Memorial Day

Many years ago my father sat (almost completely bedridden) on the edge of the bed and was watching the news. The television was his only view of the outside world except that of the view from the window or front porch. He was a Korean War veteran. He was a U.S Marine. He was proud of the fact that he was the two previous statements.....

My next door neighbor is a World War 2 veteran and proudly displays not one, but two, American flags just outside his front door. He sometimes asks for his wallet when we go to visit him. In that wallet, in a hidden compartment, is his purple heart. We will probably never know what exactly happened to him to deserve a purple heart because he tears up and goes speechless when he shows it to us.

My great uncle fought in world war 1. I was too young to ask him about it but I can tell you that he was proud to fight for his country. He had a framed letter from former president Woodrow Wilson, hanging on the wall. That framed photo thanked him for his selfless duty to protect his country and the lives of his fellow comrades.

My cousin's husband is a Vietnam veteran. He doesn't speak of his ordeal because it is too traumatic to speak of- yet he did his duty to serve his country- that, can not be forgotten. I remember the stories of some distant relatives in the civil war that died tragically and left behind loved ones. I've heard of a great uncle that made it through the first world war to only come home and die from surgery. I've heard of an uncle that protected the military base. I know many on the internet that have loved ones serving at this very moment and I've read of the struggles and fear that those at home are feeling.... the stories go on and on....

There are thousands upon thousands of veterans in this country that gave- and are currently giving- so selflessly and deserve the honor and respect of every single American citizen. Maybe there are veterans both living and gone that didn't have family. Some were never brought home to their home country. Some are fighting as you are reading this. Some died alone in the wilderness. We should remember and honor them all.

I'll close with this little statement that has stuck in my head for many years. It was a comment that my late father said that day, when he sat on the edge of the bed, watching the news. At that time, our country was sending troops oversees. He sat almost motionless, with a distant look in his eye and proudly said, "If they called me back to duty, I'd go right now".

Something New, Something Cold, Something Still Not Finished, and Something Upside Down...

Coming soon to Minnie Maes Etsy shop....... (Something New)


Something Still Not Finished....

This was supposed to be a quilt for my mother for her birthday and Mother's Day. That's right, it's the middle of May and it's still not finished....


Something cold fell from the sky one day. The "something cold" was the 3rd (or 4th- I lost count) something that has freakishly fell from the sky this spring. The scary part is that the hail is getting bigger each time it falls. We were pretty close to golf balls this time.

No, he's not dead....he just does this sometimes.....

And last but not least, "Something Upside Down". Our poor fish, Moe Moe has an air bladder issue lately. We don't exactly know what to do for him yet as we've only researched his little "condition" on the internet. A trip to our local pet store is definitely in order. We panic each time we walk by his tank and think he has went to that big aquarium in the sky (only to have our hearts jump when he suddenly flips back over and swims around like nothing is wrong). Geesh, why do we have such weird animals?

Team SC Is Having A Sample Box Giveaway!!

Team SC is having a "Spring into Summer" sample giveaway! Just click on over to Team SC's blog and enter for your chance to win this assortment of handmade, South Carolina items! Why should you enter? Because it's free and it's easy, and you might be the winner!

Do it now, what are you waiting for?!?!

Farewell to My Friend Dusty

Orion's Stardust
(Dusty)
April 1st, 1978 - May 4th, 2010

I knew the day would come but it snuck up on all of us. Dusty didn't come up to eat that day and my sister went looking for him. She had grown close to him since she had been taking care of him for some time. When she found him down in the pasture, she called me. She was crying and I soon followed suit. It was a terrible day for us.

I have written about Dusty a couple of times over the past year or so. He was my friend for over 25 years of our lives and I will never forget him. We rambled through the woods, creeks, and over many miles of roads over our lifetime. He was there to carry me through the loss of both of my grandmothers and countless others since then. Dusty was a nut but he was a faithful nut.

When I first got Dusty, he could count how old he was by pawing his foot on the ground. He could also "shy" at every living thing (and non living thing) and throw me off his back quite easily in those early days. He took me to my first horse show where he won champion (not me- I was totally lost- he carried me through it). His brother (adopted brother) picked on him but he loved him- a lot. Poor old Spirit didn't eat for awhile and stood moping after he lost his brother, Dusty.

Dusty's passion in life was eating. I know, horses like to eat but Dusty lived to eat- not eat to live. He loved sweets of any form or fashion. During berry season, he drastically lost weight each year because he munched on blackberries, mulberries from the trees, and wild strawberries down in the pasture. He had the life of luxury. One "neigh" and he had my mother tied around his little "hoof". She would faithfully bring him loaves of bread to eat (twice a day!!). If someone had the time to crack pecans for him, he'd gobble them down too. He hardly ever took the time to eat actual grass. He wanted goodies.

Dusty was an old horse and had lived the last 15 years or so in retirement. His life was easy and I'd suspect that it was much better than his earlier days before we got him (he was abused by a previous owner) I'm just glad he came into my life and the life of my family. We all loved him.

Dusty died alone under an oak tree. His favorite mulberry tree was not far away so I'd suspect that is where he had been spending his time munching. I've always called him a nut because of his funny antics and I think it ended up being very appropriate that he was buried under a "nut" tree very close to his mulberry munching spot.

I'll miss him but I know it was his time to go........

Cuteness- pure and simple- Oh, and a few bugs too...

Yeah, you know that kind of cuteness. The puppy kind. That puppy breath, puppy feet smell cuteness...... Cuteness pure and simple.

This is "Jipped". He belongs to our former neighbor. He brought him over to show the kids. They ate him all up. He said that he was named "Jipped" because they were promised a female pup and when they got him, they figured out he was a boy so they got, "jipped".

Jipped was so sleepy- you know being cute is very tiring. He took a nap in the backyard. The kids had a hard time leaving him alone because he was just too cute and they wanted "awake" cuteness- not "asleep" cuteness.



Since Jipped wasn't around later that day, Roly Poly girl spent some time with this caterpillar for awhile. I've been around these guys all my life and for the first time, one bit me. Yes, it sank it's little fangs right into my arm. Let's just say that I'm not picking these guys up again. You learn something every day I guess.


This beauty was captured by another neighbor. Apparently he was injured by a passing car. We took his picture and then left him under a tree with hopes he would survive. Who knows if he made it or not- we had a nasty little hail storm- (yet again)- the next day. That's nature though. As much as it hurts us, we have to let nature take it's course sometimes.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. "
............................The Pledge of Allegiance


My blog is not a political blog. It was never intended to be. My blog is just a little peak into life- in my world. There are just some things that bother me in my little world nowadays. I've always tried to bring a little silliness into my posts, because, like I often say, life is just too serious already.

I do want to make it clear that I am an American. I was born in America. America was formed under certain principles and because of those principles, America is a great country. There are some in this country that want to erase our history and make our America something else.

I am who I am, America is what it is. You can try to change a person or thing but deep down, to the foundation, a person or thing is just, simply, what it is and you can't change "grass roots".

Please don't let your children forget how America was formed. Please don't let yourself become biased by the opinions of people who are only out to make a dollar or to gain "power" over others. Be an American. Be strong. Stand up for what you believe in...... It's our right as an American.

A Few New Items at Minnie Maes and a Bear in the Works...

Since I made my Bible carrier last week, I stumbled upon the fact that some people like to carry their latest paperback book with them where ever they go. I never thought of this because I guess, I've just never had the time to enjoy a good book at my leisure. I'm the type that hovers, humpbacked over a book, with a maddening look in my eye, and feverishly reading as fast as possible. Why? Because I'm a mom and moms just don't get to read books at leisure. The are interrupted constantly. It's a fact of nature. So, you see, that's why I was quite surprised to the fact that I had lost sight of what was going on around me. Not everyone spends their free time cleaning house, cooking, or figuring out which kiddo went where. Some people sit, relax, and actually consume a book. People actually take books with them to the park, beach, or even the coffee house. Where have I been?!?


I found this fabric on clearance last month and had no idea what it would become until I pictured someone holding it while sitting on a bench underneath a weeping willow tree at the park. It reeked of personality and besides that, it's just plain, cute.


Here is the paperback carrier opened with a Nancy Drew book inside. (Yeah, I have one - make that two- girls that like Nancy Drew). A book carrier comes in handy, not only because you can "carry" your book, but also you can have some privacy. No one will ever suspect that that girl in the park, wearing that pink chiffon dress is reading the latest issue of "Grub worms and Other Fishing Bait"


This is the other paperback carrier that I made from the material left over from my Bible carrier. It's cute, it doesn't call a lot of attention to itself. I think it's practical- more my speed I guess.

This is what it looks like opened and with a book inserted. The inside is a little more colorful than the outside. Hey, kind of like me :)

This is Bessie Pearl the teddy bear. She is, in the making, so to speak. Poor girl, I had just about finished her and ran out of stuffing for her tummy area. So, right now, she's a little on the skinny side. When she is finished, I'm planning on listing her in the South Carolina Etsy Street Team's shop.

I'll be sure to let you all know Bessie Pearl is celebrating her official birthday and when I actually find a copy of Grub Worms and other Fishing Bait to pass on to that girl in the pink chiffon dress......

More Yard Critters and a Marble Treasure

Mr. Dragonfly

Somehow or another, we went from the dead of winter to early summer. What happened to spring? I'm not complaining too much since it's not blazing hot, but some days, it's in the mid 80's already! Anyway, with the warmer weather, we find ourselves outdoors a little more than we had been. Roly Poly girl is still young enough to find nature amazingly interesting so I find myself taking full advantage of these little learning opportunities.

Yes, Roly Poly girl was at it again. She had to lift up the mat in front of the basement door to find her little crustacean friends hiding below.

Mr. Bumble Bee

This little guy strikes fear in one of my kiddos heart the minute she sees (or hears) him. Why, I don't know for sure but I would suspect it is due to the fact that my daughter managed to step (yes, I said step) into a yellow jacket nest when she was a very little girl. She feels the way I do about snakes (you know, a good snake is a dead snake) but her little saying would be; a good bee is a dead bee. Maybe we both will get over our little fears one of these days...

Mr. HoneyBee- Stay away from Monsanto Corn!!!!

Speaking of bees, I was thrilled to see Mr. HoneyBee. You just don't see these guys much when someone has planted that evil, genetically modified corn in the area. You might want to get educated on "Frankencorn" if you haven't heard about it already. You can start at Mother Earth News Magazine's site and read their recent article or head on over to one of a gazillion web sites dedicated to let the public know what Monsanto is doing to our food supply.

Ok, I'm off of my pure food high horse now- back to the program......

We have an over abundance of robins in our backyard. That's not a problem. They supply us with hours of endless amusement. The other woodland creatures in our backyard (the squirrel family) do not approve of the flock of robins so, they are constantly waging war on the birds. It is quite hilarious to see either birds jumping straight up into the air after a squirrel sneaks up behind them, or squirrels running around confused after being dive bombed. It's a win- win for us- hey, it's free entertainment!

Stay tuned, I've been trying to get a photo of the squirrel family but they are photo shy. One of these days I'll try to share the squirrel family with you. Their three babies are sooo cute so it will be worth it to see them.

A Roly Poly Girl treasure.....

With the general population of children in the neighborhood being male, there are a lot of boy-related games that are taking place at any given time somewhere around the house. One of those boy-related activities is marble shooting. No, not the old fashioned kind of marble shooting- the sling shot kind of marble shooting.

What's so good about boys shooting marbles in slingshots? Well, little girls enjoy spending hours looking for marbles that boys shot out of slingshots. Before it's over, the girls have more marbles than the boys!

Roly Poly Girl and I like to leisurely walk around in the backyard and nearby gravel to look for long lost marbles. (It's like treasure hunting...) On this particular day that I snapped this photo, we found 3 of them. The best time to go marble hunting is in mid day, the day after a rain storm. Once, we found 4 at once- that's a good haul if I do say so myself!