Wheweeee you are on busy GIRL!!! so good to hear that you aren’t letting anything get away from you. My family say that I make them tired just looking at my bucket list – and I keep adding, oh well keeps me out of trouble. Love the saying that Sylvia shared – hope to remember that – oh I will print it out and hang it in my craft room so I can read it every day. Thanks Deb Happy New Year!!! God bless

Happy New Year Joan! Glad to hear you keep your family on their toes too! LOL Great idea to hang Sylvia’s saying in your craft room! Think I’ll do that too! Blessings Joan! xo Deb

Hey Deb! Your blog is so energizing! I love your enthusiasm and excitement for future endeavors. I have lots of projects waiting in the wings. It is time for me to make a little list to get me focused on where to start. I am right brained, so I have the creativity; just not as organized about I could be.
Enjoy your virtual course. Have a great New Year!

Hi Pam! So nice to hear from you! Wishing you a wonderfully creative New Year as well! Hope to see you next time you come " home" to the shorelines again!!! xo Deb

I’ll share a few of my favorite quotes for the new year:
"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

2014 was plotted by Thanksgiving Friday 2013 and as new items emerge, they are added to the activities for Mind, Body and Spirit each day.

Have a wonderful 2014!

Happy New year Adrienne! Great quotes indeed! I especially like the second one… 🙂 All good things n 2014. I look forward to hearing more from you here in the coming year! xo Deb

And a very Merry Christmas to you, oh creative and clever woman! I’ve enjoyed your posts and admire your lovely work. Have a great time with your family and friends.

Thanks so much  for reading Adrienne! See you in 2014!

xo Deb

Debbie, your Christmas tree is stunning. OMGoodness! Did I just say something made from chicken wire was stunning?!?! I’ve already put on my calendar to make a similar one next November. 🙂 I already can’t wait to see how you decorate it for spring. We are so blessed from you using your gift of creativity. Thank you! May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a new year filled with joy.

Well, thank you Rita K.! I’m so happy you liked the chicken wire tree! 🙂 Thanks for reading, always…

Deb xo

Deb! Last week in my MaryJanes Farm blog on Glampers on the Loose I featured a picture of our town’s creative lobstah pot tree! You’re just a shore away and our towns think alike creatively! They look so similar that if you didn’t examine closely, they could be the same one! Merry Christmas! Sandi

How fun is that? I just learned that our Plymouth Lobster Pot tree was inspired by your Maine Lobster Fisherman’s Association! Thanks for the note and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. 🙂 xo Deb

Merry Christmas to you and your family. I have put my ‘makings’ away for now but you have sure tweaked some ideas with the chicken wire/tomato cage – will get busy after this most blessed Holiday. God Bless y’all. Joan

Hi Joan! I just thought of this… I think a chicken wire tomato cage tree would make a fine trellis in the garden as well. Smaller ones for pots would be perfect for climbing black eyed Susan’s or morning glories, snap peas, dwarf pole bean varieties and plenty more I imagine!

Merry Christmas to you and yours Joan! Blessings too! hugs, Deb

LOVE the chicken wire cage for cards! A very merry CHRISTmas to you and yours <3

Thank you Shery!!! Merry Christmas to you and yours too! 🙂 hugs!

Love your blog and crafts here. I too do not do any Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving. The perception is that I am "behind" because I am not decorated yet, I do not have gifts yet, etc. BUT this is all part of the plan; I like one holiday at a time and am now focusing on Christmas. I pulled out craft stuff yesterday and went to the craft store to buy more. Not sure where it is headed, but I am certain that being inside because of the weather all weekend will produce some fun stuff! Love these ball jars. I have not tried the Anne Sloan paint but your posts continue to remind me that I must! Thanks for sharing your beautiful jars!

Hi Debbie, We are of the same mind when it comes to holidays. I like mine one at a time as well! I hope you’ll share on your Farmgirl Unleashed blog what you make this weekend. It’s all about the process and getting lost in the creative flow, right?  As always, love hearing from you here on the shorelines!

Happy Creating,

Deb

Love your jars – thanks for all the great ideas and the directions on doing them. Also LOVE the pic’s from your ‘shop’, wish I could be there in person but with the winter weather we are having and the distance, will enjoy your postings. I too am ‘one holiday at a time’ person, I think, in our pushy-push world of today, we need to regenerate the Holidays as each should be. I live amongst many Military families and they of course celebrate as they can and I don’t discount that, so I do enjoy Holidays at different times of the year. Yes, my heart is also aching for the loss of Sherry’s blogs, she lives the life that I once did and I so loved her elongating my farm/ranch life. And talk about a Sweet Sweet Spirit – she is one of the best. But that said I wish her all the best in whatever her new adventure is and happily will keep on her face book list. God Bless Merry Christmas

Hi Joan! It is a pushy- pushy world sometimes. It’s great to go at our own pace and make the holidays our own what ever that may be.

Blessings to you! Deb

What beautiful ideas you shared on this snowy day in the Ozarks.
Just 6 inches so far, but we are snowed in on our mountainside, a welcoming
situation since it gives me time to putter around the house.
I love the way snow makes our lives slow down long enough to hear the Christmas carols and soak up the season.
Got 3 house cats on my holiday rug around the wood stove, and my cookstove chugging along in my kitchen, ready to rise some bread.
Loved your canning jars idea, they also make beautiful candle holders, stuffed with anything inside the jar such as potpourri, sea shells, etc, then a small candle holder set inside, what a glow they make.
We’ve lined our sidewalk with them on Christmas eve, they are very welcoming and country.
Warm Hugs from Noel Mo, Diana

Hi Diana! What a cozy day you are having… We’ve got rain and gray skies today. Perfect for those last few projects I need to finish up. We’ve used the mason jars as candles at the beach as well… with sand and candles inside. Lovely for summer and winter glow! Merry Christmas and warm hugs back!

Deb

Love the mason jars, have for years. Here in central mo, have no snow, just cold. One holiday at a time, that’s me. With four bdays in November and four in December, including my darling second daughters Christmas Day bday (her due date no less), it all flies by too quickly. So take time to enjoy, cause this moment won’t happen again!

Hi Beth! We share the multiple Birthdays in November as well. We have four inside of three days! That kicks off our celebrating for the whole season! Thanks for your note and en JOY! Deb

Deb, these jars are gorgeous. I really am going to have to give them a try. I love ASP beyond measure. And honestly I think that Emperors Silk red is my favorite. I’ve used that in most of my vintage signs. It just “works”. Does the paint stay on the jars well when you wash them? Hugs – Dori –

Your article and gardens are wonderful. I love your dog. My oldest doxie plucks tomatoes from my garden. He also indulges in hot peppers. Doesn’t even react. I love him! Aren’t our four-legged loved ones fun?
I love vintage "things". So glad to meet a fellow sister who loves them too!

Howdy Sylvia! So glad you stopped by and enjoyed this entry! Yes, our four-legged loved ones are the best! Nice to meet ya! Deb

Hi Deb! Now that the 50th anniversary party we put on for hubs parents is a past tense I am back to blogging and commenting. Love the pink dresser! I just used chalk paint for the first time and that is what my post is about today. Wish I had a room for this pink. Pretty! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a yummy day after meal.

Hi there Brenda! Nice to have you back in the blogging world! You were missed here at the beach farmgirl blog! I’ll pop over to see your project! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!! xo Deb

How wonderful for you that your mother-in-love brought the photos and how lucky for us that you chose to share them! Thank you!

Hi Adrienne! Glad you enjoyed the story and the photos..;) And, as always thank you so much for reading and your sweet note! xo Deb

Loved your beautiful story today on this gorgeous Ozark day.
I too cherish my mother in law that I met almost 40 yrs. ago, and when I walked into their tiny house with 3 little boys gazing at me, I saw a batch of puppies in one corner of the living room and a batch of kittens in the other, and I knew I would fit right in. She has been a mom to me all these years, one time stopping at a yard sale and buying a Amish 9 Patch quilt, asking me to put a back on it for her and tie it, and that Christmas, it was wrapped up for me under the tree!! Just what I wanted.
I’ve been lucky, blessed, and grateful for her love for me!
Hugs from the Ozarks, Diana

Howdy Diana! You ARE blessed! It’s not everyone who has a special bond with their mother in law. I’ so very grateful for my mil too! As always, I love hearing from you! Be well and stay warm in the Ozarks!  Hugs! xo Deb

Here is the book, Deb. Interesting stuff !! xo
Lifesigns: Tapping the Power of Synchronicity, Serendipity and Miracles
by Alex Marcoux

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing the title with all of us!

Hugs!

Deb

Thank you for sharing your lovely story. There is nothing more precious than family and the wonderful memories they give us.
Lots of hugs
Merrilyn

Hey Merrilyn!

You are so right! Hope all is well with you and yours my dear!  hugs back at cha! xo Deb

Oh what fun I just had reading your blog!!! LOVE the back ground story and seeing the cranberries. My Grandfather was from Penn. and even though he ended up in the middle of NE. he still loved cranberries, so needless to say many of the huge family loves them. We too make the relish, dehydrate, cookies, bread and just use and eat them in many ways. I am guessing that fresh from the bog cranberries taste a whole lot different than the packaged, my taste buds are whining for some so must get to the market and see if they are in yet. Thanks for the beautiful time with you. God Bless

Hi Joan! Aw, thanks so much for your note today and for sharing all you do with the cranberries… Best to you and yours this harvest season! xo Deb

I have a pound of cranberries in the freezer to use as part of my Thanksgiving dinner. The cranberries are mixed with mandarin oranges and agave syrup. They will accompany a vegetarian field roast; butternut squash stuffed with quinoa, chopped green onions and celery; mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy; yams with a little margarine and brown sugar; steamed baby carrots; black olives; celery stuffed with cream cheese; and hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks, cloves, sliced oranges, sliced Meyer lemons (from the freezer), and star anise. Of course, there will be leftovers–yum!

Okay Adrienne, you got me with the vegetarian field roast! I must google it to learn more! Your meal sounds mouth watering wonderful!  What time’s dinner? 🙂  xo Deb

You make a trip to the left coast, Deb, with your family and I’ll cook the dinner.
Then we can tour San Francisco to work off the meal. <3

Wouldn’t that be fun! I haven’t been to San Francisco in 15 years or more. I used to go once a year for Hair Shows and Conventions back in my hairdressing days! LOVE Pier 39 and Sausalito… Thanks for the invite Adrienne and the note! xo Deb

I’ll never look at cranberries again without thinking of my beachy farmgirl sister. I LOVE cranberry Anything. I’m so glad that craisins came into being. Now I can add them to so many things. Loved the images and the family history!! Great article…again <3

Aw, thanks Shery! How I would love to sit at your prairie table and eat something you made with cranberries! One day!!! Hugs!  Deb xo

Thank-you for your lovely descriptions and the beautiful photos. Your hens are so lovely. Thank-you for taking such good care of them. 🙂

Love this and your sharing on this. I have found that when I start to get too much going and get too much clutter OR am spending too much time on something that is not in alignment with what I really want to do I begin to declutter. I call it nesting– it is that piddling around, cleaning off shelves, putting new candles out, etc. This week I spent morning putting all my dried beans in Ball jars from their previous plastic bags, tupperware like containers, original whatevers, etc. OHHHH I felt so good when that was done. AND that simple thing freed me up to go sew. So happy walking beaches, cleaning out mail, etc. We just have to be in touch with what our insides are telling us to do. It is usually right on! Thanks for a great blog Deb!

i always love your posts. This one was especially endearing. The pics of the girls, the toad, the scarecrow, and your words regarding fall warmed my heart. Thank you for the pics and the post. Happy Fall!

Oh my, I LOVED all the photos. It was almost like being there. Thank you Deb.

You’re welcome MJ! It was such a great time! xo Deb

Oh Deb, what a fun day y’all had and thanks for sharing it so nicely with all of us. Love your side table – I love the face on it – makes me smile. God Bless

Hi Joan! Great to hear from you! Glad you enjoyed! xo Deb

Thank you for the pictures and dialog! I felt like I was going through the bazaar myself. It always amazes me at the ideas and craftiness of these folks! And such a beautiful fall day to share with a friend.

Hi Debbie! Glad you came on over for the full tour! It was so inspiring to be in the middle of all that creative energy, and the fiddle music was great too! 🙂 xo Deb

Your words brought smiles (the matching pj party) and tears (the waiting room story), because I can identify with both. My mother needed help for the last year of her life, but thanks to two of my sisters who lived close to her, she was able to stay at home. I lived 3 1/2 hours away and still worked full time, but I was able to go every other weekend to spend time with my mother and give them time to catch up at their own homes. I treasure the memories of those times we had together. Some of our best talks were in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep. I wish your mother a full recovery and good memories, for you both, of this time you have together.

Rebecca,

I’m so happy you were able to spend that time with your mom in her last year. I know you will hold them close to your heart forever. Thanks for reading! xo Deb

Such a sweet post. I know your Mother is so blessed to have you as you are to have her. She has, well you all have been in my prayers. I hope the healing is fast and I know you are having the best of times being together even in sickness we need to be together and you are. Love you

Thank you dear Dolly. My mom is getting stronger each day and it’s such a blessing to see the spark in her eyes again! We have been having some good laughs too! Love you too! Deb

What a wonderful post. I too have cared for my mom after surgeries. I love your reference to Zig Ziglar. It is a great lesson in all that we do to be present. You are clearly a very loving daughter and you could sense the wonderful relationship you have with your mom in your post (especially when you mentioned the matching pj’s).

Hi Debbie! We daughters have to be there for our moms don’t we? It’s not always easy to balance everything, but during times of illness some things just have to be put on hold or delegated! Thanks so much for reading! xo Deb

Dear Deb, Hoping your momma is doing well with her new hip. My momma has had RHM arthritis almost her whole life. She’s had both knees replaced and many many other bones are affected. It is hard to watch someone you care about live in pain. Your momma is fortunate to have a loving daughter watching over her and bring so much light and TLC into her healing process. You Go Girl.

Dear Shery, Boy, you aren’t kidding. It’s heart breaking to watch someone you love living with chronic every day. I’m sorry to hear your momma has to live with the RHM arthritis. She must be a tough cookie in many ways, just like my mom has had to be. We are hoping for some lighter days ahead and sending healing wishes to your mom too! xo Deb

Deb, prayers for a full speedy pain free recovery being sent your mom’s way. Thank you Deb for being a loving daughter to your mom. I know I could take some lessons in that dept. You have inspired me to do better. Love ya and be Blessed! Neta 🙂

Hi there Neta! So great to hear from you! I wish you and your mom more happy times together! Grab them while the get’n’ good! Love and hugs! Deb

Deb, you are a wonderful daughter. I wish I had gotten to help my Mom like that. She left us way too soon, but you are a lucky daughter to have this opportunity to show your love and tlc to your dear Mom! Sweetness to you and quick recovery wishes to your Mom! Hugs, Lydia

Well, thank you Lydia! I’m sorry to hear your mom left you so soon. 🙁 I’m sure a day doesn’t go by that you remember something sweet about her. 🙂 I’ll send along your good wishes to my mom! Thanks so much for reading…xo Deb

Good Morning from Noel Missouri,
We homeschooled for 8 yrs, our kids grew up in the mountains of Montana with goats, pets, a huge garden, and lots of fun with homeschooling.
Our daughter graduated at 15, and because of her high score on her GED, she got a scholarship to go to any college for 4 yrs. Our son owns his own business in Tulsa.
Yes, we stayed in pj’s half the morning, we took days off to play in the snow or go to the "big city" of Missoua for a day out. We also got the kids up at 3 a.m. to sit out in the yard to watch the glow of northern lights for hours,
and then slept in the next day!
They also were able to do many things their friends couldnt, like participate in activities in the local rest home and learn from many hands on projects
public school didnt offer.
We did join our local home schooling group that had regular activities for the kids, I would encourage everyone to do that or start your own group.
It was a great experience for all of us, with no regrets!
Happy Homeschooling to all! Diana in the Ozarks

Howdy Diana!  Such great experiences for your kids and memories for you all! Love it!

Thanks for sharing! xo Deb

I fully support homeschooling….wish I had done it for my 3 children. Public school is tough and limited. My oldest daughter decided to homeschool her oldest daughter. She had a really bad year at public school, narrow minded, biased teachers made for a bad year in eighth grade. She lives on a farm with all the pleasures of a farmlife..(her mother is a Mary Jane Farmgirl)! She did very well, hands on learning in so many areas, whereas in public school she would be limited and discouraged to learn. So ninth grade she felt she was ready for public high school…at registration time, they immediately put her in a higher class…the reputation for homeschooled kids is amazingly higher than public school..as she has excelled, honor rolls, and a great self confidence!!! Home school is the way to go!!

Thank you Donna for sharing your daughters homeschooling story with our readers! I love the success stories! xo Deb

Oh yes Deb and all you other ‘homeschooling’ Moms, I commend you highly!!! I was raised in an old country school with my education/learning not stopping there. My home was with my Grandparents and a maiden Aunt – she was the best book type learner and my Grandparents did some of the other learning, between them all I too was prepared to go to the world and live, learned many skills of gardening, sewing, hand crafting in lots of ways. Yes it was/is still a bit hard to not try to help people in the world, because those learning at home and those in the public facilities just are not the same people. Don’t really want to say that ALL in public schools are not as well ‘learned’ as homeschooling BUT there sure is a huge difference in the two groups. I THINK I would like to take over my 9 yr. old grandsons education, public just doesn’t seem to be what is best for him but his parents will not agree with the homeschooling so I will say CONGRATULATIONS – GOD BLESS TO ALL YOU WHO HOMESCHOOL/UNSCHOOL/LEARNING YOUR CHILDREN. God Bless

Hi Joan! It sounds as if you have some very fond memories of your younger years living and learning together with your Grandparents and Maiden Aunt.  It sure puts a fresh spin on that old phrase Live and Learn doesn’t it? Bless you for sharing your story here! xo Deb

Deb, I and my husband only homeschooled our two sons for four years altogether while allowing our oldest, our daughter, to finish out her last high school years in the Christian school where all three had once attended. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and had often wished that I had begun their educational experience with homeschooling. But I felt insignificant since I only have a high school diploma. But the Christian school became more and more expensive and we came to that point of decision: homeschool or send them to the neighborhood public school. We just couldn’t do that. We found an excellent literature-based curriculum that was originally designed for overseas missionaries and their families. We lived in Philadelphia as well which was a boon. We had family memberships at the zoo and at the Academy of Natural Sciences where our boys in turn volunteered throughout the school year (and during the day hours!) in their children’s exhibit. Our boys met Robert Ballard there and he signed their copies of his Titanic books that they owned. Olde City Philadelphia was at our fingertips, so to speak, and was very enlightening and enriching during our study of the Constitution. All in all, homeschooling bettered the lives of my boys. As I mentioned before, my only regret is that I didn’t start earlier and didn’t start with all my kids. I think it would have made a world of difference in their lives. Thank you for your encouraging article. Marge Hofknecht, Crossville, TN.

Dear Marge,

Homeschoolers are masters at taking advantage of every museum, gallery, art center, nature center, science center, farms and community based classes with in a 50 mile radius! We are by nature, seekers of new experiences and knowledge… Having a high school diploma simply means you’ve obtained a body of common knowledge and have graduated from those years of study. REAL LIFE learning happens all the time no matter your level of formal education is. I’m so happy you didn’t let that one insecurity stand in your way of following your heart to homeschool! Thank you so much for reading and sharing your family homeschool experience. xo Deb