Odds and Ends.

Today for Show and Tell I'm showing some items I've found at sales recently.
I'm pretty sure I have some of these in my Christmas stuff but you can never have too many carolers!This small planter caught my eye for some reason. I think I need to get a small ivy to plant in it.

I have also been drawn to brown pieces lately so I just pick up odds and ends when I like them. The sugar bowl works great for flowers.

I love this tiny piece. I'm not sure what it is but appears to be about the size to hold a pat of butter.

For more Show and Tell posts go to Kelli's House.

Too cute!

This is one of Jerzie's cousins at her birthday party. Jerzie gave out bags of favors and these sunglasses were in the bag. The shirt says it all! I smiled every time I saw her.

It's Bloomin' Tuesday!

Welcome!Today it's all about the cone flowers. I really love them and pick one up every time I find a new color. I moved several of the colors last year and hopefully they will have a chance to spread now.
I love the 'sunset' colors. It is just beautiful and the name matches it perfectly.
I've had these for a long time and don't know the name. They are a little more purple than pink and I love the dark purple stems.

I found this 'green envy' on a clearance rack at Lowe's this year. It was pretty droopy but perked up great once I watered and planted it. I love the green tips!

This yellow bloom has a few problems
but I'm still happy with it.

I also have a few white ones. I think they are all striking no matter what the color.

These are my original cone flowers. They just keep on spreading and blooming, the blooms are huge on these.

I hope you enjoyed my cone flowers. Do you have any colors I don't have?

If you'd like to join Bloomin' Tuesday just add your name and permalink to Mr Linky. Please, add a link to this post on your blog and tell your friends about our garden tour.

Have a happy Bloomin' Tuesday!

Guest photographer

I found Jerzie a kids digital camera for her birthday. They are quite expensive but I found one for thirty dollars at Tuesday Morning and decided that would be good enough for her to learn on.We went for a walk and she asked me to take her picture standing on a rock.
Space alien? No, just Payton in her stroller with the shadow from mesh on her face!

Pot of flowers.

More pots.

Orange lilies.

Hydrangea.

Trumpet vine on my deck.

This is Jerzie's best sunflower she grew.

Just look how tall it is!

(This one also taken by Gramma.)

All and all not too bad for the first time.

Sweetie Sleepover!

MMMMMM Yummy watermelon!
A princess building her castle.
Sister love!
Tired Gramma!

Show and Tell

I should worry that this post is going to date me but since you all know I just turned 60, there is no point worrying about that! I found these 2 Beauty Books of Knowledge at a household sale and couldn't resist them. They are updates for 1965 and 1967, the year I graduated from high school.
They show every thing from razor cuts (Yes, they have been around that long and were the main cuts I did when I first started!) to rollers and pincurls.
I actually took the first state board that included rollers.
This is something I didn't learn, leg waxing. I did do facials, manicures and eyebrows. There was also information about running a beauty shop and even signing a lease.

Small hair pieces or wiglets were very popular back then often used to add curls to the top of your head. Some people with thin hair used more than one.

I'd guess at least half of the yearbook pictures from this era had a version of this do. Every single hair had to be in place and the hair spray business was booming! Fess up, do you remember?
For more Show and Tell posts go over to Kelli's House.

Centerpiece

Click on the pictures and you can see the screening in the bottom of the gravel sifter.

Gravel sifter-.75

Vintage garden tool-$5.00

Tin round-$3.00

Flowers-Free

Deck table centerpiece-Priceless!

It's Bloomin' Tuesday!

Welcome! One of my favorite shade plants for adding a real pop of color is astilbe. The blooms are beautiful even from far off and they come in lots of different colors and heights.

I got this lovely pink one this year. It's about 18 inches and bloomed a little before the others but it was close to blooming when I bought it.

This more purple with red stems is about the same height as the last one. It is also a very striking color.
This is a close up of a light pink. As you can see it is really a variegated pink and white. It is actually even shorter than the other 2, about 12 inches.
The tallest astilbe I have is the white. It is about two and a half to three feet tall. It really adds a bright spot to the darkest area of the shade garden.

The last 3 I have had for a few years and are in the older part of the shady area. They remind me of cotton candy. I will definitely get more colors as I find them.

So what's bloomin' where you are planted? If you'd like to join the tour just add your name and permalink to Mr Linky and add a link to this post on your blog. Everyone is welcome, weather you grew them or not.

Have fun on the walk thru the gardens. You won't even get tired out!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jerzie Shea!

Jerzie Shea,
I enjoy every minute I spend with you! Even when you are a little stinker, you make me smile (mostly because Daddy so deserves you!). I laugh every time I tell you not to do something or ask why you are doing something and you tell me 'People do that, Gramma!'

You are funny, helpful, lovable and caring. You tell me to be careful when you think I am doing something dangerous and remind me not to eat the 'crust' on my watermellon. You are loving to your little sister and miss her when you are apart even tho she took away some of your attention. You always make sure she has her toys and just by talking to her you change her tears to smiles.

It means so much to me that you enjoy working in the garden with me. You are always the first to remind me the plants on the deck need watered and tell me to listen when you hear a bird sing. You love animals, birds, bugs and flowers and listen when I tell you about them.
I knew being a Gramma was going to be fun, but I had no idea the joy you would give us all! I'm fascinated watching you grow into the person you are destined to be and I plan to enjoy the ride. I'm so thankful for the time we can spend together. Thanks for being you!
Love, Gramma

Food for Thought

What if the little rain should say,

'As small a drop as I

Can never refresh a drooping earth,

I'll tarry in the sky.'

Interesting...

I found a couple interesting blooms in my garden I thought you might enjoy.I guess you could call this a piggyback bee balm. I've never noticed this before, have you?
I can't wait to see what this cone flower ends up looking like. It is supposed to be the same as the other 2 in the picture. I'll keep you posted!

Lighted Branch

A girlfriend gave me this lighted 'branch' for my birthday. It has tiny LED lights on the tips of the short stems and it has a very long thin cord so it's versatile. I decided to put it in a sewing machine drawer with a bird and some dried hydrangea. It will be fun to see what other uses I can find for it.
She found it at a small shop owned by a family member.
They are made by The Light Garden and if you click on 'contact us' you can find out who sells them near you.
For more Show and Tell posts go visit Kelli's House.

The Ballroom

Upstairs over the antique shop we visited is a huge ballroom. It is used for dances, receptions, etc. There is an entrance from the back of the store with a very wide, steep stairway.At one end is the bar area and the other end has a corner stage. There is a tiny kitchen behind the bar.

You can tell by this picture how huge this room is. There were regular size banquet tables all around the room the day we were there. Above the windows, all the way around the room are old lighted beer signs. I would love to see them all lit up!

The wood ceiling was amazing!

My memory was sure jogged when I saw the bread advertising on these old screen doors hanging on the walls. Every store in my small hometown had these doors.

I can just imagine a square dance like I went to with my Gramma and Grampa at the local Legion, in this awesome ballroom!