~ Seed Potatoes ~ Onion Sets ~

This year we are growing our potatoes from the potatoes we grew last year. We had lots of small potatoes left from last year and they were full of sprouts , so we planted those Wednesday. We planted 1 row of red potatoes and 3 rows of white potatoes. The red potatoes didn't store well over the winter , this year we will eat them first and can the extras.

Thursday morning I planted 1 lb of white onions ,1 lb of yellow onions and 1/2 lb of red onions. I still have 2 1/2 lbs left and will store them until Fall or plant them if I have any extra space.

I also planted 30 cabbage plants. I planted marigolds between some of the cabbages , hoping it will deter rabbits and maybe deer. Last year we put dried hot pepper pods on the corn and strung some through the peas and butterbeans , the deer didn't bother them at all. We plan to add plenty of hot peppers throughout the garden this year.

My youngest daughter gave me this wonderful gardening bag. Now I can keep my tools , seeds and other needs together. I plan to plant broccoli , spinach and some more lettuce this weekend.

~ Green Blessings to Everyone ~ JoyceAnn

~ Easter Fun ~

Easter came early this year , it was chilly outside but the egg hunt went on. Kids never complain about the weather , they 're always ready. We hid 160 eggs and they were all found.

I didn't get to make the Easter pinata this year , so I added bunny ears and hung a egg from the beak of a parrot pinata my sister had purchased last year. Have you ever seen a Easter Parrot ?

We played ~ Chubby Bunny ~ the marshmallow game. My Sil won the adult game of chubby bunny and an Angel won the kids game. We play egg toss with boiled and raw eggs , makes it interesting ~ you never know which egg is coming at you.

It was a fun~filled day , I enjoyed seeing all the kids smiling and having fun.

~ Hope Your Easter was Blessed with many Smiles ~

~ Happy Easter ~

~ Praying for Peace ~ Love and Happiness ~

For my Family

For my Friends

For the World

Happy Easter !!

Seeds ~ Sloggers ~ Soul Collage

My plans for the weekend didn't quite come together. DH did get the garden ready for planting , but the rain came before we could get any planting done. I'm thankful for the rain we're receiving , each drop brings us closer to being drought free. It'll be a wonderful growing season if we continue to get rain each week .
I ordered some seeds a couple of weeks ago and received them last week. Most of these seeds are hard to find in my area.

Bloomsdale Savory ~ Spinach

Dipper Gourd

Echinacea purpurea ~ Purple Cone Flower ~ Herb

Greek Pepperoncini ~ Salad Pepper

Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin

Kabocha Squash ~ Spaghetti Squash

Kentucky Wonder Beans

Large Red Cherry Tomato

Leaf Lettuce Salad Bowl

Nasturtium Jewel Mix ~ Deters Pest

Sweet Spanish Onions

Tall Mammouth Sunflowers

Last week I went to the Farmer's Alliance Store , an old general store to pick-up some onion bulbs and other seeds. While I was there I found these garden shoes , they're called ~ Sloggers ~ these garden clogs are * Made in the USA * and were only 12.00 , I couldn't believe the price. I have a pair of the cheap crocs for gardening , but they always end up full of dirt and rocks , hoping these will be better for gardening. Check-out http://sloggers.com/ for garden wear.

I created a soul collage about gardening a couple of weeks ago. Gardening does feed my body and soul. I've been thinking about starting ~ Journal Collages ~ , for myself. I would do collages on front and journaling , notes , quotes and anything else I wanted to add on back. I may start these today.

" what the country needs is dirter fingernails and cleaner minds "

Will Rogers

Hoping to get my fingernails dirty this week , if it dries up.

~ Love & Hugs ~ JoyceAnn

~ Spring Fever ~

The weather has been gorgeous this week , the flowers are beautiful this year. We've been getting much needed rain , drought conditions are getting better.

Yesterday I spent time in the garden , weeding the garlic. The garlic looks good and strong. Next week I plan to fertilize it with some fish emulsion. I hope to have a totally natural /organic garden this year. We've got onions sprouting up from last year , the ground didn't get wet enough for the bulbs to sprout up last year. Hoping to get some potatoes , onions , broccoli and cabbage planted this weekend .I also want to start some seeds and plant some leaf lettuce.

I picked a few herbs yesterday and tossed them in my salad last night. A few dandelion leaves , wild violet leaves and chickweed , tossed into a bowl of iceberg lettuce , carrots and onions made for a delightful salad. I haven't been very creative lately , but I guess this salad counts. I have a few things I need to add to my ~ Create Everyday ~ blog , I haven't give up on the create everyday challenge.

~ Wishing everyone a Wonderful Weekend ~

* ~ * Woo Hoo ~ Composting Worms * ~ *

Spring fever has set in and I'm ready to get in the garden. It's early yet , so decided I would get some composting worms and try my hand at vermiculture/vermicomposting. I ordered a pound of red wigglers on Sat. and they arrived in the mail on Wed.

These worms are suppose to make the best compost . I thought this would be a great environmental project for Curious J and I to explore. I had a plastic tote we turned into a worm bin , my dear husband drilled holes in the top and bottom. I tore newspaper into 1 inch strips and soaked them in water ,wrung out the water , wet newspaper makes the bed for the worms , also added some decaying leaves and some composting soil from my compost pile.

I tried to get Curious J to hold a worm , but this little boy wouldn't touch a worm. I guess he's not your typical country boy , he did dump them in the bin and loved watching them. We will be feeding them all our veggie scraps , coffee grounds , filters and stale bread. Hopefully we'll have rich dark soil in about 6 months and Curious J will have a lesson about the food chain and how nature takes care of us if we don't destroy it.

~ Green Blessings to Everyone ~

~ * ~ Thanks ~ * ~

Things are slowly starting to get back to normal here. I received this wonderful mermaid doll from Groggy Froggy , I won her in the One World ~ One Heart giveaway. She's beautiful and is hanging in my bathroom right now , she will be spending time out by the pool this summer. The box she came in was sooo... cute and she was wrapped and tied with a wonderful ribbon. Wish I would have taken a pic before I unwrapped her. Thanks Lisa , she is truly treasured.


Last week I also received a wonderful card from Nature Girl. I've never seen a pet sympathy card before , it was heartfelt and meant so much to me. Thank - you Nature Girl ~ Loved the poem about the Rainbow Bridge.

Thank-you to everyone that left a kind comment , each one was very special to me.

~ Wishing you a great weekend with many Blessings ~

Sadness & Sickness

I haven't blogged in awhile , so much sadness and sickness over the last few weeks. On Feb 3. my dog Jewel passed over to the Spirit World. Then my husband got the flu , and I got the flu. As soon as I felt better , the grandbabies started getting sick. Sweet Pea aka Little Missy , my granddaughter recovered quickly , but my grandson has been really sick. Curious J also got sick and ended up with ear infections in both ears. We're finally starting to recover and feel better.

Last Thurs , my Uncle passed away. He was my Daddy's brother , he had alzheimers for years , such a sad disease. I pray they find a cure for this disease soon.He was a wonderful man and will be missed by many.

Hope everyone is doing well ~ hope to visit some blogs soon. ~ JoyceAnn

~~ One World ~ One Heart Winner ~~

~ Flower Child ~

Flower Child has found a home , she will be living with Kathryn.

Kathryn was chosen by the random number picker , # 97.

Checkout her blog at

http://kvcreativedesigns.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to everyone who visited and left comments . I plan to visit everyone on the list in the coming months , I didn't get a chance to visit half of them.

Thank-you Lisa for hosting the ~ One World ~ One Heart ~ event again.

The world is full of wonderful people , giving from the Heart and this event proves it.

One World ~ One Heart ~ Give Away

My friend , Lisa Oceandreamer is hosting the second annual One World ~ One Heart giveaway. Lisa started this event last year , as a way to meet new bloggers , learn from one another , share our lives and make the world a more loving place by giving from the heart.

Please visit Lisa at

http://heartofthenest.blogspot.com/

and go to this blog to read more about the event and see participating bloggers

http://oneworldevent.blogspot.com/.

My giveaway is this fairy creation I call ~ Flower Child ~.

She was created using recycled materials and a fairy photo from

~ http://www.divasdeste.com/index.html.

The flowers are glittered and there is a cute shimmery butterfly , fluttering about. She's cute as can be and would love to come live with you.

Just leave a comment to enter the giveaway. The drawing will be held Feb 14th , good luck .

* Expressions *

Lastnight I sat down to draw something for the create everyday 2008 challenge and I kinda went blank. I was exhausted , stressed and really wasn't feeling up to drawing.

My dog , Jewel is sick again. We've been battling chronic diarrhea for a month or more. We took her to the vet again lastnight , they gave her a shot and some meds. I'm hoping she'll pull through this , but she's pretty sick and I'm not feeling sure about it. We can't afford all those expensive tests , to find out exactly what is going on with her. So I'm nursing her and praying she will be o.k.

Anyway as I sat looking at my sketchbook , I drew a circle , thought if I started doodling , I might be inspired. The circle then turned into a face and then another one , until the page was full. I like the way it shows so many different expressions and I probably felt them all yesterday (LOL).

* jUNKIN *

Last Friday I had to take Curious J to pre-school and decided I would go by the thrift store . Some call it junkin , but it's really smart shopping. You're giving new life to these items , aka recycling and saving money. The thrift store I visited Friday is a non-profit store and proceeds go to the schools in our county , another great reason to thrift shop.

I did buy a couple of things I didn't exactly need , but they are things I will use. I went to find some cloth napkins and this is what I came home with , but it's less than I normally buy when I go junkin . I did get 6 navy blue cloth napkins for 1.50 . I found Curious J a really nice winter coat , he will be able to wear it for a couple of years most likely. I also found him some dinosaur bones sandmolds , we 'll enjoy these this summer.

I found the cutiest Easter tree and ornaments , I originally thought I would put it on e-bay. But I've decided I want to keep it and use it for decoration and I couldn't resist the bunny basket , so it's a keeper too.

I bought a couple of books and some magazines , some yarn and a couple of toys for the wee ones. I spent a total of 22.25 , not bad for this junk (LOL).

I did ask myself , if I really needed these items and most were needed or would be used. I didn't accept the plastic bags either , just put my items back in the cart and took them to car , I forgot to take my cloth bags in the store.I had to stop at the grocery store and pick-up some cat food , bread and a couple of other items , I did remember to take a cloth bag for these items.

I'm still doing the create everyday 2008 ~ just haven't posted them , hopefully I'll get to that this week.

I had a busy weekend with the grandchildren , so haven't had time to blog. Hope your weekend was great and green !

~ JoyceAnn ~

~ Curious J's Puppy ~

Curious J got a puppy this week , she's so cute. I suggested he name her Betsy , after a little girl we saw on a Curious George movie he was watching. He called her Betsy a couple of times , then he started calling her Patsy , so I guess her official name is Patsy. Patsy watched the Curious George movie with him , looks like she going to be the perfect companion for him.

~ Hope your day was Blessed ~

* ~ * National Pie Day * ~ *

Today is National Pie Day , thought I would share a pie recipe. This is one of our family favorites , makes two pies and is very easy to make.

~ Buttermilk Pies ~

3 cups of sugar

3 tbsp. self-rising flour

6 eggs

1 stick of margarine

1 cup of buttermilk

1 or 2 tsps real vanilla

2 unbaked pie frozen pie crusts

Add 3 cups of sugar to your favorite mixing bowl , dump 3 tbsps of self-rising flour on top and stir together with an old wooden spoon.

Add eggs and stir into sugar mixture until smooth .

Melt 1 stick margarine and add to mixture , stir.

Add 1 cup buttermilk and vanilla , stir well.

Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells and bake at 375 % for about 40 minutes.

If you like custard or chess pie , you'll like this pie.

Don't forget to brew a fresh pot of coffee and enjoy !

~ Calories don't count on National Pie Day ~

(LOL)

Hope your day has been a great one !

* One inch ~ Maybe ? *

We didn't get much snow , just a ground covering. It was beautiful while it was falling and I did try to get some pics but it's melting fast.

I wandered out to the garden and took a pic of my garlic that's starting to sprout up. The garden made me long ...... for spring , I feel that need to get my hands back in the dirt. I think I'll start planning my veggie garden this week and start looking for seeds.

Hope your weekend is Blessed !!

* Let It Snow *

We're suppose to have snow today , the weatherman is predicting we will see 1 to 3 inches. We don't see much snow here , maybe once a year and it's usually small amounts. I feel like a child just waiting and anticipating. I'm hoping we'll get enough for Curious J to build a snowman and go sledding.

Lastnight I drew this snowwoman for my create everyday challenge. I hope to add some color to her today and place her in my journal.

I need to go fill up the birdfeeders , find the snow gear and put on a pot of soup. I love snowy days , just thankful we don't have many.

Have a Great weekend !

~ Protecting Our Loved Ones ~

I wasn't going to post a pic of my grandson , painting his hearts on my last post. One of our Dear Glitter Sisters had a really upsetting experience a few weeks ago. An overseas porn site linked to her blog , they linked to a post that had a pic of her granddaughter. I had just posted pics of my new grandbabies , when I read about this happening , I deleted the post . I also went through my blog and deleted all photos of Curious J.

Although I enjoy the www , it can be a very unsafe place. I enjoy sharing my grandchildren with my friends from blogland. Most of you are mothers , grandparents or friends who enjoy seeing them grow , change and enjoy life. We should be careful about what we expose on our blogs. I won't be using the grands names anymore. Most of you know Curious J's name but please refer to him as Curious J from now on. I will be calling his brother Sweet Baby J and my granddaughter will be refered to as Little Missy.

I wanted everyone to know why I don't use their names anymore. I will alter all pics that I post. Below are some tips you should consider if you're posting about loved ones on your blog.

Do not use real names ~ Choose nicknames or use the first letter of their name.

Do not mention locations ~ State/ City / School /

Do not post pictures ~ I have chosen to use altered photos

You may want to consider a private blog ~ only those with password can access the blog

I don't want to seem impersonal , but I have to protect my loved ones. I hope you understand and will take precautions also.

Hope everyone had a Blessed day !

~ ~ Valentine's Tree ~ ~

Curious J was sorely disappointed when I took the christmas ornaments off the trees. He has a small tree in his room and I told him last Thur. , he could spend the night Saturday and we would make hearts to hang on his tree.

So I cutout foam hearts and let him paint and glitter them. Usually he's ready to run off after the first 5 to 10 minutes , but he painted and glittered for about an hour that night. He was proud of those hearts and the tree looks beautiful , guess we've got a Holiday Tree for sure.

Sunday , we made Kitty Cat Heart magnets. I enjoyed having him this weekend , he's matured so much since he started pre-school. He's talking more and a bit bossy (LOL).

Hope everyone else had a great weekend.

7 Weird things about Me .......................................

I've been tagged by MissKoolaid at http://misskoolaid.blogspot.com/.

~ List 7 weird things about myself ~

• 
  
  I have a feather over my front door to keep evil away.


• 
  
  My house looks like a museum , I've been told.


• 
  
  I collect feathers and believe there is a message from each one I receive.


• 
  
  I collect plastic bags , just can't make myself throw them away. ( Started using cloth bags at the start of this year )


• 
  
  I like to sit on the floor ..........


• 
  
  I eat weeds (herbs) from my backyard


• 
  
  I love making compost and enjoy the smell of that dark dirt.

I really don't consider these weird , but others do.

I'm suppose to tag 7 other people , but I know most of you have done this before. If you haven't or would like to do it again , just add your link to the comments.

~ Wishing everyone a Happy Day ~

Feeling Yucky ~ ~ ~ ~ creating True Beauty

Yesterday I had a virus , my youngest daughter's family had it over the holidays. Guess , it was my turn , yuck.

I decided to create some " True Beauty " between my runs to the commode (LOL). YD gave me oil pastels for Christmas , so I decided to give them a try. Need to learn more about oil pastels , this was the first time I've used them since I was in elementary school. Many moons ago and I don't remember much about them. I thought the flowers turned out o.k.

I've felt better today , no diarrhea , my stomach still feels queasy at times. Last night I made a blackberry drink , boiled some water and added a tbsp of blackberry jam to a cup and drank about 3 cups. I learned about this herb a few years ago when my dad was sick with diarrhea , he told me he needed some blackberry jam. My Dad told me Grandma used blackberry for diarrhea problems when he was a boy. I believe this is the reason I became interested in learning about herbs. I have made blackberry tea from the leaves too. Yesterday I was to sick to venture outside , so I used the jam I made last spring to make a concoction.

Hope everyone is well and had a blessed day.