MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you have had a great year!  Sad to see 2013 come to an end but time waits for no man and this year certainly has flown by.  The new year will bring some changes for me and I will be more busy than ever.  Since I so called "retired" I have not had a spare minute.  I thought I would be bored but I don't ever remember being bored my whole life.  If I don't have something to do I will conjure up something.  I have been working on a Panda and I am planning some new creations for the new year.  Our family has grown this year and we are so happy to have our second grandson Nolan Frederick.  He is a sweet little guy who can steal your heart with his precious smile.  Nothing like little ones to melt your heart.  We are so blessed with two grandsons!  I wish the best for you and your family this Christmas season and hope you have a wonderful New Year!  Remember the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas is the birth of Christ.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Bear hugs and blessings, ~Carol

 

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

Merry Christmas!  What a beautiful sight to see the Christmas lights twinkling on a snowy night! It has been very cold and we are having a lot of snow too so that adds to the Christmas spirit.  In my mind I am wrapped in a big warm blanket, watching a movie, cuddled with my sweetheart and drinking some hot chocolate.  But maybe tomorrow on my birthday that will happen.  Today I have a lot to do.  Cleaning the house, wrapping gifts, delivering cookies to neighbors, finishing up Christmas cookies and making my favorite chocolate fruit cake!  That old family recipe is like no other!  Not a lot of fruit but a lot of nuts and most perfect of all chocolate!  I doubled the cocoa in the last cake so it is amazingly good! Blake's birthday is the day after mine so I will be making pumpkin pies for his birthday.  I think that man has taken after his momma and anything that has pie at the end of it is good!  We both love pumpkin pie!  I really think Mr. P. likes a little bit of pie with his whipped cream.  Christmas is always a busy time of year and with our family we throw in a bazillion birthdays to make it even more sweet! Baby Nolan is growing so fast and he is a little cutie.   I am also working on a Panda bear today and hope to have her finished soon.   I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and always remember Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. 

 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This year quickly danced by!  I guess the old saying holds true, "Time flies when you are having fun!"  It has been a busy fun year and never a dull moment.  Blake and Mindy have been very busy and they are happy being parents now.  Our sweet little grandson was born 6 weeks ago and he is a real joy.  He is growing so fast!  I flew to visit my Tobias and his family and had a wonderful time.  Got off the plane and went directly to a wonderful wedding in SC.  I also had a wonderful time at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  They always take me some place special while I am visiting them and I was truly amazed the whole time we toured the largest home in America.  It was built in the late 1800's but still remains the largest home.  One of the first to have electricity.  Chase is growing up too fast and he is the sweetest little guy around.  Love my grandsons!  Tuesday we drove back to Ohio in an ice and snow storm and arrived safely thanks to my son's expert driving.  Jumped right into Thanksgiving and having the family here for dinner is always a special treat.  We celebrated Christmas with them while they were here.  It was a whirl of a week and before we knew it they were leaving to drive back home.  Nothing like having family home for the holidays!  I have finished the mohair Christmas bear Chrissy and she is on EBay.  Have a great week and enjoy the holidays remembering the true meaning of Christmas always.    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=301034311258&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

ADOPTED 

The Holidays Are Upon Us!

Thinking of holiday traditions this morning and how important those traditions are.  Each family should have a few they can look back on and feel sweet happiness.  I hope my boys can do that.  I have always loved Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Christmas I have to say is my favorite.  We celebrate it because we are celebrating Christ's birth.  Thoughts of preparing for a Christmas program at church was always fun but a but very nervous to me.  I never liked to have people look at me.  There was always a part to remember which was not so good but singing all the Christmas songs was the best.  I usually start playing Christmas music November 1, every year.  The holidays still seem to make even the grumpiest person and little nicer when you smile and tell them "Merry Christmas!"  Giving gifts is the best feeling!  For as long as I can remember our holiday tradition was to have Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  I think it has been 36 years now.  There have been a few Thanksgiving dinners recently that we have had at Blake and Mindy's house or at Tobias and Andrea's house.  I am always in the kitchen no matter where it is and I love Thanksgiving especially the part about eating pumpkin pie.  Christmas has always been a whirl of excitement for me. For months I prepare for that one day.  We would go to church Christmas Eve and when the boys went to bed we would read The Night Before Christmas.  Christmas morning was always the best when the boys were young.  They were not allowed to open gifts until morning and there was always a flurry of little boys wanting to get up at 3 am or before.  We all had to be around the tree before anyone could open a gift and they would wake me up all night long with a little voice, "Is it time yet?"  My favorite was to open my eyes to see someone very close to my face looking at me hoping I would wake up and give in just this one time.  Tobias I have to say was the worse.  He never could wait until Christmas to see what he was getting I found out later.  He told me he always knew where the gifts were hidden and would peek and tell his brothers what they were getting too.  He is my middle child and always VERY motivated!  Looking back on my childhood and their childhood was a magical time at Christmas.  Little boys wearing pj's gathered around the tree with that great look of excitement only Christmas can inspire early on a Christmas morning.  I do miss those days of excitement when the boys were young.  Enjoy every Magical moment! 

 

Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas!

It has turned cold but still sunny and that makes a difference.  God blesses us every day and good weather is a great blessing!  Never a dull moment here and I have a feeling it is going to get even more busy.  I finished Marcella Jane yesterday and hope to send her on her way today and cut out another bear.  There is also Miss Kitty's bench that I have wanted to make and have not had time to start.  I have to start making my regular 4 batches of home made noodles to freeze for Thanksgiving.  My family loves noodles!  I started decorating for Christmas November 1.  We had a lot more room at the old house so I will have to incorporate 13 bins and 2 boxes plus 12 trees into this house.  Probably time to sort more for the spring garage sale.  Time to start on cookies today too.  I hope to get one batch of something made and in the freezer.  Well, I must get started.  Seems there is always a lot more to do on my list at the end of the day than I accomplished.   I hope everyone enjoys their day.  Remember to thank God for your blessings.  We have so many.

                                                             Marcella Jane - Adopted 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

Can it be possible that this year has flown by so quickly?  Time to put Halloween decorations away and start decorating for Christmas.  I love this magical time of year.  I  think it would be so nice to relax and enjoy the holidays but for as long as I can remember I never seem to have a spare minute.  Then January 1, comes and it is gone.  My boys would always laugh at me when they were young because I would keep the Christmas tree up until Valentine's Day and sometimes longer.  Always seems sad to take down the tree before I was able to fully enjoy it.  I have a lot to do this holiday season and now is the time to start on it!  In my mind I remember when I was very young going to the nearby town of East Liverpool during the holidays and seeing all the magical decorations.  What a beautiful sight! Wow!!!!  Santa was amazing!  Even then I loved Christmas!  I think I believed in Santa until I was age 14.  Well, I guess I still believe in Santa come to think of it.  There is a magic in Christmas that makes everyone feel a little better and be a little kinder.  I have been working on a black bear for a sweet lady and when she is finished I hope to work on decorations, a quadruple batch of home made noodles to freeze for Thanksgiving, fruitcake and a lot of cookies for the freezer.  Little boys and BIG boys like cookies around here.  One year I made 126 dozen cookies for Christmas and two large fruitcakes.  Don't know why I counted them but must have been my OCD.  Christmas morning there wasn't a cookie in the house so I had to make cookies.  Seemed to always have a lot of extra little boys who would come to the house and they all loved cookies.  I hope you all enjoy this wonderful season and remember the true meaning of the birth of Christ and celebrate His birth.

Black Bear ready to stuff

Ginger the Mohair Giraffe

The month has quickly slipped by.  I always start decorating for Christmas the first of November and that will be here very soon.  We had our first frost this morning on October 28th.  That is amazing to me.  I remember times when we had frost the first week of September.  The remainder of my flowers were hit and we cleaned them up today.  Only 6 months until we can plant again.   I look forward to next spring and a couple projects Fred and I are already planning.  Our new grandson is growing fast and he is a joy in our lives.  Our first grandson Chase had his 9th birthday last week.  Time has a way of flying by and those 9 years certainly have passed quickly.  He is a handsome young man who loves to play baseball.  We are so proud of him and it will be so much fun to see him at holiday time.  Nothing like grandchildren to fill our hearts with love!  They are blessings from God.  I hope you all enjoy the fall weather.  This is Ginger the Mohair Giraffe on EBay:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=301003334144

                                                                            ADOPTED

Time Flies!

It has been a while since I have written anything and time sure has a way of flying by us.  I have been more busy than usual and I am not complaining.  We have a new addition to our family, so sweet and amazing!  His name is Nolan Frederick, born last weekend weighing in at 7 lbs. and 4 oz.  He is such a sweetheart!  So much hair and a mix of his dad, mommy and cousin.  Amazes me how you can see different family members in the sweetness of a little one.  Still amazes me that God gives us the miracle of a child.  He does have his dad's feet!  Looking back through photo albums this week remembering the births of my three sons and my grandson Chase was a treat I haven't done for a while.  We are totally amazed with this new little one and cannot get enough of him.  Thank you Mindy and Blake for bringing this little miracle into our lives!  I have been wrangling with a hooded coverlet for him and now tore it apart completely after it was finished except for the edging.  Gauge was perfect but finished it was too large for a new born.  It would not do altering just the hood and I don't think a two year old boy would appreciate a hooded cape.  Back to the grind and quickly making a baby afghan.  I finished Esther and after she sold on EBay is on her way to California.  Hoping to finish up a few things this weekend and on to more bears.  The trees are changing and some have dropped their beautiful leaves.  We have been so blessed with wonderful fall weather.  Yesterday we had some snow flurries and it does make me feel more excited about the holidays coming quickly.  I hope you enjoy life and grab on to it with everything you have!  Love you all!  Esther on EBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300992868854&ssPageName=ADME:L:COSI:US:1123

                                                                           Adopted

HAPPY FALL

Happy Fall and Happy October! We have enjoyed beautiful weather for a couple months now. We are so blessed to see the sunshine every day. I have been super busy as usual but I always say I don't do bored. If I don't have something to do I will make something to do. I did finish the cat Hallie Katt and took her to The Boston Road Collection. She was fun to make! I also listed the mohair bear Noelle on EBay and she is on her way to California. My first Christmas bear this year. I am also working on a brown bear this weekend and hope to have her finished soon.  Fred and I made a table for Mindy for her front entry. Dropped the table off to her yesterday. Miss Kitty has been a real help with my wood work and she has the wood set up for two more benches. One for us and the other for Mindy and Blake.  Miss Kitty is such a sweet cat!  I have a shelf cut out for the living room and need to finish that today. When I have a spare minute I have been working on the hooded coverlet for our grand baby who should arrive within the next 3 weeks. I cannot wait to see what it is and hold him or her for the first time. Fred and I still have plans for the roof over the outside basement entry but time is flying by and we might have to wait until spring to start that project. It has been a matter of what I want and what Mr. P. thinks we should build. I am going with a gazebo type roof and he wants a boring hip roof. I love the look of wood and I want to use it wisely. Who will win? If I can dig the holes and put the posts into the ground I will as he says he cannot be done because of rock close to the foundation. He MIGHT be right. We shall see Mr. P. I hope everyone enjoys the month of October and all the sights and sounds of fall. Have a wonderful week!

                                                                      Adopted

Maggie Mae and Ella Jean

The sun is shining and it looks like a cooler weekend.  Last week it was 90 + degrees and yesterday it was 60.  Big jump for a few days but this is OHIO and that is what goes on here.  As everyone always says, "If you don't like the weather, stick around for five minutes, it will change."  The trees are starting to turn gold and it will be even more beautiful!  We still have some things to accomplish here before winter and we have been helping Blake and Mindy get their house ready for winter and in order for the new baby.  I am so excited to find out if it is a boy or girl on the day it is born.  After a very busy week I finished Ella Jean and Maggie Mae.  I hope to cut out some new creations today and maybe get the garage ready to paint.  Hope everyone has a great weekend and please take time to enjoy your family.  Bear hugs! 

                                                                          Adopted

September

Hope everyone is enjoying their fall days.  My mind is not ready to give up summer yet but nevertheless fall is here.  We have had beautiful sunny hot days!  I continue to work on our house and with Blake and Mindy still needing some help with their new house I have been super busy!  Everywhere I look it seems there is something that needs to be done or finished or started or whatever stage it is in.  I am working on an order for an elephant Ella Jean and a Boston Terrier Maggie Mae and hope to have them finished by the weekend.  I have so many things whirling around in my mind that I want to do!  There is never enough time and as we get older I wonder if I will ever finish some of the things I still want to do.  Funny how life is.  I know I can be so busy I don't know where to begin and my son will call and say he has a day off can we spend it together and I drop everything.  That is most important.  Won't be long until the baby is here and I will be watching him or her two days a week.  So now is the time to finish some things and maybe start a few too.  I hope you have great blessings and enjoy every minute of life!  Don't forget to stop and smell the roses too!

 

Beautiful Weather The End of August!

Every day for the last couple of weeks the weather has been perfect!  Sunny, not humid and so pretty!  What a weekend!  It certainly was a busy one!  Saturday we had dinner and spent the evening with my son and his wife and enjoyed every minute.  Sunday was another busy day helping them with their yard at their new house.  Can't imagine it has only been a short time since they moved in.  It is a wonderful home already!  Yesterday started off great with the beautiful weather again and cleaning up their yard.  I was trimming shrubs and Blake was cleaning up the mess I made.  We all decided to go inside to cook a late lunch and drink some water.  I was the last and putting down the electric trimmers caught me by surprise when my finger caught the trigger catching my index finger on my left hand with the blades throwing blood all over the sidewalk.  Those trimmers are meant for branches not fingers!  I told Fred of my plight when I got into the house and he began to clean off the blood and wash it up.  I was sitting but after Blake got me some juice and water I soon woke up and noticed they were all not where I last remembered.  I had put my head between my knees but apparently it didn't matter because heat, lack of water, blood or whatever it was made me realize I am not so tuff.  Fred was holding me and Blake was calling the ambulance.  I convinced them I didn't need and ambulance but they convinced me to go by car.  A couple hours later as we walked out of the ER I found my pride was severely damaged.  They monitored my heart, EKG, tetanus shot, bandaged and ran blood work thinking since I was out 3 minutes it might be something else.  Gladly it wasn't.  What happened?  I am the one who takes care of everyone.   Feeling so bad I ruined a day of work on such a beautiful day and no one had been fed yet, I looked around to see my wonderful family who took care of me, cooked my dinner afterward and were happy to help me when I needed it.  Thank you Fred, Blake, Mindy and even Daisy who gave me some kisses.  I am so lucky!!!  This is Roberta who is on EBay.    Ebay link:                Roberta is Adopted
 

Have a Happy Day!

Summer is flying by and the kids are going back to school.  I have to say I have hardly had a spare minute to just enjoy the summer.  I have been working on a new bear and hope to have her finished in a day or so.  Seems like weeks ago I started on her and try to sew when I have time.  Blake and Mindy sold their house and moved in with us with Daisy until they were able to get into their new house.  Last week we helped them move into their house.  It was hectic and they are back to work this week after a back breaking week ending with a baby shower for Mindy.  I miss having them here.  It is always great to have family around and I try to spoil them when I can.  Bailey and Miss Daisy are finally getting along and that was good to have them together.  Fred and I have continued to work on this house.  We have one more large project and a few small projects before winter.  When I stand back and look at what we have accomplished in 8 months it is amazing.  Our latest project was an enclosure for Bailey to keep him safe from the many foxes and other animals who frequent the lake behind our house.  He seems to be getting use to it and when he catches a glimpse of Miss Kitty sunning herself he scares her silly with his loud barking.  There is never a dull moment and I am never bored.  If I happen to walk past the window as I did Sunday morning and see the twin baby deer 30 feet from the house it makes me stop and appreciate all the beautiful moments we have had here.  God gives us many blessings and it is up to us to enjoy life!  Hope you have a beautiful day!

 

August 1

The weather has been a bit strange this summer and today it is raining again. Yesterday I finished painting one end of the fence enclosure and I hope it had time to dry before the rain started. Fred and I worked on the last fence in the back yard this week and finished it. It will look so nice when it is painted. I hope everyone is enjoying summer and you have had time to take a vacation or at least breathe in the summer air. We were driving along last weekend to visit our son and his wife and I enjoyed every bit of the scenery. Beautiful with everything green and all the beautiful flowers are amazing! God is good to us and supplies us with everything we need. I finished Eleanora the pink mohair elephant and she is on EBay. I hope you have a wonderful day today and enjoy every minute of it!   Eleanora on EBay   ADOPTED

 

Beautiful Days of Summer

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. It is flying by and we will be enjoying the beauty of fall before we know it. Nothing like that crisp smell of fall in the air! We continue to work here and our latest project is almost finished. We still have to build a roof over the basement entry before winter. What a busy 7 months it has been since we moved into this house. Fred and I have been working on a 6 foot high enclosure the last couple of weeks for Bailey. There are too many foxes here and he only weighs a little over 6 pounds so he needs protection. It has been quite a project! I have two sides painted and hope the rain holds off so I can finish the painting process. Digging out the sod around the outside and planting shrubs, flowers and mulching is another project. Almost finished with that! Never a moment to rest here. In my spare time if there is a moment, I am working on an elephant and hope to have her finished today. Blake and his wife are moving in a week so I know this coming week I will be helping them pack. They are expecting and the baby shower is in two weeks so I have 12 table coverings to make for that. My mother's doctor visits keep me hopping! At ninety years old she is a whirl and keeps me on my toes. Enjoy every day and breathe in the beauty of summer!

Beautiful Sunshine!

We are having a HOT summer here in Ohio.  I am enjoying the sunshine again after the rain and storms we had last week.  The news report last week was that we had 4.35 inches of rain in one day!  That is a lot of water!  We have been working as usual outside and continue to accomplish a lot.  We are working on a fence enclosure for Bailey.  There are so many foxes around our house and I do not want them to be able to get to him so we are building a six foot high fenced-in enclosure for him.  He is a little guy but needs big protection.  Poor baby.  The deer have had their babies and there are two sets of twins.  They continue to come every day to eat the apples and pears from the trees.  They are so beautiful!  They amaze me how gentle they are.  I finally got CoCoMo Candace Jo finished and she is on Ebay.  I hope you are enjoying summer and the beautiful days! CoCoMo Candace Jo on Ebay 

Adopted

 

Summer is flying by!

I hope everyone is enjoying summer and the warm or HOT weather.  It has been hot here and we have had some severe storms come through in the last day.  Yesterday we were without electricity again for 3 hours.  That is the sixth time in the six months we have lived here.  Wow!  What can you do without electricity?  I get bored really quick without my sewing machine, Internet, lights, etc.  If we think about it, how long has electricity been in existance?  I am spoiled.  I always think about the story I read how the ladies would go up in the top of the barn during the day and sew or tat thread so they would be warm above the cattle.  Only problem was it was pretty dark so they used oil lamps to see.  When they reached the ripe old age of about 25 their eye sight was pretty much gone from straining to see.  If they happened to kick over the oil lamp they had another problem!  We are so lucky to have so many conveniences!  I finally finished Dixy, the mohair Boston Terrier Puppy and listed her on EBay today.  I hope you have a nice day and enjoy the weekend coming up.

ADOPTED

EBay link: 

Father's Day Weekend!

Time does fly!  I was so lucky I had many wonderful men in my life growing up.  My grandfather and my Uncle John were great men.  I have been thinking about my Dad Carl Jackson Adams this week and all that he stood for and meant to me.  He has been gone for five years now and that seems like forever in a way but like yesterday too.  He was a just man and always stood for so many things.  I always remember him hugging me, kissing me on the cheek and saying, "How is my girl?"  He was from Kentucky and they did things differently there.  He loved to tell war stories and we would chuckle when he would corner someone new talking forever about the war.  He could recount even the most minuscule details.  I mostly liked to hear stories of his mother and how she sewed and cooked.  They were very poor but also very rich because she loved them.  She had to have made the most heavenly biscuits.  She passed away three days before I was born so I never knew her but loved to hear about her.  His dad passed away when he was 12 in a coal mining accident leaving his wife and three children and they were very poor.  Dad met my mom by chance when he was home on leave from the service in Louisiana.  She was there from Ohio visiting a friend.  They were meant to be!  Destiny!  He came home from the war two years later and married her.  They were a beautiful couple.  She was so beautiful and he was so handsome.  He had a gentle way about him nurturing my three sons but he also had a snap temper.  I just might have inherited that trait.  I always enjoyed our talks and he taught me so many things.  One thing I learned at a very early age was that you didn't want to cross him.  It was much easier to stay close to him and not give him any trouble.  I would spend hours in the garage with him helping him as he worked on some one's car or truck.  He was a perfectionist and would always say, "If you are going to do something, take the time to do it right!"  I remember not long ago he gave me back one of the Father's Day cards I had given him.  He wrote a little note on the inside of it to me.  I believe that was the only note he ever wrote to me and I still hold it dear to my heart.  I miss him!! Happy Father's Day Dad! 

The End Of The Month Of May~

I hope everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday last weekend! It was busy and it seems this whole month of May has been very busy. We continue to work on this house and now we are building a decorative wall in the front yard. We had planned to take out the entry porch and rebuild it but decided to wait because of some problems we thought we might encounter. Can't wait to get the wall finished, plant shrubs and on to something else. I finished the bear Abagail yesterday and listed her on Ebay last night. I think she looks like a summer child dress in pink and lace. June is coming fast so we have to enjoy every minute of summer! Have a great week!    Abagail on Ebay

ADOPTED

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!  I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday with family and friends. I finished Gallagher and took him to The Boston Road Collection.  Brenda always has her shop full of wonderful things and it is fun to look around and buy some great finds.  I am working on a bear and hope to have her finished soon.  Happy Holiday!  Enjoy every minute of it!

Happy Monday after Mother's Day weekend!

Another Monday morning and it is a cold one here.  I am ready for warm weather!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I spent time with my family had a great day!  We had a lot of good food and it was a lot of fun!  My grandpuppy Miss Daisy even came to visit and she keeps Bailey busy chasing her away.  She now weighs 50 pounds and that is a big Sheltie!  Poor Bailey only weighs 6 pounds and 4 oz.  He remains leader of the pack and can still make her run away afraid of him.  They are too funny!  We continue to work on this house as usual.  I haven't been doing a lot of sewing and I need to return to my creations.  Last week we got our new entry doors and flooring in the master bath and laundry room.  Yippee we are finished with flooring!  Lots more work to do and we have been so busy outside taking down pine trees and shrubs, replacing them, tearing down fences and building new ones.  There are still pine trees and shrubs to take out but it is getting there.  We have to build an enclosure for Bailey too as I have seen several foxes in the back yard by the lake.  Miss Kitty has been staying outside more now too.   I love where we live and it is at the end of the town so we have a lot of woods and wild animals.  Our neighbors across the road are by the fence  eating grass.  They moved them last week so they are close now.  They are too cute!  I love cows!  I will have to take my camera when I go to the mail box and snap their photos.  Back to work this morning and I hope everyone enjoys their day thanking God for all the blessings he richly gives us!
This is a picture of my mother at a young age.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

 

Good Monday Morning!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  More rain here but as the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers!"  We will have some beautiful flowers!  I have been working in the yard when it isn't raining.  Digging up shrubs and 23 rose bushes.  Planting shrubs and lilac bushes.  We have been working on this place for 4 months and it is looking like home now.  Next week the floors in the laundry room and master bathroom will be down.  I have one more bedroom to paint.  Our new entry doors are waiting to be installed I hope this week.  Fred and I constructed a fence last week beside the sidewalk and I painted it Friday when we had a break in the rain.  Now to put the caps on the ends.  We found a nice solar cap and I cannot wait for the rain to stop to see how it looks.  Fred put up the new entry lights and they look great!  I hope I will be working on the giraffe today painting spots.    Have a great week!

 

Good Monday Morning!

The weekend flew by and it is Monday! This morning I am painting the laundry room and I hope to do some sewing. Is everyone enjoying the warmer weather? I hope it is warm where you are! Put my Prim Olde Spring Katt on Ebay. I love to make bears, pups and furry critters but I need to make one of my extreme prims occasionally. Love prim! I hope everyone enjoys their week! Olde Spring Katt on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/300891163102?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

ADOPTED

 

Have a Happy Thursday!

Good Thursday Morning! Looks like the weather report is for more rain today. Better get your mud stompin' boots on! I have been working on a giraffe this week, working in the yard,  and making a prim bench for the bathroom. Wood working gives me a great feeling of accomplishment and takes me back to the sweet days of my childhood. I always enjoyed spending time with my grandfather watching him make benches and tables. He would give me the scrap wood to form my creatures. Funny how some cuts of wood could be a dog, bear or wild creature not known yet to man. Those were great times and I enjoyed every minute with my grandfather. He taught me so much and I still miss him! Have a Happy Day and enjoy every detail of it!

Happy Friday!!

It is Friday already! Time certainly does fly. I guess when we are busy it flies even faster. This past week we have been giving the guest bathroom a make over. I previously cleaned with Clorox top to bottom, painted the walls gray and painted and antiqued the vanity, put up a new oval mirror I painted and antiqued it. We started last Friday and thought it was going to be a two day job taking off the old flooring and putting tile down, grouting it and putting in a new throne. No such luck. Every inch of the old flooring was glued. Scraped, patched, sanded and primer took days. Then put the new tile down and grouted it the next day. The new throne was next and it was an American Standard. They use to make them in nearby Salem but this American Standard was made in Mexico. First of all the tank had a big crack down the back so it was returned for another one. New tank on and it seemed to be fine. Last night the seals started leaking. Fred could not fix it so off today to buy another throne, (NOT American Standard) remove the broken one, return it and install the new one. I cannot wait to scrape off the flooring, patch, sand and primer the master bathroom. Then new tile and grout. It is three times as big as the guest bathroom. At least we already installed a new throne in there. It will have to be pulled up for the flooring job...bummer! While I was telling Fred I would like to put a roof over the deck and basement entry way he very nicely said, "You should have married a contractor!" Working on a giraffe when I can this week. This is a picture of my sweet grandson. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Josephina

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!  It was a wonderful day for me as I was able to be with my family at Blake and Mindy's house.  We had so much wonderful food!  Blake and Mindy are expecting their first baby and it is nice to enjoy this time with them.  Baby Bailey and his sister Daisy were cute.  Bailey is Blake's dog but he has lived with me for his 10 years of life.  Daisy his baby sister lives with Blake and Mindy.  She is a Sheltie but weighs 47 pounds.  She is afraid of 6 pound Bailey.  He barks at her and she runs only to come back for more.  It is funny to see!  They are always a hoot!  We enjoyed the day!  Fred and I worked all weekend on the guest bathroom.  What a large job that room turned into.  Poor Fred!  Every inch of the linoleum that was in there was glued.  He worked all day Friday getting the top layer off the floor and then scraping and sanding to remove the backing.  Some of the wood was pulled up so he patched, sanded, patched, sanded and then cleaned and gave it a coat of primer.  Yesterday we put down the tile.  Today when he gets home from work we will grout it.  I am hoping Tuesday evening we can put in the new commode and put the woodwork back on the wall.  We were thinking it would take 2 days at the most.  Dreamers we are!  We love this new house but everything we do seems to be a major project! I managed to finish CoCoMo Josephina Jo's dress and will be listing her on Ebay today.  She is 32 inches tall.  I am working on a giraffe when I get a minute or two.  Enjoy your week!  Think Spring!

Adopted

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Friday!!! This week was a busy one and they all seem to fly by. Spring? It will be here and I will be twice as happy because I had to wait on it. The birds have been busy for weeks building nests. I hope they do not have any eggs in those nests yet. We have 24 degrees this morning and it is snowing. I worked on Josephina this week when I could and she is sitting there this morning waiting for her white dress to be finished so she can play with her paints.  I did catch her spilling some paint on her pinafore yesterday so she is sitting in time out now.  After she is grungy she will be ready for Ebay.  Her dress is almost finished so she should not have to wait long. I love to make the larger bears. They can sit just about anywhere. I hope everyone has a great day and will enjoy the weekend!

Have a Happy SPRING week!~

Happy Monday!  We have had a day of freezing rain here in Ohio.  The first day of Spring will be the 21st and I hope that magically switches us to SPRING weather.  I finished Agnes the Alpaca Easter Bear and she is on Ebay.  Have a great week and think SPRING! 

 

Looking for Spring!

Happy Friday!  It has been cold this week and I am looking forward to warmer weather and SPRING.   I worked on Magdalena and will be taking her to The Boston Road Collection.  She was a fun puppy to make.  She reminds me of my grand puppy Walter who is a Boston Terrier.  He is so sweet.  I still have painting to do and when I am sewing I think I should be painting, cleaning out the basement or garage, and there are still boxes to open.   I can't imagine it but the other house did have two more rooms than this one does.  Now they are here with no place to put them.  I could make more shelves and cupboards to hold them.  I don't want to make my boys think I have too much junk so I will hold back and limit my "junk" as they call it.    My mother is like my boys and has minimal decor.  She throws everything away!  My father was from Kentucky and oh did he love to keep everything!  He would always hide it in the attic of the garage from my mother as he whispered, "You never know when you might need this little ditty."  He did have his "little ditty bag" he called it and had pictures of my boys and other things that made him feel good when he looked through it.  Off limits to my mother as she thought it was his inhaler he had in there.  So when she tells me I have too much "junk" I always tell her to think how I feel when I have two people fighting inside.  One telling me to get rid of everything and the other saying I might need that some day.  Fred just smiles and tells me I work hard to keep the house looking good.  He is the smartest man I know!  He learned that strategy almost 23 years ago.  Have a great weekend!

Good Monday Morning!

Good Monday Morning!  I hope everyone is having great spring weather!  It has been beautiful here with warm temperatures.  I am ready for SPRING!  We had a busy weekend.  Fred's birthday was Friday and we celebrated the day together.  He turned the big 60 and sure doesn't look his age.  He is a great husband!  I finished the bunny Adeline and listed her on Ebay yesterday.  She is the second Easter Bunny I have made this year.  Have a sweet week!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300874146152?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 

Snowy Wednesday Morning

We woke up to snow this morning and it is beautiful, peaceful and calm.  March is a month of a mixed bag of weather.  The report is showing rain tomorrow.  I would rather see the snow but I am anxious for spring to see if there are any spring flowers planted in this yard.  Birds singing and sun shining in the weeks to come will be so welcome and gives us a new refreshing of life and it's miracles.  Our back yard looks so peaceful and calm this morning blanketed in the fresh snow.  This is the scene from the window by my sewing machine.  There are six deer who frequent the lake sometimes stopping in our yard before running into the woods.  I hope everyone is having a great week.  Think Spring!!!

 

Good Wednesday Morning!!  Looks like more rain and maybe snow here.  I am hoping there will be some sunshine mixed in there too!  If you don't like what you have in Ohio stick around.  Some days we get it all in one day!  Ohio weather isn't boring!  Finally taking a breath here and seeing the results of the last two months of working on this house.  I still have two rooms, the outside entry, shutters, the stairway, basement floor and maybe the garage to paint.  Lots of scrubbing with my friends Clorox and Comet has been in my daily routine.  It is lookin' good and feeling like home!  My poor Bailey was very sick Monday night and had to go to the vet yesterday.  He is getting back to normal today but thinks he still should be held.  I think he is working it for all he can get.  He loves to be held.  Poor baby.  It breaks my heart to see him not feeling well.  I hope everyone enjoys the week and think SPRING!  I have listed Ambrosia on Ebay and this is the link:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/300867997260?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

It sure is looking like spring.  There have been two little birds outside my bedroom window working on a nest this week.  Is it too early for nests and baby birds?  Maybe not.  They are busy so that gives me hope that the old critter in Pennsylvania, Phil is right this year.  I have been painting.  I have been painting for more than 6 weeks now and I am hoping I will have it all completed soon.  Everything is looking so bright and clean.  We still have a lot of work to do and when spring arrives I will be outside working too.  I have gotten a chance to get back to sewing and I am working on a bunny and a bear.  I hope everyone is enjoying the day today and you have someone special in your life to spend it with.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Snowy Monday

It continues to snow and it is beautiful!  Love it when the sun shines through the snow softly drifting down from the sky.  Looks like a beautiful snow globe!  I am busy as usual painting and sewing.  I planned to paint the bathroom today but my hand decided I better give it a rest.  Not too much rest though as I will be sewing.  No time to dilly dally.  I have taken weeks off from bear making and I will have to get back to it soon full time.  I have two in the making along with curtains and 6 chair pads for the dining room.  It was a nice weekend and we enjoyed the Super Bowl yesterday.  I thought you might like this picture of the three pups.  It gave me a chuckle and I hope it gives you a good Monday laugh to start out your week.  Have a great week!

A Snowy Friday!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the week and  you are looking forward to the weekend.  It is a snowy day here.  Beautiful!  Sorry if you have to drive in it.  I can now post pictures so I thought I would put the "after" picture of my dining room since the floor was installed.  The installers did a beautiful job!  I finished decorating for Easter this morning.  I have boxes of prims and antiques for our spring garage sale.  Without a family room now we have to down size more.  I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and if they are traveling in the snow be careful!  Tobias, my sweet son in SC, be careful on the roads.  They are expecting freezing rain today!

MOVED!

Another beautiful morning!  Looks like the two weeks we were moving WAS winter.  With a blizzard the roads were closed and we were trying to get to the old house to be there for the movers at 8 am in the morning on December 27th.  We made it and they were great movers.  Richard's Moving Company in Winona moved our furniture with about 15 inches of snow on the ground.  Our neighbor Ed was always the best neighbor and he plowed out our drive so the movers could arrive.  When we arrived at this house a just as kind neighbor had plowed out this drive.  We are so thankful for wonderful people!  Movers put most of our furniture in the garage and after our 24 loads with cars and a truck we brought mostly my "junk" to this house.  Poor Fred.  It snowed every day and we were so weary from hauling 4 or 5 loads every day.  I did have 2 yard sales to get rid of my things, didn't I?  January 2, after cleaning the old house from top to bottom we brought our two last loads in the sunshine from there.  We kissed that great house with a lot of memories "Goodbye" and headed to our new house.  I started cleaning this house on December 20, and haven't stopped yet!  I won't make any comments but...???  I have cleaned and scrubbed every room from ceiling to floor with Clorox and Comet. Some rooms I scrubbed the ceilings 4 times.  Just think what smoking does to a person's lungs when we can see what it does to our surroundings?  Carpet scrubbed twice in every room thanks to my sweet son Blake who came every day to help scrub and paint while he was on vacation.  What a wonderful help he was!  Thank you Blake!  This is a work in progress and we have progressed.  Decided to tear out the carpet after cleaning didn't help.  Our new flooring will be installed in the dining room, kitchen, hall and our bedroom.  Painting those areas were first on the list and they are ready.  I still have more painting to do inside and outside.  At least it is starting to feel like our house and Fred and I always say to each other, "As long as we are together it is home."   More to come when the floor is installed and I can move the remainder of the furniture in.  As my wonderful husband reminds me, "One bite at a time."  I am a little late but HAPPY NEW YEAR!  (For some reason I cannot load a picture now."