The countdown is on and for us around the Blaylock residence the Christmas season is on!

Time to decorate!

Looking forward to those yummy treats that usher in this season,

time to spend with family and friends as well.

A little extra fun around here since we have some grandbaby time!

Inspired & Rambling

Hey..I'm hoping you all are doing wonderfully today. Wow, this blogging thing has become such a struggle for me and I surely apologize if my absence has offended anyone.

I'm one of those dinosaurs that has been pulled by hook, crook and maybe a carrot into the world of blogging. As a country raised girl that came along before the boom of the computer and all that goes with it I question myself many times on what I am doing here. I'm truly not the expert of anything. 

My reasons always come back to friends and relationships I've made through the process. 
    Friends? Relationships?
Yes..If you make it around for a visit I consider you a friend. But I will have to say that I had gotten
put-off (annoyed) by all the advice, bombardments, hops, restraints, rules, guidelines and whatever else I'm constantly being told I should be doing to maintain a good blogger status. Having to live up to a status is enough to make me want to give a good smirk. I thought I had stopped all that nonsense back in high school..not true..I have recently joined the hoards of folks who tote a cell phone. I have been one of those people who would give very slight snarl at all the good people who have formed relationships with their devices. 

Now..I'm one of 'em!

It has made it possible to keep up with my blogging friends and...Pinterest on my lunch break and uggh..Facebook..which has meant I don't have as much need to be on the computer. The picture quality is definitely better on the big screen but I don't have to get on here hardly at all..and I haven't.

Yesterday, I sat on the porch and listened the rain beat the roof while I listened to some music I had put on the phone and talked with a family member on FB...Can I say talked? maybe I should say texted or messaged ?

    All at the same time!
It rained hard enough to beat the dirt out of my pots...

 

Looks like the gutter needs some work...

Things are wanting to grow and ramble.
I don't even know what the purple foliage is. I got a piece of it from Jack's sitter a few years ago. She was near to cursing it as it had taken over a bed of hers but I had a spot I could get nothing to grow in. So I said, " Can I have some of that?"

That's how I do it..I'm a cheap gardener.. more like sharing and borrowing than anything.

Here's my poor old pot (maybe the bottom out of an old washer).
Hey and I've slapped some of my new color on it;two leftover buckets of paint out of the basement. I stuck three old tobacco sticks in there and planted the purple and some morning glory seeds. I'm hoping after it's over grown and climbing and offering some blooms it will have an appealing look.
If not..nothing really lost.

My Tiger Lilies are coming up. 

I love 'em..
They are all brambled up along with everything else. The old man turned that tree adventure into a long..long process. All those wonderful places the trees laid is a mess but me and the birds still love the blooms. Maybe it will all come along?.?

If you notice those little round things on the stalk, those are the seeds. I have grown mine from a little handful Mama put into an envelope from hers. Between the wind and the birds toting them around they are starting to come up all over the place. I like it..but I do like the unexpected. 

For as many folks as subscribe to my site through Email I'll send you some of these seeds.. You will have to send an address so I can mail them out. I have a good stand of these but I can only send them as long as they last.

I am so pleased over these two pots of petunia's. They were my beautiful, beautiful hanging baskets I had on the porch last year. I moved them into the front room as winter started to set in last year. They survived nicely until I moved them to make room for the Christmas tree. After that it was what seemed like a slippery slope to death.

(dead like nothing but some brown stubble) 

I thought myself crazy not to have gone on and throwed them out but look and see!!

Just goes to show you should never underestimate and always live in a hopeful state.

I think I've just about rambled to the end of this post.

Some things that helped me be inspired this week:

My latest issue of Southern Living magazine. I love Rick Bragg's "Southern Journal." You know you're a true southerner if you "get it." I enjoy the magazine but I look for the back of the issue everytime.

I was browsing around at Shoestring Elegance and I read her profile where she had listed a couple of scripture she favors. One of which was Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have the faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place: and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Wonderful words that so many cherish. I wonder how many read the verse that immediately follows,

Matthew 17:21

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Makes me think!

I'm so blessed

&

my hope is that you too will 

Be Blessed!

Take It Outside Sunday

I have been so glad to see the sunshine on a regular basis. Sunshine on a Sunday afternoon just screams, "cook out doors!" And for the second Sunday in a row that's what we've done. 

The Ole Man had been jonesing for barbecue ribs for at least the most of last month.

I'm not really talking about putting on a big put-on; I'm just talking about some real casual laid back family togetherness.

The right deal on a mess of ribs 

and 

some charcoal,

We were on our way!

Sometimes it's not about the fancy recipes and outstanding exterior decor it's really just about getting  out there and doing it.

Barbecued Ribs, buttery corn-on-the cob, garlic buttered onion, basic cole slaw, Sunbeam dinner rolls, and wash it all down with a big glass of sweet tea.

It will get the good times rolling!

Feeling Blessed on a Southern Sunday!

  

Kanawah Valley Mud Bogging Saturday

Kanawah Valley in Dugspur, Virginia can make a country boy or girls heart go pitty-patty. It's a virtually an unknown sneak away tucked way down in a small valley between the mountains. What you're usually going to find is a God loving, family loving, slightly rowdy, mud loving crowd.

I guess it would be an understatement to say you're in truck country.

Oh naw..you ain't seeing it all...

So get your Sun-Drop and have a blast on a Saturday Night!

Life Wide Open

I must write a post...I must do something creative..

but...

I haven't been able to pull any of life's wonderful moments together to form a fitting post. So with I did think I would share some of pictures of what's been happening around here.

I think the first thing that has really thrown me into

Blogging Never Never Land

would be a job change. 

I still work at the same place but had taken on a different job meaning a different schedule to train for the new position. Now that I've completed training it has also meant still more schedule changing. That alone is enough to throw me into a tailspin.

Along about the same time, my daughter began some fairly intense dental work. The word dental should be enough to freak anybody out. Things went well but everything didn't go completely as planned so more trips more visits. 

Now that I've segwayed(I'm positive that word isn't spelled correctly..I couldn't spell check it either..hmm..I think it's a real word)  into talking about my daughter. 

It has been prom season for the kids in Patrick County. 

Some people hate the prom some people love it but if you have a daughter and she's going you can be there will be some serious errands and running.

So here's some pictures we took before she took off for the big night...

Maybe not glass slippers 

but 

Cinderella like just the same.

We also had a Wonderful Easter the week following the prom. I now there were missed recipe posts but many of the times I'm more consumed with living in the moment than capturing it all in a post.

I will assure your there was no shortage of food, family, egg hunting, and tree climbing.

Ugh..don't your climb trees on Easter??

and a lot of big conversation going on.

Oh my poor Mama's flowers didn't stand a chance.

Monkey see..Monkey do..

We're big on family around here..

May as well let the men

be men...

Now that the weather has surely broke I'm excited to get onto hikes, baseball, fresh blooms

and hopefully I muster up some creativity along the way.

I thank you if you've made your way over for a visit

 and 

I wish you Many Blessing.

As you can see my I've been drinking from my saucer.

Be Blessed!

Natural Spring Wreath

There's nothing like fresh blooms and warm sun to get me in a decorating mood.

My style is very un-fussy

and

 I like to have that just come along kind of style. 

Using what is in my natural surroundings makes me feel closer to nature.

It is also an inexpensive way to decorate.

Rag Wreath from Plastic Bags

Are you like me?

Ready to get Spring Started

& 

Ready for a Welcoming Spring DIY!

This is a Spring Wreath made from plastic shopping bags.

 I started my cutting myself a small ring from a piece of cardboard.

Then I pulled out all those plastic bags from their hiding spot. I especially wanted the lighter colored bags to offer up a Spring feeling. 

Then I just cute the handles off and also cut the bags in strips. I didn't try to be very careful at this point because I decided it would be best to trim everything down after the bags were tied onto my cardboard form.

After all the tying and trimming is done take your hand and just sort of rub and ruffle the edges.

Da-Da

I hope you find something you can DIY today.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.

Be Blessed!

New Life for an Old Wreath

Welcome Spring!

I think this has been a long Winter for many folks and the first day of Spring, March Wind, and the bright sunshine makes us all feel renewed and looking for new life. 

It has initiated some Spring cleaning in myself and a want to breath some new life in some of the decor in my house.

I'm on an understated mission to redo our front room; I also have hopes of revealing the over all changes I want to accomplish but I guess I'm sharing these in little bits and pieces since that's how the transformation will take place.

This wreath has hung on the wall in our living room for quite a long time. It has become dried, cracked and well on it's way to falling apart. I have had it on my mind to just toss it out but you all know how that disturbs be so. 

You know the whole toss it out just goes against my grain. 

I don't think I've fell into the hoarder bracket but it is possibly a slippery slope.

With this almost forgot can of 

Rust-oleum Lacquer 

from out of the basement 

I'm going to clean the wreath off,

Give it a good solid coat,

and

find it a new home.

The spray version is such a good choice since the wreath is so dry and brittle that it might not hold 

up to a paint brush.

This area in the front room is odd. I can't honestly tell you why it was put here. It is a pain to clean and sound travel right into the room on the other side.

I had ideas putting  cork board over it to create message center and I also thought of putting picture over it. With old homes you either undo or cover up the things that you don't like or you except the quirks, embrace them and love them for being yours.

I suppose I'm embracing this quirk.

Placing a revamped wreath hung by a piece of brown ribbon and sort of dressing it up.

I hope you've found something to renew today;

if it is only renewing your spirit by soaking in the sun.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit

and 

most of all..

BE BLESSED!

Rag Wreath from Old Blue Jeans-DIY

I am ready to roll into lighter decorations and a little whimsy as well. 

This Rag Wreath from a pair of old pair of blue jeans was just the DIY project I was looking for.

This is one of those no brainer kind of projects. There's really no skill required and is super simple.

You could purchase a wreath form of some kind but I hate to buy things I can just reuse. Reusing something that otherwise would be tossed out is the name of my game.

"Making Something outta of Nothing"

This wreath is very tight and dry; I'm just going to remove any dangling pieces and anything that's sticking out.

I used the legs of these jean. I simply cut the thick edge off and the cut narrow strips out of both legs

and started tying them onto the wreath. I wanted another fabric just to break up all the blue and this scrap piece of pink gingham did the trip for me.

Just keep tying and turning your knots to suit the look you want.

Thanks so much for popping over for a visit. 

Be Blessed!