Adding a Signature to Your Blog

Since I am relatively new to this bloggin' thing I continue to stumble upon ways to improve my blog.  And since the temperature outside has reached the 100 plus mark I thought it would be a good day to stay inside and enjoy the a/c!!!!!!

So today I made a signature for my blog!!!!  It was really simple.

Here is how it works.

Go to http://www.mylivesignature.com/ 

1. Select Click here to start

2. Select which kind of signature you would like and click next step.

3. Make your font choice and click next step.

4. Choose your size and click next step.

5. Choose your background and text colors and click next step.

6. Select the slope and click next step.

7. Save your code somewhere (I saved it to my favorites).  Then click want to use this signature.

8.  Then click generate HTML code.  I used the first option.  Once you have your code copy it to use in your dashboard.

9.  Then go to your blogger dashboard and click settings, then choose formatting.

10.  Look for POST TEMPLATE BOX and paste your code and then save.  It will be there every time you post now.  That's it!!!!

{{{HUGS}}}

Flower Friend

When I was a young girl my great grandmother {who was also a farmer's wife} gave me this little ceramic bird that she painted {I loved doing crafts with her}.  It was painted a robin's egg blue and the bird had it's mouth wide open.  It was a watering stake that I put in a plant and then I would "water" the bird who would then slowly water the plant.  It was kind of like the following image on the right, except mine was cuter because my great grandma made it!!!

This evening I went out and watered my garden and flowers.  Remember this project here.  I was watering my flowers and was startled when I saw this.

I assume the bird was injured or sick because it didn't fly away when I got up in his beak and took his picture.  He is not photogenic at all!!!

It's one of those things that sparked a childhood memory of mine.....so I thought I would share it with you.

{{{HUGS}}}
The Farmer's Wife

PS At least it wasn't a snake!!!!!

Blackberry Raspberry Smoothie

I was thrilled that I was able to pick up some raspberries and blackberries at my small town grocery store this morning.  They are not something that we always have available when you live in the "sticks".  They were screaming SMOOTHIE SMOOTHIE SMOOTHIE at me from the minute I laid eyes on them.  Plus it is summer and it is probably against the law to NOT drink a smoothie everyday!!!

Here is my recipe for the perfect summer smoothie.  It is quite simple and delicious!!!  Never mind the calories!!!  You could substitute yogurt for the ice cream to make it a little healthier.

12 raspberries

12 blackberries

4 scoops vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup milk

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend about 20 seconds.  Pour into your favorite glass.  Poke a raspberry through a straw.  Drink up!!!

YUMMY!!!

{{{HUGS}}}

The Farmer's Wife

Linked to: Someday Crafts, Funky Junk Interiors, The Creative Crate

Garden

I have not had a garden in years.  In fact, the last garden I had was probably twelve years ago.  The hubs and I decided to plant a huge (for us) garden back then.  We had quite a variety of fruits and vegetables.  The garden was getting well taken care of and the plants were about to produce an abundance delicious food.  That is until Mother Nature decided to show up.  She must of been going through PMS or menopause because she was quite angry and sent a hail storm like no other.  That storm wiped out our entire crop and we didn't have to start the combine that year to cut wheat.  Every field {and our garden} looked as if someone had just mowed everything.  There was nothing left at all and our insurance adjuster declared it a 100% loss on our crops.

It has taken years of therapy for me to consider planting another garden after the brutal loss of my last garden.  I am just kidding I didn't have to seek therapy for my garden loss  {although now that I think about it maybe it would have helped}.  My mother in law has an enormous garden and has plenty to go around and is willing to share with us.  Not only is it a large garden, but she produces large plants.  One year we quartered a head of cabbage and the fourth we got was still bigger than an average head of cabbage......{gulp}.

Fast forward to this year and I have a very small garden again.  I am really excited about it.  The hubs built me a raised garden that is about 8'x4'.  He was excited about it as well and wants to build another one!!!!!  We have tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos planted.  It's my salsa garden!!!  We did throw a few cucumber plants in another area too.

I am getting anxious for the garden to start producing and it won't be long now!!!!

Here is the big Roma tomato so far!!!  He is way ahead of the rest of them.....he's a show off!!!!!  There is one in every garden!!!

While playing out in my garden and flowers beds I can usually find my son climbing in with the horses.

Then he will come back and give me instructions on what I need to be doing next.  Along with how to do it and when to do it and where to do it.  Then he will tell me I am not doing it right and do it himself!!!

{{{HUGS}}}
The Farmer's Wife

Stormy Weather

The last few days we have had some frighting weather in these parts!!!!  When in agriculture weather plays the ultimate part in how well our crops do......or not do.  Needless to say I can go into "freak out" mode when the weatherman/woman predicts hail and tornadoes because they can wipe our entire crop out in no time.  We have had a couple small hail storms this year, but thankfully they didn't do too much damage.  We have lucked out been blessed to have missed the recent tornadoes as well, but about 15 miles away several families were not so lucky and lost homes, buildings, and farm equipment, but thank God they are all still alive.

Here are a few pictures of our last storm.

 Do you see what I see?

As frightening as these storms are they are quite beautiful in these pictures!!!!

{{{HUGS}}}
The Farmer's Wife

Linked to: Sweet Little Gals

A Bittersweet Father's Day

Today is Father's Day {at least for a few more minutes}.  My family and I were able to spend the day with my dad.  Maybe I should say my dad spent the day with us.  He is a great dad and came to help out on the farm this last week.  He is always willing to help out any way he can and we are thankful for that.

✭✭✭✭✭✭✭  

I am so blessed that my children are in the midst of their childhood growing up with the most wonderful father.  He teaches them, laughs with them, plays with them, loves them, and this past week he has cried with them.  My husband's father taught my husband that family is EVERYTHING and for that I am grateful!!!!  This past week my father in law lost his battle with cancer and went to be with the Lord.  It has been extremely difficult for all of us.  We knew his cancer was terminal, but that still does not prepare you for the loss of someone you love. 

✭✭✭✭✭✭✭

The picture below is the sunrise the morning after he passed.  We know he is looking down us.

So this Father's Day has been a little bittersweet this year.  He was an amazing father, friend, farmer, and was extremely proud {and so are we} of the service he provided for this great land we call the USA!!!  

✭✭✭✭✭✭✭

{{{HUGS}}}
The Farmer's Wife

Cabinet Door Chalkboard

I made this simple project the other day with an old cabinet door I had.  My BIL has a construction business and lucky for me he always brings me old "junk" that people throw away.  He has a great eye for the "junk" I like!!!!

Here is one of many old cabinet doors he got for me.

I decided to break out the chalkboard paint for this project.  I used painters tape and covered the frame and hardware of the cabinet.  I thought about painting the frame a fun color, but then I got lazy and thought to myself.....I can always paint it later.

I cut 6 strips of burlap and fabric.  I made the burlap about an inch longer than the fabric.  6 inch burlap and 5 inch fabric strips.  Each strip is about an inch wide.

Then I drug out my sewing machine.  Doesn't this count as sewing?!?!?

I glued each strip together at the end forming a petal.

Then I glued each of the pieces together to form a flower.  I repeated this for the fabric strips as well.

Then I made a fabric rosette.  It is hard to take pictures of the process with one hand so I will do my darndest to explain.  Take a 1 inch x 24 inch strip {or whatever length you want} of fabric and fold in half wrong sides together so you have a piece now that is a half inch wide.

Start rolling it up like a little sleeping bag.  You can put a dab of glue occasionally to hold the fabric in place.

Start twisting your fabric as you wrap it.  This will create the petal look.  At this point I don't care if my fabric doesn't stay folded in half anymore.  It gives it a more shabby look which I like.  Continue to put a dab of glue every now and then to help hold the flower together.

When you get to the end of the fabric glue what is left over the back of the flower and trim the excess.

It should look something like this.

 Glue the fabric flower to the burlap.  Then glue the rosette to the fabric flower.

It will look like these darling little burlap flowers.  I then glued them to the corner of the cabinet.

I used jute and ran it through the old hardware and tied it to create a hanger.

Then I tied leftover scraps of fabric to the jute.....ummm just because it seemed like the right thing to do!!

Here is a closer look at the flowers.  Some of us have bad eyes and prefer larger pictures.

And here is what I ended up with.

Thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to look around while your are here!!!!!!!!!

{{{HUGS}}}

The Farmer's Wife

linked to: Someday Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Funky Junk Interiors, Sew Darn Crafty, Sassy Sites, A Little Knick Knack

I {heart} Girly Bogs!

With all the recent rains we have had it has been a little muddy!!!!  Rain + dirt = mud which = muddy roads and a muddy driveway!!!  Rain is good!!!  Rain is necessary for our crops to get a drink so they can grow!!!!  Rain is why my car is never clean....which is not so good, but I have accepted it!!!!

So with it being so muddy I got to break out my new Bogs!!!  I bought them toward the end of winter {which translates into S~A~L~E} and haven't got to wear them yet.  Since I was going to be plowing through mud that was "knee" deep I thought I should test these out.  I always wear the hubs so I didn't really need to test them because I know they are wonderful {except his are way too big}.  Mine are just girly and cute unlike his plain old black ones and made chores so much brighter!!!  I think the bucket calf and horses liked them too!!!!

So I ❤ my girly Bogs!!!  I will love them when it snows, I will love them when it is muddy!!!!  I will not love them when it is 80 degrees outside and dry because my feet would sweat and then they would stink!!!  However, my daughter loves hers when it is 80 degrees and dry!!!

KIDS!!!!

{{{HUGS}}}
The Farmer's Wife