today i'm very excited

my Lil Cuz is coming

tomorrow, tomorrow

we are by far the best of cuzins

creative on many levels

&

modest, too

when we are together

most anything can be made

more beautiful

my refrig before

 my refrigerator after

a few days together

magic

we're the best!

~~~~~

Memorial Day

there is a reverence in the day

DFW

i reflect on the times

we as a family

welcomed home

from war

our soldier

i feel so privileged

to have been a part

of the celebration

especially through

the eyes of granddaughters

etched on my heart

i will never forget

moments such as these

these pictures make me cry

everytime

how must it be for the

families that soldier

did not come home?

how hard

please pray for our military

our soldiers & sailors

& their families

pray for their safety

& strength & courage

& for that of their spouses

& children

& parents

Happy Memorial Day

fly our flag

~~~~~

herb garden & insects

it seems that organic is better

but the ants & bees are

causing a bit of a problem

in the herb garden &

Fern Gully

my Lil Cuz is having some

bee problems at her castle

&

is taking down all the

welcome bee signs

& friendly bee decorations

think i'll try that

BUT

i am going to nuke

Fern Gully

in preparation for the

Angelgirls

fly fly ladybugs

fly away home

the saga of the wilton cake pan

Good Afternoon Becki,






Thank you for contacting us!







Our development team is aware of the strong adhesive that is being used on our labels. They are working with the manufactures to change the adhesive that is being used. The development team is suggesting using a paper towel saturated with vegetable oil and allowing that to sit on the label for about 15-20 minutes and then washing the label off with warm soapy water.







Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance!











Breanne Secrist



Customer Service Representative



Wilton Brands

Really? - do you think i didn't try every known method for removing a sticker.

i will be writing wilton ceo next

i found this response to be

 inadequate & flippant

& think that they should send me a new pan without a sticker

or refund my $

here's my original letter:

Hello. I recently bought a 10 inch cake pan from Michaels. The large sticker about the product that was stuck around the outside of the pan - well, I could not get it off completely. I used all the ways to remove stickers & it will left a residue on the pan. After much flustration, I decided it would not be wise to use it for baking, because I could not get the sticker off completely. So, as an artist I painted it & used it for decorative purposes.

Just thought you would like to know about this, next time I will not buy a wilton cake pan.

Thank you,

i'm also thinking that perhaps

 all wilton products

have this problem

 of not being able to

get the sticker off

as more birthdays are added

to my friends

(& me?)

we seem to find ourselves

giving cards

instead of presents

recently, when celebrating

at my castle

i needed a

presentation tray

to hold cards of well wishes

i decided that since i would be

painting it

i'd buy a good quality one

a 10 inch wilton cake pan

from michael's

well, it was very frustrating to me

to GET THE TAG off

the outside of the pan

it never really came off

& it wrapped around most of the outside

i used all the household remedies

nothing would get that sucker off

so i just painted over it

using black & white checks

custom favorite gold accents

vintage sheet music

voile

it is really wonderful & i love it

tossed in some sequins &

a champagne cork

it's ready for

happy birthday cards

i did write to wilton

telling them that their

labels need to come off

the pans &

that i didn't think

i should bake in it

because of that

so i painted it

wonder if they care?

~~~~

Beatrix Potter

in her kingdom

 looking for lizards, birds,

& squirrels & other critters

that just might be

 on top of the pergola

& the vine

(coral cross vine)

that so beautifully covers it

 oh, puppy

redo & expansion of

Fern Gully continues

yesterday in the 94* weather

my beloved daughter in law

from the A Team

helped me haul large flag stone

to expand the floor of

fern gully

to make way for the

magical custom teepees

that should arrive next week

for the Angelgirls' visit

this summer!

before

 paint is good

these porch swings & bench 

(& children's picnic table)

were purchased about 20 yrs ago

from my favorite store

in the whole world

Bering's Hardware

Houston, Texas

 they are well made

comfortable & have

a story to tell, i'm sure

so they needed a big

cleaning & painting

by a professional

painter - thanks to

phillip for adding this

project to 

Brazos Star Homes 

already big work load

 mint is happy happy

living out here

take an Allegra

have southern ice tea

& i'm good all day

preparing for the Angelgirls to

grace this space & that of

Fern Gully

(more pics later)

expanding Fern Gully

as the Angels that play there

has grown to four!

oh, happy day!

working on

refresh & redo

under & surrounding

the pergola

BEFORE:

AFTER:

fresh & cool outside

this fine day

happy monday

hum, woke up today

think i'll paint the gate

whitewash the gate

it is an artistic gate

applied on top of fence

to appear to go beyond the

back yard

into a magical garden

 half way there

 might need another coat

have to see when it ages

a secret garden

indeed

time for lunch

my favorite herb

old fashion rose geranium

it is getting harder & harder to find

i first fell in love with this herb at

the HillTop Herb Farm

in Cleveland, TX

most wonderful place

i've ever eaten

my favorite pound cake

Rose Geranium Pound Cake

from

Madeline Hill's

Southern Herb Growning

what a dear lady

with her daughter

Gwen Barclay

herb ladies, indeed

~~~

another reason

i love herbs

i can't wait

to fly these

angelgirls

back to

texas

from rhode island

what fun we're

going to have!

getting ferngully ready

custom tents being made

sugar shack teepees

etsy

mudpies will be for sale

gluten free

oh, the magic of it all!

sweet

~~~~~~

we are a military family

navy & army

this mother's heart is proud - always

prayerfully concerned - often

missing them & theirs - everyday

thank you for joining us

with your prayers as they

continue to deploy, move,

sacrifice for our country

please don't ask me

"when can they get out?"

they don't want out

it is their career of which

they are highly trained &

specialized & dedicated

to keeping us safe

May God Bless America

&

keep our military safe

& give their families

the strength & courage

they need as they, too, serve