Monday, September 30, 2013

OUR PORCHES


Oh My Gosh Man
how do I 
LOVE 
a festive porch

and possibly my favorite festive porch is the autumn porch

we are surrounded in our little farming community with
crops and crops and crops of 
MAIZE
that we take our machete and chop
they only need an old dairy bucket and some yellow mums to go with

but you know me...I can't stop there
oh no

nope

gotta have a bit of fun and spookiness!
and can you just not get enough of mums?

and pumpkins?

this year I found some seeds from Mike in a drawer
they must have been 20 years old
but they worked!

this is my first punkin' crop


you know who I miss?
I miss so badly my old friend
Ray...and his 1960ish chevy pickup
filled to the brim with pumpkins

gosh I miss him and think of him often every October

he would have loved to have sold me pumpkins for 822
I think I was his best customer!

makes me want to buy a turquoise truck and sell pumpkins!

last year I tied some corn and maize to my porch posts
but this year
(thank you Loi)
I have added 
myrtle topiaries
which reminds me

do you bring your plants in for the winter?
I admit I am not only a cheapskate
but I love the challenge of keeping them alive all year

like this one...I cannot bear to think of this lovely freezing
seriously...do the harsh cold winds hurt your heart?

you know why?

and between the beginning and 
a small mishap

life unfolds on our porches
scary
better!

my next favorite thing is a festive window box
ok...I tend to get distracted


























Friday, September 27, 2013

WINDOWS

YIKES!!!
I cannot even believe this is our house!

As we near the end of our "planned" renovation
I walked through the house this morning as I often do
to just 
BE GRATEFUL
for getting to live
in such a wonderful home

do you agree that windows are the soul of the home?
I would imagine that these storm windows were the bombdiggity at the time they were installed
but
can we say 
REPLACE???

as we set about to renovate 822 we replaced
EVERY SINGLE WINDOW
big expense?  not really...we didn't replace the windows with windows but with
glass...windows are expensive but glass is cheap!

We splurged in a few areas 
like the beveled diamond panes
in the front and in the turret

for a grand illusion!
inside the turret
inside the living room

and I just love stain glass...so it was a for sure
but you know?  I bought these both for
$75!!!

there were 2 strange doors but rather than take out the cool wedding cake porches
we just put windows in..they are really my favorite!
these came from Ebay 
my intentions were to take a stain glass class and make them
maybe someday..
...but this works for now
what I love about old houses?  the cute stuff that no one thinks about anymore

speaking of garage sales
I adore old windows
these will be the little windows that go in the new addition of our
"fancy lawnmower shed"
they will be put between glass and built in to protect them
seriously...I'm not exaggerating...I do have the exact figures stored away somewhere,
but I think $150 covered this window
it's no wonder I love to do the supper dishes in the morning!

This looks out into the backyard
we've come a looooong way!
it's a wonder I get any work done on my newspapers looking out this window!

do you have a favorite window in your house?
it's hard for me to choose, but I love this one in our guest bathroom
it's surrounded by ivy
and has the most pleasant view!
the glass block was here
we just built a shower around it!

this little window was here too...we just made it better

there are lots more windows in this old house
but that's kind of the tour...you're probably bored right now

me?  I will never get bored with the windows at 822
they are probably the one thing that make me still say
wow!






Thursday, September 26, 2013

SEPTEMBER 26, 1980


When we first met we were so young....
I was 22 and she was
zero
from the moment I laid eyes on her I knew
that I would love her for the rest of my life
what I didn't know
was the blessing that was in store for me

today....
she is 33

and these are the things she is...not just to me but to all that know her

a great sister
a special sister
smart and educated
a loyal friend
who is a blast to be with
a chicken farmer

brave
soulful
a celebrater of life
and a spreader
of peace
she comes from a long line of love
that she shares without limits
that grows deep within her as the years go by
she is an inspiration... mother to mother

and she does not hide her light under a bushel
no

September 26, 1980
thank you God