Such a full week

Last week that is – we left last Saturday for the Woolenwillows ( http://woolenwillowretreats.weebly.com/ ) rug hooking/quilting retreat in Davis, WV at the Blackwater Falls lodge ( http://www.blackwaterfalls.com/accomodations.htm )Oh the scenery was fantastic – lots of gorges and a couple waterfalls and friendly deer that grazed in the courtyard behind the restaurant….who could ask for more?  Well, there was more – a wonderful gathering of like people, enjoying their craft.
There were more quilters than rug hookers but some of the quilters did some rug hooking as well.
I have many pictures and had to go through them to get the most out of just a few, but ‘just a few’ will most likely will turn into a lot once I get going here!

It was iffy whether I would go in the first place because both Doug and I got some kind of bacterial thing and we were both down for a week – in fact the day we decided to head out we were already 2 days behind schedule but we both felt good enough to make the drive.  Tired but still feeling a lot better.

Our first stop was in Powell, TN, we met up with Betty Crowe from http://bettyjcrowe-throughmybackdoor.blogspot.com/ and I must say she is just as bubbly in person as she is in her blog posts – what a great lady and friend.  We were to meet at her house for supper but because we got a very late start I surprised her when we got on our way with a call and we met for breakfast.
What a dear lady!

(click to view pictures larger)
 

Our first meeting
 
Saying goodbye!

Then it was on our way heading to Ashville,  NC to visit our very dear friends Bill and Linda Nottingham – they finally sold their home in St. Kitts and relocated in NC.
We spent 3-1/2 days with them before heading northeast again to the retreat.
Bill met us at a parking lot to lead the way to their house…it’s up the mountain.

If you all remember my last post with the mushrooms…well, we took a
box down to Billy – he was like a little kid setting the kit up.

Ms. Linda got gifts of WINE!!

Cocktail time and enjoying the view from their porch – one could get used to that view quite easy!

 

I won’t bore you with more pictures of scenery because one is the same as the next going through the mountains but I will show you what the roads were like leaving their place and heading to the retreat.  We were a solid hour on roads like this up through the mountains.
Lots and lots of winding switchback curves…up and down as well.

On to the retreat!!!

If it wasn’t for my husband I would not have gone to the retreat – you all don’t need to hear ‘again’ the why’s – but  it’s the same ole story about my back/hip so I’ll leave it at that.  So bless his heart he said I was going no matter what.
I think he actually enjoyed his time there as well although he didn’t participate in the retreat he did peek in every so often between nature trails, reading, napping and golf.

This is just a bit of what he saw

 

The retreat room was huge – not sure how many participated but I think Sally said there was room for 50 people but there may have been one or two more or less.
A few early birds – we were one of them.  The room had  the same amount of tables on the other side of the room plus 2 large round tables in the center.
Teresa Miller and Lisa George came in about an hour after us.

And then when it was full….looks like a mess but it is all an organized mess!
I took this when most everyone was out for lunch.

There was even one gentleman who participated only he designed and built ‘rotot’ things.
He brought his last years project – a dog that would do all sorts of things.

 

Teresa Miller and her work in progress

 

Lisa George – her first ever rug hooking….great job!

My sheep work in progress.  I pulled the wool 3 times before I could get the look I liked.  Ended up taking some of the lettering pulls out too.

I also started this piece – it’s huge so I probably won’t finish it for quite some time

We also played Bingo for ‘wool’
Who ever wanted to play had to bring a fat quarter of wool to use to purchase your bingo card.
I won it all on a 4 corner bingo!!

The three of us with our projects
Me, Teresa and Lisa

Teresa presented Lisa and I a cute little gift
A hooked pillow tuck or pin cushion and a magnet for our scissors (I love how it works) Keeps the scissors right near your work. It’s in 2 pieces – one goes on the underneath of your work, the other on top.

The little group of hookers – there were a few more as well

Back row: Genny Wadel, Linda Evon Keller, Diana Gilroy, Joanne Walker McIllmurray, Margo Harley.
Front row: Lisa George, Karen Martinsen, Teresa Miller.

Some of the girls projects
 

 

 

There were so many quilters and I just didn’t get around to taking more pictures but they sure were lovely.

This particular one is laid out on leather and the blocks are Harley T-Shirts

That’s all I have for you – hopefully my next post will be the kitchen redo.
Troy the countertop guy was here yesterday removing the sink and counter…so we are without much to work with in there, sort of like camping…lol

Blessings and see you later

Karen

Starting to look like Spring

Been an awfully busy week and again starting into this week – MULCH – 15 yards of it and it’s finally finished.
Doug and I did some of it on Friday, then on Saturday Dan and Jess helped with the rest (and there was a lot left for them to do!)

This here is 10 yards – the other 5 yards were delivered on Saturday when the kids helped.

The next 3 pictures are what Doug and I got done


 

I don’t like the flag stones when they have been newly laid – they have to settle into the mulch – about a week and maybe some rain and they will look like they were there forever, doesn’t take long

We are also rebuilding all the fences – 5 corner sections of 12 ft. each…Doug is cutting and rebuilding and I do all the sanding and painting.


 

Today the yard is being thatched and some fertilizer put on – it is in desperate need this season.

I didn’t do much for Spring in the house and won’t do any outside till the mess out there is finished – I put the door decorations up and I remembered I had some really old Mason jars and this green box so I put together something for my entry table in the kitchen.
The filler I used I got at the little shop near me ( Finder’s Keepers in Rochester ), it’s shredded brown paper and it’s really finely shredded and works perfectly for these kinds of things.

Front door
 
Kitchen door – these carrots will get put away and something more Spring related as soon as I get the time.
 

Not sure I like any of this – but it’s all going to be taken down when the wall behind the mantle gets done in a few weeks.  So I put some Lavender and Pussy Willows in a basket.

Oh and we decided to wait on the walls in the family room – it’s just the wood over the fireplace that is bad, so that is all that will get done for now.  But I do need to decide on a color for this room.  Any suggestions ( the fireplace will stay red .

So our Easter was great at least the family and the food – and the reason we celebrate Easter as well.
BUT….way before anyone got there I was peeling potatoes and carefully putting the down the disposal and I guess it just wasn’t meant to be that the day would go smoothly….THE DRAINS STOPPED UP and water and guck coming up through the sink drains.
So…I didn’t panic, I just said I will  make do as it is a holiday and there’s no way in heck a plumber is being called!
I managed quite well actually.  Had rinse things in the tub after making sure no food particles were on the items.

When it was time to get the meal on we worked like little bees, everyone going in a different direction to drain something or wash something.
Jesse took my huge kettle of potatoes outside to the driveway drain and drained them  there.
I look back and don’t know how we did it without a sink and water ( it was running out under the sink too! ).
In the mean time BRETT fixed everything for us…got us up and running.
Then after dinner I turned the dishwasher on and a few minutes later….water flooding the kitchen floor….more plugs!
He fixed that too!!!  Bless his heart for knowing what to do.

Dinner was wonderful – I kept it simple with Ham, pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots that were cooked slowly along with the pot roast, Asian salad and 2 pies for dessert.
Each place setting had a Lindt Bunny in a bowl with that same shredded paper.  I don’t do fancy table centerpieces as we need the room for food so it looks quite bare but I’m okay with that.

Darren and his family don’t join us for Easter as they have her family and that’s okay too.
Miranda and Aidan had fun coloring eggs and having an Easter egg hunt at home.

Big brother helping Miranda spin an egg

And taking a break and riding in their little car

Alexandra and Tylor had someplace else to go for dinner as well but they brought Zayne over for his little basket.
He didn’t get much as he needs nothing at his age.
We put a little swim set and a bunny and Kit Kat bar in his basket.

He’s just so cuddly and loveable and always has a smirk smile and LOVES THE CAMERA
 

Opening his basket things at his mama’s Easter morning
 
Well that’s Zayne overload! Sorry – but he’s just so fun!!!

Mushrooms! 
I do not like them but am fascinated with them for some reason so we bought a mushroom kit to grow our own.
We have had mushrooms blooming daily.  We have purchased these kits before and they are so much fun for $20.  And they will produce for approx. 2 to 3-1/2  months.
Doug has pickled, marinated, sautéed and stuffed them and they’re still coming on.

This was his first picking

I’m through for this post now – maybe a couple weeks from now I will  have something fun to post about because we are going away for a bout a week and a half – getting some back issues taken care of and so we thought as long as we were in the area of having it done we’d take a bit of a vacation out of it…so we’ll be seeing our very dear friends who just moved back at Christmas time from the island of St. Kitts and they settled in Ashville, NC.
Also getting to stop and say hi to Betty Crowe – from http://bettyjcrowe-throughmybackdoor.blogspot.com/
And from Ashville we’ll be going to Blackwater Falls for a rug hooking retreat – my husband is very sweet and kind to offer to drive me as I can’t do it myself anymore, at least till this issue is taken care of.  Riding hurts but driving is scary as my legs cramp so bad it immobilizes me for just a bit and that’s not good if you are driving on the turnpikes – but all is good just the same.  I can’t ask for more than just that happening to me as there are others out there with so much more going on.
One of them is our pastor….the family has finally had to come to terms that he will not get any better and now hospice has been called in so please SEND OUT PRAYERS TO THE KEUCH FAMILY.

Blessings to you all

Karen

 

What to post about???

Oh my friends, I just must be living a pretty boring life right now because I can not think of one thing to post about – seriously – nothing new is happening, nothing new has been purchased.

I’m hoping to change that in the next few weeks though.
We’re going to be re-doing our family room and den.  No structural changes but the paneling is coming down and drywall going up, new carpeting as well.  There are beautiful hardwood floors under the carpet but the room is very ‘cool’ in the winter so we really need the carpet. The only other possibility to have wood floors is to re-route the heat ducts but I seriously doubt that will do it – there are 3 outside walls and we get lots of wind from one direction especially.
This picture is from the week we moved into our house in 1979…lots of dark wood.

And 2014…waiting for new changes!

Hey…the leather sofa is for sale….$1000 to the first one…less than a year old!!!

Oh and we are having our screen room sofa cushions recovered (by Debbie, the same lady who did our sofa), they get a lot of use and have taken on an old look.
Here’s the fabric we purchased.
 
The store only had enough for the 6 sofa cushions so the 2 chairs will be done either in a Teal solid or a combination stripe.  We have had one of the chairs stripe for 6 years now and I’m really tired of looking at it so hopefully we can find a solid.

I still need to get my mood into the Spring mode but this weather doesn’t say Spring should be here…but I did get my Red Tulips out this past weekend. They are the only sign of Spring around her.

I found some plastic eggs at Wal-Mart last week and made a simple little Primitive egg carton.
Here’s the steps I did – The eggs sell for $1.98 per carton.

Grungy Eggs in Egg Cartons....easy to do too!
Paper Egg Cartons  (I used the ones Wal-Mart)
Plastic Eggs or any kind of faux eggs (I used the ones Wal-Mart)

Black Acrylic Paint/Tan paint
Instant Coffee (get the cheapest one you can find at Wal-Mart of Dollar store)
Cinnamon (get mine at the Dollar store)
Ground Cloves (cheapest you can get)
Mod Podge
Rusty wire
Paper Grass or something like that - straw works too
Glue gun
1. Cut your cartons either in half (6 egg holes) or in 3rds (4 egg holes)
2. Mix coffee crystals with very hot water...I use a lot of crystals so it is really dark
3. Paint the cartons with the coffee mixture - be careful though as they will tear easily the wetter the get
4. Put on baking pan and put in 280 degree oven for approx. 10-12 minutes to dry. Remove from oven and air dry the rest of the way - but they will most likely be very dry by now.
5. Paint eggs with either color - I did both - let dry
6. Brush eggs with Mod Podge and roll in Cinnamon and Cloves mixture - you can add a few coffee crystals if you like for a bumpier effect. You don't need to cover the eggs completely - just for your desired look. Let dry
7. Put a dab of glue in the bottom of the egg cup, add grass/paper strips, put a dab of glue on the bottom of the egg, set in grass - press a little to adhere.
8. Attach a handle of wire by poking it into the ends of the carton (on each side), give a twist to secure

I’ll add some photos here of my steps
(I had these eggs from other projects - the Tan eggs are from a different project and the paint cracked but it won’t matter because I’m grunging them)

The ones I painted Black

Grassy filler for the cups


 
And the finished product!
 
Hope you enjoy making them!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone

Karen