Copper Butterflies

After the new flooring went down, I rearranged my den. You might remember seeing my granddad's beautiful desk, which is in that room, in a recent post. I then put this slipper-style chair with my old cedar chest (a gift when I was 16) in the corner and it dawned on me that my copper butterfly mobile would be a perfect addition to that spot.

A retirement gift from two of my aunts, the pretty butterflies previously "flew" in a different spot in the house before being relocated. They are solid copper and are rated to be safe for outdoor use, but I can't bring myself to let them out of the house! The slightest breeze causes them to gently turn while reflecting the light. The material relates to the metals on the chest and it just so happens that the copper quilt ladder I made is displayed right around the corner. 

I've always loved butterflies and used to collect items with the motif to decorate my room when growing up. I can also remember equipping myself with my butterfly net and butterfly books so that I could capture and identify as many varieties as possible in our backyard.  While I won't bore you with the story now, believe me when I say that one of my earliest memories involves these magnificent winged insects.

It's hard to believe that it was nearly a year ago that I received this retirement gift and that I was preparing to complete my happy 30 year teaching career.

The wonder of teaching is like watching caterpillars become butterflies.

Part 2

The other spot we enjoyed while visiting Kansas City was Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and some adjoining historic sites. It's a beautiful setting with a highly interesting museum and historic tours.

Mr. Watkins founded the mill in the mid 1800s. His farm was sufficient and supported his large family due to his entrepreneurial spirit. The mill was operational until just before the turn of the century when the machinery had slowly worn out and, in some cases, had become obsolete. In 1899 they locked the doors of the mill and walked away. As if they would eventually return, it remains the same today as it looked then!

The lovely old home, constructed of bricks they produced onsite, sits in the middle of a farm. During summer months, the staff dresses in period clothing to conduct special educational demonstrations which are offered in addition to those hosted throughout the year. We enjoyed touring the house which is filled with family and era pieces, including some china which belonged to the family.

Walking the farmland was delightful!

Master gardeners maintain heirloom vegetables.

The old village church and schoolhouse sit about a mile off the beaten path and it was a pretty walk through the woods to get there.

This is Mount Vernon Church and it still has the original windows.

Franklin School, which is octagonal shaped, was used until 1930. Isn't is adorable?

Obviously, we would highly recommend a visit to this state park. MO parks are just beginning celebrations in honor of their 100th anniversary in 2017. It's interesting that our state parks are just a year behind the national parks!

After all of these pictures the past two days, I am sure you feel like this...

Have a good day!

A Few Days Away

We took a long weekend to visit the Kansas City, MO area so I was unable to post Monday and yesterday. It was good to get away for a few days and we had fun. The weather was fine and we were very thankful to have pulled in our driveway just before horrible storms hit our area yesterday. It's best not to experience green skies, torrential rains and 60 mph straight-line winds while on the road...in a motorhome.

Always up for sightseeing, we began our getaway in Hamilton, MO where JCPenney founder, James Cash Penney, was born and raised. In the early1920s, he returned to his hometown to open this store for the chain. 

FYI-Jenny, to whom they refer on this shirt is the founder of the quilt store!)

Today it's an amazing quilt store (MO Star Quilt Co.) which literally sells any fabric you'd care to buy. From replica Civil War and depression material to batiks and licensed fabrics, they have it all! I didn't purchase anything, but loved looking around.

Our next stop was Watkins Woolen Mill State Park, which shares grounds with historic sites. It was wonderful and I'm giving you advance notice now that I'll be subjecting you to another day of field trip highlights tomorrow, focusing on Watkins!

We toured the National World War 1 Museum in Kansas City. It was excellent!

We loved the field of faux poppies.

Have you ever been to any of the presidential libraries? This was our first trip to one, but we did buy a little passport booklet and plan to incorporate as many of the others as we can while we are on our travels. While we were in the KC area though, we zipped to Independence to check out Truman Presidential Library. It's well done and was interesting.

I think I have bored you with enough today! In case you are ever in the Kansas City area, though, I thought you may be interested in some possible sightseeing ideas. Now I am off to finish laundry from the trip!

Happy Earth Day!

We always learned about Earth Day when I was playing school, but the official observation date almost slipped my mind this year!

We were probably  all raised to wisely use our natural resources by turning-off lights and water when we don't need them. I'm sure we all donate unneeded clothing and household items to organizations who can sell, or  provide, them to others. Then there's the whole new lightbulb issue, which has affected us all. How do you do with recyclable shopping bags? I seem to forget mine more often than not, but I do try! With our highly disposable society, though,  it's more necessary than ever to take care of our earth. For years, I've been known as "Queen of Recycling" at our house because of my practices! I cringe when  I see families put everything in their trash because it all winds up in the landfill. We recycle everything we can and are so fortunate to be able to have  comingled curbside pick-up available through our trash company. It makes it so simple! Additionally, I  always save things like egg cartons, washed plastic and Styrofoam containers, washed pill bottles, magazines, etc. which I donate to a local recycling center. They sort and store it all and then allow citizens to come and stock-up on whatever they need for projects at a nominal fee. Educators and Scout leaders, particularly,  love it!

We can do our part outside, too. Planting native plants requires less of a dependence on watering and also attracts butterflies and birds. Additionally, natives typically require less upkeep (fertilization and trimming). Rain barrels are good for the collection of "free" water for your plants.

Whatever you do for your part of being a good steward, enjoy your Earth Day!

                       

New Wall Grouping

It's fun to achieve new looks around the house, but I don't like to go out and buy a bunch of new decorations. Using what's on hand works for me because I like what I have (and I already store enough stuff).  "Shopping" my house for things to make new groupings, etc. allows me to be more creative. So, that's exactly what I did last week. I looked at a small wall in the kitchen and suddenly decided it needed a new look. Using an initial that was previously sitting on a great room shelf and a pot of faux succulents from my stash, I grabbed my southern plaque and came up with a trio.

Since the initial wasn't made to be hung, I created my own hook on the back by hot gluing a tab top. 

 Randy got me this plaque a few Christmases ago and I love it since I really should have been born in the south! I'm enlarging the photo (even though it runs off the page!) so you can read it more clearly.

Enjoy your day!

Crockpot Corn

This is a good dish to take to a large gathering, such as a potluck. It's simple to prepare and tastes like freshly-shucked corn. This recipe was shared by my hairdresser's wife (who is a good cook!).

Crockpot Corn

3 pounds frozen corn

1 stick butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

Put frozen corn in crockpot, sprinkle sugar on top and add diced-up butter and cream cheese. Set on high just to melt the butter and cream cheese and then mix to blend. Reduce setting to low and allow to cook several hours.

*I have reduced the amount of sugar with satisfactory results.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Tablescape

Today's table has some lovely family components. You know how I enjoy sharing the story behind special pieces!

The unique, linen placemats and napkins were a shower gift to my parents. You may recall that my mother recently let me poke through a stack of giveaways when she weeded-out their linen closet. I brought home a few items, including these beauties. I can't accurately describe the color; it's a blend of pink blush with peachy highlights. My favorite aspect is the adorable floral embellishment, under which the matching linen napkin slides.

The centerpiece is a cracker bowl, which belonged to my father-in-law's grandparents. Aren't the delicate roses pretty? According to family lore, Grandpa Crawford headed straight to this bowl when coming home from work each day. It always contained either crackers or candies and, apparently, he enjoyed either!

I layered my white dishes with some small china plates my grandma gave me about 20 years ago. I have various pieces from a set she had used over the years and while I am not certain of their origin, I do know that Grandma had them for as long as I can recall.

It made me happy to put together these elements to create a little spring tablescape!

Have a blessed day!

DIY "Mercury" Vase

Here's a quick and simple project to create a mercury-looking vase. You just need an old wide-mouthed jar (I rummaged under our sink and used a canning jar) and a can of Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint. You can find the latter anywhere, but I bought mine at Walmart.

Following the manufacturer's directions, you lightly spray the inside of your glass vessel. It also requires a spray bottle of clean, clear water which is applied while the paint is wet. That is what causes  "beading" which then drips and creates the mercury effect.

Once it dries, you're ready to use your creation for display. I snipped a few dogwood blossoms and twigs.

Did you really think I could recommend a little project that didn't involve spray paint of some sort?!

Happy Monday!

Pea Salad

A local restaurant (Mother-in-Law House in historic St. Charles) is known for their pea salad. The establishment was originally built as a home in 1866 with a wall dividing the interior in half. The builder and his wife occupied one side, while his mother-in-law lived on the other. About 35 years ago, the restaurant opened in that building and they've been serving their salad, along with the rest of their menu,  ever since. My mother's "eagle eyes" spotted their recipe when it was featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, so I am sharing it with you today.

Mother-in-Law House Restaurant Pea Salad

scant 5 T mayonnaise

scant 5 T sour cream

scant 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

scant 5 T diced celery

scant 5 T salted Spanish peanuts, skins on

1 pound frozen petite green peas, straight from the freezer

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and white pepper. Stir in celery and peanuts, frozen peas. Refrigerate until peas thaw. (Notes: It takes longer for those little things to thaw than you'd think and I am talking hours! Also, I need to mention that I had to lightly salt this before serving and I am not a fan of salty foods. It just seemed to lack flavor and needed a smidgen of salt for blending. I added a few more peanuts, too.)

The restaurant owner originally obtained the recipe from her mother. I think you'll enjoy this unique salad and appreciate the fact that it's simple to prepare...some might even say it's easy peasy!

'Peas' have a good weekend!

Tiered Glass Drying Rack

I recently found tiered glass drying racks on sale at World Market. They come in two colors, but I opted for the darker (oil rubbed bronzed look) over the white. The real things were used for allowing inverted glasses to air-dry back in the day, of course, but these "knock offs" are good for decorative purposes and are popular right now. By the way, you can pick up one for just over $10 when you take advantage of the sale and couple that with an  online 10% off coupon (which you print at home).

I will incorporate this in a vignette when I do new seasonal decorating in the next few weeks. I think it will also be perfect for functional use next winter at the hot cocoa station. Let's not think hot cocoa now, though! Let's think spring and, speaking of that, I am sharing a few pictures I took at the shopping plaza where I bought my rack. Guess which talented landscape architect is responsible for the design work?!

Enjoy your day!

Easy Watering Jug

With tending to new plants this spring, you may have the same issue I do. Young seedlings require a lighter sprinkle of water. Even my littlest watering can produces too strong a stream. Perhaps you, too, have seen this idea before. I am here to tell you that it works wonderfully well and you might want to try it!

Begin with an empty jug. I happened to use one from distilled water. An empty gallon of milk would work, too, but be sure you thoroughly clean it of all milk residue.

Use a sharp object to push holes in the lid. An ice pick would probably work, but I grabbed my compass out my desk drawer.

To protect the furniture surface, I used a mouse pad. The plastic is so thin on the lid that it's easily penetrated. Evenly space the holes to  your satisfaction.

Ta-da! You now have a way to water tender vegetation without flooding it!

I just planted a pot of dill seed and preferred using my new watering jug so that I wouldn't wash away the top layer of soil with a gush of water. It works very well!

Have a wonderful day!