10 things that can go buh-bye.

This world would be fine without them.
I promise.

1. 70's rock radio stations. Ugh.

2. Pom poms. I know every crafter in the world disagrees with me here.
It just screams "homemade", to me.
It's an ongoing arguement between me and Julie.
One day I sarcastically said, "If only there were rainbow colored pom poms, my life would be complete."
And she promptly sent me pictures of rainbow pom poms.
And I clawed my eyes out.

3. Jumpy irratic critters. The ones where you don't know where they're going to go next, like grasshoppers, june bugs or mice. ACK!!

4. Mean people. Whatever.

5. Soft focus blurry photos. Glamour shots did it, and it really needs to stay in the 90's.

6. White chocolate. It's not even chocolate. It's just a wannabe.

7. Ticks.

8. Mullets. Mmmhmmm... "fool's tails" could also fall in this category.

9. Cilantro. Sorry lovers. I'm a hater.

10. Dial up internet. Seriously, in this day of twitter, facebook, blogging, tumblr, and everything else, who has time to wait 5 minutes to load a page?

You can disagree with me. It's okay, really.
Or you can add to my list.

Dragonflies have nothing to do with this, but I need a picture here...


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We be jammin'.

Lately we've had more fruit than we know what to do with.
Someone asked me how we keep the deer away from the mulberries.
There are more than enough to go around!
We definitely have a lot of deer come through the yard and nibble, but there's still plenty for us.
We probably have 15 or more mulberry trees.
And now we've moved on to apricots.


Apricots coming out of our ears.
I've made numerous batches of apricot jam.
Neighbors have come and picked bags of them.
Friends have come to pick them.
And this is just from one tree, so far.

We have several more apricot trees that haven't fully ripened their fruit yet.
Holy apricots, batman!!

For jam, as of now, we've made mulberry, apricot, spiced apriot, and peach apricot.
I have an almond apricot coming too.
And who knows what else.


I think someone told me once that apricots only produce fruit every third year, so if that's the case this is the right year.
I've tried looking on the internet and couldn't find any info.
Does anyone know if that's true?

p.s. There's still time to enter the current jewelry giveaway! Just click here.

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It's new and it's hot. {Giveaway!}

I keep forgetting to post our new items here on the blog.
Do you want to see them?
Or is it annoying to see jewelry all the time?
Would you rather just see the regular posts?

Did you know it's hot?
Too hot to eat. Too hot to work.
Too hot to think.
Stupid hot. That's my adjective when I've run out of adjectives.
Stupid.
It's so hot my brain's not working.
Not as well as normal, anyway... and that's not sayin' much.
Did you see our newest items?
I'll show you two. I'm sure there are more, but I don't remember the last time I updated you here on the blog about new jewelry, with my brain shutting down and all...

Cherish necklace


Fly necklace (this one could also say Mama, as in mama bird. So cute!)


Would you like one?
Just leave a comment to enter.
Any old comment will do. Except something mean.
I like to delete those as soon as possible.

Tweet it (include @TheRustedChain in your tweet), facebook it, and blog it for additional entries.
Be sure to leave additional comments for these.

Now go have a fruity drink with an umbrella, sit in the wading pool, and pretend you're on a beach somewhere.

p.s. discount code HOT15 still works to get 15% off your entire purchase!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
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The other day The Man took The Baby out on a zoom zoomer (4 wheeler) ride.
The Man and I have been super busy this week and haven't seen much of each other, let alone had time for a conversation.
You know those weeks.
They came home and The Man told me, "Grab your camera, hop in the car and drive over there. Just around the corner. You'll thank me later."
I did and it was an absolutely stunning sunset!
But to be honest, my thoughts weren't in the beauty of the sunset, but in the beauty of the man who thought of me when he first saw it.
He knows my love for photography. He knows I need to be alone sometimes.
And it was such a simple but moving thing, that I was on his mind when he first saw that scene.
That's where I could see God's fingerprints.

4 and 4 and 4 makes 12.

~ We had a wedding shower recently.
Her wedding colors are yellow and turquoise.
We made cake pops, dipped in turquoise and yellow sugar.
I got yellow fabric from a clearance bin for table runners.
I used pewter mugs that belonged to the bride's grandmother years ago.
And picked yellow wild flowers from the side of the road.
Combined them with mason jars filled with kitchen utensils, little mirrors with turquoise tealights.
Lovely, simple, and sweet!


~ We have a splash park here in town that we go to every summer.
Hot day. Cold water. Tired kids. Happy mommy.


~ Every Wednesday we have a playdate at Badger Creek.
People come from far and wide. Okay, just from about 45 minutes away, but still...
We do an activity of some sort.
This week it was making 4th of July tees.
The kids all got to paint their own.
We hung them on the clothesline to dry.
Had a picnic in the shade.
Explored the farm a little. Checked to see if we could find any critters.
Laughed a lot. Played in the water.
Forgot to serve the popsicles we made.
Made new friends.


And that, boys and girls, is 12 photos from our week.

Come see what others are Inspired By this week!

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Fireflies

...also known as lightning bugs.
See the yellow dots and blurrs in these photos?


I remember seeing these for the first time when I was a kid and we moved from California to Missouri.

They're such crazy little critters!
I think they're usually found in the midwest and Southern states.


In the summer, every evening when the sun starts going down, they sparkle.
They dance.
Hundreds of little yellow lights bounce all around.

When I was young, we'd catch them and put them in bottles or jars with a lid and they became our nightlight.
Of course the next morning they'd all be dead and we'd dump them and start over.


We also would sometimes pull off the light.
You can pull the yellow light away from the bug and it's sticky.
We'd stick them on our fingers for rings.
Ewww! Now that I think about it, that's disgusting!
But it was fun then.

And it's time again.
They're out in full force right now.
So sparkly. So interesting. So fun!
Do you have fireflies where you live?


p.s. The winner of the jewelry giveaway was Jenna. (Y'all know by now how prompt I always am... the winner was supposed to be chosen Saturday.)

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Thank you very much.

This weekend I've felt so grateful for everything.
Abundantly blessed.


For Father's Day I told The Man to pick a restaurant and I'd take him there.
We went to a Japanese steakhouse. With all three kids.
It was the most I've ever spent on a single meal. Ouch!
But it was so good and so much fun.
Seeing the looks on the kids' faces was worth it.
And they made it through the entire day without fighting, spilling a drink, or spazzing out. Wow!!


After lunch we went to a farm store. It's the first time I've ever been to one.
I told him I'd buy him the trailer he wanted to put behind the zoom zoomer (aka four wheeler.)
We're not going to talk about the fact that my Mother's Day ended with me in tears.
Because it was so lame. So thoughtless. So pathetic.
All I know is that from here on, I will have no trouble asking for expensive meals and gifts on my birthday and Mother's day. HA!
I'm usually very cautious and say lots of things like, "It doesn't have to be expensive. Just a candle or handmade card or something will do."
Nope, those days are gone. I'm a high maintenance diva from now on.


The other day we were getting ready to leave the house for an event and The Boy insisted on going swimming.
I didn't want his clothes all wet so I told him to just go skinny dipping for a few minutes.
We're out in the country, no one can see, it will be fine.
And as I was in the bathroom brushing my hair, I heard him talking to someone.
I looked outside and it was a mennonite neighbor lady.
Ha! She'd come to pick apricots.
The poor kid was stuck in the pool holding a floatie in front of himself.
Hysterical. I don't think he'll forgive me for that for a while.
She baked an apricot pie for her husband for Father's Day.
He's low maintenance. Like I used to be.


I think we finally (??) have reliable internet service here.
I know I said that last week, but I mean it this time.
We switched again yesterday and so far so good.
The kids read my blog so I have to speak in code here.
They haven't figured out yet that we're ot-nay etting-gay elevision-tay all ummer-say.
We just decided to wait until fall.
Pretty soon we'll be going straight up Amish and driving a horse and buggy.


Blogging is strange. I love it, but it always baffles me.
Even though the traffic here is higher than ever, the comments are way down.
But I've had soooo many comments from people in real life lately that are so sweet.
People that I didn't know even knew I had a blog!
"I love reading your blog!"
People have said the kindest things imaginable about our family, our lives, my photography, my jewelry line, and this blog.
Thank you silent stalkers! Ha!

I hope your week starts with your heart as filled as mine is right now.
Coffee in my cup. A roof over my head. Laughing kids.
Life is good.

I'm joining up with Carissa's Miscellany Monday. Because I'm always filled with miscellany.

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Did you know...

...that I love Miley Cyrus' Party In The USA?

...that my dog, Stitch, still hasn't been found. I think he's gone for good.
We've searched everywhere, contacted all the neighbors and shelters.
I just hope he's in a good home somewhere.

...that I'm still fighting for internet service?
We've tried 4 (I think?) so far and none of them work well here.
We're only like 5 miles from the nearest town, so I wouldn't think it would be that difficult, but what do I know...

...that I'm planning something big for Fall? Something that involves artists, food, antiques, and lovely junk.

...that there are white mulberries? Heather told me. She works for me.
And when she's not making jewelry, she's a mulberry expert.
Actually she just knows how to use google.
She's a smart one, that Heather. I think I'll keep her around.


...that I'm becoming a jelly making fool? All this fruit needs to be used.

...that I still have boxes all over my house that need unpacked?

...that I'm a real country girl now? When I was picking mulberries earlier, 2 possums walked right across the yard and I didn't even scream.
Or freak out.
Or do anything other than say, "Hm. There go a couple of possums."
Then go back to picking berries.

...that I haven't had a haircut in over a year? Not even a trim. It's bad.

...that mean people stink? True story.

...that it's normal to see combines driving down my road?

...that my kids can stay in the pool for 9 hours a day and not care?

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Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
-------------------

Last weekend we knew it was raining all night.
But when we woke up, we were still surprised. There was water everywhere.
Our basement had several inches of water.
The creek was nearly coming in our front door.
Most roads around us were flooded.

But we know God's promise. He will always hold true to his promises!
Sometimes His fingerprints are not on seen on the tiny delicate things, but in His sheer power instead.
The power of water really became evident this week.



Genesis 9:11
I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

Lemon Berry Mousse

I've been making this with mulberries because we have so many.
But normally I use strawberries.
And just a side note, as I was taking the top photo, The Baby started yelling "There's a snake on the porch! There's a snake on the porch!"

I ran out, camera in hand, and sure enough.
At least 4 feet long. He was a big ol' bugger.
And before I even got my camera to my eye, he was gone into a bush.
Super super fast.

Anyway...

Vanilla Wafers
boiling water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Lemon Flavor Gelatin
1 cup ice cubes
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened (I use light, but not non-fat.)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed
1/3 cup strawberry preserves

Line vanilla wafers around edge and bottom of plastic wrap-lined 8-inch square pan. (My square was still packed so I used a round.)
Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in ice until melted.

Remove about 1/3 of the gelatin and put it in a seperate container for a snack later. The lemon flavor is too "fake" if you use the entire thing.

Mix sugar, cream cheese, and lemon zest. Gradually beat in gelatin. Whisk in whipped topping.

Pour half the gelatin mixture into prepared pan; cover with 16 wafers. Microwave preserves on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted. Crush mulberries (or strawberries) into the melted preserves with the back of a fork. Brush onto wafers. Top with remaining gelatin mixture and wafers.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Serve with extra berries on top.

It looks (and tastes) complicated but it's so easy.
It takes less than 10 minutes to put it all together.
And people will rave about how good it is.

Take it to a picnic or 4th of July gathering!



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It's hot! {jewelry giveaway}

**This giveaway is now closed.**

It's hot lately.

Hot enough to play in the sprinkler and slip & slide in your big brother's tighty whities, that are a few sizes too big, which are then loosie whities, but that doesn't have the same ring to it.

That kind of hot.








Hot enough to just stay inside and shop.
So feel free to use code HOT15 to get a 15% discount on any purchase at TheRustedChain.com.

Hot enough to blog hop and enter giveaways.
What are you playing for?

A $30 gift certificate to TheRustedChain.

I don't normally do this, but the heat's gettin' to my head.
I'll give you lots of ways to enter this time.
(You can pick and choose which you do. Not all are required though. The more comments you leave, the better your odds of winning.)

1. Leave a comment, telling your favorite thing about summer.
2. Blog it. (leave 2 additional comments telling me you did this.)
3. Tweet it. (leave 2 additional comments telling me you did this.)
4. Facebook it. (leave 2 additional comments telling me you did this.)
5. Join our Facebook like page. (leave 2 additional comments telling me you did this.)

That's a lot of ways to win!
I'll draw a random winner Saturday, June 19.

Welcome to Summer!

Farm dogs.

Lilo and Stitch.

The other day the creek flooded. Really bad.
Neighbors said they haven't seen it this high in over 13 years.
But that didn't stop Lilo from having fun!

She immediately ran into it, jumping, playing, splashing...




You know who didn't go in the water?
Stitch. He's such a priss. Completely pampered and spoiled.
He ran off this morning. I'm trying not to cry as I blog this in the middle of the night, but he still hasn't come home yet.
Will you pray that he does? I love him. And I miss him already.
We've had him for about 5 or 6 years.
He's not the prettiest dog I've ever seen, but he sure is sweet.


But Lilo had a great time. Muddy and messy.
She didn't care.





All this time we've had her in town, on well kept grass, in a privacy fence.
And all this time she was meant to be a farm dog.

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Questions and Answers...

A while back I asked if you had any questions for me.

Being the prompt and extremely organized lady that I am, I'm just now getting around to answering them.
I only have a few minutes because The Man is thinking I should help him work rather than blog.
So my answers will be brief.

He doesn't understand priorities.

I'm always curious to know how married couples met each other.
So my question is what began your journey to becoming Mrs. Hastings?

We were both corporate trainers for a restaurant chain.
He lived in Kansas and I was in Missouri.
We met in Oklahoma, opening a new store there. We hit it off immediately.
He was just a "good" guy. A good solid, kind, respectable, honorable guy. The kind I needed and was looking for.
We met, were engaged within 5 months, and married 3 months after that.

What was your most embarrassing moment? Feel free to give all the gory details.
Ummm this one time I blogged about a badger and it turned out to be a woodchuck...

Do you have any odd habits?
I only drink cold drinks with a straw. Even water.

What do you do with your belly button lint?
Fortunately I've never had any!
But if I did, I'd probably think of a craft... And send it to someone as a gift.

Which of your kids is most like you? (You know I'm thinkin' it's Bad Baby.)
Actually it's The Boy. The middle one.
He looks just like me and acts just like me.

Who's your favorite blog stalker in the whole wide world and why do you love me, uh, I mean her/him?
It's you, Wendy!! You know I love you!! You're my one and only. You always crack me up.

You walk into Starbucks on a hot, sunny afternoon. The sweet stranger in front of you in line offers to pay for your order, whatever you'd like. What do you do?
I say, "Oh that is so nice of you!! Now what should I order? I almost never get to Starbucks and don't even know how to order a drink here. Just pick out something yummy and sweet for me. And by the way, can I send you a necklace sometime?"
I'm constantly giving away free jewelry to strangers.

What is your favorite local place to eat at where you live?
Mmmmm, an amazing Mexican restaurant about 35 minutes away.
We actually just went there the other day and I grabbed pictures to blog it soon.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, which country would you choose and why?!
At this moment, I'd choose Hawaii. Even though that's not another country.
Just something peaceful and calm sounds wonderful.

What do you like to do at a light when you're waiting?
a)Pick your nose
b)Sing
c)Tap the song on the radio out with your fingers on the steering wheel
d)Put on lip balm or hand lotion
Put on makeup. I never do it at home, but always in the car.
Or I beat on the steering wheel. I'm a drummer.

what is your all time favorite movie?
ok, that's hard...top 3?
I like light fluffy movies. The kind that are just an escape from real life.
I don't like heavy ones. Nothing too sappy either. No "chick flicks."
That Thing You Do, Fools Rush In, and Grease are the first to pop in my head.

If you had to pick your last meal what would it be?
Oh goodness. I love food way too much.
It would be carbs. Lots and lots of salty carbs.
Mashed potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, garlic bread, bacon, and chocolate cake with double frosting for dessert. I'm a health nut.

do you have more than one dog? i've only ever seen the basset. just wondering?
We have two. A boston terrier and the basset hound.
Lilo and Stitch are their names.
They have a blog post coming soon too.

what was your wedding like? and where in the world would you really like to travel to?
My wedding was so nice. I was sort of the anti-Bridezilla.
I was living in Colorado and planning the wedding in Missouri.
Back then we didn't have internet so I had to do everything through the phone and snail mail.
I sort of just delegated duties to friends and family and showed up the week of the wedding hoping it was all pulled together. And it was.
It was simple and classic.
I gave money to a friend who was good at decorating and told her "You're in charge of decorating the reception area." It was beautiful.
I told my sister, an amazing singer, "Just pick a song." She did Elvis' Can't Help Falling In Love and it was perfect. So quirky and unusual, but so me.
I had two goals for the day - 1. I wanted everything to look timeless. I never wanted to be able to look back on the photos and go "Ohmygosh that was soooo 90's!" and 2. I just wanted to be hitched.
At the end of the day, all that mattered was that we were married.
I wasn't really concerned about any of the other fluff.

Oh, and I already picked Hawaii to travel to, so now I'll say England.

And because every post needs a photo, here's a quick shot from our yard this week.



I have lots of blog posts in my head and hopefully I can get them posted next week.
Check in often because I may have 5 or 6 days in a row. Whew!
Have a great weekend!!

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Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
-------------------
I'm sorry, but photobucket is down as I'm doing this post so no pictures today from me.
What a week it's been here!
Still no internet at home. Still trying to unpack and settle in.
Still seeing God's handiwork everywhere I turn.
Have a happy weekend!

The man I wake up with every day...

is not the same man I go to bed with.

Somehow he sneaks in my bed in the middle of the night.
Every night.

In the mornings he showers me with kisses.
He loves to snuggle.
He smells delicious.
Or goodlicious, as he says.
His big eyes sparkle.
He laughs and tells stories.

And I love waking up with him.



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Random...

We still don't have internet at the farmhouse.
They're supposed to come Monday and see if it can be hooked up.
SEE if it can be done.
We're in the sticks of Kansas and I may have to get dial up internet.

Can you even imagine? I didn't even know that existed still.

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We had a water party the other day.
14 kids, lots of hoses, sprinklers, balloons, popsicles, picnics...
FUN!
The kids seemed to have a really good time.
I only snapped a few photos though.
They picked mulberries and got to take them home.
Mommies, we have lots more! Come back again this Wednesday.

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We were talking about collections.
The Boy told me he has a booger collection.
I said, "EWwww!!!! Where is it?!"
He said, "All over. I just drop them when I get them."
Oh.My.Gosh.
Maybe I shouldn't have blogged this.
Now no one will want to come to our house.
He was talking about the old house though.
And if you happen to be reading this and are interested in buying our old house, I've cleaned.
I promise.

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I've made it for about 13 years without a cell phone.
It was to the point that I was avoiding one just to be the last American without a cell phone.
I'm stubborn like that.
And now I'm the proud new confused owner of a Blackberry.
The Man got it for me yesterday.
It's hot pink.
I used to have a cell phone years ago when they were big and clunky.
I thought I was so cool.
And now I can't even figure out how to make it through the tutorial on my blackberry.
Awesome.

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At the farmhouse we still don't have tv. Along with the lack of internet.
So I've been reading tons and tons of old magazines to pass the time.
And working in the garden.
And riding the new four wheeler.
I'm like a real country girl now.

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Today I saw a Mennonite lady in her pastel dress, bonnet, and white tennis shoes riding a Hustler mower out on her farm and it made me laugh.
That's just so classically Kansas!

--------

I had a snake on my porch the other day.
Like 4 feet long.
I was telling the kids that it was "Huge!" and The Girl said, "Was it an anaconda?!"

--------

The Baby's favorite color now is pink.
That's fab.
He also calls the four wheeler a Zoom Zoomer.

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The other day on Twitter and Facebook, I offered a random necklace winner to a commenter on my blog.
I was supposed to draw a winner on Wed. but with the missing internet and all I couldn't until now.
So the winner is Jess.

I also have several dates open soon for family photos if any one's interested.
Just email me for details. (joshandbeki AT yahoo.)
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Have a happy weekend!

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