Topsy Gardening Pots

Do you remember when I blogged about some gardening ideas? There was 1 project on there, that I really wanted to make. Those topsy looking pots. I REALLY wanted to make them! That post was written back in February. It's now August!!

I'm the size of the moon! Weeks away from meeting our baby girl. And those pots are still on my mind! I'd been telling my mom-in-law about them. And when my in-laws came into town for our Baby Shower, they bought us all the supplies. And showed us this tutorial. :)

Well, for the last few weeks, everything has been sitting in our garage. We had meant, to get busy a few weekends ago. Actually, right after my in-laws bought the supplies, our mommas got busy painting. We have 20+ pots that are painted and ready! They had offered to make us these little guys, while they were here. But we wanted to spend time together. Enjoying the fact, that our family was here.

Here we are. Weeks away from meeting our daughter. In the crazy August heat! I'm the size of the moon. And all of a sudden, I need to finish 100 projects!! Crazy....even I know this! But I went shopping today. With a friend. And picked up a bunch of flowers, and some herbs. I figured now that we've made a little financial investment in the project, there is no putting it off!

My hubs agreed. Tomorrow, we're working on these cuties. As soon as we get home from the Farmers' Markey. I know! But this momma is in desperate need of fresh bread, produce, and plenty of Kettle Korn! Maybe even a fresh lemonade. :) ~Chels

Brilliant Idea!!

I'm trying to find things to keep me occupied. Inside. Preferably! I almost past out, Friday when I went grocery shopping. I walked from a close parking, right inside. At 10am! And thought I was just going to pass out. This heat, is really starting to get to me. And I'm coming to terms with, I MUST stay inside....during the "peak" heat hours. Ugh!

Like I said, I'm looking for things to keep me busy. Inside. If you have any ideas, please leave me a note! I'm going a little crazy here! But I've been looking for ideas, to make things. For our nursery. For our yard. Things like that. And I found something fun on Pinterest!!

Isn't it brilliant? A hula hoop chandelier!! Honestly, I've got plenty of Christmas lights. Hubs went a little crazy buying them up this past Christmas. Apparently, I just need some paint, lace, fabric, things like this. And a hula hoop! How fun! I'd actually like to make one of these. Maybe 3, for our back porch. But I'd prefer to hang ours with rope. What do you think?

Is this something that you'd try? Or that you even like? I'm I going nuts? I hope not. Because I think this would be so fun!! Especially under the summer sky. Just a little bit of twinkle, to make every night, extra special!! ~Chels

You'll NEVER Believe....

You'll NEVER believe what I've been up to today! NEVER!! Cleaning out old jars. You see, in our fridge, we have an entire door, of jars. Of jelly, salsa, dip, honey, sauces, etc. All these jars have nothing in them. They are essentially empty. But in the fridge.

I don't know what our problem is. Why we can't throw these jars out. Why we feel it's important to have an extra large jar of pickle juice, taking up all that room. But today, I got to it. I was pulling out jar after jar, after jar!! Why we feel like a jar with no jam should go back in the fridge....is just beyond me! I had like 30 jars on the counter....

I thought, I could make something with these. Then I stopped myself. Why would I do that? We can recycle them. Either way, I'd have to wash them. Peel labels off. And if I decided to recycle the jars, I'd have to get my hubs to drive them to the recycling place. Since we're not allowed to stick them in our recycling cans.

Well, about half through my washing, I just thought, my hubs will never agree to drive all these across town. Maybe I should make something. I swear to you, if anyone would have come over, they would have thought, this woman has lost her mind!! Talking to herself. With all these empty jars!

I took a break. While half the jars were drying. And I got on my laptop. I searched out easy crafts. To use up some of these jars. And you'll never believe what I stumbled on! This cute little picture. That lead to this post. :)

I think this would be such a fun idea! I've got so many jars. I could make of bunch of these. And put them around our porch, with flowers and candles. Brilliant. Now I just need to finish getting the writing and glue off, some of the jars. If you're wondering about that. Simple rubbing alcohol is taking it off, really easy!

Then I have to decide on some sort of color scheme. What do you recommend? I'd LOVE to hear your ideas. Or any other ideas, you might have. I'm telling you, we have like 40 or 50 jars in total. Maybe more. I'm totally embarrassed about this little fact....

On the other hand, I can finally stock the fridge again. You know with jam, cherries, pickles, etc. All of a sudden, our fridge looks so empty! But honestly, all the food is in the pantry. Just waiting to go in the fridge. :) ~Chels

Green Space

We're having a "hotter than usual" summer. That is saying a lot for the desert. You know what I mean? And it's only June! It doesn't help that I'm pregnant. Or that all I want to do, is make our yard, a green oasis. Just like Cari's yard. Oh, it's gorgeous!!

I want a green place, to relax in. To get away from all of this heat!! Something that's beautiful and inviting. I took to Pinterest for a little inspiration. And I just can't get over this space!!

That vertical box thing, just makes me smile! All these beautiful potted plants, make me happy! This whole space is so fresh. So green! I want a space like this!! Maybe add in a little water fountain, some comfy seating, and some good shade. Yes, we NEED a space just like this!! ~Chels

Starting My Search....

Goodness! It has been so HOT around. Like all of a sudden, someone turned up the thermostat! No lie!! Just a few days, I was in HEAVEN with the weather. Now, I don't want to leave the house! But we're getting a cold front...and should be back in the 90s through next week. :) And that makes me want to spend more and more time outside. You see, the Honky Tonky Husband and I, are investing a little money. In some good outdoor furniture.

We actually spent the better part of one entire day, looking at outdoor furniture. With no luck! We just didn't find anything we LOVED!! And if you know anything about outdoor furniture, well it's a good investment. You just don't want to buy something, for the sake of buying it. Only to find out, a month later....you really can't stand it.

We decided to put that shopping on the back burner. For another week. When there are less people at the stores. And I've done a little more research. I took to Pinterest. For a little inspiration. And I found this cute little picture. Oh my!!

A. Don't ya just LOVE this? B. This just screams summer to me. C. The colors are so fun! D. It looks like a combination, of a lot of different stuff. Not one of those sets you buy at Lowe's or HD. I'm just sayin'.

I just don't think my hubby will go for such girly colors. Not even with baby girl on the way. Nope! But I think if we can find a comfy looking bed like that, and a decent set of furniture, we can do this. Just paint everything white.

Love the pink! But I'm thinking, if we can work with yellow, turquoise, and lime green...this could be fun. And my hubby would love it too! Now I just need to start searching. I can't wait to have it done. What do you think? I'm I nuts? Or is this a good idea? ~Chels

Fun Gardening Ideas

Maybe I've been watching too many garden shows. You know, on PBS. But they are really interesting. And now, I want to garden. Never mind that it's just February. Or that I have a "Black Thumb." Or even that on a good day, I've got "Morning Sickness" for 20 hours a day!

But I want to garden. The more I search, the more I want to dig in the dirt. Invest in garden projects. And grow something green! There are definitely a few projects, that are sticking out more than others. Because of Pinterest, I've got nearly 200 things, that I'd like to try. But 3, I'm hoping to finish this year. :)

I don't really know what this is. But it makes me think, of securing plants to our back fence. I've seen this done a few different ways. With brightly colored containers. And they just make me happy!!

This sculpture/pot makes me so incredibly happy! I want to make this. Like 5 of them. This weekend. And I want to buy tons of colorful flowers, to fill them with. Oh, this is such a great idea!!

How about this vertical box? I've seen the one on the Home Depot commercial. Filled with flowers. But I think, it would be fun to put herbs in the box. And attach the box, near our kitchen. For me, this would be the most useful of the 3 projects.

What other ideas should I work on? I've got a head full of ideas! Too bad, our bank account isn't endless. But I won't sit here and pine on that. Nope! I want to get started. ASAP. On some fun and useful yard projects! Hopefully, I can grow something green. :) ~Chels

Mod Podge Glass

I was just doing a search for colored glass. Last night, we went out for Cinco de Mayo and J's birthday. Lots of fun. Some friends of ours were performing. And the decor was beautiful! I really wish I was more risky. You know, to buy some of those bright accents. They sell them everywhere around here! But the glass, it was just gorgeous! The candles from inside made the glass glow beautifully. :)

Back to my search...all the glass was really expensive. Because most, if not all was "Depression Glass." You know, the antique stuff. In fact, Lola has a bunch of that stuff. And it really is beautiful. But really out of our price range.

But when I did I search on Flickr, I found these cute jars. And Hello! They're old glass jars. Like salsa, jelly, and spaghetti sauce jars. :) They were painted with Mod Podge. Um, I'm not crafty. So I have no clue. I'll probably call Lola before I start my project. But take a look...



Hanging in your garden. Oh that would be so beautiful for a cookout! Or just on a pretty evening.



Glowing along the fence. They would look gorgeous with our new hearts. :)



Could you imagine the collection that you could come up with? And they're not opaque. So I'm sure my hubby wouldn't mind a few pink and purple mixed in with the blue and green. :)

Honestly, I can't wait to start this project. You just never know what you're going to get when you do a google or flickr search. But I'm glad I found these little gems. :) ~Chels

Too Adorable

The weather got real crappy today. And now we don't have any TV. So I decided to come and work on my blog and all it's issues. I've decided to put all my post on private. Individually, I'll repost. Stupid me! It's going to be a lot of work! But I'm going to get it done. Hopefully this weekend. Our entire weekend is supposed to be filled with rain and wind. :(

But Lola sent me an email, that had this picture in it. She's planning some kind of party or something. And she thought I'd get a hoot out of the center pieces. Oh ya! They're so cute! Now I want to hit all the garage sales looking for old boots. I would LOVE to make a few of these for our BBQs this summer. So cute!



Would you make something like this? I even thought it would be cute to buy some rain boots. Those would be really easy, because you wouldn't have to worry about the water leaking out. Darn, these are cute! I'm going to have to go check out the Goodwill this week. :) ~Chels

I Heart My In-Laws

A while back, I was talking to my mother-in-law on the phone. We were talking about our house. And the things I wanted to buy for my house. I've posted about a few of the things on here. But honestly, my hubby and I live on a pretty tight budget. We save for twice a year trips to the rodeo. Because we really enjoy going. And for the occasional trips home, to visit family. We live in a different state. And we each get one splurge a month. That's about it.

The rest of our money goes to the house. You know DIY projects, and just making the payments. So I don't buy much to "decorate" with. If I happen to find a good sale on something, I'll pick it up. If not, I just dream about it. Knowing that one day, we'll be able to afford stuff.

But I seen this a while back. For $15. And for most people $15 isn't a lot of money. Most people would just buy it. But I couldn't. Because I felt guilty. If I hadn't mentioned it, I'm also in college. So we live off of my hubby's income. That's it. He has a good job. But to juggle the cost of college, a new house, and living expenses...let's just say it's tight on 1 income.



Back to my phone call with my MIL. We were talking and I said that I really liked these hearts. I thought they'd look cute in our backyard. You know, 3 would look darling on the back fence. That's all I said. I didn't really think much about it again.

Today, when I got home from my classes, I found a big 'ol package on our porch. I didn't know what it was. I knew I hadn't ordered anything. And I assumed my hubby hadn't either. So I was in shock. Well, I drug the box into the house. Because it was too big and heavy for me to pick up.

Since my hubby was at work, I decided to open it up. I was curious. Inside was the sweetest letter from my in-laws. Telling my hubby and I just how proud of us they are. And inside, were 7 barbed wire hearts that my FIL had made. And you know what he made them out of? The old barbed wire fence.

See a few summers ago, my hubby and I went back to TX. And we stayed in this little house behind his parents house. There was this barbed wire fence behind the little house. I'm not sure what it was for. But it had wooden posts and barbed wire. Well, in the evenings, after I had helped my MIL (at the time, hubby and I weren't married yet) make dinner, I would go sit out there on one of the posts. And I'd wait for my FIL and hubby to get back from working.

When we got married, my FIL told a story about one day I was sitting there on that fence. My hubby had had a tough day working. He was beat, and a little dejected. But as they road their horses back in, my hubby seen me. He sat taller in his saddle, got a crook'd smile, and a twinkle in his eyes. Then he told my FIL, "Pops, I've found my gal. I know she's the one. Every time I see her, she makes my life better. I just know she's the one."

A few weeks later, we got engaged. It was the 4th of July. And I was sitting on the post of the fence. Hubby and I were watching the fireworks. It was really sweet. So my in-laws always think of us when they think of that 'ol fence.

Fast forward a bit. And my in-laws took down the fence. My BIL's small kiddos had tried to climb it and would get some pretty nasty cuts from it. Remember, it was made out of barbed wire. So they took it down. But when we got married, my FIL built us a bench out of the posts. He told me, that way I'd have a proper place to sit and wait for my hubby. He was always worried that I'd hurt myself on the barbed wire.

I love that bench! It's in our little entry way. And I do find myself waiting for my hubby there. I like to see his truck drive up in the evenings. :) But I never asked about the wire. Who asks about barbed wire? Well, my FIL had rolled it up and stuck it in the barn. So when my MIL mentioned these hearts, he dug out the old wire. And he made us 7!

I know exactly where I want to hang them. And now, there is a cute story to go along with our barbed wire hearts. I know we'll have them for many, many years. And guess what? I LOVE my in-laws with all my heart! ~Chels

Lights

It's starting to get warm. I just love spring weather! And my hubby and I are wanting to do more and more work on our yard. We have a really nice back patio. And with all the beautiful grass, I just want to sit outside. But I also want it to feel more inviting. More like an extension of our house. :)

Enter in, these cute lights.

And because they're not too girly, my hubby liked them too! I really like these ones. They're £16 a strand. We could hang these around our back patio. And they match these stepping stones that we put in the back. :)



And these are cute too! For £13 a strand. These would be cute to hang in our entry way. I know it sounds weird. But it's all country bumpkin cute!



What's with me and finding these UK sites? Oh well, but I really like these lights. These might be my splurge for the month. :) ~Chels

I Want a Garden

I've been wanting a small garden. Nothing fancy. But something I can keep up with. And I want it to be my project. I mentioned it to my hubby the other day. And right away, he started drawing pictures and making diagrams. Making it a lot more complicated than I'd like. So I'm going to Lowe's tomorrow. Alone. Hopefully, I don't get too overwhelmed.

I want to grow a small patch of flowers like these. Aren't they pretty? I don't care what kind of flowers. Just as long as they're colorful!



And some veggies. Oh and strawberries. I want to grow something we can use. Do you know what I mean? And if it works out, maybe next year, hubby can make us some of these raised beds. :)



Because I really want some of this yummy goodness! There is nothing better than fresh fruit and veggies!



So that's my plan. To go do some research tomorrow. To see if it's better to go with plants or seeds. To see what is good for our area. I don't know if I'll buy anything tomorrow. But I do want to start researching. Around here, you're supposed to plant between April and May. I'm a little scared. But I'm also excited! If you have any advice, please leave it in the comments. I can use all the help I can get. ~Chels

This Weather!

We are now the proud owners of sod, 10 trees and 5 rose bushes. Ya, I got some rose bushes! Pink and white ones. :) They were a complete surprise from my hubby. The nursery delivered the trees and bushes yesterday. My hubby called to make sure I was home. And I was expecting sod and trees. Instead, they delivered rose bushes and trees. No sod. It will be delivered sometime next week. Something about the sod they had on hand was dying. So I'm glad they waited to deliver it.

Oh, and we were supposed to do a lot of planting today. That isn't happening. The weather is so bad today! So our rose bushes and trees are now in the garage. I hope they live. And we're hoping to plant everything next weekend. If the weather decides to agree with us. The sod should be delivered by then. At least we're hoping! ~Chels

Our Yard

Today hubby and I spent almost the entire day at the local nursery. We're starting to get our hands dirty...in our yard. So we went with our lists to see what they had. Of course, I wanted all the pretty flowers. Rose bushes, seasonal flowers, and even strawberry plants. My hubby wanted all these "structured" bushes and trees. Go figure huh?

But we've made out a plan. We're going to slowly work at our yard. That means all the "bones" need to come together first. Ugh! But we'll get it done. We priced a lot of stuff today. And talked to a really nice man. He gave us all kinds of tips and tricks! What a nice man he was.

Well, hubs and I, we ordered sod today. We figured that's what is going to be the most expensive part of the yard. And the part that is going to need the most labor. I guess my roses are just going to have to wait until later. But I'm glad we have a plan. I don't feel so lost anymore. ~Chels