I heart Country Living...

Sumthin about this issue of Country Living struck a cord with me...
OUT-McMansions
IN-Little houses...
Ever since the notion of having my own 'tiny house'/studio/shop,
I have been researching the tiny house phenomenon.
Could you live this way,
could you sacrifice to make a smaller foot print on the planet?
How did we get so greedy, why did we need so much...
then there's that issue of the Jones again...keeping up
and fitting in.
I love this company tinytexashouses.com
They build modest homes out of recycled materials...SWEET!!!
Now that's what I'm talking about...would you, could you???

I have simply got to get this book, turned a shack
into a darling cottage...hmmm!

Like I said, this new CL magazine struck a cord with me...
what a great idea...like when those Northuners
head South for the winter, who tends the flock...
well granted, most who bother with chickens, are in it for the long haul,
but a week, two weeks, what an idea...hmmmm!!!

Yes, again, another grass-roots idea, nothing new, but I loved
how CL really gave class to the wannabe farmers,
who truly want a better life, better food, better water, better air!
It's our kids n grand kids that will be making that future happen...
you can see what's spreading like wildfire across the states,
THANK YOU Wisconsin for starting the revolution!

Sick of big industry telling us what we can eat,
sick of Monsanto polluting with genetically modified Frankenseeds...
sick of logging, drilling and mining spoiling the pristine lands
our children will need to revive, just to survive...
sick of being sick...take another pill,
then deposit it directly into your water system...
aren't we just a little sick of being stupid!!!

My solution...remember when!!!

Shadow Shot Sunday...Promise...

Crisp tendrils wrap 'round
twirls in my garden's winter
soon all will be lost

shadows of Winter
linger still in a season
so dreaded of me

yet the beauty still
haunts my soul to distraction
in my heart of hearts

I promise to thee
to open welcoming arms
next Win'try season


Yeah, WHATEVER...
I'm not a Winter person, but I live in my soul state of IOWA...
the heartland of my being, so it is what it is...I stay
and deal with winter...
and I promise, these are the last shadow shots of snow, but I thought
what a fun epitaph to Winter...in my world...
now, it's on to Spring!
Ol' man Winter, you don't scare me, the sun is getting too high
for you to harm...so now I'm heading to work in the two new inches of snow
from the secrets of last eve...cause I know what lies ahead...
SPRING!!!

Sorry kids down under, I know Autumn will soon be upon
and we'll soon be seeing those wonderful shots at Harriet's place...
and I hope all of our Kiwi friends are safe and sound!

Namaste

Bleak...yet promising...Sister's Garden...

Yes, bleak indeed, as Sisters' Garden and Bloom lie in wait,
as Winter slowly ebbs and Spring is ever so near...
the back porch at Bloom is always a delight, even after a cruel season
has ravaged...

The pond in the background is frozen still,
all is barren of life, yet the sound of a distant robin rings like a church bell,
reminding of what will soon be upon us in the frozen tundras...

So in the meantime...we putter around inside,
rearranging our stuff, trying to pull in bits of Spring to bring a smile
to our guests...you know, the ones brave enough to venture out
into our realm...

Thought I would use this old industrial shelving for display...
it turned out better than I expected,
it's rusty, greenish-gray finish is a perfect backdrop for the new
coffee scented candles I just dropped off...oh my...
the room not only has the wafting of delicate floral soap scents,
but now tempts you with that delicious note of java
brewing in the background...will you be tempted...yum!!!

Bits of garden art are starting to make their debut...
little metal , hanging envelopes and magnet boards,
made from vintage metal shingles display their garden message!

...and this sweet Victorian sofa SOOOOOO...needs to be in my house...SIGH...
Oh yes...did I mention it snowed again last night...

This time of year, it's just an annoyance...
just a dusting of a few inches...hardly worth shoveling the drive,
as the warmer temps coming, will melt it soon away...
ahhhh, Spring in the Heartland...
can you feel it...?

Swoonworthy...

Now this is my kinda chicken coop...
or should I say chicky condo!!!
You simply must go check out this coop over at
THE FANCY FARMGIRL!
Click on 'The Farm' and it will take you to that particular post...
SWEET!!!

Back to reality...
Well, back in the day, I used to raise chickens, lots of chickens...
and wild turkeys n Canada geese n ducks of all sorts n peacocks n guineas
n Embden, Toulouse and Pilgrim geese n pheasants...
boy, those were the days and boy do I missum!
Oh yeah...let's not forget the POOP!!!
Lots n lots of poop!!!

I want to have a chicken coop built, so I been surfing the web...
cute huh...though not quite for me...talk about meals on wheels!

Now this is sweet...wouldn't it be cute painted pink...

This one is really cute too...love all the windows!

OK...maybe if I lived in the back hills...
talk about recycling...LOL!

This is absolutely adorable, but I'm afraid the hens would
have to fight me for the space...

too too...

Now this is what I'm talkin' about!!!
This is what my shed guy and I were talkin' about...an out-house!
I only want a few hens...and this model is a two-holer
and will accommodate two nesting boxes just spiffy
and room enough for a garbage can for the feed...
hey, it's a matter of budget here...and less is more, right!
I just want a few heirloom hens...the ol'timey reliable type...
Barred Rocks...the checkered chickens...nice plump hens with ginormous
brown eggs...mmmmm...egg salad

Besides, I know what happens when you get too many hens...EGGS...
lots n lots of eggs...
and varmints,
they come out of the woodwork when you have meals on wheels!

YUP...I have a dream...
hey I live in Iowa...and I'm a farm-girl wannabe!
Me and Scratchy...and THE GIRLS!

SWEET!

Restless...

Like the dove, I'm ready to take flight into a season
soon here...
I want to say 'good morrow' to the light
and never close the door.

I am so ready for Spring...
The first thing on my agenda is to paint my bedroom white!
It's been yellow for 5 years now, though a soothing color of perpetual Spring,
I want it neutral...a place of pure, fresh harmony...
then to work on my upstairs studio(my closet)...
this is the room that harbors all of my fabrics and trimmings for the lampshades
that I rarely have time to work on...it's also the room that has become my closet.
These small, old farm homes don't have much storage, no closets, just the attic
and that is where all the clutter survives...and heartily, I must admit!
But my bedroom is in the front portion of the attic,
with a rustic old door that shelters from the noise of the 4-lane
to the rear of the house.

Yet I'm restless for the outdoors...
natural earth colors, harmony in Nature, I want to bring it all inside.
Open the windows and just breathe, with eyes closed, all that
I dreamed of in a long Winter's sleep.

I want to walk into the woodlands and surround myself with the leftovers,
the bits of Nature that shed beauty in all the shapes and textures...

I want to open the doors and let in the light,
turn off the furnace and rearrange and makeover and reuse what is there
to pull out another me that was at rest during a season of waiting...

Play on the porches of my desires, a woodland sprite, I am
always drawn to these places of sanctuary...
seeking the beauty of the natural in textures and tones,
reflections of harmony in my little world,
I flee to the other world of summer and wallow in all that beauty to behold...

and weave my world around it and create beauty
in one form or another...you must open your eyes to all that once was,
the wonder is there...
in the blink of your childlike eye!

Shadow Shot...It's coming...

Boy, us Northuners relish any bit of sun we can harvest...
you immediately notice a shadow glaring at you
the moment you walk into a room...
am I not right friends in the Nor'lunds!!!
Our snow is almost totally gone, it would seem the frost is out,
way too early, however, we won't delude ourselves...
ol' man Winter is still very much with us!

BUT...

We can still dream, as it's ever so near...SPRING!!!

And for our dear friends down under...
summer is ebbing, sorry guys, it's our turn!
But like I said, we still have lots of Winter to deal with, so...
let's enjoy summer at Harriet's place,
she's fun and so are all of her shadow buddies!
Please check her out!

Dare to be strange...

Mini-Me...

The latest addition to my 'Cracked in the Head' line on Etsy...

I know, I know...I'm sick in the head...right...
but, do you know how much fun I'm having playing with my toys?!

Isn't this just the cutest lil' concoction you've ever seen...
I had this tiny lil' head sitting there starring at me for the longest time...
then...vwalah...the light bulb went on!
Why not make a teeny version of the already sick-o's I already do!

'It' sits right on top of this teeny tea light...and...it flickers!
The light is grunged to give it a decrepit look...
I think it works...RIGHT!

Have a nice day out there in OZ...!

Puppy love...Spring make-over...

WHAT...!
Is this not the cutest lil' face...schnoodle...
a schnauzer/poodle mix,
her name is River, cause she lives on the Mighty Miss.,
but she's 4 months old and is cute as a button...

well...when she's holding still...
whatever...

Ya wanna smooch...right!

New soap scent...
Angelica...!
Just in time for Spring cleaning, will have in candles and tarts too!

Oatmeal cakes n coffee...YUMMMMM...

Delectable, Oatmeal, Milk and Honey...I love this soap
and the exfoliating qualities are really nice in the winter for dry skin!
This scent is sweet and milky, almost like baby powder
and it's going to the Candle Shed today.

And how about a cup of coffee to go with...
I'm so into recycling, that when I find cute lil' containers
I just have to fill them with sweets.
Fresh Brewed Coffee, boy does my house smell like a coffee shop!

Cream and sugar please...
I heart the old(or new) spatter-ware...does it just scream IOWA...
again filled with the delectable fragrance of fresh brewed java!

Do you supposed the Victorians actually used these delicate cups...
well I know one thing for sure, they didn't go into the dishwasher...

Nothing like the delicate floral charm in each period piece...mmmmm...coffee...

Nothing like a taffy colored sunrise to make the creative juices flow...
sigh...