A Pie Safe & New Baby Chicks!

On May 5th, with most of the family in tow-I went out to the  'A Day in the Country Sale' hosted by Kim Davies from http://www.tatteredandtorn.ca/ . I wondered around , drooling at at all the eye-candy (AND  kind of sulking because I couldn't buy a bunch of stuff since the hubby recently lost his job!) BUT I did manage to purchase an old white apron  AND  I did get  to enjoy some chit chat  with a couple of the wonderful gals there- Kim, Christine from http://1871farmhouse.blogspot.ca/ and Kathy from http://www.eclecticpelican.ca/page1.php . AND  of course I got to take home this old pie safe!!  Kim had so generously given  the  pie safe to me back at her November sale as a gift for giving her a couch that she then had reupholstered in GRAIN SACKS!  Yes! Seriously!  and I just  LOVE IT! 

 I usually take photos of this event but this time I FORGOT my camera!!!! So if you'd like-click the link to my November post you can see the couch I am talking about and check out some of the amazing vendors  and their goods at this sale! Here is the link! http://myrusticfarmhouse.blogspot.ca/2012_11_18_archive.html

It came to me with aged wood inside -I liked it-and I left it like that for a while but I ended up painting it-to brighten it up and show off these pretty jars.

On May 7th, we brought home our chicks! 20 hens and 2 roosters. They were so tiny! Just 2 days old! 

The kids were so excited to see them after school.

Be gentle kids! 

Be very careful Tierney! ~She wants to be in the coop with them every day!

And here is our coop -we will be making some changes soon-adding a screen door and some fencing. I will post some more pictures as soon as we do!  

SLOWLY making some changes.......

We are slowly making some changes in the kids rooms.

Two of our boys (10 & 6) had been sharing a room-

but now the older of the two is heading down to the spare room. 

He will be taking the bunkbeds & dresser with him so we purchased this 

OLD PINE CUPBOARD and an OLD ROPE BED for our youngest.

 I LOVE the warm wood hues for a boys room-but I will be trying to keep it as light as possible with the walls and decor. Greyish walls with grey & denim bedding, ticking and grain sack throw pillows! Going for that prim look., but a newer- fresher prim look! Can't wait till it's finished!

 We will have to figure out how to make this 3/4 rope bed work-but in the end it will be NICE!

The girls room is proving to be a challenge!

I am toning down the ruffles and ridding of the pink!

And have to figure out how to add some warmth to this room-so it's not so washed out.

Have you ever tried to pick the perfect off-white wall color!?

And each room is different because of lighting so it is VERY difficult!

I will bring some more large sample chips home from our local Benjamin Moore dealer and see if that helps.

These antique baby dresses will be hanging up soon by the pegboard my hubby & I are making.........

My inspiration for the room?

white primitive

rustic farmhouse style

romantic prairie style

WISH ME LUCK!

Before & After

After seeing the before & after of Heather's washtub stand-(Heather from New House, New Home, New Life) -I was itching to paint something with my MMS MP! (Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint) I looked around for something I felt was an eye-sore and sure enough I found the perfect candidate!

I applied 'Grain Sack' to the pot rack I made a while back. It flaked off on it's own in some spots and I scuffed it up in others until it had the look I wanted. Then I applied some CeCe Caldwell clear wax overtop to finish it and stop any more flaking.
Tell me what you think!


To see Heather's before & after click here! http://www.newhousenewhomenewlife.com/

Cozy Corner & some down-time!

 A cozy corner of our living room. A great place to flip through a book or magazine. My thrift store wingback chair is slipcovered in white linen.

Unfortunately, this spot is often already occupied!

Here is another corner in our home-this time in the kitchen-it may not be cozy but it is cute!

and another corner- full of stuff-cant wait till spring! bring in some fresh colorful flowers!



I would like to thank  you all for being patient with me. I swear I am not in the witness protection program(LOL)  I have been taking a little time to myself for reflection, health issues, then my back was out for 10 days, and we lost 3 family members within 2 weeks- brutal! I am on the mend physically and still trying emotionally! I know we all have times like this and all we can do is support eachother.  I have received so many warm messages that really boost my spirits! Take great care all! ~Mel

The Pioneer Woman's ~Perfect Potato Soup!

After seeing a recipe for PERFECT POTATO SOUP here at The Pioneer Woman I just had to make some today! Now I didn't follow it 'exactly' I tweeked it a tiny bit-but it turned out fantastic!  :http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/01/perfect-potato-soup/

Would duct tape really work?

The reason why we wanted  a new dishwasher in the first place was because we thought this one (above), our  Fisher & Paykel dish drawer system was near the end of it's 8 year run. (Or so we thought!) It hadn't been working well in months! Mind you we hadn't changed our water filters or added salt to the softener in a while but didn't think that had anything to do with it. It must be a pump going? It was leaving a gross sandy film on the dishes. It is no longer under extended warranty. I ran vinegar through it, I ran dishwasher cleaner through it, I took it apart and cleaned what I could. It was still not cleaning the dishes properly. So we went to town!  I was interested in a Bosch- the one like this but *WITHOUT* the digital panel! Between the saleswoman and my hubs I was talked into this model - IT WAS ON  SALE! It was a higher end model than the one without the panel and it was $400. cheaper because of the great sale!! Who wouldn't agree to that  right? So, we ordered it and paid for it!  
(sorry for the un-sightly un-staged pics)

The hubs joked about how I could use the old one as a file cabinet!   He decided to get his jobs done and change the filters & add the salt to the softener. He pulled out the dishwasher, checked the hoses AND we decided to change the detergent for a cycle or 2 to see if it made a difference since  the saleswoman at the store told us we needed   to purchase the detergent recommended for our 'new' washer. AND GUESS WHAT!? It started working better than ever! Shiny clean dishes! It was like a beam of light shining in your face even the stainless bottom looked like it was in original state! Was it the new detergent?  I think so! but it could have been a combination of everything-either way-I now had 2 working dishwashers! We talked about selling the old one but I LOVE it with all my heart & love the  idea of having 2! We are a family of 7, we have 2 sets of  much needed washer/dryers why not 2 dishwashers!? 
(teen son in above pic)

      

  So  we decided one unit would stay out and one he would hide behind the cupboard doors on the other side of the sink. This one has a handle so it took the spot of our old one. It is going to take some work for him to set up the drain underneath for 2 washers  and for him to install it so I will have to post later pics. I was VERY disappointed when I first took a look at this one here. I actually almost cried! I left the room! I DESPISED the digital panel just like I suspected I would but more so once I saw it in my kitchen! My husband was a little upset with me and honestly for good reason! He said he would put DUCT TAPE over the panel if I wished! ....hmmm would that really work?? To tell you the truth I'm getting used to it and I guess I should put focus elsewhere and just be thankful!

4,000 LIKES on facebook!

 This is where I hang out & check all the lovely blogs  and facebook pages out there............

today my page hit 4,000! So I better get my butt in gear and get some promised projects done!