Almost Done

June has been an eventful month for us.

First we find out hubby has to have knee surgery.

Then we decide to paint the cottage

before he goes in on the 13th.

We get a good start on painting 

and then the weather goes crazy.

One day the wind starts blowing then it get's hot.

Then it nearly freezes.

Storms and tornado warnings.

Surgery.

Hubby recovers enough to get on

with painting

 and then the wind starts blowing again!

Now our temperatures

will reach the 90's.

BUT...

if all goes well...we should be done by

the end of this weekend.

Thank heavens! 

So while you wait

here are a few pictures for you.

The top pictures are of one of the two

rose bushes that were here on the farm

when we moved in.

I have no idea what it is but 

it's a climber and only blooms once a year.

Above is a large shrub that was

also on the farm when we moved here.

In May it is covered with white blossoms.

Below is what I believe to be a

wild geranium.

They're all over the place growing 

in the lawn and in the pastures

and on the sides of the road.

Above is the wheat field across the road

from us. Next month they'll be

harvesting. I wish they'd plant

sunflowers.

Can you imagine being surrounded

by beautiful sunflowers...

what a sight that would be 

first thing in the morning!

How could you not wake up

in a good mood

when you looked out on 

this...

Below is one of the geraniums

planted in the old

wheel barrow

hubby made for me. 

If all goes well...my next post

will be pictures

 of our 

newly painted little

cottage.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

I hope this week is a good one for you.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Maura :)

An Edwardian Wedding Sheet

Last Sunday my Hubby surprised me

by asking if I'd like to go to the 

 Flea Market.

I had been thinking about it

because we had missed the 

last couple of months

but because he 

just had knee surgery 

less than two weeks ago 

I figured we'd just forget this one

and hit the last one in June.

Well heck YA...I jumped on that one

right away!

He promised me he'd stop and rest

if his knee got sore...

so off we went.

On the 3rd isle 

I came across a lady selling

antique linens. 

I wasn't going to stop because

I had my heart set 

on something else but some

antique lace caught my eye.

Lo and behold I hit the 

MOTHER LOAD!

I found a beautiful

hand made

Edwardian Wedding Sheet!

It is GORGEOUS!

Please excuse me for taking

pictures before I ironed it but 

this thing is HUGE

100"x114" 

and I'm back painting the outside

of the house again so 

ironing will have to wait!

The handmade lace is so delicate.

This little corner above is the only

damage that I can see.

There are a couple of tiny spots

on the linen but they may come out

with a little tender loving care.

There is also a monogram

but I'm not sure what the letters are. 

This is how it sits on the sheet.

The sheet 'turns down' 36 inches.

I was in a hurry to take pictures

so I just used this quilt for now.

I'll soon be switching

to a summer comforter

which I think will look better.

Thanks to my hubby for suggesting 

we go...even though he had to sit down 

less than half way through

and still told me to 

"go have fun!"

So I did.

I also found this "Tea Towel" 

as my English Nana 

called them.

She explained many 

years ago that ones like these

were used for drying your 

crystal and silverware

as they didn't leave

lint.

I think this one is much

too pretty to use.

Can you imagine

going to all this work

just to dry something!

I saw this tiny cast iron

flying pig

and just had to buy it.

Isn't he cute!

I'm not sure what I'll do with the old

 feed sacks

but I liked them and they were 

inexpensive so I bought them.

Last but not least I found this 

old wooden ladder.

It's been cut in half

but it's the perfect size

for in the house

once I wax it.

I had a great time

and Hubby said he had 

fun "people watching". 

I wonder if I'll get him to 

go next month ;)

I'm linking up with 

Amy and Deborah Jean 

for 

And Liz at

Brambleberry Cottage

for

 

And Suzanne 

at 

Coloradolady

for 

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/>Vintage Thingy Thursday

I hope you have a WONDERFUL

Memorial Day Weekend!

Maura :)

Surprise Surprise!

Please excuse the quality of the pictures...she was moving!

The day before yesterday I asked Hubby

to help me find one of my 

garden trellises 

that I

hadn't seen since

moving to the farm nearly 2 years ago.

While we were looking around

inside the building I heard

what sounded like a kitten meowing.

It was coming from the inside of a wrecked

truck that my brother in law keeps stored 

for parts. 

We peaked inside and sure enough

there were two little kittens on the floor!

We only got this one out for pictures

as the other little one...a gray

striped tabby hid 

under the seat. 

This one is a little female.

We think the momma is a little

black feral cat that

we see once in a while around the

farm.

This little one already has a home

once she's old enough to leave

Momma.

The other little one we may keep

for ourselves if Momma doesn't run

off with it. 

What a wonderful surprise!

My heart goes out to all those affected

by the tornado's that hit Missouri

Oklahoma and parts of Kansas

over the past few days.

Please keep them in your prayers.

Maura 

Strawberry Season

Oh Goodness...

is there anything 

better than a ripe strawberry

picked fresh from the garden?!

It's

Strawberry 

Season

here on the farm.

Vintage Ironstone Bowl

Last year I planted nearly

75 

strawberry plants.

They multiplied.

I have no idea how many plants 

I have now but 

it's a sure thing that we'll

be eating lots of 

Strawberry Shortcake

and other

strawberry goodies

this season.

The freezer will be stocked

and there will be more

jam in the pantry!

While I picked...

my helpers were waiting

outside the garden fence.

Lizzy

Chelsea

Shep

This was one days picking.

The strawberries in the vintage ironstone bowl

in the top photos...

were picked the day after these.

And the season is JUST beginning!

I think I need to find more 

strawberry recipes

SO

if you have any favorites

please let me know...

I'd love to try them!

I never picked today

as it was chilly and windy

so tomorrow I will be back at it.

And hopefully I'll be back 

at painting the house too!

I'm linking up with 

Amy 

over at 

VERDE FARM

for 

and

BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE

for 

Deborah Jeanfor http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com/>Farm Girl Friday

So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of

wine and pop on over and say

HI

to the girls and enjoy 

the other bloggers

taking part.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Maura 

:)