Ok....I so apologize for not posting for such a long time...please forgive me.  I have been so busy that I don't know what the heck happend to our summer!  We had plans of a vacation, little trips and lot's of visiting...but NO!  Health problems with us and our animals, losing my beloved Tinker, getting a new puppy that's still in the animal hospital for an upper respriatory infection, trying to run a business online, power outages and lightning striking our home, and all the other stuff that goes along with everyday living....shwew!  Makes me tired just thinking about it!

So I had a few minutes and thought that I'd share with you the projects that I've worked on, our new puppy and some other things.  So this will be a hodge podge of photo's of what my summer has consisted of....

This is my beloved Tinker.  She went missing awhile back and it just breaks my heart.

She was mine....when I would pick her up, she'd roll into me like she was giving me a hug.  Only me did she do this for...I miss her so....

This is Ozzy....he lived in a tree, lol.  He was so skiddish that I really didn't think we'd keep him.  But little did I know how he would melt my heart and now he wants to be around us all the time.

My oldest daughter caught him in my watering can...

They truly loved eachother...poor Ozzy is all alone now.

So as if we really needed anymore animals...we decided to get a puppy since our dog Gabe is getting a little grey.

He's such a sweetheart...this was actually the day before I had to take him to the vet.  He was watching me paint.

I'm hoping that I get to bring him home tomorrow...we miss him so much!

And this is Gabe....can you tell all the babysitting has worn him out?

We had a really bad storm that left us without power for 9 days.  We were a few of the blessed ones that got it back on...some went without for two weeks or more!

The wind blew up some of our shingles....these are just a few shown, but they were like this all in the front.  My handy hubby fixed them and made sure all was ok.

Trees were down everywhere!  But it could have always been worse....I thank God it wasn't! 

 I couldn't take the blonde anymore so I went back to my favorite color!

I've made slipcovers, window treatments, pillowshams and all sorts of other sewing projects.

Worked on things for the online shop.

Bought all sorts of things on fb yardsale to repurpose not to mention this beauty that I painted!

And decided to keep!

I've been so overwhelmed that these lovelies are almost dead from my neglect...

I've painted special orders.....

And the list goes on!

Campfires...

A trip to town....

We've enjoyed some ball games and great food!

And last but not least.... health issues with our oldest!

So now you'll know why I have been so scarce here in blog land. 

Where the heck did Summer go?

               

Some Sweet and Easy Treats

I've been making some easy treats for the family and thought that I'd share a few...

This stuff is YUMMY!

Here's the recipe...

1 bag microwave popcorn(the plain seems to pop more without all of the leftover kernels)

20 large marshmallows

1 cup brown sugar

1 and 1/2 sticks of butter

1 tsp. of vanilla(optional, I never use it)

2 tsp. of kayro syrup(sometimes I use regular syrup)

Makes about 12 clumps

Melt marshmallows for about a minute in the microwave,  add syrup.

Melt butter and add brown sugar.  Let it come to a boil and stir making sure to not scorch.  Let it boil until it comes to a soft ball when adding droplets into cool water.

Add all ingredients together and mix well, then pour over popped popcorn.  Make into clumps on wax paper and let cool.

A perfect simple sweet snack in minutes!

Here's another sweet treat!

I just had some of this a few minutes ago and thought what a light and wonderful treat it was!  But of course I love strawberries and blueberries!

Here's how I made it...

I bought two bags of frozen strawberries, 1 bag of frozen blueberries, a loaf of angel food cake, cream cheese fruit dip and strawberry glaze.

Tear some angel food cake to layer bottom,

Spread some glaze over it,

then layer strawberries.  Do twice and then spread cream cheese fruit dip.  Pour entire bag of blueberries on top.  I had a little bit of cream cheese dip left, so I smeared it over the blueberries and then added the rest of the angel food cake and the strawberries.   

The frozen fruit tends to not make the angel food cake "mushy" being stored in the fridge.

 Hope you enjoy...I sure did! 

No cooking involved and it only took a few minutes1

My kind of stuff, lol!

~The Deck is DONE!~  For now....

After a few days of shopping, planting, cleaning and some painting...here it is.  I am so glad I like chippy paint!  If I didn't, boy would I be in BIG trouble!

This little swing has a story....my oldest duaghter and I lugged this thing in the box up the stairs and put it together...took it apart...put it back together...took it apart...put it back together...well you get the picture.  You see, I don't like reading directions, lol!  And let me say, it was HOT out here while doing it!  Sara was dying like the typical teenager that never likes doing anything other than what she likes to.

This table was given to me by my aunt and uncle when they moved to Florida.  It was green so guess what I did?  You got it...spray painted it white!  The chairs were a find at Walley World and got a make over too!  I found the rug at Home Goods and the wicker chair was another facebook yardsale purchase.  It needed some paint too!

Last summer the hubs and I built the so called pergola and I made a cover for it and hung the sheers.  Thsi deck gets a little hot, so we added some much needed shade to actually enjoy this space.  A few years ago, I decided to stain the boards.  BAD idea....after the first winter, it was all peeling.  I have pressure washed this sucker and stained it over and over with every stain imaginable!  This summer it isn't getting anything!

I found the mirror at Home Goods and the chair was a thrift store find.  I slipcovered it with some bedding that I no longer needed.  I just adore topiaries and when I found this one at Lowes...I knew I had to have it!

The girls and my husband bought me the pink geraniums for Mother's day.  They know mama loves PINK!

I made the shelf under the window with some book ends that I found at Home Goods.  They were a bright pink so I painted them white.  They bled and became a light pink...how neat was that?!

The chandi came from K-Mart...it got painted too!

These planters were brown when I bought them from a lady.  I love them white!

More pink geraniums!

                                               

I made a slipcover for the potted geraniums since I didn't want to paint it and ruin my pretty flowers.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed a peak of the back deck.  Ther is more around  the corner, but I am still working on it!

Always remember to live a good life and to love freely!  God is so good!

                        ~WELCOME TO OUR PORCH~

Yesterday was not a good day in the Hays home....the hubs was having some trouble putting in our hot water tank.  He had a few leaks, ran a few too many times for parts instead of buying extra (he tried to save a little money) and the stress level of having to fill and drain that sucker over and over was just not good at all!  So, like I always do, when I get a little upset, I clean.  And this is what I did......

What began as frustration turned out to me thinking..."what have I gotten myself into"  as the sweat began to roll.....

The rug came from a friend who didn't want it anymore.  All it needed was a little TLC and a good scrubbing.  I am elated with it,  Thanks Sue!  The rocker was a trash find from my sweet husband.  He knows me all too well.

I ended up carrying all of the furniture off of the porch to be sprayed down with clorox and scrubbed.  Well that ended up turning into scrubbing the whole front side of the house, lol!  We looked like Sanford and Son out front.....

All of the cushions were washed and I found some slipcovers I had made a few years back.  I drug them all out .... it was like Christmas all over again!

I had bought some flowers on Sunday and thought that I'd just put them on the porch until I planted them....now I'm thinking "how can I keep roses in pots?"   I am just so smitten with the look!

This is one of three planters that I found on facebook yardsale and painted white.  Love them!

All in all, I am lovin' the look....I have my little bit of shabbiness outside to enjoy. 

I'll be getting my ferns this week sometime.  I've been holding off because of "sweet little  Birds" love to build their nests in them.   I think their nest building is pretty much done.  I know I'll have a few stragglers, but not like I normally do.  They have all the trees in the world but they pick my ferns evrey year! 

Little Turkeys!

I spray painted the jar basket and watering can, what else of course...white!  I think I am turning into a major white lover.

This is Mamaw's chair....When she comes for a visit.  I wouldn't dare to sit there, she's totally selfish  isn't she?  Love ya Mama!

The stool was made be my Grandpa Jim....he passed away before I was born.  But I have heard so many wonderful stories about him from my whole family.  My Uncle Jack looks just like him.  So in a way I have a little part of him here on earth.  Love you Uncle Jack!

The cabinet holds all of our outside shoes.  I love things to be hidden...especially them!

See the pink pot?  My Mama brought that to me the other day....won't it be so pretty with some white impatients?

I'm planning on staining the brick...it's looking so faded and worn.  Plus I have never liked the red.  But that'll be another story...sigh...it just never ends with me.

 

It was a dreary morning, but now that I have taken the photo's and am doing this story...quess who's showing up now...

the SUN! 

But you get the picture....