Time Travel Thursday #35 - Cottage Critters, Too!

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

And be sure to enter my newest giveaway here.

Welcome to the 35th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Okay, here we go!

About a month ago, I showed you some of the critters of Brambleberry Cottage, and I thought you might like to see a few more.

I came upon this guy—actually almost stepped on him—as he was making his way to the frog pond, last summer.

That's what we call the little watering hole at the edge of our woods. 

It's where the locals (the deer, rabbits, foxes, frogs, etc.) hang out, have a drink, and socialize.

This little lady is a frequent visitor.

She likes a well-rounded diet—as evidenced by the fruit and berries she eats from our trees and bushes, by day and...

the sunflower seeds she gleans beneath the sweet-tweets' feeders, at night.

As a matter of fact, we have quiet a few nighttime guests—especially once the trees and bushes load up with delectable fruit.

Unfortunately, my rose bushes are also considered delicacies by the deer.

We consider it a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the frequent visits of our woodland friends.  ; )

This sweet little guy spent several nights in our chicken coop, a few years ago.

He had been hit by a car—near our farm—but not killed.

The Yankee brought him home to treat his wounds and to rehabilitate him.

As it turned out, we were able to locate a professional rehabilitator and felt she could do a much better job.

So, a few days later, she loaded him into a pet carrier and carted him off to her own farm.

Besides deer, turkey are probably the most common of the wild creatures that visit us.

And they're not the least bit concerned about visiting—even in November!

So now you have an idea of some of the critters we get to experience around the cottage.

And, as I said before, there are many we see that I've been unable to capture on film, thus far—foxes, coyotes, hawks, vultures, and more.

But then...

there are those I have been able to "capture"—up close and personal—that I would have been happier to have never encountered—

like these canebrake rattlesnakes, the Yankee is holding!

From the moment we found this little farm, on the edge of a national forest, surrounded by nothing but trees and the beauty of nature, I've said this was our very own slice of paradise.

I just wasn't counting on snakes in the garden!

But then, we're not the first to encounter an ugly old snake in the midst of paradise!  ; )

Joining Susan for Outdoor Wednesday.

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.



Funny Faux Pas Follies #1 - Blame it All on Hormones!

Welcome to week one of Funny Faux Pas Follies!

I think we're headed for five weeks of sidesplitting laughter and a rip-roaring good time.

I hope you've come prepared to give a laugh or two at my faux pas and share a few of your own. 

But, if you can't laugh at yourself, feel free to laugh at me!  ; )

IMAGE SOURCE

It seems that from the moment we females enter puberty, our hormones are determined to take us on a carnival of rides. 

First we're up, then we're down.  Next thing you know, we're spinnin' round and round!

It's a virtual theme park—and even at times, a house of horrors.

And if all that "normal" hormonal excitement is not enough, there are always the additional thrills associated with "pregnancy hormones". 

WHOA!!!

IMAGE SOURCE

Honestly, during that nine months, I think we can claim temporary insanity—and be totally justified in the claim!

We find ourselves feeling (as in emotions), eating, saying and doing things that might have been "out of character" before those specialized hormones kicked in. 

And while every pregnancy is different, there are enough common factors associated with the condition to merit a special club.

Webster's defines a club as:  "a group identified by some common characteristic"—something other than a big belly, in this case.

One of the most common characteristics, shared in this club, is the need for frequent potty breaks—and so begins my story.

I found that as my pregnancy progressed, I needed to "go" more frequently, and it was increasingly harder to "hold it".

On this particular day—toward the end of what seemed liked a very looong pregnancy—I had just entered a retail store, that I had shopped in hundreds of times, when that very familiar sense of urgency gripped my body.

And, of course, in this particular store, the restrooms just happened to be in the very back of the store.

So I scurried away in that direction, as quickly as my plump little belly would allow me.

Now, the square footage of this store was about that of your typical Super Walmart, so picture being almost nine months pregnant and trying to get from the front of the store to the back—IN A BIG HURRY!

Boy, was I glad I had been faithfully practicing my Kegel exercises.

I don't know of a time when I've been any happier to see those universal signs and symbols on two doors, than I was that day.

I had barely crossed the threshold when I began pulling down my pants—yes, I had to go that badly!

But, I was suddenly struck by the fact that something was amiss.

Weren't the stalls on the left side of the room just two weeks ago? 

And why on earth did they take the doors off the stalls?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something even more perplexing.

Now why would they install urinals in the ladies' restroom?!

Then reality struck.  Oh no!  I couldn't have!

Yep; I did.  I was standing in the middle of the men's restroom, with my pants partially down!

Giving my clothing a quick jerk upward, I dashed out the door and into the one beside it—all the while praying that no one saw this comedy of errors.

But, while I was sitting there, I came up with the perfect excuse, should I find it necessary to explain my curious behavior.

I would just blame it all on hormones!  ; )

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.

Time Travel Thursday #33 - Laughter is the Best Medicine

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

And be sure to enter my newest giveaway here.

Welcome to the 33rd Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Then what are we waiting for?

Let's get going!

PHOTO SOURCE

Have you ever noticed that really young children seldom exhibit embarrassment?

In general, the very young take life as it comes and feel no need to be perceived as anything other than who they are.

Then, something strange begins to take place, and the perceptions of others become of paramount importance—especially during the teen and young adult years.

It's quite unfortunate that we humans have a tendency to dwell in that place for such a long portion of our lives.

But, I'm happy to announce, the pendulum swings back to the "carefree" side, later on in life.

So, why all the philosophical banter here?

Simply to set the stage my dear!

PHOTO SOURCE

You see, for five weeks, I'll be havin' another party here at the Brambleberry Cottage.

And I'm calling it Funny Faux Pas Follies.

Webster's defines faux pas as "BLUNDER; especially:  a social blunder."

Ever experience one of those?

Well now is your chance to share that experience with the world.

And the point?

Jester Image & Jester Graphics

Just plain ole fun!!!

A post of my own personal faux pas will go up each Friday—starting March 4, 2010—and a link will be provided for you to join the fun.

So be thinking of your funniest, most embarrassing moments and be prepared to share—keeping it "family friendly," of course.

If laughter is the best medicine, we should all be the picture of health by the end of this party!!!  ; )

“The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.”

Douglas Engelbart


IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE SOMEWHERE ON YOUR BLOG.

Time Travel Thursday #32 - Cottage Critters

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

And be sure to enter my newest giveaway here.

Welcome to the 32nd Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Terrific; let's start travelin'!

Some of the animals that have visited the Brambleberry Cottage, over the years, are of the varieties one would expect to see at any home, anywhere in the world.

Case in point, there's our son's German shepherd, Ellie—introduced to you last year.

It was quite amusing to watch her play Jane of the Jungle in our daylilies when she was a pup...

and most delightful to see her interact with our granddaughter, Lana, as she got a little older.

The Yankee would say that our "granddog" was playing with our granddaughter.

And you probably remember this rascal—a "rescue" who lived with us for only a short while.

Frodo was quite the traveler and was forever missing in action around here.

He decided during one of his travels—after only a few months at our cottage—to take up permanent residence with a widow who lives on a nearby farm.

He does still manage to visit us here on occasion, when he's out and about on his adventures.

And, of course, no matter the season, the numerous sweet tweets that visit the cottage are some of my favorites.

But while those beautiful feathered friends come and go...

these spirited ladies were members of our little farm for several years.

Besides supplying us with an overabundance of farm fresh eggs, their entertaining antics kept us in stitches.

As one might imagine—living in a heavily wooded area, on the edge of a national forest—we also have our share of squirrels scurrying about.

And though there is an ample supply of nuts and berries and mushrooms to munch on—as well as our apples, when they're in season—they insist on devouring the birds' food we place in the feeders.

I guess—like many humans—they prefer "fast food".  ; )

Though we keep a vigil during the day to chase the gray squirrels away, their flying friends...

have apparently gotten wind of the fact that this diner is open all night!

Unfortunately, I never seem to have the camera at hand when the rabbits are racing around the grounds, or the foxes are trotting through the trees,

but...

I did have it with me on this occasion, last summer—thankfully.

The Yankee and I were on the little country road leading to our farm and had just rounded a corner, when we came upon these bovine beauties bounding down the byway.

Now cows and bulls are quite a common sight around here; we see them every day.

But they're normally spotted in fenced pastures.

This group must have been camera shy, because as soon as I snapped their picture, they bolted into the woods.

Then again, they might have feared I was going to use the pictures as incriminating evidence of their escape.

I didn't get a chance to explain that the images were just for you, my blogging buddies.  ; )

Now it's your turn to show us what you've got.

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE SOMEWHERE ON YOUR BLOG.

Joining Susan for Outdoor Wednesday.

Time Travel Thursday #28 - Craft Turned Home Décor

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

Welcome to the 28th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Then let's get this party started!

At the beginning of December of last year, I shared pictures with you of a guest room—from a model home I had worked on back in the 80s.

Then at the end of December, you got to see some of the detailed designs of the master bedroom from that same model.

Over the years, many of the pictures of my past decorating endeavors have disappeared—to who knows where.

 But I found a few more from this particular model and thought I would share them with you.

The floor plan of this small house consisted of three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a great room—no separate den or family room.

The fictitious family created to build this home's décor around was a young, newly married, working couple, with no children.

Since there were no children in this scenario, and no separate room for things like TV viewing, one of the bedrooms was designated for that purpose.

A small-scale sectional was placed in the room—on the diagonal—with an armoire directly across from it that housed the television and stereo equipment.

I made the Roman shades and four pillows from a linen fabric that complimented that of the sectional. 

I wanted at least two of the pillows for this space to be a bit more unique than the square ones I had created for the other rooms.

Having sewn since before my son was born, I had accumulated quite a variety of home décor patterns from which to choose my design.

Unfortunately, none of the ones I had on hand provided that special little touch I was looking for.

So I decided to browse through my craft patterns and came upon this.

"Hmmm!  Round pillows would be a novel idea," I thought.

Now remember; this model was decorated almost twenty-four years ago.

So what may seem commonplace to us now—like round pillows—was once a unique idea.

As I began to craft the pillows, I noticed that by filling them only partially and compressing the top and bottom together, the pumpkin pattern—which is what I had chosen to use—took on the shape of a star.

I liked that design even better; and as you saw in the picture above, it's the one I ended up using for the pillows.

While many of you are quite adept at using crafts to decorate your homes in novel ways, some of us had to stumble upon the concept of "crafts as home décor".  ; )

Time Travel Thursday #27 - Nature's Crystal Cathedral

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

Welcome to the 27th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Fantastic!  Then let's party on!

Since I don't have a finished project of my own to share this week...

I thought I would share a bit of God's creative handiwork around the farm—from this past weekend. 

On Saturday and Sunday we got several inches of fine, powdery snow—

our fifth snow, in as many weeks.

Now, for those of you who live in regions of the world where snow is commonplace in the winter, you may not find that to be a big deal.

But, in the South, to have had this much snow—so soon in the season—is A BIG DEAL!

Personally, I love snow here around our farm.

Things that might otherwise be missed—like bunny tracks—become highly visible, beautiful additions to the wintery scene.

And the deer—seen around here almost daily—leave definitive signs, in the fresh fallen snow, of their comings and goings.

Which do you think came first, the bunny or the deer? ; )

By the way, did you notice that God uses glitter in His projects, too?

On Monday morning, we woke up to discover that, during the night, ice had covered everything in sight!

The once dull, bare trees now glistened in the sunlight.

The winter grasses—in the field where last year's Valentine soireé was held—looked like crystal wands.

The sumac—at the edge of the forest—had been transformed into woodland chandeliers.

Even the little thicket where the bunnies like to hide had taken on the appearance of an icy palace.

Over the past several days, as I have wandered—totally awe-struck—around our farm and forest...

and have taken in the glorious scene all around me, I've been reminded of the infinite creativity of my Maker.

And I am so thankful that He lets me experience it through things like this marvelous crystal cathedral that He has created on my little farm.

Now show us all the creative endeavors you have to share.  ; )

Time Travel Thursday #26 — The Ones That Got Away!

CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS FOR THE PARTY HERE!

Welcome to the 26th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Great!  Here we go.

One of the advantages of being a dealer is having numerous outlets to trade up on—or just get rid of—personal pieces that no longer suit your taste or décor.

Such was the case with the old country cabinet you see above.

I loved the funky-junk look of it, when I bought it five years ago for my mudroom.

I had contemplated selling it for about a year—before I actually did at the Liberty Show in the spring of 2010. 

Then weeks later, I sold this old farm piece at the Cameron Street Fair.

We had had this piece for about fifteen years, and it had served us well—in the Yankee's workshop and then in our family room, for TV and stereo storage.

One of things I thought was so cool about the piece was the way the old farmer, who had given it to us, and had created a pattern out of the nails he had used for its construction.

This old medicine chest was in pretty good shape when we found it—for next to nothing—at our favorite junkin' spot.

Besides giving it a thorough cleaning, all we had to do was replace the beaded-board back, add a bit of decorative trim at the top, and repaint it.

Since the master bath of the cottage already had a vintage medicine chest, I let this one go. 

This cute shelf was purchased for my daughter's room when she was a young preteen.

At the time, it sported a mellow wood stain.

We gave it a French Chic look to sell it.

Aren't these the most fabulous industrial chairs?!!!

I tried my best to figure out a way to make them work in my cottage—but to no avail. 

So, I sold them at the Cameron show.

This is the very first pair of shabby chic nightstands we ever created—parts of an antique vanity.

As soon as they were finished, I decided I was going to keep them...

that is, until the completion of the second pair.

I have this thing for old architectural pieces.

Hubby found these gorgeous antique bedposts at another of our favorite haunts and purchased them with the intent to sell them.

The minute I saw them, I knew they would be perfect for making some one-of-a-kind something for the cottage.

The Yankee vetoed that idea—seeing how we already have a barn full of awesome architectural pieces.

Once upon a time, this lovely piece was the top of a Victorian fireplace mantel.

We made it into a shelf, shabbied it up...

and sold it.

I've collected vintage enamelware for years, but this was the only piece I have ever owned with this incredible robin's-egg-blue color.

It was a perfect match for my vintage tablecloth—as you can see above.

For some reason—and for the sake of me, I cannot remember why—I grew tired of it and sold it.

So, where does the title of this post come into play?

No sooner had I sold each of these vintage treasures, then I began to have "seller's" remorse.

Sometimes having so many outlets to sell from can be a big DISadvantage!

Linking to Mel's Cabin for Woodworking Wednesday, Leigh's for Thrifty Thursday, Betty Bee's Buzz for Buzz, Brag, and Bee Happy Friday, Jessica's for Favorite Things Friday, and Meg's for Everything But the Kitchen Sink.