Sweetbriers

2010-11-25T07:04:00.000-05:00

Eco Friendly Gift Guide at the Happy Hippie

2010-11-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

So excited to see my little apple cozy on the front page of

the Happy Hippie

Check out the site & their amazing

$10 or Less Eco-Gift Guide

To see more Apple Cozies visit Sweetbriers

Etsy Front Page!

2010-08-23T09:47:00.000-04:00

Here’s a great way to start off the day!
any day...
I checked my email this morning and actually had to look twice
when I saw a note saying a treasury with a
Sweetbriers crochet apple cozy had made it to
Etsy’s front page!
WHAT!
WooHoo!
Totally unexpected!
To say I was surprised would be such an understatement!

Are You Celebrating this July 4th

2010-06-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

Start your 4th of July
by celebrating with these patriotic fellow etsians
Check out these vivid Independence Day inspired works
follow the link Happy Independence Day
and give this treasury some ♥

I knew it... I told you this would happen, didn't I

2010-02-25T00:13:00.001-05:00

It's that addictive personality.
So here I sat tonight staring at the treasury list waiting for the number to drop below 333
just sitting here waiting... ready at any second to hit paste to get my title in there as fast as possible so I could snag a treasury
and WOOHOO
Got it!
I can't believe how easy this is & I hate that I waited so long to start creating treasuries yet at the same time I'm sitting here - waiting- when I really could/should be getting something done -
but... who cares - ya gotta have some fun
Once again I ask you to click on the link, pop over to etsy and give my treasury

some lovin' by clicking on some of these gorgeous works by etsy artists

Signs of Nature

features works by

TheShabbyChicCottage, peacefrogdesigns, MaiAutumn, GemmaBeads, mydaisydreams, holzfurhaus, KirstensClay, 3LambsDesign, ParadiseHillDesigns, VitecArt, salinascraftroom and MothtoaFlameStudio

with alternates by papermoth, MelissaBeach, SonataSoaps and tanyabond

Off to watch the clock to see when I can try again, just kidding I haven't got that bad - well...at least not yet

Yet Another... Snow Day

2010-02-15T23:25:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been off work for a couple of days (again) because of the snow. After three consecutive weeks of three day work weeks instead of normal five day weeks I'm beginning to get bored being at home (I know... who'd have thought it) but I've started just looking for things to do, today I went outside (brrr ... cold) and took a few pictures so I thought I'd share a couple with you

here's a picture of my house

here's one of my car

Does that look like an all too familiar scene to you too?
Well… ok,
so maybe that’s a little exaggerated

But that’s what it’s beginning to feel like to me.
I know it (snow) seems to be everywhere - is there anyone out there right now (in the U.S.) that doesn't have snow? I know Canada would probably like to have a little of what we got down here and; personally I wouldn't have been offended if they had gotten all this - they can have it.

I'm SO ready for summer, what about you?

I just listened to the weather on the news and wouldn't you know it the extended forecast for next Monday - SNOW - arggh!

Well, I guess I'm off to go check out the etsy forum and see whats going on over there.

You should stop by and check out my ebay shop "Sweetbriers"
I've got loads of yarns listed for just .99 (silks, cashmere, wool and even some one pound lots) I told you I got bored and was just looking for something to do (smiles)

Stay Warm!

Happy February - Off to a Great Start!

2010-02-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful way to start out the first day of a new month - finding one of your items in such a sweet sweet treasury.
I'm sending a big valentine heart card to etsy artist BotanicalBird for being so sweet to include my Mary Janes in her Sweet Sweet Jane treasury

Why not take a sec and head over to etsy to give this treasury some ♥

Come on Phil!

2010-01-29T09:58:00.006-05:00

Well, it’s just a few days away now.

I’m sure the folks in Punxsutawney are gearing up for their big day.

According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive early.

What are you hoping for? I’ve got my fingers crossed that old Phil does NOT see his shadow. After all we’re due aren’t we, because in 2008 & 2009 he saw his shadow?

I for one am ready for spring, even better SUMMER.

As I type this, winter storm warnings are in effect from New Mexico to North Carolina, much of the southern plains are buried under snow and ice. Hundreds of thousands of people are without power. Here in Louisville, we (thankfully) are apparently on the outer edge of the storm, if it continues to stay to the south They are predicting that we could get 1-3” of snow, which is nothing compared to what some are having to deal with, but 3" of snow here will bring everything to a standstill for a few hours. I'm hoping they are right in their forecasts with no more accumulation than that, just an hour south they expect up to 6” of snow.

If you've already been hit by the storm or if you are in the path of it, I hope you are able to stay inside & keep warm & dry.

Come on, Phil!

we're counting on ya'!

LOL - now that's a face ain't it? Is it just me or does it looks like a giant rat

What about you, are you a spring, summer, fall or winter person?

Fiber Art Favorites

2010-01-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Why not take a minute, head over to etsy & give SewStacy’s great Fiber Art Favorites Treasury some ♥ love!
A big Thank You to SewStacy for including Sweetbrier's Mary Janes in her awesome treasury!

Next time you’re shopping on etsy just type CreateCrochet in the search bar for an awesome display of fiber arts

Have a Heart

2010-01-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

♥♥♥♥SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT♥♥♥

Our hearts are with the people of Haiti

Now thru February 1st the proceeds from the sale of all items in my shop with a heart or heart shape will be split between the American Red Cross and Doctors without Borders for relief efforts in Haiti

To find your hearts click here: ♥

You can also open your heart and make a donation at

The American Red Cross

Doctors without Borders

Have a Heart

They need help!

Thank YOU!

2009-12-11T11:39:00.003-05:00

Just a note of a small accomplishment I wanted to share with everyone. Some of you know
that I'm not really a "goal oriented" type.
However, earlier in the year I set a goal for ,
Sweetbriers,
to reach 100 sales on etsy by the end of the year.
well....

- - - Drum roll please - - -

Just a few hours ago

We did it!

#100!

It really was all Thanks to YOU,

after all without you there would be 0
so

Not to mention, your timing was EXCELLENT

Because not only did we reach the goal before the end of the year, and with time to spare!

It was just in time for my Birthday!

It was really a very special gift.

So I wanted to say a special THANK YOU

to everyone for their support & encouragement!

Happy Holidays

2009-11-26T08:24:00.001-05:00

GET INVOLVED

2009-10-17T13:25:00.008-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
GET INVOLVED

Volunteer, walk, run, donate
Everything you do makes a difference!

In the last 10 years there was 1 member of my family & 7 friends of mine, 8 people that I know, diagnosed with breast cancer.

When I think about what numbers like that mean in

the BIG PICTURE

it’s really beyond frightening.
According to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to occur among women in the U.S in 2008. Globally more than 25 million people have been diagnosed and 10 million could die in the next 25 years without the cures.
Early detection is important!
Call your doctor and schedule your annual screening today!

I'm not the ONLY one

2009-10-16T11:12:00.001-04:00

that thinks it’s COLD outside!
If you listen closely this may be the same little bird that tells things!
Like that there’s just 2 days left one a 15% off sale at
Sweetbriers Yarns
for just 2 more days you can get 15% off
Debbie Bliss alpaca silk, Noro Wool, Tahki Eco - friendly Cotton, Regia Sock yarn and more!

Plus there are 5 1-pound lots of 100% cotton yarn - great for dishcloths, washcloths, and all sorts of crafts You can get a great
BUY 3 get a 4th pound free deal
don't miss it only 3 days left on that!

Now if anyone asks how you found out about all this you can tell them
a little birdie told you

Blending In

2009-10-15T11:06:00.006-04:00

Being camouflaged may help

but

there's just so much it can do

if you’re not going to at least try to help out

They Make it Look SO Easy

2009-09-08T12:30:00.016-04:00

If you take my car situation then add to the mix that I decided to clean out & re-paint & well... I haven’t neglect JUST the blog but lots of other stuff as well over the last couple of weeks. I think I have everything back to normal for now, at least the next day or two anyway.

From what I understand it’s more of the norm to do “spring cleaning” well…in the Spring but nooooo, not me, here it iscoming into Fall & I suddenly (& I do mean suddenly) decide to completely redecorate a couple of rooms.

Just between you & me, I’m blaming it all on my recently developed addiction to the HGTV channel (turning off & stepping away from the TV). If you watch enough of those painting & remodeling shows I do believe it brainwashes you into a “look how easy this would be” mindset.

By the way it is NEVER that easy.

In my house the family room/dining room is practically one room, it's about 18’ x 35’ sort of separated by a colonnade. The log walls aren’t exposed in either of these rooms yet, that’s an upcoming project, hopefully the near future. I was just so tired of looking at the walls in here the way they were. They were dark claret with white bead board wainscoting with a floral wallpaper wall. I just couldn’t take it anymore. In the past whenever I wanted to paint I would take days, who am I kidding, I could take WEEKS to decide on a paint color. I don’t know why, after all it’s only paint, if I don’t like it I can always paint over it. I guess it’s those commitment issues again. But about two weeks ago, on Friday evening, I looked up at the wall & thought -ENOUGH. I got up early that Saturday morning, was at the paint store by 7:30am, selected a color, was home within the hour moving out furniture & getting ready to paint.

I still can’t believe I picked a color that quickly & with no second thoughts. That was so unlike me.

Since the walls had been painted such a dark color I had to primer so including the primer that meant 3 coats to paint. There was the wallpaper that had to be removed. By the way, should you ever find yourself having to remove wallpaper I highly recommend either borrowing or investing a couple of bucks in a wallpaper steamer, makes it so much easier.

I finally finished this weekend, everything is done. I mean everything. I cleaned out every drawer, cabinet or storage space in both rooms. I even carted the love seat down the hill for the roadside pickup. Now there was a story in itself, me with a 2-wheel dolly trying to get a large overstuffed loveseat all the way down to the road, I wish I had pictures. I can laugh now, although it didn’t seem so funny at the time. At a certain point gravity helped, actually it was more than“help” you might say gravity took over, but the end result was the loveseat all the way down by the road.

You’d think I’d be thinking

“whew, finished”

But nooo…

Instead, I’m thinking, ok, which room next

the next rooms, will all be a little more labor intensive as from here on out they all will involve ripping out plaster walls & ceiling to get them to look like this wall

Oh I almost forgot.
So what do you think “Butterscotch” ?

Well I think this has us caught up for now but I just heard the UPS truck pull in! So I’m going to go see what goodies (yarn) he has for us today.
I’ll try to be back in a little while & hopefully I’ll have a new Blog Readers Special offer. So don’t go away, well you can go away, but don’t go too far! Be sure to come back & check in later this evening, you wouldn’t want to miss out.

Let’s Catch Up

2009-09-04T14:07:00.010-04:00

I do hope you all forgive my absence. I’ve really missed everyone but it’s been pretty busy around here lately. I know it’s been almost 2 weeks, but I can explain! It’s just that there are only so many hours in the day.

First an update on the car situation – I just realized as I was typing this that the flood was exactly 1 month ago today. It was actually within the hour (2:00 pm EDT) I’m posting this that they were trying to rescue us from rapidly shrinking little island we had all become stranded on at work.

See the people over on the left toward the center, kind of in the trees, can you see me? look again, I'll wave LOL & my car it's just out of the picture right next to the suv in the right bottom corner.

If you hadn’t heard my vehicle was totaled, thankfully insurance did cover it. I thought since it was less than a year old that I’d just replace it with the same exact vehicle but just a new 2010, well that was not as easy as one might think it would be. Thanks to the “clunker” program, the large number of local residents that also lost cars in the flood, the fact that 2010s were almost but not yet at the dealerships, add into all this the fact that car companies cut production because of the economy & the result was that I could NOT find a new car (well none that I wanted) anywhere within a 250 mile radius, I would have had to go to Ohio to find one I wanted. It’s not like I had a big list of wants/must haves –

#1. A mid-size to small suv
#2. 4-wheel drive
#3. Not a 4-cyclinder
that was it - nothing really extravagant or unusual.

There were no 2009s left on the lots.

The few 2010s I could find were missing one or more of the three things I wanted.

The rental car (the awful sub-compact rental car) was a week overdue to be turned in.

The insurance company had not settled yet.

If I ordered a car it was going to take 4 to 6 weeks for it to be delivered.

A friend of a friend was selling a car so… although it wasn’t exactly what I had planned I have to admit their timing in selling it was excellent. It’s a super nice car, a Mercury, it looks practically new inside & out, it’s gray so I do keep losing it in parking lots. They all look like seas of gray cars. It’s been ages since I owned/drove an actual “car” I’ve always had suv’s or something similar so that’s taking a little getting used to. I really like the fact I have no car payments that didn’t take any getting used to at all it's probably my favorite feature.

Rain

2009-08-04T17:20:00.009-04:00

So it rained a little here today.
The local weather said it rained 6” in one hour.
Just in case you’re wondering how much rain that actually amounts to well I can tell you it's
A LOT!
See the picture,
See the arrow on the picture

well that’s my car it's pointing at (my practically new, just a few months, old car) & that’s what used to be the parking lot underneath all that water.
They did evacuate the campus but not before we were stranded for hours by 8 to 10 feet of water. The fire department had to bring in boats to take people out. I even saw my car on the national news (hmmm, wonder if that’ll make more of an impression on the insurance company, you think?)
Did I mention I bought my car, new, just a few months ago.
Now, I know what you must be thinking, so before you ask,
why didn’t I move the car BEFORE the lot flooded (this is something I've wondered when I would see pictures like this – well nowI KNOW) you would not believe how FAST the water rises when this sort of thing happens. I mean there was water EVERYWHERE in just minutes.
This is a picture of the same parking lot shown above.

Here's a couple more pictures

Above: this car was parked next to mine - thats my rear window on the lower right of the picture

There’s Nothing Like Good Homegrown

2009-06-30T00:27:00.033-04:00

VEGGIES !

(made ya look)

What a pleasant surprise when I found these tomatoes yesterday. As you can see it’s difficult for them to stay on the vine long enough to get ripe around here because I LOVE fried green tomatoes. Of course you have to tell people that you had to pick a few green ones because the vines were to heavy, you know that it was those of us who like the fried green tomatoes that made up that lame excuse, I mean please, I'd pick a green tomato if it were the only one on the vine.

I do try to limit picking the green ones as true vine ripe tomatoes are pretty tasty too.
I used to fry them with a cornmeal & seasoning batter but a couple of years ago a friend of mine shared his quick & easy “secret” recipe with me & I thought they were great. So now instead of mixing up my own cornmeal batter I use Andy’s Fish Batter (yep that’s right, I would have never thought of that either) but they are delicious!
I’m hoping that by this Saturday I’ll have a few more homegrown tomatoes ready to add to July 4th fare.

On my way to the veggie garden I passed by these so I had to take a few pictures. The Black-Eyed-Susans came up wild this year, right next to the bird bath, thanks in part I guess to some wandering bird. They are beautiful, although this is not what I originally had in mind to plant in that spot but I figure since they picked that as a home for themselves & they seem happy there so que sera, sera... there is where they'll live.

The Larkspur on the other hand I planted but it seems to be happy too.

I sat the bird feeder down on the ground so I could go get the bird feed & it was so cute sitting in the flowers
I thought about just leaving it there. A little cottage in the woods

What happened to June?

2009-06-24T16:08:00.004-04:00

Wow! Sometimes time just gets away from you doesn’t it? Since we last spoke it’s been pretty busy around here.
At work, the move is finally over and everything, even all the files are unpacked and put away. We even got everything cleaned up enough to have an open house.

At home, the contractors have been here & finished. They did a wonderful job! I’ll post pictures just as soon as I get the furniture moved back in. I even managed to get on the contractors list for the next job I want them to do. If you’ve ever worked with contractors you know what I mean when I say “I got on the list.”

Let’s see what else…
I hosted a birthday party last Friday that was fun. I think everyone had a good time.

Its now officially SUMMER!

I’m working on my plans for my annual 4th of July party. Just a little over a week away! So I've still got time to get things done just not a lot of time! This is one of my favorites, I look forward to this each year. It would be great if the weather would cooperate. I need to do some work in the yard, weeding & such before then because everyone is usually in & out of the house, so I’d like for the yard to look extra nice plus I still have a couple of lawn chairs I need to get painted. it's just been so humid outdoors I've dreaded going outside the last few days & I've been putting it off.
I guess I shouldn’t be so picky about the weather. I mean here I am saying I wish it wasn’t so hot & humid when maybe I should just be glad if it doesn’t rain on the 4th.

Summer Sky Fireworks

2009-06-13T11:23:00.007-04:00

I found fireworks in the garden this morning! Well thats what I thought these Summer Sky coneflowers looked like.

How Many Quarts Does it Take to Fill

2009-06-08T10:58:00.017-04:00

a Ford Escape?

Would you believe that the other day I discovered the answer to that exact question. I'm sure it's a question thats been often pondered.

My Ford Escape will comfortably hold 55 1-quart flower pots (59 if I put 4 in the front passenger floorboard) .
After this obtaining this knowledge first hand I decided enough is enough, I’m buying a greenhouse. In the long run it will be easier & far less expensive. I’ve narrowed it down to these two choices
Option #1

Option #2My contractor is scheduled to come next week to work on a wall - I’m having another log wall cleaned & rechinked, plus ceiling fans installed on the porch & in the family room – I’m going to ask him about the cost of assembling one of these greenhouses for me.

I know these are supposed to be easy to assemble DIY & all that but they never really are (easy to assemble) so if he puts it together, I could be doing something more productive than getting a headache from trying to figure out the instructions. I actually built one of those 10 x 10 metal utility sheds once, now there’s a story, it would have to be prefaced with some sort of disclaimer "no one was harmed in the making of..." because construction of the shed from start to finish involved a 30-page multi language instruction booklet, assorted bags of nuts, bolts, washers & screws, 2 sheets of plywood, a very humid summer day, power tools & well ...suffice to say things turned ugly.

In the end, all was well,

there was a nice sturdy utility shed & fortunately no police, bail money or attorneys were in any way involved. I said then I would never (willingly) do anything like that again.

So I’m definitely having someone else assemble this thing. I have an absolute perfect spot for one. There is already gravel, it just needs a little more gravel added & to be leveled out, there’s even a sidewalk that would go straight to the door, it’s the perfect spot for a greenhouse. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.

If anyone has any experience with a particular style/brand of greenhouses that they would particularly recommend or for that matter any that they would particularly advise against, I would appreciate the info.

The Little Loomhouse & the Spin-A-Yarn Festival

2009-05-22T10:33:00.004-04:00

To any of my local friends (Louisville or nearby areas)
I found this information & thought I would share just in case anyone might be interested.
I thought this sounded like a fun Saturday afternoon!

Saturday, May 23, from 12:30 until 3:00 PM

The Little Loomhouse located at 425 West Kenwood Drive will be presenting “Spin-A-Yarn” storytelling festival, so if you enjoy hearing a good story, the story telling event will take place beside the Esta cabin, at the Little Loomhouse.

To find out more about the Little Loomhouse & the Spin-A-Yarn Festival (storytellers, parking, tickets, etc) visit the site at littleloomhouse.org

Blog Issues

2009-05-22T10:09:00.004-04:00

This time (for once) I wasn’t to blame for being MIA. I've been trying for days to get in here and post. Like many other blogspot users out there I haven’t been able to access the blog. I'm not sure what the problem, I keep getting an error message but I'm hoping it gets fixed soon. At least now I can post although I don't know how many people are able to read it as this problem seems to be effecting a large population of bloggers.

Here's To You!

2009-05-10T14:46:00.001-04:00

Don't Wait! Minutes Matter

2009-05-09T16:45:00.002-04:00

Ok let me set a little groundwork for this post.
This all took place the weekend before last. Whether you follow my posts regularly or if you're just visiting for the first time, it doesn't matter because if you’ve read even just a few of my posts in this blog it's pretty clear that I garden just a little, so I'm always digging up plants and moving things around.
There are lots of people at my office that also garden & we are always bringing in flowers and trading with each other or giving “extras” away whenever someone thins out something in their garden.

A couple of weeks back I had to move one of my Peonies. They were coming to cut down a tree & I didn't want it to get all smushed, so I dug it up and moved it. When I set it back out I had a few extra tubers along with a couple of other plants I had moved out of the way. I put everything together in a box & took them to work & see if anyone wanted them.

The first person to come along is my boss & when I told her what type of flowers were in the box she said, “Oh, I love peonies but the only ones I have are purple” so she fishes out a peony tuber & I told her well these are pink, so we look thru the box & find all the peonies, there were about six or seven of them & we go on our way, the day passes. This was on Friday.

Now, it’s Monday morning. My boss called & left a message on my voice mail, "I'll be late going to the Dr."
I think, oh, ok just a standard Dr's appointment she had forgotten to tell me about, not a biggie. A few hours pass, boss calls again, "they’re sending me on to the hospital for tests" I think, “oh, ok” that’s really not all that unusual, sometimes they do that.
Time passes, she calls again & says, “They have moved me to a different hospital, I’m in intensive care & they are going to do quadruple bypass surgery tomorrow morning" Now the first few phone calls she just let on like she was just going to the dr’s, nothing special
So the “thud” you just heard was me falling out of my chair.
She continues on saying, “I was working in the garden, setting out some plants on Saturday (hmm… now let’s think, what could she have been planting)
& suddenly I didn’t feel very well at all, I thought something might be wrong but I thought I’d wait”
so she WAITS!
A day & a half until Monday!
Then since she still felt bad Monday morning she went to one of those Immediate Care Centers, they sent her straight to the hospital.
She goes on to say that they told her she had a heart attack.
Yes! A Heart Attack!
Yes! Quadruple Bypass Surgery!
Well, she was very, very lucky & everything has gone well so far, she’s now home & recuperating.

So here’s my question, what do you think

Should I ask for raise anytime soon? :)

Seriously people, even though I joke about this in the post this could have turned out with a very different ending!
As smart as we are, women are less likely than men to believe they're having a heart attack and more likely to delay in seeking emergency treatment.
Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths.
If you feel heart attack symptoms
Don’t delay. Minutes matter!
Your family will benefit most if you seek fast treatment.
For more information please visit
The American Heart Association
& WomenHeart , the national coalition for women with heart disease

Ok, So Where Have I Been

2009-05-06T15:56:00.002-04:00

WOW I’m not sure what happened, or where the time went,

I can’t believe it’s been a whole WEEK!

Well, there’s been lots going on around here at home & at work, things have been keeping me hopping so I haven't had much of a chance to blog. I'm sure everyone can relate to that.

On the home front, knowing well ahead of time that I had out of town guest coming in last Friday for the weekend & not being one to put things off until the last minute, I started cleaning promptly on Thursday night. "Cleaning" around here that's translated

"DON'T OPEN THAT CLOSET DOOR!"

I think everyone had a nice time, all the Derby Festivities were in full swing so there were lots of things to do & see.

It could have been a little warmer,

it could have been a little dryer

but overall I think everyone had fun, especially the few people who were brave enough to pick a horse that went off at 50-1 !

At work things are getting even crazier than they are at home. We are getting ready to relocate the office to another building & if you thought moving a residence was a pain you should try moving a working office, without closing down to make the move. The mess is unbelievable & packing all the files while at the same time trying to use them, did I mention what a mess, I'm pretty sure we will never find anything ever again, but, then I think, "Oh well, I get paid by the hour, what do I care" :)

The First Step

2009-04-29T11:11:00.011-04:00

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? I guess I should try to explain somewhat.
First, you might remember this place from the post on Saturday, April 18,

Well, I just finished setting out all the plants from that trip to the Garden Center & now

LOOK!

Yes! It happened again!
I simply stopped by on my way home to pick up a couple of bags of potting soil. It all seemed harmless enough, but then again it always does...

Nothing Like a Monday

2009-04-27T09:01:00.011-04:00

It doesn't matter if you are a work-at-home person or a work outside the home person or if you fall into some other category - anyone can relate to this type of Monday (sometimes it doesn't even after to be a Monday).

6:00 a.m. - The alarm goes off. What a gorgeous morning, warm & sunny, blue sky, birds singing, this would be a great day to just stay home. So I'm thinking there’s really nothing much going on at work today. I decide to play hooky & stay home, just enjoy the peace & quiet.

6:30 a.m. - check emails, just to be sure nothing has come up over the weekend.

6:45 a.m. - called office left message on voice mail, that I wouldn’t be in, anyone needs me they can reach me on my cell.

7:00 a.m. coffee cup in hand, sitting on the porch, enjoying the solitude, thinking “Ahhh this is nice”

8:05 a.m.- Just finishing 3rd cup of coffee, thinking what I might do today. Such a nice peaceful way to start the day, I’m still sitting outside on the porch & thinking how I wish I could do this every morning.

8:08a.m. – I see the yard guys pickup truck turn into the drive way, within seconds they have unloaded a mower & two weed eaters. Arg! Enough noise I am forced to go back inside.

8:15a.m. – earlier in the year I had contracted with a tree trimming company to cut down a few large trees around the house, so guess who shows up today, that’s right two giant orange trucks turn into the drive, people start getting out & they start up a giant chain saw and the truck with that giant chipper that mulches wood.

8:25a.m. – NOISE! So much NOISE! Riding mowers, weed eaters, chain saws, chippers, people, & then the phone rings, you’d think I’d know better but NO, I answered the phone.

It’s the Gas & Electric company they are doing some type of testing in this neighborhood TODAY, they are currently in my drive, just calling to see if anyone is at home before they shut off my power for awhile.

I can take a hint.

8:35a.m. - dressed & ready to go

8:40a.m. – In the car & after dodging & maneuvering around an assortment of work trucks I’m now pulling out of the drive

9:02 a.m. –sitting in my chair at my desk, enjoying the solitude, thinking “Ahhh this is nice"

I'm thinking there’s really nothing much going on at work today, what a nice peaceful way to start the day ... then I stopped,

because I remembered what happened just an hour ago when I had that same thought.

Ahh Mondays

Save Money & Energy

2009-04-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

With all the Earth Day information everywhere the last few days it made me start thinking about what things I do or what things that I need to do to save energy. There are always changes & improvements that we can make to help conserve energy. I don't know about you but I'm all for saving energy & if that also results in saving a little cash well that's all the better.

One of the things that lots of people overlook is "phantom energy." This is energy you use not even realizing it. Have you ever walked through your house at night & noticed all those little red or green lights on all those different electronic devices throughout your home?
Things like the television, dvd players, coffee makers, and don’t forget all the appliances with clocks like the radio or the microwave.
Did you realize that these are all pulling energy & adding costs to your utility bill?
You may think “oh, it’s not that much” but it all adds up to more than you would ever imagine. It’s super easy to remedy this & in doing so you not only are you conserving energy but you can save a little of your hard earned cash as well.
First stop & ask yourself, "how important is it" that each of these individual gadgets are waiting in what is the equivalent of “instant on” for you to just push the button.
It’s really easy to just plug all of these things into a single power strip and turn the strip off when the items are not in use. For example in my kitchen the coffee pot (which has a clock), the radio (which has a clock), the microwave (which has a clock) and a few other small things like the can opener and toaster are all plugged into a single power strip on the counter. I have a battery powered wall clock so none of these other clocks are necessary. Now with all these plugged into one power strip when I flip the switch on the power cord to “off” all those little unused clocks which are pulling power are all turned off.
When it isn't possible to plug multiples into a strip you can always just unplug each thing from the wall until you need to use it. You’ll be surprised at how infrequently you actually plug them back in, but really now, it probably would’t hurt any of us to do a little more moving around so the more you have to bend to plug or unplug something the better, it makes this is truly a win win situation, save energy, save money & even get a little cardio in at the same time, now you can’t beat that.

Did you know that replacing even just 5 regular light bulbs with energy efficient, eco friend bulbs can save you almost $30.00 a year on your utilities.

On a More Serious Note

2009-04-21T12:59:00.011-04:00

Do you ever find that sometimes just looking around you puts things in perspective?

I just happened to be down by the river, when I saw this amazing sky, it goes without saying that the picture can not come close to doing justice to this sight, but I was glad I had my old camera in the car.

Hey! By the way, while I'm here, I did want to remind you not to forget that tomorrow is Earth Day!

Have you made any Earth Day resolutions/commitments?

Well it’s not too late! PLUS you don’t even have to wait until tomorrow, start TODAY!

Really don’t you want to leave things a little better & a little cleaner than you found them?

There are lots of things you might do to help make a difference, simple little things, some of these things don't even require in real effort on your part but could make such a difference, things like using eco friendly light bulbs, not using things like paper towels, open a window instead of using the air conditioning, walk or ride a bike or take the bus when it’s possible, plant a tree, & please please always recycle. Even little things like picking up a piece of trash that's blowing around & putting it in a trash receptacle make a difference.

WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

The Best Laid Plans…

2009-04-19T09:23:00.014-04:00

You might remember Robert Burns once wrote something about the best laid plans of mice & men going awry.
Well, if you read my post from yesterday, you’re probably wondering what I’m doing here this morning

After working outside all day yesterday, I still have just as much work to do today as I did yesterday, isn’t that how it usually goes. I did get a lot of the landscape shrubs in front of the house set in.
The “plan” was to go back outside today & at least finish setting out what I had in the car yesterday but it seems the weather had different plans

– rain,

rain

& more rain,

see just look outside Ok, ok, so maybe, just maybe
that picture is a wee teensy bit (I believe Robert Burns was Scottish or does "wee teensy bit" sound more Irish, to you? I've always wanted to go to Scotland, it always looks so beautiful in pictures, oh wait... sorry,

anyway, as I was saying)

the picture may be just a wee teensy bit of an exaggeration

but still it is raining,
I can’t work outside today, which on a positive note is good for all the plants that I did get set out and it does give yesterdays sunburn a chance to cool off and fade a little before getting back out there again (my nose looks like Rudolph’s). I guess I’m inside for today so I should find something more constructive to do than sitting here at the computer.

If I'm Missing for a Couple of Days

2009-04-18T20:41:00.011-04:00

It all started innocently enough,

it was a sunny Saturday morning,
I had a few errands to run so I got up really early & headed out.

Nothing out of the ordinary,

I went to the car wash & the post office

it all seemed simple enough.

I got everything finished & was on my way home
that's when it happened.
It all started when I stopped off here

It seemed like a harmless enough thing to do.

But what happened next was so unexpected

& it all happened so fast.

In the chain of events that followed,

I’m not really sure exactly what happened next.
the only thing that I can tell you is that one thing led to another

& things really got out of hand so quickly.

& I just cleaned out my car

So if there's no new posts here on the blog for a couple of days...- well, you'll know where to find me.

Now where did I put that shovel.

I Think I'm in LOVE

2009-04-15T14:31:00.016-04:00

I’m in LOVE!

That’s right!
I’m in love

& with a
man in uniform,

the FedEx driver

Look what this wonderful man just brought me!

That's right a Canon Rebel xsi

Oh wait,

there's more!

The 75-300mm zoom lens.

I have to keep this post short because I'm on my way out to go shopping.

Yes, shopping.

I've got to go try to find a new camera bag, after all I can’t put this in my ratty old camera case.

Tomorrow's The Day

2009-04-14T23:38:00.009-04:00

ARE YOU READY?
It happens the same day every year
We have over two months to get it done
There are even people we can pay that will do it for us.

Yet every year there are untold numbers of people that it seems to sneak up on.
Even now, as I type this at 11:58pm on April 14th there are people still working trying to get theirs finished by the deadline.

Of course, never being one to procrastinate myself
I stopped by the post office at about 6:00 pm tonight. I mean after all there's no sense in waiting until THE last minute is there. ;)

Anyone else out there bringing up the rear with me?

Dandelion Pickin' Days

2009-04-12T00:05:00.016-04:00

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. It was so sunny & the sky was such a beautiful… well, “sky” blue. Everything is starting to turn green, the cherry trees are in bloom & you can smell them in the air.

We had a wonderful time, we spent most of the afternoon blowing soap bubbles. I think bubbles are still one of my favorite things to do, well it's up there in the top10 anyway. We stayed outside for hours playing today. Please ignore the skid of mulch that is waiting to be spread, that shows in that one picture, because thats exactly what I did, LOL, just ignored it, there's always days to work but there are only so many "perfect" soap bubble blowing, jacks playing, dandelion picking days and I believe that a person should take full advantage of them anytime they come along.

Later we went inside and had the best time while we dyed some the most untraditional looking Easter eggs.

Unexpected Visitors

2009-04-07T11:56:00.019-04:00

I was getting ready to go to work this morning & I was in the kitchen when I heard this loud noise in the back yard. I immediately thought “WHAT WAS THAT?”

Sidebar: Have you ever noticed that whenever the words "What was that?" goes through your mind, that immediately in your head you start replaying scenes from every stupid, scary movie you've ever seen.

I barely had time to even think, when in the next instant, even more
clearly I heard what was the distinctive sounds of footsteps, it was that
clump, thump, clump sound, now there was no doubt, that was the sound of someone walking around. The footsteps seemed to be traveling across the sidewalk at the back of the house toward the door.

I thought OK, enough is enough!

This is MY house & MY yard.

Whoever you are you are NOT supposed to be here.

I decided I was going to just open the door & confront the trespasser, hoping it would scare them, more than me.

Just as I neared the back door I saw something outside move past the window, it was sort of a blur, it scared the …. out of me,

Oh, remember that thought I had about opening the back door, I don't think so!
I quietly peeked through the window & got a clear view of the culprits. I counted 8 of them, so I hurried to get my camera to get pictures, evidence I might need later. Here's the pictures.

They come down near the edge of the yard all the time but they have never (as far as I know) come all the way up to the house. If I had yanked open that back door and been eyeball to eyeball with that deer, I'm not sure who it would have scared the most. I'm thinking animal control might have had to come take both of us away.

New Handmade Find

2009-04-06T11:34:00.002-04:00

I posted a new

“Handmade Find”

over in the right sidebar, you might want to go check it out while you’re here!
You never know when it could be THE find you might not want to pass up!

Banner Ads

2009-04-06T11:25:00.004-04:00

As of Saturday my sidebar banner ad came up & is now running on the Craft Cult.com website. This year is the first time I've ever tried utilizing an advertising budget. I’m excited to see what the results might be. The banner on Craft Cult is the second ad I've place the other is on HappyHippie.com

Vintage Treasures

2009-04-01T22:32:00.008-04:00

If you like vintage jewelry then you should check out
pinksugarninja's
shop on etsy
She has some choice vintage pieces at really great prices.

Check out this beautiful purple butterfly brooch!

Do You Twitter?

2009-03-29T23:54:00.007-04:00

I know, I know, I'm a little late getting there...
but better late than never, right?
So, I finally signed up yesterday
& now

I TWITTER
www.twitter.com/sweetbriers

Farmer's Markets

2009-03-29T23:38:00.002-04:00

I love going & just wandering around to see what I can find, or maybe I should say "to see WHERE I can find." I’'m definitely adding this one to the list of places to revisit later in the year. There was the cutest little gazebo in the middle of town.

I’m sure the place is much more picturesque once all the flowers are bloomed & the shrubs are all green but it’s still too early in the year for all that.

One of the reasons I want to come back again a little later in the year was this sign near the gazebo

I have to come back when the farmer's market is open & see what kind of homegrown goodies the local farmers have for sale.

Plus you can find some of the best things at farmer's markets, not just fruits & veggies, although you can often get some great deals on those too, but you can usually find vendors with some of the most interesting handmade wares & you can meet some really interesting people at the farmer's markets as well.

Aren’t these streets just gorgeous with the trees all in bloom?

I know these are not the best pictures but give me a break

I was heading home & being lazy, instead of pulling the car over & getting out again

I just took the picture of the trees while I was waiting for the light to turn

See look it’s green!

I have to go now

LOL

What's Cookin' ?

2009-03-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

UMMMMMM!

This stuff always makes my house smell SO good!

Small Town USA

2009-03-22T22:57:00.002-04:00

I think I must have had spring fever today.
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I had lots of things that I needed to do but I didn’t want to do any of those things.
So... why do today what you can put off until tomorrow.
I got in the car & headed out.
After about an hour I found the neatest little small town USA place.
Tree lined streets of stately historic homes led into a downtown area
loaded with store after store of antique shops but everything was closed on Sunday (how small town is that).
I’ll definetly have to go back again, maybe next time on a Saturday.

A Classic Ride

2009-03-21T16:00:00.020-04:00

Could there be a better birthday present than an unexpected surprise gift of a sporty new ride?

A true vintage classic

in retro red

with 1950’s pearly white trim accents,

and white wall tires
(remember those)

& LOTS of shinny new chrome

Radio Flyers Rock!

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY!

SPRING!

2009-03-20T15:36:00.004-04:00

The Vernal equinox occurs today making this the first day of Spring!

In hopes of making your trip through my blog today at the very least an educational experience here’s a “fact of day” for you.

Did you know that the literal translation of the word equinox means "equal night. "
Here’s a bonus “fact of day” for you (I'm on a roll today).
Sunsets during equinox marks due west in the sky.

Did you learn something new today?
Now don’t you feel your time was well spent here?

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

2009-03-19T15:58:00.011-04:00

Cattitude

enough said?

Céad Míle Fáilte

2009-03-17T14:42:00.013-04:00

May your pockets be heavy
and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

If you're enough lucky to be Irish,

you're lucky enough!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Just a Tease!

2009-03-11T16:29:00.007-04:00

I don’t normally post just to relay the weather forecast but this is one I had to share. It was so nice here yesterday, 76 degrees! Spring was just teasing us, it may not be as close as I thought, tomorrow they have forecasted SNOW FLURRIES!

Happy Etsy-Versary to ME!

2009-03-04T14:28:00.002-05:00

One year ago today I opened my shop on etsy.
I initially signed up on etsy in June 2007, but
I never did anything with the account until
March the following year – March 4, 2008 to be exact.
So, I guess that makes today my “unofficial” etsy-versary.
So far I’m sure I’m not breaking any records, to date
I have 32 sales and 142 shop hearts,
but I’m beginning to pick up speed.
I think I’m doing pretty good all things considered.
I mean other than an occasional business card here and there
I haven’t done anything at all to promote the shop
and until recently I’ve only maintained an average
of about 8 to 12 listings.
So really, it’s a wonder that I’ve made any sales at,
but that’s all about to change!
I can’t wait to check back on this post at this time next year and compare
where I am then to where I am now.
We’ll see how much things have progressed
especially now that I’ve decided to really put some effort into it.
After next year then I guess it will be time to start using the “official” date
in June as my etsy anniversary but until then…
I’m happy enough celebrating Sweetbriers etsy anniversary today

HAPPY Etsy-Versary to ME!

It's Almost Here!

2009-03-01T21:00:00.008-05:00

It’s hard to believe that it’s already March!
Take a peek
at what I
saw this a.m.!
It won’t be
too much longer now!

SPRING!

Color will be back – Winter is just so gray and cold.
I don’t really have a “favorite” season. I mean there’s something wondrous to be said about each one but I really like color. I can hardly wait for warm sunny days with blue sky, green grass, yellow jonquils, orange lilies, red roses, purple tulips, well you get the idea!

Finally!

2009-02-28T00:58:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it, I didn't keep putting it off,
I think I've got it finished, the blog and the website!
check it out (click on the logo) v

I owe a big thanks to Artfire for
Rapid Cart it saved me an
unbeleivable amount of time!
I loved being able to just drop that in.
I think the whole thing
looks pretty good, even if I do say so
myself.
I mean it's a free site, quick and easy,
so it has limited options, but I think it will do nicely, for now!
I like it :)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-02-25T12:27:00.000-05:00

Today is the official 4th anniversary of Sweetbriers!
Although I’ve been selling online since 1999,
I opened as Sweetbriers on February 25th 2005,
so it’s been four years today!
I thought it was about time to stop procrastinating
and get a blog started or RE-started as the case may be.

Some of you may recall that earlier attempt,
I don't think we could really call it a blog,
it was a sad attempt and suffered from neglect
and eventually fell by the wayside.
Well, that’s all behind us now and it’s time to move on.

No looking back!
Are there any golfers out there?

I'm taking a Mulligan!

For those who might not know

a "Mulligan" = “do-over”

That’s right, it's a do-over.

I know! I'll call this my

Extreme blog make-over!

After all, everyone LIKES a make-over!

They’re good things!

A fresh start,

A new face,
A new look!
So, get ready, here we go!
Welcome to the new

"Sweetbriers"

The website is next – A new year,
A fresh start,
A new face,
A new look!
Yes. This still counts as a new year, after all its JUST February.
As soon as I’m finished here I'll be on my way there to complete the “make-over”
Then it will all be done, right? Fini!

Wrong!
Are you like that too?
I’ll be just ever so happy and content with the way someting turns out, like this “New Look” for the blog and then, suddenly,

one day, I’ll look at it and think

“What was I thinking” (stated in a tone of disgust, sounding similar for example, to how it might sound if you were looking at a picture of those 1980’s "Mall Hair" hairstyles).
And then I’ll be all “Oh! I have to change this, right now!"
And then...

there I go again!
So that being said, I have to ask myself, is that all about the fact that I am
(A) being capricious or fickle
or
(B) seeking improvement and growth

I'm going with "B"! (to those of you that know me personally, shut up! It is so B for me!)
If things never change, things get dull and stale, right?

Without change nothing grows.

Well, I feel better now, don't you?

So now that we know that those of us who have this little personality trait/quirk, are simply being insightful. Aren’t we all the better as people for being able not only to accept change but to initiate change (you have to admit that this sounds SO much better than “I just changed my mind” or “I just don’t like it anymore”)

It seems that what started out as a simple “Happy Anniversary” and “I’m Back” announcement has taken another (and somewhat strange) path. Did I mention sometimes I tend to ramble?

Well, I believe our hour is up, so I guess that's all for now.

Please see the receptionist to schedule another appointment.

Tune in next time,

when we examine the underlying complexity of the question and potential consequences of the answers to the ever innocent inquiry

"Honey, do these pants make my butt look big?"