jar light tutorial and maple leaves...

I finally got around to putting these together!

you will need one funky blue jar, one one dollar solar light and some spanish moss...

all found at Walmart...

in various departments...

take the stake off the light and throw it away, you don't need it where we are going...

twist off the top...

and pull that orange tab out...

your light should come on...

put the top back on...

then place it upside down in the jar...

(you have to take the lid off of the jar first)

and kind of center it like this...

easy, huh?

then you open that goofy bag of messy spanish moss...

and get half of it on the floor...

then stuff what's not on the floor into the top of the jar...

put the lid back on...

and flip it over...

it should fit tight...

if it wobbles around, repeat the last step and stuff some more in there...

miss stamped!

it might be a collectible someday!

you just want enough moss to hold it in place but not all the way down inside...

do not cover your light up completely...

see, you can see its on...

and that's all there is to it...

no tools, just a mess...

and just under $5 each, now that's a bargain...

I put mine out on the bench in the full sun to charge up for tonight...

I will try to take some night photos of them, but this camera isn't very good at those night shots...

the der der der moment of my day...

super sticky resealable bag...

for spanish moss?

I don't think it was a girl who thought of this...

did I just call guys dumb???

YES I DID!

and now some outside shots, because its a beautiful day out...

shooting for 79F!

red maple leaves and its making helicopters!

sugar maples leaves...

I have waited all winter for this!

aren't they pretty?

does the old soul good to see all this spring stuff going on...

and another annoying thing...

our hybrid popular that some man(probably) grafted with a cotton wood...

the poof balls will be floating soon...

and seed pods will cover everything...

but that's ok, because its not snow...

and I wanted to show you this marriage!

my cheap cheese dome fits on the silver candy dish perfectly!

a match made in Heaven...

and for those of you who missed the last post, which was this morning...

the pillows I have been working on this week...

got 2 more coming as soon as I get them stuffed some more...

and if you want to see more about them, just head on down to the last post...

see what happens when the guys leave me home alone?

have a great weekend!

;)

the mower guy is here!

another good day here...

just a few of the tulips opened this week...

but we have some major rain moving in the first of the week...

and that should help the rest along...

there are even some shady places now...

and the green is beginning to fill in the spaces...

the lots across from us...

I love these...

tiny leaves, that will become larger very soon...

a carpet of magnolia petals...

its in full bloom now...

;)

the fields around us are planted, too...

the farmers are hitting it hard and heavy...

before the rain gets here...

love this...

so thought I would share with you...

been doing a lot of hand sewing on the pillows to seal them up after they are stuffed...

this is a Gerber baby food container...

and they are the perfect size for a large spool of thread...

and you can see the color without opening it...

and...

when you go to thread a needle, you can pull on the thread and the spool stays in the container and just rotates without bouncing across the table on onto the floor...

this old machine does pretty good...

most of the time...

some of the details in the pillow cases...

my eyes are still doing fine enough to thread a needle and make tiny stitches...

its the hands that hurt from time to time...

getting old isn't for the weak...

but here they are...

I have two more, out of the pillow ticking...

that need more stuffing...

so have to pick up another pillow...

I would love to share the pattern with you, but I don't have one...

the square pillows are the typical 18" size...

and the pillow cases were just do what I wanted at the time...

using scraps of the rose material to insert in the tops of the cases...

then grabbing some lace and sticking it here and there until I found the right spot...

I am ashamed to say I do not own a thimble or straight pins anymore...

they just take too much time for me...

and one more tulip to hold you over if yours are not blooming yet...

and that's how the day went...

so says Mr Rabbit...

Craig and DH both have to work today...

all day...

so going to take this time to rest up again...

and get these allergies under control, if I can...

it won't be long until they are done in the fields and the dirt settles...

and it will be much easier for my nose...

;)

have a good weekend and take a walk and just enjoy the spring time...

its so fleeting...

put the peddle to the metal...

and sew!

I need to really clean my sewing machine...

and the break away arm is stored somewhere, since I never have it on the machine...

bought this machine 13 years ago for $20...

I think I got my money's worth out of it...

and no, its not a Viking...

I don't think I would like a machine that was smarter than me...

here are two of the pillows stuffed...

Craig is the stuffer guy...

I have two more of these to stuff...

and yesterday I worked on pillow cases...

for the pillow I cut in two...

and they came out pretty cute...

added lace and ribbon to the open ends last night...

and here are four that need stuffed and finished...

I will post more photos when I get them done and on the deck...

it was a pretty good alone day...

Lester watched me sew...

but he kept his paws out of things...

and no stitched tails...

update and Gabby...

the little girl who just beat the brain tumor is 6...

and she named her Lilly...

and Lilly wears princess clothes...

and her little girl carries her with her every where she goes...

and they are getting along wonderfully...

and Lilly is so loved...

;)

many, many hours will be spent together...

just imagine the adventures and the bond...

all is good for all our kitties...

in their furrever homes...

have a good day...

;)

spring on the prairie is like no other...

we have tulips open now...

and we still have birds...

always...

I think these are so pretty...

these guys, too...

and you can see the pear tree in full bloom...

tiny leaves are making in the red maple...

and through them you can see the green happening...

and I think this is one of our last things that need done, next to planting...

our yard is a ever changing place...

a small lilac that a friend gave me last year...

its really grown since then...

and I have no idea what this is...

I didn't plant it...

Lester being bad...

and more tulips...

had a good day...

started a sinus headache, but took some allergy medicine and a nap...

and it was gone when I got up...

got a couple of pillows made...

some cleaning done...

and even got supper made for tonight...

steamed the kitchen floor on my way to bed...

today is going to be slower...

rest day...

hope you have a fun day...

whatever you do...

;)