Americana

~ Americana ~

Totally hooked on it....yep, totally!

There is just something about the colors of the American Flag used in everyday items that is so comforting and fills me with pride. There is also something comforting about our weekly gathering at Julia's Friday blog party ~ Hooked On Fridays...that just warms my American heart!

Take a peek and see if you agree ~

Any ol' thing that is red~white~and~blue celebrates Americana in my book...

Comforting...

Of course the good old stars and stripes warm my heart the most~est...

I too would wear this Americana checkerboard bow of cha~cha~ness

all weekend long if I had shoes to match...

Enjoy all of the interesting finds over at Hooked on Houses...

thank you Julia for kicking off our weekend in the fun~est way!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend ~ God Bless the brave men and woman

that have given their lives for us all.

Thank You.

Smiles ~ Ramona

Serendipity In The Garden On A Thursday Afternoon

Serendipity...

~ the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate,

especially while looking for something else entirely ~

~

Guess what I discovered while weeding in our yard today...weeding wasn't the boring chore I thought it would be...instead I felt completely grateful for a garden full of goodies. I guess you could say ~ I had a serendipitous afternoon in the garden...cha, cha, cha!

Broken ceramic pieces having a second life in a potted tree...

Chirp...

You can never have too much time in the garden...

A beloved rooster has found a new place to roost~a~doodle~do!

I moved this rusty ol' cart of hydrangea into the foyer...

This is the view from our front door...ding~dong...

Bunny leaping through the herb pots...

See what I mean....Serendipity!

I hope you find fortunate discoveries when you least expect it...

Merry Springtime!

Smiles ~ Ramona

Little Morning Conversations

I wanted to share the following conversation between my 12 year old daughter and myself that took place while I helped her with her hair this morning...

Daughter ~ "Where are all of my headbands...I used to have a ton of them..."

Mom ~ "Well I like to think that here is a place for everything and everything in it's place and not that the whole house is a place and everything is all over the place."

Daughter ~ "That is good advice Mom...you should put that on your blog!"

Mom ~ "Thanks...I just might do that."

I hope that you all had a great day filled with special little conversations.

Smiles ~ Ramona

My Mother

My Mom. It is extremely easy for me to write about this gorgeous woman. In fact, it just flows freely from my heart as I sit here on this Mother's Day. She is an amazing Mom. And I don't have a single childhood memory that hasn't been blessed by her magical touch.

Isn't she pretty...right after graduating from high school in a super small town in North Dakota she got in a car with her girl friends and drove to San Diego, California...and...

Became a nurse!

And let me tell you...she can make a bed like nobody's business! Hospital corners and all.

This sweet woman taught me to sew when I was in the 5th GRADE! Really sew..full patterns and all. She is all of five foot four and a half inches of spunk and moxie and tons and tons of creativity. My sisters and I were marinated in this creativity our whole childhoods. Decoupage, silk screening, resin castings, sand castings, ceramics, mural paintings, baking, gardening to within an inch of the yard's life...I have such a vivid memory of her transplanting a 12 foot banana tree and dragging that tree from the front yard to the back....and she is a tiny gal..so many memories...such incredible energy.

We hung out in little "mom and pop" craft stores way before the likes of "Michael's" came along. I inhaled the sweet smell of fabric while shopping at yardage stores as a child...still one of my favorite places to hang out.

She is organized...and a minimalist, I am organized...but NOT a minimalist. She is as creative as the day is long. She is truthful, brave and strong. She wakes before dawn and can't make it through a movie that starts at 8...this is exactly like me.

She is calm and steady in a storm....really strong! She is comforting and reassuring when needed. She never whines, never complains, and is the biggest smart a..... on the planet...next to me of course!

But the most valuable thing to me is that she is my soft place to land. No matter what I am fretting about....and believe me...I am always fretting about something...but no matter what, she makes me believe that ~"this too shall pass". And you know what...she is right.

This picture just about sums it all up...I totally got this from my Mom....the queen of the silly gals.

So, Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you with all my heart. Thank you for always being there, thank you for choosing such a great man to be our Father and thank you for loving us sooooo good. As Dad would say ~ "You're one of the good guys!"

Your Oldest Daughter ~ Ramona XOXO

Hooked On A Big Hook and Chunky Yarn

Don't you just love it? I am hooked on big crochet hooks...and Wool~ Ease Thick and Quick Yarn....Ahhhhhh...I love this stuff! Thanks to Julia from Hooked on Houses Friday Party for giving all of us a delightful place to share the goodies that we are hooked on!

For my quick crocheted creations of love I use this wonderful "Lion Brand Yarn". It is a warm blend of lamb's wool and acrylic...totally machine washable and a super bulky weight. But the best part and the part that has me hooked is that with a big crochet hook and a bit of time you can crochet the stress away and be cuddling under your work of love by the week's end.

I consider myself a "chain crochet~er"...I tend to be a tad high strung {or so says my Hubby} WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT...I AM NOT HIGH STRUNG...I JUST HAVE A LOT OF PASSION AND STRONG OPINIONS TO SHARE ABOUT EVERYTHING...well maybe the Boy has a point...SOOOOOO I crochet to relax and unwind...and with this super chunky yarn you can create afghans and scarves and socks and sweaters and caps and pot holders and washcloths and mittens in no time flat. It is a kick to see a project come together so quickly...and bonus..you will relieve stress and increase relaxation and have a lot of fun doing so!

I am really hooked on this green and orange lately...but that is another Friday...

I love the big hook...it is comfortable in my hand and you could stir a thick stew with it if need be...
Hook love...

Chunky, chubby, soft and cuddle~y yarn of joy...

This one is about ten years old...gets washed all the time...

Imagine snuggling up in this bad~boy fresh from the dyer...

My favorite. This oatmeal yarn is to die for....I made this afghan using a single crochet or maybe double...I don't remember cuz I was soooo relaxed...and I added a scallop~y edge. Washed it a million times and it is still going strong....

Grab yourself a big crochet hook and some super bulky yarn and enjoy....but before you do head on back over to Julia's Hooked on Fridays Party...her blog will relieve as much stress as single crocheting with big chubby yarn on a warm spring afternoon. Happy Crochet~ing my Friends!

Smiles ~ Ramona

I'm Hooked!

I have been swamped for the past month with volunteering...but I couldn't let another week pass without joining Julia's Hooked on Friday Party....oh and our wonderful host had a birthday this past week...Happy Belated Birthday Julia...I have said it before and good golly...I am going to say it again...You Are The Hostess With The Mostess!

So I found myself at home yesterday afternoon with a free hour!!!! Well...not exactly free...but I found a way to spend it in the most fun~est way...a whole heck of a lot fun~er than laundry and dishes.

I love to decorated in unexpected ways....one of my favorite things I am hooked on doing is bringing outside stuff~ola inside and for more fun...I love to bring my inside toys outside and leave them all over the yard....let me explain...

I take some quilts and put them outside to decorate the porch rail.

Now, don't you fret...these are not heirloom quilts...well maybe someday they will be...and although they don't have an interesting history to tell of their travels on a Conestoga wagon...they just might have a tale or two to tell of their "back in the day" adventures of life on a Target shelf and the crazy woman that took them home and tossed on picnic and bazaar tables and over a porch rail just because...oh these quilts will have a story...and not just any story....my story.

I really don't mind if they fad and snag and get a bit of a rip...I love that I am giving them a history...and if some quilts get injured in the process...just know they were loved along the way and they give me a smile every time I use them....guess you could say...I'M HOOKED!

You will find wonderfully yummy quilts at Target, TJ Maxx, Home Goods even your own linen closet that are in desperate need of some history and you are just the woman to give it to 'em...

Simple to do...remember, we are coloring outside the box~ola!

You could even toss some wonderful yards of fabric...doesn't have to be a quilt...we are writing our own rules here ladies!

Love the detail...

That porch rail is feeling the love today!

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy May Day...I will be back to more frequent blogging come next week...as for today...the volunteering world awaits...ahhh...but before I go...I am heading back on over to Julia's for more HOH Friday fun!

Smiles ~ Ramona