Reflection

 

This week has been an extremely sad week for Americans.

As we are all glued to the TV watching the horror unfold,

I have been reflecting on the events of April 19th, 1995.

 

In February when we went to San Antonio ,

and on the recommendation of a friend ,

we stopped in Oklahoma to visit the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.

 

 

 

Sis and I had lived in Oklahoma for a few years when we were kids ,

and have always felt a kinship with the state .

 

It was a very moving experience to say the least .

 

 

On the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a rental truck with explosives in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and at 9:02am, a massive explosion occurred which sheared the entire north side of the building, killing 168 people.

 ( copied from the Memorial website )

 

 

This section of the Memorial represents the 168 people that were killed .

Each row represents the floor of the building they were on .

And each chair represents a victim.

 

The first row / floor has the most chairs,

that is where the daycare was located .

 

This was the hardest for me to fathom ...

innocent children.

 

What makes a person so consumed with hatred that they have no regard for the innocent ?

 

I can't and won't understand it .

 

The events of this week and the tragedy in Boston , have brought it to the surface again.

 

However, when you go to the memorial  ,

you have a sense of peace ,

of a city and nation that came together to create a beautiful and lasting tribute to those lost .

 

 

The Survivor Tree.

 

Just a common AMERICAN elm .

It withstood the blast and stands proud still .

 

 

Engraved on the wall surrounding the Survivor Tree,

 is this quote,

" The Spirit of this City and this Country will not be defeated ; our deeply rooted faith sustains us . "

 

That is my hope and my prayer for the city of Boston ,

all the victims and the loved ones of victims ,

and really , all of the citizens of

OUR great country .

 

Peace to you all ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Fat Squirrel comes to the Hood

Ya'all know I live in the back of beyond ,

or as I loving refer to it ,

The Trailerhood .
( actually , my friend's sons named it that and it just stuck , but it fits )

 

I love the wild life we see here.

There is a herd of deer that come into the field across from us every afternoon.

There are hawks and bald eagles and coyotes ,

OK , I don't really like any of those ,

I am not a fan of predatory animals.

But it's the circle of life right ?

*sigh*

 

But... 

I feed a plethora of birds year round .

A variety of Finches , Woodpeckers, nuthatches,

 chickadees, a pair of cardinals and morning doves .

For a short time I can see Baltimore Orioles and in the summer ,

we have Hummingbirds.

 

I have two feeding stations and I go through a LOT of seed !

 

The one animal I have always been surprised we don't have is squirrels.

You would think they would be everywhere.

I mean they live in town ,

why wouldn't they be here ?

 

Then a few weeks ago ,

Fat Squirrel showed up .

This was one of those times I really wish I could take good pictures.

I made Hubs come to the window and watch him with me .

He was literally hanging upside down on my tree

with his front feet on the bird feeder ,

eating !

 

Then he climbed into the tray feeder .

 

 

I am AMAZED at how entertained I am by this squirrel !

I've named him Fat Squirrel cause he is just so puffy !

And I LOVE him !

 

I immediately told Hubs he MUST build me one of those squirrel chairs.

You know , the ones where there is a seat

 and  a screw or nail to put an ear of corn on .

He said he would ,

but believe it or not he kept putting it off.

I really think he was thinking

"here we go again "

first crazy with the birds , now a squirrel .

But bless his heart ,

he never said it .

 

Anyway...

I took matters into my own hands .

 

I found this little chair at the thrift store !

YAH !

He had no choice then .

 

 

Not too pretty ,

but it works .

 

Then I became one of those people I used to make fun of.

The ones that actually go to the farm store

 and buy cobs of corn in a bag !

YIKES !

 

 

 

 

It took me FOR*EV*ER to get a picture of Fat Squirrel in his chair.

 

and not even a good one ...

 

Cause here's the thing .

He doesn't really like the corn .

Funny , huh ?

He would rather eat the sunflower seeds from the bird feeders.

Go figure ....

 

 

He works hard at it too .

 

One day he was eating sunflower seeds off the ground

and Addie said ,

" look Grandma , a chipmunk ! "

Love that !

 

So ,

while most sane people are buying special feeders to keep the squirrels out ,

I'm just buying extra sunflower seeds ...

 

 

 

 

I'm just the crazy bird / squirrel lady of the Trailerhood  :)

 

 

 

 



Making a Fairy Garden

I am sure I have mentioned this before ,

but winter  is sticking around the Trailerhood

WAY * TOO * LONG .

 

Since I can only dream about getting in my OUTDOOR garden,

I decided to make an INDOOR garden.

More specifically a Fairy Garden.

 

I was inspired by a trip to a local greenhouse.

I LOVE this greenhouse .

They have the SWEETEST lady working there .

Her name is Jean and she also has a KILLER hosta garden .

( which I am really hoping to share with you this summer )

 

We go there quite often on Wednesdays.

Friend Kathy loves the showroom and home décor

( her tastes aren't on the junky side like mine )

but Addie and I love to hang out in the greenhouse !

 

They have an extensive variety of plants specifically for Fairy Gardens.

 

 

 

and accessories,

 

 

Addie especially loved the Pixie Dust .

Imagine that.

I have sparkles everywhere !

Although she's not quite sure why everything doesn't fly when she sprinkles it.

Maybe someone from Disney could explain that to her ,

cause this Grandma DID NOT have that answer .

 

Jean has such a talent for making Fairy Gardens .

She even gives classes.

 

 

 

 

I loved they way she had the little vine growing around the gazebo.

 

 

I was so inspired that Addie and I picked out three plants

and went home to make one.

I already had some accessories I wanted to use .

 

 

How cute are these ?

Even the plant tags are named for fairies .

 

 

First ,

since the container I wanted to use didn't have drainage,

I filled the bottom with SMALL pebbles .

 

 

then a light potting mix

and my little fairy plants.

I choose and Irish Moss ( one of my favs ),

a Persian Chocolate Plant ,

and a Blue Star Creeper.

 

 

Next I added the "extras".

Really, this is what makes the garden special.

I found my little " Buddha Fairy " at a store called Seed

in Des Moines.

If you like plants , garden , whimsy ,

you MUST visit Seed !

From the minute I walked in , I felt the magic of the place .

It was all the girls could do to get me out of there !

 

The crystal rock came from our trip to Arkansas a little while back.

We drove through a section of Arkansas that was famous for crystal mining .

 

 

I love it !

The great thing is this little garden can transition to the outdoors,

when it ever gets warm enough !

 

To see the post on the Mini/ Fairy Garden I made last summer ,

go HERE and Here .

 

Here's hoping Spring arrives SOON !

I SO need to dig in the dirt !

Hubby has some great poop-dirt at the farm to add to the raised beds.

They are going to be AWE*SOME this year !

 

 

Making Home's New Home



Last week was a very busy week .

Not only did I get a brand new grand daughter ,

which meant Addie spent a couple nights with us,

but we also moved our booth at the Brass Armadillo.

 

I loved , loved, loved our other booths ,

but there was a roof problem...

they have tried and tried to fix it ,

but it just keeps leaking ,

ON* MY* BOOTH !

 

What a mess .

A new one became available just across the aisle

( where there is NOT a leak )

Sooo...

We moved.

 

If you are a visitor of Making Home's booth or have not visited and want to ,

( really , what are you waiting for ??? )

We are SO easy to fine.

When you walk in the front door ,

just keep walking .

STRAIGHT AHEAD .

We are the next to last booth on the right hand side .

You can still see our colorful booth from the front door :)

 

 

Still full of color .

I discovered when we were moving ,

I have been doing a lot of aqua pieces lately .

and I have a LOT of pink ...

and yellow ....

 

 

 

Hubs had to do a little construction

( see the upper shelf with the chairs ?  Yep , he built that )

He's pretty amazing .

Really .

I also had to paint ...

Oh well , it's what I do,  right  ?

 

You can also find more pictures of the new booth and inventory on our

Facebook Page .

Pictures there are courtesy of my bestie Rhonda.

We seriously wouldn't have gotten it all together without her .

( at least not without doing bodily harm to each other )

 

And by the way ,

when you visit our FB page,

feel free to "like" it , share it , tell me you were there .

I appreciate it !

VERY

VERY

MUCH !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Baby Alaina



Wednesday was the first day of spring.

I'm sure you were all aware of that .

I was too .

However ,

 I think Mother Nature forgot.

Here in the frozen tundra of the boonies,

winter doesn't want to give up.

We had a snow storm last Monday and

we are scheduled to get hit with another 1-2 inches tomorrow.

GRRRR....

 

We had a drought last summer ,

so I really shouldn't complain about the moisture.

And not to sound picky or anything,

But I would rather a 70 degree rain

than freezing rain and snow .

Fussy , I know.

Just can't help it.

 

But ,

the first day of spring did bring new life to my family.

On March 20 at 7:37 am ,

 my second grand daughter was born .

Weighing in at 8 pounds 3 oz !

 

Isn't she just A*DOR*A*BLE !

 

Addie has been so excited for her new baby sissy .

We have been playing with her baby dolls and changing diapers for WEEKS !

 

She is such a good little Mommy !

 

 

And she is going to be a GREAT Big Sister !

 

 

Things have changed SO much since I had my babies,

they have such cool gadgets now.

 I think one of the best is the Boppy Pillow!

Addie can safely hold baby sissy .

( although there is always an adult close by , duh )

 

I just wanted you all to meet my precious new grand daughter.

 

Alaina Jean

 

with Proud Auntie Emily Jean .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Happy Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday Everyone !

 

I've been a bit MIA lately .

Lots going on in my life right now.

I've been super busy with my new booths at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Des Moines,

I lost my Grandma

AND

Grand daughter #2 arrives in a few short weeks...

 

BUT...

Today is FAT TUESDAY !

If you know me ,

you know I love NOLA !

Hubs , not so much ,

but Sis and I would go back in a minute !

 

 

When I finally took down all the Christmas decorations

( yes it was well into February )

I decided to pay homage to my love of the Big Easy.

 

Some may have put Valentine's Day decor up ,

but not me .

Nope .

I would much rather celebrate Mardi Gras than Valentine's Day.

ANY * DAY*OF*THE*WEEK !

 

 

One of my most favorite things about our trip to NOLA

was walking the Garden District and seeing all the beads hanging in the trees.

 

It was well after Mardi Gras

but the trees were still full.

 

 

Our tour guide told us they are never cleaned up.

They have so many parades that by the time weather has blown them out ,

it time for another parade and they are full again.

 

 

My second favorite thing about NOLA is Shotgun Houses.

I was fascinated by them .

By the design,

the colors ,

the story,

JUST*IN*LOVE*WITH*THEM

 

I bought this water color from a street artist in Jackson Square.

 

 

Addie painted this bird house for me last Mother's Day.

I call it my Creole Shotgun Birdhouse :)

 

 

Bad phone picture ... sorry

But you get it , right ?

 

So there you have my little shrine to NOLA,

MardiGras and

Fat Tuesday.

 

 

 

To really celebrate ,

tonight it's Shrimp Corn Chowder,

Corn Muffins,

And Hurricanes !

Y'all want to come on over for supper don't you ?

 

Well...

friends are always welcome in the Trailerhood !

 

Let the Good Times Roll !

 

 

 

 

 



 

A New Home

 

Well...

Have I ever been busy this past week !

( not an excuse for not blogging ... well... maybe )

Tuesday Hubs and I headed south to Des Moines

for our " orientation" into Booth Vendor-ship at the Brass Armadillo.

 

You may remember  ,

with the cold weather in the frozen tundra of the Trailerhood,

I had quit having my bi-weekly sales.

 

I also hadn't been happy with my sales in Mason City.

And I had quite a bit of inventory left.

 

So my new goal was to find a new home for my junk.

 

Then came my EPIPHANY !

( don't you love that word ?)

 

 Em and I had gone to Des Moines a while back for Junk Jubilee,

and since it was kind of a "junkin" weekend,

we decided to check out the Brass Armadillo.

Thankfully,

 we had a very cooperative tour guide /chauffeur,

my good friend Rhonda.

 

I fell immediately in love ,

isle after isle of vintage- antique - junk - stuff !

H*E*A*V*E*N !

Even Em was impressed.

 Which makes Mama happy ,

 because she despised going to antique malls with me when she was younger .

( She said they smelled bad )

 

Both Rhonda and Em thought this was the place I should be with my junk.

I needed very little encouragement ...

 

Sooo..

Up to the desk I went to enquire as to what I needed to do to become a vendor.

My heart sank...

there was a 2 page waiting list to get a space.

The lady told me it would probably be March before something was available.

 

SADNESS....

 

Imagine my surprise when shortly after Christmas I got a phone call

from Toni at the Brass Armadillo wondering if I was still interested in a space !

 

Ummmm.... YES !

 

On Friday we loaded the trailer with a lot of my leftover inventory.

I had seen my space on Tuesday ,

and had arranged and re-arranged my booth

100 times in my head ....

but, of course, that's not how things work .

( or is it just me ? )

 

First order of business was to paint.

The previous vendor had a very bright yellow on the walls.

While I love a "pop" of sunshine ,

this was a bit overwhelming.

 

 

Yikes !

 

But when we arrived , we discovered there had been a roof leak,

(Thanks to winter ice build up and recent 50 degree days )

right above my booth and the one next to it.

It was still dripping a bit and the repairman wasn't coming till Monday.

 

But between one of the employees and my ingenious Hubs,

they came up with a temporary solution and the make over began.

 

Thanks to my friends Rhonda ,

we had it painted in about a half hour !

 

We made several trips with "stuff"

 and the "fun" began.

( the temps had of course dropped back to the "normal" teens ...brrr )

Again ...

Thanks to Rhonda !

( and the empty space next to us that we commandeered )

There is NO WAY we could have gotten it all done without her .

She has a great eye and with both of us on the same page,

Hubs didn't stand a chance :)

 

 

In progress...

 

And... 

" Making Home" has found a new home !

 

 

A little bit re-purposed,

 

 

a little bit vintagey junk.

 

 

 

And a whole lot of funky fun !

 

What  better way to begin a new year

than with a new adventure !

Long term goal...

keep it fun and full of beautiful junk ...

AND

Keep calm and don't FREAK OUT !

May be easier said than done...

 

Linking this post to FOLK

If you haven't checked out this magazine/blog you really should !