THE GARDEN ~ ~ ~

These pictures are of some of the gardens on Saturday before our guest rug hookers arrived!  If you're a long-time reader of this wordy blog, you will have seen something like this every Spring!

I like to put a welcome bouquet on the garden gate.  I have this little pottery pocket vase from Holmes County Pottery and just fill it with whatever is in bloom at the time!  Last week's flowers were wild phlox, Lenten Roses,  a sprig from a brunnera plant, hosta leaves and a broken stem from the potted plant on the right!

Looking across the driveway from the gate, you see the waterfall ~ with no running water!!  Our fish went to fish heaven two winters ago so we don't keep the water on ~ maybe later.  It's like a dry creek ~ sort of ~ with a pond at the end!  The red Japanese maple is surround with May apples that grow wild in the area.  There are grapevines to the right and some nice grasses on either side of the walk that will grown taller than me by the end of summer.

Ta da ~ the surprise patio set looks good on the deck!  The wood set we replaced had been there 18 years ~ out in the weather and held up very well until last fall!  We picked up a couple of new side chairs, too, for a song!  For once, we were in the right place at the right time!   

  As you come through the garden gate, you walk toward this area and often you see a kitty cat at the window, just like in this picture!  Mr. Kitty is desperate to get outside and waits for any opportunity to slip out!  All of the potted flowers you see are combination planters ~ I cut the hangers off and voila! ~ we have full and lush plants to adorn the yard!

The breezeway looks kind of ho-hum to me this year, but this was what I could put together before the ladies came calling!  It's simple but it works. 

 The dining table is set and waiting for lunch to be served.  I bought a flat of pansies and put them in these enamel pots that Sonny bought a couple of years ago!  Thank goodness he did ~ they worked great as a table arrangement!  I'm not much of a tablescape person ~ some people have beautiful center pieces but mine are usually pretty simple.  I like to focus on the food and hope that carries the event!

The kitchen keeping room table seats six ~ cozily!  With the dining table seating eight, it was pretty easy to accommodate 14 for lunch!  I love a candle in a hurricane ~ this one came from Shaker Village in Kentucky.  All their dining tables are set that way and I love that atmosphere!

Getting ready to pack for the Western Reserve Rug Hooking Guild's hook-in tomorrow!  I dyed 5 more yards of wool this morning and now need to get everything  ready to load in the truck when the man of the house gets home!  After we do that, we have two Little League games tonite!  I may not stay for both ~ we have to be on the road at 5:30 in the morning!  Are we crazy or what?  Don't answer that!

If you live in the area, maybe I'll see you tomorrow?  I hope so!  If we don't know each other, make yourself known!  I'm off to see the wizard ~ ~ ~ !!!

Have a happy weekend!
Alice

BIG WEEKEND ~ ~ ~

 Friday, friend Vivian and I went to the Country Living show at Ohio Village in Columbus!  This great fat tin chicken was one of our purchases ~ Vivian bought a black one!  I took down several things off this wall ~ fussy looking things ~ and replaced them with this lone mustard chicken!  I like it!!

This gives you an overall look at the little guest bath under the stairs - in my mind, I think you're interested!!  What you will be interested in is that there were THOUSANDS of people at this show ~ the grounds were covered with folks who paid $16 each to get in!  If they went for the Early Bird Sale, they paid $25 to get in!  It astounded us both in light of the fact that a crummy economy surrounds us!  We even heard of people who flew in from far away places to attend!

 Ginger Cazan created these two redware pieces ~ I love her work and don't see her much anymore ~ we did a couple of shows together but not now!   Our  kids will probably sell all this stuff in a garage sale for 50 cents when we're gone ~ but I love redware so I'm enjoying it now!

Some other acquisitions were these beautiful skeins of handspun yarn ~ aren't they gorgeous?  Even if you're not into fibers, the colors are so pretty! 

This show was well worth the trip down to Columbus!  Hundreds of artists ~ traditional and contemporary ~ some very funky and eclectic!  We were there from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and only sat for a bite of lunch!  I was so tired when we left and drove home to go out for dinner with my old friends!  We met them in Ashland at 6:30 at Surella's ~ if you live near Ashland, you should give it a try ~ very good food ~ and beverages!  We had a lot of fun ~ stayed till we almost got kicked out!  Then Sonny and I stopped at the Happy Grape because Teddy & Miki asked us to join them ~ I hate to tell anybody no ~ they may not ask again!  We got home at midnight!!

Saturday, was a Fraizer family wedding ~ at a farm ~ very simple but it did the trick!  We got home at 10 that night ~ the old people are slowing down!!  Sunday we went to Camden's fifth grade football game and then had a wiener roast here for all of our kids and grandkids!!  Great fun ~ great food ~ lots of laughs!!  Luke & Jake, the two 7th graders, stayed all night with us and I got them off to school this morning with homemade smoothies and eggs and toast!!  Don't tell my grown kids ~ they will remember that I didn't quite do that for them ~ probably some cheerios and a pop tart!!!!  Grandmas are smarter ~ and have more time!!

I have tried numerous times today to send photos from my 'smart' phone to my email but no dice!  I wanted to show you my old friends and pix from the wedding.  Oh, well ~ you'll have to imagine them!   Silly me ~ I fogot that I can just download them from the phone to a picture file ~ here's the bride with her dad ~ the tractor and haywagon brought us all back to the wedding site!  Kind of fun!! Especially watching this old girl get up on the wagon!

Today, I've been washing sheep fleece ~ now that's a stinky job!!  Have a good week everybody ~ and you know I appreciate you stopping by!!!

SUNDAY FUN AND MORE HOOK-IN RUGS ~ ~

Today is Miss Luci's 8th birthday ~ she's the little bitty one!  We took Luci and granddaughter, Jordyn (she's also 8) to a local greenhouse for lunch!  It was to be their annual Christmas Tea but it got cancelled it till next week due to weather  ~ we have plans for next weekend so Grandpa said to ask if we could come and have lunch ~ yes, we could!  So, here are the two little cousins, standing in front of one of the loaded trees, all stuffed from their lunch and bubble-gum tea!  We heard some funny stories and shopped around and dropped them back at Luci's house ~ they were going to dance to Michael Jackson music!!   We're going back for soup and cake tonite!  I'll be really stuffed from celebrating Luci's birthday because on top of all this, Grandpa made pancakes and bacon for Luci's birthday breakfast!! 

You might think this is a black and white picture but this is what it looks like in beautiful Ohio today at 3:30 in the afternoon!!!  We really got hit with the snow and sounds like more to come!  I sure hope not ~ I have one busy week ~ and might I add,  no shopping done yet!!!!!  I wonder how IOU's will go over!!!!! 

These are more rugs from the Akron library hooking day ~ this was such a beautiful piece ~ very narrow cut and a very old piece.  Someone had started it many years ago and it is being finished and some of it re-done by a very nice gal, whose name I can't remember!!  If someone can help me, I'll add her name to this post!  Her work was impeccable!

Love this snowman!  I'm thinking it is Rita's rug ~ but if I'm not thinking right, again, let me know!  Cute, isn't it?

Another nice little rug ~ I think it would make a cute pillow!!

This rug looks like lots of work to me!  It was very well done and rightly so, since Betty Young is the creator!!  Betty is a teacher and a very 'fine' hooker!!
Thanks to friend, Donna ~ I found out this is Linda Gustafson's rug ~ I knew that!!  But I did forget ~ great rug, Linda!

Arlene is working on these little angels ~ she really didn't want to take their picture but I didn't know if I'd seen them finished.  They're cute little pieces, don't you think?  Arlene draws a lot of her own patterns ~ never an idle moment for her!



Linda Cook brought in this great sampler rug that she did ~ I love it!  I'd like to do one of these with my own drawings sometime ~ think I will do it before I leave this planet?!  I'm going to try!!

Friday night was our annual Homebuilders Christmas party ~ it was a beautiful night ~ weather was swell and we had our usual good time!  After the dinner and lots of mingling, we went to the Martini bar (again) and there were just lots of people we knew ~ once again, we were the oldest people in there ~ it seems like often we are anymore! We joined our kids there ~ they were also at the party ~ Sonny's son, Brian, is the president and my son, Ted, is on the board ~ and many of their friends, etc.  I have to say everyone is just swell to us ~ they don't make us feel like the oldest people in the place!! 

Saturday, a friend and I had a lengthy breakfast ~ trying to say everything we hadn't got talked over in the last couple of months!  Then Luke and Luci came to spend the night ~ their momma had her 40th birthday this week and they went off for a party with a cast of thousands!!  We played nertz and go fish and ate KFC chicken!!  And Grandpa and Luke got the Christmas tree and got it put up and decorated!!!  Considering the way it looks outside today, that was a stroke of genius!!!  I did some decorating but surely need to do more!!

So ~ a new week lays in front of me ~ a couple of lunch dates with hooker friends ~ appointments for Tad ~ billing to do ~ finish decorating ~ start shopping ~ and I do have my hooking Challenge to finish for the 20th!!  Might be good if I'd start it!!  You should live here ~ you just have to hang on for the ride and hope it all gets done!!!  Have a good snowy evening!

Alice

P.S.  I started my Challenge piece tonite!!  YaY for me ~ but ~ I'm worried ~ it seemed like a good idea ~ at the time ~ now it's kind of ~ well ~ you know!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~ ~ ~

Aren't these scary looking? I LOVE Halloween ~ maybe it's "my" time of year!! I can be pretty scary sometimes, you know!! The pumpkin faces are antique paper mache and were purchased years ago at an auction along with the noisemakers that are on the ends of the mantle. I feel pretty lucky to have the paper mache pieces since you don't run across them very often.

The porch is all dressed up for the holiday, too! The witch is a piece I bought from Dan Dipaolo at a wholesale market ~ there is a similar pumpkin lady in the house. I paid dearly for those pieces of artwork ~ and now I see him with smaller versions much more affordable!! Guess we all have those things we thought we HAD to have!! There's some bittersweet and gourds to add to the porch decor.

The table centerpiece turned out pretty good ~ as I've said before, for me, it's more about the food than the table so I have to really make an effort to do something a little interesting. Actually, I figured this out yesterday ~ which is a big deal for me! Usually, I'm scurrying around when the guests are about in the driveway, throwing something together! So yesterday, I went to the woods ~ picked some nice thick moss which I left outside overnight (one year, I brought it right from the woods to the table and holy crow! bugs were crawling out of it ~ before the guests arrived ~ thank goodness!). This morning, I lined an antique bread rising board with the moss, put mini pumpkins on it and little battery operated candles ~ looks pretty good, me thinks! I have these apple napkin rings that I got at Pottery Barn a long time ago on clearance that go perfectly with my mom's Franciscan Ware Apple dishes. As a kid, we didn't have much, but my brother bought her these beautiful dishes that she just loved ~ and now I have them along with more that I was able to pick up at auction ~ now, there's service for twelve and I love them, too!

Well, once again ~ I make myself laugh!! I told you all about the centerpiece but forgot to mention that I had a luncheon group here today!! It was too much to re-type it or move the words around ~ my cart was before the horse ~ which is not so unusual! There was a great group of gals here today ~ they started their annual quilting retreat weekend here with lunch and a house tour! Last year, they came to shop in the wool room and this year, they added lunch to their day! I fed them rosemary lemonade, chicken pepper pot soup, muffins, Carol's broccoli quiche, frosted jello and black forest cake!! They left stuffed and planning to return! What better compliment could there be?!

Last night was Trick or Treat ~ this is Logan and Jordyn all ready to go ~ a half hour early ~ they were so anxious!! I missed getting Luke and Luci's picture ~ I was there too early and when we went over for our annual Halloween supper, they were out of their costumes and knee deep in candy!!! Which they shared with their Bobo and Pa!! That was a bonus! After 10 years of trick or treating with the kids, that phase is over!! Luke is too old now for his grandma to go along and Luci is into her girly friends! So, with salad in hand, we went over for chili and grateful for the years that I got to go up and down the neighborhood streets and carry discarded gloves and masks for the little people I hold so dear!!

While I was writing this, I have been watching Patrick Swayze's wife, Lisa, talk to Oprah ~ her first interview since Patrick's death. One thing she said that rang so true with me, is that before his illness they lived in the 'future' ~ what they were going to do, where they were going to go, etc. ~ and once diagnosed they learned to live in the moment. I don't know why ~ but Sonny and I really do live in the moment ~ we always have. Maybe because we're a second marriage ~ maybe because we like to have fun ~ maybe because we don't want to have any regrets when we leave this planet! Not to say, that sometimes maybe we've been too much in the moment ~ we never really thought that we would actually get old and not be able to work like crazy ~ but we do the know the value of living in the now! That's my wish for you today ~ live in the moment ~ because all we have is right now ~ today is a gift and that's why it's called the 'present' !!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween ~
Alice

WINTER IS OVER ? ~ ~ ~

We can certainly hope so!! At any rate, today the last of the winter decorations are heading to the basement!! This is our family photo from three years ago now ~ it hangs over an antique coffee storage box in the hall that leads to the kitchen. The snowman is an antique papier mache mold ~ and nestled in boxwood from the garden is a trio of porcelain snowmen done by Ohio artist, Pat Warthen ~ which makes me think, I have not seen Pat in a long time!

I love this stack of old benches in the hall ~ across from the little guest bath tucked under the stairs ~ in fact, I was standing in the little room to get this picture! I buy little old benches with the thought of hooking rug toppers for them ~ it never seems to happen ~ until then ~ they make a nice collection!!

Friday, we were invited to stay with our lake friends, Karen & John, at the home near Cleveland ~ then they took us downtown ~ where we never go ~ to Ohio City and Little Italy. What a fun afternoon ~ lunch at Great Lakes Brewing Co. in a really old restaurant ~ touring the little bistros in an old Italian neighborhood that has great little galleries and bakeries ~ and a trip to the famed WestSide Market. On Saturday, I attended a wedding shower for the girl that will marry their son this summer. What a lovely affair ~ luncheon at a hotel ~ beautiful centerpieces (a beach theme as they live in Florida) ~ delectable lunch (choice of four entrees) ~ and a set of glass coasters embossed with shells to take home! The bride-to-be is a beautiful girl and she received such nice gifts to begin their new life!

We spent Sunday working outside ~ cleaning out the flower beds ~ adding to the compost pile! It was a gorgeous day! Grandson, Luke, rode his bike over (he's getting so big - he's 10) and helped me for a while ~ that was great ~ I told him I would give him something for helping ~ and I forgot to do that before he left!!! Gotta pay my debts today!!! So, we had another really nice weekend ~ and now to work!

Have a good day wherever you are!
Alice

KITCHEN PHOTOS ~ ~ ~

One of my online friends, JoJo, always asks to see pictures of our kitchen!! So this one's for you, JoJo!! I had to pick a day when everything was shipshape and snap some photos before someone came along and gave it that lived-in look!! We call it a kitchen/keeping room ~ in olden days the keeping room was the hub of the home and this is truly where we spend most of our time!
The kitchen area itself is not that big ~ kind of like a galley kitchen. I always say that I don't do much cooking but when I do, I have a nice place to do it in!! Actually, when we built the house, I told our friend, who was designing the kitchen, just to draw it out ~ I didn't really want one, but he said I had to have it for re-sale!! Sixteen years later, I guess it's a good thing we left it in! The cabinets are cherry with this really dark stain that I saw in a magazine ~ we love it still! Sonny got his Viking range ~ I always told people that was 'his stove' ~ but I'm glad we we have that, too!

The high counter at the left of this photo, as well as a place to eat, serves as a divider to separate the work area from the living area ~ if we're eating at the table, it kind of shields the messy part from view! And when all the kids are home or we have a party, this is where everybody hangs out! Had we known, we could have built just a really large kitchen with a really large counter ~ because it's the most used room in the house!
We spend our evenings watching Tv here (if I'm not in my hooking room or Sonny's not in his office) and we most often eat in front of the Tv, too. When we have company or the grandkids, we do eat at the table and they love to eat by candlelight ~ I think it's a nice touch for them ~ you can feed anybody anything by candlelight and they'll think it's good!!

These spatulas are Sonny's latest project ~ since we're home more in the winter, he spends a lot of time in his workshop and last week, he made these!! They're cherry wood and the flipper part is very thin ~ they're quite beautiful!! We have lots of wooden utensils we've bought at shows thru the years and we do use them ~ I guess he thought he would try his hand at it and I'm sure there will be wooden spatulas in the future of all the girls in our family!! They'll like that for sure!!

Today is a rainy day in Ohio ~ we've had several days of sun and that's a wonderful thing! I've actually walked every day this week, and as soon as the rain lets up, I'm heading out the door. I've fallen off my exercise/hook every day goal and I'm trying to get back on! This old body needs some serious work, so I'm trying to get some fresh air and exercise and work on getting back on track!! In January, I spoke of my 'one little word' for the year, change ~ it's still there ~ in the back of my mind ~ trying to 'change' some old habits and create new ones! I know that you all know how hard it is to stay disciplined and dedicated ~ I used to be both those things! Wish me luck!!
Alice