Thrifty Collection - Beer Bottle Path

This is a very thrifty post because we are recycling beer bottles at our house. We have had friends and family saving beer bottles for the past year in order to build a bottle path in the back garden. My DH finally decided we probably had enough bottles to build it - we had boxes and boxes of bottles. He started building a week ago and the path is probably 15 feet long by now and, guess what, we are out of bottles. We are shocked. DH says we used about 750 bottles and we probably need about 500 more to finish it. Who would have thought it? So, we are once again encouraging family and friends to "keep drinking". I am liking the way it looks - and what a conversation piece it will be!

Visit Southern Hospitality for more Thrifty Finds today. Lots of people have some great ideas to refurbish and reuse things!

Thrifting Treasures - 2nd Time Around

I love garage saling - I always go without a definite thing in mind to "hunt for" because then you won't miss the "possibilities". Last week I found a lovely thing. This is an original oil on canvas painting of a beautiful arrangement of roses. I hope Mr. Robert Cox (who signed the painting) never finds out that someone sold his painting for $.25 - that's right - $.25! What a deal and I love it! Right now it's on top of the old chippy cabinet on the sunporch - it may move but for right now, it's there.

Go over to Diane's A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words and see the lucky people who found other treasures and have re-purposed them for their homes! Thanks, Diane, for hosting!

Julie and Julia - Movie Thoughts

My husband and I went to see Julie and Julia yesterday. We really enjoyed the movie. I was apprehensive after reading reviews but I wasn't disappointed in the show at all. Meryl Streep is wonderful in her portrayal of Julia Child. I didn't know much about Julia Child until I saw the movie. She had a very interesting life and was a woman who enjoyed her life. She seemed to make the most out of her situations.

If you are a blogger or a cook, you will really enjoy the show. Amy Adams who portrays the character of Julie demonstrates the pursuit of the blog readership that all of us are after. She is also often frustrated in her food preparation - how many of us have been there? This is a movie about participating in life as well as blogging and cooking! You shouldn't be disappointed.

Thrifty Treasures - Weekend Garage Sales

Garage sales produced some pretty good things this week. Second picture didn't turn out as good as the first one. I was excited to find the Junk Market book for $3 - some old baseballs (my new collection to put in some container) for $.25 each - the fall tablecloth for $2 - some old porcelain doorknobs 2 for $1 - and the old colander for $.25. Pretty good deals this weekend! Check out Thrifty Treasures over at Rhoda's new blog address for Southern Hospitality. She really went to garage sales and has a lot to report on.

Fertilizer Friday - the Garden in August

Today is Fertilizer Friday over at Tootsie's. Be sure to visit and see the lovely blooming flowers in Blogland. It has been hot in Kansas for the past week but we've had some showers too, so the flowers have benefitted. The above is my mandevilla just blooming away.

Coleus in a windowbox loving heat.

Portulaca loves the heat.Rose of Sharon bending over to the ground because of the heavy blooms on it.

Mariogolds and my little orange tiny zinnias are blooming. I grew the zinnias from seed started in the greenhouse this year (zinnias are in the back). A morning glory bloom - I've had to practice deer-protection methods on the morning glories - they are fenced in from every angle. The morning glories I grew from seed the deer don't bother (and they're not blooming yet),

Rudebeckia have really spread by reseeding themselves from last year so I have a good stand of them.

The fairy dancer amidst the begonias and impatiens.

My wagon full of impatiens - it does well every year.