Tolentreasures

First of all, I would like to say that I am beginning to like Staycations.  There is so much to do within 100 miles of here and you get to sleep in your own bed, use your own shower, and no packing!  Friday night we used a gift certificate that we had to a local restaurant and we did a little shopping, mostly essentials. Saturday found us at a fun wedding, lots of friends and good food, it was a nice evening. Sunday was spent at the zoo, Shelby, Shawnee and I and the four kids.  How fun!  A little exhausting, but a great time.   Of course I could not get  a picture in anywhere other than when we sat down to eat. The pinched look on the boys' faces is not from the sun, it was because I was standing on their feet to keep them from running off while my hands were on the camera.   Just kidding, but handholding was the rule of the day.  Favorite comment of the day: (Please close your ears if you are anti-hunter) Logan while looking at ...

Stuff!  Most of the darkness hours around here are spent either sleeping or painting.  Our fall open house is quickly approaching.

Just some things that I have finished over the last couple of days.

Gracelyn spent the night on Thursday and she wanted to "stitch".  I gave her the "treasure box" as she calls it and a tapestry needle with crochet cotton and she stitched buttons all evening and part of the next morning.  What a difference between having her and having the boys.  John calls the boys "the Rotties" because he likens having them to having a couple of Rottweillers and her to having a goldfish.  How true!  She is just so calm and easy and she doesn't run faster than we are able.  Which brings me to the sight of John chasing Tyler last week.  Tyler had once again hit Logan in the head with a golf ball.  I can't tell you how many times this has happened this summer and honestly, I swear that the golf balls are like heat seeking missiles to Logan's head.  This last time sent Tyler running with John in hot pursuit. The sight of the the 51 year old grandpa chasing the really fast 5 year old was enough to make me chuckle despite the fac...

Otherwise to be entitled the Recap of Fair Week. One year ago, dear hubby offered to allow the fair to use our house on Saturday for the dinner for the band, a place for the bus driver to sleep and dinner for the fair managers.  You see, each year on Saturday they have a country music singer as the entertainment and every year it poses a problem of where the bus driver can sleep, where the band members can shower and where to serve them dinner.  Our house, which borders the fairgrounds seemed like such a logical solution to HIM, so HE offered.  That was the first time I threatened him with "I know where you sleep"  Usually fair week in years past has my house looking like nothing short of the aftermath of a Category 4 hurricane by Saturday, but this year was going to have to be different.  I cleaned and cleaned and CLEANED and still I felt it was not clean enough, but enough of that and on to the Rain Gutters/Elderberry Pie incident. The rain gutters o...

Well I never have signed up for a blog party before and now I know why.  I am late and life just gets in the way sometimes.  It was supposed to be where country people create and I thought, "Well, I have to clean anyway for the  50 or so people that are showing up at my house that week so why not join the party and show a CLEAN area"  Riiighhht!  I neglected to realize how much I had been neglecting my house.   So I didn't make it to the party in time and now my painting room is cluttering up again.  Anyway, this is where I paint.  It is sort of a loft outside our bedroom.  I love the space, small but nicely tucked in.  And this is the view from the other end  of the space. And this is where I sew, it is a reclaimed bedroom.  I see those rooms full of cupboards and shelves and counters and I'll be honest, I covet them.  Someday. And some of the things that I have been painting.  Panic mode has set in....

Work on this, picnic tables finished, (sorry, forgot the camera for those) work around our house. Some of this. Surgery for Shelby, Lots of work preparing for the fair, A little bit of Saturday donation work. OK, the NO PARKING needs taken off and changed.  We are going to let them to that part.  This was our Saturday project. Very little of this and this... And now for next week, THIS! The trim on the garage needs sanded and painted.  I knew that I would not even start it until I had the paint sitting right here.  Hopefully the rain cooperates this week so that I can get it sanded and painted. Funny story of the week: Entitled.. How I Flushed Dora. Thursday found me with Kendall and Gracelyn.  Shelby was still healing from wisdom teeth removal and Shawnee was off to the Buffet concert.  I finally got both girls down for a nap and decided to put a coat of crackle paint on the bench that I was working on, set the timer for 20 minutes to add the paint and ...