Vintage School Chair

I've got some factual tidbits today from back before dirt was invented.

OK perhaps not quite that long ago, but long enough that it was hard for me to remember much about when I was in 2nd grade.

Fact; this metal and wood school chair did not belong to me during my elementary years.

My rear end never hit that seat to read about Dick and Jane or to see Spot run, and I think this style was in use before my days in the classroom.

Fresh Cut Flower Wreath, 29 Bloggers Fall Ideas Tour

Is it getting Fall-sie where you live?

Do you bring the outdoor colors inside?

At my place there are crisp nights, apples galore, and tons of Autumn decorating inspiration from the group of bloggers in this tour of ideas.

This is an annual tour for five days with 28 other bloggers, and I'm excited to be part of it.  There are links at the bottom so you can come along on the tour with me and see what each day of the week holds in store.

Imperfect Pumpkins Sign

One thing I am positive about is that there is never a dull moment around here, and there is also never a shortage of things to do, work or otherwise.

Along with my new found love of growing dahlias, we have a couple of kids with green thumbs growing their own veggie gardens, and this year Daughter #2 is throwing her hat in the pumpkin growing field.

Last Fall  D#2 decided she wanted to have a pumpkin patch so she saved seeds to sow in spring from her unusually shaped pumpkins and gourds that were sitting on her porch.

Vintage Bucket September Thrifty Style Team

There's a hole in the bucket Dear Liza, Dear Liza.....

Well not really.

The vintage enamel bucket below is very solid with nary a hole and I'm giving it an update for the September Thrifty Style Team, along with a second update using the inside metal cylinder from an antique ice cream maker.

You will find links to the other Thrifty Style Team members below, so stop in and see how thrifty they are this month.

Bliss Ranch Dahlia Garden

There are flower farmers, and then there are FLOWER FARMERS. 

There are people who plant flowers, and there are people who plant, grow, and tend flowers.

There are people who take their passion for growing flowers very seriously, or make an income from it, and some who grow tons of blooms for the pure enjoyment of the whole process from start to finish.

And there are also people like me.

Clyde The Duck Sign

If you have been reading here for a while you probably remember Clyde the duck.

Clyde belonged to daughter #2 and he was quite the character who wandered around the ranch for many years until a vicious racoon tore his head off.  Yeah that's a harsh visual, but it's the sad truth.

When more Peking ducks arrived at our house there was a name that duck contest for Clyde's girlfriends. My daughter picked the name Hazel, and Tina (follow her on Instagram at TLC4wwk) suggested the winning name that my daughter chose, and Clyde's main sidekick was named Clementine.

I affectionately referred to Clyde & his harem as the crapping quackers.

But Clyde was her main bird.

Clyde the duck celebrated his birthday, and was a pretty good sport when my daughter made him numbered hats each year to commemorate the day.  Daughter #2 will always have a soft spot in her heart for him.  A duck, go figure.

But I don't miss Clyde, Clementine and Hazel crapping on my porch and eating my flowers even though they looked cute as they waddled around the yard.  Nothing says welcome to my home like duck doo.

Recently at the local auction house I put a low bid in on a pile of junk - that low bid being $2.50.  Turns out no one wanted that pile of stuff so it came home with me.

August Thrifty Style Team Storage Crates

Hello hello hello, it's time for the August Thrifty Style Team projects, and you're invited to click the links at the bottom to find out how the other ladies are being thrifty for August.

Yikes, that means Fall is right around the corner and I would prefer summer to last a couple months longer.  Not that I don't like Autumn, it's my fav, but we didn't really get much of a Spring,  June was a wash, literally, with lots of rain, July flew by and now here we are at the middle of August.

Besides, I'm just getting into the groove of summer projects, and I realize there is so much on the list that won't be getting done.  Boo, and I don't mean that in a Fall ghost sort of way.

However I did have to add a few things to the indoor list because there is this puppy that came to live with us.

And he likes to chew.

And we like to wear shoes.

Variety is the Spice of Doggie Life, meet a Boston Terrier, Bernadoogle and a Lab

If you've been following along you know that Bliss Ranch has gone to the dogs the last few posts (links to the previous posts are at the bottom), and I thought I would tell you the real reason the canines have taken over....

Honest Abe the Mock-Viz gets up at 5:00 am sharp every.single.day. 

And he wants my company.

So to fill my time at the crack of dawn while he gets some outside time, and inside time, and outside time, and inside time, I scroll on Facebook and see what the bloggers I know are up too.

I discovered I wasn't alone in this new puppy business, there are other new puppy mamma's who have cute pups too, and you know the saying "misery loves company", well we might not really be in misery but we all certainly do understand what bringing a puppy home can do to life as we once knew it.

Honest Abe The MockViz Mutt

With Dog Week continuing at the Ranch, today's post will be breed specific to Abe.  You can read his introduction to the ranch (here) and about his puppy fav's (here).

Today I'm gonna write down for the ages what kind of dog Abe is suppose to be, and also is suppose to become, based on his mixed breed personality and looks.

A mutt.  Abe is a mutt, that's what kind of a dog he is.  Well that's if a mutt has a minimum mix of two breeds of dogs.

A Vizsla, pronounced Veesla, (don't pronounce the Zzz among full bred owners), is a Hungarian dog.  I'm not all into what dogs were bred for back in ancient times, my modern intention is that he is our pet and likes naps when I like napping.  So far so good on that.  But when he's not being a regular pet his natural instinct is to point and find game.  That is a trait he inherited from his English Setter mother as well as his Vizsla Pa.  Many of his fathers Vizsla qualities overlap with those of his English Setter mother.  Except looks.  Honest Abe gets his good looks and charm from his papa.  The two breeds don't look anything alike, with the Vizsla being the better looking of the two in my opinion.



I have to remind myself he is only half Vizsla, which means regarding his temperament and personality he is just as much English Setter.  It's easier to think of Abe as only a Vizsla like his dad, because he looks like one, or so it appears anyway.  But digging a little deeper I found out he has some differences from his full bred father and anyone who owns a pure Vizsla would probably look at Abe and know right away he is a Mock-Viz. 

Honest Abe's Doggie Fav's

Even though around here we spend a great deal of time on home improvements, DIY and furniture makeovers, we also spend a lot of time with other peoples dogs as a pet sitting home, and now a new puppy of our own.

It's dog week here, but rest assured there are still some DIY projects that go along with new dog ownership, and I am not becoming a pet blog.   And lest you think I favor dogs, I also like cats, we just don't have one anymore, and I'm worried I could become the crazy dog lady.  But the truth is this little pooch has been occupying a lot of my time and the last three home projects all involved keeping the house and dog safe.

In the last post I told you how a new pup has claimed this place as his domain, what went in to the decision to get another dog after not having one for 1.5 years and how we were turned down for a rescue puppy because we have a doggie door that goes outside.  Today you'll find out his breed, and the products I am finding to be money well spent.

Abe's age is now 19 weeks, he's lived here for 10 and he's catching on to the rules very nicely.

And yes he is spoiled.

 Abe on his outdoor Coolaroo Dog Bed