~Yesterday Once More~

~Bread Boards a Plenty~

2012-01-26T19:28:00.000-06:00

I have recently developed a new obsession with early bread boards. There is just something about them that really appeals to me. I love to see the wear on them and the marks left from years of use. Their worn color is so warm and inviting.

I recently found an antique store where bread boards are plentiful. The name of the store is American Harvest Antiques and it is located in Paducah, Kentucky which is only about an hour away from where we live. I have been able to add several bread boards to my collection in the last few months, so I though I would share them with you.

These two bread boards are being used to hide electrical plugs in the kitchen. I think they really add to my display of vintage and early kitchen utensils.

I have also started a stack of bread boards on the top of the primitive corner cabinet in the keeping room. I really like how they look grouped together and there is plenty of room for more! = )

Obviously, this is not a bread board, but I wanted to share a picture of the early table that I found at American Harvest this past weekend. I love the wear that it has on it and it fits perfectly at the end of the sofa in the basement living room.

I placed this collection of bread boards on the top of the Hoosier cabinet that is in the keeping room. The bread board in the back is painted brown and it is a lap board.

This round bread board with black trim in sitting on an easel on the kitchen counter. I love how the light from the candle reflects on the wood.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I have also started a pinterst page. You can visit it by clicking ~here~.

"Acorns were good until bread was found."

~Francis Bacon~

All My Best,

~Dan~

~And The Winner is...~

2012-01-24T19:33:00.000-06:00

I am here to announce the winner of my two year anniversary giveaway. The winner of this giveaway will win a free one year subscription to A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine.

I would like to thank everyone who entered and for all the support all of you have shown me during the past two years. I look forward to many more years of blogging.

Jeff picked the winner from a basket full of entries. All complaints can be directed to him. His email address is available upon request...LOL! = )

So, without further ado, here is the winning entry:

Good morning Dan and congratulations on two years. I remember your first post! We met on the Country Sampler forum-look where you are now kiddo.

I'd love to be entered in this fantastic giveaway, although looking at the number of entries-chances are slim, but I'm going for it!

1. I have been a follower.

2. I'm commenting here.

3. I posted this at the very top of my blog sidebar!

4. I am a subscriber of the magazine from the start...but would love to get another year!

Blessings,

Karen

That is right, the winner of the one year subscription to A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine is Karen from My Colonial Home. Congratulations Karen! Please email me with you address and I will get your subscription ordered.

"Love is a game that two can play and both win."

~Eva Gabor~

All My Best,

~Dan~

~My Miracle~

2012-01-22T17:34:00.000-06:00

~Before I start this post, I want to say that these pictures are five years old. This accident did not happen recently, and I am fine!~

Five years ago, on January 23, 2007, I was driving home from school. I was running late because I had to make a phone call before I left school. I was going home to get Parker to take her to the vet. We had just gotten Parker a month before and she needed to go to the vet for some reason that I cannot remember.

We lived in a different house back then and the road that we took to get to our house was very busy and people drove really fast. We had to come to a complete stop on this road, if an oncoming car was coming, before we could turn onto the road we lived on.

The road started out as a four lane road and then when it got closer to our turn off, it turned into a two lane road. As I was driving home, I got behind a PT Cruiser that seemed to being going slow. Since I was still on the part of the road that was four lanes, I decided to pass the car.

When I got to our turn, there was oncoming traffic coming, so I had to come to a complete stop. While I was sitting there, I looked in my mirror and saw the PT Cruiser coming from behind me and it was going very fast. I knew there was no way that it could stop and I still could not turn. The PT Cruiser was going at least 55 mph. I thought to myself, "It will be okay. I have been rear ended before, and it isn't so bad." About that time, the car hit me. I don't know if the driver ever saw me. If she did, it was right before impact and she may have swerved a little. As soon as the car hit me, my car flew forward into the oncoming traffic. I noticed that I was screaming and I thought to myself, "Why are you screaming?". Somehow, I managed to turn my car and get out of the other lane. I was told later that one of the oncoming cars hit me, but I do not remember that.

I then looked to the right and saw the car that had hit me coming up the side of my car. I noticed that the PT Cruiser's air bag had gone off. I remember thinking how glad I was that mine didn't go off. It would have scared me to death. Isn't it funny the things that run through your mind?

It seemed before we even came to a complete stop, people were running at my car with fire extinguishers. I just sat there in a daze looking around the car and thinking about how I was going to have to get the car fixed. I then noticed that there was dog food all over the place. I could not imagine why. Then I remembered that we had bought a bag of dog food and it was in the back of the car. The bag had exploded on impact and was everywhere. I picked up my phone and called Jeff. When he answered, I said, "I need you, I have been in a car accident." I then heard sirens coming and people were everywhere asking me if I was okay. My head hurt, but I seemed okay. I got out of the car and I was amazed by what I saw. Take a look.

I could not believe my eyes. The car was totalled! I just stood on the side of the road and watched as they dragged the lady out of the PT Cruiser. She was in her mid eighties and was not in good shape. The ambulance wanted to take me to the hospital, but I refused to go. I said I was okay and miraculously, I was.

In the days that followed, I thought about life and how short it is. I thought about how blessed I was that I walked away from that accident. I thought about all the things I had worried about that day and how in the moments after the accident they were not important anymore. All I wanted to do was to go home and see Parker and be with Jeff. I thought about all the things I wanted to accomplish in life and I decided then and there that I was going to do them or at least try to do them.

The most important thing I learned was that your life can change in the blink of an eye and you should always be ready to go. You should always make sure that your family knows you love them and know that you lived your life the best way you knew how.

I am so thankful that five years later, I am sitting here sharing this story with you. Things could have worked out very differently had God not been watching over me that day. I will never forget that day and I will always try to be grateful for every single day I am given.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on Facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"We couldn't conceive of a miracle if non had ever happened."

~Libbie Fudim~

All My Best,

~Dan~

~Decking the Hall...Well, Not Quite~

2012-01-18T20:34:00.000-06:00

Whenever a new year rolls around, I am always looking for a new project. It helps to take away the winter blues and helps make the house look more cheerful.

I have been wanting to put some wainscoting in the hall going to the master bedroom for a long time. After we put it in the dining room, I loved it so much and I thought it would look great going down the hall. The hall going to the master bedroom is long and kind of boring. I thought that the wainscoting would jazz it up a bit (did I just say jazz it up a bit? Well, you know what I mean!)

So, last weekend with the help of my BFF, Jerrah's, husband, Jason, we started the project. It went very smoothly. Actually, Jason did most of the work and I talked to Jerrah! = ) We did have to run to Menards a couple of times due to the fact that Jeff and I are not too handy with the tape measure, but we finally ended up with enough wood and Jason did his magic.

Here is the finished product!

I painted the wainscoting the same color as the trim and doors. The paint color is called cornucopia. It is a Martha Stewart Living paint color and is available at Home Depot. The top of the walls are painted sisal, which is also a Martha Stewart Living paint color.

I looked for before pictures, but I could not find any. I guess most of us do not take a lot of pictures of the hall. Just imagine the walls being completely sisal and the baseboard and doors being cornucopia. It looked okay, but it was a little boring. I also need to hang something on the long wall, but I will eventually get to that.

I really love how it turned out. I think it looks so Colonial and you know you can't go wrong with that.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too. Also, don't forget to enter for a free one year subscription to A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine. For details, look at the posted dated January 16, 2012.

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.~

All My Best,

~Dan~

~Two Years and Still Going & A Giveaway~

2012-01-16T16:52:00.008-06:00

Two years ago today, I sat at this computer looking at a blank screen trying to think of something important to say for my very first blog post. I had been wanting to start a blog for a long time, but never had the courage to do it. Finally, on Saturday, January 16, 2010 I decided to go for it. My first post was very short and I really didn't say much, but I was amazed at the response I got. I never thought anyone would want to hear what I had to say, but I was wrong. Everybody welcomed me into blogland with open arms and made me feel like I did have something important to share.

I really never thought that two years down the road, I would still be doing this and I never dreamed of the places a blog would take me. I have met so many wonderful people because of this blog. I have been given so many fantastic opportunities because of this blog. Opportunities that I never dreamed would come true. I have read each of your comments and emails and they have all made me feel very good. It has been a great joy to get to know all of you and to welcome you into my life.

At first, I was fearful that people would not accept me, but it has been the opposite. You have not only accepted me, you have accepted my family. You have shared in my joys and you have comforted me in times of sadness and illness (who could forget the kidney stone chronicles).

I decided to take a few minutes today and share with you my top three most popular posts during the last two years. The most popular post with 1,252 views was the blog post entitled ~Where's Dan~. The second most popular post with 788 views was the blog post entitled ~Country Sampler Photos~. The third most popular post with 483 views was the blog post entitled ~Colleen's Salt Dough Bowl Fillers~. I welcome you to click on the title of each of these post and view them again.

I truly can never repay all of you for your kindness and generosity. You have given me far more joy than I could possibly have given you. However, to celebrate two years of blogging, I am hosting a giveaway. Here is what the lucky winner will receive.

You will receive a free year subscription to the best primitive magazine on the market. In case you do not know which magazine I am talking about it is A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine. If you already have a subscription, you can still enter. Your subscription will be extended for another year for free. I wish I could give all of you a free subscription, but I cannot do that, so here are the rules for entering the giveaway.

1. You must be a follower of my blog.

2. You must leave a comment on this post saying you would like to be entered. (1 entry)

3. If you share about the giveaway on your blog, you will receive a second chance to win. (2 entries)

If you do share the giveaway on your blog, please let me know so that I will be sure to enter you twice.

The deadline to enter is Monday, January 23, 2012. I will announce the winner sometime on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"Yesterday is experience. Tomorrow is hope. Today is getting from one to the other as best we can."

~John M. Henry~

Here's to many more years of blogging!

~Dan~

~Very Special Gifts From a Very Special Mother~

2012-01-10T19:45:00.003-06:00

Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mom has always made my two brothers and me a "special gift". This is a gift that she has made and usually signifies something important that has happened to us.

As more people have entered or been born into our family, she has continued this tradition and began make more special gifts. It is always the last gift that we open on Christmas and everyone is always anxious to see what she made them and what she made for everyone else.

I have to say, that my mom is truly one of the most talented people that I know. She can do anything that she sets her mind to. I like to think that I take after her at least a little bit. = ) I am so proud of her and all that she can do. She pours her heart and soul into these gifts and it is apparent to everyone.

This year, her special gift to Jeff was a picture of the Ps x 3 that she matted and framed. She drew these pictures from a picture but they are done free handed. She did not trace them.

I think she captured all three of them perfectly. They are three of the most precious angels to ever wear fur and we will cherish these pictures forever.

My special gift was a quilt she made. It is in the school colors of the university that I attended. The middle of the quilt has the mascot of the school along with the dates that I graduated. I received my bachelor's degree in 1995 and my master's degree in 2006.

I cover up with it every night when we watch TV and it always makes me think of my mom and how special she is to all of us.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness."
~Honore de Balzac~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~These Are a Few of My Favorite Things~

2012-01-08T15:15:00.010-06:00

There has not been a whole lot going on around here, so I thought this would be a good time to share some of my favorite things with everyone. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Old baskets and old books

My door box

Electric candles

Pineapples

Birdhouses

Newer baskets that look old

Firkins

Crocks

Sifters

Jade-ite

Anything made by folk artist Johanna Parker

Butter molds, pie plates, and wooden spoons

Yellow ware

Breadboards

Wooden mashers

Candle molds and wooden bowls

Samplers

Vintage children books

Ironstone

Vintage Fiesta

Tin lamps

Hooked rugs

Cow creamers

So, tell me...what are some of your favorite things?

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"My favorite thing is to be alone in a room with a blank paper in front of me and the time to fill it."
~Dirk Benedict~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Family Pictures~

2012-01-06T18:46:00.005-06:00

Every Christmas we take family pictures to include in our Christmas cards. Some years it is just the Ps and other years it is all of us. This year, we decided that the entire family would be included in the picture. So, a couple of weekends before Christmas our friend, Jerrah, came over to help us take our family pictures.

I had lots of cute ideas for the picture, but when you are dealing with two adults and three puppies, it is hard to achieve the look you are going for. We took about fifty pictures that evening. Here is a small sampling of some of the pictures that were worth sharing.

This one of Paycee was the first picture we took that evening. As you can see, she was not too excited about the whole photo shoot thing.

I love this picture of the Ps. They look so sweet and innocent. From left to right they are Peyton (boy), Paycee (girl), and Parker (girl).

This was the very last picture we took that evening. It ended up being the one that we chose to use in our Christmas card. As you can see, Paycee had the same attitude during number 50 as she did during number 1. = )

I am pretty happy with the way that most of the pictures turned out. Maybe I will be able to impliment my cute ideas next year, but I doubt it!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you as you are to them."
~Desmond Tutu~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~How to Dry a Pineapple~

2012-01-03T15:04:00.003-06:00

I had so many people asking me how I dried my pineapples that I thought I should do I post about it. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the process, so you will just have to rely on my words. = )

I am not an expert on drying pineapples. I have read about drying them on the internet and on facebook. It always seemed too complicated to me, so I was afraid to try it. I decided since I was on Christmas break and I had some pineapples left over from Christmas decorating, it wouldn't hurt to try.

This is what I did.

I got a larger knife and cutting board. I cut the top off of the pineapple. I would say that I went an inch to an inch and a half below the plumes (I think that is what they are called...LOL!).

Then I cut around the inside of the pineapple getting as close to the edge as I could. I then cut into the middle of the fruit to loosen it up. I made several cuts to make it easier to empty the pineapple out. Once I got it loosened up I used my hands to pull the fruit out. I tried not to use my hands at first, but found that that was the easiest way to do it.

I emptied the pineapple out just like you would empty a pumpkin out that you were going to carve. The bottom of the pineapple was the hardest to get emptied out. You just have to keep at it. I also hollowed out the top portion that I cut off. All in all, I would say it took about ten minutes to hollow the pineapple out. It is pretty messy and sticking too. = )

After the pineapple was cleaned out, I took a paper towel and used it to get more of the juice out of the pineapple. When I felt I had gotten all the juice out that I could, I stuffed the pineapple with paper towels. I stuffed it all the way to the top, pushing the paper towels down so that I could get as many in as possible. The paper towels will absorb the juices as the pineapple dries.

I placed both pieces of the pineapple on a baking sheet and placed them in the oven at 185 degrees. I read that it would take 10 hours for the pineapple to dry. It was more like 13 to 14 for me. The top was finished first so I took it out before the bottom. For the last hour or so, I took the paper towels out of the pineapple and let it dry some more. I mostly went my feel and sight to tell if it was dry enough. I just dried mine two days ago, so I do not know how they will hold up. If you have any other questions, let me know and I will try to answer them.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

Did you know that...

Pineapples take about 18 months to grow?

All My Best,
~Dan~

~New Year, New Look~

2012-01-02T11:57:00.005-06:00

Whenever we take our Christmas decorations down, the house seems so empty. Of course, this is a perfect excuse for me to start rearranging things. Here are a few of the areas that have received the "After Christmas" treatment.

The table next to the front door received a new look. I added an early breadboard to the back of the table and added an antique basket. I placed it on a stack of vintage books to give it some height. I also added a black primitive tool box that I recently found.

The door box also received a new look. I took out the Christmas greens and replaced them with twigs from the yard. I added more berries and left the natural pineapple in the box.

The basement mantle got a new look too. I took down the window that was usually on the mantle and replaced it with another early breadboard. I placed a sampler in front of the breadboard. I attached tin sconces on each side of the breadboard using nail less hooks. I then placed two antique baskets on either side of the mantle.

The dining room mantle also got some attention. I changed the basket in the middle of the mantle and placed two antique candle molds in front of the wooden bowls. I added gourds to the strings of cranberries and green beans that were already there. I am not sure about the gourds. I may change them.

I received the book, Passion for Primitives by Franklin & Esther Schmidt for Christmas. It is a great book with lots of wonderful pictures and ideas. I saw this idea in the book and just had to try it. I took and old rake and used jute to tie vintage kitchen tools on it. I like how it looks and it mixes primitive with vintage very nicely.

I also dried a pineapple and added it to the wooden bowl that sits on the coffee table in the keeping room. I added some dried oranges to the bowl to give it more interest.

So, what do you think?

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
~Oprah Winfrey~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Collection of Samplers & New Year Wishes~

2011-12-30T15:15:00.007-06:00

I thought it would be fun to share some of the cross stitched samplers that I have made this year. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of all of the samplers I have made. This is just a small sampling of them.

I started cross stitching in August. I had never really cross stitched before. I did make two little ornaments when I was in junior high that were cross stitched, but that was it.

All of my samplers are original. They are hand drawn by me on graph paper and then stitched. I then tea stain my samplers to give them an aged look. Just looking at the few pictures I have taken, I can see that I have gotten better with each sampler. I guess that is true of anything we do. The more we do, the better we get.

Most of my samplers have been made as gifts so I only have a few for myself. I keep saying I am going to make some for me, but I haven't done it yet. Take a look at my samplers and let me know what you think.

Which is your favorite?

I also wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I hope that 2012 is one of the best years yet and that you find complete happiness, contentment, and peace in the new year!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
~Benjamin Franklin~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Images of Christmas 2011~

2011-12-28T13:21:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It has been a busy time here at Yesterday Once More, but I wanted to stop in and share some of my favorite images from Christmas 2011!

I was so happy with the way our door box turned out this year!

I also loved how the door looked as people entered the house.

I came up with a new way to display our Christmas cards this year using jute.

This is the dining room table all set for our Christmas Eve dinner.

I designed and stitched everyone a cross stitched ornament this year. I used the ornaments as place cards.

I set the table using my snowman dishes, scarlet Fiesta, and shamrock Fiesta.

I really love how the centerpiece turned out this year. I thought it looked really Colonial.

This is my niece Katie all dressed up after Christmas Eve mass.

This is Katie and Jake blowing out the candles on baby Jesus' birthday cake.

I filled a lot of spaces with natural greenery that Jeff cut for me.

These last two pictures show how Jeff and the Ps felt after all of the merry making! = )

I hope you enjoyed seeing some images from our Christmas celebrations. I hope that you found yourself enjoying the company of all of the people you love and that you had a chance to reflect on Christmases past and on the true meaning of the season.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Do not forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"The moment after Christmas every child thinks of his birthday." ~Stephen Uys~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Cooking Up Some Christmas in the Kitchen~

2011-12-17T13:23:00.007-06:00

Today I am going to share pictures with you of our kitchen and keeping room decorated for Christmas. I am really happy with the way it turned out. So, take a look around and I will tell you what I did.

This is the view of the kitchen that can be seen from the dining room.

This is the wall that is on the left side as you enter the kitchen from the dining room. I display some of my vintage Fiesta in the glass covered cabinets. I have recently started collecting early breadboards and you can see two of my latest finds on the top of the cabinets behind the brown beehive crocks.

Here is a closer picture of the tree in the kitchen. Jeff and I made everything on this tree with the exception of the snowman on top. We dried oranges and apples. We strung cranberries and popcorn. We made the gingerbread men out of salt dough, painted them, and then dipped them into wax.

Here are two closer pictures of the breadboards. I am really getting into the wooden kitchen items.

Here is some more of my wooded kitchen items displayed on the stove board. I recently purchased the large yellow ware bowl for $11.00!

I displayed my butter paddles in the window. I used to only have them displayed on the bottom and then I decided to display them on the top too.

I made this little greenery for the window with some old garland that I had. I cut pieces of the garland off and then tied it together with a piece of ribbon that I tea stained.

This is a view of the workspace in the kitchen.

This is a view of the keeping room. You can see one of Jeff's ceramic Christmas trees behind the sofa. The cute girl on the sofa is Parker.

This is the other side of the keeping room.

I rearranged the corner cabinet to display some more of my wooden items.

I displayed some more of my breadboards on the top of the Hoosier. The brown breadboard is actually a lapboard that was originally painted brown.

Here is a closer picture of the breadboards.

I have also recently started collecting wooden bowls. I have one displayed on the coffee table with dried oranges in it.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our kitchen decorated for Christmas.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."
~Dale Evans~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~An Outdoors Christmas~

2011-12-12T21:15:00.004-06:00

I apologize for my long absence. I have been busy working on the spring 2012 issue of A Primitive Place & Country Journal. I love working for the best primitive magazine on the market and one of my most favorite things is that we work a season ahead. So, even though the weather is cold and will get colder, I have already been basking in the warm sun of spring. Take my word for it, the spring issue is going to be wonderful!

Anyway, I thought I would show how we decorated the outside of our house this year. Take a look at the pictures, and I will tell you what we have done.

This is what you see when you walk up the sidewalk. The greenery around the door is a natural greenery garland that we picked up at Kroger. I love how it looks around the door.

I filled the door box with greenery that Jeff cut off of some of our evergreens. The pineapple is real. The berries are artificial. When we were outside doing the door box, I asked Jeff, "What do you think the neighbors think of us? They probably think we are crazy!"...LOL! Oh well, it gives them plenty to talk about. I love how the door box turned out. It was exactly what I had pictured in my mind.

I also put a little greenery on the porch of the log cabin that sits on our front porch.

I added some greenery to a barrel that we had and some to a sled that belonged to my brothers and me when we were young. I could not find burlap ribbon, so I bought burlap and cut it into strips to make my own ribbon.

I also put burlap ribbon on the wreaths that hang on the windows.

This is what the house looks like from the road. Now all we need is a little snow!

All and all, I am very happy with the way the outside of the house turned out. What do you think?

I promise to return soon with more pictures of the inside of our house decorated for Christmas.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Christmas is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
~Dale Evans~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Christmas...The Dining Experience~

2011-11-27T18:18:00.006-06:00

Today I thought I would show you the dining room all decorated for Christmas. Again, I tried to achieve a more simple look. I wanted touches of Christmas without it taking over the room. I hope that I achieved that.

Take a look around and I will show you what I did.

I still need to fill the box on the dining room table. I want to fill it with natural greenery and fruit, so I am going to wait until a little closer to Christmas. I will post pictures when I do it.

The greenery on the mantle is artificial. I got it at The Olde Homestead in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. The fruit is wax. I pick it up at Wal-Mart. The Santas came from The Cranberry Merchant in Carterville, Illinois. I strung the green beans last spring and Jeff strung the cranberries for me.

I had the felt white stocking, so I decided to tea stain them. Then I filled them with some twig greenery and added to candy canes that were made from pipe cleaners and then tea stained.

I made the greenery on the French door that leads to the music room from some old greenery I had. I tea stained the ribbon and tied it into a bow.

Each of the French doors leading to the keeping room, have one of these stockings on them. I had plain white cotton stockings, so I tea stained them and then added twig greenery. They are attached with a suction cup which is hidden by the greenery.

Jeff decorated this tree with his vintage glass ornaments. He always does such a good job placing the ornaments on the trees. Jeff decorates all of our trees.

I got this reproduction feather tree at Simple Country Treasures in Lebanon, Illinois. We put some vintage glass ornaments and some vintage candy ornaments that Jeff has collected over the years.

These folk art Santas were designed by folk artisit, Johanna Parker. I love them!

I designed and stitched the Christmas sampler that is next to the tree.

I like how the dining room turned out, how about you?

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Christmas is doing something extra for someone."
~Charles Schulz~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Is Christmas Child's Play?~

2011-11-25T17:36:00.008-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a very nice day at home and then went to my parent's house for dinner. We will be with Jeff's family tomorrow.

It was such a nice day today that Jeff and I decorated the outside of our house for Christmas. We are not quite finished, but when we do, I will be sure and share some pictures with you.

In the meantime, I am going to show you some pictures of our guest room all decorated for Christmas. We decorated this room with children items and it is the room that our nieces and nephews play in when they come over. So, have a look around and I will explain what I did.

I recently bought this handmade Santa at Arnett's Country Store which is located in West Frankfort, Illinois. Stacee Droit makes wonderful Santas and other wonderful creations too. I place my Santa on the bed. I really like how he looks in the room

I placed greenery in different places in the room to give it a Christmas feel without taking over the space.

I also but a candle and some greenery on the windowsill. I made the little greenery window decoration by cutting pieces from some garland I had and then tied them together with a piece of ribbon that I tea stained.

I placed a little handmade snowman that I have had for years in the baby crib at the foot of the bed.

I also decorated the little hutch that is in the room with some greenery and some newer Christmas books that we have collected.

I bought these sconces at Arnett's Country Store also.

I cross stitched the tree sampler this past summer and my mom help me make it into a pillow.

Jeff hung some of his miniture Hallmark ornaments on a little Hallmark tree we had. I am going to wrap the base in burlap, but I have not had a chance to do it yet.

This is my collection of vintage Christmas children books.

I also decorated the little table that sits in the middle of the room. It has my ironstone tea set on it. I placed a vintage Christmas table cloth on the table and added a pair of Christmas salt and pepper shakers.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our guest bedroom. I would love to know what you think.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
~Norman Vincent Peale~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Thanksgiving Once More~

2011-11-23T16:34:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us again. This year as just flown by. I think we all start thinking about what we are thankful for this time of year. I thought I would take this opportunity to let all of you know what I am thankful for this year.

Image by www.cherylbartleydesigns.com

I am thankful for Jeff. He supports me 157.5% in everything I do. He is patient, kind, loving, and generous. He always encourages me to go for my dreams and never tries to persuade me to abandon them.

I am thankful for Parker, Peyton, and Paycee. They have filled my life with so much happiness and love. They are always happy to see me and they want nothing more than to be with me and to get and give love.

I am thankful for my parents. I am so blessed to have had parents who have stayed together. Who taught me how to be a good person and to always do my best.

I am thankful for my grandma. She has always been there for me and has taught me to love unconditionally and to have faith in God.

I am thankful for my brother, Andrew, my sister-in-law, Amy, my niece, Katie, and my nephew, Jake. They remind me of the importance of family and of how magical childhood is.

I am thankful for my friends both near and far. They love me and accept me for who I am. They do not try to change me. The celebrate my achievements and support my failures. There are too many to mention, but four friends always come to mind. Jerrah, Diane, Kathy, and Linda M.

I am thankful for my job. I am so blessed to get to work with wonderful children everyday. They have taught me more about life and the importance of the little successes of life than anyone else has.

I am thankful to get to write for A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine. I never thought I would get to take this journey and this road has given me so many wonderful opportunities and has given me the chance to meet many wonderful people and to see inside their fascinating lives.

I am thankful for my beautiful, warm home that I can decorate and that I can make reflect my many passions and my family.

I am thankful for my health and for the health of everybody in my life.

Image by www.thepatterncupboard.com

As you can see, I have many things to be thankful for. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and I can never thank God enough for all He has done for me.

I also wanted to tell you that I wrote a Thanksgiving article for the A Primitive Place magazine facebook page. You can read it by clicking ~Here~. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"True Thanksgiving means that we need to thank God for what He has done for us, and not tell Him what we have done for Him."
~George R. Hendrick~

From our house to yours, we wish you a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving. May you spend the day with the people who you love the most and who love you the most.

All Our Best,
~Dan, Jeff, Parker, Peyton, & Paycee~

~Christmas Comes to the Basement~

2011-11-22T19:26:00.005-06:00

Today I thought I would show you the Christmas decorations that are in the basement. I really tried to not go overboard in the basement. This is where we spend a lot of our time and it is one of the smallest rooms in the house. I did not want the decorations to take over the space.

Take a look around and I will tell you what I did.

We will start with the basement kitchen.

On the cabinet in the eating area, I simply added a little greenery and apples to give it a Christmas look while still maintaining the look of my collections.

On the Hoosier cabinet, I added more greenery and a collection of my favorite snowmen.

Here is a close up of the snowmen. They are all by artist, Dan DiPaolo. I love Dan's work and I especially love his snowmen.

I tried to add a little greenery and a little Christmas to most of the displays.

On the table, I displayed a small Christmas tree in a firkin. I decorated the tree with wooden candy canes and salt dough candy canes.

I added a primitive stocking to the tobacco basket that hangs in the dining area.

On the island, I filled an old wooden tool box with Christmas greens and added a pineapple.

I added my collection of vintage bottle brush Christmas trees and a little greenery to the top of the boxes that are stacked in the kitchen.

Now, let's move to the family room.

I placed a twig tree in an old crock. It sits in front of the old door that I found in the chicken coop this past spring.

The rest of the pictures are just some little touches that I added to some other displays that are in the basement family room.

One last picture of the mantle. I do love how it turned out!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Christmas in the Master Bedroom~

2011-11-21T18:16:00.004-06:00

For as long as I have know Jeff, he has been begging me to decorate the master bedroom for Christmas. I have always been a bit of a Scrooge about it. I just never felt like the bedroom was the place for Christmas decorations. You don't have to tell me, I know I was wrong...LOL!

Well, this year I decided to decorate the master bedroom for Christmas. I am so glad that I did and I think it turned out really well. So, have a look around and I will tell you what I did.

In this picture, you can see two of my latest and most favorite finds. I recently got the Johnston Benchworks settle and I could not be happier with it. It replaced the couch that Paycee got a little carried away with. I also purchased some new bedding. It is Family Heirloom Weavers. I bought it online from Circa Home Living. Both of these new items took the master bedroom to a new level and helped me acheive the look that I was striving for.

I should have moved the Ps basket of toys before I took this picture, but it is their bedroom too.

I moved the Johnston Benchworks chair from the music room into the master bedroom sitting area. The stockings on the old ladder were made by my mom. They have all of our names on them. Hopefully, one day soon, Paycee will have one too!

I placed a small twig tree in a firkin and decorated it simply with candy canes and a tin star.

I filled the wooden box on the coffee table with artificial Christmas greens and wax oranges.

Both of these pillows were designed by a very dear friend of mine, folk artist, Kathy Parker. Both of these pillows can be found on the Primitives by Kathy website.

So, let me know what you think. I don't know why I waited so long to decorate the master bedroom for Christmas. I love it and we are really enjoying it.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads."
~Clement Clark Moore~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Simple Christmas Mantle~

2011-11-20T21:03:00.004-06:00

I know that I have been gone for a long time, but Jeff and I have been decorating for Christmas and with everything else going on, I have not had time to blog. I am finally ready to start showing you what we have been doing. I decided this year that I wanted a more simple look. We started decorating on November 6th and I am still putting on the finishing touches. Who knew being simple would take so long...LOL!

The first area of the house I would like to show you is the basement mantle. So, take a look and I will explain what I did.

We strung some garland for the mantle. The shorter garland is sweet potatoes that I strung when I was recovering from kidney stones this past spring. The longer garland is cranberries that Jeff strung for me.

I decided not to take everything off of the mantle and replace it with Christmas decorations. I decided to just add accents of Christmas. The greenery is artificial and it came from Hobby Lobby. The apples are wax and they came from Wal-Mart.

The stockings came from Arnett's Country Store which is located in West Frankfort, Illinois. Some of you may know of Stacee Droit. She makes wonderful primitives including Santas that are absolutely wonderful. Their Christmas open house was this weekend and when I saw these stockings, I had to have them. When I got them home, I filled them with tissue paper to give them some thickness. I then added some twig garland, a few berries and a pipe cleaner candy cane that Jeff and I made and tea stained this year.

On the hearth, I added a pair a vintage ice skates with some greenery and berries to the child's sled that stays there all year. I also added a folk art Santa to the display.

I also placed our advent box on the mantle. With each day of December, we add an ornament to the feather tree.

I really like how it turned out. I took 83 pictures of our decorations, so be checking back often to see more of our house decorated for Christmas. I hope you will enjoy our Christmas home tour.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year."
~Thomas Tusser~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~ Our House is in A Primitive Place & Country Journal Magazine~

2011-11-13T09:59:00.003-06:00

A week and a half ago, I received a very special package in the mail. It was my staff copy of A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine. Every issue of this magazine is special to me, but this issue is even more special. Our home is one of six homes featured in the magazine! I love how our article turned out. Here is a little sneak peek for those of you who have not received your magazine yet.

That is all that I can show you! I love the title of the article though "Christmas Once More". It is perfect. I cannot thank Kristine Berg Doss, editor, and Jeremy A. Doss, assistant editor, enough for all the hard work they did on our feature. Kristine did a wonderful job with the layout of the article and Jeremy did a great job writing the article. It is a dream come true to see my house featured in a magazine. Especially the best primitive/Colonial magazine on the market. If you do not have a subscription you can order one ~Here~.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too! I will be back soon!

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
~William Arthur Ward~

All My Best.
~Dan~

~Halloween Once More~

2011-10-31T18:49:00.005-05:00

Last night we had two spooky characters arrive at our house looking for treats. Thankfully, we had some treats because these two characters were ready to perform some tricks. = )

Alice in Wonderland (Katie) and Donald Duck (Jake) paid us a visit. As you can see from the picture, "Donald" was having some trouble standing still. I guess he had already had too much candy.

"Alice" was a little more relaxed.

"Donald" is thinking about bolting!

There he goes!

"Alice" is looking at one of the books that we had for our visitors.

There is nothing like two kids visiting to remind us what Halloween is all about!

I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween and that you spend it with the ones you love the most!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"If human beings had genuine courage they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween."
~Doug Coupland~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Wooden Bowls & Candle Molds~

2011-10-24T19:49:00.004-05:00

This past weekend Jeff and I did a little antique shopping and I stumbled across three items that I usually do not see in my neck of the woods.

The first item I found was two wooden bowls. I have been wanting to collect wooden bowls for quite some time, but rarely see them. When I do, they are usually too high for me to buy. I found these two bowls and the price was right, so I snatched them up.

I have been playing with different places to display the bowls. For now, they are on the mantel in the dining room. They are secured to the wall with a teacher's best friend, sticky tack!

I love how they look on the mantle, but you know me, I will probably move them around from time to time. = )

The second item I found was a candle mold. I have been wanting to collect these for quite awhile too, but again the price has been too high. This candle mold was on sale, so I could not resist it.

If you remember, I got the smaller candle mold this summer for $11.00! It is in really bad shape, but I think the two candle molds look great together on the cabinet in the basement kitchen.

So, what do you think???

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"Art is the signature of civilization."
~Beverly Sills~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~An Autumn Sampler Giveaway...The Winners are...~

2011-10-22T10:43:00.003-05:00

I want to thank everyone for entering my giveaway for the two Autumn samplers. I appreciate all your positive comments and compliments on my samplers. My samplers are not perfect, but every single one of them comes from my heart. I wish I was fast enough to make everyone a sampler, but unfortunately my fingers do not work that fast. = )

Everyone who entered received a number. If you posted on your blog or facebook you were given additional numbers. I placed all the numbers in a bowl and Jeff pick two numbers out.

The first person drawn will receive the "Give Thanks" sampler. That person was...

Thank you for the opportunity! I am a follower and will post the giveaway on my blog also.

Blessings & Best,
Jodi from Autumn Comforts

Congratulations Jodi! Please email me at dc11272@hotmail.com and give me your address so I can get your sampler shipped out.

This is the sampler that Jodi won.

The second person drawn will receive the "Autumn Blessings" sampler. That person was...

I love your blog page and I am looking forward to seeing more from you! I will happily share this on my facebook page and with other group sites. Please enter me into your drawing.

Thanks!
Mary Dee

Congratulations Mary! Please email me at dc11272@hotmail.com and give me your address so that I can get your sampler shipped out.

This is the sampler that Mary won.

Thank you again to everyone who entered. Be looking for more of my samplers in the future. I am currently working on some Christmas designs.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Farmhouse Table~

2011-10-17T18:45:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, Jeff is the best guy in the entire world. He is patient, supportive, and generous. He goes along with all my redecorating without complaining and is always willing to pitch in. Even though I am very busy sometimes writing for A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine, stitching, or decorating he never makes me feel guilty and he supports me 157% in everything I do.

He knows how much I love primitive/Colonial decorating and he is always on the look out for a new piece for me to add to my collection. This past week he found a wonderful farmhouse table. He asked me about it and of course I loved it. It is an early birthday present. My birthday isn't until November.

I put the table in the dining area of the basement kitchen. I love it!!!

I had two black chairs that matched, so I put one on either end of the table. I chose to leave the sides open so that the wonderful drawers would show.

The place mats were made by my mom a few years ago.

In the center of the table, I placed a firkin filled with dried grass and placed it on top of a wooded little stool I have to give it some height.

I think it looks great and I cannot thank Jeff enough for being so wonderful to me. I really do not deserve such a wonderful guy to spend my life with.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win one of my Autumn samplers. Look for the post dated October 14th for details. The deadline is Friday, October 21st at midnight. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook too. I would love for you to visit me there.

"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~An Autumn Sampler Giveaway~

2011-10-14T17:48:00.004-05:00

I have decided that it is time to have another giveaway. I have been trying to think about what to give away and I decided to give away two samplers that have been specially made for this giveaway.

Both samplers have been hand drawn and stitched by me. They measure 5x7. They are both in a black frame that was stained, painted a brown red, painted black and then distressed.

There will be two winners of this giveaway. Each person will win one of the Autumn samplers. I guess you would like to see the samplers, so here they are.

The first name drawn will receive the "Give Thanks" sampler.

The second name drawn will receive the "Autumn Blessings" sampler.

Both samplers have been signed and dated by me.

Here is how to enter:

1. Being a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. (1 entry)

2. Post this giveaway on your blog. (2 entries)

3. Post this giveaway on your facebook page. (3 entries)

When you leave me a comment, please make sure you tell me if you will be posting the giveaway on your blog or facebook page so that I can give you the extra entries.

The deadline for the giveaway is Friday, October 21st at midnight! I will post the winner on Saturday, October 21st. Good luck!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Advice is an uncertain gift."
~Whitney Jeffery~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Very Special Birthday~

2011-10-11T19:54:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow, 10/12/11, is a very special day for us. It is my grandma Ruth's 86th birthday!

For those of you who have been following my blog for any time at all, you know that my grandma is very special to me. She has filled my life with so much happiness and laughter. She is truly the funniest person I know. From the day I was born she has showered me with love. She has taught me how to be a better person, how to have faith in God, how to brave any storm, and above all how to love.

My grandma has been through many trials in her life. She was a child during the Depression, she buried a two year old child, raised a daughter with a chronic illness, went through a divorce, battled cancer twice, and buried the love of her life. Through all of these trials she has never lost sight of the true meaning of life. She has endured and continues to strive to live the best life possible.

My grandma always has a smile on her face and she is just as beautiful inside as she is on the outside.

I don't know why I have been so blessed with such a wonderful grandma, but I thank God every single day for placing her in my life.

Please join me in wishing my beautiful grandma a very happy birthday!!!!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"You can never love anyone until you first love yourself."
~Ruth Cutsinger~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~More Pumpkins~

2011-10-09T20:09:00.005-05:00

I have been promising for about a week that I would show some pictures of the outside of our house decorated for fall. Finally, the day has arrived!

This year, I decided to go more simple. I just added touches of fall to the front of the house using some pumpkins that we picked out last weekend when we visited the pumpkin patch. Again, I tried to choose pumpkins that were unique and had a interesting stem. Take a look around and let me know what you think!

I did decorate the porch on the log cabin that sits on our front porch. The log cabin was made by folk artist Rachel Engel.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the outside of our house decorated for fall!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view."
~Harper Lee~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Some New Goodies~

2011-10-08T19:30:00.003-05:00

During the last couple of weekends, Jeff and I have been doing a little shopping. I wanted to share with you some of my latest finds.

This first item, I got today at The Rabbit Patch Cottage which is located in Herrin, Illinois. It is a wool rug. When I got it, I intended to use it on the floor, but then I decided it was too pretty to put on the floor so people could walk on it so I hung it in the music room.

I really like how it looks above the black table!

Last weekend, I got this hooked rug at Simply Country Treasures which is located in Lebanon, Illinois. I hung it in the hall. I love how the border of the rug matches the trim of the doors!

I also have become addicted to these little hanging candles. I got these at Simple Country Treasures too!

So, what do you think?

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Do not forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too!

"One of the secrets to life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks."
~Jack Penn~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Some Pumpkins & Some Special Gifts~

2011-10-04T20:00:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Jeff and I made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins to add to our fall decorations.

It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time picking out our pumpkins. I tried to pick out pumpkins that looked a little different. I did not want them to be great big and I wanted to make sure they had an interesting stem on them. My intention was to use most of them outside, but I loved some of them so much that I decided to display my favorite ones inside.

I have not had a chance to take pictures of the ones outside, but I will soon. So be looking for that post in the near future. Take a look around and let me know what you think.

I created this "pumpkin sculpture" on the crocks that sit on top of the sideboard in the music room.

I love how they look against the black and brown!

Whenever I go in there I cannot help but smile. Isn't that what decorating is suppose to do for us anyway?

I also created this display on the sled in front of the fireplace in the basement. The gourds are artificial. I picked up the pumpkin at the grocery store a few weeks ago to satisfy my urge for natural pumpkins. The Indian corn came from the pumpkin patch.

I displayed these pumpkins on top of some boxes that are stacked in the sun room.

I also found some dried gourds at the pumpkin patch. I displayed them in a basket in the sun room.

I also decided to display some little pumpkins in some cups in the dining room.

I also wanted to share with you some very special gifts I have received lately from some very special friends.

This first gift came from my friend, folk artist, Kathy Parker. Some of her creations are for sale at Primitives by Kathy. I had wanted this pillow for quite some time. When I got on the Primitives by Kathy website. I could not find it. When I told Kathy about it, she told me that it had been retired. I was very disappointed, but Kathy looked around until she found one for me and sent it to me last week. I put "Spooky" in the rocking chair in the sun room. I love how he looks! I cannot thank Kathy enough for sending me this wonderful gift.

I also received some more special gifts from another dear friend of mine, Linda Moczan. A few months ago she sent me this calendar and then yesterday I received another calendar and the little black plaque with the teacher saying on it. I love all of them and cannot thank Linda enough for sending them to me.

I don't know why I have been so blessed with such wonderful friends, but I sure am thankful!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too!

"What I am looking for is a blessing that's not in disguise."
~Kitty O'Neill Collins~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Birthday Celebration!~

2011-09-26T20:08:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my mom's birthday! Jeff and I hosted her birthday dinner. Everyone had a wonderful time. I thought I would share some pictures of the event with you.

The first picture is of the sampler I made for my mom. This is a quote that my grandma said to me once when I was very sad. It has stuck with me throughout the years and has brought me a lot of comfort. I decided to make my mom a sampler of the quote so that she would always remember how wise her mom was.

I drew it out on graph paper before I stitched it. I think it turned out pretty well. Jeff painted the frame and then I distressed it.

This is the table all ready for the party. I chose to use chocolate and paprika fiesta. I thought those colors went well with the centerpiece on the table.

My mom, dad, Katie, and Jake blowing out the candles.

Katie and my mom trying to decide which present to open first.

My grandma and brother, Andrew

Katie and Jeff

Jake

Katie

It was a wonderful evening and I really hope that my mom enjoyed herself.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."
~Sophia Loren~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Little Pumpkins & LIttle Gourds~

2011-09-19T17:48:00.003-05:00

Yesterday when I was at the grocery store, I picked up some little pumpkins and gourds to add to our fall decorations. This is what I decided to do with them.

These gourds are in a wooden basket in the master bedroom.

I also put some little pumpkins in the corner cabinet that is in the keeping room.

I put some little pumpkins in some of my regular displays to add a touch of fall to the space.

I also placed some pumpkins in the windowsills. I really like how they look!

Let me know what you think.

As soon as we go to the pumpkin patch, I will be adding some bigger pumpkins and gourds to my displays so be looking for that in an upcoming post.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
~John Muir~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~An Autumn Door Box~

2011-09-18T19:19:00.006-05:00

As you know, we have been decorating for fall here at Yesterday Once More. Today, I wanted to share my door box with you. I was hoping to wait until we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, but I decided I had waited long enough. After we get the rest of the front porch decorated I will share more pictures with you, so be on the watching for those.

So, here is my door box!

I think it turned out pretty well!

As you can see, even the log cabin on our front porch has a little fall added to it!

I bought these little pumpkins at the grocery store today. I also used them inside. I will be doing a post about that in the very near future.

So, what do you think?

I just discovered that this wonderful door box was made by Tracie Hamler and her husband. If you would like to order your own door box, you may do so by clicking ~Here~. You can also email Tracie at primitivesbytracie @verizon.net.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."

~Milton Berle~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Candles and a Sampler~

2011-09-13T19:50:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share with you these wonderful tin candle holders I picked up at The Olde Homestead in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. I love them! They also have a hook on the back and can be hung from a chair or a door. I decided to place mine on the end tables in the basement. I love how the color of the candle matches some of the color in the chairs.

Take a look and tell me what you think!

I also wanted to show you another one of the samplers that I designed and stitched. You know how much I love saltbox houses. Until the day that I can live in one, this will hopefully tied me over.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too!

"Every artist was first an amateur."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Little More Fall & A Few New Goodies~

2011-09-11T20:51:00.006-05:00

This weekend, Jeff and I attended a fall open house at one of my favorite primitive stores in the area, The Olde Homestead in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Kathy had a lot of wonderful fall items to choose from and as usual she had some fantastic non-fall items to choose from too. I picked up a little bit of both.

We also made a trip to The Cranberry Merchant in Caterville, Illinois to check out their fall items and again I was greeted by a wonderful array of fall decor to choose from.

I spent most of the day yesterday placing the items that I found. Here is what I did with them.

I found these first two spooks at The Cranberry Merchant. They were made by my friend, folk artist Johanna Parker. I love them and there is no way anyone could be in a bad mood when these two guys are around.

The first pillow came from The Olde Homestead and the second came from The Cranberry Merchant.

This pillow came from The Olde Homestead. I placed it along with a Halloween cat I had on the bench in the hall.

This crow came from The Cranberry Merchant. I placed it under the red shelf in the kid's room.

This is the pumpkin pillow that I stitched and my mom made.

I designed and stitched this sunflower sampler. The sunflower is my favorite flower and I hung this in the kid's room.

These two tin sconces came from The Olde Homestead. I hung them in the master bedroom.

I also got this crow pillow at the Olde Homestead. I love how little it is!

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I were at another primitive store in our area, The Rabbit Patch Cottage which is in our hometown, Herrin, Illinois. I picked up this black box and placed it on the dresser in the master bedroom.

So, what do you think of my new goodies. As you can see, it was a great weekend!

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"Autumn carries more gold in its hand than all the other seasons."
~Jim Bishop~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Autumn Once More...Part 2~

2011-09-10T14:18:00.009-05:00

Welcome to part two of our fall decorations. I hope you enjoy looking around.

This is the table by the front door.

I designed and stitched this Autumn sampler.

I designed and stitched this Halloween sampler.

This witch is an original Dan DiPaolo design that I was lucky enough to find.

This jack-o-lantern was the very first Fall decoration Jeff and I ever bought together.

I made this little witch pillow too.

Our collection of vintage Halloween children books.

The box on the dining room table all decked out for fall.

So, what do you think?

This weekend, Jeff and I have attended two fall open houses at some local primitive stores. I bought a few more fall decorations that I will share with you once I get them into place.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~Albert Camus~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Autumn Once More...Part 1~

2011-09-08T19:33:00.005-05:00

Over the long weekend, Jeff and I decided to start decorating for fall. The weather here was perfect for it. It was sunny and cool and we were really in the mood to get out some of our fall decorations.

I am doing this post in a two part series. Today I am sharing pictures of the basement with you. This weekend, I will post pictures from upstairs. I hope you enjoy looking around our basement.

This is Jeff's black Halloween tree. It is not very primitive, but he loves looking at it. I placed it in a large firkin. After I took the picture, I realized it was a little crooked, but it has been fixed! = )

These two little pumpkins on sticks came from Simple Country Treasures in Lebanon, Illinois.

These pumpkins also came from Simple Country Treasures! I love them! They are so perfectly primitive!

So, what do you think?

I know that I do not post as much as I used to, but I am planning on changing that. With the beginning of school, writing for A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine, and working on a couple of new projects, I have been really busy. I apologize for that and I promise to visit more often. Don't forget to check back this weekend for more fall pictures.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."
~Emily Bronte~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Bed is Still a Bed~

2011-08-28T18:43:00.005-05:00

This past Friday, a dream of mine came true. I have been looking for a black pencil post bed with a canopy for a long time. I didn't know if I would ever find one. I had been asking around for quite some time and I hadn't had any luck.

One day I was thinking of how much I would like to find the bed. Something told me to pray about it. I asked God to help me find a black pencil post bed with a canopy. The next week I received an email from Kathy at The Olde Homestead in Mt. Vernon, Illinois telling me that she had ordered some black pencil posts beds and they had canopies on them. I could not believe me eyes. Just a week before I had been praying for a bed and I had sent an email to Kathy expecting to hear that she didn't have any. Kathy said she ordered them in March and she would be picking them up in August. I immediately told her I wanted one. This week, I received an email from Kathy telling me that they beds were in. So, Jeff and I made a trip to The Olde Homestead on Friday evening to pick up the bed. Here is how it looks.

I love it and I can not thank Kathy enough for ordering those beds. God knew back in March that I would want one of the beds and he had them on their way before I even asked for one.

Kathy ordered several beds, so I you live in the Mt. Vernon, Illinois area, you should pay her a visit and check the beds out.

A couple of weeks ago, Paycee got a little aggressive with the couch in our bedroom. She ate a hole in one of the back cushions. I told her that it was a good thing I loved her or she would have been in deep trouble. To hide the hole, I put an old gray quilt on the back of the couch. Here is how it looks.

I like how it looks, I just wish it wasn't hiding a hole. Paycee said she was just trying to help me decorate. = )

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too.

"Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees."
~Victor Hugo~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Simple Country Treasures~

2011-08-22T18:14:00.005-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, Jeff and I paid a visit to a great primitive shop in Lebanon, Illinois. The name of the shop is Simple Country Treasures. It is a great place to visit and the shop owner, Tammy, is the sweetest lady you will ever meet. If you read A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine (which I hope you do), you will recognize one of Tammy's employees. She is stylist and contributing writer Kimberlee Johnson.

Tammy had her shop all deck out for fall. There were so many wonderful fall decorations, that I had trouble narrowing it down to the ones I wanted to get. I could have bought all of them! I also bought a few non fall items that I am going to share with you now. I will share the fall decorations after Jeff and I put them out.

The first item I bought was this tin candle holder and black candle. I placed it on the desk next to the typewriter in the master bedroom.

Here is a closer picture of the candle and candle holder. I love it!

I also bought this candle holder and candle. It is suppose to be like an old oil lamp. I hung it on the wall in the kitchen.

I fell in love with this picture when I saw it. I hung it in the kid's room.

Here is a closer picture. It is wonderful!

So, what do you think of my new goodies?

If you are ever in the Lebanon, Illinois area, stop in and see Tammy and Kimberlee. You will not regret it. Don't forget to tell them that Dan sent you! = )

Simple Country Treasures
217 W. St. Louis Street
Lebanon, Illinois

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will come back as often as possible. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too!

"A book tight shut, is but a block of paper."
~Chinese Proverb~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~Not Far From Home...A Photo Shoot Sneak Peek~

2011-08-17T17:50:00.008-05:00

Last Thursday, Kimberlee and I had the privilege of doing a photo shoot at a beautiful home for an upcoming issue of A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine. The homeowners of this beautiful home are Suzi and Randy Mitchell of Carterville, Illinois. Suzi is a very creative lady. She makes hooked rugs, quilts, and she also paints. She and Randy have worked so hard to make their house a home and it shows. This beautiful home is located just a few miles from my house. So, it was quite literally in my own backyard.

I met Suzi at a primitive shop that I go to quite often. She works at The Cranberry Merchant which is located in Carterville, Illinois. Several of Suzi's friends told her that she should submit pictures of her home for consideration. I offered to go and take some scouting photos and I was blown away by the house. I shared the pictures with Kimberlee, Linda, and Kristine and they fell and love with the house too. Kristine decided the house needed to be photographed so Kimberlee and I were more than happy to dust off our equipment and do it.

Here are some sneak peek pictures of Suzi and Randy's home. I hope you enjoy them.

If you enjoyed these pictures, just wait until the issue featuring Suzi's house comes out. You will love it. Suzi has a great collection of pewter, yellowware, wooden bowls, and of course hooked rugs.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love to see you there too.

"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body."
~Benjamin Franklin~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~What Happens When Dan Runs Out of Things to Paint???~

2011-08-12T18:00:00.004-05:00

Hey Everybody! I know I have been away from my blog for a little while. The school year starts on Monday and I decided to take a little break. While I was on break, I started trying to learn a new skill.

So back to my original question. What happens when Dan runs out of things to paint??? The answer is...he learns to cross stitch.

I started about two weeks ago and I have made several different things. These four are finally ready to be shared.

The first one is this little pillow with a primitive Christmas tree with the word joy under it. This is my creation completely. I drew the pattern out using graph paper. Then I tea stained the fabric. Today I spent the day with my mom. She is teaching me to sew. I made this pillow by myself. Well, almost by myself. My mom was guiding me. Not bad for a first try.

This is the back side of the pillow. Both sides have been tea stained.

I also made this cross stitched pumpkin. The pumpkin and letters are a variation of a pattern I found. The black bird is my creation. My mom made the pillow for this cross stitched creation.

This is the back of the pillow.

This little guy is another one of my creations. I drew it out using graph paper. My mom did the sewing on this one.

Then finally I made this one. This is completely by a pattern. Again, I cross stitched it and my mom did the sewing.

I would love to know what you think. Be looking for more of my creations in the near future. My mom and I had a wonderful day today and I guess the old saying is true, we are never too old to learn.

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you will continue to come back as often as you can. Don't forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too.

"He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet."
~Joseph Joubert~

All My Best,
~Dan~

~A Little Bathroom Tweaking~

2011-07-27T21:16:00.003-05:00

I have been doing a little tweaking in the master bathroom this week. You know how I like to change things up from time to time. Who am I kidding??? I like to change things up all the time! = ) Take a look at what I have done.

The bathroom is quite large so, I added an old rocking chair that was in the barn. I placed a "sampler" pillow on the chair. I also turned the basket that was on the cabinet on its side and used it as a display area.

I added some old books and placed a candle on the books to give the display some warmth. I then added a sampler. In front of the sampler is an ironstone oval platter with some homespun towels folded up and placed on the platter. Then, in the middle, I added a wooden saltbox house.

Here is a closer picture of the display. I really like how it turned out.

On the vanity I placed three brown beehive crocks in the center and placed a sampler in front of the middle crock. On each side of the sink I filled two crock bowls with rolled up towels.

So, What do you think?

Thank you for visiting Yesterday Once More. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope that you will continue to come back as often as you can. Do not forget to look for Yesterday Once More on facebook. I would love for you to stop by there too.

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjust the sails."
~William Arthur Ward~

All My Best,
~Dan~