The B Farm

I love flowers. My grandmother and mom always had beautiful flowerbeds and enjoyed working out in the yard. I inherited that love from them. Would you like to take a peek at what's blooming in my yard right now? Ok, let's go look. First up are my old fashion day lilies. These are from my mom who got them from her mother.  Then my favorite day lily - deep red with a green throat. I can't remember the name:  Oxalis also from my mom- they will die back once it gets hot but right now, they are blooming up a storm - even my purple oxalis.  The Russian sage is just starting to bloom:  The Esperanza or Texas Yellow Bells are very happy! And the bees are loving it!  Wild coreopsis or tickseed - they reseed themselves quite readily. I got the seeds from a pasture somewhere.  The shrimp plant (also from my grandmother and mom) is happy in its spot:  For my shady spots, I put these caladiums in pots. They aren't flowers but I love all the different colors of

I found some great items when we went to Canton this last time. The weather was iffy but we managed to get some serious shopping done before the rain shut everything down. Right off the bat, I found a folding rack (only $6 and I have a great plan for it!) and some red glass saucers ($3) that I'll use in the bathroom to put soap and the toothbrush holder on, and these beautiful red salt and pepper shakers (also $3): Next I found an old chippy door & a cabinet door with wire inset. As I stood there debating, the vendor offered both to me for $30. Ok sure. We left them there to pick up on our way out. Next, Jay found a bicycle for $25. He will fix it all up and make it work great. He also found a really nice camera tripod for a very reasonable price plus some other treasures. Then I found this old media cart. One wheel was bent and it is a little rusty but the lady had $15 on it. As I looked it over, she told me I could have it for $12. As most of

It's raining, it's pouring... That's a picture of the backyard. I also have a creek running down the side yard. It's rained everyday this past week so the soil is quite saturated. No patio fixing up this week... What's a girl to do when she can't get outside to work on her outdoor projects? She finds indoor ones to do, of course! Like reupholstering the thrift store chair . I got it about three years ago and slip covered it but it recently begin shedding the faux leather. Time to do something! All those flecks are the faux leather...yuck First took the back off: Then tackled removing the seat. Yikes. About a million staples to pull to get the old cover off. Whew...finally. Repadded the seat and added new undercover; ready for its new upholstery with this fabric: If it looks familiar, it's because it's the black version of my dining room chairs. I would have used the taupe but they were out of it. I like the black as w

My patio chair cushions needed to be refreshed. After sitting in the shed for three years, they were kind of grungy. I tried washing them but they were stained from all the dirt and pollen. So I decided  I'd try painting them. I figured I had nothing to lose even if it didn't work out - I gathered my supplies...off white homemade chalky paint, black paint, water, paint brush. I dampened the one side of the cushion and then painted on a thin, watered down coat of paint. Let it dry then painted a second coat. The flower pattern was still showing through. It took two more coats of paint. I liked the way it was going, so the other three cushions got their first two coats painted on too. After two more coats, I let them all dry before tackling the black stripes I wanted to paint on. A light sanding then I tried to stick tape on the first cushion to mark off my stripes. The first "disaster". The tape wouldn't stick so holding in place, I painted the first s

We built our barbecue patio about 7 years ago. I moved our table and chairs there and later worked on a flowerbed around it. In the beginning...clearing out the grass shortly after it was completed It was a great spot to barbecue and eat dinner or to sit out in the evening and relax. But what with Buddy and Herbie's destructive puppy stage, things got rather neglected. Now that they are past that stage, I decided it was time to refresh it. We're so sweet though I began by cleaning it and moving things around. Then I assessed the umbrella and chair cushions. The umbrella needed to be replaced and the cushions had gotten black stuff on them from the trees and then sitting in the shed for three years. I washed them but they were stained. So, I'll have to do something to them to refreshen them up. Add more plants to this area and mulch: Buy a new umbrella - done! I went with lime green. It's my happy color. Try painting the cushions. I figure I h