Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

  Thank you to so many of you who emailed me about plans for the DIY Exercise Bike Stand .  I apologize that it has taken me so long to get the measurements to you, but they are finally here!   The wood was purchased at Home Depot and the bike pegs were purchased at Walmart in the bike section.    The bike we used for this project is a 24" 12 speed bike (I'm a shorty).  I used the hardest gear while riding, but this set-up does not allow you to really get much resistance (for building muscle).  It was great for getting my legs moving after some nerve damage.  I also wanted to burn calories and get my heart rate up and this did the trick.    If you have any questions, just shoot me an email.

This past summer, Hubs and I went on a wonderful hike .  I promised you I would write about the MedicAlert bracelet I wore while hiking.          It is important that I have medical information available at all times in case of an emergency.  I researched different types of medical alert companies and felt that Medic Alert was the best organization for me and my family. I like that they are a nonprofit organization and  I can update my information at any time.   If something were to happen to me while I was running errands, emergency personnel could look on my bracelet and find out the 3 most important medical issues I have (I'm allergic to sulfa drugs, I've had a kidney transplant, and I am immune suppressed).  There is also a toll free number for them to call to find out what medications I am taking, who my doctors are, and who to contact in case of an emergency.    I am always wearing one of m...

We've been eating greens from our garden all winter long.     How have we managed that?     By gardening undercover.     We're growing spinach, lettuce, pok choy,  swiss chard, collards, and kale.  You can see that some of our lettuce has gone to seed because it has been such a warm winter for us here in southeast Virginia.   We simply planted the veggies in October and covered them with floating row covers that were stretched over hoops made with pvc pipes.      The edges of the covers are weighed down with bricks around the edges.   No watering, no weeding, no fertilizing. 

  This may offend some of you.  If you think it might offend you, please click to another post and read something else.  Thank you very much.   This past weekend I did something that I never thought I would do.   I shot a handgun - while wearing pearls.  Yup, pearls and pistols.       My Christmas gift from my son was "a date to do whatever I wanted to do".  I decided that I wanted my son to teach me how to shoot a handgun.  It's something he is trained in and is very good at.  I wanted to peek into his world and spend some time with him.  So, off we went to the gun range on a drizzly Saturday morning.     I had to get over my fear of loud noises, guns in general, and unfamiliar surroundings.      My son made me learn how to load the gun, how to shoot it, and every single safety precaution to take with the gun and the gun range.  *On a side note - I was hav...

  I've been having a great time upcycling skirts into fun things to sell in my Etsy shop .   First, this beautiful pillow was upcycled from a teen skirt.      This ballet bag was upcycled from a little girl's skirt.     This bag sold a few minutes after I added it to the shop.  I'm mailing it off  to a sweet little 3 year old who lives a few states away.  It was made from a tutu and lined with a cute cherry fabric.     This cute purse is the perfect size to take to that fun theme park that everyone is visiting right now.  Doesn't it remind you of a certain mouse?  

  In mid December our preschool went to the Children's museum in Portsmouth, VA.  My grandfellas, who attend the school, had a great time.  Their favorite area was the mock fire station, complete with Firefighter costumes.    I decided right then that the boys would be getting firefighter costumes for Christmas even though we had already purchased  gifts for them.    I looked online to quickly order some but was very disappointed to find that they were cheaply made or too expensive to purchase for short term use by two growing boys.   I checked around the web and found a few ideas for making my own.  Here's the results.     I took a few pics at school today to get some close-up shots. First,  I found some dark colored shirts/jackets at the thrift store and went to work.       I used a size 5 kids fabric raincoat for the younger grandson's jacke...