I wanted to snap some after shots of our back porch this morning, before it became too cluttered with shoes and rubber boots from seven people, and the rest of the clutter I know will end up on there.

So I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.

Graydon (hubby) also built a bin for our garbage cans.

When building the steps he kept our good friend with MS in mind and made them extra sturdy with good rails. Now anyone who visits will be able to get in and out the porch with no problems. The steps that were already here, were not so great.

I think it all looks SO pretty back there now. It looks charming!

Graydon used large pieces of glass that he had salvaged from a previous job. Can you imagine these large pieces of glass simply being thrown away?

It`s the same glass he  used when creating our new front deck a few years ago.

Recycling at it`s best.

Speaking of recycling, as I went around the house to get photos from the other side, I noticed the old back steps are doing very well as our new garden beds.

I have no doubt they are going to get overcrowded quite quickly. They`ve already doubled in size in just one week. I keep telling myself I`ll figure it out later. Ha ha.

I also noticed that new pots are doing well. I have TWO Calla Lilies in one pot now!

And what I love about having everything in containers this  year, is if we do move, we could move everything with us if we have the space.

In our city home, I had planted well over 100 bulbs in the three years we had lived there. Mostly tulips, dahlias and gladiolas. All favorites of mine. Every time I passed by a yard sale that had bulbs, I`d buy some and plant them in my garden. I was SOOOOO sad to leave them when we sold that property.

Our sunflowers are also doing quite nicely.

So are the tomatoes.

One year we purchased two rhododendrons. This one has done well, it doesn`t really grow much, but it`s blooming very nicely.

Yet we had to finally give up on it`s twin, and pull it this year. It was a brittle stalk of nothingness. We`re not sure why. Possibly it was the two larger dogs favorite spot? We`re just not sure.

This post is so `me`. I get distracted easily. I AM able to get back on track though, thankfully for my customers. hee hee.

But while being distracted on my trip around the house to get photos of the other side of the porch, lookie what we found on the deck this morning.

I have to say, isn`t it gorgeously disgusting?! Or is it disgustingly gorgeous?

In either case, creation is magnificent. Nature is a marvel.

As the girls `pet` the magnificently gross moth, I realized I`ve taught this to my girls VERY well. Hee hee.

Lookie what else I found this morning. My first Fuschia!

While wandering around the house, I also spotted some sexy guy near the fire pit. shh….. This is where you may insert eye rolling from anyone of our five children, and possibly an exasperated `MOMMY!` from Elsa…  actually, except Julia. She`s a romantic. She loves it when her mama and daddy are flirty or smoochy with one another.
I think it`s great that after almost 21 years of marriage, after being with the same man for OVER 21 years, I still think he`s the sexiest man alive. 😉
We`ve worked darn hard to get this far!  

See the new bench that sexy man gave me for Mother`s Day?

It has horses on it.

I`m not the type of person who loves everything `horse` but some things are tastefully done, and those things are the ones I love.

I love this bench.

And finally, I made it to back to the porch once again.

Time to get on with my day.

Made some smoothies, washed some dishes, and now it`s coffee time.

The rest of my day will be spent in the studio for the most part.

What are you up to on this first day of June? Leave a comment and share!

This, is my horse Raiah.

When I first heard about Raiah, I had been sent a message about a `paint` mare at the horse rescue. Our son had already purchased a young quarterhorse colt through this rescue, and they were keeping him (Bandit) there until we moved onto our new small hobby farm at which time he`d be able to come home.

I`ve always loved paints. There is something just so dramatic about the coloring. Not just any paint though. I`ve seen many that I`ve not been real keen on, only certain paints really caught my eye. When I heard about this mare, I had to go take a look. Even more so because I was told that she had become Bandit`s (our son`s little colt) side kick and wasn`t allowing anyone else near him. Horse or human.

I was also told she was kind of nasty and didn`t raelly like ANY one.

Hmmm… I`d have to see about that.

I messaged back that I`d like to come see this paint mare right away. I was told no one would be around that evening but since we had been doing some work at the rescue (volunteer) I was welcome to stop by on my own and go take a look BUT, to be very careful since she could be quite nasty and again I was warned that she didn`t like anyone.

I was actually really glad to go see her all by myself, with no interference from anyone else. I wanted to see what she`d be like with me, just me, and not someone else she was already familiar with.

When I arrived at the rescue the sun was setting. I glanced around the paddocks to see if I could spot the paint mare.

Sure enough, there she was off in one paddock with no other horse around, but little Bandit.

We had met up with Bandit countless times, so he was fairly nonchalant and didn`t pay much attention to whether we came or went. Raiah on the other hand, as soon as she saw me walking towards them, she confidently walked right up to me to let me know she was there. I just as confidently walked right up to her to let her know that I knew darn well she was there, and I was letting her know I was there too, and just what did she think about that?

She gave me a sniff, and then let me pet her.

I was amazed. Surely this wasn`t the nasty mare they all said she was. It was `love`at first sight.

I`ve had Raiah now for almost six years and occasionally she likes to remind me that she truly is that psycho nag.

For the most part, she is a really great mare.

However, she`s got a REAL moody side to her. She`s also a bit of a SPAZ.

Just a bit…

The other night, morning actually, Sunday morning at 2am, I heard SCREAMING outside. And loud bangs.

I stopped and listened hard, trying to decipher what it was my brain was hearing.

It happened again, more screams, more bangs.

I stepped outside onto the bedroom balcony in my flimsy nightgown, listening, waiting, trying to see what might be going on at the barn.

Nothing.

As I stepped back into the house, I heard it again. Another scream. This time I knew it was the horses.

I quickly pulled on some yoga pants, threw on a sweater, and told Graydon there was something going on with the horses. I threw on my shoes and ran out the door, pondering whether or not to grab the baseball bat and wondering why it was that I can never find a good flashlight when this happens.

It hadn`t been the first time…

So I get out there, sure I might find a cougar in the paddock or some other such thing.

Nope. Nothing. Nikki seemed a little spooked when she first saw me coming, but it was dark, so that wasn`t too odd.

Each of the horses came over to see me. Everyone seemed fine.

Then as I was standing there, petting Raiah, Bandit came over behind her and she let out a little scream, and a little buck at him, and I realized that once again my moody mare, my psycho nag, had gotten the better of me and it was time to put my heart back in my chest and realize it was simply yet another mood swing.

None of our other horses have such mood swings. Not like hers anyways.

She`s also not real fond of dogs. We have four.

She does however, absolutely LOVE babies (of the horse variety that is) but was VERY perturbed that Mina got to have a baby, and not her! When she first met Lacey,  Mina`s filly, she was so excited she could barely stand it.

Unfortunately she seemed to be as upset by the filly being  MINA`s and not HERS, as she was about her excitement about a baby being around.

 

We had long since realized the reason she had been so stuck on Bandit was because he was a `baby`. She has a real motherly instinct about her.

 

Unfortunately for Raiah, she never got to have that motherly bond with Lacey, Mina`s filly.

 

However, she has been a great mare for the most part. While Mina was pregnant and nursing, Alesia rode Raiah.

A lot.

 

 

Me however, not so much.

The last two times I rode Raiah (too long ago for me to even mention, it`s that embarrassing!) I didn`t have great experiences with her.

The one time she took off at a full gallop, with me on her.

Then the next time, she spazed because of a great big empty cube truck that drove by us, rattling and banging VERY loudly down the road.

She reared up, with me on her.

However, both times I managed to stay on, stay calm, and round her up properly, so really, I should feel more empowered by those last two experiences, not scared.

I tell myself that I don`t get back on her because if I can`t sew, if I should happen fall and break an arm, our family will be screwed… My business would be a mess.

And it IS true.

But I think it`s also become a really handy excuse.

 

I really need to get over myself, stop putting it off, and just get back in the saddle.

I need to stop being as moody as my psycho nag.

 

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Today, I`m thankful that spring really seems to be here and all the flowers it brings. I love color.

Seven flower photos.

A tulip from my flower garden last year.

A dahlia from another`s garden.

Another tulip from a previous year.

A wild trillium.

A gladiola.

Another wild flower, who`s name I can not recall at the moment.

Roses from my own  yard in a small glass jar I found at the local thrift shop.

*Sunday Seven- What are YOU thankful for today?
If you’d like to play alone, post seven things on  your blog then share your link here so we can come visit you. 

We finally had a cat fight around here, a real one! Do we qualify for ‘real’ entertainment like the “real housewives” now?

Hee hee.

Well, we didn’t really have a cat fight, but we sure did have fun pretending.

My eldest daughter’s friend came over last week, and I promised to do a photo shoot with them.

First we started out all ‘proper’ like.

Together.

Seperate.

Then, we had a little fun with it, and that’s where the ‘cat fight’ comes in.

Look at the claws come out!

But the best, was the kung fu!

Oh my goodness, we all laughed so hard when we saw this one come up on the view finder! The tears of laughter were streaming down my face. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time!

And then we got back to business and back to ‘proper’ photos once again.

I think we need to do that again some time.

Just thought I’d share.

Life as a 2.5 pound, 7 inch tall, doggie. That’s the life of Teagan.

I know he’s not a child, but he sure acts like one. When he does this he reminds me of a little toddler, peering out the window watching life go by and wishing they could be a part of it.

I think this is about the latest spring we’ve had yet.
Although I do recall previous June’s being ‘not-so-lovingly’ called “June-uary” around here.

It seems it’s been crazy weather EVERY WHERE this spring though. So many places hit so hard.

With a couple of nice days here, it was time to get planting! Hubby, four of the kids and I, hit the local shop on Sunday to pick up shingles for the roof of our new porch, and some flowers.

We took a look at the ‘ready-made’ pots and hanging baskets, took one look at the prices, and decided to d-i-y (do it yourself). We d-i-y quite a bit around here! We like it and it saves a ton of money! Ready made is always so much more expensive.

We picked out enough flowering plants for 4 hanging baskets, and 2 large pots. When we divided what we paid, it was the same price per each, as it would have been for the cheapest baskets they had ready made, BUT, those had cheap flowers in them and only one type of flower per basket.

We didn’t want the cheap ones, we wanted the pretty ones with LOTS of color and variety! And that’s what we’ve got now!

I even splurged on some Calla Lily’s, one of my favorites! I’ve never bought Calla Lilly’s for myself before, they were always too expensive, but these smaller ones were very pretty, and the price was alright since I just bought two. One for each larger pot for the bottom of our deck steps.

I can’t wait to watch them grow!

This basket doesn’t look like a whole not now, but I expect within a few weeks with some sun and a little rain, we’ll be seeing some overflowing going on!

For mother’s day, my son had taken me shopping for some plants. I finally found something that thrives in our dark flower bed next to the house.

Hostas! I don’t know why I didn’t think of them before. I had hostas on our previous city lot, and they always did great in the shade. I guess I was always too busy thinking ‘flowers’ to even think of simple greenery. So glad I have something pretty in there now. I have two, but I think I need one more. They aren’t cheap though!

Remember I mentioned that I have no garden, and how silly that seems on a five acre hobby farm?

Well, I now have TWO gardens. Hee hee. They are small, but I think they are awesome anyways. To put a garden in here, we’d need to build a fence, a very high fence. We have a lot of deer, and rabbits. Because we’ve had our home up for sale, we just couldn’t see putting the money into a large garden area if we were just going to be moving anyways. However, 4 summers later, and still no garden, and still no sale, I wanted at least SOMETHING this year.

In the city, I had a big garden. Isn’t that funny?

So we’ve been discussing at least making some garden beds, but wood isn’t cheap either, if you want to do it right!

When hubby was tearing down the back step, he turned the two side steps over, and what did he find? The steps were made like boxes! TWO boxes!

How perfect! I know the lettuce is all a little cramped, but hey, you make do with what you’ve got and I’m not complaining!

We put Sunflowers, two tomato plants and a pepper plant in the other box.

I know it’s not much, but at least we’ll have home grown salads this summer!