost did, but held out!!  This whole week is supposed to stay in the mid-70's -- PERFECT planting and gardening weather!  Yesterday, I started cucumber seeds and zucchini seeds in little peat pots.

Since I love to plan ahead, I've been thinking about what to tackle next, after I'm finished with the main living area....maybe a bathroom, or my room?  Maybe Emily's room?  I am going to use painted plywood floors for all the bedrooms, just like the library room, so that will be easier.  Emily's room is going to have beadboard paneling - expensive, but easier than taping and plastering all those seams!  It's pretty, too!!  I'll probably do a three-foot painted wainscoting in my room; maybe, squares of wood frame with a trim piece inside....?  And maybe blue, or a neutral/tan color, that I love when other people use that?  Hhmmm.....thoughts, thoughts!  I was looking through an old notebook with my earliest notes and ideas, when we first moved in -- that was fun, to look back like that!!  Some of those we tried and changed, and some were never done!  It made me feel good about how far we've come with the plans, too, because all the rooms mentioned are nearly finished now!!  I think we'd be even farther along if we didn't have that two-year stall from Brian not working, like I mentioned above....that's a LONG time to wait, alot could have been accomplished.

Ok, well, since I have come full-circle back to what I was talking about in my first paragraph, I think I'll stop now!  Wow, I was chatty tonight!!  I guess after a "Blah" day, with a rested mind, it wanders. ^-^

A Primitive Home "In-Process"!!

Here is what happens when you have many great ideas for projects, but can't get them finished the same day....and then the next day you get excited about a different project, and start that one, and pretty soon, you run out of room for your PROJECTS!!......

And then, when your husband tries to put things away, so there is room for some of HIS things (or for him to sit down or eat supper), you get angry at him for "messing up my stuff"!!  LOL

He's been warning me for a couple of weeks that "It's time to CLEAN UP", so this week I started, and he helped me finish this morning!  It's not all put away, but most of it is.  I do look around and feel bad for him - of course!! hahaha! - and I was feeling ready to get things put away too.  What's wonderful about him is that he just starts putting things away for me, and it helps me focus and get started too, and the job gets done!  And he never makes me feel like a slob (not that he could! LOL), he knows I love my "piles", he just gives me the push I need to get going!!  He's perfect for ME!!!

So look at those pictures....somewhere under there are rooms that I've worked hard on getting the right color, the right elements (stone, wood, wallpaper), the right Look-- and someday, I hope they will be set up beautifully!!

Ok, YIKES!!!  LOL

Strawberries, Anyone??? :-)

Ok, I haven't done much with the house the past 2 days, but I have been watering the garden and picking tons of......strawberries!!!  I already have a bunch again......

YIKES!!!  This is from an 8x8 patch of plants - maybe around 30 plants I planted last year - and I did nothing to them to prepare them for the spring....they just grow and grow!  It's back-breaking work to pick them, but so worth it!  There's tons more out there that will be ready to pick in another few days, again!  I'm going to start freezing them, IF I can keep them from being eaten every time! LOL

Yesterday, I made my own Holiday Plum Sauce, from plums I had frozen last Fall when they were uneaten and getting too ripe.....

I made the recipe up myself, and everyone LOVES it!  I have two containers full, ready to freeze, if I can keep the kids away from it long enough!!  It's very delicious, I put molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and rum flavoring in it, and cook it down until it's nice and thick.  I think it's a nice change from applesauce, which we all love and have alot.  It's nice at Christmastime, especially!

Tomorrow we are going to Lowes, and I'm planning on getting my trim paint, even though I'm not happy with the shade I'm getting.....but really, I'll NEVER be happy with it!  Paint is the bane of my renovating existence!!!!!!  I GIVE UP!  It's as close as I can get it, and I'm not wasting another week (or more!) trying to make it "perfect".....it's good enough!!  So I will be painting the trim this week - THAT will be exciting!

OH, and my pitcher got here today!!  It's so awesome!  I love it - it's rather large, and the color is perfect!!  I can't wait to find the right spot for it (which will take several tries, I'm sure!)
I have a few other pitchers on my Watch List, that are just outside my price limit, that I'm trying to ignore!  I have to keep telling myself, there will always be pitchers for sale on ebay, I can get one anytime I want and can afford another one....I don't want to be excessive about it, or else it's no fun anymore....Pray for me!!! (hahaha!)

Heat, Heat, and MORE HEAT!!!

UGH!!  This weather is very irritating.  My A/C is running almost constantly, and my poor little plants......

See how droopy and sad they are??  These are the pepper plants, this is before I watered them - I'm doing that twice a day now.  I also need to put newspaper and mulch down, but I don't have enough mulch and frankly, it's just too dang hot!

Here's a good sign from my tomato plants, though......

Those are two new-growth leaves, which means they ARE getting established and doing ok in this heat!  I think I'm supposed to prune those leaves off, though, but I never have, and I certainly won't even think about it until the temps go back to normal again!

Here's a little friend....

I know it's blurry (at least the DIRT is clear....?? Stupid camera!), but you can see the little lady bug....she has been traveling on my tomato plants since I first put them in the ground!  I'm happy about it too, because a few plants had alot of aphids on them (from the back porch, somehow), and now they are gone!!  I hope she STAYS in the garden!!

Here's my little puppums.....

She's hot too!  She always stays close to me, even outside, and watches me!!  ^-^

I love working in my garden!!!

Mural!!

Ok, I changed my blog background again! LOL  I put my mural there, and in honor of that, I am posting Before and After pictures of my mural!!  Yay, right?!

This is the wall that faces the front door, so we see it as we come in, every time.  What you can't tell from this is that the adjacent wall on the left was added by us to make a doorway to the library room on the left (it used to be open), and this wall used to have a large mirror with two (UGLY) sconce lights on either side.  I had Brian remove those and use the wires for a hanging light in the ceiling above instead.  Then I slathered on plaster and paint and came up with....THIS.......

See the hanging light?  I based this mural on one I saw in an issue of Early American Life magazine.  I LOVE IT!!  I never get tired of looking at it!  I added apple trees (on the hill to the right) and my own house (the brown one on the left - remember it from my "Front Door" post?), and because I love sheep, I added this.....

I loved making this!!  I want to make more, maybe even on canvas to hang somewhere!  OH, and I got a great idea from my new A Primitive Place magazine (THE BEST magazine EVER!)....I'm going to paint one on my bathroom wall!!  Someone did that in the magazine, and it looks perfect - I was trying to figure out what I would do with that space when I get around to it, and now I know exactly what will look great!

If you ever get a chance to get a subscription or even just an issue of A Primitive Place, DO IT!!  It's so awesome, it will become your favorite magazine for this style of decorating!  I wish I knew how to add a link to my blog, but I haven't figured it out yet!  Oh, but, I will.....! ^-^

AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

My wall painting is finished!!!  Doesn't it look nice?  I love the different sized boards next to eachother - 24, 17, 7 inches, bottom to top.  I saw that in Early American Life magazine in a TRUE colonial-period house.  It's so much more interesting to look at than all the same sized boards.  The walls look much better in natural light, the camera flash gives it an orangy glow.  And the red looks much darker, not pinkish!

I love painting with a roller!  It goes on nice and thick, and covers so fast.  It's very satisfying to paint that way!  I just love painting anyway - I love paint colors, and have a hard time choosing just one for something!!  You should see my sample collection - LOL! - and I always want more more more!!  Maybe I'll take a picture of them and post it on here!!

Oh, I still have quite a bit of work to do in here, not even counting the floor -- the hallway doors need trim, then painting; I want to make a new closet door (like my pantry door); I have to sand, then paint, then put up the ceiling trim; I have to put all my crap away finally!!!  I guess it's constant.....but I think I'd be sad if there were no more "projects" that needed to be planned and worked on - I love the designing part (IF I can make a decision about something!), and then the work....well, it's a creative outlet for me, and I enjoy it so much!  I do worry about spending money while I'm working on projects, but I'm so careful with that, and I have no problem waiting for things or buying them a little at a time if I have to - money isn't really an issue with the projects around here!

Well, anyway, my walls are painted finally - YAY!!  Now it's time to put things back where they go, and clean up.  Soon I WILL start buying the wood for the floor, bit by bit (told ya! LOL), then I really can say it's all finished.....and then start working on another part of the house - hahaha!!!