Catching up

Here are some photos from last Thursday and Friday. I stopped to check-out what was new at the Antique Mall in town and there were some stylish automobiles across the street. I also managed to get the iron gate and lovely home in the picture. 

A sweet gate

I finally filled the empty space above the computer. I'm very pleased with it. The cork board was from my husband's cast-offs and the material was on sale at JoAnn's. Now I have more space to post inspiration!

We finish up with more goodies from the garden. The tomatoes are ripening and are SO good! Does anyone have good ideas what to do with cucumbers? 

Tomorrow we will be going to the incredible Irish Festival in Dublin

 and visiting my sister-in-law for her birthday. August is upon us. Happy Friday!

Small Town 'drive by'

Here is my first attempt at a 'drive by', as Melissa @ the inspired room calls it. I thought I would show you what small town Ohio has to offer.  I was surprised when I moved to our 'village' and got to have a good look around, by how many lovely homes are in the area. This is nice since we are starting to look into buying soon.

This first shot is of a large brick Victorian. It sits up on a rise and is so pretty sitting out of town. I couldn't slow down very much because people were accelerating up to 55 by then.

I really like the curve of the porch and the arch over the pretty green doorway.

This is the show stopper, right in the middle of town. They change the entire decor of the exterior for every season. I will have to remember to post some photos at Christmas time.

I have always liked the bold, strong lines on the face of this home. I also think they did a nice job adding the iron fencing along the stairway.

*Sigh* so pretty. There are four tall evergreens across the front of this property. I've always liked this one.

The decorating here is impeccable.  There are sweet places to sit all around the front porch with a nicely trimmed lawn. The rooms inside are just as lovely (from what I have glimpsed through the windows).

It was so nice of the village to repave the roads before I took my pictures. ;) I got some more  shots today so hopefully there will be more homes to see tomorrow!

Late last night

I finished this embroidered letter. The paper wreath isn't turning out like I had planned, but I have a few more ideas on how to make it work. I used the dictionary paper to make this instead. I'm not sure if I will finish the alphabet or do my initials on another page. I will think about that later. Right now I need to finish the housework I put off last night to embroider and watch Australian Project Runway.

Happy Wednesday!

Oh this blog thing...

I don't know how I will find time to post over the weekends. By the time I read and comment on other's blogs (after baby's bedtime) its 11 and I should really be in bed! 

Even the piano deconstruction was detained over the weekend. We didn't want to leave a mess in Cassandra's dining room, since there was no loading space due to road construction in front of their home. 

My days seem full of setbacks. But here is a look at the progress of my garden. It keeps growing and changing. I already have cucumbers and I'm going to have SO many grape tomatoes! 

Before it was dug, in May.

Everything is planted.

Starting to produce, in June.

Coming along beautifully in July.

You can see the corn growing the background too. :)

This has been a fabulous thing. It is so nice to go out in the mornings and work before it gets hot. I don't know when else I would be able to make myself get outside. Even though I enjoy the fresh air so much. The comfort of AC can keep me indoors. 

Hope I can post again soon. So many ideas, photos and projects to share!

Piano Keys and Berry Muffins

So the internet is still working but I can't get Photoshop to quit... too bad I don't know anything about computers.

As I balance my arm to keep from getting the cream covering the poison ivy off the desk, I will admire the tasty treats that I risked my comfort for.

Here is the small basket of berries that I picked a couple weeks ago out at the Turnbull's farm (Cassandra and I have our gardens there, more pics soon). We walked around the outside of their woods, along a corn field and found about a dozen small berry patches.   

So I wondered for a few hours about what we will do with them. I spent hours (1) and sweat (eww) to bring them home, there must be something amazing I could make... then a visit from my mother-in-law brings a quart of berries (big ones too) to my table. I ask Rich if muffins would be good, "sure", and they are enjoyed Saturday night while watching 10,000B.C. (although a time that I'm pretty sure didn't have an Earth in it, an interesting story, for history lovers). The muffins looked quite pretty too, I think.

And here we have the piano keys from a large, black, upright that mostly still sits in Cassandra's dining room. I have everything but the harp and some of the frame here at home. 

The top of my sewing table will be from the front foot panel but we need to take apart the rest for enough to make the legs. I have not decided if I will strip the black paint, distress it, or leave it as is. It will be sitting in the only open spot in my living room which has a mix of darker woods and some black picture frames. I will most likely keep it as it is (for now). 

Thanks to my new friends, and old, for the comments. They are very kind, and give me more confidence as I continue writing and creating. 

P.S. I did not put the wild berries I picked into the muffins, I ate them slowly by themselves, as I found them to be sweeter than the garden variety. 

The joy of planning

I really enjoy planning something, gathering all the pieces, and then seeing the project come together (hopefully beautifully).  

I have lots of these projects on my mind right now. 

Such as:

- building a sewing table out of Cassandra's old piano

- making paper wreaths

- finishing pillows for our bedroom

- embroidering

- finding just the right places for just the right thing (always ongoing)

and most recent - planning an afternoon tea!

Arlena and I have been wanting to give a tea for the ladies at church all summer and we have finally purposed ourselves to plan and bring it to fruition. I am so looking forward to making invitations, menu and decorating. Plus I think my Belleek tea set will get some use and also the cut-glass hostess set I bought recently.  Oh, and Arlena is offering to have the party in her home, which I appreciate.

What kind of projects or parties are you planning for? 

Happy Monday!

Proverbs 4:25-26 

Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. 

Adventures with food

Here are some of the results of recent attempts to preserve, grow, 

and throw a dinner together while grocery shopping.

This is Strawberry Jam that I made with Cassandra (friend from church). She pretty much walked me through it and let me use her jars. We made regular and sugar-free. I think I like the sugar-free better. They are all such lovely colors!  

Here we have the sugar-snap peas I harvested a couple weeks ago. they were growing in containers on the steps by our kitchen door. It was so fun to go and twist the new tendrils around the string and see them grow. I have only seen a couple of flowers on the plants since, and wasn't sure whether to expect any more to grow.  We ate them sauteed with Arlena's onions and rotini. It was a lovely summer supper.   

Finally, here is the dinner brought together by necessity. A Sam's Club rotisserie chicken, WalMart 'sourdough' bread and Campbell's tomato bisque. Ten minutes after walking in the door, dinner was served!  that bisque was yummy too! I think I will go for Panera the next time I want a real bread bowl. But it fulfilled the need and even Jaren enjoyed it! 

I have been trying to do better with my photography. Helpful tips are welcome! 

This post made me hungry, I'm off to finish up some Trader Joe's red pepper hummus.

 

I will just jump in

After months of reading blogs on homes, design and crafting I have decided to join in on the conversation. I hope that taking on a more active role in activities that I enjoy will help me to narrow my tastes and learn how to better express myself. Thanks for joining me on this new adventure!