Creating....

So, I finally got my computer and Google to be nice to each other, which means I have some photos to share! I found a stack of pillow cases that had not yet made it to The Butter Churn, so I thought I would share them with you before they head that way.

The first one is a king sized one, and it has bright colors...you can't tell that so much from the photos, I know. There's just something about sunshine that makes me happy.....they always end up being amongst my favorites.

Next, we have "Hide me in the shadow of your wings." And this one is all thanks to the Kevster. It's much neater in person....but you get the idea. Another bright one...."Life of the Party"....

The beginnings of my our new business cards that I drew up yesterday morning before going to work:

And one last pillow case....reminding us to wake up on the bright side...maybe I need to make another that says something like, "AND STAY THERE". :)

And now, I have a headboard drying from its first coat of paint and half of a hibiscus sewn on a cardigan....

Aggravation...

So, I had this post all in my head, but for some reason, my computer doesn't want to open my photos through gmail, and for some other reason that I can't fathom, my computer doesn't read SD cards without the lil thing and I dunno at the moment where the lil thing is. *insert mad face here*

Soooo.....I don't have a lot to say, and I don't have a cool photo, so I probably shouldn't even make a post, but I didn't make a post yesterday, either...so here I am posting.

On a positive note, isn't this lil rocking chair the cutest? It is a rustic red color and has the bestest lines and such ever. Plus, she is holding cross stitched photos of Pooh and Tigger that were custom-framed, and then unloved and sold in a yardsale....can you believe it? Makayla found them, so we rescued them. We intended to give them a good home, but alas, it didn't work out, so we are passing on our good fortune to the next guy (or girl as it may be). Currently, Ms. Berry Red Rocker is sitting in the front window of The Butter Churn on the historic square in Lebanon, TN, waiting on someone to call her theirs. She is SO much better in person. I'm sure a grandchild, neice, or nephew will end up loving her if someone else doesn't do it first. Last...we have "Sleepless in Seattle" on, and may I just say....I love Meg Ryan. What happened to her? Where did she go?

Off to reboot the computer and hope for the best....

Hunting and Making

Two of my favorite things are hunting for "junk" that I see is not junk and making things. I got to do both yesterday. Color me happy. I will be going back to the little spot we found, too, because there was LOTS of good "junk" there!

PiePie decided he wanted to take the little white male we have with us, and has affectionately named him Brutus. Funny thing is, another of the dogs from this litter that we sold has the same name. :) It was fun watching him look out the window....

This is along the lines of finding...I actually found it a couple of weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to sharing it yet....I got this lovely baby with all its yellowness for a buck. Yup, a buck. It now hangs on our front porch next to the red one we found last year. Then we get on to the "making" part....which is what I did last night. Anna and I made "fabric balls" and I used a piece of the sheet to wrap around the wreath form, then added the huge flower to it. I like how they turned out. Not my original idea....but I like.

Ohhh....that Timex alarm clock in the photo I got yesterday, too....for a buck. Yup, a buck. :) The wreath is a pretty blue and has white polka dots on it. Polka dots make me smile. :)

Off to do more making....

For the Graduates...

Do you remember when I posted this:??? I've got it looking so much different now. Check THIS out: what do you think? I'm really excited...I love grafitti, and while I by no means am capable of making any, this is, to me, reminiscent of it anyways. This was actually a piece of scrap board that PiePie let me use to spray paint on, but when I was asked to do something for a graduate, I knew what I wanted it to be. How can you think of a graduation without thinking of the wondermous Dr. Seuss?????

I still have to put the shiny finish on, and then I have to paint the back side as well. I have that in my head...it hit me on the way home from the flea market last night, and I'm really excited to see it "in person". Ha.

What do you think?

A Little Picture Story

You know when you were a kid and there were those books that had words, and then every so often, there would be a photo instead of a word? This is one of those stories, so follow along....

There was a:

(girl)

who had a:

(friend).

Her friend loved her lots and lots and walked through a lot of deep-forest-y walks, the scary kind where you have to leave breadcrumbs and all....

but even through it all, the (friend) was certain that the (girl) was really:

(Wonder Woman) in disguise.

Knowing this made the (girl) be all cheery and sunshine-y from the inside out, causing her to spread rays of cheer to others around her, something like this:so maybe she really was (Wonder Woman) after all!

It also made her:(smile) when she thought of her (friend), but not as much as when she opened a package full of love from her when she wasn't expecting it.

Knowing she has (friends) like this is what helps her be able to: (breathe) even when she feels like it's impossible.

Thank God for friends.

The End.

Pig-a-Pancake Post

My friend, *M* and I always laugh at how random our conversations flow, and how we just jump from one thing to the next to the next....how it is so like the book When You Give a Pig a Pancake...and so it began that I would make "Piggapancake" posts...and this would be one of those.

I was commissioned several months ago to paint the table below. It was a brown table, and was perfectly respectable just the way it was...except it was in need of a peace sign. This lovely, very originally named "Peace", will be going to live in a store with ribbons and bows and monogrammed items in Alabama. How 'bout that?!?!? She has been in so many stages I've called "finished"....and then I would keep looking, and keep changing, and keep going...and now, I do believe she is perfectly finished. The board below is the one I've used to spraypaint other items on, hence the spraypaint! :) (Just in case you couldn't figure that out!) This is another commission....and I am just going to let you wait until it is finished to see the "after". Are you curious? As well you should be. Oh, the grand ideas that roll around in this brain of mine! (You should see PiePie when I say, "I've been thinking...." or "I had this idea......" He just loves that.)

And then, I was thinking last night that I needed to post my thoughts I was thinking about this kid:

We actually took this photo yesterday morning on the way to work. I didn't really know I would "need" it today for this post....but it turns out I did. I had to take a trip in an ambulance last night with my mother in law (who is fine now, thank you for caring) and I had to send Makayla to get my purse and phone so I could keep in touch with her and PiePie and PaPa while with Barb. Bless her lil pea-pickin' soul....when we got there, she had picked up my cardigan that goes with me everywhere I go, my sewing, and my bag of entertainment that I take with me nearly everywhere I go as well. How stinking thoughtful was that?!?!?!? My shivering self was very happy to have my cardigan, and my Nook, and some other goodies to entertain me while waiting to check hourly blood sugars until 1:00 a.m. Bless her heart! I think she'll make a super-fantastic mom, as long as she doesn't leave her kid somewhere like she does all the rest of her belongings. Good thing that is still a few years away....maybe we can work on that trait a little bit more between now and those days!

And now, to gather myself for a long day tomorrow....happy Friday!

Chanel....

As promised, I am introducing you to Chanel....I'm fairly certain that there is only one person in the world who would "get" the reason I named her Chanel....and it clicked with her the instant I told her what Ms. Bear's name was...she replied, "But of course it is...Chenille Chanel!!!" and it made me love her all the more for it. :) Chanel has a new home now with Mrs. Debbie, keeping company with an AWESOME wooden tinker toy airplane that she found and a few other neato items in her loft studio. She will be loved on by many a child over the next years; of that, I am certain. She was oh-so-perfect, and if not for knowing she was going to such a lovely home, I don't think that we could've parted ways. But alas....she is in a super-great place. (And I can visit her any time I feel the need to caress her lovely texture.)

I also wanted to share with you the newest pillow case in a long line of many.....

Don't you just love it? The pink is such a perfect baby-pink, and then there is white piping around the outter edge. I really like this one. I love the neopolitan color scheme, too. (Can ya tell I like this one?) And I love the pop of red from the cherry. I do think that red should be *the* color of all colors, really I do, and I try to put it *somewhere* in my cases and work as much as I can. Usually it is in the form of a heart somewhere. Not always, but mostly.

(Sundae is for sale, so email or comment if you would like to call her yours. She will be going up on Etsy tonight.)

It actually seems that the sun may be out to play today, and for that, I am thankful. Rain, rain, stay away for just a few days, OK?

Happy Thursday, Friends!

Remember Maybell???

And remember how I told you I'd share her cousin? Sister? Whatever it was I said....well, here she is in alllll her stripedy goodness!

She resides beside Kate's bed to hold her computer and Nook, phone, and remotes. She's just the perfect little table.....her name is Flower. Original, huh? :)

Tomorrow, you can meet Chanel.

Not Just a Photo Shoot....

So, I've been doing some talking with an old friend of mine, and we've been doing some brainstorming for our businesses. She takes photos, I paint stuff. You see the combination, right? Thought so. Today, it just so happened that my "only running by and dropping off a chair" turned into a couple hours spent in the home of Debbie Davis.

She (ever so patiently) took photos of our Boxer puppies, and I was thinking as I watched how she is so good at what she does because she welcomes people right into her home, and you feel like you belong there. It's so easy to act "normal" and just BE there...and therefore, the photos she takes are nothing short of a-mazing. (In case you dont' know me well, that is a word I almost-never use....but in this case, no other will do.) I will be sure and share some photos with you that she took when they are in my greedy, impatient little hands. :)

Below is the other reason why I say "not just a photo shoot" and why she is so good at what she does....you really feel at home! Anna played with her baby chicks while she was snapping photos.... and then after we were finished, we *had* to go and see the animals. It was likea trip to the zoo, only peaceful....there were chickens, rabbits, horses, cows, new little barn kitties, and mules...and her dog...Molly. These are just a couple of pictures I snapped with my phone while I was watching them have fun in her barn before I finally was able to coax them into the car and towards the house....

The girls have asked me all day when we get to go back to Mrs. Debbie's house and play, and were very upset to have to leave. The secret they are not aware of is that IIIIIII get to go back and play with Mrs. Debbie on Monday...and I can't wait!

Excitement and Joy

That, my friends, is what I feel when I find a yardsale with a super-great amount of goodness. This morning, I hit the mother load, and OF-COURSE, I was in Pequito....which is a small 2-door Honda Civic. Did I mention small? I want you to know that among other miscellaneous and assundry boxes and bags of things like finials and canisters and spare tires and pillows and...and...and....well, you get the idea, I managed to cram a twin-sized headboard, two HUGE (like 2x3' at least) mirrors, a very vintage wooden high chair (excitement!), a tea kettle, two 11-14-ish vintage photo frames, a planter, two wooden tool caddies, and I don't remember what else. YES. In the civic. And YES. I still fit to drive. (Let's just say that it is a really good thing that I am short and it is normal for me to drive with my knees in the dash anyways.) I have ideas....I have a list of them! I am working hard towards a couple of huge goals, and can't wait to share with you when they are accomplished....stay tuned!

In other news, I know I promised to show you Maybell's relative (1st cousin? sister? I can't remember...) but my computer with her photos is residing right now at Mr. Computer-Fixer's house, and so yeah....that will have to wait. Suspense!

In the mean time, I will leave you with an oldie-but-goody....the first chair I painted, thanks to my very good friend, Cathy. I will be doing a lot more painting ....I'm so very thankful to have that creative outlet to help keep my sanity! I promise to share photos of the motherload soon.....

A Riddle For You...

What's black and white and red all over?

This lil side table is, of course! :) Ain't she perdy? She could be yours, if someone doesn't get her before you do! :) My mother-in-law got this table at a yardsale, and it was all sad and pitiful, and she said to me, "I don't guess you can help this one, can ya???" And you know me...I said of COURSE I can! I thought and I thought, and I looked and I looked at this table, because I really did love it. See her lines? See her shape? She just deserved something special. I love her so very much now that we have bonded over hours and hours of paint and brushes and spots and such....I really don't want to see her leave, but to a good home....well....I can't keep them all. This is Maybell. (That's pronounced May-bell. Not Mable, which rhymes with table...Maybell. Such a nice, Southern name for this beauty, ain't it?) Tomorrow, I may just show you Maybell's first cousin. She now resides in Kate's room as her little night stand. Say please!!!!! (And comment or email me if you would like to provide Maybell with a loving home.)

Boxers...a large part of our family.

When I became a Perry, PiePie had a roommate named Harley. Harley was his reason for coming home in the evenings, he was company, and he was just good for Mark. I swear this dog is at least half-human, if not more. The way he cocks his head when you talk to him...the way he just knows to follow Anna around the yard, the way he plays, the way he looks at you when he knows he shouldn't have just done that...it's priceless. He's clumsy, he's goofy, he's huge, he's smart, he's beautiful, and he is the best dog for any family (or family for any human, as the case was in the beginning of this story).

It wasn't long after I came to be a full-time member of Perry's Paradise that PiePie and I decided that you couldn't have too much of a good thing, so we set about looking for the perfect companion for Harley. After all...PiePie now had Honey, so it was only fair to find a Missus for the Mister four-legged tenant dwelling at Perry's Paradise.

We rescued Emma from a home where she was not loved and treasured, and the lady knew this, and wanted better for her, so she put an ad on LSN. I'm not sure why, but we knew we needed to go and see her, and when we did, we knew she had to be ours. She had such a good temperament, she looked so much like Harley, and she was just begging to be ours. I guess PiePie thought Honey needed a "hers" pet to go with his "his" pet.

It was so easy to add Emma to our family! She took Harley's lead about going out at the right time, and though she can tend to be a little stubborn (every woman has her right, right???), she still is perfect for us. Honey was more than a little worried about how much work was going to be involved with bringing a fully grown dog into a new household...but Harley did a great job inducting her and teaching her the rules. They were, and are, indeed perfect for each other.

I can't tell you the countless hours that we spend outside with them, playing with them, watching them, talking about them, or how much we just enjoy them and love them. Maybe it is corny, but they have given us joy in large ways with their seemingly small actions and antics.

We have been blessed to be able to share our love of the breed with others...we even converted my "non-convert-able" sister over! It has been so much fun to watch as our puppies have been inducted into their new homes, and we love when we hear from the families of them...oh, the stories they tell! Just tonight, one of our eleven new babies went to a perfect home with three small girls. I can just imagine how "Tiger" will be with those girls, how he will be protective over them, just like his dad is over Anna.

It just seemed fitting to talk about our four-legged family members and introduce them to you so that you know who they are, as they will come up in conversation often, no doubt. Plus, I was just super excited that we were able to place another of our puppies into an awesome home this evening, and I wanted to share. This little girl is Tiger's sister, and she is still available to a good home...as well as four of her sisters and two of her brothers. Isn't she just the sweetest?

Happy Tuesday, friends!!!!

The Theme.

The theme of our lives here is simple: happiness counts, and it is a choice that has to be made. The choice is simple, really, because you can either choose to seek the happiness in any situation, or you can choose to be doomed from the start, always. Which person would YOU rather be around? The happy one? Yeah, so I thought. :) Now we are not always running around here deliriously happy with our teeth showing because of our huge smiles, but....we try to make the days count, smile, and enjoy life with each other. After all, we only get one, so we should put it to good use and enjoy it, right? Right.

Welcome to our blog, and please come back and follow us. We love comments, and we love to explore the blogs and lives of others, so please help us do that!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you are looking as forward to the things we will be sharing as I am!

Happy Monday! :)