Monday, November 30, 2009

Met Monday- Hurricane Globes

Here is another project I did today. I've seen this on several blogs recently and I just happened to have everything here already. For some reason I have several glass hurricane globes and I have had these glass candlesticks for so many years that I can't even remember not having them.



This was a very quick, easy and fun project to do! I found the center of the globe and marked it with a tiny dot using a permanent marker. I then glued the candlestick to the globe using Gorilla glue. As you can see in the pictures above, my faithful assistant is checking to make sure things were done correctly, or either she was just sniffing the glue!




Here is the finished project! It looks so much nicer adding the little bit of height to the globes. Now I need to find a home for these beauties! I love candles!

I'm also linking this second project to Met Monday, at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch



First Metamorphosis Monday Post- Foot Stool

I'm linking up today for the very first time with Susan, from Between Naps on the Porch, for her Metamorphosis Monday. I've been reading her blog for several months and checking out almost all of the links to the Met Monday posts. So much inspiration here! As the gardening season comes to a close my thoughts have been on sprucing up the interior of my home to make my winter hibernation a more pleasurable experience.



I spend a lot of time on the computer and sometimes I like to prop my feet up while I'm at my desk. This summer I found this tacky foot stool at a garage sale. I think I may have paid a dollar for it. A few weeks ago I took it apart. Oh, was it ever nasty! I had to wear a mask because so much of the padding had deteriorated and there was so much dust. I threw away the old fabric and the foam padding. I cleaned the wood and sprayed it good with Lysol.


Then I spray painted the oak and replaced the foam padding and fabric. I already had the fabric, that I had bought at a garage sale probably three or four years ago.

I say the foot stool is for propping my feet, but truth be known, it is really a kitty cat bed. It seems that the cat likes to sleep beside me here while I'm at the computer.

Anyway, I have been thoroughly inspired by Met Monday with all kinds of great ideas. I hope to include a few more projects over the next few weeks. Stop by Susan's and see the great projects!

Friday, November 27, 2009

After Thanksgiving Miscellany

Wednesday while in the kitchen cooking, I noticed a Cooper's hawk on the bird feeder dining on a house sparrow. Wouldn't you know it, my good camera was upstairs, but it didn't have the zoom lens on it anyway. I grabbed the camera that I keep in my purse and took a few shots before it flew away. The white balance setting was wrong, so the pictures didn't turn out very well.

I didn't see the hawks much over the summer, I guess now that it's turning colder they'll be more frequent visitors. As long as they dine on house sparrows and starlings I won't be sad to see them visit.

I dread seeing how many rabbits are here next year. There are more this year than I ever recall seeing and they are quite brave considering we have a dog that chases them out of the yard when she see them. They just keep coming right back.


I was cleaning and organizing in my craft room and closet a few days ago, of course Ms. Kitty has to be in the middle of it all. She particularly loves flowers.

Today has been a restful day, sleeping late and eating leftovers. No Black Friday shopping for me, there has never been anything that I wanted bad enough to fight the crowds over. Some people love it but, no thank you, that is not my thing.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!




We live too far away from family to make the trip home to Alabama over Thanksgiving. Sometimes we share our meal with friends and several times we've had family here for Thanksgiving. This year it's just us. I cooked our traditional Thanksgiving meal, minus the turkey. It's just a day of relaxing, eating and enjoying each other. We have so much to be thankful for this year!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Let Me Introduce You To Lestoil

Several years ago, when my mother-in-law went in the nursing home, we took her favorite wing back chair to her room. I recently had to remove it because it was getting badly soiled. I wasn't quite sure how to remove the gross stains, but I considered calling a carpet/upholstery cleaning service to come and clean the chair.

Then I remembered a conversation I heard several months ago at church when some of the ladies were talking about how wonderful Lestoil was for removing stains from the church tablecloths. I had purchased some and had it in my laundry room. I decided to take the plunge and remove the fabric from the cushion. Because Lestoil has a strong petroleum smell, I first washed the fabric in cold water with regular laundry detergent. It didn't remove the stains and it still smelled strongly of feces. Yes, it was that bad.

I put a very small amount of Lestoil on the cushion and with a gloved hand rubbed the spots, I even used a small infant toothbrush in some areas. I washed the fabric again and this time the stains were completely gone and so was the smell. Yes, I did the sniff test again.

I took the fabric straight from the washing machine and put it back on the cushion and let it dry outside. Thankfully it didn't shrink and it looks great!

I also had a nice fall shirt that had grease from a hay ride all over the back. I was just sick about it and thought it was ruined. I used Shout and washed the shirt, none of the grease came out. I rubbed the Lestoil on the stains and washed the shirt again and every speck of grease was gone!

I don't usually plug products on my blog, but this stuff is amazing! I'm thrilled to have discovered it and thought I'd pass the info along to you!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

November Garden Blogger Bloom Day



The weather the last few days has been absolutely delightful! I've been trying to stay outdoors as much as possible for I know the warm sunny weather won't last much longer.

These pictures were taken a few days ago and, after the frosts we've had, I was surprised to see so many of the plants still in bloom. The mums are the most prolific bloomers by far, and I guess the biggest surprise was to find a few blooms on the dianthus. I forgot to include the picture of the lavender bloom in the collage.



This clematis is another pleasant surprise! I wasn't expecting to see another round of blooms, especially so late in the year!



I've lost most of the cosmos due to the frost, but these are in a more protected area next to the house and they are still blooming and attracting the few remaining insects.

It's been a while since I've participated in Garden Blogger Bloom Day, (hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens), hopefully by next spring I'll have my act together and be able to participate more regularly.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Mosaic Monday- Frosted



I woke up yesterday morning to a heavy frost on the ground. As much as I dreaded seeing it, it was actually quite beautiful. While still in my fleece pajamas and before coffee, I put on my coat and grabbed my camera and headed out to take a few pictures and enjoy the beauty of the delicate frost on my garden.

There is a late blooming sunflower that has just opened up and a few small roses on the Knock Out rose bushes. This frost pretty much finished up what was left of the cosmos.



I know a lot of people don't like the 'Purple Wave' petunias, but I love them and have them every year. They are so easy to grow from seed in my indoor growing system, I usually have a 100% success rate. There aren't too many flowers that I can say that about! When they start looking tacky in late summer, I cut them way back and they come to life again rewarding me with beautiful blooms well into autumn. They can withstand a significant frost and still look pretty. They can also withstand the heat and don't have to be pampered. Definitely a must have for me!

I'm linking today to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary, from the Little Red House. Hop on over and see her gorgeous fall collage!