Would you ever??

Would you ever paint your house a bold color, like this?  Would you?

I've been smitten with this house in Midway, for well over a year now.
 I think it's adorable. 
It certainly has character.

For my birthday, this past week, my amazing family and I went to Midway, and Heber City. 
There is a fun store in Midway that I like to shop at. It's called " All that Stuff in the Barn". 
It was a treat to drive up Provo Canyon, and past Deer Creek Reservoir to Midway.

 As a lover of all things old, Midway has some great old houses~ 
Loved this one too..... painted a kind-of rusty, barn red color.
How cute are those mossy green Adirondack chairs on the front porch?!
Would you ever paint your house this color?

 How bout this color?
A brighter red, with white trim?
Too bold??
Can you see at the bottom of the picture, a small wooden water wheel?

Here's a close-up.  So charming!!
This little water wheel was just spinning around and around; just moving the water along in the irrigation ditch, in front of this house.
Who thinks of making something so cute?

 Of course, when we drove over to Heber, I just had to get a shot of one of the engines that is being restored for the Heber Creeper line.
So exciting to see this old gal get restored, and one day, be back in service.
My kids used to play on this old engine. It was permanently parked in the old GRA park in Provo.
All the kids used to climb on this old engine, and play.
Back in the early, early 1950's, when this engine was in use, my Dad was a 'Fireman' on this engine.
Meaning.... he shoveled coal into the fire, for the steam engine.  I still have his old fireman's hat.

On the way back down Provo Canyon, we stopped and I snapped this picture of the backside of Mt. Timpanogos.  So beautiful with the snow, and the Fall leaves.
Growing up in Provo, and now living so far away, I miss seeing these mountains.
It was a wonderful trip, and a real treat.

I still LOVE that green house, and have not gotten tired of seeing it. 
If we still live in this house next Spring/ Summer, I am seriously considering painting our house green.
Would you?
Would you be brave enough to paint your house a bold color??

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm so grateful for my family. My husband and my children are so incredibly good to me!
~I'm grateful that little things still mean the most to me.  May I never get so big for my britches, that I  take for granted the little every day blessings, and tender mercies from my Heavenly Father.
~I'm grateful that Hot Chocolate season is here.  Nothing warms me up like a mug of cinnamon laced Hot chocolate.

Restored.

This is a simple post, about an old country swing.
When we moved to this homestead, there was an old swing sitting out in the yard. Neglected, and a complete mess.
For some reason, I wanted to save it.
My sweet husband wanted to haul it to the landfill.....more than once, he would tell me that he was getting that ratty old thing out of here.
I persisted.
For over 2 and a half years ....
I really wanted to save that old country swing.

 For my birthday, our sweet daughter restored the swing.
She banned me from going in the back yard, and set about tearing it down, sanding it {to the point of giving herself blisters} and replacing all the wood and hardware. Basically, all that was usable was the frame. 
Hours and hours and hours later, she surprised me with the completely restored swing.
I'll admit, I shed a few tears. 
For me, it was the most wonderful birthday surprise, and I am so grateful that she put so much thought, and heart into my birthday gift. Truly a gift from the heart.

Because, I was banned from the process, and because it was a complete surprise, there isn't a 'before' picture to show you.  However..... you can see the rotten wood, and rusty hardware that she took off the swing.

It's the little things that mean the most.
Like restoring a junky, old country swing . 


Attitude of gratitude:
~ I'm so grateful for my family. They are my greatest blessing.
~I'm grateful that Brooke "gets" me .... she knows that simple things mean the most to me.
~I'm grateful for sunny Fall days, and cool nights.  It's a wonderful time of year!!

All Around The Cottage...

 All the ingredients for making Lemon-Coconut body butter.
Homemade lemon infused oil, and coconut oil

 Add coconut oil to mixer and pour in a bit of lemon oil.
Whip for a few minutes until frothy.

 Refill old canning jar, and ta-da... Lemon-Coconut body butter. 
Great for slathering on when you get out of the shower, or rubbing into your heels and putting on a warm pair of sock before bed.  Sure helps my hands stay crack free too.
Easy to make, affordable,  smells wonderful, and best of all... great for your skin!

 Spencer was asked to play his bagpipes for a funeral in a neighboring town.
He's played at quite a few funerals now, and he feels honored to be asked.
Here he is with members of the VFW.

 Just after the 21 gun salute... he's ready to play.
Spencer embraces our Scottish heritage, and taught himself to play the bagpipes.
He's very, very good.  Maybe it's in the blood.... his 3rd great grandfather was from Scotland, and played the pipes too.

Scottish shortbread sounded good this weekend , so I made some.

 Lemon Shortbread.
Pressed into a pie tin, scored and ready for the oven.

 Cooling on the baking rack. Baking shortbread in the pie tins makes it really easy to remove in one piece for cooling. 

Cut along the score lines with a sharp knife.
Delicious!!'


Recipe : Lemon Shortbread (You may double the recipe if you like)
1/2 C. butter
1/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/4 Cups of flour

*Cream sugar and butter together. Add lemon zest and stir in to butter mixture.
Add flour a little at a time, and stir in by hand.
Dough will be crumbly, so work it together by hand, until smooth.
Divide dough in half and press into pie tins.  Prick dough with fork, and score.
(You may also cut dough into squares or rounds)
Bake in oven preheated to 325 degrees, for about 14-15 minutes, or until the bottom edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
When cool enough to handle, cut along score lines with sharp knife.
Enjoy !

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful that General Conference was this past weekend.  I always feel so inspired.
~I'm grateful for a visit from a dear friend.  Good conversation, and laughter.