So, that happened...

     I turned 40 on this past Tuesday. Now before I tell you any more, it is funny the reactions that you get when people learn of said birthday. 

     Young people (39 and under) feel sorry for you and offer condolences to you with fear that it will one day happen to them. 

     People in their fourties welcome you into a special, secret club. There is a secret handshake and passwords and all, but I don't want to tell you and lose my membership. I just got it, after all. 

     People 50 and older still call you a "youngin'". That's nice. 

     Now students, well that's where it is interesting. There are two reactions there. Students around the fifth grade age-level know how to schmooze. "I thought you were 30!" Heh. Nice work, kid. You still failed the spelling test. Kindergartens and first graders? 40 is the kiss of death. My principal announced my birthday in chapel and everyone sang happy birthday. I hated that. Then her words were, " If Mrs. Wise were to run around the chapel for every year she was born, she would be very fatigued" I am pretty sure that the kindergartener I was sitting next to thought that meant I was 100 and ready to keel over at any moment. He kept eyeballing me. I think I worried him. 

     But, my day was a blessed one spent with my "children", friends, and family. 

     My class decorated the "living room" side of our classroom with balloons and their shining faces. After the pent-up excitement of the promise of popped balloons ( NOT by me) and the rush of sugar, the parents took them outside to run laps and pop balloons (those that survived the throwing of the balloons and exclamations of, "Happy Birthday!")

     They also sang their own version of "What Does the Fox Say?" entitled "What Does the Owl Say?" In their song were the many phrases that I say, apparently a lot:  you're done, air high five, all that and a bag of chips, great minds think alike, gold star, you're my favorite, anything from The Princess Bride, counting, I didn't drink my coffee yet, Stewart is having a bad day, What day is it, you're a nut, boop yourself in the head, walk of shame, and, my personal favorite... I'm going to jump off the deck. Gee. I need new material!!!!

     My own family was so sweet in celebrating my birthday. My husband made me lasagna, and my mom brought more cake. Cake is really a weakness of mine. Both cakes were from my favorite bakery, Bakers of Buffington. Gee, I am predictable. My school family and my real family know my weakness. It blesses my heart because of their thoughtfulness in celebrating my special day. 

     My husband continued this thoughtfulness during the weekend before and after my birthday in taking me to my very favorite antique flea market, Shupp's Grove. The first visit was their Spring Extravaganza which was filled with prims! The following weekend was their garage sale weekend (the first Saturday of each month). I met so many nice people that day. I love to hear the stories behind the items they are selling. I met this sweet lady, Joan. We talked for a while. She told me about the old store her father ran. She was selling some really nice prims. Another couple I talked to gave me good tips to make sure that my tent for my garage sale didn't blow away ( it's hard to make change and hold onto a tent. I was always fearing that I would do a "Dorothy"). I go to this flea market often. A little too often. I kind of have a "Cheers" relationship with the people there. Everybody knows who I am. Is that good or bad? I am not sure, and I bet my husband has mixed feeling about it as well... 

     Here are a few of the goodies I picked up on my excursions...

     I actually got the little stove with some birthday money. It's a toy stove from the 1920's. I got it on eBay for $20 including shipping. I don't know if that was a bargain, but it was so dear. Then, it inspired me to look for vintage wood and metal toys. The little iron and rolling pin were a bargain. The feed sacks were the big score. They are the heavy, rough cloth with make-do patches. I got them for $3 each. They are in great shape!

     I  just think this little stove is adorable!

     Now these next two items I love, but I am interested in some creative ideas in using them. The sieve I got for $10. I am not sure whether to use it on the wall, suspended from the ceiling??? What do you all think?

     My mom picked up this strainer for me at a garage sale for $2. I always wanted one. I saw some ideas for using it on Pinterest (and by ideas, decor, not food. I am pretty sure that would be a disaster!) . I was just curious as to your ideas! :)

     Well, that is all for now. I have actually been plugging away at this post for most of the week. I feel bad not posting. I miss all of you. I will start plugging away at some posts on my field trip to DC, spring decor pictures, and a tutorial of sorts! Whew! Big plans! 

     Before I forget, Charlie says, "Hey!"

Love and hugs,

The Marm

Taking the Challenge...

Karen, on My Colonial Home, posted the challenge to share about when you started your blog and why you started it.  Here ya go...

       I started my blog on August 14, 2012.  Yup. Last month! I chose the name "The Old Country Schoolmarm" because, well, that is what I am. I am a teacher.  I love the country.  Old? Well, that's relative.  Maybe middle-aged, but that doesn't sound nearly as cool. "The Middle-aged Country Schoolmarm".  For some reason, I think of knights jousting with pencils, but anyhow.  So, "Old" it is. To kids, you are always old anyway. Except to fifth graders.  They have learned the art of "schmoozing" to adults and not making wisecracks about their ages.  After all, it may be the fine line between an A and an F.  Just kidding.  Maybe an A and A-.  You can decide if I am kidding on that one.

     I started this because of reading others' lovely blogs, a desire for communication and fellowship, and as a creative outlet.  God said in the beginning that, "It is not good for man to be alone."  The Trinity realized the need for fellowship. God created Eve for Adam.  We, as humans, made in the image of the Creator, have a desire for fellowship.  I wanted to encourage that kind of fellowship in my own "neck of the woods".   I wanted to chat about the things I enjoyed- prims, crafting, bargain hunting... those kinds of things.  I wanted to find people who liked the same things and chat about them.  My circle of friends in my daily life has mostly been my family at home and my school family, all whom I love dearly.  Few of them (except my mom) like to decorate with and create prims. My dad has said multiple times, "Yuck!"  That is why he makes them, and I paint them. I don't show him the prim part. Seeing the beautiful craftsmanship and talent of the artists out there has been a joy to experience.  It is an inspiration to me to do more crafting myself and to take the plunge into selling on eBay.  I had put off both because I was afraid to put myself out there.

     Another reason for deciding to blog was to practice and hone my writing abilities.  I would like to write and publish fiction someday.  I have a piece that has been a "labor of love" now for a few years.  I had to do what I tell my students to do all of the time with their writing- practice.  Writers need to read also.  The blog took me on a journey I did not expect.  Reading others' blogs has been informative, entertaining, heartbreaking, joyful- a whole gamut of emotions.  Being a part of writers' lives, whether personal or professional, has been a joy and honor this summer. The circle of Christian fellowship has been such a blessing.

     To be honest, I didn't think that anyone would find and read my own blog. I read tips about creating a blog, and they said to keep it short because readers didn't have time to read lengthy diatribes and novelettes.  Well, that wasn't me. I appreciate all of you who take the time to read my words because they are many. For example, I was once asked to write an one hundred word grant letter.  It was 500 words by the time I was done.  Needless to say, I had a lot of revising to do.  So, when my first follower found me, I was in tears telling my husband, "Someone found me!  I have a follower!"  I cherished my first follower (and still do!). Christine from Preferably Prim, on the other side of the ocean, found me first.  I was satisfied and blessed with one person to have fellowship with because the fellowship was so sweet.  Others becoming part of this circle of fellowship has made it that much sweeter. Through their friendships, I have branched out and found more lovely people to visit and converse with. Blogging is like the roots of a tree that branch out further and further into nooks and crannies to gain nourishment.  Friendship is nourishment to the soul.

     So the summary for those of you with ADD or are short on time.  I started this blog because I am a teacher and an old-fashioned country gal who like to write, craft, and talk. I talk a lot.

Blessings!

Heather

Twinkle, Twinkle, Prim Little Star...

     So, here is a primitive stitchery I just finished.  It is a star (in case you can't tell). It was one of those "I need a tree topper, but I don't feel like driving to the store and wasting gas because I live in the boondocks" moments.  It is the origin of the modern day "make-do's".  'Gas prices are so high that I will make it myself and "make-do" '.  It is not about hitching up the horse anymore.

     The impetus for said star?  I redid one of my trees that I keep up year-round.  And by "redid", I mean I took everything off, stripped it bare, nothing on it, nada, zilch... Oh, wait.  Everything except the country garland. And the lights.  Okay, so semi-bare. I thought the tree looked busy and cluttered.  I had a bunch of little home-made stitcheries of mine on it.  The rest of the hodge-podge was a few sewn birds and those tree ornaments that look like old kitchen utensils (the tree is near my kitchen). There was no theme.  It was "put country cute stuff on the tree" kind-of look.  As I take pictures for this blog, the pictures help me to see areas of my decor that are too busy, don't fit in, aren't balanced- you name it.  I highly recommend taking pictures of different areas of your home from different angles to see how they may appear to others.  

     Anyway, back to the story.  My old Singer sewing machine needs repair (Disclaimer:  The following may or may not be considered a "squirrel" moment).  My mother gave it to me, and it is the old metal kind that would sit in a console.  You flip open the top of the console, bring up the sewing machine, and WALAH! You have your machine and a work table.  The problems are: it isn't portable, and it takes up room.  So, I removed the machine from the console.  Since it is metal, it weighs like a "bagillion" pounds.  Seriously, if a Mack truck ran over it, the truck should worry... But it is a classic pistachio green, it is well-made, and not made of plastic.  But right now, it needs a Singer repair person give it some TLC.  

     So, all of that to say- I do a lot of hand-stitching.  Which isn't bad.  It certainly is portable.  I sew on the porch, on the couch, in the house, with a mouse... Ooops, how did Dr, Seuss get in this discussion? Ugh.  ANYWHOOO, so I decided my tree needed a new topper. 

     I  had a medium-sized prim angel at the top. The angel, although cute, dwarfed the tree.  So, to the prim star: I used black and beige embroidery thread, two strands at a time, a piece of antique crochet-work that came from an old bedspread, osnasburg fabric, a piece of backing fabric for the inside, and instant coffee.  Lots of instant coffee.  

• After I had sewn the star (which is obviously not precisely sewn, as you can see), I put it into a bowl of dark instant coffee.  I let it sit there for hours (not too long or it will rot or look like a science experiment gone wrong).  
• Two things that I like to do to give it that really "grungy look" is to sprinkle some of the coffee crystals right on any pieces of the project that are close to the surface of the staining liquid or sprinkle it on the project while it is damp and sitting in my dish drain.  If the spots are too dark, I just rub the fabric together to blur the stain a bit.  
• After it has drained a while, I put it in my oven on low heat to dry. You need to really supervise this.  Starting a fire in your stove trying to "grunge" something and having to explain this to the fire department or a spouse may not be understood by non-primitive crafters and decorators.  It would be frowned upon. But, doing it this way gives it a hard, starchy feel and a darker color.  
• When it feels dry, I let it sit in the oven (after it has been turned off), and I crack the door a bit.  I just leave it that way for a while.  And then- tadaa! It is ready to put on the tree!  

     WELL, that was so much fun!  My next project is to use a similar technique and create some grungy pincushions. Do I need pincushions? No.  Do I want an excuse to coffee-dye things and put them in the oven. Yes.  If they turn out well, I may try to sell them on eBay.  We'll see.  Maybe ya'll can give me some feedback on them when I am done.  My stitching is primitive.  But it may appear to others as "Cool, this looks primitive.  It is like it was made in the good old days" or, how embarrassing, "Woah, this looks primitive.  Like a five-year old made it.  Yikes."  

Coffee Talk for Today: What are some grunging techniques that you use? What are some unique items that you use to create "make-do's"?

Sitting on it...

     So, in the immortal words of Fonzie, "Sit on it!" Well, they are also the words of my husband.  I emailed a picture of my project to my mom.  She loved it (of course).  My husband comes home from work and walks into the kitchen.  I knew he had seen my endeavors because he said, "Well, you have been busy."  I wait silently for a further comment.
     "Did you see the cabinet?" I asked.
     "Yes."
     "Well, what do you think?" I ventured.
     "Um, it's all right (hates it). How about we sit on it a few days and live with it and see what we think."

      Ugh.  I was so excited to show him how cute it was.  But what was I thinking?  A man views a cabinet as utilitarian.  It is a cabinet, therefore it is for storage.  I look at the poorly used cabinet and think, "Oh, I am SOOO taking the doors off that sucker and putting some prims up there!" Well, it has been a few days, and I am not asking what he thinks because I fear the answer.  He would never ask me to take it down.  He always says, "If you like it, then do it." But the purpose of my homemaking is to make our house, not only comfortable for myself and the friends that enter, but for him.  After all, this is his home too.  But, alas, the doors cannot go back up.  I stripped some of the screws getting the doors off.  Oops...

     Here is an addition to my primitive vignette that I added the other day.  I ordered this cute beeswax grungy barn owl on eBay (My one weakness)from Primitive Candle Cupboard.  He is so cute and prim, AND he smells wonderful when I cook at the stove.  I think his black tones fit in well with the other accents, don't you think? I think that I am going to name him "Harold".

I  have bought these additional accents from Primitive Candle Cupboard in the past (actually, I just bought a few more. Shhhhh...)  They all smell wonderful.  I especially love the "Primitive Blessings" flicker candle.  I would hate to light it if it were a regular candle and lose its loveliness! So, it lasts, and it smells like my favorite scent- Maple Syrup (Ok, so two more weaknesses, maple syrup scent and flicker candles.  But, that truly is it, as far as weaknesses!).  There is a story behind the flicker candles, but that is for another day!

www.primitivecandlecupboard.com

Primitive Candle Cupboard's eBay link