"Gone North" ...... to that Place

LOVE to Create...

2012-02-20T23:30:00.000-05:00

    I Love to create... Love DIY....
              I love texture & color...

          There are few things I like better than
    to see a piece of fabric & know exactly what
                    I will do with it.

    I love to repurpose a piece of furniture...
There are SOooo, so many projects in my head

         So being the bad blogger that I am,
I keep waiting for something to dazzle you with...

          But.... this is what I have been up to

                    Does anybody care??   : )
                    Nothing fabulous....
Just stuff that needs to be done at the Cottage
                     to make it liveable

                   A four day weekend....
            1 coat of primer, 3 coats of paint
                       Doors are done....
           Another coat of paint in a bedroom...
      Filled in a MILLION nail holes & a final coat
                 of paint on the crown molding

               While the guys did a LOT of this..

To catch some of these...

         (well, this one got thrown back.... out
     of season & not very tasty, I am told :)

                    So doors are done.....
                Another bedroom D.O.N.E.

The plastic is now removed & they look great

I was just TOO pooped to take the pic..... :)

MIA once again... (or just neglecting this old blog thing )

2012-02-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

With some fairly good reason

                 "Sometimes", said Pooh
                "The smallest things take up
               the biggest place in your heart"

This sweet thing is not yet 2 weeks old & he has replaced just about everything that I once thought
                        was important.    : )
                 Our very 1st grandchild....
    & everyone was right, there is nothing like it.

               A sweet pic of my parents...
                 Now great-grandparents


                     And there was a few weeks
             in the sun before Baby S. arrived....
       (so nice to get warm & stay warm for a bit )

                     (view from our bedroom deck @ SIL's place....
                                                 nice huh? : )

        And I will leave you with something little
            I have been working on in between

                                Before....
              Remember ?? your grandmother's
                                dining set

                                 After
            I'll show you the entire set, soon...

Where in the World??? (have I been?? : )

2012-01-09T00:55:00.000-05:00

Oh MY... It has been a LONG time since I posted...
                       You Know... LIFE....

My last post I said that a Baby was coming...

                   well that will happen in just a few weeks..
                            & we are getting excited.

This past May we put an offer in on a lake house... & what a LONG summer of waiting...It was a re-po & what a LOT of hoops to jump thru & paperwork to finally take possesion, just before Labor day.

And Boy was it a M.E.S.S.

(pic taken as we had started to take off light blue wallpaper off dark, dark paneling )

                Did NOT know how much work this was going to be......
                But it is coming together......

              Getting there.... It now has white crown molding & floor moldings, new carpet & furniture.... pics soon....

          We have just started staying there... (We have another place, just a few miles away, so we would work all day & then go back to the other place at night.... It is much nicer being all at one place, while working )

   It has 2 floors, each with a kitchen, living room, bedrooms & baths... The top floor is almost completely done & I will be sharing before & afters, soon....
          SOooo that is what I have been doing instead of blogging... : )

                  And there was a fair amount of travel.....
            There was a week at Mackinac Island, here in Michigan

                            Another week in Upper Michigan....
       giving the Michigan tour to husband's business associates

Part of Sleeping Bear dunes....
Yes, voted the most Beautiful place in the US by Good Morning America

Then a trip to Colorado

                   Youngest son & DIL @ Rocky Mountain National park

                 Then the Holidays happened & I did a lot of these again

And some of these

+++ The Holidays....

SOOooooo.... that is what I have been up to....

I have been keeping up with reading blogs,

just did not take the time to post myself

Some of you have even written, asking where I have been & what I

have been up to....Thanks for asking, It is nice to be missed.

A New Chapter

2011-08-09T00:11:00.006-04:00

My Family....

I have not said much about my family

on here before....

My 3 sons.....

(hate this pic of me, but love it of the boys )

And they are married to 3 lovely girls

The one in the middle of this pic

is our oldest, Michael.

           Michael is such an interesting guy....
            He is an engineer for his real job....
             BUT has so many, many hobbies

& they are all extreme

Yes, look closely, that is him kayaking,

over a large waterfall... Yikes!!

Kiteboarding in Mexico

He does extreme skiing & snowboarding

He buys & sells tractors &

boats for a hobby.

He & his wife have lived in Mexico for a year,

they went to Africa a few yrs. ago, for a month,

just to kayak the world's biggest river. They have hiked all over.

He does hunting & fishing in a big way.

He seriously never sits still

Picture above... Michael & Carrie in London.

Middle of the night, in a London airport, on the way to Hungary... a few hours to kill.... don't waste them in an airport... go see something... : )

( I had to take a pic for him in front of Jerry Garcia's home in San Fransisco :)

Michael was burned pretty bad last week

He was riding & tinkering with a seadoo & it exploded

flames 10 -12 ft. in the air...

He will be OK..... but burns on his arms & face

look pretty nasty right now

(on again... after the accident...How many times do I have to say,

"Michael, be careful" ?? : )

Anyways.... why I tell you a little about Michael??

He will be the father of our 1st Grandchild.. : )

Yes.....

Michael & Carrie told us a few weeks ago

And we could not be more thrilled.... : )

A Birthday Purse

2011-07-22T00:46:00.002-04:00

Maggie's Birthday

Niece Maggie is turning 18

Party was planned for 5:30

I had already gotten a gift

But I had a free afternoon

SO I thought...

She needs a purse :)

1:30... I go thru my stash

She liked the one I had made myself last year

So I got to work

Pockets on the inside

Full pocket across the back

Pulled apart on old belt

To use for rings & embellishments

Walked out the door at 5:00

She loved it!!

(no pic of her with purse.. : )

HOT !!!

2011-07-21T20:35:00.001-04:00

My son sent this to me today...
Just thought it was worth a smile.... : )

If you could do anything you wanted ????

2011-07-10T00:20:00.007-04:00

In your kitchen??
Would you play & be fun ??

                       Or would you go safe?
                               & do White??

The new lake house we are purchasing

has 2 kitchens.....

The one has new cabinets... we will leave those alone

The other kitchen needs a complete re-do

                                  (kitchen to be re-done above)

                       This home is a foreclosure & needs a TON of work...
                              almost all of it HAS to be re-done....
                            So without spending my arm, leg
                      & selling my 1st, 2nd & 3rd child
                           I am going to try & just do what I can
                                       with very little money

                 So we/I will be painting these cabinets for now

                      What would you do??
                      If you had the chance??

Red Perhaps??

A pretty soft green??

                                     A Bright Lime Green??
                 (yea....That's not going to happen... : )

                                Yellow "ish"?? Off white??

                            Brighter yellow??

                     A shade of Blue?? Aqua??

Black??? Too safe???

                                   I kind of like the grey???

                Seriously?? What would you do??
                   If you could decorate a
                   vacation/weekend place ???
         ( & then tell me why someone would
                     have 2 kitchens?? )


         linking up with Miss Mustard seed
          for Furniture Feature Friday

Some Color on the Front Porch

2011-07-06T23:29:00.002-04:00

                                         The After......

The Before.....

                       Much Better.... Don't you think???   : )

       This set was my Grandmother's.... it is quite old & I have recovered it more than once..... I did not store it this past winter.... it sat out in the Michigan winter.
Notice the horrible rust & faded fabric....awful...
           One afternoon, a few weeks ago.....
                             on a whim...
     I went for some spray paint I had in the house.... some fabric I bought over a year ago... a remnant I just liked & knew I would someday use....

            I am not entirely sure I like it.... ????

   We have a white house with a wrap-around porch all the way across....this sits in a corner.......I do a lot of red geraniums... white wicker chairs....red bench....
         thought I would add something different
                  & use red with turquoise
                        (+ I had it on hand : )
                   sort of free make-over
             & a short afternoon of work

                         Like?? Not like???

                                 And.....
                The new cottage is almost ours..
       Just waiting on the final paperwork.... agh!!!
                  Why is this taking so long ???

               ( & yes.... one of the very 1st things to go
               will be the ugly front door...
              though my sons think there is
            absolutely nothing wrong with it : )

My View Today

2011-06-27T23:32:00.001-04:00

From the upper deck of our new COTTAGE!!!!

What? I didn't tell you before??

Guess I didn't want to jinx it... : )

It will be our new "Up North Place"

It was a foreclosure... It is HUGE & needs a lot of work...

Today I sat & waited for all the inspectors to come thru...

just for our peace of mind that the structure is fine....

All is good.... : )

So guess what I will be doing for the next few months??

2500 sq. ft of painting, flooring.....

I think it will be fun???

On the Road Again...

2011-06-06T23:42:00.001-04:00

My up close & personal encounter with

                               Bruce.... THE MOOSE!!!

      Since my last post I have traveled from one end
         of the country to the other... well almost...

          Been in New York.... then Colorado....
   And Up north here in Michigan, on the weekends
                     we have been home.

                While in Colorado I met Bruce

      We were near Buena Vista at Frontier Ranch, a Young Life camp. We were there to participate in a work week. Each night between dinner & Worship, we had about an hour... husband & son took showers & naps, so DIL & I decided to take a short drive...
   We drove to an old Ghost town nearby...
                                 St. Elmo

There was absolutely no one around

And we came across Bruce....

        We followed him around town until it started to get dark... about 45 min. (we missed worship that night : )
   When we told some folks who live there, they did not believe us until we showed our proof... they said,
    "Can't be, there are no moose near here"
    Well, we encountered the one lone Moose....
who must have wandered his way down from Montana.... just to give us a thrill....

      Now I am off to a week of fancy schmancy dinners in Washington DC.... Where they say it will be HOT, HOT, HOT.... from 2 ft. of snow in Colorado.... : )

Old School.... New bag

2011-05-01T21:35:00.017-04:00

                  It has been a while... a LONG while...
My absence involves a new phone, a slick phone salesman, a new internet connection, getting the old connection back again....
   And a whole LOT of frustration along the way...

      Anyways... this past weekend, I planned & pulled off a great
                           surprise Birthday party...

                   And for part of her gift from me, I made this....

From this

                                        Her Old Catholic school uniform skirt.

      A few months ago her Mom gave me a bag of wool, sweaters & clothing. She was cleaning & pitching things & knew that I upcycle wool into mittens, purses etc. When I showed the Birthday girl the things her mom had given me, she said, "That is my old skirt from school"
    I loved the plaid & knew that I could do something fun with it.

      I had already gotten her a gift, I made the food, got all the prep things needed for the party & then the day before, I decided if I could quick
        make the bag, it would be a fun gift for this occasion.
    I washed it, & ironed out the pleats & then went with the flow... not knowing how it would turn out until I was finished.... luckily I have a VERY large fabric stash & didn't need to run out for anything to finish it.
                 Took me just the morning from start to finish...

                       It was great fun when she opened it.
                Her family had flown in from all over &
                       they all remembered the uniform.

         I had also gotten her a rain coat from a recent trip to New York,
                          But the bag was the hit of the party.

               The party was great fun!! Her husband asked me to do this,
                      & we pulled it off... She was surprised.... : )

(I was so busy, making sure that all was perfect, I didn't take any pics....: )

               Joining these Parties... Thanking these hostesses
         - Sarah over @ Thrifty Decor chic for her Before & After Party
         - Susan over @ Between Naps on The Porch for Met Mondays
      - Pam over @ Becolorful for Motivated Monday
      - Cindy over @ Skip to My Lou for Made by you Monday

      - Stephanie over @ Under the Table & Dreaming for Sunday
       Showcase
        - Linda over @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
      - Judy over @ DIY By Design for Swing into Spring

Upholstery job.... DONE & DELIVERED !!!!!!!!

2011-03-12T23:40:00.037-05:00

                 This job kicked my back side to the curb & back again.....

                            The Before.... there was 2 of them
                                        with the ottoman

                             She said that she was in no hurry....
                                        They were just starting the remodel job.....
                             It would be more than a few months.....

                                       yea.... no kidding.....
                                   It took me that long.........

                            I started last fall & took them apart

                Then the mitten business took over my entire life
                Remember?? How I whined about it back over here

                      So... after the Holidays, I got back to the job.....

                               She told me to be creative.... Do what I wanted....
            The fabric was reversible & she wanted me to use both sides.
                     & She did not want the skirts back on the chairs.

                  BUT... BUT... BUT.... It all had to match..... AGH!!!
                   & then there was not quite enough fabric.... AGH!!!!
                            because of the repeat in the fabric
                   I did what I thought looked best & tried to match
      Thinking..."well, you would want the brown where your head rests"
                "& brown near the floor, where dirt would gather"
                        "& brown where your hands would rest"
               SOoooo I just went with it, adding as I went along...
                 not sure what it would look like, until I was finished.
                                 Because that's how I roll.....

                                           So, the seat cushions are reversible
                  Then I thought it was kind of boring, so I added the 4 in.
                             border, blue in front, brown in back.
                            So adding & subtracting as I went....
                          but because of no skirts, I had to hand sew
                 the border & welt on, there was nothing to nail it to....
                      again.... going with the flow, not planning it out
                                          ahead of time

              This set is going in her new 800 sq. ft. bedroom.
                               They will set by the fireplace.
                             So she wanted pillows for the bed

                            Did you read that?? 800 sq. ft.??
                                As big as our 1st house.... : )
                    SOooo I finish this job, I am taking pics to show you

                              And then to my GREAT HORROR!!!
            Do you see it??? The dumbest mistake I have EVER made.....
                    I had sewn welting in the seams on the back of
                                one chair & not the other
                                How ever did I do that???
             I guess, when you go with the flow & add here & there
                           And you are rushing.... AGH!!!!
                 So now what to do??? It would mean taking the
                           whole chair apart again... OH NO!!!!
                       I seriously thought about glueing it on ....   :)
                        (would she notice?? If I left as is?? :)
                So after some careful consideration & thought...
                                I hand stitched it on.

                                             I delivered them a few days ago
                                  And she was very pleased

                   And just the day before I delivered them, I couldn't
                leave well enough alone & quickly made a few throw
                                    pillows for the chairs

                I am not by any means a professional upholsterer...
        And I have done jobs like this before..... For myself... :)
                         BUT this one just about did me in.
       Did you see how many miles & miles of welting there is on these? :)
              You really could not pay me enough to do this one again
                   (she is a friend or I would have had to charge as
                          much as she spent on the remodel :)

                                                 BUT
                               I have another chair sitting here,
                                      for someone else
                                     waiting to be done...
                                 (with no matching AT ALL :)

            Linking up to
          -Pam over @ Becolorful, for Motivated Monday
          -Susan for Met Mondays @ Between Naps on The Porch
          -Debbie's @ Debbie's Blogging & Blabbing for her Newbie Party
          -Skip to My Lou for Made by you Monday
          -Judy over @ Diy By Design for Swing into Spring
          -Jen over @ The Thrifty Home for her Penny Pinching Party
          -Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
          -Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
          -Traci @ Beneath My Heart for Best DIY Projects of March

Aren't Blogging friends just WONDERFUL!!!

2011-03-08T23:42:00.003-05:00

      I am not a very good blogger. I keep thinking that I need to take some time & learn how to really do this. I can not use the excuse that I am new to this much longer...had this blog almost a year now... I just haven't given it much attention... I keep forgetting to take pics, or I think that I don't really have much to share with you, or I am just too busy...


    BUT I have met the most wonderful folks out there in blogland....
Take Glenda over at Serendipity Cottage.... I met her almost from the start of my blogging experience. She is the most delightful girl & takes the most beautiful pics. She has a wonderful family, whom she adores & writes about often.

     She has recently started selling her wonderful "Glad rags"

          They come in sets of 3 for $11.97 with free shipping

             Recently she had a give-away... of some of her Glad Rags,
                  & I was one of the lucky ones to get a set.

We were gone for a few days when they arrived,

but what a sweet package in the mailbox to come home to.

They are just wonderful.

They are almost too pretty to use... But please do use them,
so soft & thick.

                   Wouldn't they make a lovely bridal shower gift?
      Or just something fun for a niece at college? Or a "just because"
                    gift for your daughter or daughter-in-law?
                             Or just treat yourself for once.

              She wraps them up in a delightful crocheted flowers with
             some vintage buttons.... Just too cute for words.

                             If you haven't met her yet....
                      Go on over to Serendipity Cottage for a visit
                          Meet Glenda.... you will love her, I promise.

                               Then while you are there....
                     go to the sidebar & check out the Glad rags.
                              Then buy some of your own...

                            And one more thing about Glenda...
                         she is writing the most delightful story,
                                 about a girl named "Rose".
                  She gives us a chapter at a time & I am always
                        anxious for the next part of the story....

      Glenda is one talented girl & I am so pleased to call her a friend....
              She is one of the reasons I love blogging so much.

        Thanks Glenda for the very sweet, very soft & very useful gift!!!

The sun / Son was out today....

2011-02-22T20:10:00.007-05:00

                                      It was a beautiful day, today...
                 The sun was shining, but it was COLD!!!

                               (lighthouse on lake Michigan, here in Holland)

            I had a plan today... I was going to accomplish a TON.
       I was home alone & was going to go no where, just me & my
               vacuum, my laundry, the mop, the sewing machine....
                            YES!! I was going to do a LOT.

                          A message on the answering machine.....
                                a daughter of some clients....
                        I did not return the call immediately....
                    these clients were in Florida until spring......
                              did not think it was urgent.....

                        She called again.... so I called her back.
      "Mom" she says, "Has only days to live.... Would it be possible
       for you to come here & cut Dad's hair & try & do
                      something with hers, before she passes"??

                                  Oh My... Ofcourse.....
           My dirty floor had nothing on what I experienced today.
           The sweet love of a family surrounding the mom that they love.
        Making sure she was comfortable & looked like she would want.

           I have been doing hair for 35 yrs. & on occasion, have done
                  house/hospital calls. BUT this was special.
                      Alma really only has a few days, if that.
                               I did not know she was sick.
               I did her hair the day before she left for the winter.
                She got sick down there & they flew home this
                       past weekend, so she would be at home.

     I got to see all of the kids & grandkids there, telling me stories....
             stories of Mom's faithfulness & love thru the years....
               heard about the last month of pancreatic cancer.....
            Heard of the generous private jet that flew them home...
            Saw the sweet love of a husband as he prepared to lose
                                         his beloved....


                            I don't think she even knew....

                        But I was Blessed....... beyond anything....

                               The Son was shining today

Something sweet....

2011-02-21T02:22:00.001-05:00

                  I started to write this post over a week ago in the airport...
      I was on my way to Dallas from Michigan, hoping to escape this....

But I got to Texas & it was more of the same......

Cold & Ice

So fast forward a week & Michigan had a few days of warming

The snow melted...

BUT today... this is what we have AGAIN....

It was so nice yesterday, my sister & I decided to go north to the cottage.

My husband is in Colorado, he is getting to spend a few days with our son & DIL, helping with a remodel project on the front end of his business trip.

Sister & I were going to spend a few days, but Mr. Weatherman was telling us that BIG weather was coming again, so we left early this morning & drove home, so we could get home. SO.... I am home alone & enjoying all that being snowed in alone means.... I get the big comfy chair in the sunroom, get to eat when/what I want, not sharing... reading, watching movies & catching up on blogs....

So I digress.....

This is what I wanted to show you...

A client of mine is a fairly recent widow. She has moved into an assisted living facility & is down-sizing her things.

Since she no longer drives, I usually pick her up, cut her hair & then bring her back. She asked me this last time if I had a few minutes to come up to her apartment. She had this there & asked me if I would like it. Her family was going to throw it out & she said, "I think Kathy might like it"

Are you kidding me??? I LOVE it.

It hangs on the wall & will soon be on the wall of my "being remodeled sewing room"

She said that it was quite old & was handmade.

She gave it to me, just as you see it...

with all of that colorful thread.

Do you notice that each little shelf flips out to better get at the thread?

I have lots & lots & lots & lots of thread, & thread holders in all shapes & sizes to hold all of the serger & regular sewing thread.

But I think this will be used mostly as a piece of art for the wall.

Isn't it just perfectly lovely??

Such a thoughtful gesture, she knew I would love it....

Sure glad it did not end up in the land fill.

Thanks Tina!!!

They told us it was coming.....

2011-02-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

They have been warning us for days

                        And here in Michigan... snow is not usually too big a deal....
            We are used to it. I think last year we had well over 100 in.

       But they are saying this is the biggest snowstorm since the 70's....
        We had 17" from midnight til 6 this morning.... & it is still coming...

Everything is closed today.... the TV shows 1000's of closings...

They are not showing the Today show.... only local weather... AGH!!

The snow plow got stuck in the driveway early this morning.....

I am not getting out... no one is getting in.........

Guess I will work on more of these................

Or get back to work on these & finally get them finished.....

Stay warm all............

Going to Blog... Going to Blog....

2011-01-11T00:35:00.005-05:00

That is what I have been saying for a month....

I was excited this year, to dazzle you with my Christmas decor... My Dept. 56 village.. I have lots of houses & they are lovely. They just never got put up this year.... (:

My Christmas tree... we own a Christmas tree farm, so I get the pick.... got put up, but never got many decorations....

I have been so terribly busy, I can't see straight...

I have a mitten business..... & this year it was ridiculous.... I thought I would quit. You see, everybody & thier aunt makes mittens out of wool sweaters.... there are enough out there....

BUT.... this year I had so many orders, I could not keep up. Just between Thanksgiving & Christmas I had 2, yes 2 orders for around $1000....

I could not say no... I worked until 2 in the morning, got back up at 6 & did some more.... ( besides working in the beauty shop : )
I turned down so many calls, that it makes me sick to think about it....
Why was I not sewing all year long??? Again, thought that I would quit.

A bag ready to go

  I have been making them for more than 15 years. I used to make them for all the high school girls in my small group from Church, for Christmas, then I had a few ask me to make them for gifts. I went on an Alaskan cruise, gave them to my friends on the cruise, a store in Sitka saw them & asked me to make some for them. I gave them to some friends in New York as a gift, had a store there ask for some.... & it goes on.... so my business was born.
    I have never done an art show... never wanted to, this fall a friend asked me to join her in a booth.... orders, orders, orders....

              I delivered an order Christmas Eve.... I was so sick of it....
My facebook status said..... "Done, Done, Done..... Don't even ask" : )
      Our kids came home for Christmas & I was not ready.......
                  But I am not finished.... folks are still calling

I get some special orders for both in the pair to match exactly, but most want them to be whimisical & some-what match...

I had one order, for 4 pair, from a mom for her kids from the sweater that thier dad wore, before he died...

A pair for a Hope College soccer mom.... Orange & Navy..

I want to quit.... I want to do something else fun for a while.... but no one wants mittens in July.... I have a big upholstery job, 2 chairs & an ottoman that I said would be done by Christmas.... not done yet.... My house is a mess... husband is going to Arizona next week & I am not going....too far behind.... ( I have the ticket...agh!!! )

So for now I am sewing, sewing, sewing......

       Linking up this week with Pam over at Becolorful
                       for Motivated Mondays

Collection of Christmas trees

2010-12-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

                           I have a collection of  Vintage
               Ceramic Christmas trees.

I have them all over the house.
I really never meant to collect them, it just happened.
I happened to get my Grandmother's when she passed. Then I bought one at a thrift store for $2. Then a client told me they were pretty valuable & collectible. So if I saw one cheap, at a thrift store, I would buy it. I think I have 40 + of them in all shapes, colors & sizes. I have never paid more than $5. for one.

The very large in one in the middle was a gift from a friend, from Church. She had it in her barn, didn't want it any longer & gave it to me. The one on on the left, back... Last week, I was home with the flu, a friend calls, says that she saw one at GW for $4. but it did not have any lights, so she didn't think I would want it. I got dressed, not feeling well, drove down there, bought it for the $4. & the lights were all taped to the inside.... told her she could have gotten $100 for it on Ebay..... : )

                                   Playing around with them on the kitchen counter
                      I am just getting out the decorations.....
                     & they will all get moved around as I add : )

                                      Back entry table.

One of the few I have in the Beauty shop.... this one I bought just a few weeks ago at a thrift store, no base, no lights, I hesitated, as they wanted $5. But I bought it. Went back this week & there was the base.... they gave it to me for free.

                                     Ceramic wreath, goes with the collection.
                         Back entry.... Goodwill $2. a few yrs. ago

                  Mantle tree, not lit, with mantle to be decorated
                      with greenery in the next day or 2.

          I am late getting at my decorating this year.
    I have been down with flu & busy with my wool business....
       I knew back in July I should have been sewing mittens & scarves : )

              More on that later.... I still have to decorate my 2 trees, put up the Dickens village.... & an upholstery job to finish by the weekend....
            Better get to it......

Just a little of where I have been....

2010-12-04T00:30:00.006-05:00

I have been M.I.A. & before I start posting Christmas & all that goes with that, I will show you just a little of what I have been up to....
The week before Thanksgiving I flew to Dallas. I go there 4 - 5 times a year to work.
And I need to explain the "work" I don't actually get paid in cash... BUT BOY do we work!!

         See these nice women all lined up. They are waiting to get in.

   It is kind of a long story, so I will try & give the short version. I have a friend in Dallas who is a clothing designer & manufacturer. And she is not small potatoes... she is HUGE.
She started a small company years ago to put her husband thru seminary, now she has 4 of her own labels, owns maybe another 4, her clothing is in lots of small upscale boutiques, she designs a large line for Dillards, she does a lot of Coldwater Creek, does some for Nordstrom's ..... & lots & lots more.   Anyways 4 - 5 times a year they have warehouse sales in Dallas, & a few girlfriends & I fly in. And we work the sale. And work is not even the word for it... we bust ourselves for 3 days straight. And they pay us in clothing.   How COOL is that??? !!!!!!

                               (all pics just before the customers attack)

        Women stand in line to get in... there are great deals... $300 coats for $50. , $150 tops for $20.... Each sale is just a season behind, this sale was fall clothing.
     At each sale, there will be 15,000 - 20,000 pieces of clothing. & I tell you the truth, I probably handle them all at least 2 - 3 times. We spend each day from before 7 until maybe 9 at night, hanging them back up, waiting on customers, picking them off the floor, squeezing thru the mobs & the racks to hang them back where they belong.
But I can tell you this after the fact. It is great fun. (don't ask me while I am at it, it would be a different answer : ) And truthfully, each time I book a ticket to go again, hubby says to me, "I thought you said that you were never doing that again" : )
...MEN... they just don't get it... it is like child-birth, you forget until you are in the middle of it again, or the pain just after : )
But my 2 good friends from Colorado, fly in. I come in from Michigan, & then the Texas girlfriends.... and we sort of have a big slumber party for 4 days in the guest house. We take things back that we might like & at night, we all try on for each other.... that part is great for a lot of laughs.
   I met all these great friends more than 20 yrs. ago, thru ministry & I am extremely blessed to have them all in my life. The work is hard, but good, but the friends I have made & met thru this have added so much to my life.
The clothes don't hurt either & my family will plan that is what they will get for all occasions.. Christmas is coming : ) In fact they give me specifics on what they are in need of : )

                                   (one of the dressing rooms)

   I always come home extremely tired & I could write a book on flying these days... This past trip alone, in one day I was asked 3 times to get off a plane for mechanical issues, I was re-booked 4 times, took a bump, my luggage did not follow.... BUT.....I will forget that next time I book my ticket to go again....
   Now on to Christmas.... had the flu all week.... so now to get at it.....

Have you seen this??

2010-11-08T13:11:00.001-05:00

Had such a terribly busy week, last week.... Preparing for an art show (more on that later)
But This just brightened my morning, so I thought I would share it.
650 voices joined together at a Macy's in Philadelphia. I am sure to the delight of many surprised shoppers.
Wish that I had been there to experience this 1st hand
ENJOY!!!

A Sweet surprise in my Mailbox

2010-10-26T23:53:00.005-04:00

           Recently my husband & I took a week & went to Colorado...
           This was here waiting when we returned.
            Isn't this just the most thoughtful gift??

             You see recently Kathy over @ Sweet up north mornings was having a contest / give-away. She & her sweet husband took a trip & asked us along.  She blogged about thier travels & had us guess where they were.   And I won... with the most correct guesses.   Yippee!!!
      And I do confess, that I knew a few, guessed at a few & then googled one or two :)
                So Kathy sent me this great gift. She packaged it just as one would expect from such a creative girl.... What fun to get a pink pkg. !
   And then her artful, fall notecard, that I know she must have made herself, was just too sweet. She said, "Because you are a new blogger & I want you to really love it"
    Well, so far I really do LOVE it.... I have not posted many yet. (I don't even know how to "Grab a button" or "Join a party" :)   I am sure that this will help a LOT.
               Look at some of the great articles

       It is filled with beautiful pictures, very helpful & interesting articles.
There is an article about The Vintage pearl, an online shop & blogging jewelry maker that I just Love. It was very encouraging to me, as you see I am contemplating an online business... (I will share that some day soon )
   There are articles on blogging etiquette, & how to take great pictures.
         This is 145 pages of blogging inspiration & encouragement.


      If you have never been to visit Kathy's place, you need to stop by... here
She has the SWEETEST blog, takes the most incredible pictures & was the very 1st blog that I followed. So this is a very special deal for me.

     Thank You Kathy (& Dave) for such
                     a thoughtful gift!!

Just about Perfect Weekend!!

2010-10-12T00:05:00.006-04:00

         We have an "Up North Place" here in Michigan.
   And we go just about every weekend. This time of year is deer hunting, so if "we" (DIL's & I ) want to spend time with our hubby's, we all go.
    A Perfect Friday would include a ride up, hitting every Thrift Store along the way. And I wish that you could have been along for the ride.... The color here in MI. is SOOooo beautiful right now.

This is in the parking lot of the little grocery store I stopped at on the way .

Getting close.....
Did you know??? The more red the leaves, the more sugar in the sap...

(Husband & sons do Maple Syrup also )

Part of my drive ......

Seriously? Who but God could have thought of/created those colors?

                   Then on Saturday afternoon 2 of my DIL'S & I took a drive to the little up north Michigan town of Onekama.... wine tasting our way there

The Winery on the way

Lake Michigan from Winery

Then...don't know why, but I have no pics of the town that was having an Oktoberfest ????? But we did a little wine tasting there also...
                 (I didn't do much... designated driver...... but that may explain no pics :)    75 & sunny, little art in the park, in a park on the lake.....
          a little shopping, beautiful day, beautiful color all around

          Sunday afternoon included a little river fishing.....

                            A little lunch at the river ........

And then as the guys took back to the tree stands we did a little more picture taking.......... (view from our bedroom window )

                             Underneath an old railroad bridge

              Then Carrie snapped a pic of Chuck & myself...
      (I never share pics of me...... this will be it... squinting & all :)

The only thing that would have made this weekend more perfect, was had our youngest son & wife been there....

they live in Colorado, moved there to do a Church Plant.... BUT...... we are leaving in just 1 more day to visit.....

.........just a little of our life........

Linking this up to Simple Pleasures @ A little of this and that

A Little / A LOT of Art....& I am a Winner....

2010-10-04T00:30:00.003-04:00

       1st........ I am a Winner.... : )


   Recently Kathy over at Sweet up North Mornings was hosting a party/contest. "Where in the World are Dave & Kathy?" They went on a fun vacation & invited us to go along. As she posted about thier travels, she asked us to guess where in the world they were. I was the lucky one to get the most correct guesses....
This is especially sweet for me. You see I am a new blogger, don't even know how to do it all yet. BUT Kathy's sweet blog was the 1st one I followed.
I don't even remember how I found her, but one night I just followed a blog trail & I came upon her lovely blog & spent the rest of the night visiting.
She has a wonderful, restful place, & takes absolutely fabulous pictures that make you just want to grab a cup of tea & sit for a while.
   Kathy is the one that inspired me to start. I am always anxious for her new posts, to see what great idea she has come up with now.
    Thanks Dave & Kathy for bringing us along on your travels.
   It was GREAT FUN!
     Make sure that you stop in & visit her here
.

      And then earlier this week I spent an evening at Art Prize in Grand Rapids Mi.  An art contest/exhibit with over 1700 pieces of art, scattered all over the city.
It was a beautiful Michigan night, perfect weather, huge crowds & some fabulous pieces. The public gets to vote & there are some huge dollar prizes.

                  A few pictures......

This lovely quilt was made from much smaller pieces than you can actually see here.... & with my LOVE of fabric, sewing & quilting, I was incredibly impressed with this one.

                     The painting above is not a painting but a mosaic.
                                Currently in the top 10.

This floor art is made entirely of sand.... a shame that it will be swept up & soon, gone... : )

Lion made entirely of nails...... & then the cubs....
This piece is also in the top 10

     A penny made entirely of pennies... also a top vote getter.

                 And then some questionable art ???? :)

       This was a pile of junk....looks like it came right from the scrap yard.. :)
      If you look real close.... that is my DIL Carrie in the mirror & ME.. taking the picture :)
                And then my cheesy little camers died....
    We took in a lot in one evening & hoping to go back one more time.
There is one more week. Now, the voting is just for the top 10. All, in that group will take away some money, from $7,000 to $250,000 for the winner. It is a fun way to spend some time..... with art & food vendors all over the city.
   This is only the 2nd year for Art Prize, but it has grown since last year & is bound to only get better.... A brilliant idea of Rick DeVos.....

Linking this with Pam @ Becolorful for MotivatedMondays

A Special day!

2010-09-28T23:26:00.002-04:00

           These sweet boys are 1 today. Aren't they the most adorable?
            The one on the left is Alex, the one on the right, Ian.
         Thier mother is my little cousin, who is really like my sister.
Kim, had a few miscarriages & then a still born baby boy, Troy. And then after much doctoring, it did not look good for getting pregnant again.   Then after some special, expensive procedures.... she was told "Twins"    BUT one will most likely not survive....
          BUT God is SO good & she carried them all the way to term.
    We celebrated them this weekend....   I made them something I had seen out there in Blogland....

A Travel High Chair

           I figured they will get a LOT of toys.... & heck they are 1, they don't know.... I'll do something for Mom....

                                               She LOVES them.
         Not a 4 pt. safety high Chair, but they will work. And instead of carting in 2 high chairs wherever they go.... these will do in a pinch.
             She said, "All the wiggling & they stayed put.


               Aren't these boys just the cutest?   Love them to pieces!!

Putting Summer away

2010-09-26T22:55:00.005-04:00

Well, fall is coming to Michigan.... A tree in the backyard is starting to turn...

                    A pumpkin field that we pass on the drive home from up north.
       There are miles & miles of pumpkins near our place up north. I love to       take the back roads on the way home this time of year just to see all that orange.

           I haven't posted in more than a month, busy, busy. I started a new job, quit same job. Went on 2 trips, spent every weekend up north, getting things ready for deer hunting, well hubby & sons did... I hung new curtains, that I made, hung some new shelving, re-arranged furniture, had new cable TV installed + a new big screen.....( can't deer hunt & not have good TV for football )
             Anyways, as we get ready for fall, we pulled out some bushes, planted some mums, added a new bench & I am sadly putting away the geraniums
    So before I put it all away, I thought that I would show you something I did earlier this summer.

I took these thrift store finds... 2 candlesticks 1.00 each & this bowl thingie, also $1.00

And made a little Garden art........

A 50 cent plate & then when I thought it lacked something, I added a thrift store flower pot that someone had embellished 30 cents : )

And some Gorilla Glue, my new favorite tool

                     It looked pretty cute near the back door.......

                   And recently I bought this at Goodwill for $3.00, an ugly lamp that will be something for the yard next summer.

                         Can't you just see it with a great finial on top, or a gazing ball.....
                                                     Next summer...............Sigh...........

    Joining Pam over at Be Colorful for Motivated Mondays
           for my 1st ever Blog party

New cottage???

2010-08-18T23:04:00.003-04:00

Tonight we took a drive to see a cottage that we are "thinking" about buying : )

SOoooo we took the drive with 6 of us, 2 of the boys & thier wives.

The guys heard about this great deal on a cottage.

It is closer than the place we have, in a way different direction from home.

We all agreed.... the view is amazing!!!

But this is the cottage..... drum roll ........................

And this.......................

OK.... the guys are seeing potential.... : ) telling us that we will "fix it up" :)

even make a few bucks.... "flip it" they said : )

Yea.... the girls are talking screen porches, fireplaces, furniture.....

( and really hoping that the offer we make on this one,

is WAY TOO LOW for the owner of this sad little place )

What do ya think????

At least it was a nice drive & dinner out : )

"Truly the light is sweet"

2010-08-17T22:24:00.002-04:00

Tonight at my house
              (with the sun setting on our white house)

           "Truly the light is sweet,
             And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun "   Ecc. 11:7

My Happy Entryway!

2010-07-29T23:38:00.010-04:00

This is our back entry

Don't know if I ever said it here, but I am a hairdresser. I have always been a stay-at-home-mom. But did hair from our home. That allowed me to be home, be flexible & work around the boys, youth ministry & husband's business travel.

So when we built our home, we put the shop at the back entry, where customers don't have to go near the places that we live. So when they come in, this is what they see.... The 1st pic is from the kitchen door, looking towards the shop door.

And right now, there is contest at a shop in our town, for a $100 gift cert. asking to see "How we do Roeda"

So since I was taking pics for that, I thought that I would show a little of my "Roeda"

Carol Roeda is a fabulous artist from Grand rapids Michigan, you may have even seen her work.

You can visit her Here

The pieces that I have of her here, are all painted metal & she uses magnets to embellish.

I change out with the seasons... & her stuff is a little pricey, but most of these things have been gifts.

This is a pic of a mirror that hangs in the hallway

The flowers & embellishments that you see are all magnetic, & I switch them all out during different seasons.

This fabulous topiary stands next to my kitchen door. It was a Christmas gift from my Husband a long time ago. When I 1st got it, I was going to use outdoors, by the back door, but with Michigan winters, I decided to leave it here. I embellished with red berries, bought new in pkg. with a price tag of $29, but I only paid $1. at Salvation Army... SCORE At Christmas I just add a big old bow to cover the bird : )

This piece "In Everything give thanks" hangs on the wall across from the mirror.

Little ceramic verse ..."His mercies are new every morning"

(bought recently at a Young Life camp store :)

Pretty much everything else is a thrift store find.

The little table here was $8, & is soon to be painted. The wooden church, I found recently at GW for $2. (who would ever give that away?? ) It is a favorite of mine.

Little table lamp, $1.00

The little blue hanger near the door, .50 at GW The round table in the corner, $2. GW, in bad shape, but just spray painted black. The pics & mirrors, GW. The red metal sconces ARC in Denver, $1. each.

Clock & candle holder thrift store finds, with tassel I made myself.

This door leads to the bathroom used by clients & the black metal bucket was a find at my favorite Discount store in Manistee Mi. was $1.00 & I just painted it black. The cherry picture frame was a gift & has a pic of a Christmas card that our family did a few yrs. ago, when the boys were all in college.... before the daughter-in-laws came along. Don't know if you can see it well, but we own an orange VW camper van, bought off Ebay, by hubby & the boys, as a lark.....I had them put a tree on top, as if we had been out in the woods, chopping our own tree, & all holding the new puppies...

& then wrote a funny little poem about our "FFF" Forced Family Fun...

I'll just finish with a Carol Roeda piece that I have on the mantle in the living room....

(And really the rest of my house is not this cluttered .... I just love the whimsy in the back hall & can't seem to stop myself from adding more : )

The SWEET Taste of Summer at our place

2010-07-23T13:46:00.005-04:00

I was just over at BJ's @ "Sweet Nothings"
Just looking at her posts always makes me hungry. She has this incredible gift of displaying, that makes your mouth just water... Oh that girl can cook!!
And she has a GREAT give-away going on....
   Check out her sweet Blog Here

Well, in my comment to her, I stated "that I can't cook for beans" ... so true, I don't know how, don't like to, don't want to really try & learn.... When I had 3 teen boys in the house I HAD to cook... but it was usually 5:00 & I would say to myself, "What can I do with a lb. of frozen hamburger" No one complained...( not that I remember :) SOoooo Spaghetti, tacos....
      My line was always, "If I sew all day, I have a new outfit, If I cook all day all I have is dirty dishes"

   On the weekends up north, hubby does all the cooking.... He LOVES it. (seriously ) we have HUGE meals.... Everything that you could possibly have on a breakfast table, he provides...something on the grill at night...
   BUT every weekend we go, I make the candy..... I know my sweets : )
It started yrs. ago when I brought my candy to a potluck....Now I can't even think about going without bringing some.... seriously folks will ride by on their boats & yell, "Did you bring candy?"

So I thought I would share my super easy recipes.....

      Here is what I use............       My crock pot candy
In your crock pot on low
    - Put in 1 can of salted, dry roasted peanuts
    - 1 can un- unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
    - 1 12 oz. pkg. choc. chips
    - 1 12 oz. pkg. white choc. chips
    - 1 20 oz. brick of choc. candy quik ( or something similar like Bark ) broken up into the squares.
Do not stir, just leave it as you throw it in peanuts on the bottom. Leave on low for 1 hr.
Then stir well, un plug & drop on to parchment paper
This recipe usually makes for me, about 75 - 85 nice sz. candies....
The easiest, BEST chocolate covered peanuts you will ever make

Then if I have time, I will make my sought - after caramel corn

       Here is the recipe I use.... I'll add my tweaking at the end.

Caramel corn
      - 4 qt. popped corn
      - 1 cup brown sugar
      - 1 stick maragarine
      - 1/4 Cup white syrup
      -  1/2 teas. salt
      - 1 teas. vanilla
Boil together until thoroughly dissolved. Remove from heat & add
      - 1 teas. soda
Pour over corn - mix together. Bake 1 hr. @ 250   Stir every 15 min.
The recipe I use is from an old Church recipe book & it says to put on cookie sheets, but I have been doing this for yrs. & I always use my Grandmothers old, HUGE turkey pan ( see pics)
by stirring every 15 min. or so, it turns out better than good : )

    Now for the IMPORTANT tweaking..... I always make 1 1/2 - 2 times the recipe....
I use REAL BUTTER   (important ) not margarine
& then a few yrs. ago, I was making it & found that my popcorn was not popping all that big, so I decided to try microwave popcorn..... I used "Butter"    microwave popcorn
   OH MY !!! Does that ever make the difference
     I usually use the whole 6 pkgs. in the box
Of course we are not talking diet food here..... but for a treat every once in a while....
   It is Fabulous!!!!
       Try them sometime, you are guaranteed to LOVE it.... If not, just send the leftovers over here & I will bring them to the neighbors, up north.

"Bear" with me

2010-07-19T20:58:00.001-04:00

We had some excitement this weekend.

We own 3 different pieces of property in Northern Michigan. They are all a few miles apart, & as we were driving down some back roads between, we hit a bear with the car. He/she just ran out of the woods & right into us. It was HUGE! & scared the living daylights out of me.

He ran back into the weeds & we watched him go, tracking where he went.
Now we hit him hard, & hubby was pretty sure that he had to be hurt, so not wanting to go into the woods, after an angry bear, we went back to our place & waited a bit.
Now my husband is a big hunter & he WANTED that bear for a rug in front of the fireplace.
   So, waiting a little more & making a few calls, hubby decided it was "safe" to go back & look :)
So.... here is the picture... it is 90 degrees & hubby is walking thru the swamp in big ole boots & hunting gear, armed with a knife, "just in case" he tells me.... my sister & I are in the van watching... we have shorts & flip flops on.... with nothing at all to go after a bear with. You can just imagine the scenarios that we came up with.... the "what if's"
But after a little bit he comes back with nothing ( "Yay", I say under my breath ) Hubby doesn't have a scratch on him.... ( the "what if's" in my head ) & the last thing I want is a dead bear on the floor......


The DNR said that they would do some looking, but it is a pretty big area.....
I've never seen one that close before, it ran right into my side of the car....
We have a Christmas tree farm not far from there & Hubby & the boys have seen the mother & cubs there, before..... & I have heard the stories...


     I'm hoping that he/she was just stunned & will be just fine.

There is no place like home!!

2010-06-30T01:30:00.005-04:00

My husband travels some for business, & if it is a really great place, I usually go along.

But every year in June, there is a big conference. Always some place great. Last year was San Diego, this year, closer to home, we went to Chicago.

Our 1st few days there we stayed in a fabulous, I mean fabulous place with a view of the lake. ( & I didn't take any pics of the view ) Then we moved, to a nice hotel, but not near as FABULOUS!!

But it was closer to all his meetings & we had invited our kids to join us for the weekend, as we had a suite reserved :)

Every year we go to this conference it falls on our anniversary, this year was 35 for us. A BIG one. So my sweetie asked if we could have something special. "Sure" they said. Well, I was expecting the "View" again. BUT all they could do was give us a really big corner room, with a view of the city....

This is the view that we had....

Nice, huh?? I watched each day as folks sat in the sun, walked thier dogs... see in the 2nd pic....beyond the fence... there is a spot for the dogs to do thier business :)

Imagine..... how fun!! ..... to live there..... Million + dollar condos, with no maintenance, a place to sit high above & watch the world go by.

And though we had a great time.... dinner at Morton's, dinner at the Palm, had dinner one night at the Field museum, one night at the Planetarium...... 8 nights was enough

We came home & I woke up with this view from my bed ......

And this view......

And though we loved the sites & sounds of the big city....waking up with windows open, with breezes coming in & the birds singing.... there is no place like home

Unless we are up north at the cabin for the weekend :)

Going to try this Again (With a really exciting ending !! :)

2010-06-12T23:15:00.032-04:00

Well, it has been a while since my 1st post, & that is only because
I do not not know how to do this blog thing...
So, a Saturday night where plans have been cancelled, I thought that I would try again : )
This is just a small project I did a few weeks ago.....
I saw this at my Local Goodwill & knew at 1st glance what I would do with it.
A former mug holder...(remember in the 70's?? when these were popular to have on our kitchen counters :)

I just gave it a few light coats of cheap white spray paint
What do you think??? I am not sure?? I thought that it was a brilliant idea, now not so much. I'll try it our for a while & see if it works for me.

I Love to buy jewelry, but I never wear it. (this is just a small part of what I actually own :) I am pretty much a silver hoop girl. I see others wear great pieces & think that I can pull it off, so I buy it. Then I try on & try on & pretty much go back to the silver hoops.
BUT my best thrift Store find E.V.E.R. is in there. Do You see it?? Yes, right there in the middle, hanging on the middle post.
That's right!! Can you say SCORE!! An authentic David Yurman bracelet!!!
Can you believe it.... Oh My!!

Here is the story.... I was in New York this spring, a very small town.
I run a Spring Break mission trip for my Church & Young Life. We drove out a few days early, to get things ready. On an errand run with my daughter-in-law, we stopped in at a Salvation Army (can not just pass by without stopping :) We bought a few things & then asked if there were any more thrift stores nearby. The very nice clerk said, "Well, there is a consignment shop right next door". Well I would not normally go in a consignment shop, they always seem to price things a bit to high for me (once you've done GW...you hate to pay those prices :) BUT my DIL said, "let's just look" So, as we are browsing, I am looking at the jewelry & saw this piece. I could not believe what I saw & it was marked $20. The sign on the door said all white tags are 1/2 off. Well, this had a white tag. I asked, "Is this half off, also"? She said, "No, not jewelry, but I can do 20% off".
And can you believe, I had to think about it. $16, That is over my thrift store limit. But I thought what the heck, if it is real, it is probably worth a $100 or $200.
So I bought it. Put it away & pretty much forgot about it until I got home.
When unpacking the next week, I thought, "Let's see what they go for on Ebay"
Can you say $3500 !!!!! That's right $3500 !!!!! Now to be completely honest with you, the last one sold for only $2500 !!!
But HEY!!!! OH MY GOODNESS !!!!
My friends are saying, "Surely, you will keep it, you will wear it".
And I am like "Are you kidding me?? That's a car at my house" :) And I am not kidding!! 3 boys thru Christian school, & college, that is worth more than the cars that they drove.
What do you think?? Keep it? Sell it? I am thinking that just maybe, I will wear it next week when I go Chicago with my husband. We will have a week of fancy schmancy dinners for his business conference. Maybe by wearing it, I will feel like I fit in just a little if I run into say, Oprah :)
( And then I will think about selling it. )

( & NO... it will not hang with the cheaper stuff in my bedroom, I will store/hide it... or keep it on my person at all times :)

Linking up with Linda over at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot/ For Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

My very 1st E.V.E.R.

2010-04-21T18:23:00.000-04:00

My 1st attempt at blogging
( & trust me I am taking comfort in knowing that absolutely no one will look at this, as I try & figure out the "how-to's" of posting : )

And then, since SOoooo many of the blogs I look at are "Before & Afters", I thought that I would start with one I did recently.

A friend asked if I could/would re-do her chair. She bought this Diamond in the rough at a garage sale for $5.00. It came with a maple finish, she "sort of stripped" it, painted it black & this is how it came to me.

I did not take any pics of the process, but here are a few of the afters...

She is a brand New Grandma & wanted a comfy chair to rock her precious one.

Don't you just LOVE the fabric she chose?? ( I had scraps of the small black stripe in my stash )

She tells me that when she got it home, she sanded it up a bit
Just to make it a little more "shabby" : )

I almost didn't let it go, it was SO cute! But it belongs in her home, ( I have no grandbabies, YET!! ) & goes perfectly with her newly re-decorated room.

SOooo.... She called & asked if there was enough fabric to cover a small footstool, I will post when that is finished.