New look

I've been looking for ages for a new look for my blog - not that anyone notices but me, but I'd grown tired of the old template - plus, couldn't get it to do exactly what I wanted.

My late husband loved irises and grew every color he could find.  Had an iris photo that had lots of the pretty colors and adapted it to my header.  Unfortunately I've not taken nearly as good care of his actual flowers as I have the photos.

SO, found this template which required only a little work to customize it the way I wanted and walla - here we are.  Colors are very different from old one which featured a lot of green.  I like green, but I like yellow/gold/oranges better.

Here's a photo of the old header - what do you think compared to the new one?

If you're seeing it and have a comment, feel free to post it.

Front porch update on a THIN budget

This is my new stylin' front porch look:

I grew up with a porch swing on both my grandparents front porch's and hubby gave me a swing a number of years ago for my birthday.  It was in the yard for awhile, then moved to the back deck - but was never used as much as I'd like.  I LOVE it on the front porch - it's on the far left in the picture below.

My front porch has been seriously neglected for quite some time and after much family discussion we decided to correct that.  SO, when St. Louis son visited recently, he and local son flip-flopped the metal furniture from the front porch to the deck and redwood furniture from the deck to front porch. The 'redwood' furniture that now occupies my front porch was on the back deck with REALLY old, ratty cushions.  The chaise wasn't decent for humans to sit on as it had been basically a pet bed.

Have you priced deck furniture cushions recently???  It has been a LONG time since I bought any and I definitely had sticker shock. Talking with a friend, she mentioned she had some old cushions she was going to get rid of - did I want them?  Well yeah!!!!  Her hubby delivered a huge stack of really big cushions.  They were in pretty bad shape and much too large for my furniture.  However, when I started taking them apart I found great insides.

SO, a few yards of indoor/outdoor fabric, a some of her old cushions re purposed and I have lovely new cushions for my chairs - and enough left to make cushions for the back metal deck chairs too (thank you Barbara)!

Now the furniture shows how seriously it needs a coat of paint - that'll come later in the summer.  But in the meantime, I have a decent looking porch.

I even bought some flowers (now if I can just remember to water them when the weather gets hot).  And, don't you love my "welcome poodle" - he was a gift from a friend and is SO adorable.

The little burlap wall cross was a another gift, so when I did all the other reorganizing I thought it might be time for the actual Christmas wreath to come down.

Metal furniture on the back deck must be painted and jazzed up some.  Pictures later - but probably not till the weather has warmed up more :-)

Who has a RED microwave??

......ME, ME, ME!!!

I didn't even know they made red microwaves (which is what most people have said when I tell them I have one)... but I'm now the proud owner of one.  Late birthday gift from my son, Jeff and family (Danette and Foster).  He says red microwaves aren't that easy to find either :-)

My old microwave was misbehaving most of the time, though it had been better since Ariel (granddaughter) prayed for it.

So, the reason I "needed" a RED microwave..... In 2007 my old kitchen trash can finally died (it was only 20 years old) and I went shopping for a new one.  I had a pretty blah kitchen, the old trash can had been brown, but a shiny red one caught my eye.  I had nothing red in my kitchen, but I bought it anyway.

One thing led to another and I wound up painting my kitchen a bright apple green and accenting it with red (to match the trash can).

Son Asher & family got us a new set of cookware recently (have I mentioned I don't cook?).  It's pretty though - RED.

Soooo, I have a super spiffy kitchen that's bright and cherry!  More fun to clean than the old drab one.

Newest website - Stitchers Haven

Have I mentioned that one of my passions is counted cross stitch.  We're so blessed in Guntersville to have a local shop - there aren't too many around these days.

So, Irises Web has just finished a website for them.  Check out Stitchers Haven and let me (or the shop) know what you think.

New blog look

Well, that's what I want anyway, though I can't find anything that really appeals to me.

I've loved this template, but can't seem to make it do what I want it to lately... and the right column is 'jumping' on both my computers so I'm guessing it is on everyone else's too - REALLY annoying.

Obviously want something to do with irises - wasted most of this afternoon looking around online.

So, it's frustrating.... but then I get frustrated easily these days it seems.

Need a new coffee pot!

Mine died this past week.  Fortunately I still had my old one so it's back in service.  Unfortunately, I seriously dislike it!

Here's my want list:

• Auto program to come on 
• Keep coffee hot/warm for 2 hours without getting stronger
• NOT spill every time I try and pour a cup
• Pause & serve
• Minimum 10 cup (prefer 12 cup)
• CHEAP

My last one had a thermal carafe.  It went off when the coffee was made, but stayed reasonably hot for awhile.

The one I'm back to using will shut off in 2 hours, but coffee left sitting in a glass carafe on heat tastes really nasty after 2 hours.

My daughter in law gets up at 5AM - she drinks the first couple of cups.  I'm normally up around 7ish - I'm the "bring coffee and no one gets hurt" type, so I don't want to have to fool around with making fresh coffee.  Choices right now are warmish, burnt coffee, or cold coffee.

Nor can I see paying $100 for a coffee pot that isn't going to last more than a year or two (they never do).

Saw this DeLonghi online and technically it fills the requirements. Well, the price not as good as I'd like, but possible...but didn't get very good reviews:

Then there's this Cuisinart - which does get good reviews - but it is $100.

SOOO, anyone have any suggestions, ideas???

Meet Willow

... she IS a deer, but I'm sure she thinks she's a goat.  I've posted pictures of her before, but she's considerably closer to the house this time.  And, I've decided if she's staying (and I hope she does - it's such a blessing to me to see her), she must have a name.  I've chosen "Willow".  Just seemed to fit.

I have a yard fence between my yard and the pond - not far from my house at all.  The goats like that area on the bank of the pond - even when there's no water there.    She's been joining them there most days, and she's always out grazing with them.

... my pond has water and there was a pair of mallards there this morning.  We used to see them all the time.  Mallards, Canadian geese, even a call duck occasionally, but then the pond went dry.

I told hubby he needed to get a soil test before having the pond dug, but he was sure it was okay.  He chose the location because he wanted to sit on the back deck and look at it.  That worked fine as long as he was alive, but the year after he died - the pond went dry.

It's mostly just been a big unsightly hole in the ground since then.
But, we've had a pretty wet winter and so far there's still water.  

So I'm thoroughly enjoying the wildlife I'm seeing again.  I hope they hang around.