Ginger Beer Antique Stoneware Bottles

This is my growing collection of
antique ginger beer bottles.
Ginger beer originated in England in the 1800s.
The latest addition to my personal collection is the
Townsend's Salford Stoneware Brewed Ginger Beer
Extra Quality 1890. Back stamped with "Price 1 Bristol."
Salford is located in North West England,
historically part of Lancashire,
and now part of the Greater Manchester area. 

DIY Master Bedroom Make Over

We are big do-it-yourself people, and for years now we have S-L-O-W-L-Y been making over our home, room by room, as time and money allowed. I know. You’re looking at that awful wall covering - the one with the grassy straw-like leaves and thinking ‘WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?’ 

UGH!!!

So, we are currently re-doing our master bedroom and have completed one wall.  I love the look of wide plank boards for a 'farm house' feel, so for the MB, we’re installing 5” wide boards vertically. 

Yes, as I said, WE are installing the boards ;)

Ready for painting ;)

I haven’t picked the paint color yet but I’m thinking a creamy buttery butter-milk, trimmed in white... or maybe that really light greenish gray? How about almond? Choices, choices. Stay tuned for more photos as the project progresses ;)

Vintage Jake's Potato Chip Tin Atlanta Georgia

This is the first tin I bought.
I thought it was very unique.
It seems to have two slogans,
Top O' the Morning
and Everything's jake
(Isn't that Irish?)

Manufactured by Drennon Food Products

Atlanta, Georgia

I especially love the little bird singing 

"Everything's jake"

Vintage Tetley Tea Tin New York Savannah Georgia

Here is the newest addition to my growing collection of food tins. (this one makes tin #2 :)
This one, as you can see, is a Tetley tea tin.
It is not dated, but probably dates to the late 1950's - early 1960's.

Look, kids, NO BAR CODE!

Here is a bit of trivia, according to *wikipedia:

 *Tetley was the first company that launched tea in tea-bags in the United Kingdom in 1953.^[4]

Thank God We’re Country Boys!

One of my husband’s favorite songs (well, at least the kind of song that has a catchy tune) is John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” And I have a feeling if my son, John, had been born in the 1970s, it would have been his favorite, too.  The men in my life have spent most of their lives growing up in the country – now when I say country, I mean COUNTRY.  As in 20 miles in either direction from anything that resembles a “small town”, and 100 miles from something called a “city.”  And they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

‘Why,’ you might ask?  It all boils down to ancestry and 53 acres of LAND ownership – as in PAID IN FULL - filled with “retirement” growing up out of the ground. 

(And how do YOU plan on supplementing YOUR retirement?)

When we all get home, were surrounded by FAMILY on all sides, with plenty of room for favorite outdoor activities like 4-wheeler riding and Mud Boggin’, 

IS THIS FUN OR WHAT!

 

driving around on a big red tractor, skeet and target shooting, a big yard to play football or baseball, deer hunting, hog hunting, 

LIFE IS GOOD 

a dirt road long enough to beat any walking track in a big city, and best of all… FRESH AIR! No pollution, no honking horns, no neighbor’s radios blasting away – just the sound of the breeze blowing in the trees… the down side? Well, the now obvious gasoline expense of course, and dust from the dirt roads. Dust is our main enemy out here. But there’s a remedy for that called “dusting” –which I need to do right now!  Somehow I keep hearing the tune buzzing in my head, “Green Acres is the place to be, Farm livin’ is the life for me, Land spreadin’ out so far and wide, Keep (the city), Just give me that Countryside!”

Origami Flowers Japanese Kusudama

Origami paper flower ball made with non-adhesive post it notes, cut down to 3" squares. 12 flowers total, 5 petals per flower. Make the first set of six flowers, glued together petal to petal is best. I used a hot glue gun, but Elmers or Alenes can be used. Remember to glue your string inside the first set BEFORE you bring together the other side, to form the "ball."

I was attempting an alternate mobile for the nursery room, but did not 

take into consideration the weight of all that paper and glue! 

Visit the site below for instructions on folding the paper.

Japanese Kusudama

http://findinspirations.com/2009/07/handmade/

Chattanooga Family Vacation Ruby Falls & Look Out Mountain

Before our daughter, Stephanie, left for Spain in September 2010, we took a family vacation to Chattanooga, TN.  Here are some awesome pictures. Enjoy!

Dinner Cruise on the Southern Belle

The Family: Ted, Stephanie, JoAnn (me) Whitney, John

John & Whitney

After dinner, we strolled over to the Outdoor Arts and Cultural area.

 

 


Then a day at Ruby Falls and Look Out Mountain

Stunning views

Did I mention that Stephanie loves Gnomes!!

Stephanie, John, Whitney aka The Three Stooges :)

We wanna play in the water!!!

A beautiful stone bridge

A beautiful day in the mountains,
but boy was I tired!