A bird in the hand …

Isn’t there a saying that says …

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

What do you get for a bird in the bird feeder?

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I looked outside and thought, “Is that bird inside the feeder? No, it must be on the other side.”

And promptly went about my business.

Later, looked outside again and it looked like a bird was inside the feeder.

Is it inside or just look that way? I decided to take a closer look …

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Mr Bird, are you inside or outside?

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Oh my gosh!

Mr Bird is INSIDE!

I am not even going to ask how or when he got in … I have to get him out!

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But first …

“Can I take one more picture of you INSIDE the feeder?”

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No worries.

No birds were hurt in the process of letting it loose.

Thank goodness!

Quite a bit of cleaning happened after letting it loose.

You can imagine what a scared bird will leave behind! Yuck!

Hope this finds you having a great Wednesday,

http://www.joy2journey.com

A garden gate in 5 EASY steps!

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I am not sure when or where I learned to make gates but … they are so very easy!

This gate literally took me a half hour from start to finish … once I assembled my materials. :)

Step 1

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Measure the width of your opening and subtract an inch.

Figure out how tall you want your gate to be. Subtract a foot.

* I wanted mine to be 4 feet tall to match the height of the fence so I subtracted a foot and made my frame 3 feet tall.

Assemble your materials …

2 X 4′s to make the frame

1 X 4′s for the gate slats

My work space is outside where I have plenty of room to move around!

Step 2

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In order to make your frame SQUARE you need to make sure that your diagonal measurements are the same.

ie. 45 inches both ways (whatever your measurement is)

* If you don’t have your diagonal measurements the same … your gate will be lopsided and not fit in the opening.

Seriously, this is the step that takes the most time, as this is the MOST important.

Step 3

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The diagonal board is a 2X4 but for this gate I did not have a left over 2X4.

I used 2 – 2X2′s.

(I was using left over wood that I had on hand … making this gate … FREE!)

I lay the diagonal wood under the frame to mark it with a pencil , but for teaching purposes, I took the photo this way to show you.

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Step 4

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My gate is going to be 4 feet high so I cut 1X4X8 boards in half.

Cut off 1 inch diagonal on each top corner (just to make it pretty) and use a piece of wood for a spacer between slats for easy measurement.

I like to place the slats a bit higher toward the top of the frame than the bottom.

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Add your hinges and latch according to how you want your  gate to open.

(It helps to have another person to hold the gate while you attach the gate to the posts!)

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That is all there is …

Easy Peasy!

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You can find the rest of making the garden {HERE}

I am thinking I want to paint the gate a whimsical color but as of this post there has not been a dry day to paint.

If you have any questions … please comment or email me.

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

http://www.joy2journey.com

 

 

 

Let’s Get Social Sunday – Co – Hosting!

I love co-hosting this party, as it gives us the opportunity to all get to know each other and share in some social networking.
I hope you will join with us and link up your social information so we can share some blog love!


LGSS Collage
 

 

 


Welcome to Let’s Get Social Sunday!


This party is for bloggers who …

 

wish to make new friends and gain new followers. It is also an opportunity to link up
all your social media sites to gain more followers for blogging opportunities
and it increases traffic to all your sites. Lets Get Social Sunday is
live on 9 different blogs every week which means maximum exposure!


Please:)


(1) Follow your hosts and
co-hosts in as many ways as possible.


Hosts:

Diane @ Mamal Diane





and meet our co-hosts this
week:


 Chrissy @ The Taylor House





And



BJ @ Joy 2 Journey

 

 

(2)Please grab our button and share it

on your blog


(3) Let us know if you followed
in the comments, so we can return the follows!

(4) Find some new blogs to
follow and let ‘em know you found them from the Let’s Get Social Sunday
party.


*Just a note – If you would like to co-host, we are accepting
spots in the future for co-hosts. Please, email us at letsgetsocialsunday@gmail.com and we will send you the
information on scheduling. :)

 

Let's Get Social Sunday
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Not a requirement, but we
appreciate the love – If you enjoy this party, would you mind hitting the tweet
button to help spread the word? Or share on your favorite social media! Thanks
y’all :)

 


 



Blog:





Facebook:



Twitter:




Pinterest:



Google+:




BlogLovin’:



Instagram:





 


Don’t forget to share and comment ♥

Vegetable garden for ‘Two’

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Last weekend, Mr Man and I decided to work on a project together. Actually, he is definitely the muscle and without him … it would have taken me FOREVER!

We have quite a bit of property and I have wanted a vegetable garden now that I have some time to spend in it.

There are just the two of us now as the children are grown with children of their own.

All but 1 are out of state. *Tear*

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That lovely tree stump? That is where I want to put our new garden.

“Oh Mr Mannnnnn …”

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He is just amazing! He works so hard and I am constantly in awe of how strong he is!

Sometimes …

He has to use all his patience with me!

We were having a communication problem (even though we were talking about the same thing!)

He was patiently? listening to me explain where the line needed to be.

http://www.joy2journey.com

We set the posts in concrete the first day so that they could set overnight and be ready for us to install the fence the next day.

http://www.joy2journey.com

While Mr Man was attaching the fence to our existing fence line (Did I ever post about the fence we made in our backyard?)

I was unrolling the fencing and pulling it tight while he was driving in the staples.

(We bought Garden Zone 1 x 2 Galvanized Cage wire – $29.99. 4 Ft high x 50 ‘ at Mills Fleet Farm)

http://www.joy2journey.com

Sometimes, it is the unintentional thing that ends up being that something special. We happened to have 2 longer 4 x 4′s from a previous project and used them on either side of where I was going to make the gate. I made the arch and gate from wood that I had on hand.

Instructions on how to make a gate coming soon! 

I still need to paint the gate but the weather and my schedule are not lining up yet …

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Every garden needs a scarecrow!

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This is what we do  after a hard days work?

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I hope  you had a great weekend!

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

California and designing my Father’s Headstone

I always think of design and making things personal, so when my mom hired out to set my father’s headstone and wanted me to be there, my mind went into overdrive. How to make their headstone personal without being silly and over the top.

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First, I want to take a moment to reflect …

Memorial Day is today … a day to remember those who gave their lives while fighting for our country.

A “Thank you” just doesn’t seem enough, does it?!

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I was in California, for a week, helping my mom. She needed work done around her home and was making a list of things that she needed accomplished.

My main reason for taking the trip back out to California was for my father. His ‘headstone’ was going to be set in concrete and I wanted to be there to oversee the setting and  to add something personal for my parents. I went on line to find what I wanted and had them delivered to my mom’s house so they would be there when I arrived.

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This is a  privately owned cemetery in the foothills of Sequoia National Park.

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The army’s headstone

(I took my mom’s info off the picture for privacy)

Dad's headstone

My mother is an avid reader so this garden statue seemed fitting.

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They set in a flower vase and you can see the horse shoes in the forefront.

My father raised Morgan horses and loved to ride, so it seemed fitting to place horse shoes on his side.

Always place horse shoes up, so the luck doesn’t spill out!

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In order for the headstone to lay at an angle, they let the concrete set up a while and then cut into it at a slant.

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They were so great in making sure that it was all done right and  not rushing to get it done.

http://www.joy2journey.com

It meant a lot to me to place my father’s horse shoes in the concrete.

http://www.joy2journey.com

We had to go back up the mountain a couple days later to remove the framing.

My mother chose pink flowers to place in the vase. She said she should have picked a different color for my father :)

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Leaving was so hard for me! Knowing that I would not be back for a while made it all the harder.

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What made this fulfilling for me was how it stood out from all the rest.

It was made with love for two very special parents!

Thank you for your patience while I was away.

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

Getting my blog on … Again!

Geesh, life has been busy!

I am doing more living than blogging lately. It is about to change.

I have been in California helping my Mom and now back home in Minnesota doing summer things.

Winter here in Minnesota stayed around longer that it usually does … a LOT longer!

Hard to believe that just 3 weeks ago it looked like this -

http://www.joy2journey.com

http://www.joy2journey.com

It went from Winter to Summer so unbelievably fast and we have been making use of our outside time in between Thunderstorms.

One is rolling through, right now, as I am writing this!

Looking forward to sharing some DIY with you.

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

T … Tinted

I tinted my windows last year with window film …

(you can read about it  HERE)

I have found a wonderful benefit to having it on my windows in the dining room.

I can watch the birds without scaring them away!

http://www.joy2journey.com

They were surprised by our Spring snowstorms too!

http://www.joy2journey.com

http://www.joy2journey.com

Make it a great day,

http://www.joy2journey.com

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S … Silence

Silence,

in my home,

now that the Little 1 is gone.

Little ones bring giggles, screams, and unending energy.

It is amazing to me how a little body can fill a whole house!

The hugs, “I Love you”s, and playing pretend are just echoes now …

until next week when she is here again!!!

I am truly blessed.

http://www.joy2journey.com

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

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R … Rest

Rest, of which I am not getting much of … until last night that is.

The ‘Little 1′ and I slept from 7 PM until 8 AM this morning.

Ahhh, what a difference rest will make on a body.

 

It helps to deal with another cloudy day here in Minnesota Winter Wonderland.

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It helps when you are having a ‘Hot Flash’

(Check out the red face)

or

(the messy room where ‘Little 1′ stays)

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It gives us energy to go shopping for indoor things to do,

like Walkie Talkies …

(Mr Man calls them 2 way radios)

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or shopping for dress up dolls …

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Reading to stuffed animal friends in the Reading Nook …

(More on Reading Nook HERE)

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Playing with the dog who is really not at all interested in playing with them unless it is to chew on them. :)

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Oh, the things we wouldn’t do for our ‘Littles’ LOL

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Hope this has found you having had lots of REST and having a great day!

If you have sun please send it to Minnesota!

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

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Q … Qualms

I have had many people ask me how I know how to build the things that I build. It is not without qualms I can assure you. What I don’t know about a project … I read, watch youtube, or look up on the internet. It is because of those qualms that I research everything I don’t know and double check everything along the way. I love new challenges and the joy of creating, so any qualms die down as I am working and learning.

http://www.joy2journey.com

Yes, I am a girl who loves to build. It is not as strange as it seems. I know many women who love it just as much as I. Find what you love to do and when you have qualms about something you don’t feel that comfortable in tackling … learn what you can and press forward. Confidence grows when you succeed.

http://www.joy2journey.com

 

I have some qualms about building a playhouse because I am going to have to learn our cities codes and I have never made one outside. I live in MN and it will have to have special considerations to get through our harsh winters and severe thunderstorms. I am excited to start but winter does not want to end this year.

http://www.joy2journey.com

If Spring gets here … I can start building.

http://www.joy2journey.com

The sun came out …

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Mr Cardinal wants Spring too! No qualms about that!!! :)

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Make it a great day!

Hugs,

http://www.joy2journey.com

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