Thursday

~ April Mash Up.. aka... stuff keeping me busy this spring ~

 Goodness.
Now that warmer weather is here, we have been super busy.
You know, that old adage.. "make hay while the sun shines"?
Well.. we've been making hay!
Catching up on our 'to-do' list, and getting projects squared away.
We've thrown in a lot of fun too.
Yard sales, trips, anniversary celebration {the reason we took a trip}.
All, great stuff.
 Snagged the above dishes at a yard sale.
Both sets of dishes for just a few dollars.
Neither set is complete, but that's really ok with me.  I really love the design on the dishes and there are so many great pieces, that it really doesn't matter if the sets are complete.
Both sets of dishes, from what I've researched, are from the 1930's and 1940's.
 I've been busy painting.
Inside and outside {as you will see, later on in the post}
Inside, I re-painted this old buffet table.  Believe it or not, I've had this buffet for about 10-12 years. Found on the side of the road.....literally.
I repainted it with a soft yellow paint, and dry brushed some white glaze over it, and replaced the knobs with giant glass knobs. This buffet has had many a transformation, and has been used as storage in many a room in our house.
I'm digging it in it's current finish, and in it's current location: as a entry way table.
I also snagged the mirror from our youngest son. He had it in a closet and wasn't using it.
So, a coat or two of white chalk paint later, and a marriage to the buffet, and presto- change... a great combination for the entry.
Oh, and I spray painted the buffet lamps a brushed nickel color, and white chalk painted the lamp shades also.
 On one of our yard sale buying jags, I bought the above oak framed artwork for just 25 cents a frame. After scrubbing the frames, and taking out the dated art work, and painting the mat boards with black chalk paint, and the frames with white chalk paint.......
 presto - change... some cute and simple art work.
I hung the daisy-like pictures in our master bedroom.
Love the simple graphic flowers, and the 'shabby chic' frames now.  All for a dollar, and little creativity and elbow grease.
That's what I call a win!
 We've been having a lot of rain storms.
So far this week, it rained on Mon., Tues., and Wednesday.
Finally, the clouds have cleared a bit and today should be a warmer and dryer day.
For all those folks that have had little faith, I say, "Have Faith"!
In this time of drought, the Lord will provide!!
Heavenly Father has blessed us with lots of wonderful rain!

 My sweet husband and I just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary!!
Yippee!! I've been wed to my very best friend for 28 years now!!
We celebrated by getting away on a little anniversary trip.
We went to sunny St. George.
We had so much fun!! We shopped and shopped.
We shopped all the thrift stores, and antique stores, etc.
I found the above treasures at a thrift store, and right away I knew just what I would do with each item.
 Previously, I had a small picture on the right side of my dining room hutch.
I've really been digging French Farmhouse décor, and wanted to add some copper accents and baskets in our dining area/ kitchen.
 Ta-da!
After giving the large platter basket a coat of gray paint, then a dry brush coat of white chalk paint, I now have just the look I wanted in that space!
Oh, I just adore that old copper fish.
Those old copper molds were all the rage in the 1970's.  I loved them then, and I love them now..... although I am partial to the fish shaped molds.
And, who doesn't love a great basket?!!
 Ok... so back to the painting.
Remember how I mentioned that I had been painting indoors, and out?
The above picture is of our youngest son's house : Dunravin , it's the name of his house, and it has needed to be painted for a long time.
He has been the owner of Dunravin for about 16 months.
All of the electrical has been replaced, the plumbing, the insulation, inside painting, etc.. etc..
On the outside, we were waiting for good weather this spring to give the house a make-over.
Boy did it ever need it!
I'm not really sure what color it was.  Our son called it baby poo yellow/green.  Yeah.. that's about right.
 Now: Yay!! A fresh coat of paint has done wonders for Dunravin!!
A soft gray color : Gray Mist by Behr. 
The body of the house is done, but we are steadily working on getting the trim done.
Of course on an old house, it's much easier said than done.
Windows have to be caulked, scraped, some wood filler used, and then painted. Trim work is hard work because it is so high off the ground, and there is so much of it.
One of our biggest challenges, has been the weather. We'll have a few hours of sunshine, and then the rain begins.
I have a newer picture than the one above {taken last Sunday}, we have made progress and I'll have to post those pictures one of these next times.
Finally, a rainbow!
After a few days of rain, across the meadow was this beautiful rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow... if you look to the left upper hand corner, you can just see a faint double arch.

Yes.. this is a busy time of year.
All of us are busy, busy. Yard work to do, renovation projects for some of us, etc.
We also have a fence to build here at Mill Hill Meadow this summer.  So, if I am absent for a bit, you'll all know that somewhere I'm working my fingers to the bone ****giggle**.
Miss you all, and I hope to catch up on what you've been up to, very soon.
Smiles, and hugs... ~~~ Kerin

Attitude of gratitude:
~Grateful for my wonderful family! I couldn't get half the stuff done with out all the help that they give me!
~ Feeling grateful for the rain that we've been blessed with! Although, I seriously want to wring the neck of the farmer just East of us. He's had his wheel lines going night and day, even though it's been pouring rain for 3 days. What gives??
~I'm so thankful for good health!! We all caught the cold that is making the rounds, but thankfully, in just a day or two, we all felt great again. We are blessed not to have had the cold hang on, and not to have had that horrible cough that others have had. Whew!
~I'm thankful that the drive-in movie is open again!! We've had a blast on the past few date nights; going to the drive in!! Cup of chili, drive in movie, and my sweetheart = a great beginning to the summer!!

18 comments:

  1. Happy belated anniversary. You have been busy. Love your buffet diy and the mirror and lamps. Your son's home is just lovely. Best wishes with the fence. Take care and enjoy!

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  2. Wow. You have been busy. Everything looks amazing. Love what you have done. Congratulations on your anniversary. My husband and I will also celebrate 28 years next month.

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  3. I love the new color of S. house. It is really nice. I do really like the shape of his house. I like those roofs.
    I really like seeing all of the pictures of the things you have been doing. It is really pretty and the work you have done is great. I still love the picture of the rainbow. I am so glad you wrote a post. You have been so busy.

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  4. Hello lovely lady! My, what a beautiful rainbow! The photo took my breath away :)

    Sounds like you have been quite busy, my friend. The old/new frames are darling! I love the fresh white look and the flowers in the frames look perfect.

    Also, the dishes that you found are stunning! I am sure you will enjoy using them :) Thank you, sweet friend, for the many lovely visits to my blog. May you have a beautiful Mother's Day! Hugs!

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  5. You found some beautiful dishes, love them! Your son's home is so lovely. Enjoy seeing all your posts.

    Smiles,
    Carol

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  6. My oh my!

    Love all the tranformations. Everything
    looks great.

    M : )

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  7. Happy anniversary to you and your hubby. Wow! You have been very busy. I just love your new decorations. Especially the fish and baskets next to the hutch.

    And the dishes are great. What a find. :)

    Ohhhh....such a pretty rainbow. I love them. Never gotten a picture of a full rainbow though. I love it when there are two. So cool. :)

    Hope to see you here once in a while during your busy season for an update. Can't wait to see your son's house when your all finished

    Take care, Janet W

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  8. I was happy to see a post from you! After seeing all you've been doing, I see why you haven't been here. :)
    Happy anniversary!
    I love what you did with the buffet, mirror, lamps and pictures. You did great with finding good things at sales to.
    I also love your house! What a change!
    And that rainbow is spectacular!

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  9. Oh, so much GOODNESS in this post! First, Happy Anniversary, Kerin! Congratulations on 28 years. That is a wonderful accomplishment... marriage requires hard work. ;) Love all your finds! Love the dishes. Love the baskets and fish on the wall. Love the way you refinished the buffet, the mirror and ESPECIALLY the frames and art!! Awesome! And, that gray is perfect! So glad to hear from you. Hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day, dear Kerin! blessings and hugs ~ tanna

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  10. I love the green dishes Kerin! You work harder than anyone and the results are lovely. And the rain is SO WELCOME isn't it? Our pasture grass is out of control.

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  11. Oh my what a lovely full post with lots of news and pictures. You sure have been busy and everything looks just beautiful.
    Glad you got that rain and the rainbow is gorgeous.
    Love the dishes too.

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  12. Hi Kerin, I love this post, so filled with pretty things, great accomplishments and you sound so happy! Glad you had a good trip away and "Happy Anniversary". Your son's home is really pretty and how wonderful it looks with the new paint job. I must say I love your dish sets, both of them. Those gorgeous little orange blooms and I think they would look really pretty if you use them together too. The baskets and mold on the side of your hutch look just perfect. I used to have some of those copper molds but lost them over the years. I always loved them too. What a gorgeous rainbow. I don't think I've ever seen a brighter one..Happy Weekend, my friend, and don't work too hard on your time off...XXo Judy

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  13. We have been getting some rain here too, and our temps have been cooler, so I know that all those prayers for moisture are being answered a bit at a time. I love those dishes you picked up at the yard sale! Wow, you have been really busy, but have accomplished so much! You always inspire me to be creative. I love having a peek into your "corner of the world.' I remember Youth Conferences at Snow College and the Manti Temple Pageant when I was a teen, so have such good memories of your area. Happy Mother's Day to you!

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  14. Happy Belated Anniversary and Happy Mother's Day. It looks like you have been super busy. Have a wonderful day!

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  15. Happy Anniversary . . .
    St George
    Vintage shopping
    Yummy dish assortment
    Hutch
    Makeover wall
    Fish mold
    Baskets
    Mirrors
    Love your sons house . . . Looks a bit Ireland . . . Is it stucco . . . the paint color looks quaint/charming.
    The rainbow doubled was a treat . . .
    And your Gratitude is always Inspiring . . .
    Happy Mother's Day my friend . . . and happy spring, summer, family days!

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  16. Kerin! What a wonderful post (as always) and I loved your son's house color! You did great with the French country decor, too! :-)

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  17. I can see you've been working your fingers to the bone, Kerin!
    It's all so lovely-the buffet, the picture frames, all your French Country décor.
    Happy Belated Anniversary too!

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  18. Greetings...you have been a busy little person!! Your son's home is GREAT...he will have fun with a place to showcase all of his "good stuph".
    I am always inspired by your gratitude...it makes a warm spot in my heart!
    Be blessed,
    J

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