Just For Kids

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Our mother's birthday is on July 2nd so our family celebrates her birthday and our annual Family Reunion at the same time. That just makes it easier for everyone to attend both functions. This year, seven of her nine children were here to help her celebrate her 87th birthday.

Folks congregated to the farm from Utah, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. There was a 5 generation family portrait made this year which made the event even more special.

We try to gear a lot of fun events around the kids to keep them excited about attending the reunion. This year was a first for some of the cousins whose ages are in close proximity. If a picture is worth a thousand words then listen to this ....

Jace...our newest addition

Grayson.....

you have your great-grandmother's eyes !!

...BUT MOM, this TN dirt "IS A GOOD THING"...Jayci

Madison...is California Dreamin'

and Boston keeps asking...

"is the surf up yet"?































Bullseye.....a friendly game of darts



Parker, Evan, Hayden, Maggie, and Conner posing on the bridge across the creek bed.........."there ain't no such thing as Trolls" !!

Mya and Haiven.....Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2018...????

Madison and Maggie....sharing secrets











Kaleb..Silly String Sixshooter

GOTCHA.....Parker

AND....Evan, Maggie, and Parker ending an eventful day with a little marshmallow roast...or is that toast??

you can tell he's played T-Ball.....

To be continued.....

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Curb Your Enthusiasm...

Larry David

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

If I were a elephant, I could have given birth since the last episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 6, aired in November of 2007. Two years and the time has finally arrived for more RAW humor in the day to day life of Larry David !

YEAH....Season 7 premiers Sunday night at 9 PM EST on HBO.

Former SNL and Seinfeld writer, Larry gives the actors an outline of how each episode is to "play out" and the dialogue is totally improvised. You just never know what each comedian will let roll past their lips OR how the other one will react. Anyhooooo....it keeps me in stitches as I find MYSELF in at least one of the characters each week.

To say the least, Larry has a way of getting himself in all kinds of situations simply by being "himself". It's funny how that happens to all of us at some time or the other in our lives. Some days we just can't win for losing.

Larry is bringing back the Seinfeld character's this year. Many have appeared before. I have also read that Meg Ryan will be on and something about Mylie Cyrus. Larry NEVER fails to provide ME with lots of laughs to help vent a weeks worth of frustration!

This picture is my favorite HBO Season premier of Season 3 in 2001. IS your glass half empty OR IS your glass half full. The choice is up to us!

Mine is half full....and "it's pretty good! Prety-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty good"!!

(one of my favorite quotes of Larry David)

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse today for a visit. We love having company.

Au revoir,

I am THE WINNER.....

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

I am so excited! I WON this gorgeous pillow sham in a give-away from Charlsey at

http://decoratingyourworld.blogspot.com/

Isn't it beautiful? I love the colors and I love the roses. This Texas transplant will certainly feel right at home in this Tennessee farmhouse! Don't you think???

Charlsey is undergoing transformation of her TX farmhouse and is doing a fabulous job HANDS ON!! She RE-finishes and RE-cycles and RE-purposes--a girl after my own heart. She has recently transformed the master bedroom and did most of the work--including a new WOOD CEILING and hardwood floors--herself. She certainly has no fear of carpentry work and no lack of refinishing skills.

If you haven't visited with Charlsey, please take a moment and go over to her blog and be sure to tell her that I sent you! She has so many decorating ideas to share. I promise that you will be inspired by many of her projects!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Pay It Forward x 3

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

I am the fortunate recipient of Pay it Forward.....AGAIN!

Deb, a.k.a Garage Sale Gal, http://garagesalegal.blogspot.com/ was a recipient of Theresa's, at Take a Sentimental Journey, who was a recipient of my last Pay it Forward. I went over to check out Deb's post and she was already playing, so I was lucky enough to be one of her three recipients. I am not sure where Pay It Forward originated but I think it was a great idea!

Take a look at all the WONDERFUL things that I just received from Deb!

A card of white buttons – THOSE will be used on the duvet cover I am making! A vintage hankie, a vintage greeting card, AND a glittery white gemstone encrusted starfish and a handmade dish towel embroidered with a bluebird, both HANDMADE by DEB,

AND

Some cute little monkeys, some Halloween napkins, some language cards, some BINGO cards, and some lesson pages....

AND

a couple of Deb's handmade notecards all boxed up in a fancy little French box...with a sweet little note from Deb. Thank you, thank you, thank you, DEB!! And also THANK YOU for participating!

How WONDERFUL was all that???? With all these things there is NO excuse for me not to craft and RE-cyle--I already have ideas spinning around in my head!!

NOW...it's your turn. Here's the rules:

If you would like to participate in Pay It Forward, just leave a comment on this post. The first three people to leave a comment will be my next Pay It Forward recipients. You must have a blog so I can read your postings and learn a little about you. That way, I will know what to make just for you! THEN, when you receive your package from me, you post pictures of what you received, just as I have done, then add the Pay It Forward button (which is at the TOP of this post) to your post, and wait for three comments on your blog...and the game continues on. If there are any questions you can ask me anytime! It really is a whole lot of fun! Let's see how far this PAY IT FORWARD can continue.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company!

Au revoir,

Rooster Party

Bonjour

Welcome to Campagne Maison


We are participating in Bella Vista's ROOSTER PARTY today!

My name is Redd. Madame Jacque has asked me to welcome you into our home in the beautiful Sweetwater Valley of East TN. I was included in a parting gift from her co-workers, when Madame left her job to move to the farm. I can be seen sitting near the kitchen sink every day. The grandchildren named me Redd and that name has stuck with me ever since!

Please sit down and I will pour you a spot of tea from this lovely Susan Winget Avignon Morning Rooster Teapot collection.

Madame enjoys drinking coffee from her favorite coffee mugs every morning. Her sister, Karen, knew they would be perfect for coffee breaks during their demolition and remodeling adventures of the farmhouse, which happened long before the rest of us moved here. She purchased them at the Family Dollar Store for only $ 1.00 each

and also got Tiny Shiny there for only $ 1.00.

This Rooster China was a birthday gift to Madame from her mother. The entire collection is displayed in the farmhouse china cabinet.

Word has spread around the farm about the party, so I am in charge of keeping up with Spazo, the mischievous Bantam rooster pictured here. When Madame Jacque brought him home, he was painted black. She gave him a bath in a sink of warm soapy water and all the paint washed completely off, revealing his wonderful festive colors! That made him an even better addition to the farm because Madame LOVES color. Spazo likes to strut his colors all over the farmhouse so he NEVER stays in one spot very long.

Meet William. He is part of the World Market collection. He crows a lot but we don’t mind. He lost his hen during our move to the farmhouse and crowing just keeps his mind off missing her!

This is Big O. He is the largest of all us roosters. He was some kind of ugly—as in UGH-A-LEE…when he came to live with Madame Jacque. He was painted with bright SAFETY ORANGE spray paint but she got out her craft paints and voila…NOW he is one fine looking specimen at this farmhouse!

Frenchie and his hen are inseparable. I’ve always heard that about those French lovers! Madame told me that just because they got to sit atop the center of the dining room table didn’t mean that they were special. She just needed a spark of blue for the tabletop this summer and she promises that I can take their place during the Christmas holidays…but first,

I have to let Old Gold have his turn at Thanksgiving. Because she likes to decorate the house with seasonal colors, his rust/gold tones are perfect for Autumn.

Whitey is very special. He is the oldest and the first of all Madame’s roosters. Her love for roosters began the day she rescued him at a yard sale for only 25 cents!

We always have fun with The General during the 4th of July. He is soooooooooo patriotic and always wears his US flag coat. He likes to remind everyone of how important it is to celebrate our freedom in the great United States of America. For some reason, all the children love to pick him up and hold him. He has been bounced around, dropped, broken, RE-paired, RE-used and loved. He fits in well with the furnishings and lifestyle here at Campagne Maison.

Looks like the party has started without me....

Oh me......Woody and his friends are already plastered!!

They're hanging from the walls....

Be sure to go on over to Barb's at http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com or grab the button on the right hand side of my posting. You will find alot more Roosters Crowing!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse today. We love having company!

Au revoir,

Decker

Victorian Farmhouse Tutorial

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

I ran upon this gorgeous moth hiding under a bush during some yard work recently. It was

very large and colorful, I couldn't resist taking a picture!

If you ever wanted to cover a lampshade, you must check out this blog.

http://1893victorianfarmhouse.blogspot.com/

She shows some of the antique lampshades that she has covered and gives some very detailed information. Be sure to tell her that I sent you over!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse this morning. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Goodbye Styrofoam

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

You know, sometimes when you give up looking for something, it usually ends up finding you!

I have been searching for quite some time for a flue cover for the living room fireplace chimney. While at one of my favorite antiques stores, Southern Heritage Antiques & Gifts in Etowah, TN, this weekend, I FOUND ONE. I love the picture on it--which is original--of the little cottage by the lake. I had the hole covered with a styrofoam plate. Doesn't this look much nicer? Good things TRULY do come to those that wait!

On another note, Barb, at The French Elements, is having a GENEROUS giveaway. Please grab her button on my sidebar and head on over there, or go to :

http://thefrenchelements.blogspot.com/

to sign up. She will have all the instructions on how to enter. Be sure to tell her that I sent you!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Paris Postcards

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

An inquiry about the picture postcard that I used on Tuesday's post reminded me of a postcard album that I purchased a few months ago at a local antique store.

It is an album pack with various black and white prints of famous Paris tourist sights. The cover is aged French blue (due to age--LOL) with gold and black graphic prints.

The back is marked: E. Papeghin Editeur, Paris Tours. I assume it was a tourist package "deal". The back of each card is standard issue post card.

Anyway, it struck my fancy and when things strike my fancy, I have to have them!

The postcard on Tuesdays post was a gift from Lorrie, along with that French newspaper.
http://fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com/

Now, I'm headed over to check out the inquirers blogspot--http://elegantthrifter.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Pay it Forward--Again

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Today is another exciting day! Ana has received her Pay it Forward gift from me and has posted all about it on her blog today.

Ana is a doll AND a dollmaker. When I saw her name as one of the recipients on my posting, I knew EXACTLY what I would make for her!

I am so glad that she loved her items. YOU can help us continue the Pay it Forward gifting by running on over to read her blog

http://apetitecottage.blogspot.com/2009/08/pay-it-forward.html

and find out how participate. IT IS A GOOD THING!! Be sure to leave a comment and tell her that I sent you!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Blue Monday

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Well, actually it is not a blue Monday for me. It is a happy yellow Monday because I am excited to tell you that Theresa got her Pay it Forward gift from me and she is posting about it today on her "Blue Monday" blog.

Please go over to http://theresa-sentimentaljourney.blogspot.com/ and see what she has to say about her gifts and get your comments ready so you can participate in her Pay it Forward giveaway. I know you will not be disappointed!


Since she says that I am the "guest of honor", I'm gonna hurry on over there to see what she has to say.


Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.


Au revoir,

Simple Things

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Recently an Anonymous commenter said that sometimes "the most simple things in life bring the most joy". No truer statement has ever been made and I appreciate that comment. It caused me do a little thinking. Sometimes, I forget to “think”.

These are some simple things that I did recently that made me happy! A couple of weekends ago, my sister Karen, and I went to Knoxville to dog sit for our sister, Melanie, while she and her husband were visiting out of town. We spent several hours relaxing on the patio while the dogs enjoyed playing outside. We talked about simple things--girl talk--sister talk, you know some silly things but some serious stuff too! Deep stuff like: who it was that really peed the bed and blamed it on the other one when we were kids to why our sister didn’t leave us any sweets to snack on—simply because SHE is always on a diet!

We spent the entire afternoon on Saturday and most of Sunday shopping AND replenishing our blood sugar levels. I won’t even try to tell you how simple it was to order and eat those delicious, mouth watering, buttery, drowned in warm Maple syrup, Blueberry waffles at IHOP!

The both of us love to shop at Kirkland’s and always find several things that we simply can’t leave the store without. We both fell in love with these simple, but elegant, enameled and jewel encrusted crosses. I couldn’t decide on which one that I liked the best,

so I got both of them. That was just the simplest thing to do!

Don’t you simply love them?

They were simply irresitable!

Wishing you a simply wonderful weekend from the beautiful Sweetwater Valley in East TN!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We simply love having company!

Au revoir,

Sharing the LOVE

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Isn't this gorgeous? It is a brooch created out of beveled glass and copper foil. The artist is Dari, a blogging friend that I met recently. It was one of MANY GREAT gift items in a "Pay it Forward" giveaway. It amazes me at the generosity that I see every day by so many bloggers. I wouldn't recognize Dari and she wouldn't recognize me if we passed each other on the street because we have never met in person. But, we have befriended each other thru this wide networking world of blogging. And, that's a GOOD THING.

To read more about Dari, she can be found at: http://musingsofaseawitch.blogspot.com/

I found and fell in love with two new blogs yesterday! You know the drill--you stumble upon a new blog and that person tells you about something going on at another one and when you get over there, they are telling you about another blogger that is celebrating an event with a giveaway, and you have to check that out, and soon you are bouncing around trying to remember who it is that is doing what. Well, yesterday, that is what kept happening to me.

First, I found Barb at Bella Vista, http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com/ who is celebrating her 6 months Blogging Anniversary with a huge giveaway and I certainly had to share that with all you bloggers. Then I found out that she was hosting a Rooster Party on August 28th and I sure had to share that! Now, I've heard of hen parties but never Rooster Parties, so I had to see if there was a rooster in the henhouse. After reading the preliminaries on that event, I knew that I wanted to join in on that fun and I had to share that with all of you.

Then, last night I stumbled upon another celebration. Melissa from Melissa's Heart & Home is having a birthday BUT she is giving the presents instead of receiving them....go figure! And not ONE but TWO separate gift boxes are being given away--HOW GENEROUS IS THAT? Well, I certainly had to wish Melissa a very happy birthday. And, now I want to share her giveaway with all of you too, so mosey on over there and see what her celebration is all about: http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/ Be sure to tell her that I sent you.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Now, it's your turn to Share the Love!

Au revoir,

Bella Vista Anniversary

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Great News to Share!! Barb at Bella Vista is celebrating her 6 months Blogging Anniversary on AUGUST 8th with a VERY GENEROUS "to die for" giveway. My description of the things that she is parting with will not do them justice, so go over and check them out, sign up for the give-way, and enjoy a time of reading her blog and looking at her beautiful Florida home and its' BELLA VISTA views! I know you are going to love them!

http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com/



Be sure to tell her that I sent you! I'm going back over to sign up....better hurry!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

Le Figaro

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Lorrie.....THANK YOU so much for taking the time out of your trip to Paris to get this French newspaper for me! AND the postcard, AND the orientation map of the Estate of Versailles. I can’t wait to finish my half bath as I plan on RE-cycling those items in a decorating project for that room. It will be so FRENCH AND, it will always remind me of you!

I will also be RE-cycling that beautiful ribbon that you used to tie everything up so neatly!

To see pictures and read more about Lorrie's trip to Europe and also of her beautiful home and garden in Victoria, BC Canada, try some of her delicious recipes and see some of her fabulous creations, you can visit her at http://fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com/. You will be happy that you did! Be sure to tell her that I sent you over.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

An Apple A Day...

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

This post is dedicated to Ana, from "A Petite Cottage", http://apetitecottage.blogspot.com/who said that she has never heard of Apple Butter or Apple Jelly. I hope someday that she will have the opportunity to taste it. I love trying new recipes and have found some great ones that you fellow bloggers have shared!

Apple Preparation:

Wash, quarter, and core 10 cups of apples and place in a pan, covered with enough water to come up to about an inch over the apples. Boil on medium high heat until the apples are tender. During the cooking process, occasionally mash the apples to separate the skin from the pulp.

When the apples are fully cooked, remove from heat, let cool and pour thru a sieve to separate the juice from the pulp. The juice will be used to for making the Apple Jelly, according to the recipe included in the Sure-Jel or Jel-Ease fruit pectin box--why try to re-invent the wheel?

Press the apple pulp thru a colander or fruit press to separate the skin. This mixture is the applesauce that will be used to make the Apple Butter.

Apple Butter

8 cups applesauce from above preparation
4 cups white sugar
4 t. cinnamon
¼ t. cloves
¼ t. salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 hours or until thick and golden in color. Fill small sterilized jelly jars with the hot apple butter, leaving about ¾ inch headspace at the top. This recipe will make approximately 4 pints.

This is my all time favorite thing to slather on hot buttered toast. I like to dot my sliced bread with butter, put in a toaster oven until the butter is melted and the bread is golden brown. Then, load the toast down with the apple butter and YUM-O.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir and Bon Appetit,