Chalkboard Flower Pot Spoon Markers

First, the project that worked...not to be confused with Plan A that didn't work...
Here's a picture of the spoons in the only herbs that ever dared to live in my backyard for more than a week.

Granted....I didn't actually write the real names of the herbs that were in these pots b/c they are A) A gift for someone else, so this isn't their permanent home, and B) I couldn't remember what herbs actually lived at my house b/c I rarely visit them, and C) They are in the witness protection program, so I can't reveal their real name.
These garden markers aren't going to live at my house b/c they are part of a bigger gift for a friend....I'll share the whole she-bang after her birthday she-bang...and after I actually figure out what the whole she-bang is going to be.
And without further ado....
How to make a chalkboard spoon:
Warning- You're probably going to need to print these complicated instructions out...or tell them to a two year old so they can take you through the steps later if you choose to try this out.
A) First buy a bunch of materials you don't know how to use correctly, pout when you realized you don't know how to hammer stuff, and then move on to step B)
B) Supplies: Spoons (I bought these two for a dollar at the dollar store....I later found out they sell old spoons for 15 cents at the local thrift store, or you can snag 'em for free out of your friend's silverware stash...your choice...just wanted to throw all the options out there), chalkboard paint (same can, 15,346 projects later-it's officially going in my will), painter's tape, mallet....or hammer, or good firm stomp.

Instructions:
1. I took a mallet and beat the tar out of each spoon first b/c I was feeling angry...or...I decided it would be easier to write on the spoons if they were flat....and I had seen this done with engraved garden spoons using this same concept, and they flattened them. It's my life long goal to be like everyone else.

2. Tape off bottom of the spoons....just b/c you can.

3. Spray one side....dry (let me say for the 5,346th time....this stuff dries FAST). Spray side two. Dry.

4. Write on spoons...you might want to actually write the actual name of the herb you are marking....or your cooking might take a turn.
5. Plant herbs, mark herbs with spoons.
GOOD NEWS...since it's a chalkboard surface you can kill whatever is planted in the spoon's pot on a regular basis...and rewrite...erase....and rewrite...erase...and rewrite....TRUST ME, this is a necessary feature in my world.
In other non-important news, these were NOT supposed to be chalkboard spoon markers for the garden. After seeing engraved garden spoons on linky parties, I spent 18 dollars on a nifty-new set of stamps that were going to settle into the metal and create a little engraved set of spoon markers....and then I was going to move into the world of washers and make little jewelry tags....I was going to change the world.
First, I bought this stuff....

I got my hammer, and I decided to start with 'mint'....b/c it was short.
I banged...and I banged....and I bought more spoons b/c I thought....uhh....maybe the dollar store spoons were too high?....too low?....quality, and maybe I needed softer metal....
I bought a rubber mallet b/c I thought maybe it was the dinky hammer.
I bought washers b/c I thought maybe the projects I had seen in the past with hammered spoon letters were done by...umm...machines? And when I say machines...I mean people who can, like, hammer, and maybe work out or something b/c I can't say that hammering is a skill of mine, and I can definitely say upper body strength is not an area I focus on at the gym, or rather, it's not an area I'd focus on if I actually went to the gym.
I stewed for 24 hours. I didn't want 3 dollars on spoons to go to waste. And then I remembered the one thing that never fails me.
Ever.
Chalkboard paint.
I have no doubt I'm not the first person to have this idea, but I haven't seen it, so can you pretend? I need that right now. In other news, I'm going to build a house of spoons....I'm pretty sure it's just about the most secure structure I can think of....I'm going to hold it together with magnets b/c obviously hammering nails into the little steel rods isn't going to work if I can't even dent them with the letter stamps.
I'm not giving up on the metal letter stamps....my fishing line can always use a little extra weight....
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Beavers Bend, Oklahoma

This weekend I headed up to Southeast Oklahoma with the family. I'm on the lookout for a new park now that Lake Murray is being renovated. Beavers Bend definitey has a lot of fun personality. It's not the 'same,' but it's really neat in all it's own individual ways. The drive up was really peaceful. We headed down little country highways with few trucks. We passed a lot of places that 'used to be'...something, but are now vacated. It always makes me a little sad to see the small towns that once were....and to wonder about their stories. Beavers Bend Resort is located near the city of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. It is, again, what I would consider to be a relatively small town (this from a born and breed city girl), but it's definitely the largest you find for quite some time. It has a Walmart, so that says something about it's size. On Friday we spent most of our time exploring Beavers Bend. Everything is quite spread out, but it looks like there is a lot to do in the spring and summer months. There is a river they stock with Trout every other week with lots of fly fishermen trying out their flies.

The river feeds into a really large lake with different watersports, and hiking offered up among the hills and mountains. It is part of a National Forest as well. I got to see a lot of deer, a variety of birds, and my good old friend, the raccoon....oh, and don't let me forget the rainbow trout, I saw tons of those leaping along the river driving the fishermen crazy, and quite a few dangling from hooks as well. Saturday, Mom and I went into town and explored the city of Broken Bow, more specific the historic main street.

So much was closed for the season, or at least for the weekend, and things that were opened had very limited hours. I did find the cutest Quilt Shop with a really fabulous owner (and "just" the fabric I was looking for), and we ate lunch at this little tea room called "The Pie Lady." Lunch was fine, but the pie was the best slice of pie I've ever had (chocolate), I don't eat a lot of pie, but still.... I'd highly recommend a stop there to grab a pie. We had dinner at a place called The Hill Steakhouse. Again, it was great food, and I forget what it's like not to be 'rushed' through a meal, it's an adjustment, but a nice reminder about the pace of life. The rest of the weekend was spent exploring Beavers Bend, our cabin was great with a great fireplace, all sorts of goodies for cooking (which we did the rest of the weekend), and heat/ac. I took a ton of pictures I'm going to go through and post later, and Jason did a lot of fishing. I definitely plan to head back in the future. I can't wait to see Beavers Bend in the spring/summer!

#1 Winter Lake Lavon

And so it begins...Today I took my camera out to the lake for a spin. I wanted to play around with the macro (very fun), angles, and colors. This is my unofficial resolution, improve my camera skills. I'm not really into (unnecessary) commitment (a personal issue, I know), so let's just say over the next....hmm 365 days or so I plan to go on some purposeful, picture taking outings. Even unofficial goals need a way to measure their success, so let me throw a number out there like...50 purposeful photo outings, and then I'll feel I've put my heart into improving. Back to outing number #1. There aren't too many 'fun' colors in the winter months, but still, I had a good time. Jason took the opportunity to go fishing, and practiced his fly casting for next week's family trip up to a river in Oklahoma for Trout Fishing....for Jason, and reading, shopping and sight seeing for Mom and I. This isn't 'the best picture', but if I had to put the day in a photo, this would be it. Jason did 'knot' have a lot of success catching fish today. This isn't his string, but it did fascinate me, and I spent a lot of time trying to get all it's messyness in a picture. I later saw Jason having an encounter with this same bush as he tried to talk it out of eating his string. He lost that battle. Other losing battles for me today involved birds. I forget they can fly when I'm going after them with my lense, and landscape scenery, just nothing exciting came of those shots. I finally went back to Jason's tackle box and started pulling out his army of fishing supplies and snapping some of those critters. The one thing I do love is all the details the camera picks up, it even got some 'sap' on these 'things' I caught in a picture. I have a few others at the following link.
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=e81bff35119fc9fb&sid=0AZMmrNw0YsmLIFg

Wild (???) Raccoons and Tyler, Texas

I spent my weekend at Tyler State Park. I spent MOST of the weekend avoiding the fish and floating on a float in the swimming area (just fyi, snapping turtles really like to frequent the swimming area in the mornings before most of the people arrive). The lake levels were (not surprisingly) very high. The dock featured in this picture is usually about three-four feet out of the water and there are steps that lead down into the water, and this is a month after the daily rain we had been getting! The one thing I always remember when I go to Tyler are the raccoons! When I was younger we used to tent camp at Tyler (now we usually stay in the shelters, which are just concrete slabs with wooden walls, but we don't have to pitch a tent). So pre-shelter days when our coolers stayed outside, the racoons got into them a couple of times-they ate a steak dinner, ran off with a bag of m&ms and we used to listen for the trash can lids clattering because it was a nightly hobby we could count on at the park. Last year the raccoons climbed the tree to a trash bag, so this year we got smart and threw our trash away before going to bed, but as we were sitting at the picnic table last night chatting this little one walked right up....it was begging for marshmallows....literally it stood on it's hind legs at one point and walked too close for comfort! I was just glad it posed for about 8 pictures before I finally ran inside the cabin worried the friendly animal would ask to go home with me, or at least want to snuggle up with me throughout the evening.