Lowes, Menards and Beyond

Today was a good day for house projects. Michael and I went out to breakfast and made a list for shopping and projects. I stuck to the shopping list pretty well. :) The only extra's I got were: gladiolus bulbs, bottled water and 4th of July tshirts.

We found most of the items on our shopping list with no problem . . . paint, tape measure, outdoor light. Unfortunately, we were not able to find jalapeno pepper plants for a reasonable price. sigh So, I'll be planting more seeds and hope the plants mature before the weather gets cool this fall.

The paint was fun picking out because it is for our last two major rooms. . . the den and our extra guest room. Michael picked out the colors for the den . . . tan and a dark brown. I'll put pictures up after we get one of the walls painted. The other room was harder to pick out paint for because there are so many different shades of green! We finally settled on a bright yellowish green. (And yes, we now will have a green living room and guestroom.)


Once we got home, I crashed with a late afternoon nap and Michael tackled putting up the outdoor light. It will be very nice to walk up to our back door with a lighted entry. :) I'm so thankful he knows how to do handy-man type work!

Later today Michael went fishing with the guys and I started painting the guestroom. I just did the entry/corner, since boxes and a bed take up the rest of the room. Now I'm waiting for the paint to dry to see if I really like the color . . . I think I do. :)

Beware ! ! Wet Paint!

We'll see what it looks like once the paint drys  :)

To finish the day . . . my husband just brought me a serving of mint ice-cream, topped with chocolate syrup and a double chocolate cookie. And a glass of milk . . . wow, I have an amazing husband! :)

Finished Project

This week Christa asked if I would make a dress for her. She is serving at a wedding reception and was not able to find a good "blue" dress at any of the retailers. So, I dug around in my sewing stuff until I found some  patterns. She narrowed it down to these two patterns. Her final choice was the New Look pattern 6699, which I used to make bridesmaid's dresses for my wedding last year. I love the NL pattern because you can design the dress how you want it. :)

The pattern choices

 

Simplicity 2498 - View D was from Paula's wedding

The pink checkered is what Christa decided on, but no gathered overlay.

The material used was some I found at a garage sale. It was a super deal, 5 yards for three dollars. :) Christa came over Tuesday evening and helped me cut out the material. One major thing when cutting out a pattern is to go by your measurements not the size on the pattern! Thankfully, I remembered to check before we started cutting out. It saved us from having to cut out entirely new pieces.


The next day I set to work sewing! :) I must say that sewing side seams is much easier than piecing it all together. Christa was patient as I pinned her in and made sure everything fit correctly.

Christa had originally wanted ruffles on the straps, but once they were on she quickly realized it was not the look she was wanting! So, off they came and on I went making the bodice. Making the bodice took up the most time by far. Of course, some of that is because the pieces look so similar. It made the pieces way to easy to get the top and bottom switched around. I definitely got my fill of seam ripping. (One of my goals is to make a project without having to seam rip!)

The zipper was the last piece to go in. Whew, not having a zipper foot can make things complicated. However, this was my second dress to make without a zipper foot. So, I knew (thank you experience!) to sew the zipper in with HUGE stitches. (It makes seam ripping so much easier.) Unfortunately, by then my brain was tired and I forgot to pay attention to where the excess material was. So, out came my seam ripper.

Despite all the mistakes . . . I did finish the dress! I decided staying up late was better than getting up early this morning to finish it. lol So, one AM arrived and the dress was completed. :)

Finished!

Christa :)

Christa's tea-length dress

C&R + Adopted family :)

Weekend Activities

The Matson visit was a success. :) Dinner Saturday night was plentiful, complete with cranberry fluff! It is absolutely the perfect summer dessert if you use frozen cranberries. An amazing blend of sweet, tart and cool.  Here is the recipe, so I don't lose it again:

Cranberry Fluff
1 1/2 c. sugar
12 oz. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 can pineapple (crushed OR whole)
1 pkg. cool whip
1/2 pkg. mini marshmallows . . . . which I was informed is a TX Baz. addition :)

Place sugar and cranberries in blender, add small amounts of pineapple juice if the sug/cran doesn't blend. (Getting the frozen berries smooth took most of the pineapple juice. When using fresh cranberries, you drain the juice!) Pour mixture into bowl. Blend pineapple and add to sugar mixture. Add cool whip and marshmallows. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves: LOTS!!

The evening was spent eating and catching up on life. Sunday, Michael, A. Sue and Rachie went to church. The boys got an early start of getting to the Indy 500. Michael met up with them just as the race was beginning. Unfortunately, the guys did not bring a camera. So, no group shots at the race. And I am still looking for my camera/pc connector, so no pics from me either.

The girls decided to try out 'lil Nashville after church. By the time we arrived  . . . it was definitely time for lunch! (The nice thing was we missed the lunch crowd.) We decided on a little place that served soups, salads and sandwiches. Their lemonade was absolutely amazing! Rach and A. Sue got salads, while I settled on hamburger with steak fries. Yummy! After finishing off lunch and getting lemonade to go . . . we looked at the map and decided to  walk each block and see the sights.

There were tons of ice cream shops and trinket and candle shops. We found so of the biggest bugs ever! Plus we found a character from UP. :) (Pictures will follow as soon as I find the connector!) The neatest place in town was the 1879 jail. It was a two story building that looked like it was made out of railrode ties. It was extremely cool inside! Seriously, the temperature was just about as cool as most of the a/c shops we went too. The main entry into the jail was extremely SHORT! Rach and I both had to duck for our picture. There were several cells downstairs and upstairs was a open room. One of the walls had several ball and chains attached to the it.


Before leaving we found one cute resale shop called Seven Sisters, tucked away in a corner. It was a good idea having a resale shop in Nashville, since there clothes were very nicely priced. All three of us looked through the wracks for "finds", but unfortunately the sizes just were not quite right.


Our favorite shops were ones that sold old antique signs with funny sayings. Here are a few the sayings, "If your smoking in here you had better be on fire"; Trespassers will be shot . . . Survivors will be shot again! and "I'm not short . . . I am fun sized!". After a hot afternoon, we needed some laughs.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could get icecream. (We joined the guys for dinner at the friends they stayed with.) We did stop at one of the ice cream parlors, but the line was all the way around the corner! (Their icecream must have been REALLY good!) So, the plan is start with icecream the next time we go. :)

Visitors :)

It is the weekend of the Indy 500 and we are getting ready for the Matsonian's visit. It has been my job to clean out our storage room, which actually is an extra guest room. The task has been challenging, as the garage is already full of tools and extra carpet. So, I reorganized closets and made room for more boxes. Since we still have a limited amount of space in our home, I lined the big boxes along the storage room's wall.

When I started cleaning the storage room, there were boxes from the door to the far wall. Fortunately, I was able to condense boxes and get rid of stuff. I have a good size pile of empty boxes waiting to be burned.  (My afternoon project.) I am very pleased with the result, as there actually is space to walk through the room! The other good news is my sewing material and accessories are now readily accessible. :)

Now I have time for a quick nap before it is time to make supper. I was thinking of throwing together baked chicken, seasoned potatoes, mac & cheese and cranberry fluff. And if I have extra time, I'll make Mom's whole wheat bread. sigh Nothing beats walking into a house to the fragrance of fresh baked bread. :)

Ice Storm

 
Last night Michael and I were watching a movie in the den, when there was a loud cracking sound. It was a sound that last for several seconds.

If you were ever around when the dad's were logging, you'd know the exact sound. There would be a loud CRACK as the tree began to fall . . . followed by creaking and one of the men shouting, "T-I-M-B-E-R". For us kids waiting at the trucks, it was exciting. You'd scan the woods in the direction of the shout and try to see the tree fall to the ground. You had plenty of time to look because the tree falling started off slow motion. It would take out smaller trees before hitting the ground.

Ok, back to the ice storm. We bundled up and went outside to investigate. The biggest tree out back had lost a huge branch. (Fortunately, it missed the neighbors fence.) We should have plenty of firewood next winter. Now for a chainsaw to cut up the wood.

The ice storm left a solid inch of ice coating all outside surfaces. We had snow earlier in the week, which the ice covered, making our yard into one big ice skating rink. I tried skating in my slippers . . . it worked really well. The ice has added to our already full gutters. Hopefully they hold until the temperature warms up. 

I'm staying warm with a nice cup of spice tea and snuggling under the covers with Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin. :)

Sledding

Since today was our last day together, we decided to make the most of it and go sledding!! We bundled up, snow suits and boots.

First, Audrey and I cleared off the car. We delayed going to the park because one of us started a snow fight. After successfully beating Audrey, ahheem, I mean cleaning off the car . . . we took off for the park.

Our driver (back)

Walking to the hill

 The park was deserted when we arrived. YES! The whole sledding hill to ourselves. We trekked to the hill and began our afternoon of fun. (Last week I had been shopping with Christa and I found blue "Powder Stick". It looked like a new and improved sled, so I bought it.) We tried out the powder stick and discovered why it was called that. When sledding down the hill . . . both people on the sled were bombarded with snow dust in the face. When we called it a day, we were all tired and ready for a hot cup of spice tea.
PS We did take more pictures, but they were on Audrey's camera. And I forgot to download them before they left. sigh Guess that means they will have to visit again soon. :)

Beautiful snow picture 1!

Beautiful snow picture 2!

Before sledding down

After our snow shower

My wonderful sisters

The end of our sledding adventure :)

Ski Trip

Saturday, we all ventured out the Perfect North Slopes for some skiing.

On the way we had to make a little detour for some necessary purchases. (Thank goodness for Wally-World!) The snow does give off a glare which makes sunglasses and sunscreen quite important. Haylee and I settled on the BIG sunglasses . . . they covered half our face and were quite effective.

Water, Sunglasses, batteries and sunscreen = Important Gear

Fashionable Ski Attire

We spent an hour taking lessons, which was really smart because learning as you go can be rather painful. It was nice having an experienced instructor giving tips. We were then able to enjoy the rest of the time skiing the slopes.

Uhhhh, wipe out?

 Most Important Lessons

To Stop: Ski into the hill. Pointing toes together (without crossing your ski's) is also effective.

How to get up after falling:
Untangle self from fall. Lay side ways. Use poles to push yourself up. :)

If your poles are not nearby:
Good luck getting up!

Our walking boots

Michael, Audrey and I quickly learned that the ski boots are not good for walking. It was decided a locker is worth renting for the day for non-valuables items. Especially since wearing a backpack with water bottles gets heavy on the slopes AND throws you off balance.

Michael

The Girls!!

 We all enjoyed skiing and have no serious injuries to report among our group. Despite Haylee's attempt to cut in line by barreling down the slope straight into the cones! Thankfully none of the bystanders were hurt. And she only suffered minor bumps and bruises. All together a fun and safe weekend. :)

Taking on the slopes

sigh  . . . "It's harder than it looked!"

"Are you ok back there?"

Comedy relief . . . ask Michael

Surprise

It is funny how life can be full of surprises . . . . and is definitely the best way to start a new year.

After prayer meeting, I went to the kids room to let them know that they could join everyone else in the living room. I opened the door and poked my head in to say, "Hey guys, its over," only to see my sisters standing there! So, instead of announcing that the meeting was over, I said the first thing that popped into my head, "What are you guys doing here?!?!" And then I hugged them both to cover the tears that suddenly appeared in my eyes. sigh I have the BEST sisters. :)