summer news

It is difficult to acknowledge that summer is beginning to wind down. Parts of the garden are looking a bit forlorn; it has been a great year for pests--bad for the plants.  I have been busy in the kitchen eating/cooking/preserving what is good -- tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, many eggplant, zucchini, peppers, basil, and raspberries.  Delicious red haven peaches found at the Amish store have been frozen and baked into pie.  I planted two Red Haven trees this spring and can't wait to be able to pick my own! 

This is our third summer at our new-built home, and we continue to work on finishing things inside as well as adding to the outside landscape.  The limelight hydrangea are thriving and perfect for indoor arrangements.  This year we added a snowball bush, rugosa roses, a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose, oakleaf hydrangea, bleeding heart, white pine trees, clematis, and more...  Inside, the pantry was finished and wall planks & a range hood were added in the kitchen.  A hundred year old beam from a corncrib was used to trim out the hood...still need to add crown molding.


We were happy to get away to the woods one weekend with our camper--we haven't camped since selling our previous home.  It was very relaxing, except for the night a large black bear decided to visit!  I've also been enjoying time spent with my first grandchild, a boy born to my son & his wife, and looking forward to another grandbaby my daughter and son-in-law are expecting in January.  Life is so good!

Whenever I could, I have squeezed in some knitting and sewing.  A sweater started for grandbaby no.2 and a dishcloth is always on the needles.  I sewed 4 tops for myself and a pair of pants, all out linen I had on hand--I was actually happy with how all turned out and have loved the coolness and comfort of wearing linen this summer. And most recently, I finished up a few zipper pouches for the shop.

It feels so good to be back here on the blog--please let me know what is new with you!!

Deb

waiting for Springtime

It's a warm, blustery, 60 degrees F, on this last day of February. On our walk I noticed a dandelion in bloom and, in my garden, the tulips are starting to push up out of the soil.  The bud's are swelling on the lilac bushes, and we heard the very first Canadian geese fly overhead last week.  There is also a winter storm watch for this weekend!

Life is returning to normal after our recent trip to visit family in Florida.  The sunshine and 80 degree temps revived our winter-weary spirits.  We boated, walked and had a picnic lunch on Peanut Island, did some sightseeing, and walked along the ocean sand.  Home again, I have been sewing some new bags for the shop and am determined to get going on my Spring cleaning.  I also have plenty of trim and door painting left to do as it slowly gets installed. 

I hope that you all are enjoying the promise of Spring (or already in the midst of Springtime)  and that everything is well with you.  If you would like to leave a comment I would love to hear how you have been and what you may be working on of late!

Deb

Pantry in Progress

Since we have no Christmas tree up yet and minimal decorations,

I thought I would show you what progress we have been making on the house...

The week before Thanksgiving we started working on the shelves for the pantry, which was a bit crazy as we were also hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  

We are adding a beadboard backsplash, shaker pegs, and shelves--He is the carpenter and I am the painter.  We are slowly getting there and have yet to add the very upper shelf, and the beadboard to the end walls.

The beadboard was leftover from the porch ceilings, and the Ikea brackets and wood pegs were leftover from previous house projects.

Since we don't have a separate dining room in this house, the extra storage space in this pantry allows the eat-in kitchen to be more open and uncluttered than it would have been otherwise.

I am really appreciating the extra space it gives me for baking.

 And speaking of baking, there is a tray of shortbread cookies ready to go in the oven...

Till next time,

Deb

2 May 2017

Looking back on April, it is a bit of a blur...so much happening both inside and outdoors. The month started with a snowstorm, but as it progressed, we had some very nice sunny days here and there.  
Inside, I painted lots of trim and closet doors which Mike installed.  Then the weather got nice, meaning that there are pieces of baseboard sitting in the laundry room still waiting to be nailed into place.  We changed gears and headed outside--me to the gardens & planting and he to start work on a fence for the back yard.  
In the raised beds I planted radish, collard, and kale seeds...so far the radishes are coming up.  For cutting, I planted some glads and dahlias also.  In the flower beds, I planted peony bushes, hostas, lilies, lily of the valley, a clematis vine, as well as an Angel Face floribunda rose bush and a bridal wreath spirea.  This past weekend I went to a 49 cent perennial sale and picked up coral bells, delphinium, coneflower, saxifraga, rock cress, english lavender, and carpathian bellflower.  The plants were a very generous size for the price and I had to restrain myself from buying more.  
Last year we planted a lot of trees, so this year we have only added a Kousa dogwood.  I would love some fruit trees {the two we planted last year died}, but am not sure I will get to it this year.  
On the snowy/rainy/cold days I enjoyed time at the sewing machine.  I made up some drawstring project bags and zippered pouches for my firefly farm goods shop   as well as a vintage army canvas tote.  Also started reading Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katherine White.  I am continuously knitting dishcloths and am working sporadically on the cable knit throw for my daughter.  Once in a while I pull out a sweater that I started for myself, and which will probably not be finished for some time at the rate I am going. 
My next major project will be outside...if it ever stops raining...All the fence boards and posts need to be stained, as does the Amish-built shed we had put up last year.  I just finished painting the antique gate and will be back soon with some pictures.
Thanks for stopping by--I hope you are enjoying warm weather---are you working on any projects?

Deb

A work in progress...

It has been almost a year since we moved into our newly-built little house.  At that time, I was doing dishes in the bathroom sink...we still needed to install more flooring, several sinks, the Jotul stove, doors, and loads of trim, etc.  We are slowly getting there and making progress. For those who have asked, here are some pictures of where we are at today.

After entering the house through the mudroom, the walk-through pantry, closet, laundry area, and a powder room are through a doorway to the left.  The pantry space still needs a tile backsplash and shelving, and the closet door will hopefully be installed soon:

We're thinking of using this marble subway tile:

Just through the pocket door is the powder room:

{We haven't even started on any of the baseboard yet}:

I have some antique brackets and a shelf to be mounted over the laundry folding counter. Underneath I am able to store my laundry cart and drying rack.  The piece of marble was a Craigslist find:

Looking back through the pantry to the mudroom hall and into the kitchen.  Most all of the trim has been installed and painted in these two areas.  Mike added the plank walls using white oak planks leftover from the floors. The pocket door still needs its hardware:

The old flag belonged to my father-in-law and only has 48 stars, probably from his Navy days during WWII ?:

More to see next time--right now it's back to my paintbrush!

Deb