Crocus In My Front Flower Bed

The Crocus

The golden crocus reaches up

To catch a sunbeam in her cup.

-Walter Crane

Pretty Little Primrose

A little bit of Spring purchased at my local grocery store for only $1. 

 How could I pass them up?

Fun New Projects on the Horizon

The turquoise is a scarf for myself.

I want to knit each of the dishcloths in this book

and give them as Christmas 2011 gifts.

Love the quilts in these books.

I plan to make this "Plain Spoken" quilt from

The Modern Quilt Workshop

for my 10 year old son in shades of dark blue and gray.

I first saw it here at Blueberry Buckle.

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?

Look What I Found!

"Lee Anderton" written on the side of the drawer

in what looks like carpenter's pencil.

It is written on all the drawers in the pantry.

Could this signature be 91 years old?

More information to go into the file

for when I research my house's history.

Old House Charm

Our house was built in 1920.

Unfortunately, most of the original light fixtures, 

light switches, and plumbing fixtures have been "upgraded."

A few wonderful things remain and

they bring me such pleasure!

The latch on the back kitchen window.

Bracket holding the shelf in the pantry.

Pantry door knob.

Handrail going up the steps.

Stairwell banister in the living room.

It's really not that "orange."

And it's still unpainted!!!!!

Sometimes You Just Need Cast Iron

I think there are some things that just taste better in cast iron.

Fried apples would be one of those dishes.

Melt 1/4 stick of butter in the cast iron skillet.  Peel, core, and slice 4 apples.  Toss in about 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.  Stir well.    I covered mine with a lid for a few minutes because I needed them to cook faster.  Enjoy the bubbly, sugary goodness!

T-Tapp

I know that I created this blog to be about my old house, gardening, and projects that I'm doing, but, like everyone else, I have more going on in my life than just that.  I wanted to write a post about something else that is important to me.  I have never been an athletic type of person.  Over the years I've started and stopped more exercise programs than, as my grandma would say, you can shake a stick at.  Until I found T-Tapp.  T-Tapp literally changed my life and I don't say that lightly!

What is T-Tapp? "T-Tapp is a series of copyrighted, sequential movements designed to put the body in proper functional alignment. Its special sequence of comprehensive, compound muscle movement helps establish better alignment as well as increased strength and flexibility of the spine, better neuro-kinetic flow, lymphatic function, and increased metabolic rate. Its physical therapy approach to fitness makes it safe for those with shoulder, hip, knee, neck, and back concerns. Yet, it delivers a challenging workout for all fitness levels!"

I have suffered with back pain from scoliosis and kyphosis for most of my life.  I once weighed 229 lbs. and wore a size 24.  In  2008, I came across this rehabilitative program on the internet called T-Tapp.  The claims seemed too good to be true.  Lost inches and sizes.  Pain relief.  I continued to visit the site as my pain continued to increase.  I was having trouble doing some of my favorite things.  Gardening would send me to my recliner with a heating pad for days.


I finally ordered the Total Workout.  It sat on my shelf for several months.  My pain finally became so intense in March of 2009 that I told my husband that as long as I could get out of bed, I was going to do the Basic Workout (part of Total Workout) every day for ten days.  I can't kid you, the first three days were excruciating. I spent about three hours on the heating pad each night. By the fourth day, I was in love with T-Tapp! The pain started to dissipate, and I felt better than I had in years. I extended my ten day boot camp to 14. My back pain has gone from a solid nine every day to about a four. There are periods of time now where I don't even know I have a back issue because it simply doesn't hurt. My arms and legs aren't numb anymore when I wake up.  I am standing straighter than I ever have.

*Basic Workout is only 15 minutes long!

The things you read on the T-Tapp website really do come true! I had no idea that a back problem that had plagued me since I was 11 years old could be turned around in two weeks time. In addition, I have lost pounds, sizes, and inches!  More importantly, T-Tapp helped me get back into my life.  I'm able to garden and do projects around the house with minimal pain.