HAPPY SPRING!!

I know so many of you have been suffering through a miserable and cold winter so I want to wish everyone a HAPPY SPRING!! :)  Enjoy!! :)

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Well it may say Spring by the calendar, but up here there is still a little bit of winter to go. Still a little snow on the ground and the temps are still chilly. Four degrees out this morning, but the sun is shining and blue skies!! :)

So for all of you that had a terrible winter and are so sick of the snow.....HAPPY SPRING!!

ENJOY!!! :)

ANTICIPATION OF SPRING

I know many of us are waiting for spring this year. Seems to be taking awhile for most of us this year. Blizzards and snowstorms the first of May is not a good thing for our spring fever. We still have some parts of our yard that are under snow and the fields still have quite a bit of snow. This spring is going to be one of the coldest on record around here. In the Interior part of the state they are still having below zero weather!

 

 

So I thought we all could have a little break from the snow and start thinking again about planting your flower garden. Now I probably won't be able to have many flowers this year as it is just too cold. :(  I read this article the other day and thought I would pass it along to you.

 


 

 IN ANTICIPATION OF SPRING

 

No this is not my garden! :( Just thought I would show you a picture of a neat garden.

 

 

 

 



What do gardeners do during the winter? Depending on where you live you anticipate spring and the warmer day’s ahead and planning your flower garden. Here are some tips for planning your garden:

·         Take a look at a few photos of your garden from the past year. Look for areas that need additional height or interest, places that need to be filled in.

·         Page through gardening magazines for ideas and inspiration. Take notes on the gardens or landscapes that catch your eye. Or, tear out the pages and add to an “ideas” folder.

·         Do you have thoughts of planning a new flower bed? Cut small photographs of flowers out of gardening magazines or seed catalogs. Glue or tape them onto your paper to give yourself a visual.

·         Collect things for your new garden! Visit your local Goodwill or thrift store for things as old wooden chairs, crates, old crocks and enamelware pans. They will add to your garden.

 

As we await the arrival of spring, please do not forget about four feathered friends. Keep your birdfeeders filled and keep fresh water in your birdbath. For colder climates where temperatures get well below freezing, a heated birdbath is a special treat.

 

 This is one of my bird feeders waiting for the summer birds to get here. We have lots of winter birds and during the summer our bird populations triples!

 

                                                                                            From The Country Register of Minnesota

 
   

Got a new recipe for fruit tray dip for those of you starting to have your outdoor parties so check it out! Thanks!

 

APRIL SHOWER

The saying goes that April showers brings May flowers. I think some of you are actually seeing flowers already and some of us are wishing we could see flowers, but still too much snow. Well the Old Farmhouse Gathering has plenty of flowers for you to see. I thought I would show you some. You can also check out lots of more items from this team here. Thanks for stopping by. :)

                     

Barn Wood, Funky Flower... barbsheartstro... $15	April Showers Felted Wo... farmersattic $44.99
Flowers from the garden... loisling $18	Daisy Bowl Fillers Rust... PaxtonValleyFo... $17.5
PDF Primitive Summer D... primitivenook $8	Hand, Stitched, Pillow,... stitchintimepa... $11.95
Primitive Spring Flower... scarecrowcabin $12	Primitive Black Eyed Su... TreasuredPrimi... $32.95
Spring Violets and Ribb... pumpkinpatch5 $25	Hand Stitched Little Pi... jennysfolkart $6.99
Spring Garden Pillow II... MROriginals $50	Garden Pillow - Yoyo Fl... specialfromrac... $18
Spring Sign - Flowers,... PunkinSeedProd... $23	Primitive Cutter Quilt ... ButtonsInTheAt... $22
Wired Button Flowers in... cherylweaver $8	1945 "Fuzzy" ... GreenGablesLan... $3.98

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

SPRING MARKET

Well I did the first market of the season. It was a spring market and the first of its kind around here. The Chamber of Commerce was doing it and it was by invitation.

I was so happy to be invited to do this, but unfortunately it was a flop. :(  Not very many people came and the sales were really bad. I don't think it was advertised very well as so many of the people said they didn't hear about it and only saw the sign out front as they were driving by. And the bad thing is that sign was made by one of the vendors that he did overnight to get people in the next day. Like we always say "you have to let the people know you are there!"

Anyway I did have a good time visiting with people again and some of the vendors are my summer market "market buddies" that I hadn't seen all winter so it was good to see them again and visit with them. We are all getting anxious for the summer market to start. Hopefully it will be as good as last year was.


I took some of my new items to this show and my coffee cozies did well so I am thinking they may do good this summer. Actually need to make more so I can fill the basket back up!

Also took a couple of my new mug rugs that I am working on. Had comments on how nice they were so I am hoping the summer crowd will like them too. Also had lots of comments on how pretty my tote bags are. Hoping I can whittle them down too.

 

I am going to do a "Women's Shopping Expo" in a couple of weeks at the high school so I hope that goes well. First time I have done that one so maybe since I will be new they might like to see new items. Even if I don't do that well it is always fun to visit with people. That is why I like doing the summer market so much as you get to visit with people from all over the world!

 

Also on a weather note.......I know that I complain about the weather up here all the time as usually it is pretty crummy, but I thought I would let all of you know that we are getting close to 3 weeks of blue clear skies everyday!!!! That is unheard of around these parts!!!!! Of course that means it is 10 degrees below our normal temps so the snow isn't melting, but the sun is just wonderful. I can actually sit on my back porch in the sun and not have to have my coat on. YEA!! :)

 

 

 

Well need to get busy finishing up some sewing projects for the summer. Oh ya...got to make more coffee cozies. :)

 

Also wanted to tell you I am going to be doing a giveaway for my one year blog anniversary next week so stay tuned for that! And as always checkout the new recipe I have for you. :) Thanks for stopping by. 

SPRING AT THE FARM

Well so far so good......no snow yet. Suppose to snow 7 inches today, but right now we are still partly cloudy. Holding our breathe it won't come.


Since I am thinking spring let's do a treasury of them. Springtime brings out all the animals at the farm and at the Old Farmhouse Gathering team we have lots of animals at the farm. Here are a few of them and you can see more here. Come see all the goodies from this team.

               

              

Primitive stitchery pil... lizziebusyhand... $18	Primitive Country Rusti... BearlyInMontan... $13.5
Hog Wash Advertising Pi... karaskraftykre... $10.5	2013 Primitive Nook Des... primitivenook $18
Primitive Patchwork Roo... VintageKeepsak... $49.99	Sale Primitive Sheep B... PrimitiveHart $28
Hand Painted Decorative... Pipberrytree $12	Primitive Horse Weather... farmersattic $34.99
Summer Soap "Bunny... DaisyKays $4.5	Primitive sheep and Bun... jennysfolkart $6.49
Easter Sign, Primitive ... SweetLibertyBa... $6	Rabbits, French Country... HandmadeByBett... $14
Rug Hooked Chick Mat OF... LaceyJane $45	Vintage Look Crows Cros... FancifulStitch... $22.95
Farmhouse Chic Hand App... specialfromrac... $10	Set of 3 Hand Stitched ... harvestmoonpri... $13.5

 

 

 So what is the weather like where you are at?  Spring or still winter? Enjoy your weekend and if you have sun get out and enjoy it!!
 

                                                     

SPRING CLEANING

 

Do you spring clean? I do to an extent I guess. I have good intentions, but then the spring gets away from me and it is summer time and then that is play time, so needless to say the “spring” cleaning doesn’t get done. According to Windex.com the top three areas people clean is the kitchen, bathroom and floors. There are several good tips and I am sure most of you already know them, but there are a couple of new one’s. I thought you might like to read them.

KITCHEN

As one of the busiest rooms in the house, the kitchen gets cleaned frequently, but there are some areas that may need a little more TLC.

 

To clean the inside of the microwave, bring two cups of water to a boil in the microwave. Keep the door closed and let the water sit for a few minutes. The steam will loosen dried on food particles making it easier to wipe them away. For a fresh scent drop a slice or two of lemon in the water before boiling.

 

Keeping the sink, counters and appliances clean and sanitized is fast and easy with a product such as Kitchen Windex Touch-Up Cleaner. Put on paper towel or sponge and you can wipe away 99.9 percent of common household bacteria. When you clean the sink, make sure to get behind the faucet and around the seals using an old toothbrush.

 

Don’t forget to clean the outside of the refrigerator and freezer. And keep the inside of the refrigerator smelling fresh with an open box of baking soda.
 

 BATHROOM

 

From make-up spills and toothpaste smudges to mildew and everything in-between, the bathroom needs touching-up on a daily basis.

 

To keep the counter clean of little messes and smudges, use an antibacterial product and dab the cleaner onto a rag and wipe down the counter, faucet and any other hard, non-porous surfaces to clean and sanitize quickly.

 

To get rid of soap scum, clean the tub and shower with a foaming cleanser that does most of the work for you and simply rinse it off. Wash shower curtains and liners according to label instructions. To help prevent soap scum buildup in the future, try switching to a liquid shower gel. Bar soaps have binders that are a primary cause of soapy residue.

 

Combination mold and mildew cleaners can make fast work of those deep messes. Spray where needed and rinse off. Be sure the bathroom is well ventilated before spraying them. To discourage mildew be sure to use the bathroom fan during shower and 30 minutes after.

 

 

I liked the advice about using gel soap instead of bar soap. I didn’t know that bar soap was the cause of the scum. Hmmmm….learn something new every day.

 

FLOORS

 

Floors are always such a mess in my house with two dogs running in and out of the house all the time. I always feel so much better when they are all scrubbed and clean. Here are some cleaning tips for floors. I am sure we all know what we should do, but how many of us actually do this…….NOT ME. :)

 

If you have the time and money to rent and use a carpet cleaner, spring cleaning is the time to do it. If not, target stains with a carpet cleaner and give all your carpets a good vacuuming. Sprinkle baking soda on carpets and rugs to absorb odors.

 

Steam mops are a great way to quickly clean multiple flooring surfaces without a mop and bucket. You can do a whole room in just a few minutes.

 

A lot of dirt and dust in a home is brought inside on the soles of your shoes. To keep carpets and flooring clean, place doormats inside and outside each entrance and always take your shoes off when coming in the house.

 

Wiping floorboards of dust and dirt is often overlooked and makes a big difference in the appearance of your home.

 

So now that all of us know what we “should” be doing in our spring cleaning how many of us are going to rush right into getting all of this done.

 

So the question is…….are you going to spring clean this year?  I will start………..probably not to this extent……too busy thinking about getting the garden going. J

Have fun in your spring cleaning!!  Don't forget to check out the new recipe. Thanks for joining me. :)