Happy Holidays

 

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year and Happy Holidays for whatever holiday you may celebrate.

 

~

 

I would like to say how sorry I am to all the families affected by the tragedy in

Newtown, Connecticut. I will keep all those people in my prayers daily.

 

I hope this will make us all more aware of how precious life is. How each and every one of the people  we have in our lives is a gift and that we should relish each moment we have and they have with us, for life can be over far too quickly.

 

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I don't know if I will be posting any longer as I have used up my photo space on this blog. It was a surprise to me, I didn't know there was a limit. I feel it would be far too boring without photos, so I am not sure how to continue. But I will keep checking in on all my followers to see what they are up to.

 

~

 

Thank you to everyone who has supported and checked in on me over the years.

 

I wish you all the best.

Annoying Chair Refinishing Part Three

 

Okay, I know I wanted these chairs to be finished by Easter, that was a joke. I will, however, have them by Christmas, probably Thanksgiving. I have been going out to my dad's house once a week to work on them.

 

Remember how they looked after they were stripped?

 

 

Now they have a coat of stain. Oh, and my dad filled all the holes where the caning was.

 

 

They also got two coats of poly.

 

 

They are starting to be less annoying, and I'm really looking forward to having them in my kitchen.

 So the next step is seats. I think I'm just going to cover them in muslin and make changeable covers for the seat. Then I can be "seasonal" with them, which I love. :)

 

 

My dad is making a mission style chair.

 

 

Here is one side, the other is laying behind. He glued two pieces of wood together for the angled part and then had to sand the daylights out of it so it is smooth. He has soooo much patience, I hate sanding, and he does most of it by hand. This wood is literally as smooth as glass. Dad always says he'd be a great bank robber because he doesn't have any fingerprints. He sanded them right off!

 

I'll keep you posted on this project of his as well.

 

Enjoy your day! :)



The First Year

 

 

Lately, as always, I have been wishing I had gone to school to be a professional photographer. Fortunately, I have been privileged to have been asked to take the first year portraits of a very sweet little boy.

 

Since the park is so close, I thought it would be a great backdrop for his photos.

 

 

I started out with my basic lens because I wanted to get the lighthouse in the background. The baby's parents actually got married by the lighthouse a few years ago so I thought it would be nice to see it in his photos.

 

 

Here are some of my favorites from the photo shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had so much fun taking these photos. I can't wait to take pictures of someone else! Can you say Christmas card??? I have to get pictures of my family this year because I didn't get one last year. This weekend is supposed to be nice and warm so I'm hoping to get outside with my family and the camera.

 

I hope you enjoyed my little friend. Have a great day!!!

 



Fall Is Flying

 

I know I have been away for quite some time. The start of school was quite busy. The kids have MANY activities. Big V got her license. Little V is a cheerleader so we have been going to all the games, rain or shine.

 

The cheerleaders are in charge of homecoming, so in other words, the parents were in charge of homecoming. ;) That was a lot of work, but the decorations came out really nice.

 

Little V went to the homecoming dance.

 

 

I finally started taking medication for my fibromyalgia which is knocking me on my rear. Very, very tired. But still, fall has been beautiful in my corner of the universe, with this beautiful park right across the street.

 

 

The oak trees are beautiful. Their leaves have so many variations.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope and pray that all the people on the east coast who were affected by the hurricane will find the help and shelter they need and that they will soon be back in their homes or in a new home. I wish everyone could have a nice, peaceful fall like we had here. We were so blessed with milder weather when the storm blew through our area. Please keep all these folks in your prayers too.

 

 Have a great night!



The View From Canada

 

As one of our little day trips while my husband was off, we took a jaunt over the border to Canada.

 

  

Here is the view down the Niagara River from Queenston, Ontario looking across to Lewiston, NY.
 

We love to go to the quaint but bustling little town of Niagara-On-The-Lake. You have to follow this picturesque road along the river.

 

 

You can look out over the river in between gorgeous mansions and big old farm houses. There are about 7 or 8 wineries along here too. We haven't stopped at any of them in a while. Since the girls are usually with us, we don't want to bore them. You can also purchase fruit from some of the farms, but I don't think you can bring it back to the states so I don't bother. Although, I would have loved to pick up some peaches. :(

 

In the town, the flowers gardens are amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We always eat lunch at this restaurant. Although, we don't know the name of it. Lol!

 

 

It's quite picturesque and inviting.

 

 

 

There is a Christmas shop to browse through.

 

 

This hotel looks like an amazing place to stay.

 

 

It really is gorgeous.

 

 

Just inside these windows is the restaurant. There were round tables with white linen tablecloths. People were having tea with beautiful sets of fine china. The teapots matched the cups and saucers. I think I really love this town because it reminds me of England in some way. Any time we had a visitor from England, or,"home", as my mother called it, we always made a day trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake and Queenston. When I saw the tea sets, it made me think of my mom because she loved her tea sets. Once in a while we would have a little tea party, she and I, and especially when Auntie Margaret would come to visit. I love childhood memories.

Speaking of England, while we were here, we stopped at the Scottish shop and bought English candies. Love!

 

 

Down by the lake there is a little park.

 

 

 Niagara-On-the-Lake is at the mouth of the Niagara River where it empties into Lake Ontario. Right across the river is Old Fort Niagara, in Lewiston. They are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 this year. You can also see the Coast Guard Station on the right.

 

All in all, we had a great day. We brought home some homemade fudge and may or may not have smuggled in some Cherry Whiskey and Cuban cigars. Shhhhhh. ;)

 

Have a great night!!!



Lazy Lakeshore Day

 

It seems as though living near the Great Lakes would have us spending loads of time at the shores. However, we rarely go. Since we didn't go to Cape Cod this year, we were missing our beach time and walks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We explored the shale beds to see if we could find any fossils. Not many there. But kicking aside the stones along the water line yielded loads of beach glass. I even found a nicely worn piece of Syracuse china. I can't wait to go back there to look for more. I don't know what it is, maybe the thrill of the hunt, but I looove finding beach glass.

 

Hope you have a great day!!!

  

Can We Talk About Food?

Lately, I've been having a love affair with this concoction of mine.

Yogurt, black cherries and chocolate chips. Yum, yum.

It's actually Flat Belly Diet inspired, but I use Greek yogurt which has more calories than regular. But it tastes SO GOOD! I bought the book on the diet and I used to follow it very closely. I need to go back and do it again. :(

But then if I do, I won't be able to eat these...

...shrimp po' boys.

My husband is always making good stuff to eat. He will try any recipe once.

He deep fried the shrimp after he breaded it in bread crumbs and Old Bay seasoning.

He made a mayonnaise recipe he found on Food Network. It has garlic salt and chili powder in it. It's so good. We have put it on corn-on-the cob and grilled skirt steak sandwiches. Today, it made the po' boy sandwich. Then he added lettuce, pickle and a squeeze of lemon. Don't forget the tomato.

Delicious!!

 

Sorry I've been away, my hubs has been on vaca and summer is winding down for the kids. We went to a few places I will blog about soon. Hope you all are well and will come check back with me again!

 

Happy Labor Day weekend!!



A Birthday Gift

My sister-in-law, Jennifer, and my mother-in-law recently went to Cape Cod.

Last year when I was there, I picked up several small stones on the beach to make some

wire-wrapped jewelry. I thought I would make a piece for Jennifer for her birthday.

Here is how it came out. I love this stone. Such pretty colors in it.

I really like doing this kind of work, but I'm afraid I can't do much more of it right now. The reason is that I CAN'T SEE! I have gotten so old now that my eyes cannot focus on things I need to see up close and I cannot work on it when I hold it out far enough to see it because I need it close! Ya know what I'm saying??? I'm in a bad way. I guess I need bifocals.

Yuck!