Monday, June 23, 2008

What a Good Weekend We Enjoyed

I imagine that my definition of a "good" weekend and your definition might be a bit different. Let's see how ours went...

  • From Purple to Peach: We got a huge step ahead on getting Nana/Momma/Edith's room redecorated. You might recall that she is visiting J&J in TN for a couple of weeks, so we took advantage of her absence to get her room re-painted (so she won't have to breath in all those nasty paint fumes). In the photo (right), Mr. T is using our *favorite* painting roller "system" called the PaintStick to quickly apply the first...and ONLY...coat of Kilz' Casual Color A7, "Apricot Glow" over the previously-purple walls. (My job was to do the cutting-in...not nearly as exciting, huh?) How does he stay so clean? I always get more paint on me (and other surfaces...more on that later) than I do on the walls. Sigh. Anyway, I discovered this paint at WalMart the other day...it said it was a TRUE one-coat coverage brand. And, since we were going to prime the walls with Kilz (which we have learned to tint with the paint color), we thought we'd give the Kilz paint a try. Woo-hoo! It's a keeper!! Although we had to purchase 2 gallons for the bedroom (because the handy-dandy PaintStick takes nearly 1/4 can just to fill the stick and the roller the first time), we only used one coat...and had about 2/3 of the second gallon left over. It looks so pretty! Today, I'm sewing a valance for the window, and if I have any fabric left over, I'll stitch up a pillow or two also. Then, I'll pull it all together with new sheets in Antique Linen and quilted coverlet in Shell. I'll post a picture of the finished product later on this week.

  • Doggie Spa Day: We loaded up the pups for a short ride to the groomers for a much-needed Spa Day...or, as I sometimes call it "Fluff & Fold." Although it will take Elmo (right, in the picture to the right) two days to recover from the trauma, they all look...and SMELL...so much better! And, we don't have to listen to their nails click-click-click on the floors, either, since they all got peticures! Here, you see Mr. T taking the Drool Gang for the pre-ride fear-poop walk. You might notice that Duchess (left, in the picture to the right) has made her contribution(s), hence the tell-tale blue bag...and the smile on her face...:)

  • All Work and No Play Ain't Ever a Good Day: While the dogs were away for several hours on Sunday, we grabbed the opportunity to visit a favorite, Wine Country Gardens in Defiance, MO...which I usually just call "the daylily farm." Wow....what fabulous changes they have incorporated for 2008. They now have a huge air conditioned dining area and pavilion to replace the stand-up counter in the cafe. They've nearly doubled their outside eating area, adding to the covered porches a patio that overlooks the Missouri River valley. Everything was so green...and fortunately the Missouri hadn't (yet) flooded the fields below. We enjoyed the Rosemary Chicken Salad on croissants...with the tastiest *hot* fresh potato chips on the side. [We would have indulged in the wine, too, but were afraid that we wouldn't be alert enough , shall we say, to finish our painting activities back home. Too bad. I guess that means that we shall return...and soon!] We limited our shopping to the main area, foregoing the fun ride in the golf cart out to the daylily acres (I told you...we need to go back for that!). No worries...we loaded up our wagon with plants: 2 Dad's Best White, 2 Grape Magic (purple), 2 Charles Johnston (red), and 1 Upper Crust Peach daylilies; a huge coleus for an actual shady spot in the front yard; a pot of Shasta daisies; and some interesting varigated sweet iris. The really good news...we got home in time to get everything in the ground. I'll post some photos of the newest daylilies when they bloom...which should be soon, very soon indeed.

  • Pick Up the Sticks: I also got back to work on my Bliss-ful Three-Stripes Cardigan, when I picked up the sticks to watch the newest "Inspector Lewis" on Masterpiece Theatre (thanks to Missy M for calling us to alert us to the Sunday schedule...love it, love it, love it! Follow the link to see clips of the 3 in Series 1). I've been trying to finish a few of those UFO's that got stuck at the bottom of the project bag. Here, in the photo, are a couple of pairs of baby socks out of some Jeannette left-overs (fabulous cotton yarn...bought it in Pawleys Island, SC, a couple of years ago; made baby sweaters for twins with the majority of it) and another beaded crocheted bracelet. I do love it when I can move some stragglers to the "Done" list, don't you?

  • Drop cloth...what drop cloth: And, even though it didn't exactly feel "good" at the time, I may have hastened the installation of those wood floors I've been contemplating for the dining room and den (she said, sheepishly). I was headed downstairs to clean the paint brushes, etc., when Mr. T's sharp intake of breath alerted me to impending disaster. It seems that I was dripping peach-colored paint from the Paintstick onto the beige carpeting...no, not dripping...I was swirling it in a Jackson Pollack-inspired design! We grabbed cleaning supplies and started to work at removing it...and, giving him credit, Mr. T did a fantastic job of removing most of it, after about the 4th or 5th attempt (I gave up after about the 2nd try). I don't suppose anyone will ever believe me when I say that I didn't do that on purpose. Hmmm...now, what color wood floor would look best...?

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

100 Years...A Very Happy Birthday Indeed!

What a wonderful time we had on Sunday! We traveled to Tennessee to help Cousin Allene celebrate her 100th birthday. In the photo to the left, Nana/Momma/Edith shares her best wishes with the Birthday Girl in her beautiful home at an afternoon open house, that welcomed more than a hundred friends and relatives.



I thought and thought and thought. What do you get someone who has everything...or, could buy whatever she wants or needs? I knew I had to be a little creative with this one! First, I found a 1908 nickel. Then, I researched the year of her birth and created a card with the following highlights:



  • January 1, 1908 - A ball drops in NYC's Times Square for the first time.

  • January 12 - A long distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

  • March 21 - Frenchmen Henri Farman pilots the first passenger flight.

  • September 27 - Henry Ford produces his first Model T automobile.

  • October 14 - The Chicago Cubs win the World Series (for the last time...:).


I framed the coin and the card together, hoping that she'll enjoy this gift from my heart!



Mr. T wore his Father's Day gift...a rather wild Hawaiian-themed Cardinals shirt...with nary a dot of red on it. Interesting, huh. Here we are (right), having a good time at the party. Cousin Cliffordene snapped the photo...about 5 pictures before my batteries died. I know, I know...always take extras. I've gotten a little lax about that since my "extras" were confiscated by TSA Security at the STL airport earlier this year...drat. But, I should have known that these were working on borrowed time...these lithium batteries have served me well since about February...all the way through our trip to Ireland and beyond. Thankfully, I was able to get snapshots of all the cousins except one couple.

If you would like to see the rest of the photos (and some more of flowers and the bridge and the pond in the back yard...and the baby sweater I finished knitting last week for my beautician's new baby...:), just follow this link (or the one in the column on the left) to my Photoworks.com Share Page. The album with the birthday pictures is the one with the "rose on the lattice" photo on front. Enjoy: www.photoworks.com/members/adsit2

Friday, June 6, 2008

This and That

Mr. T and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary last week...woo-hoo! It's certainly been a great ride and a wonderful adventure. Who would have thought when we exchanged our vows in Jackson, MS, 32 years ago that we would be toasting this particular celebration with our Buds at Cardinal Stadium? Of course, who would have thought that we would have celebrated six anniversaries in MO??? Ain't life amazing?

Here's a photo of the beautiful roses that he gave me (right)...they looked so fabulous on the dining room table, which is decorated in red, white, and blue (for Memorial Day through Labor Day). The only sad note is that roses like these have been so over-developed for their beauty that they have lost all their scent. Never fear...we have some gorgeous red Chrysler Imperials blooming on the back fence...and they smell wonderful!!

Speaking of Cardinal Stadium...

I missed going to Stitch 'n Pitch this year, as the organizers moved the date to the same week that we already had tickets. So, I kinda created my very own SNP by taking some knitting with me the other night...and whipping out the stix for a little KIP (knitting in public). Of course, I always try to work on something "light" (read that: simple) when I'm trying to balance yarn and needles in a small, confined space...I certainly don't need to have to read a pattern or count rows and/or stitches! I had a pair of house-slippers in patriotic colors going for Mom for Memorial Day (photo, left), and since this is what I learned to knit on, I figured I could do this in my sleep...no pattern notes needed! Although it was windy and a storm threatened, the rain held off until the second out of the ninth inning...and the Cards won 5-4...just for us, I'm sure.

Speaking of things in bloom...

Looks like almost all of the irises have finished blooming...with the notable exception of this so-purple-it's-almost-black one that is new to the front yard this year. As a matter of fact, I had my doubts about this one ever blooming, since I made the mistake of leaving a whole box of 7 iris roots (purchased at Sam's last Fall) in the garage over the Winter. Oops. They looked pitiful when I found them in April...all shriveled up...but, what the heck...I stuck 'em in the ground with my fingers crossed. And, wonder of all wonders, all of them sent up green leaves...and one of them even bloomed. Of course, I had to take a picture to share (left).

As the iris finish their show, the roses start to take center stage...as evidenced by this photo of our Hot Cocoa rose in the bed off the deck. These roses are an unusual color...a deep, warm cinnamon-y red-orange...with a light citrus-y fragrance. The recent rains...and hailstorms...have done damage to the fragile petals of some of the other rose bushes, but Hot Cocoa (right) has held up really well. We have 5 new bushes to get into the ground...if it ever stops storming long enough on the weekends. Up next...the daylilies are ready to strut their stuff!


Of course, we aren't the only ones who enjoy the great outdoors, are we? Mr. Gus (photo left) has several "special" places in the yard, but this is one of his favorites...just off the deck in a protected area next to the house. Ahhhhhh...!

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