~ Summer Scrapbook ~

 

Summer sunflowers.

Sleepy morning bees...still sleepy from gathering pollen.

Sweet little sheep, grazing in a field. 

On an early morning ride, we saw these sheep in a nearby town. They are very small and quite sweet looking, though I haven't any idea what kind they are.

We drove to Loa to a shop to have new tires put on one of our vehicles. Loa is close to Capitol Reef National park.  This cute old truck was at the gas pumps. 

Love it!

Lots of beautiful skies this summer. 

Most mornings we go for a walk, and what a treat to see such beautiful morning skies. Although, most evening skies are equally beautiful.

Sea Holly. This has been a good year for our flowers, and the sea holly is gorgeous. 

For July, I put out buntings and this sweet Uncle Sam porch sitter that I made years ago. I gave him a refresh this year with a new wooden USA tag. 
July is a big month in Utah... not only do we celebrate Independence Day, but Pioneer Day as well.

Also, both of our sons have birthdays in July, one of our daughter~in~love, and our only Grandson has a birthday in July!!!

There is a great barn door and shutter-making factory in our area, and many times they will have scrap wood that is free for the taking. It is a great benefit for the community to have the free wood, not only for making cute crafts but also there are those that heat with woodburning stoves, and that scrapwood is so nice for that.

We used a bit of the scrapwood to make these sweet little 'lathe' stars. I put one on all the exterior doors of our house for July.

 

Another day, another beautiful sky.

New French-style bistro in our area. 

There is a darling patio attached to the bistro as well, strung with cafe lights and cute French-styled bistro chairs and tables.

July hutch... all the red white and blue. 

Barn on the property just west of us. This barn belongs to the people that sold off 40 acres of their farm and made our subdivision. We are still on 'farm share' water, and we pay just $10.00 a month for pressurized irrigation.

Incidentally, the couple that owns the farm, and barn, and sold the land for our subdivision, lives in our ward. The Mr. told me that this land is fertile and some of the best farmland he had ever had!

We made this sweet 'Garden Angel' with scraps we had. The shutters were given to me by a friend when we lived in Spring City, the head and wings and arms were from the scrap wood pile at the factory that I mentioned previously.

The wheelbarrow was a curbside find and given a bit of a crafty makeover. 

I am enjoying this summer so much. It's been a long time since I remember enjoying summer so much! Usually, I tend to wish summer away a bit. 

Especially as I have gotten older the summer heat just zaps me, but not this year! I am loving all things summer and each and every day has been a blessing and a treat. I am thankful for this summer.

So many good things and blessings plenty this summer. My cup runneth over.

~ 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.

Reasons to Smile....

 Reason number one.
Red barn, and old farm equipment.
Picture taken in Midway.

 Reason number two.
I finally finished the hutch that my friend K. gave to me.
I really love how it turned out.

 Reason number three.
We are now down to seven 'girls', from twelve.
We sold five of the 'girls' this week.
I really only wanted six 'girls'.
But, seven 'girls' are OK too.

Because of reason number four.
Poor Grace.
We just couldn't bear to part with her..

She's such a character, and has such determination.
She eats up-side down.

She jumps up on the feeder, and turns her head up-side down and scoops the food into her mouth.
It's the only way that she can eat.

She's keeping up with the other 'girls', and I hope that she's a great layer!
Her beak is becoming a bit more twisted and bent, and the bottom part of her beak is growing longer.
Poor Grace.

One of our 'girls' is becoming quite 'nesty'.
We've had the 'girls' since early June, and so I imagine, that they are getting ready to start laying.


Attitude of Gratitude:
~I'm grateful for a warm and cozy home, and my heart and prayers go out to those that are not so fortunate at this time. Especially those that have been affected by 'Sandy'.
~I'm grateful for sweet friends that give me a call on the phone, or stop by for warm visits.
I so appreciate them and their kindness. How nice to hear the doorbell, and see a smiling, friendly face.
I received a phone call from a dear friend this week, she uses a translator, because she's deaf.
The best news from her... her oldest daughter is getting married in December.

Barn renovation...before, and during.

 Our little brick barn is looking great!
We've been spending endless hours getting it cleaned out, re-built, and re-roofed.

 We've been working on the barn, along with about a million other projects since we first moved to this homestead in March of 2011.
Spencer above, with face mask on to protect his lungs from decades of dust and dirt.
Cleaning out more of the old hay from the barn loft. This picture was taken last Fall.
There was so much to do, to save the old brick homestead barn.
Look at the dust fly.

Also last Fall..    

Working on re-building the North wall that was completely blown out.
We knew that the wall and the roof would not survive another winter of deep snow.
So, the wall was completely re-built.. right down to the foundation timbers.
The roof was tarped to keep it as weather resistant as possible until we could re-roof it this Spring.

Before picture of the North wall.
In this picture, you can also see how deteriorated the roof of the barn was.

 A before picture of the South barn wall. You can see a glimpse of the brick interior of the barn.
In the far right of the inside wall, the brick is adobe.  The rest of the East wall and West wall are fired brick.
In this picture, you can also see , that originally, the barn had canvas covered windows that slid up and down. Completely deteriorated .

After: the same barn wall after it was re-built.
You can also see the new galvanized metal roof.

 A new partition wall was built on the inside of the barn.
A separation between 'the girls' new home, and the remainder of the barn that is destined to be my gardening room.

'The girls' get out of their brooder, and into their new home.
They are quite pleased with their new home.
Hopefully by the end of this weekend, they will have their new nesting boxes and roosts installed.
By Fall, we hope to have the following done on the barn :
~An enclosed outdoor run built for 'the girls'.
~New flip up windows made from corrugated fiberglass panels ... the windows will protect 'the girls' during the cold winter months.
~The remainder of the barn floor scraped, landscape fabric installed and 3-4 inches of pea gravel.
~Tool rack made and installed for all my gardening tools.
~A new potting bench made for my gardening area

Side by side pictures ,a dramatic difference.  So much work has gone into renovating the old brick homestead barn.

It would have been easier to tear it down, and start over.    Less blood, sweat and tears.

 Definitely less money.

However, we have a real desire to preserve things when we can, to not waste, to not be so eager to get rid of the old.

There's a history here. It can not be duplicated.

*The rest of this week, and weekend are being dedicated to hauling off debris from the sidewalk renovation. B.T.W... totally LOVE my new curved sidewalk with it's gentle, welcoming bend.

*Re-roofing the garage.  Almost 1/2 the shingles have been striped off. 

*Lots, and lots, and lots of trips to the landfill to clear away the pile of yard and construction debris that has accumulated on the West side of the barn.

*Squeeze in a date ...maybe to the drive-in with my honey.

Attitude of gratitude:

~ I am so grateful that I was blessed enough to have such a wonderful, remarkable, talented, creative, compassionate father. He taught me so much. He instilled in me a passion for learning new things, saving old things, and being grateful for all things. Even trials. He taught me that the trials in my life were opportunities to increase my faith and testimony, and to bless the lives of those around me, by setting an example and letting others be of service to you and receiving the blessings for their service.

He also taught me that it is impossible to feel sorry for myself when I was anxiously engaged in service for others.  One of the greatest lessons in my life.

When I start feeling sorry for myself,  I know that it's time to get busy helping someone else.

~I'm grateful for my wonderful family. They might not always see my vision, but they are more than willing and able to help my achieve it.

I KNOW that more times than once, they have hoped and prayed that I would find a new house.

Still, they put on a smile, and walk with me through the dust, dirt, and blood.

Blessings....Counting my many blessings.

As the sun set on a tense day ... I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my many blessing.
We were able to safely travel about 200 miles round trip to pick Spencer up at the evacuation site.
He was safe and sound, as were all the kids, staff, and bus drivers.
Everyone had to leave their stuff at camp, and district sent up a team to pick up everyones belongings; but as of now, they are not being allowed to go back into the area.
Spencer locked up the 'Tin Can Cottage', packed up most of his clothes and left everything else.

I recieved a phone call from one of our dear family friends, and she let me know that Spencer was with her husband.
 Her husband is a principle in the district and was up to Clear Creek for the week.
What a blessing!!
Spencer used Carl's phone the minute that they could get reception, and he let me know where they were being evacuated to.
I called Jenny back and let her know that they were safely out of the canyon, and where they would be going.
Then, I took off.
Brooke and I hit the freeway to go pick Spencer up.
When we got back home, we saw that the "Seely" fire was burning further and faster towards his camp, and towards town.
In the top right picture above, you can see the smoke plume rising on the mountain ridge just above town.

My heart felt thanks goes out to everyone that has offered prayers on our behalf.
No words could adequately describe the level of gratitude I feel for each and every one of you.
Thanks for your prayers, your emails, your comments, your phone calls.
I have felt the comfort of those prayers, and have felt bolstered up by your concern and compassion.
Thank you ....... thank you a million times over.

We are continuing our prayers and concern for everyone that is dealing with these devistating wildfires.
States across the West are suffering tradgedy from wildfires.
We are praying for the firefighters, and for their families in light of the sacrifices they have made, and continue to make to help the victims of wildfires.
Our hearts go out to the citizens in Colorado . Those folks are dealing with incredible loss and tragedy.


On a less tragic note... we are going to continue to work on the barn.
As you can see in the far left picture above.. we have made great progress on the roof.
The roof is about 90% finished.
We still need to repair some of the wood siding , that long ago was neglected and that someone once upon a time let their horses snack on.
Then, we will paint it, get the chicken wire back in the windows... etc.. etc..
Also, quite a few of my little seeds have germinated and are ready to be transplanted into the garden.
I also bought a huge lavender plant.
 I'm looking forward to getting it planted and established in the courtyard.


Attitude of gratitude:
~ On this day,I am most grateful for the blessings of safety.
~I am grateful for the prayers of safety and comfort that have been offered on our behalf.
~I'm grateful for the phone calls from friends, and emails, and offers of help.
~I'm so grateful to know that when everything gets down to the basics.. we really are all just sisters and brothers of a loving Heavenly Father.
Compassionate, and charitable... willing and able to help one another.

Happy Minutes

 Days are filled with happy minutes.
Here and there, a few at a time, or many happy minutes all lumped together.
Happy am I .
My Lemon Balm re-seeded its-self in the old horse trough.
I'm hoping to get a lot of these little seedlings transplanted around the homestead.

 Happy- happy minutes!
A real live tomato.
Growing on one of the poor little tomato plants that have endured such a freakish Spring.
Please ripen.

 And.. there is hope for the squash plants as well.
Two small, little yellow squash.
Please ripen too.

 That teeny-tiny little start of Catmint from our old house.
Blooming away.
Keep blooming, and re-seed.
It will make me so happy to have many Catmint plants to transplant around the homestead.

 Turkey pastrami.... it makes delicious turkey jerky.
I'm happy that I have a batch of turkey jerky in ol' Harvey.
Tomorrow, everyone should be able to have some turkey jerky.
We have a Norbest outlet store not too far from our little town.

 Happy minutes ... not one,

 but.. two boxes of goodies from Bath and Body Works.
They are having their semi-annual sale right now.
The closest store to us is about 70 miles away.
It would cost me more in gas than it cost me to ship everything right to my front door.
Brooke made a comment...and I quote .." No one in this family should ever stink again".
Amen.

 Happy over the moon.
The concrete contractor came and set a date to pour the new front walk.
He laid out a hose so that I could envision how the new walk will look.
He doesn't really "get" my idea of having a gentle bend in the walk, but he's happy to do it for me, never the less.
Cottage ----
That's what I am going for here... so get on board!
We will (by we, I mean my sweet hubby and Spencer) do most of the work, and he will help finalize the layout and forms and do the finish work.
We worked it all out in trade.
I love bartering!

 Happy minutes ..... every day when I look up at our Horseshoe Mountain.

 My sweet hubby  and I often get in the Tahoe, and take Rowdy with us for and evening ride.
We saw this cute little guy on our ride last night.

Happy minutes this morning as we drove by one of my favorite barns on the way to take Brooke to the hospital for her blood draw.

Hope that this weekend is full of many, many happy minutes for you all.


Attitude of gratitude:
~I am so grateful for R'dean. For all these years, during Brooke's illness, and after her kidney transplant, he has been so compassionate and caring in taking her blood.
She has been poked and prodded so much that her poor little veins collapse, and roll. It is so hard for any one to get blood from her; but R'dean can.
~I am so grateful that Brooke was able to get music put back on my blog.
I really missed it. And, I know that I give her headaches when I ask her to help me with technical stuff... but she loves me, so she helps me .
~I'm grateful that Spencer is home for the weekend, and is planning on going to yard sales with me in the morning.
He's my yard sale buddy, and he can talk a fat tick off  of a sleeping dog.
He always finds me the best deals.