Tolentreasures

This is a bush/tree in the backyard. Does anyone know what this is?   Because every summer, I think I am going to look it up, and I never do.   Which leads me to the next question(s)?   How busy was my summer that when I went out to see the boys off to school I realized that my favorite chairs on the front porch were totally wrapped in cobwebs?   and the SPRING flag was still up?   We are talking tulips daffodils pastels.     And finally... the burning question of the day and night...   What IS the lifespan of a cricket? Because there has been one in our bathroom for almost two weeks and I can't seem to find it and surely it has to die soon.   And now... off to find a better flag!

Supplies needed: Surface, (of course I am using up the the 200 doors that are in the cellar) Refer to this. Crackle medium of your choice A candle A good 1/2 inch flat brush. Sponge Chalkboard Paint DecoArt Americana Black Cocoa Bleached Sand Heritage Brick Antique Maroon Milk Chocolate Antique Gold Mustard Seed Butter Another version...they all come out different. If you have pre-finished doors, sand the areas that you are going to paint. Paint the frame and the main area black. (Almost everything I paint starts out black.) Decide on the area that you want to be the chalkboard and mark it off. For an arch, find the center of your board and mark it. Fold a piece of paper in half and cut an arch with scissors. Line up the centers and trace the arch with chalk. Tape off the straight edges and paint a heavy coat of the chalkboard paint on the marked out area. Sponge the chalkboard paint. (I hoard sponges from in jewelry boxes, they are perfect for this sponging and for sponging back...

In my annual quest to diet, or as JWS would say, "Change your eating habits." I call it diet because let's face it, he would be able to live the rest of his life without cake, cookies, pie, doughnuts or candy and be just fine with that. I, on the other hand will get the shakes, go through withdrawal and need a chocolate fix by, oh let's say, January 4 Th , because yesterday I broke down and had one little piece of dark chocolate. But back to the cream of wheat. In order to change things up a little from the morning diet of Eggs with Broccoli Eggs with Chicken Eggs with Peppers Eggs with Onions Seeing a trend here? I decided yesterday that Cream of Wheat sounded good. Really, three cream filled Krispy Kremes sounded good, but thank goodness the closest available Krispy Kreme is twenty miles away! So I pull out the cute little bag of Farina from the Amish Bent and Dent store. How cheap can you actually eat? The price was eighty cents. I look at the directions and s...