~A new view ~

 Things are looking a little different here at Mill Hill Meadow.
I have a stash of old windows in the garden shed, and now that the weather is cold and blustery, and it's too cold to work outside, I've been working inside.

 I've been bringing in my old windows, one at a time, and cleaning and sealing them, and most importantly ... decorating with them.

 Many of them are really in bad condition, and very old.
We bought most of them at one yard sale this past summer. We were told that they were out of an old city building in a near~by town.
Some of them look to be from the 1930~40's, but a few of them look to be even older.
Wavy glass and all.
The above window has 9 panes. As I was cleaning it, 2 of the panes just dropped out. So, each and every pane had to be caulked in with clear caulk and stabilized. As you can see, almost no paint remained on frame.
I painted the frame a soft sage green color with chalk paint and sealed it with varnish.

 Here you can see the finished old window frame, hanging in the living room.
I love it!! And, our family loves it. My sweet husband loves it, and he loves the character and the history of the window too.
He even loves that I didn't try to replace the two cracked window panes, and instead I just stabilized the panes and left them cracked.
Oh, and that 'new' green~gold chair? It's a find too! We bought two matching chairs second hand from an estate sale. The upholstery is in new condition, and the chairs are very well built, and very comfortable.
Perhaps we will have them re~upholstered..... perhaps not.

 Another old window. This one hangs in the laundry room, and is the same window that shows the close up in the very first picture on this post. This window was scrubbed and then sealed with varnish. I like the old paint, and the old patina on this window.

 A little glimpse at the t.v stand.
I painted it a beautiful yellow color. Goes so well with our 'new' chairs and 'new' windows.

 These doors at Gardner Village were the inspiration for the color I wanted on the t.v. stand, and on the blanket chest. The blanket chest that used to be painted white {4th picture in post} is now the same yellow as the t.v. stand.
That yellow reminds me of marigolds in the summer. Loving it!!

 The early morning view from our motel room in St. George.
Brooke and I went to "Time Out for Women" in St. George at the first of the month.
It was a wonderful event, and a super fun weekend! We enjoyed the presenters, then we shopped, and went out to eat, etc..
So fun to get away to a warmer city, and have a girls weekend!

 Speaking of 'girls weekend', last weekend we had Girls Craft Weekend.
It is something that a few friends and I have begun to do every other month.
We get together, and all of us bring a craft or two plus the supplies to do the craft, and we all spend the day crafting together. One of my crafts that I shared was wood blocks painted with snowflakes on them.
I found the craft on Pinterest.
All together, we each did eight crafts, and we had a lovely lunch, and lovely gift bags provided by two of our friends.
Our next Girls Craft Day will be in January.  I'm really looking forward to it!

 A new view : Snow.
It's official.. winter has come to our area. It has snowed several times, and the temperatures have fallen.
The picture above shows the last snow storm that we had. Huge, fluffy flakes of snow fell, and covered everything in a blanket of white.

 Oh, and one day, as I let Rowdy out to go potty, I looked across the meadow and noticed that someone is building a big new home.
I just noticed it, although clearly they've been building it for some time!

 And, look who stopped by for lunch!
The view outside our windows always includes the mountains and the meadows, and once in a while the deer.
Now that there is snow on the ground, we see a great deal more of the deer.

They found the left over pumpkins from Halloween, and have been munching away.
There are still quite a few pumpkin and squash left, so I imagine that this will be my view for a few more weeks.

What ever your view is, or whom ever you share your view with, here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and a week filled with blessings and goodness.


~Attitude of gratitude :
* Feeling grateful that the phone call that came just after 5:00 am this morning was a phone call that wasn't from any of our kids. You know when the phone rings at that time of morning, your heart turns a bit cold... as it is usually bad news.
Thankfully, it was a co~worker of my husbands that had broke down in town and needed a ride to work. OK. That is do~able.
*Feeling so grateful that our son and his wife will be able to spend Christmas day with us! Previously, he had to work on Christmas, and wouldn't be able to come until the day after. He switched schedules, and now they will be here on Christmas... yahoo!!
* Grateful that most of our family will be here for Thanksgiving. We are a small group, but we always have such fun together, and make warm and happy memories.
*Thankful for our beautiful home. It sure makes me happy 'fluffing' our nest, especially when it's too cold to be outside. This is the time of year when I do my painting, cleaning, organizing, crafting, sewing, baking, cooking, etc.....

~ June: Junking and Jaunts ~

Hello friends.
Boy, oh boy.. it's another month that has just sped by, and tomorrow July will begin anew.
We've crammed a lot into June.
We've been to yard sales, and garage sales, estate sales.... we've been junking.
The above shelf was a yard sale find. Also the Quaker oats cans.. love them! I gave the shelf a little make over with some paint, and a bit of sanding.

I always find something great when I go junking.
Above junking finds: Shelf {gave it a make over with some black paint} bottles, plant, and the pig with the goose... affectionately referred to as "Petals" the pig, and "Gertie" the goose.

 Delightful mirror. 
We snagged it at a yard sale, only it wasn't actually displayed at the lady's yard sale.
She had it in her house, and they have been renovating their old house.
She asked me if I was interested in a really big mirror. She showed it to me, and the price couldn't be beat. I bought it on the spot.
 It also received a make-over {painted}. There is some hazing, and speckling on the mirror, but I honestly like the aged look of it. 
Isn't the scalloped edge on the mirror sweet?!
I imagine in it's former life, it was part of a mirror and dresser set.
 I painted our mantle white, and had been looking for a large mirror for the mantle.
 This mirror fits the mantle perfectly.

We took a jaunt to Park City.
It's always fun to take a trip to Park City.
We went to lunch and did a bit of shopping. 

 We managed to squeeze in a trip to the zoo in also.
 One of those summer activities that is always a lot of fun.

Lastly, our 'grand~dog' turned one year old.
Her name is Luna, and she loves water! Our oldest son and his wife live by a river, and they take Luna down to the river to swim, fetch and play.
Honestly, I was surprised that they got her to stand still enough to snap this picture!

So, what ever you're doing to soak up summer, I hope you're having fun!

Attitude of gratitude :
~ Feeling grateful for this day! I've been asking in my prayers for our Heavenly Father to help me find ways to serve.
Just this morning, I made a batch of naan, and took some over to my neighbors. It's not a big deal, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to foster goodwill, and show kindness.
Honestly, I am a home~body,and because I'm not out and about, and also because we live in a teeny tiny town, opportunities to serve just don't present themselves every day.
Of course, I always feel blessed to serve my family, but I am looking for service opportunities around me elsewhere as well.
A few days ago, traveling along the highway, we saw 2 elderly men trying to push a pick-up. We stopped gave them some help, and they went on their way. They were so grateful! Just for a teeny bit of help, and they thanked us profusely.
Yes.. I am feeling grateful for this new day, and for each new opportunity to serve.

~ 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!!

~ All is Merry and Bright ~

 I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,

 Just like the ones I used to know

 Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

 I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write

 May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.

 We are dreaming of a white Christmas..
as for now, there is no snow on the ground.
So, I added a bit of frost and a bit of snow to my pictures... just for that wintery feel.

Perhaps through the magic of this Christmas season , we will have a white Christmas.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and I will see you in the New Year!
Enjoy this time with those you love.....

{* The leaded glass window that I repainted the frame on.
I am loving the black paint, as opposed to the white color it had previously.
Hanging in the library window, with twinkle lights behind it.}

Attitude of gratitude:
~Feeling grateful for warm socks
~Feeling grateful for Christmas carols
~Feeling thankful for "clickers" that turn on my light and lanterns, etc.. with just a click of a button.. it's so nice to just click a button and have the twinkling Christmas lights all come on!
~Feeling grateful for prayers from kind family and friends, on our behalf.  I know that our Heavenly Father blesses me every day.
~ Feeling grateful for each of you... thank you for being my blog friends.

* Snug *

 As I look out the window, and across the meadow to the mountains,
 I see snow.
First measurable snow of the winter.

Winter is here.
Winter is here to stay.
Cozy corners filled with green plants and red geraniums.

 Looking out my kitchen window, I see a blanket of white.
Grateful for the herbs that are growing, and fresh on the windowsill.

Such a beautiful sight.
Outside, it's frosty and cold.
Inside, it's cozy and snug.

Today: Bake bread, plan weekly menu, read {must finish my book}
wrap a few gifts.


Attitude of gratitude:
* Feeling grateful for a warm home.
* I'm grateful for a warm fire.
* I'm so grateful that Brooke made dinner for us yesterday, while we were at church.
Nothing feels so welcoming and cozy, as walking in from a cold winters day to the aroma of a hot, home cooked meal.  She made us stuffed baked potatoes. So perfect on a winters day, and I am so grateful for her thoughtfulness.

Seeking the Good.

 "And whatsoever ye do, do it HEARTILY...."
   Colossians 3:23

What a month or so, it has been.
Filled with good things and a few bad things.
Through it all, I've strived to 'Seek the Good".

A few weeks ago, I had an accident on my ATV.
The ATV rolled over on me. Sitting on top of me, it slid me down the rocky mountain about 15 feet.
Truth be told, I was terrified. It was crushing me, and I didn't know if anyone would hear my cries for help. I was the last one up the trail, and everyone else was ahead of me.
Thankfully, my sweet husband saw the ATV flipping over on me, and he was able to get stopped, and run back down the mountain, and lift the ATV off of me just enough, that I could scramble out from underneath of it.

The good:
I'm OK. I'm alive, and healing well. At the hospital, after all the x-rays, there is just one tiny bone chip on my ankle.
The cuts and scrapes and bruises are all healed.
My Heavenly Father was watching over me.
I am so grateful... it could have turned out so differently.

Two weeks after the accident, I was able to attend the "Time Out For Women" conference in Richfield, with my dear friend.

The Good:
It was a wonderful event!
Full of laughter, good stories, up-lifting messages, and inspiring moments.

The Saturday that the conference ended, I sped home... dropped off my sweet friend on the way, and got home just in time to get ready to go with Spencer to a talent contest.
He was one of 10 finalist in the county that had the opportunity to perform in the contest.

 

He did such an awesome job!

The voting broke down to 70% text votes, and 30% judges votes.

Spencer didn't win... unfortunately for him, we don't have a big family, and we only have one cell phone that we keep for emergencies.

Honestly, it became more of a popularity contest, than a talent contest.

One of the judges spoke to Spencer afterwards and told him that he had scored him very, very highly

in the hopes that it would help.

 

The Good:

 It was a great experience for Spencer, and he had so much fun.

Also, he was able to give his name and phone number to a lot of people that inquired about hiring him.

 

We've picked our " Hundred Pound Pumpkins".  Not certain that they actually weighed in at 100 pounds... but they were very heavy. I didn't personally lift them.. I left that up to the men.

My sweet husband and Spencer told me that they are indeed very, very heavy.

We'll try to save some seeds to plant next year.

 

The Good: We are so happy that we had a pretty good pumpkin harvest, considering the drought.

 

The Good: I received a wonderful CD from Emily at http://couragetoariseandshineforth.blogspot.com/
What a wonderful surprise it was!!
She's got a wonderful and uplifting blog, full of good.

A week or so ago, I celebrated my birthday. We went to Midway shopping, and Heber and finally to Provo to lunch.

The Good: It was so fun to spend time with my family, and my sweet husband. I am also grateful to have another year to enjoy this beautiful life..
 How blessed I am.

The Good:
Beautiful sunflowers that the FTD man brought me; from our sweet daughter that lives far away and is going to school.

The Good:
An antique hutch that my wonderful friend K. gave me.
It is over 100 years old, and was built by here grandfather.
She knows me, and knows how I appreciate and love old stuff.
She's so kind, and always complimenting me on my taste and decorating.  She told me that she wanted me to have it, because she knew that I would appreciate it, and make use of it, and decorate it in a cute way.
You bet!
I do love it, and I can hardly wait to get it in the house, and decorate it !

Some more Good:
~we've gathered pumpkins
~raked leaves
~tilled the garden beds
~cut wood, split it and stacked it.
~shopping for fun stuff
~Picked up Brooke, and brought her home to spend 4 days with us.
~Went to the Red Barn and bought delicious apple juice, and apple cider donuts.

So last night, as the sun set behind the mountains, I reflected on the day, the week, and the past month. I hope that I sought the good. I have strived to find ways to serve others each day, and Seek the Good in all I did.

Attitude of Gratitude:
~I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me and my family with safety.
~I'm grateful that J. has survived his accidental shooting that happened on the deer hunt.  The Lord has surely preserved his life!
~I'm grateful to have a day to catch my breath, and putter-butt around the house. The fire is crackling, the candles are glowing, and yep... I've got my Christmas music playing. I am in love with the "Noel" CD by Jenny Oaks Baker....http://deseretbook.com/Noel-Carols-Christmas-Past-Jenny-Oaks-Baker/i/5082348  Check the above site out, and listen to her beautiful music.