Upcycling and sweet sisters

Remember the duvet I mentioned in my last post?

Here it is ~ upcycled into three darling dresses.

 

 

The girls are so excited about having a new dress to wear. 

Sunday can't come soon enough for them.

I do need some updated pictures of them so I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to take a few. 

 

 

 I especially like the candid shots.  You can see a little more of their personalities. 

I sure had fun with them.  They bring me such joy.

 

 

{On a side note ~ I think the $20 was well-spent.  I love how the dresses turned out.}

Smile at the rain

Summer rains are refreshing.

 

 Here are some fun shots Hannah took of the girls in the rain.

 

I'm not sure which was more fun for them - using the umbrella or playing in the rain drops.

They came in soaked and laughing.

The summer rains are good for the garden, good for the hydrangeas, and good for soul.

Everything outside is washed and refreshed.  I feel refreshed too. 

.  .  .

 

I recently found a vintagy duvet cover at an antique store.  The fabric looks vintage, but the duvet was from Ikea - so there ya go. 

 

$20 - not my usual steal-of-deal from the Good Will, but I couldn't pass it up because I knew I could use it to make the cutest dresses for the girls.   When you figure 3 vintage looking dresses for $20 - well, now you have a pretty good steal-of-a-deal! 

I cut them out today, and I'll begin sewing tomorrow.  It would be fun to have them for Sunday church, but we'll see how it goes.  Sometimes sewing sessions are smooth and easy, other times, not so much. 

. . .

 

I just finished reading Susan Branch's latest book.
What a treat it was to curl up on the couch with a good read with the sound of summer rain in the background.  Talk about relaxing.

This book is about her trip to England to discover all the delights of the English countryside.  She wrote it in journal style, but to the reader.   She is so descriptive.   She made you feel like you were along for the trip, made me want to take a trip of my own. 

Who knows?  Maybe one day!

 

It's a good thing he knows what he's doing!

What's this?

 

A piece of modern art?

 

Something from the latest Star Trek movie?

Sadly, no, it's Eric's truck motor

...because one car dying wasn't enough.

After 288,000 miles we could hear the engine's tired voice wearily groaning, "I cannot, I cannot, I cannot," just like the dingy, rusty old engine straight from

The Little Engine That Could.

But to Eric, working on cars is therapeutic....when it goes well.
{some nuts are a wee bit resistant to movement of any kind!}

It is going well, just slow.

Painfully slow.

But before long, she'll be as good as new with a new motor,
and we'll be driving down the road, with the windows down, the wind blowing our hair, the music playing, and we'll have fun, fun, fun....

 

 

 

A Whim

This morning at the breakfast table I blurted out - betcha can't guess what movie I'm in the mood to watch...

 

So - they started guessing.

Do we own it?

{no}

 

Is it a classic?

{yes}

 

Is it black and white?

{no}

 

Is it a western?

{no}

 

Is the main character a male?

{yes}

 

Had they seen the movie?

{yes}

 

Is it a comedy?

{yes, a romantic comedy.}

 

Are the actors famous?

{yes, very.}

 

Are they still alive?

{no...hint...one recently died.}

 

Do they get married in the end?

{yes.}

 

Matthew actually guessed it.

How to Steal a Million.

It stars Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn.

Have you seen it?  If you haven't, you should.

 

 

and look who did the music!

 

Since we don't own it, and since we had to order it from the library...

Hannah and I went shopping instead!

 

 

We are having a beautiful summer. 

And today is a tad cooler.  Just right for walking along the sunny street, and peeking in windows, and browsing through shops to see if there might be a treasure or two.

 

Yes, please. 

 

 And speaking of Audrey...

Now I really want to watch that movie!

. . .

Hannah found a few treasures. {some gifts for friends.}

 
I found this one.

  Isn't this desk THE cutest?   I love it.  It has my name ALL OVER IT, don't you think so?

 

{Too bad it had a hefty price tag.  So long darling aqua blue, desk.}

 

A fun selfie with my girl.

And that's what we did on this lazy-dazy Friday. :-)

Ordinary days

I haven't blogged of late because, well our days are just ordinary days. 

I did have some things on my bucket list to do with the kids this summer,

but without a family car, those plans are taking a back seat {ha - a back seat in which car, the one we used to have?  The one we are saving for?} 

 

The kids are happy and content to just play. :-) 

 

* * *

Along with the end table and coffee table,  I painted this bookshelf. 

I also added feet to the bottom.  

It really transformed the look of this ordinary, basic bookshelf and I like it.

I'm also glad that my painting projects are complete.  :-)

 

* * *

Almost like a 2 for 1.

We have wild huckleberries on our farm.

I once checked out a book from the library that identified these as lingonberries.

Huckleberries grow wild throughout the Pacific Northwest, thriving in the cool, moist conditions found in woodland settings. They are similar to blueberries, and are delicious fresh, or in jams and baked goods.

 

 

Lingonberries, {also known as Cowberries} on the other hand, grow wild throughout northern Europe and Canada, producing tart red fruit, similar to cranberries. The fruit are used in baked goods and preserves.

 

Either way, they are yummy.

 

What I find amazing about them is where they grow. 

We have these huge, dead, cedar stumps left here long ago from old growth logging, and there they are, growing right out of the top. 

 

Out of death, comes life. 

That makes me think of Christ.

 

There seem to be so many Gospel messages found in creation.

You don't really have to look very hard to find them.

 

 

 

Thinking about my favorite place to contemplate the tender mercies of the Lord.

 

* * * 

Lately, this is Mary Anne's favorite place to be.  See the well worn path beneath?

* * *

It has been unusually hot.  Most summers we only have a handful of days in the 90's, but we're going on a couple of weeks of steady, hot weather. 

This has been our only source of comfort.

 

Don't laugh!

 

 {We got this pool for free at Eric's company picnic event.}

 

We've got our little routine, each morning I fill it up. 

The water straight from the well is very cold - so the filled pool sits in the sun until mid-afternoon.  The little girls spend the afternoon splashing and staying cool.  Daniel often joins them, but then they have a lot less wiggle room.

After they are done for the day, I dump out the water to give the grass a much needed drink.



 * * *

Our milker really enjoys Scratch and Peck organic grain. :-)

 

 

* * *

Each year I learn something new about gardening in our little micro-climate. 

 

The green beans seem to enjoy the heat.  They are doing well.  They are in a different spot in the garden this year so I am curious to see how much they will yield.

 

Speaking for the lettuce and Swiss Chard, they are thankful for those beans and the shade they provide from the late afternoon heat.

Peek-a-boo. 

Lots of summer squash coming on.

 

 

It's a good thing that we casually enjoy whatever bounty comes, instead of depending on large, specific yields.  Turns out the huge amount of what I thought were cucumbers are really summer squash.  The cucumbers never did grow.   This is one happy plant and it has overshadowed the beet row.  Eric dug up the beets and moved them.  We've never done that before, so we'll see if they make it. 

 

Did you know that these are edible?  They are a fun addition to salads or even on a frosted dessert {like lemon poppy seed cake with a cream cheese frosting.}

They dress up tea party goodies too.   :-)

 

Oh, now that would be a fun thing to do.  I think I'll plan to have one when the weather cools down a bit.  There will be absolutely no baking for a few more days.

 

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.