Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007

~* Boo *~

May your day be filled with lots of treats...well, not too many...don't want those unwanted pounds creeping up!

If you've not gotten around to carving your own pumpkin, Click Here for some carving fun.

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Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments on my WOW finds. Julie, Robin and Abbie surprised me by commenting more than once...thank you!

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Kristen was kind enough to tag me to list seven interesting facts that you didn't know about me. Here are my facts: Click Here to read them.

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I feel bad...Marie tagged me a good while ago to do the middle name meme, but I never got around to completing it. I haven't been able to come up with something interesting or clever...think, think, think...the year isn't up yet...there's still time, right?

~* My New Goodies *~

If you don't find me at my favorite thrift stores, then most likely I am at my favorite discount store, The Wow Outlet. I am always amazed at the items they sell and the prices they sell them for. They have a lot of "country" items. It's one place I have to put myself on a budget because there are so many wonderful items in this store. Here's what I found on Wednesday:Crock Candle Holder for $1.00
Lantern for my Porch - I bought four of them at $8.00 each. They hold a little tea candle.
Wooden plate with star plate holder - $1.00 for the holder - $5.00 for the plateThree wooden plates for $4.50

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As always, your visits and comments mean so much to me...thank you for stopping by!

Grow Mint in a Bottle

You can easily grow mints in water using a bottle or jar. Keep them in a sunny window, provide them with some liquid fertilizer, and change their water weekly. By spring they will be ready to plant out in the garden just in time for Derby day mint juleps.Remember to put them out after the last threat of frost has past. Even if you are planning to make them houseplants, spending some time out of

Stormy Day at Damon Point in Ocean Shores

Damon Point is one of my favorite areas in Ocean Shores. Today is the reminent from last nights storm. Here are some pictures I took today. Notice all the driftwood (or logs) hitting the beach. Jeff

~* Fall Decorating *~

I have a few fall decorations around my home that I wanted to show you.

I found this pumpkin decoration at my favorite Salvation Army store for $1.99. It was brand new and is from Home and Garden Party (the tag was still on it).

A glass jar that was a thrift store find filled with potpourri (that was on sale of course!).

The dinning room table. Most of the items on here were bought at a discount. Why pay full price if you don't have to? The table cloth was on clearance for $7.00. The place mats were $1.00 each from Dollar General several years ago. The sugar bowl was one of my freebies at the Relay for Life. Domed candle holders for $7.00 each on clearance. Oh, I just noticed that the second candle is awfully crooked...don't worry I straightened it up!

And last but not least, a cornucopia on top of my china cupboard. I have a few more fall items out, but why put it all in one post...I want all of you to come back for more visits!

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Thank you Julie, Robin, Kristen, Brenda, Meggie, Terri, Esther, Becky, Heidi, Tara, Wendi, Kari and Kijsa, Deb, Utah Grammie, Maria, Dena, Susan, Manuela, and Claudia for taking the time to leave me a comment...you are so sweet!

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Dena, I just wanted to let you know that I have been to your blog, but I haven't been able to leave you a comment because your blog uses a popup comment box (for some reason I can't post there even with popup blocker turned off - it always comes up Internet Explorer can't display the page). Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I would never want you to think I was being rude. I wanted to e-mail you, but didn't have an address to contact you.

~* An Award *~

I am so deeply touched that three of my sweet blogging friends honored me with this award. A special thank you to: Julie, Robin, and Meggie. You make me smile as well! I know that you are to pass this on to 10 other people, but it is so hard to pick just ten so I am passing this on to you...all of my sweet blogging friends who have left me such kind comments since I started this blog some time ago!

Collin County Real Estate - Desoto Homes

1723 WINDMILL HILL LN
DESOTO, TX 75115

Stunning! This home will take your breath away! From a grand entry to the tranquil back yard, you will fall in love with this gorgeous home. Immaculately maintained, beautiful & numerous upgrades! Superb floorplanning, ext millwork, see through fp's, granite counters, custom cabinets, hard wood floors, tavertine, iron balusters, berber carpets, custom paint, faux finishes, the list goes on! Don't miss this one! 5th bedroom currently used as study-office.

5 Bedrooms

3 Full 1 Partial Bathrooms

3,950 Est. Sq. Ft.

Listing # 10852422

$799,900

For More Information about this Listing.
Visit our site: McKinney Homes & Collin County Real Estate

Blog Action Day - Square Foot Gardening & The Environment

Today over fifteen thousand blogs with twelve million readers will be blogging on one topic - The Environment. Each of my blogs are participating, each from a different perspective so be sure to read them all.Square Foot Garden Bed2006If you have been reading this blog you will know we moved here in late June so have not set up the new vegetable and herb beds. When deciding on an environmental

~* Fort Days and A Dessert *~

Our local town of Ligonier, PA, has a celebration every year on the second weekend in October called Fort Ligonier Days. It is a three day festival full of music, food, crafts, and history. One of the highlights of the festivities is the parade on Saturday that lasts several hours. I have gone to Fort Days for years (ever since I was a small child) so I decided to take advantage of everyone being at the parade on Saturday to look at the craft booths. The only things I bought were a bag of potpourri and a small basket with pipberries in it. It was a lovely day, but a little on the chilly side when you were in the shade. I wish I would have taken a picture to show you how many people come out for this festival...it is amazing that a small town festival draws so many people.

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Our church is having a meal after church services today so I decided to make "Pumpkin Surprise". I love recipes that are super easy, but taste delicious...this is one of these recipes and I'd like to share it with you. It smells delightful!

~*Pumpkin Surprise*~

Mix together:

1 large can of pumpkin

1 can of evaporated milk

2 cups of sugar

2 beaten eggs

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Pour into an ungreased 13 x 9 baking dish.

Sprinkle the following ingredients on top of the pumpkin mixture in the order listed:

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 cup of chopped pecans

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter and drizzle over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Nasturtiums

NasturtiumsOctober 7, 20007When we moved here in June I was not expecting any edible plants so I was quite pleased to discover strawberries and parsley. A few weeks ago I noticed the greens of nasturtiums. When they began flowering I was elated. I had planted nasturtiums a couple of years ago in my old gardens. For some reason they did not reseed so I planted them again. With the move, the

~* A Few Of My DH's Favorite Things *~

I was inspired by Melissa's post to show you a few of my dear husband's favorite things in our home. My dh grew up around horses and has always had a love for them and all things western...I think he dreams of being a cowboy!

One of my dh's favorite horse pictures above our mantel.

Our most recent Montana Silversmith figurine purchase. (Becky do you see the glass container that is similar to yours?)

A curio cabinet filled with Montana Silversmith horse figurines.
An old lasso and spurs.

Our living room lamp with another pair of spurs.

So you see dear friends, my dh does have some input into the decorating of our home.

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Thank you dear friends for your very kind comments about my powder room redecorating. It did upset me that my favorite find of the day had gotten broken. Next time I will try to be more careful with my precious cargo!

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007

Real Estate 101: Top Tips to Improving Your Home

If you are trying to sell your home, you will want to take a few steps to improve it in order to get the best price possible. By following these simple tips, you will be able to get a great price and to sell your home as quickly as possible.

Tip 1: Getting Natural
One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve the look of your home and to improve its value is to add a few flowers. Even if you are not an avid gardener, you can add a few flowers to make your home more appealing when homebuyers visit your property. Flowers are relatively inexpensive, easy to add and provide immediate results.
If you don't want to dig up your yard, you can simply place some flowers inside planter boxes. You can then place them on the porch, on the patio, in windowsills or anywhere else a little color would be a good idea. Some flowers that are quite attractive and easy to care for include:
Alyssum Marigolds Pansies Petunias Snapdragons These flowers are also pretty inexpensive and can be bought in trays. In fact, you can create an entire planter box - including the planter, soil and the flowers for less than $20. What's even better is you can take the planter boxes with you when you move, so you can dress up your new home right away!

Tip 2: Create a Grand Entrance
The entryway will be the first thing most people notice, as this is what leads them into your house. Therefore, you should give this area a bit of attention when improving your home. Your landscaping and outdoor design should make it clear where your front door is located and should help encourage visitors to move in this direction. Sometimes, simply painting the front door a different color is enough to boost its appeal. Many designers prefer to paint the front door a bright color and to place a large welcome mat in front of the door to help it stand out a little more. Creating an "outdoor foyer" of sorts can also help draw attention to the entryway. A strategically placed bench or potted plants can do wonders where this is concerned.

Tip 3: Update the Kitchen and Bathrooms
You don't have to completely gut your kitchen and bathrooms in order to get a great look. But, you should take steps to make sure they are both updated, because these rooms are the two biggest selling points to a home.
One way to quickly update a kitchen is to reface the cabinets. This is less expensive than installing completely new cabinetry and can provide great results. If your budget allows, you might install more up-to-date appliances as well. Changing the cabinetry or installing interesting lighting in a bathroom can go a long way toward improving the look of this room as well.
Making a few simple steps to improve your home can go a long way toward improving the value of your real estate. Even better, by making a few smart choices, these improvements do not have to cost you a great deal of money. Yet, they can help you dramatically increase the amount of money you receive when you do sell your home.-by Kinan Beck

~* Powder Room Redecorating *~

I've been doing some redorating. The top of my yellow cupboard was a little boring so I decided to do something about it. I found the little artificial plant at Goodwill for .69 cents. (In person it almost looks real!) I love words so I couldn't pass up dream that I found at a local country decorating store.

I also added a few items to this cupboard in the powder room.
I found this great little pitcher at Goodwill yesterday for .99 cents. I thought it was so adorable. Would you believe that when I got the bag out of the vehicle I dropped it and it broke. I was able to salvage it and get it glued back together. However, there are two small holes on the other side of the pitcher that couldn't be fixed. I didn't have the heart to throw it away (I'm only showing you the good side). Unless it's picked up you wouldn't know it was broken.

This is a picture of my dear Mom when she was a little girl. I found this frame at a thrift store almost a year ago and didn't know what to put it in. I have another frame exactly like this one. I'm going to put a picture of my dear Dad in it from when he was a little boy. The old books were yard sale finds.
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It was so nice to hear from Esther, Lynda, Julie, Wendi, Manuela, Brenda, Kari and Kijsa, Dena, Terri and Bob, Heidi, Robin, Becky, Linda and Penny....thank you for leaving me a comment!

Go Fly A Kite!

The American Kiteflyers Association is in town this weekend. There's over a 1,000 people down on the beach. Here are some pictures I took.

~* My Chalkboard *~

Heidi wanted to know what I was going to use my chalkboard for...at the suggestion of my dd, we are going to put quotes on it.

The quote I have on it right now was found in one of my Gooseberry Patch books. It says:

Give us Lord,

a bit o' sun

a bit o' work

and a bit o' fun.

Give us all,

in the struggle and sputter,

our daily bread and a bit o' butter.

It has been fun looking for quotes to put on the chalkboard. If I really like the quote I'm going to leave it up for at least a week.
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I hope you're not getting tired of me saying thank you for visiting me, but I really do appreciate it. I've been trying to catch up with all of you on your blogs. For some reason when I visit Robin at Bittersweet Pumpkin I cannot leave a comment on her blog. It comes up with a message that Internet Explorer cannot display the page. Robin, if you're reading this I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I was going to contact you by e-mail but couldn't find an e-mail address. I just wanted to let you know that I'm praying for you and your family. I also appreciate the concern you showed to me when I was under the weather.

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Also, to Jenny, you wanted a plan of our farmhouse. Could you please contact me by e-mail? Thanks!