Month: July 2017

This and That Thursday

Dad and Moms windmill and beautiful clouds.

Oh what a beautiful day we had! After some brutally hot and humid dry days it was so nice to be outside and have no humidity and cooler weather. It’s fair week so we ran into the fair for a little bit to see the animals and the fair projects. Drew thinks he wants to be in Clover Kids and bring something to the fair next year. That is something I can get behind – I’m a firm believer in 4-H and all it has to offer!

Helping dad power wash the camper – in other words an excuse to climb the ladder!

We spent the evening outside – Joe and Drew playing with Joe’s new power washer and me pulling weeds and just enjoying the beautiful evening! My coneflowers are really going crazy this year – they are so full I hardly have to weed this flowerbed! Hoping tomorrow brings more of this beautiful weather!

Found this pretty bloom hiding in amongst the coneflower!

What’s For Supper?

Cucumbers and onions from mom’s garden – oh so good!

It’s raining! Yeah! We were in a draught. Great big cracks in the ground, brown grass, the farmers were starting to worry about crops, gardens were suffering. I had stopped watering everything but the cucumbers and tomatoes. We aren’t hooked up to rural water. We have a well. In the 26+ years we’ve lived here our well has never run dry but there’s always a first time so we were starting to be extra careful with our water usage. So this rain is greatly welcomed by all!

Not very colorful – I need the cherries on my plate – but oh so good!

Supper tonight – I’m trying to watch what I eat for health reasons and because I really need to lose some weight.  Tonight’s supper was so good thanks to my mom’s garden! Baked fish with homemade tartar sauce, fresh green beans, cucumbers and onions and cherries for dessert. Eric was home for supper which hasn’t happened much lately so no leftovers but that’s okay. I didn’t know he was going to be home and yet I served lots of his favorites. Score! I love this time of year and eating fresh garden veggies!

Not So Colorful Decorating

A splash of colorful flowers – a mix of wildflowers and garden flowers with a splash of blue in the old quilt square on the table.

As I visit different blogs, check out different decorating groups on Facebook, peruse Pinterest and scroll through Instagram I am amazed at all the beautiful colors that people use to decorate with. I’m especially drawn to vintage and cottage style decorating and colors. And yet, as much as I am drawn to them and love looking at them, I look around my home and that is not what I see. I don’t have bright cheery colors. I don’t have a lot of fun vintage shades of aqua that I am so drawn too. I live mostly with primitive colors. Everywhere I look. And I feel the most comfortable with this. It fascinates me how color plays such a part in our lives. It would be a boring world if we didn’t have color and it would be a boring world if we all liked the same colors. I’m thankful I can appreciate all the different colors and decorating styles out there but give me the primitive browns, burgundies, blues (got to have blues!) and golds with a splash of a little brightness here and there and I feel comfortable and at home! There’s nothing better than a piece of old wood that is weathered and worn from time and use – that to me is one of the most beautiful colors in the world!

Old books, old bowls, old bowl and pitcher on an old Hoosier cabinet. The old wooden box on the wall holding my antique sheep – a favorite corner of the dining room!

An old shelf I just painted black. It still needs to be sanded down to show wear and then a coat of stain. I’m thinking I need to paint the little blue frame on the bottom shelf. Or give it a coat of wax to dull it down!

Old ironstone on a chippy old shelf in the kitchen. The grater on the left was a gift from Eric one year for Christmas. He knows me well! The spice cabinet on the right was a Goodwill find I painted, sanded and stained then added the material under the glass. The tea towel was a gift from Abby!

Old frames are a favorite of mine. And if they aren’t old – a can of paint and some stain will help to make them look that way!

Peace Be Upon Us. A favorite stitched sampler I stitched years ago framed in an old frame found at a favorite antique store in town that has now closed its doors.

Old, chippy and blue. My favorite combination!

Even my stitcheries have to be coffee stained and left wrinkled to look right to me! Add a touch of Sweet Annie to smell good and add that drab touch of perfectness! The frame on the left holds the lyrics of a song called Fading Echoes written by my Great Grandma Houseal. A treasure for sure.

A splash of color in the kitchen. But of course it’s sitting on a doily I stitched and stained for that beautiful prim goodness. These faux lemons smell wonderful! I do have a splash of color here and there!

Back To Belva Deer

Joe came home early from work on Thursday. He’d had a not so great day and was wanting to just “get away”. He walked in the door and asked if I wanted to go camping. I had no food in the house, a pile of laundry, hadn’t showered yet, and the list goes on, but – we went camping! Back to Belva Deer we went. Dad and Mom were already out there so I had them tag us a spot, I got the chores done and watered flowers, did a couple loads of laundry, jumped in the shower, threw some clothes in the camper, all while Joe loaded up fire wood and bikes and chairs and off we went.

You know, we wouldn’t be able to do this if we weren’t so blessed to have a beautiful county park just a few miles down the road. We are able to run home and chore if needed, run to town for groceries if needed. (Which I did!) We can camp and run Drew into the bowling alley to bowl with friends for a birthday party that’s scheduled on a Friday night. (Which Joe did on Friday night!) It’s wonderful to have Lake Belva Deer so close. To be able to get away for a weekend and just be.  Joe said the best part of the weekend for him was Saturday morning. He got up early and started a fire and fixed breakfast for us. There was nobody around to bother him. He could take his time and enjoy the morning and enjoy what he was doing. I enjoyed it too – I got to sleep in and then wake up to a wonderful breakfast of bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs to eat by the campfire.

My favorite part of the weekend was visiting with Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie. They came down for the afternoon on Saturday. Aunt Konnie is battling cancer and it’s nice to see her out and about. They didn’t stay long but she said she was glad she came – it helped make the afternoon go by for her. Sometimes her days get long. We’re planning another trip to Belva Deer next weekend and hoping they can bring their camper and stay with us. We’re praying she feels up to it. We’re also hoping to having Braxton too. Wouldn’t a camping weekend with our grandson be fun??!!

A weekend of campfires, hiking, bike riding, sparklers, visiting with family, staying up late and sleeping in. Sometimes the unplanned trips are the best!

This and That on Thursday

 

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. I think I’m the only person I know who didn’t take pictures. Not even one. We were too busy. We sold shave ice Monday afternoon/evening/night and again on Tuesday. I don’t know if it was the weather or what but we were busy busy busy. Busier than usual. This old body isn’t used to standing and constantly moving for hours on end and staying up until the wee hours.  I was exhausted by Tuesday evening. We managed to stay awake to run in for the fireworks and then we crashed.

Yesterday Joe had the day off so we slept in and ran to Ottumwa and basically did nothing. They opened a Hobby Lobby there which is exciting news for me. A Hobby Lobby 25  minutes from home – that may or may not be a good thing! Then we  checked out campers at the camper dealership and Rangers and Mules at the dealership next door. No, we are not looking to buy a new camper – but it’s fun to look. I always go home happy with the one I’ve got. Joe would like to trade in the 4 wheeler at some point for a Mule so we checked a few out for fun. Then home and an early night to bed.

Today we are taking it easy.  Getting laundry caught up and puttering around. It’s hot out and we need rain. I’ll be watering flowers and the garden and making sure the pets have fresh water and are staying cool. That’s about it. My computer is down so trying to post this on my Kindle. Not sure when we will be getting the computer up and running so may or may not get to post much. It’s always something isn’t it??!!

Free Ranging

Blackie didn’t get to roam quite as much as the others – she got to sit on Drew’s lap and be cuddled and loved! She seems to enjoy Drew – she doesn’t give much of struggle to be picked up!

Drew was so excited yesterday. His dad let him let the chickens out to free range for the first time. They loved it but were a little “chicken”! They didn’t wander far from the coop. I’m sure that won’t last long and soon they will be all over the yard. Poor Isee was put in her kennel so they could roam but after awhile we decided to go ahead let her out and she was perfect. She tried a couple of times to check things out but as soon as someone called her off she was fine and soon forgot all about them. Not bad for a bird dog! The chickens went right back to their coop when Drew went to put them away and they were exhausted – they all sat down and fell asleep!

 

I won’t be posting again until after the 4th. Lots to do the next few days and hope to stay away from electronics and just enjoy these next few days!