Butterfly, Homes I have Owned, Water Fountain, Crock Pot, Clothes Lines and Pins

I pulled in the driveway the other

day and saw this beauty flying around 

my Cosmos.

I was hard clicking a pic because 

the beauty was all over those flowers.

When I went to Hermitage for Mikes

honoring of life, I decided to bounce between

the homes I lived in.

My childhood home, I moved into

this home at the amazing of age of

6. I did not move out till I was 20.

However, after the loss of my mom, I 

bought my brothers out of their portion and 

moved back.

Problem, more house then I needed, too

big to keep up, 50 some odd years old and things

were starting to go wrong. Yard was a killer.

And no matter what I did, I could

not make this home mine, it 

was always going to be mom's home.

Between the move from the childhood home,

I moved across town where I lived in

an apartment. I was pregnant, married,

and did not like it.

I needed to be close to home.

lol

I also rented two duplexs and 

a home.

Then my ex and I bought this home,

our first home.

1100 sq. foot, one bathroom, three bedrooms,

kitchen/dining room, living room.

Beautiful shaded park like backyard.

Can you tell the house is sitting up

on a hill?

Yep, I don't do hills well when it comes

to keeping a yard up.

I was pregnant with Cory when I

moved in here.

We lived here for seven years.

After the divorce, I wanted a home for

me and the kids.

That is when I bought this zero line

home. On flat land, three bedrooms, one

and 1/2 bathrooms, a deck that I later

screened in. I lived here for 28 yrs.

 Prices of homes were going up and up.

The stairs in this place was getting harder

and harder for me but I did not feel a move 

could take place.

Then, 

this place was being put up for sale, 

by my brothers and I. It was 

a year after the loss of mom.

I decided to buy the boys out of 

their portion.

But, like I said, I could not 

make it mine.

Due to health issues, you know, those

ole pesty kidney stones kept me sick

pretty much all of 2023, 

I needed to be closer to Amber.

Amber being my first born brat.

Looking around where she lived for 

a home, on the other side of town,

in Hicksville, a rural area.

Almost nothing was for sale in this

area, esp nothing that I was interested in .

Then, on Realtracs, this popped up.

Brand new, fresh and beautiful.

I actually had so much I have wanted

in a home.

The front door with three windows,

craftman's style.

Shutters that I had been wanting 

for a long time. 

I had also been wanting a long

front porch, FOREVER!

NO stairs, an actual washroom, not

a closet off the hall or down in a basement. 

Large living room, open concept but a wall

separating the kitchen from the living

room so I don't have to see dirty dishes

in the sink while in the living room.

An amazing screened in deck. 

I love my house, you picked up on 

that, didn't you.

However, this will be my last bought 

home. Next time I move, someone

will be moving my body out to bury me.

Friday is chair yoga day but

I passed on that yesterday cause

even though the swelling had gone down

in my face, itch has appeared. 

Plus, I prefer not all the folks seeing 

this face.

But I did go to 

the doc for my 

allergy shots. There is this

fountain by the elevators so on my

way out, I shot it.

looks cool.

I saw this crock pot on FB, 

I need this.

I love it.

I also saw this. It's a clothespin apron.

Directions on making it.

One of the handiest little sewing projects from years gone by was the clothespin apron.

It was simple, useful, and made to be worn while hanging clothes on the line, gathering eggs, or carrying little things from one place to another. It did not have to be fancy to be a blessing.

If you have never sewn much before, this is a good place to start. It is mostly straight seams, simple hems, and one pocket.

How to make a simple clothespin apron:

You will need:

- 1 piece of cotton fabric about 20 x 30 inches for the apron

- 1 piece of cotton fabric about 8 x 18 inches for the pocket

- 2 pieces of twill tape, ribbon, or fabric ties about 30 inches long each

- Thread

- Scissors

- Pins

- Sewing machine or needle for hand sewing

- Iron if you have one

Step 1:

Fold all 4 edges of the large apron piece under about 1/4 inch, then fold again about 1/4 inch so the raw edge is tucked inside. Press if needed, then sew all the way around.

Step 2:

Take the pocket piece and fold the edges under the same way. Hem the top edge first, then fold and hem the other 3 sides.

Step 3:

Lay the pocket on the lower front part of the apron. Pin it in place. Sew around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open.

Step 4:

To make 2 pocket sections, sew one straight line down the middle of the pocket.

Step 5:

Attach one tie to each top corner of the apron. Sew them on securely.

And that is it.

Now you have a simple little apron that can hold clothespins, seed packets, gathering scissors, eggs from the coop, or whatever small things you need to carry.

These are the kinds of practical little things women used to make for everyday life. Nothing fancy. Just useful, pretty, and made by hand.

If you make one, choose a cheerful print and enjoy the satisfaction of making something both simple and useful.

That is so neat.

I have one that my mom made

me years ago, I also have hers 

that is just like mine.

this one on top is like the two

I have.

While on Pinterest I found some

really cute clothespin holders.

 

 There were several more different ones,

that I have not shown here.

My question~ how many of you

folks still hang clothes on the line?

Did you ever?

My mom loved to hang the clothes

out to dry and although she always had

a dryer, she just loved the smell of being outside.

I loved sheets on the line, the smell was 

great. Although, I did not like how

stiff they felt, but 3 to 5 mins in the dryer

after taking them off the line works 

great. 

My mom had two iron poles that she 

was still using up until she passed.

I brought them with me. They were cemented

in the ground so I had to take some height 

off of the poles but cutting them down.

I really don't want clotheslines, but...

maybe hang bird feeders on it,

or a tire swing? Will have to see.

But I have sheets to wash and dry,

clothesline would be great.

haha

Pam