its' been a header playday...

a few of you have been asking about my headers...

they are semi homemade...

sometimes I start with a basic header from one of the sites that offer free headers and backgrounds...

like this one...

then I add and play around until it looks like this...

or I find a free graphic like this...

and do this...

or a free card graphic like this...

and end up with to one I am using now...

I have a folder full of them...

I think they have gotten better over time...

the graphics that I find now are better...

and all you have to do is play...

I have seen some wonderful headers where the blogger used their own photos...

and I love them!

one of these days...

I want to play around with that, too...

most of my playdays are in the winter months...

or when I can't sleep at night...

which isn't happening very much at all anymore...

praise God...

I am able to sleep all night long now...

it's been years!

so...

it's not hard...

just play...

play is supposed to be fun...

don't over think it...

you can do it over if it's not coming out right...

and you can change it at anytime!

so...

go play!

NOTE: I had to change my music player- Playlist decided it would be better if they no longer offered the autoplay because people were complaining about music on websites.  They also decided to add ads every couple of songs...so since that was not what I wanted on my blog at all...

I deleted them completely and found another source...

which is a little harder to navigate and I am still trying to get used to it...

so for now, I have just a few songs...

I haven't been able to find some of my favorites...

but I'm still looking...

so until I get this figured out and more songs downloaded...

this is it...

another hot day in the neighborhood...

Daphne thinks it's hot already...

just wait until this afternoon...

DH is off to work and so is Craig...

which leaves me alone with all the rugrats...

so I got in an early walk...

before they left and before the temp starts to rise...

wanted to show you all the spider (airplane) plants we picked up yesterday for $1 each...

and my old bird cages...

I love spider plants...

picked up a couple spikes, too...

I am saving cans again...

got the last of the dusty miller...

3 4 packs...

I don't think I need anymore of that...

but I love a variety of color and texture in the foliage...

my wave petunia is doing better after the accident...

in moving things around...

the kick stand was in soft dirt and the bike went over...

dumping the basket...

not bad after being scooped up and shoved back in...

they are opening this morning...

cute, huh?

these are on the back side of the shed, too...

we have decided these are going white...

to match the glider...

we have been eating the onions out of  here a little at a time...

and the flowers are doing good in partial shade in the hot afternoons...

there are a few white whispy clouds today...

and the sunrise was beautiful this morning...

but it all too soon started warming up...

I am looking forward to Sunday...

clear skies with a high of 77...

then next week back to more normal temps...

we had 97 here yesterday...

the whole country is hotter than normal...

we are having chicken for supper tonight...

fried potatoes...

salad...

nothing too hard to do...

I have been doing so well lately...

God is smiling on me everyday...

and I still have so much more work to do...

the therapy is the key in all of this and I am so lucky that my family never gave up on me...

they keep pushing and cheering me on...

they have been there every step of the way...

and regardless of the outcome...

they will always be there...

the prayers on my behalf are being heard...

and I so appreciate each and every one of them...

pray for my guys who are stuck doing all the work...

who have to wait on me...

who have had to change their lives so I can fit in...

it's as hard on them...

welp...

I think while it's so quiet here...

and all  the animals are napping...

that I will join them...

if there is enough room on the bed...

sometimes you have to scoot them over...

have a great day...

Happy White Wednesday!

well, we are having another hotter than hot week on the prairie...

upper 90s until Thursday when a cold front is supposed to come in...

so here is some whites...

red, WHITE, and blue...

these are just starting to turn white and getting bigger every day...

they fill in the bottom of the kitchen windows...

white shed with tiger lilies getting ready to bloom...

and the back of my ice cream chair with shadows playing in the background...

hope you all have a great week and that it cools down for all of us soon...

well, back to normal...

up and at 'em first thing this morning...

got another scorching hot day coming...

grapevine...

not exactly where I would have planted it...

but God knows better about these things than I do...

so here it will stay...

tried to move one last year and it didn't make it...

look!

it's opening!

and my neighbors' day lilies are up and blooming this morning...

mine aren't even close!

what's up with that?

just wanted to show you the bean field at the end of the street this morning...

everything is coming up and even if the farmers thought they got a late start...

you won't be able to tell by the end of the month...

looking hot already...

I just can't believe the weather this year...

hard telling how it's going to end...

I do know we could use some more rain already...

the best place to be anytime of the day is in the shade...

and I am so grateful that we planted these trees many years ago...

wish we would have started doing that sooner...

but the guys didn't want trees in their way of playing football, baseball and practicing their golf swings...

you know- those crazy little boys grew up to be men...

figures- should have known that's how they would turn out...

sun coming up over the corn field...

and headed back inside...

plant place was 1/2 off this morning so bought dusty miller, airplane plants and a couple spikes...

put a few in the ground, but I need more cans...

the guys need to eat more veggies anyway...

couple things I need to work on on the blog today...

one thing is my playlist...

I have to hit play anytime I come in, so I don't know if you have to or not...

I have to check to see if any of the songs have been taken off, cuz that will stop it from playing for sure...

hope you all aren't as hot as we are...

and I hope the ones who live is Iowa will be safe and their homes not flooded...

our town is testing our sirens right now...

can hardly hear them in here with the house shut up and the air on...

it wouldn't wake us up at night...

they test them the first Tuesday of every month...

we used to have a noon whistle that went off every day and they used that for the volunteer fire department, too, so we knew every time the fire trucks went out...

but, with technology the way it is, they all carry pagers now...

just not as fun as it used to be...

and with facebook, we're all on here, we don't have to run to the post office or grocery store to find out what happened...

I love a small town...

if only we had some fast food places and a Dollar Store...

it would be Heaven on earth!

our last day of vacation...

we started out this morning planting a few more plants and I used my new kid's hoe on the weeds...

it worked great!

tiger lilies will be blooming by the end of the week...

mulberries...

peonies are looking a little scorched- 91 today and 96 tomorrow...

weird year...

got 3 lilies that have turned pink and should open by tomorrow...

the tomatoes are growing...

corn field behind us is shooting up, too...

day lilies and weeds...

before shot...

this was the last thing that was worked on before it got too hot out...

picking up all the weeds and sticks...

heading for inside and AC...

a little something I worked on today...

and DH helped...

went through the tub we found cleaning out the shed...

and this is what I am keeping...

shoe lasts...

kept 3, will sell 3 in my booth...

these are the child sizes...

00 is my favorite- it is so small...

and I used to collect vintage roosters that had issues...

some have been glued together...

but I love them anyway...

keeping 3 and selling 3...

aren't they cute?

and the wood box they are in says...

boot and shoe repair...

I have had this over 10 years now...

I couldn't let it go just yet...

maybe someday...

but not today...

called the doctor's office this morning and they finally called back after lunch...

they just called in another perscription and DH went to Paris to pick it up...

I took a nap and then got a shower...

we spent some afternoon time in the swing in the shade and then I made homemade pizza for the guys for supper...

just hanging out waiting for it to cool down just a tad so we can go out again...

sorry about not making my rounds...

but I have been living!

I have also had to share the pc with 2 guys...

everytime I get a moment to blog, one of them is on it...

it's been a challenge just to get my posts up...

I have been outside every chance I get...

and we have gotten so much done in the last 10 days...

we are so happy with it all...

and we have been enjoying our yard, our home and our time together...

thanks so much for all your comments and good cheers!

tomorrow we go back to "normal"...

I may have to let the laundry and dusting go so I can get caught up with all of you!

you are so worth the sacrifice!

LOL

see you all tomorrow!