Laundry Blues

I love doing laundry...despite the title of this post.
I love...
Emptying the clothes hampers.
The scent of laundry detergent.
Hearing the water swishing in the washer.
Reveling in the fact that I don't need to use a washboard to scrub mud-splattered pants.
Hanging clothes outside in the bright sunshine.
Seeing all the towels hanging in order from darkest to lightest.Biggest to smallest.
Yes,I am picky like that.
White sheets flapping in the wind-reminding me of peace.
It makes my heart smile (Is that possible?) to save money by using the washline instead of the dryer.
I'm glad I live in the country where it's considered standard (not redneck) to hang it all out.
I'm talking about laundry! 
Stacks of neatly folded clothes...only to have my son tear everything up.
The wonderful feeling knowing you have good smelling clothes in your drawers.


These pics are proof that I am the wife of a hard working man--check out the stains & holes.=)

 Even tho we have...

sometimes,there's no money or perfume that can beat the smell of sun dried laundry.

Who knew laundry could look cute??

Summer Mantel

I know...summer is almost gone.The steamy hot days that make the pool so refreshing,fresh squeezed lemonade,garden produce,a nicely mowed lawn...I'd love to keep summer here awhile longer,but I am really looking forward to Fall.Here are a few pics of my summer/beach inspired mantel which cost me about $1.Can't beat that!!=)Of course it's not as fancy-shmancy as a lot of peoples',but it's what I could afford.It also reminds me of our honeymoon in Cancun,Mexico and our anniversary trips to Santa Barbara,CA and Orange Beach,AL.I've had it up awhile-I'm just a little behind in  the blogging world!!

The only things I bought was the letters "SEA" and the blue book---the rest I made,collected from the beach or had already.Of course,ever-changing-things around-me took the pitcher of flowers,1 chippy picture frame and the blue book down.I thought it looked too a little full.

I'll be showing pics of the whole livingroom soon and the less cluttered mantel.

This last pic is in the living room too-just love this lil ole' fence.Reminds me of the fences at the beach.see Dave Ramsey peeking out of the crate?We love that man!!

Enjoy the carefree barefoot days.Soak up some lovely sunshine.Breathe in the refreshing scent of freshly mown grass.Swing from a tree branch.Go on  moonlit walks.Munch on the healthy garden foods.Spend each minute you can with the ones you love.Be bold-wear bright colors that make you happy.Or go parasailing 800 feet in the air like I did.Thank God for the "awesomeness" of this beautiful "sunshiney" season called SUMMER!!!

Evening Snack

Sparkling water,grapes and hot pepper cheese...a snack me & the hubby enjoyed one evening.

Have a great day!!

$1 Treasures

I'm cheap.Very cheap.I don't like to spend more than $15 on one item-from clothes/shoes to dishes to decorations to you name it.That's why thrift stores and yardsales are my best friend.That's why my walls are still rather bare-I'm working on that.I always look at the discount aisles.I try not to buy things that I don't need.Try being the key word.I don't always follow the $15 rule tho in case you are starting to think I'm the Queen of Thrifty Shopping.I wish I was.Back before marriage and a kid-it was quite a different story.I've learned alot about making do and saving money since then.Trying to save has become a lifestyle-something I enjoy.Finding deals always makes me feel giddy.If you just look and are open minded and not afraid to repaint or use a little elbow grease,you can find some great treasures.Even tho we are almost debt free,I save everywhere I can.Your imagination has to work a little harder sometimes,but it's o so worth it!Anyhow,here are some things I found this summer for $.99- $1.00--

4 cone cups-$1 a piece.Perfect for sundaes on the back porch.I don't have cute summer dishes anyway..

A cute aqua colored birdcage.I love bird cages and birds!!

A curtain "holder thingie"-not sure of the name.There was only one.

Excuse the washed out pics.I blame it on bad lighting,but it's because my photography skills are about as good as my backing-up-a-vehicle ones.

I found an old cardboard box with a post mark from 1953 on it that was holding old chipboard letters.Mostly vowels..

A little wagon to hold my son's blocks and toys...

Some books with good ole' American history for Kobe to read/be read to when he's bigger...

A beautiful sea shell...

Picture frames that I want to paint and distress to bring out all the details...

A shelf that needs a little paint.I don't have 1 shelf on the walls in my whole house!!

Styrofoam balls that I want to cover with moss...

Vases from Dollar Tree...I added raffia and ribbon.

Tissue Paper PomPoms I made from $1 packs of tissue paper...

$1 letters from Hobby Lobby for something I'll post about soon...

A chippy old picture frame I've had for years...

Look for treasures-they are everywhere!!

Blueberry Bliss

I love summer for many reasons-blueberries is one of them.My mom,sisters,lil bro & I picked 8 gallon at a local blueberry farm 2 weeks ago.They were a little smaller this year because of the long spell of dry weather,but still so good!!

 We ate blueberries for breakfast...

for lunch..

and for dessert we had heavenly blueberry crisp that melted in your mouth!!

I canned 15 pints of blueberries.I still had plenty of frozen ones from last year.Blueberry pie filling is something that I would love to can yet if I get around to it..and  make blueberry pancakes,muffins...
Hope your day is filled with sweetness!!