Where Has Susan Disappeared To???

No, I have not been playing in my She Shed :-)  I have actually been 

writing my book.  I promised my Mama that I would get it done, and

although she never saw it's fruition in her lifetime,  I certainly want to

get it finished in her memory, and Daddy's too!

Writing a book is all consuming.  It's hard to focus on much else.

Scheduling is tough too.  A writer hides out in their own little world,

and few understand that kind of solitude.  Some people think I am

a hermit, a loner.  I would say they are partially correct.  I actually

enjoy my own company.  That's not all of it though.  I have to spend

time alone to get into my character's heads.  

Little interruptions during the day disturb the cadence.  Charlie, who

sprays for mosquitos outside.  The plumber.  John who sprays the

inside and outside of the house to keep the roaches away.  You 

should see the size of the tree roaches in the street when Bentley

and I take our nightly walk!  David texting from work because he

wants me to research something.  The normal kind of interruptions 

of life that are typically acceptable, become major ones for 

a writer deep in thought.  

I could write late at night and then sleep during the day, but I 

don't think that will work for me.  I have been faithfully getting

in a workout everyday and I now sleep very soundly all through

the night.  No more insomnia!  So now that I have a good

sleeping pattern established, I hate to disrupt it.  So I grab

parts of the day to work, but my routine is not yet firmly

established.  

If it seems as though I am ignoring you, well, I am.  If I 

chatted with you all of the time I would never get any work

done.  Forgive me.  I still love you and have not forgotten you.

At the moment I am trying to make everything run smoothly.

It will, I promise, it will.  Then I'll be back and we can have

lots of long chats.  In the meantime, there will be little

chats about what is ever floating around my mind.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

DIY Birdhouse Chandelier

I had a metal chandelier that belonged to my Mom.  I didn't have a

good spot for it in the house, so I decided to hang it in the potting

shed.  It has seven arms and a spike in each one to hold a candle.

No way wax candles will stand up to the heat in the shed, so I thought

of an alternative.  I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased five small

unfinished bird houses and painted them in fun colors.

This is not an original idea, rather it's a take off from a MacKenzie-Childs

chandelier that is much more stylish, but also costs $595.00.

I had fun painting the houses while watching old movies.  The 

chandelier will have a better backdrop when I decide what I want

to do with the walls.

I have been thinking about putting up peel and stick wallpaper between

the studs, and painting the studs white.  Whether I decide to paint and

or apply wallpaper, that will have to wait until it gets a bit cooler.  Of

course, that may not happen until Fall, but I can always hope for a

stray cool day.   Whatever I decide to do, I will share the application

with y'all.

The other project that will be happening sooner, is to install windows.

I found just exactly what I need and am putting in an order now.

David has promised to install them and add the trim around the

windows too, so I am excited about that!

This little shed has been both a labor of love, and is giving new life

to odds and ends I don't have a place for.  These are things I love and

didn't want to give up, so this little shed is providing a new home for

them.  It's my shabby chic she shed.  A project full of old treasures

and happy memories.

Metamorphosis Monday

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Sharing Summer Recipes

Today starts the first weekend of summer.  Time to start thinking about

menus and recipes for the hot, sultry, evenings ahead.  Hopefully the 

smoker outside will be command central rather than the kitchen.

I am always hunting for new ways to marinate chicken and beef.

David doesn't like fish.  That's a real shame since we live on the 

Texas Gulf coast where fresh fish and large shrimp are plentiful.

I still plan to grill some shrimp, even if it's just for me.

I am going through cookbooks, back issues of Southern Living magazine, 

and scouring the internet for new ideas.  

I would like to keep things fresh, fun and flavorful.

So, I was thinking, let's start a recipe sharing post each week.

Let us know what new things you have tried and what your

family enjoys.

Starting next Friday, I will start posting some of our summertime 

favorites and new recipes too.  I hope y'all will join in and keep the

party going!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Come and Get Your Coziness!

It's been raining here for the past couple of days.  It rained all night,

and has kept up through the morning.  As I was telling my friends on

Facebook, I stepped out onto the veranda to check on the yard when 

I stepped on a long squiggly worm, got bit by a mosquito, and received

an emergency flash flood warning on my cell!  Time for coffee!!

And, it's time to get cozy.  So that's what I plan to do.  In the meantime,

I have some images of coziness that will get you in the mood to get 

cozy too ....

I think I will make some barbecue chicken, sweet corn, coleslaw, and

biscuits with honey for dinner.  Comfort food.  

Stay cozy!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

My MacKenzie-Childs Bird Feeder Project

You may well have seen this MacKenzie-Childs cup and saucer on

this blog before.  I found this set at antique shop back in Idaho quite

a few years ago.  It sat on a wicker table on my front porch back there,

and on the veranda here in Texas.  

Several days ago, I had a brainstorm about turning this lone cup and

saucer into a bird feeder for the garden surrounding the potting shed.

I remembered that I had a walking stick that had lost it's top and

realized it would be perfect to be the stand for the feeder.  All I

did was to paint the stick and use industrial strength glue to hold

the cup and saucer in place.  Now it looks just perfect in it's new home.

On Saturday, I purchased 40 more pounds of bird seed, so my little

tweeties will be content for a while.

I finished painting a vintage chalk board for the shed, and five little bird houses 

too.  These bird houses will be used for a chandelier project currently in the

making.

No outdoor projects for a while.  We have received the first bands of rain from

Invest 91L.  That is meteorologist talk for a very big weather system sitting in

the Gulf of Mexico just starting to come on shore.  The rain so far has not been

too heavy, but is expected to get much heavier and bring thunderstorms along

with it.  It never organized enough to be a hurricane or a tropical storm, but

different forecasts have predicted either 3 to 5 inches, or 5 to 8 inches of rain.  

Hopefully there will be no serious flooding with this system, but quite

frankly, we really need the rain, so I am not complaining.  The next few days

will be inside projects of all kinds, and I won't have to worry about watering

the plants twice a day.  It's a housebound vacay!  

Bentley and I are staying dry and snug indoors and wishing y'all a 

happy Monday!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley