~ The List ~

The List is something we use in our home to stay organized and accomplish our household goals.
But first... a few more fun pictures from Gardner Village.

 The Old Water Mill. 
Inside the building is a darling furniture and accessories store.

 Witches playing baseball...

 Cute covered bridge.

 Here at home, we worked on The List. 
Garden Charlie got a mini make~over, with a cheery new neckerchief. 

 I've had this old wooden ladder for many years, and I've been wanting to use it as a display but I also wanted to deepen the finish. I finally took it out of the garden shed and stained it.
Also on The List, cleaning and staining and sealing old gourds that had been stored in our garden shed.

 Giving the garage door a make~over was also on The List.
We taped off what would become the faux windows.

 After two coats of charcoal chalk paint, we taped the carriage door hardware to the garage to determine placement.
We both liked the placement of the hardware that is on the right side of the garage vs. the left side, so that is what we went with.

 Finished project. Cross that one off The List!
Also, the driveway is painted, the garage floor is painted and as you will see in the next picture, the porch stairs and porch floor are painted as well.

 Getting projects crossed off The List becomes very important at this time of year. 
 So many things that need to get done before the cold sets in. We race the weather, the snow, and the freezing temperatures.

 After a long week and weekend of work, we were treated to a beautiful moon rise.

Another thing I've been wanting to get done is to change out some of the dinnerware that I display on the hutch.
 I wanted to display that cute pumpkin Fall dinnerware.

There are still a number of things on The List, but working together and having things written down I have no doubt that in time we will accomplish our goals.
Last night, my sweet husband put 'Stabil' in all of the gas motors to winterize them. If that isn't done, then in the spring the motors won't run. 
A few more things to do on the list 
 ~ Ready wood in the wood stove 
~Empty hanging pots; store

For those that live where the winters freeze, I'm sure that you have a list too. Things that you need to get done before the weather turns. 
Wishing all good luck on accomplishing the things on their lists.

Do you make a list for winter preparations?

~Attitude of Gratitude.
Thankful for a few last zinnias to fill a vase. The rest of the zinnias froze.
~Thankful for the last harvest of butternut squash.

~ Iffy~

 My goodness.. spring has been iffy, at best, where we live.
We'll have a warm day, then a cold day when it's chilly enough that I end up turning on the fireplace. Also, we've had a lot of wind this spring. Tons of wind!
For a bit, I thought that I'd never see the brunella bloom again, or the tulips for that matter.
Now that things are greening up and looking beautiful, my heart is happy that spring is finally here and summer just on it's heels.

 We've stayed pretty busy.... we replaced the light fixtures in the kitchen. The previous light fixtures were a bit too contemporary for my taste, and the new light fixtures are more 'country' or 'farmhouse' and simple.

 I've been making summer crafts....

 and spring crafts......

 and making over furniture.
That little chest of drawers was given to me years and years ago. Our youngest son helped me cut the 'skirt' off of the chest of drawers and helped my add the 'feet'.
Then, I cut a piece of wood and replaced one of the drawer stops, and gave the entire thing a paint job.

 Distressed, and stenciled and sealed, it's a great additional storage piece.

The entire project, including the cost of paint, and the stencil, came in at under $20.00. A real bargain for a nice storage chest. The 'feet' we bought at ReStore and adapted them to use on the chest. Originally they were furniture 'feet' that were for couches, or side chairs I imagine. At just a dollar a piece though, they really were a great buy!

Also iffy... my ability to keep my blog updated. I have good ideas for posts, and then I run out of time, or fail to make time to download pics, and write and publish a post.
Guess I'm too busy soaking up the warmer weather, or maybe I've outgrown my desire to blog?
It's iffy.

~ Soaking up Summer ~

 Hello friends,
It's been a wonderful summer.
My sweet husband took some time off, and we spent the time doing projects, and we threw in time for fun too.
We went to visit our oldest son and his wife. This adorable cottage is in a little town, near where they live.
Isn't it just precious~!

 Thanks to everyone for their well wishes, and for their tips on getting our sunflowers to grow again, after we had to dig them all up.
The above picture was taken shortly after we transplanted them back into the ground.

 And now, they are thriving.
I think that the shock of being up-rooted, stunted their growth a bit, but they are putting on quite a show, and surviving!~

 We planted about 10 different varieties.
So far, we think about 6 of the varieties have survived.

 These red ones are really stunning.
I am so happy that they survived, and I'll be saving seeds from these to plant en~mass next spring.

  
 A new flower to our gardens, is this Green Eyed Susan.
Isn't it wonderful~?!
I do hope that it takes hold, and next spring takes off!  I hope to have enough next spring to divide and put in several places in the borders.

 One of the things that we did while my sweet husband was off, is work on the fence. We now have one side completely done...~~ Yay!
We also bought new perennials and planted them in the borders.  This variety of cone flower, as well as a yellow variety, another variety of lavender, and we put in 4 trees! Two of the trees are maples, and one tree is an apple tree, and the other is an ornamental pear tree.
With the other variegated maple and the two plum trees we put in this spring, our yard will have beauty, shade, wind protection and fruit. It's a wonderful thing~!

 It's always nice to have fresh flowers in the summertime.
Cosmos are growing ~ seeds from a friend. Goldenrod ~ plant starts from a friend. Daisies, they were here when we moved into this house, and the Black Eyed Susans, I planted last spring, along with some tick seed.

 And, yes.. some of our beautiful survivor sunflowers are gracing our kitchen island.
The gladiolus are some that the stem snapped on, after a rain storm. I generally do not cut them, for I like them in the borders, more than I like them in a vase ~~ still, they are gorgeous! We planted them in the early, early spring this year.

 We bought a flat of raspberries.  Seven plus pounds.
We made the most delicious raspberry jam~!
My sweet husband helped me.... he is a wonderful pot stirrer.... in the best way~! He generally helps me with the canning, if he's home.
We made 3 batches of raspberry jam.

 We also bought some gorgeous, giant apricots at the farm stand. You can just see one peeking out of the yellow bowl.
I made 4 batches of apricot ~ pineapple jam.
I had to stir the pot all by myself though, as my sweet husband was at work.
He thinks I'm a great pot stirrer too ~~~ smile.
The jam turned out wonderful, sweet, and delicious~!
By the way........ have you ever had a pan fried potatoes and onions and topped it off with a dollop of apricot ~ pineapple jam??
It is a taste of heaven~ really!

Another project that we worked on, was to make a shed overhang roof for the ATV's.
We planned to add a shed overhang roof to the back side of the garden shed, when we first ordered it in the spring.
Once the shed was delivered, and we painted it, we knew the next order of business was to get the shed overhang roof built, before winter and snows descend on us.

My sweet husband, and our youngest son worked together to get the shed overhang roof done.
There is plenty of room for our ATV's, plus there is still enough room left over to stack wood next to the roof.
Just disregard the totes {they still need to be put in the garage} and the garden wagon {full of tools and supplies for the fence} and the birdhouse {still needs to find a home in one of the borders} and the charcoal grill { we only use it once in a while, and generally use our gas grill}.
I still need to get the stuff put away, and finish the posts, etc.  I'm debating if I want to stain them to look old, or paint them to match the garden shed.
The roof is old tin that was recycled from our son's old garage.
Hmmm..... guess I'd better decide soon, and get it finished.

When summer began, we had one hummingbird feeder, and one faithful little hummingbird.
We now have 2 hummingbird feeders, and we are filling them 2 x a day.
Last night as we sat watching them, as close as we could count... we now have over a dozen little hummingbirds.
I think they are trying to soak up summer too ~!
In one of our previous houses, we had 3 feeders and filled them multiple times a day.. we could count more than 20 hummers.
So, for now, we haven't set a hummingbird record.
Still, there is a bit of summer left, so one never knows.

Another fun thing we've been doing to soak up summer, is to go up to the lake.
This lake is just five miles from our house.
My sweet husband catches the biggest lake trout, and we've had some delicious dinners of lake trout with grilled veggies.
Tastes of summer.......

Can you spy that little town? That's our little town.
The winding road takes you up the canyon to the lake.
As you can see, we are blessed to live in a beautiful valley.
Mountains surround us, and fields make a beautiful patchwork like quilt in the valley.

I'm off to soak up some more summer.
Before you know it, it will be Autumn.


~Attitude of gratitude
~ Feeling blessed to have fresh jam on the shelves in the store room
~Feeling grateful to have packages of shredded zucchini in the freezer... enough to last throughout the winter, and to make cookies, breads, soups and chili's with.
~Thankful that we've been able to travel safely to our destinations, and back home again. What a blessing!
~Feeling thankful for great books and magazines that I've found at bargain prices this summer. I'm all stocked up for Fall and Winter reading, and for just a few dollars!
~I am so grateful for my life! I have a wonderful life, and I am completely humbled by how blessed I am. I feel favored by the Lord...

~ 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.

*Chalk It Up To The Season*

What is it about the holidays that makes us want to spruce up our homes; fluff our nests?
Is it the thought of company coming?
For me, it's wanting to be comfy and cozy in our home throughout the winter months.
It's a happy feeling, nothing in the world can buy... to have a orderly, cozy, and charming home.
A home filled with welcoming touches, comfortable places to sit and rest and visit with others.
 A sprinkling of twinkle lights on the tops of hutches, and candle warmers or stovetop potpourri filling the house with delicious smells.

The old lead glass window, that my sweet husband found for me is getting spruced up for the holidays.

 Homemade chalk paint in black.
{Instructions for making your own chalkpaint are easy to find on the internet.}
After it dries, it will get a quick swipe with fine grit sandpaper.
A little texture and personality added.
The frame was originally white, and I am in love with black trim right now.
Chalk that up to my love of old manor homes, and their black painted doors with white trim.
I  adore that look, and have plans to paint the French doors on the library with black paint, as well.

 More projects in the works....
including a project with black and white pictures of the  Manti Temple : http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/manti/

 Architectural details : Door Knob

 Wrought iron fence.
I have a special plan for these black and white photo's .
A little Christmas gift for a friend.

Finally, a shot of a sunrise this past week.
Just a little dusting of snow left on the mountains, and molten colored clouds.
Beautiful.

Ok... it's back to the holiday projects for me.

Attitude of gratitude :
~ I am grateful for a great vacuum! I love to vacuum, and sometimes I vacuum twice a day.
I just love those fluffy fibers in the carpet, and love the lines that the vacuum makes.
~ I am grateful for my recipe book collection.  I enjoy reading recipes, and trying new dishes.
Sure breaks up the monotony of meal time for me, and I'm sure for my family as well :)