Garden Goose

Oh my..here she is...

2012-01-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Wow! time flies when life gets busy doesn't it? I did not realize until today that this poor blog had been neglected so. Almost a year since I have visited its pages and written something about my day, my gardening dreams,my family's plans,and hopes,etc. Wow!

Well, the last year has been an adventure..some good things, some not so good things. The not so good things are in the past and I leave most of them there where they belong.

As many of you have seen we purchased a new to us home in Central Florida in December 2010. We love it! It is much larger than the home we had in North Florida and we have an acre and 1/2 to have fun on. A virtual blank slate the yard is...as the former owners really did not do a thing here for about 3 yrs the house sat empty..so the yard needed much in the way of clean up and tree and debris removal. We accomplished that this past year with several trees out and underbrush removed and hauled out.

I've managed to plant about 6-7 blueberry bushes,8 grape vines,and 3 blackberry vines, 2 figs in the back yard. We also have planted some ferns and jasmine, and a few other things. 5 eight foot by 4 foot raised beds were built right outside the back patio/porch area and I have grown bush beans,carrots,lettuces, and more. One raised bed is full of strawberry plants.

I have so many plans yet for the backyard..garden beds that I will create and things that I intend to plant here.

Yesterday I sowed seeds for about 16 different wildflower varieties in our front yard where we had a new drain field put in..when the drain field was put in we also had some top soil brought in and spread over the area, so I had a pretty big area of bare ground waiting for something to be done with it..now I merely add the sprinkler to the area from time to time after I raked it smooth and scattered thousands of seeds...and I cross my fingers..and maybe even my toes too..and wait. I really really hope that the seeds that were sown will grow.

Since being in this house we have also: had the master bedroom floors redone with wood flooring. Had the master bathroom redone with tile flooring. Painted master bedroom. Painted one of the bedrooms and added a wood laminate flooring. Added a succulent,cactus areas to the back patio by removing bricks on patio area and utilizing the removed bricks to create a garden walkway in backyard. Created a large garden bed in back yard with some ferns and a large urn planter. Created mulched pathways between all of the raised beds near patio and have nearly completed a brick pathway alongside the raised beds near the back porch area.

As you can read...many projects have been done along the way.

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I have also managed to get some photography projects going along the way too! I approached a couple of lifestyle magazines in our area and they have been working with me on a few freelance projects from time to time. A great way to get out there and learn about my new town and to meet some nice folks along the way, and to build up my portfolio. Fun! Fun!

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and for the not so fun... our New Year was ushered in with some really not fun adventure..we had to make an unexpected trip to the ER with our son on New Year's day..we thought he had a bad stomach bug, but bad went to worse and it wasn't a stomach bug after all..it was diabetic ketoacidosis! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ketoacidosis) So there we were blaring down the highway at 85 miles an hour in the back of an ambulance to get to Shand's Children's Hospital. We spent 2 full days in the PICU to get things stabilized..and our new "normal" now involves 2 insulin shots 2 times a day and blood sugar checks 4 times a day at a minimum..and a very regimented meal time and snack time schedule. We now know what living with type 1 diabetes looks like. Our journey on this road has officially begun. Our son is now doing very well, he managed to gain back all of the weight that he had lost due to dehydration that occurs within about 24 hours with this..and wound up gaining the weight lost and then some. He looks like a healthy little boy again! Thank goodness! The thing the dr's told us is most parents find out that their children have type 1 this way..it mimics the symptoms of a stomach bug..vomiting and tiredness, but then drops into a state of being very thirsty and having to urinate a lot, and then into weakness, then lethargic, then become unaware of surroundings..it happens very quickly and is very scary.We had no idea that he was diabetic as thus far no one in either of our families has this. We have agreed to have the remaining family members tested for research purposes at Shand's and to make sure no one else in the family has it. Typically children have a 1/300 chance of getting Type 1 diabetes, but if a child has a sibling with type 1 diabetes their risk rises to a 1/20 chance. So..this is now our new "normal". We have gotten used to testing blood daily. I've become a pro in the last 3 weeks at giving shots. I report almost daily to the dr's with blood sugar levels..this daily reporting will ease once things have stabilized and we get more learning under our belts. My days rotate around things like meal times,blood sugar numbers, and carbohydrate counts now and making healthy meals and snacks.And we make frequent trips over to Shand's for diabetes clinic education. Still so very much to learn along the way.

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So..I am also working on de cluttering..when son and I were at the hospital ...my husband bless his heart..and my oldest dd redid my son's bedroom completely.. ripped out carpet and installed a laminate wood look flooring, removed all of the clutter in his room,replaced bedding with new and painted the walls and trim work, and decorated the room like a professional interior decorator would have and based the decor on one of my son's favorite video games. it looks awesome and I told my husband that with our bedroom looking brand new and clutter free now and my son's bedroom looking brand new and clutter free that I am going to just let him come in and decorate the house for me..remove all of the clutter and stuff that we truly do not need and create peaceful and serene rooms. My/our life needs that now.

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I have started listing vintage things from my collections and finds in my Garden Goose Gifts shop again. If any of you are interested you can see them at www.gardengoosegifts.etsy.com There will be lots of fun things listed in the days to come.

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I also am planning our spring garden. I'll be planting my garden on February 14th with lots of the seeds that I have available in my garden shop online. If you are in need of terrific heirloom garden seeds I have them available at www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

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Well..that's the latest at the moment. I will strive to write here a bit more often now. Thanks for stopping by! Always so nice to have you visit.

~The Garden Goose!~

For a long time... we've "been there and done that"

2011-02-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Before I had ever heard the Dervaes name ( in fact I had only heard about them about a year ago) urban homesteading(o.k. I guess I better put a big TM here) has been in my family's blood for quite a very long time.
My grandfather and grandmother were farmers in Idaho and in fact my grandfather was quite the envy of folks as they'd come to see his garden from miles around. He used to garden by the moon signs I was told. And my grandmother..I get my love of simpler living from her...she used to can loads of vegetables and had lots and lots of shelves full of canned items that they had grown stored in their basement. In fact my grandparents later moved to Washington and had a restaurant where they would serve such things as cantaloupe and watermelons to their customers(with a scoop of ice cream included)
Then when my grandfather passed away my grandmother came to live with us, and the farming tradition didn't stop just because we lived in various towns/city limits.
Nope..in fact they kept on pretty steady all through my growing up years. We'd have things like home made bread and noodles. We even collectively planted gardens in our backyards. Granny would can vegetables and I'd sneak into the jars of home made butter pickles.
One year my dad and I rescued 200 baby chickens from a alligator farm and raised the chickens in our backyard. Giving some away for free to the local community and maintaining a flock for ourselves to gather eggs from, and for my granny to prepare chicken dinners with.

Yes, even one time we lived on the main street of Arcadia, FL and had a flock of chickens free ranging in our yard. And my granny and dad decided to cull a few of the chickens. Yep, they did so right in the heart of the city..set up their chicken butchering station on the side of the yard and we enjoyed chicken dinner later.
I honestly can say..nope the Dervaes have nothing on us and our lifestyle. We had already "been there and done that" for quite some time.
I am a 3rd generation urban farmer if you will.
I've had chickens and ducks in the heart of the city, and ever since I've been a wee girl I have had a heart for the land and for growing things.
In fact my home now qualifies for homestead exemption. If the government deems my property as a homestead then surely when I farm in the city limits that makes me an urban homesteader/farmer.(insert big TM mark here too...gosh that looks silly but I guess "they" say we have to do it, but TM is my initials anyhow so maybe I should trademark the TM..huh? yah I like the sounds of that..ha)

My grandmother and I

Well, yep..I've been there and done that for a long time now. And in fact I'm still doing it. I have been proud of the sore muscles I have garnered just this week alone as I plant blueberry trees, planted radishes and lettuces, started seeds on my kitchen counter, sowed pea and bean seeds and more.
Yes, its in my blood and has been for a very long time.
~The Garden Goose!~

Southeastern Youth Fair/High School Rodeo

2011-02-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

Before the action began.

Overseeing the cows

The Anthem and a word of prayer start the events

This was the goat tying event. The competitors in this event were all girls. One girl managed to tie the goat in 11 seconds flat. This is done by running full speed on a horse, then jumping off the running horse, running full speed on foot to where the goat is staked in the middle of the arena, then proceeding to get the goat down on its back so that both the front legs and back legs can be tethered all together. No animals are hurt during this although it may look like it. They get up and run away just fine afterwards.

Goat tying event

Calf tying event. Riders have to lasso the calf then jump down and proceed to do the same thing that is done in the goat event. Calf must be laying down and all legs tethered.

Tossing the hands out to the side like this signifies that your task is complete.

The calf that refused to be caught. It circled the arena several times before they managed to shoo this one into the proper area. It was a beautiful calf too. In fact the prettiest one of the evening. A beautiful white color. Folks behind me were saying.".that calf looks like a ghost nearly."

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

And the Winner is...

2011-02-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

Amy at bumblebeelanecottage is the winner of the Small Town Living compilation cd.
Thank you to everyone that joined in the fun of the OWOH event.

Inviting you...

2011-02-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

To follow my new blog that features my children's photography at:

http://gigglesandgaloshes.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!
I hope to feature not only my latest photo sessions, but also to highlight etsy artisans that create children's photo props. (hats, headbands, bloomers, dresses, scarves, etc.) And to also feature the occasional photography book review.

If you create things such as crocheted or knitted hats, or other lovely items that could serve as photo props for children's photography, do get in touch with me. I'd love to help promote your business, and to help each other via networking across blogland.

( p.s. If you've stopped by for the OWOH feature post/you'll find that just below, scroll down a wee bit ..thanks.)

a bit of rural love/in my area of Florida

2011-02-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

Took a drive around close to my house with my hubby and my camera a few days ago. This is a little of what I saw. Enjoy.

Time for the OWOH Giveaway!! Come join the fun!

2011-01-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
I've decided to join the wild ride again this year. This apparently will be the last year that OWOH will be featured across blog land. It is a huge undertaking for one person to spearhead ,with the event having over 900 blogs featured last year!... and it has been a fun way to meet fellow bloggers. I hope to meet a few new faces this year myself.(stop by the Whimsical Bohemian to see other blogs that have joined the wild ride here:
http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by my little blog..
I hope that you enjoy your visit and will take the time to browse around a little.
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What can you win? I will be giving away a compilation cd that features articles on such things as self sustainability, gardening, raising backyard chickens, and lots more. The cd is from when my husband and I had a free online e-zine.(in 2006- 2009) It features over 1,000 pages of information. If you enjoy learning about being more self sustaining, how to grow your own garden, and so forth you'll enjoy the cd.

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Simply leave a comment on this post to be entered in the contest. Contest ends Feb.17th.

a little bit of randomness... just because

2011-01-28T15:27:00.000-08:00

Some more pics of our new abode...

2011-01-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is the kid's bathroom. My oldest daughter decorated this with a quilt that she received from a quilt swap she was in and also with a beautiful card that someone had made her.You see the quilt reflected in the mirror. She chose a bubble looking clear shower curtain and since the window in the bathroom is frosted glass and a small window she put antique bottles on the tile ledge. The hallway leading into the bathroom also has a quilt that she obtained through a swap.(a little of the wall paper trim needs to be glued back down in place, but it is a pretty blue bathroom with blue tile)

Some pics of the new abode

2011-01-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

As promised I will begin sharing a few pictures of our new abode. I am not done yet...will I ever be? I hope so ...as I like to be organized and to have a clean home. This time around seems to be taking me a lot longer to figure out where to put things, not that we have a lot of clutter, its just that I haven't gotten everything figured out yet and still need to have some curtains made for various rooms, etc. It is getting there though. My style is very mix and match and I don't really fit into any set decorating theme. I guess you could call it Wild Gypsy style..ha. There's a bit of this and that like from a gypsy peddler wagon..:0)
Today I thought I'd share with you my entry foyer area.

to the right of our front door as if you were walking out. I have a small collection of Dutch themed items. Love how cheery they are.

This is the main wall of the foyer area to the left as you walk out
Here we have 2 art/photo areas hung on either side of this large mirror. I simply hung jute onto 2 L shaped hooks in 2 rows. My 2 youngest kids made the plates about a yr. ago. I have always wanted to do this sort of thing in a foyer too.

oh... and although he's not part of the decor.. I can't resit including my little side kick/Collin...he follows me everywhere.

I've always wanted to put a collection of wooden shoes in various sizes by a front door/so fun!

My collection of Dutch themed items.

This is as you walk in on the left. It displays a non working antique phone and I love the image of the gal on the phone above it. The botanicals date back to the 1930's- 40's for the 2 small ones and from the late 1700's early 1800's for the large one.

this is past the phone table on the left hand side tiny wall as you start to head into the kitchen.

Thanks so much for visiting.
~The Garden Goose!~

The Year Round Tree

2011-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

So, since we found one of those tall, slender trees at Lowe's this year for Christmas, we really liked the look of the tree and decided that we'd keep it out year round and decorate it for each season.

Here it is decorated with paper hearts of all kinds, a heart garland, and a paper chain. Using things like paint color cards available from the hardware store..I simply picked out a hand full of bright pink and red colored paint sample cards and brought them home and cut heart shapes and used a hole punch in the top and a little bit of white crochet thread..wallah..easy- peasy Valentine tree decor... and free. The heart garland and other paper hearts were created by my oldest daughter using a variety of left over scrap booking papers and glitter. Again easy-peasy and nearly free. There are a few bright red heart shaped glass Christmas ornaments that we left on the tree also.

Please don't look too closely at my messy book shelf..right now its holding a mish mash of knick knacks from our collections..Quarry Critters, a Spanish Flamenco dancer, and a bit of this and that. Some of which will be displayed up high along the ledge that surrounds the room..I just have to figure out yet which pieces will star in the "up high" place..smiles.
Making a house a home takes time that's for sure, and a bit more time when the entire family wound up getting sick right at Christmas time a week after our moving in. Not fun, and a huge nuisance and set back on being able to get around to everything as quickly as I had wanted to.

This past week we worked on having a tree service and debris removal crew come in and help to clear our back yard of a huge rotten oak, and about 4 other oaks that were leaning, plus 3 palm trees from the front yard, and 2 great big debris piles that had been left in the backyard by the previous owner(when I say huge..trust me..these piles of debris required a backhoe and a huge dump truck type trailer to remove the debris). The yard looks so much better now having those areas cleared out. And with the huge rotten oak removed from next to our back patio we now have an area that we plan to use to put in several raised beds for gardening. We will test the soil throughout the yard this coming week and see what we need to do to make areas prosperous for growing edibles.

Thanks so much for stopping by. and yes, I'm a bit slow on getting photos posted here on what I've been doing throughout the house, but I hope that when I do share that it will be worth the wait. :0)
Have a great evening!
~The Garden Goose!~

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

oh it's the dust..the du---uh--ust...bun-neee blues...

2010-12-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

There's dust in my hair, and dust in my nose...even dust in my i-yi-eyes..
..and if I was a wearing them..probably even in my pant..eee hose..

...oh me oh my.. I think I'm a gonna cry...
I am a singing..the dust..
oh I'm a singin' the duh---ust..bun eee blues.
(no, I totally refuse to sing this one out loud for anyone near or far..I will more than likely never get rich from the words of this pitiful song I have just typed...ha, but just in case a record company comes a knockin'...its an original by yours truly...just so you know..ha)

this little gal is part of my new laundry room decor.

I'm singing the dust bunny blues here...Today sweet mom-in-law, dear daughter, and I all tackled the clean up of the rental. I used my trusty Dyson vacuum cleaner on all the tile floors and carpets, and then had to dust all the ceiling fans.Trust me a 2400 square foot home has a lot of ceiling fans and floor space once you start cleaning. This evening I am more than tired. I have itchy eyes from the dust, no doubt dust way up in my nostrils...and yep, even in my hair. But the job is now done and the house is clean awaiting the owners to either rent it out again, or sell it or whatever they'll do with it. And I dare say I am pretty darn sure its way cleaner than we found it when we first started renting it. I did find that I can't stand Tilex...no offense to the makers of that cleaning product..trust me it does the job well, but oh my word! you must definitely make sure the room you use it in is fully ventilated and fan is going. Can we say very strong bleach smell to it. But it worked magic on the shower tiles for sure. But I was quickly seeking out a source of bleach free air asap after using it, in fact even though I had the window open and the ventilator fan going I still found myself shouting in my head "MUST FIND FRESH AIR! MUST FIND FRESH AIR! ASAP!" but daggum it its a sparkling clean shower now...ha. Oh..and thank goodness for the makers of Claritin. I will be using their product this evening before going to bed. (end of all endorsements now folks...ha. Actually I didn't get paid a darn cent for mentioning any of the products here..I'm just a yakking my gums as my dad used to say) but yes..after today I need both a hot bath for my aching bod and an allergy med.
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The new homestead is shaping up slowly but steadily. Probably a bit more on the slowly side than the steadily side...that's because moving is such draining work. Both physically and mentally. I have just been zapped. I know I don't want to do this again for a very, very long time.
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The Christmas tree is up and hubby and I like the new artificial tree he bought so well that we will most likely keep it up year round as a seasonal tree. Meaning we will probably decorate it for every season of the year. (Valentine's, St. Paddy's, Easter/Spring, 4th of July/Summer, Fall/Thanksgiving/and Christmas..you get the idea) It is a tall narrow version that is about 7 ft. high but takes up very little space. We may move it around from room to room throughout the house depending upon our mood/decor.
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this gal now sits next to my kitchen sink

I've gotten my dining room decorated, but still have to finish the kitchen. My laundry room is pretty much done, I may add a few extra elements to it yet.
The living room still needs doing as does the master bedroom and kids rooms.
But we have only been in since Tuesday evening, so I think all told I/we have all made pretty good progress.
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And yes, I'll be sharing pictures soon. Right now I don't want to share pictures of boxes stacked in the midst of the floor, but I will share soon I promise.
I think you all will like that dear daughter and I hung a set of 3 antique Chinese paper lanterns in my living room, and the fact that I have a darling bright red ice cream bistro set with polka dot seats, and a yellow tea cart in my living room bay window...sort of a "world market" very eccentric/eclectic feel to it, I guess you could call it a sort of gypsy caravan style to the room. When I get it done I think it will look so cute.
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Of course once the house has been tackled..which does take time..there will be the yard and the planning of flower beds and garden areas.
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All in due time though.

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Thanks so much for stopping by.
~The Garden Goose!~

The new homestead!

2010-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

It is finally ours..yippee. Here are some pictures of our new homestead.

our beautiful new kitchen

looking from the dining area back towards the kitchen

Master bedroom. has a small french door, but on either side those windows have small plantation shutters on them..so cute. door leads out to huge screened in patio area.

this is actually a large dining area but we are going to convert it to a large craft/sewing room as there is plenty of room just off the kitchen to the right for our dining table and chairs and not to mention the big bar area as well. So this big room will be used as a family crafting station area with nice organized shelves and fun decor.

this is a formal dining room to the left of the kitchen separated by a pocket door. It is large enough to be used for my husband's studio area/business.

Last but not least...the big yard which is 1.29 of an acre.

Ch..Ch...Ch..Changes are in the air...yeehaw!!

2010-11-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness gracious me! Life has been busy and this little blogette of mine has suffered a wee bit with well... umm a bit of neglect I see, but hey... that doesn't mean that I've given up on her yet folks...it simply means that I've been busy living life and exploring, and learning a bit about my new town and even making friends!

I met this sweet gal recently and she is a real dear. (http://www.verbenanestedtreasures.blogspot.com/)

And I'm in the throes of getting ready to move again...yes! its true...after 18 months (11 months to sell our place in N. Florida, then 7 months of looking here) we have finally found a new home! We close on it this coming Friday!! Yippee- Ki- YAY!!! And Friday intends to be a super busy day too, with yet another garage sale...yes...I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment I suppose, but I wound up finding a heap more things in all of the boxes we had packed up...that we can stand to live without in a new home, plus my/our tastes have changed quite a bit over the years...time for a totally fresh start.

And my dear hubby let me order some of these beautiful heirloom roses for our soon to be new home. These are my Christmas gift from him.:0)

Bougainville Heirloom Rose

I can't wait to plant the sweet climbing roses called Bougainville against the fence on either side of our driveway to our new homestead.

Blush Hip Heirloom Rose

Great Maiden's Blush Heirloom Rose

And I'll find a nice place to plant these pretty gals too called "Blush Hip" and "Great Maiden's Blush."

I'm so excited to be getting ready to finally be in a new home. We'll have an acre and 1/4 to roam around on...and to create beautiful gardens in.

The home has plenty of room and a terrific layout that suits our needs, and a beautiful large kitchen as well. (You can't see it in the photo but there is crown molding across the top of the counters and a ledge for displaying items/opposite side of kitchen includes a built in computer desk area and the fridge and a large pantry. This part that you see also includes a large bar area further to the right. Granite counter tops. My vintage 50's chicken decor will look cute in here...smiles. Oh..and see that window?? There is a granite ledge on the outside for serving directly from the kitchen out onto the large screened in patio area...fun! fun!)

Well, that's what's been going on in my little corner of the world. And yes, I'll share more photos later.

Have a great week. Thanks for visiting.
~The Garden Goose!~

A little reminder...

2010-10-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today's Little Message:

Enjoy the Beauty in Your Corner of the World!

Ever feel this way?

2010-09-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

(yes, this darling little guy will soon be added to
my fun collections of vintage items)

Ever feel like you are constantly being pulled in quite a few directions? Yeah..life gets busy sometimes... and sometimes all's we can do is play catch up for a little bit.
I've been busy adjusting to a new town. Trying to find a house to buy. Meeting new friends, and..today I learned how to crochet! Yesterday I planted 10 new iris varieties I had received into a large galvanized tub, can't wait to see them all bloom next year.(hopefully in a new yard and not still sitting in a galvanized tub)
I wound up burning my arm pretty badly this evening on the stove while taking dinner out of the oven..ouch! I have a big 3-4 inch burn that is about 2 inches wide on my arm now. I laid my arm right on the oven door while taking some mozarella sticks out of the oven..needless to say when I jumped back from the pain the pan went tipping over and I lost half of the mozarella sticks down the oven door and on to the floor...but..at least I didn't burn myself any worse than I did and I hope it doesn't leave any kind of scar. Thank goodness for aloe vera gel.
I've been slowly adding new seed varieties to my etsy seed shop too. I also joined a plant and seed swap group online and have managed to swap a few times with some nice folks for some pretty neat flower seeds for my personal private stash and for gardens at a new home.
I've also been keeping busy home schooling 2 young children.
Also keeping busy with the Small Town Living website and at last count I have 11 books to get reviewed... and soon! yikes.
So..yeah..I feel kind of like the above picture..but in a good way. I like being busy. I like meeting new folks, and I absolutely am so thrilled with myself that I have learned a new skill.
If anything I'll now be able to create my own crocheted dishcloths. You can't beat a crocheted cotton dishcloth for durability. I have several of them in my kitchen that other folks have made for me and I'll always choose those over a plain wash cloth to wash dishes with any day.
Oh..and another thing...I've started collecting orchid plants..ever so slowly adding to a collection of them but I now have 6 orchids in my collection. Woohoo! I keep them on a sunny windowsill and they take very little care. Right now I have a lady slipper orchid in bloom. I'll slowly start adding to them as I can.
oh..and one of the plant swaps that I'm expecting next week is for cuttings of a plant called adenium. (Desert Rose)
The lady that is sending those had like 15 different types that she had taken cuttings from. I can't wait to grow them and then eventually see the blooms.
Well I think that about sums up some of what I've been up to lately.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
~The Garden Goose!~

Fun Finds and Pretty Flowers

2010-09-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Treated myself to a couple of early birthday presents a couple of days ago. (shhh..my birthday isn't for another 16 days though, but a gal just has to do what a gal has to do when she finds some awesome items at a great deal that will look gorgeous in a new home..that is once she gets the new home...smiles)
So, I snagged these beautiful items at a local consignment shop that has become my new haunt.
Now living in what is deemed as a retirement type area...there are always "new" items coming through the doors of this consignment shop that I like to frequent. Items that are from estate sales or from homes being redecorated, etc. making it easy to find high end, quality items and antiques for a song.
Yay! I love a bargain don't you?

So without further ado meet my new finds. This is an antique pine tea cart painted in a creamy butter yellow color. After I cleaned it with Dawn dish detergent to remove the layer of nicotine and grime it had on it it looked even more lovely than these photos show.

Then I found this beautiful large lady lamp. This lamp and matching table with cherubs on it stands taller than my ten year old son. It is rather large, but an elegant piece that will be placed in the master bedroom of a new home in which I intend to have William Bougeureau type art work in for a nice romantic look.

And then last but not least, I spotted this lovely lady Slipper Orchid plant at a local hardware store's nursery and my sweet husband went back and bought it for me last night. (love that man!) The flower on this orchid is absolutely stunning. I love it. Another orchid for my fast growing collection! Yay!

Also..this Surprise Lily popped up in a pot that I had over at my mom in laws "holding garden" a place where I have some of my plants awaiting a new home. The surprise lily bulbs were given to me several years ago from a gal in Indiana. They had never bloomed until this year. This is the first flower to show itself.Gorgeous!

I cannot wait until I have my own yard again and home to grow lovely items like this and to find a permanent place to put my fun finds like the lamp and tea cart in.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit.

~The Garden Goose~

Ballerina Mobile

2010-08-26T17:19:00.001-07:00

Super Easy Child’s Room Mobile Decoration

August 26, 2010

By Tina Wilson

To make the mobile:
10 fluffy chenille stems
organza type wired edge ribbon in colors of choice (I chose pale blue and pink)
bead garland or other glittery type garland (I used about 24 inches of a tiny plastic flower garland in silver color)
small fabric quilted heart (or other embellishment of your choice that has a little “weight” to it/this will help to allow your mobile to hang better)
fabric ribbon (I used a harlequin print pink and brown colored ribbon)
6 small plastic ballerina cupcake toppers (available from:www.layercakeshop.com) (I used 3 of each pink and blue)
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To create this simple child’s room decor you do not need glue or sewing skills. You just simply need to know how to create a bow and to twist wire, and to tie knots.
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Take 3 of the chenille stems and create a circle. Twist the ends of each chenille stems together.
Take 6 chenille stems and place them evenly around the circle. At these evenly spaced points twist the chenille stems around your circle. 3 small twists will secure. Now point these 6 chenille stems upward into a “tent” shape. Gather them all together in a point.
Fold the sharp edges over. Take your last chenille stem and form into a hook shape on one end. Use the excess to wrap around your 6 gathered stems. Wrap tightly.
Create a large decorative bow from your fabric ribbon(not the organza type, but the thicker solid ribbon) Before tying the bow to the top of your mobile slide a few strands of decorative glittered garland in between the bow(about 12 inch length/2 strands). Finish attaching to the top near the hook by making a knot. Your glittery garland will be secured by the knot you tie.
From the hook area also tie a long piece of organza ribbon(about 18 inches long) hanging down from the center of the mobile(tie in a knot). This will be what you attach the fabric heart or other center embellishment with.
Attach the heart or other center embellishment to the length of ribbon that hangs from the center of your mobile. Tie with a knot. Right at this knot, attach a pretty ribbon bow. Again secure by knotting the bow onto the ribbon hanging down.
Cut 6 lengths of organza wired ribbon (about 10 inches long) Tie ribbon in a knot around the waist of each of the ballerina figures.
Attach the ballerinas to the mobile by tying with knots at evenly spaced intervals around the chenille ring.
Where each ballerina’s holding ribbon is attached to the chenille ring tie little blue organza wired bows . Trim bow ends.
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***This can be changed to be used for a boy’s room by using green or blue chenille stems or another favorite color chenille stem and using such items as tiny plastic dinosaurs or other fun plastic figures. Be creative and have fun! No limit to the types of little plastic items you can use to create a fun mobile.
*** As with any item that has small parts keep away from small children. Not recommended for a baby or children who have a tendency to put items in their mouths.***

Visiting ! Carnaval! display in Ocala, FL

2010-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today I convinced my mother in law and my oldest daughter to join me for a visit to ! Carnaval! an exhibit organized by the Museum of International Folk Art and toured by NEH on the Road. This display was being shown at the Webber Center Gallery in Ocala, Florida from June 17th-August 11th. After it leaves Ocala, FL it will then be displayed in Indianapolis. So to get a chance to see it was a privilege…I feel anyhow.

New Orleans,USA Mardi Gras mask

A mask from Mexico

Anyhow, I managed to get some really nice photos of the masks from around the world that depict how the pre-Lenten Mardi-Gras type festivals are celebrated. Yes! they allowed photos! I was so excited.

I hope you enjoy them.

A simple Italian mask

The masks are from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, USA, and Switzerland, and a few other places that unfortunately I forgot. Anyhow, my favorite masks were the fancy jeweled one from Spain (green feathers and jewels), and the bird man from Spain(black plague dr’s mask) and the mask that looks like the phantom of the opera, as well as the green lady from Switzerland(green hair), and the metal sculpted one from Mexico (dragon eyes and snake heads).

An elaborately jeweled mask from Spain

Carnival, Carnevale, Fassnacht, Entroido- the annual pre-Lenten festival most people in the United States know as “Mardi Gras” is celebrated throughout Europe and the Americas.

This mask depicts a dr's mask from the time of the Black Plague. Mask from Italy

a Mask from Italy

Many of today’s Carnival activities are not necessarily religious, but the “feast before famine” excess is still deeply rooted in its litugurical origins.

Different cultures have different words for “Carnival” or the pre-Lenten festivities.

Tlaxcala, Mexico mask

detail on Tlaxcala, Mexico mask

A mask from Mexico

Italians refer to it as “Carnevale” meaning “flesh farewell”, and the Spanish and Portugese refer to it as “Carnaval”, and the English call it “Carnival”… The Swiss-German peoples refer to it as “Fasnacht” or Night before fasting, and the French call it “Mardi Gras” or “Fat Tuesday”.

Mask from Switzerland/Fasnacht celebration

Elaborate details on mask from Spain

No matter how the different cultures celebrate this event, one thing was for certain…the masks were all elaborate and colorful and unique. “Carnival” is all about turning the regular order upside down. What better way of doing so than donning a mask and parading through the streets as someone else?

Spanish masks

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a Happy 4th of July!

~The Garden Goose~

A fun Thursday

2010-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

On Thursday afternoon after I took hubby to his dr. appointment. Afterwards I took the kids to our local library for a fun reptile show.
They were able to see the following critters: A yellow footed tortoise, a rhinoceros iguana, a Chinese alligator, an alligator snapping turtle, a python, and an anaconda snake.
Here are a few pictures from the show. My kids really enjoyed it. The Chinese alligator shown here on the right was only about 3 ft. long. When fully grown it will be 6 ft. long.
The yellow footed tortoise below left was really rather cute. And loved snacking on fresh banana.

I must say that the alligator snapping turtle shown below was definitely the ugliest critter shown that day. Its tail was about 14 inches long and the entire time it kept its mouth open, and a scary looking mouth it had too! Inside of this turtles mouth it looks just like mud..to blend in with the muddy river bottoms in which it dwells, it also has a little flap of skin that looks like a worm that it will wiggle to entice fish to swim right into its mouth.

So much has gone on lately...

2010-06-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm still here folks...but life has been so busy lately. After we moved to Central Florida just 2 months ago..my children all caught a bad cold that made its rounds one by one through our household and landed on me for 6 weeks. So no one in our household was able to get out and explore our new town. Add to that..after I got better and everyone else had had the bad cold except for dad..he wound up getting it 2 and a half weeks ago and was laid up on the couch with low grade fever for 3 days. After he started feeling better he noticed a bad pain in his buttock then groin area one day. That morning he became in so much pain that he started dry heaving and then vomited up the glass of water I had given him. He laid back down for a few hours only to awake in more pain and looked down to see that his left leg had swollen and was red and his toes were blue in color!
Yikes! So we rushed to the Er and found out that he had a blood clot and pulmonary embolisms. Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!
So we wound up having to camp out at the hospital for a full week. Of course we did not plan on the hospital being our first "must see" place to visit in our new town that's for sure.
So after having been released on the 18th we have had several dr's visits and hubby is slowly, slowly on the mend and slowly being able to gain mobility back in his leg.
It is a long healing process. But things will be o.k.
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During this time I did manage a trip over to my in-laws home one evening to see a family of owls that are in her big oak tree in her backyard. The parents had a little owlet ...and boy is it cute. Of course with the tree situated close to the driveway and patio sitting area ..well they do create a bit of a mess. But I had never in my life seen a baby owl up close, let alone having the chance to photograph it, so it was quite exciting. And I haven't seen adult owls too often either..so it was so very fascinating to observe an entire family of them. Of course they didn't do anything except for sit and sit and sit some more and slowly turn their heads to look down at us..but none the less they still were pretty cool. I hope that you enjoy this photo.

I also managed to capture a photo of a dragonfly that was visiting my mother in laws garden. Didn't notice the fine strands of spider webbing between the two little poles until after I had taken the image.
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Anyhow..we do love our new town..the little bit of it that we've been able to see, and we are delighted to now live closer to family.
Right now we are leasing a home until we find one to buy, and hopefully that process won't take too long..but first up is to get my hubby well. And with that I'll leave you with an important reminder: If you or someone you love sits at a computer throughout the day..remind yourself or them to get up and move around at least every half hour.
Blood clots and pulmonary embolisms are very serious and very scary. Stay well!
Have a pleasant day and thanks for stopping by! ~The Garden Goose!~

Beautiful Spring ...and more

2010-05-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hi there folks. Wow! A whole month nearly since I've written, but it certainly has been a busy one. Since I wrote last we have moved to central Florida and wow! We love it here!
We are leasing a home that has a huge back yard and my kids love that, I do too as it is so nice and quiet here, and we can sit outside for long lengths of time and not have to worry about "no see-ums" (biting gnats that cause one to itch terribly... for those of you who do not know what a no-seeum is)

And every morning and evening we have a little visitor. This cottontail rabbit visits every day. Spring time has been gorgeous here!

Well, after our move the kids and I went to meet up with a group of homeschooler's at a well known chain restaurant geared towards kids here, and 2 days later we all started getting ill with sore throats and coughs and sinus problems..uggh. Seems we all caught a bad bug that someone had left there. Everyone was sick for a week and some of us are still getting over it all. We have learned that we won't go back to a place like that, just not worth catching germs from. But it was nice meeting the homeschool group though.

My irises and roses that are in the "holding garden" at my mother in laws are doing wonderful! (I can't plant anything here as per the lease agreement, if I plant anything I have to leave it) So I go over and "visit" my plants at my mom in laws house. I can't wait to have a yard of my own to putter around in. Soon..very soon. Isn't this iris gorgeous? It is one of my "little ladies" that are waiting for me to have a garden to plant them in soon.

As soon as we moved in I was told to get ready for a garage sale, so during the time that I was working to get us settled in to a rental home, I was also going through every single box of what we owned and thinning down yet again. I somehow managed to thin out about 14 boxes...big boxes now mind you...filled with items we no longer needed...where I found all of the stuff I don't know, as prior to the move I had gone through a lot of items and gotten rid of quite a lot, but I amazed myself that I found even more... and that much more..that we could live without. So..we had a 2 day garage sale this past weekend and I did pretty darn good if I say so myself. Sold nearly everything that I had carted over to my mother in laws for the sale, and now I have a little change in my pocket going jing a ling a ling. :0) Of course as soon as we get moved into a permanent place I'll have to go through the cleaning out process all over again...after I decorate that is.

Well..I hope all of you moms had a terrific Mother's day! I did. My two youngest children went to their grandma's house and each made me a keepsake plate on which they drew pretty pictures. And hubby got us all Chinese takeout for dinner so that I did not have to cook, and I got to sleep in on Mother's day..so it was a great day!

Here's wishing you all a great week! Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to visit www.stliving.com too.
~The Garden Goose~

Monkey Pots "Messy Patio Contest"

2010-04-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Share with us a photo of your messy patio and you could have a chance to Win a Perfect Patio Planter from MonkeyPots. Grow beautiful fruits and vegetables in very little space.
The wonderful folks at MonkeyPots will gift a lucky winner with one of their Perfect Patio Planter systems. ($139.99 value)
To enter the contest send us a photo of your messy patio . Send contest entries to gardengoose at gmail dot com (use the @ symbol where I’ve used the word at, and a . where I’ve used the word dot)
The contest starts April 1,2010 and ends April 30th,2010
Good Luck!
Visit the MonkeyPots website at:http://monkeypots.com/

Young Seamstress Would Like Your Vote

2010-03-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

Our daughter Naomi has been sewing since age 15(4 yrs.now) when a family friend offered to tutor her in the art of sewing for 6 months for free. The family friend taught our daughter so much about sewing. From different seams, different types of fabrics and their uses, to diffferent types of needles to use, and so much more.
Our daughter was hooked, and she has been creating sewn items ever since. She loves to participate in online challenge swaps with other sewers where they create miniature quilts and other items to exchange with each other.
Our daughter recently entered a challenge on Burdastyle.com. The challenge was to remake a basic apron from a pattern provided by the folks at Burdastyle. Our daughter's creation is now in the top 50 entrants...but she needs your vote to win.
If she does win she will receive a new sewing machine and a cash prize.
To vote for her creation stop by this link:http://www.burdastyle.com/albums/149/images?page=4&size=small
In order to vote you will need to sign up on the site. ...but a young seamstress would greatly appreciate your vote ...and so would her proud mama.
Thanks ever so much!

Oh..and I have a thank you to make..and a bit of an apology too..

2010-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say a great big "Thank you" to all of the gals from whom I won an item from during the OWOH giveaway. I did receive the items I won, but need to apologize sincerely for not having posted photos here of the winnings. I simply have not had the time to do so. But do know that I absolutely adore all of the handmade items I received and sincerely love all of them. You women are all so talented! I have emailed all of you personally to thank you, and I do hope that you all have received those emails.
Thank you so much!! You all are angels. And I so very much appreciated the items in my mailbox.
~Tina/ ~The Garden Goose!~

Some great Giveaways to tell you about..and more

2010-03-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there folks! I have some great giveaways to tell you about that you will NOT want to miss..trust me on this.

Over at the "Small Town Living" blog we are featuring a Coffee Flavor a day..for a week! Courtesy of the folks at Coffee City USA. We jump started the giveaway feature this morning with a coffee flavor called "Sinful Pleasure", and let me tell you!...it is good coffee!
http://stliving.com/?p=1465

Also at the "Small Town Living" blog we have recently featured the art work of artist JoEllen Laurita. JoEllen will gift one of our lucky readers with a Primitive Cat Ornament...it is really adorable and you'll want to join in on the fun of that giveaway as well.
http://stliving.com/?p=1432

So stop by and join in the fun!
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I wanted to tell you about my friend Susan's giveaway over at "Not Quite June Cleaver." Susan is hosting a darling giveaway of a super cute coffee mug..(gosh we must all have coffee on our mind lately..ha.) A bit of her special coffee blend, some home made granola, and a wonderful vintage apron! So stop on by her giveaway at:
http://www.notquitejunecleaver.com/2010/03/notquitejunecleavers-spring-fling-giveaway-and-so-much-more/
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And another giveaway is from my friend Debra over at Vegan Family Style. She is gifting one of her lucky readers with a copy of the movie Food Inc.
http://veganfamilystyle.blogspot.com/2010/03/food-inc-and-giveaway.html
So stop by and check out her giveaway too.
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Wow..it has been a busy couple of weeks. The days are just zooming by it seems.
I'm having loads of fun on the Small Town Living site..we feature farmers, artists, wineries, bed and breakfast Inns,book and food and other product reviews, and so much more. I stay busy networking with folks and bringing interesting information to our readers. I love it though, but I do stay quite busy with it too.
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Oh, let me tell you about our little garden!...the kids and I planted Oregon Giant snow peas and bush bean seeds about a week and a half ago in the raised beds out back. We now have little bean and pea plants that are about 4 inches tall. Yay!
Hopefully soon we'll be gathering some produce from those plants..or if someone buys this home soon... they will. :0) (Yes, our home here is still for sale and we are hoping it will sell soon.)
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Oh, I wanted to share with you this photo of a sandhill crane that I took back in December when we made a fast trip down to Ocala, FL. I was so delighted to see this bird in a field in Dunnellon, FL. on our way back home.
And this was the first time I have ever been able to capture one of these magnificent birds on camera!
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Well..that's all the news today..oh I'm sure there's more really, but I don't want to have to write a book today, so I'll save some of it for a later date.

"Ya'll come back now ya hear" :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose!~

Spring is on its way!...and a giveaway to tell you about...and more.

2010-03-07T00:41:00.000-08:00

Today I saw a few Robins hopping around in search of bugs and worms. Robins are a migratory visitor here, and once they arrive we know that Spring is right around the corner.

The grass has begun growing again in our backyard, another sure sign of Springs arrival.

The doves have begun flirting with each other..yes, another sign of Spring.

Oh, and more bird song...ahh ....I love it..hearing the birds singing a good bit more now that Spring is about to burst forth in all of its glory!

I mentioned having sent all of my potted plants South the other day. Well...I had a major plant relapse. I cannot stand not having something green around me..somewhere..anywhere. So I asked my husband to take me by a local nursery to check in and see if they had gotten in any mint plants. I was looking for varieties like apple, or pineapple, or chocolate. I found spearmint and pineapple.

I also found a tiny air plant, and some succulents that I'll create a dish garden with. I also found some elfin thyme, some lemon balm, and rosemary. I know, I know... oh and hubby bought me 3 gorgeous rose bushes.

I know...relapse..but hopefully the last relapse I have before we get moved. As I don't want any movers to have to move a lot of plants.

Oh and I learned something very interesting today about the pineapple mint plant... apparently the pineapple mint plant is also the apple mint plant... seems that the pineapple flavor variation is concentrated into the variegated leaves of the plant, but if the plant is allowed to develop solid green shoots on the same plant...solid green leaves...those leaves will be of an apple mint scent and flavor. So it is encouraged to snip off any wayward solid green leaves or stems to maintain the variegation and thus the "pineapple" flavor and scent. Strange huh? I found it rather fascinating. Something to do with the hybridization of the plant. So interesting. Plants always fascinate me!

Oh wow! I almost forgot!! Head on over to www.stliving.com to enter the drawing for a gorgeous Vintage tablecloth..courtesy of one of the artists we have profiled on the site this week. (The Pink Rose Cottage) You won't want to miss out on your chance. Contest lasts until March 9th.

That's all the news today folks.

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose~

Potted Plant Clean Up and more...

2010-02-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

So...the other day I spent time hoeing out the raised beds, then raking them out, and then sowing garden seeds with my 2 youngest children.

Today found me cleaning up all of the potted plants I had in my courtyard area. I shoved huge terra cotta pots around. Cleared the debris out of the pots that had leaves blown into them and trimmed off any dead leaves.Shaped up the potted climbing roses and trimmed off any dead canes on those.Condensed together some of the plants that could do well being grouped together.Made a pile of the old plastic pots I no longer wanted.

I think I made some progress.:0)

I then gathered the empty new pots into a pile along with my garden decor items, and some large wind chimes. Why am I doing this?

All of these garden items and plants will soon be taking a trip further South to await the day when I'll hopefully be joining them soon. To begin new gardens in a new town.

I just hope that I won't have to wait too long. I'm also sending along some of my houseplants..but not all of them..I must have something green around to enjoy!

In the meantime I hope that the little garden that I planted with my kids will grow and produce something for us to enjoy.

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I have been getting ready to do a few book reviews for the "Small Town Living" blog. One is on gardening, and the other is about chickens. Both great topics, and I can't wait to share the titles of the books with you all, and what I liked about the books. I am so enjoying the work I am doing with that site.

Do stop by if you get a chance and become a follower of the blog. The link is www.stliving.com

I really love "Small Town Living" and sharing the information with folks. We cover so many fun topics...from farm profiles, to artist profiles, crafts, cooking, DIY, humor, and so much more.

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I do hope that you all are having a most wonderful week thus far.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

~The Garden Goose!~

Played in the dirt today! Yay! Spring is right around the corner.

2010-02-20T16:11:00.001-08:00

This morning and afternoon I had fun playing in the dirt. Oh I had missed it so!
That feeling of the soil on the palm of my hands, and tugging at a weed to remove it from the raised bed area so that I could sow a few heirloom vegetable seeds. Ahhh! Today was sheer bliss!
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, a slight breeze upon the air, not too hot, not too cold.... the birds were singing... A perfect sunshiney day!...and absolutely perfect for playing in the dirt.

I had hoed up the raised beds yesterday afternoon, making sure to loosen all of the weeds left over from winter,( there weren't very many thankfully)...but this morning I could not wait to get outside on such a pretty day, and rake all of the weeds out of the beds.
My two youngest children soon joined me, and we sowed the following heirloom vegetable seeds into the raised bed garden area.
Blue Lake Bush Bean, Provider Bush Bean, Goldcrop Wax Beans, Royal Burgundy Bush Bean, Jimmy Nardello's Sweet Italian Peppers, Swiss Chard, "Palla Rosa" Radicchio, Chantenay Carrot, Oregon Giant Snow Pea

After we sowed the seeds I gave them a nice little shower of water...let the growing begin!
I cannot wait to watch them grow. Oooh yummy veggies are right around the corner!( I'll be planting even more vegetable varieties soon into pots..I hope to start a variety of lettuces and herbs real soon too.)

If you'd like to plant an heirloom vegetable garden this Spring visit: www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

Busy Days..and Small Town Living..and more

2010-02-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Wow! The days lately have been busy ones.

I have spending quite a lot of time on the new "Small Town Living" blog.

If you haven't heard, we have moved from an e-zine format over to a community blog.

The new website is at www.stliving.com

I keep rather busy with networking, product reviews, book reviews and so on.

But I really enjoy what I do, and I know you'll love the new site also. So stop by www.stliving.com and become a follower if you enjoy topics like- gardening, cooking, farm profiles,artist profiles, and so much more.

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On a different note, I have been thinking about this personal blog, and bringing about a few changes.

You'll just have to stay tuned to see what transpires along the way. :0)

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Oh, and it looks like the cold weather here is slowly drifting away..I'm starting to get a bit of "Spring Fever", and hope to get the 2 raised bed areas in the backyard cleaned out and prepped for seeds really soon. I'm thinking that I'll use one of them totally for a blend of lettuces. Not quite sure what I'll use the second one for just yet. Maybe a mix of herbs, and perhaps a tomato plant or two, and some flowers. We shall see.

I don't want to put too much time and effort into it with the house being on the market, but in the same regards I want to utilize this growing season as much as I can while I'm here in this home,and be able to have fresh, home-grown produce available. So I will be doing some gardening this year, and very, very soon at that.

I have sorely missed digging in the dirt and growing things.

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Oh, I had fun today reviewing a book . The review will be posted tomorrow over at www.stliving.com It is a book, that if you enjoy collecting vintage items, you will want to get your hands on. You'll have to stop by the site to see what it is though. :0)

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Here's wishing you all a lovely day, and thanks so much for stopping by to visit.

~The Garden Goose~

Ta- Dahhhh!... And the Winners are....

2010-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to :

Lisa Lectura Creations!

Lisa has won the Gift Certificate from www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

Congratulations to:

Angel and Spot!

Angel has won the Sunflower Print.

Congratulations to you both.

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Thank you to everyone that entered the drawing. It was so very wonderful to have you all drop by and say "howdy"!

I do hope that through this event that some of you will choose to stay in touch.

Here's Wishing you all a most wonderful evening!

~The Garden Goose~

Please Vote..I'm a proud mom.:0)

2010-02-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

I am proud of my daughter. She designed a cute fabric and entered it in a contest at spoonflower. You can vote for her fabric design creation at:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/238520/fow-bugs
Please vote for the design named "Hopalong Cassidy" by Naomi W. Thank you so much!

Here we go on the wild ride....

2010-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Here we go on the "Carpet Ride"......

any good carpet ride takes one through a wonderland of scenery...

and just think of all the flowers and gardens that you can look down upon from such a lofty height!

Well...no sense in just admiring someone else's garden...

How about having a chance at winning your own garden seeds? or a beautiful sunflower print??

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This first offer is from my online garden shop.

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A $15 gift certificate for garden seeds from www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

(available for U.S. residents only)

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And the 2nd gift is open for all(both U.S. and International).... an 8 by 10 canvas print of a sunflower!

This canvas print is derived from a vintage botanical image.

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Simply leave me a comment letting me know you were here and on the 15th of Feb. we'll have a drawing to announce the winners.

Make sure you leave me a way to contact you should your name be drawn.

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Thanks so much for stopping by and Enjoy the Ride!!

~The Garden Goose!~

Riding the Magic Carpet...

2010-01-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

Starting January 25th I'll be "Riding the Magic Carpet" with quite a few other folks across blog-land.

I hope that you'll stop by and join in the fun.

A lovely way to meet new folks and have a great time doing so.

~The Garden Goose!~

My vintage chicken collection

2010-01-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is a little "show and tell" today. This is part of my vintage chicken collection. I just really like these little guys and gals. Can't wait to let them star in a 50's style kitchen. Thanks for stopping by to see my pretties. Have a great day!

Brrr it is cold...and more...

2010-01-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

It is day's like today,even in N.Florida that I am ever so thankful for a nice,

toasty warm home.

Tonight's temperatures have dipped down into the 20's and I did see

little snowflakes floating in the air both this evening, and at about midnight last night, but they always melt about a foot away from the ground. Having temperatures this cold in Florida would actually be worth it if the snow would actually hit the ground and accumulate at least a little bit. It somehow would make those evening "doggy needs to go potty" jaunts out to the backyard just a little bit more enjoyable, although not any warmer of course... if just a wee bit of snow was out there to see.

So it is also days like today that comfort food just has to come into play..a big pot of veggie soup this evening and nice warm potato salad. Yep, comfort foods.

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How'd I make the veggie soup?

Oh it was easy and probably a lot different than any soup you are used to as it was one of those "toss it in the pan and let it cook" sort of things. No recipe, just a blending of things I felt would all blend well together and taste good.

So..into my large soup pot went the following:

1/2 bag of Bob's Red Mill veggie soup mix

about 8-9 cups of water

3 hand fulls of wild rice blend (again from Bob's Red Mill)

1 can of seasoned field peas with snaps/undrained

about 1 cup of frozen baby lima beans

about 1 cup of frozen purple hull peas

2 large tablespoons of beef bouillon

salt and pepper to taste

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Let cook until soup mix and beans are tender..about 2 hours.

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Like I said..this soup is probably different than any you have tried, but it actually was pretty hearty and tasty.

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Well..stay warm folks..that's what we are doing.:0)

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I've also taken the time these last couple of days to organize just about every room and closet in

my house. It's a nice feeling to have organized such things as both bathroom cupboards, the hall way linen and toiletries cupboard, the kids closet, toy box and dresser drawers...and to have packed away 2 boxes of items. To have organized my closet a little, to have organized my desk. To have organized all of the kitchen cupboards and both pantries. So the cold days have not been for naught.

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Have yourself a lovely weekend! And if you get a chance to, check out the new Small Town Living blog at www.small-town-living.blogspot.com

~The Garden Goose!~

A New year...New Changes

2010-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

With a new year comes new changes. Such is the case with the direction that we have decided to go with the "Small Town Living" e-zine.

Oh, but they are exciting and fun changes which will still bring to you the informative topics that you have grown to expect from "Small Town Living"

After much discussion and thought by Paul and I, we have decided to take "Small Town Living" into the realms of the blog world!

Yes! "Small Town Living" is now a community blog. Where a panel of talented writers will bring to you articles about such things as gardening, vegan family recipes, home style recipes, small business tips, back to basics topics, and much more.

Stop by and follow the new blog!

www.small-town-living.blogspot.com

Recently featured..

2009-12-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

My Victory Garden Seed shop was recently featured here:

http://www.paigeoneevents.com/blog/ on the 4th day of Christmas post.

Yay! What fun!

~The Garden Goose!~

Merry Christmas! and..a recipe idea to share...

2009-12-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

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I'd like to tell you about this yummy recipe that you can get from allrecipes.comIt is for Baklava... my daughter made this a few days ago and it is awesome. Do make sure that you use all of the honey mixture that the recipe calls for, it may seem like a lot at first, but do use it all on the baklava, as it boils into the pastry and the pastry soaks it up, creating a wonderful baklava.
When you go to allrecipes.com it is the first recipe shown for baklava.It is also one of the first recipes that come up on google search for baklava.
Give it a try.

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~The Garden Goose!~

Here is what I won

2009-12-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know why the links would not work on my last post. I kept trying and trying to get them to work and made sure I typed them in properly, anyhow the name of the shop that I won this absolutely gorgeous necklace from is www.noblestudiosltd.etsy.com

Here is what I won from Violette's blog.It is a gorgeous locket with rhinestones around it, on a black glass bead necklace. Very pretty I think.:0)

Violette specializes in steampunk inspired jewelry and her creations are very pretty and one of a kind items.

Stop by and visit her shop.

~The Garden Goose!~

I won something fun...and..baby it's cold outside..and more

2009-12-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Brrrr it has been downright cold here lately. No, we don't have snow in North Florida, but we have had rain and very chilly days and nights. In fact we did have some sleet last night. Brrr. Yep, I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather.
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Oh, and look at what I won recently!
Yay!
www.noblestudiosltd.blogspot.com

For my win I have chosen a really pretty bird locket from the shop. Stop by this shop on etsy if you like unique one of a kind jewelry with a vintage look and feel to it, or if you are in to Steampunk accessories.
Really super cool items.
www.noblestudiosltd.etsy.com
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Here is another recipe to share with you.

Buttermilk Walnut Pie
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1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons plain flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 nine inch pie crust
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Cream butter,sugar and vanilla together. Add eggs, flour and salt. Beat well. Sprinkle chopped walnuts into bottom of crust. Fold in buttermilk and pour mixture into crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set.
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Enjoy!
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Well..the holiday season is underway...here's wishing you some warm cozy days, and may you enjoy the season.
~~~~~~~~~~
~The Garden Goose!~

Hi Friends...a recipe to share and more

2009-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

I trust that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving day. We had a few family members to visit and had a great time, eating and talking.:0)
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I have enjoyed the cooler weather, and it has finally been cold enough here to tentatively call it "winter"..at least for a couple of days...ha.
That is the funny thing about Florida living..our fall and winter weather is rather wacky at times. One thing that we can count on though in late November/December/January/February here is that usually rain will precede a cool spell..and this afternoon it has rained for a while so I expect by later tonight the weather will usher in a cool spell for us.
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Luckily all of my plants are still hanging in there and none as of yet have suffered any frost damage..knock on wood here.
I did move my prized jade plant indoors a few days ago and decided to try and start a few cuttings off of it. I have had the parent plant for about 5-6 yrs now and it is a lovely specimen.
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Oh! I wanted to tell you all to scoot on over to www.notquitejunecleaver.com and get your hands on a copy of Susan's first cookbook! It is a book devoted to everything "Pies"..good down home recipes you will want to add to your collection.
-------------------------
Now here's a recipe I'd like to share.
This is so very easy, but oh so yummy. Give it a try the next time you want a fast, easy chicken meal.
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Baked Crispy Chicken
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8 boneless chicken breasts
1 stick of butter melted
1-2 cups Rice Krispies
Salt and Pepper to taste
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Dip chicken in melted butter, the roll in crushed Rice Krispies. Bake in shallow baking dish for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until brown and juices run clear.
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Enjoy!
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Here's wishing you all a very lovely week! Thanks for stopping by.
~The Garden Goose!~

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T10:26:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
May you have a lovely day!
~The Garden Goose!~

Small Town Living compilation CD's now available

2009-11-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Wanted to let you all know that we have revised the Small Town Living Compilation Cd's to encompass all issues of the magazine through to Aug/Sept. 2009! That means that you receive 18 issues of the magazine on a cd! Over 1,000 pages of information!
What a terrific gift for yourself, a friend, or family member!
Stop by the website at www.stliving.net to order your copy now!

The Compilation CD Includes:

18 Issues of Small Town Living

Over 1022 Pages of Small Town Living Articles,

Stories and Photos.

Searchable Content - Find the stories and articles

you want in seconds.

Practical Advice on:

Gardening

Livestock

Small Business Guidance

Herbs

Crafting
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Check out this interview

2009-11-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wanted to let you all know that my friend Susan posted a nice interview on her website with Ellyn Anne...the Apron Lady.
Check it out here:
www.notquitejunecleaver.com
Also Susan is having a lovely drawing to accompany the interview, don't miss that either.
So stop by and check it out, and find out what the "Tie One On Day" is all about too.
~The Garden Goose~

Hello there....

2009-11-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Hi there folks..I hope that you all are having a lovely week thus far.i have spent my weekend and part of this week out in my garage going through boxes upon boxes of items that I had packed for the move...decided that there had to be more things that we could avoid moving and that we could live without..and boy was I right. Goodness gracious! I now have 1/3rd less boxes packed up and a huge pile of things gathered for a garage sale.

I still have a few boxes left to go through the remainder of this week, but what a relief to have cleared out a fair amount more of unwanted items.

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I've taken the blog here back to the original format with the hopes that I'll be able to actually get on here to post as normal. After trying to spruce things up a bit I was unable to post on here or anything with the blog..so maybe just maybe going back to the original format might fix that for me.

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The tropical storm that blew through here luckily did no damage, we simply received some much needed rain from it.

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Along with trying to clear out our garage, and to get some things accomplished on the home front...I have also been busy trying to get the next issue of "Small Town Living" together. Writing an article and then trying to get submitters coordinated to get their submissions in on time. Sometimes that part of things is very, very frustrating for a magazine publisher...the getting the submitters on board and in gear to get things in on time

..this month has been frustrating to say the least on it . Ahh well..I really hope though that this issue is enjoyed by our readers.I just hope that the next issue goes a bit smoother than this one has in getting things together for it.

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Here is a recipe to share this week:

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Lemon Pudding

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3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup light cream or half and half

1 cup whole milk

3 large egg yolks,lightly beaten

1 1/2 T. finely grated lemon zest

pinch of salt

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice,strained with pulp and seeds removed

2 T butter at room temperature

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In medium saucepan whisk together sugar,cornstarch to remove lumps.Add milk and cream,whisk til smooth.

Add egg yolks,lemon zest,and salt.

Cook over med.heat stirring frequently and then constantly.Until mixture coats the back of a spoon.(about 5 to 10 minutes)

Remove from heat,and stir in the lemon juice and butter.Position a mesh strainer over a heat proof glass bowl and pour pudding into strainer.. Use a spoon to push it through th strainer, sieving out the lemon zest.

Let cool to room temperature.Cover with plastic wrap and let chill at least 2 hours.

Serve chilled.6 servings.

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Have a great week!

~The Garden Goose!~

Good grief..technology can be a pain sometimes..

2009-10-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

GEE WHIZ..I have tried for the last week to get onto all of my blogs as well as the ning forums for our Small Town Living site with no luck..my computer went on a real wonky fritz. So I am currently on my hubby's laptop writing all of my posts and we will be getting an external harddrive for my computer and transferring all of my photos onto that and then deleting a lot of things off of my computer with the hopes that it will then run a bit better for me. but..ugh..technology can be aggravating at times.
--------
well, we took a trip to Ocala last weekend to put in our bid on a home, but that fell through at the last minute as we did not wish to get drug into a bidding war on the home. So we continue to look for a home. Ours is being listed with a new agent who is very nice and seems to definitely have her act in gear compared to the last agent..this gal is a dynamo and quite helpful with advice, and a "go getter", so we really are hoping that things go quickly once we have the new agent.
-----------
Weather here today has started to cool down again after this mornings rain shower.We have had a rather odd bit of Fall weather here..it just can't seem to decide whether or not to remain summertime or to go ahead and embrace the changing season :0)
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On another note my husband is hosting a giveaway, all you have to do is visit his shop at www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com and email him and tell him what you think of his work..then leave your address and you will receive a nice vinyl decal from his overstocked items...his email is pauldavidwilson at gmail dot com.
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I do hope that you all are having a great weekend. Here's wishing you a Happy Halloween too.
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~the Garden Goose!~

Just a wee bit busy here lately..

2009-10-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

Things around here have been a wee bit busy as of late.

I've been working on cleaning out our garage a bit more. Trying to get more things downsized and cleared out.

And am bartering a few of the items for things that I actually can use/need at a new house. Things like crocheted dishcloths, some heirloom seeds that I don't have in my stash, and some retro looking fabric fat quarters. So it is thinning out things I don't want to move and swapping them for things that take up a lot less space and that I can wind up putting to good use. It is a win-win situation for all involved.Plus bartering is just plain fun.

Then I worked on weeding my potted plants..yep..somehow my potted plants out back wound up with their fair share of weeds in amongst the pots/plants...gee weeds are persistent aren't they? Then I had to move a couple of heavy terra cotta pots in with the grouping..boy a terra cotta pot filled with plants and soil gets heavy quickly. Next time I will make sure I use a dolly to move heavy things like that.

Today I spent all afternoon getting my house whipped back into shape..vacuuming and mopping and boxing up all the barter items to gt them ready to ship out.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed..I have created a blog for "Small Town Living" check the side bar on the left, and I hope you'll stop by the blog and become a follower.:0)

Fall weather has finally arrived here, and wow! I'm loving it!
So very nice to be able to open the back door and leave it open for the breeze to drift through the house.And to open the windows too. Actually love to see curtains lightly swaying in the breeze.Something so peaceful and homey about it.

Stop by the "Small Town Living" blog and check out the recipe I've posted there this evening for "Crockpot Apple Butter".

I'll be updating "The Victory Gardener" blog too this evening, so be sure and pick up the latest gardening tip over there.

Thanks so very much for stopping by!
I'd love to know that you visited so please feel free to leave me a comment.
~The Garden Goose!~

Fun blog give away

2009-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here is another great blog give away that you won't want to miss out on..trust me! :0)
Hurry on over and check it out.
You know you want to!
http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/2009/10/decal-giveaway.html

Have fun! ~The Garden Goose~!

Sewing Gadget Giveaway

2009-10-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you that like to sew I came across this neat giveaway today.

Check it out.

The Original "How Much Fabric" reference cards.

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-much-fabric-card-guest-giveaway.html

~The Garden Goose~

Homeschooling Helps

2009-10-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

My son and I recently completed a 155 page unit study on Dolphins.

I thought I'd share the link here to the unit study.

http://www.unitstudiesbygwen.com/

It had about 42 pages of printable worksheets to accompany the study.Approx. Grade 3-5 level.

We also visited the http://www.scholastic.com/winterstail/ website to watch the little video they have there about "Winter" a bottlenose dolphin who at age 3 months was caught in a crab trab and lost her tail...she is now 4 years old and resides at the Clearwater, FL. Marine Aquarium.A very inspiring little video about success despite the odds.

I think you and your child/children will enjoy both the unit study and the little video.

Have fun and Happy Homeschooling!

~The Garden Goose~

Dressing things up a bit...

2009-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

I had gotten a little bit bored with the looks of things on my blog here, and decided I'd like to gussy it up a bit, do you like the new look? I do, and I hope that you do too. Sometimes we just need to add a little bit of flair here and there to things huh?

I've created a new blog today also..one that ties in with our Small Town Living magazine. You can check it out here:

http://www.small-town-living.blogspot.com/

Weather here has been hot and humid again..I sure would like for Fall to decide to stick around for a little bit.

Hard to believe that in about 2 months Christmas will be here already! Wow! where did the year go?

I've been trying to think of things to create on my new sewing machine.

I'll be participating in a Christmas garland swap over at http://www.smalltownliving.ning.com/

Why don't you stop by and become a member of the site and join the fun too?

We are completing a pinkeep swap right now, and the gals that were involved with that swap had a lot of fun creating pinkeeps for their swap partners.

Here's wishing you all a most lovely weekend!

~The Garden Goose~

Check out this "sweet" giveaway

2009-10-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

This gal creates the sweetest items..trust me..definite "eye candy"! Check out her give away http://sweetbfolkart.blogspot.com/2009/10/first-annual-sweet-b-blog-buffet.html

~The Garden Goose~

New issue of Small Town living Online now!!

2009-10-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Just a little note to let you know all know that

the new Oct./November 2009 issue of Small Town Living e-zine is now available online at:

http://www.stliving.net/

Featured in this issue:

Buckeye Chickens

What We Learned Through Our CSA Adventure

My Journey To Veganism

Soap Making 101

The Do's and Don't's Of Moving To A Small Town

Gifts From the Pantry
....and more.

Please feel free to share the e-zine with family and friends. Thank you and Happy Fall!

Loving Fall!...and a little visitor

2009-10-02T01:33:00.000-07:00

We finally have gorgeous Fall weather here in North Florida. The days have been at about the mid 70's and nights have been at about 54 degrees. Breezy, crisp clear air.

Love it!..and love the fact that I can now start throwing the windows open for fresh, crisp,cool air to breeze through my house. Yay!

-----------

I was able to get some close up photos of a cardinal that makes our backyard his home turf...hubby used the bird sound application on his i-pod to attract the little guys attention..it did the trick. This little male cardinal came in quite closely and would land about 6 feet away from us, and sometimes even a little closer than that as the cardinal bird sounds played on the i-pod speaker.

I'm not sure if this little cardinal had mites on his head/beak area or if he is going through a molt, as he kept rubbing his beak against branches and the feathers around his beak area looked a wee scruffy..anyhow..I was delighted to be able to get a few close shots with the camera. Enjoy!

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I hope that you are enjoying Fall in your area too.

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose!~

Awesome Garage Sale Finds

2009-09-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

It was a terrific garage saling day around here yesterday!..which to be honest with you is a very rare occurence in our area to be able to score such nice vintage finds. But score I did! I am still excited about the cute/fun finds I mananged to acquire yesterday. Here are photos of what I found.Ooops.... and I still forgot to get photos on here of the 2 vintage cameras I found..I'll add those in a next post....But here is everything except for the 2 awesome antique cameras I found.

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cake and pie keepers from 1970's.(cake keeper was $12.50 and pie keeper was $5)

chicken figurine and chicken candy holder... from late 40's and mid 50's. (Found for $1 each)

little pug dog figurine..unsure of age but it is old..and old dog print in frame..this was created by the Wilson Chemical Company around the 1930's-1940's they would sell these little prints to customers for 25 cents when the customers would buy their Cloverine Salve. I could not find much else in regards to info/value on this print other than the name being "The Last of the Litter" ..this print in very old frame too with wire wrapped hanger. (Got this picture for $1 /pug was $1)

wee dutch shoes/child sized were $1

little cherry embroidered doily /old on linen..was 25 cents

modern garden quotes book was 50 cents

Awesome vintage child's umbrella in excellent shape...scored this cute find for all of 50 cents!

And.... I scored 2 antique ladder back chairs in excellent condition with rush cane seats for $10 each!

Then this vintage wooden folding chair for $3 I'll need to repaint the yellow chair as I was unaware when I bought it that it had a fair amount of mildew on the underside of the chair and a strong musty/mildewy scent..so I will have to clean it with vinegar to kill the mildewy smells and probably sand and repaint..but I do like that cheery yellow color though..but may go with painting it a robin's egg bue..unsure of what color it will wind up....may keep it brilliant yellow, but it does have to be repainted as in currrent state the smell is a bit overpowering..so I'll have to scrub it and possibly have to sand it too.

then I found this little Chrysanthemum mug with underplate shaped like a flower. I'll be listing tis in my etsy shop as I already own a set of 4 of these... it is quite old..by the Ardalt company...this one still has the old foil label on the bottom of the mug.

I'll post my vintage camera finds later on this evening though.

I really had fun finding these treasures and am pleased with them..Hope you enjoyed my little "show and tell"

Thanks for stopping by and joining in my bit of "vintage finds" excitement!

~The Garden Goose!~

Wee sewing project...

2009-09-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun with my new sewing machine lately.... I had not sewn anything in about 9 years. Have not had a sewing machine for that long either, so hubby bought me a new sewing machine about a week and a half ago as an early birthday present...and I've been having fun getting back into sewing.
Here's a little Scotty dog mini pillow I made yesterday. Isn't it cute?

I really like it, and will probably find a way to add gusset to the belly area and make it a 4 legged version.

Thanks for stopping by . Really appreciate it when I have visitors, and love to read your comments too.

Hope that you have had a lovely Monday!

~The Garden Goose~

A little painting...and more..

2009-09-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Created this wee painting today..after about 5 years or so of having not dabbled in water color painting. I created this image..it is about 4 inches tall by about 4 inches wide.After I painted the image I added pen and ink details.

Just a wee something to try to get the creativity going again.:0)

Then I wanted to share with you another one of my vintage circus themed items.

That I'll be using in my new home..once we get to that point..ha.Anyhow..I like this little guy and can't wait to get him out to display him in a new home.

I'm not into those weird creepy/scary clowns..but I do like vintage, folksy clown and circus type things..ones that have a slightly European look to them like this one has..very hard to find them like this. Either the clowns are too cutesy-kiddy,or too creepy to suit the look I am wanting in the new home...so I was delighted to have been able to find this one a while back.Doesn't it look cheery? And I love the mix of yellow and blue.

Well, we have had a bit of rain here today and yesterday..which is good for the bean plants though..I have a few varieties of heirloom bean plants growing right now.(Jackson Wonder Butterbean, Queen Anne Blackeye Pea, Provider Bush Bean, and Royal Burgundy Bush Bean) Don't the little seedlings look great?

I hope you all have had a good weekend thus far!

Thanks for stopping by.

~The Garden Goose!~

Art Challenge...what I made...

2009-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I entered the art challenge over at http://www.mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/ but this month I decided to join in the fun again.

We are given an image each month to create whatever our little hearts desire, but we MUST use the image provided somewhere in our creation.

This month's creative challenge prompt was the word "Daughter" and this image.

To create my project I used the backing cardboard from a package of gourmet jelly beans I had received back around Easter time..yes I saved the cardboard backing as it was already cut into this scalloped type edging along 3 sides..creating a "perfect" framing.

I then found some patterned paper with a repeating crown design, a larger crown image that I cut out very carefully, then I cut the image of the little girl out of paper, found a architectural image of an old urn, and a vintage botanical rose image..cut both of those out very carefully from paper....and had fun combining all of these elements. Then I edged the entire image with a pretty lace and ribbon edging in a pale beige color, then up in the top corners of the lace edging I applied two very tiny aqua colored pom poms.

I think the crown theme is very fitting..as those of us that have daughters enjoy having our "little princesses" around.:0)

I made this image for my youngest daughter. It will be displayed on her dresser at a new home.She loves it!!

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Now...if you like this creation..or any of the other creations that will be posted on September 9th over at http://www.mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/

don't forget to vote for your favorite artist/creation. Winners of each month's challenge receive a $20 gift certificate towards the purchase of some nice art supplies....and maybe next month you'll join in the fun art challenge too.:0)

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~The Garden Goose!~

A little bit of Sewing...and more..

2009-09-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

So sorry that I am a few days late on finally posting my latest sewing project. These little pincushions are so fun to make. I did depart a little from the usual in the design of mine..as the 2nd "round" in the stack on my pincushion isn't actually "round" I created a small square and then tucked each corner inward as an added bit of interest. But when gathered with the threads it still winds up looking "round" even when it started out as a square...still cute..and still fun none the less.

And don't you just love the contrast with the little aqua polka dot ribbon? I do!

Anyhow..there you have it..my latest little sewing project. I'll be creating more of these for sure.

And...I am going to be creating a little scotty dog pillow too..I'll have to share photos of course.:0)

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I also found this rose growing in what remains of the cottage garden..I'll have to pot the rose plant up, as I love these roses and want to carry it with us to a new home.

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The bean seeds that my youngest daughter and I planted over a week ago have finally sprouted up..so I expect in about a month or so we will be harvesting beans..yay..I'll need to get photos of the plants too.

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Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you are having a lovely day!

~The Garden Goose!~

Designing a Princess Style Room

2009-09-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have a little "princess" that will soon have her own bedroom... So I've been looking around and planning out a few cute ideas for a room fit for a princess(once we get moved that is).

Here is some of what I have found that would create a gorgeous , yet whimsical room for a little girl.

Shoot..I even like the canopy myself... and may have one custom made for the master bedroom too. The canopies are available at very reasonable prices...and custom made at that!...by etsy seller http://www.sozoeyboutique.etsy.com/

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And for the little artist...fancy chalkboard vinyl decal available at http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

These are also terrifific for use in a kitchen area..I intend to have one of these inside my pantry door or in the kitchen itself.

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And to add a bit of that Cinderella fairytale feel to the room..what about some darling little birds flitting about near a window?

Decals available at http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

Maybe you'd like more of a garden theme to the princess room?

Aren't these cheery flowers just the ticket? Also available at http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

Oh!....and we cannot forget the most important feature of a Princess themed room...the castle!!!Wouldn't this be absolutely adorable centered in the middle of that canopy?? Right above a bed?? oh my Yes!!! (again available at www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com )

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed my Princess theme room design.

~The Garden Goose!~

Fun, Fun, Fun!

2009-08-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

So.. I did some errand running this afternoon..not too much fun, but needful things that had to be attended to. The fun came along after all of the errand running this afternoon, when dear daughter requested a trip to Joann's Fabric Store...so there I was in Joann's when....what should I spy but a shelf full of sewing machines and all on sale at that!!

Now, I had been wanting a sewing machine for a little while, and had told my husband a few days ago that for my upcoming birthday (which is on the 17th of Sept.) that I would like to have a sewing machine...so...what was a gal to do...but hastily get on the cell phone and in a sweet voice say..."umm honey..hey there..umm I'm here at Joann's and they have their sewing machines on sale today...can I go ahead and get one for my birthday while I'm here?"...and that sweet man of mine..well...he said Yes!...so...wooohooo! I am now the proud owner of a little Singer sewing machine..now nothing super fancy smancy about it....but I'm a gal here that has not used a sewing machine in 10 years...and this is going to be totally new territory to me again. I am both nervous and excited.:0)
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I had no idea last night when I found some darling notions to sew with, that I would soon have a sewing machine to create with too...but..I went ahead and bought myself some awesomely sweet trims. Look at this CUUUUTE eye candy..aren't these trims just luscious??!

And yep..they are now mine..couldn't resist..and they are vintage trims too. Whoot! Whooot!

Now the aqua tassle and aqua square trimmings I intend to use to edge valances at my new home, and you can bet that if I tire of what the trim is attached to..ha..I am going to use a seam ripper to save the trim to use over again..yep..I like it "That much"..hee hee. But..anyhow let's take a look at the fun eye candy now shall we? I still have no idea what I will be creating with all of these gorgeous trims... but I'm sure the inspiration will hit me soon.:0)

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And..since I'm on the topic of "Vintage" I thought I'd share a few more of my Vintage treasures with you all..Items that are tucked away awaiting the new home.
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but first..take a look at this sweet, sweet, sweet "Bicycle Built For Two" that I will be using as a photo prop to create little images with?

It is a small bike only about 4 inches tall, but I intend to create images that can be converted to darling note cards...using flowers and such to create vintage looking scenes..fun!-fun!
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O.k.....now on to the Vintage Treasures.....
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I fell in love with this lamp shade..isn't it just awesome? I think it has the coolest design on it..and I'm going to use it on a lamp that my daughter and her grandfather made using a large gourd..I intend to paint the gourd base in a complementary color that will go with the lamp shade.But isn't this the neatest lamp shade? The lamp will most likely be included in my master bedroom decor.As the master bedroom will be a yellow color.---------
I have a few of these little enamelware European tea pots that will grace my 1950's themed kitchen..I have a collection of 1950's era chickens and roosters in bright reds and whites and yellows and blacks..and the little teapots complement the theme perfectly.
The kitchen will also have a red and white vintage potholder collection ..but anyhow..isn't the little teapot adorable? Such a cheery color!
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And..one cannot forget about decorating a laundry room now, can one? I found these darling chalkware placques a while back and they are perfect for decorating a laundry room ...I think. Aren't they just so sweet?

Now..only to sell the current house..so that I can bring out all of my fun treasures and get to decorating.:0)

--------We did have a house showing this past Saturday..but have not heard word back yet on how that went....sometimes the realtors are a bit slow to let us know the feedback whether good or bad on things..wish that wasn't the case..but such as it is in this process.

I hope that you have enjoyed your visit to my blog..and come back again real soon.

~The Garden Goose!~

My first art doll attempt..and more..

2009-08-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, things on the house selling front are going rather slow..drat it...sigh..we had a showing this past Thursday, but apparently the realtor that showed the house was NOT in touch with her clients needs/wants or either said client did not reveal his needs/wants adequately enough..needless to say it was another case of a waste of time on every one's part..the yard according to this person was "too big"..like umm... duhh..if you or your agent had actually taken the time to have read the listing you would have known that the yard was a little more than .33 of an acre..duhhh.

Anyhow..yeah..a bit of sarcasm and frustration in my writing there folks.O.k. rant over...but sigh...

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Well..I decided to give a bit of crafting a try..albeit all of about an hour and a half of crafting,but crafting none the less.

I wanted to see if I could create a small art doll of sorts. Of course I do not have much in the way of any craft supplies on hand, so I created with what I could. A leftover scrap of canvas, a tiny bit of stuffing, and some Prismacolor markers and...wallah!..this is what I came up with. My 5 year old really likes it, so that is what matters. A professional doll making career I'm afraid is NOT in my future..but it was fun none the less.:0) and funner still to see my little 5 year old happy to carry around this wee little "pocket pal",and to take it to bed with her at bed time.:0).

I must admit it turned out better than I expected.

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On the gardening front..I haven't done much at all in the way of gardening this year...most of everything that I am growing is in pots awaiting transfer to a new home. And I gave away a fair amount of plants recently to our lawn service folks.

I did receive 39 variety of bearded iris the other day, which I potted up in batches of 5 into 8 large pots..they were small rhizomes so they worked out well being planted into large pots . I expect that they won't produce anything until next year in the way of flowers.

I do have 2 totally cleared out 4 ft by 8 ft raised beds in my backyard, which I was not planning on putting anything in them , but have decided that since things are going a bit slowly on the house...that I might as well try to grow some beans that are the fast growing bush bean type...and if the house doesn't sell within the next 60 days...at least I will have some beans to freeze...if it does sell during that time then someone else can enjoy some fresh beans...either way...I'll be planting some beans in those raised beds...and getting a chance at least once more this year to do a little "playing in the dirt"

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Have you started your Fall garden?..or planned a Fall garden this year?There is still time to get some items in the ground. Things like greens (turnips, mustards, collards). And lettuces, radishes, endive,chard.This is also the time to plant garlic.

I have some of the items mentioned above available in my little garden shop online. Feel free to check it out. http://www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com/
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Wishing you all a lovely week, and thanks for stopping by. :0)

~The Garden Goose!~

In love With Irises

2009-08-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

So there I was last night sitting on the floor of my kitchen area with 11 big plastic pots surrounding me that had been filled with potting soil. Nearby was a large box I had received a few days earlier from Stoney Creek Iris (http://www.stoneycreekiris.com/) 39 varieties of beautiful iris rhizomes to get potted up.

What fun!

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I found the plastic pots at my local Kmart yesterday at 70 % off! Pots that were normally $9.99 were marked down to $3..I saved myself a whopping $77 on plant pots. Yay! I think every gal likes a nice bargain every now and again.

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But..back to the Irises. I am smitten..and my Irises haven't even bloomed yet..but..I know what they will look like when they do, and that is what excites me!

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Look at some of the varieties that I will be growing.What an amazing array of colors!

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If you love Irises I highly recommend dealing with "Stoney Creek Iris" next year . Get your order in early next year though(around the end of March/First of April, as lovely Irises like these ones sell out quickly.
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~The Garden Goose~

August/September 2009 Issue of "Small Town Living"

2009-08-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

The August/September 2009 Issue of "Small Town Living" has now been posted to the website at:

http://www.stliving.net/

Highlights:
*Fox Hill Farm Celebrates 90 Years
of Farm and Family
* Attracting Humming Birds
*Easy as Pie:
In the Kitchen with "Not Quite June Cleaver"
*The Stuff of Dreams: By Dean Abbott
*Growing Plums
*The American Artisans Guide

......and more

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Please also join us at our forums at www.smalltownliving.ning.com

Where we share with each other our knowledge about gardening,crafting,back yard chickens and a whole lot more. A community of sharing and caring. We also have a "live chatroom" over at the forum every Friday evening at 8 p.m. CST...Come join the fun!

Hen Box GiveAway and chicken musings...

2009-07-31T00:46:00.001-07:00

Another chance to get your name in the hat for a backyard chicken Hen Box over at "Georgia Farmwoman":

http://georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/2009/07/chicken-nest-box-giveaway.html

Maybe 3rd time is a charm for me??

Yes, I must admit I'd be over the moon if I actually won one of the chicken nesting boxes featured on this fun blog.

See, Georgia Farmwoman's hubby crafts these awesome hen nesting boxes from quality materials, and you can tell just by looking at the photos that a lot of pride and craftsmanship goes into the creation of these nesting boxes.

I'd actually really love to add something like this to our future chicken coop.

Right now we do not have any backyard chickens, but we did have 2 hens ,and it was so nice to watch them strutting their stuff in our backyard and providing us with more than enough eggs for our family.... unfortunately something scared our favorite gal a few months ago and she died, so her coop mate went back to the feed store where we purchased the gals, and someone else gave her a nice home.

Kind of hard to keep backyard chickens when a home is for sale and being shown... as not everyone in the city/coming to look at a home that is for sale in the city understands the backyard chicken concept. :0)

But..we will definitely have backyard chickens again in the very near future..as soon as our current home sells and we get relocated.

We'd love to have at least 4 hens at our new place.

My oldest daughter and I have talked about the types of chickens we'd like to have, and we both like the Polish Crested /probably if the younger children become involved with a 4-h poultry club they can show the Polish Crested, and my daughter had 2 Ameraucanas...that was what our gals were before...friendly little hens that both laid pretty greenish- blue eggs. So we definitely would like to get a pair of that type again.

Anyhow... hop on over to Georgia Farmwoman's blog to check out the nest boxes.

The drawing ends on 8/1.

~The Garden Goose~

Decorating "Farm Style"

2009-07-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we all want a fresh look in our kitchen..but sometimes the "old is in"...meaning... sometimes we can create an awesome new look by going back a few years, and bringing vintage styled items into our rooms,creating an all new look that adds cheeriness, as well as a good bit of nostalgia.

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I don't know about you, but I for one do not want my home decor looking like everyone else's, or full of big box store items...the look that everyone and their sister can find for a dime a dozen, and marked "made in (insert some foreign country name here) ...

Nope...I tend to gravitate towards things that fit into the "vintage" category...true some of them just might have come from another country...but, I didn't support a big box store when I bought them...nope...I supported someone who took the time to unearth these treasures at either an estate sale, garage sale, or dug out of a box from grandma's attic or such.

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You seee...I enjoy shopping on etsy.com for my fun decor finds and thought I'd share a few farm themed items I came across here for you.

All of the items posted here are posted along with the shop name of where you can find these inexpensive, but fun, and vintage decor items.(no, I am not being bribed, paid, or begged to list these items here...I'm doing it just for the fun of it) Enjoy!

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Apron from http://www.revivalfinds.etsy.com/

Kids and Farm print in black and white from http://www.thevintagemode.etsy.com/ (would look great in a red frame)

Copper Cookie Cutters from http://www.zellesattic.etsy.com/(these would be cute hung from red ribbons against gingham curtains.or in a small basket with a rolling pin nearby.)

A set of 2 awesome cow anatomy prints from http://www.vintagegoodness.etsy.com/

These would make a great framed set.Very detailed illustrations. (I could see these framed in classic black frames or again in cheery red frames.) Next up... these four seasons on the farm prints are available from http://www.kelleystreetvintage.etsy.com/

These are very pretty I think.Showing each season on the same farm. These would look nice I think displayed in frames over top of the kitchen cabinets..,in a panoramic sequence of frames starting with Spring and ending with Winter.

Wouldn't this old book be so cute propped up on your counter next to a display of little farm animals, or alongside your vintage chicken display along with a plant? Available at http://www.auldthingsnew.etsy.com/

What about this cute old goat print? Not often that you can find a nice print like this of a goat. This fine print is available at :http://www.kelleystreetvintage.etsy.com/

Goats and cows not your thing? What about horses? This lovely horse tray is available at: http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com/

Into gardening..how about this little "Inch by Inch, Row by Row"..tiny plate? isn't it adorable? Available at:http://www.crabvilleinautumn.etsy.com/

And last.... but not least we can't forget the little cluckers...this cute rooster figure is available at:

http://www.oldethings.etsy.com/

Hope you enjoyed discovering a few new places to shop. Have fun decorating your Farm Style kitchen!

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose!~

Gone to the Birds...Bird Rehabilitating that is

2009-07-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well...

my afternoon was spent on bird rehabilitation.

Not because I really wanted to, but when I took Collin(my mini schnauzer) out to go to the bathroom this afternoon ... he kept sniffing and straining towards the big christmas tree type tree we have in the backyard...

and that's when I saw it...a wee tiny mockingbird(about 3 inches tall) that could not hop very well at all it kept tumbling over itself, and could not get away very well at all.(Couldn't fly at all) and when it tried to hop it literally did tumbles over itself..poor thing...

So my daughter and I scooped it up, found a nest that has been blown apart and another nest that was tipped sideways in the tree, so my daughter took the one good nest and set it back upright into the tree and we put the baby bird back in the nest.

I went back out about 3 hrs later and the same scenario ensued... baby bird back on the ground, no parents around, and the nest was again tipped over.

So this time around we went ahead and scooped the baby up and brought it in to keep the ants from getting it.

I have left little birds before like this thinking that nature would do what nature would do, and the parents would find them only to return to the bird a few hours later to see fire ants having a feast...I did not want the fire ants to have a feast on this little one.

So this afternoon has been spent making sure it eats. I have also discovered that its leg is broken up near the hip joint, so I tried my best to bind the leg with some very fine,thin seam binding and tape. What a chore! Not only is the bird a little wiggle worm, but my gracious birdy legs are so thin! It is tough trying to bind a baby bird's leg.

But the good news is it is a vigorourous eater and has really been scarfing the blueberries and some moistened dog food. So that is promising.

My daughter managed to get it to eat a grub worm this afternoon too, so that is really good.

The one leg that I had to bind, it refuses to move it and the foot is just being held very limpy, the hip joint just kind of flops around, so I tried very hard to bind it up to minimize the flopping of the leg.I could see where the leg joint had gotten broken, but other than binding it up of course I don't know how to set it.At least it tries to hop around on its one good leg though.And boy it can chirp loudly too.So..that's how our day has gone this afternoon.------------We've gone to the birds..LOL
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The leg appears to still have color and blood flow to it, so that is promising at least.(same coloring in the toes and foot as the healthy leg/so this is a good sign/only thing is it isn't using the leg and the leg has a good bit of "flop" even once it is bound) it definitely eats well, and tries to peck at the foods also.... so this is a good thing.... so far it is doing well.

We are using a Warm rice pack to keep the critter warm too.

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Now if this was a baby dove I would not have even tried this, as doves have to be fed regurgitated "dove milk" ..but this one is a mockingbird, and eats a good bit differently.Had a treat of a fresh grub earlier that it enjoyed, and really enjoys fresh blueberries and moistened dog food.

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I looked all over for any signs of other baby birds that might have fallen out too but this was the only one.

Had the situation not repeated itself 3 hrs later I would have just left it alone of course.

But we have some wicked mean fire ants around here that would have had a nice lunch had we not intervened, as I saw a few of them up under the tree when we rescued the baby.

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Last year we had a baby blue jay fall from the nest and I spied the parents nearby, so I left it where it was... only to go outside a little while later to see it covered in fire ants...the poor thing. I know nature can be cruel, but I honestly did not want to give the ants a chance today.

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I looked online for wildlife rehabbers and from what I could tell... the closest wildlife rehabilitator to us is about 40 miles away. So, we will do the best we can to take care of it here.(yes, I have a little experience in these types of things as we rescued quite a number of little birds like this back when I was a teen, and I have done some research also on how to take care of the wee one/if I feel that the little leg needs to be amputated I will find a capable vet in the area/am keeping a close eye on the development with its little leg and so far the color and blood flow look to be good)

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This afternoon and evening the little chirper packed away the following:

Lunch:

the insides of about 2 big juicy blueberries

1 fat grub worm

1 rolly poly bug

and about 2 pieces of moistened dog food

dinner:

4 rolly poly bugs

and 1 big juicy blueberry innards.

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All's well so far at the "zoo" ...LOL

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Have a goood day!

~The Garden Goose!~

And the winner is....

2009-07-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Had hubby pick a random number from the number of posts here. Just bug hubby while he is totally absorbed in business and say "hey hubby/pick a number any number between 1 and 52"

He chose number 36..so..number 36 it is....

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Deena from "Sweet Annee"

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You will receive your choice of vinyl decals from http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest.

I of course will have more contests periodically, so there is always a chance to win.

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Thanks so much for stopping by.

~The Garden Goose!~

500th Post GiveAway! $75 worth of Awesome Vinyl Decals

2009-07-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

I've made it to my 500th Post! Wow! I knew I was a "jabber jaws" LOL..but anyhow..now you all know it too. (ha)

Anyhow..to celebrate... I am giving away $75 worth of awesome vinyl decals that you can use to decorate your walls with, you can use them for art projects, or whatever suits your fancy.

------------------ To enter to win you'll need to visit http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/ and come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which vinyl decals you would choose if you were to win the $75 worth of decals.

That will get your name in the hat once.

To have 3 entries in the hat leave me a comment and choose one of the images here to display on your blog with a link back here to the contest.

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Pretty easy really.

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So..take a peek over at

http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

and then stop back by here and let me know what you like.

The Winner will be announced here on July 16th.

So you have until July 15th to get your name in the hat.

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And thanks so much for having visited my blog.

~The Garden Goose!~

Awesome Apron Give Away..and more...

2009-07-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

Wanted to let you all know about this super sweet give away over at my friend Susan's blog. http://www.notquitejunecleaver.com/

Susan will be giving away not one, but 2 darling aprons!...and as we all know by now..Aprons are IN! ...so get thyself hence over to my friend's blog...pronto..and join the fun..

..o.k., o.k...at least after you finish reading my ramblings..but..do get your name in the pot for the drawing though, and let her know Tina sent ya.:0)

Also..why not join in on Susan's "Friday Baking" event?

Or at least enjoy the wonderful recipes that she shares quite often..and let me tell you folks..her recent post wherein she shared a recipe for blueberry pie..oh be still my beating heart..that pie was so awesomely delish! You will definitely be missing out if you don't at least try that recipe. It was a winner here at our house, and in fact I have a hankering for some more of that pie soon too.

So..do stop by and visit with Susan and let her know that I sent you on over.:0)

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O.k. now..I am fast approaching my 500th post..and I will have something fun to offer in the way of a drawing soon.So..you'll want to stop back by real soon for that.

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I also have had a little bit of excitement going on here...

I have had one of my photos published in a national magazine!

Yes! ...I am really excited about that!

You will find a photo created by moi..on page 64 of the August/September 2009 issue of "Mary Jane's Farm"! The magazines are available at Books A Million, Barnes and Noble and also at some Tractor Supply stores.

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Also... I have had another one of my articles published in the July-August 2009 issue of "The Country Register" for the Nebraska region.

The article is about collecting vintage photos...

The newspaper type paper is available at specialty country and antique stores around the state...

"The Country Register" itself is a newspaper that is distributed across the U.s. and Canada and typically carried by antique specialty shops and country themed stores and specialty boutiques.

So it is rather exciting to see more of my work getting "out there".

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And....I have something else in the works....but..am busy working on it, and doing my research...when I have more of it completed I of course may let a bit more of the "cat out of the bag"...but suffice it to say..I'm having quite a lot of fun lately.

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That's the news from my little corner of the world.

I hope that you all are having a wonderful evening.

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose!~

oh wow! Look at this Give Away! What fun!

2009-07-05T01:41:00.000-07:00

O.k...without a doubt I would SOOOO love to win this! (see my left hand side bar/the link to the super cool bike) Madsen Cycles http://www.madsencycles.com/contest/
You can enter the contest too which is open until July 15th..to win one of these super cool cycles.
Oooh la-la! So..what are you waiting for? Get thyself hence over to the website pronto and sign up.
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Some flower seeds I have collected/For new gardens

2009-07-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

Those who have been reading my blog for some time now know that I am a plant/flower nut..and..if you didn't know..you do now..ha.

Anyhow..I wanted to share with you some lovely flower/fruit seeds that I have in my personal seed bank that I hope to grow at a new home.You might find that these varieties are something you too may want to try in your gardens..now... I will admit not everything I will be growing will be heirloom varieties, but most will be...

I must admit that there are some hybrid varieties that I do have a hard time resisting, as they are just so very pretty too.So, yes sometimes I will be growing a few hybrids in my flower gardens, but for the most part I do try to find heirlooms, but listed below are some hybrid varieties with the exception of the fruit producers.(the passion vine and the pomegranate)

The really nice thing about seeds is that many varieties can be stored and saved for several years and they will still be viable. Things like melons, peppers and so forth can maintain their viability for up to 5 years or more. But anyhow..back to pretty flowers..here are some pretty flower seeds that are a part of my seed collection and that I am hoping, hoping, hoping that I will be able to start growing real soon.
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If you'd like some flower seeds like this stop by the online shop of ebay seller 55hoffman. That is where I found all of these varieties.
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I was able to find a unique("rare") passion flower vine seed called "Banana Passion Vine"
Aren't the flowers beautiful! And the great thing about this variety is that it produces fruit. I have a maypop/purple variety of passion vine that produces lots of flowers and lots of "volunteer" plants but I have yet to see any fruit on the vines..so I am excited to hopefully try growing something that has the potential to produce an edible fruit.
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Then I found seed for this real pretty sunflower called "Ruby Eclipse Sunflower"
These will grow up to 6 ft. tall .
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I had been wanting to find seeds for Pomegranate for a while and found seed for those.They are supposed to be relatively easy to grow..I hope so.

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And then I love cosmos..they come in so many colors and are such a cheery flower in the garden.I found this variety called "Summer Dreams Cosmos". Oh I think they are so very pretty.---------------

I like scabiosa(pincushion flowers) ..I find them rather fascinating in that they look like little ..well.. little pincushions full of pins..they are rather cute little flowers.I have grown the pale lavender variety before, but found these ones called "Summer Berries".
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And lastly..I found this cute variety of nasturtiums called "Papaya Cream"..now nasturtiums are an edible flower and can add a slight peppery taste to salads, or be used merely to add as a garnish to a plate.But..don't you think these would look so pretty tossed into a salad though? I do.
So...there you have it..some really pretty flower varieties..have I managed to get you to thinking about adding something new to your flower gardens?...ha.:0)
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Have a lovely day!
Thanks for stopping by!
~The Garden Goose~

Firework Photos and..coming up to my 500th post and a fantastic giveaway

2009-07-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Shhh..don't tell but erm, umm..one of my neighbors had some awesomely huge fireworks this year that they set off in the neighborhood...actually.. umm... a bit uhh ...."illegal" to do fireworks of that caliber around here without a permit, but...a great photo oppurtunity..only thing is ..fireworks are rather difficult to photograph... as you never know when they are going to light the fuse, and just how high up in the air you actually will need to focus, and more...so it is rather a challenge...at least for me..but I did manage to get a few decent photos tonight, and have posted them here for you all to enjoy also.
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Also..I am nearing my 500th post on here..wow! and with that of course I will "Have" to do an awesome giveaway!As I get closer to the 500th post I will announce the giveaway...you won't want to miss it.I think I have 5 or 6 more posts to do to get to 500...so not too much longer before we have a bit of Fun!, Fun!, Fun! here.

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Oh, and I am pleased to announce that..you will find some of my photography work on page 64 of the August/September 2009 issue of "Mary Jane's Farm" magazine. It is a photo of a girl in a pink floral apron holding an ear of corn..only the hands and apron and corn show. I'm excited to have my photo in a national magazine.:0)

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O.k. that's all for this evening. I hope that you all had a lovely day/evening today and have been enjoying a lovely weekend.Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose~

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T17:33:00.001-07:00

Wishing you all a lovely Holiday weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

~The Garden Goose~

Some more of my collectibles..and a recipe for you..

2009-06-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just can't stand myself..haha..because I just have this knack for finding some awesomely cool/fun and ..o.k. just really super cool things to decorate with...wow!

Guess I can trace that knack way back to when my mom used to drag us kids around to garage sales galore from as far back as I can remember(thanks Mom ..smiles)...now though I must admit etsy.com is my "online garage sale" site..and where I tend to find some of my coolest treasures at really inexpensive prices. Grant it though I still like to go to garage sales too..haven't given up on that....but...

I cannot wait until we have our new home..I have so many super cool things saved back...I mean really fun/cool things to decorate with.

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Here are some more of my cool and fun things:

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This is a super cute and fun glass.

It is to advertise the Automatic dishwasher!

-------this little cup reads: "Beware- Cold Germs

Germs Away With An Automatic Dishwasher"

The back of the glass has where you can write the name of the person that has a cold. How cute is that little bug with the hanky and thermometer??

Then I have this really cool wire peacock sculpture that is a foot tall by about 13 1/2 inches wide.

I think it is really pretty.

Ok..there you have a few "show and tell" items.:0)

Thanks for taking a "look-see" :0)

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Now for a fun recipe!

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Super Strawberry-Banana Shake

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2 cups sliced, frozen strawberries

2 large ripe bananas sliced and frozen

1 pint strawberry icecream

2 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

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Blend all together in a blender until smooth.

Makes 8 /1 cup servings. Yummy!

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... and yes..those strawberries were in a basket on my kitchen counter...they now are all in my freezer for days when I'd like a berry shake like the one above:0)

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Have a great day!

Thanks for stopping by!

~The Garden Goose~

Sometimes Life can be a Circus...and more..

2009-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well..today we got a call for another showing tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the house/hoping that goes well.

I've been cleaning/straightening things up all afternoon since noon today and am finally to the point where I can relax now.(at 10 p.m. this evening) Sheew..

Anyhow..yes sometimes life can seem like a circus..ha.

So..with that in mind..I plan on decorating our new home's dining room area in a vintage/retro circus theme...

Here are some of the fun things I have collected along the way and have saved back.

I also plan to have a wall decal similar to this one somewhere in the dining area.I think it will be rather fun and different.
Oh and before I forget..I forgot to share this peacock set that is part of the peacock collection I have saved back as well.

Isn't it pretty? Unfortunately 3 of the items arrived broken when I got this, but I did manage to rescue them and glue them back together. It is an 11 piece set.(sugar bowl, creamer, salt and pepper, 2 candlesticks, a large platter, a napkin holder, a candy dish,and a gravy bowl and another covered dish.I'll mostly use them for "looks" but plan on hanging the large platter on the wall and creating a nice table display with the other pieces.They aren't quite as golden colored as the image shows they are a little lighter than this.----------

Well..I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrows house showing goes well..these things always make me as nervous as a cat in a house full of rocking chairs. Sheew. I will be so glad when this house thing is behind us..I think I may need a vacation when all is said and done..ha.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a lovely day!

~The Garden Goose~

Back yard chickens

2009-06-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

We have had back yard chickens in our "city" yard..and I can tell you this..it was quite the joy.
Nothing beats fresh eggs for baking that is for sure.

And not to mention how friendly pet chickens can be..we had a hen that would follow us around the yard and hop up into our lap to be petted. She was quite the little hen.

Anyhow..I came across this really neat giveaway online and I must say..I'd be more than delighted to win this because..well..because we plan on having a few more hens in our backyard once we get moved...and you just have to take a look at these nesting boxes for chickens...they are pretty nice!
http://georgiafarmwoman.blogspot.com/2009/06/four-hole-chicken-nest-box-giveaway.html

Yes I entered the drawing..and now I'm crossing my fingers that maybe..just maybe I can win this for myself and my oldest daughter.

We are hoping to be able to get a few Ameraucana hens, and maybe a couple of Polish Crested hens when we get moved. The Polish crested chickens would be for my 2 youngest children to be able to show at the 4-H shows.

But anyhow...have you ever thought about raising backyard chickens?

I think you'd enjoy it...really I do. There are quite a few websites online geared towards backyard chicken raising...and contrary to what some folks might say..chickens are fun and have "personality".So..if you've been thinking about..well..then just "go for it!" Chickens are fun.
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~The Garden Goose!~

Designing a Vintage Nautical Themed Room

2009-06-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I never knew how hard it was to find very old nautical themed items, until I started really seriously looking for the types of things I have in mind for a nautical themed master bath at our soon to be new home.

Sure its real easy to find those kitschy 1970's and 80's plastic things in bright pinks and bright colors, but I'm talking seriously old things not the "typical" beach items

...most of what I have been looking for for some time now... dates back to the 1800's and on up to the 1950's...with most dating from between the 1800's to 1930's.

I have found it very hard to find seahorse items and mermaid items in particular...and I've been looking for months..

But then, I know the look I'm going for, and I can be rather picky once I have a particular "look" in mind.

But..I wanted to share with you some of the cool things I have been able to find in my searching for that "perfect" nautical themed room.

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This is the little guy that started it all. This is a chalkware sailor figure that stands almost a foot tall and dates to the 1930,s.
Then I have managed to find some seahorse themed items. This large seahorse pitcher will hold cheery flowers and dates to about the 50's-60's.It is quite a large pitcher and is awesome looking in person.And then a seahorse tin wall placque.Not sure of the age on this seafoam green seahorse but it has flaking paint and is made of metal.I'm thinking probably late 1950's-1960's or so.

Then I have managed to find some darling Victorian trade cards,and postcards..., and a large Victorian die cut boat with flowers. All of these date back to the late 1800's to very early 1900's.

Then last, but not least I found a darling set of children's sand shovels. These will be displayed on the counter and set upon doilies, they will hold a variety of seashells and seaglass in the shovel part of them. and I will probably display a nautical postcard near them in small frames.

I also have a few vintage glass fishing floats that will be incorporated into the room, and a few seashells, as well as the carved clam shells I have shared in previous posts.

It is going to be rather fun to decorate with items that actually have a good bit of "history" to them, and are not as easily found as items one might find at the big box stores.

I've found that I enjoy finding items that are a good bit older and have a great deal more character to them.To me they say "home" and "fun" a lot more than mass produced items do...but then that's just my opinion. :0) (smiles)

Thanks for stopping by and getting a small glimpse into what my decorating style is like, and the items that I think will help to make my soon to be new house..a "home".

~The Garden Goose~

Want to create a Victory Garden??

2009-06-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Do you want to create a replica of the White House Victory Garden in your own backyard?

You can recreate the White House Victory Gardens in your yard very easily.

I recently came across a list of the items that will be grown/are growing in the White House Gardens and am sharing that list with you.

I also came across the layout for the White House Gardens for those that may wish to make their garden an exact replica of the one at the White House (bear in mind it is BIG and you'll need 1100 sq. feet of lawn to convert your yard into an exact replica)

To see the list of what is being grown/will be grown, as well as the chart/layout of the gardens hop on over to:

http://www.thevictorygardener.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! and Happy Gardening!

~The Garden Goose~ a.k.a ~The Victory Gardener!~

Some more cool things I collect and will decorate with

2009-06-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share a few more of my cool collectibles with you.

I will be decorating with these items in my new home.
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First up a few items that will go in my 1950's style kitchen.--------

Then I have been collecting a few peacock related items for a little while now, these will go somewhere in the living room area of the new home. (the large embroidered linen will be framed.It is about 18 inches tall)

Then I have been collecting items for a while for a very vintage nautical style bathroom. I also have been collecting these vintage celluloid carved shell scenes.These shells were made to look like they were carved out of ivory, but were in fact made of a type of plastic material known as celluloid. I now have about 7 of these in my collection.

The clam shell scenes will most likely be displayed in some sort of a glass front case..if I can find one that is.:0) As they are quite old.Or at least on a shelf of some sort.

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Then I have a few other items for my nautical themed bath. A seahorse and I have collected a few nautical themed Victorian trade cards as well. I have found in my searches that it is rather difficult to find old/vintage seahorse items.So when I found this old tin seahorse wall hanging I snagged it.

Then..not really in a "collection".... but this is something that I have wanted to have one of for quite a long time...I was delighted to find a very old hand pump that will be used in either the kitchen for decor, or in the garden.(my husband is not fond of the purple color and I must admit I am not either, but I was told that it is the original paint on the pump...I must say I find it rather odd that a pump this old would have been painted purple don't you?) I may wind up painting it a bright red color if I decide to use it in my kitchen though.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share a few fun things with you.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

~The Garden Goose!~

New June/July 2009 Small Town Living E-Zine Now Online!

2009-06-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Wanted to let you all know that the new June/July 2009 issue of

"Small Town Living" is now available online at:

http://www.stliving.net/

This issue covers such topics as:

Biscuit Making 101

Beginning Home Schooling

Farming Your Produce Aisla

Worm Composting

..... and more

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Feel free to share the e-zine with family and friends.

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Also we'd like to invite you to be a part of our online community. Where we share about backyard homesteading, self sustainability, and "bringing back the simpler ways of living".

Here you'll find a community of caring, sharing, and learning together.

http://www.smalltownliving.ning.com/

Hope to see you there!

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~The Garden Goose~

Garden Goose

Oh my..here she is...

For a long time... we've "been there and done that"

Southeastern Youth Fair/High School Rodeo

And the Winner is...

Inviting you...

a bit of rural love/in my area of Florida

Time for the OWOH Giveaway!! Come join the fun!

a little bit of randomness... just because

Some more pics of our new abode...

Some pics of the new abode

The Year Round Tree

Merry Christmas!

oh it's the dust..the du---uh--ust...bun-neee blues...

The new homestead!

Ch..Ch...Ch..Changes are in the air...yeehaw!!

A little reminder...

Ever feel this way?

Fun Finds and Pretty Flowers

Ballerina Mobile

Super Easy Child’s Room Mobile Decoration

Visiting ! Carnaval! display in Ocala, FL

Happy 4th of July

A fun Thursday

So much has gone on lately...

Beautiful Spring ...and more

Monkey Pots "Messy Patio Contest"

Young Seamstress Would Like Your Vote

Oh..and I have a thank you to make..and a bit of an apology too..

Some great Giveaways to tell you about..and more

Spring is on its way!...and a giveaway to tell you about...and more.

Potted Plant Clean Up and more...

Played in the dirt today! Yay! Spring is right around the corner.

Busy Days..and Small Town Living..and more

Ta- Dahhhh!... And the Winners are....

Please Vote..I'm a proud mom.:0)

I am proud of my daughter. She designed a cute fabric and entered it in a contest at spoonflower. You can vote for her fabric design creation at:http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/238520/fow-bugsPlease vote for the design named "Hopalong Cassidy" by Naomi W. Thank you so much!

Here we go on the wild ride....

Riding the Magic Carpet...

My vintage chicken collection

Brrr it is cold...and more...

A New year...New Changes

Recently featured..

Merry Christmas! and..a recipe idea to share...

Here is what I won

I won something fun...and..baby it's cold outside..and more

Hi Friends...a recipe to share and more

Happy Thanksgiving!

Small Town Living compilation CD's now available

Check out this interview

Hello there....

Good grief..technology can be a pain sometimes..

Just a wee bit busy here lately..

Fun blog give away

Sewing Gadget Giveaway

Homeschooling Helps

Dressing things up a bit...

Check out this "sweet" giveaway

New issue of Small Town living Online now!!

Loving Fall!...and a little visitor

Awesome Garage Sale Finds

Wee sewing project...

A little painting...and more..

Art Challenge...what I made...

A little bit of Sewing...and more..

Designing a Princess Style Room

Fun, Fun, Fun!

My first art doll attempt..and more..

In love With Irises

August/September 2009 Issue of "Small Town Living"

Hen Box GiveAway and chicken musings...

Decorating "Farm Style"

Gone to the Birds...Bird Rehabilitating that is

And the winner is....

500th Post GiveAway! $75 worth of Awesome Vinyl Decals

Awesome Apron Give Away..and more...

oh wow! Look at this Give Away! What fun!

Some flower seeds I have collected/For new gardens

Firework Photos and..coming up to my 500th post and a fantastic giveaway

Happy 4th of July!

I am proud of my daughter. She designed a cute fabric and entered it in a contest at spoonflower. You can vote for her fabric design creation at:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/238520/fow-bugs
Please vote for the design named "Hopalong Cassidy" by Naomi W. Thank you so much!