Now For A Little Catching Up...

As I sit here enjoying the view of the pond at Fair Park and the sound of Cicadas whirring in the trees, I am grateful for these minutes of quiet. Wow, the end of May and beginning of June had been busy!  Some very significant milestones have occurred in our family and I am very grateful to have been a part of them.

These cool letters were done by my sister, Windy

The most significant milestone in my immediate brood is the fact that Cheyenne has graduated.  It is so odd to live in a house with a person no longer in grade school.  Now when we talk of the future, it is a future at our doorstep not down the road.  Her party was lots of fun, lots of family and many friends came out to wish her well.  After good food, good cake and gifts, there was a lot of trash talking on the lawn as a friendly game of volleyball went on till after dark.   Most of the trash talking came from Cheyenne's father, Tony.  My husband talks trash regardless of winning or losing.  Which made it all the funnier when he stumbled and landed on his rump!

Also of importance, Savannah turned 17 and Jonathan turned 11.  My nephew Stephan also turned 17, he and Savannah are only2 weeks apart.  Stephen has and is growing into quite a handsome young man.


The same weekend we had Cheyenne's graduation party, JD and Kara were given a wedding shower.  The shower was beautiful.  Stephanie made the cake and all the aunts came together to decorate, it was a lot of fun.  My gandmother's house has seen many things.  Both the wedding showers this spring as well as too many other events to recount, and Christmas Eve at that house for a least the past 40 years.  I know there were Christmas celebrations before my birth, but I have no idea how many....

My cousin Casey married a real sweetheart June 9th, this wedding was so happy and fun.  My family had a delightful time and shared a lot of laughs.  While we all enjoyed the dancing- in our own way- my niece Rylie showed herself to be a party girl.  I laughed and laughed at her 5 year old self.

The following Saturday, my cousin JD married Kara, another sweetie with pretty brown eyes.  We traveled to Houston for the wedding which was simple and beautiful.  Again, the family had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughs.

I am so happy for both of the new couples.  In July, Tony and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  It is hard to believe that that much time can go by so quickly.  Marriage is not an easy undertaking, but well worth the work.  I pray these young lovers find the security, love, trust, and intimacy in the marriages that Tony and I have found in ours.

As you can see, what a time we have had!  Now, time to settle back into farm life and nursery work.  Savannah is volunteering each Wednesday at the Children's Aquarium @ Fair Park.  She is really happy and is making on baby step towards her dreams of being a Marine Mammal Behaviorist.  So, I am planning on getting all those field trips that I have been wanting to take done.  Since we are coming each week, there is no reason not to.  But for now, I am content to watch the kids feeding the turtles (let's all hope the alligator snapping turtle minds his manners!) and listen to the Cicadas.

Vintage Farmhouse

Love this vintage table

When it comes to decorating inside or out, I love vintage farmhouse stuff.  Whether it be pails, buckets, doors, windows, farm implements, or tables, I love it and the more layers of chipped & peeling paint the better.

 I first began using old doors in our garden center.  Everyday we had folks come in and ask to purchase the doors. At first I said no, after all, I was using them.  But then again, I knew were to get more. So, we began to sell the doors as well as plants.  I am amazed at the creativity that I see when people tell me how they are going to use the doors.  And every so often someone actually purchases one to use as a door- amazing! Truly, the subject of how to use old doors would be a blog post all in itself- and it probably will be.

Old buckets have so many uses

Obviously, pails & buckets lend themselves to be planters, whether inside or out. The buckets and pails are also great for holding extra toilet paper or extra towels in the bathroom or napkins in the kitchen. Windows have many uses such as message boards, simple decor, or picture frames.  Really, there are no rules just let you imagination take you there.  I guess if you have large enough room, you could use farm implements inside, but mainly I use those to accent flower beds.  I especially love to plant pole beans around the implements.  Once it gets really warm the beans start blooming and the display is beautiful.

Lately I have been smitten with old tables. Painted wood has had my eye for awhile, but the wood ones with the porcelain tops are awesome.  They are very durable and the little dings and worn spots give them character. The porcelain tops are just great in and of themselves.  When the wood in the table has seen its last days, the tops can live on as message boards and such.  Magnets stick to the metal, paint pens work great for adding a quote or Bible verse to them, and dry erase will wipe off of them.

Many of the older folks would say that these things belong in the trash heap, but I so disagree.  By re-using and re-purposing things from the past, we can create a unique style and reduce waste at the same time.  Not to mention the sentiment attached to many of these items.  The look and feel of a galvanized bucket reminds me of summer and my Great-Grandmother's farm.  The old farm implements remind me of my earliest memories in the "fields"- that is what my family called the 5 acre garden where the produce was grown to take to the Dallas Farmer's Market.  I loved running barefoot and feeling the sand between my toes and digging a hole and burying my feet in the cool soil.  I like having items around me that pull these sensations from my memories.