Turning Sweet.

Oh where in the world does the time go?

I've probably already said that in several other posts, right?  Milestones come up so much quicker than we ever think they will, days flow gently into one another and sooner or later our children begin to grow up. 

My oldest child has hit one of those important milestones this year, once twirling around as only little girl's can, full of boundless energy, she has turned one full turn into a young woman right before our very eyes.  What an amazing and beautiful blessing. 

Throughout the years a mother's heart rejoices in the fact that her child has graciously become a lady and at the very same time her heart grieves that child that no longer is.  (just a little melancholy about it all I guess, lol.) 

Sweet sixteen is such an important birthday for a young girl.  Her future lay before her, the possiblities endless and she has the world in her hands.  We will celebrate her coming of age with joy and admiration.  It truly is something special.   

My daughter is growing up quickly now and in only a couple more years she'll be off to college and starting to plan the rest of her life.  As hard as the teen years can sometimes be, perhaps I am now realizing that nothing truly good ever comes easy. 

Every relationship has a bump of sorts every now and again, lol.  We've undoubtedly hit a few bumps in the road during these teen years, as most parents do.  Little bumps, you know, the average eye rolling, mumbling, and dragging of the feet variety, but even so, she really is a great kid....Loving, Loyal, Joyful, Fun, Honest, Dedicated, and Considerate.  I couldn't ask for better qualities to be truthful.   I am proud of her and the young lady she is. 

~~"If"~~

If you can value truth

above approval,

and friendship over beauty,

wealth or fame,

If you can share your gifts

and talents wisely,

leaving someone better off

than when you came....

If you find happiness

in simple pleasures

and see the rainbow, not the falling rain,

If you have faith to keep right on believing

in miracles that no one else can explain,

If you look until you see the good in others

and keep your spirit honest, true, and free,

then you'll be, not just happy and successful,

but the woman only you

were meant to be.

If you could see

all the flowers in the world,

If you could hear

all the laughter in the universe,
If you could make all the dreams

that ever were wished come true,

Then you would know

a little part of the joy

of having and loving

a daughter like you.

Emily Matthews

Our family memories of my daughter through the years......

Her unfolding into the rose she has bloomed into....

A stroll down life's Memory Lane with us...

come along if you like.

16 Candles...

For you my girl......

Happy Birthday!

My pregnancy with you was an interesting one, especially since you were my first.  You wanted the world to know you were on your way for sure.  You were the most active baby, and did somersaults in my belly, you never stopped moving.  You still haven't, lol. 

Looking back it was no surprise that you came three weeks early.  The pregnancy was taxing, but you were such a joy as a baby.  Your dimpled smile could light me up like no other. It is no secret that you had your daddy wrapped around your chubby little finger the moment he laid eyes upon you...

As a toddler your energy was boundless. I couldn't wait for you to walk.  Talking came first, very early as a matter of fact.  Once you started walking we couldn't get you to sit still (consequentially neither did I, lol).  Once you began to talk, well everyone knew who you were!

I couldn't keep clothes on you for the life of me.  You were my nature baby and wanted to be free!  Thank god our neighbors were like a bunch of grandparents to you and they got such a kick out of you regardless of what you were (or weren't) wearing.  Chubby baby legs and all.

You didn't have the patience for dance.....and wanted to teach the class instead!   You sure did look cute in those tu-tu's though! 

When we signed you up to play sports, it was because we needed an outlet for ALL THAT ENERGY!  It turned out that you loved it, and still do.  You really are as good as everyone says girlie, remember that and keep a level head.

You were always Gabby Gertie in class but somehow your teachers couldn't help but love you.  You have a wonderful sense of humor still. 

I love that you are still not afraid to be silly, and you really crack me up with some of the crazy things you do!  You have always been a clown!

YOU were a tom boy through and through.  There wasn't a fishing trip you would forgo, a tree you wouldn't climb, a frog you wouldn't find or a boy you wouldn't race. 

But then there were times I could turn you back into a little lady and we would enjoy a tea party or two....

When you became a big sister, you thought that she was only yours, a little doll.  I loved to watch the two of you playing together when you were little.  You will one day become best friends,

I am sure.

You embraced growing up and couldn't wait to become one of the big kids. 
Braces came and went, glasses turned into contacts! 

 What a pretty smile!  Jr. high was a breeze and high school is a blast for you.  I'm so happy you are making some wonderful memories and have been blessed with some great friends to make them with!

You once again became a big sister to your baby brother and I adore the way you are with him.  I see the patience you have with him and the way you protect him. 

I think you will make an excellent teacher someday, if you stick to your dreams because you know you are capable of anything you set you mind to. 

Soon you will be in a car driving around with my  heart inside.  It is hard to explain but it is true that when you have children your heart is walking outside of your body for the rest of your days. I know that you find it silly when I tell you this, you will understand one day.  Please take care of that heart because it is so hard to let go sometimes. 

I know you have big plans my girl and I hope and pray all your dreams come true.  But most of all I wish you happiness in finding those dreams and all your days.  You will fly someday and I will always be here.

 

Happy 16th Birthday Sweetheart and many, many, many more. 

You have always been a gift to us and I love you child, to the moon and back....

yes,

forever and ever--always.

~Mom~

Take care,

Dee

Easter Blessings

Eastertime Greetings
to all you
"Peeps".

Eastertime at our Farmhouse......
(a long and picture heavy post!)

Is your Easter Bonnet ready?

Did you dress it all up in fresh spring flowers?

Will you be dressed in your best Easter dress, all ready for church?  I love the Easter service at our church, the sermon is so fresh and renewing with all the children dressed up in their pastel bonnets and gloves. 

 

 When I was a little girl a pair of white gloves was always a part of the outfit with a frilly pair of socks and a little white patent leather purse to match your shoes.  My first Easter below with my Nannie and above in 76' in a handmade Easter dress my Great Aunt Anna lovingly made for me...

She even made a mathching houndstooth overcoat to go with it.  I loved that dress!

 Have you colored your eggs?

 

Easter joy...

rejoicing in all that is fresh and new.

A time of birth and renewal.

Birds are nesting, babies are born....

How appropriate for this time of year, considering all that Easter truly means.

The way that the earth resurrects itself
from the death of winter.

The fresh pastel colors harken the begining of this beautiful Season. 

Farmhouse shelves covered in Bunnies....

simply because they are cute!

Vintage easter cards make great decorations....

I cut up reproduction cards and attached them to painted paper mache boxes for display....they are used to store the decorations when the holiday is over too so they serve a double purpose.

I have always loved Beatrix Potter's stories, we pull them out this time of the year and decorate with them, her sweet illustrations of cute little rabbits, fluffy kittens, and ducklings, it seems apropo for the season.

Peter Rabbit

&

Mrs. Tiggy Winkle.....

I used to put her little books into my children's easter baskets each year, when the girls were little. 

They have grown beyond her books and movies but I still love them.  We still fill their baskets with books, but older versions.  We have also filled their Easter baskets with vintage hankies for our girls, a pretty keepsake mirror and brush set, perfume, books, stationary, pretty pens, jewelry, gardening supplies with vintage seed packets.  My son has received things like little cars and trucks, a new baseball, books, bubbles, crayon and coloring books.  We have a tradition of making cinnamon rolls for breakfast Easter morn after we open baskets, then church, and then we hunt for eggs with cousins before heading off to a wonderful meal at my sister in love and brother's house each year with the extended family. 

As you can see I have a little collection.....

Bunnies all throughout the Farmhouse!

My kitchen bunny...hmmmm, she seems to be missing a few whiskers!

A basketful of sawdust stitched eggs made with some country calico.

My baby's visit with the Easter Bunny at his school Easter party.....

He sure was questioning the size of that bunny!  LOL!

I wish you all a BLESSED EASTER!

May your days be renewed and your spirit resurrected this Easter in all the spring beauty that surrounds us! 

Take Care,

Dee

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

No chicken dinner here, just a cute lil ol' Cupcake sign and a few surprise goodies going out to a Farmhouse Follower.  I told you I would post the winner today, and I wasn't April Foolin' ya'll either!  It's a little late but I always say better late than never (since I'm often late lately, giggle)!

Again, thank you to all of you who have followed my blog throughout the year and those of you who signed up for this giveaway...I read each of your comments and bounced around to your blogs here and there to check in on you, of course I ended up reading blogs for a whole day, because you all just make it so easy to want to stay a while, lol! 

I wish I could give you each your very own cupcake sign, but until I become independently wealthy I will have to pick only one lil itty bitty winner......keep trying though, there will be more giveaways to come!  It can be purchased in the Farmhouse Mercantile though if you are still interested. 

Now onto random number generator at random.org.....they make it so much easier than cutting up all those comments and drawing the old name out of a hat trick!

So the winner is......

cough,  cough....

Goosegirl Sews

Congratulations!

Goosegirl said...

"Happy Blogiversary!! I just had my 1 year last month and still have not done my anniversary giveaway yet! I love your blog! I am a follower now!"

Happy Blogiversary to you too Goosegirl, I got the chance to head on over to your ADORABLE blog and I have to tell everyone to check it out, you make some of the most beautiful things!  She made the cutest spring dress with a cameo.....you can view it here...... Oh my Goodness darlin'! 

 

I also, have to say that I love the original Alice in Wonderland Movie from Disney (haven't seen the new one yet), and I know a few little gals who would love to wear these dresses she made.  Oh and as far as aprons go, this gal knows what she's doing...(I'll take the green M.E. pattern and the vintagey red one).  Well congrats on your win Goosegirl, send me an email (found in my Mercantile link) with an address to send your gifts to. 

 

Well, I don't have much more for this post, but check back tomorrow for an EASTER Blessings post......I still have lots of pictures to upload amidst redecorating two bathrooms (this Farmhouse has to be whipped into shape in two days! Hmmm, can she do it?). 
Have a great evening friends!

Take Care,

Dee

It's my Party! A Giveaway and GBP!!

 My one year Bloggin anniversary party that is!

Yes, yes, it is belated, I know. I turned one when my puter' was down and

I not going to let that steal my thunder though, oh no sireee sir.

Being a whole year old, I have gained so many blessings since starting this blog. I love to read blogs, I follow so many of them but it took me a couple of years to finally decide to start one of my own.

When I decided to start my blog, it actually began as something for myself, something I could look back on in time, like a diary. A diary I could be creative with and make it exactly (most of the time) how I wanted it to look. I always enjoyed writing and picture taking so this would be another creative outlet for me.

I must confess that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing and have learned through trial and error.....many errors! I knew that I wanted to write about life in general.  Holidays, the kids, the house, the garden etc. things that go on each day in our lives.  The funny thing is I wasn't sure that anyone would read what I wrote or why they would want to, but that was alright too and I decided I would not hold back because I wanted to do it, regardless.

I decided that if anyone wanted to come by I would be so happy and welcome them with open arms and if not, it was something I enjoyed showing to friends and family afterall and

we would enjoy it.

But it turned out that you all did come, and that made doing it so much more special. I love reading your comments, I get so excited when I log in and see that someone took the time to do so, really I do! Ask my kids and hubs, I get this excited giggle whenever there are comments on posts! Like a kid who just got a sweet treat.

Now I realize that it is so much more fun to blog when

there are people reading it!

What I have learned in one year's time...

There are some wonderful and encouraging women out there who share supportive, caring and kind words with one another.

That you can share when your washing machine has held your clothing hostage,
complain and they still come back.

You can vent about a magazine and they agree with you and vent too.

You host a party and they'll come with bells on.

You can be sentimental about your children growing up and everyone gets it.

Your online friends also get excited about your fleamarket finds almost as much as you do.

You can take them on field trips with you and they don't get bored.

They aren't sick of looking over picture after picture of your decorations.

They encourage your to do list that is 2 miles long.

You can show them pictures of your breakfast and

they get say it looks yummy.....

They will still read your posts even with the mispelled words and

gramatically incorrect sentences....Oh my!  You can even make words up, lol.

~~~~~~~~

Lets have cupcakes at our party shall we?

In fact.....

This blog of mine is

like a cupcake to me.

It is a little treat that I give myself and
oh so sweet!

And.......

You are all the icing on that cupcake!

You make doing this even more fun for me.

So I've decided that I would host an appropriate giveaway for

My One Year Bloggin' Anniversary!

~A Cupcake Sign~

along with a few other surprise goodies of course!

 

I just ask that you are a follower and leave a comment below. You can have more than one entry by linking to my blog and this giveaway and another entry if you have my button on your sidebar.  Giveaway closes on March 31st.
Winner will be announced on April 1st.
Please check back then to see if you have won,
so you can claim your win!

More exciting news to share....

I got a surprise email earlier this week from one of my

FAVORITE COMPANIES...

Gooseberry Patch!

Farmhouse Country Style is the Friday Feature Blog this week!

So head on over if you have a spare moment to check out the link...

http://gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/2010/03/ff-farmhouse-country-style.html


Thanks for all of your sweet comments and
for coming back again!
I have so enjoyed the past year, I've met some really wonderful people online and even chit chatted with alot of you through email, alot of you have become customers through my sale blog
Farmhousesignshop@blogspot.com

I have a few more plans for my blog this year, hopefully I will get them up and running soon...you'll have to check back to see what transpires though! 

Now go have a cupcake, we're celebratin' here!
xoxo

Take Care now,
Dee

When Irish Eye's are Smiling

 Top o' the mornin' to ya all!

Doing an Irish Jig!

I'm so happy to be back!! 

So tell me friends,

Are you proudly wearing Green today?

 How Irish are you?

1/4, one-half.......all irish?

It seems that on St. Patty's day everyone wants to

let their Irish out of the bag.

I guess it's just the fun of it all, and the proud Irish folks

wanting to shout it all from the rooftops that

yes indeed they have green in their blood!

My maternal grandparents were Irish,

my grandfather was

as Irish as could be, and he let you know it too.

(My Irish grandparents with my uncle in the spring of 65')

Of course this was their favorite holiday.

So yes, that indeed makes me part Irish,

and I too have fondness for the holiday.

We make our corned beef and cabbage, a traditional boiled dinner.

 

Red potatoes, an onion, carrots, and a head of cabbage all thrown into a heavy stock pot with a beer of course, and the corned beef has to slowly cook in the broth for a long time.....

A four-leaf clover found in my yard last spring.......

  

The shamrocks come out.

Irish blessings are said,

 and Danny boy is usually sung

while loved ones are remembered.

If we have the pleasure to spend the holiday with extended family

you can be certain their will be celebrating goin on.

I so love all of the beautiful Irish proverbs and the superstitions are a hoot!

I also love that I can attest to the fact that

I am supposed to have a slew of "Irish lace" throughout my home

this is a rule for us Irish folks ya know.

For those of you who do not partake in being Irish on this most festive holiday,

Irish lace is cobwebs, lol.

  

We start our morning out with a little soda bread (with raisins) and some Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea
I drink this tea throughout the year.

 

It is a little stronger than my regular tea and I like to drink it in the morning to wake my brain up.

Of course that soda bread is slathered with real butta!

In This Irish Home

May these walls be filled with laughter,

may it reach from floor to rafter.

May the roof keep out the rain,

may sunshine warm each windowpane.

And may the door be open wide

to let the Good Lord's love inside.

The red potatoes all washed and ready to go into the pot for this evenings dinner.

When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy,

All the world seems bright and gay.

And when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, they steal your heart away.

So what are your St. Patrick's Day plans?  What recipes do you make?  I would love to hear about it, if you care to share!

Here is an easy Brownie recipe for you to print and try....
you can't go wrong with brownies at my house, they're easy and they're chocolate! 
We try alot of different variations.  Let me know what you think if you try these.

Well I hope that the Leprachauns leave a few four-leafed Clovers 

strewn about your yard for some good luck!

Good lord knows that I am not broken (you are so right Sharon Lovejoy!) and

 so lucky to have you all come back

after all of the troubles I aired the last two posts, hehe! 

Thanks good friends!
I leave you with this Irish Blessing......

Check back in again later this week, I will be hosting a Giveaway for followers

to celebrate my ONE YEAR BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY

that I missed while my computer was down!

Take Care!

Dee

No more nonsense....

Thank you all for your sweet and up lifting comments regarding my last post!  I hated to share bad news and sincerely want my blog to be a happy place for you all to come.  In reality though,  I did decide when I started this blog that I would be real and just like in a real life diary (be it online or written in a little book with a lock) it is going to get hit with a few bad entries even if we don't like it.  Such is life!

I have to tell you all that my laptop is in a bad state of repair as well right now, but we are so not even going to talk about that!  I have been unable to update my blog or check in on all of your cute blog posts (:o(  .  I think that the storm is over and we are working on repairing everything.  Thanks again for your supportful words and reminders that there worse things in life than a dishwasher not cleaning your dishes! For those of you who are on a twisting and uncertain path right now....dealing with way more than breaking appliances......you are in my thoughts and prayers.

So enough of all of that!

On to better things.....

Well the sunshine has come out in my neck of the woods and  the weather reached 50 degrees today! Yippeeee, come on spring! I am keeping a sense of humor about my dishpan hands and lack of computer, I am keeping busy with other things.  I have started my spring cleaning and have been working on a few cute signs to add to the online shop.  Easter decorating in underway and I have lots of pictures to share when I am fully functioning once again! 

Here's some of what I was able to paint while away...

Those are listed in the Mercantile now...and I have even more to come.  I still have to add the details but a kind friend is letting me use her computer until mine are fixed! 

I hope that you all have a little sunshine

in your neck of the woods and

are feeling refreshed and ready for Spring.  

Take care and I will be back soon!

Dee