Returning to Normal

So I finally made it to Friday and my life is beginning to return to normal. That means that all of my family is back where they belong-probably won't be for long with my "love of travel" gang but for now Nana is happy. I won't go into the travel nightmares daughter #3 and her family had trying to get to New London, CT to get grandson #1 settled into his new life at the Coast Guard Academy. Flights were cancelled going up that required leaving from a different city on a different day-luckily daughter #1 lives in St. Pete so they were able to spend the night there before finally getting out of Tampa the next day. And then, two different flights were cancelled coming home with no new flights in immediate scheduling so they ended up driving from CT to FL. If my daughter didn't have a "new home" complete installation that she had to do, they would have gone with the flow and added an extended vacay but, unfortunately, she didn't have that option...and, it was a LONG day for everyone-those actually in the car and those of us at home worrying about their travel safety.

In any case, my grandson is at school. He is now considered a "swab" and can have no contact with the family for about 7 weeks. The Coast Guard does go to great lengths to take LOTS of pictures every day and post them every night so you can at least see what the kids are doing and that they are OK. I think the hardest part is not being able to talk to him...or at least text...but, we'll live through it and he has a world of adventures at his fingertips so, it's all good!

In any case, all of that going on and then waiting to get my car in for a new timing belt has kept me at odds most of the week. I know...because my kids have told me more than enough times...that worrying does nothing but disrupt my life. I KNOW that but, I learned from the world's BEST worrier (my mom) and there is truly nothing I can do to talk myself out of it. And so, the last week has been full of just silly little things to try to distract me for a bit. Luckily, I had my grand dog here with me so there was a little bit of company but, the days were long. I was constantly looking for craft ideas to keep me busy. And, since the 4th is almost upon us, I looked for ideas for my next decor which will be sun flowers. Believe me when I say, there truly are just so many sunflowers one can have in their decor...and after perusing last year's decor, I may have hit the limit. Lol But, I didn't have a Mason jar craft so why not? I actually just did this one at my desk. It is nothing special but I think it might be nice with some fresh flowers in it or maybe a few faux sunflowers as long as I don't have to buy more-there is truly NO more room to store even one more!

I didn't have any sunflower color paint so I mixed a little mustard with bright yellow and I think it works.

It took two coats and then I sanded off the raised parts of the jar.

Then, I sprayed it with a coat of matter sealer before wiping on some antique wax .

I finished it with a few wraps of twine and a bow. It looks a little sad right now but, it will look better when it has some flowers and, it's really all I have to offer. Lol

My car is in the shop and it looks like it will take awhile so, with the holiday next week, they aren't sure when it will be done so they told me to go ahead with my trip to St. Pete and they would hold on to it if it got done early! And so, I am off with my brother and sister-in-law in the morning to visit daughter #1 for 4-5 days. She just got her pool finished and the yard totally landscaped so I am anxious to see the results of many, many months of "construction" down there. Not sure how many more of the family may find their way there but it is always fun with this gang so I'm looking forward to it!

I will be MIA for a bit but I'll have lots of things to share when I return. I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July...stay safe and stay tuned.

I have to add a few pictures for the record. From the night before they hit campus, to their meetings with both the lacrosse and football teams to drop off and then the 15 minutes they got to spend with him after his swearing in. Be still my heart! I love this kid so much!

Now it's getting real!

And off he goes! Sniff, sniff!

Unsettled Week

I had grandiose plans for this week. I was going to paint my sunroom ceiling...until I didn't! My plan had been to start on Monday but, when I woke up, I decided to get some of my little "Monday" things done first. I started by taking out the garbage cans which led to me seeing branches on my roof so out came the ladder and I was getting those down...which led to more branch picking up around the yard and some weeding. I still thought it might be early enough to get started when the pictures from daughter #3 and her family started coming in. They are in Connecticut dropping grandson #1 off at the Coast Guard Academy and Monday was "the" day. After a lovely weekend of meeting the lacrosse and football teams and their families and getting familiar with the campus, it was time for him to leave them to go get his uniforms, haircut and all the things and then the next time they would see him would only be for 15 minutes after the swearing in ceremony-which I got to watch and pretty much cry through...this is the REAL deal. No more little boy. 

I was worried how he would react when the reality hit but more so how his parents and siblings would be feeling and so, I just couldn't get my mind to wrap around ceiling paint. Lol

And so, I started by doing what I pretty much knew I would end up doing-I added some very fine Martha Stewart copper glitter to the wreath here and there. I really had to stop myself or I would have had that thing illuminating space!

And then, I still had time on my hands so I decided to decoupage another 4th of July image I had laying around. I guess I must have printed a lot of them last year-I have no idea why. In any case, daughter #2 fell in love with the pallet sign I had in my kitchen when she was here last week so I told her to take it. I really wasn't all that fond of it if truth be told. But, I was apparently fond enough because I missed having something on that shelf to fill the dead spot. And so, I set off to make another.

I really didn't get very far as no matter what wood I had in my stash, I couldn't put strips together to get the correct size pallet for the image I had. Note to self-I need some kind of saw to help me rip wood lengthwise. I checked my closet and I still had a few Valentine large wood tag signs that I hadn't used so, out came my friendly chop saw and I was off-not as substantial as a pallet but at least something that would allow me to get started.

I wish this had been wood as I then could have sanded the edges to get different colors to reveal but, since it is just masonite, the sanding process doesn't work. I just went around the edges with black, more blue and some red. It really isn't what I wanted...or even really like...but, after all, it is just a 4th of July decoration and will only be up another week or so...and, it DOES fill a spot...and, it DID keep be busy the rest of the day...so, I am good with it.

So now it is Tuesday and still no ceiling painting. Today the rest of my family is flying home and since their original flight up got canceled, their travel home plans are a nightmare (flying into Orlando but flew out of Tampa so that is where their car is)-not to mention that hundreds of flights are being canceled out of the northeast as I type due to severe weather...and so, my mind is scattered again and I can't seem to get motivated to paint just yet. I actually don't know what I will do but I'll start with lunch and maybe something will click. I still have my grand dog here so maybe she and I will take a little walk-we shall see. Until I'm back, stay safe and stay tuned.

Decisions, Decisions!

 As promised in my last post, I am back to show you the finished wreath. As a recap, here is where I started: images downloaded, printed and cut out ready to go. I started placing the larger ones to see when I had enough and then cut out a lot of leaves to use as filler once the wreath was assembled and there were vacant areas. Once again I used a $Tree wire wreath form that I stepped on to flatten. This times the "spokes" that held the form together really popped through the burlap once the form was wrapped but I found my wire cutters did a fine job of snipping them off so they didn't show.

I forgot to take a picture of just the wrapped form but you can see a bit of it in this picture. I like to place the "anchor" pieces first and then work from there.

This isn't quite the same "vintagey" feel as my other wreaths because I couldn't find many vintage postcards or images that were just autumn-most that I found were for Thanksgiving with those sentiments written on them as well as turkeys, Pilgrims, etc. I have absolutely nothing against Thanksgiving except that I already have a "dummy board" wreath for that holiday...in fact, it is one that I bought before I started making these. So here is where we are now.

Of course, now the question remains-do I add glitter or not? I love glitter but sometimes the project just doesn't call for it and this might just be one of those times. There are a few places where I can see it benefiting the wreath but, once I get going I know I will want things "balanced" and before I know it, every bit of it will be glittered up! And so for once, I think I will wait and just look at it for awhile. I will of course be adding a hanger-I just need to know where I will hang it and how long it will need to be. I think this time I am NOT going to hang it in front of a mirror. The back on this one is pretty unattractive and not something I would want reflecting. Decisions, decisions. We shall see. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Here We Go Again!

 So the final good-byes have been said-or, more accurately, sobbed and daughter #3 and her family are on their way to New London, CT to drop grandson #1 off at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy! He is ready for the world but I'm not sure the rest of the family is quite ready to let him go! The sad truth is that once you have given birth to a child, you are already beginning the long road to "good-bye". If you have done your job correctly, he/she will be ready to fly...and he is! This is not the first time I have done this. I said good-bye to my three girls and then my first four grand daughters. But, they were all going off rather close to home...and, I could call any time I wanted to hear his voice. This time is different. The U.S. military is involved and they kind of run the show. And so, Har will be incommunicado until September-sailing the ocean-on this!

I know he is in good hands...and so ready to take on so many new challenges...but, that is not making it any easier for this old Nana who has come so used to having him just a few minutes away for all these years. I have been lucky and I know it. And, I still have two more grands that close so the fun times will continue-they'll just be a bit quieter!

In any case, that leads me to this post. I have my grand dog here again and I was planning to start painting my sunroom ceiling today but, I woke up once again to an incredibly rough thunderstorm accompanied by LOTS of rain. Our city has been flooded for days and this didn't help. And, they're saying it will continue until Sunday so, I just decided it wasn't a good day to begin this job. Painting a ceiling is bad enough without the gloomy skies and rain looking in on me. And so, I'm at it again. I decided I needed another vintage image wreath-because, doesn't everyone. But, it will keep me busy and my mind off of how much I am thinking I am already missing Har! 

My next decor will be "summer" with all of my sunflowers so I had initially thought I would do a sunflower wreath but, even if I use different images including seed packets, in the end, they are all just sunflowers so I decided to hop back to autumn where I could add apples, Indian corn, pumpkins, leaves, etc.. Who knows, if this weather continues for longer than predicted, I just might go back and do a sunflower one too.

So this is where I am right now.

 

It's pretty much the same routine from here on out but I'll come back and share as I get to it. I will probably move some things around and then use those extra leaves to tuck into any blank spaces.

One last thing to share. My daughter had as much of the family as available to come over for one last shrimp boil (Har's request) dinner and lots more good-bye hugs. We didn't get everyone in this picture but this is what we got! It was a wonderful family evening just letting him know how proud we all are, how much we will miss him and just how very much he is loved!!

I'll be back tomorrow if all goes well with the wreath and I'll show you the finished product. Now I'm off to take Hazel out before the rain starts again. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Gloomy Day

I am by no means complaining but, it is a pretty gloomy day out there today. We have already had rain several times but not much thunder and lightening so no fear of losing the power-at least not yet! I really have no problem with a rainy Friday-especially if I don't have anything special planned-and I don't.

Hazel is back with me again. She came with my daughter and son-in-law the other night when they brought over dinner and just decided to stay. I really enjoy having her here and, except for having to get her to go out in the rain-not her favorite thing to do even when I go with her-we are having a wonderful visit! 

My last post filled you in on my grand children's "projects at Nana's house" visit but what I forgot to show you is that they also came bearing gifts-my favorite kind of gift-beautiful flowers. I love peonies but they do not grow here so it is always an unexpected pleasure to receive a beautiful bouquet of them...and the stock that is in the bouquet just make the whole house smell so yummy!

So since Hazel and I are housebound and I don't have any good ideas for any more 4th of July decor/crafts, I decided to go to my Pinterest page and see if I had any autumn/Halloween/Christmas ideas that I might get started on. I must say that once again, just by virtue of my having been around a lot of years, almost all of the things that I find that I like, I have already done-and still have-or, at least close enough that I wouldn't want to do it again. I picked out a few for now to start thinking about.

The first is an autumn dummy board wreath. I have a Thanksgiving one but this one wouldn't have any turkeys so I could use it for my autumn decor-or, if I used more sunflowers, I could make one for my late summer decor. We shall see. This idea came from ChristmasTraditions.com and looks like it is no longer available for purchase...but definitely a candidate for copying. Lol

I also found this pumpkin. I'm guessing it is for Halloween as not only is it black but it is displayed on a spider web piece of fabric. I wouldn't do it black. I think I would use it on a faux pumpkin that I might "whitewash" a bit and then use leaves with just a hint of color. I think that would be pretty with my autumn decor. I am hoping to get to HL next week and, fingers crossed, they will have some autumn leaves already out. I used to be one of those people who questioned why stores rushed the seasons but if you are a crafter, you need your supplies in advance of the season. I'll be disappointed if I can't find what I need to get started on this. Lol This idea is from fernandmaple.com although when I went to the page, it was no longer available either.

Halloween is always hard for me because I already have SO much but, I don't have a witch's stocking-although I DO have a witch's shoe which looks a bit similar. In any case, I might make one of these although definitely not the three as "BOO". Maybe I could use some other image in the blank area.

And then I kind of like this pillow although I would use the witch's shoe but not fill it with candy. For some reason that sends my head to more of a Christmas stocking?! This image came from alistrebel.com.

And then on to some Christmas ornament ideas:

I could actually get started on this one right away because I purchased a number of the hard to find ceiling tiles when my $Tree finally got them in.

I think the snow globe might be fun with a vintage image inside. This one was made with a purchased kit but I'm thinking I could do close to the same thing with half of a plastic fill-able ornament? Again, fingers crossed Christmas craft supplies are soon out.

So those are my ideas for now. I'm trying to find projects that I can do to stay busy while daughter #3 and her family are taking my grandson to CT to start the next chapter of his life in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. I'll have Hazel once again-if she ever leaves this time lol-so we will be looking for things to keep us going and away from anything that uses WiFi. Oh, I forgot, I also just picked up a gallon of ceiling paint to paint the much over due ceiling paint project in the sunroom. I had a leak in that ceiling years ago and just realized the other day that I had never painted the ceiling to cover the now very old stains. I guess I just needed those "new eyes" because I swear, as many times as I have walked through that room, I have never looked up to those stains. And, I'm guessing no one else has either as no one has ever said anything-maybe they were just being nice.

Off to see what is going on. Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

 

Getting a Handle on Things!

 I am getting a handle on things...just in time! My spring-when I would normally be doing a lot of these things-was filled up this year with all of the graduations and sporting festivities. And so, things that I would normally have been doing in a bit cooler temperatures with helpers who would have been more available in less busy years, got put off until now. In case you didn't know, I live in Central Florida where we have normal summer weather patterns of thunderstorms almost every afternoon. This year, that was a bit slow in coming so, although we have had the HEAT, the showers have been fewer and further between. Until now. It looks like we are back on schedule so I am happy my grand children decided to do a "Nana yard day" before that happened.

As I have said, I am used to doing almost everything myself-I have always done that and enjoyed that. But, as sad as it makes me to say it, there are just some things that I can no longer do just because I don't have the strength I once had. And, honestly, with two strong grandsons who play football and lacrosse, the heavy lifting shouldn't be on my agenda any more.

And so, there appeared two days when everyone was free and they came to help me tackle some of the big things. They put in 3 new fence posts where the privacy fence was leaning a bit and helped me clear SO MUCH of the field behind my fence that always wants to invade. It is a bit of a jungle back there-especially after a long winter where no one has done any cleaning. The hardest part is getting through all of the vines that seems to connect trees that are 100' apart. We always come out of there looking like we have fought a battle-and we have!

My grand daughter joined on Tuesday and with the 4 of us at it almost the entire day, we got SO MUCH done! It always makes me feel good because the less growing behind the fence, the less that will come creeping into my yard where I will have to tackle it.

And now, they're back today to attach the fence to the now set posts and then to help me lift and level one of my concrete fountains and my concrete bench. It is amazing how they can lift those things with hardly any effort at all! Oh to be young again-lol

So now that I am feeling so ahead of the game, I thought I would show you the last of the 4th of July decor. All that is left is the guest bath and maybe a glimpse at my bathroom with just a slight nod to the day.

I love these "free" designed flags that the kids and I did a few years back. We each just let our design flow. 

Seriously, just a nod!

That is it for this year's 4th of July decor and, I haven't found anything new to make so I guess it is time to start looking forward a bit. I like to do some Halloween and Christmas crafts during the summer so I'm ahead of the game when they arrive so that is probably what I will be doing next-we'll see. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Staying Busy

So apparently all it took was the "threat" of having to raise my Cox WiFi bill to get me motivated...at least more than I have been of late with the heat we've been having. I am doing everything in my power to find chores that don't include WiFi use. As I posted previously, I really never even thought about there being a limit to my usage-now I know.

The heat is such that I really don't want to do any of my larger projects because I'm one of those who, once having started a project, I want to see it through to the end no matter how long it may take. And, these days, an hour or two in the sun is about all I can tolerate without taking a break. And so, I have been going around the yard doing lots of little things that have been needing doing but not quite enough to motivate me before. I have re-nailed every fence slat that I found loose, re-nailed the entire fence around the A/C unit that got taken down for the new unit to be put in and never put back totally correctly, tied back the sky vine once again, touched up a lot of the pool furniture, spot cleaned all of the bedroom carpets, scrubbed the chaise cushions, scrubbed the pool slide, pulled every little weed I could find, edged all of the garden borders, re-potted some plants and planted others in the ground, re-attached some loose lattice on the privacy fence, etc. They are all things that I am pretty sure no one else but me would even take note of but, they are things I have been looking at for awhile and knowing they needed doing so...yay me!

My grandson messaged me the other day to say that he and his brother (and maybe his sister) wanted to come for a work day and then daughter #2 called and asked if she could come for a visit and would love to help with anything needed and then my brother called and asked if he and my sister-in-law could come for a visit and that they'd be happy to help with anything I needed. Wow! I had better stop what I'm doing before there isn't anything left for them to do. Lol Just kidding-the things I will keep for their lists are the things that require more than one set of hands, require a bit more muscle than I have these days or, require a trip to the roof which has been off of my list ever since my vision and depth perception started to go. It does make me mad that these are all things I used to do but, I must take joy in all of the things I can still do. I'm a bit of a "where there's a will" kind of gal plus a bit of a jerry-rigger so I can still do most of the things I want...however they get done-the end justifies the means! Lol  

All of that being said, I am happy to be inside for a bit and thought we would head to the family room. I don't think there are a lot of changes in there but, I do love the room at night. I have actually been walking around the house of late trying to come up with a few ideas for things I can switch. I think this happens to me every year at about this time because I'm not as busy since the kids don't have their school things that I'm attending. I've got an idea or two so, maybe if I can fit in a trip to Lowes, I'll have that to share. 

In any case, this year's family room.

I don't remember if I shared the re-do of the book stack cover with you. I never really liked the one I originally did so, after looking at it one time too many, I took off the old one and decoupaged a holiday napkin in its place. I like the new one so much better.

Last year:

This year:

I love the script on the white stripes but now that I look at it this closely, I'm realizing that they aren't as white as the spine of the book-maybe a little distressing is in order? Oh goody, something else I can do with out WiFi-Lol!

This is still one of my favorite inexpensive HL pillow covers that I painted. It was so easy - I just ironed on stars cut from freezer paper and painted over them and pulled them off - and I think it looks so much more complicated!

So that is the family room this year. I don't have a picture once it is dark outside but I can share this one where you can at least see some of the candles-there are actually 11 candles in this room that all pop on about 6 PM. I also have several real candles that I light and I just love sitting in this room in the evenings.

I'm off to stay busy. Hope you stay safe and stay tuned.