red, white and blue

I am loving all the red, white and blue

 I'm seeing everywhere these days...

We're just beginning to hear a few firecrackers

in the neighborhood also.

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Steamy reading

for Steamy temperatures...

I just had to see for myself what all the talk was about?

(ps. My new Ninja blender is a keeper! $39.99 at WalMart.

It whips up a fruit smoothie in seconds.)

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Wednesday

What's your favorite day of the week?

I just wish it didn't go by so quickly...

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market square

I'm calling this crocheted bag the French Market Bag...

It will go perfectly with a summer dress, sandals and straw hat

while shopping at the market square.

Be sure to bring along a romance novel to read when it's time for a break...

and a cappucino.

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this is just a test...

Honestly...

someone should hire me to test market products.

Because as the way it is right now it is costing me money!

 Blender No. 4

I've only just used this new blender once so far...

 It did chop up my ice nicely for this fruit slush

but only after adding more liquid than I prefer.

Clean up looks like it could be easy

but I'll let our chief dishwasher be the judge of that, hee hee.

Tonight I'll give it the true test.

What I bought it for...

frozen margarita's!

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citrus

I'm in a summer state of mind

 so I decided to make some fun summertime napkins

for our dinner table.

Are you thinking oranges and limes?

Did someone say lime?

As in margarita time?

I make the best margaritas...

come on over and I'll make you one.

 We'll enjoy them in one of Mr. b's new patio chairs.

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June 20

It's official!

It's sum sum summertime...

ENJOY

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turn now

This sign certainly demands your attention...

I mean really!

The word rhubarb did it for me.

And yes...

we did TURN NOW...b



Wall Drug

Dakota Maid went on a little road trip this weekend...

of course I told Mr. b it was a Father's Day trip.

But when I pulled out my newest burlap bag he didn't trust me.

Wild Bill loved it when I asked him to model

 my bag at Wall Drug.

It's large enough to be a saddle bag...

Yes, I hauled it all the way up to Mount Rushmore for a photo shoot...

Isn't Mr. b the most patient man you've ever seen?

He held the bag high above his head in order for me to photograph.

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Jump

If you find yourself at the end of the dock...

on a hot day...

there's only one thing to do...

JUMP!

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shop etsy

If you haven't discovered how to shop etsy by now...

you need to!

Like most etsy shops our Dakota Maid shop is always adding new items.

I added this handmade blanket set yesterday.

It would make a beautiful gift.

My Dakota Maid partner finished up a dolly sweater last night...

I hope she lists it.

This bib trio also went into the shop yesterday.

Our sales won't make us wealthy by any means

but they allow us to keep doing what we love to do...

like shopping at our favorite fabric and yarn shops for our supplies.

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For Sale

Are you in the market for a new home?

Do you need bedrooms for a dozen kids?

Or for a dozen relatives that visit too often?

Well, I have the place for you...

(turn on some spooky music here)

This place is like something I've seen in numerous movie thrillers.

Remember the orphanage in Cider House Rules

or the insane asylum in Shutter Island?

We pass this on our way to and from North Dakota

 and I have always wanted to stop for a few pictures.

Here is a little history of it...

In 1864, Mother Gertrude Leupi established a Benedictine monastery for women in Switzerland named Maria Richenbach. Ten years later, five of these Sisters moved to Maryville, Missouri, to minister to German immigrants in the “new country.” Soon after, Bishop Martin Marty, first bishop of Dakota Territory, invited some of them to come to Dakota and help educate the Native Americans. In 1874, these Sisters settled at Zell, SD, where they built their first monastery on a claim of land, as did many pioneer families. Their next move was to Yankton, SD, in the 1880′s to begin a new foundation which they named Sacred Heart Monastery.

This home is in Zell, SD.

 If you're interested zoom in on the realtor sign below and give them a call...
I dare you!

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pot of gold

I wasted valuable time photographing this rainbow

when I should have been looking for the pot of gold

at the end of it.

It was that close and disappeared so quickly.

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It's always a fun time

 when we go to visit the granddaughters.

There was swimming,

the movie Madagascar Three,

a Cold Stone Creamery visit...

and swimming!

Our trip to the grocery store included,,,

well, maybe I better not list our cart items

in case their mother sees this.

She was working and grandma and the girl's were on their own.

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farm fresh

I always look forward to making that first batch of

rhubarb jam in the spring.

I like to save odd jars to share with friends.

It is good on everything...

waffles and pancakes, angel food cake or short cake.

But who doesn't prefer a warm slice of homemade bread?

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projects

I had to sew a button on this zippered pouch before I could show 'n tell...

So you know how one thing always leads to another?

When I got into the green button box...

 I decided it was time to get rid of a few buttons...

(see yesterday's blog post).

Daughter Knit and Pearl and I made ourselves each a cute pouch.

She chose bright colors and like always I go for the browns and rusts.

They both turned out very cute and we learned a few new techniques along the way.

And would you believe that same day we also made a pair of lounge pants, 5 bibs,

a flannel blanket, one very cute journal and two batches of bar soap?

We are like two tornadoes when we get together!

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green

I decided to break up my button collection.

Well...actually it's just buttons that I kept

 from my days in the variety store business.

I am keeping a small amount for my projects...

pouches and bags, knitted sweaters, sewing projects, etc.

Or a game or two of

'Button, Button, Who's got the Button?'

And one of these days the granddaughters

will be old enough to sit down with Grandma

and just sew on pretty buttons.

So be sure to check out our buttons in

Dakota Maid's attic treasures.

 I'll be adding more colors soon.

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the perfect grandma

I'm enjoying this book...

by Bryna Nelson Paston

She says becoming a grandmother is not one of life's free choices.
 You can pick your pet, your alma mater, and your spouse,
 but when and where you become a grandma is entirely up to your kids.
 Being a grandma, though, is as close as you may ever get to perfection...
so learn the rules.


It's a very funny take on parents and grandparents.

I got my flower pots and small garden planted,

after I received permission from our neighbor...

(you know the one that sprays chemicals on his weeds on a daily basis.)

I told myself I was cutting back on flowers this year?

But I always lose all sense and self-control

when I step into a greenhouse.

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Monday morning

Monday mornings are for catching up on the weekend gossip...

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serenity

My roses love this cool wet spring weather....

and so do I.

b