BDayBen and GrannyFinds

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben is my Grandlove and turns 4 today~

He's Grumpy Ben today because he had to get up at 5:45 this morning to get ready to go back to his Mommy's.

Oh Happy Dance Day to you lil man!

We will have another party on Sat. when his cousins will be here.

Just 2 years ago, he still fit in my 6 gallon Red Wing Crock.

Yesterday, he got his little butt stuck in it, feet and face upward!

It's no longer his favorite hiding place. How quickly these little ones grow, learn and know everything, of course.

As for that trip to Michigan this past weekend, I promised to show you a few of my fun finds from the tag sales.

On our way there, however, we passed miles and miles of these tall, erect plants that seemed to have a purpleish stem and some kind of seed heads. The roadsides were loaded with them as if they had been planted there for passer-by enjoyment. I finally couldn't stand it anymore, and asked Darcie to pull over for pictures. Well, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.....thistle, JUST thistles. Miles and miles of thistle going to seed. Mercy, me.

Cher wanted me to give her this cute little stool. I said I'd trade her for Her find of the day. It was a 6 gal. crock like the one Ben is hiding in, only full of cracks. There was a half-price sign off $60 as it sat outside of a shop. Her hubby drove around the block, just to see...she dickers the $30. tag down to $15...well, goodness gracious., it had cracks, lots of them, and she wanted to use it for saurkraut. Now she could only use it for a planter...WHAT a deal she got~~the stool is still mine.

I fell in love with these cute little bunnies. I'm already using them to root German Ivy for my garden.

There's always room for Bling Things.

My favorite? All of them!

Gold braided tiebacks for my living room window~all highly embellished with beading and tassles

Rod Iron and Wood makes a cute little trinket shelf

A Pocket Shelf complete with it's key is cute as ever hanging among my Grandlove Wall...soon

(apology~the color was off on my candid shot~~this heart is actually ivory like the bench above)

On the way down the road, there is this awesome site! A tree, growing out of the rock known as the Split Rock, along Hwy.2,

along our way to Alpha, MI, a very patriotic little town on the border of

Michigan and Wisconsin. It's where the

Porter School Farmers Market and Shops are.

I love to see these old schools and outer buildings re-used instead of demolished. Today, the old Gustafson IGA Grocery store is being torn down to make a parking lot for the papermill...progress stinks sometimes. I wish I had the capital to save every one of them. I cried when our Fifield School was torn down. What a shameful thing, and now the Lincoln Jr. High which used to be the High School in town has been turned into an apartment building. At least it's getting re-used. No more graduations like mine will be held there. Progress!

Back at the old Porter School still stands the old gymnasium and scoreboard. You can almost hear the echos of cheers and song going on across the wooden floor and behind the stadium curtains.

Go Alpha Eagles!

The daily functioning library still has a map of the Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes hanging on the wall.

Books line the shelves and even FREE Reading to take home.

The rest of the classrooms are now filled with little gift shops and the kitchen is still active with meals served in the cafeteria.

Old Glory hangs on a hallway storage door with 50 stars. This proud little town has flags on every lamp post, flags painted on it's buildings and reminding us all of how blessed we are to have our freedom.

Without God and our troops, we would not be so fortunate.

A banner of another kind hangs on my sisters door. Someday, I hope to find one just like it. hkuum.......I already have a 48 star flag,

and I wouldn't mind a fountain like this to display my flowers each year. Hmmm, I do know how to work with concrete...hmmmm

I hope you enjoyed this little morning jaunt.

Have a wonderful day. Sy and I will be going to the Farmers Market in town and then to Grandma O's to pick berries.

Stay safe and cool and

BlessYourHeart