My Crazy Life as a Farmers Wife

Coloring Easter Eggs

Spring Decor (with my junk collection)

I have a little entry-way table that I bought at a yard sale years ago. I sanded years of nail polish and pencil marks off of this little table, and gave it a fresh coat of paint. It has been sitting right inside my front door since the first year we moved into our house, and I enjoy decorating that table with seasonal items. I have been collecting vintage goodies and "junk" ever since I was in high school. My mom used to buy me copies of Mary Englebreit's Home Companion magazine (I still own every copy I ever had), and I would scour over the pages developing a love of all things worn and old. It's especially fun to rearrange a lot of my lucky finds from years of yard saling and thrift storing, and make them work for each season/holiday. My favorite thing about decorating with junk, is that every person has a unique collection. You know how there is modern decor, and stuff that everyone else is decorating with??? Yeah...well, I don't like that stuff. I like to have one of a kind old pieces that you can't  just run out and buy. Each piece has a story about where I found it, and what great deal I got...and I always wonder about the story behind each piece...and whose hands and homes have used it before me.

The Home Companion magazine also gave me a great love and appreciation of talented artists of all mediums. I remember the magazine always featured an artist and their workspace...and I especially fell in love with quirky folk artists and 3-D paper mache arts...and to this day, I collect these kinds of creations.

I'm sure that to many, it's all just a bunch of junk...but you know, nothing fascinated me more as a child that going to grandma or great grandma's cute old house and looking at all of her old fashioned treasures. I hope that my house will have just a hint of that nostalgia.

All Dressed Up for Easter

In the eleveth hour (I literally sewed Lily's skirt Saturday night before Easter), I was able to finish up dresses for my two littles. Grace sewed her own skirt this year (insert proud mama smile here), and Russ, well, he looked quite handsome as usual. And just look at how adorable (and big) they all are. I love these stinkers!

I had this vision for the girls' Easter dresses this year...I wanted to add some of my hand embroidery to the dresses, so I added a little apron to Kate's dress and to Lily's skirt.

here is a little closer look at the embroidery...

and just look at this work of art! Grace sewed it for her 4-H sewing class! I'm so proud of her!